Lee Boon Yang
Singapore
“6 The other guidelines are that there must be a post office sited within 5 km of every private residential estate and within 1 km of any commercial or industrial estate. MAID LEVY CONCESSION (Applications by the disabled) 32.”
“Madam, can I quickly respond to the point on assistive technology? Certainly this is an area of interest. We cannot say that we have the capability at this juncture but we will certainly look into what is possible and work with our ICT sector.”
“Nevertheless, if the spouse of the homemaker is working, he will be eligible for WIS if he satisfies the criteria. Husbands of homemakers are further eligible for tax relief.”
“Sir, I do not think it is quite correct to say that we always expect our own artists to perform for free or do public service. There are, of course, occasions where we do seek Singapore artists and arts companies to contribute to the national causes. For instance, when we went international for Singapore Season in China.”
“Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for National Development (a) what checks does the Ministry or the National Environment Agency have in place to prevent mistaken payments to hawkers who cease operations due to upgrading works at hawker centers; (b) how did the mistaken payment of $18,000 to Mdm Lee Ah Muey come about; and (c) what will the…”
“While it was also true that initially the reaction or the response of the licensing authority was that foreigners should not participate in such an event at the Speakers' Corner - because there is already an existing prohibition against any foreigners taking part in any activities at the Speakers' Corner - subsequent assessment resulted i…”
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“6 The other guidelines are that there must be a post office sited within 5 km of every private residential estate and within 1 km of any commercial or industrial estate. MAID LEVY CONCESSION (Applications by the disabled) 32. Dr Fatimah Lateef asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) how many disabled persons or those with disabled family members have applied for the maid levy concession since its inception in September 2008; (b) for the past two years, what are the numbers of recipients for families with children younger than 12 years and elderly relatives older than 65 years; and (c) whether there are plans to consider expanding the list of families who can qualify for this levy.”
“I thank the Member for his queries on the use of post offices as a means for the public to pay their bills for public services. As at end 2008, there were 102 post offices located throughout Singapore, comprising 62 main post offices and 40 smaller branches. Over the past five years, four post offices were closed, while six new post offices were opened, resulting in a slight increase in the number of post offices during this period. To ensure that Singaporeans continue to have convenient access to post offices, the IDA has guidelines which SingPost, as the Public Postal Licensee, has to comply with. These guidelines ensure that there are sufficient post offices located within or near residential, commercial and industrial estates. In particular, a post office must be sited in every HDB New Town. In cases where the town population exceeds 100,000, there must be a second post office that is at least 3 km from the original outlet6. Apart from post offices, there is a range of other options the public can choose to pay bills for public services. Bills can be paid at counters set up at the respective government agencies. As an alternative, members of the public can also use Internet e-banking, SingPost’s Self-service Automated Machines (SAMs) and AXS automated payment machines. There are currently about 270 SAMs and 560 AXS machines throughout Singapore. Most are accessible 24 hours, seven days a week. The current density of post office branches, the network of self-service machines and increasing availability of Internet e-payment, have been adequate in enabling Singaporeans to conveniently pay bills for public services. Nevertheless, should Mr Baey have any specific concerns, we can look further into the issue.”
“Madam, can I quickly respond to the point on assistive technology? Certainly this is an area of interest. We cannot say that we have the capability at this juncture but we will certainly look into what is possible and work with our ICT sector. We will bring the ICT sector together with the health sector to discuss, see what we can do and how we can contribute towards developing assistive technology, which should be useful and which would also create value for our economy. RAdm [NS] Lui Tuck Yew: On the arts scholarship question that was raised. I believe we do although obviously it is not possible for every applicant to be successful. I think in particular we tried to encourage those who are not only already participants but who intend to take up a career in the arts and so we do fund also a larger number of scholarships at the Bachelor's level. On funding for venues, we provide a whole scheme of funding support and I think it's useful for the applicants to direct this to NAC for greater clarification.”
“I think the assurance is that if they are good and they really excel in their particular area, there is every possibility for them not only to think about overseas institutions but also to consider the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory in Singapore. The Yong Siew Toh Conservatory is really, really world-class in terms of the facilities, drawing in a lot of top students into the institution. So I think there is actually a route for them, after the six years, coming out with the International Baccalaureate programme for those who want to continue to develop their artistic talents and to become professional artistes. That is at least one route. On internet search – Mr Low's question. We actually have four vendors to aggregate the information from the newspapers, both local and overseas. That is what NLB has contracted with them to do. These vendors are now in negotiation with SPH to put the local newspapers there. Users, when at home and in the Library, I believe, can access these newspapers directly – Lianhe Zaobao website or the Straits Times website, as far as I understand the situation to be. But it is that they cannot not go through these aggregators in order to access the SPH newspapers because this is a commercial issue that is under discussion and negotiation now; so I will not be able to comment a little bit further on how exactly the negotiations are coming along.”
“Madam, may I respond to the supplementary question on the communications cost for the low income and the needy. Madam, I think, the Government recognises that in these difficult times, there will be families, there will be Singaporeans who will face financial distress. The approach is to extend to them assistance in a targeted manner. But we cannot be out there to assist in every individual service on nitty-gritty things. Hence, we have programmes like doubling of the GST rebate; assistance through rental, service and conservancy rebates; and reduction in personal income tax with a cap of $2,000. All these mean that Government is putting cash back in the hands of people. Even for the lowest income group, they will benefit from this series of rebates and grants given by the Government. And, I think, this is the way of helping them. If they need to meet their communication expenses like pay for their telephone bills or for their mobile phone expenses, they can draw upon this series of rebates and grants that Government has given out to meet their obligations. For those who are in arrears with their telecommunication bills, I think, they can approach the service provider and make an appeal for a deferred or an instalment payment, which is what they do. And as an MP, I regularly see people at my MPS asking for such assistance. Where possible, we will write to the operator to ask them to consider the appeal for a deferred payment or an instalment payment. I hope that addresses the concern of the Member. I will ask the Senior Minister of State to address the other queries. RAdm [NS] Lui Tuck Yew: On SOTA, I think it is early days yet because it has already got three years' worth of students going in.”
“We will provide them with a new or a refurbished PC (full capabilities) at a very affordable cost. So cost to the family is not an issue, neither is cost to IDA. We have the funds and we will be able to support them. But the estimate of 38,000 additional families are our assessment of going forward, over the next six years, what would be the number of needy families with children in school who will need this additional assistance. I just want to reiterate that it is not just providing computers. We also provide a three-year subscription for the broadband access. So, in fact, they have both the computer and broadband access that would be very useful for the students. And I just want to say that only last Wednesday at my Meet-the-People session, I had one case of a low-income family living in a rental flat whose children have now gone on to secondary school and found that they need to have access to broadband at home. They had not asked for the service previously. But now that they discovered that with a kid in secondary school, they would benefit from having a broadband. They came to ask for assistance, and I duly wrote to the IDA to seek their assistance to provide the family under the new PC-plus programme, with both PC and also a broadband subscription. They deserve it and, I think, they will get it.”
“Madam Chair, with regard to mobile content, I am pleased to inform the House and the Member that IDA supports the development of mobile content. We recognise that more and more users are shifting onto mobile platform. In fact, for instance, in the Wireless@SG initiative, we are seeing more of the users accessing Wireless@SG with mobile devices like the WiFi-enabled PDAs or the intelligent mobile phones that are being sold nowadays. So, obviously there is a greater demand and a growing need for mobile content and the IDA will support the development of this mobile application. MDA, on its part, in encouraging and supporting the content creation sector, will also encourage investment and efforts in mobile content. For instance, in the IDM sector, we have particularly interested in encouraging game developers to develop online games that are suitable for mobile application. And I believe that some of these applications have already been developed and are being tested out. So, going forward, I think, Singapore can see more mobile content being made available. There will be diversity in mobile content, in terms of serious applications. Mobile content for leisure, for example, gaming products and mobile content in terms of information that people need when they are on the move. All these will be made available through the various mobile platforms. With regard to the marginalised sector, I think the Member may have misunderstood me when I said that an additional 38,000 needy households will benefit by 2015. This is IDA's estimate of households who need such support. Each year there will new people coming onboard the programme. The family comes onboard the programme if they have school-going children and they have low income.”
“We can look to the future with confidence in Singapore’s ability to transform into a globally competitive creative economy. Supporting the Arts”
“I remember meeting him when I visited London several years ago. It will continue to showcase Singapore designers and enterprises at prestigious international events such as the London Design Festival and Venice Biennale, the Architecture Biennale. Such promotions have yielded dividends for our designers. Just last month, home-grown furniture designer company Air Division secured on-the-spot business deals with two topline Italian furniture companies at the leading furniture fair in IMM Cologne. So despite the gloomy scenario, there is still demand for well-designed products and I am glad that our Singapore designers were able to meet up and take advantage of such demands and opportunities. Dr Fatimah Lateef asked how we could harness the talent of freelancers in the Creative Industries. Freelancers do play an important role in the creative industries, particularly in the design sector and I am pleased to inform her that MICA has started to work with the private sector on a Creative Industries Freelancers' Network. This initiative will provide a centralised resource and contact database and a wide range of services such as training and networking to help match freelancers with companies and potential users of their design expertise. It will be launched later this year. Madam, in conclusion, MICA is focused on assisting our creative enterprises tide over the current economic difficulties. We will also invest in manpower development and infrastructure for the longer term. We will ensure that Singapore’s Creative Industries and the wider economy will have both the software and hardware to grow and prosper once the economic storm blows over.”
“In general, Singaporeans are already tech- savvy. Today we have a mobile penetration rate of 131% and a household broadband penetration rate of close to 100%. IDA will continue to reach out to citizens to promote the use of infocomm technology. We will work with organisations such as NTUC to strengthen online engagement with its 500,000 members. We will nurture a digitally-inclusive society and reach out to the marginalised sector, which was one of Miss Penny Low’s concerns. IDA’s NEU PC Plus programme offers students from low-income households and disabled people highly-subsidised computers which comes with broadband services. This programme has benefited about 7,000 households with school-going children since it started two years ago and is expected to benefit an additional 38,000 needy households by 2015. IDA will also continue its Silver Infocomm Initiative to equip our senior citizens with necessary infocomm skills. On design, Dr Ong Seh Hong had asked about our support for the design enterprises. Last November, I launched the $12 million "Design for Enterprises" programme which will help SMEs in various economic sectors enhance their competitiveness through design innovation. I am pleased to note that about 200 companies have already expressed interest in this joint programme by DesignSingapore, IE Singapore and SPRING. DesignSingapore has further earmarked $10 million over the next two years to strengthen the Design Capability Development Programme. This includes funding support for cross-disciplinary mentorships, scholarships, internships and overseas promotion. DesignSingapore has promoted and profiled almost 1,500 Singapore designers since 2004 and Mr Ashley Isham was mentioned by Dr Ong. Indeed he was one of those that we have profiled.”
“The NGNBN will provide consumers and businesses with highly competitive broadband services based on an effective open access model. IDA will regulate the NetCo and OpCo’s wholesale prices. OpenNet, the consortium that won the NetCo RFP, had proposed monthly wholesale prices of $15 per residential connection and $50 for non-residential connection. The eventual retail prices will naturally be higher than wholesale prices. Nevertheless, with such wholesale prices, all Singaporeans can look forward to more affordable and attractive communications and media services compared with current prices. To further optimise the use of the NGNBN, IDA will implement a neutral Singapore Internet Exchange to improve domestic internet traffic routing and access to content. IDA will also foster the growth of innovative NGNBN services through the development of Next Gen Innovation Centres. One example is Cisco’s Enabling Platform Innovation Centre, launched last December. IDA will also introduce the Next Gen Services Innovation Programme to help companies develop prototype and scalable services over the NGNBN. Miss Penny Low sought an update on the Wireless@SG programme. I am pleased to inform this House that Wireless@SG has been completed ahead of schedule. Today, we have more than 7,400 hotspots serving most public areas throughout Singapore compared to 900 in 2006. More than 1.2 million people have signed up with the three operators for the basic tier of free wireless broadband service. Usage has also gone up from the average of 2.1 hours per month in December 2006 to 4.2 hours per month currently. IDA will consider how to further refine and enhance this programme. Miss Penny Low asked how are we encouraging ICT adoption by our citizens.”
“This programme is expected to benefit about 10,000 infocomm professionals over the next two years. BothMiss Penny Low and Mr Zaqy had spoken on the cost of communications. I am pleased to inform Members that the cost of communications via mobile, broadband and fixed line is likely to remain competitive. The mobile sector is fiercely competitive with three operators offering a variety of services. The launch of Full Mobile Number Portability in June 2008 had intensified competition as mobile operators have offered more value-for-money packages and handset subsidies. While the fixed line sector is dominated by the incumbent operator, we are also seeing competitive forces at work which will continue to bring prices down. Over the past three years, broadband rates have fallen by more than 70%. Operators have also upgraded their broadband speeds to respond to consumers' needs for higher bandwidth. The convergence of the telecoms, broadband and media sectors have also resulted in more competitive prices in the form of triple-play packages. The Next Generation National Broadband Network (NGNBN) will contribute to further cost reduction and greater vibrancy in the infocomm and the communications sector. Mr Zaqy Mohamad had asked for an update on this project. We are pushing ahead with this critical infocomm infrastructure. The project is on schedule. IDA has awarded the NetCo Request-For-Proposal last September to OpenNet consortium to build the passive fibre-to-the-home network. The evaluation of the OpCo RFP for the company to operate the active electronics for the network is ongoing and we expect to award this OpCo contract by March 2009. Work on the network should commence later this year.”
“For example, IDA was able to help Gramercy Music implement an Enterprise Resource Planning system for its music retail business which will save the company cost and raise its efficiency. IDA will also partner SPRING to provide a single point-of-contact for relevant SME infocomm funding schemes to increase convenience for SMEs. It will work with SiTF, the chambers of commerce and other organisations to extend the use of infocomm throughout our SME sector. Over the years, local infocomm companies have developed capabilities and solutions especially in the e-government area. To help these companies, IDA has incorporated IDA International to promote their services overseas. Companies such as ST Electronics, EcQuaria and SQLview are already working with IDA International in the Middle East, Africa and Central and South America. Despite the adverse economic conditions, the infocomm sector will continue to provide employment opportunities for graduates. To boost the talent pool, IDA is investing about $30 million over the next five years in scholarships. A new Integrated Infocomm Scholarship will be offered. It will provide a direct route from polytechnic to university for outstanding "O" level students interested in infocomm studies. IDA will also extend the National Infocomm Scholarship for undergraduates for another three years. Already, it has awarded 155 scholarships under this scheme. 5.15 pm To incentivise infocomm professionals to upgrade their capabilities, IDA will invest about $25 million to enhance its Critical Infocomm Technology Resource Programme. Sponsorship for infocomm courses and certification fees will be raised from the current 50% to 80%. Companies sponsoring their employees for these courses will also be eligible for Absentee Payroll at $50 per day.”
“Launched barely two years ago, Garena now boasts over 10 million registered users worldwide. Going forward, we will allocate another $70 million to support some 150 new IDM projects and start-ups. To promote commercialisation of IDM R&D output, MDA will also actively match-make local companies with global investors and distributors of such products. In summary, SMF’s software development strategy will complement the investment in infrastructure such as the Mediapolis@one-north project. This multi-agency project by MDA, JTC, IDA and EDB will provide key infrastructure, such as world-class soundstages and post-production facility to serve media companies. MDA will launch the SMF masterplan by June and announce more details then. Miss Penny Low asked for an update on the iN2015 masterplan. I am pleased to inform this House that IDA is making good progress with iN2015. The iN2015 masterplan is aimed at transforming the economy by the wider adoption of infocomm, nurturing globally competitive infocomm enterprises, developing a capable and competent infocomm workforce and building a Next Generation National Broadband Network, otherwise known as the NGNBN. To promote wider adoption of infocomm, IDA has allocated $70 million for schemes such as Calls-for-Collaboration to co-develop infocomm business solutions. This includes $10 million for the Infocomm@SME programme to support infocomm adoption by local SMEs. In addition, IDA continues to promote infocomm innovation amongst SMEs with $5 million set aside from SPRING’s Technology Innovation Programme. These programmes will enable IDA to help more SMEs to adopt infocomm to enhance their business model and competitiveness.”
“MDA will continue to work with distributors and promote made-by-Singapore content worldwide. This effort has already yielded dividends with Singapore content sold to international players such as BBC (UK), ABC (Australia), Phoenix TV (China), TVB (Hong Kong), NHK (Japan), Discovery and National Geographic channels (US). SMF will also support media financing initiatives. To date, we have anchored more than $1 billion of media funds in Singapore to finance international and Singapore media projects. MDA will continue to help media companies seeking financing for their projects. SMF also aims to build up a strong media talent base, a concern which was mentioned by Miss Penny Low and Dr Fatimah Lateef. MDA, in collaboration with the public and private sectors, will build a pipeline of skilled media manpower. For example, MDA, WDA and the industry are working on media-related programmes to retrain and upgrade up to 5,000 workers under the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR). MDA will introduce an attachment programme to match 500 local media professionals with companies and projects. We will also offer aspiring young talents opportunities to study full-time under the Media Education Scheme. To stimulate growth in digital media content and applications, Government will continue to invest in R&D in the IDM sector. In the last two years, we have secured IDM industry investments of more than $200 million, creating about 800 new jobs. One example is KooBits, which was set up by a NUS engineering graduate, Mr Stanley Han. This is a platform for children to create and publish e-books. KooBits has been launched in more than 80 Singapore schools and large number of training centres in Indonesia. Another example is Garena, an online gaming service provider.”
“SMF will give a boost to the local media industry. It will stimulate demand for local contents, applications and services, and help create jobs in this sector. Under SMF, MDA will increase funding for collaborative media projects with the private sector. One such initiative is the Singapore Film Commission (SFC) New Feature Film Fund, which co-invests up to $250,000 per film. This gives emerging Singaporean talents the opportunity to direct feature films in collaboration with production companies. Last year, nine Singapore directors benefited from SFC’s funding support of over $2 million. It has resulted in the first Singapore-Japan co-production film called "Thunder Boys". We can look forward to more such co-productions and film projects in the years ahead. I would like to take this opportunity to assure Mr Teo Ser Luck that MDA gives full support to local film makers, including those producing films with local audience appeal. The SFC’s New Feature Film Fund, which I mentioned earlier on, benefits works that are targeted at both local audience and the international market. My response to Dr Ong Seh Hong's call for supporting local TV serials is that, yes, MDA will continue to support the production of good quality TV content. In fact, this year, MDA will fund 4,000 hours of free-to-air TV content up from 3,800 hours last year. Recent beneficiaries include the one that was mentioned by Dr Ong, "Little Nonya", and the Tamil serial "Guru Paavai". MDA also helps showcase Singapore media products at our Asia Media Festival held in Singapore and also international events such as the Cannes Film Mart. Over 110 local media companies participated in such international events last year and secured an estimated US$84 million in deals.”
“Madam, I thank the GPC Chairperson, Miss Penny Low and Members who spoke on the opportunities and challenges facing the Creative Industries, which group together the arts, design, media and infocomm. Since the launch of the Creative Industries Development Strategy in 2003, this cluster has grown by about 6% annually in value-added and contributed to the vibrancy of our economy and society. However, like other economic sectors, the Creative Industries have also been hit by the economic recession. Preliminary estimates indicated that for 2008, the Creative Industries only managed a 1% to 2% growth in value-added, compared to 9% in 2007. The infocomm sector grew by 6% to 7% in 2008, compared to 11% in 2007. 2009 will be a very challenging year for the Creative Industries. MICA will harness our resources to help creative enterprises ride the storm and prepare for the recovery. We will upgrade capabilities to prepare for economic recovery and new opportunities. We will also continue to invest in physical infrastructure for the creative industries and spend on vital R&D to be at the forefront of innovation. Let me start with the media sector. Miss Penny Low asked about our plans to develop Singapore into a media hub. This is indeed the objective of Media Development Authority’s Singapore Media Fusion (SMF) masterplan. SMF is an initiative to build a vibrant media ecosystem for our media companies to create and produce attractive content such as films, TV serials and documentaries for Singapore and the international market. Government will commit $230 million over the next five years for the SMF initiative. This is on top of existing government support of $500 million over five years for the Interactive Digital Media (IDM) sector.”
“Mr Sin Boon Ann asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports whether the incidence of violence by adults on young children has risen in the past five years and, if so, whether the Ministry is taking any active steps to stop the trend.”
“We have structured our data protection policy after the Model Data Protection Code and this has been incorporated in the Government Instruction Manuals for the public service. In the case of individuals who discover that their pictures have been posted by other individuals on new media platforms such as blogs, without prior consent, it would be considered a civil matter. The aggrieved persons could first ask the site's webmaster to remove the pictures. As with matters relating to online libel and personal defamation, they could also seek professional legal advice to determine the most appropriate legal recourse. The Member has also asked how consumers are protected from spam mails. The Spam Control Act was passed in Parliament on 12th April 2007. It sets out basic requirements for legitimate direct electronic mass marketing, and provides civil recourse for persons affected by illegal spam in Singapore. What this translates to, in practical terms, is that each unsolicited, commercial, electronic message which is sent in bulk, is required to contain an '<ADV>' [Reads: "A. D. V."] label to mark it out as an advertisement. It is also mandatory for senders to allow recipients to unsubscribe via the same medium through which the message was received. In addition, there are restrictions on how marketers can gather their mailing lists. Civil remedies are available to aggrieved persons who have suffered loss or damage as a result of spam sent in contravention of the Spam Control Act. VIOLENCE BY ADULTS ON YOUNG CHILDREN (Preventive steps) 26.”
“The Government recognises the importance of data protection and the need to protect personal data. At the same time, we also appreciate the impact of data protection on businesses and the general public. I had previously informed the House that an Inter-Ministry Committee is reviewing Singapore's data protection regime. This review is on-going. We are currently looking into developing a data protection model that can best address Singapore's privacy concerns, commercial requirements and national interest. As data protection is a complex issue with extensive impact on all stakeholders, this review will take some time. While there is currently no generic data protection law, it does not mean that there is no protection of personal data. In fact we have in place strict provisions in sectoral laws, such as the Banking Act and codes for medical professionals to protect sensitive financial and health information. There are also other industry codes of practices against the unauthorised use of personal information. For example, in the telecommunications sector, under the Telecom Competition Code, IDA requires licensees to take reasonable measures to prevent the unauthorised use of End User Service Information. A telecom licensee would be in breach of the Code if it shares with third parties its customers' information that was obtained from the use of its service, without the customers' consent. In addition to sectoral laws, there is a Model Data Protection Code introduced in 2002 for voluntary adoption by the private sector. The principles of this Code have been adopted by many companies, including those engaged in e-commerce under the TrustSg initiative. The Government also takes data protection within the public sector seriously.”
“As part of the enhanced Marriage and Parenthood package, we have strengthened the protection for pregnant employees. After October 2008, when the legislative amendments take effect, employers will be required to pay employees their maternity leave benefits if the employees are dismissed without sufficient cause within the last six months of pregnancy or retrenched within the last three months. Should employees feel harassed or discriminated against at the workplace, they should take up their complaints directly with their management, or through their unions if they are union members. Employees may also lodge a complaint directly with MOM and we will investigate the complaint and provide advice on the appropriate courses of action. However, we cannot rely on legislation alone to address workplace harassment and discrimination effectively. We must also positively shape employers' mindsets so that they recognise the importance of fair treatment of all employees, including mothers-to-be. This would also benefit employers in attracting and retaining valued employees. In this regard, the Tripartite Alliance on Fair Employment Practices (or TAFEP) has been actively promoting the adoption of fair employment practices among employers and working closely with them to put in place progressive and non-discriminatory HR practices.”
“This increase in radio and television licence fee would impact on all consumers, regardless of their individual viewing preference, in fact, regardless of whether they watch sports or not. This approach is not in the best interests of viewers and the general public. Sir, instead, the sporting interests of consumers are being met on two fronts. First, for key sporting events of national significance, the Media Development Authority (MDA) ensures that all Singaporeans' and all consumers' interests are served by requiring these events to be made available for free-to-air television, so that everyone can watch these programmes. These include the recent Olympic Games and Southeast Asian Games. I would like to take the opportunity to assure Ms Low that the 2010 Youth Olympics will be a sports event that will receive free-to-air television coverage. Secondly, for other sporting events, the needs of the consumers are better met with commercially viable, dedicated pay-TV channels so that consumers need only pay for what they want to watch and not be burdened with the high cost of a general free-to-air sports channel. DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MOTHERS-TO-BE IN WORKPLACE 5. Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked the Acting Minister for Manpower whether workplace harassment laws can be put in place to prevent employers from discriminating against mothers-to-be in the workplace as part of measures encouraging more women to work. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Acting Minister for Manpower (Mr Hawazi Daipi) (for the Acting Minister for Manpower): Sir, workplace laws are already in place to protect pregnant employees. Under the Employment Act, dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy is an offence. It is also an offence to terminate the employment of an employee when she is on maternity leave.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Member for her interest in a Free-to-Air (or FTA) sports channel as a means of cultivating the spirit of a sporting nation. In January 2000, MediaCorp (or TCS as it was known then) had launched an FTA sports channel called Sportscity. Members may not have remembered this, it is almost eight years ago, but actually they did launch a sports channel. This sports channel offered a range of sports content from local to international to instructional sports programmes. However, the channel was not commercially viable and incurred substantial losses due to low viewership, high content acquisition fees and the focus by advertisers on selected major sporting events rather than generic sports programming. The channel was revamped into City TV in 2001, with sports contents reduced to 60%. That also did not survive beyond a year. Sir, the cost of operating a free-to-air sports channel is substantial and the bulk of the cost goes towards content acquisition and production costs. In particular, the cost of sports content has increased sharply. According to MDA, for major popular sports content such as football, the acquisition cost can go up to several hundred million dollars. For an FTA channel, such costs would have to be met in one of two ways or both: first, advertising and sponsorship revenues, and secondly, radio and television licence fees. Sportscity has shown that commercial viability of an FTA sports channel based on advertising and sponsorship alone is difficult to achieve. To sustain an FTA channel that covers a wide range of sporting programmes, radio and TV licence fee would have to be increased significantly.”
“MDA launched Video Games Classification in April this year to allow more choice for adult gamers while protecting the young. The ratings and content advisory allow parents to make informed choices about the video games available in the market. The feedback on the classification system has so far been positive, with parents showing appreciation of the ratings which they can use as a guide to find out which titles are not suitable for the young. The industry has also been supportive of the rating system and is complying with the new requirements. As the Video Games Classification system has only been launched in April 2008, MDA will continue to monitor feedback from the public and the industry to see how the system can be improved and whether lower ratings are needed. MDA encourages parents to take up a greater role in monitoring their children's gaming habits and when choosing games for their children. Parents are encouraged to find out more about a game before making a purchase for their children. Information and advisory about the games are available on MDA’s Video Games Rating Database on the MDA website. PELANGI VILLAGE RESIDENTS (Statistics) 2. Mr Siew Kum Hong asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports for each of the past five years (a) what was the resident population at Pelangi Village; (b) how many new residents entered Pelangi Village; (c) how many residents left Pelangi Village; and (d) what was the average length of stay in Pelangi Village for each resident.”
“Press passes are issued to bona fide journalists and photographers from both print and online news organisations that are based in Singapore. They are used for site coverage of Government as well as state functions and events. News organisations that report Government news and events regularly will apply for passes. MICA issues passes to news organisations that operate professionally to ensure accountability, and online news organisations such as AsiaOne and omy.sg have applied successfully for press passes. Currently, about 1,500 press passes are issued to about 80 media organisations operating in Singapore. More than 90% of these organisations also have an online presence. A press pass facilitates news gathering but it does not guarantee the quality of reporting in any media. New media players, who are serious in wanting to appeal to readers in the long run, must deliver fast, credible and accurate information with sharp and intelligent analyses. The tested formula to inform, educate and entertain readers has relevance for today's new media as much as with the traditional media. YONG LOO LIN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE (Annual intake) 41. Dr Fatimah Lateef asked the Minister for Education whether there are plans to increase the number of places in the annual intake of students at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS) from the current 250 places per cohort.”
“MICA recognises that technology has evolved rapidly since the light-touch approach was introduced in 1996 to regulate the Internet. This light-touch approach has served us well. It has helped to foster the growth of the Internet and allowed us to tap its vast potential while enabling us to protect our society from its undesirable impact. Under this light-touch approach, anyone can set up a website, including political websites where views, including political ones, are articulated freely. Many young Singaporeans, in particular, own blogs or participate in some form of activities on various new media platforms, be it Facebook, YouTube or Wikipedia. There is much public discourse and buzz in cyberspace. We are currently reviewing our Internet regulation. As the review is not concluded, I am unable at this point to say what the measures that will be adopted for a lighter-touch regulation are. We are also seeking the views of the Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (AIMS) that was set up last year to study the new media and its impact on society. ONLINE NEW SITES (Issuance of press passes and the quality of reporting) 40. Mr Baey Yam Keng asked the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts whether his Ministry is considering the issuance of press passes to online news sites and whether such a move will improve the quality of reporting in the new media.”
“For example, the Festival’s closing performance at Bedok Reservoir, in partnership with the PUB’s Singapore International Water Week, attracted 18,000 people alone. This partnership approach contributes significantly to the Festival’s outreach efforts, and the objective of growing a more discerning arts audience. I would like to assure Ms Irene Ng and Miss Penny Low that we will continue to review the organisation and form of the Festival to address the challenges of a changing cultural landscape. Today, the Singapore arts scene is more vibrant and there is greater diversity. Audiences can choose from a range of arts performances throughout the year. The Festival need not duplicate programmes that are already provided by commercial arts promoters. Instead, the challenge is for the Festival to evolve a programme mix that would continue to meet the goals of artistic and audience development, and to enhance its international position and influence. We will also study the possible organisational structures that would best ensure the attractiveness and standing of the Festival. Even though we have received numerous domestic and international accolades about the quality of the festival and performances, there is certainly much room for improvement. We will continue to review various aspects of the Festival to improve its programming and delivery. NAC will consult closely with event partners and arts groups, as well as take into account audience needs and public feedback in such review. INTEGRATED PROGRAMME (Evaluation) 24. Dr Ong Seh Hong asked the Minister for Education (a) if he will provide an evaluation of the Integrated Programme so far; and (b) what is the status of these students who did not pass their GCE Advanced Level Examinations, if any.”
“Nonetheless, the core programme provided audiences with a line-up of innovative, exciting and diverse works of an international standard. The overall attendance was 74% of the 30,000 available tickets. This is close to the average of 75% to 80% ticketed attendance for the past ten years of the Festival. In fact, of the 50 ticketed performances, 18 were sold out which was comparable to 2007 when 16 of the 48 ticketed performances were sold out. While some people were of the opinion that this year’s Festival had failed, critics’ opinion of the Festival’s productions in both Singapore and foreign media was predominantly positive. NAC counted over 50 positive reviews received from the key Singapore media alone, including the Straits Times. For example, ST had remarked that the opening performance Architecture of Silence was a “winsome and ambitious work that was contemporary and accessible” and a “refreshing and delightful piece”. This year’s Festival also continued to support artistic development by commissioning new works from Singaporean arts groups. Through the Festival’s international collaborations, works by Singaporean artists such as The King Lear Project had already performed at an Arts Festival in Brussels, while Awaking by Ong Keng Sen was co-commissioned by the Edinburgh Arts Festival. To meet the aim of bringing the arts to Singaporeans, the Festival also successfully spearheaded new partnerships to develop more engaging outreach programmes, especially in the heartlands. As a result, there were 580 outreach events attracting an overall total attendance of about 570,000.”
“While the Arts Festival showcases quality Singapore and international performing arts, the Singapore Biennale will present international contemporary visual artists alongside Asian and Singaporean artists. The Singapore Biennale is Singapore’s largest contemporary visual arts exhibition. It will enhance Singapore’s standing as a regional and international platform for showcasing and discussion on contemporary visual arts. It thus complements the effort of the Singapore Arts Festival to position Singapore as a vibrant global arts city. The overall budget for the Singapore Arts Festival has remained relatively steady at around $6.5 million to $7 million a year over the past decade. Each year about 50% of the budget comes from sponsorship and ticket sales. A major challenge that NAC faces is to keep within the budget despite rising local and international organising costs. For 2008, more of the core ticketed programme were medium to small scale performances instead of big "blockbuster" shows. This approach addressed the cost factor for "blockbuster" shows and also recognised that such shows are now presented throughout the year by other art promoters. For example, the Sun-Festival organised by IMG Artists in October 2008 will bring in big names in arts and entertainment such as the opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Vienna Boys Choir, among others. Award-winning Broadway musical Avenue Q will also start its season in October. The focus on more medium and smaller scale shows in the core programme meant that only 30,000 tickets were available compared to the 37,000 tickets for the 2007 Festival. Hence, this year’s Festival recorded a lower ticketed attendance.”
“I would like to thank both Ms Ng and Ms Low for their interest in the Singapore Arts Festival and its future direction. The Singapore Arts Festival has evolved over the past 30 years in line with our arts scene and audiences. In the 70s and 80s, it was the main platform for fledgling semi-professional Singapore arts companies. Since 2000, in support of Singapore’s vision to be a global city for the arts, the National Arts Council had enhanced the international dimension to complement the strong Asian flavour and also strived to bridge the traditional and the contemporary. As Singapore’s pinnacle arts event, the Festival aims to meet three objectives. Firstly, for our performing arts talents and industry, the Festival promotes artistic development and excellence. This is done by commissioning new works by our artistic talents and forging international artistic collaborations. Secondly, for the audience, the Festival promotes wider and deeper appreciation for the arts. It offers a broad range of enjoyable and appreciated free outreach programmes in the city and the heartlands, as well as a core programme of ticketed shows which includes new works and some cutting edge performances. Thirdly, to position Singapore as a global arts city, the Festival seeks to raise international awareness of Singapore arts by developing strong partnerships with foreign art festivals and creating an international profile synonymous with artistic innovation. While the Festival’s focus is on the performing arts, NAC has not neglected other artforms. Ms Penny Low enquired about the upcoming Singapore Biennale. The Singapore Biennale is an equivalent platform to the Singapore Arts Festival, but with a focus on visual arts.”
“Nevertheless, if the spouse of the homemaker is working, he will be eligible for WIS if he satisfies the criteria. Husbands of homemakers are further eligible for tax relief. Homemakers with children do receive other forms of help from the Government, such as centre-based subsidies if they place their children in licensed infant care and childcare centres. They may also receive foreign domestic worker levy concessions of $95 a month if they have children below the age of 12. They also benefit from government surplus sharing schemes such as the Growth Dividends, GST Credits, utilities and conservancy rebates and other measures announced from time to time. MANDATORY REST DAY FOR FOREIGN DOMESTIC WORKERS (Introduction) 27. Mr Siew Kum Hong asked the Acting Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry intends to introduce a mandatory rest day for foreign domestic workers and, if not, why.”
“Aside from the tangible outcomes highlighted above, 10TouchPoints has helped to raise the awareness of how good design can enhance the functionality and aesthetic quality of such common items for all users. DesignSingapore takes a long-term view in promoting design awareness. It plans to run the 10TouchPoints campaign once every two years. The second 10TouchPoints will be launched in early 2009. 2 The 'Waterways Watch' is a special volunteer group with the mission of formulating and implementing an on-going action plan to assist in keeping the waterways of Singapore clean and free of pollution, as well as initiating and organizing on-going activities aimed at educating the public on the importance of keeping the waterways clean. The WaterWays Watch Society has been registered with effect from 27th May 2000 as a charity under the Charities Act, 1994. WORKFARE INCOME SUPPLEMENT SCHEME (Extension to housewives) 26. Ms Ellen Lee asked the Acting Minister for Manpower in light of the intrinsic value in the contribution of homemakers, whether he will consider extending the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme to housewives who have no income by staying at home to look after their children and having a maid/childcare is too costly for them. Mr Gan Kim Yong: The objective of the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) Scheme is to encourage older low-wage Singaporeans to work by supplementing their income. Therefore, a person is eligible for WIS only if he has worked as an employee or as a self-employed person, and met the WIS eligibility and work criteria. We acknowledge that homemakers do make important contributions to the family. However, WIS is not the right scheme to help them.”
“10TouchPoints was an exercise to improve the design of public amenities. The top 10 items for design improvement were identified from public nominations and voting. 400 nominations were received and over 17,000 votes cast. These 10 everyday items, namely bicycle dismounting system, bus stops, drains and canals, hospital signage system, mailboxes, multi-purpose ID card, playgrounds, public toilets, recycling bins and takeaway meal boxes, were then put to the designers for their redesign. A Jury Panel led by distinguished designers from Singapore and overseas was appointed to evaluate the design proposals. Out of the 10 redesign categories, the Jury Panel recommended five winning design proposals. From the five winners, two designs are being implemented, and the other three are being kept in view by the sponsoring agencies for implementation in the future. For instance, the winning design for recycling bins, which cleverly uses the items to be recycled as its appearance, were put on trial along Orchard Road in December 2007 by the National Environment Agency (NEA) in collaboration with other agencies. The design team for the bins is also concurrently working with Waterways Watch Society 2 and NEA for potential adaptation nationwide. In addition, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has awarded a design contract to adapt the recycling bins for implementation in the three terminals of Changi Airport, and this is scheduled for rollout in September 2008. We are also happy to note that the National Parks Board had taken an interest in Roy Pang's bicycle dismounting design to encourage cyclists to dismount at specific points along a cycling path. The Board is studying the idea with the designer.”
“Sir, I certainly will be happy to assure Ms Irene Ng that we will take each case on its own merits. We will study the circumstances of the performance and the presentation. And we will take a light touch to regulating such arts performances.”
“Sir, as I explained in my response to Ms Irene Ng, our objection in this case of the Complaints Choir was not so much with the lyrics. We objected to the idea of foreigners coming here to lead the Choir, to encourage them or to support them in voicing out their complaints. As I said, and I repeat here again, that this complaining about issues and matters that irritate Singaporeans is something that Singaporeans are more than capable of doing on their own without having to have foreigners come to lead the performance. So the question is whether in fact we should set a precedent where foreigners can come in and organise Singaporeans in this manner. We did not think it was desirable. Yes, the performance was under the ambit of the M1 Festival, and the principal organiser was The Necessary Stage. But in this particular instance, we understood it as an event that would be led or directed by the two foreigners. So we had decided that the public performance by these two foreigners should not take place, since they involved foreigners working together with Singaporeans on this project. But as I had also said in my earlier response, it does not set a precedent. It does not mean that we have an objection to foreigners working with our artists in Singapore to put up arts performances. In fact, we constantly encourage such interaction. We welcome international artists and performers to participate in Singapore on their own or working in collaboration with Singapore artists and arts companies, and we will continue to do so.”
“Sir, I do not think it is quite correct to say that we always expect our own artists to perform for free or do public service. There are, of course, occasions where we do seek Singapore artists and arts companies to contribute to the national causes. For instance, when we went international for Singapore Season in China. Many of the artists who participated, including the chefs who took part in the two Singapore evening dinners, volunteered their services and they were quite proud to be part of this effort to promote and market Singapore's capability in the culinary art. In many other instances where we actually commission works by Singapore artists, we pay for those commission works. And, in fact, I said earlier on in my reply, that this year, under RCP3, the National Arts Council will set aside $700,000 to start up a commissioning fund which will be used to commission works by Singapore artists which will be performed in Singapore in the first instance. So, we do pay our artists for their work to help to make Singapore a more vibrant arts city.”
“NHB is providing assistance to the Foundation in this important act of cultural philanthropy. To promote public art, NHB and NAC have introduced Public Art Tax Incentive Scheme, or PATIS, which is a double tax deduction scheme to encourage private and people sectors to donate, commission, display and maintain sculptures and other forms of public art. The "Reed Sculpture" by City Development Pte Ltd and the artworks by Ascendas (Tuas) Pte Ltd at Biopolis are two examples of artworks supported under the scheme. We can look forward to more public artworks at the upcoming Circle Line at the Marina Barrage. We will continue to look at this incentive scheme to see how we can improve and refine on it to attract even more contributors and donors to this public artwork scheme. In conclusion, Sir, Renaissance City's Plan, with its focus on content, sustainability and community, will provide much needed boost to artists and arts companies as well as to the arts and heritage-related business sector. I have given a brief overview of the key programme under RCP3. Over the next few months, MICA, together with its agencies, will be providing more details on these new schemes and programmes as they are launched. Sir, we will build a strong partnership with the people and the private sectors to enrich the lives of Singaporeans to foster an inclusive and resilient society, and strengthen our community bonds and rootedness. There is much to do to bring Singapore to the top tier of the world's global cities and we will press on. Information Communication Technology (ICT)”
“In fact, one of the tours organised as part of the NHB's HeritageFest last year successfully showcased Geylang's galleries and artist studios, good food and temples. I think we can build on this experience and develop more of this heritage trail and focus more attention on the cultural aspects of Geylang. Sir, last but not least, the arts and heritage offer us valuable platforms to build up a sense of shared responsibility and ownership in Singapore's culture. Mr Chan Soo Sen spoke of encouraging more participation in supporting the arts and Mr Baey Yam Keng also spoke about encouraging private sector to donate or to contribute to public art works. I support their calls and would like to inform the House that there is a growing trend of corporate and individuals coming to support the arts and culture. ExxonMobile supported the Concert in the Park series. HSBC funded the Youth Excellence Initiative. Business Times initiated the Budding Artists Fund. The Asia-Pacific Breweries Foundation launched its Signature Art Prize series and Arts Inspire Programme. These and many others are fine examples of the corporate sector's growing support for the arts. In financial year 2006, about $37 million in sponsorship was received for the arts and culture. Arts collectors who have invested their time and resources to build up the collection of artworks and artefacts have also stepped forward to share their collections with the public. Between 2004 and 2006, NHB reported the total value of $118 million in loans and donations of artefacts and artworks to the National Museums. More recently, the Oei Hong Leong Foundation announced its plans to build a multi-million dollar private museum to showcase rare and historical Buddhist artefacts from around the world.”
“At the same time, the National Library Board will continue to reach out to needy children from low-income families and work with more schools and special needs groups through the KidsREAD and Library2010 Active Citizenry Programmes. Sir, our heritage is also an important aspect of community life and identity. Dr Ong Seh Hong asked about our efforts to preserve and promote our diverse cultural heritage. I would like to assure Dr Ong that NHB would do more with community groups and citizens to preserve and promote our heritage through heritage and community trails, tours and publications. In fact, in areas like traditional practices and food items, these have always featured in our annual heritage festival, attracting lots of Singaporeans to such events. Sir, NHB's approach to enabling community involvement has been well received. For example, there was a remarkable grassroots support for the Ten Stories: Queenstown through the Years project to document the transformation of Queenstown into Singapore's first highrise housing estate. Many residents came forward on their own to provide stories, photographs and memories of their neighbourhood which subsequently went into the book. Similarly, students from the National Junior College displayed a keen interest in heritage when they worked with NHB on the Bukit Timah Community Trail. I note Dr Fatimah Lateef's request for more publicity for Geylang. I thought Geylang is one part of Singapore that requires the least publicity by Government. It is already quite well known. Nevertheless, I support her suggestion to look at the heritage potential of Geylang. One possibility is to explore how community-led heritage trail could be created to promote the district's unique cultural mix.”
“The Complaint Choir was an exception to the rule and not a precedent for foreigners' participation in the arts in Singapore. In general, we consider such applications favourably. Sir, Dr Fatimah Lateef's question on connecting the arts to the community is addressed by the third strategy in the RCP3 which focuses on the important role of arts and culture in connecting Singaporeans, strengthening community bonding and instilling a sense of national pride. In recent years, MICA and our agencies have initiated many new community outreach projects. In fact, NAC and NHB are currently allocating about $4.5 million per year for such activities. For example, NAC partnered the People's Association and the CDCs to stage six District Arts Festivals in 2006 and 2007. These District Arts Festivals provided enjoyment and entertainment for our heartlanders – our aunties and uncles in our HDB estates. More importantly, such Festivals help to bring people together to celebrate and embrace the arts as an essential part of our community life and contribute to social bonding. Going forward, we aim to bring about more active, community initiated events as well as deeper engagement and ownership of the arts and culture among Singaporeans. Sir, NAC will dedicate additional support of almost $1 million each year to launch Arts For All under the Community Arts Engagement Plan with CDCs to enhance arts outreach in the heartlands. NAC will also introduce a new Community Participation Grant to encourage more community-initiated arts projects and participation. It will also work with homes for the elderly, hospitals and prisons to connect these people with the arts.”
“Following Singapore's rejoining of UNESCO in October 2007, MICA has taken leadership of Singapore's Sub-commission on Culture and Information. In response to Dr Fatimah Lateef's question, MICA will explore how UNESCO can be an additional avenue for our arts practitioners to learn from the world's best. Singapore will also be able to share our experiences in promoting our multi-cultural heritage to the world with programmes such as NHB's annual International Museum Day and our community heritage trails. At this juncture, I would like to respond to Ms Irene Ng's remarks on the Complaint Choir. I note that Ms Irene Ng was not too exercised about the rejection of foreigners' involvement in the Complaint Choir. As I had explained to this House at the previous sitting, the objection in this case was on account of the nature of the performances, namely, we objected to the idea of foreigners coming here to organise and lead Singaporeans to complain about our domestic issues. This is something best left to Singaporeans to do. Although in this particular application, the lyrics themselves were not objectionable, we have to look at the application in totality. We did not think it was desirable or good precedent for foreigners to take such lead. They had also applied to perform at the Speakers' Corner which was clearly not permitted. Nevertheless, I would like to assure Ms Irene Ng and the House that MICA encourages our artists to collaborate with foreign artists and arts companies. Hence, we support our artists for overseas residency programme. We support co-productions in traditional art, drama, dance, musical, operas and many, many other arts events. We are open to international artistic influences and recognise the benefits of working with international artists.”
“00 pm On Miss Penny Low's suggestion to expand recognition for the arts, we should remember that the Government is not the only source of such recognition. The annual Straits Times Life! Theatre Award is a commendable initiative by the corporate sector to honour successful artists. This Award recognises not just actors and actresses but also includes directors, script writers and set designers. We will encourage SPH to grow the scope of this Award and also invite more private sector initiatives for similar recognition to our artists. Miss Penny Low asked for an update on the School of the Arts, or SOTA. Sir, I am pleased to inform the House that the School of the Arts opened in January this year at the interim site at Goodman Road with 138 Year 1 students and 99 Year 2 students. SOTA had received an overwhelming response from more than 1,000 students who had auditioned for places. The Ngee Ann Kongsi had generously donated $12 million over six years to support scholarship and bursaries for deserving students at SOTA. This will ensure that every deserving student can get to study at SOTA regardless of his or her family circumstances. Meanwhile, the construction of the permanent school campus at Kirk Terrace is going on. Despite the initial delays, we now expect the permanent campus to be ready by late 2009. Sir, in response to Mr Chan Soo Sen, I would like to assure him that SOTA is indeed offering a multi-cultural arts education to our young talent. Sir, MICA and our agencies will also continue to identify opportunities for Singapore's arts and cultural ecosystem to be plugged into international arts network. UNESCO is one such international network.”
“Next, it will support the development of new cultural tourism services, resources, exhibitions and programmes to reach out to a wider market. Sir, Mr Baey Yam Keng called for monetary incentives for artists who had won regional or international awards as we do for sports talent. Miss Penny Low suggested awards to recognise the diverse achievements and the vibrancy of the arts scene. I agree with the spirit of both suggestions. Recognising the achievements of our artists has been an integral component of NAC’s talent development strategy. Outstanding arts practitioners should receive recognition and respect for their work. Sir, currently, we do so through the Cultural Medallion which is conferred by the President, and the Young Artist Award. The recipients of the Cultural Medallion and the Young Artist Award are entitled to apply for grants. In the case of the Cultural Medallion recipients, they can apply for grant of up to $80,000. For the Young Artist Award, the grant is about $10,000. But these grants should not be seen as strict monetary rewards for their achievements. The work of an artist is a labour of love and passion carried out over an entire lifetime. Our aim is to support artists to build up sustainable artistic careers throughout their lives. The Cultural Medallion and the Young Artist Award grants are an important part of NAC’s larger talent development framework, including scholarships, bursaries, and the many other arts grant schemes. Nevertheless, I will ask NAC to consider new ways of publicising and applauding our artists who have won international recognition or awards that are of high standing. 1.”
“NAC will establish an Arts Business Framework comprising start-ups and co-investment schemes targeted at commercial art galleries, artist management, festival management, arts tourism, books and music publishing, arts education services and arts consultancies. NAC will put in more than $700,000 a year for this Framework. NAC will also expand its support for the participation of Singapore arts businesses at major regional and international markets such as MIDEM, which I have mentioned earlier, and the Frankfurt Book Fair and regional art fairs. At this juncture, I would like to respond to Mr Zaqy's comment on Malay films and co-production. I agree with his approach. MICA and MDA are already encouraging our film-makers and production houses such as Raintree Pictures to explore co-production with companies in Malaysia and Indonesia. We believe this is the way forward to develop and to grow our Malay film production sector. Because through such partnership and co-production, we can revive the Malay film industry and also reach out to new markets. Sir, last year, NHB piloted an assistance scheme called the Heritage Industry Incentive Programme. One example of how it works is NHB’s assistance to U1 Tours to develop their Chinese and English guidebooks on heritage for tourist guides, tour operators, taxi drivers and hotel concierges to promote our heritage and museums to both foreign visitors and also to Singaporeans. Sir, under RCP3, NHB will set aside $2 million a year to expand this Heritage Industry Incentive Programme. It will provide assistance in two broad areas. First, NHB will develop capabilities and professionals for important aspects of heritage work – such as research, conservation and curation.”
“The National Art Gallery, which is a project under development, will be the future home to proudly showcase these great works and many others. Sir, I should also add that besides showcasing our national or our pioneer artists, the National Art Gallery (NAG) will also focus on researching and presenting important art works from Southeast Asia, and hosting major exhibitions from Asia and beyond. On the NAG, I am happy to update this House that MICA’s evaluation of the three winning designs selected by the International Jury is close to completion. MICA will soon appoint the successful architectural team for the project. However, we will time the construction to ensure that it does not aggravate the already high demand for construction works. We expect that the Gallery will open its doors to the public around 2013. Sir, next, I will touch on the second strategy under the RCP3, which is to develop a vibrant ecosystem for supporting professions, enterprises and activities to ensure the sustainability of our arts and cultural sector. As Mr Zaqy Mohamed has highlighted, our artists and arts groups need to have viable careers and sustainable practices. This is possible only if we have a vibrant eco-system with many supporting industries, professionals and private intermediaries producing, presenting, distributing and marketing our artistic and cultural content, services and talents. We need this complete value chain to transform an inspiring artistic idea into an appreciated and valuable product for audiences and patrons at home and abroad.”
“This year, the National Arts Council will introduce a Commissioning Fund with about $700,000 to build up a body of scripts, stories, poetry, musical and dance compositions that reflect our distinctive multicultural identity as well as our Asian and contemporary context. NAC will also set aside more than $1 million each year to introduce new capability development and residency programmes for artists and arts companies to participate in exchanges with overseas arts institutions and organisations. This will enable our artists and our arts companies to gain exposure and to also establish valuable network. At the same time, NAC will continue to support artists and arts groups to draw on the deep artistic traditions of our cultural heritage by tapping on its Traditional Arts Fund which stands at about half a million dollars per year. Similarly, in the area of heritage, NHB will expand collaborations with regional and international museums to research and curate exhibitions that showcase both Singapore and the wider Asia to the world. NHB will open the Peranakan Museum in April this year and this museum will showcase the Peranakan culture and how our Peranakan culture has established links with the regional culture of similar origins. Sir, Mr Chan Soo Sen suggested that the Government build up a collection of artworks of our pioneer artists in order to inspire future generation of artists. Sir, over the years, we have collected and also received donations of important Singapore art works, including those by our pioneer artists. Among the current collection of about 7,500 art works, some 4,000 are by our Singapore’s pioneer artists, including those by Chen Wen Hsi, Liu Kang, Georgette Chen, and Chen Chong Swee.”
“So at the same time when the world comes to Singapore as during the F1 this year and the Youth Olympic in 2010, we will also be showcasing Singapore art and artist to provide our visitors with a more engaging and a more memorable experience. Do these milestones mean that we have succeeded in realising our vision of Singapore as a global city for the arts? The answer is that while we have made significant progress, there is still much to do before Singapore reaches the top tier of the global cities. Our continued efforts under the Renaissance City Plan is a must in order to transform Singapore into a successful global city for the arts. Sir, I am pleased to inform this House that MICA will allocate $115 million over the next five years, or $23 million per year, to implement the next phase of the Renaissance City Plan in partnership with the private and the people sectors. This is 50% or $7 million more each year compared to the current allocation for RCP2. RCP3 will continue the work of broadening our audience base and talent pool, and internationalising our artists and arts companies. In addition, RCP3 will focus additional funding on three key areas – content creation, sustainable arts ecosystem and community engagement. Sir, I will elaborate on these strategies in my response to Members. Mr Chan Soo Sen spoke about the need for Singapore to evolve works of art that will reflect our multicultural heritage and society. I agree with him completely. We must draw on our diversity of arts talents to create new and inspiring works which truly reflect our multicultural roots.”
“Musicians such as Cultural Medallion recipient Jeremy Monteiro, The Observatory and the T’ang Quartet performed in venues and festivals in New York, Seoul and Edinburgh. Similarly, in theatre, groups such as The Theatre Practice, Theatreworks and The Finger Players staged successful performances in Australia, Japan, China, Spain and Italy. In areas where there is strong commercial potential, partnerships with private sectors such as galleries, music producers and publishers have also borne fruit. For example, NAC collaborated with the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS) to promote our music talents and products at MIDEM (the Marché international de l'édition musicale), which is the world’s largest music trade fair, held in Cannes, France. Arising from this, Singapore music company Ocean Butterflies International will be collaborating with London-based Ricall, a leading online music distributor. Sir, Singapore has also become a desirable performance and exhibition stop in Asia. Whether it is a major orchestra or a world-class museum collection’s Asian tour, Singapore is today a sought after destination. The current exhibition of Greek sculptures at the National Museum is one example. That the Louvre is prepared to lend to our National Museum such exquisite and precious works from their collection, is a testament to the quality, capability and professionalism of our National Museum. Sir, these are healthy signs that our arts institutions and artists are achieving some success and recognition from the international arts circle. We hope that in the years ahead more will achieve international acclaim.”
“Sir, we are always sympathetic to the needs of artists and the arts community. We will work within our resources to ensure support for deserving initiatives. Mr Zaqy Mohamad commented that despite all these programmes, the perception from the industry is that we have not created world-class talents and productions, nor generated sufficient demand for them. While it is true that we have yet to witness the emergence of sustainable creative arts businesses, we should not despair. It is a long journey and we are making good progress. We can take pride in our flagship companies and artists who fly the Singapore flag on the international stage. During last year’s Singapore Season in China, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Singapore Dance Theatre, the presence and the participation of Dramabox, a theatre company, as well as showcasing of prominent visual and literary artists such as You Jin, Isa Kamari, Wong Keen, Goh Beng Kwan and the late Chen Wen Hsi – all these works and performances were very warmly received by the Chinese audience. Another example I want to give about Singaporeans who have made it to the international stage is young musician Darrell Ang. Darrell received an NAC’s Arts Bursary to pursue his postgraduate diploma at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory. Darrell went on to achieve the top prize at the prestigious 2006 Antonio Pedrotti International Competition for Conductors. Today, he is the co-founder and associate conductor of the St Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic. Sir, we are also seeing more invitations to Singapore artists from overseas. Last year, Jason Wee, Jason Lim, Heman Chong and Matthew Quek won residency stints and competitions in Germany, China, Korea, and Italy.”
“7 million visitors visiting the National Heritage Board museums. These numbers indicate that the arts performances and exhibitions were of high quality and were succeeding to connect with the audience. If not, I think we would be hard put to attract a growing audience. This increase in arts groups and arts activities naturally leads to calls for more Government support for the arts. For instance, Mr Chan Soo Sen's very eloquent call for a National Arts Fund for Government to support the arts through co-funding of events. Let me say that MICA adopts a variety of support measures, including financial support for the developing arts sector. Sir, the RCP funded 50% of the grants given out by the National Arts Council. For example, in the year 2007, over 550 recipients benefited from the disbursement of $7.85 million in grants, scholarships and training bursaries. This is an increase of 20% from the amount disbursed to 468 recipients in the year 2004. Equally important is the commissioning of new works. For instance, NAC regularly commissions new works for the Singapore Arts Festival. Some of these are subsequently performed overseas to international audiences. One example is a work called Optical Identity. This is a performance featuring the T'ang Quartet and the UK's Theatre Cryptic. This work premiered at the Singapore Arts Festival last year, after which it went on to perform at the Edinburgh International Festival, the Alicante International Music Festival, and a tour in Scotland for even more performances. 12.45 pm Sir, NAC’s arts housing scheme also provides workspace to over 96 artists and arts groups for their operational, studio and rehearsal needs. The scheme currently provides arts housing with rental subsidy of over $3 million per year.”