Lee Li Lian
Singapore
“Thank you, Madam. I have three clarifications, please. The first two are for Senior Minister of State Mr Lee Yi Shyan. One, are there plans to build a temporary, or better still, heavy vehicle car park in the Sengkang/ Punggol area, given the fact the temporary one in Anchorvale is giving way soon?”
“Madam, a clarification for Senior of State Josephine Teo. To help defray costs and lighten the financial burden, can the Ministry look into my suggestion of allowing motorcycle owners to pay by instalments of, say, up to 10 years instead of the current repayment period of five years?”
“There were 1,420 cases in 2012; 2,080 in 2013; 2,419 in 2014. In view of the increase in such complaints, what else can AVA or MND do to assist? Lastly, as mentioned by a Forum writer – and I agree – preventive measure is a better way to deal with this, through better design of buildings to prevent roosting and entry of birds.”
“This way, low-income earners do not have to compete with owners of larger and more expensive motorcycles for a COE. If we cannot split Category D, may I suggest that we allow the successful COE bidders to pay by instalment to alleviate their burden? Supply of COE”
“This will help residents who work in jobs requiring them to drive the heavy vehicles to be able to park their vehicles with peace of mind at the end of a long working day and return home quickly to enjoy time with their families.”
“I urge the Minister to consider allowing CPF members to use their RA to continue to pay for their outstanding mortgage loans and the tertiary education of their children even if they Page: 55 do not meet the Minimum Sum, so as not to create sudden additional financial burden on them.”
The complete record
Every one of 124 lines we hold for Lee Li Lian, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 3.
“And our elderly have a peace of mind knowing that they have the ability to cover any illnesses that plague them today. Comprehensive Healthcare”
“Madam, I would like to ask the Ministry to look into expanding the scope of outpatient treatment which can be covered by MediSave. Last year, MOH announced an increase in the withdrawal of MediSave for outpatient treatment for approved chronic diseases, raising it to $400 a year. However, the list of approved chronic conditions did not change. 1.45 pm Currently there are 10 approved chronic conditions that one must suffer from in order to be entitled to use MediSave for outpatient treatment. Many elderly suffer from other common ailments, which though not approved chronic conditions, are health problems that are persistent and require continual medication to control or manage. These health problems may include things like cataract, osteoporosis, or Parkinson's disease, to name a few. Some of these age-related health problems may be controlled or managed with long-term medication, while other problems may require further tests or health screenings in order to detect them. A more flexible use of MediSave would greatly benefit the elderly since many of them may not suffer from an approved chronic condition but have other illnesses that require costly long-term care and constant medical attention. The cost of healthcare for elderly Singaporeans is a real concern. Many elderly I have spoken to during the course of my Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS) in both Eunos and Punggol East, and also in the course of my recent Page: 71 election campaign, tell me that they struggle with high medical costs and wish they could use their MediSave to cover age-related illnesses that are currently not on the approved chronic condition list. I urge the Minister to consider expanding the scope of treatment as it not just chronic illnesses that are problematic and costly.”
“Like Miss Penny Low, I am equally concerned for my ward, Punggol East. May I ask the Minister whether there will be any potential plans for hawker centres in Punggol East?”
“Madam, Minister S Iswaran told Parliament on 5 March 2013 that there were 11,736 foreign spouses of Singapore citizens who were on LTVP and LTVP Plus. Eleven thousand seven hundred and thirty six may not appear to be a huge number compared to our total population. However, we should not look at it as just 11,000 individuals but 11,000 families or families-to-be. Singapore citizens whose spouses hold LTVPs are disqualified from applying for rental flats under the HDB's public rental scheme. On 25 February 2013, the Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Dr Maliki Osman, said in Parliament that the HDB rental scheme treats a citizen married to another citizen differently from a citizen married to a foreigner. He also said that HDB will consider the merits of each case and exercise flexibility to help those truly in need. Madam, I have seen such cases every week at the Meet-the-People sessions in Punggol East. These families who seek rental housing are typically those already in need and not financially well off. While the Government would like to exercise flexibility, it must also understand that such flexibility creates uncertainty and instability for such families. Minister Khaw Boon Wan said on 2 March 2012 that he was mulling over how to help groups faced with special circumstances and he specifically mentioned foreign spouses. He said that he had not forgotten these groups. I hope that the Minister has started to think deeply about this issue and can share with us from the appeals that HDB receives. Under what conditions or criteria have the HDB granted a rental flat to a Singapore citizen with a foreign spouse? If not, what other alternatives are there for them? Rental Flat Criteria”
“It is not easy, given in a built-up area like Singapore, because signals came down and sometimes got blocked because of buildings around. But the three companies are improving their infrastructure as quickly as possible to meet the targets that we have imposed upon them. As I mentioned in my reply, the recent measurement showed them just a bit off the target that we want in their coverage. So, we will continue to work with them, and I agree with the Member that the pace is very important. For the 3G network which has been rolled out for some time, we want to improve the coverage as much as possible. The 4G network will come very soon and, therefore, they have to be ready for that. I think, more importantly, it is the expectations of our consumers. They want to have better coverage. They want to be able to receive the signals anywhere. So, I think these standards are good, in terms of meeting those expectations. But we will continue to review how best we can work together with the industry partners to meet these targets. Page: 115”
“I would like to thank the Minister for his response to my cut. I would like to enquire about OpenNet. OpenNet is subjected to a penalty from $10,000 up to $1 million or up to 10% of their annual revenue and they are evaluated on a monthly basis, whereas M1, SingTel and StarHub face a financial penalty of up to $50,000 for each instance of non-compliance and they are evaluated on an annual basis. All providers are regulated by IDA. May I find out Page: 114 why is there a difference in the potential penalties imposed? And lastly, M1, SingTel and StarHub, as mentioned earlier on, are evaluated on an annual basis. At this pace, will our network be able to keep up with the pace and evolving needs of Singaporeans? 5.00 pm Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: The penalties are different because they are providing different services. OpenNet is commissioned by the Government to roll out fibre optic network, and they have a certain deadline that they have to meet. But, to be fair to them, they have met the 95% target, which was met last year in June. So, now, the Universal Service Obligation (USO) is kicking in and, therefore, they have to deal with the USO. Meanwhile, M1, SingTel and StarHub are basically providing telecommunication services, including 3G services. The Quality of Service that we just imposed last year, which is an improvement, is really to allow the companies to try and meet the standards as quickly as possible, even though they are evaluated on a yearly basis. I have to check that because we monitor this on a quarterly basis. We go out and do the checks. We are in constant dialogue with the providers to make sure that they can meet our targets.”
“Madam, in September 2012, M1, SingTel and StarHub did not comply with Quality of Service (QoS) standards for 3G mobile telephone services. Under the QoS standards, at least 99% service coverage must be provided. As such, IDA fined these three operators $10,000 each for not meeting the QoS standards, under which, at least 99% service Page: 64 coverage must be provided. As an industry regulator, the purpose of IDA is to provide greater incentives for telecommunication services and infocomm to grow and help Singapore become a dynamic and vibrant global Infocomm hub to enhance Singapore's economic and social development. I would like to ask MCI to elaborate on how IDA determines the sum of $10,000 as penalty for operators not meeting IDA's QoS standards. How much capital expenditure and operational expenditure does the Ministry expect the operators will require in order to achieve QoS Standards? As commercial entities, the three operators will understandably seek to provide the greatest shareholder returns and profit margins. In order to improve their coverage and service quality, they will have to invest in additional hardware and related services which will lead to an increase in capital expenditure and operational expenditure. From the perspective of a commercial entity, the $10,000 fine may be a more cost effective alternative, than investing in the improvement of their network infrastructure for the benefit of Singapore's economic and social development. I would like to ask the Minister if $10,000 is a sufficient penalty to push operators to improve their network services. ICT Accessibility for the Elderly, Poor and Disabled”
“Madam, I am glad to hear from Minister Tharman this afternoon that MAS will create some temporary exemptions for the recently announced car loans restrictions for the disabled and their care-givers, which Page: 114 partially addresses the original intent of my cut. I have a few clarifications to make based on this announcement. Firstly, how long will the exemption last since it is temporary? Next, why this should be temporary rather than a long-term exemption, especially if the affected member is permanently disabled? Lastly, whether this exemption can be extended to families with elderly dependents who have problems with mobility? These families also rely most on cars and will be affected by these changes. Real Estate as an Investment”
“Madam, the Baby Bonus scheme introduced in April 2001 is a Government-led initiative to support parents' decision to have more children by helping to lighten the financial cost of raising children. The recent enhancements to Parenthood package offer higher baby Page: 80 bonus payouts. The increase in the cash gift quantum appears to be a welcome relief for parents in lower income families as it could potentially mean a greater cash inflow for them. However, the dollar-for-dollar bonus structure tends to favour higher income groups over those who may be more in need of extra financial help to raise children. Many of the lower-income and middle-income families presently have many financial obligations to meet, leaving them with little cash flow for the month. Thus, it would not be a surprise that, given such circumstances, many lower- and even middle-income families are not able to put down $6,000 or more in order to receive bonuses from the state. This House has discussed the urgent need for the TFR to rise. If we are truly committed to pushing the TFR up, it is important to re-visit the way the Baby Bonus scheme is structured to cater to a larger segment of couples who can be persuaded to have children. I would like to call upon the Ministry to consider removing the dollar matching requirement for a couple's first two children in light of the financial realities that I have highlighted above. Childcare Leave”
“Mdm Speaker, in conclusion, raising a family in Singapore has become increasingly tough. The number one concern of families is how to manage the high cost of living. The accumulated costs are immense, from financing a house, buying a car to transporting young children, paying for childcare, supporting the medical expenses and a host of other bills. What more for families who are also taking care of disabled or elderly relatives? Today, we want to encourage younger Singaporeans to realise the joys of family and to settle down and start families of their own. Yet, what these young Singaporeans see today are high expenses and parents being stretched by unlimited demands at home as well as at the workplace. When the balance is tilted too far, raising a family can be seen as an opportunity cost rather than a joy. Mdm Speaker, families are the cornerstones of our society. All the more we should make stronger efforts to relieve some of the burdens they face in both the short and long term, and commit to placing families at the centre of all our policy considerations. 1.49 pm”
“Being able to adapt to a changing environment will ensure that businesses are more sustainable and able to adapt to changes, enhances workplace productivity, creates better gender equality and helps companies retain talent. This was affirmed by a recent report released in 2012 by the Diversity Council of Australia which also continued to encourage businesses to play an active and positive role in the community. Our top priority, given the declining fertility rates and the consequences that bring to the population, should be to ensure that Singapore becomes more conducive for raising families. I would like to reiterate my call for an independent commission to look into work-life balance practices for equal opportunities for women and a more family-friendly Singapore. Partners and membership should extend to Government, key business leaders, employers, business associations, civil society groups and regular Singaporeans in order to take an integrated approach to work-life balance solutions. The setting up of this commission will signal a commitment to look into the complex issues of work-life balance, taking into consideration the needs of not just businesses but the larger society. The objective of this commission would be to lead public discussions on family-friendly work practices, develop research and promote global best practices to enhance work-life balance, and to develop pro-family business practices and resources to help businesses shift towards a more pro-family environment. It is simply because the issues are complex that we should dedicate sufficient time and resources to look into solutions in-depth for the Page: 44 long term and not go for the one-size-fits-all approach.”
“They, too, need to work, not just for income but for self fulfilment. Flexible work means that the responsibility of care is not placed unduly on one member of the family. It can be shared amongst working family members. There continues to be a perceived stigma about working mothers and caregivers, as well as concerns among employees that asking for flexible work may be seen as a negative sign by their bosses, who might lose confidence in whether they Page: 43 would be able to perform in their jobs. We need to support a shift in mindsets which can be brought about if the Government takes meaningful steps to institutionalise better flexible work practices. Despite Singaporeans working long hours, Singapore's productivity is low. It is a problem today. At the same time, companies in Singapore are among the slowest in the world to implement flexible work practices. Perhaps, it is time to reconsider the long-held assumption that the longer one works, the more productive he or she would be. There is plenty of research to show this over the years. And it is also telling that some of the most successful and sought-after companies today to work in, like Google, Facebook and Hitachi, for example, are proud advocates of flexible work practices for their employees. Many studies, including the most recent one conducted by Stanford University and the University of Beijing, showed that availability of flexible work arrangements, such as telecommuting and working from home, resulted in higher job satisfaction and greater productivity, as well as efficiency. Businesses today should not see flexi-work arrangements as an unwelcome cost but an investment in its own future in a changing society.”
“It is reported that 43% of women who are economically inactive have cited caregiving and family responsibilities as reasons. Greater access to assistance could have a portion of these women return to work. This benefits not just the caregiver who may want to seek personal fulfilment through work, it will also benefit his or her dependants as well as the economy. Next, better access to training for caregivers. It is not easy to be a caregiver for a disabled, those with special needs, or the elderly. Caregivers require specific skills and knowledge to help the caregiver feel empowered and be equipped to provide support to his or her dependants. The Caregivers Training Grant, which is the only support scheme available to caregivers, currently offers an annual training grant of $200 per year to attend training programmes that CEL has pre-approved. However, caregiver courses can range from $50 to $1,300 for disabled training. Elderly caregiver training courses range from $10 to $400. Subsidy should be accorded in proportion to the cost of the course rather than the standard $200 grant which may often not be sufficient to help a family cover the costs, given that they also have to cope with medical bills and special arrangements to accommodate a sick child or elderly person at home. Lastly, promote work-life balance and introduce flexi-work arrangements. Singaporean workers have been known to work the longest hours. A survey in 2012, found that the Singaporean average working hours amount to 46 hours a week. Work-life balance is important not just for couples considering having children or more children, but also those who currently have children, or who also support disabled family members or elderly parents.”
“Firstly, do consider waiving foreign worker levy for certain groups of families. I welcome the Budget's initiative to reduce the foreign domestic worker levy from $170 to $120. This will ease cost for many families in Singapore who currently hire domestic helpers. However, especially for families with young children and those who are looking after the disabled or the elderly, having domestic help is a necessity. For such families, it is not a matter of luxury but of pure need and we should consider waiving the levy for them. During my house visits in Punggol East, I have seen many wheelchair-bound elderly folks at home being looked after by domestic helpers while their sons and daughters are at work. These helpers also help to pick up the children from school and tend to them as well. Many families have shared with me how despite the fact that there are hired domestic helpers to cope with the many responsibilities of running a family while both parents are working, they still struggle with the cost. Families today are saddled with so many expenses – housing, transport, education, childcare and medical. Many need helpers but simply could not afford it. Their only option then is for the family member, typically the woman, to quit her job to become a caregiver. Page: 42 According to a report in 2011, only 14% of caregivers currently receive support from domestic helpers. More affordable access to foreign domestic workers means that more caregivers can get assistance and some respite from their responsibilities. This is also in the best interest of caregiver dependants as it reduces the risk of caregivers being burnt out. Caregivers, with assistance from domestic helpers, can also consider remaining employed either on a part-time or full-time basis.”
“Parents often feel caught between stepping back from work and diminishing their career prospects or neglecting their families whilst struggling in the rat race. The lack of support for families when it comes to caregiving and work-life balance continue to put tremendous stress on the family. In order to provide more sustainable and holistic support to families who have dependants, I believe that the Budget must better support caregivers who in turn are pillars Page: 41 of support for the family and institutionalise better work-life balance. In addition to parents of young children who are also considered caregivers, there are over 200,000 caregivers looking after children with special needs, the disabled seniors as well as the sickly in 2004. While there are currently no updated statistics available today, these numbers are projected to increase along with changing ageing demographics. Caregiving is a full-time job and can be both emotionally and physically draining. On average, caregivers provide close to seven hours of care per day. Just as caregivers are a pillar of support for their dependants, they too need support, relief and personal time to pursue their own interests and careers. These caregivers are often family members. Many of them stay at home or work part time because they are unable to afford hired help and have an obligation to care for their young children, ageing parents or disabled family member. We must look at more ways to ease the immense burden on caregivers and recognise their integral role within the family and in society as well. We must remember that the burden on the caregiver is inevitably a burden on the family. I would like to identify several ways to better distribute the role of caregiving to build stronger and sustainable families.”
“Mdm Speaker, this year's Budget's efforts to ensure stronger support for the lower income groups and the elderly is a good step in the right direction towards creating a more inclusive society which looks into the needs of the less fortunate and less abled amongst us. Today, families with dependants, those with young children, or those supporting disabled or elderly relatives face many challenges that need to be addressed. With today's cost of living, it is a necessity for both parents to work in order to support the family. At the same time, these families require someone to be able to be at home, caring for dependants. Caregiving is a role that is often understated and goes unnoticed in society. Yet, it is a job that requires a huge amount of dedication and sacrifice, particularly when it comes to looking after the elderly and disabled. Sadly, despite being important pillars of strength for the family and playing a valuable role in society, they do not get sufficient support despite the many personal sacrifices and reduced income. That itself can take a toll on the family. Another struggle facing families today is that of having to balance long working hours with numerous family responsibilities. Parents have many responsibilities apart from work to contend with. Looking after their children and being there during their most formative years, caring for elderly parents and also having some much needed personal time. Unable to balance these responsibilities, parents have to turn to paid help which brings about additional costs. At present, parents are squeezed by both high costs of living which require them to both work and work long working hours.”
“Helping support the growth of Singaporean families is what will keep the dynamism of a society going, as people feel they have options and the freedom to pursue their hopes and dreams without being overly bound by never-ending costs, both financial and otherwise. This is the way forward towards creating sustainable policies that will do Singapore well in the long term. We should be working towards a dynamic population for a sustainable Singapore. With that, Mdm Speaker, I oppose the Motion. Page: 65”
“There may be no immediate solution, or any country that is a shining beacon of success. However, that does not mean we should be resigned to there being no workable solution, hence moving to more drastic measures such as rapid influx of foreigners. The European Union, for example, has recognised the need to ensure flexible work arrangements and has set up committees such as EU Expert Group on Gender and Employment which conducts dedicated research and provides valuable insight into how to better balance work and family life, as a sign of continued commitment to resolving a complex problem. We should commit resources to an independent commission that looks into long-term solutions for work-life balance. In conclusion, Mdm Speaker, the Singapore story is about achieving the impossible. This is why we should not so easily give up on our people and their role in driving Singapore's success. I do not claim to have all the answers in my proposals here today. However, we are all here speaking with the best interests of Singaporeans at heart, and it is worth considering different points of views on this White Paper, since we have been facing the problem of low TFR and an ageing population for years, and policy amendments up to this point have seen few results. We should consider all options, and not immediately opt for quick-fix solutions through foreign immigration that will have long-term consequences. We already feel many of these consequences today, and they have yet to be resolved. Do we want to pass this burden off onto our children? Do we want them to become minorities in their own country?”
“Just recently, during the by-election campaign, many were asking whether it would be possible for me to be a Member of Parliament and have children at the same time. I can imagine that many women face the anxiety of wondering whether their bosses feel the same way and consider them a liability if they were to become pregnant, and whether they would be able to come back easily after a long period of leave taken to stay at home with their children. Apart from working remotely, another option for flexible work-life balance is to make part-time work more mainstream. According to an OECD report, birth rates are higher when there are more part-time jobs available to women, in order to facilitate both work and family responsibilities. This is practised in many Scandinavian countries, for example, Norway. An important factor in making part-time work a viable option is making sure that employees can retain their employment and state benefits. This ensures that part-time work remains desirable and is not considered marginalised labour, but regular employment. The Government must support a mind-set change in terms of how companies can contribute to the larger society. Today, we see many companies Page: 64 in Singapore and around the world embarking on Corporate Social Responsibility campaigns, committing to being part of solutions to problems facing societies. Agilent Technologies, LinkedIn and Hitachi are some examples of companies that were top-ranked by Forbes Magazine for enabling flexible work schedules. We should study these companies to identify what incentivises such highly successful, profit-making entities to be active proponents of work-life balance and see how they can be applied in the Singapore context.”
“A two-week Bonding Leave, where the father can take a week of leave each time to take care of each child, would allow them to care for their children for extended periods in order to share the responsibilities of childcare with their wives and to develop stronger father-child relationships. The cost of this should be shared by the state and the employer. If the scheme is well received, Bonding Leave could be further extended to encourage a more equal distribution of responsibilities between mother and father. Page: 63 Given our woes over declining fertility, it is time to consider going beyond mere tweaks, to ensure that sharing family responsibilities is something feasible for couples. Singaporeans work some of the longest hours in the world. A recent survey by Jobstreet.com on work-life balance found that nearly nine out of 10 Singaporeans worked beyond their official hours. After office hours, 70% chose to complete unfinished work in the office while the remaining 30% chose to bring work home. Almost half of them believed that their companies only pay lip service to work-life balance. Quite clearly, greater Government encouragement is needed in the form of corporate tax relief and enforcement of policies to ensure more companies seriously promote work-life balance, complete workplace. We cannot leave it to private businesses to promote work-life balance on their own, and until bold Government measures are introduced, we will always be stuck in this rut. Many women also feel that even before they have had their babies, they may be stigmatised by their employers. Many tend to immediately cast doubts over whether a woman can have children and also balance a high-demanding career. I know this from my own personal experience.”
“This includes the loss of income when they have to drop out of work to look after their children, or experiencing a drop in their career prospects, when they have worked so hard from school days to make a successful career. Many parents are concerned about financial insecurity and how to balance having children and their careers, especially so for mothers. We must do more to tip the balance in favour of having more children, by helping to reduce these concerns. This can be done by encouraging a culture of equality in the family, and encouraging better work-life balance. One of the often cited reasons for women not having children or not having more children is the lack of support from their husbands. The Marriage and Parenthood Survey 2012 noted that 99% of married respondents agreed that fathers and mothers are equally important care-givers. Given the high levels of education amongst our women, it is not surprising that many would be concerned about their careers after having a child. Having both parents sharing the responsibilities of childcare can help facilitate the mother's earlier return to work, and reduces the anxiety and concern she has about being unemployed, or her career prospects going forward. The introduction of one-week Paternity Leave is a step in the right direction towards the greater involvement of fathers. But more can be done to bring balance to the roles fathers and mothers play in looking after their children. The current Paternity Leave of one week per year is designed for emergencies and can be broken up into seven days over a year. I would like to propose the introduction of Bonding Leave for fathers in addition to the Paternity Leave.”
“An unmarried single mother will not qualify for the tax relief for a foreign domestic worker, and is entitled to only two days of childcare leave per year for a child below the age of 7. Her child is considered illegitimate by the Government. Despite this, she would still have to pay taxes and her son would still need to do National Service. In a recent The Straits Times report, Singapore sees an average of 12,000 abortions a year, and four out of 10 women who went for abortions were single women. Reducing the discrimination against single mothers may reduce the likelihood of single mothers having to resort to terminating their pregnancies for fear of lack of support. Furthermore, for a country suffering from a fertility crisis, each child should be valued and not punished simply because he or she is born to unmarried parents. We must plan for the future, there is no doubt about that. However, before we invest heavily in developing infrastructure to accommodate extensive immigration which is a "worst case scenario" that the Government says they are hoping will not happen, we must ask whether we have done enough to support all Singaporean families that live in Singapore and their children, and to tackle the problems that are here and now. Not investing enough in our own people is what will cause the real worst case scenario. In addition to investing fully in our families, we must also look at ensuring a family-friendly Page: 62 environment in Singapore. Parents-to-be have many concerns, especially given the high cost of living and increasingly competitive environment we live in.”
“However, we disagree that the solution should be to support a much larger foreign population before we are assured that we are doing enough to support all children in Singapore, regardless of their background or parentage. The Government has spent billions of dollars on incentives like Baby Bonuses, subsidies for IVF treatment and childcare. I believe we can go further Page: 61 in extending financial support and recognition for families, parents and children that are at the margins of society. The first group in need of more support are low-income families. While the increase in Baby Bonuses under the Baby Bonus Scheme is a welcome relief on parents, the dollar-for-dollar bonus structure tends to favour higher income groups over those who may be more in need of extra financial help to raise children. The recent Marriage and Parenthood package offers higher Baby Bonus payout, matching dollar for dollar up to $6,000 each per couple first and second child, up to $12,000 each for their third and fourth child, and up to $18,000 each from their fifth child onwards. The question we must ask is: how many families are able to put down $6,000 or more in order to receive the bonuses? How many families are we leaving out of this incentive scheme? The second group of Singaporeans that tend to be neglected are single parents. A single mother under the age of 35 is disqualifed from buying an HDB flat until she reaches 35 years of age. Even then, she only qualifies to buy under the Singles Scheme. She is only entitled to eight weeks' paid maternity leave, unlike the 16 weeks for a married woman, and a further four weeks of unpaid maternity leave with no Government funding.”
“Mdm Speaker, the recently released Population White Paper seeks to address two challenges: ageing population and low fertility rate, better known as TFR, by bringing in more immigrants. With projected figures of between 6.5 million and 6.9 million in 2030, it is no wonder that many ordinary Singaporeans have been concerned about the possible decline in the quality of life. The proposed method of importing immigrants to make up for TFR shortfall is not a long-term solution. I believe that much more can be done to encourage Singaporeans to have more children. We have not yet shown enough political will to remove the institutional and structural obstacles that are discouraging young Singaporeans from having children. If we are going to consider aggressive immigration policies, as a way to correct the problem of low TFR and replacement rates, we should also at the same time be considering more aggressive attempts to support the development of Singaporean families to boost the TFR. Even though we may not see the immediate effects of an increasing TFR till beyond 2030, we are talking about a long-term sustainable solution. Without tackling TFR directly, we will continually have to incease the population by way of immigrants and this will be a never-ending cycle. There are three areas in which we must do more. Firstly, we must support and invest in all children, regardless of background. Secondly, we must support a more equal distribution of family responsibilities between men and women and the families. And, thirdly, we must institutionalise better work-life balance. The Workers' Party acknowledges that a declining TFR is a serious problem for Singapore.”