Lily Neo
Singapore
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. May I ask Minister for Health on MOH's capacity in coping with serious cases of COVID-19 in terms of adequacy in respirators and in our ICU beds. Am I correct to say that already half of NCID's ICUs are taken up? What will happen when it reaches its full capacity?”
“But even so, with the right measures of social and medical assistance in place to assist them with their daily living, they can still age gracefully in the comfort of their own homes.”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. Yes, I will keep it short. Minister earlier said that MSF will proactively reach out to families in HDB rental homes to assist them, to possibly buy their own HDB flats. Many of these families lamented that they cannot afford it. How does the Minister plan to do it?”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. May I ask the Minister whether there is a possibility of more widespread community spread of COVID-19? And will MOH be able to cope with this? And whether does our Government have more specific measures in place to cope with this scenario?”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. Earlier in my speech, I asked whether there are assessments by HDB for applicants of Joint Singles Scheme (JSS) to ensure that they are free from mental illnesses and medical conditions before compelling them to stay together.”
“Many of them have lived in rental housing for more than six years and some more than 10 years. Thus, there are signs of entrenchment. What are the schemes in place and the success rate of such schemes, to assist them in looking for better options in their housing needs and to help them get out of their predicaments?”
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“In other words, we need to help this vulnerable group of Singaporeans, who are running harder just to remain where they are, to move forward. A key to upward mobility is, what I mentioned earlier, human capital investment. What can be done to ensure that lower income Singaporeans and their children are getting somewhere with all that hard running? We need to invest in them and their children so that they can use that extra "energy" to better themselves and become more upwardly mobile. An integrated case management approach focused on human capital investment will help these individuals and families escape poverty and become more upwardly mobile. I concur with the Finance Minister who said in his Budget Speech that "our fundamental approach to helping Singaporeans in need is to help them get a good income for themselves. The best way to do so has been and remains to help needy Singaporeans get a job, and to encourage them to stay at it, upgrade themselves, and support their family members." This is the essence of the human capital development approach. In this regard, I would like to propose a three-pronged approach towards the development of human capital for this group of Singaporeans. The three aspects are: (1) direct assistance in the form of a package; (2) improvement of means of delivery; and (3) constant updates to training programmes. I wish to propose a new initiative in the form of a comprehensive assistance package for low-income families focused on human capital investment. The package would include employment upgrading opportunities for parents, new employment opportunities for unemployed spouses, and continued assistance in the form of counselling, childcare, kindergarten and tuition fees for their school-going children.”
“They will eventually tire out and become disillusioned, which leads me to the second ramification - the effect on our social compact. Second, there are concerns that, in the long run, the rising levels of inequality may engender the politics of envy and affect Singapore's social compact. It is vital to maintain a strong and cohesive Singapore to meet the challenges of the future and to ride in the global growth. What then can be done? How should we, as Finance Minister had said, "refine our safety nets to help vulnerable Singaporeans cope?" The positives are that there have been a more diverse and greater number of schemes, which have helped up to 64,000 individuals and families last year compared to 15,000 in 2002. These schemes have helped parents with childcare and kindergarten fees, and provided short-term aid for the unemployed until they find employment. However, short-term handouts by themselves are not sustainable and do not do enough to help these individuals and families become self-reliant. Current net Workfare payments of around $80 to $100 per month are also barely able to bridge the gap between bare subsistence and the small surplus needed to invest in human capital at the household level. Yet, they remain the fastest way of upward mobility without compromising work ethic and with relatively low cost. We would have to explore the need for a stronger, direct social safety net which would enable us to take advantage of globalisation more quickly and boldly. The continued evolution of our Workfare Income Supplement Scheme (WIS) is a step in the right direction. This should be coupled with initiatives aimed at maximising our human capital investment. A key strategy to circumvent the effects of wage stagnation and job volatility is to focus on upward mobility.”
“Some of the deleterious aspects of globalisation have led to real wage stagnation at the lower-income levels for the first time in recent years. The bottom 30% of working families have now experienced stagnating real household income for eight to 10 years. Our poorest, numbering some 90,000 to 100,000 households, still earn around $160 per month per capita, the equivalent of around $640 per month for a family of four. This compares to a measure of the average basic expenditure of around $1,040 estimated by the Department of Statistics to indicate the need for social assistance. The poorest and least skilled have been the hardest hit. Median monthly starting pay for cleaners and labourers has fallen by nearly 33%, from $860 to $600 between 1996 and 2006. Not all are enjoying in our recent successes. These figures indicate that our poorest and least skilled have not only not benefited from Singapore's recent successes, they have, in fact, been hit the hardest as a consequence. (b) Job volatility. Low-wage workers and their families are also more vulnerable to job volatility. The increasingly competitive labour market, changes in work design, and influx of foreign workers have all contributed to increased job volatility. Low-wage workers are typically less adept in navigating this particular challenge, whether it is to switch employment in the same industry, or in another industry altogether. I see two clear ramifications posed by these challenges: First, there is a limit to poverty alleviation by working longer and harder, or driving down the unemployment rate. We cannot expect lower income Singaporeans to keep on running faster and faster but yet find themselves not progressing.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I stand in support of the motion raised by the Minister for Finance. This year's Budget was clearly formulated with the most economically vulnerable group of Singaporeans in mind - the group worst hit by inflation and the rising cost of living. I am most happy with the public assistance allowance increase. I would like to thank and commend both the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports for the increase. I am sure the 286 public assistance recipients in my constituency and throughout Singapore would appreciate the increase in their monthly public assistance allowances. I was particularly encouraged by the Finance Minister's assurance during his Budget Speech to "continue to refine the safety nets to help the most vulnerable in the community". I endorse this initiative wholeheartedly. Finetuning the present social support system is necessary to address the concerns of this group of Singaporeans. I shall address this later in my speech. Today, I shall speak on: (1) the challenges faced by the lower-income group in Singapore; (2) the potential ramifications to our social fabric; and (3) propose initiatives which I hope would complement and augment current and future plans for a stronger and more refined social safety net. Two key challenges currently facing lower-income Singaporeans are (a) real wage stagnation; and (b) job volatility. (a) Wage stagnation. In an increasingly skills-biased economy, our low-wage workers and their families have had to run faster just to stand still. In today's world of outsourcing and cheap international labour, it is still possible to be gainfully employed but still not earning adequately to feed one's family.”
“I am glad you are speaking up on the issue of bullying in schools. Parents have a right to know that their children are safe in school. I agree with your observation that in the past, ill-discipline and bullying have been swept under the carpet by being described as 'thoughtless pranks". I agree that bullying in schools is past toleration point. It has been so, for quite some time". In conclusion, bullying is a problem that needs to be tackled. Leaving the situation as it is will not bode well for us. It can be said that the impact of bullying goes far beyond the classroom. MOE should sweep away the years of inaction which has caused pain and anguish to both students and parents. MOE should now take a positive step to the commitment to the students' welfare and well-being.”
“These include raising awareness through the use of self-report questionnaires, provision of instruction and activities in the school curriculum to enable bullying to be addressed amongst students, formation of discussion groups involving parents, empowerment through Student Anti-Bullying Committees, Peer Support programmes and the use of counselling methods. The way forward As mentioned earlier, we need to be busier, bolder and brainer to counter the contemporary ills of bullying. I would like to offer some suggestions: (1) MOE could look into the implementation of anti-bullying policies in all schools, with new guidelines or modifications to existing guidelines. (2) MOE could look into enhancing its cooperation with the NGOs mentioned, to leverage on their expertise. (3) MOE could pay more emphasis on student welfare and well-being to help reverse the negative and pressurised atmosphere that leads to both misbehaviour and bullying. (4) Teachers should be more adequately trained to deal with bullying. This will help increase detection rates and in turn protect students from further harm by dealing with the issue earlier. (5) More information on bullying should be made available to students, parents and schools. (6) Schools should make it clear from the very start that bullying is unacceptable, and warrants heavy punishments. At this juncture, I would like to read the excerpts of a letter from one former teacher of more than 30 years, Mr Murali Sharma who wrote to me last Thursday, and I quote, "I read in Today, 17th January 2008 that you will raise the issue of Bullying in Schools on Monday. So I want to pen some thoughts for your consideration. As an ex-teacher and grandparent, I am concerned that we are sliding down the slippery slope to ill-discipline.”
“Insufficient support for NGOs NGOs such as CABCY and SCS face a myriad of challenges when trying to assist schools, students, teachers and parents in dealing with bullying. SCS receives some Government funding but a majority goes to their main causes of child poverty and abuse. CABCY receives no Government funding. Cooperation between MOE, its schools and NGOs has also been patchy, if not poor, with the only tangible deliverable being the Anti-Bullying Kit jointly produced by MOE and CABCY. Both NGOs can only intervene when asked to do so, as the final jurisdiction lies within the schools. Notably, many schools have made a point of attempting to handle all cases "in-house". CABCY has, on many instances, been dismissed by schools when trying to assist victims of bullying. Some schools, notably, Ping Yi Secondary School, have benefited from cooperating closely with the NGOs. Despite these setbacks, both NGOs have been instrumental in helping to raise awareness and assisting within their capacities. Learning from others We could learn from other countries, which have had significant successes in dealing with bullying in schools. Amongst them, two examples stand out - that of the United Kingdom and Australia. The UK has adopted a tough no-tolerance policy on bullying in schools. Since 1999, UK schools are mandated to implement anti-bullying policies. Inspections are conducted regularly to evaluate and suggest improvements to anti-bullying measures. The topic of bullying has also been integrated into the national curriculum. All teachers are also trained to handle bullying cases during regular in-service training. Australia has implemented a host of counter-bullying initiatives for its schools over the past 13 years.”
“Research has shown that although some teachers deal effectively with the problem, there are a good number who routinely dismiss these incidents as "youthful misdemeanour", or recently in the words of a young primary school teacher, "childish bullying cases". These may largely be due to a lack of training and awareness and/or a culture of apathy and misunderstanding, which is my next point. (3) Culture of apathy and misunderstanding The lack of training and awareness appears to have engendered and propagated a dearth in apathy and understanding, further exacerbating the problem. MOE treats bullying as a "disciplinary problem", which is far too general for an issue of such severity. The issue of bullying is linked by MOE to other problems, such as general misbehaviour and discipline, and is treated as a component or subset of discipline instead of a single issue. More worrying is to view bullying as a "part and parcel of life". This gives bullies and their victims the impression that the practice is acceptable and even normal. CABCY, in their surveys, noted that many students seem to believe that teachers, and I quote "don't care if we're being bullied". In October 2003, one school dismissed seven severe bullying cases as being "thoughtless pranks". In a separate incident, a bullying victim reported being pushed from teacher to teacher for help like, in the words of the victim, "a ping-pong ball". A Primary Six student's comments drove home this point. He said in the CABCY survey, "I would not tell the teachers anything. I'd take it into my own hands". Another Primary Three student remarked, "I feel sad and hurt. Teachers should take action when they receive students' complaints".”
“A Primary 3 student could not have articulated this need more clearly when she implored in an interview with CABCY, "Have more education on bullying." (2) Lack of training for teachers Although awareness about bullying is high in most schools, thanks to initiatives, such as the Singapore Children's Society's annual Bully-Free Week, teachers are, to a large extent, unaware of how to deal with the issue due to a lack of appropriate training. Teachers receive no training in how to deal with bullying despite the large number of hours devoted annually to teacher training. This means that teachers are unable to spot the victims of bullying early on to take the appropriate measures. Teachers who are not trained may also not be adept at identifying cases of bullying, because victims are too afraid to speak up, while bystanders choose to remain silent for fear that they might be the next target. A Primary 6 student said in the CABCY survey, "Teachers should be able to tell if a student is unhappy or sad in class, and start action to find the bully." Bullying in schools is often left unexposed until it is either too late - when physical violence has occurred - or as in one extreme case, when the victim had taken her life. This victim, an Express student, recorded the majority of the bullying incidents inside her diary from Secondary 1 to Secondary 4. She suffered bullying in school on a daily basis. To this date, this girl's father believes that she would not have committed suicide if the bullying had been dealt with properly by the school.”
“Several victims have reportedly digressed into becoming bullies themselves. Bullying also has a negative effect on the bully, including increased estrangement from the rest of the school and/or society, and contributes to an increased risk of the bully being engaged in criminal activity and youth delinquency. International research has shown that bullies by the age of 17 to 27 have a higher incidence to enter into crime. Shortfalls To effectively deal with the issue, we ourselves need to be busier, bolder and brainier. We may well have been busier and have implemented some good initiatives like the Anti-Bullying Kit and the addition of full-time Counsellors in all schools by end 2008. However, there is room for improvement in the following areas: (1) Lack of information There appears to be a lack of readily available information concerning the issue of bullying. MOE's website contains no information on bullying, and no links to sites that do. This is a glaring contrast to the UK's Department of Children, Schools and Families, which operates its own anti-bullying site. Additionally, nearly all Australian State Departments of Education websites also contain dedicated information channels. This "information hole" results in teachers and students having to approach NGOs, such as CABCY and SCS, for information. Although both organisations do their best to assist, their resources are limited, and they are unable to assist everyone, leaving individual students and teachers with potentially no one else to turn to. The only Singapore specific websites dedicated to the issue are those operated by SCS and CABCY. Both provide good resources online, but are not yet endorsed by MOE or linked to MOE's official website.”
“Teachers have also reported a number of bullies with gang connections who appear to be more emboldened. Brainier The school bully has also become more technologically savvy. The four and a half minute video clip of the assault on the 13-year old girl who was kicked, punched and stripped was widely circulated. The worst is that it is still available on the Internet by her assailants. Watching this clip gave me a sickening nauseous feeling. Last year, a classmate of a Secondary 1 student from a well-known girls' school uploaded a defaced photo of her in a blog, called her names, and called for a "mob to be raised against her". The blog received over 8,000 hits in 24 hours. Wired Safety, a Washington-based Internet Safety and Help Group, reported in 2006 that Singapore had the highest incidence of Internet bullying among children in any country outside the US, with 80 incidences in 2005. Of the 1,100 teenagers surveyed in 2005, a third said that they received email messages that frightened or bullied them, 14% said that they experienced bullying through SMS, and 13% through instant chat clients like MSN. Ramifications Bullying in schools can occur in any setting and takes many forms. It occurs in schools without exception, regardless of socio-economic or cultural background. The various types are verbal, physical, racial and cyber bullying. Although in Singapore, verbal bullying is most common, the two emerging forms of bullying are cyber bullying and racially motivated bullying. Bullying has clear, deleterious impacts on both the victim and the bully. Numerous studies on the subject have noted a positive correlation between being bullied and an increased risk of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and even suicide.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, I would like to urge this House to look into the issue of bullying in our schools. The schoolyard bully in our schools is getting busier, bolder and brainier. Busier Awareness of bullying in our schools has been on the rise since 2002, with over 50 articles appearing in the Singapore press over the past five years. Surveys on the percentage of students who have been bullied in school appear to show that the school bully has been working overtime. While numbers and statistics on the incidences and effects of bullying in Singapore are difficult to come by and, when available, vary considerably, the available figures are alarming. The Coalition against the Bullying of Children and Youth (CABCY), which surveyed 4,000 students, reported in 2007 that figure to be 94.7%. The Singapore Children's Society (SCS) reported 25% with a sample of 535 students, while MOE's figure stand at 3.7% from a sample of 1,000 students. I believe that MOE's figures are reflective of actual reported cases, and are thus considerably lower. CABCY also reported in its survey that 11.5% of respondents indicated being bullied more than once a week. Bolder The school bully also appears to have become bolder. Bullying in school has so far resulted in one recorded suicide in 2003 and a significant number of hospitalisations. In August 2002, a Secondary 1 student was punched in the face, resulting in over 20 stitches and a corneal tear. In May 2003, a Secondary 3 student from a top boys' school was a victim of multiple punches by improvised objects used as weapons. In 2006, a 13-year old girl was viciously kicked, punched and stripped by a group of girls who reportedly belonged to a gang.”
“Two supplementary questions, Sir. May I ask the Minister whether the Singapore dollar should be allowed to appreciate further to mitigate the rising cost of living and how would this affect the export business cost under the local tourism industry? Secondly, should the CPI have a sub-component based on food and public transport - the two major expenditures of the lower income group - to better reflect the impact of inflation on this group?”
“Additionally, with the recent increase in interest paid to CPF funds, how viable will it be to increase the interest rate to be paid to the Education Endowment Fund? The second issue concerns the use of the Post-Secondary Education Fund (PSEA). I would like to ask the Minister of State how far an average Singaporean's PSEA, if left untouched, will go towards being able to fund the cost of a basic local degree. Also, how viable is it to delay the use of the PSEA and Baby Bonus for tertiary education? Will the Government also consider allowing Singaporeans to use the PSEA to pay for overseas education? In light of the recent debate about the inadequacy of university places in Singapore, a good number of Singaporeans will have to and have expressed their intentions to pursue an overseas education. If this uptrend continues, then surely the option to use the PSEA will be beneficial to this group of Singaporeans. PSEA can now be used at our publicly-funded universities, polytechnics, ITEs and our arts institutions. In addition, the Minister for Education has recently announced that PSEA may be used at UNiSIM as well. Will the Government also consider allowing Singaporeans to use their PSEA for post-graduate study? More Singaporeans are pursuing higher education, particularly among younger Singaporeans after working for some years. If indeed the PSEA is eventually allowed to fund post-graduate study, then there will be a need to revise the automatic transfer of PSEA into the CPF Ordinary Account at age 30 as many will probably engage in continuing education well into their 30s and 40s.”
“With our universities going autonomous, how much will the rise in cost affect our undergraduates? Countries, like the UK and Australia, have already seen a marked increase in the cost of undergraduate study for their population. In Singapore, the average fees for undergraduate students for courses in Arts and Sciences are about $27,000 before subsidies. At a conservative 5% increase per year, this would rise to about $40,500 in 10 years and double to about $54,000 in 20 years. Raising public awareness With this expected rise in the cost of tertiary education, it is necessary to ensure public awareness of this issue and for Singaporeans to be aware of the need to plan early for these costs. While in the long term, Singaporeans must adequately plan to bear the costs for tertiary education due to the decrease in subsidies, in the short term, the Government must explain the rationale behind the decrease in subsidies, and assure Singaporeans that this does not mean that education is not a priority. The Government must convince Singaporeans that, on the contrary, more is being done to prepare Singaporeans for the knowledge economy at the fundamental level. Helping Singaporeans fund their education In the light of these developments, my third and final point would be on measures taken by the Government to help Singaporeans fund their education. Two issues are pertinent here. The first issue is on the interest paid to the Education Endowment Fund, which currently receives an annual interest rate of 4%. I would like to ask the Minister of State how this interest rate is being derived. In real terms, will this be sufficient to cover the rate of rise in inflation?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support the amendments made to the Education Endowment Scheme. The development of education is integral to our society, and an important driver of our economy. In the light of an increasingly dynamic landscape, driven by the rapid movement of global talent and rise of the knowledge economy, it is imperative that we continue to support the development of knowledge through education. It is also thus timely that we review the scheme to ensure that in view of rising costs, both at home and abroad, education will still be affordable to all Singaporeans. In this light, there are three issues I would like to raise. First, is on the rising cost of education and the reduction in education subsidies at the tertiary levels. Second, is on the need to raise awareness on these rising costs. And, third, is on helping Singaporeans fund their education. Rising costs of tertiary education Sir, I am concerned that the proverbial pie set aside for education may not be adequate to fund the increase in the cost of tertiary studies. The Education Minister said at last year's Committee of Supply debates that our university fees needed to be revised regularly to allow them to meet cost increases, while improving on the quality of education provided. He cautioned that increasing the share of the economic budget to our universities would not be equitable, as it would reduce the share for the rest of the education sector. This has obvious implications, particularly as we aim to increase the number of university places in Singapore, and our population as a whole. The Prime Minister has set a target of providing sufficient places in local publicly funded universities for 30% of the 2015 cohort. Will there be enough funds for subsidies for this new batch of students?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, Minister Mentor has said that an unstable Myanmar is a timebomb for South East Asia. Could the Minister elaborate on it? Are ASEAN countries in agreement with this view? Should such scenario be discussed with ASEAN countries so that all can be better prepared to mitigate such an eventuality?”
“What measures are being taken to address this adequacy? Is there flexibility to allow those who can afford more to opt for higher annuity payout schemes? In other words, are riders allowed on this CPF change? Will the existing 4% of CPF holders who have already purchased CPF annuities be allowed to opt out from the compulsory scheme? There have also been proposals for the private sector to manage the longevity insurance scheme so as to leverage on market competitiveness for higher annuity returns. The caveat is that the costs may ultimately be borne by Singaporeans, since private companies are ultimately profit-driven. I thus believe that the Government is the best organisation to manage the scheme so as to ensure stability and affordability for all Singaporeans. My third and final point concerns the lower-income group, especially older workers who cannot afford the compulsory annuity. Their situation portends a bleaker outlook, as statistics indicate that earnings decrease with age over time. As a result, many in this demographic do not and would not have sufficient funds for retirement. What measure, if any, are taken to assist these groups to pay for the compulsory annuity scheme? I am also concerned about those who cannot find work due to disability or old age, and who are not entitled to the Workfare Income Scheme. While these groups are usually eligible for Public Assistance, the social contractual obligation is usually long term. Would it not be more viable, tenable and sustainable for the Government to put aside or ride on the longevity insurance for this group to reduce the long-term burden? Would it not make sense to leverage on the larger economies of scale in the risk-pool to assist these groups? 4.53 pm”
“5 times of the initial outlay. It is thus imperative that MOM spares no effort in marketing these proposals well to the general public - to allay general concerns and correct misperceptions. It is crucial to the successful implementation of the policy that we market our diamonds as diamonds, and not graphite. The Senior Writer for the Straits Times Chua Mui Hoong could not have articulated this point better when she remarked in her 7th September article, and I quote, "those in marketing know the importance of engaging emotions in decision-making. Smart leaders learn to engage the emotions, clarify doubt, defuse resentment and soothe fears to increase chances of a buy-in that leads to behavioural and mental change." Two, CPF rate of returns. The second issue concerns CPF returns, which naturally affects the annuity payouts from the longevity insurance. How sufficient will the proposed additional 1% on the first $60,000 on CPF combined accounts and first $20,000 on Ordinary Accounts be to offset inflation? CPF interest rates have been nil in real terms in past years. How viable is it for CPF investments in Government bonds to be hedged with other investment vehicles which yield higher returns and 100% capital preservation? GIC, for example, achieved an average 8.2% per annum (in S$ terms) or 9.5% per annum (in US$ terms) returns on its reserves over the last 25 years. In this regard, could the CPF Board consider working with GIC and perhaps peg the interest rates at 2 percentage points below GIC's returns? Many have also expressed concerns regarding the adequacy of annuity payouts in real terms. Assuming inflation rates remain at 1.5% (a conservative MTI estimate in August), the $300 per month in annuity payouts would be equivalent to only $178 in today's terms.”
“I suspect that this is primarily due to how our policies, no matter how well-intended and sound, have quite often been marketed as "graphite" rather than "diamonds" to the general public. I would hence like to highlight three key concerns surrounding the formulation, implementation and dissemination of the policies. One, longevity insurance. First, there is apprehension by many over the necessity for a proposed compulsory annuity scheme (or longevity insurance). Many do not believe that they will live beyond 85 despite life expectancy expected to increase yearly. Is this a case of insufficient data being published, contributing to the low awareness on life expectancy issues, or is it due to the lack of financial retirement planning in our culture? Many have expressed their dread of living until age 85 for fear of poor health. However, a 1995 National Survey showed that only 1.2% of those above 65 years reported having poor health, and only 18% of all hospital admissions here was accounted for by those aged 60 and above. Looking ahead, rapid advances in the field of Longevity Medicine will postpone ageing and promote health, enabling people to be more active, more productive and enjoy longer lives. Many have also expressed unwillingness to pay what they perceive as "premiums" for the annuity. In truth, however, a good number will live beyond 85 and will benefit from it, receiving more than their initial outlay. Some actuaries estimate that the sum of $4,300 deducted at age 55 from the CPF Minimum Sum of $99,600, compounded at 5% for 30 years, would provide a monthly payout of $300 from age 85 until 100. This means that, at age 87, one would already have received more than what he or she paid for. At 100, one would expect to get $54,000 or about 13.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the motion moved by the Minister for Manpower. I particularly welcome the proposal to set aside funds to provide peace of mind to our ageing population. In fact, just now, at tea break, Minister for Manpower reminded me that I was the one who suggested annuity or insurance in the past in this House. My constituency has the highest number of elderly residents in Singapore, many of whom live in rental HDB flats. I have seen too often the plight of those who are unable to afford a decent retirement in their old age. These proposals come at an opportune time. The Prime Minister has warned that half of the people aged 62 and below will live to 85 years and beyond. Life expectancy has already risen from 75 years in 1990 compared to 80 years today. Additionally, prominent futurists, such as former White House Adviser and CEO of the Institute for Global Futures, Dr James Canton, have predicted that due to advances in Longevity Medicine, humans will routinely live beyond 100 years by 2020. In Asian societies, such as ours, which value longevity, this is widely seen as a blessing. However, this blessing comes with an important caveat. Allow me, as a medical doctor, to provide a metaphor. For many Singaporeans, the CPF is the main artery supplying blood to the heart. If left unmanaged, however, the probability of inadequate supply would render the heart vulnerable to cardiac arrest. When that happens at age 85 and compounded by the falling birth rates, it would be too late to perform a bypass. The cautionary mood precluding such a scenario is thus timely, and offers the opportunity for us to take early preventive measures. However, the advice and the proposed fine-tuning to the CPF in anticipation of this scenario have not been well received.”
“Sir, two supplementary questions. May I ask the Minister what measures will his Ministry take to reassure those members of the public who are now concerned with exercise induced death? And, secondly, will these concerns of exercise induced death derail our long-term objective of promoting healthy lifestyle through exercise?”
“Sir, may I ask the SPS what is the prevalence of school bullying in our schools? Does he have the figures, types and severity of school bullying? If not, will he consider conducting studies on that? Lastly, what is MOE's stand on school bullying? Mr Speaker: Mr Masagos, you have two minutes left to answer all those questions.”
“May I ask the Minister of State whether it is correct to say that students are examined on syllabus not taught in school and, worse still, not in the curriculum? Would this not lead to more stress on our students and teachers? Therefore, can this be rectified in our schools?”
“Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked the Minister for National Development (a) what impact will the current crisis in the US sub-prime market have on the property market in Singapore; and (b) what steps will the Ministry take to mitigate any negative effects on the property market, especially on public housing.”
“Of course, MAS stands ready should the situation arise to inject liquidity in the market to prevent systemic shortage of funds. That has always been the case, and remains the case going forward. On her second question on transparency, first, let me say that the local banks, DBS included, did make prompt disclosure of their exposure to US sub-prime mortgages. They were asked and they responded very promptly, including DBS. DBS subsequently made a further disclosure of its exposure to collateralised debt obligations which did not contain sub-prime mortgages. That was not asked of them in the first instance, but they made the disclosure a few days later so as to provide a complete picture. And as I have explained earlier, the exposure to CDOs in general was not one that affected perceptions of their exposure to the US sub-prime problem. We are satisfied that they made prompt disclosures. The market too, if we look at what the analysts said, if we look at Fitch, for instance, which is the major institution that has market analyses and ratings of bonds, it has commended the Singapore banks for their thorough disclosure of their exposure to the US sub-prime mortgage problem. There is no convention on this internationally, and indeed many banks internationally have yet to fully disclose their exposure both to US sub-prime as well as to CDOs in general. Our banks have done so. They did so promptly and the market has assessed that their financial position is sound arising from the full disclosure of their exposure. UNITED STATES SUB-PRIME CRISIS (Impact on property market) 5.”
“I have three supplementary questions. May I ask the Minister in what instances will our Government intervene by increasing the liquidity into the market, similar to what the US Federal Reserve Bank has done? How necessary are these measures in the light of the shortage of liquidity in global markets? Lastly, what are the measures taken to ensure transparency, such that banks are not unknowingly exposed to collateralised debt obligations, similar to what was experienced by DBS during the sub-prime crisis recently? Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam : Mr Speaker, Sir, on the first question which concerns the circumstances under which the MAS would want to intervene to provide additional liquidity to the market, MAS would only need to do so if there is a systemic crunch, in other words, systemic shortage of liquidity in the markets, such that normal lending and borrowing, between banks especially, is not taking place. This has not been the case so far. In fact, so far, MAS has not had to do anything extraordinary beyond its normal money market operations. The Singapore market has not suffered from a shortage of liquidity. There was a very temporary blip, I believe, on 10th August 2007, which was the day after the European Central Bank had made a very substantial injection of liquidity in the European markets - very temporary blip in local inter-bank interest rates, which subsequently reversed itself and we are back to pre-crisis levels. The Singapore Inter-Bank Offer Rate (SIBOR), which is a good indicator of liquidity in the market, is back to the level it was before 10th August - about 2.5%. That is a good indication that the market has been stable, liquidity has been ample and MAS has not had to intervene to do anything extraordinary.”
“May I ask MOS whether he expects the US Central Bank to cut interest rates tomorrow? Will that indicate the unhealthy climate of US economy? Are there preventive measures on the negative impact on our economy? Is there any way of decoupling our economy from US?”
“Sir, may I ask the MOS to what extent is the contingent of the sub-prime crisis a result of mismanaged fears and panics? What proportion are these concerns to the actual magnitude of the real problem? And, lastly, how does MOS respond to the market talk that the worst is yet to come?”
“And with polytechnic education as the preferred choice of post-secondary school students, it is timely the donations from Ngee Ann Kongsi go to benefit a broader student community. Hence, I support the move of 40% to other educational intents and purposes at the approval of the Education Minister. Education today is very much different from those days when Ngee Ann Kongsi decided to donate 75% of their incomes. Madam, the kind of support that the polytechnics need has evolved. The latest is for a majority of polytechnic students to be sent for overseas training; hence, the students would need more support. I am confident that the Teochew community, in general, and the Ngee Ann Kongsi management, in particular, would embrace this move towards helping students in a broader aspect with the donations. Finally, I also support the move to apportion 10% of the incomes of Ngee Ann Kongsi to benefit other charitable organisations. I firmly believe and am confident that Ngee Ann Kongsi would agree with me on these moves. 5.11 pm”
“I am sure that many of the communal clans, associations and societies have benefited from the recent boom in property prices. Many of these clan associations' financial positions have ridden on the tailwind of progress that the buoyant Singapore economy has provided. I am told that many of these communal clans and associations have contributed to the Singapore society in their own ways with their very much improved financial positions. Although other communal clan associations, unlike the Teochews, who are doing their bit through an Act of Parliament, I am hopeful that they would continue to contribute more to education issues as well as to other charitable causes. Madam, Ngee Ann Polytechnic has come a long way from its inception as Ngee Ann College in 1963, to Ngee Ann Technical College in 1972, and then to the present-day Ngee Ann Polytechnic. This institute of education has been transformed in more ways than just its name. Ngee Ann Polytechnic has moved from its early days of providing education opportunities to the children of the Teochew community. The student intake of Ngee Ann Polytechnic is now not only representative of the Singapore society but has taken on a cosmopolitan outlook. It now boasts of having international students within its fold. Also, the courses Ngee Ann Polytechnic currently provides have undergone substantial changes. It has now moved from just providing a handful of basic courses to incorporating cutting-edge science and technology courses. In the earlier days, there were only two polytechnics: Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Singapore Polytechnic. Today, we have five polytechnics.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, I rise to speak in support of the motion to amend the Ngee Ann Kongsi Ordinance. The Bill, steeped in history and moved in 1932 by Teochew migrant merchants who had made their fortunes here, had benefited the students of Ngee Ann Polytechnic for many years. The students have benefited from the handsome donation of 75% from the incomes of Ngee Ann Kongsi that was set up by the Teochew merchants to manage their affairs on a "proper footing". It is through the vision and public-spirit mindedness of the early Teochew merchants that Ngee Ann Kongsi's fortunes are where they are today. We should also recognise that the fortunes of Ngee Ann Kongsi would not have been possible without the progress and development of Singapore and certainly even less possible without the support of the Singapore Government. For instance, Ngee Ann City, from which the Ngee Ann Kongsi derives much of its income, was originally bought as a burial ground for the Teochew community. The Teochew merchants then had the foresight to ride the growth and progress of Singapore and apply to the Government for a change of use. The Government approved the application and that resulted in the Ngee Ann City of today. Ngee Ann City is a major source of income for Ngee Ann Kongsi which has provided and would continue to provide much financial assistance towards the society. Mdm Deputy Speaker, it is timely for this House to put on record now our appreciation of the astute foresight of our generous early Teochew merchants, without which all these would not have been possible. Mr Tan Cheng Lock, speaking in support of this Bill then, had hoped that other communities in Singapore would take similar steps.”
“The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (Mr Teo Ser Luck) (for the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports): Mr Speaker, Sir, with your permission, I would like to take Question Nos. 17 and 18 on sports safety by Mr Baey Yam Keng and Dr Lam Pin Min together as they both relate to the same issue.”
“If not, I would really appreciate it if we could have a more regular and vigilant inspection of the types of varieties of plants that we have in our parks and gardens. If need be, whether we have to actually remove and replant them. I would appreciate it if the Minister could address that. Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, the short answer is, yes, we work very closely with the Town Councils. As I mentioned in my reply, NParks is also looking into the trees that they have, where there is a hole in between, they will seal it up. Town Councils are responsible for all the common areas. They know that they have to do their job because, if they do not, we will also have to fine them. But having said that, I must thank all the Town Councils for the cooperation that they have given to NEA. SAFETY AT SPORTS-RELATED EVENTS (Provision of safety guidelines and medical support) 17. Dr Lam Pin Min asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) what is the number of incidences of sports-related mortality over the last five years; (b) if there are any initiatives to enhance the safety culture in the national sports associations; and (c) whether regulatory measures should be implemented to ensure the provision of appropriate medical cover during all sports-related events. 18. Mr Baey Yam Keng asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports what measures will be taken to ensure that qualified medical personnel and medical equipment are present during sports trial events and at common exercise areas such as gyms and schools.”
“We work very closely with MOH to look at the possibility of developing vaccines. Hon. Members must have read that in the newspapers. Several agencies are coming together. Sir, we will continue to do our part to support other agencies. But on the part of NEA, we will try and develop more tools to allow us to pre-empt so that we can do a better job. As I mentioned in my reply, it is still homeowners. Indoor breeding is still on the rise. I thank all the Advisors who have gone every weekend, including Dr Ahmad Magad, to deal with the cases in Pasir Ris. But I think we need to do a lot more to get our homeowners to switch and take on this 10-minute Mozzie Wipe-out as a daily habit. There is a perception that sometimes it is not fatal. So, if I get dengue, I go to the hospital, seven days and I am out. That is not true. So we have to tell Singaporeans that this disease is very dangerous. It can be fatal. It has proven to be fatal. So we have to remind Singaporeans that they have a role to play. Sir, as I have mentioned, in all my replies in public, I can check all the outdoors, I can fine all the Government agencies, but I cannot go into your house unless there is a complaint. But you must do your part. If not, I would have to come down harder. Mdm Ho Geok Choo: Sir, the Minister has given a very comprehensive listing of programmes that they are doing with regard to addressing dengue fever. I do not know whether in the Minister's programme he has also alerted the Town Councils on the need to comb through the parks and the landscape, because some of the varieties of plants and bushes that we have in our parks are actually collecting water. Despite the ovitraps, etc, I think these other areas we should also not neglect. I do not know whether it is the Minister's programme.”
“First, I would like to commend NEA for all the comprehensive measures taken so far against dengue. May I ask the Minister whether he is concerned over the emergence of new uniquely Singapore strains of dengue over the years, which means that more people may be susceptible to the new strains of dengue? Does he expect this to be a recurring yearly phenomenon? Is it true that it may be the result of our past eradication method? Does he need to do more studies to ascertain this fact in order to better fight dengue? Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I am not sure whether it is uniquely Singapore but, certainly, as Dr Neo will understand as a doctor, the strains will appear periodically, depending on basically the immunity within the community. We are now beginning to see a switch-over from Dengue-1 to Dengue-2, something we have not seen for the last five years. That means there will be a certain proportion of our population who have not developed immunity against Dengue-2. Is this a yearly phenomenon? It is difficult to tell, but based on the data that we have, there seems to be a six to seven-year cycle in terms of the peak. We are about at that point in time where there is a surge upwards. Sir, this region is also endemic with dengue. And so we are in a dengue-endemic region and therefore we will see these surges occurring ever so often. We are now trying to study the phenomenon even better. The research arm of NEA, ie, EHI, is conducting several research projects, some of which are too complicated for me to explain. But the point is that we want to understand the phenomenon better and to be able to develop tools that can allow us to pre-empt any increase in mosquito activity. Ultimately, our responsibility is to remove breeding habitats as quickly as possible.”
“Sir, may I ask MOS whether the closure of the private school here has dented Singapore's reputation as an education hub? Are there measures in place to regain lost ground? What more can MOE do to better protect the interests of foreign students studying here? And, lastly, given the inadequacy of the present accreditation scheme, is it not urgent for MOE to be proactive and to develop its new scheme?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, two supplementary questions, please. May I ask the Minister whether there is enough synergy between MTI and MOE in dealing with all educational issues, be they educational hub, foreign universities or students? Secondly, will the Minister consider setting up a one-stop centralised controlling authority among the stakeholders - MTI, MOE and ICA - to advise, implement and regulate policies?”
“Could I seek two clarifications, Sir, please? On my first clarification, the Minister of State did not reply to my earlier question on why can we not use dentist instead of oral health therapist. Does he not agree that oral disease in children will cause the permanent teeth to be missing at the end of the day? Secondly, could I ask him, in the survey done in 1994, it showed that 3% of the cohort of 40,000 of our 18-year-olds had one or more permanent teeth missing. Should we not aim for no young Singaporeans should have their permanent teeth missing? And, therefore, what will happen if we continue now to use new oral health therapists to give care to our school children? Will the dental health of our school children get worse?”
“One such example is that the Dental Faculty should not have another dentist seeking election to the Council since the Dental Faculty already has a mandated representative. I hope that the Minister of State can address these issues raised.”
“There are two providers of specialisation courses in dentistry in Singapore and they are NUS and National Dental Centre. Therefore, the members of this Board should at least have one member of the academic staff of the specialist courses in NUS and another one from National Dental Centre. This is so that it is consistent with the other provision of the same on this Bill, that is in new section 21C(2)(b) of this Bill, which spells out that one member of the academic staff of the dental hygiene and therapy course offered by the Nanyang Polytechnic be a member of the Oral Health Therapists Accreditation Committee. Section 3 of the Dentists Act is amended to include at least one but not more than three registered oral health therapists in the Council. This is a maximum of three out of a total of only nine dentists in the Council apart from the Chief Dental Officer and the Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry of NUS. Is this not a lop-sided representation of oral health therapists? The oral health therapist course is new in Singapore and currently only 15 to 20 are trained per year, and it will take a long time for their numbers to rise to even approximate those of dentists. Moreover, given the limited extent of their work compared to the whole dentistry fraternity, there should be a fairer representation of dentistry practitioners in the Council. The last issue on fairer representation in the Council is that there should be provision to ensure the Council consists of representation from as many sectors of the dental profession as possible, such as the varied public dental sector and private dental sector. Therefore, there should not be double representation from any sector.”
“Almost one in four of them works in the public sector. Now that we are not short of dentists, is it cost that MOH is trying to save by employing oral health therapists, instead of dentists, to treat our school children? If it is, then I feel that it is a sorry state indeed for the following reasons: Oral diseases can exert a multi-faceted impact on an individual with a wide range of effects, including pain, discomfort and inability to eat. The two most common oral diseases - tooth decay and gum disease - are largely preventable if positive oral hygiene practices are inculcated and adopted by individuals. The adage "Prevention is better than cure" is most apt here in the dental care of young Singaporeans by maintaining good oral health while they are still in school. It is therefore important to ensure that children in school get the best of care by competent providers. This will ensure these children have deep foundation and a good set of teeth to last their lifetime. Many Singaporean parents do not bring their children for dental check-up, thinking that their children's dental health has already been seen to in schools. They may, in fact, be under a false sense of security with regard to the dental health of their children if MOH continues to employ oral health therapists to do the job. I feel that our school students should deserve the best of dental care and, therefore, HPB should now deploy dentists and not oral health therapists to provide the dental care for all our school children. The Dental Specialists Accreditation Board consists of not less than eight registered dentists appointed by the Minister, but there is no mention of who the members should be.”
“The Minister of State said earlier that in Singapore, oral health therapists who have been allowed to be employed by the Health Promotion Board have been providing basic dental care to our school children for many years. In the past, school dental nurses (or the predecessors of oral health therapists) were trained by the Ministry of Health under the School Dental Services. The Ministry gave up training these nurses some years ago and transferred the responsibility to the Nanyang Polytechnic. Traditionally, the school dental nurses were allowed to diagnose, plan and carry out treatment for school children due to a shortage of dentists. Singapore has progressed economically over the years to become a First-World country. Singapore now can claim to have one of the best healthcare systems in the world and aspire to be the regional medical hub. And, yet, when it comes to dental care for our school children, MOH is prepared to digress in reverse tandem to our progress as a country by engaging oral health therapists to treat our school children, instead of dentists who are qualified dentists in dentistry. Sir, as I said earlier, oral health therapists are Nanyang Polytechnic graduates and trained in limited skills and not trained in diagnosis and treatment of dental problems. Nanyang Polytechnic began offering its Diploma in Dental Therapy and Hygiene from 2004. It is in its fourth year since inception. The first batch of 20 has just graduated. In the past, dental nurses had been employed to treat our school children as there was a shortage of dentists. Currently, there is one dentist for every 2,500 Singaporeans. This ratio is comparable or better than some of the developed countries like Australia, New Zealand and the UK.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the provision for the registration of dental specialists in the Dentists (Amendment) Bill. There have been many sub-specialties in dentistry, such as orthodontry, prosthodontry, pediatric dentistry and so on, over the years. In fact, there are nine recognised specialisations mentioned in the American Dental Association. This Bill provides the registration of dental specialists and this registration will allow the discerning patients to differentiate one dentist from another if they so wish to ascertain. My concern is on the registration of oral health therapists. The Bill spelled out the criteria for the registration of oral health therapists but there is no mention on the practising scope of these oral health therapists. For example, are they allowed to practise on their own? Is registration synonymous with the permit to operate their own clinics? Oral health therapists are Nanyang Polytechnic graduates and trained in limited skills, such as scaling, polishing and filling of teeth after a three-year course, but not trained in the diagnosis and treatment of dental problems. If they are allowed to practise and open their own clinics, their scope of dental care is very limited for patients, but non-discerning patients may not know that. This will lead to dire outcomes, such as misdiagnosis and under-diagnosis of dental problems, to the detriment of patients. But if these oral health therapists are to work under dentists or to the prescription of dentists, then many dentists and specialists can be freed from simple routine work in scaling, polishing and filling of teeth and to concentrate on more difficult jobs, such as dental extraction, root canal treatment, dental prosthesis, and so on. This will thus save time and cost for patients.”
“Therefore, we must prevent it at all costs, now and for future years.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to follow PM Lee's footstep, and I, too, am not going to take the MPs' Allowance increment and I am going to donate it back to my PA allowance cases in my constituency. I will try to phrase my question. May I ask PM Lee whether my constituents will blame me for supporting him and could I say to my constituents that it is for their reasons that I support PM Lee's call and bold step to increase the civil servants' increment and our Ministers' increment? The reason is that Singapore, the little red dot with no natural resources, cannot take chances. It must maintain its prosperity. If Singapore should falter due to incompetent leadership and wrong policies, it is the poor Singaporeans and the destitutes that would have the most suffering.”
“Sir, may I ask the Minister of State whether the increasing prices of sand and granite will put a dampener on our presently booming construction industry and what are the steps taken to prevent this effect?”
“Sir, may I seek the Minister's comment on the article by Asiamoney magazine entitled "The Singapore Sandstorm" which said that, despite Singapore's extraordinary advances, it is still vulnerable and Singapore being the triple 'A' rated First World State can still be bullied by its big developing neighbours and that Singapore is a little more than a 10-stone weakling, defenceless against having sand kicked in its face. Could the Minister reassure this House on the steps taken by the capable team of civil servants and Ministers to ensure that Singapore, the little red dot, with no natural resources, is not a weakling nor defenceless against having sand kicked in its face?”
“Sir, I want to check with the Minister again on the strict criteria on the entitlement for PA recipients. May I ask him what is his definition of "subsistence living"? Am I correct to say that, out of $260 per month for PA recipients, $100 goes to rental, power supply and S&C, and leaving them with only $5 a day to live on? Am I correct to say that any basic meal in any hawker centre is already $2.50 to $3.00 per meal? Therefore, is it too much to ask for just three meals a day as an entitlement for the PA recipients?”
“Sir, the Minister said that the increment was done in such a way so as not to take away the work ethic. Surely, this argument cannot be applied to PA allowance recipients because this is a group of people that can never work either due to poor health, old age or disability. Therefore, this work ethic concept does not work. The other point is that the Minister said that this group of people can depend on grassroots organisations and others. Am I to understand that MCYS cannot provide adequately for the most vulnerable group of our society and that PA recipients must go and seek help from others? He said yesterday that in this globalisation, he would ensure that increasing number of Singaporeans would not feel left out and that he would provide more assistance to the poor to cope with the higher cost of living. May I ask him: should providing three meals a day not be a priority of his promise?”