Lim Biow Chuan
Singapore
“Sir, just two short supplementary questions. First, currently, the United Nations define seniors as 65 years whereas we have set ours at 67 years. So, would the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) consider reducing to 65 years for the age eligibility criterion for getting the concessionary rate for the MDW?”
“In light of this, the existing practice of the Ministry, which disallows the repeated renewal of shorter term COEs, should also be eliminated to preserve the maximum flexibility for EV drivers to extend the use of an environmentally friendly car.”
“Sir, in June last year, the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) was launched. Sir, let me express my gratefulness to LTA for the TEL line, as there are three TEL MRT stations within the Mountbatten constituency. The TEL line has facilitated travel for many residents in my constituency.”
“Sir, I receive many queries from Polytechnic and GCE "A" level students wanting to know about their enlistment dates, asking about their Physical Employment Standard (PES) status prior to enlistment for. Sir, I also receive queries about NSmen hoping to study overseas.”
“MFA has said on several occasions that Singapore supports the right of Palestinian people to a homeland of their own. Singapore delivered not one, or two, but a total of six to seven tranches of humanitarian aid for Gaza in January 2025.”
“Even in Parliament, Sir, our Clerks and other staff work such long hours because MPs debate long hours, spend time debating Bills until late in the evening and sometimes until late at night. Sir, I have on many occasions, received emails from Ministers late in the middle of the night.”
The complete record
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“This means that business owners who are directors and shareholders of the companies will get no help at all. They are not considered as self-employed. They are also not eligible for any financial support for the self-employed. Many of them may be just small businessmen who own a small share in a company or a $1 share. And they are also working as directors in the company. They too have their families to support. They too have mortgage instalments to pay. During this period, if their businesses are badly affected, surely, we can offer some help to these people by co-funding the wages of the working directors. Next, while I appreciate the announcement by the Deputy Prime Minister yesterday to enhance the help given to eligible self-employed and to increase the annual value of the properties to $21,000, may I urge the Deputy Prime Minister to review the criteria? Many self-employed persons who have done well in previous years have bought a property of higher value and they may now be reeling under the negative impact of COVID-19. The fact that they have invested in their dream home, which is more expensive, does not mean that they will suffer less due to COVID-19. In fact, they may well be struggling even more to pay more in terms of their mortgage instalements. For some of these self-employed persons (SEPs), this month, April, this month of suspension of activities mean they would have absolutely no income at all. So, for the SEPs who run retail shops, if they are self-employed housing agents, if they run their own tuition agencies, they will earn nothing this month and yet not receive any help under the JSS, just because they live in a more expensive condominium.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, many of my fellow colleagues have spoken in support of the Resilience Budget and the Solidarity Budget announced by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Finance. I add my voice to their support. I believe that all these additional budgetary measures will go a long way to assuring Singaporeans from all walks of life that the Government is doing its utmost best to help Singaporeans cope with the pandemic. In the current situation, many Singaporeans whom I speak to appreciate the difficulties facing Singapore. They urge the Government to persevere in finding a solution for the COVID-19 crisis and gave their assurance that they will work with the Government to break transmission. In simple Chinese, they say " " I am confident that with the right political leadership and with strong support from our civil service, we will be able to overcome all challenges. I acknowledge that many of the additional measures can only mitigate the financial struggles to hit Singaporeans. Whatever the Government does, it will not and should not be seen as a measure to put Singaporeans back to the days before the COVID-19 crisis. Nevertheless, I have two areas of concern which I wish to highlight for the Deputy Prime Minister's consideration. Many of my residents are affected and I speak for them. Under the Jobs Support Scheme, JSS, the Government will co-fund the first $4,600 of gross monthly wages paid to each local employee for nine months. For April, the co-funding is 75% of the employee's monthly wages, up to $4,600. However, IRAS' website says that the wages paid to business owners or employers trading in their personal capacity will not be eligible for the payout.”
“Reducing Cross Island Line (CRL) Impact on Wildlife”
“Sir, the 2019 poll on public transport showed that satisfaction with rail reliability has improved substantially as compared to a few years ago. Most commuters who take the MRT will notice that there have been marked improvements in train capacity, train reliability and comfort. As a regular MRT commuter, let me thank the Transport Minister and the team at MOT and all the people who have helped make improvements to the rail network system. 10.45 pm As we continue to push for a car-lite society, may I urge MOT to consider having more public bus services to shuttle private estate residents to and from their homes to MRT stations during peak hours. Currently, whenever I request for a bus service, the usual response from LTA is that there are adequate options. But if adequate options means to walk a distance in the hot sun or rainy weather to the bus stop, then most residents will stick to driving their cars to their office. Hence, I urge MOT to make an extra effort to make public transport more convenient for residents. Offer them a shuttle bus service to bring them to the nearest MRT station. If that extra effort is not made, it is unlikely that we will be able to persuade the residents to give up the comfort and convenience of their cars to walk a longer distance in the hot sun or rainy weather, just to take public transport. Make it so convenient that it is a no-brainer to take public transport as compared to their private cars. Next, may I ask Minister for an update as to the completion date for the eastern sector of the Thomson East Coast Line (TEL). I have four stations in my constituency and many of my residents are very excited about having a new train line near their homes. Is it possible that completion of the TEL may take place earlier than 2023?”
“Sir, in a recent survey conducted by Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, it was estimated that there were about 1,000 homeless people in Singapore. About 40% of the homeless people interviewed stated that they had housing registered under their name and 15% said they had public rental flats. Last year, I had called on the Government to consider a change in its policies to allow some elderly singles to rent a flat alone on a case-by-case basis. If we do not make adjustment to our policies, where do these elderly singles go? Should we force them to stay with a co-tenant that they do not know? If we do, the risk is that they may quarrel frequently over minor issues. Or they may end up with health issues if either of the tenant suffers from some illness. There are some seniors who are estranged from their families. They approach me at Meet-the-People Session and say they desperately need a rental flat. When I ask them why are they not staying with their families; the bitterness in the relationship shows in their face. I have also met seniors who had married a foreign spouse. They cannot rent a flat with a foreign spouse. Then, what do we do for people like them? I accept HDB's intention of not wanting seniors to live by themselves so that they can help look after one another. I think in a "CNA Insider" documentary, there was a story about a senior, 65 years old, who died alone. However, this current policy may have led to some sleeping on the streets or void decks. The situation is untenable and I would urge HDB that we should do more to help these vulnerable seniors. I ask HDB to consider reviewing this policy. HDB Rental Housing”
“Sir, in the recent Budget Statement, Finance Minister announced that there would be increase in the quantum for pre-universities bursaries, from $900 to $1,000. There will also be more transport subsidies and school meal subsidies. The bursaries for students in Polytechnics and Autonomous Universities would also be increased. I support this move by MOE. Providing good education to our students will help families break out of the poverty cycle and level out the inequality in society. The primary question is how to ensure that our students who can qualify to further their education are not deprived of doing so just because they lack the funds. May I ask the Minister, in the last three years, how many families have been helped under MOE's financial assistance schemes? Is the process for applying for financial assistance cumbersome? Are school teachers taught to look out for students in need of financial assistance? Has there been any feedback that students at that age may feel embarrassed to stretch out their hands for financial assistance? Once we identify those students who require financial help, will we also find out more about whether the families also require Public Assistance or ComCare? May I ask the Minister: how can MOE make the process of applying for financial help less embarrassing for the lower income students who are in need?”
“How can MOE help students to become more proficient in learning Mother Tongue? Would it be better for the students to have a nurturing environment at home or would it be better to have more specialist schools, where the students can be immersed in an environment where more classmates speak the Mother Tongue? May I ask the Minister: how can MOE make learning Mother Tongue more enjoyable and help students better appreciate their Mother Tongue as well as their own culture?”
“Because this is a cut on Mother Tongue, let me try to speak in Mandarin. It is going to be a terrible experience, speaking after the eloquent Ms Tin Pei Ling. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] When I was young, I did not speak Mandarin very often, partly because my parents spoke Hokkien to me at home and my brothers and sisters only spoke to me in English. So Mandarin was alien to me. When I was studying law in the University, I read the English law papers every day. It was a cause of regret for me when I graduated because I did not have a good grasp of my Mother Tongue. When I try to speak Mandarin to my clients, they would say "It is better that you speak English." When I joined the Grassroots organisations, I discovered that if I spoke Mandarin more frequently, I could grasp it too. Several months ago, Prime Minister Lee said more and more people were speaking Mandarin at home. How can MOE encourage our students to learn, speak and use Mandarin more? (In English): Let me now try to speak in English so that MOE officers can understand what I say. Sir, when I was young, I seldom spoke in Mandarin. This is partly because my parents spoke to me in Hokkien at home and my siblings speak to me in English. When I was studying in the University, it was worst, because hardly anyone spoke Mandarin at all. We were all reading English law reports. It is a cause of regret for me when I graduated because I did not have a good grasp of my Mother Tongue. I could not speak Mandarin well to my clients. But, later, when I joined the grassroots organisations, I realised that the more you speak, the more you get confidence in speaking the Mother Tongue. As more and more people speak English at home, is the learning of Mother Tongue adversely affected?”
“Consider relying on aptitude tests or interviews to ascertain a student's interest. In this way, we will be better able to persuade students and parents that it is important to develop a child's interest in learning and enjoy acquiring knowledge. Update on Learn for Life Initiatives”
“Sir, learning in schools should not be a process whereby a student studies simply to pass exams. Many subjects which a student learn in school may not be relevant years later because of new discoveries and technological developments. Yet, many students and their parents continue to obsess over the need to learn to pass exams. Students worry about their academic performance in schools. This has led to unnecessary stress on the students. For the past years, during the Edusave Awards ceremony, I urge parents to work with the school teachers to inculcate the joy of learning in their children. The students should not be caught up in trying to memorise their textbooks just to score better results. Instead, they ought to be given exposure to discovering new things and finding out more about topics in which they are interested in. Learning must be for life because the world keeps changing and developing over the years. When I first started legal practice, I had to learn how to use a Phillips word processor. I then attended classes to learn how to use Wordstar and Word Perfect. If I did not keep learning, I would not be able to manage without knowing Microsoft Office today. I know that MOE wants to encourage the students to appreciate that education should be a life long journey. But, it is not enough for MOE to say so. The school teachers must buy in and not add stress onto the students by having a continuous stream of tests and exams. Regardless of what MOE says, if assessments and tests are graded and counted as your overall results, students will continue to mug for these assessments and these tests. I urge MOE to consider more options to admit students to their schools of choice; to their courses of studies instead of simply relying on their exam results.”
“I also urge MOM to consider taking action not just against recalcitrant businesses but also against the HR or senior management responsible for such practices. MOM should not hesitate to name companies found to have discriminatory employment practices so that Singaporeans know who they are. Revisiting the $15,000 Cap under FCF”
“Sir, earlier this year, Minister Josephine Teo shared on her Facebook that MOM is "rededicating" itself to strengthening fairness at the workplace as a value and a virtue. She also warned that there would be "stronger deterrence for discrimination against Singaporeans when hiring, but also stronger support for employers who are committed to giving our people a fair chance." I support this approach by MOM. For some years, Singaporeans have complained about companies where most of their colleagues are foreigners and Singaporean employees are in the minority. That kind of practice cannot be a right practice. Businesses operating in Singapore must help create more employment opportunities for Singaporeans. The Government must send a strong signal to companies which discriminate against Singaporeans and favour foreigners that their employment process is wrong. Singaporeans must be given fair consideration if they meet the right criteria. Unfair and discriminatory employment practices affect the harmony among Singaporean residents and cause unfair resentment against foreigners who may be genuinely needed in Singapore, due to their specific skills and expertise. In February, I filed a Parliamentary Question about complaints received regarding excessive foreigners in financial institutions. I was glad to read MOM's reply that they will not tolerate any form of workplace discrimination and has also recently raised penalties. Thus, whether the businesses are banks, financial institutions or large multinational corporations (MNCs), I urge MOM to constantly check their employment practices and their Singaporean employee statistics.”
“45 pm Finally, under the Consumer Protection Fair Trading Act, if a supplier engages in an unfair practice and refuses to sign a Voluntary Compliance Agreement not to continue its unfair practice, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) may apply for an Injunction against the recalcitrant supplier. Before applying for an Injunction, CCCS needs to conduct an investigation and take statements from consumers. The process is quite tedious and not all consumers will want to spend their personal time giving statements to CCCS and appearing in court as witnesses. Sometimes, if the consumer needs to be publicly identified as someone who was taken advantage of, the consumer may rather not be embarrassed. I am of the view that consumers will be more forthcoming if they do not have to worry about having to go to Court all the time. Will the Government consider amending the CPFTA to allow CCCS to have wider options of imposing administrative financial penalties instead the current option of only seeking an injunction against egregious businesses? The Competition Act has a financial penalty framework; perhaps a similar framework can be introduced for the CPFTA. Will MTI consider?”
“Sir, I declare my interest in speaking on this topic as the President of the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE). I have three points for MTI's consideration regarding consumer matters. Recently, there were several complaints recently regarding retailers selling face masks at substantially higher prices. This action of retailers taking advantage of consumers and profiteering during the COVID-19 outbreak is simply unacceptable. May I ask the Minister how many retailers have been queried by the price controller? What action would be taken against such recalcitrant retailers? What else can MTI do to warn businesses that they should not profiteer and should not take advantage of consumers during uncertain times? CASE will be happy to continue working with MTI to educate and empower consumers to know more about their rights and to protect themselves from unscrupulous businesses. Next, it was recently reported in the media that some consumers were cheated when they tried to buy face masks online via Carousell. Last year, I asked MAS to work with the Association of Banks of Singapore (ABS) and credit card issuing banks to raise awareness of charge-back schemes. And this will enable consumers to seek refund from their credit card banks if they encounter a dishonest online vendor. After all, banks that provide banking facilities for their merchants have a better knowledge and control over their commercial partners. May I ask what is the status of this request to MAS and ABS? 6.”
“Sir, I join the Minister in thanking the Embassy Staff in China for all the hard work that they have done, as well as the sacrifices that they have made. May I ask the Minister, of the registered Singaporeans still in China, has MFA or the Embassy reached out to them to ask the reason why they are not coming back? Is it a matter of concern, or are we just assuming that if they do not want to come back, they do not want to come back and so, let them decide on their own?”
“Overall, I am of the view that this is a good Budget to take care of affected Singaporeans and to prepare the country for the future. It shows that the Government deeply cares for its citizens and the deferment of the GST increase is a clear signal that the Government is responsive to feedback from the citizens. Mr Speaker, I affirm my support for the Budget and wish to thank the Finance Minister for an excellent Budget that seeks to bring Singaporeans together.”
“Next, I appreciate the intent of the Government to help Singaporeans stay employable and to use the SkillsFuture Credit to learn new skills. However, may I ask the Finance Minister how many Singaporeans have not used the 2016 SkillsFuture Credit of $500? Are the unutilised figures within the expectation of the Government? Will the Government consider targeted useful courses that would help nudge Singaporeans to apply to use these funds to improve themselves to upgrade their skills? Otherwise, the 2016 and now the 2020 SkillsFuture Credit may remain untouched for a long period of time. Finally, in this year’s Budget, the expenditure on healthcare has jumped to $13.4 billion. It now accounts for the second largest expenditure of the Government's Budget, just before Defence. And it used to be Education when the Minister for Finance was Minister for Education. I acknowledge that healthcare costs have gone up and the recent COVID-19 outbreak has caused Singaporeans to be more aware of the need to ensure that our healthcare system works. Although the Minister has assured us that the GST hike will not take place next year, the reality is that healthcare costs will continue to rise. The Government needs to decide how to apportion the taxes which is collected and what resources to allocate into Healthcare, compared to Defence, Education, Housing and Transport. Nobody likes a tax hike. But Singaporeans must understand that increased spending on healthcare must come from somewhere. I urge the Government to reach out to more Singaporeans to help them learn about the GST offset packages which are intended to help the lower-income cope with the GST eventual increase.”
“Thus, I support the Government's emphasis on helping business to transform and grow; to help our workers to upgrade and learn new skills; to help our students venture overseas so as to be better equipped to face challenges in the future. This is akin to the old Chinese saying that if "you give a man one fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime." We must not ease our efforts in pushing our local enterprises to change and grow into efficient and competitive businesses that can make Singapore proud. I long for the day when Singapore can boast of our own large corporations like Alibaba, Samsung, Apple and Google. Sir, I have three points for the Government's consideration. I support the provision of Enhanced Housing Grant (EHG) to first-time flat buyers. The purpose of EHG is to allow Singaporeans to own their own home and this is important for nation-building. However, the quantum of EHG given is currently based on the monthly income of the flat buyer. If the applicant’s income is higher, the EHG will be lower. This means there is less incentive to buy a resale flat because you will get a lower EHG if your income is higher. This may result in Singaporeans with higher income always applying for a Build-To-Order flat where the subsidy will not change based on their income level. I urge the Government to review the tagging of the amount of EHG based on the income of the applicant. I also urge the Government to consider providing the EHG based on per capita basis and not just based on gross income. Otherwise, a Singaporean who may have a higher income will get less EHG even though he may have more expenses and need to provide for more children or retired parents.”
“So, my appeal to the Government is to consider extending other benefits like the U-save vouchers and GST vouchers to retirees or seniors without income but staying in private properties. Again, here I wish to stress to the Minister that these retirees would not have income. The fact that they stay in private property does not in any way mean that they are rich or are able to sustain themselves. What they are looking for is also whether the Government can do more to recognise them for their contribution to nation-building when they were younger. Sir, I also support the measures to help keep our workers employed. For many Singaporeans whom I meet, their main concern is whether they can get a good job which pays them commensurate with their skills and experience. Most workers prefer not to be on any form of welfare. Hence, the Jobs Support Scheme (JSS), the Wage Credit Scheme, the corporate tax rebate and the rental waivers for some of the tenants would help businesses to survive the economic slowdown and allow them to retain their staff. I am also pleased that the Finance Minister had remembered the hawkers in the food centres and markets. The majority of such stall licensees are small businesses and the rental waiver for them would go a long way to helping them sustain their small businesses during such trying times when the food centres are quieter and business has dropped drastically for them. However, in the long term, what is important is not just cash handouts to affected Singaporeans or tax rebates to help businesses tide over difficult times. These payments cannot be permanent and moneys will eventually run out some day.”
“Mr Speaker, I support the Budget Statement by the Finance Minister. The past year has been a challenging year for many Singaporeans. Many businessmen whom I had spoken to lament about the slowdown in their business due to the ongoing trade war between China and the US. They worry whether their business will be able to sustain in the long term. When the COVID-19 virus outbreak hit Singapore, it was an even greater blow to these businesses. The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) reduced its projected growth rate to a lower range of -0.5% to 1.5% for 2020. The drop in tourist figures, the fact that more Singaporeans are staying at home have affected the confidence of many. Thus, the expansionary Budget announced by the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister last week is a real confidence booster. As stated by many in the media, the Budget was generous and provided for several measures to help affected Singaporeans and businesses cope with the economic slowdown. There were also many long-term measures to help affected Singaporeans prepare for the future. Individually, many Singaporeans are happy with the Care and Support Package of $1.6 billion because it puts money directly into their pockets. This will help alleviate the cost of living pressures for the residents. I support the principle that those who are in the lower-income group should receive more. I am also glad that the cash component of the Care and Support scheme is pegged to their income and not tied to the property type of the Singaporean. Last year, I had called on the Government to do away with distribution of Budget benefits based on home type alone. I believe this will benefit many retirees or seniors who are living in private properties but without any income.”
“Mr Speaker, may I just bring the Minister back to his answer to these Stay-Home Notices. Supposing a worker who has just come back from China has been issued with a Stay-Home Notice and he breaches his Stay-Home Notice in that he deliberately ignores the notice and he goes out, what is the risk to the community that he may carry the COVID-19 virus and spread it to the community at large? What is MOH's assessment of the risk to the people who may meet up with him in the community?”
“Sir, I just wanted to check with the Minister for Health, when Prime Minister Lee made his speech to the nation on 8 February, he said there is no need to panic, carry on with our lives. But of late, some of the activities seem to suggest that people are reacting in a slightly different manner. When the Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) had a case, they evacuated people from the whole of the floor at Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC). And the Catholics have stopped Mass. I am just wondering what is the advice from MOH to the rest of the people? Do we carry on with our lives or should we react whenever a case comes up? Should buildings evacuate the buildings' occupants when they find that there is someone who had been in contact with an infected person?”
“Sir, if I may declare my interest as a practising lawyer on this matter. Sir, I want to say that I support the efforts of the Court to encourage parties to try to resolve disputes amicably before litigating the dispute. I am sure the Senior Minister of State is fully aware that most lawyers already issue demand letters with at least seven days' notice. In this case, the Protocol specifies a notice period of 28 days. May I ask the Senior Minister of State, how does the Court balance the interest of the creditors who themselves may be liquidity-strapped because they would need to give the debtors 28 days' notice? And how does the Court then balance the fact that some debtors do drag their feet and refuse to pay until they are sued in Court? So, how does the Court then consider the interest of creditors who are in that situation?”
“Speaker, I want to thank the Senior Minister of State for making the announcement. I think many people will welcome that ban on shared footpaths. But the Senior Minister of State has not answered my question because an announcement that a ban will take place would still need to be enforced. So, may I ask whether the Ministry will consider increasing the number of enforcement teams, so that we can actively enforce the rules, especially now that the rules are that you are going to ban these PMDs on the shared footpaths? Will the Ministry of Transport (MOT) do that and by how many? Because now that you are going to ban the use of PMDs on shared footpaths, I would expect that your enforcement should be stepped up.”
“I thank the Senior Minister of State. My residents have complained about high-rise littering but, somehow or other, the solution does not seem to be there. I wonder, of the 52 repeat offenders, how many did NEA refer to the CWO. Would NEA be open to working with the Housing and Development Board (HDB) to repossess the flats of recalcitrant high-rise litterers because, really, they pose a danger to the rest of the residents who are just there waiting to be hurt. The recent incident whereby a man died due to high-rise littering, that is something that is cause for concern for many innocent people who are walking around on the ground floor wondering whether a "missile" from above will hit them. I hope NEA can clarify and impose a stricter punishment against those who are recalcitrant.”
“A few months back when Mr Louis Ng moved the Adjournment Motion on reducing the use of plastic bags, I thought he made a lot of sense. I do not see why MEWR is so resistant to imposing charges for plastic bags. When I go overseas, and when they tell me, "You have to pay five cents or 10 cents if you want a plastic bag", the general attitude of most consumers is that "I must as well cut on it". That helps to reduce the use of plastic bags. I would urge MEWR to reconsider the Motion moved by Mr Louis Ng again, because I really think that it will help reduce the use of plastic bags.”
“Mr Speaker, we have been discussing many of these PMD-related safety issues for the past one to two years. The situation is not getting any better. Every time I have a dialogue, I get an earful from my residents saying how dangerous it is to walk on these footpaths because the PMDs just come up behind them silently. So, with these measures, is MOT or LTA simply being reactive rather than trying to pre-empt the problem? I understand some countries have already banned PMDs from footpaths. Has LTA considered banning these PMDs from footpaths until our infrastructure is improved? Last month, I filed a Parliamentary Question about park connectors and asked why the National Parks Board (NParks) are not prepared to draw lines demarcating areas for pedestrians from those for PMDs. But NParks said no, they are not prepared to do so. And that adds to the complication because pedestrians do not know for sure. If I run left, I get knocked; I run right, I also get knocked down. So, really, this situation is quite urgent and safety should be paramount. Would MOT really consider banning PMDs until our infrastructure is improved? The other question I have for the Senior Minister of State is: can we take stiffer action against retailers that sell non-compliant batteries or PMDs? If they just get fined, they make it all back from selling such non-compliant batteries and PMDs. Let us give them a heftier punishment, even send them to jail if necessary, so that everyone will know the importance of compliance.”
“Earlier in January this year, a number of Members asked the same question as a result of what happened at Gatwick. The Senior Minister of State replied to say that we have counter measures to deal with safety and security threats posed by unmanned aerial vehicles. So, looking at what has happened, it seems that such countermeasures are inadequate. So, may I ask the Senior Minister of State, what other measures would MOT take to ensure that your measures are adequate to prevent a recurrence? The second question I have for MOT is whether MOT has quantified the losses caused by the diversion of flights and the closure of the runway and, in light of the massive inconvenience caused to travellers, whether the current maximum fine imposed is adequate. I am trying to say that we should set a stiff punishment to the perpetrators of these offences to make sure that everyone gets the signal that if you disrupt flights, if you cause runways to be closed, the punishment is stiff enough to make sure that everyone reconsiders what they are doing.”
“I have had many complaints about pigeons at hawker centres, on window ledges, at everywhere. And the bird droppings, I understand, are considered to be infectious. So, I am asking the Senior Parliamentary Secretary: can NParks do more to step up enforcement? Following what the hon Member Mr Louis Ng said, can there be more manpower given to NParks to enforce more, step up more patrols, do more advisories, because when the Town Council talks to the residents, many a time, they are ignored? So, there should be greater enforcement to send the signal that feeding of pigeons is not something that is legal. Would the Senior Parliamentary Secretary also consider increasing the penalties for pigeon feeding? The message has not gotten to many of these pigeon feeders that whatever they are doing is causing health risks to many other people.”
“Let me thank the Senior Minister of State. Oh, I beg your pardon! I thank the Minister. I do have residents who stay in private property. They have income from dividends or interest. But when they look at the Budget provisions and they see that they get nothing, whereas those who stay in 5-room flats, who earn more than them get the benefits of the Budget provisions. They really feel that this is inequitable. They, too, have done their part for the nation. They are disadvantaged purely because they live in a private property. So, they ask where is the equity of it all because, at the end of the day, they earn less than certain groups of people who earn more but living in 4- or 5-room flats. This group of people may be younger, earn more, and they get more from the Budget compared to them who are retired, living on interest income or dividend income. I would not say that they are poor. But they feel that, "I, too, have done my part in building this country up". Can the Government not consider what they have contributed and give them more in terms of providing for them in the Budget? And I apologise once again, Minister.”
“May I ask the Second Minister whether we can take better care of this group of residents who stay in private property and whether we are able to assess whether this group of citizens who are without income, are they genuinely poor? I think we can do a little bit more for those who have no income rather than no taxable income. At the end of the day, at each Budget, we see benefits like the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Vouchers being given to those who stay in Housing and Development Board flats who have income. But for those who are in private property, they do not reap the benefits. They do not even get the benefit of things like digital television starter kits and they definitely do not qualify for service and conservancy charges rebates. I am just wondering whether the Government would want to review the policy to try to identify citizens who generally do not have income staying in private property and who would reap benefits of some of these Budget provisions for them.”
“May I ask the Minister whether there was any time pressure on the serviceman to carry out the maintenance repair to the equipment because, sometimes, when you are under time pressure, you tend to take short cuts and forget the TSRs?”
“Mr Speaker, I just wanted to ask the Minister, I thought 37 cases of voyeurism over three years was quite a lot. Frankly, I am quite disappointed that the AUs did not take earlier action to review their processes to better deal with the complaints. I am wondering would the Minister review why the AUs did not take further action, having seen the number of cases that have been reported over the three years. If we do not get to the root of the problem, then whatever we do, the AUs will not do anything to review the process until the matter goes up to social media. That is one point. Two other queries. Can the reported cases of voyeurism be publicised in campus newsletters to alert students of the extent of the problem? And also, whether the Minister will consider asking the AUs to publicise the punishment of offenders to students in the AUs, so that there is also a learning message for everyone that there is some deterrent effect. Potential offenders must know that there would be appropriate punishment for them.”
“Compulsory registration of e-scooters will make it easy to implement mandatory insurance. I know most e-scooters will not get into accidents. But the same can be said for car drivers, and motor insurance is still mandatory. And just like for cars, we need constant enforcement to make sure people stay within the rules. Residents have been giving feedback that, during morning peak hours, there are a lot of PMDs, e-scooters, bicycles zooming along covered linkways leading to the MRT station. This is very dangerous for pedestrians. Can the Minister share how much LTA has stepped up enforcement, and how LTA decides how much enforcement they should do? Next, to prevent unnecessary accidents in housing estates, it would be prudent to ban bicycles and PMDs at areas which are crowded or known to be accident-prone. The best organisation to do so would be the Town Council, which receives a lot of feedback on such issues. Can LTA consider giving Town Councils the power to decide where cycling and PMD riding should be banned for the safety of residents, especially young children and the elderly? Last, but not least, I wish my favourite Minister a speedy recovery. Shared Personal Mobility Device (PMD) Services”
“LTA says that the recommendations of AMAP will be implemented on 1 February 2019. How will this be done? For example, the speed limit for PMDs and bicycles on footpaths had been reduced to 10 km/h. Sir, this is slower than a jogger taking a leisurely jog. How can an enforcement officer determine the speed of the PMD or bicycle? How about the mandatory use of helmets by cyclists on roads? Will the cyclist riding along a small road from his home to the bus stop or to the market be summoned if he does not put on a helmet? Would these rules also apply to the foreign workers riding from their dormitory to their workplace? I urge the Minister to expedite the steps to ensure that all road users, including pedestrians, PMD users and cyclists can have a safer journey when using footpaths and the roads. Safety and Recourse for Pedestrians Er Dr Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon): Sir, in 2018, the Minister revealed that the accidents involving PMDs, bicycles and power-assisted bikes increased three-fold in 2017. Can the Minister share some updated statistics for 2018? How many such accidents were serious enough that someone was sent to hospital? I understand the AMAP’s preference to prioritise reduction of accidents. But accidents will happen, and some of them will be so serious that they require large, hefty medical fees. Without insurance, the perpetrator or victim will have trouble paying off these fees. It is a double blow when the accident victim rides as part of his work and he can no longer do so because he is injured, or his vehicle is damaged. For a start, perhaps let us make it mandatory for all employers who rely on their employees to use PMDs for work purposes. The Government can work with insurance companies to help companies get a more affordable deal.”
“Sir, last September, the Land Transport (Enforcement Measures) Bill was passed in Parliament. During the debate, several Members shared about the frustrations of pedestrians when they encounter irresponsible riders. Stories were told about pedestrians who were injured by reckless riders of PMDs or cyclists and about the elderly or young children who had close shaves with these riders. MOT had also said that they would accept all the recommendations of the Active Mobility Advisory Panel (AMAP) for safer path riding and will implement these recommendations in early 2019. Notwithstanding the various measures taken by LTA enforcement officers, I still receive many complaints about reckless and dangerous behaviour of cyclists and users of PMDs. Sadly, many cyclists still behave irresponsibly even though they are cycling in areas where there are many pedestrians, some of whom are elderly and some of whom are young children. The most challenging area is where there are food delivery companies. In the areas surrounding the food delivery companies, the PMD riders and the cyclists ride in a reckless and unsafe manner as they rush to deliver their food to the customers. May I ask Minister for an update as to how we can better educate the riders and cyclists to be considerate to other users of footpaths and the roads? The Ride Safe lessons conducted currently only reach out to those riders who are converted and who are convinced about the need for safety. For those who do not care about safety or the need to be considerate to other road users, they do not bother to attend such safety lessons. Sir, how can we reach these people to educate them on the need to be safe and considerate? Will there be a step-up in enforcement against reckless and inconsiderate riders?”
“Mr Chairman, just some questions for the Senior Parliamentary Secretary. I am glad to hear of the improvements to the older rental flats. I just want to ask Senior Parliamentary Secretary Sun Xueling how many blocks will be expected to benefit from these improvements and whether she can share the likely localities for improvements. And what is the indicative timeline for HDB to start work? And the last question is: would there be any grants to help those who are affected to shift?”
“I urge HDB to have a more flexible scheme for rental flat residents to buy over their flat. Rental Issues”
“Can HDB consider doing an overall assessment of the needs of rental flat residents so that we can gradually upgrade the rental flats to better serve their needs? I was glad to hear Senior Parliamentary Secretary Sun Xueling speak yesterday about the setting up of the social service hub to offer services to the elderly. This is important because some of the elderly who are illiterate need help to understand official letters from Government agencies like HDB or the Town Council. They need help to understand their SP Services bills and even Police warnings about conmen cheating the elderly. They cannot understand the notices. So, the SSOs would be of great help to help these elderly illiterate residents understand messages better. I also urge MND to consider providing more facilities to support the elderly residents in the rental block of flats. Even simple things like having food stalls near the flats, bus stops near the rental flats would make life better for some of the elderly staying in the rental flats. I was also delighted to hear of HDB's plans to help rental flat families own their own homes. For example, some of the residents at the rental flats at Dakota were offered the opportunity to buy their flat at Cassia Crescent. However, they did not take up the offer as they were concerned about buying a flat in a new and unfamiliar environment. Having stayed there for a while, they found that the flat is suitable for their needs and wish to buy over the rental flat. However, they were told by HDB that they could not do so. Why should this be the case? We should encourage all sitting rental flat residents to buy over their existing flats whenever they wish to do so as we should promote home ownership among them.”
“Sir, some years ago, when I was serving as a grassroots leader, I visited rental flats regularly. My experience visiting these flats are that many of the older rental flats face one another via a common corridor and there is little ventilation or light between the flats. As a result, the entire area smelt musty and the living environment is usually not pleasant due to the presence of hoarded items. When I became a Member of Parliament for Mountbatten and visited the Dakota Crescent rental flats in the constituency, the living environment was much better as the flats were spacious and better ventilated. However, the building was almost 60 years old and one can see the wear and tear on the building and the facilities. The lifts were old and break down regularly due to their age and the lack of spare parts. These lifts could not be upgraded due to the smaller size of the lift shaft and any extra lift extension could not serve every floor because of the design of the building. Older rental flats usually result in hoarding by long-time residents and the collected items would be placed at the common corridor. Sometimes, there would be infestation of bed bugs, cockroaches and other pests. I urge MND to consider plans to gradually upgrade the existing older rental flats to make the living environment better for the residents. As an example, the new rental flats at Cassia Crescent are better ventilated with more facilities in the building so that the residents can gather together outside their flats. The lift also stops at every floor and this allows elderly residents or those on wheelchairs to travel out of their flat.”
“One interesting finding of the study is that the persistence of workers in applying for jobs and the greater activity of employers on the MCF platform improved application outcomes. The conclusion may well be that, at this juncture, the Government should do less in applying technological solutions and focus on nudging workers and employers to do more to close the gap between jobs and skills. Employment Support for Locals”
“0 looms and new cyber-physical system threatens to replace workers, the phrase has taken on a greater sense of anxiety. I am not suggesting that jobs-skills mismatch does not exist and the phrase has been misused. My concern is that without proper study, the concept becomes the presumption rather than fact, an ideology rather the truth. The consequences will be very negative. Our reskilling programmes will miss their mark. Our workers will waste their time going down blind alleys. Our employers will waste resources seeking unreal matches, and the Government will not be spending effectively. There has been one instructive study on jobs-skills mismatch by economists in the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) last November. The study used data from MyCareersFuture.sg (MCF) platform and looked at the link between seven types of mismatches and job application outcomes. Education, salary expectation and experience mismatches do not appear to be significant. This means that our workers are not over-educated, demanding of high pay and lacking experience. Rather, generic skills mismatch and non-generic skills mismatch mattered, with the latter mattering three times more. Both combined provided for about 5.8% increase in probability of an unsuccessful application. There are a few things that we can learn from this study. First, employers seem to be more concerned about specific skills than generic skills. This is a concern as employers should not be looking for narrowly specific skills. Second, the MCF platform may be inadvertently promoting non-generic skills mismatches by allowing for fine grain skills-based job searches.”
“Has MOM carried out any survey to assess whether jobseekers are aware of the role of the Government agencies in helping them to find alternative jobs? How else can we persuade jobseekers that if they can make some adjustments to their expectations, it would be easier for them to find alternative employment? Next, it is about the FCF. Last year, I raised a concern about the many companies that are on the FCF watchlist. May I ask MOM for an update as to whether the situation has improved? How many companies still carry out discriminatory practices against Singaporeans and how many are still on the FCF watchlist? Does MOM still receive feedback about companies where almost every worker is a foreigner and what other actions can MOM take to signal our unhappiness with such companies and to discourage them from discriminating against employing Singaporeans? Lastly, it is about seniors above 67 years old. Does MOM monitor the statistics about seniors who have retired after 65 to 67 but are still active and willing to work but were asked to retire because of their age? What else can we do about such seniors who are still healthy and capable of contributing to the workforce? I know of companies which say that they have to keep an eye on their headcount and, hence, have to let these seniors retire even though they can still contribute to the company. Jobs-skills Mismatch Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong (Non-Constituency Member): Chairman, in the last few years, we have heard this phrase "Jobs-skills Mismatch" being used to explain the discrepancies between the share of jobseekers and job openings in the labour market. We have also heard this phrase being used to frame retraining and reskilling policies and nudge workers to reskill. As Industry 4.”
“Sir, over the last year, I have received feedback from residents who have lost their jobs saying that it is difficult for them to find another job. They have sent out many job applications but receive minimal responses or just rejection letters. I empathise with these residents. Being unemployed not only affects a person’s financial commitments and his ability to pay the bills for housing and food, it also affects their self-confidence because they are unable to earn a fair income to support or contribute to the family. It is even more difficult if the person who has lost the job is above 50 or 55 years. Many times, they blame the human resource (HR) departments of the hiring companies for not even considering them for an interview once their age is disclosed. Some of these residents have put the blame on foreigners and assert that their job losses are caused by foreigners who have displaced them. I have the following questions for MOM. First, it is about helping jobseekers. May I ask MOM what else can MOM do to help Singaporeans who have been displaced from their jobs? How effective is the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) and MyCareersFuture in helping them find a job? I went into MyCareersFuture recently and found that there are 24,268 jobs available. But yet from the experience of my residents, it seems that it is really not so easy to find a job among those over 24,000 available jobs. Some of the residents have also said that they have already visited e2i and they have done everything that they have been advised to do. But yet there is no positive outcome. So, can MOM advise how has the Adapt and Grow (A&G) initiative and growth sectors effort helped jobseekers take up new jobs?”
“I just wanted to ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary, we already have a mandatory cooling-off period for purchase of timeshare contracts. There is also what they call a free-look period for life and health insurance products. Can the Senior Parliamentary Secretary give a compelling reason why MTI is not prepared to consider a cooling-off period for contracts with businesses in the beauty and slimming industry?”
“All these entities are not licensed under the Travel Agent's Act and some are not even incorporated in Singapore. Hence, they may not be regulated under existing legislation. CASE urges the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to work with the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) and the credit card issuing banks to raise awareness of charge-back schemes with their credit card banks. And this is because such a mechanism will allow consumers to readily lodge a charge-back in instances of business closure. In Hong Kong, card-issuing banks are required to comply with a Code of Banking Practice which provides that credit card-issuing banks must provide for reasonable channels for consumers to submit claims and to make such pertinent information available to consumers. In addition, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority has further required all card-issuing banks to upload to their official websites, information about the charge-back dispute resolution process as well as the charge-back dispute resolution form. So, this will basically mean that consumers who have paid for their purchases using their credit card will be able to cancel the contract, go back to the credit companies and seek refund. Sir, I would urge MAS to consider doing likewise as this will allow consumers to reduce their losses if a business were to cease operation after collecting their deposits. Regulating Retailers Extending Credit”
“" Now, all these methods, Sir, are technically breaches of CPFTA. However, from CASE's experience, when we take up an application for injunction, the Court will require a high threshold to be met before the Court will grant any injunction for breach of the CPFTA due to such unfair practices. For a consumer who had been pressured to pay for a package, the last thing he or she would wish to do is to commence legal action or go to Court to recover such payments. Hence, in our view, it may be easier to avoid the need for unnecessary Court litigation by imposing a mandatory cooling-off period on such industries. This would provide a consumer, who had been subject to an unfair sales pressure with the right to cancel a contract within a certain period of time. The consumer can then obtain a refund of monies paid within this specified period, without this consumer needing to prove an unfair practice. This will send a right signal to genuine businesses that they should not use unfair business practices to persuade their customers to sign up for a package. So, I urge the Ministry to consider implementing a mandatory cooling-off period for contracts entered into with businesses in the beauty and slimming industries. I was told by the Hong Kong Consumer Council that they, too, are looking into legislating for a cooling-off period for the beauty and fitness services industry. Another area of concern for CASE is the increasing number of consumers who are purchasing from entities incorporated overseas or from entities that may not be regulated under a consumer-related legislation in Singapore. An example would be consumers who bought their holidays from Agoda.com, Booking.com, Priceline.com and sg.hotels.com.”
“Sir, allow me to declare my interest in speaking on this topic as the President of the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE). In 2018, CASE received 1,917 complaints against businesses in the beauty and slimming industry. This makes the industry with the highest number of complaints. Of these, 1,829 are in relation to the beauty industry and 88 are in relation to the slimming industry. And this is despite CASE signing eight Voluntary Compliance Agreements with these beauty- and slimming-related businesses asking them not to breach the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA). For many of these consumer complaints, they relate largely to businesses taking advantage of a consumer by exerting undue pressure or undue influence on the consumer to ask them to sign a contract, or businesses taking advantage of a consumer when the supplier or the business knows or ought reasonably to know that this consumer is not in a position to protect his own interests. So, the consumer is usually placed in a vulnerable position in an enclosed space because they are undergoing treatment at the business outlet. So, imagine, you get a coupon telling you that you can go for free treatment or treatment at a very low price. And once you go for the treatment, midway through the treatment, the person providing the treatment puts undue pressure, tremendous pressure on you for the next one to two hours, asking you to sign up for a treatment package, or to sign a credit card for such a package. So, if you put yourself in that position, the consumer is really a captive audience where he or she is constantly being persuaded "you need further treatment", "this treatment is good for you", "signing a package would be of better value for you.”
“In my constituency, there are thousands of such heavy laden vehicles plying the road. Unfortunately, the feedback I have is that they are either uncovered or they are spilling debris all over the road. I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State whether enforcement can be stepped up because 450 summonses do not seem like a lot. Every day that I drive on the road, I see a lot of such vehicles that are in breach. The other thing is whether the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) or NEA could consider from the origin of the journey, make it mandatory for the contractor that loads the sand to carry out an inspection before the vehicle can even go out. That means, the contractor checks and ensures that the vehicle is properly covered and everything is secured before the vehicle even goes out. And if any vehicle is caught in breach, we not only go after the driver, but we also go after the contractor that allowed the vehicle to get out of the worksite in the first place.”
“Last month, I filed a question to ask whether the Government can waive stamp duty for sellers in an en bloc sale if they did not agree to the sale of the property. The Government declined to do so, and, with respect, I feel that this is unfair. The Government should not impose a tax on owners of properties when they are unwilling sellers of their property during an en bloc sale. They are forced to sell their property due to the nature of the en bloc sale. Why should they be penalised? A review of this policy should be considered. In the Budget, the Government plans for the future of Singapore, and I am grateful for the many considered decisions of the Government. Our Government must also set out policies which are seen to be fair and kinder to our citizens. Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Budget.”