Lim Wee Kiak
Singapore
“" The point I want to make here is that given that we have one of the longest lifespans in the world now, and there is a correlation with an ageing population and chronic diseases, are there plans to explore and develop the emerging fields of regenerative medicine and healthy longevity?”
“Can I ask, in light of the fact that we have a smoking cessation clinic, is there a vaping cessation clinic, whereby the public can surrender themselves and say, "I have been vaping. I wish to have some help"? And how does the Ministry of Health (MOH) handle this?”
“May I ask how the Government decided on these targets, and what steps will Singapore take to achieve them? I would like to highlight, this year, the Government announced a 2035 climate target to reduce emissions to "between 45 and 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2035". Are we on track to meet our 2030 target?”
“Building upon this progress, I encourage individuals with innovative ideas and a passion for contributing to this vital green industry to step forward.”
“While mandating sustainable aviation fuel for departing flights is a commendable way, what other strategic initiatives are planned across different sectors to leverage on our hub position? How will such initiatives affect Singapore's economic competitiveness as a travel hub?”
“Sir, I would like to thank the Minister of State for the reply. I would like to ask two supplementary questions. First is that, is the Government happy with the state of affairs of the current SFC utilisation? Is 50% of the of the population using SFC the target?”
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“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to raise two supplementary questions. Let me thank the Senior Minister of State for the Statement just now. The first supplementary question is about whether we can make vaccination mandatory since the vaccine now has been fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). I filed a Parliamentary Question asking when will HSA make the vaccine not used under emergency use, which means it can be fully licensed to use for normal times. That is the first supplementary question. The second supplementary question is regarding the Senior Minister of State's observation about the immense stress and pressure on our healthcare workers and what they are shouldering, especially over the last past few months. I would like to ask whether MOH will be planning for more support and recognition awards to healthcare workers, given the amount of stress and the work they have shouldered through the pandemic.”
“Thank you, Sir. I have two clarifications. One is on Sinovac. I think when the task force announced that we are going to release the Sinovac vaccine to the people, many rejoiced, they were very happy about it. But this rejoicing was short-lived after it was announced that the Sinovac vaccine – once you are vaccinated – is not considered as part of the national vaccination programme. I also understand that there are overseas Singaporeans who are vaccinated with AstraZeneca or other vaccines and I think MOH is prepared to accept them if they do a serology test. And if the serology test shows that they have immunity, they can be included in the national registry. My question is: for Singaporeans who have received the Sinovac vaccine, if they are willing to go through a serology test and the serology test shows that their immunity is there, can you register them in the national registry? So, when next month or the month after next, when the restrictions are lifted for the vaccinated, can they be considered as part of the vaccinated instead? That is the first clarification. Second clarification is on the supply of vaccines. I am very happy to hear that there is enough vaccine for all of us and, by September, we probably will hit about 80%. I read in the papers, our neighbour, Johor Bahru, has about 15% vaccination as of last month and I think Batam's was 23%. My question is: can Singapore help our immediate neighbours with their vaccination once we have hit our 80% because, if our neighbours are not safe, we are not safe as well.”
“Thank you. I would like to ask whether any studies have been done to show that our households, on average, how many plastic bags do they use per month or per year? What is going to be the impact on the average household?”
“Thank you, Deputy Speaker. Let me thank the Senior Minister of State for his answer. Limiting the choice of doctors for patients and insured individuals, personally, I feel that, definitely, this is to the disadvantage of the patient. I cannot understand how this is not anti-competitive. Limiting choice to the patient will limit the patient's ability in terms of choosing the right doctors, unless you are telling me that the panel itself comprises more than 50% of all doctors in Singapore, to make sure that each insurer must have a certain percentage of doctors on it. Secondly, if the purpose of the empanelment is to control fees, do the Fee Benchmarks not do that already? With the Fee Benchmarks in place, can we then remove the panel completely? That is something that we have to consider. Last of all, I also wish to echo the question by the Leader of the Opposition whether MOH will be coming up with a ranking of the insurers because MOH will be seen as a neutral party, that is, in order to protect the consumer.”
“Thank you, Chairman. I have two clarifications. First, for the Parliamentary Secretary. Regarding the vaccination programme, I am happy to hear that a huge percentage of our seniors has been vaccinated for flu as well as for pneumococcal. The issue now is, of course, the outreach to the rest. There is currently now no specific outreach programme to reach out to seniors that have not been vaccinated. So, I hope that MOH can review this and then take a look. When I take a look at the HealthHub apps, there is immunisation charge based on age, but the age stops at 26 years old. Beyond that, there is nothing. So, can MOH take a look at it to see how to expand that further. My second clarification goes to the Senior Minister of State Janil. I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State on a hypothetical question: if COVID-19 outbreak were to happen in Singapore, in the sense, let us say it happened in November 2019, could our current system or our NCID have picked up the unusual presentation of pneumonia, and could we have the capability to diagnose such a novel virus? Looking back, do we have the ability to do so?”
“Perhaps not immediately but in the months ahead as we advance in our COVID-19 vaccination, I would urge MOH to take advantage of this opportune time to review and enhance our national immunisation programme, implement measures to promote public awareness and facilitate and improve accessibility and affordability of immunisation for all Singaporeans for their good health.”
“Another area would be to manage good nutritional diet daily and influence them to have good eating habits. Singaporeans already have one of the longest lifespans in the world but we spend the last decade of our lives in poor health. What we want is not just a long lifespan but a healthier lifespan. I urge MOH to take advantage of all the advances in digital healthcare devices now to set up a national health management system and to step up the partnership with Singaporeans to achieve good health for life. National Immunisation Programme Sir, the popular adage goes, "prevention is better than cure", and in modern healthcare, immunisation against infectious diseases and potentially fatal diseases is the key factor to a long, healthy lifespan. One of the things that comes out from this COVID-19 pandemic is the heightened public awareness about the role of immunisation in our healthcare measures. Immunisation is one of the key advances in medicine that has extended the lifespan of humans globally. Apart from the immunisations that we received during our childhood, many Singaporeans do not get regular immunisations unless they need to travel or for work. How many Singaporeans would regularly go for their annual flu vaccinations or pneumococcal vaccinations? Even new vaccines such as the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine will reduce the risk of cervical cancer. Although we have a comprehensive vaccination programme for our children, do we have a more comprehensive programme for adults and the elderly? We are constantly reminded to take our COVID-19 vaccination to protect our loved ones, especially those immuno-compromised and the elderly around us. Likewise, we should do the same for influenza.”
“Mr Chairman, nowadays, we see everyone wearing a healthcare device to monitor our steps, our heartrate, our stress level, oxygen saturation and how well we slept last night. Some of the more advanced ones perform electrocardiogram (ECG) and even measure your blood sugar levels now as well as blood pressure. On our home front, I am encouraged to read about the Health Promotion Board and Fitbit – headquartered in San Francisco, California – tap on technology to help Singaporeans to live healthier using its devices. I must commend the Ministry for mobilising technology to boost Singaporeans' interest in fitness and healthcare. Sir, I think Singaporeans are ready to use digital technology to take charge and take responsibility of their own health. Let Singaporeans have accessibility to their own health data when the National Electronic Health Record (NEHR) is ready. I envisage in the near future, I will have access to my own medical as well as health record, just like the details of my COVID-19 vaccinations on HealthHub app now. In the near future, I will receive a reminder from MOH for my annual health checks, blood tests, annual immunisation, and my once-in-five-years colonoscopy screening. Once completed, there could be an artificial intelligence (AI) system in MOH that will review my health records, and then they will send me an advice to take active steps to improve my health through lifestyle adjustments. They may recalculate and lower my annual MediShield insurance premium, if my health is good. That will encourage more Singaporeans to come on board and to take responsibility of their own health. I feel we can go a step further now to get Singaporeans to do more exercises, to manage their stress, maintain mental wellbeing and manage their sleep better.”
“Maybe we should aim to get Temasek and our other local enterprises to increase their overseas investments in food production, in food supply so that we can further enhance our food security together with our neighbours. 11.15 am Are we building up a pool of talents in the field of agriculture technology? Can Minister share with the House what is the Government's overall plan to strengthen our food security, to prepare for any unforeseen supply chain disruption? Safety of New Food Technology”
“Mdm Chair, the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic certainly jolted many in Singapore about the importance of a robust supply chain system in place. The scenes of panic buying at the supermarkets are still fresh in our mind from last year. As an island state, while we are ranked as number one in the EIU Global Food Security Index against countries like US, Switzerland, Norway and Germany. But this does not give us comfort when you start to read about countries shutting down their borders, sea and airports and also thousands of workers, farmers and truckers stricken by the virus. Ninety percent of our food comes from overseas, and we buy from 170 places worldwide. Yes, during this pandemic, we did well. We were able to draw on our stockpile each time the shelves were emptied. We were able to ensure not only food but medical and petrol supply were flowing and essential services were not disrupted, giving assurances to the population. Now that the pandemic has gone global, I am sure many countries who did not do their maths would be scrambling to get their supplies of essential food stuff and others. The market would be more competitive for everyone. Disruption in supply can not only be caused by a global pandemic. Today, we live in an age of increasing uncertainty. We have in recent years seen unforeseeable disasters, some man-made and others natural. For example, wars, terrorist attacks, earthquakes, tsunamis, epidemics and nuclear reactor accidents, and even climate change resulting in crop failure or destruction of farmland due to wild fires. As a land-scarce country, limited manpower supply and not exactly having the best climate for growing crops, is it realistic for us to aim for 30% of our food supply being produced locally by 2030?”
“Are the existing waste facilities able to cope with this unusual volume of medical waste? As the COVID-19 period prolongs, may I also ask what is the Ministry’s plan to support and help the industry to transform so that they are able to better cope with the new challenges they face in this particular sector? Littering”
“Mdm Chairman, as we build more offices, factories, medical institutions, eating places, the demand for manpower in the environmental service sector will continue to rise and it will rise to a level that will not be sustainable, unless we tap on technology and automate. One good example comes to mind is NEA's $10.8 million Environmental Robotics Programme, with the support of National Robotics R&D Programme, for the development of robotics solutions to improve productivity. Through various agencies, including NTUC, the Ministry is working with them to support SMEs to build up their capabilities, carry out our product development and carry out job redesigning and so forth. I hope that the Ministry can speed up this particular programme and put more resources into it. The outbreak of COVID-19 has put even more demands on this industry now as public hygiene and cleanliness come into the spotlight. Almost overnight, to control the spread of the pandemic, the use of face masks, gloves, plastics and various containers used for food deliveries has become an environmental nightmare. The indiscriminate disposal of face masks and gloves, especially if not properly done so, could choke up our waterways and pose a hazard to our environment. The situation was exacerbated during the circuit breaker period when many of the foreign workers in this particular sector could not work. Water got clogged in the drains, open parks and, in many areas, grass was not cut, mosquito breeding and outbreaks of dengue clusters became another hazard. Then there is the volume of waste coming from medical centres, hospitals which needs to be addressed, ranging from syringes, face masks to disposable personal protective equipment.”
“It also helps to promote and build our SMEs in their capabilities as well. Building polders and creating new land that can also be sold and raise funds for the project. Given our finite land and sea space, how will the building of the polders and offshore islands affect our shipping lanes? Will our Navy have any more waters to sail after the construction? Can the Ministry provide an update on this very exciting project, with what has been done since 2019? And I would like to ask the Minister whether can he share with the House how does our Government ensure that coastal adaptation measures are cost-effective and adequately resourced, given this is a long-term and large-scale effort? Like what our Prime Minister said during the NDR 2019, we must make this effort now. Otherwise, one day, our children and grandchildren will be ashamed of what our generation did not do. Climate Change and Coastal Protection”
“Mdm Chair, the annual ice loss from Greenland Ice Sheet rose seven-fold annually during the last decade and the Antarctic ice loss nearly quadruple per year in the last decade as well. To meet the expected long-term sea level rise, the minimum land reclamation level in Singapore was raised from three to four metres above mean sea level in 2011. We have been continually shoring up our coastal areas, especially those which were reclaimed not so long ago. Increasingly we are feeling the impact of rising sea waters. During the 2019 National Day Rally (NDR), Prime Minister presented the long-term plan of coastal protection against rising sea levels. He mentioned that from the city to our east coast areas are low-lying grounds that will be vulnerable to flooding when sea level rises. One of the exciting projects he mentioned was the building of polders following the example of the Netherlands along the coastline. These are seawalls built further out at sea and the water is then pumped out. It will create new land that could be used for housing and other purposes. The alternative is even more exciting. This is to reclaim a series of islands offshore, from Marina East all the way to Changi, then join them up with barrages and create a huge freshwater reservoir similar to Marina Reservoir. In this way, we can further enhance our water resilience. Prime Minister mentioned that these will be huge investments amounting up to $100 billion and we need to long-term planning up to a 100 years. Last year alone, the Government spent $100 billion in four Budgets. Since the projects will yield huge benefits for our country in the long term, can we consider bringing in these large infrastructure projects forward so we can realise the benefits even earlier?”
“How is the Government planning to provide the skill training to our workforce so they can take advantage of this new growth industry? Mr Speaker, car ownership is an issue close to the heart of many Singaporeans and I hope those who are planning for policies on car ownership would think deeper and assess the implications before rolling out. With that, I support the Budget.”
“With ERP resuming and the raising of petrol price, would it not cause inflation to rise? The cost of higher petrol cost will impact all sectors of economy from retail to manufacturing, to transport for office workers and students, as well as goods and services. While we want to support our lower and middle income households, no one would be spared from inflation. The Government has announced that motorists would be given road tax and additional petrol duty rebates to help offset the higher costs but all these changes is only applicable from 1 August onwards this year all the way to 31 July next year. May I suggest MOF bring forward the road tax rebates and the additional petrol duty rebates upfront to take effect, with immediate effect since the petrol increase is with immediate effect? This will help ease the cash flow for our residents. The last point is on COE. Currently, now, for internal combustion engine COEs, I can understand. As the car gets older, it becomes less efficient, it becomes more pollutive. With EVs, can we now review this 10-year COE lifespan? Is it possible for us to consider a longer lifespan for COE for EVs since EVs are less of a pollution, and definitely, frequent changing of cars is not environmentally friendly? We definitely want to conserve as much resources as possible. One last ground feedback is regarding the Government taking the lead to convert all public vehicles to EVs, including the Police, LTA, NParks, SCDF. And there should also be incentive to get the commercial vehicles to be converted to EVs. Can the Minister also share with us overall how many new jobs can be expected to be created for the green industry in Singapore, under the Singapore Green Plan, when all the EVs plan is being implemented?”
“In land scarce Singapore, we now have to struggle to give space for charging stations all over the island, including HDB car parks. Residents would now be fighting for charging points and Members of Parliament will have a new wave of complaints. Batteries would be another problem. Battery manufacturers are still working out on producing better batteries with longer driving range, with longer lifespan and support faster charging. This is over and above producing them at competitive prices. After the batteries have outlived their lifespan, we also have to take a look at how do we dispose of these batteries? Will it be an environmental issue? There are also many other issues to be addressed. Around the world, EVs are still sort of an advanced stage of work-in-progress, in my view. Next, our repair workshops. Are our engineers, technicians and mechanics sufficiently equipped to handle EVs? There are many independent motor workshops would have to upgrade their skillsets to maintain and repair EVs. Overall, how cost effective will it be to use an EV versus an internal combustion engine vehicle? The amount of energy that we have to produce additional to power 800,000 vehicles on a daily basis. Do we have enough power supply to do that as well? And what is the cost to the whole country? Mr Speaker, I would like to raise the same question as to why is it necessary to raise the tax on petrol with immediate effect while we are targeting more charging points and EVs only for 2030, and the ARF and road tax reductions for EVs are only implementing next year? Why are motorists penalised or coerced to move to EVs when we have not got enough infrastructures in place? And the cost of EV is still high.”
“That means giving drivers ease of mind to know that they do not need to desperately hunt for a charging point when their batteries run low. Plus, they do not need to go into long queues to wait for their turns. Singaporeans want to get things done fast and efficiently. The question is how many public charging stations do we need to have to cater for 800,000 EVs? Let us look at the scenario elsewhere. In the UK, according to a recent report by Auto Express, a weekly motoring magazine, there is less than one charging point for each six Electric Vehicles sold in the country in 2017. Another motoring publication, Autocar, said in total, the British version of low-speed electric vehicles, also known as quadricycles, electric motorcycles, and plug-in commercial delivery vans, every public charging point caters to 8.9 plug-in vehicles. That is "close to the European Union’s preferred maximum ratio of 10 vehicles per public charging point," it said. Let us look at China. The total number of motor vehicle population as of July 2019 is 340 million. About 5% of these vehicles are EVs. China is the country with the most EV charging points in the world – with 1.2 million in 2019. That is still 283 EVs to one charging point. And it is looking to add another 600,000 more charging points like a petrol station. Despite this aggressive building of charging stations, as of November 2019, 324,000 EVs in China do not have a charging facility alongside the space where the vehicle is normally parked. So, there is still a lot of room for EVs to grow and for charging stations to be built. Finding space for charging stations is just one hurdle. The stations have to provide fast and normal charging so that the turnaround can be faster.”
“To finance this, the Government will issue new bonds, Green Bonds on selected public infrastructures, up to $19 billion of public sector green projects already identified. The issuance of Green Bonds will deepen market liquidity for Green Bonds attract green issuers, capital, as well as investors, and anchor Singapore as a Green finance hub. But we are also worried. May I ask: how will this affect our Singapore bonds ratings as Government takes on more debt and the interests we need to bear for these bonds, will it increase? If Minister can share his thoughts on this The last topic is on electric cars. It is well and good to push our plans on Electric Vehicles (EVs), but we have to recognise it takes a lot to win over Singaporeans to move in this direction. We have all heard how one of the areas of contention is that there is just not enough charging points for those who opt in for EV at this moment. I note the plans to have 28,000 charging points by 2030 and that commercial entities can be roped in to help build up this infrastructure. Currently, how many charging points do we have, I mean, in the public, as well as how many EV to each charging points now do we have? That is, what is the ratio? Two things stand in the way of mass adoption of EVs now are vehicle economics and charging infrastructure availability. This is not unique to Singapore but global as well. Let me start with the charging infrastructure. Let us say 80% of our car owners switch over to EVs. As of 2020, our car population was about 974,000 – which is near to one million – according to LTA data. So, how many charging stations do we need to attract car owners to switch to EVs?”
“The idea is good except that this distribution is by per household. And as we know, per household means that number of people within the household differs. This project will benefit those with small households rather than those with larger households because more people under one roof for larger households have to share the $100. Is it being considered when the concept of per household was being mooted? Why not adopt previous distribution method of all Singaporeans above aged 21 years and above? You can distribute about $50 per person and the total amount amount would still be about the same. Second, incentives for Singaporeans who opt in for COVID-19 vaccination. I would like to lend my voice and support to urge all residents to get COVID-19 vaccination done as soon as possible, if they are eligible. The faster we get vaccinated, the faster we can get ourselves protected and lower the risks of local cluster outbreaks. I know many are fearful of unknown future side effects of this new vaccine. I have faith in the science behind this development. All the data and facts have been carefully considered by MOH and our vaccine expert committee before approval for public use. In order to encourage more to opt in for the vaccination, I would like to suggest the Government consider giving some incentives to all Singaporeans who opt in for the vaccination. This can be in terms of additional CDC Vouchers or even CPF MediSave top-ups. Third, the issue on Green Bonds. Mr Speaker, indeed, many countries are putting focus on sustainability issues to jump start their economy. This is one problem which we know is pressing and it is more predictable than the second-guessing of virus mutation.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the Deputy Prime Minister as well as the men and women of MOF for delivering a Budget that will help us to meet our short-term challenges posed by this pandemic and the ravages it is doing to our various sectors of the economy, while catering to the long-term needs and keeping an eye on the future. This is indeed a very uncertain time and it is very difficult for the Minister to forecast with any certainty what are the possible scenarios as vaccination gains momentum in Singapore and globally. Viruses constantly change through mutation, and new variants will occur from time to time. Today, you have the UK variant, you have the South African variant, we also have the Brazil variant. I am not sure tomorrow, what will be the next variants. We also have to assess whether the current vaccination – are they effective against protecting us against the new variant? While we can postulate some of the possible scenarios and outcome, things are still very fluid and very unpredictable. I would like to take this opportunity to raise four issues which my residents have raised to me during my block visits as well as in a youth dialogue over the last weekend. The four issues are: first, the distribution of the CDC Vouchers; second, incentives for Singaporeans who opt in for COVID-19 vaccination; third, the issuance of the Green Bonds; and fourth, the Electric Vehicles. I shall start off with the CDC Vouchers distribution. First, let me thank the Government for the additional $150 million grant provided to the CDCs. This will benefit 1.3 million Singaporean households who will receive $100 CDC Vouchers that can be used at participating heartland shops and hawker centres. This will definitely boost our local consumption as well.”
“Is there a proactive method of sending those who have been vaccinated, for example, three days after the vaccination, to ask them to fill up a survey form as to what are the side effects and to ask them to actively scan the QR code to give the feedback. So, I would like to urge MOH to be a little more proactive to look out for side effects. Because the main reason why people are apprehensive about vaccination, is side effects. If we can convince people that the side effects are minimal and we can report and all the side effects can be effectively treated and we can quickly nib off the myth in cyberspace, especially once in a while, you have a Facebook post to say that somebody has been vaccinated and is in ICU, you have to really investigate the truth to make sure that it does not spread and people think that we are trying to hide something. Then, last of all is that, once you are vaccinated —”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. Let me just thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State when a batch of vaccine reaches the vaccination centre, when it is thawed, which means that it has to be used within six hours, if I am not wrong. So far, what is our experience when we thaw these vaccines, how many of these doses have been wasted because the person who had registered for the vaccine, did not turn up or whatever. What is our wastage right now for this vaccine? That is number one. Number two, I would like to ask, as a Member of Parliament, I do have requests now from emails from residents who are travelling like what the Senior Minister of State had just mentioned, requesting for whether they can have a chance to have early vaccination. I would like to appeal to the Taskforce and MOH to consider setting up some form of registry for those who wants and see whether it can be prioritised, and give a chance for the public. That is number two. We are recruiting grassroots leaders now to help us as "Vaccine Ambassadors" and some of the grassroots leaders have also been asking, if they are to be "Vaccine Ambassadors", is it possible for the "Vaccine Ambassadors" to be vaccinated at the same time, so they can better convince the residents to come forward to receive the vaccine. My issue now is, if they go forward to do house visits to convince residents to do vaccination, but they themselves are not vaccinated, then, it is very hard to convince. That is the other point. Last of all is the side effects monitoring. Currently, now, when I receive my vaccination, there is a QR code for me to report the side effects.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. Let me thank both Ministers for the Statement. The pandemic itself is a war. When we first saw the first shipment of the vaccine that arrived in Singapore with Minister Ong receiving at the airport, we were very happy. But, subsequently, we were a little bit disappointed with the speed of the roll-out of the vaccine. In fact, in Canada, during the Christmas period, they closed the vaccination centre and they were being slammed, "Why did you close the vaccination centres during Christmas?" They should be speeding on now to quickly vaccinate as many people as possible. As from today, Israel has already vaccinated 12% of their population. Initially, I was hoping that Singapore should be the first country in the world to get the whole country vaccinated. If any country can do it, Singapore can do it. We can show the world. Because we are small, we are fast, we are efficient, we are organised. If this is a war, I would say that vaccination, initially, I was hoping it would be made mandatory. Of course, the Government has chosen to make it voluntary. I know that vaccination is a personal choice, but it has public consequences. I certainly urge everyone to be vaccinated as soon as possible. So, I hope that the Ministers now can consider rolling out this vaccination programme faster than what we are talking now. Because as it is now, I am not sure what are we waiting for. We should be vaccinating more people now. In fact, I hope that the healthcare workers should be vaccinated within the next two weeks and it should be completed as soon as possible. Next, I would also like to ask when will the Speaker, Deputy Speakers and the Members of Parliament be vaccinated.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I think the Senior Minister of State also have not fully answered my Parliamentary Question regarding, how many patients were actually involved and how many patients have MOH engaged in the first place currently now that are affected by this particular error. Currently, what measures have been taken to ensure the well-being of the patients, both psychologically as well as physical health? I would also like to know what was the average cost of the medication, of this particular medicine that was just mentioned. Because the Senior Minister of State did not mention anything about the costs; he just mentioned that it will be refunded but I am not sure what is the actual cost. I do have a patient, who is my resident in Sembawang GRC, who saw me at my Meet-the-People Session. She was very worried when she saw the news; she said she is one of them. When I asked her whether has MOH contacted her, she said not yet. So, she was asking me what legal help can she now seek. So, I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State what avenues do affected patients have to seek compensation for such an error?”
“I would like to seek clarification on this example as some of our patients with chronic diseases may have decades of medical history running into many volumes of clinical records. Is it the duty of the doctors to go through all old notes even stored in microfilm? I know as a medical practitioner we are required by law to keep our medical records for seven years. Is there a time bar for the medical records in this example? Number three, mediation. I am supportive to have mediation as a mechanism to resolve some of these complaints before the case is being escalated to the Disciplinary Tribunal or the Courts. For mediation suggested in this amendment, is it mandatory? Is there additional cost involved in mediation? Currently, our medical indemnity insurance covers doctors for medico-legal claims but I understand from some of my medical colleagues, the insurance companies are not obliged to accept mediation and may not pay for any cost involved in mediation. Can this legislation make mediation mandatory and also make it mandatory for medical indemnity insurers to honour and cover the cost of mediation if mandated by SMC? Mr Speaker, I support the Bill. 5.40 pm”
“According to SMC annual report, SMC spent nearly $2 million in 2017 and $1.6 million in 2018 for legal expenses for disciplinary proceedings. The setting up of more layers to handle public complaints will require more manpower and resources. What is the estimated increase in running cost of the SMC when this legislation takes effect? Can MOH give more grant to SMC to offset the increase in cost? The changes also call for more doctors to come forward to serve on SMC’s committees. Currently, how many doctors are serving on the SMC to handle public complaints? How many more doctors will be required with this new proposal? What are the plans? What plans do MOH have to increase the number of doctors serving in these committees and how do you attract them? With increasing cost involved, will SMC consider levying a small administrative fee for public to file their complaint? Just like CASE or Small Claims Tribunal. By charging a small fee, it may also deter frivolous complaints too. I know for now MOH is not considering leveraging an administrative fee for public who file complaints but I hope MOH will consider this later? Number two, on medical records. In one of examples cited in the legislation stated by the Minister just now, it states that the doctors need to go through old medical records to sieve out information which may be material to the case. In the example given, a patient with history of eczema had skin complications after undergoing an orthopaedic surgery. The orthopaedic surgeon is liable because the surgeon failed to look through the old notes which stated the patient had eczema recorded many years ago.”
“Apart from doctors, patients too would have a responsibility to share more about their personal health, for example, their health history and habits which in a consultation in the presence of family members the patient may not find it convenient to share their full disclosure to the doctors. With increasing medical litigation, the medical indemnity insurance premium paid by doctors are also rising exponentially year after year. In US, the annual medical indemnity insurance premium paid by practising obstetricians last year can be as high as a quarter of US$1 million per year. Many of the US O&G specialists gave up practising obstetrics simply because they just find that their earnings are not enough to cover the premiums or the risk being sued is too high to bear. I hope in Singapore, we will not move in that direction. If we do, ultimately the consumers, our patients, will bear the cost. In the last two years, I and a few Members of Parliament brought up in this Chamber the inappropriately harsh penalties given to doctors by Singapore Medical Council's Disciplinary Tribunal and we were concerned with the rising trend. This will lead to defensive medicine if left unchecked and a further escalation of medical costs to all of us. I would like to thank MOH, especially the work group on this amendment for their hard work meeting so many stakeholders and holding so many focus groups discussions to bring to this House today this amendment. This amendment will affirm our patient’s rights and at the same time give some clarity and assurance to our medical fraternity on a fair and expeditious system that handles medical complaints by SMC. I have three clarifications. Number one, the increase in cost and resources to SMC.”
“As a background, let me share that this change follows a landmark Supreme Court judgment – known as Montgomery judgment – that changes the legal test for determining what is sufficient disclosure before consent is given to treatment, by moving away from asking what a reasonable doctor would warn and asking instead to what a reasonable patient would expect to know. It would be relevant to add to my understanding that even the wisdom in the Montgomery case now is an issue being debated in the legal circles. The key is how is a doctor to strike a balance between an information overload for the patient versus too little information. With all due respect to all our patients, they are all different. Some may not understand the choices before them, especially where the choices are scientifically complex. And doctors would only be adding to emotional burden of the patients, causing alarm and confusion unnecessarily. Hence, the materiality of information is a real challenge. Of course, the patient could have his family members or her family members to explain to him or her and hopefully there is no loss of critical information in the course of the communication. For many healthcare practitioners, working with seniors and foreign patients who do not speak any of our four national languages poses one of the greatest challenges. In a small clinical set-up, there is simply a shortage of resources with the necessary interpreting skills as well. And medical terms are complex. In cases of complications as a result of lack of informed consent, who would be liable? The doctor for failing to obtain the consent, or the interpreter for misinterpreting?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Bill. I would like to assure the Member who spoke before me that we will provide care for all mothers, fathers, mothers-in-law and fathers-in-law as well. First, let me just begin by declaring my interest as a member of the medical profession. The amendments are timely as there is a need to enhance the legislative processes to protect patients’ rights as well as to preserve the trust between the doctors and the patient. Currently in Singapore, there is a stable trend of medical complaints against doctors at an average of 214 cases per year over the last five years, range 161 to 259. This translates to 16 complaints per 1,000 medical practitioners. About 20 cases or about 10% of these complaints are categorised under “No/Inappropriate or Inadequate Informed consent”. While the trend is stable now, we are deeply concerned that cases may increase in light of the experience overseas. Allow me just briefly to share with you what happened in UK, the National Health System or NHS has reported in 2015 that a study found that negligence claims against NHS doctors due to failure to inform patients before they consent to procedures have spiralled upwards since the landmark legal ruling in 2015. This research was done by Queen Mary University of London, found that while the rate of other claims has remained steady, cases relating to consent have risen fourfold overall since March 2015 – where failure to inform was added as a contributory claim, the rise was nearly tenfold.”
“Mr Speaker, I would like to thank Deputy Prime Minister and also all the Ministers who are leading the COVID-19 task force for their tireless work to overcome this severe winter. Our hearts go to all those who have been severely affected by this virus. And our prayers and thanks also go to our healthcare workers and other support agencies staff. To those whose jobs are on the line, we stand with you and we are here with you. We are fighting a war; this is worse than a guerrilla war. The enemy is invisible but not invincible. Only by staying together, following the Government's guidelines on social distancing, exercise personal hygiene and stay at home, complying with quarantine orders, then we can overcome this long winter together faster and emerge stronger as a nation. Everyone of us is on the frontline now and we must play our part. Our founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew had once spoken about Singaporeans as people with physical and spiritual ruggedness. This is the time that we prove him right. We will prevail. Yes! Mr Speaker, I support the Motion. 3.21 pm”
“This will also include stopping the mandatory MediSave contributions of self-employed persons (SEPs) including taxi drivers and many others. Together with the enhanced Job Support Scheme, this will further cushion our employers from manpower cost. For the employees and SEPs, it will ease their cash flow. I understand the importance and significance of our CPF as it serves as our retirement nest eggs. But this is an unprecedented time. Even the Government has to dip into our national reserves to tie us through this crisis. We can always save again when the crisis is over and when spring is back. Two, one of the major concerns of stopping CPF contributions is the payment of the HDB housing loans, which many depends on. Just like the recent announcements for deferment of housing loans under MAS and the banks, and the announcement in the Budget regarding deferment of study loans repayments, can HDB consider deferring all HDB mortgages repayment for the next three to six months? In addition, I hope this deferment can be interest free so that HDB mortgagees loans repayment period need not be lengthened too much. If HDB can grant such an interest free deferment, then CPF Board will be at the losing end. So, I would like to suggest the CPF Board to consider a freeze in interest payment to all CPF accounts for the same period. Last of all, bringing forward the S&CC rebates as well as U Save. To further ease the households expenses, Government has announced 1.5 to 3.5 months of S&CC rebates and U Save in Budget 2020. I would suggest these rebates be brought forward to the next three months instead of spacing out throughout the year. This will certainly help many HDB households to ease their cash flow.”
“When this winter gives way to spring – as it would ultimately – then we are ready to take off and rebuild our economy and our lives again. During this period, what are the main worries on most peoples' minds? We are worried for our safety and health. We are worried about how the containment measures will disrupt our lives and livelihoods. How our jobs are being affected, how are we going to pay for our daily bills, our mortgages, loans, insurance premiums, utility bills, service and conservancy fees and food? And for many employers, they are facing the largest and biggest challenge with revenue plunging sharply and their supply chains disrupted. With both supply and demand evaporating suddenly in a short duration of two months, many viable and good businesses may not survive this winter. I applaud the Government for the quick rescue actions to help the individuals and the businesses with the Unity and Resilient and now the Solidarity Budgets. These are targeted to address many of the these concerns. We are immensely grateful to our Pioneers and Merdeka Generations for diligently building up our national reserves which now serves as our hibernation, emergency and survival fuel. As this is an unprecedented times, I would like to present a few suggestions to Deputy Prime Minister and our Government to consider. Yes, I am not asking us to dip into our CPF, but I would like to ask the Government to consider whether is it possible to temporarily cease both employer and employee CPF contributions. To reduce the manpower cost of the employers and to increase the monthly take home pay of our salaried workers, can we temporarily stop CPF contributions for the next three to six months?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the COVID-19 pandemic is clearly a shock to everyone. This is the global catastrophe of our times. Singapore and the rest of the world were so different just four months ago. Today, the world – or rather, more correctly, humanity – is facing the biggest challenge of our generation. Today, the world is so interconnected with all countries so interdependent on one another for free flow of services, goods and resources. COVID-19 is not just another rainy day. It is also not just another thunderstorm, which was just described by Mr Pritam Singh. But it is like an Ice Age descending upon the world, suddenly freezing everything in its way – all transportation, human movements and activities. The impact is not just medical but we can see a larger social and economic and fallout, as the Ice Age recedes later. We can expect a tsunami of flood waters to follow. Nature has its unique ways to handle external shocks. We should learn from nature. During the seasonal change from autumn to winter, many animals and plants have adapted and developed coping mechanisms. Many animals such rodents and polar bears go into hibernation mode during winter. Hibernation functions to conserve energy when sufficient food is not available and when external conditions are hash and unfavourable. The animals are able to lower their metabolic rate, lower their temperature, slow down breathing and heart rate to conserve energy. Hibernation may last for weeks or months. During this COVID global crisis, how I wish Singapore can just go into a hibernation mode and emerge only later when the global contagion is over. Sir, we need to find ways to hibernate our economy, conserve our energy during this viral long winter period so that we can all emerge alive and well later on.”
“Mr Chairman, I would like to thank all 19 hon Members of this House for participating in this COS debate. On behalf of all Members of the House, I would like to thank Ministers Masagos and Grace Fu, Senior Ministers of State Maliki Osman and Sim Ann as well as Minister of State Zaqi Mohamad and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng for their replies. I would like to express our gratitude as well as appreciation to all men and women at MCCY, all stakeholders and partners in arts, youths, sports and community for their efforts in bringing all Singaporeans together as one nation, one Singapore. On that note. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. [(proc text) Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. (proc text)] [(proc text) The sum of $1,889,177,900 for Head X ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. (proc text)] [(proc text) The sum of $390,036,800 for Head X ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. (proc text)] 1.41 pm”
“I have two clarifications. One for Minister is regarding our submission of the hawker culture to UNESCO for this December. We are all eagerly waiting for the results. Can I ask the Minister what are our chances of getting this as well as what can we do now, as Singapore together, to increase our chances? The second clarification is on the ActiveSG Credits – whether MCCY will be considering topping of the ActiveSG Credit. Because some of my residents have used up their credit and they are looking forward to the Sembawang Integrated Sports Hub which is now called Bukit Canberra, just mentioned by Er Lee Bee Wah just now. They are hoping that they can use their credit there. I am very happy to hear that those above 65 now will have free admission to the gyms as well as the swimming pool. But why 65? Can MCCY bring it lower, to 50? Because exercising early, from the doctor's point of view, is important for health.”
“Our CCs should be the Community Centre for arts, culture, wellness and health, social interactions and skills upgrading. Three, expand and build up community sports that can unite and bring people together. Top up the Active SG credits on a regular basis to promote community sports and expand the use of Active credits to sports events attendance, including our SG football leagues and national sports events. Chairman, building a home that provide opportunities for all is not just an ideal. It is a reality. It is a basic right for all Singaporeans. I would like to thank MCCY for their hard work and invite all Singaporeans from all walks of life to join MCCY to make this arduous task a reality. [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)] 10.30 am”
“We wept as a nation as we mourned together during the passing of our beloved founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 2015. People of all walks of life regarding of race, language or religion came together to queue for hours under the weather, rain or shine, day or night, to pay their last respect. We faced fear and death together during the 2003 SARS crisis which infected 238 people and killed 33 in Singapore. Today, we are again tested and challenged and tested with COVID-19. We are tackling these challenges together and collectively with resolute and resilience. As we continue to progress, the natural fault lines in our society – socio-economic divide, racial and religious divide, ideology divide, sexual orientation divide, e-literacy divide and many more – will continue to exist and may surface from time to time to threaten our resolve and unity. Will we be able to rise to the occasion like previous challenges and emerge stronger or will we be divided and withered? MCCY needs to intensify the efforts in building a home that provides opportunities for all. It is important while we embrace our diversity and differences as strength of our nation, we need to work hard to create and expand common spaces and experiences that is unique to Singapore. To do this, I have three suggestions. One, use arts, culture and heritage unique to Singapore. Make of arts and cultural programmes more accessible and affordable to Singaporeans. Similar to the $100 Active SG credits for sports facilities, MCCY can consider giving all Singaporeans $100 Active Arts and Culture credit to attend arts and cultural courses or attend local arts & cultural performances. Two, renew and remake of community clubs to remain relevant so that more Singaporeans will visit and use the CCs.”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head X of the Estimates be reduced by $100". Today, the global environment is more fractious and societies are increasingly polarised. Disruptive technologies are changing our economies, our jobs, our way of life and challenging our norms. Singapore is a global city state that is multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-religious and in some way multinational is at the epicentre of these forces. If we are not careful, these global forces can exert tensions that will threaten, disrupt and test the strength of the fabric of our society. While MCCY has done well in fostering a strong sense of national unity and pride through sectors of arts, youth, community and sports, new challenges such as the COVID-19, regional political turmoil and international trade tensions are always emerging and we must be prepared to remain resilient and stay united as one Singapore. MCCY must continue to strengthen the social fabric and the solidarity in the face of these forces. Are the current MCCY's strategies still relevant in the building an inclusive home where everyone feels that we are equal members of the same community, and are given equal opportunities to thrive and to pursue one's passion and interest? Given the increasing diversity and fractious state of our society, can we continue to progress together as a people? What unites us as one people, one nation? Is it the Kallang Roar and Kallang Wave when Singapore Lions beat Pahang during the 1994 Malaysian cup? Or the 50.39 secs that Joseph Schooling swam while we all held our breath in front of our TV screens during the 2016 Olympics? Or the nail-biting table tennis finals during the 2008 Olympics when our paddlers brought us a silver medal?”
“This is especially so for low-income families where they are able to benefit from very good subsidies from the Government. The parents would prefer to send their children to a school-based after-school care service as they do not need to worry about transport between the school and the after-school care service. They are also reassured that the child would not only be given meals but there would also be nap-time, playtime and even time set aside for tuition as well as other meaningful learning activities. 7.15 pm However, for parents, finding a place in the school-based after-school care service is not easy because many of the schools do not have sufficient capacity to cater for all. Hence, many school-based after-school care service have a long waiting list. Then, there are parents whose child may be under-performing and require special care for them to stay on course. Can the Minister give the House an update on what is the average wait-list for school-based after-school care service? I urge MOE to consider to increase the capacity of school-based after-school care service to catered for at least 50% of the Primary 1, Primary 2 and Primary 3 cohorts in each Primary school. Also, how is the Ministry supporting disadvantaged students in Primary schools through the school-based after-school care service and the UPLIFT programme? Career Transition for Mid-career Workers”
“Mr Chairman, the Next Bound of SkillsFuture comes at an opportune moment. The forces of globalisation and technological advances are reshaping industries and jobs at an accelerating pace. And with new jobs emerging and requirements of existing jobs changing, there is an increasing need for Singaporeans to continue to re-skill and upgrade. I would like to applaud the SkillsFuture movement for supporting Singaporeans in their lifelong pursuit of skills mastery. I stand in support of the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Support Package. This is a much-welcome initiative to support our 40 to 60-year-old workers to up-skill, transition to new careers and stay employed. Over the years, the Government has put in place many measures to ramp up career transition and re-skilling programmes. However, many of these programmes, such as Professional Conversion Programmes, Place-and-Train programme and sector specific re-skilling programmes require individuals to be employed first before they are able to access training. The placement requirement, which is helpful to secure jobs for individuals, may also limit the number who can benefit from training. Given the goal of doubling the number of job placements of workers in their 40s and 50s, I would like to suggest to the Ministry to consider complementing this approach with a Train-and-Place programme instead to more comprehensively support re-skilling and career transition of the workers. After-school Care for Primary Schools My second cut on after-school care service for Primary schools. In Singapore where most families have both parents working and not everyone is fortunate to have their grandparents or domestic helper to look after the school-going children, the reliance on after-school care service becomes very important.”
“The current occasional talks in schools on mental wellness is clearly insufficient and is only scratching the surface. I hope MOE can seriously look into this urgent national challenge and consider the measures proposed. Asia-Ready Exposure Programme”
“Mr Chairman, mental health issues are silent, invisible killers. Suicide is the leading cause of death for those who are aged between 10 and 29. The second Singapore Mental Health Study by the Institute of Mental Health released in 2018 reveals that one out of seven Singaporeans experiences a mental health condition in their lifetime. The number of young Singaporeans between the ages of 16 and 30 who sought help from IMH's community health assessment team from 2015 to 2017 has seen an increase of 190%. Hence, the rising rates of mental health issues among our children and youths are an urgent national challenge and priority. There are many possible causes that may exacerbate the mental health issues, such as academic-based (homework, examinations, projects) or relationship-based (friendship and bullying). The rise of social media has also created self-image issues that have led many to have unrealistic expectations. I would like to propose the following measures to MOE. (a) Destigmatise mental health issues and increase the number of counsellors in the schools. Make seeing the school counsellor mandatory for all students, instead of only referring those who are suspected of mental health issues to the school counsellors; (b) Integrate mental health as part of CCA and physical fitness programmes into the schools and rename it as Total Fitness Programme; (c) Introduce mindfulness and meditation classes to all schools and equip our young Singaporeans with useful skills to deal with stress for life; (d) Strengthen our cyber wellness programme in schools and equip our young Singaporeans with skills and knowledge to deal with the cyber jungle; and (e) Further enhance character and citizenship education.”
“Can we do more to make them be more integrated? What is the Government doing to further enhance the integration of new citizens into our society and our communities? Population Plans and Integration”
“Mr Chairman, according to the Department of Statistics, Singapore's total population stands at 5.703 million as of 2019. This is a 1.2% increase from the previous year. The number of Singapore citizens is 3.5 million and the number of Permanent Residents is 525,000. There is a slight increase of 0.8% and 0.6% respectively. What is worrisome is the decline of old-age support ratio from 4.8 in 2018 to 4.5 in 2019. It means that we only have 4.5 residents who are between 20 and 64 years for every resident who is 65 and above. What is the Government doing to increase or at least to maintain our Singapore citizens' numbers? Can we do more to support young families and encourage more Singaporean families to have more babies? What is the Government doing to slow down the increase of old-age support ratio? Immigration has for a very long time been a touchy issue, not only in Singapore but many other countries as well. Generally, most Singaporeans accept that immigration can contribute certain expertise that is lacking in Singapore. Many of them chose to make Singapore their home and become citizens. They take their pledge at citizenship ceremonies that are held across different constituencies. 2.15 pm A survey by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) released at the National Integration Council (NIC) Convention last August, showed that many Singaporeans feel that immigrants can do more to integrate into Singapore. This survey covered about 4,000 Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents. Six out of 10 of the respondents felt that the immigrants were not doing enough to integrate. Is there any study or survey on our new citizens on how they feel above their new citizenship journey? Do they feel adequately integrated by our programmes?”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. Our hearts and our prayers go to those Singaporeans who are still in Wuhan. When we heard that the 92 Singaporeans are brought back to Singapore, we were very happy to hear that. But also sad to hear that the four of them who had symptoms could not be brought back. I was just wondering what kind of medical help would they receive in Wuhan, if we leave them there. The plane capacity is big enough. Could we have brought the four of them back as well, in the first place, to receive treatment over here, even if there are symptoms, if their symptoms are not that severe? That is my first question. The second part is that it is in times like this that we see the best of humans and we see the worst of humans. In the last two days, when we go around doing the mask distribution, we see a lot of encouraging signs. We see volunteers coming down to help at the mask distribution point. We see residents coming down to give drinks, give food to the volunteers. I have a lot of new volunteers suddenly joining in to say that they want to do their part. I also have an ex-grassroots leader whose both legs were amputated and as a result he cannot serve as a grassroots leader anymore because of diabetes. He came in a wheelchair and he said that "I can't walk but I can man the counter; can you let me man the mask distribution point?" I would say that this is an opportunity really for all Singaporeans to come together to rally. We also want to bring all our Singaporeans who are abroad now, who are now in Wuhan, Hubei, if they can come back, please bring them back. I hope that the Government and MFA would work harder now to see how we can bring them back.”
“Beyond mass participation, SportSG works with key stakeholders, such as the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC), National Disability Sports Associations, Special Olympics Singapore and MOE, to enable talent development in disability sports and strengthen capabilities in the ecosystem. SportSG provides SDSC with financial resources and facilities to support the training of athletes in various para sports. Amongst our current crop of 72 spexScholars, 10 are para athletes. Team Singapore para athletes received campaign funding in their preparations for the upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Para Games in January next year. SportSG has also partnered the International Paralympic Committee to grow the pool of disability sports coaches in Singapore. To date, close to 500 coaches, 300 SportSG staff and 1,600 volunteers have completed relevant courses to support disability sport programmes. While we have made good progress, we are continually exploring how to augment the impact. In August this year, SportSG reviewed its progress in DSMP and published this as part of its Vision 2030 mid-term report. SportSG stated in its report that it will broaden its range of partnerships to include corporations and organisations to form "Communities of Care" that can serve the community in impactful ways, such as by supporting the DSMP and promoting social inclusion through sport. We welcome ideas and suggestions from the Member and others in the sport and special needs communities to improve the implementation of DSMP.”
“Question No 14. The Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth (Ms Sim Ann) (for the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth): Sport Singapore's (SportSG's) Disability Sport Master Plan (DSMP) was launched in May 2016 to improve access and opportunities for persons with disabilities to discover the value of sport and lead an active lifestyle, develop Singapore's capabilities in para sports as well as raise the profile of Team Singapore para athletes with Singaporeans. I chair the Disability Sports Implementation Committee to guide the implementation of DSMP. Since 2016, SportSG has been working with stakeholders to implement DSMP. SportSG has set up four Centres of Expertise in Bedok, Jurong West, Sengkang and Toa Payoh, opened seven inclusive gyms and introduced a range of disability sport programmes. The Inclusive Sports Festival (ISF) has been organised for three successive years. It is a key platform for persons with disabilities to try out sports and an opportunity for the public to learn about disability sport. Altogether, ISF and other awareness and outreach events have engaged more than 11,000 participants with disabilities and close to 90,000 others in the last three years. The 2019 edition of the Singapore National Games, or Pesta Sukan, featured nine para and inclusive sports. In sports, such as archery and canoe sprint, participants competed in inclusive teams comprising persons with and without disabilities. We are encouraged by the growth in sports participation amongst persons with disabilities from 28% in 2015 to 51% in 2018, based on SportSG's annual National Sports Participation Survey.”
“Mr Speaker, let me thank the Minister for the clarifications as well as for clearing the air on this issue. In fact, many of us have received feedback from our residents. They have given comments that every time the Government increases subsidies, the childcare operators will increase their fees, and it seems to be corresponding. But I thank the Minister for producing the data as well as the statistics which are very important. It is still quite tough for middle-income families which have a few children in childcare centres, especially for those who, even with the subsidy itself, may find it tough with their monthly incomes. The other group that I am a little bit concerned about is the non-working mothers. I understand there is already additional subsidy for non-working mothers if they fulfil the criteria. My question is, currently, how many of these children who enjoy the subsidies are children of non-working mothers? Can we equalise both groups, instead of making them apply to these criteria? If we were to put working mothers or non-working mothers aside, how much more increase in terms of subsidies would the Government have to bear, rather than make the non-working mothers go and apply for additional subsidies?”
“Mr Speaker, let me thank the Minister for the Statement. I just want to follow up in the sense that there must be current cases that are still under review by the DT. So, will the work of the DT still carry on currently under the current regulations? Or will it be deferred until the new rules emerge at the end of the year?”