Louis Ng Kok Kwang
Singapore
“It does not matter whether the report was made to the Police or the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau. Can the Senior Parliamentary Secretary clarify whether an individual who reports an offence under the Bill to the Police will be similarly protected by the whistle-blowing protections under section 53?”
“In my Adjournment Motion six years ago, I shared the story of Emma, a single unwed parent who came to see me at my Meet-the-People Sessions, together with her two-month-old daughter. They were both living in a shelter. As I shared previously, when I asked why Emma did not shed a tear, she told me that she no longer had any tears left.”
“It is not just Nee Soon East cleaners who pay kickbacks. This, again, is a widespread problem that we have not done enough to detect and tackle. To tackle this more effectively, we need to treat kickbacks as seriously as corruption. We need our laws to have a more deterrent effect to have any chance of wiping out kickbacks.”
“Sir, I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for answering my cut on second-hand smoke. And I am sure he expects me to clarify further. But I think the Senior Parliamentary Secretary mentioned that there is no current technology to catch someone smoking at home and, so, because of that we cannot legislate a ban.”
“Madam, for years, I have spoken up repeatedly in this House, calling for the Government to take action to protect the lives of fellow Singaporeans from second-hand smoke. I have spoken up so much that Senior Minister of State Amy Khor once said that she is immune to me already. But on a more serious note, this is a serious issue.”
“We should end the discrimination and allow them to qualify for the PPHS. Mandate Sterilisation of Pet Cats I have spent a good part of my life calling for HDB to allow the keeping of cats in HDB flats. Many have called for this and I am glad the Government has finally changed our policies and allow the keeping of cats in HDB flats.”
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“This Bill will introduce a framework to control NPS. Manufacturers of NPS circumvent the existing legal framework by altering the chemical structure of the substances. This results in new substances that have the same effect as illicit drugs, but are now not regulated under Misuse of Drugs laws. This Bill will allow us to regulate NPS in a nimble way by controlling substances based on their ability to produce psychoactive effects rather than on their chemical structures. I have three sets of clarifications. My first point is on excluded substances. To prove that a substance is a psychoactive substance under the new section 22A, the prosecution only has to prove that a product has the capacity to produce a psychoactive effect. The burden is, then, on the individual to prove that the psychoactive substance is an excluded substance on a balance of probabilities. Excluded substances include alcohol, food, health products and herbal medicines. Can the Minister of State clarify, what exactly it is that the individual is required to prove? Is the individual required to prove that the substance is factually an excluded substance, or is it sufficient for the individual to prove that they had reason to believe that the substance is an excluded substance? My second point is on the new provisions of "stacked" presumptions. "Stacked" presumptions occur where proof of a single element triggers multiple presumptions. One example of this is section 18A. If an individual has the keys to a place where a psychoactive substance is found, the individual is presumed to have possession of the psychoactive substance. If the individual is presumed to have possession, the individual is also presumed to have known that the psychoactive substance has the capacity to produce a psychoactive effect.”
“Thank you, Sir. I really hope the Minister of State can share whether we are going to review this. I appreciate that there are all the other programmes in place, but are we going to review this and improve it from a Standard into Guidelines? I am not asking for legislation, but for it to become a Tripartite Guideline instead.”
“Thank you, Sir. I thank the Minister of State for the reply and for showing concerns, especially for parents who have twins or triplets and pre-term babies. But we have had the Tripartite Standards for quite some time now. So, could I just ask whether there is a timeframe where we are going to review on upgrading these Tripartite Standards into Tripartite Guidelines? Second, what are the thresholds before we will consider converting it into Guidelines? And I know that this would not affect the majority of companies because, even for the Civil Service, only about 25 officers take this unpaid leave every year for the last few years. So, it has a minimal impact on the majority of companies but a tremendous help that parents of twins and triplets and pre-term babies really need. So, I hope the Government will consider this.”
“To conclude, Sir, I hope that we can respond to the calls of our young advocates to know our marine ecosystems better, protect what we currently have and restore what we have lost, especially our seagrass meadows. These proposals level the playing field for nature when it comes to development decisions and give our wildlife in our waters a chance at survival. In doing so, we also increase humankind’s chances of survival. Sir, I was there at Chek Jawa as a young activist and student more than two decades ago. I saw the amazing biodiversity we were about to destroy at Chek Jawa and it was painful to see what we were going to lose. I also saw first-hand the tremendous dedication by the researchers, activists and thousands of people, members of the public who stepped forward to speak up and fight for the protection of Chek Jawa. And I also saw how the Government responded positively, reversed our decision and protected Chek Jawa instead. I hope we continue to support our researchers and activists, continue to protect our marine spaces and continue to save our nature areas. Let me end with a quote, as always, from Sylvia A Earle, the former chief scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: "The ocean matters. If the sea is sick, we'll feel it. If it dies, we die. Our future and the state of the ocean are one."”
“Seastainable is a social enterprise supporting marine conservation in the region. On seeing the amount of trash and pollution on our beaches, Samantha started a Telegram group to organise beach clean-ups, gathering hundreds of volunteers. This has now grown to thousands of clean-ups. While our local community works hard to protect our beaches, I hope the Government can match their efforts a little further from the beach. We can start by restoring our degraded seagrass meadows. Currently, the Tropical Marine Science Institute is studying the restoration of marine habitats such as seagrass meadows. While seagrass may not receive as much attention as coral reefs, they are crucial as carbon sinks, home to rich biodiversity, improve water quality and protect our coast. Seagrasses are 35 times faster than tropical rainforests in capturing carbon. They are also nurseries to fishes and feed marine creatures such as parrotfishes, turtles and dugongs. Despite their importance, we have lost 1.6 square kilometres or about half of our seagrasses since the 1960s. It is critical that we not just protect but restore our degraded seagrass meadows. The largest meadows today are found at Chek Jawa, Pulau Semakau and Cyrene Reef. There are also substantial meadows in the waters of Pulau Pawai, Labrador Beach, Pasir Ris Beach, Changi Beach and Pulau Sekudu. I hope the Government can support efforts to restore seagrass meadows in these areas. Lastly, Sir, activists are also asking for specific updates on the proposed recommendations in the SG Blue Plan 2018 which they called "a labour of love from civil society". Activists had proposed comprehensive recommendations to maintain and conserve our local marine environment.”
“This unique habitat – home to mudskippers, dugongs, herons and otters – was on the verge of being destroyed. But these plans were suspended only after activists commissioned a biodiversity survey, wrote their own report and submitted a petition to the Government. It was a shining day for activism. But we should not protect our marine spaces only when ordinary people take extraordinary action. These areas deserve statutory protection. Which areas should we protect? As our first marine park, the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park should receive more protection by elevating it to a nature reserve. The waters around the islands of Pulau Ubin, Pulau Semakau, Pulau Hantu, Pulau Jong, Pulau Biola, Pulau Satumu, St John’s Island, Kusu Island and Lazarus Island are all rich in biodiversity and have great potential as marine parks. I hope we can designate these areas as marine parks first before subsequently considering them to be nature reserves. These waters are familiar to Inez, who is an avid diver and a nature guide. She shared this with me: “As a frequent diver, I have had the opportunity to conduct research with NUS and explore Singapore's Southern Islands. I have witnessed first-hand the remarkable biodiversity present in our waters, including sightings of blacktip reef sharks, blue-spotted fantail rays, large groupers and vibrant coral ecosystems. I strongly believe that we need to take action to protect our marine spaces and ensure their conservation for future generations.” The third proposal is that we go beyond protecting what we have to restoring what we have lost. Our community of activists is working hard on the ground to protect our marine spaces. Samantha Thian, who founded Seastainable, is one such activist.”
“However, there remain gaps in our knowledge and they need the Government's support to continue and intensify their work. Our last marine biodiversity survey was in 2015. The last edition of the Singapore Red Data Book List on species in Singapore was in 2008. Our database of knowledge is due for an update. I hope that the Government can provide support to and work with researchers to update and plug gaps in our existing knowledge on our marine ecosystems. Knowledge can be translated into action. In addition to her research work, Sam co-founded “Our Singapore Reefs”, which connects marine enthusiasts through diving and raises awareness on marine biodiversity through outreach programmes. She tells me, “I envision a future where we can all work hand in hand to create spaces where wildlife can co-exist with humans. Together with our research, conservation and community initiatives, we can better safeguard our native biodiversity and keep our ecosystems healthy with more legislation, funding support and long-term partnership from the Government.” The second proposal is that as we learn more about our marine spaces, we also take steps to protect these spaces. We should designate more marine areas as nature reserves or marine parks. Nature spaces that are designated as nature reserves, national parks or public parks enjoy protection under the Parks and Trees Act. Nature reserves and national parks get the most protection. Any changes to their boundaries can only be amended after debate in Parliament. But public parks like marine parks do not enjoy the same level of protection. Their boundaries can be redrawn without the scrutiny of Parliament. This is not just a hypothetical possibility. In 2001, the Government had already finalised plans to reclaim the Chek Jawa wetlands.”
“I am glad that the Government is joining the world in protecting this rich biodiversity. At last year's United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15), the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted to conserve 30% of the world's land, coastal areas and oceans by 2030. Singapore has committed to contribute to these global targets and I am glad that, once again, Singapore is playing a role as a responsible international party. The second reason our marine ecosystems are important is climate change. Marine ecosystems trap carbon and keep it from worsening climate change. How much carbon? Looking at just our mangroves, a 2015 study found that they contain as much carbon as the annual emission of 620,000 people. Mangroves also help in adaptation efforts against sea level rise and coral reefs reduce wave energy. Such nature-based solutions against climate change can provide over one-third of the mitigation needed to achieve net-zero by 2050. They need to be part of our roadmap to net zero. To help these marine ecosystems to be our swords and shields against climate change, we should protect them. How can we further protect our marine spaces? I have three proposals to learn more, protect more and restore what we have lost. These are not my ideas but what our young researchers and activists, Sam Shu Qin, Inez Alsagoff and Samantha Thian are calling for. Many of our marine advocates are up in the gallery. This is their Adjournment Motion. The first proposal is to learn more about our marine spaces. We have many passionate scientists who are studying our marine spaces. One such scientist is Sam. She is a coral scientist who has been actively studying our coral reefs. Scientists like Sam are working hard to study our marine spaces.”
“Sir, I have spoken up many times for a green Singapore. Last year, I wore green in this House during our debate on sustainability and the environment, and I have literally gone green by painting my face and my hands completely green to show how serious Nee Soon is in cutting our carbon emissions. Do not worry, Sir, I promise I will not be painting my face or hands during this speech. I am heartened to see that Singapore has become greener in all aspects of life. We now have the Singapore Green Plan 2030, the Singapore Green Building Masterplan, the Maritime Singapore Green Initiative, Singapore Green Bond Framework and the Singapore Green Finance Centre. I thank the Government for listening to and partnering with civil society and businesses to take bold action to green Singapore. As we keep getting greener, let us also not forget the other important colour – blue. Today, Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin and I will be speaking up for our blue nature spaces. I will be calling for greater protection for our marine spaces and Ms Samdin will be focusing on one of our other important blue spaces – the Southern Islands. Let me start by talking about why our marine ecosystems are important. The first reason is biodiversity. We have a rich marine ecosystem of mangroves, mudflats, coral reefs, intertidal zones and seagrass meadows. We are home to 25% of the world's coral species, 55% of mangrove plants in Asia and 52% of seagrass species in the Indo-Pacific. These numbers may continue to increase as we discover and rediscover more species. The Neptune's Cup Sponge, thought to be globally extinct, was rediscovered near St John's Island in 2011. Just last year, we discovered three new species of moss animals in the Sisters' Islands Marine Park.”
“I hope these efforts continue and we do not wait for another pandemic to further improve living conditions, enforce electronic payment for all workers and sustain partnership with civil society. I also hope that we ride on the momentum of the progress we have made and continue to improve conditions for our migrant friends. Another pandemic is too high a price for us to pay to learn the lessons again. Let me end with a quote I have used in many speeches to remind all of us in this House that, "There is no us or them, only us, one human family connected in ways we sometimes forget."”
“MOM has said that electronic payments help prevent salary disputes as there are digital records for each transaction. This benefit applies workers whether or not they live in dormitories. We have proven that it is possible for virtually all workers living in dormitories to be electronically paid. We once thought this to be impossible. Let us go the further step and mandate electronic payment for all work permit holders. Last, the final win that I hope to celebrate is the strong partnership that we have forged between the Government and civil society through this pandemic. Many, many NGOs and ground-up initiatives sprung up to support our workers on all fronts. Civil society truly stepped up to provide material items from masks, sanitisers, daily necessities and food to the less tangible but no less important needs such as mental wellness helplines and other initiatives to provide emotional and psychological support. Regular sharing sessions between the Government and NGOs ensured that we could work in tandem towards the common goal of improving conditions for our migrant workers. In times of need, we saw how the Government and civil society can work as one and complement each other's efforts. It was a win-win partnership and can continue to be. As our work for migrant workers continue beyond COVID-19, so should this partnership. I hope we maintain the channels of communication and continue the collaboration between the Government and civil society for migrant workers issues – in fact, for all other issues as well. Sir, the progress that we achieved over COVID-19 did not happen overnight. These were issues that civil society has called for, for many years.”
“While new dormitories after September 2021 must comply with the new dormitory standards, existing dormitories or those before September 2021 can operate based on past standards. We reviewed dormitory conditions and decided 3.5 square metres per person and 15 residents to a common toilet is unacceptable. We cannot say these standards are unacceptable for some but continue to live with these standards for others. I understand that MOM is looking into how existing infrastructure can be converted to meet the updated standards. I hope we can set a concrete timeline for all dormitories to meet these minimum standards. Again, I hope it does not take another pandemic for living conditions to improve further. The second win is increased enforcement of electronic payment of salaries. Electronic payment protects low-wage migrant workers against underpayment or illegal kickbacks by creating a paper trail. I first spoke up in 2016 for electronic payment for Work Permit holders. At that point of time, MOM's response was that electronic payments could not be made mandatory. This was because of difficulties in maintaining minimum bank balances. SMEs also faced operational challenges and costs. We were stuck at only about two-thirds of all workers receiving salaries electronically for years. When COVID-19 struck, electronic payment was made mandatory for workers in dormitories because employers had no other way of accessing workers who were in lockdown. By January 2021, 97% of all employers were paying salaries electronically. It took a pandemic for us to achieve the last mile in electronic payment for workers in dormitories. While we celebrate this win, let us not forget that we are only talking about workers in dormitories. What about other workers not living in dormitories?”
“I hope we do not unlearn these lessons and use the momentum from COVID-19 to continue our fight for a more inclusive and fairer Singapore for our migrant workers. The first win I hope to celebrate is the progress that we have made in improving dormitory conditions. I first spoke up in 2017 about the living conditions of migrant workers. Our migrant friends leave their homes to build and clean ours. The least we can do is give them proper homes in Singapore while they are here. Before COVID-19, there were an average of 12 to 16 residents per room. Their beds, which were usually double-decker beds, could be crammed together without any minimum spacing between beds. Each resident usually had less than 3.5 square metres of living space. Sleeping spaces and communal facilities for cooking, dining and laundry did not have to be separated. Up to 15 residents could share one set of common toilets. Imagine being confined in this space with nowhere to go for months. I am glad this has now changed for some workers. After a comprehensive review of existing dormitory standards, we have now improved standards for new dormitories. Our new standards include a maximum of 12 residents in a room, en-suite toilets, no more than six residents to one toilet, adequate fans, more spacious rooms, adequate space between beds and even in-room Wi-Fi. I thank MOM for engaging with employers, dormitory operators, migrant workers, NGOs and architects in preparing these standards. I am also glad that our Foreign Employee Dormitories Act has been extended from larger dormitories with 1,000 or more workers to smaller dormitories with seven beds or more. These are improvements that civil society has been calling for. Today, they are a reality – but only for some workers.”
“Sir, COVID-19 was a trying time. We pulled through together as a nation. A silver lining of this difficult period is that it shone the spotlight on the invisible in our community. One such group is our low-wage migrant workers. COVID-19 highlighted their plight. These were very difficult times. I received desperate messages from workers confined in their dormitories, photos of poor living conditions and photos of poor quality of food. But COVID-19 also showed how the community came together to help our migrant friends and to address many of these problems that existed for many years. I thank the many NGOs, activists, citizens and Government agencies who worked tirelessly through COVID-19 to help our migrant friends. During the pandemic, we made great strides in improving dormitory conditions and enforcing electronic payment of salaries. The Government and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) have worked very hard to make these changes a reality with the support from civil society. The pandemic showed us that many things which we previously thought were impossible could in fact be done with willpower and collaboration between the Government and civil society. The pandemic has passed. But many of the problems that our migrant workers face will not. I want to celebrate our wins in my speech today in improving dormitory conditions and enforcing electronic payment and partnership between the Government and civil society. But I also hope that we do not take this progress for granted. The pandemic was a painful lesson that the fight for good living conditions and electronic payments are not just issues that are good for our migrant workers. They are also good for the Government, for employers and for public health. These were painful lessons to learn.”
“Thank you, Sir. I thank the Second Minister for the reply. Could I just ask whether the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) can publish this environment impact report and also the social impact report; so, not just environment, to ensure that it does not impact the communities and the environment in Lao PDR?”
“My third and last area of clarification is on healthcare advertising controls. The new section 31B will restrict the use of the title "Doctor" in the advertising of a healthcare service. Where the title is used to describe someone who is not a medical practitioner or dentist, the advertisement must provide appropriate disclaimers, such as by stating that the title is not a medical or dental qualification. But there are other ways for advertisements to mislead consumers without using the word "Doctor". For instance, the advertisements could feature people wearing scrubs, using stethoscopes, operating medical machinery and examining medication. Can the Senior Minister of State share how MOH will address the risk of misleading advertising through the use of visual imagery? Further, it is possible that written disclaimers will be insufficient, particularly if the disclaimer is verbose or if the advertisement is cleverly designed. Some consumers, such as those who do not speak English, may also fail to understand the disclaimers. They will see the word "Doctor" but not benefit from the disclaimer. Can Minister share whether the Ministry considered a full ban on the use of the title "Doctor" in healthcare advertising, given the risk of misleading advertising? After all, is there really an honest reason for a healthcare advertisement to invoke the title "Doctor" without actually referring to a medical doctor or dentist? It is healthcare; let us not let advertisers get too creative. Notwithstanding these clarifications, I support the Bill.”
“Can Minister provide details and examples on how it will leverage this licensing regime to regulate telemedicine? Will these regulations compel changes to ethical and professional codes? My second clarification is on the removal of the 14-day notice requirement for modifications of a licence condition. Section 14 will be amended to clarify that a licence condition can be modified without the 14-day notice period if it is necessary to prevent or mitigate immediate or imminent harm to patient safety. An example provided by MOH of a situation that may require quick changes to licensing conditions is COVID-19. The stakeholder consultations on the amendments raised concerns about frequent updates in healthcare protocols that are understandably disruptive. To help licensees better understand the exceptional situations where licensing conditions may be changed without the required notice, can the Minister provide more examples of such situations? In MOH's reply to the public consultation responses, MOH said that it will review and see how to improve its communications with licensees during these special circumstances. Can the Senior Minister of State provide details on its review? What steps will it take to improve communications? Will these communication methods be stress-tested ahead of time and not implemented only when the exceptional situations occur? The section 14 exception for notice is specific only to a situation where there may be harm to patient safety. However, crises in a healthcare setting can also pose harm to healthcare workers. Has the Ministry considered if there are any situations where licensing conditions may need to be changed without notice because of harm to healthcare workers?”
“Sir, this Bill will allow for more informed decision making on healthcare services by requiring greater transparency in the advertising of services. This Bill also introduces an approval framework for licences to providers of healthcare services which will strengthen and refine the regulation of healthcare services. I thank MOH for conducting a public consultation to prepare for this Bill. MOH's report of the public consultation shows that the feedback was constructive and that the Bill we see today contains changes made due to the public consultation. I hope MOH will continue this good practice of consulting the public before making changes to the law. I have clarifications in three areas. My first area for clarification is on the regulation of telemedicine. The Bill will require entities providing telemedicine services to be licensed and regulated. How will MOH regulate the risks posed by telemedicine? COVID-19 has accelerated the use of telemedicine. MOH has also facilitated it through its Licensing Experiment and Adaptation Programme as well as the Voluntary Listing of Direct Telemedicine Service Providers. Certain risks and concerns may be more prominent in telemedicine than in conventional medicine. The lack of in-person and physical examination may be more likely to prompt instances and claims of misdiagnosis. The online nature of doctor-patient interactions and the relative ease of recording these interactions may also increase the risk of breaches in doctor-patient confidentiality. That is not to mention the role of hackers, fraudsters, phishers and other cybersecurity threats that may see value in gaining access to the vulnerable and personal moments of doctor-patient consultations.”
“In 2021, there were about 80 public, private and not-for-profit nursing homes. Can Minister share how the Returning Officer will make an informed assessment individually specific to all nursing homes? Will the Returning Officer be required to seek the advice of medical and geriatric healthcare professionals in ensuring that any polling arrangements are appropriately made? Sir, notwithstanding these clarifications, I stand in support of both Bills.”
“But the failure to include required information in election advertising may be caused by honest mistakes. Such offenders are clearly less culpable than offenders who deliberately withhold information or provide false information. Can Minister share if individuals will be given an opportunity to correct breaches of election advertising requirements? Can Minister also share the rationale for the need to make the seven-year voting ban a mandatory sentence? My third and last area of clarification relates to the special polling arrangements at nursing homes. The amendments will allow special polling arrangements and mobile polling to be arranged to facilitate voting at nursing homes. A person in charge of a nursing home may inform the mobile polling team that a visit to an in-patient or resident is forbidden on medical grounds. The mobile polling team is then not allowed to visit or take the individual's vote. Given that this effectively means that the individual will not be able to exercise their vote, this provision gives the person in charge significant powers. Can Minister share what safeguards are in place to ensure that the person in charge exercises such powers responsibly? For instance, will a doctor's report be required to substantiate the medical grounds for forbidding the visit by a mobile polling team? Will the wishes of the resident to vote be taken into account? More generally, the Returning Officer is required to consider the conditions of electors, practicality and other peculiar circumstances in deciding whether to set up special polling stations and mobile polling teams. These are highly fact specific questions that require an understanding of the residents and healthcare knowledge.”
“Can Minister share how the enforcement of the provisions relating to publication of election advertising will take into account the differences between these two scenarios? Second, the Bill states that election advertising must include the identity particulars of persons who authorised making available to the general public the advertisement and who directed the election advertisement. Can Minister provide some examples to clarify the difference between authorising and directing an election advertisement? Third, "publish" will exclude any communication of content between two or more individuals that is of a private or domestic nature by electronic means. Can Minister clarify what private or domestic means given that a chat on WhatsApp and Telegram can range from two participants to thousands? Further, can Minister clarify how publication provisions will apply to a situation where communication of content between two or more individuals that is initially private or domestic in nature is subsequently forwarded on a wider scale? My second area of clarification relates to the penalties for breach of election advertising requirements. It will be an offence to publish or publicly display election advertising that does not include the required information. Those convicted of the offence will be barred from voting for seven years and the Court will have no discretion to reduce the sentence. This is extremely harsh. Under the current Parliamentary Elections Act and Presidential Elections Act, other so-called corrupt practices that similarly attract a seven-year ban include offences of making a false statement in relation to a candidate to affect the elections or making a false declaration as a candidate. Election advertising should be transparent.”
“Sir, the amendments introduced under both Bills will facilitate access to voting by voters overseas and in nursing homes, improve transparency in election advertising and strengthen election processes. I am, of course, glad to speak and I have clarifications in three areas. My first area of clarification relates to election advertising requirements. First, the definition of "publish" will be amended to include forwarding and sharing content. Given the ease of forwarding and sharing content on the Internet, it is not difficult to fall foul of these provisions. A number of provisions provides that the prosecution does not have to prove that an accused knew or had reason to believe that the content includes election advertising. There is a general defence for the accused to prove that he or she did not and could not reasonably have known of the offence and took all reasonable steps and exercised all due diligence. If interpreted strictly, this defence can be difficult to establish. Specific to election advertising, can Minister clarify whether it will be a defence for the accused to prove that he or she did not, in fact, know that the content includes election advertising? For instance, since the meaning of "content" includes hyperlinks and items that store data electronically, would it be a defence for the accused to prove that he or she did not access the hyperlink or folder? While the public should, of course, responsibly share information online, there is also a difference in culpability between a layperson who carelessly forwards messages and links to a friend and a political operator looking to influence the elections.”
“Thank you, Sir. Can I just ask how is MOM making sure that there is no under-reporting of workplace injuries?”
“The short supplementary question is this: we did equalise the maternity leave; we did provide the CDA component. I do believe that that did not result in a spike in the number of single unweds. I believe, in Japan as well, when they provided more support for single unwed parents, that also do not result in a spike in single unweds in the country. I do not think so as well. I do not think people have children just because —”
“Thank you, Sir. I do agree with Minister – the policies are there for a purpose. But policies can change and that is why in this Budget, we changed the whole rationale of the Working Mother's Child Relief. We thought at first it was to help the higher-income mothers to have children, but now, we are changing it to help the lower- and middle-income mothers. So, why can we not change it to help the single unweds as well? It is not a big group. I do not think a lot of single unwed parents pay taxes because again, the median salary is about $700 for those under age 35. They cannot be paying taxes. But this is about really removing the stigma and discrimination. I have raised this for many years now. Every year when I raise it, they said we will review it. I hope we sincerely review this and change our policies.”
“Thank you, Sir. And I thank the Minister for the reply. I have seen first-hand the suffering and pain that single unwed parents go through. So, could I ask for the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) look at it from two different perspectives. One, for the cash component of the Baby Bonus, it really is not a luxury for them, but a lifeline. Our own data shows that single unwed parents under age 35 have a median salary of $700. So, when the child is born, the mother and child, with $700, what can they really do? I hope we can provide this cash component because it really is a lifeline for these parents. Two, for the Working Mother's Child Relief and the Parenthood Tax Rebate, I hope MSF can look at this not from a fiscal cost standpoint, but one of stigma and discrimination. Minister Indranee, Minister of State Sun Xueling and myself saw first-hand how single unwed parents were in tears when they spoke about this stigma and discrimination. I think this policy of not providing this tax rebate and tax relief really reinforces the stigma and discrimination. So, I hope again, that we will relook this, not from a fiscal standpoint, but how giving them this relief and tax rebate can help to remove that discrimination.”
“I am glad we are increasing the number of childcare places but we also need to consider the timing. Let me share an example. At Yishun Glen, a new Build-To-Order (BTO) estate in Nee Soon East, most of the blocks have been completed and keys have been issued many months ago. But the childcare centre in the estate is still not completed. ECDA has not even announced the AOP who will run the centre. Even if the centre is completed tomorrow, it will take months more for the operator to take over and renovate the centre. Many of the estimated 179 children younger than seven living in Yishun Glen will need the childcare centre. Surrounding childcare centres are also quite full, so, parents are stuck. In the future, can ECDA appoint the childcare centre operator much earlier and work with HDB to have the main contractor of the BTO project build and renovate the childcare centre for the operator? All these efforts will help save valuable time and resources and will mean that the childcare centre can be ready when residents move into their new homes. Support for Families”
“Thank you, Sir. I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for sharing about the efforts we are making in terms of helping with the nurses' workload, including removing some of the administrative work. Could I just ask, what else are we doing further? I know we are ramping up the hiring of more nurses, but that could be just replacing the nurses who are resigning; and we are in this vicious cycle. In all the dialogues with nurses, there is this a recurring cry for help and fatigue. It is really not like a two-day vacation to rest and recharge but, really, they are burning out. I fear that we will lose more instead of being able to hire more. Again, that is the vicious cycle that we are in now.”
“The Leader just told me that I always ask for more and I should ask for less as well. So, I will. Less workload for our nurses. As I shared during my Budget speech, many nurses do not get any rest while on shift. Nurses' dedication to and responsibility for their patients mean that many sacrifice their break time for patients. We should not expect our nurses to work without proper breaks, which places physical, mental and emotional stress on them. Can MOH ensure that nurses' breaks during their shifts are protected? Nurses' Rest Time between Shifts Not only do nurses barely get a chance to rest during their shift, they often get insufficient rest between shifts. It is not uncommon for nurses to work overtime and a PM-AM-PM-AM shift – or PAPA shift. This means that nurses work two consecutive sets of afternoon shifts and morning shifts. Many nurses are burnt out and tired and this affects patient safety too. Can MOH look into ensuring that nurses have a minimum amount of rest between shifts, similar to what we do for air stewardesses and air stewards? More Support Staff for Nurses Lastly, during the height of the pandemic, 900 Singapore Airlines cabin crew were redeployed as Care Ambassadors to support our healthcare staff. Nurses shared with me that they appreciated the presence of these Care Ambassadors who addressed the patients' service needs, allowing nurses to focus on clinical work. Will MOH look into formalising the role of Care Ambassadors and providing our nurses with more support through hiring more ancillary healthcare staff so that they can focus more on clinical work?”
“It is time for us to increase the penalties for animal abuse and cruelty and also increase the length of time offenders can be disqualified from owning animals. We should also emphasise the role of Mandatory Treatment Order as a sentencing option. I understand the Ministry is reviewing this and I hope Minister can provide an update and timeline for this review.”
“Sir, it is the year of the rabbit but it really should be the year of the cat in this House. As a matter of consistency, I am raising the issue of the keeping cats in HDB flats again this year, similar to the last few years. I am speaking up because this policy of not allowing the keeping of cats just does not make any sense, we do not even enforce it and it is not fair. Why discriminate against people who keep cats? So many people are already keeping cats in HDB, so many Members of this House see our residents breaking this policy and so many people have provided legitimate and good reasons as to why this policy should change. I am glad we have finally done a public consultation on this issue and it seems we are moving forward. I hope Minister can provide a further update on the progress on this issue and share some of the brief conditions the Ministry is considering imposing to allow the keeping of cats in HDB flats. The cats are tired of running and hiding and it is time to end this cat and mouse game. Penalties for Animals Abuse and Cruelty More than a decade ago, before I was elected as a Member of Parliament, I sat in the Animal Welfare Legislative Review Committee to review Singapore's animal welfare legislation. It has been quite some time since we last increase penalties for animal abuse and cruelty. It is time we review this again. Stories of animal abuse have emerged in the news with worrying frequency. Several cases of animal cruelty and abuse have also come before the Court. We know for a fact that the number of animal cruelty and welfare feedback to AVS has also risen over the years. There is also growing awareness and concerns about animal welfare and rightly so.”
“Sir, the work of MSE is a very diverse and very important one. It covers the food we eat, the environment we live in, the water we drink and, of course, the future of humankind, in terms of protecting our planet and fighting climate change. And I did not forget and did not run out of time – the air we breathe, second-hand smoke as well. I know I ask some difficult questions, especially to Senior Minister of State Amy, but since she says she is immune to it, we can continue. But I want to record my sincere appreciation for the hard work by all the office holders, the team and staff members at MSE, NEA, PUB, SFA. Thank you for all your hard work. I thank all the Members of Parliament who have spoken up as well, to question our policies, to make our policies better, and I should also record our thanks to Chairman and the team at Parliament, for greening Parliament. For again, ending the use of disposable cups, for turning up the air-con temperature, so we sweat it out as we debate here – all in the spirit of cutting our emissions. And I hope, Chairman, will note that I am the first Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) to thank you in the wrap-up speech. But you should take note of me as Louis Ng, not Louis Chua. [Laughter.] With that, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. [(proc text) Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. (proc text)] [(proc text) The sum of $2,432,080,200 for Head L ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. (proc text)] [(proc text) The sum of $1,056,918,300 for Head L ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. (proc text)]”
“Thank you, Sir. I thank Minister for the good news about the green procurement, the disposable carrier bag charge. Could I ask whether we have a timeline in terms of when we will expand the green procurement practices and the disposable bag charge? And whether the Ministry will consider publishing a roadmap for these expansions, similar to what we have done for our carbon tax? Second, I am sure Senior Minister of State Amy Khor did not do this on purpose, but she did not respond to my cuts on second-hand smoke. Could I ask her whether we can do a public consultation or set up a citizens workgroup to tackle this issue of second-hand smoke?”
“I am glad that Nee Soon East was one of the pilot sites for Project Wolbachia. I remember walking around the estate with a container of live male mosquitoes to show residents that male mosquitoes do not bite. I am quite sure many residents thought I was crazy and that I have finally really lost it. It was extremely difficult to explain why we were releasing mosquitoes to reduce the mosquito population. It just did not make sense for many residents but they trust that we were doing the right thing and supported this innovative project. I am very glad that the results of Project Wolbachia have been so positive. This project has been vital in combating dengue and saving lives. On behalf of Nee Soon East residents, I thank MSE and NEA for launching this project. I have seen first-hand how effective Project Wolbachia is. It should be expanded to more areas in Singapore – in fact, all areas. Can the Ministry provide an update on the progress of Project Wolbachia and the timelines for this project to be extended throughout Singapore? Update on Project Wolbachia”
“Second-hand Smoke in Homes I am sure Senior Minister of State Amy Khor is tired of hearing me repeat myself and of repeating her replies even though she just told me that she is immune to it. I continue to raise the issue of second-hand smoke because it continues to be a problem many people face and people continue to have no solutions that will protect them from the dangers of second-hand smoke. Second-hand smoke kills and is a public health issue rather than a neighbourly dispute. Many times, we tell our residents that the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals (CDRT) may be a solution. Let me share the voice of Ms Chong. She shared how even a CDRT court order was powerless to help protect her family from second-hand smoke. 6.45 pm She shared the following in a forum letter, “A chain-smoking neighbour exposes my family to smoke every single day. The exposure to toxic second-hand smoke has greatly affected our health, living and lives. My mother often suffers from coughing and throat irritation, which make it difficult for her to eat as she chokes easily. We obtained a court order from the CDRT in June 2022, but this was not enough to stop the smoking.” To help Ms Chong and so many other residents, can the Ministry conduct a public consultation and set up a citizens’ workgroup to study the issue of second-hand smoke in homes? Keeping Food Affordable at Hawker Centres”
“Sir, I have been raising the tackling of e-waste for many years now. It is an issue close to my heart as I see so much wastage of precious resources. E-waste that is improperly handled can also be toxic and damage the environment. I am glad we are finally seeing progress in terms of tackling e-waste. E-waste bins are now a common sight in our neighbourhoods and malls. The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) System for e-waste ensures the proper handling of e-waste and that valuable resources can be extracted. Given that it has been two years since the e-waste EPR was implemented, can the Ministry provide an update whether the scheme has been successful in increasing e-waste recycling rates? Can the Ministry share what other measures it is studying to further increase e-waste recycling rates? Disposable Carrier Bag Charge It has been almost five years since I delivered an Adjournment Motion to call for a charge on single-use carrier bags. Five years later, this has become a reality and we will soon be debating a Bill to make a disposable carrier bag charge at supermarkets compulsory. Many supermarkets and shops have already started to charge for disposable bags. I am glad that many Singaporeans have adapted to this. I often see shoppers bring their own reusable bags or decline to take disposable bags for small items. I believe we are starting to see a mindset shift. Can the Ministry share whether we will look into extending the requirements to convenience stores? In particular, the small disposable carrier bags for small convenience stores purchases are often unnecessary. Can the Government provide a roadmap for the expansion of the disposable carrier bag charge so that people and businesses know where we are heading towards and can prepare for it?”
“The Public Service is one of the biggest users of services in Singapore. Its procurement contracts are very significant in value. Public agencies abide by the procurement principles of transparency, open and fair competition and value for money. For many years, I have called for sustainability to be included as a principle of Government procurement. I have also called to expand life cycle costing to more categories of products, by measuring and setting standards for carbon footprint and publishing a yearly sustainability report. Many of our Government contractors also service other clients. When we tighten our sustainability requirements, it can spark process improvements across the supply chain, creating a multiplier effect. Can the Government share how it is driving green procurement to create a green economy? Will the Government introduce a green procurement roadmap similar to our carbon tax roadmap to help businesses prepare and change mindsets much earlier? Green Procurement in Public Sector”
“We are also doing well in advancing food resilience and security, ensuring water sustainability and transforming and uplifting the hawker industry. Now that we done so much and done so well in all the above aspects, we now have some breathing space and some time to devote to tackling second-hand smoke. Our residents need their breathing space and need us to change our policies so they can protect themselves and their loved ones from the dangers of second-hand smoke. Like climate change, you cannot just adapt to secondhand smoke. Like complaints about high-rise littering, complaints about secondhand smoke is rising, it is doubled. And like high-rise littering, we need to amend our policies and even our laws to tackle secondhand smoke. Like Project Wolbachia, we can be creative and come up with ways to detect, deter and wipe out secondhand smoke. I know Senior Minister of State Amy Khor is equally concerned about secondhand smoke and I know that we can move forward on this issue like so many other issues I have debated her in this House over the years. There are lots more issues to cover. I know my Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) colleagues, fellow Members of Parliament and I will be asking lots more questions and I look forward to a robust debate. [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)] Singapore Green Plan 2030”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head L of the Estimates be reduced by $100". Sir, during the debate on the Carbon Pricing (Amendment) Bill, I did not raise my hand but Mr Speaker thought he saw my hand raised and called me for my clarification. I do hope he does this more often and calls my name; my correct name more often as well. But for that occasion, I really did not raise my hand and I replied to him that, for once, I have no questions. And that is the truth. I had no questions as I sincerely believe that we are heading in the right direction in terms of our climate policies. There is no doubt there is still work to be done but we have done so much in the past few years to not just adapt to climate change but, most importantly, mitigate climate change. We are significantly cutting our emissions and getting everyone on board on this important journey to save our planet. We have also done a phenomenal job in our #SayYesToWasteLess campaign and for all of us to go zero waste. The Extended Producer Responsibility, the upcoming disposable carrier bag charge, the Deposit Refund Scheme are all steps in the right direction and positively respond to the calls by so many activists who have called for these for many years. We are also taking active steps to solve problems we all face on the ground. We will be more effective in tackling high rise litter with the recent amendments to the Environmental Public Health Act and Project Wolbachia is proving a vital tool in our efforts to combat dengue. We are also uplifting our lower income workers with the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for workers in our cleaning and waste management sectors.”
“Thank you, Sir. I appreciate the Minister of State shared that we are not ready to legislate parent care leave yet, but can I at least ask that we consider tripartite standards or tripartite guidelines on paid parent care leave? Second, could I ask what are the reasons as to why the Government provides parent care leave to public servants and how those reasons do not apply to all other workers?”
“Deputy Prime Minister highlighted how we want to help our seniors age with grace, dignity and security. Having good healthcare and retirement funds are important. But none of these are a substitute for time with their children. Just last Saturday, a resident shared during my home visit at Block 205 that he needed leave from work to bring his mother for her repeated medical appointments. Legislating parent care leave will let Singaporeans be there to care for their parents. I am sure the Government feels the same way. All public servants have had parent care leave for over 10 years. It is time to expand this to all workers. Flexible Work Arrangements”
“Just a quick one. I mean, to put things into perspective, every other day, one person in Singapore dies that is attributed to second-hand smoke. And I think that is a perspective that we should really look into.”
“Thank you, Sir. Could I just ask the Senior Minister of State for the data of the 900 instances last year, how many are first-time complaints and how many are repeated complaints? Second, while it is increased and then decreased, I think the data still shows that pre-pandemic, and now, post-pandemic the data look like it is doubled the number of complaints. So, I have asked this before, could I ask again, what is the threshold that we are looking at before we will really look into changing our policies? Is there a specific number of complaints we need to receive, like high-rise littering, before something changes?”
“I thank the Minister of State for the reply. Could I ask whether the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) can start tracking, in terms of number of children who are injured in taxi accidents? I think we need to understand that the magnitude of problem, and then, decide whether there needs to be a shift in the policy. And second clarification relates to the first. Could I ask MHA, from a safety standpoint, why is that this exemption for taxis under the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Wearing of Seat Belts) Rules of 2011? From a safety standpoint, why is that an exemption? I know I have asked the Ministry of Transport (MOT) that, but perhaps, I could hear from MHA what their perspectives are. Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Sir, I thank the Member for the supplementary questions. This is not the first time the Member has been asking, and in fact, one is we take his suggestion. And second, since the time he started to ask until today, I think we can agree that there have been positive developments. And if you look back at the answers provided by my colleagues from MOT as well as MHA, you realise that because there are diverse needs within the society, for the transport aspect of it. But at the same time, we also look at the safety of the passengers. And today, you have the ride hail app, which provides that option to those who may want to take this option. At least, three companies have provided that option. This is a very positive development. During some of the pilots that either MOT or MHA had, the response was quite mixed. So, I think it is something that we need to navigate carefully, but my personal view is that things have moved positively and we need to continue this journey, putting in mind the diverse needs of our people with safety at the forefront.”
“Thank you, Sir. I thank the Minister for the reply. I spoke up about the workload of social workers during my Budget debate speech last year. Two clarifications. One, it seems like the caseload has dropped, so could I ask what efforts the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) has put in, in terms of reducing the amount of work for our social workers? And two, whether there is also a similar reduction in the amount of administrative work that social workers are doing in the last FY?”
“I almost want to say I have to apologise for whatever I have done again. I know Minister Vivian is very concerned about refugees and has also personally visited the refugee camp. So, two clarifications on that point. As I shared in my cut, it has been six years since we increased our contributions to the UNHCR. I think the reply is that we are not doing it now. So, could I just ask when is the next review for our contributions to UNHCR? Second, I really do hope we can consider some limited scholarships to a limited number of refugees, so that we can give them some hope and, perhaps, some future in this world we live in.”
“In Singapore, we say education is a great equaliser and we tell our children that if you study and work hard, you have a chance of succeeding. But this is not possible for many refugee children around the world. I understand that Singapore faces difficulties in accepting refugees because of our small land size and I am not asking for that. We had around 1,700 international students on scholarship in 2019. Can the Government consider following the Philippines and extending scholarships to a limited number of refugees? Non-Resident Ambassadors”
“Sir, through my visits to Rohingya refugee camps, I have seen firsthand the amazing work that United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) does in helping the most vulnerable, defenseless and voiceless people. UNHCR serves millions of refugees. They need money to help them, but the UNHCR was about $4 billion, or 44% short of the budget that it needs to carry out its work. In 2021, Singapore ranked 103rd on a list of 125 donors to the UNHCR. Contributions that ranked ahead of Singapore included countries with a far lower per capita gross domestic product (GDP). I previously asked that we increase our contributions. The Government responded that we are a small country with limited resources. I understand that and I also appreciate that our contribution is comparable to that of other ASEAN countries. It has been six years since we increased our contributions by $10,000, to US$60,000 annually now. Can we do our part by considering increasing our contributions to the UNHCR further? Support for Refugees Almost every month, I join volunteers in Nee Soon East and Darul Makmur mosque to teach students at a refugee school. We talk to the children about their ambition. I struggle because I know their dreams are almost impossible because they are refugees with very little hope of getting citizenship. Amazingly, without formal education, four of them have completed their GSCE "O" Levels and are now pursuing a university degree and citizenship under the Philippines' Complementary Pathways programme. I met with two of them, Rehana and Saber, who just started their degree in accountancy and I finally saw hope in their eyes. They have been refugees their whole lives.”
“Thank you, Sir. I have a clarification for Minister Indranee. Just two points. One on paternity leave. I think we know that fathers in more labour intensive jobs are taking less paternity leave. Could I ask that at least the Prime Minister's Office could deep dive into this and look into specific jobs with the lowest paternity leave usage and see how we can focus our efforts on helping employees in those jobs? Second on fertility leave, could the Prime Minister's Office at least look into launching a pilot whereby we can give fertility leave to public servants first and see whether that has been effective in helping some of our public servants for a start?”
“My dad passed away just before his retirement, before he could spend time with his family after working so hard his whole life. I lost time with him that I will never get back. I want to make sure no one goes through the pain I went through and still go through each day. Giving childcare sick leave, paternity leave, parent-care leave, fertility leave and all the other leaves I fought for is not just about the minutes and seconds, but about giving people precious time to spend with their loved ones while balancing work commitments. Supporting Parenthood via Parental Leave”