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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“IVF is extremely stressful for both husband and wife. One doctor shared that some female patients were not allowed time off from work for their fertility appointments. He has also shared he met some men who break down because they do not know how to accompany their wives without employer support. Some women may end up leaving the workforce because of this lack of workplace support. The Government has urged employers to be sensitive to couples undergoing IVF. But we need to do more than just urge. As we create a Singapore made for families, the Government can do more to help employers be more sympathetic by introducing gender neutral fertility leave. This will support couples, send employers a clear signal, and trigger mindset shifts in the workplace. SG Made for Families – Flexible Work Arrangements And finally, this pandemic has shown that working from home is possible. Through many surveys, we know that people want this option. The Government has also shared many times how flexible work arrangements (FWAs) help businesses. In his Budget speech, Deputy Prime Minister said that FWAs are a key component in helping parents manage work and family commitments. We cannot have a Singapore made for families without FWAs. I know we are implementing the tripartite guidelines next year. The question is, why wait so long? Businesses already had the experience of the past three years to structure themselves around FWAs. There is no better time than now to lean into FWAs. Can we implement the tripartite guidelines on FWAs this year and also consider legislating the guidelines instead of having them only as guidelines? I should also say that I have spoken up so much about giving time because I have lost time.”
“Can we do more to help our employers, similar to how the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) supports employers when it comes to reservist obligations? Can the Government work with companies more closely and consider more incentives to ensure their employees use both their paternity and maternity leaves? SG Made for Families – Childcare Sick Leave Parents struggled during the pandemic to find time to look after their children who had COVID-19 or when their schools closed. Things are not getting any easier as we emerge from the pandemic. For many, the lack of time to look after their children continues. Worse still, Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) is back which can keep children away from school for about two weeks. I experienced this first-hand when all my children got HFMD previously and COVID-19. The Government knows many parents are begging for childcare sick leave. The Government knows how important this leave is and already gives it to public servants. I have been calling for childcare sick leave for many years because both our children and our parents need this. They need this breathing space. I am sure Minister Indranee agrees as well. And I agree too that we have to balance this with the needs of businesses, especially SMEs. Will PMO form a citizens' workgroup to look into recommendations about childcare sick leave that will address both the concerns of working parents and businesses? SG Made for Families – Fertility Leave One of the best journeys has been my parenthood journey. I am grateful that I have three healthy, happy and crazy girls and I proudly share many stories of Ella, Katie and Poppy in this House. But I have three children only with the help of IVF which is a physically and emotionally painful journey. We can do more to help those undergoing IVF.”
“Sir, last year, Minister Josephine spoke in this House about whether paternity and maternity leave should be equalised to better reflect the desire for equal sharing of responsibilities. She said, "Questions like these should not be forgotten. Every now and then, we should revisit them. And even if we do not, Mr Louis Ng will make sure that we do". Sir, I am here to fulfill this prophecy and make sure we revisit this important question. Like many, I am happy we have doubled paternity leave. As Minister Indranee knows – and she bore the brunt of my repeated questions – I have fought for this for many years. As we celebrate this good news, and I do not want to sound too greedy, we need to ask for more, 12 more weeks of paternity leave. We should remember that an IPS research found that our family policies continue to signal that childcare is a woman's responsibility and reinforce gender stereotypes. We should not do this overnight but can gradually increase paternity leave over many years. Will the Government commit to this and announce a roadmap for equalising the leaves? SG Made for Families – Paternity Leave The times I spent with my children during my paternity leave were precious time. It is time we can never get back. I am glad we have doubled paternity leave, but we urgently need to look into increasing the usage of paternity leave. As the Deputy Prime Minister said, "We want paternal involvement to be the norm in our society and we will stand behind all fathers who want to play a bigger role in raising our children." Indeed, we should but we know that only about half of fathers use their paternity leave and the key reason for this low uptake is the lack of workplace support.”
“Sir, I welcome the commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. I also commend our revised 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution, which was submitted after a public consultation. I also thank the many activists and individuals on the ground who have worked tirelessly over many years for Singapore to be more ambitious on our climate goals. In my speech last year, I shared the stories of Esther from CDL, Lastrina, Cheryl and Swati from SYCA, Xiang Tian from LepakinSG and Wei-Shan from YP. There are many others fighting alongside them. They hold us accountable to our promises to future generations. Net-zero emissions by 2050 is an important but not an easy goal. The public sector has committed to taking the lead of achieving net-zero emissions around 2045. Can the Government share how it intends for the public sector to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045 and for the nation to reach the goal of net zero by 2050? Climate Support for Businesses Achieving net zero by 2050 has to be a whole-of-nation effort involving the Government, civil society, businesses and individuals. In 2021, the industrial sector and energy sector collectively contributed to 88% of Singapore's greenhouse gas emissions. While we encourage individuals to adopt low-carbon practices, efforts directed at the industrial and energy sectors will have the most impact on our nation's carbon emissions. Additionally, transitioning to a green industry will create more jobs. Can the Government share how it will move away from emissions-intensive industries? Will the Government provide a roadmap for the nation in achieving net-zero emissions by ensuring that all 23 industry transformation maps are reviewed with the goal of net zero by 2050? Climate Ambitions”
“Just to ask whether we can put a cap in terms of the salary reduction. Because I know there are cases where the salary could be reduced by more than 50% which is quite significant for some of the migrant workers.”
“Thank you, Sir. I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. I think he mentioned 3% of the workers. Could I just get an absolute number? Second, could I just ask whether MOM can review my earlier suggestion? I do understand that there is a need for flexibility in terms of salary reduction, but could we at least cap it? Because I know there are cases where there can be a reduction of more than 50% of their salary. Could I also just ask how does MOM proactively look for cases where there had been salary reduction but were not reported to MOM?”
“Thank you, Sir. I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. Could I just ask whether MOM can look at this from a different perspective? Which is that this could help to tackle this issue of power imbalance. I have seen first-hand that many migrant workers are very scared to report kickbacks, for example, because they are scared of losing their jobs and that the employer will send them back home. So, if they know that there is a directory out there where they can find an alternative job, we can also make sure that it is within the same salary range. So, we also address employers' concerns of migrant workers job-hopping for higher salaries. I think if we look at it from this perspective, perhaps this could help to tackle this issue of the power imbalance.”
“As we transition out of the pandemic, the workload of nurses has not eased and they continue to be on the frontline when it comes to our health. There are there for us in good times and bad times and we need to be there for them now, to protect them and help them when they need us the most.”
“However, concurrent with shoring up recruitment, let us retain those already in the profession. To retain nurses, we of course have to ensure that salaries are competitive. But we must also go beyond the monetary. The need for more rest is the recurring cry for help that I hear from nurses. Can we help our nurses have more rest by mandating protected rest time between shifts, providing strong protections for rest time during shifts, and hiring more support staff, including ancillary care staff and Patient Care Officers? Nurses care for us and those who are dear to us. But the burden of that care is now too heavy for them. As one shared, "Our health and our relationship with our families are compromised. We are taking care of people when we can’t even take good care of ourselves and our family." I have been struck by how many nurses I talked to spoke of their love for the profession and their desire to serve, even as they talked about how exhausted they are. Another nurse told me, "We are called back for overtime when staff is down, when we don’t go to work because we are tired, the management counts the number of times and mentions it in our appraisal for not being a team player and marks us down for it. These are just sad realities. We end up feeling burnt out and essentially hating the very job that we started loving. People leave because they see no end to this dark tunnel." I hope MOH can provide nurses with some light at the end of this dark tunnel and look into the three recommendations I have raised on their behalf. Sir, during the pandemic, we clapped for our nurses as part of the Clap for #SGUnited campaign, to show appreciation for those on the front lines of the fight against the pandemic.”
“More than 70% of nurses shared that the Care Ambassadors were helpful or very helpful in allowing them to focus on clinical care for patients. A nurse said, "The Care Ambassador helped to offload some of the non-nursing work and allowed nurses to be more focused on caring for sick patients who need more attention. The Care Ambassador was able to spend time talking to patients, allay their anxiety and make them feel supported." MOH has recognised that Care Ambassadors' service and communication instincts helped to alleviate the manpower tightness in healthcare institutions during the pandemic, allowing again nurses to focus on more complex clinical and care-related work. Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) has been working with SIA to train KTPH's new Patient Care Officers, a new role inspired by the Care Ambassadors. I hope MOH will consider studying and expanding KTPH's Patient Care Officers programme to other public hospitals. This will relieve the workload of nurses, enable them to deliver better patient care and ultimately reduce the attrition rate. Finally, as we hire more support staff, the current one nurse to four to five patient ratio must be enforced. Many nurses were upset when we shared in this House that "The typical nurse-to-bed ratio for general wards in public acute hospitals is one nurse for every four or five beds." The reality on the ground is far, far from this typical ratio that MOH shared. Nurses stressed to me that we should also ensure that the hiring of more ancillary healthcare workers or even Patient Care Officers should not affect the nurse-to-patient ratios. They need more nurses, not less. Sir, let me conclude. It is good news that MOH has acknowledged the manpower needs in the nursing industry and is working on recruitment.”
“Of the nurses surveyed, nearly 80% felt that they were not able to focus on clinical care because of administrative duties that were much heavier than necessary. MOH is already looking into recruiting healthcare ancillary staff for non-clinical duties. But beyond non-clinical administrative duties, patients and next-of-kin also demand customer service from nurses. Seventy-seven percent of nurses surveyed felt that they cannot focus on clinical work because too much time is spent on providing customer service to patients. One nurse commented that patients and families "want us to clean their surroundings for them, want us to heat up their food and water and even collect their food delivery orders." Another nurse said, "Sometimes patients and relatives will tend to request for nurses to do unreasonable things like washing their underwear, buying food for them, fixing their spoiled charger/handphone. Even as simple as changing the channel of the TV, they will ask nurses to do it for them. Sometimes, patients and relatives treat nurses as their personal helper." I understand that patients who are unwell and next-of-kin who are stressed understandably look to nurses for support. But the kind of customer service demanded by some patients and next-of-kin is a misuse of invaluable time and expertise of nurses who are already overworked. Yes, we can do a public education campaign on this, but nurses need us to do much more to help them. Nurses shared with me that they appreciated the 900 Singapore Airlines cabin crew who were redeployed as Care Ambassadors during the height of COVID-19. These Care Ambassadors worked with nurses and doctors on non-clinical nursing tasks.”
“Emily, the nurse, shared with me a day of work for nurses in her ward, "one junior takes care of and showers 16 patients. At the same time, we have to make sure they get their breakfast and lunch, while checking their vital signs twice per shift or according to their doctors' orders. We have to make sure every intake or output – drains, urine, motions – of every single patient is charted and diapers are changed." She continues, "The nurse in charge will have to serve the medication. It is very common for patients to have more than 10 medications, be it IV, oral, pre-meals and post-meals. There are different timings for patients. We have to follow doctors' rounds, carry out orders, and make sure that the physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist and medical social worker have seen our patients. We have to do dressings and help the junior out." At the end she said, "we hope we get to finish our report before the next shift comes so that we get to go home on time." I was exhausted just from reading that. MOH has shared that it is working closely with public healthcare institutions to shore up recruitment, for both local and foreign staff. However, time is needed to recruit and train nurses. Meanwhile, our nurses are on the brink of burn-out. Concurrent with recruitment efforts for nurses, will the Ministry work with hospitals to ensure that the rest time of nurses during their shifts are protected? I understand that current realities of nursing means that there has to be some flexibility around rest times. But we must mandate some level of protection of rest. Sir, I understand that the lack of adequate rest for nurses that I have raised is rooted in a lack of manpower which MOH is already looking into.”
“Can our nurses get the same level of protection as our air stewardess and stewards? Many studies have been done on the importance of fatigue management in healthcare. A 2019 meta-study on fatigue in healthcare found that it increases error rates, slows reaction times, increases likelihood of accidents and injuries, and reduces motivation. This is not just about nurse well-being but also about patient-safety. Our nurses have to make life and death decisions on every shift. The Government cannot just leave this to the hospitals to manage and decide on their own. Fatigue affects the well-being of nurses and the health outcomes of patients. Will the Government look into regulations to address nurses' fatigue instead of leaving again these matters to hospitals to decide on their own? This will also not be new for the Government. The Government has introduced regulations for the airline industry. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM)'s Workplace Safety and Health Council also has guidelines on fatigue management. My second point is on protected rest time for nurses during their shifts. While they usually have a one-hour rest of rest time, many nurses have shared with me that they simply do not have enough manpower to rest for a full hour. So, they do not enough rest between shifts and even during shifts. One nurse shared with me, "It is not uncommon for nurses to not have enough time to have toilet breaks because of the amount of things that come to us during the shift." Of the nurses I surveyed, 90% shared that it is common for them to have to continue working during their rest break. They shared that they have to do so because of patient needs and administrative work.”
“Based on these consultations, I will raise three recommendations today: first, protect rest time for nurses between shifts; second, protect rest time for nurses during shifts; and third, provide more ancillary support staff for nurses. My first recommendation is that we ensure that nurses have protected rest time between shifts. The first problem is that nurses often stay on average one to two hours after every shift to ensure that their work is complete. Working overtime is not uncommon. But for nurses on shift work with irregular hours, working overtime means that they lose precious hours of rest between shifts. The second problem is that nurses often do a morning shift (AM) which starts at 8 am immediately after doing an afternoon shift (PM) the day before which ended at about 10 pm. Some do this on consecutive days, so PM, AM, PM, AM and they call this the PAPA shift. They often get home at midnight, sleep for a short while before they wake up to prepare for the AM shift, which again starts at 8 am. Some nurses have shared with me that they work such punishing shifts almost every week or every other week. One nurse shared with me, "As I am typing this message now, I am in the train, on my way back home. Will be doing morning shift tomorrow and that would mean about five hours of rest for me before my day starts again." Constantly working overtime and four, five hours of sleep – how can that be enough sleep? We already know insufficient rest is dangerous. That is why we have regulations in other industries setting basic requirements to manage fatigue. For example, we require flight crew members to get an equivalent amount of rest when they work 10 to 16 hours. If they work any longer, they must get at least 24 hours of rest.”
“" One group of workers who played an outsized role in helping Singapore find its way through the pandemic is our healthcare workers. I sincerely thank all of our healthcare workers – our nurses, doctors, therapists, pharmacists, TCM physicians, allied healthcare professionals and many, many more. Today, I will focus my speech on nurses who form the largest proportion of our healthcare workforce. The reality is that, as most Singaporeans are celebrating the move to DORSCON Green, nurses would not have the chance to celebrate. Their workloads are heavy, their shifts are long and they get little time to rest. So many nurses have shared with me that nurses are resigning en masse. Attrition rates have gone up and I know the Government is aware of this problem. I am glad that the Ministry of Health (MOH) has been reviewing the salaries and allowances of nurses and also announced a 2022 Nurse Special Payment package. These increases in pay are welcomed but do not go far enough. Emily, a nurse, told me, "There is not enough trained people to handle the cases. Everyone is exhausted from the lack of staff, resignation rates. I have recently been attached to a few different hospitals and I see the same issue everywhere. Patient's safety is compromised and nurses are just burnt out. We are thankful that the Government has been increasing our pay and giving us special payments. But what I really, really want is more quality time with my family. Better shifts, better working hours." I spoke with nurses across multiple dialogues last year and this year and collected their ideas in a public survey of 173 nurses.”
“Sir, nurses are there for us in good times and bad times and I have seen first-hand the lifesaving work that nurses do for us. There were there with me when my first child Ella was born, celebrating with us as we welcomed Ella into our lives. There were there with me when I said goodbye to my dad. I remember the nurse crying together with us as they processed the terminal discharge so we could fulfill my dad's wish of passing on at home. Part of me was surprised that the nurse was crying. I thought they would be used to seeing patients come and go. But the nurses truly cared for daddy. He could not have been better cared for and I am very grateful for the nurses at SGH who made his final days more comfortable. And nurses were there with me when we welcomed my twins Katie and Poppy into the world almost exactly six years ago. Actually, tomorrow, it is their birthday. It was both a happy and extremely worrying time as Katie and Poppy were born premature and spent 10 weeks at the Neonatal ICU (NICU) and High Dependency Ward at SGH. Doctors and nurses there saved their lives. As I shared in my Adjournment Motion in 2017, "it was surreal sitting at the NICU, doing kangaroo care with my baby, singing to her while watching the mayhem in NICU. Watching the staff handle a never-ending arrival of pre-term babies and a never-ending chorus of alarm bells as babies stop breathing. The staff members handle each situation so professionally, so meticulously and with so much tender loving care." I do not think we can thank nurses enough for the work they do for all of us. Sir, in this year's Budget Statement, Deputy Prime Minister shared, "through our collective effort, we have found our way through this pandemic.”
“Thank you, Sir. I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. I do understand that we have an increasing number of animal welfare cases and complaints, as well, and also very limited manpower at AVS. So, could I ask whether we could study, not extending enforcement powers to all animal welfare groups, but maybe a select few, like the SPCA, who is already investigating animal cruelty on the ground? Two, I thank the Senior Minister of State for saying that they are going to review international practices, but could we also review local ones where we have NEA already having the community volunteer programme, where they have basic enforcement powers given out to members of the public. So, whether MND can review that programme and see whether it can extend it also to AVA's work?”
“I thank the Minister of State for the reply. I should also thank him for meeting up with the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to discuss this issue and the concerns they have about raising funds. But I think he would also have heard about how difficult it has been for them to get this waiver. For one, I am going to ask whether the Government can be more prescriptive and lay out what are the specific safeguards that are needed in place to mitigate the risks in terms of foreign fund-raising. And second, could I ask when is the next review of the Charities regulations? I know we do that quite regularly.”
“Thank you, Sir. I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the reply. Could I just check whether we have a target date where we will completely eliminate the use of disposables at our events or at our meetings? Second, could I also ask whether we are actually tracking the exact number of disposables that are being used at events organised for or by the Public Service, and also, at our meetings? And I ask this, hopefully, with some sense of urgency, because last week, I was at a Ministry's office for an event and disposable cups were still being used. And I think, as we preach so much about going zero-waste, we really should practise what we preach. And I should thank Speaker as well, for greening Parliament, where we now no longer use disposable cups here. So, it is possible.”
“Just a quick one, Sir. I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the reply that MOH is considering a public consultation. But what about the citizens' workgroup that I suggested as well?”
“However, he refused to do so and the response we got from him and his landlord was that 'it is not illegal' for him to smoke in the balcony." "My father-in-law passed away in 2021 from nose cancer, despite not being a smoker. Both his elder brothers passed away from nose cancer. His sister passed away from lung cancer. This is why my husband and I are highly concerned about second-hand smoke." Sir, I hope we can put ourselves in Ms Tham's shoes and imagine her helplessness to protect her family from the silent killer that is second-hand smoke. Her story is one that would be familiar to many Singaporeans and Members of this house. I know I sound like a broken record but I hope the Ministry will study this issue much further and consider whether a similar presumption clause may help to address the problem of second-hand smoke in flats. Sir, notwithstanding these points, I stand in strong support of the Bill.”
“The introduction of this presumption is recognition of the public interest in catching and deterring high-rise littering given the evidential difficulties and enforcement costs in having to prove who threw the litter out of a flat. A problem that poses similar enforcement difficulties and costs is second-hand smoke in flats. Second-hand smoke is just as deadly or perhaps even more than high-rise littering and equally needs our urgent attention. On 10 January, Ms Tham wrote to Senior Minister of State Amy Khor and copied me in the email. She shared, "I was delighted to read about the statutory presumption clause for high-rise littering, aimed to place greater onus on flat owners and tenants to prevent littering. Initially I wondered how NEA could prove the littering, then I found out about the surveillance cameras (though, as I understand it, the main effect is achieved through greater deterrence than the presumption clause). I would like to ask whether these two measures (surveillance and deterrence) could be applied towards banning smoking in balconies. I understand the key issue was around not being able to prove the culprit was smoking, but if there were surveillance cameras, would this not be possible? To be honest, merely making it illegal would be a great help, plus the suggestion that surveillance might catch them in the act." "This is my story" – that Ms Tham shared: "I have an upstairs neighbour who smokes several times a day. The smoke wafts down, even if we close all our windows and doors. We’ve tried appealing to him (and his landlord). We’ve asked him to alert us in advance when he is about to smoke, or smoke at designated times so that we can close our windows and doors in advance.”
“In addition, a company acts through the hands and minds of its directors and executive officers. There may be cases where prosecutorial direction was exercised not to pursue charges against the company but prosecution was brought against a company’s directors and/or executive officers. There is public interest in ensuring that the directors and executive officers are personally incentivised to comply with the law. Can the Senior Minister of State share if the Ministry will consider also requiring for a Class 1 licence that the directors and executive officers have no conviction history with regard to offences related to the company in the past 24 months? If not, can the Senior Minister of State share the reasons why not? My final point is one I am sure Senior Minister of State Amy Khor expects me to raise and so I do not want to disappoint her. I also know that so many Singaporeans are affected by second-hand smoke and they hope the Government will help them and literally save their lives. It is not a neighbourly dispute, it is not about being uncomfortable with smelling second-hand smoke and it is not a problem you can adapt to and live with. It is about how second-hand smoke kills and people are trapped and need us to rescue them. I am glad we are doing so much to tackle high-rise littering. It is a huge problem on the ground and the amendments in this Bill will help significantly. What I propose we do is extend the presumption introduced for high-rise littering to smoking in flats that affect other residents. The new section 17A will introduce a presumption clause that the litter proven to be thrown from a flat was thrown by every owner or tenant of the flat.”
“She was seven years old and had never met her father before. I felt bad that Mazibur's daughter met me before meeting her father. As a father, I cannot imagine not being not being there for my daughters' first words, first steps and many other firsts in their lives. I am not asking for more for our migrant workers. I am asking that we be fair to our migrant workers too. In 2018, I spoke on the Environmental Public Health (Amendment) Bill on the need to ensure that the PWM will apply to cleaners who are hired directly by an F&B establishment and for foreign cleaners. I am glad that we are now ensuring that cleaners who are hired directly by an F&B establishment will get the PWM, but again, what about our migrant cleaners? In 2020, I spoke on the Building Control (Amendment) Bill on ensuring that the PWM will apply to our foreign lift technicians as well. As a matter of fairness, it makes sense for the PWM to apply to all our workers. In the spirit of increasing productivity and better service standards and quality, it also makes sense for PWM to apply to all our workers. I hope the Ministry for Sustainability and Environment (MSE) will consider eventually extending the PWM to cover our migrant cleaners and waste disposal workers as well. My second point is on the conditions under the new cleaning business licensing framework. The framework will introduce three classes of licences. A Class 1 licence will require businesses to have a paid-up capital of $250,000 and a clean record with no conviction history in the past 24 months. Can Minister share if the Class 1 licence will also require that no stern warnings or a composition fine was issued against the company? If not, can Minister share the reasons why not?”
“Sir, the amendments in this Bill will facilitate enforcement against high-rise littering, hold cleaning businesses to higher governance standards under the cleaning business licensing framework and extend the Progressive Wage Model for workers in the cleaning and waste disposal sector. It is a Bill that is a step in the right direction and one I wholeheartedly support. It will address a lot of the high-rise littering issues we all see on the ground and very importantly, it will uplift our workers in the cleaning and waste disposal sector. That said, I just have three points of clarification to raise. My first point is on the Progressive Wage Model (PWM). The new section 23A introduces powers to impose conditions on the payment of progressive wages to Singaporean and permanent resident (PR) holder waste disposal workers. But what about our migrant workers? PWM is also about improving productivity, which will improve business profits for employers and service buyers also enjoy better service standards and quality. But all these cannot happen if the bulk of the workforce is not getting the PWM. Both our local and migrant workforce deserve to earn fair and liveable wages. I shared in this House previously about how I have seen first-hand the sacrifices that our migrant cleaners make to keep our homes clean. In 2019, I visited Bangladesh and invited all our Nee Soon East cleaners' families to lunch in Dhaka. We arranged for them to do a video call with their loved ones in Singapore. It was heartbreaking to see them cry as they spoke to their husbands, fathers, brothers and sons. It was even more heartbreaking that I was meeting many of our cleaners' children even before their fathers even met them. I met the daughter, Jannath, of one of our cleaners, Mazibur.”
“My second point is on the information that will be provided to property owners who are entitled to vote on the upgrading works. As I mentioned earlier, the upgrading works proposed by HDB must be to achieve specific purposes, including improving shopping facilities, encouraging commercial and community activities, and supporting economic and social well-being. In order for the property owners to exercise their vote meaningfully, it is important that HDB provide them with enough information for the owners to determine if these purposes will be met. Can the Senior Minister of State share if information will be provided to owners on how the upgrading works will achieve these purposes, including measurable indicators that HDB will monitor to determine if the purposes are achieved? My last point is on the recovery of costs for commercial property upgrading works. The new section 78(3A) will allow HDB to recover the costs of commercial property upgrading works from every owner of such property and the Town Council responsible for the maintenance of common property. Such recovery can only be done after HDB has completed the works. Can the Senior Minister of State confirm if such recovery is to be done, whether the owners and the Town Council will be kept informed of the likely costs before a poll is taken? Will the owners be kept updated on any changes in the costs? It is not uncommon for construction costs to exceed initial estimates. Given that the recovery of costs is to be done only after HDB has completed the upgrading works, where the cost exceeds initial estimates, can the Senior Minister of State confirm who will bear the excess costs? Madam, notwithstanding these clarifications, I stand in support of the Bill.”
“Madam, this Bill will make it easier to carry out upgrading works on common areas in heartland shops. This will facilitate works to vitalise our heartlands. I have just three points for clarification on the Bill. My first point is on how HDB will determine if upgrading works on common property fall within the purpose of commercial property upgrading works. This Bill prescribes an admirable purpose for commercial property upgrading works. It says that such works are for "improving or encouraging diversity of local convenience shopping facilities and commercial and community activities." They must also support the economic and social well-being and employment opportunities for persons within the precinct. However, it may not always be clear that such works, when proposed, achieve such a goal. That is why for commercial property upgrading works, the Bill requires the works to be approved by a 75% vote of the owners who will benefit from the works. The owners who benefit from the works are clear where the works are carried out on commercial property. However, commercial property upgrading works are also defined to include works carried out on common property. In this case, it may be less clear who are the owners benefiting from the works who are entitled to vote. Can the Senior Minister of State confirm that a poll must still be carried out under the new section 77(3A) where the works are carried out on common property? If yes, can the Senior Minister of State share how HDB will determine who are the owners benefitting from works proposed for common property who are entitled to vote? Will this be based, for instance, on geographical proximity to the works proposed or the scale of the works proposed?”
“If so, what are the Ministry's findings on the usefulness of such a model in Singapore Sir, notwithstanding these clarifications, I stand in support of the Bill.”
“In the case of Public Prosecutor vs Ng Cheng Kwee, the Prosecution described most of the fraudulent claims as having been "automatically approved by SSG" and that only "a small proportion of the claims were flagged for a manual check". Following this incident of fraud which occurred in 2017, the SSG announced in 2018 that it has strengthened its fraud detection systems using data analytics. This follows the recommendations of an inter-agency task force set up to review SSG's fraud mitigation capabilities. Given that it has been four years since these systems were introduced, can the Ministry share how it is monitoring the effectiveness of these fraud detection systems? Can the Ministry also provide an update on how effective these systems have been? My final point is on the incorporation of a deferred payment model. The Lambda School in California teaches information technology skills online and charges no tuition fees. Instead, students can agree to pay a percentage of their income after they are employed, and only if they are making more than US$50,000 a year in the first five years. The deal is that students pay back 17% of their income from their first two years of work after, if earnings exceed US$50,000 a year, with a cap of US$30,000 of fees they pay in total. Otherwise, students also have the option of paying US$20,000 in tuition upfront and keeping their future income. The incentive structure is clear. If the training institute does not impart transferable knowledge to trainees that results in a successful outcome, the institute will not benefit. Can Minister share if the Ministry has looked into such a deferred payment model for certain SkillsFuture courses?”
“Sir, these two Bills will consolidate enforcement powers and offences under the SkillsFuture Singapore Agency Act, regulate abusive funding arrangements as well as offences relating to false or misleading advertising and empower the SkillsFuture Singapore Agency (SSG) to direct refunds for cancelled courses. This will create a centralised system and better support career development for all Singaporeans. I have three points of clarification on both Bills. My first point is on the difficulty in determining the competencies, expertise or skills to be advanced by a course or programme. The new section 57E amended by the SSG Bill will make it an offence to publish false or misleading advertising. This includes advertising on the curriculum, modules or subjects to be covered or competencies, expertise or skills that will be advanced. There are good faith reasons for why curriculum, modules or subjects to be covered may change after advertising for a course has started. The subject matter may have evolved, or the curriculum may need to adapt to the interests and proficiency of the class. The competencies, expertise or skills that a course actually succeeds in advancing may also be fairly subjective. Can Minister share if the Ministry intends to proactively monitor advertising by course providers? Or will the Ministry rely on complaints by the public to identify potentially false or misleading advertisements before intervening? Can Minister also share if the Ministry will provide guidance to course providers on best practices on advertising and in managing communications with participants especially on changes in course content to avoid any dispute over false advertising in the first place? My second point is on identifying fraudulent claims at an earlier stage.”
“Thank you, Sir. I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the reply. Could I just check, specifically, whether we are looking into the Dependant's Pass application by nurses? I think we agree that many have gone back home because they want to be closer to their loved ones and they cannot bring their loved ones to Singapore. And so, two clarifications: one, whether MOH is monitoring how successful their Dependant's Pass application is; and two, whether MOH can work specifically with MOM to see whether we can look into these applications more favourably. And happy birthday to you as well, Sir.”
“Does the Ministry consider there to be enough licensed practitioners to meet the needs of the market? Finally, how does the Ministry ensure our insolvency ecosystem is equipped to keep up with the latest trends in the economy such as cryptocurrency, "Buy Now, Pay Later", or peer-to-peer finance? With cryptocurrency, we saw rapid growth and speculation in new asset classes spanning multiple jurisdictions. Can Minister share whether the Ministry is monitoring and preparing for changing trends in bankruptcies following the collapse of Terra and FTX, especially in a backdrop of high inflation? How will we ensure that trustees can properly manage and distribute digital or other new types of assets? Notwithstanding my clarifications, Sir, I stand in support of the Bill.”
“Sir, I support this Bill as it will reduce the use of public resources for what is a private matter between creditors and debtors. I have three points of clarification on the Bill. First, how will the Ministry ensure the effective oversight and quality of private trustees? While the debts between individuals and their creditors are private matters, we do have a public interest in a well-functioning bankruptcy system as part of our economy. MinLaw has stated that the OA will be taking on a regulatory role over private trustees. What standards will the OA apply when reviewing their performance? In a recent High Court case of Zhang Hong En Jonathan against his private trustee, the Court found little guidance in the statute over how it should exercise its discretion when exercising its review powers over the trustee. Can the Minister clarify the roles of the OA and the Court in supervising trustees? Ultimately, in that case, the Court took a view that it would only intervene if the trustee had acted so perversely that no reasonable trustee would have done so. If the OA gives similar deference in exercising its supervisory role, creditors and debtors might find it hard to hold trustees accountable if they disagree with the trustee's decision. Can Minister clarify how creditors or debtors can raise complaints against the private trustee? Should they look to the OA or to the Courts? My second clarification relates to accessibility to the bankruptcy process. What happens if no private trustee is reasonably available to act in the bankruptcy? For example, if the estate is too small relative to the trustee's fees to be practical, or if there are too few practitioners available. Will the OA step in to act itself in these cases?”
“Given that encroachment might involve a person's home and that rectification might be complex or expensive, there must be sufficient time to seek advice on whether to raise objections to the encroachment notice. Can the Senior Parliamentary Secretary confirm that reasonable time will be given to raise objections, proportionate to the facts of each case? Also, where objections are raised, the Act is silent on any procedure for the authority to consider the objection and notify the recipient of the results or reasons for rejecting the objection. Instead, it only states that on receiving an objection, the officer may make a criminal complaint to a magistrate. This approach appears to skip the necessary steps to resolve the objection in a clear and transparent manner. Given that land issues can be sensitive due to costs or attachments formed, we should have a clear process to reach a smooth resolution. Can the Senior Parliamentary Secretary clarify if, prior to a criminal complaint, the authority will notify the result of the objection and give time to comply with the encroachment notice? My final clarification relates to the forfeiture of abandoned land. Can the Senior Parliamentary Secretary clarify how the authority will determine that land is "abandoned"? Given the scarcity of land in Singapore, it would be economically efficient to ensure that abandoned land is reclaimed by the state and applied to the benefit of all Singaporeans. Can the Senior Parliamentary Secretary share some estimates of the amount of land that might be abandoned? Will the authority be taking active steps to identify abandoned land and use these processes to recover land as state land, and then reinject it into the market? Sir, notwithstanding my clarifications, I stand in support of the Bill.”
“Sir, this Bill updates our laws for the protection of state land with modern provisions. State land belongs to all Singaporeans and we must protect it from being damaged or unfairly used for private purposes. I, thus, support this much needed review of the law, but I have three clarifications. My first clarification relates to the defence against an offence of unauthorised use of state land. Under section 7, someone accused of unauthorised use of state land must prove that they did not know and could not have reasonably expected to know that the land was state land. In some cases, it is fairly obvious that the land is state land, such as setting up makeshift structures or farms in forest areas. But it is less clear in cases involving the boundaries of private property and state land. The average home owner would not know whether their fence crosses into state land. Home owners would likely rely on the expertise of their contractors to ensure compliance. Workmen would also rely on the instructions of their managers. Would reliance on the due diligence of third parties be enough to make up the defence in section 7? In addition to the OneMap app example in the explanatory statement, can the Senior Parliamentary Secretary give guidance when someone would not be reasonably expected to know if the land was state land? My second clarification relates to the process for objecting to an encroachment notice. Section 12(3)(a)(ii) states that the encroachment notice must state a timeline to comply with the notice and to raise objections. However, there is no requirement or guidance on the minimum time that must be provided.”
“Can the Government share how many charging points have been supported by the co-funding from the EV Common Charger Grant? Are we on track to co-fund the grant maximum of 2,000 charging points by end-2023? Installing charging points is expensive. If the grant remains underutilised, then there might be scope to increase the quantum of the grant or to expand the number of co-funded charging points per residence. Second, let us talk about kerbside charging. Does the Ministry plan to install charging points on the kerbs of residential streets and public roads? Street parking is the norm for many Singaporeans in both residential and commercial areas. For some, it is the only place they can park. We should ensure there are options for kerbside charging as well. In the US city of Seattle, the city government is installing kerbside charging points free of charge if the applicant's home does not have its own parking facilities. We should have our own programme, based on a framework that balances costs, accessibility and any other considerations. Sir, notwithstanding these clarifications, I stand in support of the Bill.”
“My second clarification is on Part 8, which mandates the installation of charging points during major construction works. Let me first applaud the Ministry for increasing its requirements in response to energetic feedback from the public consultation. The standard for approved electrical load increased from 15% of parking lots to 20%. The standard for the number of charging points increased from 1% of parking lots to 4%. So, my concern is not about standards. Instead, it is about coverage. The amendment fails to cover redevelopments where the gross floor area, or GFA, increases by less than 50%. Can the Minister share how many building projects from 2018 to 2020 increased the GFA by between 25% and 50%, and how many increased the GFA by between 10% and 25%? The amendment also fails to cover redevelopments where the new approved electrical-load capacity is less than 280 kilovolt-ampere. Can the Minister share how many building projects from 2018 to 2020 led to a new approved electrical load of between 150 and 280 kilovolt-ampere? I worry that we have set reasonable standards but applied them to too few building projects. Indeed, it would be unsurprising if redevelopments in the coming years are designed to dodge our threshold for the charging point standards. I hope not. My suggestion is that we should impose standards even on smaller-scale redevelopments. These standards may be lower, but they must exist. That will ensure a more steady growth in our charging-point provisions. Will the Ministry consider this suggestion? My third and final clarification is not about what is in the Bill but what is missing from it. Several key ingredients for increasing the provision of charging points are not in the Bill today. First, let us talk about subsidies.”
“Sir, this Bill sets standards, mandates licences and amends processes related to EV charging. It enables Singapore to scale up the provision of EV charging in a reliable, accelerated way. I wholeheartedly endorse this. I thank the Ministry for holding a public consultation as well and engaging affected industries in preparation for this Bill. I have three points of clarification. My first clarification is on clause 97, which amends the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act. The amendment allows MCSTs to install and regulate EV charging by passing a motion with more than 50% of the votes. This would be a sharp drop from the current threshold of 90%. It is welcome news for many condominium owners, whose management has been unable to install charging points because a small minority of the residents object. It is also welcome news for Singapore’s Green Plan. More charging points at home mean more drivers making the leap from gas cars to electric cars. It will help us reach our net-zero emissions target. But I am concerned that the lowered voting threshold is limited. It applies only when the motion does not propose spending from the MCST’s management or sinking fund. Can the Minister explain the intent for this carve-out? The management and sinking funds of MCSTs are meant precisely for the installation and maintenance of common property, such as charging points. How else should MCSTs fund charging points? Is the idea for operators of charging points to bear all costs and for residents to pay the operator out of pocket? This is not how charging points are funded at most condos around the world, so, any clarification on intent and implementation will be helpful.”
“Thank you, Sir. I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the quick reply. I have two quick clarifications. One, are we reviewing this work pass conditions because we know that there was very high attrition of foreigners. So, if you are going to hire the 4,000 new nurses, of which many are foreigners, and they come and work with the same conditions, I think we are going to have an equally high attrition rate. Second, specifically, can we look into whether they can bring their dependants because many left because they want to go back to their families. Again, I hope the Senior Parliamentary Secretary can review that and allow some of them to bring their dependants to Singapore as well”
“Thank you, Sir. I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the reply. I think she mentioned that it is not considered directly in the appraisal. So, could I just ask and confirm again that the negative feedback about nurses that they receive from the patient or the family will not directly affect their bonus, appraisal or their promotion as well? Second, I think MOH has shared that the Care Ambassador position will be made permanent and there might be some job redesign as well. Could I just ask for a timeframe for that? This is because I think that will help in terms of having some staff members on the ground who are customer service trained in the wards and can handle some of these complaints and feedback that the nurses receive.”
“The Court is required to consider whether the PACC application has a reasonable prospect of success in deciding whether or not to grant an application for PACC permission. To provide more clarity on what constitutes a “reasonable prospect of success”, can the Senior Parliamentary Secretary share how this standard compares to the other standards articulated by the Court? My third point is on the meaning of abuse of process. Under section 60G(15)(c), the Court of Appeal must not grant an application for PACC permission if the applicant is found to have abused the process of court. The Court of Appeal also has the power to make a finding of abuse of process. In the case of Syed Suhail bin Syed Zin vs Attorney-General, the Court found that while the defence counsel brought the review application to acquit Syed of the death penalty, this was by itself insufficient to find a collateral purpose amounting to an abuse of process. The Court observed that more would be needed to suggest that the intended outcome is in itself an abuse of process. Can the Senior Parliamentary Secretary clarify what factors the Court should consider if determining an application is an abuse of process? Madam, notwithstanding these clarifications, I stand in support of the Bill.”
“Madam, this Bill will introduce a new process for post-appeal applications in capital case (PACC) to safeguard our Court processes. The new provisions will clarify the procedures for PACCs and the factors that the Court has to consider in granting permission. Given the serious nature of capital cases, it is critical that due process is in place to ensure that meritorious applications by prisoners awaiting capital punishment are heard. Such processes and the grounds for any decisions must be clear and transparent. I have three points of clarifications. My first point is on the powers of the Court of Appeal to take additional evidence. A number of provisions in the Bill allow the Court of Appeal to take additional evidence. These situations include where the Court of Appeal is considering an application for permission to make a PACC application, is hearing a PACC application, is considering whether an application is a PACC application and is determining if there is an abuse of process. Can the Senior Parliamentary Secretary clarify whether the Court’s power to take additional evidence is exercisable only of the Court’s own motion or whether a party can apply for the Court to exercise its power to take additional evidence? Can the Senior Parliamentary Secretary also share on what grounds or in what circumstances will the Court exercise its power to take additional evidence? If it is open to a party to apply to Court to take additional evidence, can the Senior Parliamentary Secretary clarify on what grounds can the application be made by a party? My second point is what the standard of reasonable prospect of success entails.”
“Can the Minister confirm that even as the Government takes steps to define, regulate, protect, safeguard, support, foster and promote the institution of marriage, we will also continue to review our policies to ensure that single unwed parents are adequately supported? Sir, notwithstanding these clarifications, I stand in support of both Bills.”
“Can Minister share what support has been or will be extended to such students? In particular, what role will teachers and schools play in identifying students of diverse genders who may be struggling and extending such support to them? My final point is on the new Article 156(1) in the Constitution. It enables the legislature and the Government to define, regulate, protect, safeguard, support, foster and promote the institution of marriage. In the explanatory statement, examples of such activities included housing preferences and financial benefits for married persons, and education and media policies that promote and safeguard the institution of marriage. As we encourage marriage, I hope we will not discriminate against single parents, whether they are unmarried, divorced or widowed. I am glad that Minister Masagos provided some assurances on this during his opening speech that single parents will not be left behind. Indeed, increased support for single parents is one of the main recommendations in the White Paper on Singapore Women's Development, published this year by the Government. I have raised recommendations on housing policies to ensure that single unwed parents and their children will have a roof over their heads. I have also asked for single unwed parents to receive the Parenthood Tax Rebate, the Working Mothers' Child Relief, and the cash component of the Baby Bonus. It is a whole suite of parenthood policies that exclude and discriminate against single unwed parents. There is a lot more we can do.”
“As such, this may mean that individuals with existing records of conviction under section 377A because the conviction was within a five-year period or because the individual is disqualified from having the record becoming spent. These individuals may, due to their records, remain stigmatised, even as we repeal section 377A. Can the Minister clarify if there are any individuals with existing records of convictions under section 377A that have not been spent? Can the Minister clarify how these prior convictions will be treated? My second point is about support provided to students of diverse genders. The repeal of section 377A sends a strong message against the discrimination of gay Singaporeans on the basis, again, of their private behaviour. As Minister Shanmugam shared, this legislative step is a significant step in removing stigma on a legislative level and will also go some way in removing hurt. However, discrimination and stigma do not just exist in abstract policies. Many individuals of diverse genders face discrimination, stigma and hurt in their day-to-day interactions in the community and even with their closest loved ones. These challenges can be especially daunting for young students who are just starting to build their identity and navigate their teenage years which can already be a stressful experience for anyone. Many surveys, both local and international, show that many individuals of diverse genders experienced symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder. Many also experienced major depressive disorder and engage in self harm. Our teachers in schools are a first line of defence in identifying students who may be struggling from such stressors and challenges. They are also well placed to facilitate appropriate intervention.”
“It is the correct thing to do because gay Singaporeans deserve, like any other member of society, not to be criminalised for their private behaviour. The repeal of section 377A is a positive step towards making Singapore a more equal and inclusive society. We should recognise and thank the collective efforts of activists and organisations over the years to raise awareness about the challenges that the gay community faces and foster acceptance of gay individuals within our society. We need to continue to have conversations about these issues as our nation progresses. Sir, I have three points of clarifications on both Bills. My first point is on the treatment of prior convictions under section 377A. In his National Day Rally speech, when he announced the intended repeal of section 377A, Prime Minister Lee said he believed that the repeal is the right thing to do and that it would provide relief to gay Singaporeans. Minister Shanmugam has also said that it would be wrong to continue criminalising the sexuality of gay Singaporeans and what they do in private. Nobody, he said, deserves to be stigmatised because of their sexual orientation, so repealing section 377A and removing their pain is the right thing to do. If the continued stigmatisation of gay Singaporeans is wrong, then the continued stigmatisation of gay Singaporeans because of their record of conviction under section 377A must also be wrong. Under the Registration of Criminals Act, an offence under section 377A is a registrable crime. Any criminal record of a conviction under section 377A will become spent after a crime-free period of five years. An exception is if the person is disqualified from having their criminal record being spent.”
“Sir, the repeal of section 377A holds great significance for many across the social and religious spectrum. The heated civic discourse and vigorous advocacy speaks to strongly held beliefs that many hold on this issue. This has been an opportunity for Singaporeans to learn to disagree in a spirited but civil way. I believe that such open debate is a sign of a healthy and functioning democracy. However, in doing so we cannot lose sight of our shared humanity. I can do no better than quote MUIS. In response to the repeal of section 377A, it said that Muslim law "places importance on human dignity, respect and peaceful relations". It further said, "These values are crucial as we navigate complex socio-religious issues today. As Muslims, we should treat everyone with full dignity and respect. Everyone, regardless of their sexual orientations, must feel safe in our society and institutions. Muslims should uphold the best of character, charity and compassion, in dealing with others, even with whom we disagree". I believe these statements apply not just to those of the Muslim faith but to all of us. As we continue to engage on discrimination against the gay community and discrimination of any form, I hope we continue to treat each other with dignity, respect and kindness. In doing so, we cannot shy away from having conversations with people that we do not identify with. We need to continue the dialogue on issues affecting the gay community with the intent of achieving progress for everyone. For the gay community, the repeal of section 377A is the correct thing to do. It is the correct thing to do not only because of the likelihood of success of any Court challenges.”
“Thank you, Sir. Just a further clarification. We talked about the teacher-counsellors, but I think we agreed that teachers are really quite overworked. I just spent the weekend with the Singapore Teachers' Union talking about the workload and their concerns. Now you are asking to do counselling work as well. And that is why the clarification really is on whether we can increase the support to school counsellors, separate from teacher-counsellors, so teachers can focus on teaching and school counsellors can help the students who really do need that help quite desperately.”
“Thank you, Sir. And I thank the Minister of State for the reply. I have seen the good and important work our school counsellors do, but I think they need some help, they are severely understaffed. Could I ask the Minister of State whether we are planning to increase the number of trained school counsellors in school? What is the ideal number and perhaps what is the timeframe for this increase?”
“Thank you, Sir. I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. Could I just ask which areas we are considering to designate as marine parks? Because it really has been eight years since we had our first marine park designated at Sisters' Islands. Two, could I just ask when was the last consultation with the marine groups and what are the areas that they are suggesting that we designate as marine parks?”