Low Thia Khiang
Singapore
“Mr Speaker, my question is for the Minister for Health. The official communication channel to the people who subscribe to the WhatsApp group quoted the Prime Minister saying that "Experts think that the Wuhan virus may be less deadlier than SARS". So, can we have some verification whether this is true so far?”
“In Mandarin, Sir. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] So, Member Mr Gan Thiam Poh meant to say that although the Minister has the decision-making power under this Bill, you can still go to Court to challenge the decision.”
“Mr Speaker, clarification in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I have stated clearly that the Government already has a lot of power under existing legislation. They can even shut down websites.”
“(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] First and foremost, you must follow the Minister's decision to take down the message, you cannot go to Court. According to this Bill, you must comply with the Minister's order. Otherwise, you will be charged.”
“In Mandarin, Sir. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Our Secretary-General is in the Committee. He told us about the contents of the Committee's discussion, so we know what was discussed in the Committee.”
“(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] You assume that the Minister will not do this, but is your assumption correct? It may be correct now, but will it be correct in the future? Even the Minister cannot guarantee that, he said he cannot be sure that future governments will not abuse their power. Can you be sure?”
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“Sir, before the Minister of State moves on, can I seek a clarification from him regarding prices? How does the income of Singaporeans correlate with HDB flat prices? And does the average income, which he cited, really indicate the income of the middle and lower income Singaporeans?”
“Sir, does the Minister agree that the employment of domestic maids would also improve the quality of life?”
“Sir, how does the Ministry of Health propose to prevent the increase in the number of doctors who graduated from foreign universities?”
“Is the Minister not saying that MP's office will also serve the residents?”
“If you are talking about constraints of space, what does it mean that there is not enough space?”
“What is the percentage vis-a-vis the available void deck area?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, would the Minister tell us how big is an MP's office, vis-a-vis the available void deck space at the estate?”
“Sir, would the Minister answer why, even for a temporary space, no toilet could be provided?”
“The fact is that the converted space in my constituency has been left vacant for so long and yet the HDB says there is not enough space.”
“Sir, when did the HDB discover that there was insufficient space to build MPs' offices? I understand the HDB made the announcement only after the last elections, and after I wrote in to request for a specific space to be used as an MP's office.”
“Why was the converted space at the void deck left vacant for such a long time? And the HDB suddenly discovers that there is a lack of void deck space after I wrote in on 10th September 1991 to request that the converted space be allocated to me for use as an MP's office.”
“Does the Minister think that it is justifiable, after spending so much money on this pilot project, to again allocate another $4.2 million to the PAP Community Foundation to carry out another similar project? Mr Lee Yock Suan: Mr Speaker, Sir, as I explained, the amount of money spent on this programme is not that big. Actually, it amounts to $1.3 million for the purpose of writing up the new teaching materials, developing the new curriculum, providing new worksheets and teaching methods. This money is not wasted. It can be applied to all the private kindergartens and I expect it will be applied very widely in due course. As for the upgrading of the PAP kindergartens, it is part of the Government's effort to help upgrade private kindergartens. So we should not grudge it and deny our young children the opportunity to learn in a better environment using better methods. It is our intention to continue to upgrade the kindergartens for the benefit of our children. ALEXANDRA HOSPITAL (Service and staffing level) 5. Dr Wang Kai Yuen asked the Minister for Health what is his appraisal of the service level at Alexandra Hospital and whether he is satisfied with the service provided to the public at the present staffing level in the hospital.”
“Does the Minister mean that this pilot project is solely for study purposes?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can I seek clarification from you?”
“Clarification, Sir. In Figure 4 - Ownership of Consumer Durables and Assets - the Deputy Prime Minister has provided us with the percentage of households which own these things. Would the Deputy Prime Minister also provide us with the percentage of hire purchase vis-a-vis this ownership, and what is the amount of loans so far? BG Lee Hsien Loong: Mr Deputy Speaker, I do not know if we have the numbers. But if they are available, I will be happy to provide them if the Member were to file a question.”
“All right, Sir. I would like to know from the Minister whether or not he will consider having this bus service as an interim measure.”
“Sir, as the construction of the MRT line and a new bus interchange will take some time, will the Minister for Communications consider an interim measure to have a direct bus service from Upper Serangoon Road (on the Punggol side) to link to the town area in Bras Basah Road? There was a bus service before (Service No. 82) but it is now redirected to Hougang Avenue 10 and as a result, residents living in Hougang Avenue 7 -”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister for Communications whether there will be any station in the vicinity of Hougang Avenue 2 or Hougang Avenue 10. Is such a station being planned?”
“Sir, can I clarify something with Dr Chen?”