Masagos Zulkifli B M M
Singapore
“Coordination between Early Intervention (EI) centres, families and preschools is important for the continuity of support for children with developmental needs.”
“The Taxi Subsidy Scheme supports persons with disabilities (PwDs) who are unable to take public transport, by providing means-tested subsidies to offset the cost of taxi travel to school, work and employment-related training supported by SG Enable.”
“The Skills and Salary Guidelines published by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) guides social service agencies (SSAs) to pay their employees fair and competitive remuneration and maintain the sector's attractiveness. The Guidelines are adjusted so that salaries remain competitive with comparable roles in competing markets.”
“Staff turnover rates vary across social service agencies (SSAs). An individual's decision to leave an organisation is influenced by a myriad of factors, of which pay is only one.”
“Beyond the requirement of a structured daily programme, community-based SCFA administrators have the flexibility to offer programmes and additional enrichment activities that meet the needs of their students. MSF does not track staff salaries and turnover of SCCs in general nor those that administer SCFA.”
“Male preschool educators comprised about 1% of the early childhood workforce in each of the last five years. The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) has not issued guidelines pertaining to the rules set by preschool centres specific to the conduct of male preschool educators.”
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“Mr Speaker, I rise to support the Motion of Thanks to the President's speech. I am a strong believer in fundamentals. Even as Singapore is experiencing its worst recession ever, even as we anxiously await for a second wave of workers losing their jobs, even as we await for the first news of the H1N1 virus arriving at our shores, I am happy that the Government has not lost sight of ensuring the right fundamentals as we help soften the impact of any crisis on the population. You can call me a fundamentalist at the end of this speech. I want to give some fundamentalists a good name. In fact, because basic policies over the boom years have remained sound, we have been prevented from being "thrown off" the economic roller coaster during downturns. Thus, as we face this economic downturn, we must not relent in continuing our focus on important and basic fundamentals such as the emphasis on training our retrenched workers for new and alternative vocations as opposed to just handing out the dole and continuing investing in and funding the education of our children instead of cutting the budget for education in a recession. Fundamentals are good because they are not only sound and ageless, they are often scaffolded by simple rules. For example, to succeed in stocks, buy low sell high. A very simple rule indeed; unfortunately many of us cannot do it. In fact many of us cannot succeed because we cannot keep true to this maxim when market sentiments overwhelm. My father taught me to spend no more than what I earn and to save for a rainy day. Very sound too; but credit cards, overdraft facilities, "buy now pay later" schemes and many other clever financial schemes easily tempt us to finance our wants with future earnings we may not already have.”
“The early children sector sees both a public and private sector participation. MOE will do its part to ensure that the qualifications that we require will enable these future teachers to be trainable. We will also ensure that we will keep up with the pedagogy to give them sufficient in-house training so that they can keep up with the changes in the pedagogy of the pre-school sector. On providing and uplifting the stature of the teachers, we got to work together with the sectors so that it is not just an effort that MOE should undertake alone, because there is contribution and value-add that these private sector and public sector communities can add.”
“About 80% of the funds are already used up by the schools. This Opportunity Fund is left to the discretion of the principals and the schools to provide for various needs of the students. In fact, the Opportunity Fund is one example where MOE has listened to the ground and feedback from schools, and provided funds for things that were, at one time, probably luxuries, but now are already necessities for students. As an example, these funds are used to provide computers to needy students, as well as to provide supplementary payment for their trips on overseas programmes. Members know these things. When I was young, I did not even have a computer, I could survive. But today, these are quite important necessities. And this Opportunity Fund is the result of such feedback, and we are providing schools with such funds to provide for the needs of the students. In addition, schools also use this Opportunity Fund for items like social emotional learning programmes, so that those who need special programmes to increase their self-esteem, for example, are also provided for. 12.45 pm There are also other forms of funds that we mentioned - the School Advisory Committee Funds that can also be used by schools at their discretion and for their students.”
“MOE is in the process of developing a voluntary quality assurance and accreditation framework for kindergartens. I suppose that is good news for Mrs Josephine Teo. Those that meet specified standards can apply to be accredited as a mark of the kindergarten’s quality. The pilot-testing will start from the first half of 2009, and we hope to roll out the framework in 2011. Since 2002, the government has provided annual recurrent grants to eligible non-profit kindergartens which are major providers of kindergarten education. MOE will be enhancing the recurrent funding further, from the current $17 million to $62.5 million a year in 4 years’ time. In conclusion, MOE will continue to ensure that no one is denied access to quality education due to financial constraints. The enhanced Financial Assistance Schemes, complemented with the school-based financial assistance schemes, will provide some welcome relief to families in need. Sir, education is our best investment for the future. Even in this economic downturn, MOE will continue to work closely with stakeholders to enhance our education system, so as to provide the best possible education to the next generation.”
“I hear that they even interviewed their MP, Mr Matthias Yao. Through the project, the children developed a better appreciation about the history of the Macpherson area, and also developed their level of self-efficacy in the process. PPIS Kindergarten used the grant to purchase digital cameras and video cameras for teachers to capture the children in action. Teacher and children then update their curriculum activities on a blog. This allows their work and progress to be archived more effectively, and parents are also updated through E-newsletters, which allows faster two-way communication between teachers and parents. St James’ Church Kindergarten used the fund to transform their outdoor area into an eco-farming learning environment, including the planting of fruit trees and rearing of fish and rabbits. They set up the environment through recycled materials and conducted sessions to show the children how natural resources could be harnessed for the construction and operation of a farm. Dr Maliki asked about the licensing requirements for kindergartens. To ensure a minimum standard in the quality of early childhood education, kindergartens have to meet criteria relating to the principals and teachers’ qualification, educational programme, and physical premises. Kindergartens that fail to meet the stipulated requirements will be de-registered. So far, one kindergarten has been de-registered. To help parents select a suitable kindergarten for their children, the profile of each kindergarten such as the staff qualifications, total enrolment and fees are provided on the MOE Pre-school Education website. Over time, we want to see pre-school providers take greater ownership in monitoring their own performance and striving for greater excellence.”
“MOE is working with the WDA to explore the feasibility of including the ADKET course into the Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework. To encourage continual upgrading for kindergarten teachers, as asked by Mrs Josephine Teo, MOE has developed a Professional Development Framework to help kindergartens identify training needs and prioritise areas for the professional development of their staff. MOE also organises in-service training workshops for kindergarten teachers, to increase their knowledge and skills in areas such as pedagogy, and leadership and management skills. In the area of curriculum, MOE developed a Kindergarten Curriculum Guide last November to help teachers in developing appropriate curriculum and assessment to support and promote children’s holistic learning and development in the early years. I assure Mrs Josephine Teo and Dr Maliki that these are aligned to the Desired Outcomes of Primary Education. MOE has also provided grants to non-profit kindergartens to enable them to build up their teaching and learning resources, such as musical instruments, outdoor play equipment, and IT and multimedia equipment. Last year, over 90% of the 380 non-profit kindergartens benefited from this funding support amounting to a total sum of $3.2 million. In addition, 51 kindergartens received the Kindergarten Innovation Grant of up to $5,000 each, to help them engage in innovative practices that will enhance the quality of teaching and learning for their students. PCF Macpherson, for example, used the grant to start a mini-history project about the Macpherson area. Children went around the neighbourhood, armed with digital cameras and video cameras, to take photographs and conduct interviews with residents.”
“To encourage kindergarten teachers to take on professional upgrading, MOE will also be providing $4 million worth of bursaries and scholarships each year for kindergarten teachers to pursue full-time and part-time diploma courses as well as the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) programme conducted by NIE. To raise awareness about jobs in the kindergarten sector, MOE will facilitate recruitment efforts by providing relevant information about various platforms such as career fairs and Workforce Development Agency’s (WDA) websites. Our polytechnics will also offer more training places in early childhood education. Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic will each start a new full-time diploma course for students who are interested in early childhood education. Temasek Polytechnic will also be starting a new part-time training course for existing pre-school teachers. Altogether, our polytechnics will offer 250 places for full-time studies and 420 places for part-time studies. As announced by the Minister earlier, the new Advanced Diploma in Kindergarten Education-Teaching (ADKET) will offer up to 100 training places this year for mid-career professionals and fresh graduates or diploma holders to become kindergarten teachers. While the programme is shorter, the rigour and quality of training will be maintained, with a focus on curriculum and teaching methods, so that trainees will be equipped with the necessary competencies to teach young children effectively at kindergartens. The ADKET course fees will be subsidised under the enhanced Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR). During the period of training, kindergartens will receive a monthly stipend support of up to $1,000 per trainee.”
“Syllabuses for all subjects are reviewed regularly every six years. When the content is found to be dated and when the syllabus does not support key competencies we want to develop in our students sufficiently, it is important that we update the contents and textbooks accordingly. Where changes arising from the syllabus review are minor, MOE works with the publishers to ensure that the existing textbooks can continue to be used, by having the changes communicated to schools. We welcome feedback from Members when this is not actually being followed. Students who require financial assistance can apply to the MOE FAS or the school-based financial assistance to buy the new textbooks. Let me now turn to pre-school education, an issue which was raised by Mrs Josephine Teo and Dr Maliki. MOE’s desired outcome for the pre-school sector is for all children to have access to quality pre-school education, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, so that we can better prepare them for school. Currently, the community and private sector provide a range of offerings to meet the needs of different parents, while MOE focuses our efforts to uplift standards through key leverage areas, especially teacher quality and curriculum. Last year, we announced the new industry standard for teachers teaching K1 and K2 to have 5 ‘O’ Level passes, including a pass in English, and Diploma-level qualifications by 2013. We are on track in meeting these targets. In 2008, about 1,540 teachers attended the Diploma in Early Childhood Care & Education-Teaching course, an increase of 30% over the previous year. Today, about 40% of the kindergartens have already fulfilled the requirement of having 75% of their teachers meeting the new minimum qualifications.”
“I agree with Mrs Josephine Teo that in a knowledge-based economy, our students should go beyond the first 10 years of general education and obtain useful post-secondary qualifications that will help them find gainful employment. Today, 93% of our students already progress to some form of post-secondary institutions. MOE has been enhancing the progression pathways for students to progress to ITE and the polytechnics. ITE has also been beefing up their counselling and support services, and strengthening their collaborations with VWOs to provide further support to students. The various financial assistance schemes we already have in place, as well as the new enhancements announced by Minister, will provide the necessary help to students with financial difficulties so that they can focus on their studies. I also fully agree with Dr Amy Khor that reducing the number of dropouts is not something that schools can do alone. For students who choose to leave school despite all measures by schools to persuade them to stay on, all schools will refer these cases to VWOs, so that school leavers have support. Youth Link is one such example where MCYS organises social workers to work with the Out-of-School Youths for one year to provide the necessary guidance and support, and to get them to come back to school. I encourage grassroots organisations who wish to help these youths to contact the schools, to see how best they can complement the schools’ efforts and work with the professionals and social workers to help these dropouts as the problem is not always financial. Before I move to the topic of pre-school education, I wanted to address Mr Wee Siew Kim’s concerns on textbook wastage following changes to the syllabus.”
“My colleagues at MCYS will give more details on what is being done at the community level to support needy families and children through their coordination with schools. 12.30 pm I wish to assure MPs that MOE will continue to review our support structures in place, to ensure that every child receives the necessary support and no student will be forced to drop out of school because of financial constraints, especially during the downturn. Dr Amy Khor and Mrs Josephine Teo talked about the importance of keeping our youths in schools. Indeed, this has been one of MOE’s key priorities over the years. I am happy to share that MOE has met the attrition target of 1.5% in 2008, a target set earlier by PM Lee, two years ahead of schedule. Therefore, about 99% of our students are in good stead to pursue a post-secondary education. 10 years of education is important because it allows time to build character and a sense of belonging to community and nation. In April this year, MOE will roll out a system so that schools can better identify and monitor at-risk students as they move from class to class, and from school to school. Teachers can also get a better documentation of the profile of at-risk students, so that they can follow up in addressing the students’ learning and counselling needs consistently. Schools have also started various ground-up initiatives to guide and support at-risk students with disciplinary, behavioural and academic problems. Last year, I mentioned the Time-out Programme, which has been effective in reducing the dropout rate among the at-risk students. More schools are now organising such programmes for their at-risk students compared to last year.”
“Going forward, schools with higher needs in this area will be provided with an additional Allied Educator and Operations Manager (OM) over the next few years. At our tertiary institutions, there are dedicated student financing officers to advise students on the financial assistance options available. Currently, around one-third of local students in our universities benefit from financial assistance. MOE already provides sufficiently for students at all levels to achieve their educational goals in schools. Beyond MOE's assistance, the community plays an important and useful role in providing social support in other areas, to help children and their families. To Ms Irene Ng's point made earlier in the Budget debate, self-help groups do play a key role in supplementing the Government's existing efforts in helping needy families. Each group may appear to be helping their members in different ways and to different extents, but we should leave it to them to decide how they want to help their community, as they know best the specific needs of their community and are better able to reach out and connect with them because of language and cultural commonalities. Dr Amy Khor had asked if there could be better co-ordination on the use of the different funding sources to provide financial assistance to students. Schools will continue to provide the first line of support to these students but, in some instances, they will also refer cases to community organisations, like Family Service Centres (FSCs) or Community Development Councils (CDCs) for further assistance. These organisations would be in a better position to coordinate with other relevant agencies to reach out not just to the students, but also their families.”
“I wish to assure MPs that those in need can apply for the MOE's FAS at any time and help will be rendered promptly. To address the points made by Mr Christopher de Souza and Mr Siew Kum Hong, MOE will be spending $5.4 million to support school-based financial assistance schemes, as announced by Minister yesterday. Schools have the flexibility to decide on the eligibility criteria and the type of assistance to cater to the specific needs of students more effectively. With some items like uniforms now covered under the enhancements to the MOE's FAS benefits, schools can provide more discretionary assistance to their students, eg, meal and transport allowances, or even, as suggested by Mr Siew Kum Hong, supplementary books. MOE is already giving more to schools and although it is one time, whether or not it is recurrent, we will review it as we look at how we spend on the ground and listen to feedback, and we will respond. Apart from the MOE's FAS and school-based financial assistance schemes, schools are also able to use their Opportunity Fund at their discretion to help provide students from lower-income families with school-based enrichment opportunities. Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim had asked about the processes we have in place to identify and help students in need. Schools use various channels, like newsletters and announcements at assemblies, to inform parents and students about the availability of financial assistance. Teachers also keep a look out for students in need, especially those who are in fee arrears. Our schools adopt a whole-school support framework, whereby various resource personnel, including teachers and counsellors, are involved to support students in need.”
“Sir, several MPs were concerned about how students from lower-income families would be able to cope with education expenses in the economic downturn. General education is almost fully subsidised by the Government. Beyond this, MOE has been providing assistance to students from lower-income families who might not be able to afford the subsidised fees and other related expenses. In the light of the current economic recession and feedback from schools, we have further reviewed our financial assistance programme and will enhance the benefits to provide even more help to needy students. For primary and secondary school recipients under the MOE's Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS), in addition to free textbooks, MOE will now also provide a basic package of school attire every year that will include new sets of school uniforms and PE attire. The enhanced benefits will save parents an additional $130 a year for primary school pupils, and $160 for secondary school students. Families with more than one child in school will find that these are significant savings to their family expenditures. For pre-university students, MOE will be increasing the bursary quantum for FAS recipients by 50%, from the current $500 to $750, to help them pay for textbooks and other essential items for their studies. These enhancements to the FAS are expected to cost MOE $7.3 million per year, increasing the total FAS budget by 68%, to $18 million annually. We understand that some families could be temporarily caught out by the financial crisis because of unemployment or retrenchment, as mentioned by Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim. We are monitoring the situation closely. As at end January this year, there was a 6% increase in the number of FAS recipients compared to the corresponding period last year.”
“Just as with other businesses, hawkers are facing a difficult time in this downturn. To ease the burden on hawkers, NEA will provide a monthly 15% rental rebate to market-rent paying stallholders in NEA-managed markets and food centres from January to December this year. Some 5,300 stallholders will qualify for the rebates, which will amount to about $5.6 million. Sir, I will now invite my Senior Parliamentary Secretary to respond to the remaining cuts on cleanliness.”
“This campaign will be driven by activities involving key stakeholders, such as the grassroots, schools, the youth and businesses. We hope that the campaign will also instil a greater sense of community ownership and pride over the cleanliness of our city, as we prepare to host the Youth Olympic Games in 2010. Moving forward, we will also seek to deepen our understanding of littering behaviour, so that our programmes remain effective in tackling the littering problem. Sir, Mdm Ho Geok Choo spoke about our hawker centres. In 2001, my Ministry launched the Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme (HUP) to improve the façade and interior of hawker centres, so that they will continue to provide a clean, hygienic and pleasant dining environment. To date, 71 centres have been upgraded. Eight centres are now undergoing upgrading and the remaining 32 centres are expected to be upgraded within the next few years, in consultation with the respective Advisers. In the meantime, periodic repair works will continue to be carried out at these centres, where necessary, to ensure their functionality. NEA has a stringent regulatory regime to ensure good food hygiene practices. All hawkers and their assistants are educated on food hygiene knowledge before they can operate. Food stalls are routinely assessed on their cleanliness and food hygiene standards. Licensees are liable for demerit points if they flout food hygiene and other rules, and recalcitrant offenders have their licences suspended or even revoked. In addition, the poor performers will be inspected more frequently until they have made the grade. The proportion of stalls that achieved at least a "B" grading improved from 46% in 2002 to 86% last year.”
“NEA adopts a multi-pronged approach to sustaining public cleanliness, comprising an effective cleaning regime, public engagement, and penalties and enforcement to deter littering behaviour. As Mr Edwin Khew pointed out, the growing population will put more stress on our cleaning regime. In fact, NEA has already committed additional resources to clean up littering hotspot areas, such as Little India, Chinatown and Geylang. This cannot continue indefinitely. We must tackle the source of the problem, which is littering. NEA has stepped up enforcement against littering and the number of offenders caught increased from about 4,000 in 2005 to 33,000 in 2008. The increase clearly shows that littering remains a concern in Singapore, and we should work harder to tackle this problem. We are mindful of our enforcement limitations, as Mr Ong Kian Min pointed out, but NEA will continue to focus its enforcement efforts at littering hotspots to achieve maximum effectiveness. Apart from sustained enforcement, our penalties must act as effective deterrents. The fines for littering offences were last revised 10 years ago. To ensure continued deterrence, NEA will raise the composition sum for first time minor littering offenders from $200 to $300 from April this year. NEA will continue to review the need to stiffen other punitive measures against littering. Having said that, every individual, however, must take ownership over public cleanliness, as Er Lee Bee Wah mentioned earlier. Four decades have passed since the first "Keep Singapore Clean" campaign was launched by then Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew. To reinforce the importance of public cleanliness, NEA plans to launch a new national cleanliness campaign this year.”
“Sir, I wish to have an update on the progress of the ABC Waters Programme. Having attained first-class living standards, MEWR highlighted that plans will be put in place to create new community spaces that are clean, pleasant and bustling with live activities. In this regard, efforts will be made to integrate the Republic's water bodies with the parks and green spaces, and turn Singapore into a "City of Gardens and Waters". Beautifully acronymed, ABC Waters Programme, its objectives, in essence, are to make Singaporeans active, transform our water-ways beautifully and ensure that our water bodies are clean. At this juncture, we need to know if attempts to open our water resources, which we have protected in the past, will bring about challenges in the form of irresponsible pollution. The move to bring people closer to water, so that they will enjoy and cherish it, should be lauded. Thus, has MEWR plans to put in place on the preventive measures to be taken, in ensuring the purity of our rivers and canals that are in and close to the residential heartlands will not be compromised? Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Mr Chairman, several Members have raised a number of questions on public cleanliness. Sir, maintaining high standards of public cleanliness is important, not only to protect public health. It is also integral to our efforts to ensure that Singapore develops sustainably and remains a clean and green city of gardens and water. Each of us must play our part. For instance, while the Government can invest in infrastructure to transform our waterways under the ABC Waters programme, which I will elaborate on later, residents must keep the waters clean.”
“My Ministry will, therefore, be working with our research institutions and industry to build up Singapore's research and development capability in clean environment technologies over the next few years. Possible focus areas being considered include waste management which has been assessed to have good market potential. This new effort will complement the existing Clean Water and Clean Energy programmes, and enhance Singapore's position as a hub for environmental solutions and technologies that Mr Khew spoke about. Notwithstanding the economic downturn, MEWR will sustain efforts to develop Singapore's capabilities in environmental and water technologies. We are offering courses to build up specialised competencies in the environment and water sector. For example, NEA's Singapore Certified Energy Manager, or SCEM, programme, which I spoke of earlier, will provide the foundation for engineers to become professionals in the promotion of energy efficiency. In the water sector, PUB has worked with the Singapore Water Association to roll out competency programmes for membrane technologies employed in the production of water. These programmes will not only augment our pool of skilled manpower, but are also timely for mid-career professionals, such as engineers and plant managers, who want to re-skill themselves, particularly in this downturn. There are opportunities in the environment and water sector for mid-career professionals, both in the public and private sector. Sir, I will again take some other cuts later on.”
“In 2008, our water companies continued to internationalise, securing a total value of more than $1.3 billion of contracts. While most projects came from the key markets of China and the Middle East, Singapore companies are also enjoying some success in regions such as North Africa. For instance, Hyflux secured a $630 million Algerian desalination contract. The Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2008 held in June 2008 received strong global support with more than 8,500 participants from 79 countries. Business deals in excess of $367 million were inked. Extensive local and international media coverage profiled Singapore as a global water hub to the world. SIWW 2009 will ride on this success and aim for greater participation from China, Middle East, India and South East Asia, which are key markets for our water technologies. This year's event will focus on water infrastructure and technologies with the theme "Sustainable Cities – Infrastructure and Technologies for Water". To further bolster this theme, the 7th Ministers' Forum on Infrastructure Development in the Asia Pacific Region will be one of the key events to co-locate with this year's SIWW. Drawing from industry feedback, SIWW 2009 will feature a larger exhibition area, more networking opportunities, and environment technologies and companies. Beyond the water sector, my Ministry, together with the EDB and IE Singapore, have been studying market drivers, technology trends and Singapore's competitive strengths and value propositions in the environment sector. Our study assessed that clean environment technologies will be an important growth area for Singapore's environment and water sector.”
“This contributed to a high level of R&D activities, and attracted global ideas and talents into Singapore. To grow the local pool of talent in water technologies, EWI supports promising candidates to pursue Masters or PhDs through scholarships. In 2008, EWI widened its outreach to overseas-based applicants and this saw the award of eight PhD scholarships, up from two in 2007. The third round of PhD scholarship applications just closed in January, with more than 60 applications received. The EWI regularly reviews our schemes to develop the water industry. In 2008, the TechPioneer scheme was enhanced by removing the need for grant repayment, to encourage more companies to adopt new technologies early. One project that has benefited from the enhancement is Keppel's membrane distillation project which is scheduled to commence in the first quarter of this year. Singapore's vibrant water industry continues to attract reputable water R&D institutes and companies. For instance, Nitto Denko will be the first Japanese enterprise to set up a water R&D centre in Singapore. It will invest a modest sum, to begin with, of about $6 million to focus on R&D in membrane applications for desalination and water reuse. Another example is Marmon Water, a US-based company, which is investing $24 million to set up a water filter manufacturing facility in Singapore, employing 100 staff. The EWI also made good progress in grooming local SMEs and encouraging them to develop capabilities and proprietary technologies that can be exported. For example, PUB is working with a local company, Optiqua, to test and validate sensor applications to detect organic and biological contaminants in water. More Singapore water companies have started to export their expertise and expand their overseas presence.”
“We will also review our gate fee regularly, taking into consideration the need to appropriately price our waste disposal operations and the cost impact on businesses and households. Mr Charles Chong asked about Semakau landfill. It is located off mainland Singapore. Semakau landfill is clean and free from smell. In fact, it is open to the public for them to enjoy its rich biodiversity. That said, we hope to achieve even more with Semakau. We are developing a plan to turn it into an Eco Park, where companies can conduct field testing of renewable and clean technologies, such as wind and solar energy. More details will be announced when the concept plan has been finalised. I have spoken about resource efficiency and how this supports sustainable development. Our second key thrust to ensure sustainable development is to build capability in the environment and water sector. This will not only generate new solutions for Singapore, but create economic opportunities that Mr Khew mentioned about. Environmental goods and services are expected to have a global market worth over US$500 billion each year. New materials, energy technologies, and applications to minimise waste and conserve resources will be important in future. By building up our capabilities in sustainable development, we can secure a long-term competitive advantage for Singapore in this sector. Mr Masagos Zulkifli asked for an update on our efforts to build up Singapore's capabilities in environment and water technologies. I am pleased to share that we are making very good progress. In 2008, the Environment and Water Industry Development Council (EWI) injected another $21 million into the R&D ecosystem through the award of 14 R&D projects to companies and institutes of higher learning based in Singapore.”
“While these results are encouraging, it will become increasingly challenging to sustain this progress, as the remaining waste that is disposed is not easy to segregate and recycle. We agree with Mr Khew that additional measures will be needed to further increase our overall recycling rate and the recycling rate of waste streams with lower recycling rates, such as food waste and plastic waste. Sir, I am pleased to inform the House that NEA will be launching an $8 million 3R Fund over the next two years to co-fund new waste minimisation and recycling projects. So those ideas that Mr Khew has suggested, some of the companies can consider submitting a proposal. The Fund will co-fund up to 80% of the qualifying costs, subject to a cap of $1 million per project. NEA has received several preliminary proposals from its industry consultations, and these include the separate collection and recycling of food and garden waste, glass and batteries. More details on the Fund will be provided by NEA when it is launched within the next two months. As part of the Government's efforts to help businesses tide over the current downturn, my Ministry will give a 15% monthly rental rebate from January to December this year to the recycling companies located at the Sarimbun Recycling Park. I think this will help them in these difficult times. We are aware that some developed countries have used legislation to mandate recycling. In view of the current economic downturn, we are not looking at introducing legislation in the near future, as it would likely increase costs for businesses and households. However, in the longer term, we will study the use of legislation to further improve our recycling rate.”
“As the recycling bins are on rollers, they are, therefore, easily moved by anybody who may want to move it. So we will ask them to study how best we can avoid such a problem, as mentioned in today's papers. Sir, Dr Lim also asked whether there are enough centralised recycling bins, and he offered Canberra as an example. NEA's data shows that the number is sufficient. But if Dr Lim wants to experiment, I am sure the NEA can work together with the PWC, and if they are prepared to do it, I will leave it to the PWC to work together with Dr Lim on this matter. But for locations where the bins are filled up more quickly, NEA has been working with the PWCs to increase the collection frequency from the usual once per week to twice per week. NEA will continue to monitor the usage of the recycling facilities and review their adequacy on an ongoing basis. Last year, I announced that NEA will mandate the provision of recycling receptacles in condominium and private apartments by 2009. Implementation has been ongoing in phases to give the management councils and waste management companies sufficient time for compliance. NEA targets to achieve full implementation by the end of 2009. All households in Singapore will then have convenient access to recycling facilities. Both Er Lee Bee Wah and Er Edwin Khew spoke about our new measures to improve our recycling rate. Our recycling rate improved steadily from 40% in 2000 to 56% in 2008, and we are on track to meet the Singapore Green Plan 2012 target of 60%. We also achieved high recycling rates for waste streams, such as used slag, construction debris and ferrous metals.”
“NEA also collaborated with the food and beverage sector on the voluntary Singapore Packaging Agreement to reduce packaging waste. Results are encouraging with a total of 850 tonnes of packaging waste avoided in the first year. On the "Bring Your Own Bag Day" initiative, which is introduced by the Singapore Environment Council (SEC), we will let the participating retailers determine if the frequency needs to be increased, as suggested by Dr Lim. This is now led by SEC and they will work with the industry. Mr Charles Chong also asked about recycling in our households. The NEA launched the National Recycling Programme (NRP) in 2001. Under the NRP, the public waste collectors (PWCs) serving HDB and private landed estates provide door-to-door collection of recyclables once a fortnight. The participation rate in the NRP increased from 15% in 2001 to 63% in 2008. Since 2007, the PWCs have also provided 1,600 centralised recycling bins in the common areas of HDB estates. There is a set of bins for every five blocks of HDB flats and the majority of residents need not walk more than 150 metres from their blocks to use them. The response from our residents has been encouraging. The average amount of recyclables collected from each set of bins increased by 58% from 65 kg per month in 2007 to 103 kg per month for 2008. However, there is still room for improvement, and I encourage all residents to make full use of the recycling facilities, but in a responsible manner. The location at which the recycling facilities are located is a decision made by the Town Councils in consultation, sometimes, with the Residents' Committees. On the case reported in the Straits Times today, we have asked the waste collector for that area to investigate.”
“Sir, the magnitude of challenges in the area of water as a precious resource has increased. It is particularly more pronounced with climate change where even rain-abundant areas can face severe droughts, further exacerbating water shortage in the world. Singapore, known for its innovation in the areas of water recycling, is well positioned to play a role as one of the leading players to share good practices and lead the way in developing new technology solutions in water technologies. In addition, there was a mention on the research programme, and the Minister explained the size and scope of our R&D on environment and water technology. Can I ask the Minister whether this will translate abundantly into jobs and careers for our citizens? Are there opportunities that mid-career professionals can take to reskill themselves during this recession? Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, as I mentioned earlier, sustainable development would require the prudent use of natural resources, and we agree with Dr Lim Wee Kiak that efforts to recycle should be emphasised in this downturn. Improving resource efficiency through recycling and minimising waste will, of course, save costs. It also reduces the demand for waste disposal infrastructure, freeing up land for other uses. 2.45 pm Sir, NEA has spearheaded many initiatives to promote recycling and waste minimisation. These include recycling programmes for sectors, such as households and industries, and public education on proper recycling habits. As Er Lee Bee Wah has noted, public education is important, and these efforts will continue. She referred to the article in the Straits Times today. I will address that later, in terms of what we do at the constituencies.”
“Finally, how certain is BCA in the mid-career workers crossing over and setting down well in the industry, especially when the lure of hiring foreign workers on the part of small and medium size contractors to keep their business cost or manpower low is too alluring. Employment Opportunities in the Construction Sector”
“Mr Speaker, in the news dated 17th January 2009 on the Building Construction Authority's website, it was stated that the annual construction demand is projected to reach $22-$37 billion dollars in the next three years to 2011. This sustained higher level of construction activities will open up many job opportunities at home, especially for locals. Despite the gloomy economic outlook, the construction sector, which has a sustained workload in the next three years, is still continuing its recruitment efforts across the professional, technical, supervisory and tradesman level. However, we have the knowledge that more needs to be done for ensuring that workers, especially the mid-career ones, are transitioned well to undertake such positions. Mismatch of expectations may result between the employers in the construction industry and interested mid-career Singaporeans. Taking this further, the knowledge gaps may result in the overall construction industry not being able to meet its objectives, thus derailing the efforts by the Government in stimulating the Singapore's economy. For this purpose, can BCA share some of the measures to ensure the smooth transition of workers, particularly on placement and training? In addition, while the interest may be there on the part of mid-career workers, are there schemes to assist these workers to receive training and, at the same time, receive some form of stipend or allowance to ensure that they do not prop up their cost and that they are incentivised to graduate from the programme?”
“I brought LTA top officers to the site to show them that we can build a covered link-way along the roadside in order to link it to the nearest HDB block. LTA told me that they do not have the budget and referred me to CIPC funding. So, when I talked to the Town Council, they told me that the cost for the linkway exceeds the CIPC funding cap. I hope I would not have to window shop from LTA to MND. Can the Government also look at tweaking the Workfare Bonus to give more to those workers who take up employment in the construction industry? This way, it may be able to attract more Singaporeans to work in the industry. With the expected slow market recovery, property developers are laden with high operating cost and cashflow burden. Additional tax incentives, like waiver of property tax for land under development, property tax rebates for service apartments and stamp duty reduction deferred will be welcomed. Construction Industry”
“This would give them a headstart to moblilise manpower and purchase required resources without having to struggle with bank loans. Another way that Government can help is to pay on time. Inefficient administrative processes often slow down the settlement of payments to the building contractors, in particular, when it comes to the settlement of the variation orders. This has imposed additional financial burden on the contractors. Besides that, new Government requirements that are not critical should be deferred. An example of this is the requirement of geo-technical professional engineers for the designing of foundations for high-rise buildings. I would also like to urge the Government to push out more lift upgrading programmes and covered link-ways to improve the quality of HDB living. In Nee Soon South, for example, there are 35 blocks of flats which have not been selected for lift upgrading. I know there is a schedule drawn up for LUP, but the Ministry should review this periodically as time waits for no man, and how long must elderly residents endure before relief comes to them. MND should also re-examine the building of covered link-ways. Is our policy so rigid that some of our residents are deprived of having covered link-ways? Let me give Members an example. In Nee Soon South, there are seven blocks of flats – Blocks 858 to 865 – not linked to the adjacent cluster of HDB blocks because they are separated by a school and a temple. We know that these days the weather is often in the extremes. When it rains, it pours; when it shines, it burns. Residents do not have access to sheltered paths that would take them to Khatib MRT Station.”
“Sir, prices of private residential offices, shops and industrial properties have decreased in the fourth quarter of 2008 as well as year-on-year 2008. So have rentals of these private residential offices, shops and industrial properties. However, the supply of these properties has increased or they are online to be supplied into the market. As of fourth quarter of 2008, there were about 65,000 private residential units in the pipeline comprising supply from projects that were already under construction and those that have been granted planning approval but were not under construction yet. For the office sector, there was a pipeline supply of about 1.39 million square metres of gross floor area of office space from various Government and private land sources. With the falling prices, faltering demand and a glut of supply coming on line, what is the likely impact on the construction sector going forward? In addition, what are some measures the Government will put in place to sustain and assist the construction industry during this period in continuing to spur the construction sector in moving forward? In addition, how can we avoid a situation where private developments are half completed, stalled or even abandoned due to surplus of office space and falling private home prices and the possibility that some contractors will go bust? Will there be sufficient public sector projects for contractors, particularly those who do not have? Er Lee Bee Wah: Sir, I would like to declare my interest as a professional engineer working in the construction industry. During this difficult economic situation, perhaps the Government could look into providing downpayments to consultants and contractors.”
“HDB will release the details of these new eligibility criteria later today. Sir, in conclusion, let me reiterate our commitment to ensuring that all Singaporeans will have a roof over their heads. We will build more rental flats. We will also ensure that they are allocated to deserving cases only, so that those public rental flats that we do build will be truly an effective final safety net and housing of last resort for the truly needy. Home Improvement Programme and Spalling Concrete”
“They do qualify for rental flats under our current eligibility criteria. We need to take decisive steps to correct this. We must reinstate the Public Rental Scheme to its rightful role as the final safety net and the housing option of last resort for the needy. If everybody jumps onto this safety net, whether they deserve it or not, the safety net is going to break. So, with immediate effect, HDB will implement revised eligibility criteria for HDB rental flats. We will adopt three main principles: first, rental flats should only be allocated to those who cannot afford their own housing. The current household income ceiling of $1,500 per month does not stop retirees who have zero income but are asset-rich from accumulated savings or from buying and selling subsidised HDB flats, from joining the rental flat queue. Therefore, HDB will take into account both the income and the assets of rental flat applicants who have enjoyed at least one housing subsidy. Those with substantial savings, as well as those who realised significant proceeds from their last flat sale, will not qualify for a rental flat. Secondly, the family, not the Government, should be the first line of support for those in need. Therefore, an elderly applicant will not qualify for rental housing if his children own flats or houses, and are able to accommodate him. As rental flats are heavily subsidised, HDB will continue to permanently debar those who have enjoyed two housing subsidies. This is a current criterion, and we will maintain that. We will also retain the 30-month debarment for those who have just sold their flats. I assure Members that appeals that are based on financial hardships that do not meet these new eligible criteria will continue to be evaluated based on the merits of each case.”
“So our rental flats have now become a cheap and attractive option for those who want to cash out of their ownership flats, or for children who want their elderly parents to live elsewhere or for elderly parents who want to live away from their children. Let me give Members two real-life examples. One rental applicant had a 5-room flat, sold it after paying off his loan, received net proceeds of $325,000 – more than enough to buy a studio apartment, a 2-room flat, a 3-room flat or even a 4-room, for that matter. But he is now in our rental queue. He meets our current eligibility criteria: he has zero income, he waited 30 months after selling his flat. So he is eligible under the current rules. Another applicant – an elderly couple – happily staying with their child in a private condominium. They can continue to do so. Instead, they chose to apply for a rental flat. Again, they qualify – they are retirees, they have zero income. These are, by no means, isolated cases. Two-thirds of applicants in the rental queue currently comprise households who used to own an HDB flat. In other words, they are second-timers. They bought a subsidised HDB flat and enjoyed a housing subsidy previously. Now they have cashed out and they are coming back for a heavily-subsidised flat. The majority of them, of these two-thirds, do not seem to have financial difficulty when they sold their flats – no financial arrears, not divorce cases, etc. Forty per cent of these ex-lessees received more than $90,000 as sales proceeds. As I said earlier, they could easily afford a studio apartment or a small resale flat. These applicants on the queue should not be competing with needy families for rental flats.”
“Yes, every month, there are more new applicants than there are people giving up their rental flats. Three hundred new applicants join the rental queue every month. The number of people returning flats is 150. Over and above that, there are over 500 appeals from Members of this House each month, from those who do not qualify for rental housing, who are not on the queue at the moment. I think all Members would know that this is probably the largest item on the agenda, as far as MPS is concerned. On the queue today, there are now 4,550 applicants. Some are really in need of help but they are on the queue. They have no housing options and the rental flat is really the final safety net for them and their families. For this group, we have started to build more rental flats since 2007. Going forward, HDB will accelerate its rental flat building programme. So, by 2012, we will increase the stock of HDB rental flats to 50,000 units, from the current 42,000 units, that means an increase of 20%. But just increasing the supply alone will not solve the supply-demand mismatch. There is an overwhelming demand for rental flats from those who have alternative housing options. Who are these people? They either have the financial means to buy or rent a flat in the open market, or they have family members who could easily accommodate them. HDB’s rental flats are very heavily subsidised so it is not surprising that these people also join in the queue. As I said, the rent for a 1-room flat for the whole year can be as low as $240, which is probably half of one-month rental for a 1-room in the market.”
“Taking the increased rent rebates into consideration, the total rent that they need to pay for 2009, ie, for the whole year, for a 1-room tenant, is $240 and, for a two-room tenant, it is $540. If we take the current rentals that they are paying, if you discount it and remove the rebate for those months that they do not have to pay, that is what they are paying – an average of $20 a month for one-roomers and $45 a month for two-roomers. For the other 6,000 tenants with relative higher income, their rents are not fixed but pegged to 30%-50% of the market rate. To help this group of tenants, we have deferred the market adjustment of the rental rates. For example, 30% market rate for 1-room flat is $160 per month, but HDB charges the tenant only $110 a month. We will freeze the market rate adjustment for 2009. 2.15 pm In addition, HDB has frozen its rental rate alignment exercise. This is a little bit complicated. So let me explain a little bit. You remember that in November 2006, HDB announced that tenants earning above $800 per month would see their rental rates increase over two rounds of tenancy renewals, or four years. So every round is two years. This is the rental alignment exercise. The first round started in November 2006, the second and final round was supposed to start in November 2008. It would have affected 6,000 rental tenants. But in view of the economic downturn, HDB will freeze this second round of rent alignment for a year. So it would not be implemented by November 2008, as originally planned. Next, let me address the supply and demand of public rental flats. Mr Masagos asked how my Ministry intends to cope with the increasing number of rental applicants.”
“Sir, can we have an update every quarter on the average waiting time for such a flat so that HDB perhaps can then plan better in terms of building the supply of rental flats? Sir, I want to commend the Government for deciding to give an additional rental rebate of one month, bringing the total rental rebates to three or four months this year. What else can the Ministry do to assist this group of people on the rental queue who obviously are in dire financial straits? Mr Mah Bow Tan: Sir, despite our generous housing subsidies, a small group of Singaporean families are still unable to afford their homes. These are the people that we have designed the public rental scheme for because it serves as a final safety net for them to provide for their housing needs. We will further enhance this rental housing safety net to help low-income Singaporeans to weather the economic downturn. We will do this in several ways. Let me elaborate. First, we will continue to keep the rents low for our public rental tenants. Second, we will increase the supply of rental flats significantly. And finally, we will take steps to manage demand and safeguard rental flats for the deserving, so that they are not crowded out by the less needy. Let me talk about how we will keep rents low. The Minister for Finance announced in the Budget speech that we will give our rental tenants another month of rent rebates for 2009. One-room tenants will enjoy four rent-free months for the whole year; 2-room tenants will enjoy three rent-free months for the whole year. These rent rebates are on top of the heavy rent discounts that we are already providing. Most of rental tenants, in fact, 85% of our rental tenants, pay the basic tier rent. This basic tier rent is less than 10% of the open market rate.”
“This also means obviously rejections of applicants who do not qualify for rental flats. There are also four other areas that I would like HDB to look into in reviewing this criteria, namely, income ceiling, definition of family nucleus (eg, whether grandparents and grandchild qualify), financial hardship plus negative return on sale of HDB flat, single parent and divorce cases, especially women in financial hardship. Mdm Ho Geok Choo: Sir, as this recession wears on, the number of people seeking HDB rental flat accommodation has increased. It was reported in the Straits Times on 25th April 2008 that the waiting time for a rental flat was two to three months in 2006. In 2008, it was about nine to 18 months. This underscores the increasing number of people who are caught in financial difficulty because of this recession. Sir, ultimately, the goal of the Government is still home ownership and that I do support, but for the interim when times are bad, a roof over one's head, even if rented, is better than no roof at all! Given time, when these tenants' circumstances improve, they can choose to buy over their flats. Sir, I believe if this group of needy Singaporeans cannot find affordable housing, we will soon have more social problems, like stressed out families, domestic strife, juvenile delinquency, maybe even increased crime. Sir, I would like to ask the HDB what alternatives are there if people on the rental queue are not able to get a rental flat fast enough. Sir, having said that, I note that the MND is building 2,260 rental units this year. But is this enough? I also note that the HDB will ramp up its number of rental flats from 42,800 to 49,860 by end-2011.”
“Sir, quite a number of residents come to see me to appeal for a rental flat during the Meet-the-People session. The situation will be exacerbated with the worsening financial situation that has impacted Singapore. The effect takes place in the form of retrenchments and pay cuts. Residents will definitely come in droves sooner or later, requesting for their respective Members of Parliament to intercede in the application for rental flats. While HDB undoubtedly goes all out, trying its best to assist these needy residents, one of the most effective ways in addressing this is by building more rental flats to meet the demand, and this would naturally take time. For this purpose, I would like to ask the Minister what measures the Government will take to address the immediate issue of the increasing number of rental flats applicants, and whether a revision of the eligibility criteria will be institutionalised. The queue for rental flats is indeed very long. I was told for every one person who has vacated a rental flat, four people are waiting to come in. There have been instances where residents who turn up during MPS, may really not be genuinely in need of rental flats. While no official statistics are available, the practice of receiving and looking into every application may have contributed to a backlog of cases, thus, not utilising effectively and efficiently the manpower resources at HDB. At the same time, this process is also holding up other residents who are in genuine need of rental flats. It is true that information is already available on the eligibility for rental flats from HDB. However, I think the public needs clarity in terms of HDB's rental housing philosophy so that only those who really qualify for rental flats will be served and attended to.”
“In addition, would HDB also consider extending the LBS to elderly residents who occupy 4-room flats or bigger, as at present this scheme is confined to those who are living in 3-room flats or smaller?”
“Sir, of late, I have noted an increase in the number of elderly residents who are requesting for assistance in the form of financing their monthly utilities bills and disbursement of vouchers to purchase daily necessities. They are usually unable to secure gainful employment owing to their age and often not in the best of health. These elderly folks are experiencing a great challenge to live the remaining period of their twilight years. At a deeper level, there are also cases where these elderly residents are left with no choice but to sell their homes to deal with their financial woes and then later, cannot get along with their children or maybe their in-laws whom they have to live with after they sold their flats. HDB, or MND, has introduced a policy for these people to monetise their housing equity to meet their retirement needs, if they live in 3-room flats. Under the Lease Buyback Scheme which was announced, there is a housing equity lock, for which HDB will provide a subsidy of $10,000. Out of this total amount, $5,000 should be given to the household as an upfront lump sum. The household promises to stay in their flat which will be left with a 30-year lease. Following the details of the LBS, can the Minister for National Development share with us on the exact date where the Lease Buyback Scheme will be launched? Like Dr Faishal, I would like to know if this is a step forward in ensuring that elderly Singaporeans, who are not well off, do not fall through the cracks in the society. There is also a need for more clarity as to what will happen to the flat if the elderly passes away before the end of the 30-year lease and the balance of the annuity money. Would the balance of the annuity money be handed over to the public trustee or even a charitable organisation?”
“It is important therefore that vehicle owners ensure that their drivers are properly trained and have adequate rest. Comprehensive safety checks should also be put in place, including systems which monitor and audit driver behaviour. Mr Lim Biow Chuan has shared his concern on the issue of more motorcycle fatalities in 2008. Increasing the number of officers on the ground, as Second Minister Shanmugam has mentioned, may help. But just as building a safety mindset is key to reducing accidents caused by drivers of heavy vehicles, it is as much for motorcycle riders. Traffic Police has already announced last week that they will be incorporating more safety education into the curriculum for learner motorcycle riders. Sir, let me conclude by thanking the Members who have spoken. The year ahead will certainly bring many new challenges. But I am confident that, together with all our Home Team partners, we will overcome them, as we have done before.”
“I urge all members of our community to support Police’s effort by ensuring that your loved ones do not drink and drive. Mr Fong has raised the issue of traffic violations committed by heavy vehicles. Accidents involving heavy vehicles are likely to cause extensive damage and more serious injuries. Fatal accidents involving heavy vehicles increased from 12 cases in 2007 to 18 cases in 2008. In view of this, Traffic Police stepped up its enforcement efforts against traffic violations by heavy vehicles in 2008. Summonses issued to heavy vehicles for various moving offences almost tripled from 1,160 in 2007 to 3,030 in 2008. Traffic Police has also actively engaged the heavy-vehicle industry through Road Safety outreach and education programmes, and will be sending letters to all Class 4 and 5 drivers, to remind them about the importance of abiding by the traffic rules and giving way to other road users. Traffic Police has also considered the use of digital tachographs, which Assoc. Prof. Kalyani Mehta suggested in Parliament on 22nd January this year. Digital tachographs record but do not limit a vehicle's speed. Currently, we have a speed limiter regime for heavy vehicles but we recognise that the technology is somewhat dated. Traffic Police is exploring a new solution to limit the speed of heavy vehicles, based on Global Positioning System technology. We will release more information when we have completed the study. Most accidents involving heavy vehicles are however not speed-related but rather the result of poor driving, for example, failing to give way or to keep a proper lookout. There has been no fatal accident involving a heavy vehicle due to speeding in the past three years.”
“Dr Teo has asked about enforcement and public education efforts on drink driving. The Traffic Police enhanced its enforcement strategies in 2008, including the ringfencing of particular areas. The initial results are encouraging. With the increased enforcement, the number of persons arrested for drink driving in 2008 fell to 3,586 from 4,010 in 2007, or by about 11%. However, we cannot afford to be complacent. Over the past 10 years, the number of persons arrested for drink driving has more than doubled from 1,513 in 1999. Police must continue with its tough enforcement efforts in 2009. In December 2008, Traffic Police launched its annual anti-drink driving campaign with the key message, "If you drink, don't drive." To expand its reach and engage young drinkers, Traffic Police has also produced an Internet game highlighting the effects of alcohol on driving, as well as the severe penalties for drink driving. Dr Teo has asked the Ministry to consider a "Work Drivers Licence Scheme" to allow drink-driving offenders restricted driving expressly for employment, to lessen their financial hardship. While I understand Dr Teo's concerns, such a scheme would lower our enforcement standards, and is incongruent with the strong stance against drink driving, which Dr Teo has also supported. Even Tasmania, which has the same scheme, does not award this for people who have been convicted of drink driving. Drink driving is therefore for us, a very serious offence and we take a zero-tolerance approach. Our stand has not changed in this economic downturn. In addition, professional drivers, especially those transporting passengers, have an added responsibility for the safety of others. Drivers who have consumed alcohol are needlessly and recklessly putting lives at risk.”
“Since the launch of this project, there has been no reports of crime in those homes. On crimes against children, the number of children abuse victims who suffered serious hurt or ill-treatment has actually decreased from 2007 to 2008. However, we are worried about the increase in the number of children who were sexually exploited and are monitoring this closely. Dr Teo has rightly mentioned the high risk of cyber-crime faced by children as they use the Internet. We have strengthened our legal framework to protect children from such crimes. The Children and Young Persons Act makes it an offence to commit obscene or indecent acts with any person below 16 years of age. We also recently introduced the Penal Code offence of "sexual grooming" which criminalises the acts of sexual predators who prey on children including those who groom children over the Internet. Police has built up capabilities to fight cyber-crime. For example, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has a Technology Crime Division specialised in investigating crimes related to computer misuse. Police also partners the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) to disseminate crime prevention messages related to cyberwellness to frequent computer users. In February 2008, Police and NCPC supported the Cyberwellness SUMM.IT which targeted students, IT experts and teachers, and covered topics such as online safety and security. NCPC also collaborates with MOE on cyberwellness programmes for schools. But the role of parents, as the immediate family member, remains most crucial. They should supervise and inoculate their children from as young as possible from visiting objectionable websites. Putting computers in full view of all family members will definitely help. Let me now turn to traffic-related matters.”
“Frontline patrol officers already encourage storekeepers and commercial building management to install CCTVs where appropriate. MHA has developed and published technical guidelines and best practices on video standards called the "Guidelines for Enhancing Building Security". However, we are mindful that CCTVs incur costs; business owners must weigh the benefits against the risks and potential losses they face. I would also like to thank Dr Teo for highlighting that the elderly and children require our special attention, whatever the economic situation. Police recognises the vulnerability of the elderly and has stepped up its efforts to protect them from cheating-related offences and violent offences like snatch theft and robbery. In 2008 alone, Police arrested seven serial robbers and snatch thieves who were responsible for a total of 35 cases against elderly victims. Of the seven arrests, I am glad to note that three were made with the assistance of the community. The Police also partners the community on special crime prevention awareness initiatives that focus on senior citizens. The "Elderly Crime Prevention Ambassador Scheme" launched in 2002 in collaboration with the National Crime Prevention Council, is still going strong. The number of crime prevention ambassadors has continued to grow, reaching 150. In 2008, they conducted 138 Senior Citizens’ chit-chat sessions, reaching more than 79,700 senior citizens. Another example is the "Eldercare" CSSP (Community Safety and Security Programme) project launched in Marine Parade in 2007. The aim of the project was to prevent crimes against the elderly through education and installation of alarms in their homes to protect them and their homes.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I will speak on our efforts to prevent crime, including helping the vulnerable and partnering with private establishments. I will also touch on drink driving and road safety involving heavy vehicles. Dr Teo asked about measures to prevent crime during the economic downturn. Let me first say that the 2008 crime picture was positive compared to 2007. However, with the economic contraction forecasted for 2009, Police is anticipating an increase in crimes such as theft, cheating, vice and loanshark activities as historically there is a correlation between crime and economic conditions. The economic difficulties in other countries may also encourage illegal immigration. Police will continue to pursue swift and tough enforcement against criminals. Senior Minister of State Ho has already spoken about Police’s enhanced enforcement in response to vice and loansharking. Let me touch on the other areas raised by Members. Theft-related crimes traditionally make up a large proportion of crimes committed, and are likely to increase in an economic downturn. Yet these crimes are often the most preventable. The key to reducing such crimes lies in public awareness and vigilance. Phone scams and other cheating offences are also likely to increase. Scammers prey on our concern over loved ones. The Police will continue to raise awareness of common modus operandi through the media, including SMS advisories and the Internet. The community can play a part by making sure that their family members and friends stay vigilant against such frauds. Mr Arthur Fong has suggested encouraging private establishments to equip their stores with closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs). This is indeed a good suggestion.”
“Our Singaporean religious leaders must be aware of life in a multi-racial and modern society. I thank the Government once again for being concerned towards the needs of the Muslim community, by enabling and broadening the application of MBMF, through the CPF mechanism, and support not only its hardware but also its software. Actually, the MBMF disbursement for religious education is not large. MUIS will spend $7 million towards madrasah needs, including this additional MBMF. This is a good improvement. I hope that with this disbursement, madrasah students do not have to collect donations every Friday at mosques around Singapore. However, the amount we receive, if this fund is given to full time madrasah students – 4,000 of them – will mean that each student receives $1,750, on average. This is still far lower than the allotment of $4,000 per student under the national schools.”
“(In Malay ): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Mr Speaker, I support the amendment to the Bill, especially on the usage of MBMF for religious education. 30 years have passed since the Fund was created. Who can imagine that a minority community with relatively less income, can collect more than $100 million and build 22 modern mosques that we can be proud of. Visitors are always amazed that we can build all those mosques based on sincere contributions and hard work by the Muslim community themselves, without receiving funds from overseas or the Government. This is the result of our community’s cohesiveness and our leaders’ quick and correct actions. Mr Speaker, with the spirit and timely effort, and an effective method, we must overcome difficult situations faced by our madrasahs. If we used computer hardware as an anology to mosques, then our religious leaders are the content and software. And like a computer that cannot function without the best and latest software, the mosques and the Muslim community’s actions also cannot function effectively and according to the present time, without religious leaders or thinkers of a certain calibre. Hence, the Muslim community cannot be led to think and act according to religious and national needs, to face the challenges posed to Muslims everywhere. Similarly, a computer must be free from dangerous viruses. In short, when faced with religious issues, it is the religious leaders' job to be the software to guard and and guide Muslims to be a religious community which is not influenced by radical doctrines that can destroy our community and beloved country. Thus, it is apt that the MBMF is also used to develop religious education for our children.”
“The scene ended with Remy saying, "No, dad, I don't believe it. You are telling me that this is the future, and only this, nothing more than this." His father said, "This is the way things are, you can't change nature." But Remy replied, "Change is nature, dad, especially the parts that we can influence. It will begin when we have the determination." When Remy turned to leave, his father asked, "Where are you going?" Remy said, "With luck, only forward." Can I ask the Minister, what are the ways and means for our youths to get proper guidance from our religious teachers in this matter? What measures have MUIS put in place to counter radical ideologies? What are the early signs that we can identify among those who have been influenced by such ideologies? *Cols. 2309-2312.”
“(In Malay): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *. ] In the heightened situation since Mas Selamat's recent escape, may I ask to be updated by the Minister on what we are doing to counter radical ideology. Recently, two youths were arrested for trying to plot terrorist acts. According to MHA, they were attracted to radical ideologies that they picked up from the Internet. MHA has identified more than 6,000 radical websites on the Internet. Sometimes, I wonder why people are easily fooled by radical, yet dubious doctrines on the Internet. I was reminded of this while watching the animation movie, Ratatouille, with my children. In a very poignant scene, Remy, the rat, who dreams of being a chef in the world of men, was dragged by his father, Django, to the window of a shop that displayed dead rats hung in traps. As Remy looked on in shock at his kind, dying in that horrifying state, his father said, "The world we live in belongs to the enemy, we must live cautiously. We look out for our own kind, Remy. When all is said and done, only we can look after our own kind.” Madam, how similar is this situation to when Muslim youths view images of women and children who are war victims in Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq, when surfing the Internet. It is heart-wrenching, especially since these are innocent victims. With such evidence, radical ideologists can easily persuade many young Muslims to believe that this is the Muslim world that is oppressed by the rest, and can be liberated only if Muslims take care of their own interest, do not mix with other communities, or even destroy other communities. In the movie, however, Remy chose to look at things differently, even though he can see his kind being hamstrung in front of him.”