Melvin Yong Yik Chye
Singapore
“But with greater autonomy must come stronger support and safeguards, especially for those who may be less equipped to navigate these decisions. At CASE, we strongly believe that consumer empowerment must go hand-in-hand with consumer protection.”
“Thank you, Sir. I have three questions on the balance between punishment and rehabilitation. One, how will schools be guided to balance disciplinary action with counselling and restorative practices? I think the Minister mentioned it. Whether MOE will track recidivism rates to assess if these rehabilitation efforts are effective?”
“Sir, I thank the Minister of State for his reply, and we are heartened. The Consumer Association of Singapore (CASE) will be happy to work with MAS on consumer protection measures. For consumers, we often use GIRO when we want to so call, "set and forget", recurring payments.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary have we done a study on the profiles of those PMETs who have been retrenched and also, what are the types of jobs that the market is looking for?”
“Unlike support for persons with disabilities, there is currently no dedicated funding mechanism to incentivise employers to provide workplace accommodations for workers returning to work after serious non-work-related illnesses or medical conditions.”
“Sir, I thank the Minister for her answers. I have two questions. First, whether IMDA currently mandates stress testing or simulation of failover systems under peak or adverse conditions and if not, whether such requirements will be introduced following IMDA's review.”
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“Would the Ministry consider making this transitional subsidy permanent, beyond the first five years, for future cohorts of Singaporeans? Finally, I would like to raise a couple of concerns regarding possibly causing unintended consequences through implementing CareShield Life as it is proposed right now. Firstly, as many Members have already spoken on it, women will have to pay higher premiums than men. It is projected that premiums for women will be around 25% higher than those for men of the same cohort. According to the 2017 Labour Force Report by the Ministry of Manpower, women are more likely than men to stay outside the labour force, and they made up 64% of residents outside the labour force in 2017. Family responsibilities were the top reason given which kept females outside the labour force. According to a study by a consumer research firm, Value Penguin, also released last year in 2017, men earn nearly 20% more than women in Singapore. And in some industries, this wage gap can be as much as 40%. Mr Speaker, statistics show that labour participation of women is lower than men and, on average, women earn less than men. I am not a woman but, surely, we can find means to collectively offset the projected increase in healthcare spending for women due to their longer lifespan. Many Members have already spoken to ask for equality in premiums and I hope MOH can seriously consider having equal payment of premiums for both men and women. Secondly, the looming uncertainty surrounding future premiums is concerning. While it is reassuring that the Government has guaranteed that no Singaporean will lose coverage due to the inability to pay their premiums, many are concerned if premiums will remain affordable in future.”
“Second, I would like to ask the Minister if MOH knows how many Singaporeans who have at least three ADLs today and are currently under ElderShield coverage have made claims or are receiving payouts? How many have not? My point is how can we help to ensure that those who are severely disabled, who are the most in need of the payouts, would have an easy time qualifying for them? Would they have to travel to the hospital to be assessed, or could local GPs do house calls to make the assessment? How many GPs are there currently qualified to make such house calls, and how can we simplify the assessment process so that those in need would not have to wait for an inordinate amount of time before receiving their payouts? Third, I would also like to also ask how did the Committee decide on the payout quantum of $600. Many residents whom I spoke to question if $600 would be a sufficient amount, taking into consideration the challenges faced by one who is severely disabled, one who has inability to perform three ADLs. It is not difficult to imagine that those defined as such would require the constant help of a caregiver. But $600 would be insufficient to pay for the employment of one domestic helper. Next, I would like to touch on the transitional subsidies. As part of the initial rollout of CareShield Life, the Committee has proposed to provide transitional subsidies of up to $250, spread over the first five years, to help Singaporeans ease into the new scheme. What is the rationale for providing the subsidy only for the first five years after the introduction of CareShield Life? What about those who will be 30 years old from 2025? Should they not also be eligible for such transitional subsidy?”
“Mr Speaker, I stand in support of the proposed CareShield Life, which seeks to ensure that all Singaporeans will be protected by insurance and receive some basic financial aid, in the event that one should end up with a severe disability later in life. I am happy to note that CareShield Life delivers upon a big improvement from its predecessor, the ElderShield, by providing higher payouts for life. This provides better protection to those suffering from disabilities, as I am sure that with a better living environment and better medical care, there will be more who will outlive the six-year limit on payouts under the current ElderShield. But while CareShield Life is an improvement, I do have some concerns that I would like to raise. First, let me touch on the qualification for payouts. The proposed CareShield Life provides payouts for those deemed to be suffering from "severe disabilities" and this is defined as a person being unable to perform three of the six ADLs. I would like to ask the Minister, why start considering people as severely disabled only when they are unable to perform at least three ADLs? In many cases, being unable to perform two ADLs, or even one ADL, such as the inability to transfer yourself from your bed to a wheelchair, would be considered a severe impairment to living life. Mr Speaker, in the normal course of ageing, we would find that the inability to perform basic ADLs would start gradually and increase progressively. I would like to ask the Minister if there are ways, in addition to CareShield Life, that we could identify and intervene early, and provide assistance to those who gradually lose the ability to perform ADLs. Because in some instances, help may come too late if we wait until one loses his ability to perform three ADLs.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the reply. I think such Love Scams have been around for quite a number of years and it is quite worrying that people continue to fall prey to these scams. I hope the Police can review the effectiveness of our Public Education programmes and see whether we can do more to prevent people from falling for such scams. I have two supplementary questions. One, with reference to such Internet Love Scams, how much money has actually been recovered by the Police and returned to the victims? Two, many of the victims, in particular, those who may have lost their entire life savings to such scams would be significantly affected, both financially and mentally, especially those who are more aged. Are there any forms of assistance, such as counselling, provided for such victims to aid in their recovery? If not, are there any plans to have such forms of assistance?”
“Unruly behaviour, in extreme cases, can threaten the safety of everyone on board the aircraft. Mr Deputy Speaker, the aviation industry is a key driver of Singapore’s economy, providing more than 160,000 jobs and contributing to about 6% of Singapore’s GDP. The steady growth in our aviation industry is expected to continue, with Asia as the centre of economic growth in the next decade. The amendments to this Bill are timely and essential in ensuring the safety and security of both the passengers and our workers in the industry. With that, I support the Bill.”
“In my view, it is important to have a clear definition of what constitutes “an unruly passenger” and having a clear list of offences or what would be deemed as “unruly behaviour” would certainly be useful to set the out-of-bound (OB) markers. Next, I would like to touch on enhancing training for our aviation workers. Is the current training sufficient? According to IATA, the top three factors causing an unruly behaviour inflight are intoxication through alcohol and narcotics, compliance with smoking and other regulation, and disputes between passengers. While cabin crew today are trained to handle unruly behaviour on board the flight, I think training should address the primary causes of unruly behaviour so that we can equip cabin crew to prevent an unruly incident from happening in the first place. As my colleague, Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef, has mentioned, what about training for ground staff and even retailers at the airport? Can these frontline staff be trained to identify potential “problematic” passengers before they board the plane? For example, are food and beverage (F&B) retailers at the airport trained to look out for passengers who already appear to be intoxicated while in transit or while waiting to board? Mr Deputy Speaker, unruly passengers are not confined to one airline or one airport. Would the aviation authorities consider working together to establish a common database among airlines to centralise details of recalcitrant unruly passengers? Such a database would allow the airlines to take appropriate precautionary actions against these passengers, including refusal of service. The database could also serve as a forewarning system for cabin crew and ground staff to pay particular attention to these passengers on board the aircraft.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I stand in support of the Bill. The statistics from IATA are alarming. Over 58,000 unruly passenger incidents were reported on aircraft in flight between 2007 and 2016. An IATA survey in 2015 also found that handling unruly passengers is one of the key concerns of cabin crew, along with unexpected turbulence and inadvertent slide deployment. As highlighted by the Senior Minister of State, Singapore is a major air transport hub with more than 7,000 weekly scheduled flights. This means an aircraft takes off or lands at our Changi Airport roughly once every 90 seconds. It is timely, therefore, that our legislation is updated to ensure that flight delays due to unruly passengers are minimised. Every delay is precious time and resources wasted, affecting not only the airlines, but also passengers and corporations. The amendments will also serve to ensure the safety of both passengers and cabin crew in a closed environment. Having said that, I would like to seek some clarifications from the Senior Minister of State. First, is there a clear definition of an unruly passenger and what must he or she do for enforcement actions to be taken against him or her? Let me explain. On 9 April last year, United Airlines wanted to bump four passengers off the flight as it was overbooked and Dr David Dao was one of the selected passengers. He refused and airport security was alerted. He was then forcefully dragged off the plane. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of United Airlines deemed the screaming passenger as "disruptive" and "belligerent" in the initial press release. In his definition, Dr David Dao was an unruly passenger, though the CEO later issued an apology when the video went viral on social media.”
“We must discover and nurture those with the potential to invent and create these products for the rest of the world. It is, therefore, crucial for schools to expose our children to statistics, coding, IT courses and IT programmes at a very early age, and to do so in a manner that is fun to learn. Mr Speaker, the fears of our workers are real; they are valid. But such fears are not unprecedented. Since our Independence, Singapore has always managed to overcome the economic challenges thrown our way time and again. Much can be attributed to our strong tripartite partnership among the Government, the Labour Movement and employers. Twenty-nine months ago, in this Chamber, I devoted my entire maiden speech to the need for us to continue to invest in tripartism, the magic ingredient for Singapore's enduring competitive economic advantage. I am, therefore, glad that Mdm President, too, highlighted the importance of tripartism in her maiden Address last week. I am confident that as long as we continue to work together as we have always done, we can turn fear into strength. As long as we work together and stay united, we can ensure that Singapore will continue to remain a land of opportunities for all Singaporeans. I agree with Minister Chan Chun Sing who said yesterday that our challenges do not define us; our responses do. Therefore, the future is in our own hands. [Applause.]”
“A recent study by HR firm, Korn Ferry, found that Singapore will lack one million skilled workers by 2030. This could result in unrealised revenue and losses of billions of dollars annually. The study also found that Singapore is among the top five countries where the risks of a talent crunch are the highest. Reskilling and upskilling our existing workforce are, therefore, extremely critical. No time to learn? Do not worry. Technology can help play a part in making learning easy and convenient. NTUC has launched a new mobile learning platform called U-Leap. Now, we can learn while on the go. When I take the public transport, I notice many commuters looking at their mobile phones throughout their journey. With the U-Leap app, you can now access useful training contents on your mobile phones. Spend 30 minutes a day, five days a week in the bus, on the train, even during your breaks. That would work out to a substantial 130 training hours a year, all done on the palm of your hand! Optimising current infrastructure can also make learning convenient for our citizens. Can we open the computer labs in our neighbourhood schools for night classes on digital skills? At the same time as we do that, can we also open the schools' sports facilities for use by the community? This way, we can keep fit and healthy in both mind and body, without having to invest in new infrastructures. Mr Speaker, Members would have seen Google's new Duplex technology and how the AI in Google Assistant can now interact just like a human. In time, AI will be at the core of many of our industries and we need to prepare our young for such a future. But our young cannot be contented to grow up to just be consumers of these AI products.”
“This is especially important as automation, AI and robotics become more mainstream and threaten to displace the jobs of today. A study by the McKinsey Global Institute found that up to 800 million workers globally are at risk of losing their jobs and replaced by automation by the year 2030. How would jobs look like in the next 10 to 20 years, with AI possibly at the centre of most of our industries? We will have to re-imagine the future in order to disrupt ourselves before we get disrupted. Next, we need to Re-design our jobs, our work processes and our business models to be future-ready. The ITMs provide a strategic plan for the industry but they do not tell the individual company and the individual worker what they need to do specifically. This may be why not many workers are excited by the ITM right now. Some tell me the ITMs are too “cheem”, too stratospheric. But not Mr Fang Chin Poh who works for SBS Transit. Chin Poh started his career as a bus conductor 37 years ago. When the bus company adopted the one-man operation bus service in the 1980s, his job disappeared but he went for training and he became a bus captain. Today, Chin Poh is a Chief Bus Captain. As the General Secretary for the National Transport Workers’ Union, Chin Poh was involved in the development of the Land Transport ITM. He tells me that when autonomous buses do ply our streets one day, he wants to become a fleet commander, overseeing the buses remotely from a central command. Chin Poh can articulate so because we have started to re-imagine the future of work in the public transport industry and to re-design today’s jobs for tomorrow. But Chin Poh and many others would need to reskill to take on new and future jobs.”
“Today, Mui Sin is a Production Planner, managing several vital computer systems to ensure manufacturing schedules in Singapore and Batam are in order. Her work impacts hundreds of production operators, vendors and customers. Mr Yap Kok Keong is another good example of how one can continue to keep pace with technological advancements through continuous learning. Kok Keong joined Panasonic Appliances Refrigeration Devices Singapore in 1987 as a technician. Throughout his career, Kok Keong attended many training courses to upgrade himself both in technical skills as well as management know-how. Today, Kok Keong is a Factory Manager and supervises 120 workers on the production floor. But he told me his learning cannot stop. Just last month, Kok Keong attended a SkillsFuture course on Computer-Aided Design and Additive Manufacturing to better prepare himself for the Industrial 4.0 transformation. Today, both Mui Sin and Kok Keong are earning better wages because they have taken on higher value jobs. But what we can learn from both of them is their attitude towards lifelong learning. It is not easy to go for training while having to worry about your work. Therefore, I must also commend their companies for providing the necessary support to help their employees upskill. This spirit is crucial as Singapore transitions towards the future economy. Next, let me touch on the need to get our workers ready for tomorrow’s jobs. Today, we have many programmes and initiatives to match today’s unemployed to today’s jobs. More needs to be done to prepare our current and future workforce to take on tomorrow’s jobs. To do so, I propose a strategy centred around 3Rs. First, workers, companies and the Government must Re-imagine the future of work.”
“Third, even as our workers grapple with the uncertainty of their own future, they fear that their children would not be able to get a good job in the new economy. While the ITMs lay a roadmap for the jobs of the future, they do not touch on the jobs that are at risk right now of becoming obsolete. Companies are aware that they need to transform their business operations, they are aware that they need to send their workers for training and reskilling. But while both employers and workers know that they need to go for training, they are asking two questions: firstly, train what; and secondly, train for what? These are key questions that we need to answer as we move to operationalise the ITMs, cluster by cluster, sector by sector, company by company, worker by worker. We need to distil each ITM and articulate what it means to the individual worker. We need every worker to understand where the future lies for him or her. At the same time, we need to excite the next generation of workers. But it is not all doom and gloom on the ground. In my visits, I have seen many success stories of workers who have not been afraid of new technologies and automation. Rather, they work with the new machines enthusiastically and take charge of transforming their own jobs before they are made redundant. Mdm Wang Mui Sin is one good example. Mui Sin started as a Machine Operator in 1980 with electrical equipment provider Yokogawa. She performs repetitive tasks along with many others in a production line back then in the 1980s. Throughout her career, Mui Sin continued to upskill herself, going for training, first to become a Store Assistant, and attending information technology (IT) courses supported by her supervisors.”
“Mr Speaker, I stand in support of the Motion. In her Address, Mdm President spoke about the need to develop a vibrant economy with more opportunities for our workers. Singapore is right in the middle of her next big economic transition. All 23 ITMs have been launched, laying a roadmap to chart the transformation of each industry. Much effort has gone into developing the ITMs, which form an important part of the Government’s strategy to address each industry’s changing needs. But what do these ITMs mean for our workers? Mr Speaker, as part of my work with the unions, I visit workplaces every week. Many workers tell me they want to be part of the transformation but are asking how they would be impacted. What can they do? Many are concerned with their job security. Thus, the key imperative now is for the Government to work with its tripartite partners to articulate the roadmaps in a manner that is compelling to our workers. As Minister Ng Chee Meng put it earlier, "we need to make the 23 ITMs real for all our workers". It is no surprise that many are concerned with the security of their job, as the future is filled with inevitable disruptions to the status quo. For instance, drivers face disruption from autonomous vehicles, and workers in a manufacturing plant face disruption from ever increasing automation. My interaction with workers reveals three common fears. First, workers fear losing their jobs today. Process automation and mechanisation have made many manual jobs redundant, and many worry that their jobs would be the next to go. Second, some fear losing their jobs in the near future as digitisation and new technologies continue to disrupt traditional industries.”
“How would our Police Officers be able to find the drone operator if the drone in question is far away from the operator? Similarly, autonomous vehicle technology is advancing towards a level of autonomy where a human will not be required to be in the car. How would the Police Officer direct an autonomous vehicle away in such an instance? These are questions that MHA would need to think about carefully, as technology advances. Mr Speaker, due to the heightened terrorist threat, the additional powers in this Bill are essential for the Police. The POSSPA Bill is an important part of the Government's ongoing counterterrorism efforts, coming after the POA Bill and the Infrastructure Protection Bill which were passed last year. The powers to protect the integrity of tactical operations will enable the Police to carry out their mission by choosing the best tactical options available, without having to worry that the terrorists can watch their actions "live", anticipate their actions, and ambush them around the next corner. The proposed amendments serve to ensure that our Police will not be caught without the powers they require to safeguard lives and property, when an attack occurs. Keeping us safe and secure every day is not an easy task and our Home Team has done and continues to do an incredible job. Mr Speaker, I support the Bill.”
“In the manhunt for the Boston marathon bombers, "live" reports showing key police operations helped the suspects to evade capture for about four days. In the Manila bus hostage incident, the "live" broadcast of impending police operations to storm the bus further agitated the hostage-taker, who executed several hostages before he was eventually taken down. Having a CSO imposed in such scenarios would help protect operation secrecy, prevent critical information from leaking to the suspects via the media and, more crucially, prevent the loss of innocent lives. However, it is a well-known fact that the initial 30 minutes after an incident occurs is a key period where every information collected is vital for the authorities to make sense of what is happening. This is also why our Police have been advocating the concept of Run, Hide and Tell. Where possible, tell the Police as soon as you can on where you are and what is happening. How can we, in the event of a terrorist incident, strike a balance between Run, Hide and Tell, with the imposition of a CSO? Going back to the Boston Marathon bombing, the big breakthrough in identifying the suspects came from a photo taken by a spectator watching the race from across the street. We would need to make sure that any communications ban would not inadvertently end up harming Police investigations. Mr Speaker, section 28 of the Bill empowers a Police Officer to direct persons operating unmanned aircrafts, or drones, and autonomous vehicles away from an area. However, to do so, the Police Officer is required to locate the person operating the drone or autonomous vehicle. Drone technology is advancing rapidly. Upcoming models will soon be able to operate beyond an operator's visual line of sight.”
“Under the Bill, the Minister for Home Affairs is empowered to issue an Activation Order if a serious incident affecting public safety has occurred. Such an order must describe the general nature of the incident, specify the period or periods during which the activation order has effect, and authorise the Commissioner of Police to exercise the special powers under the provision of this Bill. The Commissioner of Police is given the flexibility to then decide the targets of special powers, depending on the evolving operational needs. I agree that this is important and time-critical for the Police, especially in the event of multiple attacks, such as the November 2015 attacks in Paris, which saw a series of coordinated terrorist attacks in multiple locations. However, who makes the operational call that these multiple incidents are connected? In the May 2017 Manchester concert bombing, there was a separate security incident which prompted an evacuation of a shopping mall in Manchester. Some thought that it was a coordinated attack, but investigations later revealed that it was unrelated to the concert bombing. My question then is whether the subsequent incidents must have a nexus to the original incident, or should the Minister be required to issue a new Activation Order if the subsequent incidents are seemingly unrelated to the first incident? Who then makes the call if incidents are related or not to the first incident? Mr Speaker, the Bill also serves to empower the Police to issue a CSO to prevent sensitive information from being disseminated, to the detriment of operations secrecy, as well as the safety of the public and Police Officers. I am supportive of this. Allow me to cite a few examples.”
“Mr Speaker, I rise in support of the Bill, which seeks to extend Police powers to better prevent and respond to any incident involving serious violence or large-scale public disorder in Singapore. As a former Police Officer myself, I can understand and appreciate fully the challenges faced by our Police Officers on the ground daily. Our Police Officers place their lives at risk constantly, and this risk increases immensely in the event of an attack. While others are running away from the threat, our officers must run towards, and seek to diffuse the threat. In my view, the powers proposed in this Bill are necessary and timely. It will help our Police and other Home Team officers better carry out their job to save lives. Mr Speaker, MHA’s Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report 2017 found that terrorism threat to Singapore remains the highest in recent years. Singapore continues to be a prized target of regional and global terrorist organisations. Over the years, our intelligence and law enforcement agencies have managed to act swiftly and discreetly to foil the attempts of foreign JI and ISIS militants in carrying out an attack in Singapore. But terrorism threats to our country are not confined to within our borders. In August 2016, the Indonesian authorities foiled a plot by a Batam-based terrorist group, which had intended to launch a rocket attack against the Marina Bay Sands, using Batam as a launch point. In recent years, we have also seen a rise in the number of self-radicalised individuals influenced by extremist ideologies to target Singapore. Clearly, the threat to Singapore has increased tremendously, and our legislation needs to evolve in tandem to combat these threats.”
“Mr Chairman, a recent study, conducted by IPS on Social Capital in Singapore found that diversity in social networks among Singaporeans strengthens social capital, trust, national identity and national pride. The study also found that more can be done to improve the mixing among the various socioeconomic classes, especially people with different school backgrounds. 12.45 pm Last year, MCCY announced that mixed-cohort camps would be established to bring students from different backgrounds together through the Outward Bound School (OBS). Since its launch, some 6,000 Secondary 3 students from 28 secondary schools have taken part in OBS camps. Can MCCY provide an update on the progress of this initiative and its effectiveness at encouraging mixing among students of different backgrounds? The IPS study also highlighted that people who study in elite schools also tend to be less close to those in non-elite schools and vice versa. Can we ensure that each of these OBS camps includes students from both the so-called elite and non-elite schools? To strengthen social cohesion, it is important that our youths interact with different groups to understand one another's views. Hopefully, through these camps, our youths can form lifelong friendships with one another, regardless of class. Connecting our Youths to ASEAN”
“Mr Chairman. I agree with my colleague, Ms Joan Pereira. The provision of sports facilities is important, particularly in residential estates, as it allows our residents to exercise, interact with others in their community, and participate in activities that keep them healthy. Last year, under Vision 2030, MCCY announced that the aim was for a majority of Singaporeans to have a sports facility within a 10-minute walk from their home. I would like to ask what is the progress in achieving this goal. There are currently about 87 pay-to-play school fields, 49 free-to-play fields and 77 indoor sports halls. Can the Ministry share what plans are in the works to set up new sports facilities? In addition, are there plans to renovate and upgrade existing sports facilities? I think unlocking more sports facilities within schools for use by the community would certainly reduce the need for new infrastructure to be built. I have asked this at last year's COS, and I will ask it again: can the Ministry provide an update on the number of participating schools under the Dual-Use Scheme? Is it possible to avail the sports facilities in all schools to the public, after school hours, on all weekday evenings? Upgrading Boon Lay Sporting Facilities”
“Mr Chairman, the transport landscape of today is one characterised by innovation and disruption. The recent years have seen the introduction of private hire vehicles and bicycle-sharing, both of which have disrupted the sector considerably. In the not-too-distant future, AV technology is set to do the same. In the past two years, LTA has initiated several AV trials with various companies. I would like to ask the Ministry to provide an update on the status of these trials. The Ministry had also earlier announced plans to introduce the pilot deployment of autonomous buses in 2022 at Punggol, Tengah and Jurong Innovation District. How ready are we to implement AVs by 2022? Do we have the required infrastructure and the trained workforce? Will we have the necessary legislative framework to deal with an accident involving an AV? Singapore is not alone in the "race" to develop and deploy AVs. Has the Ministry done any studies on the development and use of AVs in other countries? What are the experiences and challenges faced by cities which have similarly embarked on AVs? With AVs, individuals who depend on driving as a livelihood will be affected. Bus captains and taxi drivers, including private hire vehicle drivers, will be displaced by driverless technology. Many of them do not have much working experience outside of driving. How can we ensure a proper and smooth transition for these drivers? Investments in Transport Infrastructure”
“Are there any plans to hire more bus drivers for such shuttle services?”
“1 million rides a day, and maintaining a high standard of rail reliability is crucial to keep Singapore and Singaporeans moving. In the latest survey by PTC, customer satisfaction in overall public transport dipped for the first time in four years, mainly due to major MRT incidents in 2017. It is imperative that we continue to improve rail reliability to regain the public's trust in our rail system. LTA had identified five major upgrading projects to overhaul our ageing MRT lines. These are multi-year projects which would extend to 2024. Can MOT provide an update on the respective major rail improvement projects? Engineers from the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and LTA have recently been seconded to SMRT to bolster its rail reliability regime. With the major rail improvement projects ongoing and the construction of new rail lines, such as the Thomson–East Coast Line, does MOT have plans to increase the number of rail engineers and maintenance staff to ensure rail reliability, both in the short and long term? Are there any plans to work with our schools and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to ensure that we have enough rail engineers for the future? To facilitate the rail upgrading works and allow for longer maintenance hours, we have implemented shortened train operating hours on stipulated days. This has benefited our rail engineers and maintenance staff. Can MOT provide an update on the effectiveness of the Early Closure and Late Opening (ECLO) on rail maintenance work? Would ECLO become a permanent feature in our rail operations moving forward? To accommodate ECLO with minimal disruption to the public transport services, public bus drivers have been redeployed to operate shuttle services during ECLO periods.”
“The union hopes to have the support of LTA and our public bus operators to conduct a joint fatigue study of our bus captains. This would allow us to identify stress points and work together on early interventions. Another key reason behind the high commuter satisfaction in bus services can be attributed to the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP), which saw the injection of 1,000 new buses over the past two years. However, the existing bus depots and interchanges, especially the older ones, were not designed to accommodate the increased number of buses. Can MOT provide an update on the plans for new depots and interchanges, and if there are any plans to upgrade existing ones? I do hope that LTA will continue to work with the union to factor in worker-centric designs when building new bus facilities or upgrading the old ones. To drive these new buses, the operators hired hundreds of new bus captains who are trained at the Singapore Bus Academy. Can MOT share the number of locals who have joined the industry as bus captains after the introduction of BCM? 6.45 pm Since its inception, the Academy’s focus has been on foundational courses for new bus captains. With the conclusion of BSEP, it is unlikely that we would see a large influx of new bus captains in the coming years. With the recent launch of the Land Transport Industry Transformation Map (ITM) and the risk of displacement from autonomous vehicles, it is timely that we now cast an eye to the future of the industry. Are there any plans by the Academy to develop new training programmes focused on upskilling existing bus captains? NTWU stands ready to work with our tripartite partners to co-develop programmes to future-proof our bus workers. Rail Maintenance Our MRT system sees about 3.”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. First, I declare my interest as the Executive Secretary of the National Transport Workers' Union (NTWU). The introduction of the Bus Contracting Model (BCM) has transformed our public bus industry and professionalised the job of bus captains. BCM has benefited bus captains tremendously, as they now earn salaries that are almost equal to the national median wage, and enjoy better benefits and working conditions. New bus depots and interchanges are now designed with the welfare of our bus captains and station staff in mind, and these are very much appreciated by our bus workers. Mr Chairman, BCM did not just benefit bus captains. It has benefited commuters, too. The Public Transport Council's (PTC's) latest survey on commuter satisfaction has shown that a record 96.7% of commuters are happy with our public bus services. Under BCM, public bus operators are incentivised for good service reliability and reduced bus bunching. Can MOT provide an update on the performance of the respective public bus operators? Have they met their key performance indicators (KPIs) under BCM? Are there any plans by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to further tighten these KPIs? How much incentives have been paid out to the operators since the introduction of BCM? I ask because, ultimately, the ones who are tasked to fulfil these KPIs are our bus captains. With BCM, our bus captains have had to adapt to new performance indicators, and this has added new pressures to an already challenging job. Fatigue can occur in all industries but numerous studies have focused its effects on shift workers and drivers, and our bus captains are both shift workers and drivers.”
“Mandatory Electronic Payment of Salaries”
“Mr Chairman, one-third of our current workforce are migrant workers, and it is imperative that we continue to look into their well-being and ensure that they are fairly treated while working here in Singapore. Through the work of NTUC's Migrant Workers Centre, we have identified salary-related disputes as one of the most common issues affecting migrant workers. To minimise such disputes, how is MOM encouraging our employers to use electronic payment for their migrant workers' salaries? Migrant workers here often worry about losing their jobs should they raise a complaint with the authorities. To encourage early reporting of salary-related cases, can MOM consider doing some degree of matching between companies submitting new Work Permit applications for fresh workers and migrant workers here who have requested for a change of employers? Today, there are various efforts by different organisations to orientate new migrant workers who arrive in Singapore. Such efforts can be disparate. Does MOM have any plans to synergise these various efforts to holistically orientate and integrate our migrant workers, particularly in their early days in Singapore? A one-stop help centre can also serve to be a valuable resource and avenue of support throughout their stay here while working. Many companies today still focus on quantity, instead of quality, when looking to hire migrant workers. Where possible, employers should leverage the experience of their current migrant workforce and do more to upskill them. In line with Singapore's overall productivity effort, will MOM introduce new measures to encourage employers to bring in higher-skilled migrant workers? Does MOM have any plans in 2018 to further tighten the in-flow of migrant workers in terms of skills and competencies?”
“I am heartened that the tripartite partners launched the Return-To-Work (RTW) Programme in November 2017. Can MOM provide an update on employers’ participation in near-miss reporting and the RTW Programme? Are there any plans to make participation in these two initiatives mandatory in the years ahead? Also, the RTW grant is currently restricted to SMEs and does not cover cases involving vocational rehabilitation. To promote and deepen the RTW culture, can MOM consider extending the grant to non-SMEs as well as to cover vocational rehabilitation? While much of our WSH efforts today focus on workplace safety, physical health and mental well-being seem to have been neglected in our WSH efforts and conversations. With an ageing workforce, workplace health issues will likely become more prevalent in the coming years. Prolonged exposure to health hazards at work may result in work-related illnesses, some of which may even be irreversible. A build-up of stress and fatigue can also lead to distractions, raising the risk of getting injured at work. Occupational health management is, therefore, critical to ensure that our workers are healthy at work and can perform their roles effectively and productively. Beyond workplace safety, are there any upcoming plans by MOM on workplace health issues as part of Total WSH? Just as we have Total Defence, we must endeavour to have Total WSH. Workplace Safety and Health”
“Mr Chairman, in our national quest for industry transformation, many sectors are focused on technology adoption, productivity improvement and workforce development. These are important, but it is critical that we do not take WSH for granted. On the contrary, we must constantly ask ourselves how can we make WSH more pervasive in every workplace? In Finland, it is mandated that there must be one elected Occupational Safety and Health representative in workplaces where there are at least 10 employees working regularly. Should Singapore have a mandatory WSH officer in every company? While we ponder over this, perhaps a more practical approach would be to make it compulsory for companies to appoint a WSH representative as part of the certification for BizSAFE Level 3. There is currently no such provision. For now, companies must appoint a Risk Management Champion (RMC) for BizSAFE Level 2. With structured training, we believe that the role of these RMCs can be expanded to serve as WSH representatives. 11.45 am With more WSH-trained staff on the ground, one area that we can do better moving forward is to encourage better near-miss reporting to reduce the occurrence of accidents. A structured and well-participated near-miss reporting regime would help to better identify dangerous work conditions and early interventions can help bring down the accident rate. While it is important to have preventive measures to reduce workplace injuries, it is equally important to help workers return to work in the unfortunate event of an accident. At last year’s COS debate, I highlighted the need for a support framework, beyond the existing Workplace Injury Compensation Act (WICA), to help our injured workers return to work.”
“Mr Chairman, I have a clarification for Minister Josephine Teo. She has described at length and quite extensively the support measures to make Singapore a great place for families. But are our current measures and enhancements to support Singaporeans' marriage and parenthood aspirations enough? Because many of these incentives have been around for some years. What else can we do to encourage young married couples to have children and, for those who already have one child, to have even more children? 5.15 pm”
“Mr Chairman, I will be more direct. Our population is ageing rapidly and we are not having enough babies. According to a recent study by the United Overseas Bank (UOB), 2018 will see, for the first time in our history, the percentage of our population aged 65 and older, matching those younger than 15 years. At this rate, seniors will more than double the percentage of our youngest residents in 2030. Researchers from the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) estimated there will be 91 elderly citizens for every 100 working-age Singaporeans by 2080. If fertility rates in Singapore remain at current levels, the study projects that the ageing population will cause a drag of 1.5 percentage points on per capita GDP growth every year until 2060. Over the years, the Government has rolled out many Baby Bonuses and incentives to encourage parenthood. Why has Singapore's TFR remained low? Will it continue to decline? What more can we do to encourage Singaporeans to have more babies? Increase Paternity and Adoption Leave”
“The final big pillar of occupational health that is rarely broached in most of our WSH conversations is the issue of mental health. The stressors of everyday life can take a toll on even the most strong-willed individuals. Like physical health, we must focus our attention on the early detection and prevention of mental health issues. A study was recently launched by the Institute of Mental Health and the NUS School of Public Health to examine the association between physical health and mental health, with the results expected to be released in 2021. As we work on the major physical health pillars under the umbrella of occupational health, the benefits to mental health should also be examined in the coming years, as our workforce faces increasing stress, having to adapt constantly to the rapidly changing economy. Mr Speaker, the foundation of our economy – past, present, and future – has always and will always be our workforce. Every worker is precious and more can be done to value the life of each and every worker. As we work on upskilling our workers and transitioning to the new economy, we must also not forget to ensure that we have safe workplaces and healthy workers. We should and must do more to provide safer workplaces and build an ecosystem for all our workers to stay healthy. With that, Mr Speaker, I support the Budget. 2.51 pm”
“Perhaps it is time that we start a Healthy Canteen programme at our workplaces to ensure that there are healthier food options at our staff canteens. One common complaint is that healthy food is often more expensive. To address that, the National Transport Workers' Union (NTWU), which operates 45 canteens islandwide, introduced brown rice at a subsidised rate. If you eat at our NTWU canteens, it is cheaper to buy brown rice than white rice. We also encourage our canteen operators to serve coffee and tea without sugar as the base drink. But if you want to add sugar, there is a sugar counter at the side. But of course, we also put up posters at the sugar counter to remind you of diabetes. So, please do not add too much sugar when you go to the sugar counter. For individuals, one of the biggest push factors for them to embark on a healthy lifestyle comes from knowing their own health status. This is why health screenings are important. In a joint project with the HPB and our public transport operators, the union organised a free health screening for 1,000 of our bus captains, testing them for their blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. Sadly, but not unexpected, 80% of the bus captains tested failed at least one of the three health indicators. And surprisingly, 80% of these bus captains who had issues with their health, were doing a health screening for their first time. What is heartening to note is that after going through a period of health coaching, a third of these bus captains managed to achieve a pass in all three health indicators after six months. This shows the importance of early detection and early intervention. I, therefore, urge all employers to make free annual health screening a norm in their staff welfare benefits.”
“Talks of occupational health issues, such as physical health and mental well-being, are often missing in our WSH conversations. But as our workforce ages faster than before, we will most certainly see more workplace health issues in the next decade. We must, therefore, act now. Let me first start by talking about physical health. With many workers today doing desk-bound jobs and leading a sedentary lifestyle, it is important that we encourage regular exercise to prevent health problems, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, as we age. The Health Promotion Board (HPB) has a Healthy Workplace Ecosystem programme to encourage busy office workers to take part in physical activities and eat healthier options. To date, there are 30 participating Healthy Workplace Ecosystems. But more needs to be done to get more companies and employers on board to bring healthy lifestyle programmes to our workplaces. It was announced recently that Singapore is one of the founding cities of the Active Citizens Worldwide project, which seeks to get people in cities to be more active. This is a good step forward and I encourage Sport Singapore to partner HPB to create more workplace healthy lifestyle programmes for our workers. Of course, a big part of being healthy means eating healthy. As we continue in our war against diabetes, we must do more to help shape the eating habits of Singaporeans and lower the barriers to healthy eating. In many of my union visits, I have seen many staff canteens at the workplaces. A good place to start would be to encourage these staff canteens to sell healthier food. We check on what food and drinks are sold in school canteens to ensure that our children eat well in school.”
“During a recent Tripartite study visit to Finland, we learnt that Finland mandates that there must be one elected Occupational Safety and Health representative in workplaces where there are at least 10 employees working regularly. This has helped Finland achieve a workplace fatality rate of below 1.0 per 100,000 workers. Should Singapore, too, have a mandatory WSH officer in every company? For a start, perhaps a more practical approach would be to make it compulsory for companies to appoint a WSH representative as part of the certification for BizSAFE Level 3. There is, currently, no such provision for companies applying for BizSAFE Level 3. For now, companies must appoint a Risk Management Champion (RMC) for BizSAFE Level 2. With proper training, the role of these RMCs can be expanded to serve as WSH representatives. While it is important to have preventive measures to mitigate workplace injuries, it is also equally important to help workers return to work in the unfortunate event of an accident at the workplace. This is where we can do more to improve the Return-To-Work (RTW) Programme, which was recently started in November 2017. The RTW grant is currently restricted to Small and Medium Enterprises. To promote and deepen the RTW culture, the Government should consider extending the grant to large corporations, too. In the event an injured worker requires a change of employer and work scope due to a workplace accident, the current RTW grant does not cover vocational rehabilitation. The RTW grant should be extended to cover such cases. Mr Speaker, much of our WSH efforts today focus on workplace safety. And "Health", as the final letter in "WSH", often gets neglected.”
“As many of us spend most of our waking hours at the workplace, we need to do more in terms of workplace safety and health to keep our precious resource safe and healthy. Let me first start with the need for safer workplaces. Earlier this month, the MOM reported that the number of workplace fatalities in 2017 had dropped to 42. This is the lowest figure in over a decade. This lowers our workplace fatality rate from 1.9 per 100,000 workers in 2014 to 1.2 in 2017. It is certainly encouraging to see that the sustained collective efforts by our Tripartite Partners to tackle workplace fatalities have borne some fruit. However, every death is a tragedy and every accident is preventable. We must, and we should, do more to ensure that our workplaces are safer. One area that we can do better moving forward is to encourage better near-miss reporting, so that we can reduce the occurrence of accidents. While workplace fatalities have decreased in 2017, MOM’s report also showed that the number of workplace injury cases remains high. There were close to 12,500 workplace injury cases in 2017, with 574 workers sustaining serious injuries. This can be a worrying sign. Does it mean that the dip in fatal accidents was simply down to luck? A structured and well-participated near-miss reporting regime would help to better identify dangerous work conditions, and early interventions can help bring down the accident rate. To make the next quantum leap in reducing workplace fatalities in the next decade, we will need bolder strategies to make Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) more pervasive in every workplace.”
“Mr Speaker, Budget 2018 was presented as a strategic Budget that is meant to guide Singapore as we transit into the next decade. But while we continue in our quest to peer into the crystal ball and try to divine the future, we must not forget that the bedrock of our industries, present and future, are our workers. My fellow Labour Members of Parliament have, in turn, argued for the various initiatives that the Government should embark on to enable workers to take on the jobs of the future – low-wage workers, high-age workers, middle-income, middle-aged workers, PMEs, including freelancers. They have also highlighted the value that each of our workers brings to the table. However, we will need a fit and healthy workforce in order to be able to take on these jobs in the first place. Singapore is suffering from two worrying trends that will continue to have a profound impact on our labour force. First, we have a shrinking population. Our total fertility rate dipped to just 1.2 in 2016, despite having a relatively higher number of marriages and a slew of Government incentives to encourage parenthood. Second, we have a rapidly ageing population. A Business Times news report published late last year forecasted that 2018, this year, will see, for the first time in our history, the same percentage of those aged 65 years and above matching those younger than 15 years old. Mr Speaker, if we place these two trends together, it becomes obvious that our labour force is set to shrink and each working adult will be expected to contribute more to support the older generation. Every worker is, therefore, a precious resource and we must value the life of each and every worker.”
“Can the Minister provide some insights on the number of cybersecurity professionals needed for the next five to 10 years? How far are we currently from these target numbers? What are the plans to ensure that we have a strong sustained pipeline of local talents to service this growing industry? Perhaps, a short-term solution in ensuring that our cybersecurity defences are working as intended, while current batches of cybersecurity professionals are still being trained in schools, would be through the use of “white hat” hackers. I have read with interest that MINDEF has recently invited 300 international and local hackers to hunt for vulnerabilities in its Internet-connected systems. Harnessing the enthusiasm of the “white hat” hacker community is a step in the right direction and I would like to propose for the Ministry to consider grooming a local community of “white hat” hackers in Singapore. However, clear boundaries and protocols would need to be drawn and the Ministry would need to think about how to best support and manage the group. With that, Mr Speaker, I support the Bill.”
“With the proliferation of smart devices, flash drives and devices connected to the Internet, these can all be points of entry for a hacker to cause damage if the user does not have a good basic understanding of digital security. I would like to urge the Ministry to design and roll out awareness programmes to educate our citizens, both young and old, on digital security to ensure that the weakest link in our cybersecurity chain is secured. Another possible weak link in the chain is the outsourcing of cybersecurity services to companies that are based overseas. How does the Ministry intend to ensure the compliance of such companies? A third possible weak link is the use of third-party vendors. As seen from overseas hacking incidents and data breaches, such as the data breach suffered by Netflix in 2017, poor cybersecurity by third-party vendors has been a consistent problem for years. In 2013, hackers gained access to the network of retail giant Target by first stealing passwords from a third-party vendor dealing with their heating and ventilation systems. Often, these vendors, also known as network-connected outsiders, are small-sized companies which do not invest much in proper cybersecurity practices, even less so investing in best practices. This has been a problem plaguing many industries. How does the Ministry plan to ensure that such third-party vendors, beyond the 11 identified critical sectors, are also well-regulated? Mr Speaker, the demand for cybersecurity solutions is set to swell as technology advances. There is, therefore, a need for us to ensure that Singapore has a core talent pool of cybersecurity professionals that can be deployed across the various sectors.”
“Mr Speaker, I stand in support of the Bill, which regulates cybersecurity service providers and enhances the online resilience of our country’s CIIs across all key sectors. With the proliferation of Internet devices and the growing scale of worldwide cyberattacks, such as the widespread WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017, the proposed provisions in this Bill are a much-needed step towards safeguarding our cyberspace and everyday security. Considering the multifaceted cybersecurity threats that we face today, the Bill is encouraging in both breadth and depth. Let me begin by expressing my support for the Ministry’s intentions behind the licensing of key cybersecurity services. There is no doubt that cybersecurity is important for Singapore. Our highly interconnected businesses and community depend very much on the integrity and round-the-clock availability of technology to function smoothly. Just last Friday, thousands of Singaporeans were affected when the e-payment system Network for Electronic Transfers (NETS) was down for more than an hour. Our Smart Nation needs to be secured all the time, every time. However, I would like to ask if the proposed licensing framework would impact the development of a vibrant cybersecurity ecosystem in Singapore. Would third-party startups and vendors be required to obtain a licence just to offer their services as part of a turnkey solution to organisations? Mr Speaker, even the best cybersecurity defence systems and the most onerous cybersecurity legislation would be for naught if the end-users of these systems end up being the weakest link in our cybersecurity chain.”
“So, are there any plans by the Ministry to encourage the growth of such social co-ops in Singapore? With that, Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Bill.”
“There were no financial institutions or banks for wage earners back then who were unable to find financial relief in their times of need and were struggling to make ends meet. But times have changed significantly since then. Singapore is now a regional financial hub with world class financial institutions and different moneylending options are readily available. I would like to ask the Ministry if the membership of credit co-ops in Singapore has been growing or shrinking. Are Singapore's credit co-op membership trends similar to the membership statistics recorded by the World Council of Credit Unions? If credit co-ops are indeed losing their relevance, I would urge the Ministry to review the viability and sustainability of credit co-ops in Singapore. That said, the future state of co-ops in Singapore could be social co-ops, those which focus on providing social services for specific groups within our population, such as the disadvantaged. We have some good examples of social co-ops locally, such as the Runninghour Co-operative Ltd, which was cited by the Senior Minister of State earlier. In Italy, where there are various forms of social co-ops, innovative methods have been used to tackle existing societal needs. One example is Fuori di Zucca, a social farm which helps to rehabilitate individuals with mental health issues by providing them with a safe working environment on a farm in order to reintegrate them back into society. In Belgium, there is a co-operative of freelancer artist who shares better working conditions and also provide access to workplace protection as a group. Sir, such social co-ops can augment the state's efforts and we can take a leaf from the experiences of these other countries.”
“As it would fit with the Bill's intent to increase competencies of key committee members and the overall corporate governance structure of co-ops, yearly training under the structured proficiency framework should also be made mandatory for key officeholders. As such, I feel that section 60 of the Bill, which seeks to lower the minimum qualification age for the Committee of Management from 21 to 18 years old, appears to run contrary to the intent of the Bill to tighten corporate governance and improve competencies. I note that the Senior Minister of State had earlier explained that this was to facilitate the participation of tertiary students. But what is the current proportion of members in the co-ops' committees of management who are aged 25 years old and below? Will a younger person with lesser experience have the right aptitude and the proper knowledge to adequately manage the co-ops' and large amounts of members' money? On the point about tightening governance, I would like to ask the Ministry to consider introducing an annual ranking of sorts or grading of the credit co-ops. Perhaps, this can be based on the annual reports which credit co-ops have to submit on an annual basis. Grading the co-ops based on timeliness and completeness of the annual reports as well as on audits conducted by the Ministry would certainly be in the interest of their members. I am certain that this would also motivate the credit co-ops' executives and managers to be more accountable to their members. Still on the matter of credit co-ops, I would like to ask if they are still viable and sustainable in this day and age. Credit co-ops were first introduced in Singapore in the mid-1920s, at a time when moneylending was booming.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I stand in support of the Bill, which seeks to raise the governance standards of our co-operative societies in Singapore. It has been 10 years since the Co-operative Societies Act was last amended, and it is timely that the Ministry reviews the laws governing the co-ops and take a harder stance against individuals who seek to exploit co-ops for their own gains. In a recently publicised case, two employees of one of Singapore's oldest co-ops had systematically abused their position of trust over a period of five years by reaching into the co-op's coffers to feed their extravagant lifestyle, defrauding the co-op of more than $5 million of the members' savings. We need to ensure that such fraud cases are snuffed out and I support the provisions in the Bill, which will provide the Registrar with enhanced regulatory powers to protect the interests of co-op members. But what happens if a co-op faces distress not due to fraud, but as a result of its members' negligence? Can the Ministry elaborate more on the requisite training and qualification requirements that will be made mandatory for key committee members or those who will manage the large sums of money, particularly in a credit co-op? I would like to propose for the Ministry to consider setting up a structured proficiency framework to articulate the standards for co-op members managing large amounts of funds. This will ensure that they have the necessary proficiency to handle members' money with sufficient care and reduce the risk of co-ops facing distress due to negligence or a lack of proper training.”
“While I understand that most charities are already filing their annual submissions electronically via the Charity Portal, I would like to ask how many charities have yet to embrace e-filing. Are there any plans to assist these charities in e-filing before the mandate kicks in? Mr Deputy Speaker, I am in favour of the proposed amendments in the Bill, which give the COC enhanced statutory powers. However, I am concerned about the impact on the charity as a whole, and more importantly, its beneficiaries if the charity is under investigation due to a handful of rouge individuals. Under the proposed amendments, the COC would be allowed to suspend any fundraising appeals if there is reason to suspect that the appeal is not conducted properly. Does such a clause target the entire charity, causing the organisation to freeze its operations whilst investigations are ongoing? Or will the COC be able to isolate the rogue individuals involved in the suspicious fundraising appeal and suspend them from participating in the charity while they are being investigated? The latter scenario would enable charities to continue to function if there so happens to be a bad apple in the barrel. In closing, I would like to say that, with the expanding popularity of online fundraising appeals, it is timely for us to review the Charities Act to safeguard the public's trust in the charity sector. While the recent World Giving Index showed that Singaporeans are caring and generous, the sector will need to be well regulated to ensure that we Singaporeans do not and should not grow disillusioned with giving. With that, Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Bill.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I stand in support of the Bill, which serves to strengthen the governance, accountability and transparency of charities and fundraisers as well as broaden the Commissioner of Charities' (COC) statutory powers to maintain a high level of public trust in the charity sector. However, I would like to seek some clarifications on the Bill. First, I would like seek clarification on the definition of a "fundraising appeal". With the increasing popularity of online donations, are online crowdsourcing appeals that leverage social media or other online platforms considered as fundraising appeals as defined in the Act? If so, how does the Government regulate such online appeals and ensure that the monies donated do end up helping the intended beneficiaries? The Charity Council chairman, Mr Gerard Ee, very aptly pointed out in a news article in August 2017 that there are "practical difficulties" for the COC to read through every post online to suss out suspicious campaigns, making it difficult to uncover groups that misuse donations. Therefore, I would like to ask the Ministry if there were any past cases where the COC had successfully taken action to stop suspicious online campaigns. Are there statistics on how many of such online fundraising campaigns turned out to be misrepresentations or half-truths? Are donors able to get their money back if the cause that they had donated to turned out to be misleading or, worse still, untrue? Would the COC consider establishing a whistleblowing channel for the public to report possible suspicious online campaigns on a timely basis? Next, I would like to touch on the proposed mandatory electronic filing of annual submissions and other regulatory submissions by charities.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, Sir. I thank the Minister for his comprehensive response. I now speak as the Executive Secretary of the National Transport Workers' Union. The demands on our rail workers are much greater than before, particularly for the maintenance staff. Much of their work can only be done when revenue services stop. Many of our rail maintenance workers work hard to ensure that our rail systems are maintained properly, are functioning properly every day, 365 days. They work in a challenging environment and under very tight time constraints − about three hours every night is the amount of time that they have. I know because I have seen them, I have talked to them in the middle of the night, in the tunnels, on the tracks, at the depots, in the trenches. I hope that the Minister and the Ministry would continue to support our rail workers, especially the maintenance workers, as they have always done. The union does not condone any action by any worker that would harm fellow workers and commuters or damage the operations of our public transport system. The union will work with SMRT to ensure that due process is given to any worker who has been found not to have done their work properly. I would like to assure the Minister that the National Transport Workers' Union will continue to engage our workers and stand ready to support both SMRT and LTA to ensure that we have better rail reliability.”
“Would the Ministry consider working with the relevant agencies to provide Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) training for all masseuses, and consider professional certification to be a mandatory aspect in the application for a massage establishment licence? Professional certification would certainly help to ensure that those working in the industry are well-trained, and this will help in uplifting the industry's image. In addition, stiffer advertising guidelines should also be implemented for massage establishments, such as on social media channels, where we can easily find advertisements for massage services which carry suggestive messages and accompanied by pictures of improperly clothed ladies. Under the provisions in the Bill, licensed massage establishments with good track records will be given a longer licence period. Can the Ministry give a clearer definition of what constitutes a good track record? Perhaps, the Ministry can explore including professional certification of masseuses as part of what a good track record should be. With that, Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Bill.”
“I would like to urge the Ministry to consider imposing a sanction on premises that have been used for vice-related activities. The authorities should bar any massage establishment licences from being granted to the same premises, until at least a year after the conviction. And if it was a case of a low-risk massage establishment being used as a front for vice activities, the authorities should consider making it necessary for any subsequent similar outlets to require a licence before operating from the same premises. This would help to deter the same undesirable activities from taking place in the premises and prevent a vice hotspot from taking root. Mr Deputy Speaker, as the Member of Parliament (MP) of a constituency with many private estates, I have seen first-hand how such massage establishments and other public entertainment outlets located within mixed-use developments can cause much distress to the residents. Such outlets, as some of my other Parliamentary colleagues have said, are usually a magnet for vice activities and attract various unsavoury characters. This can cause much unhappiness and threatens the social compact between residents and tenants. Worst still, in a Strata Title, there is not much that can be done to deter a defiant landlord. I would, therefore, like to urge the Ministry to minimise the number of massage establishments in mixed-use developments. I hope the authorities can consider the impact on residents before granting such operating licences. I would also like to propose a strict quota on such massage establishments, especially those that operate 24 hours within a defined locality, particularly within a residential zone. Next, I would like to touch on the importance of uplifting the negative perception of the massage industry.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I stand in support of the Bill, which will allow the Police to take tougher actions against unlicensed massage establishments being used as fronts for vice activities, while reducing the burden for compliant establishments. However, I would like to seek some clarifications. First, I welcome the move to reduce the regulatory burden for low-risk massage activities, such as manicure and pedicure salons, by exempting them from requiring a licence to operate. However, to adapt from the well-known Police advisory – low-risk does not mean no risk. During my time in the Police Force, I have seen hair salons, manicure salons and other supposedly "low-risk" establishments being used as a cover for vice activities. So, I would like to ask: how does the Ministry plan to prevent such allegedly low-risk outlets from engaging in vice once they are exempted from licensing? Next, I welcome the measures for harsher penalties to be extended to landlords who knowingly lease their properties to unlicensed operators. It is important that landlords play their part in ensuring the activities that are being carried out on their premises are legitimate. However, some landlords are concerned. They want to know how would the authorities determine whether landlords knowingly or unknowingly lease their properties to tenants who engage in vice activities. Can the Ministry clarify on the investigation process and explain the parameters that would determine the landlord's culpability? There is also the perennial issue of the tenants – the licence applicants being set up as the fall guy. How does the Ministry intend to deal with the same mastermind who works behind the scenes, operating various unlawful massage establishments under the guise of different applicants?”
“Can the Ministry work towards accrediting more of such in-house coordinators so as to allow companies to be able to tap on Government funding? With the RTW programme in place, we now need to ask ourselves, what more can we do for injured workers? In Australia, the US and the European Union (EU), the RTW framework is legislated. Would the Ministry consider legislating the RTW framework, or at least some aspects of it, at some point in time to better protect our workers and help those who are injured recover and reintegrate back to work quickly, so that their livelihoods are not adversely affected? My final point, Mr Speaker, is that much of our WSH efforts today focus on workplace safety. Physical health and mental well-being, however, are sorely lacking in our current WSH efforts and conversations. A build-up of stress and fatigue can lead to distractions, which will place our workers at higher risk of getting injured at work. Therefore, it is of paramount importance for us to practice WSH holistically, by focusing on the body, mind and soul, in order for our workplaces to be truly a safe and healthy environment for our workers. Just as we have Total Defence, we must endeavour for Total WSH. With that, Mr Speaker, I support the Bill.”