Ong Ye Kung
Singapore
“The Ministry of Health (MOH) recently enhanced the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) dental subsidies, which are tiered by income, for common preventive and restorative procedures.”
“Healthier SG GP clinics may also refer their enrolled patients to Active Ageing Centres and Community Health Posts to fulfill their social prescriptions and for subsidised services, such as medication management.”
“Public hospitals, such as the National University Hospital, the Singapore General Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital, have deployed robotic-assisted surgical (RAS) systems for minimally invasive soft-tissue surgeries.”
“The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) welcomes drug producers to choose Singapore as part of their first-wave filings. As long as a pharmaceutical product is approved by at least one regulatory agency, such as China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), it would also qualify for the abridged route.”
“A decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with diabetes can be due to multiple reasons. Doctors will first investigate the underlying cause before determining whether the patient should be referred to a specialist. Some causes are reversible and cause transient reduction in renal function.”
“Information on the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) cannot be made visible on the National Electronic Health Record system as it is protected under the Mental Capacity Act. Such information may only be disclosed by the Public Guardian to specified persons upon satisfactory submission of evidence(s) required under the law.”
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“Mr Chairman, Sir, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Faishal Ibrahim, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Low Yen Ling and myself will try to answer all the cuts. We have heard a lot about how the future will be different. The questions from Ms Denise Phua, Ms Foo Mee Har, Mr Zainal Sapari and Mr Thomas Chua boil down to one central question that should really preoccupy every Education Minister in the world, and the question is: is our education system preparing young people for a fast-changing future, or is the model, as we know it, outdated? Our system has a solid foundation. This is reflected in good PISA scores, good university rankings and good employment outcomes. By no means they will guarantee success, but they are indicative of how we have gotten the evergreen basics right. We must build on, not sit on, this foundation. Indeed, this has been the mission of every single Education Minister in Singapore over the years. Forty years ago, our schools suffered from very high dropout rates. The uniform curriculum also did not cater for students’ varied pace of learning. The then-Minister for Education, Dr Goh Keng Swee, said that the starting point is to identify the "causes of things", before putting in solutions to fix them. His solution then was to allow students to study at different paces that suited them. School dropout rates dropped dramatically. Subsequent Education Ministers continued to tackle the problems of their times. It is due to all of them, and all our educators, that we have the strong foundation we have today. Ms Denise Phua asked for the worldwide trends we are grappling with now. The fact is that today, the Education Ministers face a challenge that is entirely different in nature compared to 40 years ago.”
“Since I am at the podium, Mr Chairman, I realise I did not quite answer one of Ms Sylvia Lim's clarification just now in one of her cuts where she mentioned during the Administration of Justice (Protection) Bill, her petition filed on the Bill was, I quote her, "somehow not sent to the Public Petitions Committee". So, I thought I had better clear the air and "what somehow" really meant. This is, if Members recall, in 2016. The First Reading was July, I think 10 July. The Second Reading was 15 August 2016; I checked that this is the correct date. The petition was filed on 10 August 2016, five days before Second Reading. So, if it had come to the House on the Second Reading, it would have been referred to the next Sitting. By then, it would have been moot because we would have already had the Second Reading debate. If Members remember, a Motion was, therefore, tabled to refer the petition to Parliament as part of the Second Reading debate, instead of sending it to the Public Petitions Committee. And so, a general assent was called, everyone in the House agreed and we had a full debate. Mr Kok Heng Leun, who filed the petition, and Ms Sylvia Lim, were also present. Ms Sylvia Lim had a full speech, many clarifications, long debate I remember and then also voted on the Bill. So, the process is transparent and open. I thought it is good to clarify this.”
“The 360-degree feedback: today, it has been implemented quite broadly across senior officers. PSD, in the next two, three years, will extend it to all senior officers. But 360 is largely a developmental tool − 360-degree feedback appraisal. So, I do not think it is useful to extend it to all public officers but, certainly, to senior officers who are leaders, who have to work with people around them − up, sideways, down. This is useful for them. But the issue is not really 360-degree feedback as a mechanism but to make sure that the Public Service and also the individual agencies have a culture of wanting to do better, embracing change, prepared to be innovative and to have people who do this in the right spirit. That when there is big change, they try to support it or, if they cannot support it, they get out of their way or, if they have totally different ideas, be able to voice them up, debate, come to a resolution and then support the direction forward. I think this is really about building that right organisation culture. So, likewise, it is not really about whether you have internal QSM or not, but whether the organisation believes in engaging its people. And I do think I agree with Mr Louis Ng that all public agencies ought to engage their people. All public agencies today do conduct staff engagement surveys periodically. And in that process, you do have to engage your people. So, this is very much encouraged. Finally, I thank Mr Louis Ng for acknowledging that making sweeping generalisation statements on Public Service is not helpful. So, let us work together and let us all be part of the change and be part of the transformation.”
“I have explained this point quite a few times in Parliament but I think it needs to be further repeated. One, SkillsFuture Credit is one feature of a much larger scheme, programme and movement called SkillsFuture. On SkillsFuture Credit, we spend around $40 million a year. But the entire movement and all the courses, including Adapt and Grow that we support the Ministry of Manpower on, Place and Train, PCP, they cost us about $700 million per year. So, it is different contexts. For those courses that we spent $700 million on, we curate them carefully. We enrol trainees based on whether they are really pursuing that career, and they will be guided and the results measured. SkillsFuture Credit, on the other hand, is really to open up the minds of everyone that you have a $500 voucher, so start thinking about how to upgrade and, really, start changing the mindset to one where we all have to be responsible for our own upgrading journey. Therefore, it is a lot more bottom-up. The choices and the courses are many. As of latest count, it is about 20,000 courses to choose from. But we do notice that the most popular courses are still the ICT courses, particularly amongst the older Singaporeans. As to whether some people pick up flower arrangement or cooking, we do not judge. If we put a $500 voucher in everybody's hand, we trust that people exercise their decision well to take up courses most beneficial to them. After all, what is leisure to me may be a profession to you.”
“Judging by the take-up and the types of courses most people enrolled in, we believe the scheme has achieved this objective.”
“Mr Zainal Sapari asked for the top 10 courses, so here they are in descending order. 1) Use Basic Functions and Applications of a Computer; 2) Basic Computer Course in Chinese; 3) Use Primary Functions and Applications of a Tablet; 4) Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational Licence; 5) Use Primary Functions and Applications of a Computer; 6) Follow Food and Beverage Safety and Hygiene Policies and Procedures; 7) Tablet Fundamentals; 8) Use Basic Functions and Applications of a Computer; 9) SkillsFuture@PA Chinese Restaurant Cooking (Elementary); and 10) Beginner Workplace Literacy. Members might have noticed some titles are the same because they are delivered by different training providers. A more meaningful way to look at it is to cluster popular courses into certain sectors and look at the entire cluster. If we look from that perspective, the most popular area of training is still Information and Communications Technology (ICT)-related courses. Over the two-year period, about 62,000 claims were made by Singaporeans for these top 10 courses. Close to 90% of the participants are Singaporeans aged 40 and above. However, it is difficult to ascertain if the training led to better jobs or new jobs. To drive those outcomes, we have specific schemes, such as the Professional Conversion Programmes (PCP), Place and Train, and Adapt and Grow where we monitor the progress of each and every trainee. Notwithstanding, one of the key objectives of the SkillsFuture Credit scheme in supporting the SkillsFuture Movement is to empower individuals to take ownership of their skills development, open up their minds to embrace a lifelong learning mindset and embark on the journey.”
“Some of these include, first, pushing for deeper ESG integration in our finance institutions (FIs); second, expanding the breadth and depth of green finance products, foster the growth of even the green asset class in Singapore and in the region; and third, deepening research and development and ESG products, building sustainability skills and capabilities. So, it is really two sides – recognising the risks but, at the same time, building up the ecosystem for green financing.”
“The issue is that in developed countries, they have developed power generation to a certain level, and people in rural areas or in the city have access to electricity. In developing countries and emerging economies where many rural areas still do not have access to electricity, coal becomes an option, especially if it is a coal producing country. So, in that context, we will see plantings next year. If I remember correctly, the IEA report that I read, half the plantings last year are new power generation, half are in renewables, but there are still many others based on fossil fuels. So, there are still such projects, and a lot of the renewables are actually driven by China now. And in developed and developing countries, there are still many power generation projects and greenfield projects that are based on fossil fuels. As a result, we do see banks pledging to move away from financing coal-powered plants, because the opportunities are in renewables. But at the same time, they also recognise that there are ESG risks in regard to coal power generation plants. So, it is this context that our banks are operating in. Most of their projects are loans, non-bank loans, and as part of syndication loans, where global banks are also participating. There are many participants in the region where there is still a demand for coal power to help rural communities access electricity. Having said that, I think the situation is evolving. On one hand, as I mentioned earlier in my reply, more steps are being taken for our banks, as well as MAS, to recognise the ESG risks in all these projects. On the other hand, there are also other steps we are taking to help the industry enhance the entire green finance ecosystem in Singapore.”
“Based on a survey conducted by SkillsFuture Singapore in 2017, over 60% of the respondents who attained a Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment (ACTA) between July 2015 and June 2016 were performing on a full- or part-time basis, one or more training-related roles, such as working as a trainer, adjunct adult educator, training management practitioner, or human capital management practitioner. A further 25% of respondents were employed in non-training and adult education-related roles.”
“To ensure that our Singaporean students are not denied a tertiary education due to their financial circumstances, the Government provides loans to students at our publicly-funded tertiary institutions. These loans are also extended to international students who need some assistance. On average, over the last five years, 3.9% of the total outstanding Government loans taken up by international students are in default and deemed unrecoverable, after exhausting all recovery efforts. For international students who default on their loans, they can face adverse consequences should they apply to work or reside in Singapore. Commercial banks also offer study loans. But based on the data reported by banks to the Credit Bureau, study loans granted to foreigners were less than 0.0001% of the total banking assets in Singapore. As they make up only a very small share of total banking system exposure, the Monetary Authority of Singapore does not collect the data on these loans, including the default rate.”
“In the last five years, the proportion of female students who took up engineering courses at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), polytechnics and universities has remained fairly stable, at around 20% of the total engineering cohort, or about 3,600 students each year. Based on the Graduate Employment Surveys conducted in 2016, around 70% of them who were in full-time permanent employment reported that they worked in engineering-related jobs after graduation. We welcome more students, male and female to consider engineering as a career, and have various initiatives and programmes to encourage more to do so. For example, at the secondary schools, Applied Learning Programmes (ALP) in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) enable students to apply their knowledge and skills in authentic situations to address real-world problems, and offer opportunities to interact with engineering professionals. More than 60% of our secondary schools offer ALP in STEM areas. In addition, the polytechnics have pooled their efforts to promote engineering diploma programmes to secondary school students. The talks will feature industry practitioners who share about their passion for engineering and why they chose it as a career. The polytechnics also reach out to school teachers and involve them in industry learning journeys and experiential workshops.”
“It needs to be accompanied by policy and process changes in order for efficiencies to be reaped and services to the citizen improved. We are taking a similar approach to build citizen-centric services around "Moments of Life" (MoL), delivering relevant Government digital services to individuals based on specific moments in their lives, such as the birth of a child. The first phase of the MoL app, centered around parents with young children, will be rolled out by mid-2018. We are also exploring other life moments to cluster services around and will provide more information on this in due course. The Government is fully committed to using digital technology and continually improving our processes and workflows to serve the public better. This is an ongoing effort.”
“Since the 1980s, the Government has been using automation technology to do our work more efficiently and serve Singaporeans better. Our national libraries use radio-frequency identification tags to track the borrowing, return and sorting of books, and provide access to a wide range of e-resources online; checkpoints at Woodlands and Tuas have automated capabilities to clear motorcyclists and pillion riders; and our hospitals use automated medication dispensing systems. As digital technology advances, more opportunities will arise for our agencies to re-engineer processes, streamline workflows and serve the public better. One important task of many agencies is to respond to public feedback and queries. They can be voluminous. We want to address simple queries quickly, while paying more attention to difficult cases. To help us do this, we have deployed chatbots to handle calls and queries from the public. We are also using Natural Language Processing to spot patterns in feedback and make upstream process changes. For example, the Government Technology Agency ran textual analysis on feedback emails sent by the public to the Housing and Development Board (HDB). This generated the insight that key collection was a major issue. As a result, HDB changed its key collection process from assigning dates to home owners to allowing them to select a date to collect their keys. Digital technology also enables the integration of Government functions across agencies. The OneService App allows citizens to report municipal issues involving multiple agencies on a single portal, without having to access individual agencies’ websites and call centres. But the app is just the front end.”
“Workforce Singapore also runs the Career Support Programme to encourage employers to hire experienced, mature PMETs, especially the longer-term unemployed, by providing them with salary support. As our economy continues to adapt to new challenges, there will be no let-up in our efforts to enhance the opportunities of learning and reskilling that our workers can gain through SkillsFuture.”
“The employment outcomes for our university graduates have been good. Over the past 10 years, around nine in 10 university graduates who entered the labour market each year found employment within six months after their final examinations. This is achieved by ensuring that university courses are relevant and of good quality and produce graduates with degrees valued by the market. In addition, and also most importantly, we have to ensure that the Singapore economy remains diverse and dynamic. Under the SkillsFuture movement, our autonomous universities have taken further steps to ensure that graduates identify their strengths and interests, possess the right skills and knowledge to practise their crafts, and achieve mastery through lifelong learning. We have enhanced our Education and Career Guidance system, opened up more educational pathways, and introduced more opportunities for internships and overseas attachments. Students can also use the MySkillsFuture portal to help them make informed education and career choices. We have also launched new SkillsFuture Work-Study Degree Programmes, where Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) and industry collaborate to deliver undergraduate courses. The IHLs have also banded together to deliver the SkillsFuture Series of courses to help their graduates keep their skills and knowledge up to date. We work closely with the Ministry of Manpower and Workforce Singapore to support and assist mature graduates seeking new employment. For example, the Professional Conversion Programmes help professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) undergo training and move into new occupations with good prospects and progression.”
“Today, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) already works closely with industry-led training centres set up by trade associations and chambers, as well as key industry players to develop industry-relevant training programmes. These include the SSG-supported productivity-related training programmes rolled out by the Centre for Corporate Learning by the Singapore Manufacturing Federation, as well as training programmes by Singtel Cyber Security Institute that develops skills in areas, such as cyber threat preparedness and crisis management. By and large, these training centres are sited near or within workplaces and accessible to workers. Apart from such industry-led training centres, a broader range of industry-relevant and modular training opportunities is available at the two Continuing Education and Training (CET) campuses, that is, the Lifelong Learning Institute in Paya Lebar, and the Devan Nair Institute for Employment in Jurong East, both of which house various training providers. The Institutes of Higher Learning and other SSG-appointed CET centres also deliver industry-relevant modular courses at locations all across Singapore, and many of them are near key transport nodes and easily accessible. SSG will continue to enhance its close collaboration with the industry in CET delivery and expand both the range and availability of training opportunities, so that more individuals and employers can benefit from industry-relevant skills training.”
“Over in Guwahati, the North East Skills Centre (NESC) is currently at the planning stage and is expected to be launched by 2019. ITEES has completed training NESC staff in campus design and development, as well as curriculum review and adaptation.”
“The focus of the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) is to provide technical and vocational training to Singaporeans. With growing international awareness of Singapore's reputation in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), ITE has been approached by many foreign parties to explore collaborations in their home countries. ITE Education Services (ITEES) was thus established in 2003 to share ITE's expertise in TVET with overseas institutions. ITEES’ establishment allows ITE to maintain its focus on the provision of TVET in Singapore. ITEES employs its own staff and is self-financing. It offers a range of customised consultancy and training services, which are fully funded by its clients. Currently, ITEES is involved in efforts to help set up vocational skills centres in various Indian states, such as Rajasthan and Assam. These centres are part of the Indian government's commitment to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Skill India campaign, which aims to train Indians in different skillsets by 2022. ITEES' role in the development of these centres include advisory on infrastructure development, curriculum development and quality assurance. ITEES also supports in capability building, by training staff in areas such as leadership development, curriculum review and campus design. The various projects are at different stages of development. For example, the Centre of Excellence for Tourism Training (CETT) in Udaipur was launched in October 2016 and currently offers six courses in the areas of food and beverage, hospitality and retail services. It has over 100 students enrolled to date. ITEES assisted CETT with the development of the course curriculum and trained several CETT staff in leadership and TVET pedagogy.”
“Students in the Normal (Academic) course can now articulate to ITE and polytechnics after their "N" Level examinations, as an alternative to Secondary 5. Today, one in four ITE students already progress to polytechnics after graduation. We recently introduced a new ITE Work-Learn Technical Diploma pathway, to enable them to work towards their diploma while undergoing apprenticeships at good companies. For polytechnic graduates, the establishment of Singapore Institute of Technology has enabled more of them to pursue a degree. Our newest public university, the Singapore University of Social Sciences, caters to those who want to work first and pursue a part-time degree later. The Member asked further about opportunities for ITE graduates. For the past 10 years, more than eight in 10 ITE graduates actively looking for jobs, found employment within six months upon graduation. The median gross monthly salaries of ITE graduates have also been rising, which is evidence of their strong employment prospects and industry-relevant skills. Some ITE graduates go on to upgrade their qualifications. Beyond the ITE, polytechnic or university qualification, Singaporeans must also embrace lifelong learning and constantly upgrade themselves after entering the workforce. This is where the SkillsFuture movement comes in. We will continue to improve the education system and pathways for our students, to continue to develop every child's potential to the fullest and ensure opportunities are available for Singaporeans to succeed in life. We will examine how we can better design the learning landscape, from preschool through to retirement. This is an endeavour that might take a generation, but we are well into our journey.”
“The challenges facing education today are very different from those in the past. Our education system then was primarily geared towards equipping young Singaporeans with the necessary literacy and numeracy skills very quickly. Today, our challenge is different. There are greater opportunities, young Singaporeans have more varied aspirations to fulfil and, upon entering the workforce, they must also be equipped with the skills and disposition to be resilient in a fast-changing global economy. Our education system has changed in tandem. We have moved towards a philosophy of multiple pathways that support each student to go as far as he or she can, in his or her areas of passion and strength. For example, we have adopted subject-based banding in primary and secondary schools, so that students with strengths in particular subjects can be stretched in those subjects, while offering other subjects at a less demanding level. The Direct School Admissions Scheme for secondary schools seeks to recognise students' specific talents in academic or non-academic areas, and is an alternative avenue to the Secondary 1 Posting Exercise based on Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) results. We similarly introduced aptitude-based admissions at the polytechnic and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) levels, for up to 15% of their intake, and also in our universities. These changes encourage students to pursue areas that they have the aptitude and interest in, and avoid an excessive focus on examination results at the various different stages of education. We have also expanded pathways in higher education to offer more pathways for progression.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, can I take Oral Question Nos 12 and 13 together?”
“Over the past five years, around 3,000 students graduate annually from biotechnology-related courses from our autonomous universities, polytechnics and Institutes of Technical Education. Many will choose to further their studies. As for those who entered the labour force, around 85% found employment within six months after completing their final examinations, with the majority of them in the private sector. Our Institutes of Higher Learning will continue to work with the industry to ensure that the courses are relevant to its needs, and that intake into these programmes is sized appropriately.”
“As a recap, BCS is the DS operator for SGD and USD cheques and Interbank GIRO, while Citi is the DS settlement institution for USD cheques. MAS recognises the important role that these operators play in the stability of the financial system. The regulation and supervision of payment systems fall under a separate Act, the PSOA. BCS and Citi are regulated under PSOA and, thus, closely supervised by MAS. Both entities are required to have strong risk management controls in place to address key risks, such as credit, liquidity and operational risks. They also need to have business continuity plans and these are validated through industry-wide exercises. As part of ongoing supervision, MAS tracks the financial health of BCS and Citi as well and has resolution tools at our disposal. Mr Deputy Speaker, I beg to move. [(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. (proc text)] [(proc text) The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Mr Ong Ye Kung.] (proc text)] [(proc text) Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. (proc text)]”
“We expect DSs to have rules in place to exclude an insolvent system participant from the DS as soon as it is aware of the insolvency and to stem any outflow of funds which abuse the protection. Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked a pertinent question about the adaptability of the Bill to future technologies, especially given the robust developments in the payments space. FNA is technology-neutral and allows MAS to designate systems which meet the fundamental criteria for designation, where a disruption in the operations of such a system may transmit further disruption to its participants, or to the wider financial system or affect public confidence in other payment systems. Hence, as long as the designation criteria are met, whether a system is based on block chain, QR code or biometrics or something we have not seen, MAS will be able to designate the system. DSs will be gazetted and publicly listed on MAS’ website. This allows any consumer or business to cross-check the system’s legitimacy of being a DS. Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked about the exemptions for MAS from certain provisions of FNA. This is because MAS operates MEPS+, our nation’s large value SGD real-time gross settlement system and a DS under FNA. The amendments provide for MAS to be exempted from the provisions which are administrative in nature, and MAS is exempted from these provisions as MAS cannot be invoking such powers upon itself. However, the proposed exemptions for MAS do not affect the insolvency protections provided by FNA for DSs operated by MAS. Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked about the contingency plans for commercial entities that operate DSs in Singapore, such as BCS and Citi.”
“First, a system that spans multiple jurisdictions across numerous time zones, such as the CLS system which needs more than one day to settle transactions in a distress situation as the distressed participant may face difficulty paying its obligations, usually in multiple currencies. Second, a system that originates transfer orders on the day of insolvency but settles the next business day. For example, FAST transactions which occur on late Friday evening which will be settled between the banks only the next Monday morning, these transactions would now be protected. And, as I mentioned in my earlier speech, if a foreign bank branch in Singapore has its parent bank go insolvent close to midnight, Singapore time, the operator of the DS may be unaware of the insolvency of its parent since this occurred outside office hours, until the next business day, whereupon transactions from this participant was already settled. The Bill will ensure the DS participants’ transactions, including the foreign bank branch’s transactions, are honoured and protected. In the EU’s case, the operator would have to prove that they were not aware, nor should have been aware of the insolvency proceedings. MAS has assessed that the challenges in proving this will create significant uncertainty which will defeat the very purpose of giving operators and participants certainty of finality of transactions and then protect the system as a whole. Hence, we decided not to subject the operator to such a burden of proof but, instead, provide for a short window where there is certainty. Notwithstanding, there are safeguards to prevent abuse of this protection.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the Members for their support of the Bill and their questions. Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked if any study or consultation had been done on the DSs of other countries. MAS studied a variety of jurisdictions, such as Australia, Canada, Europe, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the UK, to distil the best practices. The proposed amendments are also in line with international standards, such as the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures, set by the Committee on Payment and Market Infrastructures of the Bank for International Settlements and the International Organisation of Securities Commissions. In addition, MAS consulted financial institutions extensively and drew on our experience administrating the FNA over the last 15 years. With this Bill, MAS will be among other leading jurisdictions in the area of insolvency protection for DSs. Mr Louis Ng enquired about the differences in the timing of insolvency protection between the EU Settlement Finality Directive and the proposed Bill. He also sought clarification on the potential abuse of the extended insolvency protection. The EU's regime takes a different approach from this Bill. It protects transfer orders that are entered into the system after the moment of insolvency provided that a central counter-party or clearing house demonstrates that they were not aware, nor should have been aware of the commencement of insolvency proceedings. We have chosen not to emulate the EU Directive, but instead provide for a window – one business day – for transactions to be protected even after insolvency is declared. There are three insolvency scenarios envisaged by MAS that will require this. I have briefly mentioned one of them in my Second Reading speech but will elaborate.”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to move amendments* (1) to (4) standing in my name, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. These amendments are necessary to bring the PA Act into alignment with amendments that we have just made to the Public Sector (Governance) Bill. [(proc text) *The amendments read as follows: (proc text)] [(proc text) (1) "In page 100: after line 8 to insert — (proc text)] [(proc text) '(a) by inserting, immediately after section 5, the following section: (proc text)] [(proc text) "Directions by Minister (proc text)] [(proc text) 5A. The Minister may give to the Association any direction under section 5 of the Public Sector (Governance) Act 2018."; (proc text)] [(proc text) (2) In page 100: to leave out lines 19 to 21; (proc text)] [(proc text) (3) In page 100, line 25: to leave out 'Association', and insert 'Board'; (proc text)] [(proc text) (4) In page 101, line 5: to leave out '(11)', and insert '(13)'." (proc text)] [(proc text) Amendments agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 88, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clauses 89 to 112 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) The First to Third Schedules inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)]”
“Mr Chairman, there are four amendments to Clause 88, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. As the amendments are related, may I seek your permission to move them together?”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to move the amendments* (1) and (2) standing in my name, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. This amendment will require the PA’s audited financial statements to be signed by the Chairperson and submitted to the responsible Minister, as is the case for similar Statutory Boards. [(proc text) *The amendments read as follows: (proc text)] [(proc text) (1) "In page 36, lines 18 and 19: to leave out '(except a Group 1B or Group 1C public body)'. (proc text)] [(proc text) (2) In page 36, line 33: to leave out 'Subsections (2) and (3) do', and insert 'This section does'." (proc text)] [(proc text) Amendments agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 40, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clauses 41 to 87 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] Clause 88 –”
“Mr Chairman, there are two amendments to Clause 40, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. As the amendments are related, may I seek your permission to move them together?”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to move the amendment* standing in my name, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. I explained earlier that PA has volunteers serving on its committees and why we are not deeming them public servants for the purposes of the Penal Code. But such volunteers do handle public monies from time to time, and, as best as we try to prevent it, there are sometimes instances in which volunteers mismanage these monies. This amendment will allow the Government to recover funds from any volunteer who mismanages the public moneys they are given responsibility for. [(proc text) *The amendment reads as follows: (proc text)] [(proc text) "In page 23, line 14: after '20', to insert ', and every member of a committee which is formed by a Group 1C public body to carry out any of its functions'." (proc text)] [(proc text) Amendment agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 21, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clauses 22 to 39 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] Clause 40 –”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to move the amendments* (1) and (2) standing in my name, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. These amendments mean that the CE of PA must not be removed from that office without the approval of the Minister and the concurrence of PSC, as is the case for similar Statutory Boards. [(proc text) *The amendments read as follows: (proc text)] [(proc text) (1) "In page 21, line 20: to leave out '1A, Group 1B', and insert '1'; (proc text)] [(proc text) (2) In page 21, line 26: to leave out '15(4)', and insert '15(3)'." (proc text)] [(proc text) Amendments agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 16, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clauses 17 to 20 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] Clause 21 –”
“Mr Chairman, there are two amendments to clause 16, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. As the amendments are related, may I seek your permission to move them together?”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to move the amendments* (1) to (4) standing in my name, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. This amendments will mean that the Governing Board of PA will have the power to appoint the Association’s CE, with the approval of the responsible Minister and the concurrence of PSC, as is the case for similar Statutory Boards. [(proc text) *The amendments read as follows: (proc text)] [(proc text) (1) "In page 20, lines 27 and 30: to leave out '1A, Group 1B', and insert '1'; (proc text)] [(proc text) (2) In page 21, line 2: to leave out '1A, Group 1B', and insert '1'; (proc text)] [(proc text) (3) In page 21, line 5: to leave out '1A or Group 1B', and insert '1'; (proc text)] [(proc text) (4) In page 21: to leave out lines 7 to 9". (proc text)] [(proc text) Amendments agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 15, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] Clause 16 –”
“Mr Chairman, there are four amendments to clause 15, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. As the amendments are related, may I seek your permission to move them together?”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to move the amendment* standing in my name, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. This is the first of several amendments to six clauses of the Bill, to align the treatment of PA with similar Statutory Boards, as I have explained in my opening speech. This amendment will formalise the power of PA's responsible Minister to give directions to the Association. [(proc text) *The amendment reads as follows: (proc text)] [(proc text) "In page 14, line 7: to leave out '1A or Group 1B', and insert '1'". (proc text)] [(proc text) Amendment agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 5, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clauses 6 to 14 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] Clause 15 –”
“I will wrap up. Third, Internet surfing separation. In May 2016, the Singapore Government decided that devices connected to Government networks would no longer be able to access the Internet, in order to strengthen the Government's information and communications technology systems and this was implemented in mid-2017. Fourth, adopt best practices. This is obvious. And five, education, because the weakest link is always the human. We always need to educate every single officer on how to do the right thing so that cybersecurity breaches are minimised, and this must include the reporting of malpractices, as mentioned by Ms Chia Yong Yong. Mr Deputy Speaker, I think I have answered most, if not all, the questions. I beg to move. [(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. (proc text)] [(proc text) The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Mr Ong Ye Kung.] (proc text)] [(proc text) Bill considered in Committee. (proc text)] [Deputy Speaker (Mr Charles Chong) in the Chair] [(proc text) Clauses 1 to 4 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] Clause 5 –”
“For ex-public servants, the Official Secrets Act (OSA), already requires that they do not retain information once they leave service and they are culpable, too, under OSA, if they commit any data-related offence in this Bill. The provisions in the Protection of Secrecy Act remain valid and relevant for Statutory Boards and prescribed Government companies to abide by, and will be a complementary safeguard to this new Bill. Second, is to institutionalise our cybersecurity capabilities and that is done through the Cyber Security Agency (CSA), established on 1 April 2015, to oversee a new national cybersecurity structure, with the mandate to devise and coordinate national cybersecurity strategy and policy development, carry out both peacetime capability development and crisis management across all sectors and, finally, adopt a holistic approach towards the management of information infrastructure.”
“The Government also relies on citizens to verify their own information. MyInfo, the platform mentioned earlier, allows citizens to amend certain personal information and this information will be shared for transactional services that the Government provides. This ensures that all agencies are using accurate information on the individual based on his latest update. Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Ms Chia Yong Yong and Mr Gan Thiam Poh also asked about storage and security. Government data is stored in Government systems which are protected against breach. More sensitive information, such as identifiable data, will be held in designated databases with even more limited access and additional protection. There are various measures we have undertaken to protect data. First, controlled access and dissemination. Every civil servant/public officer can only access data he is allowed access to. Access rights will continue to be prescribed based on security clearance and data is only accessed when there is a legitimate purpose or need. The Government continues to calibrate IT security policies accordingly, such as having proper access control and the role-based access of data based on its classification. Deliberate unauthorised access of information is criminalised under other legislation, such as the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act (CMCA). It is also likely to lead to improper use or unauthorised disclosures of data which are new criminal offences under this Bill. Existing measures to ensure that public servants do not use privileged access to information for their personal gain will continue to apply. For example, all public servants have to declare annually their interests in investments and properties.”
“Further, data shared with entities outside of the Public Service and designated for service delivery are bound by confidentiality agreements, with contractual terms that prescribe data protection requirements, and these entities are also bound by PDPA and the Official Secrets Act. Volunteers are also bound by strict confidentiality agreements and educated on the appropriate use of the data. Specifically, on the sharing of medical data within the healthcare sector, again, this is beyond the scope of this Bill because restructured hospitals are not defined as part of the Public Service. MOH is embarking, as I mentioned this earlier, on the NEHR initiative, consulting the public and tabling a Healthcare Services Bill to enable it to do so, to achieve better health outcomes and yet safeguard the interest of patients. Having said that, it is true that when this Bill is passed, the framework that governs the sharing of data within the Public Service will be improved and better than that for sharing with entities outside of the Public Service, specifically in areas, such as the responsibility to safeguard and protect data. So, the framework will be available and set up for the Public Service, but it will not be extended to sharing outside of the Public Service. This is something that we should look at and we will review and consider if further legislation is required. Mr Zaqy Mohamad asked a question about data accuracy and verification. Accuracy of a citizen's personal data is critical for seamless service delivery. We will assign designated agencies to proactively verify and update specified personal data fields and share that across the Government, so that all agencies’ databases are up to date and accurate.”
“The Bill does not allow the data-sharing direction to displace the application of common law, nor does the data-sharing direction seek to do this. It will instead be providing the much-needed practical guidance and certainty on what circumstances would be considered public interest without being exhaustive. So, while the Bill criminalises data-sharing other than in accordance with the data-sharing direction, clause 7(2) allows a defence where sharing is authorised or allowed by "other law". That "other law" is a reference to the common law. For example, it can be shared in order to respond to, say, a life-and-death situation of an individual or in times of a natural disaster or any kind of disaster where contact tracing is required. Mr Gan Thiam Poh and Miss Cheryl Chan asked about data-sharing beyond the Public Service, to VWOs, for example. This Bill covers only sharing of data within the Public Service. It does not include the sharing of data with parties outside of the Public Service, such as VWOs, healthcare providers or private and commercial entities. But that does not mean today we do not share data with parties outside of the Public Service at all. We do so when there are clear justifications to improve the public service or to improve service to the public. For example, to help a student from a dysfunctional family, MOE has to work hand-in-hand with VWOs, self-help groups or Family Service Centres, and, inevitably, personal data has to be shared with all these partners. Or we share aggregate datasets with research institutes to conduct research and analysis for the Government.”
“If ever there was such an initiative, it would have to be explained as to why and for what purpose and for what value. And decision-making, be it for policy, licence or grant application, is all reduced to data processing and AI algorithm. That is not the future we want. In fact, it will be quite a sad state. If that happens, civil servants will all lose their jobs because we only need computers and software. So, in response to what Mr Patrick Tay said, yes, there are algorithms in various software – which will be tested and audited − but when it comes to decision-making, there must be human intervention, supervision and judgement all the time. Ms Chia Yong Yong asked for greater clarity on data-sharing initiatives. I hope Members will feel assured that, today, there is a high level of transparency and public discourse in policy implementation and public service delivery in Singapore. If there is a new service to be delivered, such as recently we hear that HDB has an initiative to halve the processing time for transaction of resale flats, it will be announced, and how it will be done will be explained. And I read the whole explanation in the papers. For more significant initiatives, such as MOH's current initiative to set up a National Electronic Health Record (NEHR) system, they have to do this properly. So, a separate consultation is being held, new legislation needs to be debated and enacted in this House to protect the users of this system. There is one more question by Asst Prof Mahdev Mohan. He asked when unauthorised data-sharing may not be an offence. The common law already permits sharing of information among public sector agencies where there is public interest.”
“First level, it allows existing data-sharing practices to be formalised, such as sharing identifiable information for service delivery and enforcement functions and using only anonymised information for policymaking and planning. Second level, by articulating the responsibility of each party involved in the data-sharing, it ensures that the same high level of responsibility for data protection is borne by all agencies. So, it is now clear that the agency that uses the data is responsible for protecting and safeguarding it. We will be able to redress the current misalignment of incentives, where the owner of data is still responsible. The third level is that information that is protected by specific legislation today, such as information under the Income Tax Act, the Banking Act and the Statistics Act, will continue to be protected. Four, criminal offences for three data-related offences are also introduced in the Bill to ensure individual officers are responsible and accountable for safeguarding information. These include the unauthorised disclosure and improper use of information, and, specifically, the unauthorised re-identification of anonymised data. The Bill did provide for the flexibility for re-identification of data. That is to deal with contingencies, such as when source agencies’ data is corrupted or destroyed. When that happens, re-identification of anonymised data may be performed in order to continue to deliver services to citizens. The purpose of the Bill is not to pave the way for a future where Government knows everything about everyone, and every misdeed everyone committed is all consolidated. I think there was a question by Mr Gan Thiam Poh.”
“It can also involve not personal data, but information that each agency holds, which, when put together, offers much better value, such as One-Map, which I mentioned earlier. The second benefit for data-sharing is better policy analysis, planning and formulation. This will involve sharing of anonymised, non-identifiable data. For example, when deciding where to build certain facilities, we want to understand the concentration of different segments of Singaporeans. There is no need to know personal details in this instance. So, to decide whether to build a senior activity centre, for example, the relevant agency only needs to know the aggregate number of seniors living in the block or in various precincts. It can also be about correlating data to derive deeper policy insights. There is an immense amount of work we can do here to better understand the relation, say, between family backgrounds, education experiences, careers, employment, health, social security, so that we can formulate better policies to address our challenges. However, to do so, raw data from various agencies need to come to a centre where they are matched and anonymised before release to relevant agencies for analysis. We intend to set up such centres where central oversight would mitigate the risks of failing to anonymise data. Let me talk about a point that Mr Zaqy Mohamad raised about privacy and big brother watching. This Bill is also in alignment with PDPA. Public Service agencies belong to one Government. They need to share data and information with one another to best serve the public. This Bill will significantly improve the protection and safeguard of such shared data. Beyond the fact that there are now clear bases for data-sharing, there are four levels of protection.”
“The Member felt that garden leave will help the civil servant think more carefully before joining politics. I think anyone, not just civil servants, joining politics today thinks very, very deeply about it, and spends a long time deliberating that with their families and friends before they are prepared to come in. It is really a calling, as the Member would know. Let me now move on to data-sharing. Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Mr Patrick Tay and Ms Chia Yong Yong asked about data-sharing, the scope and benefits. The data-sharing directive seeks to strengthen the rules that enable and govern cross-agency data-sharing within the public sector. There are two main areas of improvement. I have mentioned this in my Second Reading speech. First, the Bill provides the bases for data to be shared and there are seven specific public purposes, as stated in the Bill. These will translate broadly into two kinds of initiatives. One, better delivery of services to the individual. This will inevitably have to involve sharing of identifiable and personal data, and Mr Patrick Tay asked for some examples. Improving social assistance programmes or removing repeated filling of forms when applying for Government programmes. I spoke about this during the Second Reading speech. Where feasible, as Mr Zaqy Mohamad has suggested, specific details need not be shared if they are not needed for the task. For example, when you apply for financial assistance, data can be shared between other agencies and the processing officer, and they can come in the form of whether do they meet or not meet the criteria and not necessarily tell you how much they earn. That can surely be done and it will be a good practice.”
“It is very reasonable for civil servants not to be sycophantic but to understand what is the Ministerial direction, what is the agenda of this Government, how is it shaping up, what are the key priorities, and able to work with the Ministers to develop policies in those directions. Do you call that second-guessing? I mean, if the Member wants to put it in a negative sense, it is up to him. But I think there is value for public servants to do that. And for that matter, for anyone working, to do that. And I think consultants, too, have to anticipate and maybe second-guess their customers. This is what real life is. And whether they then become partisan, I hope the Member is not suggesting that civil servants are partisan, because the conduct and ethos of civil servants are articulated clearly in the IM, that they cannot be politically pressurised. They have to act neutral and in the interest of the public. Therefore, do we then have garden leave for civil servants who then go on and maybe join politics? And the Member draws the analogy with the financial sector. The circumstances are totally different. In the case of MAS and the financial sector, MAS is a regulator, whereas the regulatee is a commercial profit-seeking entity. So, to prevent a conflict of interest, we do not want an MAS officer to be offered a job by a regulatee while he is still at the job at the regulator. Therefore, you have a garden leave so that you minimise the chances of that happening. Garden leave is widely practised across financial regimes in the world. When we come to the Civil Service and political officeholders, neither one regulates the other, and neither is a commercial profit-seeking entity.”
“Let me touch on a point that Mr Faisal Manap specifically raised about what is the definition of being politicised. I think for civil servants to be politicised in the context of this Bill means to be specifically put under pressure to decide on a specific case. That is being "politicised" under this Bill. Mr Faisal Manap then went on to talk about a certain Advisor. I assume it is a constituency that the Member knows, that a certain candidate lost and then continued to operate on the ground. But, really, based on the definition I gave, this has nothing to do with this Bill. If there is any specific complaint that the Member would like to raise, he could raise it with our Deputy Chairman of PA, Minister Chan Chun Sing. He has mentioned in this House before that the role of an Advisor has to be very clear. It is to serve the community, it is to foster cohesion in the community. If they overstep into politics and the Member has reasons to believe so, then please raise it with him. I am sure he will look into it. Mr Leon Perera gave a narrative about civil servants who have aspirations to be Ministers, therefore, they second-guessed the Ministers to be in their good books and, in the process, become partisan and, therefore, should we not impose garden leave for civil servants that decide to enter politics? I think there are many problems with what he said. First, second-guessing is now a bit of a dirty word. But if you think about it, in all our work, we do have to anticipate what are the needs of our customers, what are the needs of the people we work with.”
“I want the culprits to face the full consequences of the law, but I cannot ask the Police or anybody to arrest them. We report through SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) to the Police, the Police investigate and, if they deem fit, the Police arrest them. That is the way things have been done and will be done. Having said that, in my years of public service, I have not come across an impasse between Ministers and public servants on this point. If there is, a public servant who feels any pressure from Ministers can report to their Permanent Secretary, or to the Head of the Civil Service, even the PSC, or even the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, if the case warrants it, and I am sure they know how to follow up. Let me just elaborate this a bit. Ministers handle MPS cases. And I would say, in a typical month, Ministers would have handled hundreds, maybe even thousands, of individual cases coming to us. Each is appealing for a licence to be given, for an Employment Pass to be given, or whatever the case may be. And the discipline all these years has been we write them down as appeal cases, lay out the facts of the cases, send them back to the Ministries, the staff still process them based on the grounds and the circumstances of the case. But ultimately, they have to run the individual appeal cases through the system to be processed. So, clause 11 merely puts a long-standing and existing practice into law. However, let me highlight this. If a Minister comes across a case that highlights the deficiencies in a system, or an act that should be illegal turns out to be legal, then there is a flaw in the system or in the law. Then, it is incumbent upon Ministers to review and improve the system, together with the agencies under his charge.”
“Ms Sylvia Lim asked for further elaboration on this. A statutorily independent function is a function which is required by law to be performed independently. The obvious example is the exercise of judicial functions by the Judiciary. But we also have Statutory Boards like the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, the Maritime and Port Authority or IMDA. They are vested with the discretion to issue or revoke a licence based on criteria set out in their own legislation. As for a quasi-judicial function, that is a function expected by the law to be discharged, taking into account the facts of the case. Some of our Statutory Boards have those powers. For example, a disciplinary committee constituted under the Estate Agents Act has the power to decide if there is sufficient cause for disciplinary action against an estate agent "according to the circumstances of the case". The third area of safeguard is that the Minister’s direction should not be specific to a case. So, clause 11(3)(b) prohibits any Ministerial direction to secure an employment, a promotion or a termination of any particular employee of a Singapore public sector agency. For example, a Minister cannot direct the award of a procurement contract to any particular tenderer, because that is specific to a case or a person; or to license a particular applicant; or to employ a particular person. And for that matter, he cannot ask the Police to arrest a certain person, and I hope Ms Sylvia Lim is not suggesting that this is happening. In fact, the Police Force Act makes that quite clear. It is SPF that has the powers to apprehend offenders. So, if you look at the Skills Development Fund (SDF) fraud case that happened which I answered earlier, I am flabbergasted.”
“Let me explain how clause 11 came about first. Clause 5 standardises the power of the responsible Ministers to give directions to their Statutory Boards, and clause 4 formalises the requirements for Statutory Boards to comply with central policies. And clause 11 of the Bill presents safeguards to limit the effect of these Ministerial directions. So, why is clause 11 needed now? The legal requirement to abide by Ministerial direction is not new at all. It is found in the constituting Acts of most of our Statutory Boards. But with this Bill, we have a separate and centralised legislation to provide for this. So, it becomes necessary to have clause 11 to make it clear that Ministerial directions do not trump other provisions in the Statutory Board legislation. It is a very logical thing to do for legal officers drafting this Bill. There are a few key points to this clause. First, the Minister's direction cannot be inconsistent with written law. For example, the Minister charged with the responsibility for Government records and archives − a point that Mr Chen Show Mao asked about − can direct Statutory Boards to comply with central policies on the treatment of public records. But these policies must be consistent with the provisions in the National Library Board (NLB) Act on the role of the National Archives in the treatment of public records. For example, the Minister’s direction to the Singapore public sector agencies cannot authorise the destruction of public documents without the authorisation of NLB, much less destroy a particular archival document. To do so would be inconsistent with the NLB Act. Second, the Minister's direction cannot impede or affect the performance of statutorily independent or quasi-judicial functions.”