Png Eng Huat
Singapore
“This question is for the Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad. I just want to seek clarity on whether these two groups of Self-employed Person qualify for the COVID-19 Support Grant or SIRS. Those SEPs who are not on the Workfare radar, who do not contribute to their CPF, but they do file their income tax returns.”
“Some help measures will only come in May or later, but many affected Singaporeans were already struggling to make ends meet since February. I appreciate the Ministry for working at breakneck speed to roll out these measures. I am happy to note that some of these measures are being brought forward to April. Thank you.”
“Our MRT system is also facing an operating cost deficit which will grow with new rail lines that may well redistribute existing passengers rather than grow new ridership. While the fare formula has added the network capacity factor to address rising operating cost deficits, cost management is also important.”
“In the two new BTO precincts in Hougang, the Town Council had to build extra ramps, footpaths and stairs, in addition to the few designated access points, in order to facilitate the safe movement of residents on the ground.”
“This resident is in his early 60s and was running a regional outfit before he was retrenched. What are the chances of him getting either one of the funding options?”
“Sir, would the Ministry be looking into instituting, say, staggered school or working hours, to ease the concerns of parents, students and workers travelling during rush hours even under the current DORSCON level when more infection cases start to surface?”
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“I am not sure how much lesser the schools are teaching right now but the perception on the ground is that students are learning more from tuition. Multiple Pathways and Accessibility”
“Madam, the Senior Minister of State for Education had said in this Chamber that "our education system is run on the basis that tuition is not necessary." I believe many parents would like to think so, but the stark reality on the ground tells a very different story. An opinion piece in The Straits Times on 24 September 2013 titled "Tuition too prevalent to ignore" cited sporadic but startling data on this issue. It was reported that the private tuition industry is a $1 billion industry and various polls suggest anything from 50% to 90% of households here send their children for tuition. That is a lot of households and money spent on something the Ministry of Education (MOE) thinks is not necessary. And do we, as legislators, believe that tuition is not necessary under our education system as well? How many of us here in this Chamber had put our children through tuition or are doing so right now? Another article that ran on 30 October 2013 took an even stronger Page: 53 stand that tuition is popular because of issues in our education system. I urge MOE to conduct a nationwide survey into the tuition culture. Such a survey could be easily done online or by giving each student a simple form to take home for the parents to fill up. Madam, is MOE not curious enough to study why parents are sending their children for extra private lessons despite having access to one of the best education systems in the world? I am quietly confident the results of such a survey will help MOE decipher this great mystery about our tuition culture and, perhaps, it will also help formulate more effective policies not just for the students but for the teachers as well. The "teach less, learn more" movement was started in 2006 to develop our students holistically beyond preparing for examinations.”
“Madam, I just want to seek a clarification. When the Minister said that they reversed course in Denmark, what does it mean? They are not going to continue with early retirement? Because from what I know, they have early retirement at 60, and what is going to happen is that they are going to peg the early retirement to life expectancy. So, it moves. By 2022, it moves. It means early retirement age will probably be 62, 63, and not that they are reversing and they are not going to allow early retirement. They have a normal retirement and they have an early retirement. It is just that early retirement currently is 60, but they are going to peg it to life expectancy, so it moves after 2022.”
“We should let members decide whether the payout at a particular Draw Down Age of their choice is meaningful, because no one can foretell how this member will lead his/her life at that point in time. Finally, I am heartened to know that the SkillsFuture Credit can be used for courses offered by our Institutes of Higher Learning. Moving forward, I urge MOE to institutionalise a Continuing Education Programme for all our Universities and Polytechnics. Such a programme should offer students of all ages an opportunity to upskill and engage in lifelong learning under the support of these established educational institutions with the course fees payable by the SkillsFuture Credit. Page: 124 Continuing Education is a well-established feature of many universities and colleges in the United States. I believe we can learn a lot from their experience in this area. The classes are conducted online and on campus in the evening. An adult, regardless of age, can simply learn about any subject of interest or even earn college credits leading to a degree or professional certification over time. Lifelong learning keeps the options open for our mature workers to find part-time work and other employment opportunities after their retirement. More importantly, it keeps their minds active. In conclusion, Madam, there is no escaping the fact that we are an ageing society. Our Budgets over the years reflect the phenomenon as well. All the initiatives put forth by the Government to help older Singaporeans find good jobs will come to naught if we do not tackle the quiet, unstated discrimination, as what the Finance Minister has coined, against older workers in their mid-40s and 50s. We should, as a society, strive to change mindsets and battle ageism in hiring going forward. 6.06 pm”
“This is certainly not aiding the effort to eliminate ageism in hiring, especially in an ageing society like ours. The restoration of the CPF contribution rate for workers aged 50 to 55 is, therefore, a step in the right direction to restore the dignity of a mature workforce. While it may be a reality that older workers will get lesser salary due to a change of job scope, they should not be saving anything lesser in their CPF for retirement. For that, I support the extra 1% interest on the first $30,000 of CPF balances for workers aged 55 and above. Madam, the ownership of our CPF savings is never in doubt. The monies in the CPF belong to each and every one of us, but this ownership assurance is cold comfort to people who cannot access their life savings due to moving targets caused by inflation, life expectancy and the intended pegging of the Draw Down Age to retirement age. There is certainly a need to provide an option for members to start their CPF Draw Down earlier. The labour force participation rate starts to come down from 80% for age group 50-54, to about 40% for age group 65-69, when the Draw Down Age for most CPF LIFE members will kick in. So, not all members will retire at age 62 or continue to work until age 65. If a worker finds his re-employment terms after the statutory minimum retirement age not satisfactory, he will be in a fix because he will have no access to his CPF savings until three years later. I am of the opinion that the Draw Down Age for CPF LIFE must move in either direction of the statutory minimum retirement age, to cater for the uncertainties of life.”
“Furthermore, Workfare payouts are contingent on a minimum period the worker must remain employed. So, a quarterly payout in this instance may not affect the worker adversely. The proposed Silver Support Scheme has put in place clearly defined criteria which will point to only one conclusion if an elderly Singaporean qualifies for the scheme. And, that is, the person is truly in need of help. So, a monthly payout in this instance will be more appropriate. While the Government has stated that the aim of the Silver Support Scheme is to supplement incomes in a modest but meaningful way and not to substitute other sources of income, the fact of the matter is that any elderly Singaporean who fulfils the three criteria under the scheme will probably be living hand-to-mouth every month, with very little margin for life's unexpected turns and surprises. A monthly supplement income will go some way to help these elderly Singaporeans pay their bills and lessen their money woes. I urge the Government to make the Silver Support payouts monthly rather than quarterly. Page: 123 Next, I would like to talk about the CPF changes. With longer life expectancy, life no longer begins at 40. Some say life begins at 50 now. Although older unemployed workers are finding it increasingly difficult to get back into work at the same pay and position, our CPF policy should not lend weight to the stigma that older workers are supposed to be cheaper workers. Tweaking the CPF contribution rate to make older workers cheaper to hire does not prevent discrimination against these workers in their mid-40s and 50s. In fact, it does the opposite. It ingrains the notion that older workers are a liability rather than an asset to hire, so, there must be some trade-offs.”
“Mdm Speaker, I welcome the initiatives outlined in Budget 2015 to support and invest in the development of Singaporeans, young and old, and also to help working-class Singaporeans save more for retirement. It is also fundamental that the Government has recognised that beyond the safety net offered by the Public Assistance Scheme for the neediest in our society, there lies at the Page: 122 fringe a group of older Singaporeans who need help to make ends meet in retirement amidst rising costs of living. The proposed Silver Support Scheme highlighted in the Budget is supposed to help address the issue of retirement adequacy for older Singaporeans who are asset-rich and cash-poor in retirement. The scheme, we are told, will become a permanent feature in our social security system. The Minister has said that the scheme aims to support the bottom 20% of Singaporeans aged 65 years and above, with a smaller degree of support extended to cover up to 30% of seniors. Although these people will fall outside the public assistance schemes, the criteria to qualify for the Silver Support Scheme are no less stringent as the assistance offered under the scheme is meant to go to those with lesser means to subsist, especially for those who have retired with little or no savings and family support. The three factors for older Singaporeans to qualify for the Silver Support Scheme are: their lifetime wages, the level of household support they have today and the type of housing they live in. Anyone who has undergone the thorough assessment and qualifies for the scheme will be deserving of assistance. The payout will be done quarterly, similar to the Workfare scheme. Madam, a worker receiving quarterly Workfare payouts can still subsist monthly as long as he stays employed.”
“The AGO report presented to Parliament does not have all those conclusions stated there. If we read the AGO report presented every year, it is all stated there. There is no conclusion for those cases that AGO cited. Some of them would say they would refer the cases to the Police for investigations and some of them would say they would take remedial action. So, likewise, the WP has said we have taken measures. Yesterday, Ms Sylvia Lim had highlighted those measures and what we have done. So, the conclusion that AHPETC got from AGO is, it is unique, yes, we accepted it. But those examples that I cited are things that AGO picked up, too. Are those not real instances where lapses happened, too? I am not saying that because it is AHPETC which is tabled in Parliament, but I am just citing that AGO's work is thorough, fair and I respect it.”
“I have drawn examples from AGO's reports because I read them every year. It is not meant to be a comparison with AGO's report on AHPETC. I have mentioned in the final part – that it is not meant as a comparison, but it is meant to point out that such lapses do exist and I had mentioned that good corporate governance is a work-in-progress. We have accepted the AGO report. We have accepted it and Mr Low Thia Khiang has already stated at the beginning of his speech that we support the Motion.”
“I cannot remember if any Minister had ordered any audit on any Ministry or Organ of State in recent times due to disclaimers or adverse opinions expressed by its auditors. But nonetheless, AHPETC has cooperated in this audit and will take lessons from the findings in the spirit of public accountability and good corporate governance. Page: 36”
“We monitor calls, complaints, conservancy issues, electrical issues, lift issues, customer services issues and so on across our town and by divisions. Checks are done monthly at our Estate and Community Liaison Committee (ECLC) meetings and quarterly Town Council meetings. So, these are not payments for nothing or for unknown services or work done. Last, I wish to touch on safeguarding public funds. It is a waste of public funds for an incoming administration to develop a new computer system that does essentially the same functions as the previous system, which was also developed with public funds. I understand, in the old days, HDB used to provide Town Councils with a centralised computer system. It makes perfect sense since Town Councils are set up to manage only HDB estates and the common areas. Who else would have the latest data on the number of flats in an estate, the types of flats, the residency status of the tenants, the amount of grant each flat should receive, when to start collecting S&CC and whether the unit is rented out whole or partial? All this information affects S&CCs and grants. And such systems are not cheap to develop. The old system at Aljunied Town Council cost over $20 million in hardware and software split amongst other PAP Town Councils. AHPETC has spent over half a million dollars just to replicate the old system and what the old system could do, and we still have some way to go. Is that not a waste of resources and public funds? Setting up a centralised computer system will certainly safeguard residents' interest and money, no doubt. Madam, there are many observations made in the AGO report. But at the end of it all, the buck stops at AHPETC.”
“It is common to replace a missing invoice under the same invoice number and date, or to re-issue an invoice due to amendments but to request for new invoices due to expired credit terms is highly unconventional. To void an invoice needs justification. Is it right to do that just so an agency can be seen to be prompt in making payments on paper? Under the same report for Disclaimer 6(a) on page 23, AGO also revealed that AHPETC does have a standard operating procedure (SOP) for non-routine works, contrary to what the previous auditor had claimed. AGO was of the opinion that AHPETC should stipulate a timeline for verification works to be done by property officers after job sheets were received in the SOP, not that AHPETC does not have an SOP. Next, I would like to highlight what my colleague, Ms Sylvia Lim, said yesterday on the oversight of payments. The headline in Lianhe Wanbao, "Town Council Secretary and GM pay their own company $6.6 million", is very mischievous. Out of the $6.6 million, $6.4 million or 96% is related to agreed monthly sums for services provided by the Managing Agent and Essential Page: 35 Maintenance Service Unit under contracts approved by the Town Council. These are necessary recurring payments for critical services to keep our town running, or else rubbish will pile up three-storey high and lives will be endangered if residents are trapped in the lifts with no rescue effort carried out in the shortest possible time. Our Managing Agent cannot make payments to themselves for the above services without the Chairman or one of the Vice Chairmen to co-sign the cheque, bearing in mind that, at the same time, there are oversight committees to ensure work is done.”
“66% as at 30 September 2014 a few weeks ago. In short, we were not evasive when we said we would address the issue in due course. We will work towards providing timely data to MND in the coming weeks, albeit not in the format the Ministry requires, but, nonetheless, relevant enough to take a snapshot of the arrears situation at AHPETC. Page: 34 Next, I want to highlight the challenging environment AHPETC is working in, some of which relate to the 13 points of disclaimers highlighted by the auditors of AHPETC for FY2012/2013. In Part 1 of the AGO report under one of the disclaimers on Receivables from Sundry Debtors, AGO revealed that AHPETC did not monitor and take timely follow-up action on its receivables. In para 2.34 of the report, it was stated that most of the outstanding receivables as at 1 July 2014 were amounts due from HDB and the National Environment Agency (NEA). While there were invoices under dispute, there were also instances where HDB was reviewing claims dating back to May and November 2012. In subsection (ii) of the same para, NEA rejected four invoices from AHPETC because they were wrongly sent to one of the regional offices. NEA further explained that by the time the invoices were received by the relevant division, the period provided for payments or the credit period, had lapsed and NEA was unable to process the invoices for payment. The agency then requested AHPETC to re-issue the four invoices. Madam, invoices do not carry expiry dates. The 30-day credit term listed on an invoice is to let the debtors know that they have to pay within the stipulated period or the creditors will reserve the right to impose penalties.”
“Every transaction via cash, credit card, cheque, NETS, Internet banking and inter-bank GIRO is identified and posted into the respective residents' record in the Accounts Receivable and General Ledger at the end of the day or whenever the collection agencies inform us. This has allowed AHPETC to monitor the arrears situation of an individual account "live", up to date and on demand. AHPETC is able to account to residents as to whether they have paid their S&CC or whether they are in arrears, if they were to enquire at the any of our branches across our town. Madam, what AHPETC does not have is a programme to generate aggregated S&CC data in the format requested by MND and to monitor them in that specific format. The computer system currently in use at AHPETC was an upscaled version of the system from Hougang Single Member Constituency (SMC) and it was put into operation within a short span of one month. A lot of the features required to handle the operation of a Group Representation Constituency (GRC) were not implemented then. As we have mentioned in our media release, all reports submitted to MND up to April 2013 were prepared by staff based on data generated by the IT system and extracted through manual sorting and counting. AHPETC also acknowledges that this manual process is not ideal and efficient as the data set is huge. It is also tedious and subject to reporting and human errors. AHPETC has made incremental improvements to the computer system over the years. Our system may be rudimentary in features compared to what was available before 2011, but it is certainly robust in keeping a reliable database. We took time to have the data and process reviewed internally and externally before we released our S&CC arrears rate of 5.”
“The Public Service Division was also flagged for informing a bidder that it had secured a contract worth $455,000, 13 days before the Tender Board made the award decision. Some of these lapses were small in financial values while others were serious and the list goes on. Like what the Ministers said yesterday, in some countries, the CEO would have taken a deep bow, apologised, and resigned, but I guess this is not in our culture. Madam, AHPETC is also found by AGO to have erred in some of these areas and I am certain AHPETC will not be the last as well because good corporate governance is a work in progress. The WP takes the AGO findings very seriously. We have acknowledged our shortcomings in certain areas as well as defended our actions in others. On any other given day, this report may read like a typical AGO report on any entity under audit but, today, the spotlight is on AHPETC and we will explain the issues to the public. First, I would like to specifically address one of the major lapses mentioned by AGO under para 3.2(c) of the main report which states that AHPETC does not have "a system to monitor arrears of service and conservancy charges accurately and hence there is no Page: 33 assurance that arrears are properly managed." We have explained to AGO that AHPETC does have a system to track every financial transaction in a resident's account, including HDB grants, monthly S&CC payments, penalties, legal costs, and interests, if any, dating back to 1996 if the residents are from Hougang. We have also explained how these S&CC payments are collected and uploaded into our financial and accounting system.”
“Mdm Speaker, we all know what the AGO is known for and the values they represent. In every report that came out of AGO since time immemorial, entities under its scrutiny had to go through a baptism of fire whenever the AGO came knocking. I have full respect for their work. Over the years, the AGO has found sad instances of over payments, payments without evidence that goods and services were delivered, duplicate payments and, in one instance, Page: 32 amounting to $18.6 million, and so on in many Ministries and Organs of State it audited. One agency was found to have called for a quotation instead of a tender for a project that exceeded $70,000 in the 2010/2011 AGO report. Another agency was cited to have issued purchase orders to the term contractor only after the contractor has started the work. AGO also revealed that 10 Statutory Boards did not present their FY2006/2007 annual reports to Parliament within the six-month time frame and three of these boards had also been late the previous two years. One of them did not even present its audited financial statements to Parliament for the previous two financial years. Awarding the contract to the sole tenderer despite the offer not meeting technical requirements specified in the tender and paying more than the contract price for extension of the contract were all flagged. Even the agencies under MND were cited for over-payment, late payment, mistaken use of waiver of competition. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was cited for not having complied with Government procurement principles of transparency, open and fair competition and value for money when an overseas mission was audited.”
“Mdm Speaker, I just have a quick supplementary question. How would HDB ensure that these flats are properly rented out, that is, the number of occupants are within legal limits and that the length of the tenancy or rental agreement is also within legal limits so that these flats do not function like mini motels.”
“I just have one supplementary question. The two casino operators together have allowed more than 200 persons without valid levies, even excluded persons and minors, into the casinos for the past two years or so. So, is there a reason to show such leniency to these operators who are obviously not very good at implementing our social safeguards?”
“These are not red herrings, but these are benefits that the pensioners are receiving. Are these not the benefits that they are currently receiving? So, if they are, then I am just raising them, and asking them, "When you transpose that to MediShield Life, are they going to pay $8?" And if you say that it is, then yes, that should be quite clear then. But then the thing is, in the previous reply, there were no mentions of how much they are going to pay for their medical bills under MediShield Life because there is a deductible. That is, $1,500.”
“What I raised are features that are in the pension plan now. They are not a figment of my imagination, concocted just to alarm pensioners. This is what they are getting now. If they are paying $8 per day – this is asking a question to the Minister whether under MediShield Life, they would be getting the same thing. These are not things that I concoct out of my own imagination just to alarm pensioners. I just want to seek clarification; if pensioners were to go on MediShield Life, what would they be expecting? Are they going to be expecting the same kind of payment? This is what I just want to seek clarification on.”
“Okay. This is my speech: "The report said, ‘PSD will be writing to pensioners with more details on MediShield Life by October 2014.' So, I want to ask the Minister actually to share with this House the impact of MediShield Life on this group of pensioners whom PSD has said are currently receiving better coverage than what MediShield Life will be providing." That is what the report says in the newspaper. Page: 78”
“I did not say that these pensioners would be worse off. I read a report that was in the newspaper that says, and I quote, "In the same report, it was mentioned that the other 60% of the pensioners who are on older medical benefit schemes, which ‘already provide better coverage than what MediShield Life will be providing'." That was reported in the news.”
“Would these pensioners and their dependants be paying the same rate under MediShield Life? For pensioners and their dependants under the Co-Payment on Ward charges scheme (CPW), their co-payments for ward charges are capped at 20% and 50% respectively. For a hospital bill of $2,000, for example, these pensioners only need to pay $400 for themselves. How much would these pensioners be paying under MediShield Life since the deductible for a Class C ward is already $1,500 for policyholders aged 80 and below? How would MediShield Life be better for these pensioners when PSD has acknowledged that it is not? And why would the Government want to go to great lengths to match the benefits of MediShield Life with what the pensioners are currently receiving when a simple solution is to let them remain status quo? The MediShield Life Review Committee report has made reference to the Swiss experience on health insurance. The Swiss has mandatory health insurance but there are exemptions allowed for good reasons. Likewise, our MediShield Life Scheme should also allow exemptions, especially for pensioners and for very good reasons. Page: 77 One, pensioners have an existing ecosystem in the Government catering to their needs, including a comprehensive Medical Billing System for participating medical practitioners to file medical claims so that pensioners and their dependants do not need to pay the full fee upfront. Two, this group of pensioners will never grow in numbers. Their percentage share of the insured pool is negligible and shrinking at the same time. Would it be so difficult to let this group of pensioners remain status quo and run its course? I urge the Ministry to consider implementing exemptions for MediShield Life for these selected groups of Singaporeans as highlighted.”
“But this can be easily resolved by drawing up a list of approved private healthcare insurance plans in lieu of MediShield Life that would qualify Singaporeans for exemption. Next, the impact of MediShield Life on the 32,000 pensioners needs to be spelt out clearly. The last time I spoke on this issue, I asked that these pensioners be given an option to opt out of MediShield Life as well. Although the Health Minister has assured this House that pensioners will not be worse off, I will repeat my call for pensioners to be given this Page: 76 option for good reasons. In a news report last July, the Public Service Division (PSD) announced that 40% of these pensioners who are currently receiving 1% additional Medisave contribution will get another 1% when MediShield Life starts. This will certainly help pensioners who are on the Comprehensive Co-payment Scheme (CCS) cope with the transition to MediShield Life. In the same report, it was mentioned that the other 60% of the pensioners who are on older medical benefit schemes, which "already provide better coverage than what MediShield Life will be providing," will have their premiums for MediShield Life paid for by the Government. The reports said PSD would be writing to pensioners with more details on MediShield Life by October 2014. Madam, I wish to ask the Minister to share with this House the impact of MediShield Life on this group of pensioners whom PSD had said are currently receiving better coverage than what MediShield Life will be providing. Apart from paying the premiums for these pensioners and their spouses, what about the deductibles under MediShield Life that they have to bear now? For pensioners under the Fixed Amount of Ward charges scheme (FAW), their public hospital bills are capped at $8 per day.”
“Madam, the proposed MediShield Life will address the fundamental issue of providing basic universal health insurance for all Singaporeans. The transit from MediShield to MediShield Life may be a non-event for many Singaporeans due to Transitional Subsidies. But for two groups of Singaporeans, those with pre-existing conditions and those with pre-existing medical benefits, the impact of the new health insurance scheme could be significant. For Singaporeans with pre-existing conditions, it means a lot to be able to buy health insurance for their pre-existing conditions finally, albeit at a higher premium. MediShield Life is taking a step in the right direction. I urge private insurers to ride on this and provide better coverage for those who need more benefits and to keep the additional premiums affordable since the underlying risk of covering someone with pre-existing condition is already underwritten by MediShield Life. As for Singaporeans with pre-existing medical benefits, the transition to MediShield Life may not be so straightforward. This group includes people with private medical insurance plans and pensioners. For those people with private medical insurance plans other than the integrated shield plans, it does not make financial sense for them to over-insure themselves with MediShield Life. These Singaporeans should be exempted from the scheme. They can opt to join the scheme anytime or when their private insurance coverage ends since premium is calculated based on age, annual value of their home, per capita household monthly income, and there is a 30% loading on premiums for those with pre-existing conditions. I can understand the Government does not want Singaporeans to be saddled with large medical bills if they are underinsured.”
“In conclusion, this Bill must send the right message. Are we trying to address the harm and ills of remote gambling or the loss of revenue to unauthorised operators? We certainly cannot have it both ways because gambling addiction does not stop when exempt operators come in. What role can a potential exempt operator like Singapore Pools play to fight online gambling addiction when its sole mission listed on its website is to combat the loss of revenue to unauthorised gambling operators? Madam, we already have enough legal avenues to gamble. While I support the principle of the Bill, I am of the opinion that Part 5 of the Bill should be re-examined and the Government should proceed with caution on the provisions for exempt operators. I, therefore, urge the Minister to commit the Bill to a Select Committee to specifically look into Part 5 of the Bill because it has ramifications beyond what we could anticipate. Educating the public on responsible gambling is all good but, at the end of the day, this Bill will be responsible for putting a legal betting shop right in the palm of our hands. Are we taking gambling, responsible or not, too far? 4.04 pm”
“However, an exempt operator under this Bill will be able to put the betting outlet or casino into every home and open it for business all year round, 24 hours a day. I note the Minister has stated that no casino-style online games will be allowed for exempt operators. However, the convenience and danger of online remote gambling cannot be understated. A struggling addict said, "I feel defeated as the temptation was constant and a relapse was just a click away." Some may argue that without exempt operators, this Bill will drive online gamblers underground. Madam, everything will be driven underground the moment the Government outlaws it. It is the law of nature. But unlike the physical world where the border is hard to secure 100% and cash payment is hard to trace, this Government controls the conduit where all online activities and electronic payments flow through. Part 4 of the Bill will prevent access to online remote gambling services and block payment transactions quite effectively. While it is not 100% foolproof, the Bill does make it difficult for persons-at-risk to gamble 24/7 online. So, the question is why does the Bill want to make it easy for these people to gamble online, again, through the exempt operators? Madam, we already have 4D, Toto, Singapore Sweep, Live Sports betting, phone betting, MobileTote, TeleTote and even operator-assisted betting, in addition to the two casinos operating round the clock in the city area. Do we need a legalised betting outlet in every home as well? Finally, Part 6, clause 40 of the Bill states that the Minister can also exempt any person or class of persons from the provisions of this Act. I seek clarification from the Minister who Page: 71 are the people who would qualify for the exemption.”
“And, on the flip side, there is no way to prevent remote gambling service providers from commissioning fun and entertaining apps targeting at specific demographics at no charge but populated with remote gambling advertisements. I seek clarifications from the Minister on these issues as the intent of the Bill is certainly not to douse the entrepreneurial spirit or limit the imagination of software developers in the mobile app industry. Third, Part 5 of the Bill is, perhaps, the most worrying part of the legislation. It legalises exempt operators to do what the Bill is supposed to prohibit in the first place. A British-based consultant estimates remote gambling revenue here to hit half a million dollars this year. A Page: 70 Hamburg-based company projects the online gambling market to grow by 7% to 10% annually in the next few years with mobile gambling, expected to reach over 40% of the total online gambling market by 2018. Another report in 2013 put the number of Internet gambling sites at nearly 3,000 and the annual revenue they had generated at US$30 billion. All the above reports point to one conclusion – the exuberance for growth in the remote gambling industry is irresistible. It is thus not surprising that not-for-profit and state-run operators like Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club were reported to have indicated their desire to seek exemption, even before this Bill comes up for Second Reading. Madam, Singapore Pools has about 300 betting outlets conveniently located in the commercial and the HDB heartlands. As mentioned earlier in my speech, the physical location and operating hours of these outlets do offer some form of control to prevent persons-at-risk from being exposed to constant temptation.”
“Online gamblers can play anywhere, anytime, without anyone noticing them doing it at all. The Internet age, together with the mobile revolution, has transformed online gambling into an all-powerful stimulant, right in the palms of your hands, thereby putting people of all ages at risk, regardless of gender, race or social standing. Bearing in mind that persons at risk are exposed to the temptation of remote gambling 24/7, could the Ministry consider making counselling and therapy sessions compulsory, in lieu of the penalties imposed, especially if the person is a first-time offender? I am of the belief that education and counselling should work hand-in-hand with punitive measures, so that online addiction can be adequately addressed and, hopefully, eradicated. Second, Part 3 of the Bill makes it an offence to advertise and promote remote gambling. An offender would pay a fine not exceeding $20,000. Madam, the mobile revolution has opened up a world of opportunities for entrepreneurs and software developers to market their products and services. It has four million of apps, many of which are provided free-of-charge, but come with advertising. Would software developers be held liable for remote gambling advertisements that may appear in their free apps? While clause 16(2)(a) provides a possible defence for app developers to prove that such advertisements appearing in their app are accidental or incidental accompaniment, clause 16(2)(b) will weaken their defence because they are actually benefiting directly from the display of such advertisements, especially when users click on them. Can app developers also claim clause 16(3) as a possible defence that they have no control over the nature or content of the communication or data in their apps?”
“Mdm Speaker, the Internet age has certainly changed the way we live, work and play in every sense. It has brought a new world into our homes and into our daily lives everywhere we go. It has moved our work online. It has moved our friends online. It has also moved our addiction online. When problem gambling goes online, every Internet-ready device is a potential betting shop or casino for gamblers to get their fix 24/7. An online gambler has this to say, "You don't have to physically walk anywhere. You don't have to take your purse out of your handbag or your wallet out of your pocket to gamble." Who would have thought that lives and families will be destroyed not at the brick-and-mortar casinos or betting shop, but right in the comfort of your own home? The Remote Gambling Bill is thus a welcomed piece of legislation to address the harm and ills that remote gambling can inflict on the individual, the family and the society as a whole. Madam, I have some concerns to highlight and clarifications to seek from the Minister on this Bill. First, Part 2 of the Bill makes remote gambling an offence punishable by a fine Page: 69 not exceeding $5,000, or an imprisonment term not exceeding six months, or both. While the penalties seem hefty enough to be a deterrent, I am not sure if punitive measures alone will make the offender think twice about gambling at remote sites again because the temptation is ever present. Unlike a person who is addicted to brick-and-mortar gambling where there are some forms of structural control in place, such as the punter would need to be present at the betting shop or there are operating hours to observe, a person who is addicted to online gambling has none of the above restrictions.”
“I brought up this question because someone said, "If I sell my lease of x number of years to HDB, and then, the remaining part of the lease should still belong to the owner. Why is HDB putting a lien on the remaining part of the lease?" All HDB flats' sales will go through HDB, so you will know. Someone cannot just offload the flat Page: 41 somewhere else. So, why can I not have a say over the remaining part of the lease, like whether I want to sell or I want to sublet the whole unit? Is there a particular reason why there is a restriction?”
“The Minister mentioned about some vaccine from Sanofi. But there was one announced recently in the newspapers on 31 July 2014. It is called Celgosivir and supposedly, it is derived from natural compounds. Can the Minister elaborate on this and are we looking at this and accelerating the development of this vaccine?”
“It makes perfect sense for pensioners to be fully or partially exempted from the Minimum Sum Scheme because their lifelong retirement needs are met. The same principle should also be applied to pensioners under the proposed MediShield Life scheme. Pensioners under the various medical schemes should be given a choice to join MediShield Life because their medical needs are also met. Many of the early pensioners served the nation as nurses, policemen, soldiers, clerks, teachers and so on for a good part of their adult lives in the hope that they could retire with a small pension and not worry about their medical needs in their sunset years. There are about 32,000 pensioners today. The pension scheme has already been discontinued and this number will not grow anymore. The number of early pensioners receiving free lifetime medical benefits under FAW is even smaller, less than 1,000. As a percentage of the total population, these FAW pensioners constitute a mere 0.025% of the compulsory insurance pool. Even if we take the entire group of pensioners into consideration, they will only make up 0.83% of the insurance pool. Their exclusion will not cause an impact. MediShield Life is designed to give Singaporeans some peace of mind in healthcare needs, something the pensioners are enjoying all these while. To mandate pensioners to join the scheme may have the opposite effect if they end up on the short side of the benefits. The Government has already made the provision to guarantee pensioners medical benefits for life. This guarantee should stand for pensioners who wish to remain status quo.”
“The Government has announced that it will pay for the premiums for this group of pensioners so that they will not be made worse off under MediShield Life coverage. For pensioners under the Fixed Amount of Ward scheme (FAW), their public hospital bills are capped at $8 per day and outpatient treatment at polyclinics is free. Under MediShield Life, the deductibles alone will become a significant financial burden, especially for low-income pensioners. The MLRC Report qualifies the lower income group as individuals with monthly per capita household income of $1,100 or less. It was reported that there are about 8,500 pensioners who receive less than $1,000 in gross monthly pension as of 10 January 2008. Pensioners will also need to contend with the loss of extended medical coverage for their dependants under MediShield Life. Their dependants can no longer ride on their medical benefits. The additional out-of-pocket expenses for hospital bills and the annual premiums for MediShield Life coverage for their dependants are additional costs to them. Page: 56 Some pensioners may not have enough savings in their Medisave accounts as they are not required to set aside any Medisave since they already enjoy life-long retirement medical benefits. Under MediShield Life, these pensioners will have to pay the deductibles and co-insurance portions in cash. Madam, exemptions from compulsory schemes are not new. Even a compulsory saving scheme like CPF allows exemptions. Currently, pensioners who are receiving a monthly pension can apply to be exempted from the Minimum Sum Scheme. Pensioners can be fully or partially exempted depending on the amount of pension they receive each month.”
“In the pursuit of providing better protection against large hospital bills and chronic treatments, have we inadvertently increased the risk of financial hardship for patients who, Page: 55 more often than not, may only encounter non-catastrophic medical bills not claimable under MediShield Life? These bills could be substantial, especially to lower income Singaporeans. On top of that, Singaporeans will also have to contend with rising premiums since this is a compulsory scheme. The transitional subsidies for MediShield Life will end by 2018 and the premiums will rise substantially. For a single-income family with two young children and a stay-at-home spouse, the sole breadwinner will have to bear the brunt of the increase in premiums for the entire family. The same burden will also hit single parents with young children. And if these Singaporeans are aged between 21 and 40, they will be hit with the largest percentage increase in premiums come 2019. This will certainly put a strain on their finances. Although Singaporeans can use their Medisave accounts to settle the premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, the use of Medisave is not without limits and conditions. Cash top-ups will become inevitable. The scenario after 2018 is, indeed, uncertain but I am heartened to hear that the Minister will look into these issues and ensure disadvantaged Singaporeans will be able to afford MediShield Life come what may. Next, I want to talk about the impact of MediShield Life on pensioners. MediShield Life will be made compulsory for all, including pensioners who are currently receiving better medical benefits than what the universal scheme can offer.”
“According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the goal of universal health coverage is to ensure all people have access to health services they need without the risk of facing financial hardship when doing so. Madam, I welcome the proposed MediShield Life to address the fundamental issue of providing basic universal health insurance for all Singaporeans, including those with pre-existing conditions. At the same time, I want to express my concern about the risk of financial hardship caused by out-of-pocket payments and the inclusion of pensioners into the scheme. It was revealed in Parliament in 2009 that 20% of all subsidised patients would still need to fork out cash to pay for their hospital bills beyond Medisave and MediShield deductions. The affordability of out-of-pocket payments under MediShield is determined by three components: deductible, co-insurance, and policy year claim limit. The MediShield Life Review Committee (MLRC) has recommended a reduction in the co-insurance rates and an increase in the policy year claim limit but it has left the deductible untouched. Although I understand the rationale in using deductibles to preserve the intent of the original MediShield as a basic insurance scheme for large medical bills, a high deductible is certainly going to affect out-of-pocket expense for those who are not cash-rich and for low-income families. The WHO estimated that 100 million people in the world are pushed into poverty every year due to direct out-of-pocket payments for using health services.”
“Although the payout under CPF LIFE is slightly more, can we not allow a member to draw down on his CPF LIFE a little earlier then? When we are young, we need a disciplined instrument like CPF to help us save for the future. But when we are old, we need a more flexible instrument to help us plan for the uncertainties of ageing. Issues like job security, health, mobility and so on cannot be taken for granted anymore. The current CPF LIFE plans do not offer older workers the flexibility to plan for an early or semi-retirement. I call for a third CPF LIFE plan to address this issue. This plan will give a monthly payout with no bequest, similar to the old Life Income Plan but come with an early drawdown age of 60. This plan will give our workers a choice to go slow after age 60 for whatever reasons. Many pension schemes in OECD and Asia Pacific countries do offer such early age withdrawal. Madam, we are an ageing society. I urge the Government to look into providing more choices for older Singaporeans to access their CPF savings. Page: 30 2.28 pm”
“The drawdown age will be raised to 67 over time as the Government intends to link it to the re-employment age. By doing so, it will leave no room for Singaporeans to decide how they want to live their lives after age 55 or upon reaching the statutory minimum retirement age. The President has said that the Government will strengthen safety nets to help the vulnerable and the elderly cope with the vicissitudes of life. Madam, the vicissitudes of a working life begin at age 55 when the Minimum Sum kicks in; at age 62, when retirement kicks in, and then a few years later when the drawdown age kicks in. For workers who do not have any other form of life savings, these CPF savings are the only safety nets. Delaying the CPF payout for these older workers may cause them undue anxiety and stress. Older workers on part-time employment may need such drawdowns to supplement their income. And not all older workers can work after age 55 or 62. As Senior Minister of State Dr Amy Khor had said on Tuesday, "Sometimes the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." As for workers who do not have any other form of savings other than their CPF accounts, it spells trouble when "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak". The Minimum Sum Scheme, before CPF LIFE comes into existence, is designed to last for about 20 years or until a member's Retirement Account savings are depleted. The CPF LIFE, which is a better scheme, guarantees payout for life. Madam, our life expectancy at birth is 82.5 years. At the drawdown age of 65 to 67, most members would probably enjoy 15.5 to 17.5 years of payout under CPF LIFE, which is about 13% to 23% shorter than the 20-year payout period under the old scheme.”
“The former Minister for Manpower had promised to look into this as well. Madam, while we want Singaporeans to work longer and harder for their retirement, it is also prudent to make our CPF savings work harder for us at the same time. The former Minister for Manpower said in 2007 that money placed in the Special, Medisave and Retirement Account (SMRA) should enjoy a higher rate of return than the Ordinary Account. The interest rate for SMRA is pegged at the yield of the 10-year Singapore Government Security plus 1%. This formula came into force on 1 January 2008. On the MOM website, it was stated that the Government will review the formula after five years, to finetune, if necessary. We have passed the five-year mark. The interest rate for our CPF savings had not changed for the past 15 years. A call by the President to enhance retirement adequacy is certainly more than timely. The formula, including that for the Ordinary Account, should be reviewed so that our workers will have enough to retire on in an ageing society. We need better SMRA returns so that our workers do not need to worry about not meeting the cohort Minimum Sum every year, and having nothing more than $5,000 or less to withdraw at age 55. This brings me to another issue – the drawdown age. The Workers' Party believes that the drawdown age should not be linked to the retirement age or re-employment age. I understand this issue has been debated in this House before. Whatever amount our workers can withdraw at age 55 will be the last they see of their CPF savings if they do not meet the Minimum Sum, until they reach the drawdown age. For workers born in 1954 or later, the Page: 29 drawdown age is 65.”
“The CPF Minimum Sum was raised from $148,000 to $155,000, thereby reducing his projected withdrawal by $7,000 – a big sum of money, especially for someone who has to take on two jobs to make ends meet. In 2012, only 48.7% of the active CPF members were able to meet their cohort Minimum Sum. With the latest increase, how many more CPF members, like the gentleman I met, will need to change their pre-retirement plans and how many more will need to do some serious Page: 28 financial planning for housing mortgage payments in the future? I am sure we have met residents who were caught by the change in the Minimum Sum at our MPS. While it is prudent to adjust the Minimum Sum every year to beat inflation, the way to achieving it should not rest solely with the members because the CPF scheme is a highly regulated instrument. At this moment, the only way for most Singaporean workers to meet any revised Minimum Sum is basically to work longer and harder and nothing else. The goal of the CPF Minimum Sum Scheme is to help local workers meet their basic retirement needs. The CPF Board acknowledged that there are many ways that they can help members achieve this goal, some of which are to live within one's means, to invest wisely, as well as to continue employment beyond age 55. To live within one's means is something the Government cannot legislate. To continue employment at age 55 has already been legislated. So, the missing component now is to invest wisely our CPF savings so that it can beat inflation. And that is a challenge as most CPF members may not have the technical knowledge and financial literacy to make an informed choice to grow their savings. This is something that the Government can certainly help.”
“Mdm Speaker, every working class generation has a dream to look forward to and, that is, to be able to stop and smell the roses one day and retire. For our Pioneer Generation workers, the anxiety of not knowing what is to come after retirement was somewhat moderated by the anticipation and excitement of being able to finally collect their lifelong CPF savings in full at retirement age, which was 55 then. Before the introduction of the Minimum Sum Scheme in 1987, turning 55 of age is an exciting day for many retiring workers. For low-wage workers, who find it hard to save on their meagre income, those CPF savings could be their only life savings after 30 to 40 years of hard work. I witnessed the excitement through the eyes of my father. Such excitement and anticipation no longer exist at age 55 for many Singaporeans today. We are living longer and the statutory retirement age has been raised to 62. The re-employment age will be raised from 65 to 67 over time and the CPF drawdown age will follow suit. CPF savings up to the Minimum Sum will be locked up, all in the hope of achieving retirement adequacy. I welcome the pledge by the President that the Government will enhance retirement adequacy to give greater assurance and peace of mind to all Singaporeans. But for Singaporeans attaining the age of 55, going forward, greater assurance and peace of mind are question marks. I met a Singaporean who works two jobs to support his family. He said he is working hard as he wishes to perform his umrah next year when he turns 55. He has calculated that he can withdraw some of his CPF savings to help fund the pilgrimage to Mecca. The announcement on 8 May 2014 changed everything for him.”
“Madam, just one quick question for the Senior Minister of State. The new technology that the Senior Minister of State mentioned earlier, does it cater to low-rise or just high-rise flats? Because I know that certain technology can only cater for low-rise flats.”
“I just want to ask whether the Ministry will consider engaging those blocks by providing the cost, such as the cost of original LUP, to that block and let the residents decide. If it is marginally more, the residents may be able to want to vote on it and be willing to pay. The second question is, under the original LUP, there is economy of scale. Going back to only these 200 blocks, if you were to implement just for these 200 blocks, would it not be more expensive than if the implementation for these 200 blocks not be put under the original LUP programme?”
“However, l am heartened to know that the Cerebral Palsy Alliance of Singapore (CPAS) had announced last year that they had started compiling the first such central registry in Singapore and will have it up and running in 2015. Having such a registry is a good start as help and assistance schemes for people with cerebral palsy can now be more targeted. Although SG Enable started operations in the third quarter of 2013 as a one-stop centre for persons with disabilities, many may still not be aware of its existence and what it does. I hope the Ministry will work closely with CPAS and its supporting central registry to reach out to more people with disabilities so that their families will know where to seek appropriate assistance in times of need.”
“Sir, the cost of raising a child with cerebral palsy from infancy to adulthood is very high. When such a child grows in size and weight, caring for one who is totally dependent on a caregiver to do the basic activities of daily living is a huge challenge and a full-time job. These caregiver parents have to prepare milk feeds for their children every few hours, change diapers for them throughout the day, shower them, change sitting and sleeping positions for them frequently to prevent bedsores, and more. For working parents, they will have to hire a domestic helper to care for such children full-time. Cerebral palsy is a long-term chronic medical condition that requires long-term supportive care services. Those with cerebral palsy often have other associative and co-mitigating medical conditions. The family of an individual with cerebral palsy is likely to incur significant expenses related to the on-going need for medical care, early intervention, special education services, developmental assistance and assisted living. More often than not, the parents themselves may also incur additional medical expenses. I know of parents who are suffering from chronic back pains after years of caring for their grown-up handicapped children. Page: 175 Day-to-day living cost is also high for these families. Daily needs like diapers and milk powder are not subsidised. Thus, I would like to ask the Minister if more assistance can be given to families with members who are totally dependent on caregivers. Currently, there is no official record kept on the number of people in Singapore who suffer from cerebral palsy.”
“I seek clarifications from the Minister that cancer survivors and citizens diagnosed with other dreaded diseases will not be left out in the cold in the review of MediShield and that commercial insurers will have to incorporate the gist of the proposed MediShield Life into their Page: 63 integrated insurance plans as well. MediShield Life”
“Madam, cancer is the leading cause of death in Singapore and the number of residents diagnosed with cancer is on the rise year-on-year. There are over 56,000 cases diagnosed among the resident population from 2008 to 2012. Cancer is preventable and treatable. A person is considered cured of cancer after five years in remission. Cancer survivors do not need to take any more medication and only need to go for yearly medical check-ups, similar to what healthy people would do. In short, life for a cancer survivor can and will return to normalcy. However, cancer survivors are no longer insurable. While the disease can be completely removed from a patient, the stigma associated with cancer is embedded, not in the mind of the survivor but that of the health insurer. Health insurance is about risk-pooling and managing risk. Unfortunately, commercial insurers become totally risk-averse when it comes to providing health coverage for people in complete remission. Even a social enterprise insurer like NTUC Income will not walk the road less travelled. A cancer survivor wrote to me to highlight her attempt to upgrade her existing integrated insurance plan but to no success, despite being given a clean bill of health by her doctor in supporting her application with a medical report. It is ironic that cancer is not a death sentence but cancer survivors have to serve out a life sentence of being uninsurable anymore. Healthcare cost is a major concern for Singaporeans. I am glad that the Government is coming up with MediShield Life which promises coverage for all, regardless of health conditions.”
“I do not see why the walls inside the tunnel cannot be used for such a purpose. Perhaps, the Page: 67 Minister can shed some light on this. Illegal Parking Near Places of Worship”
“The Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) is listed as LTA's most ambitious project yet. It has also made the list of projects with huge cost overruns. What started out as a $2.5 billion project became $4.1 billion when it broke ground in 2009. At the end of last year, the cost was reported to be $4.3 billion. Madam, we have seen more public projects breaking the budget, and by significant amounts in recent times. I seek clarification from the Minister on whether the cost for MCE is going to go up further and the effort by LTA to prevent such cost over-run for the many on-going mega projects as well. Next, I wish to talk about the design of the MCE. The MCE had an eventful opening in end 2013. As the connecting expressway between AYE and KPE, the MCE does the job seamlessly. I use the MCE almost every day and I can attest to that. However, as a replacement route for part of the ECP, the MCE has more room for improvement. Many motorists expecting familiar exits from ECP will not find them easily underground, and that is probably where the frustration and confusion lie. But what compounded the situation is that LTA is too dependent on those overworked electronic message boards to direct motorists to the right exits. There is only so much information you can squeeze into those boards and messages have to take turns to be displayed. The MCE is a very expensive piece of engineering but the solution to providing motorists with a pleasant driving experience need not be expensive. LTA has acknowledged that more signs are needed. There is a lot of space on the walls inside the tunnel for simple, cheap traditional directional signs – "Rochor Road Next Exit" in large white font on a green background on the wall leading to the said exit would help clear the confusion quite nicely.”
“After several years of lobbying, I eventually managed to get the funding for the long linkway along Yishun Ring Road that would enable my residents living in Blocks 858 to 864 – seven blocks – to walk to Khatib MRT station, rain or shine. The Page: 43 long covered linkway will pass by an SPC petrol kiosk and a Sikh temple. When my architects submitted plans to LTA for approval, we were asked to get a letter of no objection from SPC and the Sikh Temple. The Sikh Temple has been very helpful and gave us the letter very quickly, but not SPC. Until today, we have yet to get the letter of no objection from SPC. Does it mean that the project cannot proceed if SPC refuses to give the letter of no objection? And why does LTA impose such a requirement? Does LTA have to get letters of no objection when LTA wants to do a highway cutting through a residential area, such as for the North-South Expressway? I met up with SPC representatives yesterday on-site and they cited two reasons – one is safety and the other is that their signboard will be blocked by the linkway. But for safety, my residents have been walking the same way with or without covered linkway, so I do not see the issue. I hope that it is not to cover their backs or look after their interests, be it LTA or SPC. I hope to get some help. With that, thank you.”