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?”
The complete record
Every one of 386 lines we hold for Png Eng Huat, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 7 of 8.
“Public confidence in our rail network needs to be restored and any improvements highlighted by official data must be felt by the commuters on the ground. More Reliable Public Transport Er Dr Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon): Mdm Chair, the Yishun neighbourhood is growing rapidly. The estate has always been popular among resale flat buyers and, recently, many BTO flats have been announced for Yishun. There are 11 new BTO projects in Nee Soon South alone. In the next four years, the transport infrastructure in Yishun must be expanded accordingly, or it will not be able to adequately cater to the transportation needs of the residents. I am glad to have the Minister's assurance that plans are already envisioned for the enhancement of the MRT network. I would like to ask the Minister: are there new plans to improve the bus capacity for Yishun in general, and Nee Soon South in particular? It is quite obvious that a projected 20% increase in completed public housing dwelling units will lead to an influx in number of public transport users. Next, I would like to share the sentiments of many public transport users that the standard of service must be improved. It is appalling that so soon after the Public Transport Council announced the fare increases, we see an intermittent breakdown in the train services. Can the Ministry change the formula on the fare increment calculation to include the level of service or the number of service disruptions in the equation? Finally, I would like to share with this House the challenges that I face in dealing with some Government agencies, in this case, LTA to be specific.”
“Madam, reliability is a fundamental component of service quality for public transport. Recently, the Minister gave an update on two closely watched indicators for train reliability, namely, the number of train delays longer than five minutes and the number of unplanned train withdrawals. Both indicators tracked over every 100,000 km travelled have shown improvement over the past three years. However, these two indicators may not present an accurate picture of our train reliability, especially when our rail network is expanding rapidly. LTA intends to double our rail network by 2030. If the number of the incidents remains constant every year, these two indicators will show improvement over time because more trips will be added to meet demand when new lines are added. So, we may have a situation where train delays and withdrawals per 100,000 km travelled are coming down every year, but there is hardly any improvement felt on the ground. Such a situation happened twice in 2010 and 2012. The absolute number of delays on the MRT network for these two years went up in the year before but the indicator showed an improvement for each of the years. This anomaly is even more pronounced for the Circle Line Page: 42 from 2009 to 2012. The two indicators highlighted by the Minister make sense only when the length of the rail network and the number of trips are finite to track improvement. This is, indeed, the case for the North-South East-West Line and the North-East Line. For an expanding MRT network as a whole, the two indicators may not give a complete picture whenever new lines are added. The reliability of our train service is called into question lately for good reasons. It is no longer a given that one will arrive on time by train anymore.”
“I thank the Minister for the reply, but I just want to clarify that I am not against foreign students. I just want to make sure that at the end of the day, these international students stick to their end of the bargain and that is all; that they are supposed to work here, they do not game the system and then just walk off.”
“I have two clarifications to seek from the Ministry, maybe from the Senior Minister of State. The Minister had said earlier that they would be tightening up the tuition grant administration process, in terms of tracking the bond obligation fulfilment by the international students. Can I know when will the whole process be completed? The second clarification is whether they would also be looking into the terms and conditions of the application process, specifically on the surety part, and whether they would still want to allow sureties to be residing overseas where it is very hard for us to hold them to their words, in that sense.”
“The Government would have dished out billions of dollars in tuition grants to tens of thousands of international students to date. It is hard to fathom that we do not know for sure how many foreign students took the liberty to ignore their obligations the past 34 years. We even roll out the red carpet for these foreign students that if they become citizens, they will be released from serving the grant obligation. For that, I would like to ask the Minister, how many of them had done so to date? MOE cannot tighten the tracking and enforcement efforts without first tightening the terms and conditions of the Tuition Grant Scheme. Allowing an international student to have sureties living overseas is as good as having no sureties at all because we all know how hard it is to enforce our contracts beyond the shores of Singapore. Page: 135 Our Government dishes out all kinds of grants to Singaporeans. In public housing, there are strict rules governing the disbursement of grants and some grants must be paid back with interest with no exception. It is certainly not acceptable for some international students to work our system, take our grants and make a mockery out of our generosity. Creating a More Holistic Environment”
“Mdm Chair, every year, international students receive about $12,000 to $75,000 each to study at our Institutions of Higher Learning. In total, the Government dispenses about $210 million in tuition grants per year to these students. This is not a small sum of money and the only requirement the Government asks of these international students is to work for a Singapore-based company for a period of three years upon their Page: 134 graduation with no other strings attached. The grant application is so easy that even the sureties required to complete the application need not be Singaporeans nor reside here. And to fulfil the three-year employment obligation agreement, the foreign student can work full-time or part-time, locally or overseas, give tuition at a tuition centre, and even be self-employed. If the same student wishes to pursue a full-time undergraduate programme at our local tertiary institutions, he can defer his existing grant obligation, get another subsidy with another three-year grant obligation and serve both his obligations concurrently upon getting the undergraduate degree. After pulling out all the stops for these foreign students, how many of them took advantage of our generosity and left Singapore without serving a single day of their three-year grant obligation? MOE is currently unable to provide a definitive answer to this question. Even among the current group of international students who had not started work upon graduation and/or who had not sought permission to do so, MOE did not want to reveal the number of defaulters in this group. I understand the Ministry is tightening its tracking and enforcement efforts for bond fulfilment and I hope we will have a clear answer one day. Madam, the Tuition Grant Scheme was started in 1980.”
“This will probably explain why people are seeing more foreign crane operators and not fewer. Putting the two initiatives side by side, the percentage of Singaporean crane operators in the construction sector will come down significantly over time. So, the call to reduce reliance on foreign crane operators will not happen anytime soon. I would like to ask the Minister when we can see an improvement in this sector. Next, major clients like LTA and HDB often require tower crane operators who have at least five years of experience to improve safety. So, the idea of hiring and training new local crane operators is not going to make sense for companies bidding for major public projects. Some have called for the five-year experience requirement to be reviewed and replaced by the number of hours an operator clocked at work as a better gauge of safety regulations. Page: 27 This idea is worth exploring because an experienced pilot is known for the number of flying hours clocked and not by how long he has his licence. I urge the authorities to look into this so that more local tower crane operators can qualify to work on major projects sooner rather than later. Madam, I also urge the Minister to look into helping local crane operators find a footing in the industry, if necessary, set in place rules to protect them so that they can have job security. Does it not make sense for the Government to encourage more locals to become crane operators when there are few jobs for them at the end of the day? 12.30 pm Transforming Jobs”
“Madam, in May 2013, the National Development Minister made a call for more local crane operators in the construction sector. It was reported that only half of the 3,600 operators here Page: 26 are Singaporeans. There is a need to reduce reliance on foreign workers for two reasons. These are well-paying jobs that Singaporeans can do. According to the Minister, crane operators can earn $4,000 to $7,000 a month with overtime pay and allowance. A tower crane operator came to my MPS recently and shared his side of the story. He said many companies in the construction sector are still hiring more foreign crane operators, not less. These foreign workers are cheaper and can work longer hours. As a result, salaries came down and many of his operator friends are unable to secure full-time work. Some of his friends work only two times a week. He handed me a letter with the names of 46 tower crane operators pleading for help. Last night, I met a fellow diner at the hawker centre near my house and I found out he is also a crane operator. He added that foreign construction companies tend to hire their own people to operate cranes. He also felt that the number of foreign crane operators has not come down despite the move to train more local crane operators. Madam, the reliance on foreign crane operators will never come down despite the call to train and hire more Singaporeans. This is because BCA has launched a temporary initiative to relax the recruitment of foreign crane operators at the same time when it launched an initiative to attract more Singaporeans to join the trade. Under the relaxed ruling, for every new local crane operator hired and trained, a company can now recruit up to four new foreign crane operators.”
“The timeshare industry is known for its hard-sell tactics and scams associated with it. It accounts for one of the top 10 Page: 140 industries with the most number of complaints made with CASE for three consecutive years from 2011 to 2013. Sir, errant timeshare companies must be brought to task or stopped from operating here because they will scam the victims over and over again. One of their modus operandi includes getting another company to contact existing timeshare customers to offer assistance to terminate, sell, rent or dispose of their existing contracts for a fee. More often than not, these customers will fall victim to another scam and end up poorer instead. Some of these errant companies move part of their operations overseas which makes local scrutiny and enforcement difficult. Some of these operations are just outright scams haunting victims and authorities – catch me if you can! Singaporeans are avid travellers. Customers of timeshare companies are not out to make a quick buck. I urge the Minister to look into tightening the regulation to prevent such black sheep companies and their affiliates from scamming victims here with impunity. Come 1 April 2014, the Amendments to the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act will give consumers greater protection for timeshare and long-term holiday products. Would the Minister also consider further regulations to cover existing timeshare customers so as to give them a course for redress? Currently, such customers can only file their complaints with CASE or take legal action against the timeshare companies on their own accord and costs. The Small Claims Tribunal does not handle disputes regarding timeshare agreements, according to the CASE website.”
“Thank you, Madam. I just want a clarification from Minister Grace Fu. How long does ICA conduct its own KPI assessment on the six-week application process for LTVP and Social Visit Pass?”
“Imagine the angst that this foreign spouse, who is already a citizen, had to go through during the long waiting period as she went about caring for her late mother-in-law, shuttling her late husband to and from home and hospital for his chemotherapy, worrying about her children and then rushing to work after finishing all these errands. Visit Pass, like the LTVP or Social Visit Pass, has a shelf life and, as such, approving such application on grounds of compassion carries no risk, especially when the applicant is a relative of a Singaporean sponsor. A 24-week wait for an extension of Visit Pass on compassionate grounds is hardly compassionate at all. I urge the Minister to review the current protocols and procedures used in the handling of such Visit Pass applications and renewals so that those who are in dire need will not be found waiting and wanting.”
“Madam, the number of marriages between Singapore Citizens and foreigners was reported to be on the rise since 2000. There are about 141,000 foreign spouses who have either taken up citizenship or Permanent Residency or are on the Long-Term Visit Pass at the end of 2012. Almost half of these spouses have taken up citizenship. Given such a significant number of foreign spouses here, short and long-term visits from their hometown relatives are probably on the rise. It is only human nature that many Page: 67 foreign spouses would like their own parents or relatives to visit them and help them out in times of need and crises. Currently, the timeframe to process the Long-Term Visit Pass or extension of a short-term visit pass takes up to six weeks, as reported on the ICA website. I would assume this KPI has taken into consideration the volume of applications ICA receives each day and the time needed to process them. I have a case of a foreign spouse of a Singaporean who appealed for an extension of social visit pass for her relative on compassionate grounds. She said that she needed her relative to stay in Singapore for another two to three months to help her look after her mother-in-law who was diagnosed with terminal cancer while she tends to her two young children and her husband who was also diagnosed with terminal cancer. He is a low-wage worker and the sole breadwinner of the family, so, she cannot afford to employ a domestic helper or an alternative caregiver. 2.45 pm ICA eventually approved the extension but what was expected to be a six-week process turned out to be a 24-week wait. By then, the foreign spouse no longer needed the pass for her relative. Her mother-in-law and her husband had passed on.”
“I did not ask the Government to set a lower age. I did ask the Government to err on the side of goodwill and generosity for people at the fringe of the cut-off age when they appeal to be included in the pioneer status.”
“There is no one else to share the burden. Likewise, caring for a handicapped child may also remain the sole responsibility of a sole breadwinner as the other half takes leave to care for the child. Thus, it does not really matter who the handicapped member of the household is, the financial burden on the immediate caregiver is heavy. The new relief for a handicapped parent is more than 2.5 times that of a handicapped spouse and about 1.9 times that of a handicapped child. There is certainly more room for these two lower reliefs to move up for reasons stated earlier. I see no disparity between caring for a live-in handicapped parent or handicapped spouse. Both are lifelong commitments with heavy responsibilities. I also urge the Government to look into providing more assistance for families with loved ones who are totally incapacitated and need round-the-clock assistance for basic living activities. I shall elaborate more on this in the coming COS debate. 6.27 pm Page: 142”
“It is important for the Government to look into improving the quality of life beyond healthcare assurance for our Pioneer Generation. We are an ageing society. All of us will grow old one day and we certainly want to live our sunset years in a society where life is worth living and celebrating. Next, I want to talk about our Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs). VWOs are the arms and legs to reach out to the community. They help to bring senior citizens together. They help to connect them with one another and with the rest of the community. They help the elderly combat loneliness. They may even play cupids for the elderly unknowingly. Page: 141 VWOs were already at the forefront taking care of our Pioneer Generation before the Government decided to honour these senior citizens. Thus, to honour the Pioneer Generation without concurrently giving the supporting VWOs the extra incentive and funding to do more would be a letdown. I am happy to see that there is an increase of $19.42 million in the operating expenditure of MSF this year to cater mainly to the provision of the Care and Share matching grants for donations raised by eligible VWOs. I urge the Government to continue to keep these selfless volunteers in mind when coming up with policies in our ageing society. Finally, I welcome the enhanced relief for parents and handicapped parents, spouse, sibling and child in Budget 2014. I am happy that the Government is giving dependants more recognition in this Budget. Caring for a handicapped member of the household is a lifelong commitment and a drain on all types of resources, financial and social. While caring for handicapped parents can be a shared responsibility among family members, caring for a handicapped spouse remains the sole responsibility of the other half.”
“I believe the package will address that concern in some ways. Page: 140 While the package is timely, some are also questioning why we are honouring our pioneers with medical benefits and nothing else. What is the message we are sending to Singaporeans about ageing in Singapore? That apart from affordable healthcare cost, there is nothing exciting to look forward to when one ages in Singapore? I believe we should also celebrate life and longevity. We are an ageing society and, with advances in medical science and technology, we are living longer and, likely, healthier as well. We are going to have generations of people with lots of time on their hands. These senior citizens are certainly not going to wait with bated breath for their next subsidised medical appointment or hospital stay. The Pioneer Generation Package may help remove one more wrinkle of concern from the weather-beaten faces of our pioneers, but will it bring on a smile? We may hear one less sigh from the elderly about healthcare cost, but will we hear more laughter? I learn more about life than death when I attend funeral wakes of elderly residents in Hougang. I learned that some of these elderly residents had a zest for life right up to the final days of their life. I learned that they would want to spend more time with their loved ones doing the things they like most. That healthcare cost assurance aside, many would not look forward to visiting the clinic or spending another day more in the hospitals even if it is completely free. So, what will bring a smile or laughter to our pioneers beyond affordable healthcare assurance? Many Members in this House have already made some interesting suggestions. I am quietly confident those suggestions will bring cheers to this group of senior citizens.”
“While the Act seeks to protect young children from being exploited, the clarity of the age criteria and type of work a young person can do, as stated in section 68, does reflect social and societal acceptance of teenagers below the age of 16 joining the workforce during those times. The Government has also acknowledged this fact by allowing people who marginally miss out on the precise criteria to appeal on a case-by-case basis. But what will the authority look for in an appeal? How does one prove that he or she was working before age 16 in an era where employment terms and contracts were mostly verbal for daily-rated and blue collar workers? And how will the Government explain why two citizens born in the same year but one is counted as part of the Pioneer Generation while the other is not? Again, I ask the Government to err on the side of goodwill and generosity for people at the fringe of the cut-off age because it is difficult for these people to prove their pioneer status to begin with, and equally difficult for the authority to determine the veracity of their appeal. Next, I wish to touch on the Pioneer Generation Package. The Pioneer Generation Package has addressed a fundamental concern of our elderly citizens – healthcare expenses. The package has even gone a step further by intending to fully cover the premiums of MediShield Life for citizens aged 80 and above in 2014. This is reassuring. However, I seek clarification from the Minister whether this premium relief will also be extended to members who will turn 80 years old in 2015 and beyond. The Pioneer Generation Package will benefit the caregivers as well. Many elderly residents I spoke to do not want to saddle their children and loved ones with their medical expenses.”
“I remember in the late 1960s and early 1970s, neighbours and friends would come over to our house to share news about job openings at factories and construction sites all over the island. Word of mouth was an effective way to hire staff then. In those exciting times, anything that could help put food on the table was worth a try. I came to know of Singaporeans who dropped out of school to work, especially those that came from large and needy families. For many of these young workers then, there were no contract negotiations, unknown employment terms and very little or no protection at the workplace. But it did not matter as they would still put in an honest day's work and look forward to an honest day's wage at the end of the day. This probably epitomised the spirit of our Pioneer Generation workforce during that period in our history. Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Budget in recognising the invaluable contributions made by the Pioneer Generation. I am, however, of the opinion that the Government should err on the side of goodwill and generosity when it comes to determining who will qualify for the Pioneer Generation Package. Page: 139 The Government is right to acknowledge that the Pioneer Generation started working at a younger age but to set the bar at 16 years old at Independence is a little too precise and will exclude Singaporeans who had to quit school to work during those times. The Employment Act of 1968 does not preclude anyone under the age of 16 from working. And if we were to look at the Act closely, it even allows children as young as 13 years old to work in a non-industrial environment.”
“Mdm Speaker, two in 10 translates to 20% who did not seek permission from MOE for deferment and they did not start work. Is this correct, since eight in 10 seek MOE's permission or work immediately? So, two in 10 based on the figure given by the Minister works out to about 780. I would like to ask the Minister how much was recovered to-date.”
“Madam, I just have one question. I am not sure if the Parliamentary Secretary answered the number of track intrusions recorded. I missed that – the number of track intrusions recorded from 2003 to date. That was the first part of the question. One hundred and seventy seven? Okay. My supplementary question is: are the staff trained in basic first aid? The last intrusion in February – there was an elderly man on the track near the Expo, and there was an announcement going out requesting for passengers with scissors to help in the rescue. Are they given first aid training, basic first aid training, so that when they go on the track, they at least carry a basic first aid kit? Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Madam, I mentioned that there were 177 track intrusions on our MRT network. I would like to also share with Members that, yes, our station managers as well as staff are trained; they are given first aid training on how to respond to the different situations that happen on the ground. It is important that they continue to be trained to ensure that they are able to respond effectively.”
“Many a time, residents, town councils and even MCSTs are at a loss on how to eradicate such anti-social behaviour. I hope these enhancements to the investigative powers of a Police Officer or authorised officer in cases involving littering from a residential flat will aid the collective effort by all stakeholders to make our living environment safer for all flat dwellers. Page: 76 In conclusion, the Minister has said that we are becoming like a "cleaned" society rather than a clean society. So, the problem confronting our cleaning industry lies beyond raising standards and productivity. The Ministry must embark on its sustained and comprehensive campaign to keep Singapore clean so that our hardworking cleaners will not be overworked and taken advantage of in our clean city. 5.01 pm”
“And for some unknown reason, the new licensing regime not only subsumes the gist of the CMAS, it now makes the scheme compulsory for all companies that wish to acquire the new licence. Does it mean that the company now has to go through two assessment processes to comply with the new licence conditions? I would thus propose that companies that have enrolled in the voluntary enhanced CMAS be exempted from the licensing requirement. This scheme is reported to be jointly developed by multi-agencies in consultation with industry representatives and unions. The scheme is comprehensive right down to paying resident cleaners progressive wages and more. Surely, any company that volunteers in this scheme is more than qualified to be in the cleaning industry. There are many unanswered questions in this piece of legislation. I hope the Minister can shed more light on this new licensing regime and provide more clarity for companies in the cleaning industry to move forward. Next, I support the move to enhance the investigative powers given to a Police Officer or an authorised officer to gather information from any occupier or owner of a flat, which may aid in the identification of the alleged offender in cases involving littering from a residential flat. Littering from a residential flat is beyond just an anti-social behaviour. It poses a danger to lives and properties as well. Recently, I have a resident who was a victim of a reckless act committed by his neighbour which, thankfully, did not result in any serious fire in his house. And the cause of it all was just a tiny cigarette butt. Littering from a residential flat is hard to eradicate, and even harder to prosecute, due to the great difficulties in acquiring the necessary evidence to prosecute the alleged offender.”
“How much will AOP cost per session per worker? Will the foreign workers be classified as technically skilled after going through EC WSQ? Will the company then enjoy a lower levy payment, now that its foreign workers are technically skilled after going through EC WSQ? It is also difficult to maintain a 100% trained workforce in an industry known for high attrition of workers. Local cleaners come and go in this industry. How would a cleaning company ensure all its workers are trained at any one time? If a company were to hire a group of local cleaners prior to renewing its licence, is there enough time to get these workers trained to meet the 100% training compliance requirement? Is NEA going to make AOP readily available to help such companies on short notice? Looking at these scenarios, I have a few proposals for NEA to consider. First, I propose to NEA to allow a company with new local hires of less than three months to be given a grace period to be trained at the point of renewing its licence. This will not only give the company more time to comply with the training requirement, it will also give the company more time to assess if these new hires are suitable for the job, and vice versa. This is to acknowledge the high attrition of cleaners in the industry. Second, I propose to NEA to exempt part-timers from the 100% training compliance requirement. A cleaning company is in breach of licensing conditions any time it hires untrained part-timers for urgent jobs. This is not a technical breach but a material breach, and the company may risk having to pay Page: 75 a fine or having its licence suspended or revoked. Last, I also notice that the new licensing regime seems to have taken a leaf out of the Clean Mark Accreditation Scheme (CMAS).”
“I support the Bill but I have some concerns that I hope the Ministry can address. Mdm Speaker, I would like to first address the new licensing requirement in the Amendment Bill. According to NEA, the new licensing regime for the cleaning industry will incentivise businesses to improve standards and productivity, and also help to enhance the professionalism and image of the cleaning industry. In its current state, without the new licensing regime, almost 82% of the population enjoy a clean environment, as reported by the last Town Council Management Report (TCMR). All Town Councils receive a Green Mark in the area of cleanliness. Even without a 100% trained workforce today, cleaning companies, serving a large part of Singapore, are doing a decent job, according to the TCMR. So, is there any study done or proof that by imposing a 100% Page: 74 training compliance licensing requirement in the cleaning industry, standard and productivity will improve? I am thus concerned that the Government may be adding a lot more administrative burden on an industry which is already known for cheap sourcing practices, low wages, limited productivity gain and high turnover. The focus on getting all workers trained at each licence renewal cycle may take centre stage at the expense of further wage increases and productivity gains. The new 100% training compliance licensing requirement will increase business costs for cleaning companies. It is costly to get all workers, local and foreign, trained under the Environment Cleaning WSQ (EC WSQ) Certification. A training grant for local cleaners is welcome. But the bulk of the cost pressure will come from training foreign workers under the new licensing regime. Will an assessment-only pathway (AOP) be extended to foreign cleaners as well?”
“Thank you, Madam. I raised the point on why we need to impose conditions and restrictions on withdrawal frequency on members who have already set aside their Minimum Sum at age 55. Why do we need to do that? Also, as the Minister has said, we can discuss it in another forum, but the transfer from OA to RA has always been a thorny issue for many people, especially those who are servicing their housing loans. Would the Minister consider allowing them to pay off a lump sum of their loan – maybe it is just a small amount, maybe $10,000 or $20,000 – before you make that transfer, so they no longer have to worry that they need to use cash to pay their mortgage?”
“I am sure affordability was not an issue at that point in time when some of these members purchased their HDB flat, but life is never certain. I hope the Minister can look into this and, in the interim, exercise as much flexibility as possible to allow CPF members who have difficulties in servicing their housing loan in cash, due to the Valuation Limit, to continue to draw down Page: 48 on their CPF savings for housing loan repayment. In conclusion, it is vital for the Government to ensure that the publicity of their WorkRight initiative be sustained until such time when vulnerable groups like low-wage workers can fully comprehend their employment rights under the law and responsible employment practices can be a way of life in our society. 3.14 pm”
“We certainly do not want to spend the remaining years of our life quibbling with the Government of the day on how to spend the rest of our hard-earned money after setting aside the Minimum Sum at age 55. Allowing the Board such broad power to impose conditions and restrictions on the withdrawal frequency of a member's CPF account beyond what is legislated for retirement and medical use just does not sound right. I seek clarification from the Minister that the previous condition for further withdrawals from CPF by any member upon setting aside the Minimum Sum after age 55 will remain unchanged, that is, a member being unemployed for a period of six months immediately preceding his application for the withdrawal. This is because the explanatory statement accompanying the CPF (Amendment) Bill is not clear on this. I also seek clarification from the Minister that the new section 15(4) will make the withdrawal of a member's CPF savings beyond the Minimum Sum easier and not harder going forward. One last point. I call upon the Ministry to relook into the Withdrawal Limit and the Valuation Limit affecting some CPF members. The Minister has said that the number of CPF members who have reached their Valuation Limit and must use cash to service their housing loan is at less than half a percent of members who are using CPF savings for their housing loan. The question then is: why would the Government want to impose so much anxiety and hardship on a small group of HDB flat dwellers? The Minister has also said in Parliament that the Valuation Limit and Withdrawal Limit continue to serve an important purpose in ensuring that CPF members purchase a property they can afford.”
“The Minister has shared that 800 inspections were already carried out from January to April 2013. Can the Minister share why there is such a drastic spike in enforcement action? How many of the inspections were driven by complaints? And what can the Ministry do to remove the fear and protect workers who decide to come forward or whistle-blow? It was reported that the key component of WorkRight, its confidentiality and the identity of anyone who files a complaint are kept strictly confidential. Has the assurance given rise to more complaints and enforcement action in 2013? Second, the Bill seeks to expand the scope of inspectors' power of obtaining information, documents or records in the course of an inspection. I would like to ask the Minister about the safeguards put in place to prevent inspectors from going overboard in carrying their duties, now that they are armed with extended powers. What would constitute reasonable cause for an inspector to exercise the power conferred under the new section 5 subsection (3A)? Third, I welcome the increase in withdrawal frequency for the CPF members above the age of 55 but I am of the opinion that there is no need to empower the Board to assess such application for withdrawal. Page: 47 The amendment to section 15 subsection (4) specifically deals with members who have already set aside the Minimum Sum, so retirement adequacy is no longer an issue to these members. A member should be allowed to withdraw his CPF savings at any time if the need arises. What is the purpose of controlling the condition and frequency of withdrawal of a member's CPF savings beyond the Minimum Sum after age 55? We spend a lifetime building our CPF retirement fund.”
“In 2012, the number of errant employers involved under the same offence went up by 8% from the previous year, and the number of workers affected increased by 10%. But the amount recovered actually came down slightly to $9.4 million. These numbers are interesting as one would expect the amount of arrears recovered to go up proportionally with the number of offenders and affected workers. The two arrears cases cited by CPF in its press release in the last two years involved low-wage workers being owed CPF contributions for years and their arrears were substantial. The case cited by the Minister in his Manpower blog in May this year is also quite similar and the amount recovered for the Page: 46 worker alone was $26,000. Are these cases common or outlier? If these cases are common, it certainly did not reflect in the amount of CPF arrears recovered despite an annual increase in the number of companies and employees involved and the stepped up effort by both MOM and CPF Board to bring about greater compliance with the CPF and Employment Acts over the past three years. If these cases cited are outlier, what are the common cases of non-compliance? Are we seeing more new entrant low-wage workers being disadvantaged? Are we seeing more part-time or contract workers being short-changed? I hope the Ministry can shed more light on this. I also urge the Ministry to share more examples of employers and their errant practices with the public so that workers in industries where violations are rampant can better understand their employment rights and get the necessary assistance. It was also reported that the number of inspections was increased 10-fold, from 500 inspections in 2012 to 5,000 this year.”
“Madam, I have three issues to raise on the Central Provident (Amendment) Bill. First, I want to talk about the enhanced enforcement introduced under the Repeal and Re-enactment of section 61 of the Act. The CPF holds the hard-earned money of every working Singaporean. We depend on it for our housing, healthcare, retirement needs and more. It is thus imperative that the Government should do more to protect working Singaporeans from being short-changed by errant employers, by sending a clear signal to these companies that non-payment, under-payment and even late payment of our CPF contributions are not acceptable, and repeat offenders will be taken to task. It is good to know that the penalties for general offences for non-, under- or late payment of CPF contributions are finally brought in line with the Employment Act. There should be no distinction between the two components of a worker's wage. Salaries and CPF contributions must be equally protected under the law. The introduction of a jail term and a minimum fine would certainly send a clear message that CPF contributions are non-negotiable. Although there is a rise in the number of CPF arrears cases, I note that the amount of money recovered, excluding late payments, remains relatively constant despite the rise in the number of companies and employees involved each year from 2010 to 2012. In 2011, there was a jump of 42% from the previous year in the number of companies involved in under-payment or non-payment of CPF contributions, and a corresponding spike of 67% in the number of workers affected. But the amount recovered by the Board was unchanged at $9.5 million a year for 2010 and 2011.”
“Mdm Speaker, I have three questions for the Minister. One, how would MOM view advertisements in a jobs bank put up by recruitment agencies that specialise in hiring employees on work passes only? That means they are actually specialised companies hiring employees on work passes. When they advertise in the jobs bank, obviously their intentions are clear: they intend to hire foreigners. How would MOM apply the FCF on such companies? To them, they are just going through the motion, so that after 14 Page: 18 days, they can hire employees on Work Passes. Two, it is stated in the published FAQs that MOM does not review the merits of a firm's hiring decision. But would MOM consider imposing some additional conditions on the firm if the number of applications for the listed jobs is more than a certain figure? If a job can attract so many locals to apply and yet, at the end of it, not one Singaporean is considered suitable for it, then something is amiss. It is either that the company is bent on hiring non-Singaporeans or maybe our education system is not churning out the right mix to power our economy. Lastly, I understand the figure of 25 workers and below, and the exemption for advertising that applies to firms with this number of employees, I have asked some numbers but they are not given. Maybe the Minister can share them?”
“I just want to seek a clarification from Mayor Teo. He said that the TC does not own the IP rights to the software. Then who owns it? Also, the other question is: does AIM own any rights to the third generation software, whether it is direct or derivative?”
“The MND Review has stated that given the political character of the Town Council's leadership and the political implication attached to the management of the Town Council, it is inevitable that the Town Council function is carried out in a competitive, politicised context. The AIM transaction has all the trappings of a high stake political game where the interests of the residents are of the least concern. So, how should MND classify the sale of the TCMS to AIM, and the provision of the one-sided termination clause in this Review? Business or political? Finally, I believe whatever that was written in black and white in the AIM transaction has been reviewed by the committee. But whatever intention that was written in the hearts of the people that were involved in this transaction will remain hidden for their conscience and their makers to judge. 5.16 pm”
“The official explanation of the sale of the TCMS to AIM was to consolidate the IP rights under a single entity for ease of management, future development and securing extension of the NCS contract at no extra cost to the PAP Town Council until such time when the current system is replaced. As AIM outsourced its IT services to other vendors, it is basically playing the role of a project manager. And project managers do not need to own the IP rights to the project they manage, especially when those projects are vital to the operation of our towns and developed with public money. It also appears incredulous that the 14 PAP Town Councils would need an external company which is technically a competitor of NCS to help them negotiate and secure extension of the NCS contract at no extra cost to the PAP Town Council even though the Town Council has a long standing working relationship with NCS going back to 2003 when it first awarded the multi-million dollar project to the IT company. How hard is it for the PAP Town Council to secure extension of the NCS contract at no extra cost based on goodwill? Did the PAP Town Council try to approach NCS directly? The relationship between the PAP Town Council and AIM is an uneasy one. It was reported that AIM was set up by the PAP in 1991 to specifically support PAP MPs in the running of their TCs and estates. The company does not seek to make profit from its work done for the PAP Town Council and only charges management fee based on cost recovery. Thus, any transaction done between the PAP Town Council and AIM has very little business consideration – mostly political, I presume.”
“Next, I want to talk about the sale of the intellectual property rights. The Review Report has also concluded that the AIM transaction complied with the Town Council Act and financial rules. However, there is a misplaced trust that the sale of the IP of the software to a PAP-owned company was done in the best interest of the residents. Would any Member in this House want to spend $23.8 million of your residents' money to develop a vital piece of software and then offload the IP to a third party company knowing very well that future developments and upgrades of their system may depend on the use of the original IP rights? The risks of system obsolescence are common problems faced by people or companies who depend a lot on the use of IT in their operations. Thus, everything from software to hardware can be rendered obsolete in a short space of time but the IP would not. The knowledge system that went into developing the IP for the $23.8 million TCMS is valuable and critical. The TCMS may have zero book value but its real operational value is immeasurable. Right at this moment as we debate in this Parliament, the TCMS is keeping almost the entire Singapore humming along, processing payments, managing arrears, handling residents' feedback and facilities booking, keeping the financials in check, keeping the communications flowing and more. The rights to use the TCMS must remain open to a Town Council no matter what or when material changes take place. In the interest of the public, can the Minister state who will own the IP rights to the $17.6 million third-generation TCMS that is currently being developed by NEC Asia Pacific? Will AIM be holding any IP rights direct or derivative to the new system that is being developed and funded with Town Council money?”
“Third, the above explanation of the termination clause sounds even more ludicrous when one finds out that there is a clause in the same contract that allows for variation and AIM will be paid in accordance to a method of calculation based on industry practice. In short, AIM is covered in material changes in size and population of the Town Council if it were to happen for whatever reason. So, why was there a need to give AIM the absolute discretion to cite material changes to terminate its services to a Town Council where material changes were already covered under the variation clause? Can the Minister explain this anomaly? The provision of this one-sided termination clause in the AIM transaction makes no sense because the interests of the residents were not protected at all. Our towns are always in a constant flux of change due to the dynamics of our public and private housing schemes and the redrawing of our Electoral Boundaries. Residents should not be made to suffer unnecessarily as a result of such material change. The one-sided termination clause has caused so much confusion that even the Minister was confused as he said earlier that the letter of 10 June 2011 sent by the interim Secretary of the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council was a request to terminate the use of the TCMS. On the contrary, the letter was a request to continue the use of the software till 31 August 2011. The TC has no power to initiate any termination based on material changes. AIM was the one which was given that power to terminate and did exercise it 12 days later, on 22 June 2011, according to its own timeline. They set the termination date as 1 August 2011. The question is: why did PAP TC allow Town Councils to be powerless and at the mercy of AIM?”
“While the above explanation may sound logical, I would explain to this House point by point why the provision of the termination clause, you can see, makes absolutely no sense at all. First, there would always be changes made to the size and population of the town because of Build-to-Order flats, Selective En-bloc Redevelopment Scheme, private development and constant redrawing of our Electoral Boundaries. Is it then prudent to allow AIM or any new owner of the TCMS to simply walk away from this critical contract citing material changes and leaving an entire town in the lurch? How is public interest protected with such a one-sided termination clause? Second, in its original contract, AIM proposed a leaseback payment schedule that did not take into consideration the size and population of a Town Council. All the 14 PAP Town Councils, regardless of their size and population, were required to pay an equal amount of $785 per TC per month as leaseback payment for the use of the TCMS. Thus, it does not matter if you are running a small GRC like Moulmein-Kallang, or a big GRC like Ang Mo Kio. Each town pays AIM the same amount of subscription fee. So, was AIM concerned about the size and population of a town when pricing the TCMS subscription fee? The answer is obvious. And if AIM is not even worried about such business risks, why would the 14 PAP Town Councils lose sleep over this and want AIM to address such risks? After all, the PAP Town Councils have assessed that AIM is a company with an established track record in TCs and IT services, and they have confidence that the company would deliver on its commitments.”
“However, in the event that there are material changes to the membership of the Town Council or there are material changes in the scope and duties of the Town Council, including but not limited to changes to its present boundaries, the contractor may give a month's notice in writing if he wishes to terminate the services during the contract period." I find it hard to comprehend that after selling the TCMS to a vendor, the PAP Town Council also found it imperative to give the same vendor absolute discretion to terminate its services which are vital to the operation of their town. How are the interests of the residents protected in such an arrangement? And what are material changes and why is it so important that if such changes were to happen, AIM could just give a month's notice to terminate its services to any Town Council? In the official explanation of the termination clause, the PAP Town Council has failed to fully address the meaning of material changes. Nonetheless, the PAP Town Council felt that the provision of such a one-sided termination clause was "fair and reasonable as the vendor would have priced its bid on the basis of the existing TC and town boundaries. However, should this change materially, the vendor could end up providing services to a TC comprising a much larger area and a larger population of residents. But it is held to do so at the same fixed pricing since a key feature of the contract was that there should be no price changes to the TC even for extension. The TCs felt that this would be unfair to the prospective vendors. And that a clause explicitly addressing such changes would reduce the business risk to the vendor. This would help fetch a better tender price for the TC's old software".”
“The MND Town Council Review has left many questions unanswered despite providing a lot of background information on the AIM transaction. But the Report has concluded that the sale of the Town Council Management System (TCMS) with PAP-owned company was nothing more than a business deal. The intention behind the AIM transaction was not thoroughly scrutinised and explained. The MND review also did not look into the possibility that some of the decisions made in the AIM transaction could be politically motivated since MND has acknowledged that Town Councils, by virtue of their leadership, are politicised already. But while the AIM transaction is deemed legal and permissible under the law, the rationale behind the sale of the intellectual property or IP rights to the TCMS to a PAP-owned company and the provision of a termination clause in the contract remains unclear and unconvincing in the review. Today, I wish to speak on these two issues. First, the termination clause. The MND review has not fully addressed how public interest is being served when a vital piece of software for town management developed at a combined cost of $23.8 million was offloaded to a PAP-owned company for $140,000 with an unusual termination clause made in favour of the new owner. The termination clause reads, "The contractor may in his absolute discretion terminate the services during the contract by giving three months' prior notice in writing to the Town Council.”
“These workers cannot seek redress except to resign as such employment terms are legal. How is the Ministry going to uplift the salaries of these low-wage workers when the incentive to earn more money through overtime work just does not make sense? Perhaps, the Ministry can look into changing the computation of overtime pay for salaries below a certain threshold to comprise all allowances. I believe if low-wage workers have the resolve to move up the social ladder by working harder and longer, they should be adequately compensated. Wage Credits for Low-wage Workers”
“Mdm Chair, low-wage workers, especially those with little education and qualifications, need help beyond Government funded top-ups, training and retraining. They need to know their basic rights as contract, hourly-rated or part-time workers. More importantly, they need Government intervention to ensure they will have a fair chance of making a decent wage to support their families. Some of these workers earn only $5 an hour and work on contractual or daily-rated basis, that is, no work, no money. Many will not be given medical benefits as well. Page: 128 At my second MPS, right after I was elected, an elderly man waited hours to share with me about his experience as a low-wage worker. He works as a security guard and earns a basic salary of $700 a month. From the look on his face, one could easily tell he had a hard life. He just turned 63 this year and I believe the enhanced WIS, as announced in Budget 2013, will bring some relief to him. Over the past nine months, I met more low-wage workers and even had a good look at some of their pay slips. From the way some of their salaries are structured, these workers will need to clock a lot of over-time work if they want to take home more than $1,000 a month. The salary structure of these workers comprises a low basic pay and a host of generous allowances for transport, attendance and so on. What seemed to be generous turned out to work against them when they did overtime work. Most of them will find out on pay day that the stipulated 1.5 times overtime pay is based on the low basic salary and not the total pay package. Technically, these workers are paid less per hour for working overtime. Financially, these low-wage workers are better off taking on two jobs than doing overtime work.”
“Madam, two clarifications for the Minister. One is about the full subsidy for non-working mothers on a case-by-case basis. It is more productive if such cases can be assessed at the childcare centres, rather than ask the mother to see the Member of Parliament and make an appeal. Then the childcare centres will assess. Anyway, the childcare centres have to do due diligence. In the case I mentioned, they actually went to the staff of the childcare centre and explained. The staff told them to go and see the Member of Parliament. It may be more productive that such cases be assessed at the childcare centre. The next clarification is on the point that no child will be denied childcare and kindergarten services even if the family cannot afford it. I have a case where the family's six-year-old daughter was stopped from entering the kindergarten class because of three months of arrears. And the strange thing is the family was on KiFAS the last year, and only stopped this year. I have made an appeal to PCF. I just want to let you know that there is such a case.”
“Madam, currently the Government gives childcare subsidies to working and non-working mothers whose children are enrolled in licensed childcare centres. Working mothers are given a maximum subsidy of $300. For mothers who are not working, they are also eligible for the subsidies, but at a reduced rate. The call to give caregivers more recognition and support is ringing loud in this Budget debate. Therefore, I urge the Ministry to give caregivers access to full subsidy for childcare under certain circumstances. Would the Minister consider extending the full rate of basic childcare subsidy to non-working mothers as well as grant them the additional subsidy. If they have valid reasons to stay at home as a caregiver to family member in need of it. This is especially crucial to the lower income family as they would not have the means to employ a domestic helper to look after their aged or disabled parents. In some instances, only the father can work because the mother may be hampered by illnesses and disability or disability that prevents her from seeking employment. Would the Minister consider these special circumstances and Page: 35 grant these mothers full subsidy, basic subsidy as well as additional subsidy? Marriage and Parenthood Package”
“She quit her job many years ago and has exhausted her lifesavings to look after her special needs child. There are no subsidies for her adult child. Her only son pays the full adult fare for public transport. I have said in my main Budget speech that how we take care of the weak, the disabled, the needy, and the least will determine how much we have progressed as a developed nation. I urge the Ministry to do more to help Singaporeans with Down syndrome see and feel that we are, indeed, a developed nation, that we are, indeed, an inclusive society. Central Youth Guidance Office and Post-intervention Support”
“Sir, Budget 2013's promise of a better Singapore with an inclusive society is a vision that probably means a lot to Singaporeans with disabilities or special needs children. Today, I just want to highlight one particular group of special needs citizens who could live that vision to the fullest if given more opportunity and support – Singaporeans with Down Syndrome. When a 13-year old with Down syndrome passed her PSLE in 2009, a newspaper reporter wanted to find out the number of such children who took PSLE before but the effort drew a blank with MOE and Down syndrome Association (DSA). Some parents of children with Down syndrome do feel that their children are like forgotten citizens. There are currently no official statistics on the number of Singaporeans born with Down syndrome each year and nobody seems to know for certain how many Singaporeans with Down syndrome are there in our current population. Some adults with Down syndrome can be economically active but doing so can be a costly affair for them. Currently, they do not enjoy concessions for public transport. When they go to work, unless there is arranged transport, the care-giver will have to accompany them to take public transport to work thereby incurring double expense as a result. The Fare Review Mechanism Committee (FRMC) will decide on the concessions for the various communities soon. I urge the Ministry to help lobby for adults with Down syndrome to be considered for concession as well. Page: 182 Last, caregivers of children and adults with Down syndrome do need assistance too. A mother of a grown up child with Down syndrome, her only child, shared this with me. She said it is a tough job to bring up a kid with disabilities.”
“What signals are we sending to Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans alike with this blatant discrimination on the basis of one's citizenship? This is not a call – I must emphasise – for preferential treatment for Singaporeans. Instead, this is an appeal to the Government and our universities for a level playing field and equal treatment. A Singapore core is not nurtured through Singaporeans being discriminated against. This is also an appeal to remain staunchly faithful to our ethos of being a meritocracy. If the allowances for housing and children's education are deemed necessary for foreign faculty members, then Singaporean academics should not be disadvantaged. My greatest concern with this differential and discriminatory treatment is the signal it sends to the tertiary education sector and the Singaporean public. It results in a "foreigner-is-better" mentality. Worse, it harks back to a neo-colonial mindset, but one that we impose on ourselves, that Singaporeans are not good enough and that the local talent pool is impoverished. More worryingly, it undermines the Government's declared commitment to develop home-grown expertise that is needed for the long-term development of our tertiary education institutions. As I said in the debate on the Population White Paper, is it any surprise that a foreign Caucasian dean once declared, "It makes us a world-class school", when explaining why a Caucasian was used in an admission prospectus cover photo of a publicly-funded autonomous university. What does it mean to be Singaporean in this case? Page: 120 Promoting Literature in Schools”
“There is also the imperative to hire faculty members to enable our universities to add both breadth and depth to their teaching and research. We must remain open to international talent in the recruitment of students, faculty and staff. However, can the Education Ministry state its position on, and also explain the rationale for, our taxpayer-funded autonomous universities paying foreign faculty members more than equally qualified Singaporeans for doing the same job? Foreign academics are given housing allowances and education allowances for their children below 18 years of age. The total cost for such a package would vary among our universities. However, a ballpark figure in one such institution could be a difference of about $100,000 annually for a foreign academic with three school-going children between the ages of five and 18. Page: 119 I appreciate that this was perhaps necessary two or three decades ago when our universities were seeking to build their international reputations, the Singapore dollar was not as strong as it is today, and Singapore was probably a hardship assignment. But things are vastly different today. Our universities have good and growing international reputations. The Government's unstinting support, especially through capitation grants and research funding, means that the future of tertiary education here is bright. We are in an enviable position when compared with North America, Europe and Australasia where deep funding cuts to the university sector have made higher education there challenging. And our universities pay competitively as well. We now have several academics in our Universities who are paid in excess of $1 million annually. Why do we perpetuate the differential treatment between Singapore and foreign academics?”
“Madam, the Edusave scheme was started in 1993 to provide equal educational opportunities for school children, including access to enrichment programmes run by the schools. Over the years, its scope Page: 118 has been expanded to benefit more students through Edusave awards and scholarships. Correspondingly, enrichment programmes under the Edusave Pupils Fund have also been expanded to include more activities. Some enrichment programmes engage external professional instructors and may come with accredited certification at the end of the course. With this development, many activities do not come cheap anymore. Even taking non-competitive CCA can deplete the Edusave Pupils Fund account rather rapidly. If we factor in the paraphernalia parents sometimes have to buy for their children to support the selected activities, the out-of-pocket expenses for these activities can be a financial burden for low- and middle income families. I would like to ask MOE what the guidelines are for schools to ensure Edusave money is well utilised, that is, low- and middle income families will not need to fork out additional cash payment for their children to enjoy some of these enrichment programmes. Is there any additional help for children whose Edusave account may not have enough to sign up for such programmes? Level Playing Field at the Autonomous Universities Asst Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene (Nominated Member): Madam, I declare my interest as an academic at the Singapore Management University. The tertiary education sector is one where there will always be a need for non-Singaporean faculty members. Not all available positions can be filled by Singaporeans. Demand for academics is greater than the supply of qualified Singaporeans here.”
“Courtesy on the road is about giving way to fellow road users, and exercising a little patience is all there is to it. 12.00 pm Road Safety and School Zones”
“This will educate drivers in the long run that they will have to slow down whenever they approach a zebra crossing, regardless of whether there are pedestrians at the crossing or not. This is a good driving habit to inculcate. Third, signalised junctions should be programmed with some degree of predictability. I agree with Dr Janil on the flashing "green man". Currently, there are different signalling sequences governing such junctions. Some junctions allow motorists to turn right when it is safe to do so. Other junctions do not allow turning unless the green arrow lights up. There is even a junction that allows motorists two chances to turn – one at the beginning and one at the end of the green light cycle. All this while, the pedestrians are also in permutation for the right of way to cross the junction. Many times, we have seen turning motorists moving forward at junctions even though they are not supposed to do so. We have also seen motorists getting caught in the middle of the junction because of the confusion. The most dangerous part of it all is when turning vehicles who are keeping an eye on oncoming traffic forgot about the pedestrians' right of way at the turn. There are about 170 accidents involving pedestrians at signalised junctions per year in the past five years, from 2007 to 2011. The number of traffic accidents at such junctions that do not involve pedestrians is about seven times higher. I urge the Ministry to look into making signalised junctions more predictable. I believe when we take out the guesswork of using this junction, motorists and pedestrians will make fewer mistakes. We may end up spending a little more time on the road, but cultivating a little patience in the interest of Page: 30 road safety is a good thing.”