Pritam Singh
Singapore
“Mr Speaker, I hear what the Minister has said. I am also sure the Minister has understood where the Workers' Party Members of Parliament are coming from. And I also would like to add that as the Opposition, we come to this House to scrutinise Bills and it is our duty to ask those questions.”
“Thank you, Speaker. I am empathetic to the arguments of efficiency and ensuring that patients can see a polyclinic doctor or consultation as quickly as possible. I understand the Senior Minister of State mentioned it is important to try and make a make an appointment so that your waiting time is within a certain period.”
“Thank you, Speaker. Just a question for the Minister of State. Does the Ministry capture the total amount of monies recovered from Singaporeans who are victims of scams?”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. Just a point of order. I believe the Senior Minister of State, in his wrapping-up speech, referred to a speech made by a Member who did not deliver a speech in Parliament on the Bill, that is, hon Member Ms Mariam Jaafar. I would just like to confirm whether that is as per the Standing Orders of Parliament.”
“Much obliged, Mr Deputy Speaker. At the Sitting on 7 April 2026, I rose to seek a clarification on the joint Ministerial Statement on the situation in the Middle East.”
“Thank you, Speaker. The Minister of State mentioned meaningful impact a few times, so I will give an example. The KPI in the Budget Book, "the percentage of patients who waited less than or at least 100 minutes for consultations at polyclinics", for example, for each fiscal year, 2023, 2024, 2025 – the number is 99%.”
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Every one of 1,762 lines we hold for Pritam Singh, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 32 of 36.
“Mr Chairperson, in last year's COS debate, I raised the formation of an appeals forum under the CIPC framework where differences of opinion about an Opposition Town Council and the CCC's nomination for CIPC projects can be worked out. In the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council's case, correspondence with the CCC on CIPC funding started in May 2012, initiated by the Town Council. A reply from the CCC came only six months later. After finally agreeing to meet the Town Council, the CCC invited the Town Council to submit its proposal in August 2013. The CCC replied two months later with a much shortened list of projects it supported. Some 16 months thereafter, there has been no substantive update from the CCC. Contrast this with the $12 million of approved CIPC funding extended by MND to the previous Aljunied Town Council through the CCC in just 36 months, from FY 2009 to 2011, $4.1 million of which was withdrawn from the incoming Town Council after GE 2011. I reiterate my call for the development of a platform under MND's auspices to address CIPC matters for the benefit of all residents in Opposition wards. Shops in HDB Heartlands”
“Is SNPO envisioned to drive the development of fresh new initiatives and what are the immediate and medium-term targets that have been set up by SNPO? Finally, Mdm Chair, as much as technology is the centrepiece of SNPO, Singapore's small size also gives us a unique opportunity to address some of the shortcomings of technology, too. Parents of young children, for example, are becoming concerned with children becoming heavily addicted to handheld devices and technology, having short attention spans, in addition to having little interest in social relationships. Can I enquire if SNPO plans to address such issues, the responses to which are likely to be well-received by many other cities and countries facing the same problem?”
“Mdm Chair, in November last year, the Prime Minister made a speech at the launch of the Smart Nation initiative, establishing the Smart Nation Programme Office (SNPO) under the auspices of the PMO. I would like to ask the Ministry what is the budget that has been allocated to this office. What are its terms of reference and how does it plan to shepherd Singapore to Smart Nation status in 10 years, which was the suggested timeline provided by the Prime Minister? Secondly, I note the desire of SNPO is to develop a greater appreciation of technology, beginning in schools and through the education system, to teach coding and programming to students, for example. I would like to query whether these initiatives would be rolled out to all schools. I hope these initiatives would be inclusive in nature and involve students who are not technologically inclined as well, as unassociated passions and interests, such as calligraphy, as some Members of the House have alluded to previously from the Steve Jobs example, can go a long way to seed an initiative and to increase the prospect of greater breakthrough ideas. Separately, will SNPO also highlight and drive the number of skills upgrading opportunities by offering or promoting technology-related courses through SkillsFuture, which older Singaporeans may seek to attend? Page: 94 Thirdly, many of the initiatives that were raised by the Prime Minister in the drive to a Smart Nation have already been invented, for example, the driverless cars by Google and other companies. There is a possibility that in copying the example of other countries, SNPO will be imitating projects making Singapore a follower and less of a leader.”
“Mdm Chair, according to the revenue and expenditure estimates for FY2015/2016 on page 41, one of the desired outcomes under this Head is public awareness of the roles and functions of Parliament. I thank the Leader of the House for his reply. And I hope the Government can consider how this outcome can be furthered in future either through topical Select Committees, ad hoc Select Committees and so forth, covering even subject areas of interest. With that, Madam, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. [(proc text) Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. (proc text)] [(proc text) The sum of $2,508,900 for Head F ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. (proc text)] Page: 52”
“While I accept citizens have an opportunity to engage issues through the Government feedback channel and this should continue to be encouraged, this should not mean that Parliament's role in scrutinising Bills through a Select Committee is minified or rendered unnecessary. In fact, in today's day and age, Select Committees can add much-needed civility to the public discourse through the active engagement of issues, as Select Committees are empowered to call for witnesses and for documents and records. They present a good opportunity for the Government to deepen discussions and generate greater public support for laws. Page: 50 1.15 pm I hope the Government can look into this matter from a fresh perspective, in light of the changing contours of Singapore's society, where more engagement is sought on issues affecting the public.”
“Mdm Chair, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head F of the Estimates be reduced by $100". Mdm Chair, when a Member proposes that a Bill which will become law ought to be committed to a Select Committee of Parliament, it means that while the Member generally agrees with the objectives of the Bill, he or she is concerned about its implementation or its provisions. The last time a Select Committee was formed in this House after the Second Reading of a Bill was in 2004 when the Building Maintenance and Management Bill came up for Second Reading. A variety of reasons were put forth by Members for the committal of the Bill. Some Members cited better representation of the interest of all stakeholders and to gain support for the Bill. Others highlighted the importance of the Bill by virtue of the number of people who would be affected by its enactment into law, hence, requiring further feedback. Another called for extensive consultations to ensure the relevance of the proposed law. Mdm Chair, according to the Parliament website, I quote, "Select Committees are mostly set up to discuss the details of a Bill which affects the everyday life of the public." Over the last year, the Workers' Party and the SDP and Mrs Lina Chiam, proposed two Bills, in particular, for committal to a Select Committee. In both these cases, the Government rejected the calls, as a consultation process through the Government feedback channel or REACH was deemed to have been sufficient. Mdm Chair, I would like to request that the Government consider committing more Bills to Select Committees in future. Participation in such Select Committees is envisaged to take up more of a Member of Parliament's time and rightfully so.”
“But requiring them to also post their jobs for 14 days will help the employers themselves as well as local job seekers gain more information about where S Pass holders are in demand. Although we should realistically expect problems and perhaps some negative sentiment in the initial stages, there are serious job seekers who value information above all else and they value any information which can help them understand employers' needs and are willing to expend significant effort in preparing to meet them. My second question is actually a proposal. I would also like to ask if a referral system is in place, where employers as well as job seekers who have been unsuccessful in multiple applications are referred to a relevant agency for follow-up. PME job seekers, for instance, could have the profile of their attempts analysed by an agency such as CaliberLink. If it is not already in place, would WDA consider putting in such a referral system? Fair Employment Practices”
“Exploiting Information in Jobs Bank Assoc Prof Randolph Tan: The Jobs Bank is a very important new resource, especially given that it is mandatory for employers to post positions for which they seek foreign professionals on Employment Passes. Since the main aim of the Jobs Bank is matching, better matching rates will lead to more interest and hence more participation from stakeholders. Hence, it is inevitable that public interest will focus on matching performance, especially from job seekers. But the Jobs Bank can also be a tool to set realistic expectations about salary and work requirements and should not serve to promote frivolous work attitudes, such as job-hopping. I believe it may not be useful to provide raw matching data when the system is still in its preliminary stages. However, to respond to interest from users, instead of actual matches, indicators of related activity, such as number of interviews a job seeker can expect to be called for, may be useful. Page: 87 Since policy-makers should be able to mine the vast database to see where and how the gaps in matching are developing over time, I hope the Ministry will also consider sharing some of this information more regularly once the system has stabilised. My first question is about potentially expanding the Jobs Bank. Because volume is important, I would like to know if the Ministry can consider expanding it to cover S Pass positions. In practice, the distinction between S Pass and Employment Pass hiring may be gradual rather than a sharp delineation. Since employers of S Pass holders are already required to meet tightened S Pass criteria since 2010, they should, for the moment at least, not be required to wait 14 days before actually hiring a foreign S Pass holder.”
“Mdm Chair, the Fair Consideration Framework is an important tool to ensure that Singaporeans are fairly considered for jobs. In the Parliament last year, the Minister informed the House that MOM had a set of internal triggers to determine if Page: 86 employers would be identified for additional scrutiny based on a broad range of factors in case of unfair unemployment. I would like to ask what is the scope of the Ministry's internal triggers? What is the broad range of factors that the Ministry employs in determining whether companies are staying true to the ethos of the Fair Consideration Framework? I would also like to ask the Minister how many companies have been advised or investigated by the Ministry thus far and how many have been in breach of this Framework? In addition, which industries have most to do in adhering to the Fair Consideration Framework? Does the Ministry also plan to increase penalties under the Fair Consideration Framework and what does the Ministry plan to do to engage firms that are not doing enough to hire and develop Singaporean PMEs? Thirdly, in step with the Ministry's active role to engage firms to address this problem, does the Ministry plan to tie firms up with the SkillsFuture Council to address shortage of Singaporean staff by promoting certain courses among Singaporeans for consideration? Finally, as part of the Fair Consideration Framework, would the Ministry consider highlighting and promoting companies that go out of their way to hire, retain and establish dedicated senior appointment career track for Singaporeans and to highlight such companies as industry champions?”
“Mdm Chair, in the email sent by the Minister of Manpower to Members very recently, the Minister sent a soft copy of the "Do It Right" toolkit, part of the Ministry's WorkRight initiative. In the 16-slide document, slide 10 was notable as it covered the employer's duty in contributing CPF to employees, including employees who are on part-time, ad hoc, contract or casual employment, not forgetting those on probation. The Page: 54 document also confirmed that it was illegal for employers to contract out their obligation to pay CPF for their employees regardless of employment status. I appreciate the effort of the Ministry in pursuing an adjudicative approach towards employers at the first instance. As WorkRight is into its second year, I would like to enquire if the Ministry has a timeline or framework to change its approach to compel employers to make the necessary CPF payments for all employees including freelancers, part-timers and contract workers. Until then, I would like to request the Ministry to consider adjudicating and stepping up awareness among temporary, ad hoc and part-time employees as well and to allow them to file reports against employers who refuse to make CPF contributions especially since the risk of CPF inadequacy in their later years would be very acute. CPF Retirement Account”
“The Minister for Defence has previously stated in Parliament that in the coming years, the rise in MINDEF's expenditure will largely correspond with the rise in inflation. This year, however, MINDEF's budget for FY2015/2016 is 5.7% higher than the year before. I recall the presentation at the COS last year by the Defence Minister on the likely shape of the SAF in 2030 with larger capacity Landing Ship Tanks (LSTs), next generation fighter aircraft and the intention to transfer more of the Army's traditional fighting units into mobile platforms as possible changes to the order of battle of the SAF. 5.00 pm Is the increase in this year's defence budget attributable to platforms that MINDEF intends to purchase in the years to come and, if not, how does the Ministry account for the rise in expenditure from the past year? Page: 102 Secondly, in view of maintaining fiscal prudence at the national level, would MINDEF consider including more cost-saving measures as a key criterion for defence purchases, as exemplified by the announcement of the induction of the Aerostar, which was widely reported in the local media to have reduced MINDEF's operating expenditure footprint for the task at hand by 29%. Finally, I would like to enquire about MINDEF's plans to operationalise the suggestion, most recently made by Malaysia as the current Chair of ASEAN, for the establishment of an ASEAN Peacekeeping Force. What is the current thinking of MINDEF about this idea?”
“In November last year, the Minister announced that MINDEF would be joining a US-led coalition against ISIS by contributing a KC-135 Aerial Refuelling tanker, and an imagery analysis team to the war effort. The Minister clarified earlier this year that SAF has sent a needs assessment and survey team and a liaison officer to facilitate planning and coordination between SAF and coalition forces. In view of the evolving nature of the threat, I would like to ask the Minister whether Singapore will seek to contribute to this international effort in areas where it has specific value-add capabilities. For example, we have religious rehabilitation as a more unique contribution, apart from hardware and analytical capabilities that can also be contributed by other allies. Secondly, I would like to enquire how MINDEF plans to manage the prospect of Mission Creep, leading SAF to commit more in-theatre forces in the fight against ISIS, than is the case Page: 100 currently. Finally, I would like to find out what the Ministry is doing to work with our immediate ASEAN neighbours to develop an ASEAN response to the ISIS threat, thereby promoting confidence building and military-to-military cooperation between our neighbours with the attendant benefit of a more united and safer ASEAN, in addition to the promotion of greater security integration between ASEAN member states, particularly, our closest neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia. Defence Spending”
“With human capital as our only natural resource, a more forgiving attitude must be exercised towards people who may not have succeeded at the first instance, either in an exam or at some other important career cross junction. Equally important, the opportunity for skills upgrading and a second chance should be one every Singaporean must grab with both hands. SkillsFuture must be positioned as a key feature of the Singapore system. A large part of the continuing economic prosperity of Singapore should also serve as a report card for SkillsFuture. My recommendation to track the expenditure and to constantly review the implementation of SkillsFuture, notwithstanding, I support the initiative and encourage Singaporeans to draw up, review and update their own skills upgrading and career objectives and to tap on the initiatives that would be rolled out under SkillsFuture. 1.24 pm”
“Then, the Minister established that as Temasek was expected to make higher returns and was not encumbered from investing in high-risk assets, it would be difficult to project Temasek's future earnings. The Minister has stated in his 2015 Budget speech that Temasek's equity-only portfolio will continue to be more volatile and subject to more pronounced investment cycles than the MAS and GIC portfolios. For this reason, a brief primer from the Minister on the expected long-term real returns from Temasek's inclusion in the NIR framework and its methodology would be appreciated. In reply to Non-constituency Member of Parliament Mr Gerald Giam's Parliamentary Question in 2014, the Minister stated that for FY2009 to FY2013, the Government took in about 47% of the NIR and that the NIR contribution has been able to supplement the Budget by $7 billion to $8 billion annually. I would like to enquire from the Minister, based on current projections, how much would subsequent Budgets be supplemented with Temasek's inclusion in the NIR framework. In conclusion, Mdm Speaker, the Minister spoke at the 2014 Budget debate about changing social norms in three broad areas: in the workplace, in professional competencies and to change habits for the better. This was not hard policy per se but related to the important softer aspects which can be the critical factor that makes the difference between how successful or unsuccessful a policy is. SkillsFuture requires social norms and attitudes towards education to change. A deep mindset shift towards lifelong education must truly be the goal for all Singaporeans.”
“Five years later, in view of the productivity numbers, there is some legitimate doubt as to how effective these huge investments have been. Once again, going forward, the provision of an institutionalised, dedicated and regular review framework can be helpful to arrest efforts and correct the course of action that does not appear to be engendering favourable results. And this would be more critical over time as the reality of less physical room for manoeuvre becomes a reality, if it has not already. Finally, some practical skills and qualifications are not learnt through skills upgrading but in the course of National Service, too, where specific skills or credit can be relevant in the private sector. Repair and maintenance certification and operating of heavy machinery and vehicles and leadership skills are part of a lifelong learning skills framework. These can give our NSmen a leg-up at certain workplaces. I understand a similar recommendation was also made by the Committee to Strengthen National Service and I hope that skills and qualifications earned during the course of NS are constantly reviewed and incorporated into the SkillsFuture framework as far as practically possible. Mdm Speaker, the increased spending on human capital for the future must mean increased Government expenditure. For this reason, amongst the others, the Minister has announced the inclusion of the expected investment returns of Temasek in the NIR framework. The move of our reserves held by MAS and GIC from the NIR framework to the Net Investment Income (NII) framework was the subject of an extensive Constitutional Page: 37 amendment Bill debate in 2008.”
“In the UK, a parliamentary innovation University's science and skills select committee in the wake of the Leitch report noted with concern that the conflation of skills and qualifications in targets could lead the UK government to assume that a qualification strategy is an adequate substitute or proxy for an overall skills strategy. The select committee noted that a qualification-focused strategy which identifies the numbers of workers who have upgraded their qualifications would inadvertently reinforce or could inadvertently reinforce the skills gap if companies were unable to achieve high-performance working practices and thereby raise productivity. Page: 36 To this end, as SkillsFuture gets off the ground, it may be worthwhile for the Government to track the qualification and certification outcomes of SkillsFuture initiatives, especially for SMEs, so as to assess how the scheme has been effective in achieving the desired productivity increases and economic outcomes so as to better track the real value of the SkillsFuture initiatives for various industries. The formation of the SkillsFuture Council has also resulted in the devolution of the CET oversight from the National Productivity and Continuing Education Council to the SkillsFuture Council. With the NPCEC renamed as the National Productivity Council also headed by the Finance Minister, greater synergies and coordination between both councils can be expected. This administrative change should be a lot more significant than a mere change of nomenclature. This point is worthy of some reflection, considering the large amounts of public funds that will be devoted to SkillsFuture. For example, $250 million was set aside from the National Productivity Fund to improve productivity for the construction industry in 2010.”
“" In view of this stated position of the Government five years ago, how does the Government envisage the provision of the SkillsFuture Credit as being enough of an incentive to motivate Singaporeans to take up courses to improve themselves? In recommending the Learner Account, the Leitch report noted that for about 20% of those who did not pursue upgrading in the UK, lack of funding was not a reason. In fact, high course fees, lack of childcare support and transport were some of the potential issues that workers had to take into account when deciding whether to upgrade their skills. In response, the UK government had sought to provide some basic courses for free in addition to extending study loans repayable only after a worker has exceeded a certain salary. It had also made an allowance for a support fund to provide assistance for costs, such as childcare, transport, books, equipment that can mitigate the impact of financial problems workers face as they upgrade their skills. While some of these gaps are specific to the situation in the UK and in addition to their applicability or otherwise in the Singapore context, they are nonetheless lessons for Singapore and the Government should regularly review and identify the reasons why Singaporean workers may be hesitant to upgrade their skills as it looks to make SkillsFuture a success. Mdm Speaker, the SkillsFuture Council will have its hands full as SkillsFuture cannot represent upgrading for the sake of upgrading. Minister mentioned in his speech that the key challenge of SkillsFuture is to help uplift the SMEs and involve them in this process of skills development.”
“Employees are more likely to stay on in a firm if the firm also shows a readiness to upgrade itself, too, and attempts to adopt new work processes, for example, appreciating the importance of work-life balance in the Singapore of today and tomorrow where the reality of dual-income households can leave precious little time to raise young children and to look after our elderly, to say nothing of pursuing other interests, such as community volunteerism or the onset of a medical issue for a family member. A new feature of our skills upgrading system is the creation of SkillsFuture credit which provides learning credits for all Singaporeans above 25 years of age, supported by regular top-ups. The SkillsFuture credit largely mirrors the proposal made in the 2004 independent review by Lord Sandy Leitch to maximise the economic growth skills and social justice in the UK by 2020. The Leitch Review of Skills proposed the establishment of a Learner Account as the centrepiece of what it called Adult Vocational Further Education. In fact, the Earn and Learn work-study programme under SkillsFuture is also conceptually similar to the Leitch Review's "Train to Gain" programme with the focus on apprenticeships. In fact, the creation of a SkillsFuture Credit along the lines of the UK model was also proposed in this House in 2010. I remember the Government's reply then was: "International Page: 35 studies show that by providing a training account with monetary value may still not be the best and most effective way of motivating individuals to take up courses. What we have today in our system is a CET infrastructure that comprises a large number of training courses that individuals can go forward and sign up.”
“Page: 34 When the Skills Development Levy Act was amended in 2008 to cover all employees, including those earning more than $2,000 a month, in a functional way, the seeds were sown for SkillsFuture, with the Skills Development Levy acting as the primary tool to better support the CET system supporting all workers, regardless of age, skill or education level, to upgrade and seize new opportunities as they progress in their careers. The long tail of experience surrounding retraining and lifelong learning makes it important for the Government to identify why and how SkillsFuture is different. How will it mark a critical shift away from the existing skills upgrading framework and what shifts in thinking among Singaporeans will be required for it to work? To this end, the identification of the starting point of the journey in schools and in the provision of career counsellors commonplace in many Western countries like the US and Canada is a good place to start. However, as the challenge is to convince hearts and minds, especially of those parents in an Asian society fixated on grades and a tuition culture, this will not be easy. To this end, I hope career counsellors in schools will work together with parents to identify the strengths and interests of students, with parents also playing their part in motivating children to aim for excellence, regardless of which path they choose. Even employers will need to imbibe a new mindset and to accept that skills upgrading is a fact of life.”
“The Lifelong Learning Endowment Fund was first announced by then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in the year 2000 to promote and support lifelong learning in Singapore and to provide assistance and opportunities for Singaporeans to meet the needs of a knowledge-based economy and cope with the threat of structural unemployment. Last year, during Budget 2014, it was announced that the Fund would be topped up by $500 million, bringing the Fund size up to a total of $4.6 billion. A decade later, by 2010, the National Productivity Fund was launched with a $1 billion injection. This year's Budget will see another injection of $1.5 billion into the Fund. Over the years, the Workforce Skills Qualifications framework, a key component of the Continuing Education and Training (CET) system, allowed Singaporeans to improve their qualifications in various industries, from certificate up to diploma level, and even graduate diplomas for certain industries. In industries where there has been an acute shortage of skilled professionals, the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) has even introduced scholarships at the post-graduate level, thus providing opportunities for professionals who wish to upgrade themselves further. There are currently 34 WSQ frameworks covering the manufacturing and services sectors, such as precision engineering, aerospace, retail, hospitality, community and social services, financial services, infocomm and logistics, some of which have also been identified under SkillsFuture initiatives, in particular, Earn and Learn.”
“Mdm Speaker, a major theme of this year's Budget revolves around preparing Singapore and Singaporeans for the future. The two aspects of the Budget that are the focus of my speech are SkillsFuture and, more briefly, the inclusion of Temasek in the Net Investment Returns Framework. On both fronts, the Government has considerable Page: 33 experience to call upon and Singapore is not starting from a zero base. First, SkillsFuture. As a national philosophy, upgrading of skills and lifelong learning are not a new phenomenon. Almost 35 years ago, then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew announced at the 1979 National Day Rally that the Skills Development Fund would be set up, compelling employers to pay a percentage of wages into the Skills Development Fund, as recommended by the National Wages Council. A month later, Minister for Finance Hon Sui Sen informed Parliament that the introduction of a Skills Development Levy was a necessary intervention, as the Singapore economy had to be upgraded and restructured promptly for Singapore to move up the economic value chain. The Skills Development Levy Act of 1979 legislated skills upgrading primarily at low-level workers but also included mid-level workers and managers, too, with some, especially those involved in technology work, sent overseas for training in the early 1980s. Since the Skills Development Levy was introduced in 1979, an entire eco-system of training and skills upgrading has been part of the governance firmament in Singapore. Lifelong learning is also not a new phenomenon.”
“Mdm Speaker, I have made it clear that we all — [(proc text) Hon Member Mr Low Thia Khiang rose. (proc text)]”
“Yes. I will finish up very shortly. Because of those downtimes, we decided, "Look, we have to probably invest a bit more money and try and make sure that our lift maintenance procedures and contracts are up to the mark or up to the satisfaction of the Members of Parliament. And that really explains the large jump of about $2.2 million. It is the largest jump in the operating expenditure. And that explains that figure.”
“And at that point, it was determined that for the novated contract from the Aljunied Town Council, it had third party who was looking after all the lifts in the town and we had a lot of different types of lifts, as I am sure the other Town Councils do – 9G lifts, Mitsubishi lifts, Sigma lifts, EM Services, Otis, Fujitec – and it goes on and on, of course. So, the recommendation that was made to the Town Council was to try as far as possible to ensure that, for lift maintenance, get the original equipment manufacturer to be maintaining those lifts. And this was quite an important consideration for us because we were noticing that the Page: 51 lift downtimes for lifts which were maintained by this third-party contractor were rather long.”
“Thank you, Minister. Minister, those figures originated from the income and expenditure statements for Financial Year 31 March 2012, Financial Year 31 March 2013. If we look into those figures, that is correct for 2010 under the previous Aljunied Town Council. If we look at the operating expenditure, there are five heads. Cleaning Works under the previous Aljunied Town Council was $5.1 million; under the AHPETC in 2012 was $6.7 million. For Lift Maintenance, it was $1.8 million in 2010 and $4 million in 2012. That is a rise of about $2.1 million to $2.2 million. Water and Electricity was $8.9 million in 2010 and it was $10.1 million in 2012. It was a larger town by 2012, so that explains that. There are two other heads, but let me deal with the one which has the largest cost increase, which is lift maintenance. I remember sometime in 2012, there was an episode where a lift did not home to the correct floor. There was a resident in the lift. This was in Paya Lebar, if my memory serves me right. In 2011, I beg your pardon. And the resident, of course, had a very jarring experience. At that point, the Members of Parliament got to know about it and we were quite concerned about safety issues involving lifts and lift maintenance. So, the Town Council commissioned the consultant to try and understand our lift maintenance contracts, lift maintenance procedures, whether there was any problem with them and what we could do to improve the situation.”
“Thank you very much for that. Can I then put the question, Sir, to Minister Khaw, which document he was referring to, just for us to be clear on this before I reply to this point?”
“Thank you, Mdm Speaker. Mdm Speaker, with regard to the point made by the hon Member, the WP MPs have come to Parliament and we are taking collective responsibility for all the issues that affect our Town Council. We are not here to make excuses and I have said we will work towards cleaning up the accounts in my speech. We acknowledge the lapses and we will put things right. That is the message that I want to give to the Member. The second issue was a point made about this figure of $733,000 from the old Aljunied 2010 accounts and the deficit of $3.3 million in the 2012 accounts of the Aljunied-Punggol East Town Council. Can I just confirm which document the Member was reading these figures from before I give the Member a reply, please?”
“It is for the Committee to deliberate and determine, in the interests of the residents of the Town Council, which tenderer the contract ought to be awarded to, after considering all the relevant facts. Once again, no personal benefit is accrued to FMSS by virtue of these processes. Mdm Speaker, I have not covered all the points made by both AGO and PwC in their reports. But I have focused on the big sum items. This, in no way, minifies or downplays the weight the Town Council places on arrears where there are amounts owing or owed, and for Page: 43 reconciliation or follow-up, are lower or less significant. The Town Council will strengthen its processes and we will do it with the same vigour that we sought to ensure that residents' lives would not be affected during the course of the post-GE2011 handover. I would like to thank all the staff of the Town Council, past and present, for their efforts and service to the Town Council. I note that AGO, with a full-time team working for almost a year, with up to 16 personnel, including those from PwC, did not flag out any potential criminal wrong-doing on the part of any staff member of the Town Council. We will make full use of the AGO's findings to boost our financial systems and processes. 3.08 pm”
“Firstly, in a situation where FMSS is a tenderer in a tender called by the Town Council, as was the case in 2011 for the Managing Agent contract, FMSS is kept at an arm's length and a China wall is built between FMSS and the Town Council. What happens in such a case? The evaluation of such a tender is done solely by the elected and appointed members of the Town Council, all of whom have no interest, pecuniary or otherwise, in FMSS. The decision-making to award the tender in such a case will be the sole remit of the Tenders and Contracts Committee. No staff member of the Managing Agent is privy to the evaluation or decision-making process in this case. The Secretary of the Town Council Mr Danny Loh and its General Manager Ms How Weng Fan are not involved in this process at all. In 2011, in view of operational exigencies, a decision was made, with the concurrence of Town Councillors, and, as detailed earlier, FMSS did not participate in the evaluation or recommendation, in strict adherence with the Town Council's financial rules. This was the same scenario that played itself out late last year and early this year, when Town Councillors met to evaluate the specifications of the Managing Agent tender for FY2015 and beyond. In a second scenario where FMSS does not participate in the tenders called by the Town Council pertaining to, for example, conservancy lift maintenance and horticultural contracts, FMSS' role is purely administrative. FMSS is expected to thoroughly evaluate and assess the tenderers and recommend which tenderers meet the minimum requirements of the Town Council. At no point does FMSS make a decision on whom to award the tender to. FMSS' administrative role is purely to advise the Tenders and Contracts Committee on the tenderers and their submissions.”
“With the rollout of a new works order system in 2012, the Town Council is enhancing its SOPs to ensure that, moving forward, an accurate reflection of the amounts due to external parties is established. Thirdly, on other payables. The AGO found poor monitoring and lack of due diligence by the Town Council in following up on items in a temporary clearing account which Foo Kon Tan noted came up to $308,715. The Town Council has since cleared up many of the receipts and we will put in resources to clear up the remaining amount. Mdm Speaker, the Town Council accepts that proper management involving the handover of records from the previous management was something that, in hindsight, should have been better addressed. The reality at that time was that many staff who signed for finance-related files from the previous Managing Agent after GE 2011, resigned in 2011 and 2012. With this, came the loss of the institutional knowledge specific to documents pertaining to the handover period. Going forward, and in the interest of better corporate governance, the Town Council will monitor the management and handover of records more systematically. To that end, proper handover procedures for resigning staff prior to the issuance of their final pay cheque have already been implemented. Page: 42 Before concluding, Mdm Speaker, I wish to say a few words about tenders and contracts as I have been the Chairman of the Tenders and Contracts Committee since 2012. In that context, it would also be appropriate for me to make some comments about the Managing Agent's role in the decision-making process involving the calling of tenders and award of contracts in view of some media reports insinuating personal benefit for FMSS by virtue of being the Managing Agent of AHPETC.”
“This due diligence will have a positive knock-on effect in ensuring that receivables owed are captured in the accounts to accurately reflect the transactions and state of affairs in the Town Council. Point three, creditors and accrued expenses. According to Foo Kon Tan's disclaimer, the total amount in question under this head comes to $647,094. The first issue on accrued liabilities covers a claim by Foo Kon Tan that the Town Council did not have an SOP covering Page: 41 the timely recording of liabilities. I will deal with this issue, first. The AGO has taken a different position from Foo Kon Tan on this point, to correctly report that the Town Council, indeed, had an SOP, with the qualification that this SOP does not stipulate a timeline for verification works done by property officers after job sheets were received, to enable the timely issuance of work orders. I have since personally checked on the SOP with the Town Council's property manager and confirmed that, for the overwhelming number of accrued liabilities, the SOP now puts the timeframe from job completion to issuance of payments to take a maximum of three months. Secondly, on accruals without work orders. Foo Kon Tan reported that the Town Council was unable to provide details covering some $338,379 in accrued expenses from the previous Aljunied Town Council. The Town Council explained that it was not able to provide the details required as it did not have supporting documents. The AGO was able to find out that some of these items were over-statements, as the Town Council did not reverse out the accrued expenses from its accounts. As explained earlier, the Town Council was hampered operating a GRC with a manual works order system.”
“This system was set up for the operation of a single member ward of an Opposition Town Council. The accounting for Government programmes, such as the revitalisation of shops, neighbourhood renewal programme and schemes involving the Town Council's collaboration with NEA were new and, in some cases, unheard of to the management of AHPETC. Like lift upgrading, many of these were not extended to Hougang in the past. Separately, some invoices were the subject of disagreements with HDB on co-payment for facade repair to HDB blocks and, hence, were subject to follow-up by the Town Council, resulting in them not being removed as receivables. The Town Council has since informed AGO that it has received payment from sundry debtors in the two financial years after the Foo Kon Tan audit of FY2012/2013, amounting to $508,730, of which, $483,134 was owed by HDB. Separately, the AGO report noted that about $376,316 remained outstanding to AHPETC from HDB and NEA respectively, with some owed for more than two years. The AGO's findings also confirmed that NEA had overlooked eight invoices amounting to $11,673 owed to AHPETC. For two particular invoices not rejected by HDB and deemed to be in order, HDB informed AGO that it was still reviewing claims amounting to $175,067, which it received in May and September 2012, almost two and a half years after they were presented to HDB by AHPETC. Mdm Speaker, notwithstanding, the Town Council has adopted a practice of management regularly churning out a list of debtors and appointing a finance staff to follow up with debtors by issuing reminders on the sums owed.”
“The Town Council would like to acknowledge the AGO's efforts in unravelling this disclaimer and following up with the Ang Mo Kio Town Council which, in the aftermath of the AGO's audit and intervention, established that the reimbursement it received from HDB should have originally been made to AHPETC instead, by virtue of boundary changes made on the occasion of the 2011 General Elections. I will deal with the point by the AGO that it was able to unravel the issue of the CCC receivables using documents given to it by AHPETC later in my speech, covering the handing over and taking over of records between the old Aljunied Town Council and AHPETC and the management of records in general. Secondly, on receivables from the taxman, IRAS. Foo Kon Tan noted in its FY2012/2013 audit report that it was not able to ascertain receivables amounting to $110,735. AHPETC acknowledges that these receivables were wrongly stated and that it has duly reversed out these incorrectly stated receivables in May 2014. Page: 40 Thirdly, on sundry debtors. Foo Kon Tan noted in its FY2012/2013 audit report that it was not able to ascertain about $1.8 million of receivables from sundry debtors. AGO found out that the Town Council had incorrectly over-stated about half these receivables and that the Town Council should have been more industrious in recovering payments on a timely basis. Mdm Speaker, while the Town Council acknowledges this point, a bit of background will be helpful to contextualise this particular issue. When the Town Council upscaled the Hougang Town Council's computer system to replace the terminated system used by the former Aljunied Town Council, the Hougang system had a limited number of categories for Town Council operations.”
“6 million were expenses that related to the previous financial year and that the Town Council management did not ascertain the quantum of the prior year's Page: 39 expenses and that their expenditure had been over-stated. The Town Council informed the AGO that some work orders were not raised before 31 March 2012 for works performed in FY2011/2012 due to a staff oversight, explaining the incorrect recording of those expenses. The AGO found out that the actual amount of expenses relating to FY2011/2012 included in the FY2012/2013 audit was actually $63,902 and that the impact of this error in the AGO's words, was, I quote, "not significant." Nonetheless, the AHPETC informed the AGO that with the implementation of the work orders system module on 1 April 2012 for non-routine works, and 1 October 2012 for routine works, lift repair expenses would be accounted for in a timely manner going forward. Point two, receivables from various stakeholders. The second disclaimer from Foo Kon Tan covered receivables from the Citizens Consultative Committee (CCC), a carry-over largely of the CIPC funding process governed by MND to the previous PAP Aljunied Town Council. The other stakeholders in this disclaimer are the taxman and sundry debtors. The total amount in question under this heading is about $3.1 million. First, the CCC. The AGO's findings revealed that, in fact, about $614,237 was due from the CCC while the remaining $563,622 were receivables from other parties, such as tenants and lessees. Separately, even though HDB had banked in about $388,887 into the AHPETC's bank account in June and September 2012, the Town Council was unable to match the receipts to the corresponding receivables.”
“I will also provide some context that the public should be made aware of, acknowledge shortcomings, identify ideas where systemic improvements will be or have already been made and where processes will continue to be enhanced. First, lift upgrading programme and lift expenses. Mdm Speaker, Foo Kon Tan's fifth disclaimer was on the HDB Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) and covered its inability to determine the accuracy of AHPETC's lift upgrading expenses of about $18.6 million. To provide some context to this point, the FMSS staff who previously worked in the Hougang Town Council environment were not familiar with the nature of the billings to HDB for LUP works, as no lift upgrading was carried out in Hougang SMC in the past. Some LUP bills were passed on to FMSS from the previous Managing Agent under the PAP-run Aljunied Town Council. This matter was also brought up in Parliament in 2012 by Ms Sylvia Lim. In particular, the Town Council was concerned about instances where it was billed one year in advance by HDB and certain bills were carried over from FY2011 to FY2012, amongst other matters. Accordingly, the Town Council did not recognise LUP expenses in earlier years amounting to $8.38 million as the Town Council disputed its share of LUP expenses with HDB. In view of the very large numbers, one can understand why the Town Council took a cautious approach. The AGO report has since confirmed that the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council has fully paid up the $18.61 million owed to HDB in May 2013 and that this matter has been fully resolved. Associated with this point is Foo Kon Tan's fourth disclaimer which stated that lift repair expenses of about $1.”
“Mdm Speaker, in Minister Khaw Boon Wan's letter to the Minister of Finance dated 18 February 2014, the Minister highlighted four issues in particular that he felt were not addressed by AHPETC, hereafter referred to as the Town Council. This led to his request to the Minister for Finance to carry out an audit on the Town Council through the AGO. Ms Sylvia Lim has already spoken on the first two points covering related party transactions and the transfer of Sinking Funds. The third issue, on the failure to make available accounts and records after the audit period FY2012/2013 available to the auditor, Foo Kon Tan, for subsequent event review, has been addressed by the AGO. The AGO found no significant matters in these documents that Page: 38 would materially affect the Town Council's FY2012/2013 financial statements. Be that as it may, the Town Council acknowledges the points made by the AGO on this note. I will speak largely on the fourth matter raised in the Minister's letter to the Finance Minister covering the unexplained differences in the figures under audit amounting to a total exceeding $20 million. This matter overlaps to some extent, with the observations made by the AGO, summarised as items 4 and 5 in its main report. This broadly covers the lapses in internal control, procurement and inadequacies in record management and accounting system. I will deal with these matters, focusing on the disclaimers and issues that have the highest financial signature, in the spirit of full transparency and accountability to the residents of AHPETC and to Singaporeans.”
“Thank you, Mdm Speaker. I am going to make two points in response to what the Minister has said. Like the Chairman of the Town Council, I reject the statements made by the Minister. Two points. The Minister alluded to me making some statements about transparency and accountability. I will jog his memory further. It was during the Ministerial Statement on Town Councils in May 2013. I made similar comments that we will proceed on this basis – transparency and accountability. Now, if I did not believe in transparency and accountability, I would not be supporting this Motion today and neither would any Member of the Workers' Party. But we are supporting it. The second point: the Town Council elected members and Members of Parliament will continue to serve the residents to the best of their ability and in their interests, as we have done since May 2011. Every week, I do my house visits twice a week; other Workers' Party Members, some of them do it three times a week. We knock on the doors ourselves, no RC member with us. And we ask residents, "Is there anything we can do? Do you have any question for us?" I fully believe when I do my house visits this Saturday, some of these questions will come up. Likewise, they will come up for my fellow Workers' Party Members of Parliament. We will answer all of them. Why? Because our duty is to the residents. We Page: 104 will answer to them. Well, Minister, if you were a resident, I will answer your question.”
“The Workers' Party proposes that the retail sale of alcohol be allowed to continue as long as an individual does not consume the purchased alcohol in a prospectively disallowed public area, as it is foreseeable that such purchases may be for private consumption, rather than at bars and clubs where alcohol is usually more expensive to purchase. It follows that the operational implementation of the new liquor control measures should not be applied bluntly, painting every liquor retailer with the same brush. A flexible Page: 26 licensing regime can be accommodated, as licensing officers are empowered with extensive powers to add or remove conditions from retail licences. This is conceivable in cases where community feedback, for example, determines that a certain retail outlet should stop the retail sale of liquor after a certain point and depending on the individual case, even before 10.30 pm, if necessary. Such a regime puts self-regulation and community engagement in as a first step before regulation kicks in. It is also likely to be fairer in principle and more calibrated in application. Mdm Speaker, my colleagues will share with the House, perspectives on Police enforcement of the measures proposed, amongst other points relevant to the Bill. To recap, while the Workers' Party agrees with the principle of the Bill, we are of the view that the regulations proposed by the Bill need to be scoped more finely to better balance and to reflect the public interest. 2.25 pm”
“However, greater policy clarity is required for certain public areas like hawker centres which may not be situated in residential areas and where the liquor consumption rules can be made subject to greater flexibility. For example, it is understood that liquor sale and consumption in places like coffee shops would be subject to liquor licensing conditions and customers will be allowed to consume alcohol within these premises beyond the 10.30 pm guidelines, depending on the conditions of the respective licence. However, it is unclear whether a similar licensing philosophy can be extended to hawker centres where customers drink liquor, purchased from stalls within their premises where patrons could, for example, be allowed to continue consuming liquor till midnight. In this context, I ask if the Ministry can consider allowing the consumption of liquor at hawker centres, akin to the licensing framework similar to that applied in the case of coffee shops. Similarly, a more liberal liquor consumption regime should also be considered at places away from residential areas, like East Coast Park. Such a regime would also address the real concerns of the unnecessary atmosphere of control, prejudicing and targeting the majority of Singaporeans, who, I would argue, drink responsibly. It would also obviate the need for permits that add an administrative burden not just for the Police but for the public as well. Secondly, the Workers' Party is of the view that the blanket ban covering the retail sale of alcohol up to 10.30 pm may be too interventionist and too strong a measure, one that operates to underestimate and may even undermine the capacity of Singaporeans to engage in responsible behaviour, as alluded to earlier.”
“For example, the Ministry's feedback and public consultation exercise on the Bill garnered strong support for measures to reduce threats to public safety and order and to mitigate the disamenities associated with the sale and consumption of alcohol in public places. As informed MHA's press release dated 7 November 2014, this support came through 395 pieces of written feedback and the participation of 624 members of the public in the electronic poll, including the Ministry's discussions with 200 stakeholders. This officially strong support contrasted markedly against an informal Straits Times poll which revealed an opposite response. One day after the First Reading of the Bill in Parliament, 78% of 9,000 Straits Times readers who participated in the poll disagreed with the proposed Bill. Ostensibly, in response to this poll, a telephone survey conducted by the Government feedback unit swung the pendulum back the other way with strong support for the Bill from over 1,000 residents. This oscillating difference of opinions suggest that certain operational aspects of the Bill may need to be looked at and fine-tuned to achieve a calibrated application of the law in Page: 25 practice. I seek the Minister's reconsideration of two specific regulations that this Bill will introduce into law, in tandem with the wide-ranging public feedback which differs in some cases even among those who agree with the Bill. And I hope these can be accordingly considered. Firstly, the proposal to restrict the drinking of liquor to 10.30 pm at residential areas, such as void decks, is welcomed. This is borne out of the lived experience of many residents in various HDB estates.”
“Mdm Speaker, the Workers' Party supports the principle of the Bill to empower the Government to regulate the supply and consumption of liquor in Page: 24 public places. Nonetheless, there has been considerable public anxiety about the extent of the restrictions mooted by this Bill. The Workers' Party believes there is greater scope to better calibrate the operational application of the Bill so as to secure greater public buy-in for the liquor control measures proposed by the Ministry. Generally, it will be important for the Minister to share more information and statistical evidence of the nexus between public acts of disorder and the alcohol-fuelled law and order problems, including the scale of the problems nation-wide so that the public can appreciate the Ministry's perspective and policy making considerations in tabling this Bill. I understand that the Minister has shared some information, in this regard identifying 47 cases of rioting, 100 cases of affray and 115 cases of serious hurt last year and that one-fifth of this occurred in Little India and Geylang. Can the Minister provide more resolution of the other areas in Singapore, for example, where such liquor-related disamenities take place? In addition, the Minister stated that nine out of 10 of these incidents occurred after 10.30 pm. This statistic could do with more resolution as well. Does the cut-off time of 10.30 pm dovetail naturally with the law-and-order problems that the Minister stated in the earlier set of data? Or do some areas come alive, so to speak, in terms of public disamenities well after 10.30 pm like midnight, for example? Additional clarity on all these data would be appreciated. Mdm Speaker, the public feedback to this Bill has been inconsistent and somewhat contradictory.”
“Mdm Speaker, just a quick clarification for the Minister. I made a point in my speech about penalties and how far ownership would extend if the owner or the proprietor could prove that it had no control, for example, in making repairs or alterations to a foreign employee dormitory. This is really with regard to the larger point about how far responsibility towards foreign workers should extend up and down the line.”
“In conclusion, Mdm Speaker, while I support the Bill, which seeks to regulate some aspects of foreign worker accommodation in Singapore, I fear it may be a half measure and rendered otiose if there is no parallel strategy to better regulate foreign employee accommodation per se – targeting not just big dormitory operators but the small-time businesses as well. Such an approach would be fairer and serve regulators and businesses better, too, as it would not unwittingly penalise honest businesses which operate large dormitories that this Bill will regulate who play the game by the rules and will do many Singaporeans a great service by improving the lot of our foreign workers. If Singapore manages to scale up its standards of foreign employee accommodation, our businesses are likely to attract higher quality workers and significantly lower the risk of another tragic and senseless fire in Geylang or, potentially, wanton violations of statutory regulations, as evidenced by the secret dormitories in Tampines.”
“In keeping with the purpose of the Bill as made out in clause 4, would it not be less ambiguous and in keeping with the parliamentary intention of the Bill to make the licence holder and the owner or owners, regardless of their shareholding, jointly and severally liable for any infractions committed by the licence holder? A clarification of this point, in view of the Ministry's potentially ambiguous press release of 4 November, would be appreciated. Page: 56 Mdm Speaker, if this Bill is about providing for certain standards of accommodation and to promote the continuous improvement in the provision of services at dormitories, then I would argue that a firm enforcement regime that emphasises responsibility for foreign workers up and down the value chain be enshrined by this Bill and enunciated by the Minister. This is especially so since big corporates can potentially come on board and purchase strategic stakes in foreign employee dormitories as investors. The benefits of such a prospect should not be only to unlock shareholder value. I would argue that the benefits should flow back to the industry and to society and align itself to the purpose of this Bill. In some cases, the financial heft of big corporates and holding companies and their ability to undertake independent risk assessments put them in a good position to be the quasi-regulators of this industry, by virtue of ownership, alongside the Dormitory Association of Singapore Limited.”
“To this end, in MOM's press release on the Bill dated 4 November 2014, under the section covering penalties, it was stated, and I quote: "The holder of the dormitory licence will be the dormitory operator responsible for the day-to-day running of the dormitory. Nonetheless, the premises may be owned by a separate proprietor who either sublets the premises to the operator for use as a dormitory; or appoints the operator to manage the daily operations on his behalf. In such instances, we [the Ministry] will hold proprietors accountable where they, rather than the operators, have more control, for example, in making repairs or alterations to the premises." I seek some clarifications on this point in the press release since the Bill does not make specific reference to the degree of control as apportioned between, for example, the ultimate owner of a foreign employee dormitory and the licensed operator in the event of an infraction. For example, how far would an owner or a corporate entity be held liable if it can prove it had no control in making repairs and alterations to a boarding premises? Does that mean it is not responsible should foreign workers be found living in unsatisfactory conditions? The interpretation section of the Bill defines a "proprietor" as "includes the owner of the premises who is the lessor or grantor of the licence to occupy". Specifically, I would like to ask the Minister, how far does ownership extend, as defined by this definition? Would it cover financial institutions and funds that are the ultimate owners and who seek to unlock value in such investments?”
“As recently as 2008, Avery Strategic Investments, an entity that was then 97% controlled by Morgan Stanley Real Estate, bought three foreign worker dormitories for $153 million when Jurong Town Corporation offered to sell these dormitories comprising a total of 13,544 beds. An officer of the minority shareholder, Averic Capital Management, was then quoted as saying, "As the Singapore economy grows, likely so will the dormitory business. We're hopeful the economy remains robust; then there will be more opportunities to invest in this asset class." About two-and-a-half years later, Morgan Stanley sought to exit the dormitory business, citing a dearth of sites made available for dormitory development by the Government, preventing them from enlarging their portfolio to spin off the business into a dormitory real estate investment trust. It was reported that the entity received expressions of interests ranging from $375 million to $450 million, a whopping $100 million more than the total cost Page: 55 of assets it purchased a mere three years earlier. Mdm Speaker, it is not in doubt that the market is the lifeblood of any society. However, for industries and sectors that have significant socio-cultural implications for an urban and high-density society like Singapore, the market approach should go hand-in-hand with responsibility towards our foreign workers. Apart from the dizzying dollars churned by the financial industry and the heady world of mergers and acquisitions, the concern of many Singaporeans and Members of this House, by virtue of this Bill, is primarily over the health, safety, security and safe lodging of our foreign workers.”
“The entry of the Government into the sector can be modelled along the entry of the Ministry of Education into the kindergarten business, which is to provide good preschool education and, more importantly, to catalyse improvements in this sector. If deemed appropriate, a fraction of the foreign worker levy can be used to establish such dormitories, with a subsidy for small companies that show real and sustained productivity improvements in their operations. Mdm Speaker, Part 5 of the Explanatory Statement of the Bill states that the Minister, by way of subsidiary legislation, can determine that several buildings on different parcels of land can be regarded as a single boarding premises and whether all the beds therein are to be counted to determine if the total threshold number is attained. This is a positive move as it would prevent savvy operators who would nonetheless operate assiduously to work around the 1,000-bed threshold by all means, effectively negating Parliament's intent, for example, by creating sister companies through friends and families. I would like to ask the Minister whether the Ministry has determined how many additional dormitory operators are likely to come under this scenario, as spelt out in the Explanatory Note, and how many beds, so to speak, would come under the licensing framework as a result of this envisaged subsidiary legislation. The Bill's intention to determine that several buildings on different parcels of land can be regarded as a single boarding premises should also attract potential investors.”
“However, rendering such operational flexibility for businesses would have been an opportune time to introduce clear licensing requirements, regulatory standards and a penalty framework for such temporary foreign worker quarters. This would have greatly supported the contractors on the one hand and improved the living conditions of foreign workers on the other. In drafting this Bill, I would like to enquire if the Ministry has considered, for example, introducing a separate category or categories of licensing for premises that operate as smaller foreign employee accommodation below the threshold number, so as to bring many more dormitories and places of accommodation for foreign workers under a licensing framework. Such a broad strategy would have been aligned with the purpose of this Bill, as spelt out in clause 4, which seeks to establish certain accommodation standards for foreign Page: 54 employee dormitories; for the appropriate mechanisms to ensure adherence to those very standards; and to promote the sustainability of, and continuous improvements in, the provision of services at foreign employee dormitories. One possible way to support SMEs and small businesses and contractors on the one hand, and the foreign worker community on the other, is for the Government to consider building and managing some dormitories for our foreign workers. For example, employers that employ 100 or less foreign workers, being more sensitive to cost pressures, can be eligible to house their workers in Government-built and operated dormitories which set the standard for the entire industry.”
“A recent Business Times' article reported that the first half of 2014 saw 360 inspections. However, the large number of these continuing violations and inspections suggest that Singapore, a First World economy by any stretch, does not host a robust enough framework governing the housing of foreign workers, even as this Bill is a step in the correct direction. Mdm Speaker, the Explanatory Note of the Bill defines "foreign employee dormitory" to mean a premises that provides accommodation for more than 1,000 workers. By this threshold, the Bill does not address the sort of accommodation at the centre of the 6 December Geylang fire and the "secret dormitories", such as those in Tampines. I would like to ask the Minister what plans are envisaged to reduce this threshold number within the context of the Bill since it is explicitly suggested in the Explanatory Note and, separately, how this figure of 1,000 was arrived at, in the first instance, in view of the need for greater oversight, regulation and enforcement across this industry, than is currently the case. Separately, a Straits Times' report of 19 August 2014 reported, rather oddly, that there were at least 5,000 empty beds still available at purpose-built dormitories that are covered by this Bill. The reason for this sudden turn of events was put down to more construction firms being permitted by the authorities to set up foreign worker quarters on the sites of major building projects, such as the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and HDB sites. I recognise that manpower proximity to the workplace helps reduce costs for businesses, particularly construction contractors. To this extent, Government policies should support such considerations wherever possible.”
“On 21 November 2014, The Straits Times reported that a spot check by the Migrant Workers' Centre found more than 50 construction workers from Bangladesh and India crammed into two small apartments in Selegie Road, as enunciated most recently by Mr Yeo Guat Kwang. It is also reported that the men "slept shoulder to shoulder, amid rotting food and soiled clothes". The same article reminded readers that the paper had raised several reports earlier on unhygienic and overcrowded foreign worker housing, recounting an incident at a Punggol HDB construction site where hundreds of workers had to use choked and broken urinals, and another story covering the plight of about 5,000 workers living at Tuas View Square in factory-converted dormitories infested with rats and mosquitoes. A Business Times' story of the same month reported that of the 770,000 Work Permit holders, only 200,000 stay in purpose-built dormitories that this Bill will regulate, with requirements for a little less than double the amount. The rest of our foreign workers stay in a variety of places, like the putatively illegal dormitories in Geylang and Tampines, and in Page: 53 HDB flats in some cases, and at temporary housing at construction sites, all unregulated by an omnibus act of Parliament – notwithstanding the spaghetti bowl of guidelines and restrictions governing such accommodation from URA, SCDF, PUB, BCA, NEA and HDB. During the Second Reading of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Bill in 2012, the Minister informed the House that in 2011, MOM conducted close to 800 inspections of premises used as foreign worker housing and that in 2009, enforcement action was taken against 1,800 employers for housing their workers in unacceptable conditions.”