Sharael Taha
Singapore
“L, link regional ecosystems. O, we orchestrate with AI and frontier technologies. And W, we win by creating greater economic value, better jobs and better lives for Singaporeans. For the past 60 years, Singapore mastered the movement of ships. Then we mastered the movement of aircraft. Today, we are mastering the movement of data.”
“This is a test of our social compact, a compact that must now be renewed for a new era where businesses commit to not just profits but to people, where workers commit to not just jobs, but to lifelong growth, and where the Government continues to stand with both, ensuring that no one is left behind.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to thank Minister Tan for sharing the dual fuel nature of our power plants. My supplementary question is how quick is this switching? Can it manage the volatility, especially this unprecedented volatility? And do we need to re-optimise our power plants to manage our energy generation resilience?”
“Thank you, Chairman. Chairman, the Rail Reliability Taskforce has set out clear recommendations – accelerate renewal of ageing core systems, including train signalling and traction power, strengthen backup and resilience measures, improve asset management and spare part planning, deepen workforce capabilities and enhance commuter communic…”
“Thank you, Chairman. I thank the Minister and the political office holders for their comprehensive response. I have a few supplementary questions. I believe the Minister did not get an opportunity to address my cut on the role of NAIC. What precisely is its role?”
“Okay. Mr Chairman, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Minister Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How, Minister of State Rahayu, Minister of State Jasmin Lau and the Permanent Secretary of MDDI, and the whole MDDI team for the responses and the great work that they do.”
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Every one of 500 lines we hold for Sharael Taha, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 7 of 10.
“In my conversations with Pasir Ris residents, including those from the Malay/Muslim community, many said that they are worried about the high inflation rates, cost of living and healthcare. During a dialogue session with more than 70 members of the community through M3@Pasir Ris-Punggol network, the top three concerns that they faced were the need to take care of the elderly, assistance for low-income families who are facing increasingly rising costs, and education for students from low-income families. I understand and note that the issue of GST hike is complicated, especially with the increase in the cost of living. However, the fact is, this GST increase will be channelled to take better care of our seniors whose number is increasing; besides meeting the rising healthcare expenses. Almost one in five Singaporeans are aged 65 and above, and this figure will increase to about one in four by 2030. Between 2012 and 2022, healthcare expenditure has increased from around $3 billion to $10 billion a year. This is a threefold increase in 10 years. In fact, this amount will continue to increase and is expected to reach $27 billion a year by 2030. That is almost 10 times increase compared to the cost in 2012. Therefore, we need to prepare a revenue stream right now to ensure that we will have sufficient resources. Mr Speaker, the question is, how can the Government mitigate the impact of the GST hike? First, the Government will fully absorb the GST on education and healthcare, which will receive public subsidy. In addition, the Assurance Package means that all adult Singaporeans will receive cash payouts between $700 and $1,600 over five years.”
“If corporate tax is not a suitable alternative at present, then how about GST? Sixty percent of GST income comes from the top 20% income earners and foreigners spending in Singapore. Imagine that. When a tourist is having a meal at our restaurants or booked for himself a 5-star hotel, if he spends $1,000 for a three-day stay in one of our hotels, that additional tax income contributes to paying for our healthcare cost. As fellow Parliamentary colleague, Mr Saktiandi Supaat, mentioned earlier, which other taxation tool allows us to tax a non-residential population so effectively? According to the Singapore Tourism Analytics Network (STAN), 22.84 million tourists visited Singapore in pre-COVID-19 2019 and spent an average of more than $1,000 during their stay. Though they can claim tax refunds for goods that they purchased, the additional tax that they pay for services contribute to our tax income directly. Nevertheless, as much as GST allows us to earn more from visitors, we must do as much as we can to assist the middle and lower income, such as through the Assurance Package, the cost of living and GST packages. The enhanced GST cash vouchers, GST U-Save rebates to offset utilities, S&CC rebates, MediSave top-ups for seniors and GST Seniors' Bonus means that many Singaporeans pay GST below the headline rate. In fact, with the 9% GST and enhanced GST Vouchers, 70% of the population will pay less than the current 7% GST and the bottom 10% of Singapore households, including many retiree households, do not pay GST at all after the offset. Mr Speaker, in Malay, please. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Inflation is at an all-time high in Singapore.”
“Businesses can choose to slow down their growth, especially slow down their growth in Singapore, choose to not grow their operations in Singapore, diversify elsewhere or, worse, exit Singapore. Any of these decisions will hurt our workers and our economy and that has a secondary effect of lowering our tax collection further. Hence, taking into consideration the uncertainties – the uncertainty of when it is to be implemented across all the OECD member states, uncertainty of the net income we can receive from it, uncertainty of how businesses and governments will react – how can we have the confidence to rely on this uncertain revenue source to finance something as certain and as critical as the healthcare needs of our ageing population? The real question is, Mr Speaker, Sir, will there be a net increase in income from corporate tax such that gains in BEPS 2.0 alone can be sufficient to make up the “hole left behind by not raising GST”? Is the implementation of BEPS 2.0 a viable and sustainable alternative to GST in paying for our increasing healthcare costs? Mr Speaker, with all the uncertainties, the only thing that is certain is that if there is an increase in revenue from corporate taxes, there will not be a direct flowthrough of revenue to income as we will have to do something – spend more to restore the lost competitive lever. My worry, Mr Speaker, Sir: one in four Singaporeans will be above the age of 65 in 2030 is a certainty; 200,000 Singaporeans will be above the age of 80 by 2030 is a certainty; our increasing healthcare cost is a certainty. How do we risk the expenditure of something so certain with an uncertain income source? Do we want to take the risk and jeopardise with the healthcare of our population?”
“It is of no doubt that with all the headwinds I have mentioned, we will have to do something and spend on non-tax incentives to restore and enhance our business competitiveness to continue to attract foreign investments when we lose preferential tax rates as one of our competitive levers. At the very least, we will have to spend more on our workforce through programmes like career conversion programmes to train, upskill and attract more of our local talents into high growth industries. We also have to spend more to form collaborations with research institutions like the $65 million Joint Lab programmes between A-star, Rolls-Royce and Singapore Aero Engine Services Private Limited (SAESL) to drive productivity and develop novel technologies for the world. We will also need to spend more on programmes, such as the Productivity Solutions Grant, Enterprise Development Grant, CTO-as-a-Service and many more grants, to help our SMEs grow and develop capabilities that would instill investor confidence that this tiny dot of ours, our Singapore, has the ecosystem that will enable their investments to grow and flourish and, most importantly, provide good jobs to our people despite not having preferential tax rates. There is also the uncertainty of how businesses and governments will react when they lose this competitive lever, too. The business world is neither simple nor static. Businesses and governments will react to this tax equalisation through the provision of grants or corporate schemes to continue to attract investments whenever they lose preferential tax as a lever to attract investments. Businesses have a choice to make and these are not binary choices of to invest or not to invest.”
“0 by hiking corporate taxes willingly ahead of others and foregoing this competitive lever of our economy, especially at a time where other countries are aggressively courting more business investments to aid in their economic recovery? How will this impact our ability to attract investments? Should we put our country's competitiveness at risk since we do not know when and how other countries will implement the changes? Secondly, what will the net income of BEPS 2.0? If we raise corporate taxes to the same level as other countries or worse, ahead of other countries who are competing for the same investment, we would lose this competitive lever for attracting foreign investments. Let me share with you the perspective from the industry now: (a) with the current forecasted inflation rates, high interest rates on working capital; (b) with the increase in payroll cost due to multiple reasons such as a very tight labour market in Singapore, aspirations of our workforce to have higher pay each year and factors like the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) because we want to do this, we want to pay our lower-wage workers better, we want our workforce to be paid more each year but remain competitive in the global market; with the challenges and cost of talent acquisition in Singapore; with managing supply chain volatility; (c) with the strength of the Singaporean dollar decreasing export and service competitiveness; (d) with the global increasing energy cost, and; (e) on top of that, we add on an additional headwind to the businesses like the impending increase in carbon tax – because that is the right thing to do – not for the income of carbon tax but to use carbon tax to encourage our businesses to adopt the right behaviour to protect our environment.”
“In my previous role, I was also involved in making decisions of expansion plans for a global multinational company (MNC). My portfolio included setting up new manufacturing facilities and retrofitting factories that build advanced jet engines in UK, Germany, Canada and Singapore. Under Pillar One, 25% of the residual profits – defined as profit in excess of 10% of revenue – will be allocated away from where the economic activities are conducted to where the markets are. Given Singapore's small domestic market in comparison to those around us as well as our role as a regional hub for MNCs to do business from, there is an expected net outflow of tax revenue as tax is allocated away to the markets where the MNCs are serving. In his earlier speeches, Deputy Prime Minister Wong mentioned the magnitude of fiscal impact would only be clear after international negotiations have been concluded and it has not. Pillar Two of the multilateral consensus includes a global minimum effective tax rate of 15%. By increasing the minimum effective tax rate, we may collect more corporate tax and hence, may just possibly increase tax revenue. However, this truly depends on how other governments and companies react. Mr Speaker, the real question is – will there be a net increase in income from corporate tax such that gains in BEPS 2.0 alone can be sufficient to make up the hole left behind by not raising GST? Though collectively planned for in 2023, implementing BEPS 2.0 across 135 OECD countries will be difficult and uncertain. There is no clear timeline for implementation or how governments will react to it. Should we be the first to implement BEPS 2.”
“3 billion in 2019. If our current healthcare spending continues to increase at a similar rate over the coming decade, we will spend around $27 billion by 2030. How can we fund this increasing healthcare cost? Do we lessen spending on social development, security and external relations or economic development or do we need to increase our revenue sources and redistribute resources more fairly to create a more inclusive society? We all agree that more must be done to keep healthcare affordable and provide greater assistance to lower-income families. We want more to be done without overburdening the lower- and middle-income. We believe that those who have been blessed with more should give back more to society. So, what are our options to provide the necessary healthcare support for our rapidly ageing population while minimising the impact on the majority of Singaporeans? In MOF's analysis of revenue and expenditure based on FY2021, about 70% of Singapore's revenue comes from NIRC, corporate tax, income tax and Goods and Services Tax. In his Budget speech, Deputy Prime Minister Wong mentioned the consideration of all the other types of taxes. Hence, I will not touch on them here. However, I would like to provide a perspective from the industry on corporate tax and, in particular, the impact of Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS 2.0) and if this can be a dependable alternative to raise the additional income we require to finance the increasing healthcare cost. Mr Speaker, at this juncture, I would like to declare my interest. I lead strategy and programme execution, including where to invest, for a company that has a 30% global market share for the maintenance repair and overhaul of aerospace jet engines.”
“One of them, Mr Charles Chow, a young working professional, is concerned for the fact that four working adults are supporting one senior now; but by 2030, only two working adults will support one senior. What are the future financial challenges for working adults if this trend continues? He wonders how we can distribute the costs of providing affordable healthcare among a larger group of taxpayers. Last week, in a dialogue session with more than 70 members in the Malay/Muslim community through M3 Pasir Ris-Punggol, the top three concerns they had for the community were: rising cost, including assistance for low-income families; healthcare cost for our ageing population; and education for students from lower-income families. Many of the residents in my ward are between the ages of 55 and 65. Their children have only recently begun working, their homes will be paid for in the next few years, they have extensive work experience and they plan to retire soon. However, present inflation rates and rising costs of healthcare raise a real concern that their retirement account would prove insufficient. They worry that they would be a burden to their own children after retirement. We also have more "middle-aged" families. They are in their mid-30s or 40s with school-going kids and have relocated from their BTOs in Punggol or Sengkang to Pasir Ris to be closer to their parents who will retire soon. They are concerned about the rising cost of living for their family and the assistance available to care for their elderly parents. They feel sandwiched between their family and responsibility for their parents. In the last Budget debate in February this year, Deputy Prime Minister Wong highlighted that we almost tripled healthcare spending from $3.7 billion in 2010 to $11.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, Sir, for letting me be a part of this debate. Personally, Mr Speaker, Sir, this debate is a difficult one and I am sure many of our colleagues here in the Chamber would agree. During my block visits and conversation with the residents of Pasir Ris-Punggol, cost of living, healthcare and taking care of our increasingly ageing population are issues that weigh heavily on their minds. While we can all try to understand what is going on in the world today and explain the confluence of reasons for the global inflation, or how the Singaporean dollar has strengthened to reduce the net impact of inflation, all these explanations fade away when at the end of the day the price of our grocery bill is more expensive than what it was previously. Firstly, inflation is at an all-time high in Singapore. MAS expects headline inflation in 2022 to come between 5% and 6%, with core inflation to average between 3% and 4%. Prospects in 2023 do not look too rosy either. Economists expect inflation rates to ease but will remain high at 3.5%. This comes with a forecasted slowdown in GDP growth. MTI narrowed its range for Singapore's GDP growth this year to 3% to 4% from an earlier projection of 3% to 5%. This was in tandem with a worsening outlook for the global economy and stubbornly high inflation globally. In my conversations with Pasir Ris residents, across the board, high inflation rates, cost of living and healthcare were top on everyone's worry. In a Public Policy Forum with youths at Pasir Ris East, our youths were concerned about the cost of living, affordability of healthcare for our seniors and the load of supporting our rapidly ageing population across a smaller base.”
“Building a healthier Singapore will require the participation of all levels of society, especially families, which must form the core support that ensures Singaporeans make the best health and lifestyle choices. I would like to suggest that Healthier SG be launched with a family-oriented model and that family support is also placed as the core of individual motivation. More can be done to encourage and support active participation of our family members to take good care of their health. Community partners will continue to provide support, and together, we can all become a healthier, happier and thriving community. (In English): Notwithstanding the points and clarifications above, I support the Motion. 4.49 pm”
“In the lodge, more than 90% of the residents enjoy subsidised care, some even fully subsidised. However, Apex Harmony Lodge has a current capacity to accommodate 200 dementia patients, which is really a small fraction of the expected 90,000 elderlies with dementia by 2030. How are we preparing to provide sufficient healthcare support for the growing number of dementia patients in the future that require either full board or day care services? Mr Speaker, in Malay, please. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] By 2030, one in four Singapore residents will be above 65 years of age, up from one in six today. Statistically, the elderly is more likely to fall sick or suffer from disabilities. Many Singaporeans also have chronic illness. For instance, 32% of our population has hypertension and 37% has hyperlipidaemia. If these conditions are not treated at an early stage, it will lead to significant health complications. As a community, we must give more focus towards preventive care and tackle health issues and lifestyle choices before it is too late. Therefore, we must certainly focus on the elderly, by encouraging them to watch their diet, for instance, by reducing their salt and sugar intake, exercise and to also stop smoking. However, as we focus on our seniors, this does not mean that we can allow other worrying trends to become prevalent amongst our youths. We have often heard about how easy it is to get e-cigarettes, also known as "vape" and there are those among our youths who partake in this unhealthy habit. We must do more to educate our youths on the dangers of vaping and prevent the illegal sale of vapes, especially its sale to our youths.”
“At the heart of Healthier SG is the relationship between family doctor, patient and the health plan. How can Healthier SG adopt a family-oriented model and place family support at the core of motivating individuals? Can the Ministry consider allowing or encouraging family involvement in reviewing and following a prescribed health plan? Can we also look into ways we can increase family engagement as part of Healthier SG, perhaps find a way to introduce gamification where families score points when they take part in an activity together? With enrolment starting for those aged 60 and above in the second half of 2023, will Healthier SG be rolled out to the rest of the population and if yes, when do we expect that to happen? As we look towards our vision of long and healthy lives for Singaporeans, I would like to briefly touch on the support for dementia patients and caregivers. A nationwide study in the Well-being of Singapore Elderly (WiSE) found that one in 10 seniors above the age of 60 suffers from dementia. Today, 60,000 people aged 60 and above live with dementia. By 2030, it is projected that 90,000 residents will be living with dementia in Singapore. That is a 50% increase. In a recent visit to Apex Harmony Lodge in Pasir Ris, a home specialising in dementia care, I was thoroughly impressed by the level of care for our dementia patients in the home. The home, led by Chairman Mr Gan Boon Jin and CEO Ms Soh Mee Choo, has invested in upskilling its staff and introducing new technologies to provide the best care for its patients. However, such healthcare for dementia patients does not come cheap. The cost of taking care of a dementia patient is above $40,000 per year and continues to rise.”
“What other metrics will be given to healthcare clusters to ensure that they are successful at engaging the residents and able to drive significant changes to reshape health and lifestyle choices amongst the residents? In the White Paper, while we have explained the role that residents, family doctors and community partners such as ActiveSG and PA can play, one community partner that is significantly missing are employers. Getting the involvement of employers is very important, considering we spend a significant part of our day working. Other than employers encouraging their company panel doctors to participate in the Healthier SG enrolment programme, how can employers also be incentivised and recognised for participating in the Healthier SG programme? Is there scope for employers to be incentivised to provide healthier meals at the workplace, for example, or even provide healthier lifestyle options such as weekly or hourly time off for exercise breaks? One of the best ways to incentivise and encourage healthy lifestyle habits is to have family members supporting each other. Dieting, exercising and visiting the doctor can be a lonely and challenging task for many individuals, especially when it is done alone. Different family members may also be at different stages of their health transformation journey and at times may accidentally do things that may not exactly help one another. I am sure many of us here have tried to be on a diet and have had a good day of controlling food intake, but the achievement is short-lived the moment a family member invites you to have a late-night supper or offers you that delicious plate of nasi lemak, nasi rawon or char kway teow which you simply cannot refuse!”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, this lifestyle habit of vaping, especially amongst our youths and young adults, is a worrying trend. Although it is illegal, our youths still have access to it. While Healthier SG focuses on inculcating proactive preventative care and healthy lifestyle choices for our elderly and rightly so, we should not turn a blind eye to other emerging worrying trends too. We must do more to educate our youths on the dangers of vaping, and prevent and enforce the illegal sale of vapes, especially to our school children. With the ease of purchasing vaporisers, the anecdotal evidence suggest that our youths are exposed to this unhealthy lifestyle habit at a young age which may be detrimental to our vision of long and healthy lives for Singaporeans as the Motion exerts. There may also be other unhealthy lifestyle habits that we need to be aware of. Strong partnerships amongst stakeholders in the community can help to promote healthy lifestyle habits and choices instead. This brings me to the second point on building strong partnerships within the community. In the White Paper, the National Healthcare Group (NHG), National University Health System (NUHS) and SingHealth (SHS) will step up as regional health managers to look after the health of approximately 1.5 million residents in their respective sectors each and work with family doctors and other partners to reach out to as many residents as possible. Funding model will shift from a workload-based model to a capitation-based model where clusters receive a pre-determined fee for every resident assigned to them on geographical boundaries. How do we ensure the clusters reach out to its residents effectively? Being able to reach out to residents should just be one of the metrics for healthcare clusters to consider.”
“One of our Pasir Ris-Punggol resident volunteers shared that it is prevalently used by her schoolmates in polytechnic and it is not uncommon to hear cases of students in secondary school possessing illegal vapes. Vaping is not harmless. As of 18 February 2020, vaping has been linked to 68 deaths and over 2,800 cases of lung injury related to vaping – now more commonly referred to as EVALI, E-cigarette or Vaping product use-Associated Lung Injury, in the United States. When CNA did a special on teenage vaping a week ago on 23 September, confiscated vapes were sent to Health Science Authority for lab testing. The results of the chemical content in the liquid were shocking. Among the chemicals found was formaldehyde, a cancer-causing agent used in the process of embalming, nicotine levels which surpassed a stick of cigarette and juice laced with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive compound found in marijuana. According to the CNA report, Dr Aneez Ahmed, senior consultant surgeon for thoracic surgery at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital says he is starting to see cases of teen vapers with inflamed lungs. Despite its ban since 2018 and its harmful effects, vapes continue to be popular and is accessible even to our young. According to the report, one of the teenagers, Kelly, who started vaping at 16 years old, explained to the interviewer that it was simply much easier for her to get hold of a vape than to buy cigarettes from a shop as she is underage. Anecdotal conversations with youths disturbingly surface the ease in which they can obtain vaping instruments online or through Instagram chatrooms, with the product delivered within an hour to a day upon order.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, by 2030, one in four Singapore residents will be above 65 years of age, up from one in six today. Statistically, the elderly is more likely to fall sick or suffer from disabilities. Age aside, there is a prevalence of chronic diseases amongst our population – 32% of our population has hypertension and 37% has hyperlipidaemia. If left untreated, high blood pressure and high cholesterol will lead to significant health problems. Shifting our approach from reactively caring for those who are sick to proactively preventing individuals from falling ill is an applaudable move by the Ministry. It is understandable that we first focus on onboarding the elderly with regular checkups and promoting healthy lifestyle choices. However, we must not forget the other age segments of our population and address lifestyle habits that are also of growing concern. In the March sitting last year, I asked the Minister for Education on the number of vaping cases that has been reported in schools since the ban on e-vaporisers in 2018. I also asked how we can educate our youths on the dangers of using electronic vaporisers and what action can be taken against those who supply such items to our school-going children. Unfortunately, there is no specific data point for vaping amongst students and the Ministry replied that it will continue to monitor the trend. Though we do not have specific data on hand, conversations and anecdotal sharing all point towards a worrying rising trend on the use of these illegal electronic vaporisers with our school-going youths and young adults.”
“I thank the Minister for his reply on meeting the short-term ramp-up demands for the industry. Given that Changi Airport is our strategic asset and has still many labour-intensive components, such as baggage handling, catering and training, what lessons can be learnt and incorporated in the future Terminal 5 (T5) design and possible retrofitting of the current infrastructure? And how can we provide more support for the airport workers, such as those represented by Singapore Airport Terminal Services Workers Union (SATSWU) to upskill and improve productivity so that we can continue to improve on the renowned service of Changi Airport?”
“Second, for suspects acquitted of their crimes, discharged by the court, or found not to be involved in a crime, how much time is given to them to apply for their DNA information to be removed? Third, do we have the capacity to process this new number of DNA samples arising from this Bill? Lastly, how do we safeguard this DNA data from being abused? (In English): Mdm Deputy Speaker, notwithstanding the clarifications above, I am in support of the Bill.”
“As the list of "eligible offences" is quite extensive, do we have the necessary capacity to handle the expected influx of DNA samples as evidence? Would this inadvertently lead to delays in the administration of justice especially if there is a backlog created due to the inefficient collection and analysis of DNA data? Perhaps, a breakdown of "registered" and "eligible" crime would be useful to make an informed projection of the number of samples expected. Do we have sufficient professionals and trained personnel in the criminal justice system to ensure the optimal use of DNA as evidence to assist victims and solve crimes? It would be counter-productive if the collection of DNA samples as evidence leads to a delay in investigations. Lastly, how do we safeguard the data from being abused? How do we ensure that DNA data is safely secured from unauthorised access and protected from being modified or deleted? This should also extend to data that has been shared with foreign law enforcement agencies. Under what contexts would it be necessary for our Police Force to share DNA information with foreign agencies, and how safe would the data be once it has been ported over? Would there be safeguards against future use of this information beyond the original intent of this Bill? Mdm Deputy Speaker, in Malay, please. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] This Bill intends to expand the DNA database and thus, enable the police to solve cases more effectively. However, I would like to seek the following clarifications. First, how will the DNA sample be extracted? Do those currently serving time need to provide their DNA?”
“In a case of unlawful stalking, for example, which will be an "eligible" crime, where the stalker is already known to the victim, would the stalker's DNA still need to be collected at any point of the investigations? How will the DNA sample be extracted then from such an individual? In a situation where there are multiple suspects for a single crime, for example, would all the suspects of such "eligible" crime have their DNA sample taken? Does this apply to those currently serving term for "eligible" crimes? If the intent is to "grow" the database, it is more helpful in this case for the Police to collect as many DNA samples as possible as it is quite plausible that the DNA information would be useful, if not for the immediate case, it could still be useful in future. However, we also do not want a situation where we indiscriminately collect samples from suspects. There should be proper criteria or procedure to follow to ascertain whether a sample needs to be taken or not. This is to ensure that we can maintain the privacy and dignity of suspects too while investigations are taking place. Consequently, for suspects acquitted of the crimes, discharged by the Court or found not to be involved in a crime, how long does the individual have to apply for his DNA information to be removed? Does it apply for suspects who are discharged not amounting to acquittal? It has to be reiterated that the collection of samples is to expand the database in order to help with investigations. On what basis do we decide that a person's DNA sample or information would not be stored? Secondly, with plans to further expand the database with the inclusion of "eligible" offences, will this overwhelm our forensic labs in terms of number of DNA samples?”
“Thank you, Mdm Deputy Speaker, apologies for the technical difficulties faced earlier. Mdm Deputy Speaker, on 3 August 2022, The Straits Times reported that DNA matching helps Police hit a 100% success rate in cracking murder cases over the past eight to nine years. The ability to extract DNA from the crime scene and run it through the database has greatly improved the odds of the Police here in apprehending criminals. There is certainly merit in expanding the database to include "eligible" crimes. A larger database would exponentially increase the effectiveness of the Police Force in solving cases, especially when such cases have little leads, such as a lack of CCTV footage or eyewitnesses. However, with the ability to collect DNA from more suspects and offenders, how do we ensure the privacy of our citizens is adequately protected? While we acknowledge that an expanded database would prove useful for criminal investigations, we must strike the correct balance between the need to collect and record samples while also protecting the rights and privacy of our citizens. How invasive are we going to be when collecting samples and what are procedures set in place to ensure that the collection and storage of samples does not infringe on the rights of our citizens? Hence, while I agree with the Bill in-principle as our law enforcement officers should be given every tool possible to help with investigations, I would also like to make certain clarifications. The first point of clarification is whether this Bill will make the collection of DNA compulsory or admissible. In other words, will the Police take DNA samples in cases like "registrable" and "eligible" offences or the Police can, but need not always take a DNA sample?”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, I seem to have some technical problems. Can I go after this instead? My apologies.”
“I would like to thank Minister for sharing the story of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. As he mentioned, Liu Bei, had to visit his friend three times to convince him to join the team. Minister also mentioned that there will be stringent and rigorous checks to ensure the validity of the application. Similarly, as mentioned by Mr Chia, MNCs are also facing intense challenge to attract these talents to drive transformation from Singapore. How do we ensure the annual checks for these Pass holders can be implemented in a way that is not too onerous, so that we can continue to attract these talents, so that we can position Singapore to lead business transformation from our island?”
“This new service will need specialised resources. We should remain prudent with our expenditure, without compromising on the efficiency and effectiveness of national security. (In English): In conclusion, Mdm Deputy Speaker, as the range of threats we face become multifaceted and more complex, it indeed important to consider how we can best develop our defensive capabilities as a nation. We need to consider how best to do this given our present capabilities, resources and manpower challenges. Recent world events have highlighted the urgency in which this has to be done. Notwithstanding the above clarifications, Mdm Deputy Speaker, I support the Bill.”
“Will the addition of the fourth service increase our financial expenditure on defence or will the cost be contained within our current defence budget, which then implies that the other three services take a budget cut? If it is additional expenditure, what is the expected percentage increase in our defence budget? While we keep an eye on costs, it is also important for us to build the right capability to defend Singapore. Mdm Deputy Speaker, in Malay, please. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Singapore is now facing various security threats. These range from terrorism to cyber attacks which all have the potential to cripple our nation. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine is a stark reminder to take national security issues very seriously and to safeguard Singapore's security physically, as well as in cyberspace. Hence, it is important for us to form the fourth service of the SAF; that is, the Digital and Intelligence Service to address new security threats. However, it is important to delineate the responsibilities of the DIS and the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) to ensure that their responsibilities do not overlap. Instead, there should be inter-ministry cooperation to synergise the efforts of both organisations, in order to attain the most optimal outcome for Singapore's defence. We must also look into upgrading the digital skills of our very own workforce because we cannot afford to depend on overseas talent to circumvent the shortage of manpower in Singapore itself. Personnel deployed in this fourth service must be loyal and true to Singapore, as their task involves our nation’s security and interests.This must be seen as an opportunity for us to contribute towards our nation’s safety and defence. We should also be mindful of the costs of setting up DIS.”
“Instead, we have to grow a larger pool of local talents to tap on, especially in context of our national defence. This will require a whole-of-Government approach over the next few years as we rapidly build our national cyber defence posture and digital capabilities. To meet the short-term ramp-up phase, beyond attempting to attract individual mid-career talents, can we also consider mass career conversion programmes from other industries or even consider upskilling or retraining some of our NSF or NSmen units and redeploying them to DIS, so that we can gather the critical mass required for DIS to be effective quickly? Alternatively, we can also consider having a scheme where NSmen who have completed their ORNS cycle continue to volunteer and support DIS. The Work-Learn Schemes where Digital Specialists can earn academic credits from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) that contribute to a degree in Data Science and AI, Computer Science or Computer Engineering is a very good idea for our NSFs. Can we expand that idea to also include opportunities for our higher Nitec graduates to acquire skills and gain academic credits for their future diplomas too? And as we solve the short-term ramp-up needs of DIS and our industries, do we need to readjust the long-term supply of digital and tech talents graduating from our institutes of higher learning (IHLs)? What proportion of the future forecasted demand for these talents will be met by our local IHLs? For instance, should we be looking into increasing our cohort sizes for the digital and tech courses in IHLs to meet the long-term demand? Thirdly, on cost.”
“And does DIS have some degree of autonomy to deal with cybersecurity threats from any source, state or non-state, quickly and expeditiously to neutralise the threat, without the knowledge of the other arms of SAF? Part of deterrence is also showcasing our capability and posturing. How do we intend to showcase the capability of our fourth service as a deterrent measure? Secondly, on manpower and talent required, what will be the estimated headcount size of our fourth service? In a recent Business Times' article on 7 July, it was reported that Singapore will add at least 20,000 digital jobs in the already heated labour market. In March 2022, there were 128,100 job vacancies and the ratio of job vacancies to unemployed people is 2.42, the highest since 1998. Currently, it is already challenging to find Singaporean digital talents for the private industry. Setting up DIS will inevitably place additional demand on an already strained labour market. Hence, how can we man this fourth service with the right Singaporean digital talents? To meet the needs of our industries, we can develop our local workforce with digital skills and complement them with global talents. However, we must keep in mind that for DIS, as is the case with our other three services, our personnel must be Singaporean, as their work deals with national security and interests. While I acknowledge MINDEF's proposal of developing our SAF digital workforce by expanding the C4X and DCX digital schemes and attracting mid-career talents, providing flexible contract options and leveraging on NSmen, this shortage of local manpower with the right skillset may require a larger effort than a single Ministry. Collectively, in Singapore, we cannot just move the local digital talents from one industry to another.”
“This Bill will enable the addition of our fourth service – the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS), led by the Chief of DIS, and reporting to the Chief of Defence Force. DIS will include having a Digital Ops-Tech Centre and Centre of Excellence for Cyber Range. As announced in the Budget this year, DIS will be responsible for intelligence, cyber and psychological defence, as well as advancing the SAF as a networked force. Given that attacks can originate from countries and non-state entities from across the globe, how does this align with the role of the Cyber Security Agency (CSA)? Do they have overlapping roles? With CSA reporting under a different Ministry, how can we ensure that both agencies complement each other and become our force multipliers? For example, for threats, such as Pipedream and Incontroller, which can seize control of critical infrastructure in Singapore, how will both agencies collaborate across Ministries to provide the best defensive outcome for Singapore, without hindering the operations of each other? Given our scarce resource of talent in this very specialised field, how can we ensure that we efficiently use the limited pool that we have for the best effective outcome, for the security of Singapore? On DIS' capabilities, how can we ensure we are constantly seeking cutting edge capabilities and continuously evolve to tackle the ever-changing threats to safeguard our country? Beyond cyber defence, our DIS must also have capabilities to strive to protect our assets in the digital space. How will we define the new rules of engagement in this digital sphere? Can, or should, DIS operate independently of the other three arms?”
“Thank you, Mdm Deputy Speaker. In a week's time, we will celebrate our National Day and we will also celebrate our 55th year of National Service. Mdm Deputy Speaker, before I begin, I would like to thank all our NSFs, NSMen and all our Servicemen and women, past and present, for protecting our country and safeguarding our sovereignty. Our Singapore Armed Forces have always protected us from all threats – land, air and sea – and have always evolved to take on any new threats. The security threat confronting Singapore today is multifaceted and ever-changing. This is increasingly evident when we consider countries and non-state entities capable of launching attacks across both physical and digital spheres. The current war in Ukraine, for example, has shown that Ukraine had been under cyber attacks since 2014 and these intensified just prior to the war in February this year. Cyber attacks targeting a country is nothing new. In 2007, a series of cyber attacks targeted Estonian organisations, including its parliament, ministries, banks and newspapers. The online services of Estonian banks and media outlets were taken down by unprecedented levels of internet traffic. Massive waves of spam were sent by botnets and huge amounts of automated online requests swamped servers. Just this year, malwares, such as Pipedream and Incontroller, can target ICS and SCADA systems in industries, and can seize control and take down critical infrastructure. Hence, I understand the pressing need to develop our defence capabilities to tackle attacks from the digital sphere. However, I do have several clarifications to make. Firstly, let us take a look at the structure, scope and capability of our Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS).”
“I thank the Minister for the comprehensive statement. I believe many sportsmen and women and athletes in our national schools feel the excitement on the vision on the integrated sports precinct. The Minister mentioned that sports, such as football, tennis and track and field, would have world-class facilities at the new sports precinct. Is that list exhaustive? How do we create equal opportunities for other sports, such as floorball, netball and even boxing, to benefit from this vision and investment in our sporting future? I say this because some in the fraternities, for instance, the netball fraternity, are worried that they have got to move out of their Kallang Netball Centre, a much beloved location with facilities for netball.”
“Third, to further ease the caregiving load, how can we continue to provide more affordable and quality childcare? Finally, we should encourage more women to take on leadership roles as well as venture into the STEM fields. We should provide support for our young women to find jobs in the growing industries. (In English): In conclusion, Mdm Deputy Speaker, ultimately, we all have a part to play to inculcate the values of fairness, equality and respect. We all can address gender roles from young, at home and in schools and, in this way, help to build a fairer and more inclusive society where all Singaporeans have full and equal opportunities to achieve their aspirations. Women represent our mothers, sisters, wives and daughters. Every one of us has a vested interest in ensuring a supportive and inclusive workplace, free from harassments and discrimination. Women deserve to feel safe and protected as they remain important contributors to society. We must role model equal and mutually supportive gender relationships built on sincere care and concern for others. This will help determine how women in the next generation will be treated as we commit to build a fairer and more inclusive society.”
“] Over the last 60 years, much progress has been made in women's development in Singapore in many areas, such as education, healthcare, the enactment of the Women's Charter, protection from violence and more equal working opportunities. The White Paper on Singapore Women's Development is an important step to collectively drive the whole-of-nation commitment to advance Singapore Women's Development and I believe that there is still more that we can do to increase its effectiveness. Firstly, we can, collectively, do more to create workplaces that are safer, fairer, more inclusive and progressive by introducing fairness at the workplace and expediting the legislation for FWAs and providing assistance to caregivers and back-to-work women. In a study conducted by PPIS on the Aspirations of a Muslim Women in Singapore, one of the top aspirations of Muslim Women is to be financially independent. However, many respondents shared that they felt less employable as they perceived that social inequality in employment opportunities still exists. They also felt that there was less exposure to job opportunities and there were insufficient avenues for them to upskill for better-paying jobs. What roles can bodies, such as MENDAKI and NTUC, play to create platforms for back-to-work mothers who wish to seek upskilling and re-employment opportunities? PPIS President Ms Hazlina Abdul Halim also suggested that married couples attend such programmes so that back-to-work women can receive support from the person closest to them – something that I really agree with. Second, while we work towards changing the stereotype that women are primary caregivers and, hence, often shoulder a heavier caregiving load in the family, we must provide better and easier support to our caregivers.”
“Should we have a one-stop portal that can serve all caregivers or at least provide the relevant information for any one of our caregivers? How can we proactively engage our caregivers so that they do not feel that they are left to their own devices? Since our visit to Mdm Neo, I am happy that she is now applying for the Home Caregiving Grant and is our monthly beneficiary at our Pasir Ris Care Store. Another way to ease the caregiving load is to continue providing affordable and quality preschools. Besides subsidies for anchor or partner childcare operators, can the Ministry consider providing subsidies for private schools and private childcare options, such as those in religious organisations that are already available? I also urge the Government to review the differentiated childcare subsidy of $300 per month for working and $150 per month for non-working mothers. We must recognise that some women choose to remain at home instead of work, in order to provide adequate care for the young, or to persons with disabilities or developmental needs. There are also some women who had to quit their job because of health issues. For example, one of our mothers in Pasir Ris had to quit her job while she recovers from depression. However, the family was worried that with the differentiated childcare subsidy, by her not working, they will have to spend $300 more per month, in addition to her losing her income. We can do more to ease such pressures on our already stressed young mothers. Mdm Deputy Speaker, in Malay, please. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.”
“I acknowledge the Government's efforts to increase the supply of respite care with 3,100 homecare places and 4,600 daycare places for seniors added since 2015, one of which is in Pasir Ris. However, given that one in four Singaporeans will be above the age of 65 by 2030, will this be enough? What are our projected requirements and how can we have a whole-of-nation commitment to address the manpower needs of the respite care industry? Yet, another way we could extend help to reduce caregivers' financial strain is through the enhancement of the Home Caregiving Grant. I support the doubling of the Home Caregiving Grant from $200 to $400 for lower-income households. This is a significant enhancement to the grant which has already benefited 31,000 individuals. However, we must explore how to better create awareness for the grant or any other grants for caregivers. One of our Pasir Ris residents, Mdm Neo, who is in her 60s and currently unemployed, takes care of her bedridden husband. When I visited her a month ago, she happily shared that HDB has just installed the ramps and grab bars for her under the EASE programme. However, through our conversation, it became apparent that she has not heard about the Home Caregiving Grant. How do we ensure caregivers are aware of the support that is available and not just ask for it when they truly are at their wits end? Do we have effective outreach programmes to help support our caregivers? Should we also segregate caregivers based on who they are caring for, for example, someone providing care for a person with disability, vis-a-vis a caregiver providing care to a chronically ill elderly? Both these caregivers need and deserve our support.”
“However, as FWAs blur the line between work and home, how can we get employers and workers to come to a new understanding about work-life balance and respect for personal space and time? We should also encourage employers and organisations to facilitate the re-entry of women into the workforce. Whether through developing mentorship or internship programmes, or by providing networking or retraining opportunities, the effort to enable more women to re-enter the workforce should be recognised and highlighted as an important consideration for fair and inclusive employment practices. In a study conducted by PPIS on the aspirations of Muslim women in Singapore, one of the top aspirations of Muslim women is to be financially independent. However, many respondents shared that they felt less employable as they perceived that social inequality in employment opportunities still exist. They also felt there was less exposure to different job opportunities and, interestingly, they felt that there were insufficient avenues to upskill for better paying jobs. [Deputy Speaker (Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo) in the Chair] How can we, as a society, come together to support and create platforms for our back-to-work mothers seeking upskilling and re-employment opportunities? PPIS President, Ms Hazlina Abdul Halim, also suggested that such programmes should be attended by spouses to provide the closest support for our back-to-work mothers, something which I do agree, that us, males, we must do more of. While we continue towards changing the mindset that women should be the primary caregivers, we must continue to improve the support for our caregivers.”
“Hence, while I understand that the introduction of the Tripartite Guidelines on FWAs will take place only in 2024, we should consider scheduling important milestones that would, eventually, lead up to it. This would go towards ensuring that we keep up the momentum towards making FWAs a norm. Since many primary caregivers tend to be women due to our entrenched societal expectation, to increase the effectiveness of FWA in furthering Singapore women's development, we must also do more to promote job restructuring through flexi-load or job-sharing. This can enable those with caregiving responsibilities to continue playing a part in the workforce. Take, for example, Mdm Farhana from Pasir Ris. She takes care of her elderly mother who undergoes dialysis three times a week. If more organisations adopt job-sharing, flexible work hours and remote working, caregivers like her may have more opportunities to contribute to the workforce. Women play many important roles in our society. They contribute to the economy and shoulder a heavier burden of caregiving. Hence, while we enable FWAs to help both men and women better manage their workplace and personal responsibilities, the FWAs must also address the dos and don'ts of how to protect their privacy and family time at home. As we practise more flexible work hours, workers will be working at different hours to manage their workplace and personal responsibilities. We have heard of anecdotal stories of workers feeling pressured whenever they receive or have to answer emails late at night. While we do not want to go to the extreme end, like in France, where it is illegal to email an employee after office hours, we must recognise that FWAs mean that different groups of people will be working at different times.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, over the last 60 years, much progress has been made in women's development in Singapore in many areas, such as education, healthcare, the enactment of the Women's Charter, protection from violence and more equal working opportunities. The White Paper on Singapore Women's Development is an important step to continue the progress and collectively drive the whole-of-nation commitment to advance Singapore women's development. And I believe that there is more that we can do to increase its effectiveness. Firstly, collectively as a society, we can do more to create a safer, fairer, more inclusive and progressive workplace through the introduction of workplace fairness and expediting the legislation for FWAs while providing assistance to caregivers and back-to-work mothers with re-employment opportunities Secondly, while we work towards changing the entrenched stereotype that women are primary caregivers and, hence, often shoulder a heavier caregiving load in the family, we must provide better and easier support for our caregivers. Thirdly, to further ease the caregiving load, how can we continue to provide more affordable childcare? The pandemic was a catalyst for organisations to adopt FWAs. FWAs have helped both men and women better manage their workplace and personal responsibilities. Due to restricted access to the workplace during the pandemic, it became a "burning platform" for workplace norms on FWAs to evolve. Now that the "burning platform" has less urgency, I worry that organisations will not devote enough time and attention to FWAs and revert to the old ways of working, something which my colleague, Mr Melvin Yong, mentioned in his speech earlier, too.”
“The global economy has grown more competitive. New technologies are disrupting the market. Digitalisation is at the core of many businesses. Concern for environmental sustainability has become a key consideration for many industries. Employment opportunities continuously evolve and work from home or other flexible work arrangements are becoming the norm in some industries. In December 2021, MOM reported that manpower demand in growth sectors pushed job vacancies to an all-time high of 98,700 in September 2021. MENDAKI has conducted several career fairs to help job seekers upskill and find employment in new and growth industries. How do we increase the employability of our workforce and provide platforms for our community to explore new opportunities? How can MENDAKI streamline its efforts with national agencies and corporate partners to ensure that our Malay/Muslim community is future-ready and poised to benefit from new employment opportunities? How can MENDAKI encourage mid-career workers to move to growth industries and take part in programmes such as the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme, TeSA (Tech Skills Accelerator Programme) or SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme? Finally, how can we encourage back-to-work mothers and those with care-giving responsibilities to explore employment opportunities in the new, more flexible employment market? Build Future-ready Competent Malay/Muslim Workforce”
“(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, volunteers at M3@Pasir Ris-Punggol have made considerable efforts in bringing digital skills to our community through events held at Pasir Ris East CC. At our M3 Goes Digital event, students learnt to assemble a jet engine using augmented reality (AR) and how to use 3D printers. Parents also found out more about safe digital practices while seniors learnt to use digital tools from our volunteers. We also held our inaugural 3D Makers Workshop where mentors, such as young engineers Mr Sufi Abdullah and Mr Amir Zakaria; Mdm Azizah Sapari, a technical consultant with SMRT; and Mr Ibnur Rasad, an entrepreneur and Industry 4.0 trainer, guided students on the use of computer aided design and 3D printing to create holders for their finger helicopters. This workshop saw student participation from across our Malay/Muslim community and one of the winners of the challenge was a team from Madrasah Al-Arabiah Al-Islamiah. We must provide opportunities for our youths to acquire the skills required in growth industries, so that they can aspire and gain the confidence to pursue careers in new industries. What can MENDAKI do to provide platforms for our youths who wish to pursue a career in these growth industries? Youths also benefit from a mentor as someone who they can turn to for advice. Having a support system can inspire and motivate youths. Can MENDAKI provide an update on the progress of our youth mentoring programmes? How can we work with Malay/Muslim professionals and industry partners who can help our youths better plan for their future careers? Employability of Mature Workers (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, we have seen immense changes to the economy these past two years.”
“Chairman, permission to take both my cuts together, please.”
“Chairman, the rising sea levels is a global challenge for many coastal cities and Singapore is especially vulnerable, as we are a low-lying island with only 30% of our land residing five metres above sea level. Unlike other countries, we do not have abundant high grounds. With climate change, we can expect to experience more unpredictable and intense rainfall with sea levels rising faster. What progress has been made on coastal protection efforts since last year and how can we protect our coastlines from rising sea levels, as well as erosion by waves and storms and reduce the land take for such measures to protect our coastlines? How does the Government ensure that the coastal adaptation measures are cost-effective and well resourced? NEA Enforcement against Foreign Vehicles”
“Mr Chairman, former Manpower Minister Mr Lim Swee Say once mentioned should Singapore be hit by higher employment, it would be because of a shortage of skills as a result of the widening of job skills mismatch – and not a lack of jobs. How is our education system preparing our students for employment in the skills-based economy? For students in our ITE or Polytechnics, can the Ministry consider apprenticeship schemes where students can work with experienced staff from industry partners for a longer duration, as compared to internships so that they can learn job specific skills and gain applied competency? Given the digital nature of all jobs now, how do we ensure all our students leave our education system with skills to perform at least tech-light roles? Can we consider coding, dashboarding or data visualisation as a core skillset for our students to acquire before they leave Secondary schools? Enhancing Polytechnic and ITE Pathways”
“Okay, Chairman. So, the clarification will be – how will it be administered? Will the companies do self-assessments on an automated system or will every application be assessed by an MOM officer? How do we ensure that the process is effective but does not create a bottleneck in the recruitment process?”
“Thank you, Chairman. I am heartened to hear about the role of COMPASS to strengthen the complementarity of our foreign workforce. However, I would like to raise a few clarifications to the Minister.”
“Chairman, inclusive growth should create opportunities for seniors, workers with special needs, back-to-work mothers and those with caregiving responsibilities. With the increasing prevalence of FWAs, including work from anywhere and flexible hours during the COVID-19 pandemic, how will MOM encourage employers to sustain these arrangements post-COVID-19? How can we use this opportunity to make our workforce more inclusive and make FWAs a viable option, especially for this group of workers? How can we use this opportunity to realise the latent potential from this group of individuals and encourage more to join the workforce? Can the Ministry consider promoting FWAs, flexible work hours and work-sharing to create opportunities for this group of individuals? Can we create second careers for our seniors who are still able to work but do not want to work full-time? Supporting Employers in Recruitment”
“Thank you, Chairman. The next one will be on advancing the well-being of low-wage workers. Our efforts to uplift low-wage workers have been ongoing for the past decade. It is important to ensure that productivity continues to improve, so that wage growth is sustainable. If real productivity is not achieved, wage growth will drive up costs and make us less competitive in the global market. Workers have a responsibility to upskill. However, businesses also have a part to play. In this Budget, we have apportioned significant resources, such as $600 million for the Productivity Solution Grant and $100 million to scale up CTCs to support transformation plans. How can we encourage and support more SMEs to transform their businesses, so that low-wage workers can be deployed more productively with more scope for progression? How can we get business associations to get more SMEs involved? Enhanced Workfare Income Supplement I am heartened that the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) will be extended and wage increases for low-wage workers will be co-funded under the Progressive Wage Credit Scheme (PWCS). This will be further boosted by the Enhanced Workfare Income Supplement scheme. The qualifying monthly income cap for the scheme has been raised, age eligibility has been extended and the payout increased, especially for people with disabilities. While companies transformed to drive real productivity growth, how do we encourage low-wage workers to continuously upskill and upgrade? Can we consider a yearly Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) bonus or a tiered supplement scheme, if the worker uses his SkillsFuture credit or attends training or courses yearly to upgrade himself or herself?”
“Thank you, Chairman. In his speech, Minister Lawrence Wong mentioned that the tighter foreign worker policy is more about calibration. He mentioned that it is a calibration to ensure that foreign workers and professionals coming into Singapore are of the right calibre and coming in areas where we really need them, in areas of shortages. To ensure its effectiveness, we must also ensure fair employment and hiring practices and also fair treatment at the workplace. How are we progressing and legislating TAFEP guidelines to ensure fair employment practices and treatment at the workplace?”
“Alright. So, I will take just my first cut first.”
“Thank you, Chairman. Can I take my three cuts together?”
“Chairman, many of us have come across platform workers who are unable to save enough to purchase their own flats, or platform workers who are unwell or isolated and could not earn their daily wages. During this pandemic, platform workers who contracted COVID-19 were able to seek assistance from the Courage Fund. Beyond these one-off assistance schemes, our platform workers need more help to meet their retirement and housing needs and a baseline level of coverage for work injuries. Will MOM be able to provide an update on the discussions of the Advisory Committee on Platform Workers? How do we ensure that the platform operators are responsible for the well-being of their associates?”