Sun Xueling
Singapore
“We are deploying electric vehicle (EV) chargers in tandem with growing demand, within the constraints of space and electricity. As EV technology is continuously improving, we are also mindful not to overbuild as chargers can become obsolete quickly.”
“I thank Member Dr Choo Pei Ling for raising feedback from her Tengah residents. Currently, two multi-storey car parks in Tengah have EV chargers, and LTA subsidiary, EV-Electric (EVe) Charging Pte Ltd, is in the process of deploying EV chargers in another eight multi-storey car parks in Tengah.”
“The Government targets to deploy 60,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging points by 2030, which comprise 40,000 in public car parks, and 20,000 in private premises. As of March 2026, there are 30,500 EV charging points deployed in Singapore. We are on track to achieving our 2030 target in tandem with the growing demand for EVs.”
“In 2025, about 30% of Build-To-Order (BTO) blocks were completed earlier than their estimated completion dates at the point of flat booking. On average, these blocks were completed about two months earlier.”
“Yes, thank you. We agree with Dr Neo that it is important to bring together the wider ecosystem and we will consult all stakeholders. The Ministry of Transport's immediate focus is to drive the usage of drones more extensively, especially by the public sector and this is because we already have many potential use cases.”
“I thank the Member for her question. Earlier, I mentioned in my reply that the HDB notifies buyers at three junctures. This is to give buyers adequate time to plan. And that is why it is at the one year before, six months before and three months before.”
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“Mr Patrick Tay asked how the DNA information will be disclosed during prosecution. One example is where the DNA profile extracted from a crime scene sample is matched to DNA information in the database, leading to the identification of a possible suspect. This can be tendered as evidence in Court. Ms Sylvia Lim and Dr Wan Rizal asked about the treatment of partial matches. Generally, a partial match will unlikely be the sole piece of evidence that Police rely upon to identify the perpetrator. Police use a range of investigative tools and leads to solve crime. Mr Patrick Tay asked if the DNA information collected can be shared with other agencies, private organisations or used for civil proceedings. DNA information collected under the RCA can only be used for the purposes specified under the RCA. DNA information collected under the RCA may not be disclosed to private organisations or used in civil proceedings. As for sharing with foreign law enforcement agencies, which Mr Derrick Goh, Mr Sharael Taha, Mr Patrick Tay spoke about, we will share particulars or DNA information of persons who have been convicted of a registrable crime for the purposes of foreign investigations or proceedings. Further, the foreign law enforcement agency must comply with the conditions prescribed for the transmission of such information and any other conditions that the Singapore authority may impose. Mr Pritam Singh, Mr Derrick Goh and Mr Sharael Taha asked about future uses of the information that may be prescribed. This relates to clause 13F(2)(d) of the current RCA. The clause, for such other purposes as may be prescribed is not new. It is an existing provision under the current RCA.”
“First, to keep pace with technological developments – allowing us to re-profile the samples as technology advances to upkeep the quality of our records. And second, for quality assurance – so that if the information is challenged, it can be re-profiled from the sample. Members have asked questions about the data security measures and given suggestions to protect the sensitive information. Mr Pritam Singh, Mr Derrick Goh, Ms Ng Ling Ling, Mr Sharael Taha, Ms Denise Phua, Mr Patrick Tay and Dr Wan Rizal spoke about this. There are practices in place to protect the DNA information and identifying information stored in the database. Only authorised individuals are allowed to access the DNA database. All access is logged and recorded, through an audit trail, to detect any data modification. The data is stored on a secured network to prevent unauthorised access. There is also a framework in place to manage any Government data incidents. In the event of a data breach, appropriate remedial actions will be taken in accordance with standard operating procedures and workflows. We thank Mr Derrick Goh for his suggestion to strengthen cybersecurity measures. We will continue to review and enhance the security of our systems. Mr Murali Pillai asked why the provisions dealing with the collection of body samples under other Acts were not consolidated under the RCA and about the safeguards for the databases maintained under the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act 1955 (CLTPA) and the Misuse of Drugs Act 1973 (MDA). There is no need to consolidate the provisions dealing with the collection of body samples under those other Acts in the RCA, as those Acts already have provisions dealing with the collection of body samples. Next, I will talk about how the DNA information will be used.”
“MHA engages the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to administer the DNA Database Laboratory, generate DNA profiles from body samples taken under the RCA and upload them into the DNA database. We do not engage private organisations to undertake this. Mr Patrick Tay and Dr Wan Rizal asked about the safeguards to prevent the contamination and mixing up of DNA profiles. First, the DNA sample that is collected is marked with a unique barcode number. After a person has given his body sample, it will be immediately sealed, in his presence. The barcode number will be recorded and the sealed sample is placed into a DNA collection box which will be locked, before being sent to the DNA Database Laboratory for forensic analysis. Thereafter, the sample will be independently processed in duplicate at separate times to ensure the integrity of the DNA profile derived from the sample. The DNA profiles derived from both sets of duplicates are compared for any non-concordance and only the DNA profile of samples which produce identical profiles from the duplicates will be uploaded into the DNA database. This duplication process eliminates potential errors in the uploading process, such as the wrong DNA profile being uploaded into the database. Next, I will talk about the storage of the extracted DNA information and body samples. Mr Pritam Singh and Mr Patrick Tay asked how the body samples and DNA information will be stored. The body samples are stored in the DNA Database Laboratory at Police Cantonment Complex and the DNA information is stored in the DNA database which is hosted on a standalone secured network. As for Mr Melvin Yong’s question on why we keep DNA samples after it has been profiled, Police keep the samples for two main reasons.”
“The law provides for voluntary giving of DNA. When people as adults make up their minds to step forward to volunteer, we should encourage it. I think most people will accept that Singaporeans will make up their own minds. As for foreign workers, the fact that they may be concerned about their work permits does not negate their consent. They make their assessments and, if they have done nothing wrong, there is nothing to be worried about. Ms Denise Phua asked how volunteers will be briefed. As part of the procedure to obtain consent, volunteers will be informed that the DNA information provided will be used for purposes under RCA and that they have the option to request for their DNA information to be removed at any point. Mr Louis Ng asked about the use of force to take a non-invasive body sample. A guilty criminal may not consent to provide data for fear of being incriminated and time is often of the essence when solving a crime. We must thus empower our Police officers to use reasonable force to obtain non-invasive samples, such as buccal swabs, in order to solve crimes. In deciding whether to use reasonable force, Police officers will assess the facts and circumstances of each case, including the urgency of the situation. If individuals feel that the force used was disproportionate, they can provide feedback to MHA or lodge a Police report. The Ministry will investigate the complaint, and take action, where warranted. After the body samples are obtained, the individual’s DNA information will be extracted from the collected sample, profiled using genetic equipment and software, and the resultant DNA profile stored in the DNA database. Mr Patrick Tay asked if this process is outsourced to private organisations.”
“This applies to all individuals. If the individual is below 16 years old, the written consent of his parent or guardian has to be obtained. Mr Louis Ng asked how body samples may be taken from young persons and the checks that will be in place to ensure that such consent is given willingly. Please allow me to clarify two points. First, officers can take any invasive body samples for accused persons below 16 years old with the consent of their parent or guardian. However, non-invasive body samples, such as buccal swabs, can be taken without consent. Second, where an individual below 16 years of age is a volunteer in the context of the Bill, officers may only take body samples, whether invasive or non-invasive, without his parent or guardian's consent when three requirements are satisfied. First, the parent or guardian's consent is refused without good cause or cannot be obtained despite all reasonable efforts. An example of a good cause can be when the volunteer suffers from blood disorders, such as haemophilia, and the taking of his blood sample may endanger him. Second, the volunteer is willing to give the body sample, and third, a Magistrate's sanction is obtained. Ms Sylvia Lim asked about the rationale for imposing punishment on the parental guardian who does not give consent for body samples to be taken. Parents and guardians are given the right to decide whether they will give consent on the behalf of their children. If they withhold consent without reasonable excuse, it is their decision. The question then should be why are they refusing if there is no reasonable excuse? There should be an onus to give consent since Police are acting in the public interest. Ms Sylvia Lim asked how we can protect vulnerable persons from being pressured to volunteer.”
“On Mr Patrick Tay's question about the rationale for the expansion of the scope of collection of DNA information, the intent is to enhance the effectiveness of DNA profiling to help Police solve crimes. Mr Melvin Yong asked how the revised DNA collection regime would compare with that of other countries. We have surveyed the approach in foreign jurisdictions. We did not just adopt wholesale the practices of other countries but, where appropriate, adapted them to suit our context. For instance, South Australia collects DNA information for all imprisonable offences while England collects DNA information for all imprisonable offences and some non-imprisonable offences. We have chosen to expand our collection only to offences that are punishable by imprisonment and not compoundable under any written law unless the offence is specified in the Fourth Schedule to the Criminal Procedure Code 2010. This strikes the appropriate balance in our local context. Mr Melvin Yong also suggested establishing a national DNA registry where the DNA sequence of every Singaporean and resident would be recorded. We thank him for his suggestion. His suggestion will be studied. Mr Sharael Taha raised a concern about whether there are sufficient resources to deal with the increased load in collecting body samples. Resources are an issue. Police will put in place the necessary infrastructure and resources to support the expected increase in load but it will mean that other areas will be even more stretched. Members also asked about the safeguards for the collection process. Mr Louis Ng, Ms Ng Ling Ling, Ms Denise Phua and Mr Patrick Tay spoke about young individuals and individuals with special needs. Invasive body samples, such as blood samples, will only be collected based on consent.”
“As part of the procedure to obtain consent, the accused will be asked to sign a form which will state the consequences of refusing to provide consent. This is no different from the practice today. Ms Denise Phua and Ms Ng Ling Ling sought clarification on whether certain traffic offences are eligible for DNA collection. To reiterate, DNA and identifying information can be collected for two categories of offences – registrable crimes, which are crimes currently included in the First and Second Schedule of RCA, and eligible crimes, which are non-registrable crimes punishable by imprisonment and not compoundable under any written law unless the offence is specified in the Fourth Schedule to the Criminal Procedure Code 2010. These offences are, generally, more serious. The offence of reckless or dangerous driving under section 64 of the Road Traffic Act 1961 is an eligible crime if no death or grievous hurt is caused. As for the offence of driving without due care, under section 65 of the same Act, the offence is a registrable crime if death or grievous hurt is caused. This applies for first and repeat offenders. If no death or grievous hurt is caused, the offence of driving without due care is compoundable and, hence, Police will not be able to collect the DNA information of offenders. Mr Sharael Taha asked whether the DNA collection provisions apply to persons who are currently serving sentences for eligible crimes. The new provisions apply to offences committed after the new law comes into effect. Mr Sharael Taha asked how officers may decide whether to take DNA samples. Police will assess the nature of the crime, the evidence and whether to collect DNA information.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, I thank the Members for their suggestions and questions and their support for the Bill. There are five key stages in the collection and handling of DNA information. First, a body sample is collected from the individual. Second, DNA information is extracted from the body sample. Third, the DNA information is stored in a secured database. Next, the DNA information may be used for prescribed purposes. Finally, the DNA information will be removed from the database where necessary, in accordance with the requirements under the law. First, on the collection of body samples. Mr Melvin Yong, Mr Patrick Tay and Mr Sharael Taha asked how body samples are extracted from individuals. Typically, the DNA officer will obtain body samples in the form of blood. I have explained that this is because blood samples are more likely to yield a high-quality DNA profile. The DNA officer will sterilise the individual's fingertip, prick it with a disposable lancet and collect the blood droplets. In situations where it is not feasible to collect a blood sample, the officer will do a buccal swab by using a sterile swab to swab the inside of the individual's cheeks on both sides. However, the chances of obtaining a high-quality DNA profile from buccal swabs are lower. Mr Derrick Goh asked whether the process of collecting blood samples will be authorised and supervised by officers of a minimum rank. All officers who take body samples will be trained. There are standard protocols on the collection process. Providing for further supervisors will take up additional resources, which we do not have. Mr Murali Pillai asked whether an accused who refuses to provide his consent for the taking of a sample would be issued a written notice warning him of the consequences of not doing so.”
“A larger database means a higher chance of obtaining a match. Conversely, a smaller pool of DNA data would be less effective in helping the Police solve crimes. This Bill proposes four key amendments: first, expand the scope for the collection of DNA information and other identifying information; second, expand the prescribed uses of DNA information; third, strengthen the protection of DNA information; and fourth, introduce procedures to allow the removal of information in the databases. The proposed amendments to the Registration of Criminals Act will enable law enforcement agencies to carry out their duties more effectively, to ensure the safety and security of Singapore, while balancing these expanded powers against individuals’ right to privacy. (In English): In sum, the proposed amendments to the Registration of Criminals Act will enable law enforcement agencies to carry out their duties more effectively, to ensure the safety and security of Singapore, while balancing those expanded powers against individuals' right to privacy. Mr Speaker, I beg to move. [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]”
“The Registrar will state the ground for the rejection and the applicant may decide if he wishes to appeal to the Reviewing Tribunal. If the applicant wishes to appeal to the Tribunal, he must do so within 30 days from the date of the notice of the Registrar's determination. The Reviewing Tribunal comprises a District Judge or Magistrate, who is appointed by the President on the advice of the Cabinet. The Reviewing Tribunal can either confirm or revoke the decision appealed against. However, the Tribunal must dismiss an appeal if the Registrar presents a certificate issued by the Minister, certifying that the applicant's information was taken in relation to an offence under the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act 2021 or the Internal Security Act, and that it is in the interests of the security of Singapore to retain his information. Mr Speaker, Sir, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In the course of Police investigations, the Police may collect samples at the crime scene. These crime scene samples will be analysed to obtain DNA profiles which will be compared against profiles in the Police's DNA database. In 2021, the number of matches to DNA profiles derived from crime scene samples was about 800. However, a large proportion of Police’s crime scene samples, approximately 60% of crime scene samples collected between 2017 and 2021, were unmatched when screened against our DNA database. DNA profiling is an effective tool to help the Police solve crimes, by identifying possible suspects accurately and quickly, and exonerating the innocent. But the effectiveness of this forensic tool in criminal investigations depends, in large part, on the size of the Police’s DNA database.”
“Individuals who are acquitted or given a discharge amounting to an acquittal by the Court and individuals who have their offences compounded, can apply to the Registrar for their information to be removed. Upon the individual's application, the Registrar will remove all DNA information and identifying information of the individual from the databases, unless it is relevant for any ongoing prosecution or investigation, or it is in the interests of the security of Singapore to retain the information. Any person who disagrees with the decision of the Registrar may appeal to a Reviewing Tribunal. The above is provided for in the new Part 6, which introduces procedures to allow individuals to apply to the Registrar to remove their registrable particulars, identifying information and DNA information from the databases. This new Part 7 provides for the establishment of Reviewing Tribunals and for appeals against the Registrar's determination to be made to the Tribunal. The application and appeal process is straightforward and simple. The individual may apply to the Registrar of Criminals to request for his information to be removed from the databases. Within 30 days of the application, the Registrar determines whether any of the following two grounds exist. One, the applicant's information is relevant to another ongoing prosecution or investigation. Or two, retaining the applicant's information is in the interests of the security of Singapore. If none of these grounds exist, the Registrar will remove the applicant's information from the databases and notify the applicant that his application is successful, and that the information has been removed. If any of the grounds exists, the Registrar will notify the applicant that his application is unsuccessful.”
“They are: (a) investigation or inquiry into a death; (b) identifying a dead individual; and (c) identifying an individual in order to provide Police assistance to the individual. Next, Clause 10 amends section 13I, which will be renumbered to section 47 by clause 9, to give the Police the discretion to share DNA information of an individual convicted of a registrable crime, with foreign law enforcement agencies for investigations and proceedings, where it is appropriate to do so. Before the information is shared, the foreign law enforcement agency will be required to undertake to safekeep the information, limit the use of the information to the specified purpose and comply with other conditions imposed by the Police. We will legislate safeguards to protect the DNA information and identifying information stored in the databases. Access to the DNA database will be restricted to authorised officers, every access to the database will be recorded and we will provide for an audit trail. Clause 12 will amend section 14A, which will be renumbered to section 49 by clause 9, to empower the Minister to make rules to introduce safeguards that the Registrar must implement to protect the information recorded in the databases against any loss, modification, or unauthorised access. Where investigations reveal that a suspect is not involved in the commission of the crime, or where the suspect was arrested and detained under the ISA and investigations subsequently reveal that he had not acted in a manner prejudicial to the security of Singapore, his DNA information and fingerprints will continue to be automatically removed.”
“If the individual has a reasonable excuse to refuse the taking of his blood sample, for example, he suffers from a blood disorder such as haemophilia, the Police will not take his blood sample and will take other body samples from him instead. Currently, if an individual refuses, without reasonable excuse, to allow his fingerprints or a body sample to be taken, he is guilty of an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month, or both. If he refuses to provide a blood sample, he may be taken before a Magistrate, who may order him to provide the sample. A negative inference may also be drawn against him in court, in criminal proceedings. The amended Bill will no longer require the individual to be brought before a Magistrate before he may be liable for an offence. The new section 27 will make it clear that a person who refuses without reasonable excuse to provide a body sample, including a blood sample, commits an offence. We will also make it an offence for a parent or guardian of an individual under 16 years of age to withhold consent, without reasonable excuse, for an invasive sample to be taken from that individual. Currently, DNA information stored in the DNA database may be used for a few purposes: (a) forensic comparison with any other DNA information in the course of Police investigations into an offence; (b) comparison with DNA information in the DNA database established under other Acts; (c) proceedings for any offence; and (d) administering the DNA database. Clause 6 inserts a new section 32 to expand the prescribed uses of DNA information to three new categories that are in the public interest.”
“Clause 6 will insert new sections 14 and 23 to allow any individual to voluntarily provide his DNA information and identifying information to the Police to assist in investigations. Clause 6 will also insert new sections 37 and 38 to specify that volunteers who have provided their information, may apply to the Police to remove their information from the databases at any time and the Police must do so. We will also make it clear that it is an offence for an individual who refuses, without reasonable excuse, to provide a body sample and introduce a new offence for a parent or guardian of an individual below 16 years of age to withhold consent, without reasonable excuse, for an invasive sample to be taken from the individual. To complement these expanded powers for the collection of DNA information, we will make it clear that any person who unreasonably refuses to provide a body sample, including a blood sample, commits an offence. Generally, a person provides his DNA information through providing a body sample, such as buccal sample or hair sample, or a blood sample. Blood samples are generally preferred to other samples, as they are more likely to yield a high quality DNA profile, that can be reliably used to obtain a valid DNA match downstream. More than 99% of the body samples that are taken today are blood samples. How do we take a blood sample? Before taking a blood sample, a DNA officer must ensure that the taking of the blood sample does not endanger the individual and the DNA officer will obtain the consent of the individual. Thereafter, the officer will prick the individual's fingertip to obtain a small sample of blood.”
“Therefore, we propose to expand the scope of crimes eligible for the collection of DNA information and identifying information, to include non-registrable crimes which fulfil two criteria. One, they are punishable with imprisonment; and two, they are not compoundable under any written law, unless the offence is specified in the third column of the Fourth Schedule to the Criminal Procedure Code 2010. This will be defined as an "eligible crime" and will be inserted into the Act by clause 2(d) of the Bill. Eligible crimes are, therefore, the more serious crimes, and will not include minor offences such as littering and illegal parking. Individuals who commit eligible crimes may have their DNA information and fingerprints taken, but will continue to not have any criminal record as such crimes are not registrable. Examples of eligible crimes include voluntarily causing hurt and affray. We will not collect DNA information and fingerprints from individuals involved in minor offences, such as littering and illegal parking. We will also expand the scope of collection for persons dealt with under the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA). Currently, we can only collect fingerprints from individuals who are arrested or detained under the ISA. We cannot collect their DNA information. We also cannot collect DNA information and fingerprints of those who are not arrested and are only served with a restriction order. Clause 6 will insert new sections 13 and 22 to allow the collection of DNA information and identifying information from individuals who are arrested, detained or served with a restriction order, under the ISA. In England, South Australia and the Netherlands, any individual can voluntarily provide his body samples for forensic DNA analysis.”
“"Identifying information" will be defined to refer to other information that can help identify an individual, including fingerprints, photographs and descriptions of the individual such as sex and age. We will expand the scope of crimes eligible for the collection of DNA information and identifying information. Clause 6 repeals and re-enacts part 3 of the Act to provide for the collection of DNA information and identifying information from individuals involved in two categories of offences: registrable crimes and eligible crimes. Registrable crimes are crimes that are currently included in the First or Second Schedule to the Registration of Criminals Act. These are usually more serious crimes, such as murder, rape and robbery. An individual who is convicted of a registrable crime will have a criminal record. Today, Police can only take fingerprints and body samples from an individual who is accused of, convicted of, or imprisoned for a registrable crime. Our statistics show that about one in three individuals convicted of a registrable crime between 2017 and 2021, had been previously convicted of a non-registrable crime. If we had been able to collect DNA and identifying information from these individuals when they were convicted of a non-registrable crime, we might have been able to identify them a lot more swiftly, when they later re-offended and committed the registrable crime. Other countries collect DNA information for a far broader scope of offences. For example, South Australia collects DNA information for all imprisonable offences. England collects DNA information for imprisonable offences and some non-imprisonable offences.”
“DNA profiling is an effective tool to help the Police solve crimes, by identifying possible suspects accurately and quickly, and exonerating the innocent. But the effectiveness of this forensic tool in criminal investigations depends, in large part, on the size of the Police's DNA database. A larger database means a higher chance of obtaining a match. Conversely, a smaller pool of DNA data would be less effective in helping the Police solve crimes. If we want our laws to be enforced effectively and to continue to enjoy a high level of safety and security in our daily lives, our law enforcement agencies must be provided with as many forensic tools as reasonably possible. We may have Police cameras in many public places today, but they do not cover the scenes of all crimes, for example, if they take place in homes or other private areas. Similarly, other forensic tools which the Police already have, may be able to help solve some but not all the crimes. I will now describe the amendments we are looking to make, to enhance the effectiveness of DNA profiling as a tool to help the Police solve crimes. This Bill amends the Registration of Criminals Act 1949 in the following ways: (a) expand the scope for the collection of DNA information and other identifying information; (b) expand the prescribed uses of DNA information; (c) strengthen the protection of DNA information; and (d) introduce procedures to allow the removal of information in the databases. First, on expanding the scope of collection of DNA information and other identifying information. "DNA information" is defined in the Act to refer to genetic information derived from the forensic DNA analysis of a body sample.”
“However, a large proportion of Police's crime scene samples, approximately 60% of crime scene samples collected between 2017 and 2021, were unmatched when screened against our DNA database. We should expand the Police's DNA database to bolster their ability to solve crimes. Fingerprints and DNA are unique to an individual, except for identical twins who share the same DNA. Fingerprint matching and DNA profiling can help the Police identify and place a particular individual at the crime scene or exonerate the individual. Fingerprint matching suffers at times from the inability to lift a complete fingerprint at the crime scene. DNA profiling, on the other hand, is not limited to one source as DNA information may be derived from minute amounts of body samples such as saliva, sweat or blood droplets. DNA profiling is thus a useful and well-established forensic tool, and is widely used by law enforcement agencies worldwide to solve crimes. According to the INTERPOL Global DNA Profiling Survey, about 70% of the member countries which responded to the survey reported using DNA profiling in police investigations and at least 70 countries have a DNA database. The United Kingdom started to use DNA profiling in criminal investigations in the 1980s and established a national DNA database in 1995. Apart from the rape case in 2002, several cases, including cold cases, have been solved, both locally and overseas, through DNA profiling. For instance, between 1986 and 1991, 10 women were killed in Hwaseong, Korea. A man was sentenced to life imprisonment. Almost 30 years later in 2019, through DNA analysis of crime scene samples, police eventually identified the real killer and the innocent man was exonerated.”
“Mr Speaker, on behalf of the Minister for Home Affairs, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a second time." Singapore is one of the safest cities in the world. In the 2020 Gallup Global Law and Order Report, 97% of Singapore residents feel safe walking alone on the streets at night. This is significantly higher than the global average of 69%. In 2021, Singapore's overall crime rate was 355 cases per 100,000 population excluding cyber crimes. This is very low compared to other major cities, such as Sydney, London and New York. To ensure that Singaporeans continue to enjoy high levels of safety and security, we should ensure that our crime fighting capabilities are cutting edge, and that Police have access to useful tools to detect and solve crime. One such tool is DNA profiling. In 2002, a 12-year-old schoolgirl was raped but the identity of the suspect could not be established at the time. Twelve years later in 2014, a man was arrested for alleged theft and a blood sample was collected from him. Through the DNA profiling of his blood sample, Police discovered that his DNA profile matched the one found at the rape crime scene in 2002. The rapist was charged and sentenced to 16.5 years' imprisonment and 18 strokes of the cane. This is the usefulness of DNA profiling. This Bill, therefore, seeks to enhance the Police's capabilities to solve crime, using DNA evidence. In the course of Police investigations, the Police may collect samples at the crime scene. These crime scene samples will be analysed to obtain DNA profiles which will be compared against profiles in the Police's DNA database. In 2021, the number of matches to DNA profiles derived from crime scene samples was about 800.”
“I thank the Member for her supplementary question. I agree that distance matters for many young families who have to juggle between work necessities as well as taking care of young children. That said, in my earlier reply, I had talked about a buffer, but actually this buffer is not a very large buffer. Often times, in the hot spots, where there is a high demand for infant care, for playgroups, actually the centres are already operating very closely to their maximum capacity already. And that is why in my main reply, I had talked about where possible, the operators work with HDB, URA, to see whether or not it is possible to build centre extensions. Sometimes they may also ask for waivers to see whether or not they are able to increase capacity limits. That is all being done at the local planning areas, but I hear what the Member is saying, and I would like to assure her that ECDA keeps a close watch on the numbers and works very actively with preschools on the ground to see how they can increase places as much as possible to serve the needs of young families. 2.11 pm”
“So, I would just like to assure the Member that there is structured training made available to volunteers, the AAs, and that the young suspects will have access to help should they require it during all points of investigation.”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. AA is a neutral and independent party who provides emotional support to the interviewees and facilitates communication. So, AA would thus need to be an independent person. We are definitely looking to increase the number of volunteers in the scheme. The Member had suggested parents. The parents of the suspects may have conflict of interest, or may be perceived to have a conflict of interest. So, we will not allow parents of the suspects themselves to be the AA in those circumstances. But where there are parents who want to volunteer as an AA to suspects who are not related to them, then, obviously, this is something that we would encourage. With regard to training, currently, the volunteers, the AAs, go through structured training. They undergo a one-day training session which is conducted by the Singapore Children's Society. And the training is supported by the Association of Criminal Lawyers of Singapore, the Law Society of Singapore and the Attorney General's Chambers. On the point about whether or not we should involve PDO, currently, where the suspects are concerned, we use a pamphlet of rights to inform all suspects of their rights prior to interviews. And the pamphlet is available to all Police stations. They are in very noticeable locations, in prominent areas, and this helps to standardise the way that suspects are informed of their rights during the investigation process. Where suspects want to further obtain legal assistance or advice on their rights, this can be done through PDO or their own lawyers at various points of the investigation process, except that the lawyer will not be permitted to attend during the interview.”
“The Police interview suspects to find out what happened. It is not unusual that some suspects may be less than forthcoming during interviews. Interviewers have to assess the situation and decide on the questions to be asked. It is accepted that young suspects may require more support during interviews. Thus, as far as possible, the Police will interview young suspects in a Police station, away from their school or place of employment. Should interviews need to be conducted at schools or places of employment, the Police will avoid drawing unnecessary attention or causing embarrassment to the young suspect. For instance, the Police may appear in plainclothes and use unmarked vehicles. Young suspects are interviewed by the Police in the presence of an independent and trained volunteer under the Appropriate Adult Scheme for Young Suspects (AAYS). The current age threshold of AAYS is 16. Thus, Appropriate Adults (AAs) will be activated for all suspects under 16. From April 2023, we will be increasing the age threshold to include 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds and will target to complete the expansion by October 2023. This can only be done when the number of AA volunteers is increased and we are now working to build up the AA volunteer pool. The Police will notify parents on the arrest and investigation of young suspects at the earliest time possible, unless doing so could jeopardise investigations.”
“Let us come together and work collectively to build a fairer and more inclusive society, where men and women partner each other as equals. [Applause.]”
“I hope that this move to allow women to have the choice to freeze their eggs has also created some awareness and space for conversations about fertility health and cause women to think about these issues earlier. The Alliance for Action to Strengthen Marriages and Family Relationships is also starting to raise awareness on this matter to encourage couples to discuss and check their fertility early. The Government is also looking into supporting couples with ready access to evidence-based fertility health information to empower them to make fertility decisions and seek help if needed. Ms Janet Ang spoke about her concern that younger women will now choose to postpone childbearing. I would like to assure the Member and others who have similar concerns, that we will continue to encourage and support Singaporeans to fulfil their marriage and parenthood goals, and to do so early to increase the chances of conceiving naturally and reduce age-related fertility complications. To guard against misinformation, and to help women make an informed choice, women will have to undergo pre-procedure counselling. We will highlight the limitations, the risks involved and that aged parenthood has its own challenges. In conclusion, the White Paper has, at its heart, the desire of the Government to continue working alongside the community and all stakeholders to support our women while empowering them with opportunities and solutions, regardless of the circumstances that they are in. We are grateful for the diverse feedback received. And we have had to navigate trade-offs, balance concerns while identifying the best way forward. More importantly, it is time now for us to take action.”
“Some ask why this is so since they are a woman's own eggs rather than a donor's eggs. The reason is because it is founded on similar current international scientific evidence and professional consensus, which is that egg quality tends to decline significantly after 35 years old. We are making a big move with regard to providing the choice of elective egg freezing. The Government had taken time to study the issue because there are differing voices and views and concerns about elective egg freezing, such as whether we are encouraging women to put off marriage and parenthood when women face the hard truths and the scientific facts of the biological clock. The Government has the responsibility to let citizens know factually what the medical odds are of conceiving with frozen eggs. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the chance that a frozen egg will yield a baby currently stands at 2% to 12%. The further we push out the age range, the more the success rates fall. We have to be honest with our women because the procedure is invasive, it takes a toll on the women both physically and emotionally, and also costs the patient recurrent costs for storage. But that said, we recognise Miss Cheng Li Hui's point that many women only start thinking about fertility and egg freezing in their 30s. I would like to assure Miss Cheng Li Hui and many who hold similar views that we will continue to monitor medical developments and international data. For women who missed the local criteria slightly and who wish to appeal, they may seek the Assisted Reproduction practitioner's assistance to appeal on their behalf. More details will be provided to the AR Centres in due course. I agree with Miss Cheng Li Hui that, with more conversations, there is more awareness.”
“While the Government does step in to help families in need, we should not intervene in a manner that is too intrusive, such as to monetise the relationship between a couple through mandating a spousal allowance. This will cause spousal relationships to deteriorate, turning it into monetary transactions, with the Government acting as the arbiter. Wives and housewives often say that they hope to be appreciated by their families and that their contributions should not be taken for granted. They also hope to be financially self-sufficient, to take care of their own needs in old age when they are unable to work, instead of relying on children who may need to take care of their own families. I would like to urge all family members to fully recognise one another's contributions to the family, especially women who are wives and mothers, and to acknowledge and thank them for their hard work over the years. Besides expressing our appreciation, caring for and respecting family members, we can also consider topping up their CPF accounts which will be matched by the Government. This will give homemakers greater financial assurance for their future needs. Together with contributions from the community and families, we can make Singapore a fairer and more inclusive society for our future generations. (In English): Lastly, I would like to address questions raised on elective egg freezing. Since the announcement has gone out, I have received many emails from women who welcome the choice but are concerned about the age limit. Miss Cheng Li Hui had also suggested to extend the age limit to 40 years old. The upper age limit of 35 years old is pegged to the existing age limits for donor eggs for Assisted Reproduction Treatment.”
“As housewives and caregivers, several female participants shared concerns about their financial situation. The family is the cornerstone of our society, and women play a crucial role in the family. Around us, we see many women juggling both work and family commitments. There are also many women who are homemakers, working hard for their families over the years. We know deep in our hearts that a warm, harmonious family provides a spiritual harbour for family members to return to after a hard day's work. With their tenderness, patience and resilience, women provide emotional support and assistance to family members. Their contributions are not directly captured in our GDP, but we know that their contributions have enabled their husbands and children to succeed and helped build strong and happy families. Every family is unique and the couple will share responsibilities according to their situation, in a way that is acceptable and suitable to both parties. The Government respects every family's choice and does its best to create a fair, harmonious environment and formulate pro-family policies that keep up with the times, to provide relevant support to families based on their needs. The Government will also help women who have contributed to their families for many years and are approaching retirement age but have limited savings through schemes, such as the Home Caregiving Grant and Silver Support Scheme. Family members can also show their care for their loved ones by tapping on the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme to help them save more for old age. These top-ups to their Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts are eligible for tax relief.”
“I think we can all agree that employees, generally, will welcome more leave – infant care leave, childcare leave, eldercare leave. And we can also all agree that any leave enhancements will need to balance parents' caregiving needs with employers' manpower and operational needs. I have listened to the various proposals from various Members. We do not differ when it comes to principles, namely, that mothers are differently impacted by the arrival of a child because they need time to recuperate from childbirth. But we also agree that men should play an important role in their child's early years and that men should be encouraged to take their paternity leave and parental leave. How the leave then ought to be shared between the parents is thus a function of the overall total number of leave days provided to new parents, individual family considerations and societal mindsets and norms about the roles of fathers. I fully agree with Ms Carrie Tan's point that we need shifts in societal mindsets and norms so that couples can best decide how they can jointly take care of their new child without preconceived stereotypes on caregiving. In addition, workplace support is also important as it impacts the willingness of fathers to take leave. We should also not forget the very important point that Minister of State Gan Siow Huang has made with regard to FWAs, as its availability can make a big difference to how caregiving arrangements can be sorted out. Mr Speaker, Sir, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] A few weeks ago, I attended a dialogue session on Singapore Women's Development organised by the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations.”
“Many of the initiatives that Minister of State Gan Siow Huang spoke about earlier, including FWAs and support for back-to-work women, will benefit all, including single unwed parents. On housing, HDB has assured that, following their public rental application, single unwed parents will be informed of the outcome within three weeks of receiving all required information. For complex cases that need more time, HDB will provide an interim update that the application is still being assessed. Ms Carrie Tan spoke about the housing insecurity that single mothers may face. We have a network of crisis shelters and transitional shelters to help our single mothers who are homeless and require social work intervention. While the shelters aim to help the residents move into long-term stable housing within six months, we understand that some residents may require a longer time to do so. Hence, we will extend their stays if social workers assess that they need more time to work on the issues that they face. Mr Louis Ng suggested that the full suite of Marriage and Parenthood incentives be made available to single unwed parents. I had shared at my COS speech in February this year that 12 line items, which include MediSave Grant for Newborns, Infant Care Subsidy, Childcare Subsidy, Child Development Account, and so on, are available to every Singaporean child, regardless of the marital status of their parents. But, at the same time, our Marriage and Parenthood policies seek to support parenthood within marriage. This is because our society continues to strongly value marriage and having children within marriage. Members spoke about paternity and maternity leave entitlements and shared parental leave.”
“The Alliance for Action to Strengthen Marriages and Family Relationships (AFAM) has a focal area on supporting single parents and we are looking into single parents’ access to information, alternative childcare arrangements and socioemotional support tailored to address the high stress and stigma faced by single parents. I would like to acknowledge and thank organisations, like Morning Star Community Services, HELP Family Service Centre and PPIS As-Salaam, which have been dedicated in working to support single-parent families for many, many years. As part of the work of AFAM, we will work on a new pilot. MSF will partner Daughters Of Tomorrow (DOT) to pilot a child-minding service for low-income women, including single parents, outside childcare operating hours. This is intended to ascertain the demand for such services. Ms Hany Soh and Dr Wan Rizal will be happy to note that the childminding pilot has a built-in flexibility to enable users to specify their requirements, including arrangements for childminders to pick up the child from school and the location of childminding. Based on their needs, DOT will match with suitable childminders. The details of the pilot are being worked out and we will share more details in due course. AFAM is also supporting MSF and NCSS’ work with HCSA Community Services to enhance their Single Parent Informed, Involved, Included (SPIN) programme portal. The enhanced portal aims to be a one-stop portal which better consolidates information on support schemes for single parents and other types of useful information, such as the location of nearby child and youth services.”
“The refreshed CCE curriculum has Family Education as a key content area. Students learn to appreciate that members within families can play different roles regardless of gender, and that shared parental responsibilities should be discussed and mutually agreed upon. Ms Poh Li San and Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin spoke about the need to encourage women and girls to pursue careers in STEM. The IHLs have ongoing efforts to encourage women to enter STEM fields. For example, NTU’s Promotion of Women in Engineering, Research and Science (POWERS) programme aims to recruit and empower women with a long-term goal of increasing gender diversity in STEM careers. At the Secondary level, more than half of our Secondary schools offered the Applied Learning Programme in STEM areas, providing a hands-on approach to enable students to appreciate the relevance of their learning beyond the classroom in community and STEM industry settings. The Education and Career Guidance(ECG) curriculum, as part of CCE in schools, also encourages students to explore a variety of education and career pathways. ECG Counsellors guide students to recognise how gender stereotypes may limit education or career pathways and to instead explore career sectors aligned to their interests and skills, including, but not limited to, STEM. These efforts in formal education complement the crucial role of parents at home and the efforts of our community partners, such as Family for Life, to change mindsets. It is only when respect becomes a fundamental tenet that we can expect that when the children grow up, that men and women see each other as equals and treat each other with dignity. I would now like to touch on our support measures for women with differing needs. Firstly, on Single Unwed parents.”
“In Primary schools, as part of Character and Citizenship Education (CCE), students learn about personal safety and the protection of oneself from unhealthy relationships, sexual grooming, exploitation and abuse. In Secondary schools and at the pre-University level, students learn that respect for boundaries is fundamental for healthy relationships. The refreshed CCE curriculum brings a greater emphasis on the need to communicate, assert and respect boundaries for self and others, and the socioemotional and legal consequences one faces if they overstep these boundaries. Most IHLs already have compulsory modules on respect and appropriate behaviour for students today, and the remaining IHLs will roll out such modules by mid-2022. These modules aim to promote deeper shifts in culture and mindset that will create a safe and respectful community for all. In the Autonomous Universities, students discuss and reflect on issues related to consent. Similarly, modules in the Polytechnics and ITEs emphasise the importance of respecting boundaries and the consequences for overstepping these boundaries. Mr Speaker, we know that changing mindsets does not happen overnight and that is why I have laid out step-by-step what is being done for our children so that when they grow up to become adults, they are respectful, discerning and responsible. But beyond mindset shifts to prevent offensive and inappropriate behaviours between the sexes, it is also important to catalyse mindset shifts so that women and men become equal partners in all areas of life, in both the workplace and at home. In school materials, women’s experiences, contributions and achievements are highlighted, alongside those of their male counterparts, as content examples.”
“Being sexually violated takes away that feeling of inner sanctity that resides deep in every individual and some survivors may withdraw and develop a sense of detachment to protect themselves from further hurt. We will support victims of sexual violence, not just in the form of Police enforcement and laws and penalties but also in the form of psychosocial support and care. All Family Violence Specialist Centres and the PAVE Integrated Services for Individual and Family Protection Specialist Centre will be able to provide comprehensive support for all forms of intra- and extra-familial violence, including sexual violence, by the second half of 2022. Our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) have, similarly, further strengthened support for victims of sexual misconduct through various measures. They have enhanced training for first responders to equip them with the skills to support victims sensitively. Twenty-four-hour helplines for student care and dedicated victim-survivor care units have been established and counselling services have been enhanced. If the case involves a student or staff from the same institution, No-Contact Orders can be imposed as added protection. But we know that the heart of the issue underlying many sexual offences lies in the mindsets that we have in society. We know concrete action needs to be taken to emphasise the value of respect and teach appropriate behaviour and safety, starting from a very young age from our children and our youths. And this is being done through the education journey from preschool, all the way to tertiary education. Under the revised Nurturing Early Learners framework, preschool teachers will be encouraged to teach children aged four to six appropriate behaviours around body safety.”
“The Court may make an order to authorise Adult Protective Services to remove a vulnerable adult from the place of residence if he or she is experiencing abuse and the removal is required for safety. This will also include persons with disabilities. We will also increase the penalties for the violation of PPOs. Courts will also be able to make other forms of orders, such as non-visitation or non-communication orders. Public consultations for the related Women’s Charter amendments will start from tomorrow and run till the end of April. Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim suggested adopting the Netherlands’ Orange House model of shelter for family violence survivors, for which the shelter is in a visible setting within the community. As part of the step-down care to the community, residents of crisis shelters with low risk levels have an option of staying in individual housing units. Crisis shelters also adopt trauma-informed approaches to supporting family violence survivors and their children. However, for some aspects of the Orange House model, such as the open location of the shelter where perpetrators know where the survivors live, our assessment is that this may not be suitable at this point in time. Next, on sexual and hurt offences. Minister Shanmugam had shared about the sentencing framework for sexual and hurt offences. The relevant Penal Code amendments have since come into force on 1 March 2022. I would like to highlight that the trauma of sexual offences has a long shadow. Victim-survivors can remain traumatised by memories of the episode, have flashbacks that can be triggered by anything remotely related to the incident, develop phobias of interacting and being close to people, and suffer from self-esteem issues.”
“To expand the capacity of the helpline to take more calls, MSF has provided more resources to social service agency Montfort Care, which operates the NAVH, increasing the number of operators to handle calls by 70%. The MSF Adult Protective Service and Child Protective Service will also help to train the new operators to equip them to perform their roles effectively. MSF is prepared to set aside more resources if there is a further increase in call volume. Accessibility is another key area that we are looking at. By end-2022, witnesses and survivors will be able to report violence or abuse with greater ease through new modes, such as a web link and mobile application. Mr Speaker, Sir, I have seen with my own eyes the anger in the eyes of a perpetrator of violence and the damage that the perpetrator can cause to families. We will not stand by and watch vulnerable adults, men or women, children be subject to family and domestic violence. With the 16 recommendations from the Taskforce on Family Violence, we will act swiftly, strengthen deterrence and prevention, and rehabilitate perpetrators. We will enhance MSF’s emergency response team. Appointed social service professionals will be empowered to go on site and jointly work with the Police to address immediate safety issues. This is by no means a soft approach, just because social service professionals are involved. If there is a risk of family violence recurring, the social service professionals will be empowered to decide on the issuance of a time limited protection notice or help victim survivors move out of their home temporarily. Victim-survivors facing immediate risks are not left unprotected and in the vulnerable position of having to take care of himself or herself against a perpetrator.”
“To address their concerns holistically, we have other workstreams, such as a committee which looks at residency and benefits for foreign spouses, which Minister Indranee Rajah chairs, supported by Minister of State Desmond Tan and myself. For today, I will speak about specific groups of women who are vulnerable, their challenges and how, as a society, we can collectively protect, support and empower them. We convened the Taskforce on Family Violence in February 2020 before the full effects of the pandemic on family life became apparent, which signalled our concern and focus on family violence. We brought in various partners, including the Family Violence Specialist Centres, such as PAVE, which have spent decades supporting families affected by family violence. We firmly believe that, in Singapore, one of the safest cities in the world, no woman, child or vulnerable adult should have to live in fear, jump at the sound of approaching footsteps or be subjected to the abusive words and actions of a perpetrator of violence. The home is supposed to be a sanctuary for adult and child alike and we will do our utmost as authorities and as members of the public to protect those whose sanctuary has been violated by physical and sexual violence, psychological and emotional abuse and neglect. One example of our firm commitment to tackle family violence is how we have taken steps to expand the National Anti-Violence Helpline (NAVH). I had announced the renaming of the NAVH to National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline to better reflect the scope of its services. This one-stop national helpline provides support for all forms of violence, including sexual violence and sexual harassment, in a familial or non-familial setting.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the White Paper marks the culmination of a meaningful one-and-a-half-year journey to further advance Singapore women's development. Many organisations representing both men and women, students' unions and members of the public stepped forward with their feedback. We are extremely grateful to organisations, such as SCWO, NTUC U Women and Family, People's Association-Women's Integration Network (PA-WIN), PAP Women's Wing and Young PAP, Persatuan Pemudi Islam Singapura (PPIS), AWARE and also trade associations and corporates, for putting forward proposals. My fellow co-chairs, Minister of State Low Yen Ling, Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam, and I are deeply grateful for the inputs from everyone. In the White Paper, we had grouped our 25 Action Plans into five areas not only for clarity but also to allow for thorough and effective implementation. After all the conversations, it is now the time to take action. We are determined to see this through over the decade, just as how the Government has advanced the progress of women over the past decades. Some have shared that the White Paper only seems to focus on Singapore women. I would like to clarify that many of the Action Plans, such as mindset shifts and protection from violence and harm, extend to all. Let me highlight a line in the Taskforce Report on Family Violence, which was referenced in the White Paper: "Violence against all persons should not be condoned regardless of nationality, marital status, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation." At the same time, we know that there are groups of women who face unique challenges.”
“I thank the Member for her question. The awareness is important because we need to train community partners and volunteers to be able to identify the symptoms and signs where family abuse has occurred. Another thing that can be done is to work on befriending the elderly. I understand that there are many community partners who are in the community who actively engage the elderly through a variety of activities, be they exercise or going for excursions, and all these are potential check-ins on the elderly to make sure that not only is their physical health healthy, their psychological and emotional health is healthy as well.”
“I thank the Member for his question. Please surface the contact details of your resident's son's classmate to us so that we can check on what has happened. But like I have mentioned, since the streamlined MOH protocol was announced, students' absence is treated as valid without being required to produce an MC. I would also like to say that, I guess a concern might be around the fact that the student might have a WA. So, should a WA be a factor, then when students miss this WA, the practice is actually for them to complete the task as practice papers, because we do not wish for the school-based examinations to be high stakes and to contribute to too much stress. And students who miss a WA or the school examination for valid reasons, such as being ill because of COVID-19, they would have their results rebased, taking into consideration other WAs or other components of the school examination.”
“ART-positive students who are well or with mild symptoms are to adhere to MOH's Protocol 2 and self-isolate at home. After 72 hours, such students may exit self-isolation and resume normal activities with an ART-negative result. Otherwise, vaccinated students or students below 12 years old may automatically exit self-isolation after Day 7. Partially-vaccinated or unvaccinated students aged 12 and above may automatically exit self-isolation after Day 14. Such students would not be required to produce a medical certificate to cover their absence, even if they have a weighted assessment (WA) or school examination. However, schools may request to have sight of the photo evidence of the ART-positive test result.”
“So, on a national level, in terms of preschool capacity, we have enough, but we recognise that, in localised areas, there may be areas with higher demand and, when that happens, ECDA will work closely with the parents and the advisor there to help those young families living in those areas. 1.15 pm”
“I thank the Member for her clarification. With the injection of new BTOs in the Dawson area, Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) has planned new centres, as well as extension of existing centres, to increase preschool places to address the increase in demand. I also want to make a general point that, for other New Towns or some of the older estates where there are new insertions of BTOs, ECDA will work closely with agencies to quickly expand places through expansion of existing centres, but bearing in mind that there are sometimes manpower constraints and they will also be looking into the development of new centres in additional sites, which will, hopefully, provide convenience to young families which have moved into these new BTOs. On the Member's second question, currently, parents may register their interest in a preschool via the Preschool Search Portal, which is an online self-help portal. On this portal, parents can actually search by proximity, understand more about which are the centres that are available, what is the waitlist situation like. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] Every three months, the portal will inform the parents about the latest situation around the preschool places. And if the Member is aware of specific instances whereby the parent is still unable to locate a preschool which is suitable for the family and the child, to please highlight the situation to myself, to ECDA, and we will follow up closely to find a preschool which, hopefully, the parents can accept. Sometimes, parents can have their specific requirements around specific preschools. They may sometimes want a specific preschool within a specific walking distance from home and we will try very much to accommodate.”
“Members will recall that Minister of State Faishal Ibrahim had recently shared in Parliament that, generally, single unwed parents can receive the outcome of their rental flat application within three weeks of submitting all required information, although additional time may be required for complex cases. These three areas – childminding, employment support, housing – have been brought up as pain points and we are actively looking at how we can solve these pain points for our single unwed parents. I also wanted to highlight that after the focus group discussion that my team at MSF and I had with the single unwed parents – and Members like Mr Louis Ng and other Members of Parliament had joined me for the session as well – my team had followed up individually with the single unwed parents to clarify any outstanding issues that they had raised, which sometimes also arises out of misunderstandings or miscommunications of Government policies in their interactions with Government agencies.”
“I thank the Member Mr Seah Kian Peng for his clarification. I have said this before and my views have not changed – I respect single parents, single unwed parents, for the love and care that they have for their children. And I fully recognise that it is not easy to bring up children, even more so single-handedly. That is why in the Alliance for Action to Strengthen Marriages and Family Relationships (AFAM), we have a dedicated focal area on single parents. Specifically, for the areas which we are following up on in our dialogues and engagement sessions with single unwed parents, a few areas, a few pain points, have been highlighted to us. Firstly, on childminding. That is why, in my main response earlier, I had talked about the childminding service pilot that MSF will be partnering a social service agency to provide childminding service beyond a regular childcare centre's operating hours. And this is important because we know that when we solve childminding issues and concerns of single parents, they then will have the capacity, the time and the energies to look into employment. The second area – when it comes to employment support, we are having discussions with NTUC, with community partners, to see what are the areas we can assist our single unwed parents in, be it in training or finding local opportunities for these single parents to be able to re-enter the workforce and get on a sustainable path with their children. The third pain point that has been highlighted to us has been around housing. In this particular area, I have had the opportunity to work with Member Mr Louis Ng for many years when we have discussed this in Parliament and in my time at the MND.”
“(In English): Chairman, in closing, it takes a whole-of-society effort to make Singapore a great place for families. MSF is committed to journeying with families through all seasons of life, providing nurturing learning environments for their children and paving the way to a fairer and more inclusive society. We will continue to work closely with our partners to do so and invite all Singaporeans to join us in the Year of Celebrating SG Families. [Applause.]”
“] The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the central role that families play in supporting us through the many ups and downs of life. As such, it is timely for us to designate 2022 as the Year of Celebrating SG Families to celebrate and support Singaporean families. Last year, we set up the Alliance for Action to Strengthen Marriages and Family Relationships (AFAM) to work with key stakeholders and community groups to co-create and implement solutions to strengthen marriages and families, including families with young children and those with early risks. To provide upstream support to parents of young children, MSF is supporting the Families for Life @ Community initiative by offering more marriage and parenting programmes that are conveniently accessible. We will also press on with our efforts in tackling family violence and will implement the recommendations from the Taskforce on Family Violence over the next few years. For example, we will make legislative amendments to the Women's Charter to strengthen the protection and support for survivors of family violence as well as rehabilitation for perpetrators. On early childhood education, we will further raise the quality of early childhood professionals and programmes. To do so, we will support the professional development of early childhood professionals and develop a Quality Teaching Tool to raise the quality of teaching. We will also review the Early Years Development Framework to support educators in creating enriching learning experiences for our children. To provide more support to children in lower-income families, we will progressively scale up KidSTART nationwide from 2023. This will equip parents and caregivers with the knowledge and skills to support their children's well-being and development.”
“The revised framework will also provide more detailed guidance to support educators in creating learning experiences to develop important knowledge and skills like socioemotional skills in children. The refreshed framework will be ready by end-2023. We recognise that some families face additional challenges and need additional support in developing their children's potential. The Government is committed to strengthening support for children from low-income families so that we narrow the gap starting from their early years. In tandem with KidSTART's nationwide scale-up, we will deepen partnerships with corporate and community partners through the Growing Together with KidSTART initiative. Ms Joan Pereira will be happy to hear that since the initiative began in 2019, we have received over $4 million in cash donations and sponsorships. Over 1,000 volunteers have stepped forward since 2016 to provide support for KidSTART families, including encouraging eligible families to join KidSTART and helping to pack and deliver essential items to families. I sincerely thank all our partners and volunteers for their contributions. The Government is also committed to ensuring the adequate provision of early intervention, or EI, services for children with developmental needs. To meet increased demand for subsidised EI services, ECDA will expand the number of places under the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children, otherwise known as EIPIC, through the construction of two new EI centres. ECDA will also increase the number of providers under the Enhanced Pilot for Private Intervention Providers, or PPIP programme, from 10 to 16. Chairperson, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.”
“The LDF will guide educators to strengthen competencies in curriculum, pedagogy, as well as strategic and administrative leadership. We will also enhance the Advanced Diploma in Early Childhood Leadership as a milestone course to better develop these competencies in our educators before they are appointed as centre leaders. We will also do more to raise the quality of teaching and encourage the sharing of good teaching practices across the sector. I am pleased to share that we are developing a new Quality Teaching Tool. While many preschools already have quality teaching practices, this tool will set a common standard across the sector and guide educators on the use of effective pedagogical practices, identified based on empirical research and ground practice. We will also launch the Early Childhood Learning Communities, starting April this year. These learning communities will foster peer sharing of pedagogical knowledge and practices among senior educators and curriculum specialists, focusing on domain areas crucial to child development, including Social and Emotional Development, and Language and Literacy. Members of these Learning Communities will be nurtured to become future curriculum and pedagogical leaders, and to lead Communities of Practice to benefit some 300 early childhood educators within the next two years. 12.15 pm To ensure programme quality in preschools, the Government has also developed national curriculum frameworks to guide the development of their programmes and curriculum. ECDA will review the Early Years Development Framework for children aged three and below to include areas, such as the learning of Mother Tongue languages.”
“We will develop about 10,000 more full-day places by 2023, to meet the growing demand for preschools. Ms Joan Pereira will be happy to know that these new preschool places are concentrated in areas with more young families. For example, in the two newer estates of Sengkang and Punggol, the number of infant and childcare places has increased by nearly 60% in the past five years. By around 2025, eight in 10 preschoolers can have a place in our Government-supported preschools. We will further lower fee caps at Government-supported preschools in the coming years, so that working families pay around Primary school fees plus after-school student care fees for full-day childcare in the medium term. We agree with Mr Melvin Yong that the quality of early childhood education is critical to child development. Hence, we will continue to drive quality improvements in the sector, even as we make preschools more accessible and affordable. Today, I will be sharing our plans to further raise the quality of early childhood professionals and programmes, to complement parental guidance at home. We have increased the number of early childhood educators from 18,000 in 2018 to over 23,000 last year. To better support the professional development of early childhood educators and leaders, we will provide clearer guidance on career and training pathways. While early childhood professionals have long been undertaking training, efforts have been uneven across the sector. Early childhood educators and leaders are crucial to driving the quality of education and care of our children. Today, it is my pleasure to announce the introduction of a Leadership Development Framework (LDF) to the sector.”