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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“Chairperson, women have always been key pillars of our families and society. While Singaporean women have made considerable progress in the past decades, many still bear a disproportionate amount of family and caregiving responsibilities and may face glass ceilings due to gender stereotypes. Hence, our work to strengthen families must include efforts to support our women. Mr Seah Kian Peng asked about the initiatives in the White Paper, which sets out concrete action plans to collectively realise our vision of a fairer and more inclusive society. We have been rolling out some of these plans over the past year. For example, to protect women against violence and harm, we revised the sentencing framework for sexual and hurt offences, with increased penalties for some offences. We also released the report by the Task Force on Family Violence. To address gender stereotypes through education, we refreshed the Character and Citizenship Education curriculum to help our students understand the equity of familial roles and gender stereotypes about careers. Across all domains, we will consider changes to legislation and policies. But policies must be complemented by whole-of-society action and shifts in mindsets and behaviours. More policies and initiatives will be announced when the White Paper is presented to Parliament. Chairperson, the Government is committed to supporting Singaporean families in their journey to raise their children. I will next be speaking on MSF's initiatives to give every child a good start in life, regardless of their family background. We have been steadily building up preschool places. The number of full-day preschool places has more than doubled in the past decade – from 90,000 places in 2012 to around 200,000 as of end-2021.”
“Various agencies, including MSF, will work with our partners to implement them over the next few years. For instance, as recommended by the task force, the MSF refreshed the Break the Silence public education campaign in November 2021 to increase awareness of the types of abuse, including non-physical forms of abuse, and to encourage survivors and bystanders to seek help. Also, in line with the task force's recommendations, we are enhancing our approach to better rehabilitate perpetrators of family violence. This includes amending the Women's Charter to enable mandatory assessment and treatment orders to be made for perpetrators with mental health conditions that contributed to the risk of family violence. While the primary responsibility for complying with rehabilitative Court orders lies with the perpetrator, we recognise the importance of strengthening rehabilitative approaches to encourage perpetrators to complete their rehabilitation. To provide more intensive and specialised support and rehabilitation for perpetrators, we will also deploy forensic-trained psychologists to community-based family violence specialist agencies by the end of this year. Not all perpetrators require alternative accommodation – perpetrators assessed to have low-risk of recurrent violent behaviours may receive intervention while living in their family home. Others may prefer staying with other family members or friends. To enhance the safety of survivors, we will implement a more structured referral system for social service professionals, so that perpetrators may be provided shelter, if they require accommodation. We will study the feasibility of a mandatory structured residential programme for the rehabilitation of high-risk perpetrators.”
“Our Marriage and Parenthood incentives aim to promote marriage and encourage parenthood within marriage. This reflects the desired and prevailing societal norm. And these include the Baby Bonus Cash Gift, Working Mother's Child Relief and Parenthood Tax Rebate. Single parents who need additional social support can approach Social Service Offices (SSOs) and Family Service Centres (FSCs) for assistance. Through FA4, Support for Single Parents, we are working with stakeholders and community partners to understand and address pain points that single parents have. We had conducted focus group discussions and understand that single parents face challenges with childminding, access to employment opportunities and in some cases, specific cases around housing. On childminding, MSF is partnering a Social Service Agency (SSA) to pilot a childminding service outside childcare centres' operating hours. We will share more information on this soon. To support upstream efforts to prevent family violence, FA5 will develop initiatives to raise awareness and share information on the building of safe, respectful and healthy relationships. FA5 will complement our broader efforts to tackle family violence. There has been a steady increase in the number of enquiries and new cases on family violence received by Family Violence Specialist Centres and the Integrated Services for Individual and Family Protection Specialist Centres in recent years. For instance, there were 2,906 enquiries in FY2018, of which 891 new cases were taken up. In FY2020, there were 4,574 enquiries, of which 1,103 new cases were taken up. The Government has accepted, in principle, all 16 recommendations from the Taskforce on Family Violence which Mr Melvin Yong had asked about.”
“We also aim to guide newly-weds in considering fertility health issues. FA3, or Parenting Together, will engage parents to identify key child-raising challenges, especially as young children grow up in the digital age and face mental well-being challenges. We will encourage more parents to take up evidence-based parenting programmes, such as Triple P and Signpost. Alongside FA3's work, MSF and MOE will develop resources to empower parents to support their child's mental health and well-being under the Interagency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being, which I had touched on during MOE's COS. Even as we celebrate families this year, we recognise that family relationships are a constant work-in-progress. Mr Melvin Yong asked about how MSF will support stressed families. FA4, Support for Single Parents, and FA5, Support for Families with Early Risks, will work closely with partners to deliver and develop initiatives that support families which may face challenges. Mr Louis Ng asked about support for single unwed parents. This is a focus area under FA4, Support for Single Parents. The Government provides Singaporean families with broad-based benefits to support their children's development, regardless of their parents' marital status. I would like to list out 12-line items which are benefits available for both married and unwed parents. They are MediSave Grants for Newborns, MediShield Life Coverage, Infant Care Subsidy, Childcare Subsidy, Foreign Domestic Worker Levy Concession, education subsidies, healthcare subsidies, Baby Bonus Children Development Account (CDA), including CDA First Step, Childcare Leave, Unpaid Infant Care Leave, Maternity Leave and Adoption Leave.”
“We will progressively introduce FFLC to more towns from 2022. Building on MSF's sustained efforts to strengthen families, we will designate 2022 as the Year of Celebrating SG Families (YCF). During YCF, we will scale up family bonding activities and continue to offer family enrichment programmes to equip couples and families with skills to cope with common stressors. Families for Life (FFL) will continue to disseminate the "Family and Me" preschool resource packages to cultivate an appreciation of family from a young age and nurture family values through family songs, activities and big books. We expanded this to around 50% of preschools last year and will reach out to remaining preschools by 2025. YCF will also build on the work of the Alliance for Action to Strengthen Marriages and Family Relationships (AFAM), which I chair. Mr Gan Thiam Poh had asked for an update. AFAM was set up last year to co-create and implement solutions with key stakeholders and community groups in six Focal Areas (FAs). Allow me to share the preliminary direction for each FA. FA1, otherwise known as FAM Connections, led by FFL, will increase awareness and adoption of resources and evidence-based programmes on marriage and parenting. FFL will work closely with the Centre for Fathering, Mums for Life, the People's Association and many other ground-up groups. We will also work closely with faith communities via FA6, or Faith and Families, which will organise cross-sharing of experiences and learning points by religious organisations on their efforts to strengthen marriages and family relationships. For the other focal areas, FA2, Support for Young Couples, will strengthen the delivery and uptake of marriage preparation and enrichment programmes.”
“Minister Masagos Zulkifli had earlier spoken on the important role that families play in our lives and society and on how we will make Singapore a great place for families. Families provide the basic ingredients for us to grow into resilient and caring individuals. When family relationships are strong, they provide a safety net for individuals and a safe harbour to go home to. Families can also empower us to contribute meaningfully to society and lead happy and fulfilling lives. MSF is committed to providing support to build strong families and strong family relationships. Today, I will elaborate on three key areas of our efforts to do so. First, we celebrate and support families with varying needs throughout all stages of their life journey. Second, we will continue to build a fairer and more inclusive society where men and women can realise their career and family aspirations. Third, we will continue to invest heavily in early childhood development, so that every child can have a good start in life. 12.00 pm Chairperson, families have played a central role in supporting us through the ups and downs in the past two years of the pandemic. In the face of COVID-19 measures, we all have found ways to adapt and care for our family members to the best of our abilities. It is thus timely to celebrate and strengthen the important role that families play in our lives, as Mr Murali Pillai, Ms Ng Ling Ling and Mr Seah Kian Peng have mentioned. Since 2014, about 58,000 parents have benefited from our evidence-based parenting programmes in MOE Primary and Secondary schools. In 2021, we started the Families for Life @ Community initiative (FFLC), in Nee Soon Central and Choa Chu Kang, to bring these programmes into the community so that more families can benefit.”
“I thank the Member for his clarifications as well as suggestions. Indeed, the security of client data is very important to us. That is why we are not just purchasing off-the-shelf solutions. We now have this dedicated NAVH. I mentioned earlier that we are looking into rolling out an easy-to-use form via a web link or a mobile application. That easy-to-use form would already include areas where the caller can include items, such as timing, location and other details, that will be helpful to allow first responders to reach the person who is asking for help. This person could either be the survivor/victim himself or herself, as well as a bystander. We will study the suggestion you have made about what the other jurisdictions are doing. Indeed, we have been doing so. That is why we had the signal for help hand signal to help the vulnerable as well as children who are suffering, potentially, from abuse and neglect. This was something that the Member had suggested. MSF had taken it up and we rolled it out as part of our "Break the Silence" campaign. We will continue to look into improving the different modes and channels in which survivors and potential victims can report. Indeed, the security of the data is of utmost importance. We will be rolling out those implementation plans in stages to make sure that the system is stable, and also that when callers dial in, they get help. Because the information is triaged out into the Family Violence Specialist Centres or the Family Service Centres, to ensure that callers not only have convenient and safe modes of reporting, but also, that they get the help that they need.”
“To respond to the opportunities presented by these forces of change, we must be prepared to continuously learn and relearn, transcend fault lines in the world, and stay cohesive. Singapore must therefore embrace three characteristics: to have the confidence in our abilities and ourselves, so we can keep growing and maximise our full potential; to stay competitive with the world and seize opportunities wherever they may be and, as a society, to stay cohesive. We need to move beyond seeing education as just for schools, but as a continuous journey through life. We will build a strong foundation for our students from an early age, by sparking an innate curiosity and desire for lifelong learning. In schools, we will support our students to discover their strengths, and hone future-ready competencies, while gaining a sense of rootedness to Singapore. Beyond school, we have an entire ecosystem of continual education and training, which will move beyond training some thirty to forty thousand students every year to ‘retooling’ some three to four hundred thousand workers a year. This life course approach requires a whole-of-society effort. Educators, parents, the community and industry partners are our essential partners in this endeavour. Let us journey together to strengthen our education system and achieve our vision of a confident, competitive and cohesive Singapore.”
“We are working with Government agencies, social media and technology companies and SSAs to create awareness of positive ways to use digital technology, harness technology platforms to promote a healthy online peer support culture and find practical solutions that mitigate online risks. MOE is also part of whole-of-society efforts like the Youth Mental Well-being Network, which was set up in February 2020 by MSF, MOH and MOE to co-create ground-up solutions to improve youths’ mental well-being. Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary and Minister of State Alvin Tan will be announcing some updates on the Network later. I have shared about our work with parents, Government agencies and the community to build an inter-connected network of care, support and opportunities for our students. Dr Mohamad Maliki had also spoken about our efforts, as part of UPLIFT, to build a strong network of community partners to support our disadvantaged students and their families. Minister Chan Chun Sing has shared about our partnerships with industry to provide more workplace learning opportunities for IHL students, and with Government agencies and companies to strengthen the employability and career prospects of our Polytechnic and ITE graduates in the future economy. Together, these partnerships reflect our concerted, whole-of-society effort to transform the education system and achieve our vision of a confident, competitive and cohesive Singapore. Mr Chairman, Sir, in Chinese please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Our students face a future that is being shaped by rapid technological changes, a world that is increasingly polarised and fragmented, and a society with more and more diverse perspectives, ideas and values.”
“Our partnerships with parents, via COMPASS and PSGs, extend MOE’s efforts to build students’ confidence and resilience beyond the school environment. We are also stepping up partnerships with other stakeholders in society. This is particularly pertinent in the area of mental well-being. Dr Wan Rizal asked how students with mental well-being concerns can be provided with stronger, coordinated care and support. 3.30 pm Second Minister Dr Mohamad Maliki had spoken about our strengthened support for students’ mental well-being in schools through the refreshed Character and Citizenship Education curriculum. We recognise that the issues that affect student mental well-being are multi-faceted and stressors outside of school can have an impact. MOE is part of a whole-of-Government effort to support youth mental well-being through the Interagency Taskforce for Mental Health and Well-being, which is being led by Senior Minister of State for Health, Dr Janil Puthucheary. As part of this task force, MOE and MSF are working together to provide greater support for families, children and youths to enhance mental well-being. Parenting is one key area we are looking into. I had earlier described MOE’s recent efforts, through the PSGs, to support fellow parents in taking care of their own children’s mental well-being. Through this task force, we will engage and empower a wider segment of parents with evidence-based, bite-sized parenting strategies and mental health and well-being knowledge, so that parents can build stronger relationships at home and help their child effectively meet life’s challenges. We will also explore effective ways to parent in the digital age. Another area that we are concerned about is the potential impact of the digital world on students’ mental well-being.”
“Second, MOE is working closely with PSGs so that they can connect with and support fellow parent communities. I recently met with the 25 PSGs who are leading the charge in their own ways to support parents, through understanding the parents’ needs and being creative and resourceful in meeting those needs. One example is Presbyterian High School’s PSG. By providing a listening ear and being a befriender, the PSG builds a strong circle of support for parents and provides different avenues for them to reach out and seek help, such as through level group chats and parent engagement sessions. Another example is Victoria Junior College’s PSG. The PSG has been tapping on their student alumni to share their education and career journeys with their student and parent communities and provide tips on coping with stressors that students may face. Parents could hear from alumni about their aspirations and struggles, which helped them to better support their children. Over the next two years, we will have more PSGs coming onboard these efforts. MOE has launched a Mental Well-being Resource Guide and an online repository of resources for PSGs. Developed based on suggestions and feedback from PSGs, the Guide provides tips and resources that can inform PSGs’ efforts to support parents. The online repository is a live document and we will work with PSGs to enhance its content over time to cover other issues. Lastly, we share useful resources and tips with parents via MOE’s social media platforms and the Parents Gateway, which has a new feature called "Parenting Resources", to guide them in supporting their children’s education journey. We are also working with partner agencies to incorporate more resources into the portal.”
“Ms Phua and Ms Carrie Tan have brought across the critical role of parents, as what happens at home complements what happens in schools. We will support parents in the following ways. First, we will strengthen our partnerships with parents through the COMmunity and Parents in Support of Schools (COMPASS). This is a different COMPASS from MOM's Complementarity Assessment framework. MOE's COMPASS council has embarked on efforts to support parents as we continue to encourage broader definitions of success. For example, COMPASS has organised a series of Facebook Live sessions to create awareness of different pathways of excellence. The first session was held with industry leaders to discuss the qualities that make for a future-ready individual and the need to broaden definitions of success for our children. The next two sessions will share perspectives from parents and individuals. Recognising the impact of social media and online behaviour on our children’s mental well-being, the COMPASS team is also working to encourage a culture of cyber kindness in parents and children through creating a set of cyber kindness best practices. They are partnering the Singapore Kindness Movement to provide resources to raise parents’ awareness and understanding of cyber wellness and kindness and how they can support their children in it. COMPASS has also started capability-building sessions to equip Parent Support Groups (PSGs) to support their parent community to build good relationships with their children and enhance their overall mental well-being. This is carried out through a series of "Let Us Chat!" training workshops for PSG Leaders, which was recently completed across 14 schools.”
“As part of our continued efforts to plan ahead and improve SPED school capacity, I am pleased to announce that MOE will be working with Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore to set up a second school in the West for students with multiple disabilities. These students have complex needs which can affect their learning and mobility and may also face medical challenges. Families can look forward to strong support for their child’s holistic development with SPED educators, Allied Professionals and parents working closely together. We wholeheartedly agree with Ms Denise Phua that our vision to develop the full potential of our students with SEN should be a shared vision, requiring close partnerships with key stakeholders. MOE works closely with schools, Early Intervention Centres, the Department of Child Development in hospitals, sister agencies and organisations, such as ECDA and SG Enable as well as, very importantly, our SSAs, to meet families’ needs at different stages of their journey. We thank Ms Phua for her vision of the impact that SPED schools should have. We believe in the SPED schools and in our SSAs which run them. We are committed to resourcing them well, financially and through co-developing quality SPED curriculum and investing in SPED teaching. The development of the SPED sector is situated within the larger Enabling Masterplan 2030. MOE is committed to co-creating solutions in the range of areas beyond SPED, across the lifespan of the children and families that we serve. Both within and beyond special needs, MOE has been strengthening our partnerships with parents to equip our children so that they have the resourcefulness, resilience and confidence to meet challenges in the future.”
“Last year, I shared that MOE was implementing TRANSIT for P1 students with social and behavioural needs. With TRANSIT, students receive support from Allied Educators in learning and behaviour support and teachers at P1 to learn and apply self-management skills, to get ready to learn independently. Since the introduction of TRANSIT, about 180 students have made encouraging progress in developing their self-management skills. I visited North Vista Primary recently and saw how students in TRANSIT had dedicated teaching resources to support them in their management of their socio-emotional needs, as well as in their abilities to interact with others. There are, currently, 66 schools implementing TRANSIT. Each can support up to 10 students in TRANSIT and we are preparing to support this number in every Primary school by 2026. Mdm Rahayu Mahzam spoke about enhancing accessibility to SPED schools. We had announced in 2019 that we are working with our SSAs to set up three new Government-funded SPED schools that can support students with Autism Spectrum Disorder who can access the national curriculum, but need to learn in a SPED setting due to their moderate level of SEN. One of these schools is St Andrew’s Mission School (SAMS), which began operating in January 2022 at Bukit Batok. With SAMS, there are currently 22 SPED schools distributed across Singapore to serve students with moderate-to-severe SEN. SAMS’ permanent site will be located next to Nan Hua High School and it will provide 500 Primary and 350 post-Primary level school places.”
“Mr Chairman, as we work towards our vision of Confident Singaporeans, a Competitive Singapore and a Cohesive Society, we remain committed to supporting students with different needs, to enable them to develop confidence in their future and the skills and resilience to do well in life. I thank Ms Denise Phua and Mr Shawn Huang for highlighting the importance of supporting students with Special Educational Needs (SEN). MOE has developed our landscape of support significantly. We will continue to enhance support for students with SEN throughout their educational journey. I agree with Mr Gerald Giam that some children with SEN need more intensive interventions. I will say more about the early intervention provided for preschoolers at MSF’s COS. In our mainstream schools, all students with SEN, with or without a diagnosis, can get support. As part of our whole-school approach, support is provided through inclusive classroom practices by all teachers, guided by Teachers Trained in Special Needs and Allied Educators in learning and behavioural support, or AEDs(LBS). A small number of students may need individualised therapy delivered in clinical settings, or they may need a customised curriculum in a SPED school. For these students, schools work with MOE Educational Psychologists and parents to facilitate referrals. MOE is constantly innovating to develop evidence-based interventions for the skills development of students with SEN. School-based Dyslexia Remediation, Circle of Friends and Facing Your Fears are examples. I would like to share more on another one, TRANSIT. Entering Primary 1 can be a major transition point for our students. Some students may need additional support in developing social and behavioural skills to cope with this transition.”
“At the same time, in-service training is also very important and that is why ECDA works with the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) and private training providers, to provide Continuing Professional Development courses to support staff in the management of children's behaviours. On the third point the Member mentioned, indeed, we are concerned about cases whereby the children may be experiencing family violence or domestic violence at home. So, one of the things that we are looking at strengthening is about body safety awareness and training. So, MSF is consciously reaching out to preschools to facilitate training in family violence, as well as in domestic violence, so that their educators are aware of what are the signs to look out for. And where there are instances when a child is consistently missing school, the preschools are encouraged – and I hear this on the ground as well – to call the parents to find out what is happening. And where there are concerns that there might be issues of neglect or potential abuse happening at home, the preschool educators are also encouraged to work with MSF's Child Protective Services (CPS). When the CPS is involved, they will call the parent, arrange for video calls, make visits to check on the child's well-being. I would like to assure the Member that we take the safety of our preschoolers very, very seriously. And we will do what we can to ensure that we protect our preschoolers from violence, abuse and neglect.”
“I thank the Member for her three supplementary questions. The first point about the case that she highlighted; the case is before the Courts. I would just like to assure the Member that while the investigations were ongoing, that the preschool had suspended the staff in December 2019 and then terminated her employment in January 2020. There was also a warning letter issued to the staff for child mismanagement. Subsequently, she is not allowed to continue working in preschools. The Member mentioned a specific point about CCTV footage. Indeed, when there are cases of alleged child mismanagement, the preschool is required to do what they can, including looking at CCTV footage, to be able to present the material to parents, as well as to the Police to aid them in their investigations. On the other point that the Member raised, indeed, ECDA ensures that when it comes to pre-service training as well as in-service training, that there is a need to enable our preschool staff to have the appropriate child management strategies. So, for instance, in pre-service training, individuals have to undergo ECDA-accredited early childhood programmes, which cover the following areas: firstly, classroom management and positive guidance strategies; secondly, they have to adhere to the code of ethics in engaging children in preschools; and they are also reminded about the practices that are prohibited under the ECDC regulations. And I had mentioned that earlier in my main response, which is about the use of corporal punishment, deprivation of meals and so on. These are all strictly prohibited.”
“I thank the Member for the question. I think I understand better where she is coming from in her second clarification. Currently, we do have a Code for Fun programme. We do work with agencies, such as CSA. As I mentioned earlier in my response, we do touch on these topics through assembly talks. We do touch on these topics through the Form Teacher Guidance Period for the younger ages, the lower primary ages. As to whether or not to make it compulsory, this is something that MOE will consider. We are also conscious that we do not want to overload the curriculum because we have to pay attention to the learning needs of the students. But I think the Member has made a valid point and this is something that MOE will study further.”
“I thank the Member for her explanation of why she believes in the importance of coding as well as our cybersecurity knowledge. This is also something that MOE agrees with and that is why a lot of our learning resources are hosted on student learning spaces. And as I mentioned in my response earlier, cybersecurity awareness, cyber wellness are a very integral part of our CCE curriculum, which is available to all Primary school students and above, such as, Secondary schools and IHLs. So, we want to introduce cyber wellness, cyber awareness, cybersecurity as early as possible, but we also recognise that we have to make the information available in an age-appropriate manner so that the students are best able to absorb the information and also know how to interact with the online space responsibly.”
“MOE recognises the importance of equipping students to use technology safely and responsibly. Cybersecurity education is delivered as part of Cyber Wellness lessons within the Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) curriculum. As part of CCE, all primary students are taught how to keep themselves safe in the online environment, including how to identify dangerous online content like phishing emails and online falsehoods. These lessons are supported by digital literacy resources, covering cybersecurity-related topics such as safeguarding personal information when using the Internet and social media, and hosted on the Student Learning Space (SLS) online platform. These resources are available to all students. Beyond the formal curriculum, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) supports the Ministry of Education's (MOE) efforts by providing assembly talks and other enrichment programmes in schools. A cybersecurity module is also incorporated into the Code for Fun programme for all upper primary students, where they are exposed to concepts like encryption and ways to protect oneself against cyberattacks. MOE will continue to ensure that students are equipped with cybersecurity knowledge and skills to use technology safely and responsibly in their day-to-day lives.”
“MOE does not have data on the number of Singaporean students and educational institution staff using a boarding school or educational institution as their registered address as they do not need to inform the Ministry when they choose to do so. Once an individual reports a change in residential address with Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), Government agencies who are part of the One-Stop Change of Address Reporting Service (OSCARS) initiative will use this registered address to correspond with the individual, including for the provision of Government schemes and services. For entities that are not part of OSCARS, individuals would have to update their residential address with the entities directly. If educational institution staff or students have difficulty accessing schemes or services provided by such entities, they can directly approach the respective entities who would be best placed to advise on the matter. For specific nation-wide schemes and services where it has been brought to MOE’s attention that individuals with registered residential address of a school hostel have been missed out, MOE will work with the school hostels to refer the matter to the appropriate entity for consideration.”
“I thank the Member for her follow-up question. I mentioned earlier that the Court can order the parties – the divorced spouses – and the child or any of them to attend counselling, mediation, therapeutic or educational programmes or family support programmes. So, the Court can order this. But we have stop short of making it mandatory across, like the Marriage Parenting Programme (MPP) which I had talked about at the Second Reading of the Women's Charter (Amendment) Bill. That is because we recognise that there can be different circumstances that affect families. We do not want a situation where, by making certain programmes compulsory, we actually add on to the stress that the child or the divorced spouses may already be experiencing. So, we have adopted a balanced approach, in that should there be persistent transgressions from one spouse in denying access to the other spouse, then, the Court can order such counselling and mediation programmes. But we stop short of making it compulsory because we recognise that there may be different, unique circumstances facing each family.”
“The programmes of the DSSAs and FAM@FSCs are delivered by specialised counsellors and social workers, whose aim is to help divorcing parents understand the impact of the divorce on their children and also to work out their differences so that they can parent effectively. What I mentioned earlier on the legal measures, we hope that those would be a last resort. At the end of the day, we want to restore the relationship, hopefully, between the divorced, ex-spouses so that they can co-parent effectively for the best interest of the child.”
“I thank the Member for her question. Indeed, at the recent Second Reading of the Women's Charter (Amendment) Bill, I had shared about how we will be introducing a range of measures to enforce child access and that includes allowing the Court to order: (a) the care and control parent to grant the access parent additional access to the child to make up for the access denied; (b) the care and control parent to compensate the access parent for expenses incurred as a result of the breach of order; (c) both parties and the child or any of them to attend counselling, mediation, therapeutic or educational programmes or family support programmes; (d) the care and control parent to enter into a bond to ensure future compliance with the order; and (e) as a last resort, imprisonment or a fine for the care and control parent. That said, I entirely agree with the Member that what is important is that we try to encourage co-parenting behaviours between the divorced spouses, because at the end of the day, there is a child at the centre of this and we do not want too acrimonious a relationship between the ex-spouses as it would be to the detriment of the child. Specifically on this, we have set up five FAM@FSCs, and there would be a further five more FAM@FSCs which would be set up by the end of 2022. And these bring together existing marriage and divorce support programmes and support services. We have also introduced a new family counselling service which includes parenting support that helps to look at parent and child issues. The work at the FAM@FSCs is also complemented by the work of the DSSAs.”
“These two centres also have the capability and capacity to provide social and emotional support to persons who experience sexual violence.”
“These two centres also have the capability and capacity to provide social and emotional support to persons who experience sexual violence or harassment in their workplace. [Please refer to “Improving Support for Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence”, Official Report, 12 January 2022, Vol 95, Issue No 46, Oral Answers to Questions section.] [(proc text) Written statement by Ms Sun Xueling circulated with leave of the Speaker in accordance with Standing Order No 29(5): (proc text)] I wish to make the following factual correction to the reply given during Parliament Sitting of 12 January 2022. My reply should read as follows:”
“I thank the Member for her supplementary question. MSF regularly and closely monitors the capacity of our FVSCs as well as PAVE to ensure that they are adequately resourced to be able to provide effective support to clients who need their help. The FVSCs regularly report case numbers to MSF. We monitor to ensure that they are able to manage their case load and when necessary, MSF is prepared to increase the capacity of the FVSCs as a whole, to be able to effectively help survivors and perpetrators of family violence. We had also recently announced that MSF will cater for a forensic-trained psychologist at each of the FVSCs to enable them to work more effectively with survivors and perpetrators. I also want to add that there are, apart from the FVSCs, other social service agencies who also form their own therapeutic groups and support groups. And these support groups complement very well the Government's efforts to ensure that there is support for survivors and perpetrators alike. If the Member would like further clarifications around the ratios, I would be happy to share them with her offline or to present them at the next available Sitting. 12.01 pm”
“In 2021, MSF worked with 16 organisations across the people, public and private sectors, including educational institutions, grassroots and religious organisations to provide Family Violence Awareness Training to over 1,100 staff and volunteers. MSF will continue expanding our outreach to more organisations, particularly partners that are likely to have direct contact with survivors of family violence or with groups that are at a higher risk of family and sexual violence. We welcome more organisations to step forward and partner us. On preventive efforts, MSF works closely with our partners on various fronts. For instance, MSF has enhanced the marriage preparation programme to include topics such as adverse childhood experiences and its impact on relationships, with the aim of increasing couples’ awareness of family violence and building healthy relationship skills. Additionally, MSF has developed a set of respectful relationship narratives, which is aligned with ongoing efforts by the Government and community partners to educate youths on healthy and respectful relationships, with the aim of inculcating positive behaviours from a young age. MSF is currently working with partners to align and incorporate these narratives into programmes. These will complement ongoing efforts by MOE to equip students with age-appropriate knowledge and skills to maintain healthy and respectful relationships, including through the Character and Citizenship Education curriculum.”
“Where relevant, MSF and our community partners may work with the schools and educational institutions, including their counsellors and student welfare officers, to ensure that school-going children receive the post-violence care and support that they need. MSF also works with community agencies that provide psychological services, including training for the agencies’ staff, to identify trauma needs in order to help the children and families heal from the trauma caused by abuse. While post-violence support is important for survivors to heal and recover, MSF recognises that upstream, preventive efforts are equally important. MSF has invested in public education efforts for many years. The Break the Silence public education campaign was launched in 2016 and was just refreshed in November last year to increase awareness of the different types of abuse, such as sexual abuse, psychological and emotional abuse, and to encourage bystanders, survivors and perpetrators to seek help. This is in line with the recommendations of the Taskforce on Family Violence. MSF has also started promoting the use of the “Signal for Help”, which is a hand signal that can be used by survivors to discreetly indicate that they need help. To further amplify this signal, MSF has incorporated it into its Break the Silence campaign logo. On working with community partners to detect violence, MSF actively seeks out and collaborates with community partners and organisations to strengthen community detection of violence and refer persons experiencing violence to available support.”
“] This support complements the efforts by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP), which provides advice to persons who experience harassment at work, such as how to tap on workplaces’ internal grievance handling and workplace harassment management procedures. TAFEP will also require employers to provide an investigation report of the workplace harassment complaint in accordance with the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment and take clear steps to prevent and manage workplace harassment in future. Care Corner Project StART and PAVE are the only two agencies in Singapore with the capability and capacity to provide comprehensive support for survivors of sexual violence. MSF is working with the third FVSC, TRANS SAFE, to enhance its capability and capacity to provide similar comprehensive support to survivors of sexual harassment and violence in the second half of the year. Children and young persons who experience family or sexual violence are supported by MSF’s Child Protective Service (CPS) or the community-based Child Protection Specialist Centres (CPSCs), depending on the severity of the presenting risks. Management and staff at the various touch points like preschools, schools, healthcare institutions and social service agencies are also trained to identify and report child abuse to CPS. As part of the intervention, CPS and the CPSCs work with families to put in place safety plans to minimise the recurrence of harm. MSF and the CPSCs also have psychologists who are trained to provide evidence-based trauma interventions for children and their caregivers to treat their trauma and abuse-related psychological issues.”
“This includes addressing trauma and mental health concerns, providing assessment and intervention to identify and address risk factors and needs relevant to the perpetrators’ abusive behaviour and working with the social workers to engage in safety planning for survivors. Taken together, the assessment, intervention and safety planning can help to reduce the risk of repeated violence. MSF is also working with social service agencies to develop and implement a common assessment and intervention framework. This framework will enable frontline professionals to better identify family violence cases, make timely referrals and facilitate discussion of cases across agencies where relevant and support the agencies in managing the risks and addressing needs of both survivors and perpetrators. There are currently three FVSCs, namely Care Corner Project StART FVSC, TRANS SAFE FVSC and PAVE ISIFPSC. Two of these – Care Corner Project StART and PAVE – are already able to provide comprehensive social and emotional support, including counselling and other interventions, for survivors of all forms of intra- and extra-familial violence, including sexual violence. These two centres also have the capability and capacity to provide social and emotional support to persons who experience sexual violence or harassment in their workplace. [Please refer to “Clarification by Minister of State for Social and Family Development”, Official Report, 12 January 2022, Vol 95, Issue No 46, Correction by Written Statement section.”
“MSF works closely with the community-based Family Violence Specialist Centres (FVSCs) and PAVE’s Integrated Services for Individual and Family Protection Specialist Centre (ISIFPSC) to provide support to all persons, regardless of gender, who experience any form of violence. The support provided includes safety planning to reduce the risk of violence recurring, facilitating alternative safe accommodation for survivors away from perpetrators, supporting survivors through the Personal Protection Order (PPO) application process, referring them to legal aid where necessary, making Police reports of violent or sexual offences committed against them, and working with them and their families, where applicable, on their longer-term needs. Beyond addressing immediate safety risks, FVSCs and PAVE also provide counselling to survivors to address their psycho-social needs such as trauma arising from the violence. There are also various support and therapeutic groups run by the community, including FVSCs and PAVE, for survivors of family or sexual violence to speak about their experiences in a safe and supportive environment. Survivors who have mental health or trauma needs are also able to seek services from mental health professionals of restructured hospitals, including those with specialised trauma clinics. MSF will continue strengthening interventions for families who have experienced trauma due to family violence. As recommended by the multi-stakeholder Taskforce on Family Violence, we will cater for a forensic-trained psychologist at each of the FVSCs and PAVE, to enable them to work more effectively with survivors and perpetrators.”
“I thank the Member for her clarification. There are many ongoing efforts and non-legislative ones to encourage the mainstreaming of the roles of the father and the mother, like what the Member has suggested. For instance, MOE, in its Character Citizenship Education (CCE) curriculum talks about the roles that different family members play and they encourage children and students not to have stereotyped views on what a father and mother's roles should be. So, I would encourage the Member to look at these efforts holistically. Important lessons and initiatives also have to start very young when it comes to framing the views that society has towards what the roles of fathers and mothers should be. So, I would encourage the Member to look beyond legislative amendments. [(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. (proc text)] [(proc text) The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Ms Sun Xueling]. (proc text)] [(proc text) Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. (proc text)]”
“I thank the Member for her clarification. On the last point that the Member raised, the Court will have to consider what is in the best interest of the child. They will have to take into account the full facts of the case. I understand where the Member is coming from. But the starting point of the Court has to be that it is in the best interest of the child. So, we hope, with the current updates to how access is provided, that this would ensure more expeditious redress for parents who face issues of access.”
“I thank the Member for her clarification. Indeed, for children who would benefit from having their parents go for MPP, and, if they have exceeded the age limit of 21, the parents can similarly do so.”
“I thank the Member for his clarification. If the Court had directed the parties to go for counselling, it would have meant that, in their application for DMA, they had not satisfied the requirements under DMA. As such, if the parties would still want to continue with their divorce applications, then they will have to cite a different fact.”
“With that, I thank Members for the valuable input and support for this Bill. Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move.”
“If passed in Parliament, we expect all the marriage-related amendments and some of the divorce-related amendments to come into effect in the latter half of this year, while others, such as DMA, would come into effect in 2023, to allow time for the Courts, lawyers, social service agencies and other parties to be ready. In conclusion, our families are the key building blocks of society, and we must do what we can to ensure that they are protected and strengthened. I believe that, viewed holistically, these proposed amendments to the Women's Charter relating to marriage and divorce, will strengthen the institution of marriage and support families should they have to pursue divorce as a last resort. I thank everyone who had provided feedback during our engagements and who made the proposals presented here today possible. Beyond legislation, it is truly the efforts of the community that will make a difference to those impacted by a divorce. I also urge experienced couples to do their part to actively mentor and counsel younger couples in their social circles or religious organisations, bolstering the efforts of licensed solemnisers under the JOY initiative. I also encourage passionate individuals and ground-up groups to partner MSF's Alliance for Action to organise family activities, programmes to strengthen marriages and family relationships. I am also excited to be working with Families for Life, a ground-up movement to build strong and resilient families in Singapore. However, we also recognise that more can be done to enhance protection against violence, and we will be proposing amendments in a separate Bill by the end of this year to implement the recommendations of the Taskforce on Family Violence.”
“When determining issues pertaining to a child's welfare, the Court order focuses on rebuilding relationships and for parents to focus on the future with their children, instead of specific orders laying down conditions, such as the one referred to. As far as possible, we want to encourage divorced parents to work through issues cooperatively and harmoniously outside of the Court system. This is especially pertinent in cases where there is shared care and control as it is not ideal for parents with shared care and control to seek or rely on Court orders to lay down all matters and details pertaining to care of their children and arrangements after divorce. Instead, they should be working on co-parenting cooperatively in the child's best interest. Those awarded share and control must also, when they applied for it, truly be able to divide the care and control of the child equally and be able to cooperate to do so. Nonetheless, we recognise that there may be cases where parents are unable to reach an agreement despite their best efforts. In such cases, they can approach HDB to discuss their options. As Ms Mariam Jaafar has raised, the area of family law is an important one, one that often most impacts people and their families. It is for this reason that our proposed amendments seek to strengthen therapeutic justice in the family justice system, and we are working with FJC to include monitoring standards, processes and complaints. Nonetheless, the various professions involved in the process are subject to their respective codes of practice.”
“And this includes childcare, employment and socioemotional support, facilitating support networks for single parents and developing a one-stop portal to help single parents access programmes and community resources more easily. Mr Louis Ng brought up the issue of access to HDB flats for divorcees with shared care and control of their children and made several suggestions. I thank him for those suggestions. Under current HDB policy, all individuals are only allowed to be listed in one HDB flat application. At the same time, divorcees with shared care and control of children have an equal right to list their children in their flat application. HDB is not in a position to determine which parent can exercise the right to do so, and thus requires divorced parents to try to come to an agreement, in the first instance, before listing their child in a flat application. I agree with Mr Ang Wei Neng that we must support those who face difficulties. For those who are unable to reach an agreement with their ex-spouse or have low income and have no other housing options, HDB can exercise flexibility to waive the requirement on a case-by-case basis, to ensure that both parties have options to provide housing for themselves and their children. For cases where the ex-spouse has bought a private property after the divorce, they may still wish to list the child in a future flat application. As such, HDB will review each case individually and will not be able to waive the mutual agreement requirement as a blanket policy. HDB will also not require the Court order to state which parent is allowed to list the child as an "essential occupier" as orders pertaining to a child are made with the overarching principle of the child's best interest.”
“We also recognise that there may be those impacted by divorce that require even more support, given the challenges of caregiving. Ms Yeo Wan Ling, Mr Melvin Yong and Mr Seah Kian Peng brought up the issue of support for mothers who may be unemployed during the divorce. With the proposed amendments, all parents with minor children must attend MPP before they file for divorce. MPP covers several areas, including co-parenting and the impact of divorce on parties' financial status and living arrangements. If employment support or financial support is needed, the MPP counsellor would refer the parties for employment or financial assistance. Ms Yeo Wan Ling and Mr Seah Kian Peng also asked about support for parents with caregiving responsibilities, including greater flexible work support and other policies for better work-life harmony. MOM introduced the Tripartite Advisory on Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) and Tripartite Standard on FWAs in 2017 and, subsequently, the Tripartite Standard on Work-Life Harmony in 2021, which guides employers on how to offer FWAs to their employees and provides recognition to employers who do so. MOM will continue to work with the tripartite partners to strengthen the provision of FWAs and other work-life practices. In August 2021, MSF also set up an Alliance for Action to Strengthen Marriages and Family Relationships. One of the focal areas is on "Support for Single Parents", which aims to enable single parents to better care for their children and raise their families through strengthening the ecosystem of support around them. The Alliance for Action will work with community partners to strengthen support for single parents.”
“However, while women are in a much better position today than they were many years ago, we recognise that, even today, in a marriage, it is more likely for a wife to give up her career to care for her family, while her husband continues working. And this means that post-divorce, women tend to be financially more vulnerable. The current provision, therefore, provides maintenance for the parties who tend to be more financially vulnerable post-divorce – women and incapacitated men. While we want to move towards gender-neutrality, those who are more vulnerable must be protected. In any case, the Courts refrain from granting high amounts of maintenance to wives who are able to work, even if they had not worked or stopped working for some years. The Courts' goal is to award reasonable maintenance that will meet the financial needs of the wife until she can secure for herself some form of employment and adjust to her post-divorce situation. The issue of parental alienation was also brought up by Ms Mariam Jaafar. We do not think that there is a need to define the term "parental alienation" in order to ensure that those who are impacted by it are supported. Rather, parents who believe that they are victims of parental alienation are encouraged to seek help for themselves and their children at FSCs or DSSAs. And if such methods fail, parents may consider legal recourse.”
“Thus, it is not just about ensuring that those who need it get legal help for access matters but that the manner in which they conduct the case and the merits of their position in the case are reasonable. For access matters, Court litigation should very much be the last resort. Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim and Mr Lim Biow Chuan also raised concerns regarding the provision to allow the Court to direct the bailiff to restore a child to the physical custody of a person in whose custody, or care and control, the child is placed. The Courts will only order the bailiff’s assistance in cases where their presence is absolutely necessary, and not in all cases. To safeguard the child’s well-being, the bailiff will be accompanied by the applicant, usually the other parent. Where required, the bailiff is also empowered to activate Auxiliary Police Officers for support. It is pertinent to note that the same powers exist in the Guardianship of Infants Act and are available to all parents and guardians of a child. This proposal seeks to extend the same relief to parents who have divorce, nullity or judicial separation proceedings. On the issue of maintenance enforcement, Ms Sylvia Lim and Mr Ang Wei Neng noted that the current maintenance enforcement process can be further enhanced. As I have said so earlier, MSF is working with MinLaw and the Family Justice Courts to study how to provide more efficient and effective enforcement of maintenance orders and to minimise repeat enforcement. We are considering the feasibility of taking up these amendments under a separate legislation. Ms Carrie Tan and Mr Ang Wei Neng also raised the issue of allowing maintenance applications to be made for husbands, without the condition of incapacity. We had considered this.”
“As for the perpetrator, he or she must attend the MPP if he or she wishes to file a counterclaim to put forth his or her points relating to the divorce and ancillary matters to the Court. DSSAs and FAM@FSCs will also refer parties for support if they disclose experiences with family violence. Regarding the issue of child access enforcement, I would like to assure Ms Hany Soh that should parties be ordered to take part in therapeutic programmes or counselling at the DSSAs or FAM@FSCs, they will not incur any fees. As to increasing the number of complimentary sessions for parties to carry out supervised access at DSSAs, there are no plans to do so as the intention is to foster a sense of responsibility in parents in managing their own relationship to co-parent effectively, by requiring them to contribute a sum for supervised access. Supervised Exchange and Supervised Visitation is intended as an interim measure to help parents work towards independent access. I would also like to assure Members that should any parent face issues of access to their children, they are able to seek help at the FAM@FSCs and DSSAs. As Ms Mariam Jaafar has pointed out, there is no difference in services offered to men and women. As for increased legal assistance to parents, the means test is reviewed at regular intervals, every five years or so, with the last amendment to means testing done in 2019. MinLaw will continue to review the means test regularly in order to ensure that less privileged persons who need legal help continue to get it. The Legal Aid Bureau also has a merits test in order to ensure that legal aid is not given for frivolous, unmeritorious claims.”
“Ms Sylvia Lim also asked if the Court would act as a watchdog, in cases of vulnerable spouses who may be coerced into agreeing into a divorce under DMA and to unfavourable terms under the divorce relating to their children and their financial affairs. As I have said earlier, we rely on family lawyers to prevent such cases. In addition, the mandatory parenting programme or MPP, which I have been referring to, is a mandatory pre-filing programme for parents and this can act as a safeguard against such instances, as the counsellor may identify and assist such spouses. Indeed, for an agreement to be made under DMA, the Court must, among other things, assess that parties are acting voluntarily and have the requisite knowledge of the terms. Members also raised queries on other aspects of the divorce process. Mr Melvin Yong asked about the penalties that may be imposed on parties should they be found to have divorced for financial benefits, such as to own multiple properties without additional buyers’ stamp duties. I assure Members again that DMA does not make it easier for parties to get a divorce. In fact, parties who choose to go on DMA have to satisfy the Court that there is no reasonable possibility of reconciliation. Lawyers must also do their part to ensure that divorces are genuine and their clients are not intending to enter into a divorce just in name. Ms Ng Ling Ling asked where one party refuses to attend MPP, whether the other party would be hindered from proceeding with the divorce, such as in cases of family violence, where the perpetrator may be unwilling to attend. In a case where one party refuses to attend MPP, the other party will still be able to proceed with the filing of the divorce after they have themselves completed MPP.”
“As for whether parties who originally cited another fact can later be allowed to amend their claim and cite DMA, parties can apply for leave to amend the claim, subject to fulfilling the requirements of the Family Justice Rules. Ms Mariam Jaafar asked about a minimum time period for the proceedings to allow for reflection. Mr Yip Hon Weng also asked how long the process will take from the time divorce is filed and if the couple can appeal the Court’s decision. The average duration taken depends on the track that the divorce application proceeds on. For couples who contest the divorce or ancillary matters, the duration varies and could take some time. For couples who divorce on the Simplified Track, the time taken from filing to the grant of the interim judgment is approximately six to 12 weeks. Thereafter, there would be another minimum period of three months to the final judgment. We envisage that couples who cite DMA would likely file for divorce on the Simplified Track, but citing DMA instead of the existing five facts would not change the duration in any way. As for appeals, as this is a consent application, it is unlikely that there should be an appeal. And should one party change their mind, they can apply to set aside the grant of the Interim Judgment. Regarding Ms Mariam Jaafar's suggestion for a minimum period after the divorce is finalised for counsellors to check in on couples to ensure that they are coping well, any family that has issues with the divorce or its impact can seek post-divorce support at the FAM@FSCs and DSSAs. Ms Ng Ling Ling asked how the Court will ensure that the agreement under DMA is entered out of the parties' own volition.”
“We will enhance MPP to encourage couples to consider reconciliation, if possible. For couples who are open to reconciliation, a counsellor can help to support them through this process and, otherwise, the couple may proceed to divorce should they wish to do so. At the point of filing, should the Court assess that reconciliation is still a reasonable possibility, the Court may refer the couple for counselling at DSSA or FAM@FSC. After counselling, parties may continue with the divorce process should they choose to do so. Ms Joan Pereira similarly raised concerns on the submission of efforts to reconcile to the Court. In particular, Ms Pereira was concerned that this would add tension to an already strained relationship. The premise of DMA is to allow divorcing couples to come together and help a broken relationship without further strain. We expect that couples who cite DMA would have discussed their issues and how to resolve the dissolution of the marriage in an amicable manner. It is for this reason that the fact is founded on mutual agreement. If there is no consensus on all matters, it is highly unlikely that the couple would opt for this fact. The application, therefore, gives the couple space to discuss, communicate and resolve all issues, including reconciliation efforts, before presenting this application by mutual agreement to the Court. To Ms Hany Soh’s query on whether DMA may only be cited on the Simplified Track and if divorces filed citing another fact can later be allowed to proceed on an amended claim under DMA, we envisage that most parties who cite DMA would file on the Simplified Track. However, DMA is not limited only to the Simplified Track, and those on the standard track may choose to cite DMA as well.”
“If parties cite evidence relating to one of the five established facts, but do not quite meet the prescribed requirements, it remains open to the Court to grant the divorce on the grounds of DMA. But before doing so, the Court will have to assess the facts carefully, bearing in mind that a divorce cannot be granted under DMA if there is a reasonable possibility of reconciliation. The Court will have to carefully consider whether or not to depart from the requirements of one of the five established facts, taking into account the specific circumstances of the case. DMA is a different fact on which you can obtain a divorce, but it is not an easier fact. The Court will have to assess the agreement based on the matters set out in the statement of particulars submitted by parties to the Court, which contains the three requirements needed by DMA, and make an assessment that the efforts detailed suffice to satisfy the parties-centric test that parties have made best efforts and have done all things necessary to attempt reconciliation. This is not present in the current five facts, including forced separation with or without consent. All these represent a paradigm shift that is different from, but not necessarily easier than, the current five facts. Over time, the Courts will develop case law on DMA. In all cases, parties have to meet the three-year time bar before they can apply for divorce. A party who relies on DMA will thus not necessarily be able to obtain a divorce sooner than a party who relies on adultery, desertion or unreasonable behaviour. It all depends on the facts. For couples with minor children, they will have to attend MPP at the DSSA or FAM@FSC before filing for divorce or filing a counterclaim when served with divorce papers.”
“Spikes or long-term increase in divorce rates occur when the regime switches from fault-based to non-fault-based. We had made this transition in 1980 from a purely fault-based regime to a hybrid regime with no-fault grounds and we had introduced a Simplified Divorce Track in 2015. We saw no significant increase in divorce then. Members also raised queries on the divorce-related proposals. Regarding the details of DMA, Ms Hany Soh asked what reasons are acceptable to substantiate that the marriage has irretrievably broken down. This could include reasons, such as a deep-seated difference in values, and the intention is to avoid reasons that point blame only at one party, and children should not be cited as the reason for divorce. In fact, as Dr Shahira Abdullah has pointed out, one of the aims of DMA is to spare children the pain of having their parents make, prove and disprove allegations against each other’s misdeeds, so children are better able to cope with the divorce. Ms Ng Ling Ling asked how the Court would assess if a marriage is still reconcilable and whether MSF would be able to make recommendations to the Court. Mr Yip Hon Weng similarly asked if the assessment would involve professionals in family matters. Ms Sylvia Lim expressed concerns about whether DMA would lower the threshold for divorce, compared to the other five facts. Ultimately, the legal test for the granting of the divorce is the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage. There are, currently, five facts with their own respective requirements. DMA is a broad ground, but parties will still have to meet the threshold of irretrievable breakdown of marriage.”
“It is inevitable that, in certain cases, even with DMA, the couple will still face acrimony in the divorce process. However, providing the option for parties to jointly take responsibility rather than pinning the blame solely on one party would more likely set the frame and mindset for a less acrimonious and conflictual process. Thereafter, when parties proceed to the ancillary discussion, they are more likely to do so without the resentment of either having to bear full blame for the divorce or the pain of having to dredge up past hurts. Having jointly taken responsibility for the breakdown of the marriage, they can begin ancillary discussions more amicably. I would like to emphasise again and assure Mr Lim Biow Chuan, Mr Ang Wei Neng, Mr Melvin Yong and Mr Yip Hon Weng that DMA differs from the no-fault divorce that we see in other jurisdictions. Unlike other overseas regimes where parties are not required to prove that the marriage has irretrievably broken down, or where the filing for divorce by one party is sufficient to prove the marriage has irretrievably broken down, DMA is a sixth fact to prove the sole ground of divorce and it is done through an agreement that cites: one, reasons for the breakdown; two, efforts at reconciliation; and three, considerations for children and financial matters. One party cannot unilaterally divorce the other. Some jurisdictions have removed the ability for a party to contest the proceedings. Under the Women’s Charter, the defendant is able to file a defence against a divorce application, irrespective of the fact cited. I would also like to assure Ms Sylvia Lim that we do not expect the number of divorces to increase significantly with the introduction of DMA.”