Sylvia Lim
Singapore
“Thank you, Speaker. I have a supplementary question for Senior Minister of State on PF. It was pointed out in the FATF report that representatives of foreign flag states have a very low understanding of their PF obligations.”
“Thank you Speaker. I have noted what the Minister is proposing that the House do. I am not standing up to object to it. But I think it is important for me to also state that my response on some of the issues that she mentioned, I have made them on 14 January during the debate on the Motion of the Leader of the Opposition, and I do not thi…”
“Thank you, Speaker. A clarification for the Minister. I think it is quite clear that we are not denying that services were provided and residents had benefited from the services. I also would say that we do appreciate that MND did this internal review to undercover this problem, if I can say that.”
“Thank you, Speaker. I have one clarification for the Senior Parliamentary Secretary, and that is on the necessity for the retrospective legislation.”
“Sir, regardless of which country may have primary jurisdiction over a particular case, both governments may feel pressured to retain cases involving their own nationals. This could be for various reasons, such as the differences in law and punishments or to give their nationals better access to justice in their home countries.”
“One clarification for the Minister. This is in relation to when Singapore may have to give up its primary jurisdiction to Malaysia to investigate incidents and particularly on clause 39(2).”
The complete record
Every one of 1,794 lines we hold for Sylvia Lim, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 22 of 36.
“Even if the Minister were to say that he would appoint persons from a wide spectrum of interests, the fundamental question remains: why not continue to let the organisations under section 4 of the Act continue to make their own nominations? Why must the Board members now be Government-approved? Were there major problems arising from the way the Board of Trustees was diversely appointed? If the method has worked to produce excellent outcomes, why is the Government changing the method of composing the Board now? The diversity of the Board and the autonomy of ISEAS are two sides of the same coin. The diverse way of composing the Board has allowed ISEAS to function as an autonomous think-tank. The diverse way of composing the Board balances three ways in which the Minister for Education already has influence on the running of the Institute, as the authoriser of payment of grants and aid to the Institute, as Appointer of three members to the 10-member Executive Committee and as Possessor of powers to make rules for ISEAS, including the powers and functions of the Board. Can ISEAS maintain its autonomy and independence with all the powers concentrated in the Minister with this amendment Bill? More worryingly, is the concentration of powers to appoint the Board in the Minister a sign of things to come? Are there plans to turn ISEAS Page: 64 into a body that simply churns out knowledge for the Government bureaucracy? Mdm Speaker, the Workers' Party is supportive of renaming ISEAS as "ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute". However, we are of the view that failure to preserve the diversity and autonomy of the Board will undermine ISEAS' reputation as an independent research centre and think-tank.”
“The Lee Foundation and Shaw Foundation each appoints a member, reflecting charitable organisations. The National University of Singapore appoints six members from academia. Page: 63 The amendment Bill removes or reduces this diversity in the composition of the Board by cutting down the Board from 21 members to 14 members and giving the Minister sole power to appoint the entire Board. I find it very ironic that this Bill will rename ISEAS to honour the first President, but will remove the office of President, henceforth, from its historical association with ISEAS altogether. It is useful to turn to the original purpose for which ISEAS was set up. During the parliamentary debate in 1968 when the ISEAS Bill came up for Second Reading, then-Minister for Education Mr Ong Pang Boon told the House that it was intended that the research activities of ISEAS would increase Singapore's understanding of its neighbours and help us to play a more effective role in the region. He further emphasised that the Board was to represent a wide spectrum of interests – academic, professional, commercial, charitable and governmental. There thus appeared to be a conscious decision that ISEAS should not be seen by our neighbours as an arm of Government but as a research institute where the Government was but one of many stakeholders. One critical point to note is that under the Act, the Board of ISEAS is vested with the power to approve its budget and research programme. The composition of the Board will thus send a signal to the world about the direction of ISEAS.”
“Mdm Speaker, I support the renaming of ISEAS as the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute to honour our first Head of State. It is most appropriate to name a leading research centre and think-tank dedicated to the study of Southeast Asian societies in honour of an illustrious President. As the Minister mentioned in his Second Reading speech, President Yusof Ishak guided us through turbulent times and into Independence. It is, indeed, fitting to honour him in this year of our golden jubilee. However, this Bill brings more than just a name change for ISEAS. It also seeks to change the structure of its Board of Trustees in a very fundamental way. Instead of the current structure that provides for the President and various organisations to nominate representatives to the Board, clause 6 of the Bill proposes that the Minister be the sole person to nominate all the Board members. the Minister said that clause 6 was just "an update", but is that all that it is? On the face of it, the amendment will change the character of ISEAS – it appears to be a regression from its original statutory structure that guarantees representation of a diversity of interests, to one whose direction will be set by a Board consisting solely of a Cabinet Minister's appointees. The current Board consists of a Chairman and Deputy Chairman to be appointed by the President and 19 other members who are appointed by various bodies to reflect the diverse stakeholders in the work done by ISEAS. The President appoints seven of the 19 members, three of whom are from professional bodies and organisations. The four chambers of commerce each appoint a member to reflect the international and multi-ethnic business ties Singapore has with the region.”
“Thank you, Madam. I have one clarification for the Senior Minister of State. She mentioned that as far as the private trustees' fees are concerned, they do not factor into the calculation of the Target Contribution. At the same time, it is provided under the law that the debtor bears the primary responsibility of paying those fees. So, from where in the bankrupts' estate will these fees be paid out of?”
“Repeat bankrupts would have to pay 76 monthly contributions to meet their target contribution, compared with 52 monthly payments for first-time bankrupts. Would the Ministry be able to tell us whether there are significant numbers of repeat bankrupts, or give other indications of the size of the problem, to warrant such a blanket treatment for all repeat cases? 6.32 pm”
“In addition, before complaining to the OA, the bankrupt may want to resolve matters with the private trustee first. If such residents were to come to see their Members of Parliament for assistance, should Members write to the private trustee directly, or should such correspondences be channelled through the OA's office? Is the private trustee expected to reply to Members' letters? Next, Sir, timeframes for discharge. The Bill sets out a differentiated discharge framework, with timeframes for discharge of bankruptcy: for first-time bankrupts, they are generally eligible for discharge in five to seven years, while repeat bankrupts are generally eligible for discharge in seven to nine years. Under this framework, bankrupts are told that they should keep up their monthly contributions to reach the Target Contribution, so as to be discharged earlier rather than later. However, bankrupts who have not paid their Target Contributions in full may still be discharged after seven years for first-time bankrupts and nine years for repeat bankrupts. I see the benefit of this framework of injecting more certainty for bankrupts to work towards their discharge. Nevertheless, I note that the periods of time proposed are long compared with some countries. One example at the other end of the spectrum is the United Kingdom, where bankrupts are automatically discharged after one year to promote rehabilitation of bankrupts and to encourage entrepreneurs to try again. While having a regime of one year automatic discharge is probably too drastic a change and unfair to Page: 113 creditors, how did the Government arrive at the timeframes it decided upon? Secondly, under the differentiated framework of this Bill, repeat bankrupts are treated more harshly, compared with first-time bankrupts.”
“The private trustees' costs will be paid from the bankrupts' monies and properties, in priority to creditors' claims. Will the additional burden of high private trustees' fees delay or hinder the bankrupts' rehabilitation and discharge? I am thinking of certain scenarios, for example, where a bankrupt owes a small debt of say, $20,000, how much additional fees would be added for him to pay by way of private trustee's charges? High trustee's charges could also come at the expense of creditors' recovery, since the trustee's charges will be paid in priority to Page: 112 creditors' claims. Furthermore, it is foreseeable that institutional creditors, such as banks, may appoint larger law firms or accounting firms as private trustees. These larger firms' fees generally are much higher than smaller firms' fees. Should there be some regulation or capping of private trustees' fees to ensure that they are proportionate to the debt or, at least, reasonable and necessary? Besides their fees, I would like clarification on how the private trustees will be held accountable for their work. Under section 39 of the Act, the OA has supervision over the private trustee in that the OA will take cognisance of the conduct of a private trustee, inquire into any complaint made and conduct investigations where needed. In addition, according to a MinLaw explanatory note on the Bill, once a bankruptcy exceeds its five-year mark or seven-year mark in the case of repeat bankruptcies, a private trustee will have to submit reports to the OA every year. I would like the Ministry to confirm that a bankrupt does not need to wait for the five- or seven-year mark respectively before making a complaint to the OA.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, over the years, I have encountered residents who were made bankrupts due to business failure, or simply because they were trying to help a relative by signing off as guarantor for a loan. They languished for many years in their status, with diminished career prospects and demoralised, as either the debt was too large or they were simply unable to make sufficient payment to satisfy their creditors. I am thus supportive of the Bill's purpose of seeking to inject some efficiency and timelines into bankruptcy administration. I also welcome the increase in the bankruptcy debt threshold from $10,000 to $15,000, in view of the rise in costs since the threshold was last set. However, I wish to seek some clarifications on two areas, namely, private trustees, and the time limits for discharge of bankrupts. First, private trustees. I note that the Bill requires "institutional creditors" to nominate a private trustee in place of the Official Assignee (OA) when bringing a bankruptcy application. The "institutional creditors" include banks and finance companies regulated by MAS and business undertakings with an annual turnover of more than $100 million and more than 200 employees. Over the past few years, I have come across several residents in bankruptcy who complained about slow responses from the OA's office. I hope that this proposal of private trustees taking over significant workload from the OA will improve the response times and efficiency of bankruptcy administration overall. One potential issue I wish to raise relates to the costs of private trustees. Under the Act, the fees of the private trustees are to be borne by the bankrupts. This will be an item added to the debt under the bankruptcy.”
“The CPA is to take down the particulars of the persons complained against and advise such persons to abate the nuisance. They can also take statements from the complainants, the person complained about and from witnesses. I would like to ask whether the CPAs will all be paid positions or would volunteers also be roped in? And what will be the criteria for the recruitment of CPAs in terms of educational level? For example, would there be a minimum age to ensure that a certain degree of maturity is there to deal with the public? Again, as with Forensic Specialists, the issue of having CPAs being given Police accoutrements and equipment is provided for under section 65C(5). This time, only batons are specifically mentioned. What sort of training will CPAs undergo to ensure that they do not misuse their powers and weapons?”
“Madam, I support the Bill. However, I would like to seek some clarifications on clause 19 concerning Forensic Specialists and Civilian Police Assistants. First, Forensic Specialists. The proposed sections 65A and 65B provide for Forensic Specialists who will be assisting in investigations of crimes. Section 65B sets out their powers which are to secure a crime scene, search the crime scene and any individuals in the vicinity, seize and detain potential evidence, conduct forensic examinations and procedures and take statements from individuals, as directed by the Police or a law enforcement officer. It is stated in section 65A that the Forensic Specialist is not a Police Officer and could either be a public officer or an individual who is not a public officer at all, that is, from the private sector. Does this mean that the person from the private sector continues in the private sector while being appointed as a Forensic Specialist and is this due to a lack of Page: 62 expertise in the public sector in certain areas or simply due to insufficient manpower? I would also like to ask what kind of expertise outside the public service does the Ministry envisage tapping on. Secondly, though these Forensic Specialists are experts in their own domain, yet under section 65A(5), they will be issued with the accoutrements or equipment that may include handcuffs, cable ties, batons and defensive weapons. Is it appropriate to issue such items to forensic specialists? Are these scientists expected to undergo some sort of Police training in order for them to use these items appropriately? Next, Madam, I move on to Civilian Police Assistants or CPAs. Under section 65C and D, CPAs will assist the Police to attend to noise complaints.”
“Page: 13 My second suggestion is to require the certificate issuer to indicate in the LPA how long he has known the donor, or how he forms his opinion that the LPA is reliable. Finally, I refer to the regime of Court-appointed deputies. Being someone who recently went through the process to be appointed deputy, I appreciate the need for rigour especially when one is appointed deputy to handle someone else's assets. However, parents of adults with mental disabilities are also required to be appointed deputies, in order to make decisions about their children's personal welfare. Recently, I met a resident with an adult son with severe cerebral palsy. As he could not give valid consent for a medical procedure, she was asked to get a Court order to be his deputy. Law firms quoted her legal costs at $6,000 to $7,000. In such cases, she and other parents would be caring for their disabled adult children for the rest of their lives, with or without the Act. Will the Ministry institute a more streamlined and cheaper procedure for such cases? Social Enterprise”
“Mdm Chair, the number of citizens with dementia is expected to grow from 28,000 in 2013, to 80,000 by 2030. It is important to ensure that the interests of our ageing population are protected. The Lasting Power of Attorney, LPA scheme, is very useful but I have some concerns. First, there is a real risk that elderly persons are subject to the undue influence of persons that depend on. Secondly, a resident related his worry about the ease of the scheme as his brother had made an LPA in favour of a stranger to the family, without anyone else knowing of it. Thirdly, I noted a big grassroots initiative to get residents to sign LPAs, leading to masses of LPAs being issued by certificate issuers without personal knowledge of the donors. Our current LPA scheme requires the certificate issuer to be a doctor or a lawyer. It is a safeguard but limited if the doctor or lawyer has no prior knowledge of the donor. In the few minutes spent with the donor, it may not be possible to determine if the donor's mental state is stable or the LPA arrangements accord with the donor's well-being and interest. I have two enhancements to suggest. First, re-instituting a safeguard that was removed. Putting into the standard form of LPA the question of whether the donor wishes to inform another person of it and giving that person the right to object to the LPA. Although the Minister had previously replied in the House that the donor could still inform someone, the safeguard is precisely for those who may be less aware of the risks. By requiring the certificate issuer to ask the donor specifically whether he wants someone to be informed, the donor can respond to the certificate issuer on this, without the donee's influence.”
“Sir, I have a clarification for the Minister about dengue, in particular the experiments now on Wolbachia technology. I understand from reading some articles that there was a professor or somebody from Monash University who commented that the Page: 150 approach that Singapore is considering is quite costly because it will involve continual releases of these mosquitoes with bacteria into the environment. I would like to ask the Minister how far will cost be a consideration in taking this forward here.”
“Madam, this is the third year in a row that I have spoken on dengue, as this continues to be a concern in my ward, where dengue clusters continue to emerge from time to time, especially in the vicinity of Serangoon Gardens, Rosyth and Kovan. Despite the best efforts of residents and NEA officers to do source eradication, the spread of dengue has persisted. Ministry of Health data shows that the total number of reported cases of dengue in 2014 was 18,315. This was down from the 2013 figure of 22,000. However, both the 2013 and 2014 figures were a massive jump from 2012 when only 4,600 dengue cases were reported. In the first seven weeks of this year alone, there were 1,468 reported cases of dengue. It is vital to pursue other responses. We are aware that there is a local research scene on dengue immunology, vaccines and anti-viral drugs. The Sanofi vaccine has been on trial in Singapore since 2009. The Ministry previously seemed very cautious about its prospects. Would the Minister give us an update on the state of vaccine or drug research relevant to Singapore? In addition, in October last year, the Dengue Expert Advisory Panel appointed by the Government supported the use of Wolbachia technology to control the Aedes mosquito population. Is there a timeline for field trials, and what further progress has been made? Finally, is the Government looking at any other counter-dengue measures?”
“Thank you, Madam. I have got three clarifications for the Minister on security on public transport because earlier on the Minister mentioned that one of the things that the Government did was to have a review of the security arrangements in 2011 and 2013. He mentioned that the recommendations will be fully implemented by 2017, if I heard him correctly. So, I would like to ask him: what is the reason for this long lead time to complete implementation of those recommendations and whether the budget of PTOs is one consideration why it is being stretched to two years from now. That is the first Page: 112 clarification. The second clarification concerns the recent Court case concluded about the intrusion into the Bishan Depot. From the Court evidence, it emerges that the two intruders went into the Depot on consecutive days, I think, three consecutive days. I would like to ask whether it is the case that SMRT was not aware of the intrusions for all those three days, and, if so, whether the enhanced measures that they have taken will plug this gap. The last clarification concerns the Government's role in security audits. I think it was mentioned by the Minister's predecessor that one of the things the Government does is to help PTOs to conduct audits of their security arrangements. I would like to ask whether these audits are just audits of the plans themselves or do Government representatives go down to the premises to view the plans against the physical terrains and so on. And who from the Government actually does this? Is it MOT, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) or somebody else?”
“According to the LTA website, COE represents a right to vehicle ownership and the use of the limited road space for 10 years. Thus, there are two aspects to the COE – the right to own the vehicle, as well as the right to road usage. Since road usage is part of the rationale, there is a case for making the system fairer for those who currently have vehicles that are under-utilised and are seeking to extend their COEs for the same vehicle. I have in mind retirees who use their cars only to send their disabled spouses for medical check-ups or to ferry their grandchildren to and from school. As these vehicle owners are no longer earning an income, they are now faced with giving up their vehicles when their COEs expire due to the high COE prices. This decision is painful as it would mean that they can no longer contribute to their family lives the way they used to. I would like to ask MOT to look into the possibility of giving vehicle owners, who are renewing their COEs for the same vehicle, a rebate or concession if their usage of the vehicle in the first 10 years is below a threshold and the COE renewed is not transferable. There would also be a corresponding need to regulate auto-meter reading and have inspections for tampering, which would, at the same time, be a good safeguard for Page: 74 consumers buying used cars.”
“The next breach may not be by a graffiti artist but by a terrorist, and a fine of $1 million then will be too little and too late, compared to the grave consequences of a terrorist attack. Is it time for the Government to be more proactive in assisting the PTOs to enhance security? 1.45 pm”
“Madam, the spate of vandals breaking into trains at Bishan Depot causes much concern. From May 2010, there have been four incidents of such break-ins detected at MRT depots, the latest in November last year. This was despite various security measures being employed by SMRT and reassurances given in this House since 2010 about the comprehensive security review being undertaken by the Public Transport Security Committee to address security gaps in our entire transport system. Are these measures working? Just last month, on 27 February, train services were stopped briefly in the evening as a result of a man walking on the viaduct between Bukit Gombak and Choa Chu Kang stations. Madam, we have been extremely lucky that the security breaches so far involved graffiti artists rather than terrorists. We were told in Parliament in 2010 that the current security framework was that PTOs bear the primary responsibility for day-to-day operational security and are best-placed to decide which measures are the most feasible. We were also told that the Government sets security standards and also does security audits. It is thus worrying that despite the specific concern about depot security being flagged out in 2010, it seems that certain vulnerabilities of Bishan Depot were only attended to in 2014 after two intrusions Page: 52 there. Why was this not picked up earlier? The Minister has announced that LTA will introduce new security-related standards within the operating performance standards for PTOs. Failure to comply will attract penalties up to $1 million or 10% of the licensee's annual fare revenue of the affected rail system, whichever is higher.”
“Thank you, Madam. Clarification for Minister of State Desmond Lee as well as Minister of State Maliki. Earlier, Mr Desmond Lee responded to me and said that there was this issue of HDB circulars being sent to us. I mean, that is precisely the point. Of course, our Town Council – I am sure every Town Council – would like to abide by the circulars issued by Government departments. But when we find that some of the circulars perhaps are inconsistent, for example, or we find them inconsistent with certain laws, there should be some avenue for us to resolve it. The Minister of State will agree that the circular does not have the force of law anyway, so these things will need to be clarified and, hopefully, by a Tribunal that is neutral. Secondly, with regard to Minister of State Maliki's statement, do I understand him that, actually, his main concern is that the variation to the works was not worked out together with the working committee?”
“The project management fees which our managing agent is charging for that project is 3.5% and it is within the market norm. So, I do not really know exactly what is being meant but, in any case, I thought I would mention this for now. And after I have read fully what was being said, I will reserve the right to give more information to the public on this.”
“Thank you, Madam. Madam I would like to respond to some statements made by Minister of State Desmond Lee earlier. Sorry, I was not in the House to hear exactly what he said but I am basing on what I have been told. First, he responded to my cut on Housing Tribunal. I think he mentioned that, right now, the Town Council is having an issue over the Hougang Central Hub. I believe that he may have said that the tribunal may not be necessary if we did not have this issue. In any case, I would like to highlight that the case is now still before the Court, because we believe that the Town Council has a legitimate interest and is empowered to manage, not just to maintain the common property. And exactly what the ambit of that is, has still not been decided. So, I do agree, of course, that, in fact, in line with my suggestion, if we had a low-cost tribunal, we would not have to resolve these issues in Court. We could have another better and perhaps more amicable way to resolve it. But right now, that avenue is not available. The second point is that I think he made some observations about Serangoon NRP – I am not sure whether Minister of State Maliki also made that point, I am sorry. Yes. In any case, from what I understand of what was being said and what I recollect, the decision to omit a particular item that was mentioned was actually done quite early in the process, nothing to do with overspending as such. But it may have been linked to the tender prices Page: 39 that we received. I would like to highlight also that, for this particular NRP in Serangoon, the consultants were appointed before we took over. So, the architects and other consultants were actually passed over from the previous Town Council management to work with us.”
“The Tribunal should have an informal procedure where the adjudicators are legally trained or are persons of technical expertise, depending on the nature of the dispute. Such a neutral Tribunal would help ensure that housing cases are resolved fairly and holistically. Home Improvement Programme”
“Sir, over 80% of Singapore residents live in HDB housing. HDB is the landowner and landlord while Town Councils are mandated to manage and maintain the common property. Under the Memorandum of Lease signed by the HDB flat lessees, the lessee, too, has responsibilities, for example, to keep windows, doors and the interior of the flat in good and tenantable condition, not to obstruct the common areas and not to use his flat for illegal or immoral purposes, or in such manner as to cause nuisance, annoyance or disturbance to his neighbours. Page: 146 There are often issues arising between flat lessees and HDB and Town Councils over who bears the responsibility of rectifying problems, for instance, if ceiling leakage is experienced within the flat. Is this due to fair wear and tear of materials within the flat, which would be the lessee's responsibility to rectify, or is the leakage experienced after certain upgrading works by HDB or is it due to wear and tear of common property? It could well be a combination of some or all of the above as well. When problems are reported, HDB and Town Councils will put in effort to investigate and assist residents. However, residents may disagree with the stand taken by HDB or the Town Council that the problem is within the resident's own purview since, understandably, HDB and Town Councils are seen as interested parties who may otherwise have to do the work themselves. Currently, there are no dedicated low-cost procedures for a neutral body to adjudicate such matters. To be fair to everyone, the Government could look into the setting up of a low-cost Housing Tribunal to adjudicate and also mediate in disputes between HDB, Town Councils and flat lessees.”
“Madam, three years ago, at MinLaw's Committee of Supply, I highlighted the frustration of some of my residents who are undischarged bankrupts in dealing with the Insolvency and Public Trustee's Office. The experience had been that there were long delays and, when they tried to call the officers in charge, they could not even leave phone messages as the mailboxes were full. I thus read with interest The Straits Times' report of 7 July 2014 that MinLaw had, from 2013, outsourced some call answering services. The report stated that the Ministry had engaged People Advantage, a subsidiary of Certis Cisco Security, to help it to field public calls from Certis' call centre at Paya Lebar. Apparently, more than 50 outsourced persons answered the Ministry's calls. The Ministry's spokesman explained that the Ministry had wanted to improve the way it responded to public queries and to enable their officers to focus on case-specific issues. Could the Ministry clarify the following: one, what led to the decision to outsource call answering; two, has such outsourcing been done for all the Ministry's departments or only some; three, has there been any preliminary assessment of cost effectiveness; and, four, anecdotally, a resident who recently called it told me that while her call was answered promptly, she was not able to speak to the officer in charge but was told that the officer would call her back within two weeks. Has the Ministry assessed whether case response times have improved? Licensed Moneylenders”
“If not, there should be further discussion about the underlying root causes and on what more can be done. Financial Literacy Outreach”
“Madam, financial services employed over 130,000 Singaporeans as at June 2013, contributing about 12% of GDP. We know that some 70% of employees in the overall financial services sector are Singaporeans. But there exists a perception that there are not enough Singaporeans in the leadership tiers of the financial services sector. The Government has been cognisant of the need to groom a Singaporean Core in financial services. In 2012, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Mr Tharman spoke about how MAS was creating programmes to groom Singaporean talent in the financial services sector. The Managing Director of MAS, in 2013, also spoke of what the MAS is doing to, in his words, "groom a first-rate Singaporean talent base, while continuing to secure highly-skilled global professionals." Madam, I appreciate that foreigners with experience and expertise contribute to the development of our finance industry. We must remain open to talent and we must give companies some degree of latitude to run their businesses successfully. The price of failing to do so would be disinvestment and job destruction. However, we should ensure there is a level playing field for Singaporeans. I have heard that many Singaporeans who work in financial services perceive that foreign financial services institutions tend to hire foreigners into senior level positions even when seemingly equally-qualified Singaporeans are available. This unease perhaps is due to a lack of data on the results of the Government's programmes to encourage Singaporean leadership in the sector. As the programmes I mentioned have been around for a few years, I would like to ask if the results of these programmes have been positive.”
“But, personally, I feel that it is something that is worth doing because it not only protects the integrity of the statement recording process during investigation and protects the accused to make sure the statement is accurate, it also, very importantly, protects the Police against frivolous allegations of abuse or accusations of malpractice.”
“Madam, I have two clarifications for Deputy Prime Minister Teo and one for Minister Iswaran. First of all, for Deputy Prime Minister Teo, earlier, he mentioned about the plans for MHA to enhance its manpower numbers. He mentioned over a five-year period that there will be 2,000 more officers across MHA. I would like him to clarify whether he is talking about new recruits and is it just restricted to uniformed officers or does it include civilians. And, at the same time, later on in his speech, he mentioned 19,000 to 24,000. Could he clarify where these numbers are going to come from and is it Page: 37 over the same five-year period as well? The second question for the Deputy Prime Minister Teo is on Checkpoint security. I would like to ask whether the Ministerial Committee appointed last year has completed its work already and whether its report is purely internal or a version of it will be made public. 1.00 pm For Minister Iswaran, it is on the issue of cameras and video recording. I would like to ask about the body-worn cameras. First of all, whether they are actually going to be issued to all officers in uniforms attending to cases or is it just on selective basis? Secondly, what would be the trigger for the camera to be turned on? Is the officer supposed to exercise on judgement to decide when it is necessary to record the footage? Is it to protect himself if he senses potential problems or is it an SOP that it should be turned on in certain kinds of cases? Third of all, I would like to ask Minister Iswaran whether the Police would review its stance not to video record statements recorded from accused during Police investigations. I know the Police's position on this.”
“Officers in the UK could record electronic witness statements and send back complete information to central databases in less than a minute, without having to return to the police station. In Belgium, the adoption of smart phones apparently reduced administrative processes per statement by 20 minutes, equivalent to 30 man days in a year. Such technologies enabled officers to spend more time on the ground instead of devoting time to office tasks. The public, too, benefited, as they would otherwise have to travel at their own expense to police premises to be interviewed. Monitoring social media also enabled investigators to solve crimes when groups of interest discussed plans and movements. While technology and social media clearly bring benefits to policing, there are some pitfalls. One is information overload, where so much data is being fed to officers that they are unable to interact meaningfully with it. The other concern is that police officers might rely so much on technology as to be "de-skilled", that is, instead of police working on the ground and developing skills and experience in searching for information, they manage "by remote control", blindly following information drawn from systems. Has the Ministry assessed what manpower savings or cost efficiencies have been derived from such use of new technologies and how policing capabilities have been enhanced? What new initiatives can we expect and how will the Police guard against their officers being "de-skilled" by over-relying on technology? Government Surveillance on Citizens”
“In Singapore, the need for technology to augment manpower is very acute, as we have limited markets for recruitment. Already, there is a heavy reliance on Malaysians in all three arms of security manpower – the state Police, Auxiliary Police and unarmed private security. Whether we will eventually look to foreign manpower for this sector will be a highly-charged topic. In a 2013 study by consulting firm Accenture, entitled "Preparing Police services for the future: Six steps towards transformation", it was noted that across 17 police services in 16 countries, three core trends in policing had emerged. First, citizen expectations were rising about crime reporting, emergency response effectiveness and public involvement in policing. Secondly, budgets for police were being cut, meaning forces needed to be more cost- Page: 145 effective. Third, the criminal world was changing, becoming more organised, global, digital and operating across complex networks. To meet these trends, six transformational strategies were proposed, which included engaging citizens, empowering officers and optimising ways of working. Using technology and social media can help engage citizens, aid investigations and gather intelligence. As for aiding investigations, the Accenture report cited several interesting social media success stories elsewhere. For instance, in 2013, during the Boston Marathon bombings, Boston police used Twitter for frequent and transparent updates to citizens, and the eventual capture of the bomber was aided by the use of social media. As for optimising ways of working, another report surveying UK police forces noted that mobile technologies enabled sharing of real-time analysis and the capture of suspect information while it was fresh in the minds of victims and witnesses.”
“Madam, many Singaporeans use the land checkpoints at Woodlands and Tuas frequently, whether to go for short leisure trips or to buy cheaper pharmaceutical drugs. At Woodlands Checkpoint in particular, the Government has indicated that 300,000 persons and 130,000 vehicles pass through each day. It is a very challenging operational task to coordinate the roles and responsibilities of the various agencies responsible for checkpoint security, namely, the ICA, Police, Customs, Central Narcotics Bureau, Land Transport Authority and the Auxiliary Police. We do not know how many unauthorised entries of persons into Singapore have taken place. Even though the Government indicated that there had been about 25 cases in the three years up to 2013 and we know of the highly-publicised breaches in 2014, we do not know how many intrusions were undetected. It was announced in April 2014 that a Ministerial level committee was commissioned to comprehensively review the security measures at the checkpoints and identify any systemic issues and rectify them. I have not read any statement issued publicly about what the committee has found or recommended. However, I note from this year's Budget Book that MHA's operating expenditure under its Immigration and Checkpoint Control Programme shows an increase of 6.5% mainly due to the enhancement of security measures at the checkpoints. May I ask if MHA can share any decisions or interim findings on the matter? Police Use of Technology and Social Media Next, Madam, I move on to Police use of technology and social media. Police forces have been harnessing technology to optimise their operations. Technology can enable policing to be sharper, faster, more convenient and also less resource-intensive and more cost-effective.”
“Madam, 2015 is a landmark year for ASEAN and in particular, progress towards creating an ASEAN Community under the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) blueprint. In the blueprint, ASEAN nations and peoples are supposed to develop a common identity and build a caring and sharing society. I first raised the topic of the ASCC four years ago during the 2011 Committee of Supply (COS) debate. During that debate, then Foreign Minister George Yeo indicated that this year, 2015, was to be an administrative red line drawn across all the plans for ASEAN integration – political, economic and socio-cultural. Specifically on the ASCC, Mr Yeo had indicated a hope that "the importance of ASEAN would be more deeply felt by our citizens, especially the young, and we need a multi-pronged approach, including lessons about ASEAN in schools, sports and cultural activities and greater use of ASEAN symbols. In addition, Mr Yeo highlighted the flying of the ASEAN flag alongside the national flag at overseas diplomatic missions of ASEAN members, and possible campaigning for ASEAN to host the FIFA World Cup in 2030. I would like to ask what progress Singapore has made on these fronts since 2011. Will the Ministry also indicate what other moves are in place for Singapore and ASEAN countries to more fully realise the vision laid out in the ASCC blueprint and to address the recommendations made in the 2014 mid-term review of the ASCC blueprint? Developing Cultural Diplomacy”
“These are welcome directions as they carry the ingredients of building social solidarity and a united nation. Thank you, Madam. 1.17 pm”
“It makes our tax system more progressive and was something I advocated in the Budget Debate two years ago. While I agree that we should not take tax competitiveness lightly, the fact is that many foreigners choose to come here because our tax rates are far lower than the 40% to 50% range they pay in their home countries. I believe we still have room to increase progressivity of personal income tax to beyond 22% for the top marginal rate. It would be useful to Page: 35 understand the Government's plans on this. Finally, Madam, let me round up. To a very large extent, the way we raise our national revenue and allocate expenses says something about our values as a nation. This Budget illustrates that the Government has options at its disposal to fund annual expenditures. It also shows that some of the costs imposed on the people may have been unnecessary such as fees on national examinations. Having seen families agonise over how to pay these costs, one wonders whether the anguish was necessary. Perhaps, the Government realises that it has been too calculating with the people and is now making adjustments. The Budget can play a large part in nation-building. This and recent Budgets called on the spirit of collective responsibility in several notable ways – providing Silver Support to seniors in need, implementing risk-pooling for life's vicissitudes via MediShield Life and emphasising social responsibility of high-income earners to pay more progressive taxes. The Government has also moved to utilise more of the returns on investments of reserves to fund national expenditures while sinking resources for lifelong learning that has the potential to mitigate inequality.”
“If more policies like such could be reviewed to ease the burden on families, it will go a long way to give Singaporeans the greater assurance that they need. Next, Madam, I move on to revenue to fund spending. This year's Budget is also refreshing in how it secures additional funding for the increased expenditures in FY2015 and beyond. The Budget names two immediate steps to secure additional revenues. The first additional revenue source comes from including Temasek Holdings in the Net Investment Returns framework. This is the second step to channel more of our investment returns to fund the annual Budget. The first step was in 2009 when the definition of investment contribution was expanded from just income and dividends, to include the expected long-term real returns on net assets managed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and GIC. These steps evince a shift towards unlocking more of the investment returns for current needs, rather than locking these additional monies to grow the reserves. Probably, the Government has concluded that there is a better balance to be reached between locking up for the future and investing in the present. As the total size of our reserves is not published, I can only surmise that elaborate calculations have been done to ensure that the additional monies being channelled to fund the annual Budget are "affordable". The second source of additional revenue is the decision to increase the top marginal rate of personal income tax for the top 5% of income earners. Those with chargeable income above $320,000 will see their tax rate go up by 2%, from 20% to 22%. Others in the top 5% range will see smaller increases. I welcome this change.”
“Up to now, Government assistance schemes were usually temporary and subject to continuous means-testing and conditions, with applicants needing to fill forms and provide documentary proof of illness and family income. Now, with Silver Support, between 20% and 30% of the elderly who are aged 65 will get some form of cash support for the rest of their lives once they qualify. They do not even need to apply. Silver Support is thus a limited pension for up to 30% of the elderly population. It is an important gesture of gratitude from society to our seniors and will give some an option not to work in their old age. While I welcome Silver Support, I see it as an acknowledgement by the Government that the CPF system and family support are not sufficient to provide retirement adequacy to about 30% of our seniors. This is worrying. As seen from various surveys, the top concerns of Singaporeans are usually about the cost of living and the cost of healthcare. These are Page: 34 likely to be what seniors especially worry about. Besides Silver Support, can we do a broader review of policies to give our seniors more peace of mind? One example is Medisave usage for outpatient treatment. We commonly come across seniors in their 70s and 80s requiring medical treatment and drugs and yet have to stomach going to their children for cash when they have tens of thousands locked in their Medisave accounts. It seems absurd to deny an elderly person the use of his Medisave savings for medical needs in his twilight years. I am glad that the Government has finally taken some steps to relax Medisave usage for seniors. Can we relax this further for the very old?”
“While some do so in order to do their jobs better, most are aspiring towards promotions, better prospects and better salaries. In high-cost Singapore, it is still a rat race. SkillsFuture has the potential to be a social leveller if the qualifications and products of SkillsFuture's courses earn the respect of employers and significantly improve wages. We have had skills-based certificates and diplomas around for decades and it cannot be that SkillsFuture is more of the same. For SkillsFuture to truly impact lives, the scissor must have two blades. The first is to change employer mindsets and foster real career paths tied to skills attainment goals. The second is that SkillsFuture courses must be rigorous. The training sector must have the capacity and quality needed to deliver good skills training. We are not ready yet as the Government has acknowledged that it needs more time to develop quality offerings in the SkillsFuture landscape. To this end, it was mentioned that the SkillsFuture credit could be used for a broad range of courses supported by Government agencies. Besides the courses run by Institutes of Higher Learning and accredited education and training providers, it will be useful to know what other courses might be funded by WDA and how it will go about ensuring the quality and programmes of its trainers. Next, Silver Support. The other initiative that has the potential to mitigate inequality is the Silver Support Scheme. This scheme comes as a surprise to most because it embodies what the PAP Government has always eschewed – having any form of rights-based defined benefits welfare scheme.”
“However, our global image over the last 10 years seems to have morphed into being a playground for the rich, with Singapore being termed the world's newest Monaco in a 2013 article of the Wall Street Journal. One particular concern is to avoid poverty becoming entrenched across generations where children of poor parents are more likely to end up poor as well. I have come across poor young families in my ward and see a real risk that the children may be distracted or demoralised by the challenges their families faced and not do well in school, affecting their prospects for social mobility. Indeed, the Prime Minister himself acknowledged this challenge in Singapore, with fewer children from lower-income families rising to the top. Two of the key thrusts of this year's Budget are the SkillsFuture Initiative and the Silver Support Scheme. These two initiatives are important for social solidarity as they have the potential to mitigate inequality in Singapore. First, SkillsFuture. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance said that the aim was to create a meritocracy of skills, moving away from academic credentialism around grades earned early in life. SkillsFuture emphasises life-long learning in the pursuit of non-graduate pathways to skills mastery. Put another way, there is a national attempt to enable someone who may not have had the best school results to try to catch up and find a niche in Singapore. SkillsFuture should, thus, not just be about upskilling the workforce. It should also Page: 33 be about increasing social mobility. As someone who is involved in continuing education and working with adult learners for more than 12 years, I have seen the drive of Singaporeans when given an opportunity to earn a higher qualification.”
“Mdm Speaker, as I listened to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance deliver Budget 2015, I noted some difference in tone and approach from the past. From a traditional stance of emphasising individual responsibility and treating cross-subsidies with disdain, we see the language of collective responsibility, giving Singaporeans greater assurance at each stage of life, strengthening our social security Page: 32 system and using not just hard heads but warm hearts. In this landmark year when we celebrate 50 years of nationhood, it is timely to reflect on the Government's philosophy of budgeting and the role of the people in nation-building. We want to move together as one united people. How can we use the Budget to build social solidarity? This Budget explicitly talks about strengthening social safety nets. This suggests a shift to the left, a direction which I believe is right. A shift to the left is not desired for its own sake, but because it can build confidence in the people. People who have safety nets are more willing to make choices with longer term payoffs, like taking time out for training, being an entrepreneur or taking risks to innovate at work. Countries with good records on innovation and productivity tend to have strong safety nets. A shift left does not necessarily undermine economic performance but could well enhance it. A shift left is also important to mitigate Singapore's income and wealth inequality. As at 2014, our Gini coefficient measuring income distribution was 0.464 before Government transfers and 0.412 after transfers. Though the coefficient has now come down from the highs of 2007 and 2012, it is still high. As for wealth inequality, the Government has said that it does not measure the wealth gap.”
“Thank you, Madam. I would just like to clarify with the Minister on what he mentioned about requiring the Town Council to submit unqualified or clean accounts for the next two years by a certain deadline. As the Minister would have noted in the AGO report, there were a couple of disclaimers that were highlighted. Some of them had been cleared. Some of them we will put in efforts to clear them. But there may be a few which will remain, such as operating balances and so on. So, I just hope that we can work with MND to come up with something satisfactory for MND to accept.”
“Madam, as I mentioned earlier, we were doing the calculation as to what Sinking Fund expenses had been paid out of routine funds. So, it took us quite some time to net off the thing. And AGO advised us later on that this is a complicated way of doing things. So, it took us some time to do that. But, as I mentioned earlier, we do agree that the transfers were late and it should not have been done late.”
“Our town operated a total of five offices and one collection centre. So, it is quite a lot of administrative costs. And third of all, they are a company set up focusing on our work and, because of that, they may not have the same economies of scale as the larger companies that are running the other Managing Agents. So, these were some of the factors that we took into account. Additionally, there was also the consideration that there were many additional lifts coming on stream, particularly in the Hougang SMC, which was experiencing the LUP all at once, and the lift testing fees were to be paid by the Managing Agent. So, these are some of the factors. The discussions were very frank and also based on the expected cost structure. We benchmarked the salaries that they were paying their staff; we got an HR consultancy to come in to see that it is within the market benchmark. So, we did exercise some due diligence on that.”
“Madam, first of all, I would like to clarify that what the Minister said about us not transferring monies into Sinking Fund until we were caught by the AGO, it is not correct. We actually made some transfers before even the AGO audit commenced. Of course, it is true that we did not make the transfers on time; it was not done deliberately. As I mentioned in the House yesterday, we thought that it was acceptable to keep the monies in the Operating Fund, pay Sinking Fund expenses out of there and then net the thing off. I think I said that in my speech. So, there was some misunderstanding of that on our part. But we admit that the rule, read strictly, is clear and that we should have done the quarterly transfer. Secondly, in respect of the Managing Agent rates, we actually did our checks at the time that the tender was awarded. We looked at the rates that were being charged. Although we noted that the rates were at a higher end, but we had the rates that were charged, for example, in Pasir Ris-Punggol from 2011 to 2014. And the rates that are in the Letter of Offer are actually higher than what was shown yesterday in the rates circulated by the Minister, and he clarified that these are the new rates. So, it is possible that the Managing Agents have reduced their rates since then, but the information that we had in 2012, the rates were at a higher level than what was circulated in the table yesterday. Page: 68 The discussion was very detailed, the analysis of the Managing Agents rates. We looked at some factors such as: first of all, they were providing more staff than the previous Managing Agent; secondly, they are a company set up just to service us and we require them to operate quite a number of offices because of the boundaries of the town.”
“Yesterday, in response to the Minister's mention of cyclical information reports being late from AHPETC, I said that in terms of replacing lift parts, the ropes and sheaves were on time and that lift batteries were being scheduled in accordance with the schedule by the Ministry of National Development (MND). What I should have said was that the replacement of the ropes and sheaves was on schedule, and that the replacement of lift Page: 26 batteries is being done in accordance with the schedule that we have given to MND.”
“Yes, Mdm Speaker. I would like to respond to what the Minister mentioned. I was not confused about whether it was S&CC rates or Managing Agent rates. My response was based on documents that we had seen from PAP Town Council Managing Agents stating very specifically that they charged a higher rate for commercial units compared to residential units. So, that is my clarification. Madam, may I proceed to clarify something I said in my speech yesterday?”
“Yes, Madam, and also to clarify to what the Minister has just clarified, if I could.”
“What our auditors noted was the disclosures made by the MA to us at the time, including the fact that 80%-over of the MA fee was salary of the staff and revealing to us their cost structure and so on. On that basis, we were awarded an "A" during that audit, because of the way that tender was assessed. And, yes, it is a case that the rate may be somewhat higher, but it is not what the Minister portrays in this annex, which I think is not accurate. Page: 103 The Minister asked why we have not submitted our accounts to FY2013/2014. We explained to the House earlier already, so, we do not think we need to repeat ourselves. So, Madam, the final point. He was asking whether the Town Councillors knew of the ownership interest of the various directors of the FMSS when they approved the contract. The fact is, as we have stated to the auditors, the ACRA company profiles were submitted for evaluation. So, that was disclosure on that aspect specifically. One last point for now: the Minister suggests that we deliberately got rid of the former Managing Agent CPG Facilities to appoint our friends. That is not the case at all. As we have said before, the request to be released came from CPG. In fact, their lawyers drafted the deed of mutual release. They explained to us why they needed to be released. We respected their decision because we need to work with the MA and we cannot have an MA that is reluctant to work with us. Madam, I have clarified those for now. In case other things might crop up, my other colleagues may want to clarify as well.”
“Madam, I would like to clarify the Minister's various – how should I call them – accusations and charges, I think I will call them that. First of all, I think he was not in the Chamber when some of us made our speeches and it is a fact that some of the other Members of Parliament have yet to speak. So, if he is accusing us of not giving answers and all that, I think it is premature for him to say so. Next, Madam, in relation to the issue of critical documents and so on and whether we have withheld things from the AGO and Pricewaterhouse, I addressed that point in my speech earlier. Perhaps the Minister did not hear it. The other point to be made is that the financial reporting standard (FRS), I am not an accountant and I think neither is the Minister and, so, there can be a difference of opinion on FRS. From this version of the FRS which I see, it is mentioned that parties are related so long as one entity provides key management personnel services to the reporting entity. Is it just related to business interests, or is it the case also that parties that provide key management to the reporting entity are considered related? Next, Madam, as far as the signing of cheques goes, I think the Minister was also not here when we went through the Appendix, the list of 84 invoices, showing that steps had been taken to segregate the duties. He is trying to paint the picture that we have been operating lawlessly all this while, but I do not think that is a fact. Next, the Minister may not have noticed that when we looked through the award of the MA tender in 2012, we actually engaged an audit firm to do an audit of our process.”
“Minister, I would still request that they be checked because I do not think they are correct. It definitely has to be a mistake.”
“Madam, before I ask for my clarifications, I will make some as well. Let me first say that we utterly reject the Minister's assertions or insinuations that the manner in which we appointed the Managing Agent to run the Town Council was to benefit our friends. We utterly reject that. I have some clarifications to make as well as some clarifications to ask of the Minister. First of all, the Minister produced Annex 6, this chart showing Managing Agent's rates per unit. From what I know, Managing Agent's rates are usually different for residential and commercial units. But in your chart, they are all the same. So, I would like the Minister to clarify that there has been no mistake in his chart and it is really the fact that all these Managing Agents are charging the same rates for commercial and residential units. From the data that I have, even the Managing Agent for PAP Town Councils, such as CPG, from the Aljunied Town Council's records that we have, their Managing Agent's rates for commercial units was $12 and something. I think the Minister may want to check his chart.”