Teo Ser Luck
Singapore
“Mr Chairman, Sir, in the initial days when I set up offices overseas – whether it is China, Kuala Lumpur or Jakarta – I used a translator for the local contracts as well as for meetings. Lately, I have been using online platforms, especially in China and also in Malaysia.”
“So, in this day and age, with the world changing really fast, and with social media and information overload, how is the SPF or how is the Ministry going to maintain that public trust and confidence in our Police Force?”
“We have to put in some of these funds, for example, the $300 million additional funds put it into agri-tech, would the agri-tech in future provide a more comparative and affordable pricing for some of what it produces or these technology startups would be able to scale overseas, globally, have a commercial aspect to that.”
“Chairman, I am a heavy user of technology. And when I started on a technology project, I created a first layer of programming and algorithm where the machines started to learn. With more data collected, more and more, the machine gets smarter and it could make intelligent decisions or informed decisions for me.”
“We have tight regulations on financial institutions in their lending platforms and also non-bank lending platforms in regulating them, making sure that they do not go beyond their means to lend out to those that they cannot do the Know Your Customer survey or assess their credit readiness.”
“I believe there are three aspects of transformation that will impact the workers directly. First, the job redesign, change in the process, change in the scope of the job. Second, job shift, the job itself is no longer available and they have to change sectors. Changing sectors also requires a mindset shift.”
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“I will comment on the cycling query. I can appreciate that issue because my own constituency is not a cycling town where we implement dedicated tracks. I do see the number of cyclists increasing, some riding on pavements and, many a time, I wanted to stop them. At this point in time, the enforcement rests with the Police. What we can do now is to focus on education. We have started cycling clinics. They have started in Tampines, I think three sessions have been conducted. We are trying to roll them out in other towns as well. I have asked the LTA officers, the Community Partnership Managers, where there is a need and where the advisors request for it, these clinics can be conducted. The sessions are conducted by the Safe Cycling Taskforce and they work together with Singapore Sports Council on the literature – how you behave, how you can ride safely and what safety measures to observe and how they can co-exist with the pedestrians and cars. If there is request for such a course from any of the Members, do let us know. Let us focus on education first. We can also step up the enforcement and we will work with the Police on that. We will also look at the other towns where there are more and more cyclists to see whether we want to designate those as cycling towns.”
“It would ensure that this city would become a more liveable place and a place that we can all call home.”
“Public education and enforcement on the proper use of the footpaths have to go together with the infrastructure. As you know, Tampines is the first cycling town in Singapore to have enacted by-laws to empower the Town Council to enforce the rules. They do that together with public education, where cycling clinics are conducted to complement enforcement. However, what LTA, together with the community stakeholders, will do is also to make sure that the infrastructure is comprehensive and complete by providing dedicated cycling tracks within our HDB estates so that cyclists can have their own space to cycle. We are trying to do this over the next few years, starting with towns which are more ready to facilitate cycling. Starting with Tampines, there are four other towns that will come on-board. Such cycling infrastructure will help, but it has to be complemented, as I mentioned earlier, with public education and enforcement. Tampines is the first town to start, and the other cycling towns are adopting different measures, I think it is important to let them evolve, and see how these different measures work out. We will monitor the situation before we implement other aspects, including enforcement. The current position is that the enforcement of the ban on cycling on footpath is under the Police. I ask for the Members' understanding. Let us monitor how the situation goes in Tampines and subsequently with the other towns, before we decide or determine whether a change is needed. Mr Chairman, Sir, at the end of the day, we really live in a very compact city state and, of course, society is changing, the demographics is changing. We need everyone to play a part and everyone to exercise due care, show a little consideration for the people around them.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, public transport concessions are determined and granted by the public transport operators. The costs of such concessions are cross-subsidised by other full-fare paying commuters. The operators will have to take this into account when considering any changes to the concessionary schemes. Nevertheless, we strongly encourage the operators to consider these requests. And they have in the past responded to such requests, by extending senior citizens concessionary hours to all hours except before 9.00 am on weekdays. So if you have any requests, do put it up to the operators. I believe that through engaging them, they can better understand your needs and maybe a resolution can be reached. As to whether the Government should intervene to provide concessionary travel, I think it is better to focus on providing targeted help or assistance to those who really need it. As you know, we do have initiatives that help the underprivileged or poor. An example is Workfare, which helps to supplement the income of low-wage workers, including the elderly. There are also others under MCYS like the ComCare Fund. These programmes will help the needy Singaporeans cope with the costs of living, including their transport needs. As you know, we do disburse transport vouchers as well. Let me now turn to cycling. Mdm Cynthia Phua has suggested that signs can be put up to remind riders not to ride on pavements where it is not allowed. Yes, we will consider putting up those signs, especially where cyclists riding on pavements when they are not allowed to is prevalent. I would urge all advisers to engage your Community Partnership Managers to identify some of these locations so that we can assess the situation and know where to put up those signs.”
“I am also glad to say that where possible, we want to provide signalised crossings at the road level, which is where the elderly and the less mobile would prefer or need most. And for this I will encourage Members to engage our Community Partnership Managers more because some of these are localised issues and it is important to share that input so that they can assess the situation at the local level and see where it is most needed. However, at roads with heavy traffic flow, it would be more feasible to rely on overhead bridges instead. As Members are aware, LTA is also building more covered walkways, and also providing covers for most of our pedestrian overhead bridges, linking them to the nearest transport node with covered linkways where possible. Assoc. Prof. Dr Faishal and Er Lee Bee Wah have raised concerns over bus connectivity for the elderly. LTA will assess each request carefully, and where there are opportunities to redeploy resources to meet these needs, we will do so. But not every need can be met, like not every measure can be implemented successfully. We will continue to engage the community to help us to gauge the right balance between the competing needs and requirements so that we can help those in need. On Er Lee Bee Wah's request to reduce the walking distance for transfer between different bus stops, LTA will be working out a proposal that can help address the concerns raised – this is a local issue – and will consult her and her constituents when ready. Ms Sylvia Lim and Er Lee have also asked for fare concessions to be extended to the disabled and polytechnic students, and more concessions for senior citizens. I understand the difficulties of the disabled. I understand that the request by the polytechnic students has been recurring.”
“One commuter, Ms Eng Li Hwa, wrote to the Straits Times last November, commending the bus captain of Service 132 for helping an old man with a walking stick alight from the front door of his bus. Other commuters too can help to make the journey easier for elderly commuters. For that, we need the community's help. We have reserved seats on all our trains and buses for the less mobile. Last year, the Public Transport Council also engaged the help of Phua Chu Kang – if you caught the advertisements, to encourage commuters to give up their seats to those who need them more. We hope the message has been sent across and all commuters would give a thought to those who need them more. Sir, we recognise that it is sometimes hard for the elderly and the less mobile to reach transport nodes. I know that Er Lee Bee Wah has brought it up three times. We would like to assure Er Lee Bee Wah and Mr Hri Kumar that LTA is presently working hard to study the feasibility of retrofitting overhead bridges in the immediate vicinity of MRT stations with lifts. LTA is carrying out exploratory works to determine whether it is technically feasible to do so. They are also looking at how the operations and maintenance of the lifts can be carried out. This is not a small exercise; it is actually a significant undertaking, so there is a need to study not just the technical feasibility but also the cost considerations, and to weigh this against other alternatives before a decision can be made. So time is needed. Hopefully, the Members can give LTA some time to do this entire exercise. Another alternative suggested by Mr Hri Kumar is the signalised crossings.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, like Assoc. Prof. Dr Muhammad Faishal, Member Lee Bee Wah, Member Hri Kumar, we are all concerned about the elderly. I have an elderly at home. I do not have a lot of time to ferry my mum around, so several times and on several trips, she has to take public transport. As the elderly age, they become a little more immobile and need a lot of help. We recognise that Singapore is changing, the demographics is changing and our population is ageing. So, our transportation system will have to adapt to the changing society. We have a series of measures and we are taking one step at a time as the situation evolves. We aim to have all public buses wheelchair-accessible by 2020. At present, 30% of our public buses are wheelchair-accessible buses (WABs), but this will steadily increase as the bus fleet is renewed. With more WABs, the focus increasingly would be on getting more of such services to roll out, beyond the current 51 services. To facilitate this, LTA has been getting the bus-stops ready, with works already complete for about 3,800, or 84% of all bus-stops. All our MRT stations are already barrier-free. By 2011, 70% of our MRT stations will have at least two barrier-free routes. This will benefit the elderly and the less mobile as they do not have to make long detours to get to the station. We are also making all our pedestrian walkways barrier-free – all of it, and this will be completed by the end of this year. Our bus captains, service leaders and station staff also recognise that the elderly and the less mobile sometimes need a bit more help, and they have to go the extra mile for them. There are training sessions for all these service providers.”
“Sir, on the Sports Hub: all the different parties are working on the agreements and legal documents now. We will allow the different parties to work on those agreements. I do not have the details to give an update at this point in time. But we have made a commitment to start work in the middle of the year. As far as the marathon is concerned, I do not think that the SSC is asking or claiming credit for a marathon that has been organised for so many years. But let me just say and state clearly that the SSC has been the one providing the resources to organise the marathons over these years, together with SAA. And SAA, being a NSA body, sanctions the race for the elite runners to participate in the marathon. I think an important fact is that SAA and SSC play different roles and they come together to organise a marathon. This time, when they could not agree on how the marathon should be organised and its future focus, the sponsors have to make the final decision. And we want the StanChart marathon to continue and not to be aborted or cancelled because there are over 50,000 Singaporean runners in the marathon, not just 100 or 100-plus elite runners. So, at least for SSC and the sponsors, we have to make sure we keep the marathon going and we will continue to seek sanction, like we had done in previous years where sanction was sought from SAA for the elite runners to come. Nevertheless, we would want to organise this marathon for all the participants who aspire to finish the marathon.”
“With regard to the question on governance of NSAs, I would say that we have learnt some lessons from these issues. SSC introduced a Code of Governance and wanted the NSAs to implement it. I agree with the Member that SSC has to step up in its compliance to the Code of Governance as well as to the plans that use public funds disbursed by the SSC. So we will actually step up and build the system of regular audit to make sure that there is compliance by the NSAs that are drawing larger funds from SSC.”
“The son may not have made it to the YOG squads, but at least his parents believed in his talents. I want to give another example of an athlete who changed her sport and believed in what she could do, to represent Singapore in YOG. Her name is Natasha. She is a 16-year-old wrestler from Assumption English School. She is training very hard now. Natasha was a judo athlete. But the YOG inspired her to try out a new sport, wrestling. She has competed and done well so far. We are looking forward to see her perform during the YOG. So while there can only be so many medal winners in any competition, I have a lot of confidence in our athletes. I think we will least get one medal. I know our athletes have the courage to dream big dreams. And I know they will do their best. Our athletes need your support. I urge all Singaporeans to take that step, make that trip to the venues and stadia to support the athletes, and give your loudest cheers to our athletes. We have to do this, not just for Singapore but for our fellow Singaporeans. Like any sportsmen, they got only one shot in the Youth Olympic Games. We only have one shot to deliver a good and respectable Youth Olympic Games. Let this be an event that all Singaporeans will feel proud of, and let it be remembered for a long time to come. That will make history for Singapore for many generations to remember.”
“You have to believe in yourself that you will be able to do it, you got to believe that you can do it, and you got to be able to dream big dreams. In less than six months from now, the YOG dream will have become a reality. Our preparations to host the Singapore 2010 YOG are kicking into a higher gear. We are now no longer in detailed paper planning. We are putting all plans in place. Several YOG competition venues have been put through extensive trials, while other facilities are going through a makeover. The YOG involves everyone, regardless of whether you are participating in the sports competition, a spectator or a parent. Everybody will be an ambassador. It is the people's event. It is our event. This is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion because the Olympic Games will not come so close anymore. We are still not equipped to host the Summer Olympic Games. The YOG is therefore the Olympic Games where we can make a difference. All of us have to work together to support the Games and let us put up a good show. Some 20,000 people will be volunteering in the YOG. There are more than 500 people working full time in the Organising Committee, and many more working hard to make this a good show and put Singapore on the world map. As a whole-of-community effort, we need everyone's support. We are also working with the People's Association to spread the excitement. We do not just work hard for the YOG, we also have to cheer on our athletes. There are many athletes out there and some of them would never have imagined that they could be representing Singapore today. When we first won the bid, one mother wrote to me to say that although her son was obese, she believed that he could make a difference.”
“I was at the first session to brief all the International Olympic Committee leaders and the different cities on our bid. The other cities have longer traditions, Olympic and sporting history. A representative from one of the cities came and asked me. He was really tall, about 1.9 metres to 2 metres. You can tell that he was an Olympic athlete. I had to look up to talk to him. He said, "You are from Singapore?" I said, "Yes, I am from Singapore. "And you are bidding for the hosting of the Youth Olympic Games?" And I said, "Yes, sure. " And he asked me, "How many Olympic champions do you have in your country?" I said "We have an Olympic silver medallist in weightlifting. That was in – ", at that time we had not won our second silver medal. He said, "Oh good! Was it in the last Olympic Games?" I said, "No, it was in 1960." When he asked if Singapore had organised any multi-sports game, my reply was that we organised the Southeast Asian Games in 1993. But, no problem, we are a nation that is really interested in sports. He said, "Okay. Have you organised any multi-sports games?" I said, "Sure, we had. We had organised the SEA Games", and I had to tell him what SEA Games was about. But when I told him it was in 1993, I will never forget that look on his face when I said that. The representative then asked, "Why are you bidding for the Youth Olympic Games?" My response was I looked at him, I wanted to say something, but I had to think through what exactly to say because I knew what I said would have to make an impact. So I told him, "I believe we can win, and we will win the hosting rights for the Youth Olympic Games." He said, "Well, wish you all the best!" He left, and I left. This episode tells me that, it does not matter if you are big or small.”
“And one of the legacies which we will be able to see, and we hope that it will last for generations to come, will be the world's first Youth Olympic Park. Singapore is the first host of the Youth Olympic Games. We are going to make history and set benchmarks. The Youth Olympic Park will be located at the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade. It will commemorate and remind Singaporeans of our hosting of the first ever Youth Olympic Games. 6.30 pm The Park will feature youth artwork and souvenirs from YOG and serve as an attraction to visitors. Two hundred and five will be dedicated to the 205 National Olympic Committees and they will be planted along the Promenade as a symbol of their strong relationships with Singapore. And the Waterfront Promenade will also feature Olympic-themed sculptures by local artists. We encourage all our young and young-at-heart to visit and enjoy the Youth Olympic Park for their leisure and family outings. Part of the legacy of Singapore's hosting of YOG will be captured by our very own Youth Olympic Museum. Other than celebrating our hosting of the first ever YOG, this Museum also serves to cultivate our sports culture. Today, you can see how this Museum will look like at the Youth Olympic Games Learning Centre at Kay Siang Road. If you have not visited the Centre, do let me know and I can make the arrangements. Our plan is to grow the Learning Centre into the Youth Olympic Museum and eventually house it in the Sports Hub. The YOG is not just a sporting occasion. It is a historical milestone for Singapore. If you remember, when we won the bid, when it was announced on 21st February 2008, that was a moment of relief for me personally, we went through "ups and downs" to win this bid.”
“But I am very sure that the issues can be resolved, and I do not think that there is a need to change this model at this point in time or to introduce legislation to regulate them. We must let the NSAs own their stake. We must let the NSAs manage the sports, grow the sports and promote the sports. That is their mission and they have a bigger stake in that. The issues raised by Ms Joscelin Yeo and Mr Palmer are important. They are the main reasons why we are putting all our efforts into making the Youth Olympic Games a success. Let me share with Members some of the things we have in store for Singapore and Singaporeans. These are the mascots – Lyo and Merly. You can buy them at the designated store at Takashimaya Basement 2, Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC) office at Kay Siang Road, selected SingPost outlets or purchase them online at shop.vpost.com.sg. There is a series of activities that we want to promote for the Youth Olympic Games, not just to Singaporeans, but to the world as well. Starting in July, the Youth Olympic Flame will be travelling across the world. Starting from the Ancient Olympia in Greece, the Flame will travel through Berlin, Dakar, Mexico City, Auckland, Seoul, and then finally arriving in Singapore for a local community leg. Singaporeans can be part of this historic journey when the Flame comes to Singapore. And we are going to invite volunteers to join us in this journey to carry the Flame. The Singapore 2010 YOG is not just an event. It is not just for young people. It is not just for the Organising Committee. It is not just for MCYS. The event is for everyone. It is for Singaporeans. It is important because it will leave a legacy.”
“The Standard Chartered Bank, as the title sponsor of the event, has indicated the support for this type of marathon and their preference to continue the partnership with the Singapore Sports Council (SSC). And I think this year, we want to enrich the experience of the runners who will join the marathon and aspire to complete the marathon. Mr Palmer will be pleased to note that we are making progress for the Sports Hub. With the gradual recovery of the financial markets, the preferred bidder for the Sports Hub has been able to launch a funding competition late last year. This funding competition has drawn considerable interests from banks. We are expecting the construction of the Sports Hub to commence by the middle of the year, and to be completed by end 2013 or early 2014. Mr Palmer also asked if the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model is the right model. We deliberated on various development models during the course of this project and decided that we should continue with the PPP model. Why? Because it harnesses the efficiencies, innovation, energy and financial rigour of private sector enterprise and banks to bring about a vibrant, compelling, viable and fully utilised public facility. Mr Palmer will also understand that SSC and the National Sports Associations (NSAs) work as partners on sports development. This is where SSC assists the NSAs to achieve their objectives through funding, assistance in capability development, and provision of support in areas such as sports medicine and sports science. The partnership model has worked relatively well. There are 64 NSAs today, but for one or two, it might not look like it worked very well.”
“Young Singaporeans can look forward to an exciting venue to showcase their talents and be engaged in areas such as arts, music, dance, performance and new media. We are now exploring a rock climbing facility close to the Xtreme SkatePark on the East Coast. So hopefully, we have more rock climbers. In fact, rock climbing is also a very popular activity among schools and youth. I think, with this rock climbing facility, the sport will pick up. This rock climbing facility will complement other sporting facilities offering sailing, kayaking, inline skating and cycling. So the whole area in East Coast around the Xtreme SkatePark will become a very vibrant and energetic outdoor youth area. These are the platforms that we have provided for the youth, not just facilities, but also grants and other schemes to help them own a stake if they want; to be able to voice their opinion. We want to be there to support them. This year is a very busy year for Singapore in the sports scene, with the Commonwealth Games, the Asian Games and, of course, the Youth Olympic Games. One of the major events in the Singapore calendar is the marathon. And I know that the marathon has undergone many changes. We used to have the marathon around the heartlands. Those were the days where you would not have that kind of participation level like what we have today. The Standard Chartered Marathon continues to grow and last year, we had more than 50,000 participants. We saw the growth of the participation level. More people picked up running. This year, we feel that the marathon could grow into a marathon that is truly for the runners.”
“And it is not just writing and staying behind a desk to share their thoughts, we also want them to take action. The Youth Expedition Project (YEP) supports youth going on overseas community projects. Today, we allow YEP to be adopted by various youth organisations so that they can decide for themselves what to do with the funding, to support some of the missions. YEP celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year and I am glad to say that last year, more than 3,000 youth participated in the programme. We also have festivals – like the SHINE Youth Festival held every July – that allow young people to showcase their talents in areas such as dancing, singing and playing musical instruments. The SHINE Youth Festival is open to youth who have the talents but do not belong to any formal groups. In 2009, some 6,000 youth volunteered for various SHINE events and close to 68,000 youth showcased their talents. If the youth do not want to perform, or if they do not wish to join formal groups for overseas mission, but perhaps they just want to do a small community service project, there is also a grant that we provide, called the Young ChangeMakers. This is for individuals or informal groups who want to do something for the community. This grant provides youth with up to $3,000 in seed funding to support these projects. We have also built many different facilities for the young people. In August last year, MCYS and the National Parks Board launched the Xtreme SkatePark @ East Coast. This provided our extreme sports enthusiasts exposure to a world-class facility, and helped to promote an adventurous spirit and ruggedness among the practitioners. And there are several other exciting facilities to come. In June 2010, *SCAPE will be opened in the heart of Orchard.”
“An individual today or any young person – a young boy or girl – can learn a sport in school under the Sports Education Programme. For sports not offered by the schools, he or she can go to the satellite centres for sports to learn them. From there, we can identify talents and they can go into the Junior Sports Academies, or the Youth Sports Academies when they grow older. If they decide to pursue a more intensive sports curriculum along with their studies, there is always the Sports School option. We often see an individual who is really good in sports, going through secondary school, junior college, but dropping off when they enter university due to time constraints. We may consider, and we are undertaking a feasibility study at the moment, to set up a Singapore Sports Institute. And this institute will hopefully allow the elite athletes to continue training, give them a more flexible curriculum in terms of overseas competition and training systems, and coordinate with their study curriculum to help them to continue with their training and hit peak performance. We hope to do that from a very young age at primary school level all the way to the age of 23, to help them achieve their full potential at the senior level and success at the major games. Beyond sports, my Ministry, together with the National Youth Council – as far as youth engagement is concerned – offers many platforms for our youth to find meaningful engagement. Youth are engaged through platforms such as forums and dialogues. As Members know, some of you might have come across the Straits Times' YouthInk column, where youth pen their thoughts and share them with a national audience.”
“We are working very closely with the Ministry of Education on some of the long-term development programmes to provide more opportunities for youth to play sports. As Members know, in the schools, if you are not good enough to represent the schools, you may not even get the chance to continue playing that sport. There are some schools that do not even have inter-class, inter-house or inter-group competitions. Unless you got into the school team, you might not even get the chance to play sports. Sir, I am glad that together with MOE, we have set up the Singapore Youth Sports Development Committee in September 2008, chaired by Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Mr Masagos, and myself. This Committee aims to strengthen the youth sports system, improve long-term athlete development and catalyse a Singapore sporting culture – from youth to adulthood. My Ministry, MOE and the Singapore Totalisator Board jointly committed $15 million to support youth sports development initiatives. Part of this budget goes into preparing our athletes for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG). But it is not just about elite athletes; YOG is also meant to encourage participation in all 26 sports. Hopefully, more young people will actually have the interest in sports and give it a try. They will also have a chance to represent Singapore. Another part of the budget goes into building up a series of satellite centres for sports. As Members know, MOE has rolled out the Youth Sports Academies and the Junior Sports Academies. We also have the Sports School. What we try to do is to be able to provide the framework, and through the entire process, provide a sports pathway for young persons.”
“Sir, let me first thank Ms Joscelin Yeo and Mr Michael Palmer for their passion and for raising questions on youth engagement and developments in sports. From one sportsman to another, of course, Ms Joscelin Yeo is an elite sportswoman. We have seen her win so many medals, and brought glory to Singapore. Many of her questions raised are relevant. With regard to the questions on the school systems, they probably have to be answered by the Ministry of Education (MOE). I share her sentiments about sports. It inculcates many values in individuals. I credit sports for who I am today. I remember the very first time I was involved in sports, I very much wanted to represent my school. I tried out many different sports, but I could not get into the school team. Finally, I tried one of the non-mainstream sports at that time – softball. But what happened was that I ended up in the girls' team. [Laughter. ] It has taught me about resilience, and how one could succeed against adversity. Subsequently, I joined a school that was sports-centric and that spurred me on. I thought, "I could get into a boys' team too. Maybe I would have a chance." And I finally realised my dream by playing football for one of the top schools in Singapore. 6.15 pm I am happy to let Ms Joscelin Yeo know that in 2007, we set up a Sporting Culture Committee, just focusing on creating sports culture. I chair the committee. One of the reasons why we did that was because Singapore has many sports facilities, but we realised that the software might be lacking. I am glad that, today, we are following up on the Committee's recommendations, and hopefully, they can transform the Singapore sporting culture.”
“Sir, it was mentioned that Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), Tianjin Eco-city and all the projects undertaken by the Government could actually help to spin off other opportunities for our local business people or enterprises. One suspects that all the businesses flock to the coastal cities and coastal areas. I think, more or less, they are saturated. The cost of operations has also gone up and escalated. I think these are the cities that I think opportunities are there but then the competitive landscape is hotting up. Are there any other cities – second tier or even third tier cities – that the Government could be looking at, and where our local enterprises can also look at to target. I hope the Ministry can elaborate on this.”
“China is the world's third largest economy targeting at 8% GDP growth this year. They are trying to ensure that the quality of economic growth is for the long term so they are focusing on transformation of economic growth pattern and also to adjust their economic structure. But there are challenges. These challenges are both short- and long-term policies conflict as well as external and internal influences. In the words of the Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, he said in Chinese, "短期问题和长期矛盾相互交织，国内因素和国际因素相互影响。经济社会发展中，两难问题增多 (duan qi wen ti he chang qi mao dun xiang hu jiao zhi, guo nei yin su he guo wai yin su xiang hu ying xiang. Jing ji she hui fa zhan zhong, liang nan wen ti zen duo )". Despite these challenges, I still think China is the largest market with lots of opportunities. Business people will tell you that over there, it is "shi ban gong bei", and not "shi bei gong ban ". So what is the Government's strategy in tapping on China's growth and how can it help our local enterprises tap on this growth? 3.30 pm Consumer protection”
“Mr Chairman, with the help of several economic stimulus packages around the world, although each is customised to its own environment, we are expecting a recovery earlier than usual. In 2009, roughly about 0.8% contraction happened globally and, this year, IMF forecasted 3.9% growth and next year 2011, IMF forecasted 4.3% growth. With two consecutive years of growth globally, we should expect a higher growth regionally in Asia. I expect Asia to be leading the charge and emerging economies to reap the maximum benefit. As such, this is very critical for us to identify potential opportunities. The emerging markets could grow three times faster or better than most of the world's advanced economies. And what is exactly in store in terms of opportunities for our local businesses, especially the SMEs? I am glad that this year, the Government is focusing on the SMEs and coming up with several measures, especially in the areas of innovation for the SMEs to tap on the various grants to help them to innovate and grow their businesses. I would like the Government to provide some guidance as to what other areas of opportunities these SMEs can actually tap on, in order to grow their businesses and expand their horizon. Growth opportunities”
“Sir, we have a greying population and we are also facing a low fertility rate. Many elderly people worry about what would happen to them, especially those without children and those with low income. The problem really exists today. An elderly couple without children came asking for financial help and they needed it on a long-term basis. I thought maybe the Lease Buyback Scheme could actually help them. The problem is that they are living in a 4-room flat. I have many 4- and 5-room flats in my area, and I also know that there are many elderly couples with low income staying in these units. They bought their flats when they had stable jobs, and now they have aged. After a few financial crisis, I think they may not be able to afford to support their own daily living in the long term. As of 15th September 2009, the Ministry reported that 409 applications, of which 93% were approved. The question is: are we reaching out wide and far enough? Sir, I understand that in many other constituencies, including some of my colleagues, they have actually asked that we be more inclusive and include flats that are of larger size – larger than 3-room – 4- and 5-room flats. I think this is necessary. I would like the Ministry to consider extending the scheme to more elderly people who could benefit from this lease buyback scheme and to change the policy to include larger flats. And may I go even further to say that we consider extending the scheme to people who may be younger than age 62. At the end of the day, the objective is to support them in their life's journey. HDB community”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, another story. This couple, with children aged four and two, came to see me. They needed some help. The husband carrying the 2-year old, and the wife was trying to keep the 4-year old quiet. Why did they come to see me? They were going to vacate their current room with a friend, because they have been staying with the friend for about a month, and they were extremely anxious and helpless because they were waiting for their rental flats to be allocated to them but the wait is going to be about a year or more. Being from MCYS, I am actually quite reluctant to even recommend a temporary shelter because you have to split up the family. There are also other stories of similar nature and these are low-income families that could not afford a flat and have to wait for a while to get their rental flats. And if they had sold their flats, the proceeds would probably have been used to repay other debts and they also cannot afford a flat at the market rental rate. Time is of the essence for them to be able to get a flat and, in this case, a rental flat. So while they are waiting and they cannot afford anywhere or to live anywhere else, they end up living outdoors. But when I saw the strong reaction of the residents whose flat will be affected by the newly built rental flat, I was actually very concerned because I am worried whether or not HDB will go ahead to built those rental flats. Sir, there is no doubt that there is an issue here. Can I ask the Ministry whether there is enough supply of rental flats and can we actually meet the demand and shorten the waiting time? Rental flats”
“As for his concerns over other NSAs with governance issues, the Member can also be assured that SSC will step up its regulatory audits and make sure that these are more regular. We will make sure NSAs understand that when they obtain funding from SSC, they are dealing with public money. Public money cannot be taken for granted. CARPARKS IN NEW HDB ESTATES (Ratio of lots to residential units) The following Question stood in the name of Mdm Cynthia Phua – 2. To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the ratio of carpark lots to the number of residential units in new HDB estates; (b) whether there are plans to increase the carpark lots in the mature estates to reflect changes in the population demographics as more HDB units now have more than one car with the children becoming working adults; and (c) whether the Ministry is planning to build any new multi-storey carparks in the older precincts in Aljunied GRC.”
“Sir, SSC is the governor of the sports sector in Singapore and MCYS is the policy-maker. SSC will continue to support all the NSAs who present good development and training plans. We are always in consultation with NSAs to see how we can best support them. Annual funding is one way, and indirect services is another way through which we support them. We cannot be involved in the associations' electoral process because that has to be decided by their respective fraternity. In SAA's case, the 21 affiliates have to decide what is the best way forward for the association. They have to decide who takes the leadership because they represent the voices of the athletic fraternity. At the same time, they have to, not only to listen to themselves and the fraternity, but also the public voices as well. When it comes to elections and the time to vote, they have to make the right decision. For the 4 x 100-metre relay team, I am glad that they are back in training. If they have any needs in terms of funding and training, they can always approach SSC, and we are more than willing to give them support. We are always willing to support any future athletic event, and we are always open to consultation and having more athletic events in Singapore. Because in any major game, athletics is a key event and an integral part of any international multi-sports game. We will also like Singapore to do well in this key sport. As such, the Member can be assured that when NSAs such as SAA are able to sort their issues out, whether audit, governance or training plans, SSC will be fully supportive in terms of disbursing the grants.”
“Mr Viswa Sadasivan asked the Minister for Health (a) whether the creation of the SingHealth Group and the National Healthcare Group in 2000 has brought in the expected efficiency gains; (b) how have the citizens of Singapore benefited from this; and (c) whether the exercise has created real competition in the sector and, if so, whether this competition has driven costs lower and raised service standards.”
“Sir, we believe that adopting a multi-pronged approach will tackle this problem, would actually be more effective. And I think as for enforcing the regulation against putting up these illegal advertisements, the entire process itself, may not seem to be cheaper. Because in enforcing the regulation, the LTA inspectors first have to take photographs of the daily advertisements on the public street facilities where they are found, and then possibly, have to call the number on the advertisement. And when they call the number advertised, the answering party may not co-operate. When that happens, subsequent follow-ups become more difficult to track down the offenders. When LTA issues the notice of offence, these offenders may also appeal for waiver of the composition fine and then these appeal cases will then have to be assessed on their own merits. So for the repeat offenders, LTA will also have to put up a report of offence before the notice of offence is issued to them. The entire process is quite tedious, lengthy and costly in view of the man-hours needed but nevertheless we will still be putting enforcements and also at the same time provide public education. The anti-stick paint is another way and when it was piloted, it proved its effectiveness in that no illegal advertisements were put up. We believe that the multi-pronged approach will be more effective in this sense. EFFICIENCY GAINS FROM CREATION OF SINGHEALTH AND NATIONAL HEALTHCARE GROUPS 11.”
“This, together with subsidised stalls which still make up about half of the number of cooked food stalls in the hawker centres, helps keep cooked food prices affordable. Cooked food prices in hawker centres are also influenced by a number of factors, including the cost of utilities, raw materials, salaries, as well as market competition.”
“There is basically no reclassification or classification of club associations. It is just that some sports clubs are affiliated to the National Sports Association; some are not. It is a matter of option, depending on whether they want to participate in international competition, like the Olympics or inter-club competitions that are endorsed or sanctioned by the NSAs. PA adopts a more inclusive approach in that it allows different sports clubs to conduct the courses that residents might favour. When there is demand, they will allow the clubs to conduct those courses. But I take the point which Mr Seah has brought up, that safety is of paramount importance and we must make sure that we have stringent regulations of the highest safety standards. PA is actually reviewing all the safety regulations, including those recommendations from the Sports Safety Committee. Between two sets of rules that are different, they will adopt the more stringent one in the future for any competition that is conducted under PA. Column No : 1141 HAWKER CENTRE FOOD STALLS (Market valuation method) 12. Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what factors are taken into account in the market valuation of hawker centre food stalls to justify hikes in rentals; and (b) how such hikes will impact the price of cooked food. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan) (for the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources): Sir, the National Environment Agency (NEA) engages a professional valuer to assess the market rent for non-subsidised cooked food stalls in hawker centres. The market rentals for such stalls are generally lower than those in private food courts.”
“Ms Ellen Lee asked the Minister for Transport (a) what is done to regulate the illegal modification of motorcycles which has resulted in excessive noise emission from the exhaust when driven; (b) which is the agency that regulates the import of such noise emitting exhaust, enforces against errant modifications/excessive noise, and attends to complaints on such issues; (c) which is the highest age group of offenders caught with illegally modified motorcycles; and (d) how many errant suppliers and motorcyclists have been caught and penalised in the past two years.”
“Well, we have to consider the different businesses, especially the medium and small enterprises because the cost factor is also a concern for them. We have to know in the medium term what they can do and what they cannot. So, the Workgroup has actually received feedback from all these different stakeholders and come up with a timeline they are comfortable with in terms of implementing these measures. But, of course, safety is of utmost importance and the Workgroup has also considered other different measures. The decision and the recommendation that were put forward finally had taken into consideration the statistics over the years. So, in terms of implementation, we will implement the short-term measures immediately starting from 1st September; and then medium-term measures such as canopies and side-railings. All these are due to stakeholders' feedback and they were part of the Workgroup. They have given us these inputs on what they are able and comfortable enough to implement. We will do our best from the Ministry's perspective to see what are the measures that we can expedite as soon as possible. And we agree that safety is paramount. Cost should be considered but should not be the main factor that will compromise safety. This is something we assure Members that we will try our very best to do. ILLEGAL MODIFICATION OF MOTORCYCLES 5.”
“There were considerations by the Workgroup regarding drivers' behaviour, in terms of how they drive and the safety measures that they have to adopt. In the course of the Workgroup's review, they found that some companies actually took their own initiative to make sure that the drivers are more aware of such safety measures, eg, one of the companies, Poh Tiong Choon Logistics, has a driver safety incentive scheme. They reward and incentivise the drivers who practise safety measures. I believe the Ministry of Manpower did consider the drivers' training in licensing them and the Workgroup has also considered some of these factors. We will continue to educate employers on some of these best practices.”
“Sir, I would like to assure the Member that safety is paramount. That is our main consideration, and that of the Workgroup. And that is the objective of the measures that they are recommending. It is a very complex issue. We have to address not only safety concerns but also the concerns of the business sector and other stakeholders, and find a point of balance, given how these measures might potentially impact the different stakeholders. Nevertheless, they have come up with both immediate measures and measures for the medium term, after three years, eg, the canopies, the side railings, as well as not to expose the workers above the height that will increase the risk of them falling off. We are enhancing the enforcement measures as well. So, with all these measures coming in, we hope that we can continue to enhance the safety of the workers, and we will continue to monitor the situation.”
“In conclusion, Sir, with the amendments to the enforcement and penalty frameworks to strengthen the PMA and the merger of the Preservation of Monuments Board and the National Heritage Board, we will be better prepared to safeguard our national monuments and enhance the role that heritage plays in giving Singaporeans a shared sense of identity and anchoring us to Singapore. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed. 2.26 pm”
“The TES assists non-profit and religious organisations to raise funds for the restoration of the buildings, namely through double-tax benefits to donors. The National Monument Fund, on the other hand, was introduced in response to feedback from stakeholders on the need for the Government to share in the cost of sustaining our historic buildings. We have set aside $5 million to be disbursed over a period of five years, to assist owners of religious and non-profit national monuments to undertake urgent and necessary repairs. In its inaugural year, the Government supported the applications of the Sri Mariamman Temple, Hong San See Temple and Church of our Lady of Lourdes to co-share the funding of urgent repairs. A total of about $620,000 was awarded for the rectification of faults. Going forward, more applications will be assessed and supported in the coming years. Merger between the PMB and NHB Lastly, Mr Speaker, Sir, the new Act will legislatively effect the merger of the Preservation of Monuments Board and the National Heritage Board (NHB) to enhance the quality of policy, strategies and services. The PMB has done a good job in championing built heritage over the last 12 years under MICA's direct purview. It is now timely to integrate their efforts with the larger heritage promotion efforts undertaken by the National Heritage Board. The required related amendments to the NHB Act and consequential amendments to other written laws for alignment with the new PMB will be made. MICA recognises that the protection of our national monuments is a critical heritage function. This merger will therefore enhance the impact of our overall heritage promotion efforts, and enable us to reap natural synergies and economies of scale.”
“The Court will also be empowered to make an order requiring the offender to restore the national monument at his own expense, in accordance with the Board's specifications. Let me assure the House that these legislative enhancements are intended as a safeguard to deter potentially errant parties who wilfully destroy or damage the monuments or are negligent in their duty to maintain the monuments. It is not intended to penalise the majority of the monument owners nor occupiers who have been dutifully maintaining their buildings. In administering the Act, the Board will exercise due diligence to identify the specific party responsible for the actions, or the person who is in actual possession or control of the monument. For example, should the owner or the occupier of the monument be found to be fully responsible for a misdeed, third party persons, such as the caretaker or volunteers involved in the care of the building, would not be liable for the charges. The new PMA – an exercise of joint responsibility Mr Speaker, Sir, the rich built heritage that we have preserved brings intangible pride and prestige to their owners and benefits society as a whole. While the main responsibility of preservation lies with the monument owners as they should be responsible for maintaining their own buildings, the Government will co- share some of this responsibility. I would like to assure the monument owners that the State will continue to do its part as partners, particularly given the current economic climate, which may make the task all the more challenging for monument owners. The State will continue to lend assistance through support schemes like the Tax Exemption Scheme (TES) which was launched in 1994, and the National Monument Fund (NMF) which was introduced in 2008.”
“We therefore need to update our penalties comprehensively to achieve greater deterrence and punitive effect, to prevent similar incidents from occurring. As a general principle, the new clauses in the Act draw reference from and, where applicable, are pegged above that of the Planning Act which governs conserved buildings. National monuments are deemed buildings with greater heritage and architectural value, and hence illegal works on them or destruction should not be treated any less seriously than conserved buildings. There are two key thrusts to the revised penalty framework. One, higher penalties will be imposed for unauthorised renovation or alteration works that are carried out by the building's owners, principals or agents. The current penalty stands at a maximum fine of $5,000. Under the new Act, individuals will be fined a maximum of $100,000 and/or a maximum jail term of 12 months, with a further maximum fine of $5,000 daily in the event of a continued offence. Corporations and companies will be fined a maximum of $200,000 and a further maximum fine of $10,000 daily in the event of a continued offence. In addition, the Court may order the offender to restore the monument in accordance to the Board's specifications, at the owners' expense. Secondly, higher penalties will be imposed to deter acts of wilful destruction to our national monuments. Currently, the penalty for such acts of wilful destruction is a maximum fine of $5,000, and/or a maximum jail term of six months. Under the new Act, an offender charged with defacing, say, the City Hall building, shall be liable on conviction to a fine of up to $30,000 and/or a jail term of up to six months.”
“With more authority, the Board can better monitor and prevent indiscriminate alteration or destruction of monuments, which, once done, may be irreversible. This enhancement of the Board's enforcement powers will be incomplete if the legislation does not provide for owners and occupiers to have a duty to maintain their monuments. This is currently absent in the PMA. A new clause will be introduced, vesting the owners and occupiers with a general duty to ensure that the national monument is properly maintained. With this clause, the Board will be given the legal authority to issue preservation notices to owners to carry out the restoration work deemed necessary by the Board. Sir, the second prong is to update the penalty framework which has become outdated in today's context. The penalty framework of the PMA has been unchanged since the Act was first passed 38 years ago in 1971. It carries a maximum fine of $5,000 for penalties. Let me illustrate the inadequacy of this fine quantum with a case in which an owner of a national monument got away with a mere $500 fine for undertaking illegal works some years ago. The management of this monument had carried out alteration works between and 2001 without the approval of the Preservation of Monuments Board (PMB). The management committee refused to rectify the illegal works despite notices issued by the PMB. After a year of impasse, the PMB brought the case to court and in 2003, the secretary of the management committee was found guilty of undertaking illegal works and was fined a total of $500. Not only was extensive damage inflicted on the monument, but the authority could take no further action under the current Act to compel the management to restore the damaged monument.”
“There are also national monuments such as the Raffles Hotel, Chijmes and the Telok Ayer Market, which have been successfully adapted for modern use and have become popular with both locals and tourists alike. Without these familiar landmarks, Singapore would be a less distinctive and identifiable place that we are proud to call home. It is important that these social markers of history continue to withstand the passages of time and urban progress. To do so, there must be sufficient safeguards in the Preservation of Monuments Act to make sure that they will continue to stand proudly for many more years to come. Objectives of review Mr Speaker, Sir, the current Preservation of Monuments Act (PMA), whose core provisions have largely remained the same since it was enacted in 1971, is no longer adequate for the purpose of monuments protection. Our enforcement mechanisms need to be more robust to protect these monuments against wilful destruction and illegal renovation works. In amending the Act, MICA is taking a two-pronged approach – to enhance the enforcement powers of the authority and to revise the penalty framework. Changes to the enforcement and penalty frameworks Sir, the new Act will provide for greater control over the repairs, renovation or construction works carried out on national monuments by their owners, principals or agents. This will be through requiring monument owners to provide information on works done to the monuments and giving the Board the authority to enter a monument to inspect and assess works being carried out, and to take actions to halt the works including requiring the owner to restore the monument.”
“Whether the Government has also considered the opportunity costs for the long closure? We have certainly considered the opportunity costs, that is why we are quickly trying to look at other alternative uses as well as engage the community and also the private sector, in order to see what can be done. If it cannot be done, we will quickly return it back to SLA. I think the lapse of the five years is a process where we had to review initially why it was severely under-utilised and to look at alternative uses. So we went through the process and now we are looking at making a last effort to do it. We will subsequently return them to SLA if the exercise fails. PRESERVATION OF MONUMENTS BILL Order for Second Reading read. 2.16 pm The Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (RAdm [NS] Lui Tuck Yew): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." In Singapore, 55 buildings have been gazetted as national monuments. The number is not large, and that is why they are all the more precious to us. These monuments are some of the finest buildings we have that reflect our rich architectural and cultural heritage. Amongst them are the City Hall and former Supreme Court buildings, which continue to stand loftily amidst the modernity today as enduring testaments of Singapore's history and identity. There are other buildings that tell the story of our nationhood. For example, religious monuments such as the Sri Mariamman Temple at South Bridge Road, Thian Hock Kheng at Telok Ayer Street, Sultan Mosque in Kampong Glam and St Andrew's Cathedral at St Andrew's Road, tell the world of our multi-ethnic and multi-religious harmony that we enjoy; a cornerstone in our endeavour to build a modern Singapore.”
“Sir, we have worked on a few different approaches. First, we actually tested out the market in the private sector to see if anybody would be interested to assume the lease for the public swimming pools, to either use it for swimming purposes or other alternative sports uses. Secondly, SSC has also engaged the community leaders or the grassroots leaders on the ground to look for other alternative uses. We have gotten feedback from them and they have also agreed that with all the different proposals, maybe we should just make another effort quickly to send out the RFP to the market and see if any other private operators might be interested to assume ownership. And if such exercise actually fails, we will return them to SLA immediately.”
“Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for Transport with the opening of the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (a) what is the latest update on the traffic flow along other expressways like the Central Expressway; and (b) whether the Government will accelerate the construction programme for the new North-South Expressway. The Second Minister for Transport (Mrs Lim Hwee Hua) (for the Minister for Transport): With the opening of the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE), traffic conditions have improved along the Central Expressway (CTE). This is reflected in the Quarterly ERP Rate Review carried out in February 2009, where a $0.50 rate reduction was made for the ERP gantry along south-bound CTE before Braddell Road, during the period between 8.30 am and 9.00 am. Currently, traffic along the CTE is smooth flowing, with traffic speeds within the range for optimal flow. LTA has also embarked on a project to widen the CTE to cater to the increasing traffic demand. When completed by the end of 2011, the CTE stretch between Bukit Timah Road and Yio Chu Kang Road will have four continuous lanes throughout, which will help to further improve traffic flow on the CTE. Based on the infrastructure improvements and LTA's forecast of traffic demand, the North-South Expressway (NSE), which will provide additional capacity to cater to the increase in travel demand from the North and North-East, will only be needed by 2020. Hence, there is no need to accelerate the construction of the North-South Expressway. Er Lee Bee Wah: Sir, I like to ask the Minister, since the completion of KPE and the traffic flow is satisfactory, will the Minister consider abolishing evening ERP along the CTE?”
“I think we will take all suggestions and review them when necessary to see if it is implementable on the ground. We will try to accelerate the construction and implementation of the platform screen doors. The important thing to note is that whilst doing that, it is important to ensure not just the safety of the workers, but also to make sure that we carry out a comprehensive and complete job because if the screen doors are built in a rush, I think you will endanger more lives. We want to, after completing the first three stations, gather the feedback and review the operational issues before we implement the doors at the other 33 stations. But as much as we can, we will try to accelerate the whole programme because I understand that safety concerns are of paramount importance. As for the CCTV, yes, it was working at that point in time. The issue is that the CCTV can only record but it may not be manned 24/7. Whilst recording can help you trace back what happened, more importantly, we need our station officers on the ground to be more vigilant and look at what else can be done, for example, making the commuters aware that they should keep a safe distance behind the yellow line. As for increasing the distance between the yellow line and the platform edge, this suggestion will have to be reviewed – whether moving the yellow line backwards will be a feasible plan or not, and whether it will affect the whole volume or traffic flow of commuters when they are queuing for the train. I think more importantly is to make sure the PTOs stay vigilant and be careful. And I think this requires commitment from the PTOs. EXPRESSWAYS (Update on construction plans) 6.”
“Sir, like what Mr Ong commented about the retirees and those who have been included in CPF LIFE, I have met many of the retirees in my constituency and they are very worried about whether their CPF is sufficient or whether they could have a lifetime income for the rest of their lives. I think for those who can live off their family members, extended family members or children, they do not have a problem. But for some of those who are self-employed, they are not too sure if it will be sufficient for them because they might not have contributed to CPF until later in their lives. So for some of them, they wanted to opt into CPF LIFE but they do not know the details. I understand that the Minister has actually said in his reply to a parliamentary question last year that members who are not automatically included in CPF LIFE can opt in. Can the Ministry provide an update on how members can opt in and when they will be allowed to do so? What are the incentives for the member's spouse, children or siblings who want to top up the member's CPF account in order to help the member benefit from the CPF LIFE scheme? And also with the economic downturn, are there actually any impact on the payout, if the downturn is extended over a longer period of time? CPF LIFE is a good scheme that ensures income for life, but it can only be good if workers or CPF members are included in the scheme. CPF”
“Sir, I met a resident who is a PMET and is worried about the future of his job. He currently still has a job but his company is downsizing. So his wife, who has been a homemaker, is also getting ready to go back into the workforce. Both felt that there will be little chance of success for them to look for a job if he is retrenched, especially when they are above 40. I am beginning to see more of such cases. These PMETs are going to face challenges because they are more than half of our workforce and retrenchments have actually doubled. So with fewer job vacancies available, they will have to compete for positions that need lower qualifications and lower pay. The higher cost they are, the higher chance they will be retrenched and the harder they will fall. We have to help them. Let us do what we can for these local PMETs because in this downtime, we should encourage the employers to send them, especially those above 40, for training or courses when they are still with the companies. We must also make the companies feel it is worth sending them too, so we have to incentivise the employers. Currently, I understand that the absentee payroll scheme does not include those above 40 years of age with higher than "A" Levels qualifications. Could the Ministry consider including them, if not, why not? Some companies have also feedback that they are unwilling to send their workers for training after office hours because they have to pay for the training as well as the salary. And they felt that that does not incentivise them and they have asked if the Ministry will consider providing direct grants instead of just co-sharing for courses or for the salary taken after office hours. Training for PMETs”
“I think that is both a comment and a question and I assure the Member, Mdm Cynthia Phua that we will definitely take into consideration the question of responsibilities. I always feel that if you want to promote something, cycling or some other activities, we would rather encourage than strictly enforce it. So in terms of the ownership, there is a lot of public education that is needed. We need to accommodate and then we can move forward. That is why at this time, even at the cycling towns, for example Tampines, it is still on trial. We still need to engage all the different stakeholders before we decide how to move forward what kind of infrastructure is needed before they can co-exist. I know it is not easy. I know there are a lot of questions about ownership and enforcement. So I think all these things have to come into place, a more integrated approach before we can say we move forward to develop more cycling lanes or even shared pavements or footpaths for both to co-exist. I think if the residents are not ready, then there is no way we can implement it. So it has to be an almost bottom-up initiative and acceptance before we can actually go further on the implementation. 6.00 pm Rest assured that we will take all these into consideration as we develop all our cycling plans around the different towns and implement them further.”
“The Police has the authority and the Police is the one responsible for the enforcement. I have to check for you the specific Act but the Police is responsible. Ms Eunice Elizabeth Olsen: Sir, I want to thank the Minister for all the good news he has about our public transport system. I just want to ask him whether he thinks it is better for the commuter wanting to plan his trip to know when the buses are expected to arrive on a regular basis and if it is more cost-economical for the LTA and the operators to use timetables instead of the electronic real-time system which in any case does not address the problem of consistency and if the traffic is unpredictable, whether or not we can start off with the afternoon off-peak period. The Minister mentioned the SMS service, but perhaps low-income commuters might not be able to pay every time they want to know actually what time the bus is arriving.”
“I want to thank the Member for sharing. I think it is something to consider. Thank you very much. Er Lee Bee Wah: In reference to the response from the Senior Minister of State just now on my request for the provision of a lift at the overhead bridge near MRT station, I just want to clarify that I am appealing to the Ministry to provide lifts at overhead bridges near MRT stations throughout the whole of Singapore, not just Nee Soon South. And on this particular issue, I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State whether she is still looking into the feasibility of implementing this or is she saying, "no" to this project.”