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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“First, I thank Mr Low for bringing up this valid point. If we want to develop Singapore into a cycling nation, there will be many bicycles and parking facilities around. I know that LTA is already studying better ways to secure those parked bicycles. I think we have still a long way to go in becoming a cycling nation but we will work towards that and this is one of the considerations we have to think about, and probably learn from other cities like Paris, Amsterdam, and see what we can implement in Singapore. 5.45 pm”
“The MPA will continue to work with industry and our tertiary institutions to develop more maritime training programmes and to attract Singaporeans into maritime careers. Sir, through good times and bad times, the maritime industry is an important bedrock of the Singapore economy. We are committed to working in partnership with the industry to steer through this downturn. Even as we trim our sails and batten down our hatches, we must remember to continue charting our future course. Singapore's fundamental strengths in the maritime industry remain strong. I am confident that the industry will grow again when this downturn is over.”
“We must continue to invest in the future. One key area is scalability for the port infrastructure. Our port continues to compete well. Over the last 10 years, our container throughput has doubled. Over the last five years, it has expanded at a little over 10% per annum, slightly higher than both Port Tanjung Pelepas and Port Klang, despite our port's higher base. Mr Foo asked if our plans to develop the port will be affected by the current downturn. The Government remains committed to making timely investment in our port infrastructure. The development of Pasir Panjang Terminal Phases 3 and 4 is well underway and will proceed without delay. This is because we will still need additional capacity when the first berths come into operation in 2012. To prepare for the even busier port of the future, plans are also afoot to develop a new Port Operations Control Centre at Changi by 2010 and to dredge and deepen the main approaches to our port. Our port operators are also making their own investments to ensure that we continue to be well-placed to compete as a hub port going forward. For example, PSA is also taking advantage of the slowdown to refit their port equipment to raise fuel efficiency and to cross-train their port workers to raise operational flexibility and nimbleness. Besides hard infrastructure, investment in our people must also continue. There were many excellent jobs in the maritime industry over the last few years. Last year, each of the 57 students in the pioneer batch of the Bachelor of Science in Maritime Studies at NTU found jobs in the maritime sector upon graduation. When growth in the sector resumes, we must be ready with the pipeline of talent to fill these vacancies.”
“The Ministry is encouraging maritime companies to hold back on retrenchments, and to take advantage of this downturn to send their workers for training instead. We are working with the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) through their Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR). Already, the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) has maritime courses under SPUR. We will continue to work with WDA to expand the breadth of maritime courses, such as the maritime courses offered by the tertiary institutions. The MCF also has a manpower development component which complements SPUR. Training programmes that do not come under SPUR can be funded by the MCF. It can be used to co-fund the development of maritime training programmes, course fees, scholarship and internship programmes, among others. In 2007, the MPA topped up the manpower development component of the MCF by $21 million, bringing it to a total of $50 million. Since then, companies and training organisations have tapped on the fund to the tune of $7 million. I strongly encourage more maritime companies to leverage on SPUR and MCF to upgrade the skills of employees. We have to invest for the future. Mr Foo asked about enhancing Singapore's position as a maritime hub. It is indeed important that, even as we focus on alleviating short-term difficulties, we should not overlook positioning ourselves for the future so that we are ready for the growth that comes up. Singapore remains a compelling location for maritime business because we are strategically located as a port. We have a comprehensive and vibrant maritime cluster comprising the full range of activities and services. We are still the maritime centre of Asia, and I am confident we will continue to grow in the longer term.”
“We have also expanded this scheme so that more shipowners can benefit. These measures can help reduce the costs of financing at this time when credit is tight. We have also announced two new measures in this year's Budget. First, we will be injecting an additional $45 million into the Maritime Cluster Fund (MCF) to support new business developments. This is a new component of the MCF. New maritime businesses planning to set up in Singapore, or existing maritime businesses planning to expand into new lines of businesses, can tap into this fund to defray their start-up costs. For example, a ship broker expanding into offshore broking activities may apply for co-funding under the new component. The second is a 20% port dues concession for harbour craft engaged in commercial activities. This concession lowers the business cost of our port service providers such as bunker suppliers, ship chandlers, tug boat operators, and domestic ferry operators. Many small and medium sized businesses will also benefit from this concession. This will come into effect on 1st April 2009 for one year. Besides harbour craft which ply within our port limits, we will also extend concessions to ocean-going vessels such as containerships, tankers and bulk carriers. I am happy to announce today that the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will also grant an additional 10% concession in port dues to ocean-going vessels with a port stay of not more than 10 days. This concession will be given over and above existing port dues concession already enjoyed by the industry, such as the 20% port dues concession for container ships. The concession will also come into effect on 1st April 2009 for a period of one year. Besides reducing business costs, protecting jobs will be another key priority.”
“For example, Hong Kong’s container throughput fell by 12% in the fourth quarter of 2008, and in December it fell by 24%. Though both Port Klang and Port Tanjung Pelapas have not released official figures, we understand that they also suffered negative growth for the fourth quarter, and with double digit declines in December. 30 pm In other words, though we continue to be competitive, the entire market is down, and we are affected. But we continue to be attractive as a maritime centre, and there will be some opportunities to tap in this downturn. For example, as maritime businesses consolidate their offices internationally, we can work with them to consolidate their operations in Singapore. There are also opportunities in maritime arbitration, as the level of activity has picked up with the downturn. I agree with Mr Foo that there should be no let up in our efforts to promote maritime ancillary services in Singapore, and we should continue to seek out such opportunities. While we hope for the best, we must be prepared for a challenging year ahead. Sir, the Resilience Package announced by the Minister for Finance has measures such as the Jobs Credit Scheme, Special Risk-sharing Initiative, and corporate tax cut that will benefit the maritime sector. Mr Foo and Mr Ong can be assured that a key priority for the Ministry in 2009 is to help the industry ride through this current downturn. One area where we will focus on will be to lower the business cost. We have already introduced several relief measures over the last couple of months. For example, we have extended the waiver of withholding tax on overseas interest payments to finance the purchase of Singapore flag vessels under the Block Transfer Scheme (BTS).”
“Sir, I thank the Members who have raised the questions on the maritime industry. Let me first provide an update of the performance of the maritime sector. For 2008 as a whole, the maritime sector has done well. Singapore remained the world’s busiest port, and the tonnage of vessel arrivals grew by 11.1% to reach 1.6 billion gross tons. We also continued to be the busiest container port, with throughput growing by 7.1% to 29.9 million TEUs. Our efforts to become an international centre of maritime business also made good progress, with more shipping companies and maritime service providers expanding and setting up operations in Singapore. The number of companies under our Approved International Shipping Enterprise (AIS) Scheme grew to around 110, from below 100 the previous year. Assets managed by companies under our Maritime Finance Incentive Scheme have also grown to almost $2 billion, and it is up from $1.2 billion in 2007. While full-year figures are positive, it is clear that the maritime sector has been adversely affected by the current global downturn, in tandem with other industries and that is not surprising because the sector is at the forefront of cargo movements and trade has dipped. So international freight rates had also been affected. Ship charter rates, port throughput volumes have all fallen sharply in the last few months. In the first half of last year, our container throughput grew 12% year-on-year. But the growth slowed to 9% in the third quarter of 2008, and then it turned negative, to minus 3%, by the fourth quarter. The drop in December was very steep. It was at minus 13%. The impact is similar in other ports as well across the world.”
“It is important to have a bell because when you are near or at the back of a pedestrian, it is important to signal instead of just shouting out, which is not very polite. It is also very important to have helmets, as brought up by Mr Low. Helmets are very important when you are on your bicycle, whether during the day or night. Mr Chairman, Sir, last year, I said that I looked forward to the day when our citizens could consider cycling as a mode of transport. I see this is beginning to happen. I agree with Members that we still have some way to go, but I am happy to say that we are progressing and we are getting there. We need to support all stakeholders to make Singapore not just as a cycling town but also a cycling city. Corporatisation of Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore”
“So, you have to deregister the bicycle, to transfer the ownership if you sell or give away the bicycle. It is therefore not surprising that even some of the cities that we study – "bicycle-friendly" cities like Paris, Amsterdam and Copenhagen – do not have compulsory registration schemes. Maybe what we should do is to focus on improving cyclist and pedestrian behaviour. This is the crux of the matter. This is why we can only move at a pace that people are reasonably comfortable with. All the while, we have to continue to engage and consult them before we take the next step. I know that the people and volunteer sectors, like the Singapore Amateur Cycling Association (SACA), where I believe Ms Ng is the advisor, are working with the Traffic Police on public education and outreach efforts. These efforts will have to continue. We cannot give up hope so quickly. Let us make sure that public education can work and it is effective. Other safety measures that Mr Ang Mong Seng suggested are already in place. For example, the current Road Traffic Rules require that bicycles on our roads, when ridden after dark, be equipped with a white light in front and a red light at the back. I think, most importantly, it is not the white or red colour of the lights, but lights that are prominent and bright enough to be spotted at night. Any violation of the rule carries with it a composition fine of $20. This is a matter of personal responsibility. So, if you put on all these lights and the bell, they are for your personal safety. In fact, one of my bicycles has a "garang guni" horn. Although the Traffic Police does not have any plans to make the installation of, say, bells compulsory, I would urge all cyclists to do so, and to use them appropriately.”
“We selected these five towns for the first phase of the programme, to develop this infrastructure so that they can become cycling towns. All have favourable local characteristics – their residents must support cycling, and the pedestrians and cyclists there must be able to accommodate one another. We hope to add more towns in the future, but as we have learnt from the Tampines trial, grassroots support is important. They had several dialogues and engagement sessions with the residents and grassroots, to refine plans to promote cycling as a mode of transport. There were many concerns raised and diverse views expressed by the grassroots leaders, residents as well as cyclists. We have to also address the concern raised by Mr Wee on errant cyclists and proper cycling etiquette. We hope to be able to move into the next phase in about three to five years’ time by engaging the Town Councils for such programmes then. Both Mdm Cynthia Phua and Mr Ang Mong Seng asked whether LTA can make registration of bicycles compulsory. They hope that it will help enforce against reckless cycling behaviour. I agree with the concerns over reckless cycling – it endangers not only the pedestrians but also the cyclist himself. However, we need to ask whether this proposal is practical or feasible. If you are to register bicycles, the task of compelling every existing bicycle owner to step forward and register all his bicycles is quite burdensome. Personally, I have four bicycles at home. So, I would have to register all my bicycles – maybe TSL 1111 to 4444. If everybody has several different bicycles, it can be burdensome and maybe extremely difficult to enforce. When you register, you also need to consider deregistering them.”
“The programme will complement existing efforts in the respective towns to develop cycling infrastructure. Where there is enough space, these tracks will be physically separate from the footpaths, allowing cyclists to have a truly dedicated path. In more restricted areas, the tracks will be joined to the existing pedestrian footpath, but they will have painted markings, clearly defining and identifying them for cyclists, like what you see in our Park Connectors. The first phase of the programme will cover five towns. We will start with Tampines, to build on the work that has already been done to facilitate cycling there. LTA will start building 6.9 km of cycling tracks from the second half of this year onwards. It costs an estimated $4.7 million. These dedicated cycling tracks will be up to two metres wide where there is enough space, and will bring cyclists to the MRT station and bus interchange. In doing so, these tracks will also run near to all local amenities. So, for recreational cyclists who want to run errands, do their grocery shopping, or go to different shops, they can have a safer and shorter cycling trip. Cycling can become a mode of transport for residents to do what they need to do. The next town will be Yishun, where LTA will work with HDB to extend its existing cycle tracks. 7.5 km of cycling tracks will be constructed from 2010 onwards. This is at a cost of $6.3 million. The Town Councils of Sembawang, Pasir Ris and Taman Jurong are also in the process of working with LTA to design similar cycling tracks. In the case of Sembawang and Pasir Ris, we will be building on and complementing the existing cycling tracks that they already have.”
“However, I think cyclists do have a part to play. They have to be responsible and should obey traffic rules and traffic lights, and also know how to avoid an oncoming bus. As a cyclist, I would say that if you go in a group, ride in a single file and keep to the extreme left of the lane. I understand that some cyclists ride in the middle of the lane and try to overtake other vehicles. I do not think you can be a hero in this sense – you have to keep yourself safe. It is also important to make it easier for the bus to overtake the cyclist. So, it is both the responsibility of the bus driver and also the cyclist. As to whether we should clearly indicate that cyclists can cycle in bus lanes on signs and on the road with painted legends, I think the issue is that today, you would see that there are already many lines on our roads as well as signs. We already have safety cycling signs on lamp-posts – that was a joint project between LTA and the Safe Cycling Task Force. I think we have to try to avoid putting up too many signs, as it would become very confusing. But it is important that we should continue to publicise this fact, which Ms Ng has brought up, continue with public education that cyclists are allowed to cycle in bus lanes, and also educate the bus drivers as well as cyclists about safety. I believe that we can achieve this same objective. Mr Ang Mong Seng urged us to build wider paths with clear dividing lines between cyclists and pedestrians. I am pleased to say that we will do so. LTA, in partnership with community stakeholders, will roll out a $43 million programme to design and construct dedicated cycling tracks next to pedestrian footpaths in HDB estates.”
“Another 25 road safety exhibitions providing safety tips for cyclists were also held at HDB neighbourhoods, primary and secondary schools, and workplaces. The Police will also continue to take enforcement action. It is the responsibility of the Police to take enforcement action against cyclists who ride in a disorderly manner or endanger the safety of others. But these are punitive measures. Acceptance and consideration between cyclists and pedestrians is still the best way to protect our residents. However, it will take time to develop this. So, we have to continue to move forward at a measured pace that the public and the local communities would be comfortable with, and all the while actively consulting and engaging the various groups to see the acceptance level before pushing it even further. For instance, since last year’s trial to allow foldable bicycles on board buses and trains, LTA has sought feedback from cyclists, bus captains, service leaders, train officers, public transport commuters and other relevant stakeholders. The general consensus is that such a scheme can work. So, we have decided to continue with the scheme from 15th March onwards. But there will be some slight adjustments to the scheme as we have to take into account the range of stakeholder feedback that LTA has already received. Foldable bicycles will still be allowed on board only during weekend and off-peak hours, but further details will be announced later by LTA. Ms Irene Ng suggests allowing cyclists to use our bus lanes. She has mentioned that we are already doing so. And I am doing so. I have been cycling on bus lanes all the time. SBST’s bus captains and SMRT’s service leaders have been trained to keep a lookout for and to maintain a safety distance from cyclists.”
“At the national front, LTA has also worked with two public bus operators to complete a six-month trial to allow foldable bicycles on board buses and trains during less crowded off-peak hours. Cyclists in the pilot towns have generally welcomed these new facilities while others in some other estates have also asked for similar type of facilities. But we have also received some divergent feedback from other groups. Some bus passengers worry about foldable bicycles taking up scarce space on board. Similarly, some pedestrians also did not like sharing footpaths with cyclists, for fear that they could be knocked over with little warning, as Mr Wee Siew Kim has pointed out. That is why I said this really takes time but we can see that there is progress. Even though there are diverse views, we can see that at least there are groups ready to support cycling as part of the whole transport system. Mdm Cynthia Phua and Mr Wee Siew Kim have also asked about public education and enforcement. The Traffic Police will continue with their ongoing public education efforts. This is extremely important because this creates awareness and allows people, especially non-cyclists, to better understand about cyclists, about sharing paths and being accommodating. It also creates awareness amongst cyclists to understand their own responsibility to ensure their own safety as well as the people around them, ie, the pedestrians, and even how to keep themselves safe from errant drivers. 4.45 pm Sir, the Traffic Police will continue with this ongoing public education effort. In fact, in 2008, a total of 273 Road Safety talks were conducted at Road Safety Community Park.”
“As I mentioned, from my own personal experience, I can see that there is now better awareness among the drivers but I think there are still some gaps to close. So, we have taken a very careful and deliberate approach to finding that balance between the various stakeholders. Even before the LTMP was released, there were already several grassroots cycling initiatives in a number of towns where there was support from the residents. There were also groups promoting safe cycling. The programmes that LTA is rolling out to facilitate cycling as a mode of transport are to build on the foundations laid by these early adopters. The grassroots organisations in Tampines, working with LTA and the Traffic Police (TP), are running a trial to assess if cyclists and pedestrians can safely share a common footpath. To support the trial, LTA has widened 1.2 km of footpaths as well as key pedestrian crossings and they have put up 'cyclist dismount' signs at major junctions. So when you reach the sign, dismount, you have to take a walk and push the bicycle. Separately, LTA launched a pilot project in October last year to provide cyclists in Pasir Ris, Tampines and Yishun with more and better-designed bicycle parking facilities near MRT stations. The additional bicycle racks will facilitate cyclists who want to ride to the MRT station, park their bicycles and then hop onto a train. This is the inter-modal transport process that we are promoting. And this pilot will also allow LTA to gather feedback on the design and placement of the racks in order to better understand the users' needs, before we actually extend these facilities to other MRT stations and bus interchanges.”
“Sir, I did not bring my bicycle. Maybe I should have borrowed it from Mr Ang and I should bring a helmet. Sir, there are more bicycles on the roads today and you also see more bicycle shops. As an avid cyclist, I cycle almost every other day on the road. And I can see cyclists coming out on the road in big groups from 5.00 am in the morning. These are the cyclists undergoing training. There are also recreational cyclists in the morning, running errands or buying groceries. So, we see that many of our citizens have already accepted cycling as a form of transport. I am glad to say that MOT has also made a policy shift to accept cycling as a mode of transport and also as part of an inter-modal connection to the transport nodes of our rail and bus system. Sir, I thank Ms Irene Ng, Mdm Cynthia Phua, Mr Ang Mong Seng and Mr Wee Siew Kim for their support and suggestions on cycling. At last year’s Committee of Supply debate, before I joined MOT, I advocated a lot on cycling, as I am an avid cyclist. Now I am on the other side of the fence trying to answer all the questions on cycling. In the Land Transport Masterplan (LTMP) that was released last year, we said that cycling was a transport option that can link commuters to major transport nodes such as MRT stations and bus interchanges. It also described how LTA intended to facilitate cycling. The key dilemma in facilitating cycling is about space – how do we share space amongst competing users in such a way that will make better use of our very limited land, as well as ensuring the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists? The challenge is developing acceptance and consideration between the different groups. This is going to take time.”
“Madam, I think that is a very valid point about multi-year funding. In fact, we have already started some thoughts and consideration about how we can do multi-year funding instead of annual funding especially with events like the Olympic Games, which are very much focused on a four-year cycle. And because it is a four-year cycle, there is a need to look at how do you groom an athlete from the time of identification to the time of training and development and selection, over a four-year period. And this multi-year funding has to be given to different stakeholders, including the NSAs. So it is not just about good governance, of course, but it is about the athlete. We also need the associations to be athlete-centric. Whenever you develop plans, it is for the association to groom the person to maximise his potential to be a champion. It is something that will take time but we hope to be able to complete the entire exercise, to be able to come up with a multi-funding exercise, at least for Olympic-bound athletes, or athletes that are going for major games over a four-year period and then we can roll it out to all the NSAs. And obviously, as you know, bowling although it is not Olympics sport, because of good governance and plans, we do fund bowling a substantial amount as well.”
“Madam, Ms Lee asked about the funding for the NSAs. The NSAs' annual funding is still under review. But one thing is for sure and I have also mentioned this in my speech - both SPS Masagos and myself chair this Committee on Youth Sports Development - that we will give additional support for youth sports development. But we cannot commit a full quantum of funding for all sports or NSAs. There are 60 of them and we have new ones. So we have to narrow down and look at those that have good plans and of course good governance. But more importantly, what are the major games that will come up? The Olympics has only 26 Olympics sports, so we have to narrow down and look at which NSA has a better structure, a plan and a youth development plan, so that we can fund them appropriately. With regards to CCA, this is something that the Committee is working on between MOE and MCYS. We are looking at CCA recognition for at least the Olympics sports. What I understand is that MOE is ready to recognise all the Olympics sports as CCAs but it is also up to the school to decide what constitutes a CCA in the school programme as well. So this is something for MOE and the schools to decide. As for through-train "A" levels, I will leave it to my Minister.”
“Upgrading works such as at Bishan Sports Hall and at Tampines Bike Park, will commence later this year. Construction works of other venues such as *scape for basketball are progressing on schedule. Madam, one of the key factors that impressed the IOC was the immense ground support from all quarters for our bid. This sense of inclusiveness and passion must continue to permeate our preparations for the YOG. The YOG will last only 12 days. But I believe that its benefits and legacy, particularly the friendships and perspectives gained by those involved, as well as the branding and positioning for Singapore, will last for a long time to come after the Games are over. Engaging and Communicating with Singaporeans”
“I urge companies to come forward and within each tier, we will exercise flexibility to tailor the sponsorship package to suit the company. SMEs can also consider forming a consortium with their counterparts in the same sector to support the YOG. I agree with Mrs Jessie Phua that the YOG in 2010 will leave behind a lasting sporting legacy. I think that is exactly why we decided to bid for the YOG. Allow me to share some of the steps taken in this area. 26 sports will be competed at YOG. A number of sports are very new to Singaporeans. I give you examples like wrestling, handball, modern pentathlon. And surprisingly, we do have a base of athletes now because the NSAs have started grooming and identifying talents. I am fairly confident that these sports will have representatives from Singapore in the Youth Olympic Games. The YOG provides the impetus to train and grow a pool of technical officials for the local sports scene. These include referees, competition managers who organise various sports competitions, and also volunteers who oversee anti-doping operations. Our NSAs plan to conduct or participate in courses which will result in training and development opportunities for 1,000 technical officials. Mr Sin Boon Ann will also be pleased to know that the shortage of construction materials has not significantly affected our preparations. We will spare no effort to make things happen for the YOG. We are not going to build new major infrastructure for the YOG because Youth Olympic Games is about values, not about a bigger scale event and bigger facilities. Competition venues for 22 sports are existing facilities. Twelve venues will only require temporary fittings. Eight other venues are undergoing upgrading works scheduled for completion by the end of this year.”
“More importantly, it teaches our local companies, especially our local SMEs about sports marketing and the value of this marketing approach. We recognise the economic potential of organising the YOG and the Olympic Games. MCYS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United Kingdom Trade and Investment Organisation. This MOU aims to facilitate networking and promote business opportunities for companies in both countries. Now, Singapore businesses can gain access to the network of UK-based businesses and they can explore joint venture partnerships with their UK counterparts. I know that with this economic downturn, companies are becoming more cautious in sponsoring projects. I am also having a hard time meeting some of the targets but be assured that the interest amongst potential sports sponsors is still there. Maybe the sponsorship quantum is a little smaller so we have to get more sponsors in order to meet our original target. We have actually broken down the sponsorship tiers in order to cater to the different segments of the market as well as to cater to the current economic environment. There are three sponsorship tiers. Tier 1 sponsors will have exclusive rights to the designated product category and receive maximum exposure for their brand because they can use the Olympic Rings and the YOG brand and logo. As you may know, last week, Deloitte Singapore became the first YOG Tier 1 sponsor. Tier 2 is non-exclusive, which means sponsors can profile their company and association with the YOG, through several different campaigns. We also have a Tier 3 sponsorship for our SMEs or for local companies who think they may not be able to afford the Tier 1 and Tier 2. Tier 3 is the Supporter Programme, for which they pay a reasonable sum.”
“The Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee, or SYOGOC for short, is already actively working with different organisations to engage and involve the youths. The recent event called "CAN!", organised by NTU, NUS, SIM and SMU in conjunction with the Singapore 2010 Logo Launch is a case in point. CAN! stands for Create Action Now, and it encourages young people to take action now for the YOG. We will continue to work with partners and organisations to organise events such as the CAN! festivals and events. We are currently partnering Harvest Care Centre for an event on Culture and Heritage in April, and with Nanyang Polytechnic for the Singapore Games Creation Competition in July. Organisations keen to be part of YOG can always get in touch with us or the team to explore collaboration possibilities. We encourage all organisations to come forward. Besides these festivals, we are going to partner other organisations for other aspects of the Games. For example, the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) will be providing basic service excellence training for 20,000 YOG volunteers. That is a big task and we want to use the expertise in ITE to train our volunteers. So it is actually a local-based homegrown training session for a world-class event. 5.15 pm Mr Baey Yam Keng and Mr Liang Eng Hwa will be assured to know that the YOG also provides opportunities for businesses, including SMEs. Some of the services required are catering, transport, logistics support, sports venues, equipment and dressing up of the city. The YOG provides an excellent platform for companies to build up their business track record. The experience gained will be an advantage for companies engaged for large-scale events in the future.”
“Beyond sports competition, they will also be involved in a Culture and Education Programme that teaches them Olympism and the Olympic values - values about fair play and of sportsmanship. But the YOG goes beyond the games. It would leave behind lasting legacies, in youth development, for businesses and for sports. Mr Baey Yam Keng asked about our efforts to engage youths. These are done through the school-based Olympic Education Programme and the Friends@YOG programme. The Olympic Education Programme allows our youths to connect with the Olympic Movement through lessons and activities in schools. The Olympic Movement is about friendship, excellence and respect, so they are taught these values. An example to illustrate this is how Woodlands Ring Secondary School is incorporating Olympism and Olympic values into their upcoming Character-building Week in March. Students will be designing YOG banners and t-shirts. Leadership camps and outdoor adventure activities will also teach students about the relevance of the Olympic values to them. We understand that after we won the bid, there may be a lull period as we make preparations. But this year, we are going to roll out several engagement activities with the schools and even at the district level to encourage more and more community events that will create the buzz again. Also, the Friends@YOG programme will twin all our schools with a school in each of the 205 member countries of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). These 205 countries will be sending their athletes to Singapore. Every student in Singapore can make friends and they would also have to do a project to learn about the cultures of these youths around the world.”
“It is not just about preparing team YOG athletes to represent Singapore but it is also about developing the entire youth sports eco-system in Singapore to help the youth athletes so that we do not deny any child the chance to participate in sports or the chance to be groomed, trained and be developed to become champions and maximise their potential. The Committee has already formulated some preliminary plans to enhance youth sports participation and encourage greater collaborations between NSAs and schools. One example is to set up satellite training centres for selected Olympic sports in each of the four school zones, to serve as additional avenues for participation. As a recognition to the key roles played by parents, the Committee is also looking into providing training to parents and to others who volunteer at events and competitions to boost technical and officiating capability. More importantly than boosting and upscaling sports technical capabilities, it is to shift or change their mindset to involve the parents so that they know what their kids are going through and not to just send their kids for training classes or training sessions and they go shopping. But really to be involved so that they understand and they can be as committed as well as their kids. This will be a shift in mindset in terms of supporting sports. Let me touch on the Youth Olympic Games. We have given out this pocket guide for everyone. This is the guide we distribute to promote the Youth Olympic Games. The vision of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games is "Inspiring Youth, Sporting Singapore". Come August 2010, we will play host to 3,600 young athletes.”
“Schools now have facilities like Indoor Sports Halls and all-weather surface playgrounds. Through the Physical Education (PE) curriculum, MOE has enabled all students to learn at least four sports by the time they graduate from secondary school. For students not involved competitively, some schools have introduced intra-school competitions so that more students can participate. To further popularise school sports, as you know, SSC and MOE are working with MediaCorp to broadcast highlights from the National School Sports Championships, in the form of 30-minute weekly magazine shows. I believe this is going to start in March. Many students, even parents, have written to me to say that they are very excited because that is some form of recognition for all their sportsmen who are representing the schools. They may not be the best in Singapore but at least, they get recognised and see themselves on television. I agree with Mr Sin Boon Ann and Mrs Jessica Tan on the importance of developing our youth athletes. In September last year, MCYS and MOE formed a new Committee - the Singapore Youth Sports Development Committee - to bring all stakeholders together to enhance our sports development system. The Committee will also guide the preparation of competition-specific and individualised support plans, and work with the Singapore National Olympic Council on the selection and preparation of our athletes for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG). But this Committee has both long-term and short-term objectives.”
“But I think it is all good because it develops the whole sports sector. We are also seeing an increasing involvement of private organisations. For some of these events, the title sponsors are actually private organisations and the events are not funded by SSC totally. These include the Standard Chartered Bank (for the Singapore Marathon), and AVIVA and OSIM (for triathlons). The OCBC Bank is also involved in cycling and Cycle Singapore is going to be held later this month. At the community level, we have activities such as the People's Association Community Sports Festival and Children's Football League. We will build on this and encourage more ground-up sports initiatives. We are also working on a plan to promote community sports holistically. This will be in support of the recommendation of the Sporting Culture Committee that was set up about one and a half years ago. The intent was to develop the sports culture in Singapore and we want to grow more sports clubs in smaller groups, parents' groups, weekend warriors, maybe MPs' sports club, and offer a wide range of sporting activities for the whole community. So, you can have a MP football team, and netball team - I believe we already have those. We can all form clubs. And these clubs will continue to allow bookings of their facilities and result in even more matches and competitions being organised to facilitate more inter-club competitions. This will help to develop the whole sports culture in Singapore. We will release the plans when they are ready. Ms Jessica Tan thinks that the focus on sports participation in schools is not as strong. The focus in schools is indeed very strong for greater participation in sports as well as for sports excellence.”
“It will also work with selected NSAs so that more athletes can benefit from its training facilities, and its coaches' expertise. We need to build an eco-system not just for the students but also for the coaching system so that this coaching system can help facilitate the grooming, development and training of the athletes. For example, the Singapore Table Tennis Association has a pilot project with the Singapore Sports School - and I think all the other NSAs can take that cue and see what can be done with the Sports School and even other schools in Singapore. The Sports School will provide the use of its training facilities and other support services to the national youth training squad and the Youth Olympic Games squad. I urge more NSAs to follow suit. Ms Lee Bee Wah touched on the need to do more to raise sports participation. We are addressing this by providing more playing spaces and encouraging more events and activities. The public now has access to over 400 such "spaces", comprising a mix of state land and school fields. As you know, for school fields, we have a scheme called the Dual Use scheme. It is now very popular. More than 100 schools have opened up their fields for community use. By the end of March this year, people can enjoy other sports with the opening of, not just the open fields, but 15 school Indoor Sports Halls which have been newly renovated or constructed. And there are now more mass participation events on our sports calendar. Many people tell me that every weekend, there is an event, or almost every weekend, in some parts of Singapore, the roads are closed. This is a very busy calendar and some of them have decided that maybe, Singapore is just too busy with too many events that they are going out to the region to participate in other events.”
“But NSAs should strive to be at least partially self-reliant. We do not believe in full funding because as Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) has done, after Ms Lee Bee Wah took over the presidency, funds were raised. That is a great example. Together with the funding that they are going to get from the SSC, Ms Lee can actually fund the programmes she wanted to do, especially in youth development. I urge NSAs to do more of such exercises to generate revenue and seek sponsorships. As we know, the smaller NSAs do get certain co-sharing and co-funding from SSC. That is something we will continue to help for the smaller NSAs. In this light, the 22 NSAs are also Institutions of Public Character (IPCs) and they will benefit from the increase in tax deduction for donations made this year. We will continue to support them in other areas like sports science, sports medicine and even sports facilities. We will continue to help them in that way to try and manage their expenses. I am also glad that Ms Lee has noted the potential of the Singapore Sports School. The Sports School has groomed our youth athletes in achieving significant results in international competitions. Two student athletes, Tao Li (swimming) and Calvin Kang (athletics) represented Singapore at the Beijing Olympic Games. Tao Li left her mark there. She set a new Asian record for the 100 metres butterfly event. She is now within the top eight in the world. That performance itself has alleviated Singapore's sporting scene, putting Singapore on the world map. Not only that, I think she has also very much been integrated as part of the society. To me, that is a big win for Singapore sports. The Singapore Sports School will consider expanding its academies and programmes.”
“Madam, I thank Members for raising their questions on sports. It is very heartening to know that there are more and more questions for sports in this House. It shows that there is greater interest. And we have more and more Members of Parliament in National Sports Associations (NSAs) either as an advisory role or as Presidents. That actually speaks a lot for sports development. I would like to believe that we are in a first world but that our sports is not really in the third world. I think with YOG and with several of the investments that we are making in the sports sector, I believe we could be very closed to being first world or maybe second world. But there are many gaps to close. We are not there yet and we have to keep trying. Ms Lee Bee Wah and Mrs Jessie Phua have mentioned the challenges faced by the NSAs, especially in the area of funding. Our NSAs play a key role, but given the limited resources, even though you can allocate a bigger pie of the budget, we still have to spend our money very carefully. It is important that all the NSAs must, first, have good governance and policies. Secondly, they must have a good plan and strategy that they can carry out to develop the youth athletes as well as the senior athletes. Thirdly, and most importantly, they must have a good council and an honest team that can get the support of the fraternity and that can deliver their goods. I think with all these and their plans, if they can achieve the national objectives of sporting excellence and participation, they deserve a higher level of funding that can be given to them. But as you know, we have about 60 NSAs. Not every NSA has the same level of governance or are at the same level of professionalism. Some of them are going to get more and some are going to get less.”
“In addition, we will provide start-up support for a Social Enterprise Association, and this will promote social enterprises and initiate more partnerships with community stakeholders, including the Government. Managing Foreign Presence in the Workplace and Community”
“Ms Penny Low gave the UK example of incorporating social and environmental clauses into government tenders. In line with our commitments to the World Trade Organisation and free trade agreements, we have to open up Government procurement tenders for competition. Government contracts are awarded to suppliers that offer the best value in accordance with tender specifications. Rather than tweak the procurement framework to favour social enterprises, we prefer actually to invest in capability-building so that social enterprises can also compete on an equal footing. I think what is important is for these social enterprises, first, to develop their social and commercial mission. Next, they have to develop a sustainable and commercially viable operating model. More importantly, they need to bring in and attract professionals and willing individuals to run these social enterprises - like Ms Penny Low. In 2006, Mr Philip Yeo chaired the Social Enterprise Committee to look at how we can grow social enterprises. The key thrusts of the recommendations are to encourage commercial businesses to hire needy disadvantaged workers, to build a pro-social enterprise environment and to create a culture of social entrepreneurship. My Ministry has accepted the recommendations, and now Mr Gerard Ee is heading the Social Enterprise Implementation Committee, which I believe that Ms Penny Low is a member of, to oversee their implementation. MCYS will do more to create a pro-social enterprise environment. The ComCare Enterprise Fund will provide seed funding up to the second year of operations. We will support the setting up of a Social Enterprise Development Centre to run training and capability-building programmes.”
“Sir, let me address Mr Sin Boon Ann's and Ms Penny Low's queries. The concepts of 'social economy' and 'social enterprise' are still fairly new in Singapore. The social economy includes a wide range of enterprise approaches and organisations that contribute to the social good. They can be charities, non-profits, community groups, social enterprises or socially responsible businesses. Together, they are an important part of our Many Helping Hands approach. I do agree with Ms Penny Low that the social economy needs further study. Last year, we set up an inter-agency group. I am not sure if they can work at lightning speed, but I am sure they are trying their very best to look into developing a holistic socio-economic strategy so that they can integrate also the efforts of the whole of Government. They are looking into several areas, and I think one of the areas that has been mentioned before is impact analysis. Impact analysis measures the economic and social values of the social economy and the organisation. They are also looking at the regulatory framework, looking at the technical assistance training, which is to build capabilities, and also leadership development of this social organisation. Not only that, they also look at the financing options, which means that they look at the gaps in existing policies to support the system and to develop financing options. It is now work in progress, and we will share the findings when ready. Social enterprises operate within the social economy. There are about 150 of them around. MCYS is a strategic partner and supporter of the social enterprise sector and, to date, we have already provided about $6 million worth of seed funding to 71 social enterprises.”
“He had developed a well-respected gambling services framework in Oregon State, USA. Dr Jeffrey Marota advised NCPG on the framework for counselling and treatment services for problem gamblers in Singapore. Dr Marotta noted that the National Addiction Management Services (NAMS) was starting services in the community through its Community Wellness Centres, the first of which has been established. This was a welcomed move given that addiction treatment is highly complex. He also noted the relatively low case loads of NCPG's two pilot centres, and he advised that we should consolidate. So, following his advice and consultancy, NCPG decided to cease one of its pilot centres and continue only with the Thye Hua Kwan Centre. NCPG would work alongside NAMS as it provides the tertiary tier within a community set-up at the Community Wellness Centres. And the Thye Hua Kwan Centre would also complement the Community Wellness Centres by providing debt counselling as well as family-based counselling. NCPG will continue to monitor, and is now monitoring this revised framework and report on its results and outcomes in due course. Social Assistance”
“Families may apply on behalf for their family members to be excluded, and individuals may apply for self-exclusion. More details will be announced later. To raise the awareness of problem gambling, the Council has reached out to over 30,000 heartlanders and workers, and 20,000 students since 2005 through the mass media and ground initiatives. The public education campaign has also been stepped up during the Lunar New Year, through TV advertisements, radio talk shows and a four-part Channel 8 documentary series. This is a time when social gambling is popular, and social gambling may later become the root cause of problem gambling. In total, $3.5 million has been spent on public education since 2005. Surveys show that the public awareness of problem gambling has doubled from 32% in 2006 to 61% in 2007. The National Council on Problem Gambling will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the various problem gambling help programmes and public education initiatives, and make adjustments as necessary. (In English): Sir, NCPG started two pilot counselling centres in September 2006 for a two-year period. In the first year of the pilot centres, from September 2006 to 2007, 190 cases were handled at the two pilot centres, and 80 cases or 36% were closed at completion during this period. The other cases had either dropped out or stopped for other reasons. In the second year, which is from October 2007 to September 2008, the centres handled about 285 cases. They completed 206 cases, and of these, 43% were closed due to completion. The remaining cases had either dropped out or stopped for other reasons. In June 2008, the NCPG engaged Dr Jeffrey Marota, a renowned expert in the problem gambling field.”
“Sir, the National Council on Problem Gambling has put in place several measures to help problem gamblers and their families, and to raise awareness of problem gambling. Allow me to elaborate in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Sir, a three-tier help system has been rolled out by the National Council on Problem Gambling. The first tier is the identification of problem gamblers by 'grassroots' organisations like Family Service Centres and Community Development Councils. Officers there have been trained to spot symptoms of problem gambling, and persuade these individuals to seek help. The second line of help is family-based intervention services. The Council has appointed the Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society to provide these services since 2006. These are fully funded by the Government and Thye Hua Kwan does not need to raise funds to provide these services. The first two tiers will cost $3 million over five years. The third tier is psychiatric and medical treatment for those with severe gambling or multiple addictions at the Institute of Mental Health under the National Addictions Management Service at a cost of $37 million over five years for the treatment of all addictions. Over and above these channels of help, some voluntary welfare organisations and religious groups also help problem gamblers who turn to them. The Council does not fund them, but assists them by opening up training programmes to them. The Council is preparing to issue Casino Exclusion Orders. This is a key social safeguard under the Casino Control Act. Twenty-nine thousand Third-Party Orders will be issued to undischarged bankrupts, and Public Assistance and Special Grant beneficiaries.”
“We need creative talents and genius to build the film industry. We have one such talent in Jack Neo, spearheading the local film industry. Then came Royston with "881". We have a few more but they are not as successful. I talked to a few of them and they felt that the going is still very tough. I think the Ministry has done a great job to kickstart the industry but I believe that we can do more. Grants, such as Media Fusion Fund, are helpful but I understand the grants usually are granted for local production that have a regional appeal. I think it is important for local productions to be successful locally first before venturing out. After all, they also represent what being Singaporean is about and they represent Singapore itself. So we should consider providing grants to such films and try not to miss out any phenomenal successes along the way. As one philosopher from the 7th century put it, "Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see". Most of us would never know what really appeals. It is a calculated risk but I think it is worth it if we can find a genius amongst the talents because that genius will make a big difference for many generations to come and help build the film industry.”
“LTA had therefore worked with the VWOs representing passengers-in-wheelchairs, to find a way to accelerate the rollout of wheelchair-accessible bus routes without unduly compromising safety. It was after these discussions that all the parties concerned agreed to the 80% criterion, as a reasonable balance that can speed up the designation of wheelchair-accessible bus routes, while ensuring safety. Prof. Mehta asked about information on wheelchair-accessible bus services. There have been extensive efforts to publicise WAB services through multiple channels such as news releases, educational pamphlets and information on online portals such as on SBST's website. The relevant VWOs have also helped to disseminate information to passengers-in-wheelchairs. 3.00 pm.”
“The Members' questions touch on the implementation details of the wheelchair-accessible bus (WAB) programme. For a bus route to be wheelchair-accessible, two things must happen. First, the buses plying the route must be wheelchair-accessible. The public transport operators are in the process of equipping new buses with wheelchair-accessible ramps, as they replace and renew their fleet. The Government is funding the capital cost of the ramps, which comes to about $21 million in total. By end-2010, 40% of our buses will have wheelchair-accessible ramps, and by 2020, all of them will. Second, the bus stops along the route must be wheelchair-accessible. This involves replacing steps with ramps, removing potential obstacles and creating more space for wheelchairs to manoeuvre. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is in the process of making all 4,500 bus stops in Singapore wheelchair-accessible by 2010. These two sets of improvements, to the buses and the bus stops, are coordinated between the LTA and the public transport operators so that we can roll out as many wheelchair-accessible bus services as possible to best meet the needs of passengers-in-wheelchairs. The criterion of requiring at least 80% of bus stops to be wheelchair-accessible, before designating the bus route as such, is to balance between the safety of passengers-in-wheelchairs and the speed of implementation. To fully ensure the safety of passengers-in-wheelchairs, ideally 100% of bus stops along a certain route should be made wheelchair-accessible before it can start serving passengers-in-wheelchairs. But we recognise that this will take some time.”
“Looking at how we have done for the Olympics and even for the Paralympics, I think Singapore does have a system that can produce promising international young athletes who can be world beaters, and I truly have confidence and faith in them that they will return with at least one medal, whatever the colour. ORGANISATION OF OUTDOOR EVENTS BY POLITICAL PARTIES (Governing rules) 13. Mr Siew Kum Hong asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs whether there has been any change in the rules and considerations governing the organisation of outdoor events by political parties and organisations affiliated with political parties. 14. Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs what is the basis upon which a permit was given to enable the Prime Minister to participate in a cycling activity in West Coast Park on 31st August 2008. The Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs (Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee) (for the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs): Sir, may I take Question Nos. 13 and 14 together, please?”
“When we won the bid for the YOG, we started some thoughts into youth development planning for the young athletes, not just the young elite athletes but really increasing participation in different sports as well. Our target is the best we can field athletes and national representation for all 26 sports. But we know that that is a challenge, because there are some sports where we have just set up the national sports associations, namely, wrestling, handball and pentathlon. For example, pentathlon is a sport of five sports. So, we need to get one athlete who is well-versed in five sports, which is not easy. Nevertheless, since we have set up the national sports association, we are setting the target that each of the associations would at least need to have one representation. For some sports, we need to qualify to get into the Olympics. For some sports, we get wild-card slots which are allocated to the host country. So we may have national representation. But if they do not qualify for the Olympics, finally, at the YOG in Singapore, we may not even have a national representation. Nevertheless, our main objective is to encourage participation, for young people to step forward, be interested in sports, willing to commit their time and effort to train, and we are willing to give the support. For the medal tally, I would say that it is very hard to make a prediction or even a forecast. As I mentioned, we do have some promising athletes in different sports. But I believe that we will not return empty-handed.”
“Our youth will be taught the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. They will also have the opportunity to interact with young athletes from all over the world, and play hosts to them when they arrive for the YOG. Together, they will learn about one another's culture, and celebrate the ideals of the Olympic movement. Sir, as the host country, we will be in a good position to expose our aspiring young athletes to competition at the highest level of sports. The YOG will serve as a platform in our ongoing effort to promote sports and develop our sporting culture. And we hope that the YOG will also allow us to build up our local expertise amongst our sports officials and volunteers in order to organise and conduct international competitions. There will also be areas of business collaboration, economic spin-offs and development of expertise in various sports industry related sectors, such as sports media broadcasting, sports event management and service provision. As part of the efforts to promote the YOG, we will also be able to profile and market Singapore to a global audience. Aside from promoting Singapore as a tourist destination, the YOG, with its strong culture and education component, will allow us to showcase our youth development efforts and our diverse and vibrant culture. Hosting the YOG will provide an excellent platform to rally Singaporeans to a common cause and, through this, generate national pride. Singaporeans will have a wonderful opportunity to enrol in this national effort to make the event a success, by being gracious hosts and volunteering to help organise the games. I hope that many will respond to this invitation and play a part in making the YOG a success and making Olympic history.”
“Singapore has achieved a significant milestone in winning the bid to host the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in 2010. Hosting the YOG not only provides the opportunity for Singapore to contribute to the Olympic movement, but also provides an opportunity where Singapore can benefit as a nation. The YOG will be a good platform through which we can engage and develop our youth, promote sports and a sporting culture, and profile Singapore to a global audience. It can also serve as a platform for nation-building. For our athletes, while it is difficult to predict the performances in our youth, we can expect to do well and return with medals in some sports. Currently, they have also shown some promising prospects, such as sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis and badminton. Our young sailors have consistently won medals at World Optimist, Byte and Laser 4.7 events recently. A number of our young shooters have consistently recorded near perfect scores in training and who are gaining increased international competition exposure and show great promise. We also have a number of very talented young swimmers, table tennis and badminton players, all of whom can challenge the best young athletes in the world in their respective events. For our youth, YOG will provide a platform over the next two years to nurture the young people with a greater global awareness. It will allow them to better appreciate what it means to be Singaporeans, as they play an active role in helping to host youths from all over the world. To achieve this, the YOG Organising Committee is planning several programmes, together with the Ministry of Education (MOE). These include the School-National Olympic Committee twinning programme and the Olympic Education programme.”
“In fact, in reality, SDSC operates independently. It is a council by itself, supporting the different athletes, sponsoring them, providing training and coaching services. For example, this time, we have swimmers, equestrian riders and sailors. So the SDSC manages these athletes, giving them the support. SSC's relationship with SDSC is that of the funding lever. They fund them every single year, and the funding continues to increase. In fact, there was quite a substantial increase for this year as well because of Paralympics and we want them to be able to prepare the athletes. Recently, the SDSC management committee decided to set up the Singapore National Paralympic Council (SNPC) in order to look at how they could prepare the athletes for major competitions, eg, ASEAN Para-Games and the Paralympics, as well as to nominate and select them for these major games. So we now actually have SDSC and SNPC, which very much mirror what we have for able-bodied athletes, which are the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) and the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC). So there is a segregation of duties and there is clarity in the scope of the work. With that, they can place better focus. With the Paralympics success and a greater awareness that our disabled athletes can achieve more and we can also help these disabled sports people to achieve and realise their dreams as they realise ours, we should consider giving them more support. YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES IN 2010 (Milestones) 12. Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports what sporting or other milestones that Singapore can reach at the Youth Olympic Games in 2010.”
“Sir, I will address the Member's second question first. For the longer-term plan, there is a need to look at how we develop a system for Paralympians or disabled athletes. Yes, all the while, there was a lot more focus on able athletes, maybe because of the educational process and the understanding of what needs to be done. Previously, maybe we did not understand enough of the disabled athletes' needs. But now we know that there is a lot more that the disabled athletes can achieve and they actually also bring glory to Singapore and the nation. So we do consider that and we are reviewing whether the future plans will also include an Olympic project that will include both able and disabled athletes and look at how we can develop a system to accommodate all athletes who are representing Singapore. But we must also be aware that able athletes' training and development can somehow be substantially different from the disabled athletes. Even though they can be training for the same sport, their needs are quite different. So, in terms of customising programmes, we will have to do that. In terms of providing support, we will have to treat them as equals, as far as development and training are concerned. As for Government funding of cash awards, all this while, the system is that we will get the support from the private sector, eg, Tote Board, and solicit support from the community to support our Olympians and national athletes. We should continue to educate the public that our Paralympians are as important as our Olympians, and that disabled athletes should be treated as sportsmen as well, in order to encourage them to come forward and contribute to a good cause. That we will have to do.”
“For their recognition, we should try to do more. We should continue to support them if they want to continue with their sports.”
“I have been to both the Olympics and I have just came back from the Paralympics. I can say that the Paralympians competition is intense as well. I think they have overcome the odds, I would say a lot more odds, just to get there and to be able to compete. So we accord them with the respect and we accord them, in a way, the type of reward that they should be accorded with. One of the things that we have to look at is that the Olympics competition level is actually quite different. The Olympics competition is a free world competition. Paralympians can join Olympics. Olympians cannot join Paralympics. That is one thing you look at – the level of competition. Secondly, the base of competition within the Olympics is a lot broader and the base of competition for Paralympics is smaller and is segmentised because Paralympics is based on the disabilities which are classified differently. So that is a different scale of competition. Thirdly, I wanted to explain that the cash award given to the Olympians is not Government funded. It is the private sector. It is from the Tote Board. For Olympians, they have that cash award for several years already, and for Paralympians, it is only recently. They have managed to get the cash reward by soliciting or getting the support from the private sector and the Tote Board. So they have started somewhere. It is a good first step compared to previously, when there were not any cash awards as well. I think we will continue to monitor and review, and see what is necessary to give them more support. Most important to the Paralympians, if you ask them, would always be able to continue training and developing themselves in that sport, as well as being recognised as sportsmen and not just as disabled persons.”
“SSC provides direct funding to the NSAs and SDSC to support high performance and developmental programmes as well as indirect subsidies in the form of usage of facilities, sports medicine, sports science and all other support services. The high performance budgets are for coaching, overseas training, competition, career development, equipment and facilities primarily directed towards carded athletes, while the developmental programmes and indirect subsidies benefit all athletes under the NSAs and SDSC. SSC's total FY08 direct funding for the NSAs and SDSC was $43.2 million for NSAs and $1.7 million of which the high performance budgets were $21.5 million and $0.6 million respectively. This translates to a total of $54,000 per carded able athlete and $106,000 per carded disabled athlete. In terms of per capita high performance budget, the figure for an able athlete is $27,000, while that for a disabled athlete is $40,000. Per capita funding per disabled athlete is higher mainly because there are fewer of them and also there is less economy of scale and their special needs.”
“I think it is important to note the relationship between the restricted hours and the tax concession because, as I have mentioned before, the restricted hours are tied to the tax concession, and they are enjoying that benefit. But LTA will continue to monitor OPCs and see if it is necessary for the scheme to be reviewed again. TEAM SINGAPORE (Per capita funding) 11. Ms Eunice Elizabeth Olsen asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports whether there is a difference in per capita funding between a Team Singapore able and disabled athlete and, if so, how is the funding prioritised. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (Mr Teo Ser Luck) (for the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Singapore Sports Council funds High Performance Programmes so as to achieve top 10 placing in the 2010 Asian Games Medal Standings and win medals at the Olympic Games 2008 and 2012. Singapore sent a contingent of 25 athletes to the recently completed Beijing Olympics and the women's table tennis team won a silver medal. We have six athletes now at the Beijing Paralympics which has held since 6th September and will close on 17th September. SSC "cards" athletes according to their medal winning potential. The minimal level of carding is the potential for a medal at the SEA Games. In FY08, there are a total of 810 carded athletes of which 794 are able athletes under the various National Sports Associations (NSAs) and 16 are disabled athletes under the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC).”
“I think our main objective is to keep road users safe. If it is a young kid and you are talking about very young ones on their tricycles, I do not think we are going to enforce the rules so strictly that they have to cycle on the road, because that is extremely dangerous. But, rules are meant to be enforced to make sure that at least the pedestrians are safe. As far as the rules are concerned, we want to make sure that there are no cyclists on the footways, so that the footways can be safely used by the pedestrians. If you are talking about small kids, as I have mentioned, I think we need to exercise some flexibility in the enforcement. NON-EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICAL OR ALTERNATE TREATMENTS 18. Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng asked the Minister for Health what measures are being taken to protect the interests of patients with special needs/disabilities from practitioners offering non-evidence-based medical or alternate treatments.”
“Enforcement can only go so far and the enforcement, I would like to clarify again, is not just the community but it has to be, of course, on the road, the Traffic Police and the enforcement unit must come into play. But Members know that we cannot be checking on every corner because there will be areas that will not be covered. The community has to help themselves and we can only educate and urge the public and the users to be more accommodating and to know that we just need to accommodate one another in this limited space that we have. So, we do our best, in terms of enforcement. But that will not be the way to go. That is why the key is that we have to have better education, we have to understand and to be able to accommodate one another for cycling to be safer and successful.”