Vivian Balakrishnan
Singapore
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not issue advisories on wait times at overseas airports. Travellers may wish to monitor airline and airport websites, as well as news reports for real-time information on wait times and potential disruptions at specific airports.”
“When the conflict in the Middle East deteriorated and commercial flights were halted in March 2026, the Singapore Government mounted four repatriation flights from Muscat, Riyadh and Jeddah to bring stranded Singaporeans home.”
“The Government has stepped up public engagement to explain our foreign policy fundamentals and responses to key international developments to Singaporeans and to hear their views. We do this through dialogue sessions across segments of society, including students, youths, businesses and community leaders.”
“And the larger point during the Committee of Supply was that precisely, because the world is in such a difficult, prickly, volatile and dangerous state, actually, if we keep our wits about ourselves, we maintain unity and we continue to have this clear eye-realistic, but principled, approach, there are many opportunities for Singapore.”
“Well, in short, I completely agree with you. And that is why we have indeed been hosting these events and in your own capacity as a national athlete and also as an official now, you have seen how it works in practice.”
“Since 2022, about half of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) employees are women. The proportion of women in senior appointments has remained stable at about a quarter. We recognise that overseas postings are disruptive for officers with families, especially female officers who bear greater caregiving responsibilities.”
The complete record
Every one of 2,437 lines we hold for Vivian Balakrishnan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 37 of 49.
“Moving forward, we will shorten the qualifying period so that more of our working mothers will benefit from the enhanced benefits. The Bill will reduce the qualifying period to 90 days. Even as we enhance the benefits for working mothers, the Bill will in tandem ensure that such mothers are well protected from errant and unfair employers. I wish to state categorically that the Government will not condone employers dismissing their employees during their pregnancy without sufficient cause. The Bill requires employers who dismiss pregnant employees without sufficient cause during the last six months of pregnancy to compensate the employee with the payment of the maternity leave benefits that she would have been entitled to if not for the dismissal. This is an extension from the current protection, where pregnant employees in the last three months of pregnancy who are dismissed without sufficient cause are entitled to maternity benefits. The Bill also introduces a new measure to protect working mothers who are retrenched. An employer who retrenches a pregnant employee in her three months of pregnancy will be liable to compensate her with the payment of maternity leave benefits, on top of the other retrenchment benefits that the employee is entitled to. Currently, there is no such provision for retrenchment cases but we have decided to introduce this measure in order to further enhance the protection of pregnant employees. [Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Matthias Yao Chih) in the Chair] 6.11 pm We have also taken the opportunity to address the situation faced by working mothers who have more than one employer at the time. Currently, these women are only eligible for paid maternity leave from only one employer, and the maternity leave taken with the other employer has to be unpaid.”
“The first child also will receive a matching Government contribution of up to $6,000, and the fifth child and beyond will receive a matching Government contribution of up to $18,000. These changes will be reflected in the Children Development Co-Savings Regulations rather than hard coded in the Bill itself. Government-paid maternity leave and maternity-related employment protection Let me now turn to Maternity Leave. In 2004, we extended maternity leave from eight weeks to 12 weeks. For the first and second confinements, employers paid for the first eight weeks, while the Government paid for the last four weeks. For the third and fourth confinements, the Government paid for the full 12 weeks. The Government has decided to bear the full costs of the extensions to maternity leave. This Bill will extend maternity leave from 12 weeks to 16 weeks, with the Government paying for the additional four weeks, subject to a cap of $10,000 per four weeks. The last eight weeks of maternity leave can now be taken flexibly over the 12 months following the birth of the child, instead of over six months. This will allow employers and employees to work out the most suitable leave arrangements to meet their mutual needs. Those covered under the Employment Act who are only entitled to 12 weeks of leave will also be able to take their last four weeks of maternity leave flexibly over 12 months. This does not result in additional costs to either employers or the Government but will help to simplify the human resource systems for employers by streamlining arrangements for all employees. Currently, an employee needs to have served the same employer for at least 180 days in order to be eligible for maternity benefits.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." This Bill is part of a larger package to support Singaporeans who wish to marry and to have children. Incidentally, we have just voted for a Constitutional amendment which provides more potential funds for the Government to spend. I come from the Ministry which is going to be spending more. The total package for marriage and procreation, we project, will cost $1.6 billion, about 0.6% of GDP per year. So, this is not a small sum of money. I say that so that I hope Members would not be asking me for more but rather scrutinising to make sure I do not over-spend or mis-spend that money. A key component of this package is the enhancement of the various leave schemes. This includes extending maternity leave from 12 to 16 weeks, extending childcare leave from two to six days, and introducing six days of unpaid infant care leave. These measures that are targeted specifically at citizen babies only. That means parents must have Singaporean babies and also only in the context of intact families. In other words, it is only targeted at parents of legitimate children. Another major change that we will be making is that the childcare and infant care subsidies, and the leave entitlements will also now apply to all children, regardless of birth order. We will also be making enhancements to the Baby Bonus scheme. The cash gift for the first and second child will be increased from $3,000 to $4,000. Currently, the matching Government contribution to the Children Development Account is given only to the second, third and fourth child. This will now be extended to all children.”
“Mr Ong Ah Heng asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) whether Singaporean workers now have better savings in their CPF accounts and are better prepared for retirement; (b) when will the National LIFElong Income Scheme (CPF LIFE) be implemented and how many workers above 50 years of age are likely not to be in the position to join the Scheme; and (c) how is the Ministry going to encourage Singaporeans with little or no CPF savings to join the CPF LIFE.”
“The Women's Charter provides protection for all married women in Singapore. The Women's Charter does not draw a distinction between Singaporean and foreign wives, hence, foreign wives of Singaporean men will receive this protection too. Under the Women's Charter, the Court can issue Personal Protection Orders to wives to restrain their husbands from using violence against them, or to exclude their husbands from the shared residence if there is risk of violence. The Court can also mandate perpetrators of family violence to attend counselling. A woman can approach a social worker in any of the Family Service Centres or hospitals, the Police, or the Court to seek such help. MCYS has also set up support services under the National Family Violence Networking System for women in situations of family violence to seek help. These include hotline services, crisis shelters providing temporary accommodation, counselling services, translation services and other practical assistance. The Women's Charter allows any woman, including foreign wives, to apply for a maintenance order at the Family Court, if she cannot get a reasonable maintenance from her husband or ex-husband. From 2005 to 2007, there were around 60 applications a year (1) for enforcement of maintenance orders by wives and ex-wives from foreign countries. (1) 62 in 2007, 61 in 2006, and 65 in 2005. NATIONAL LIFELONG INCOME SCHEME (CPF LIFE) (Implementation) 58.”
“It will perform a range of functions that contribute to the protection of those that lack capacity. The Office will supervise and support court-appointed deputies. Families may approach the Office of Public Guardian for information on making the Lasting Power of Attorney as to what powers they could consider granting and what to consider when trying to choose who they want to act as a donee. We expect that the Office would be operational some time in the middle of next year. Mdm Deputy Speaker, we cannot stop the ageing process and we cannot stop the fact that some of us will lose capacity in the future. But this Bill is to empower us to plan in advance, to try in some significant way to secure peace of mind even if we were to lose our minds in the future. Mdm Deputy Speaker, I beg to move. Question proposed. 5.42 pm”
“For instance, there are some decisions which are so sensitive, for example, the consent to marriage; consent to divorce; consent to sexual relations; sterilisation; adoption; renunciation of religion or change of gender. This Bill will also not affect the existing operation of the Human Organ and Transplant Act or the Advance Medical Directive (AMD) and where a person has already made an AMD, the AMD will prevail. Criminalisation of ill-treatment I am certain that the majority of us, if we are called upon to perform the role of a proxy decision maker, will do so sincerely and to the best of our ability but we should also be realistic and understand the vagaries of human nature. Some of us may have read in the newspapers, I think in May this year, of a wife who was appointed to the Committee of Person for her husband by the court. Her husband was incapacitated due to a work-related incident. She was appointed to manage the sum of money that was awarded to her husband as a result of the accident. I believe this was the Workmen's Compensation. Many of us would have been appalled to read that not only had the wife pocketed the entire sum of money for herself, she also locked her husband up at home without care while she went on to live with another man. We want to deter such flagrant cases of abuse as far as possible. As a bulwark against abuse, this Bill will introduce a new criminalisation clause. Ill-treatment or wilful neglect of a mentally incapacitated person will be a criminal offence. Any caregiver, donee or deputy found guilty of such an offence shall be liable to imprisonment or a fine or both. Office of Public Guardian Sir, we will set up a new Office of Public Guardian.”
“The Bill states that where there is a need to dispose of or settle a person’s property, the decision-maker must be motivated by a desire to ensure that the incapacitated person’s property is preserved as far as possible to maintain the incapacitated person during his life. This is to avoid some of the conflicts of interest which inevitably arise in such circumstances. Statutory protection for informal caregivers We also have provided for statutory protection for informal caregivers. These are people who are looking after people who are incapacitated but have not been designated formally as donees or deputies. As long as these informal caregivers perform acts in connection with the care and treatment of people with incapacity, in their best interests, and without negligence, then clause 7 of the Bill will provide these informal caregivers with protection against civil and criminal liability. This requirement, and I want to emphasise this requirement, to act in the best interests of the mentally incapacitated person and without negligence, is based on existing common law principles. Caregivers should be assuaged that they would not be ‘criminalised’ nor face civil suits in their course of caring for the mentally incapacitated insofar that they were performing these acts of care and treatment in the best interests of the mentally incapacitated in good faith. Excluded decisions Having said that, Sir, there are some issues which we believe should be excluded and some decisions which proxy decision makers should not have a right to make.”
“This, therefore, establishes a succession pathway for the care of the child with intellectual disability and we will work to make this process as efficient and simple and as affordable as possible to all parents in such circumstances. Safeguards and protection Sir, I have shared with the House the avenues provided under this Bill to appoint a proxy decision maker, either a donee or a deputy. In addition to providing these avenues, the Bill also guides proxy decision makers in the discharge of their duties. Let me, therefore, elaborate on some of these provisions. Key principles At the heart of the Bill is a set of key principles whose core tenet is that every individual must be presumed to have capacity unless shown otherwise. The Bill provides a two-stage test that must be applied in order to determine whether a person has the capacity to carry out an act or make a particular decision. It focuses on the particular time that the decision has to be made and on the particular matter to which the decision relates. This, therefore, allows the calibration of powers to be granted to appointed proxy decision-makers so that they will take into account, at all times, the extent of the person’s mental capacity. As for those that lack capacity, decisions that have been taken on their behalf must be taken in their best interests. The Bill offers guidance on what constitutes best interests. One example would be in the case of making a decision with respect to the incapacitated person’s property.”
“Very often, parents who have children with disability, mental or physical, have expressed to me that their greatest anxiety is what happens after they pass on. Who will look after their child? Who will look after him when he reaches adulthood? Who will take care? Who will make decisions? As a parent myself and, I think, as all of us here are parents, we can empathise with this great anxiety or fear of the future in such circumstances. This Bill would not be a panacea for their worries but it provides a framework which I believe will assuage some of their fears. Let me explain how this will operate. Parents can apply to the High Court to appoint a deputy for their child. In the case where the child has reached the age of 21, the court may make the appointment if at that point in time the child is deemed to lack the capacity within the meaning of this Bill. In the case where the child is not yet 21, the court may still make the appointment if it considers likely that the child will continue to lack capacity when he reaches 21 years of age. In appointing a deputy for the child who has not reached the age of 21, the court must have regard to the principle that the appointment of his parents or guardian is to be preferred. The court also has the power to appoint successor deputies in the event that the parents pass away. When considering who should be the successor deputy for a child who has not reached the age of 21 years, the court shall have regard to the parents’ wishes. In other words, the parents can indicate who they want to act as their successor deputy and the court will have regard to their wishes.”
“Court made wills Sir, allowing the High Court to make wills on behalf of a person who lacks capacity was a recommendation put up by the Law Society and one which I hesitated on initially. However, after consulting the experts involved in this field, I think this is something which we should provide for. Why? When a person who has not made his will and then subsequently loses his capacity, and if he has got a fair bit of assets that need to be distributed, and where it is apparent from his circumstances that the distribution of the assets according to the laws of intestacy – that means according to circumstances where no will is made – would lead to inappropriate, unfair or unjust outcomes, then there is an advantage in allowing an application to the High Court for the court to step in and decide in an objective and fair manner as to how these assets should be distributed in the person’s best interests, not necessarily in the best interest of the beneficiaries This, I believe, will clarify misapprehensions and prevent possible future disputes or tensions among family members. Family members can then focus on looking after the well-being of the mentally incapacitated person. Deputies For those who have not planned in advance, and where there is a need for ongoing decisions to be undertaken, the High Court can also sometimes appoint a deputy for the person who lacks capacity. This system is not unlike the current Committee of Estate or Person which we have in today's legislative framework. This provision would be particularly useful for parents of children with intellectual disabilities. Let me explain this in greater detail.”
“Some time ago, her husband was diagnosed with brain cancer, subsequently lost his ability to make decisions, and Madam Ang found that she then could not gain access to his bank account in order to even pay his medical bills. She was told she had to make an application to Court but she discovered that this process would be costly and sometimes cumbersome. In the end, she chose not to go to court but that meant she had to struggle even more, to look after the husband, to get the necessary resources and also to look after the children. We believe having a Bill like this which allows pre-planning and pre-designation will lighten the burden in a significant way for future families in such circumstances. But having said that, I also want to say that we will not mandate that everyone must make such a directive and conferring a lasting Power of Attorney to someone else. This will be entirely voluntary. We are merely providing individuals with the means to do so if they wish to and this, therefore, is the attraction of the Bill. It is empowering, it is giving you a choice, and it allows you to plan in advance. Court decisions Sometimes, there will be people who did not plan or deliberately did not want to plan and to appoint someone as a donee. In such a case, there is an option of applying to the High Court when that person loses capacity, for a court decision on the person’s personal welfare or property and affairs. The High Court will have powers which are listed in the Bill to make decisions on the control and management of the mentally incapacitated person’s property, carrying on the profession or business of the mentally incapacitated person and the execution, amendment or revocation of a will on behalf of that person.”
“When the individual loses his mental capacity, his donee is sanctioned to make decisions on his behalf in the areas that have been pre-determined by the person. An individual can also appoint one or several donees who can act jointly or jointly and severally. Under the Bill, we have provided that bankrupts will not be able to act as a donee for property and financial affairs. However, a person who is a bankrupt can act for personal welfare affairs. When we consulted the public on the exclusion criteria for donees, we received mixed reactions - some wanted us to be very safe and have a long list of exclusion criteria, yet, others said that these are personal decisions and we should let the individual decide who he or she wants to act as a donee, regardless of any previous convictions or financial embarrassment which an individual may be exposed to. In the end, we decided to take what we believe is the right balance between protection and choice and we decided that we would draw the line only on bankrupts insofar as property and financial affairs are concerned. We do not want to be overly prescriptive and we want to allow Singaporeans the maximum choice to choose someone whom they trust to be their donee. But I would emphasise that you should consider very carefully the overall circumstances of the person whom you are intending to make your donee and to confer a lasting power of attorney to. When individuals plan in advance, they may actually alleviate their loved ones of much stress later when they lose capacity. I will cite an example of one Madam Adeline Ang who is married with two sons.”
“Public consultation This Bill is one that has taken a long time in gestating and it has been considered by staff in the Ministry of Law, Ministry of Health and the MCYS for almost a decade. Personally, it has been on my desk for almost three years and we consulted the public through a consultation exercise which began two years ago. So, we have taken our time to carefully and deliberately craft this Bill and make sure it suits our local conditions. The consultation exercise included, in particular, consultation with social welfare organisations, legal, banking and medical sectors. I am very heartened that most Singaporeans and key stakeholders have welcomed the Bill as a timely measure in view of our ageing population and they have also provided useful feedback. We have evaluated all the feedback and we have also amended our original drafts so that we have come up with what I believe is a more appropriate Bill in its current form. I would now like to draw the attention of the House to some of the main features of the Bill. Lasting Power of Attorney The Mental Capacity Bill will empower individuals to plan in advance. It creates a new statutory mechanism called the Lasting Power of Attorney (or LPA in short). With the LPA, individuals can choose, in advance, the person whom they would like to make decisions on their behalf, if and when they lose their capacity in the future. The designated proxy decision maker is known as the donee. The LPA is a flexible instrument and individuals will be empowered to determine in advance the specific areas which their donee can make decisions for them. These areas may cover property and financial matters, as well as personal welfare matters, including healthcare matters.”
“The question therefore is: can we do so under the current legal system? The short answer to that question is "not quite". Today, a Committee of Person or Estate may be appointed by the High Court to manage the personal welfare and financial matters of those with 'unsound mind' and who are deemed to be incapable of managing their affairs. This is provided for under the Mental Disorders and Treatment Act, an Act which Parliament has just agreed to repeal. However, the problem with this prevailing legislation is that the appointment of the Committee of Person or Estate can only be done after an individual person has lost his mental capacity. In other words, you cannot plan in advance and, even worse, you cannot exercise a choice. I am therefore introducing the Mental Capacity Bill to address this lacuna. We have studied the legislative frameworks of various countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and other countries closer to us in Asia, including Japan and Hong Kong. We have found the England and Wales Mental Capacity Act to be a comprehensive example, and we have modelled our Bill along their lines. The Mental Capacity Bill puts in place a framework for proxy decision making. This framework sets out who can make the decisions on behalf of those who are mentally incapacitated, which includes persons with dementia, intellectual disabilities or brain damage. It also specifies the processes for doing so. Family members and caregivers who make decisions on behalf of those lacking capacity will be guided by this overall framework. And recognising that persons who lack capacity are specially vulnerable, this Bill provides safeguards against abuse by proxy decision makers.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." [Mdm Deputy Speaker (Ms Indranee Rajah) in the Chair] Our population is ageing and with ageing, unfortunately, the rate of dementia will also increase. At the age of 65 years, one in twenty of us may have dementia. By the time we are 75 years old, the incidence could be as high as one in 10. Maybe I will use the numbers in the Chamber as an analogy. If this Chamber was full and all of us were past the age of , there could be as many as nine persons who would have some form of dementia. I think it is just a coincidence that there will be nine speakers on this Bill! As we grow older and become frail, the fact is our dependence on other people will increase. In a book entitled, "Tuesdays with Morrie", the author Morrie Schwartz described this need quite succinctly. He says, and I quote, "It's like going back to being a child again. Someone to bathe you. Someone to lift you. Someone to wipe you." Morrie Schwartz graciously accepted his need for others as his body wasted away from Lou Gehrig's Disease and he was unable to take care of himself. But sometimes, instead of the body wasting away, our minds may waste away first. And we may be unable to make decisions on our own and ultimately be unable to fend for ourselves. If any of us, unfortunately, was to reach that point, I am sure that we will feel much safer if we knew that the person whom we were going to depend on at that point in time was someone whom we had chosen when we had the capacity to choose – someone whom we could trust and rely on and someone who was willing to undertake that burden. The best time to choose that someone is now, before we lose our minds, before we lose our capacity.”
“In the last five years, the number of residents in Pelangi Village has been stable, ranging from 1123 in 2003 to 1092 in 2007. On average, about 100 new cases are admitted into Pelangi Village each year. On average, about 110 residents are discharged from Pelangi Village each year. The average length of stay for able, non-psychiatric residents is three years. Psychiatric residents, however, stay for 10 years on average. This is because most either do not have families or are rejected by their families, do not hold stable jobs, or need assisted living care. APPENDICES”
“We are reviewing the objectives and programmes under Senior Activity Centres to better ensure that they meet the social support needs of lower-income elderly. We expect to complete the review in the next few months. APPENDICES”
“The number of childcare centres providing infant care services has increased from 38 in 2004 to 115 in June 2008. These centres now provide over 1,600 places for infant care. Of these centres, nine of them are located in workplace premises, offering about 130 infant care places. More parents are receptive to placing their infants in centre-based care. This is demonstrated in the rising infant care enrolment from 333 (enrolment rate of 55%) in December 2004 to 933 (58%) in June 2008. Currently, there is no centre providing only infant care services. We have also received feedback from operators that it is not viable to run only infant care services. MCYS thus encourages childcare centres to provide a continuum of care services to cater to children of various age groups below seven years old. Increasingly, childcare providers are ready and willing to include infant care services as part of their childcare programme due to demand by parents. SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTRES (Update on review) 9. Dr Fatimah Lateef asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) if he will provide an update on the current review of Senior Activity Centres (SACs), the time frame for the review and when it will be completed; and (b) if applications to set up SACs will be put on hold until the review is completed. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Senior Activity Centres have been set up since 1995 to support lower-income and vulnerable elderly living in rental blocks. They provide recreational and social activities for them, and monitor their need for emergency help through the alert alarm systems. The 19 Senior Activity Centres today are largely run by Voluntary Welfare Organisations.”
“Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) whether there is an increasing number of infant care centres in Singapore; (b) how many are currently located at workplaces; and (c) how many are dedicated infant care centres that cater to infants exclusively without other childcare programmes for toddlers and children.”
“As at end June 2008, there are 37 workplace childcare centres, of which 21 are located in Government office premises. These 37 centres constitute 5% of all centres, providing more than 4,300 childcare places or about 7% of total childcare places. To promote a family-friendly working environment, the Government encourages organisations to set up workplace childcare centres by providing various funding and tax incentives. For non-commercial and Government organisations, the Government provides funding for up to 20% of the cost of converting part of the work-premises for childcare use, subject to a cap of 500 square metres. The capital grant is given directly to the workplace organisation which will choose the service provider to run the childcare centre. Such non-commercial organisations will further receive a grant to help defray the cost of furnishings and equipment for the workplace childcare centres. They will also receive funding for cyclical maintenance of the childcare centre after every five years. As for commercial companies, instead of a capital grant, the employer may, subject to conditions, claim industrial building allowance on the capital expenditure for such conversion. Similarly, for non-commercial organisations, commercial companies are also eligible for the grant for furnishings and equipment. Furthermore, subsidies given to employees to help them defray the cost of childcare are regarded as deductible expenses to the employer. INFANT CARE CENTRES 8.”
“Er Lee Bee Wah asked the Acting Minister for Manpower whether there are any plans for legislation on the granting of paternity leave to employees.”
“Ms Ellen Lee asked the Minister for National Development if he will provide an update on the implementation of the Barrier-Free Accessibility Upgrading Programme in the city area and across all housing estates. Mr Mah Bow Tan: MND is committed to making our built environment barrier-free, so that the elderly and those with disabilities can stay engaged with the community-at-large. There are around 450 buildings in the Orchard Road, Bras Basah and Shenton Way areas. About half of them have the basic barrier-free features [basic features refer to (a) accessible approach to building main entrance; (b) accessibility at the first storey level; and (c) accessible toilet at first storey]. The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is actively engaging the other building owners to bring about more widespread adoption of accessibility features. BCA has a $40 million Accessibility Fund to co-fund accessibility upgrades. Of the 15 funding applications that have so far been approved, nine are for buildings in the city area. At the same time, new buildings and those that undertake major retrofitting have to comply with the mandatory requirements of BCA's Accessibility Code. In Orchard Road, the Meritus Mandarin Hotel and Orchard Emerald are examples of some of the buildings that will comply with the Code after major retrofitting or redevelopment. For housing estates, HDB is working with Citizens' Consultative Committees (CCCs) and Town Councils (TCs) on a five-year masterplan to make all HDB estates barrier-free by 2011. We are on track to achieving this goal. As at July 2008, barrier-free works for 36% of HDB precincts have been completed. This represents 272 precincts with 2,870 blocks. PATERNITY LEAVE FOR EMPLOYEES (Legislation) 39.”
“The planning and preparations for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are on track. In July 2008, the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC) rolled out the Singapore 2010 logo design competition and the response has been encouraging. Several senior staff from SYOGOC have observed at first hand, the management of the recently-concluded Beijing Olympic Games. The Beijing experience would be invaluable to achieve the next critical milestone by end September – the completion of the Foundation Plan where all the key planning parameters for organising the YOG would be confirmed in consultation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The decision to put the Youth Olympic Village at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) instead of the National University of Singapore's University Town (U-Town) has minimal impact on the overall preparations for the Games. The NTU campus had already been identified during the bidding stage as a possible alternative site for the Village. SYOGOC presented the proposal to put the Village at NTU to the IOC and the proposal was accepted by them on 2nd August. With selective upgrading of the existing facilities in NTU, the Youth Olympic Village would be able to meet the needs of the visiting athletes, including the use of sporting facilities both on campus and in the near vicinity for training. Travel time to most competition venues will still be within 30 minutes. All in all, the Youth Olympic Village at NTU would give a memorable and enjoyable experience to the athletes. With regard to staffing, I am pleased to update that SYOGOC has filled 11 of its 13 senior executive positions and should fill the remaining positions soon. BARRIER-FREE ACCESSIBILITY UPGRADING PROGRAMME (Update) 36.”
“It is the responsibility of the NSAs, sports officials, coaches and athletes to be familiar with safety and risk management standards set down by the international sports federations, and to implement these standards accordingly during sports activities and competitions. SSC has since conducted one round of risk management with the NSAs and will follow up with future sessions. There is always an element of risk in sports and accidents can and do happen. Sensible precautions and a sense of responsibility, both personal and collective, need to be ingrained into everyone involved with sports. Every life lost is one too many. We must foster a culture where all Singaporeans think safe, play safe, and stay safe, so as to ensure that similar tragedies will not happen again in the future. HDB SUBSIDISED RENTAL SCHEME (Penalties for abuse) 46. Dr Ahmad Mohd Magad asked the Minister for National Development whether he will consider (i) increasing the penalties for people who abuse the HDB subsidised rental scheme and sublet these rental flats to their own tenants; and (ii) jail terms for offenders who have been making profits from subletting their rental flats for long periods of time.”
“I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the families who have lost loved ones in this tragic incident in Cambodia on 23rd November 2007. The Singapore Sports Council (SSC), at the request of the Singapore Dragon Boat Association, commissioned a safety inquiry on the incident. The objectives of the inquiry were, first, to establish the sequence of events and contributing factors that led to the dragon boat incident; and, second, to recommend preventive measures to reduce the risk of similar incidents in the future. The inquiry was led by Mr Bernard Tan and included experts from the sports, safety and legal fields. The Panel has done a thorough job in assessing the factors that led to the accident. We agree with the inquiry’s assessment that a combination of factors led to this most unfortunate incident. The inquiry panel has also issued sound recommendations to enhance safety in dragon boating. This included compliance with the international federation’s guidelines on the organisation, conduct and safety of such races, and putting in place a proper selection and training system. We agree with the panel’s recommendations. Since the release of the Safety Inquiry’s report, SSC has been working with the Singapore Dragon Boat Association to implement the recommendations, which would be progressively extended to cover other water sports under National Sports Associations (NSA). SSC is also developing a safety framework for event organisers and NSAs. This framework comprises components such as the safety policy, rules and regulations, risk assessment and checklists. A guidebook is also being developed to assist event organisers be mindful of the safety do’s and don’ts in organising events, programmes and competitions.”
“Thank you for your suggestions dressed up as questions. You are right. Our spot checks currently are conducted with the prior knowledge of the centre operators. Basically, my staff, and I agree with them, take the attitude that this is a long-term relationship and a partnership. We are not just out there looking for opportunities to find faults and to compromise the standards of care. But having said that and having visited infant care centres myself, if a centre is not adequately provided for in terms of facilities, in terms of quality of staff and certification of staff, it will be evident. You cannot hide it just because I have given you a few hours' or even a few days' notice. On the other point on transparency – as I had answered during the COS debate, and I agree with the Member – we will provide more information online so that parents can choose. But really, at the end of the day, a parent will have to go and visit the centre, interact, engage the teachers and decide for himself or herself whether these are people whom they trust to care for someone very precious at the most vulnerable stage of their life. REVISION OF QUESTION TIME (Business Motion)”
“Centres also need to maintain a three-monthly record of the height and weight of each infant and all these data will be shared with parents. My Ministry will continue to monitor infant care centres closely to ensure that they continue to provide a safe and nurturing environment for all infants. Assoc. Prof. Kalyani K Mehta (Nominated Member): I have one supplementary question and three suggestions. Firstly, how often are spot checks conducted in infant care centres, and does the Ministry announce the visit before the MCYS officers visit? I ask this because I have heard that their visits are often announced beforehand; hence, the purpose may be defeated. My first suggestion is to improve the working conditions – Mr Speaker: Prof. Mehta, can you give your suggestions at some other time? We have a long list of questions. Just ask your question, please? Assoc. Prof. Kalyani K Mehta: Okay. Then can I change my suggestion to a question?”
“All infant care centres are licensed under the Child Care Centres Act. Operators must fulfil the standards set for staffing, safety, health and hygiene. MCYS imposes even higher standards for infant care centres compared to child care centres. These include a higher staff-to-child ratio, having specific areas dedicated to infant care use, stricter hygiene and nutrition practices, and specialised staffing. MCYS imposes a minimum ratio of one staff to every five infants and on top of this, we expect the operators of infant care centres to employ staff with a Certificate in Infant, Toddler Care and Development (CITC) or its equivalent. Carers need to go through a one-month course – which I have been told lasts at least 160 hours – including a Practicum, and they need to pass a test before they can be certified. This ensures that the carers will have the necessary skills and the knowledge in areas such as infant and toddler development, as well as environmental and curriculum design. Infant care centres are required to ensure that a certified carer or registered nurse is present in the premises at all times during the centre's opening hours. Infant care centres must also provide sufficient dedicated space for the care and developmental needs of their infants. For example, facilities for diaper changing, napping, food preparation and feeding must be adequately provided for. In addition, approved procedures for routine tasks such as diaper changing, sterilisation of milk bottles and preparation of bottled milk must be strictly adhered to. Centres are also required to have a daily observation record and documentation on each infant and the record will capture information on the feeds, naps, bowel movements and other related parameters.”
“Kalyani K Mehta asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) what are the qualifying professional criteria for operators and staff of infant care centres; and (b) whether quality control is being exercised more stringently with this type of centres bearing in mind the vulnerability of infants.”
“I would like to assure the Member that we do encourage housewives, especially those from the lower- income families, to seek employment and we do help them by providing additional subsidies for their children to attend childcare. The Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme for Childcare (CFAC) helps low-income families to send their children to childcare centres. This scheme provides monthly subsidies as well as a one-off start-up grant to eligible families. This enables and encourages their mothers to find employment and to remain in employment. The CFAC subsidy is over and above the $150 subsidy which the Government provides to children of working mothers. The CFAC subsidies are reviewed regularly and, in fact, the last review occurred in February this year and on lst July, which is this month, we increased the CFAC subsidies. Eligible families will receive a start-up grant of $1,000 as well as an additional recurrent monthly subsidy of up to $340 a month. So, it is $340 plus $150. In addition, with effect from this month, we have also extended the CFAC to more households. The scheme was extended beyond the previous cut-off point of $1,500 household income to now include families who lie in the range of between $1,501 and $1,800. These families are eligible for a $1,000 start-up grant and a CFAC subsidy of up to $200. It allows me to assure Members of this House that money is not the limiting factor as far as low-income families sending their children to childcare centres is concerned. INFANT CARE CENTRES (Qualifying professional criteria for operators and staff) 9. Assoc. Prof.”
“Having said that, there is some merit in exploring how we can better help women in their claims against errant ex-spouses as well as discourage irresponsibility among men. We will work with the Family Court to explore how to strengthen the enforcement of maintenance orders for such cases. We must bear in mind that any measure put in place should reinforce the message that the ex-spouse should be accountable for his actions and obligations. The State cannot and should not play the role of surrogate father. 2The (ex)husband may be sentenced to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month for each month he defaults on paying maintenance. BAIL COURT (Extent of success) 6. Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Law whether and to what extent the Bail Court constituted in 2007 has succeeded in (i) its aims; and (ii) more persons being released on bail pending investigations, trial or appeal.”
“In 2007, there were about 6,300 applications for maintenance orders. Fifty-four percent of these (3,450) were for enforcement of existing orders, 27% (1,700) were fresh applications, 16% (1,000) were variations and 3% (195) were suspension and rescission applications. A majority of applications, 88% (5,600) in 2007, were made by women. Singapore law places emphasis on husbands to discharge their responsibilities. Women can take action against their ex-husbands if they fail to discharge their financial responsibilities. The Women's Charter allows any woman to apply for a maintenance order at the Family Court, if she cannot get a reasonable maintenance from the man. Single mothers can also claim maintenance from the child’s biological father for the upbringing of her child. There is recourse to ensure that ex-husbands with means comply with the maintenance order. Should he fail to pay the maintenance, the wife, ex-wife or child can file a Magistrate's Complaint to begin enforcement proceedings. It only costs $1 to file such a complaint. If the ex-husband fails to make one or more payments required under the maintenance order, he may be issued an attachment of earnings order, or fined and/or jailed2 and/or have a garnishee order made against him by the Court. An attachment of earnings order is an order that a portion of the man's salary be deducted by his employer and paid directly to the ex-wife each month. A garnishee order is an order requiring a third party, eg, a bank, who is due to make a payment to the man, to pay to the woman or child instead. I am not convinced of the need to set up a Government agency to collect and chase after those who do not pay up.”
“More meetings with the International Sports Federations will be taking place to discuss the technical requirements for the different sports. We have also started development on some of the Culture and Education programmes such as the Schools-NOCs Twinning Programme and the Olympic Education package. The Ministry of Education, together with SYOGOC, will launch the Schools-NOCs Twinning Programme and the Olympic Education by the end of this year. SYOGOC will also be sending a team to observe and learn from the management of the Beijing Olympic Games. HAND, FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE (Enforcement and control) 16. Ms Ellen Lee asked the Minister for Health why the enforcement and control of hand, foot and mouth disease cases are not extended to private education providers for toddlers, young children and religious schools such as Sunday school in churches.”
“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the hosting of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games to Singapore on 21st February 2008. Since then, the Singapore Youth Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC) has been set up to specifically oversee the planning and delivery of the Games over the next two years. In March 2008, Mr Ng Ser Miang, International Olympic Committee Executive Board Member in Singapore, was appointed as Chairman of the SYOGOC Board. 21 other members from the public, private and people sectors have also been appointed to the SYOGOC Board. At the executive level, BG Goh Kee Nguan has been appointed as the CEO of SYOGOC. The other key leadership positions in SYOGOC have been identified and 6 out of the 13 senior executives are already on full time employment, with the rest joining the team later. The hiring of the core personnel required for planning and preparation is also ongoing. SYOGOC has adopted a phased approach for staffing, tapping on an initial group of core personnel to identify specific functional requirements before additional staff are brought in for operations. Besides permanent staff, SYOGOC is looking at contract services as well as volunteers to carry out its tasks. SYOGOC is also well supported by the various Ministries and government agencies in terms of officers assigned full-time to SYOGOC to help organise the Games. The planning and preparations for the YOG are on track. Last month, a seminar with the IOC was held in Singapore for transfer of knowledge, and a detailed project schedule has been developed with clear milestones for this major endeavour. In particular, the construction of the Youth Olympic Village is on track and the schedule of upgrading works for the competition venues is also being finalised.”
“The Government mitigates the impact of rising prices on Singaporeans by providing subsidies for healthcare, housing and education, as well as rebates for utilities, service and conservancy charges. Families also received payouts from last year’s GST Offset Package as well as this year’s Growth dividends. Low-income families also received the Workfare Income Supplement. Our social safety net is targeted at those in greatest need. We will continue to simplify and streamline our assistance schemes. Nonetheless, a person in financial difficulty need not know specifically what scheme he should apply for. He only needs to approach his Community Development Council (CDC), Family Service Centre (FSC) or Grassroots Leader for help. They will then assess his needs and prescribe an assistance package that best meets his needs. For those who do not know where to go to for help, they can call the ComCare helpline (1800-222-0000). This new call service was launched in January this year and helps link people to the right assistance. Concerned Singaporeans who come across needy Singaporeans can also help to call this number, to refer the needy for help. As of end March 2008, ComCare Call has received 8,600 calls, the bulk of which were for financial assistance. We had publicised ComCare Call and availability of ComCare assistance through the major dailies, radio, Community Development Council newsletters, and posters at polyclinics, childcare centres, Town Councils and police posts. We have also distributed posters to be put up at the Residents’ Committee notice boards at the void decks of all HDB blocks. On top of this, we also work with the newspapers to carry stories on how needy families receive help and where needy Singaporeans can turn to for assistance.”
“Madam, may I seek your consent to move that progress be reported now and leave be asked to sit again tomorrow.”
“30 pm In the long run, this question of ageism, where people are unwilling to employ older workers, is something that we also have to resolve – it will work its way through the system. Because in a Singapore in which so many people are old, if we truly want talent, we are going to have to look beyond gender, beyond race, beyond physical handicap and beyond age. But it takes time. We have to keep pushing it. Again, what I am appealing, however, is – do not go for the short cut, which is to put quotas and assume that that will solve everything. I do not think that will work.”
“I know Miss Judy Wee and she is right, she is as capable as any one of us except for her physical handicap. On a larger scale, we do want every disabled person to try to do a job which he or she is capable of, to fulfil her or his potential. But like she said, there are additional hurdles in their path. One scheme which my Ministry has worked on is what we call the Open Door Scheme and we have actually provided funds for them to modify their environment so that a person who is wheelchair bound or disabled will be able to work in that office. I visited a few companies with some intelligent planning and judicious use of these funds, they can create a situation in which the workplace enables people, even if they are disabled, to function fully or at least function as highly as their potential allows them to do so. But having said that, this requires enlightened employers. I can provide the funds to say, "Yes, I will help subsidise your workplace renovations." But will the employers be bothered? We, as a matter of policy, have resisted passing labour laws and there are countries which put quotas – quotas on race, quotas on gender, quotas on disability, on companies. In Singapore, and this is not just MCYS speaking, but as a Government, we have said that we need to keep our economy as agile, as flexible and as competitive as possible, and we will not have labour force rigidities. So we are not going to legislate quotas for the old, for the disabled, for gender or for race. But we will work on the much harder course of action, which is education, persuasion and helping create a situation which enlightens employers. Can we help to create open workplaces for people of all kinds? 7.”
“By the way, Pelangi Village still has vacancies, so I have no problems housing the destitutes. But every single family or almost every single family who has put up in a beach or in a park, when my officers go there and say, "Oh! You have a problem? We'll bring you in," they usually find some other alternatives with relatives and friends. So the truth of the matter is that people, unfortunately, sometimes would choose the path of least resistance. My job, unfortunately, is to put some resistors in the entire machinery so that people do not go down that path of least resistance and lead to abdication of responsibilities and abuse of resources. We all start off with the best of intentions. Once we let our guard down, we end up in the road that we do not really want to travel. So there is always going to be for MCYS, this is our current mark. There will always be this push and shove between expectations and needs. I remember a point which Minister Mr Khaw Boon Wan said the other day: distinguish between needs and demand. The same principle in healthcare applies even to a greater extent in the social service sector.”
“So we will have to take this balance of keeping some pressure on families, on individuals to exercise responsibility whilst, at the same time, making sure that the aspects of our social safety net that should respond should react. For instance, when Dr Fatimah Lateef says, "Why didn't your destitute hotline work?", I have no excuse. I have got to make sure it works because it is supposed to work. When a VWO says they need to know whether the children have dropped out of school, my system now must work so that I can tell them straightaway. Similarly, the assessment of needs done at the CDCs. We have been on the CDCs' back to say that we want them to complete the evaluation as quickly as possible. And we track their KPIs for that instance. So what I am saying is that, yes, we do have all these different pieces of the net. We want to make sure they are responsive but I do not want to take ownership and say that the CDC owns the problem, the Mayor owns the problem, or the Chairman of the VWO owns the problem. Let us not go down that road. But for really the most destitute and most hopeless cases, we will intervene and we will take them in. Let me share an email I received. This was a person – I think he is middle-age – who ran into some financial problem, having difficulties paying the mortgage, went to see his MP. The MP wrote to MCYS. Of course, in MCYS, our approach is – are you destitute? If you are destitute, we put you in Pelangi Home. The guy wrote back to me very angrily, "How dare you label me a destitute and offer me a place in your Pelangi Village?" I stopped to think about it. What has happened to our expectations and our ownership of the problem? He expects us to provide accommodation compatible with what he is accustomed to.”
“I agree with the Member that we need to make sure nobody slips through the net. But one point I want to emphasise, which is a point I said before, many people have asked us who owns the problem. That is the point at which I want to put up a barrier. I believe we must own our own problems, and I believe families must take ownership. So I am not willing to have a system in which the State and all the VWOs become a surrogate husband or surrogate father. But having said that, there is still a lot more that we can do. I will give a few examples. We have established the ComCare database so that all the different agencies who are involved in the family will be able to assess and share data. And we know, how many children are there, which schools they are in, what they are short of, what is the situation – the socio-economic and job status of the parents, and how they can be helped. That is also why we are looking, and some of you have asked, for case managers. We are gingerly and carefully looking at that. To be honest with you, for most families who are at greatest risks, we do have case managers. But I do not want to make that the norm, that every family with any type of problem will require case management and, worse, be in a position to relinquish ownership of the problem. So I prefer to take this position: where it is your problem, yes, we will help, but you must do something about it. You must ask and you must do your bit as opposed to the other situation where we say, "Don't worry, we will look after everything for you – do it all!" And, unwittingly, you become the surrogate father, the surrogate husband, the surrogate family. And that may work in a quick fix and that may salve our guilty complex initially but I strongly fear that is the wrong road to take.”
“Going on, the rest of the stuff that we have done now, CPF LIFE and preparing for retirement, all that is, again if you stop to think about it, something which benefits young people because it means the young people of Singapore today will not be saddled with a high tax bill later on because we have ensured that every generation earns and saves enough for itself. So, I will give Members the assurance that there is no quick fix. But if you stop to look at the complete picture of what Singapore has achieved, I believe we do have a good and secure, fair and equitable social safety net which will enable these children to fulfil their potential and lead full and dignified lives.”
“Having got the children into school, we then also recognise that not all families have the same starting line as far as school readiness is concerned. That is where MOE comes in. That is where learning support programmes can come in. That is actually where streaming should come in. I know streaming has been a controversial topic and people have lamented the problems with implementation of streaming. But actually streaming, if we go back to its original intent which is to customise and tailor-make the programmes to fit the interests and abilities of the child, if that is done correctly and properly, we again enable children to level up. Then we need to make sure that throughout the school system, scholarships, bursaries and the rest are in place so that the lack of money will never be a limiting factor to the academic advancement of the child. Beyond that, in the workplace, we have got to make sure the economy grows. We have got to make sure jobs are available. That is why MOM has been all these years making sure that there are both economic growth and job growth, and what NTUC is doing to making sure that those jobs are high value-added jobs, jobs worth doing so that people can get jobs. Fortunately for us, one problem which we do not have is significant youth unemployment. If you go to Europe, if you go to other countries with rigid labour laws, you will see significant youth unemployment, and we do not have that in Singapore.”
“There is a whole slew of services which Mdm Yu-Foo Yee Shoon mentioned on marriage counselling, etc. If we think about it, that actually is also directed at children. Next, they need to have food on the table, a roof over their heads and a safe environment. And that means providing rental, housing, making sure the lights are on, that they do not get disconnected unless the parents are really playing games with Singapore Power. But, nowadays, because of the pay-as-you-use meter scheme, there is actually no reason for any house to be disconnected. So, that is another example of the things that we need to do, ie, the physical environment in the home. Then, we need the kids to go to school or, if they are younger, we need them to go to kindergartens, and those younger than that, to the childcare centres. And that is where we see our whole host of schemes – Healthy Start, the Centre-based Financial Assistance scheme for Childcare (CFAC), KiFAS, and the universal childcare subsidy. I can honestly tell you, a low-income family can get a child put into childcare for a negligible sum of money because all these schemes are available to kick in. 7.15 pm But there are two reasons why we want the child to go into institutional childcare. First, is that we want to give the child better and, hopefully, more stimulating environment for his or her cognitive, emotional and social development. The other equally important reason is we want to enable the mother to go out to work because we believe an independent woman earning money and able to go out to work without having to worry about her children at home will be in a more stable and secure position - for herself, for her sake as well as to look after the children.”
“Madam, that is a big question! If Members do not mind, I forgot to respond to Ms Denise Phua's second question, which is on the Enabling Master Plan. We have actually accepted all the recommendations, except for one, which we will have to modify a bit but which we are working on now. So, the Member will see there is progress on the Enabling Master Plan, and I will get my staff to update her. If at any time the Member feels that the progress is unnecessarily tardy, please let me know. But we are fully committed to making it happen. Let me now move on to children. I said it is a big question because it was actually meant to be a key theme of this year's COS. I started off with the story of my grandmother being a widow with three kids and about how, through family support, hard work and education, the family made good. This has always been on my mind when I deal with a low-income family, when I see a single parent or a disadvantaged kid. If he studies and works hard, will he become a doctor or a teacher? What will happen to the grandchildren of this widow or low-income family? These are real questions, and many Members have also referred to the question of social mobility. So, let us exercise our minds on this issue. How do we make sure that these kids can escape the poverty trap? The first thing, I would say, is that we have to start working with the families. Are there two parents? Are the parents committed? So, where both parents are available and the marriage has got problems, we need to have counselling and provide services and facilities so that the couple can work at it. Because the most important thing a parent can do for a child is to love the mother or the father.”
“Madam, the cash quantum of the Public Assistance scheme will remain under review. We will have to adjust and respond to the prevailing situation. Will we index it to inflation? I am not keen to take a categorical position on this because, when we say inflation, the first question we have to ask is: which index are we using? Are we sure our index is relevant to the population that we are dealing with? The inflation rate generally is different for people at the top 20% versus the lower 20% and, even within the lower 20%, it is different for the people on Public Assistance. So I would prefer my current approach, which is to know who we are dealing with. We have 3,000 families, understand what their actual needs are, ie, what food, accommodation, utilities, rental, etc, keep watching the costs from the bottom up, and then do a reality check. That is how I am approaching it. That is why, like I said, I made my staff go shopping at FairPrice and show me a basket of food. They almost wanted to bring it to Parliament. But I thought that would be too gimmicky. But the point is that I am doing a ground-up approach to making sure that our people do not go hungry. And those of you who know me will know that that is something I feel very, very deeply about. So, I will give her that assurance.”
“As Singaporeans, we must be willing to donate and, when we donate, accept that a significant proportion of our donations will flow to these professionals who are doing good work. So it is a combination of things which I need to do. It is not just a matter of putting in more money, but education, persuasion and really trying to elevate the sector in a sustainable way. Again, I have no illusions that this is going to be difficult, but I think it can be done and should be done, and we will have, in the long run, a more sustainable and high-quality sector. And that is what so many people have been asking for. Many, many times, Ms Denise Phua will come here and say, we want higher standards, we want qualified people, we want to do all the things that we want to do in our heart. Sometimes, they are limited. Sometimes, it is funding but, as I said just now, I do not think funding is the key limiting factor. I hope that by better organisation, we can achieve all this.”
“I said just now that we will have to increase the funding for VWOs. But having said that, the principles on which we fund VWOs, ie, we fund 90% of development costs and 50% of operational expenditures for approved programmes, those are long-established principles which I am reluctant to abandon at this point. So I am prepared to pump in more money, but I still want to work within those principles. At this point in time, it is worth reminding this House that, if you look at funding at the national level, we are actually not short of funds. I cannot remember if I said it just now, but Singaporeans donate more than $1.2 billion a year. This includes what they give to IPCs and charities. Frankly, for a lot of charities, including churches, mosques and temples, it is a bit hard for us to really keep track of every single cent that is placed on the altar. But I think that there is probably even more than $1.2 billion available. So when we talk about difficulty in fund-raising, I think we also need to be more innovative. The VWOs also need to show results and to convince donors that their programmes are worth supporting. There is also another bit of public education that we need. People say, "I want to donate but I want to make sure every single cent goes to the beneficiary." Unfortunately, a lot of people still think that the social workers are volunteers, that they are working for free or expect them to be working practically for free. We need to educate Singaporeans that, yes, we know there is a voluntary welfare organisation at the top, and the board consists of volunteers who are unpaid. But there is a whole lot of professionals underneath that, including teachers in special schools who are professionals and should be recognised and remunerated as professionals.”
“My staff have already started work getting the data. So we should have some comparative scales out soon, meaning within the next few months. But I also want to caution that these social workers are not employees of the MCYS. They are employees of voluntary welfare organisations who have their own challenges, including funding challenges. They also have to manage their expenses. So I think it will take time. Even though we benchmark, even though we put in more funds, do not forget that on the ground, the VWOs are also raising 50% of their operational expenditure based on their own funding sources. I know it will take some time. But, nevertheless, I believe by a combination of factors, accreditation and licensing, benchmarking of salaries, MCYS putting more funds in, the public recognises that social workers and counsellors are professions and deserve respect and additional support. I am hoping that we will arrive at a situation where these professions get the recognition and remuneration that they so richly deserve.”