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.”
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“But having said that, we cannot change the fundamental criteria, because this is not an assistance scheme. This is an incentive scheme to keep family size small so that these families can focus their limited resources on these children and give them the best chance in life. That is why we cannot compromise on the number of kids. It has to stop at two. Although we may be able to exercise some slight flexibility on the income threshold, we cannot go much beyond that because, if we do that, we will be targeting the wrong group of people. So let us just remember that, yes, we will be flexible, but we cannot be absolutely so. In August last year, we appointed the five voluntary welfare organisations and the self-help groups, and that was what Mr Sam Tan was referring to, because we felt that there was a need for more effective outreach. For this financial year, we expect to see at least 230 families sign up for HOPE. Each of these families, as Mr Sam Tan has alluded to earlier, in fact, stands to benefit from a package worth about $100,000. We expect to pay out about $9 million in HOPE benefits for Financial Year 2006, and this reflects the Government's commitment to the scheme. As such, at this point in time, I do not feel that it is necessary for us to make further relaxation in the eligibility criteria. In total, we have 706 beneficiary families as at December 2006. Let me just quickly move on to the seniors' scene with respect to 2006. Members will recall that there was a committee on the ageing issues, which came up with 39 recommendations.”
“Sir, last year, we enhanced the kindergarten and the childcare financial assistance schemes. You will remember that these schemes have now helped more than 15,000 children attend pre-school. And some 95% of children of kindergarten age today actually do attend pre-school. But between MOE and MCYS, we have targeted that by the year 2011, we want to ensure that 98% of all children of kindergarten age will attend pre-school. 4.00 pm Finally, the third pillar under ComCare is called ComCare Enable. The number of households receiving public assistance has remained stable at about 3,000 per year. The question you should ask me is "What is your index of success?" Should we be aiming for a larger number or a smaller number? My index of success is to keep that number of families, ie, people with no family support, those who are unable to work for the long term, as small and as tiny a proportion of our population as possible. So far, I have been happy with the fact that it has remained at about 3,000. Mr Sam Tan asked about the home ownership scheme and, in particular, about whether our qualifying criteria were too strict. Members will also remember that, last year, we liberalised the qualifying criteria for this scheme so that it would now include those who have gone beyond just three "O" levels, in fact, those who have achieved post-secondary education qualifications but still seem to be unable to move themselves up onto higher planes of employment. In addition to that, we also now have an appeals committee chaired by my MOS, Mdm Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, and this committee will consider cases which are on the margin, or cases whom you refer to us and, if it is possible to give them the benefit of the doubt, we will do so.”
“The second principle is that all our schemes, initiatives and projects will be very low on entitlement so that people do not come to your MPS and bang the table and say, "I'm entitled to this help. You give it to me now." Our schemes will have very low entitlements, but it will emphasise the concept of mutual obligation, it will emphasise the role of families and it will emphasise self-reliance. The third principle is the fact that we will focus on children because children represent the future, and they are the best hope for families to escape the poverty trap. The fourth principle is that work remains the best form of welfare and the best form of the social safety net. And that is why all our schemes empower people to take charge of their lives, make decisions for themselves and enable them to fish in the sea of opportunities, rather than merely give them stale fish. Mr Sin Boon Ann has quite rightly, in his usual way, focused on outcomes, and he has asked after all these things, "What has happened?" For financial year 2006, the ComCare Fund, which is one of our key pillars, expects to disburse a total of $43 million and this $43 million has gone to some 64,000 needy families. The money has been spent in three ways. First, under the pillar which we call ComCare Self-Reliance, my Ministry has launched the Work Support programme in July last year. This has so far helped more than 4,400 families who have been looking for jobs or are in low income jobs. One in two job seekers on this scheme have been able to find work within six months of coming on to the programme. This scheme has also helped them increase their monthly income by an average of $560 a month. The next pillar, which we call ComCare Grow, obviously focuses on children.”
“Mr Chairman, I thank Members for their probing questions and excellent suggestions. Sir, the primary focus of my Ministry is to ensure that Singapore society remains united, cohesive and resilient, even as we face the full impact of globalisation. Consequently, in 2006, my Ministry paid special attention to those who are most vulnerable, that is, the families of low-income Singaporeans, senior citizens and those with disability. In the interest of brevity, I would like to refer Members to the handouts, which I believe have been circulated . There are two of them. The first one called Annex 1 gives an update on the key initiatives, which I announced last year. And I hope after reading it, you will agree with me that we have substantially delivered on all our commitments made last year. In fact, if I am totally successful at that, I could actually sit down now and achieve my ambition of the shortest ministerial Committee of Supply speech. Since we are running so far ahead of time, I think I better do justice to my staff and go through the rest of my speech. My Ministry is guided by four principles. First, and this is one which I have repeated several times in this House, Singapore will not have a permanent, unconditional, needs-based social safety net. We will not have such a system because we believe that it will erode our work ethic, it will damage our competitiveness and even, more importantly, it will bankrupt us in the long run. And many societies which currently try to run such schemes are storing up big problems for themselves and, more importantly, for those who are most vulnerable in their societies and the future.”
“00PM Title: FOREIGN WORKERS IN SINGAPORE Filename : Chart on Cumulative Employment Change MP Name: Dr Ng Eng Hen Section Name: BUDGET Title: ANNUAL BUDGET STATEMENT Filename : Annexes to Annual Budget Statement MP Name: Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam”
“An example of strong service spirit is exemplified by the Nanyang Technological University Welfare Services Club (NTUWSC) which was conferred the Singapore Youth Awards (SYA) Medal of Commendation 2006. NTUWSC is an active contributor not only clinching the SYA for Community and Youth Services in 1999, but also getting international recognition with the prestigious Commonwealth Youth Gold Award in 2004. Their projects include 'Challenge Your Limits' (CURL), an annual community project that aims to promote interaction and understanding between the community and the less fortunate, through physically and mentally challenging activities, such as a kayaking expedition. To bring about greater youth volunteerism, we need the public, people, as well as private sectors to play their part. Take, for instance, Citibank-YMCA Youth for Causes (YFC). YFC is a collaborative initiative by Citibank and the YMCA of Singapore to promote social entrepreneurship among youth. The programme functions as a 'social venture capital fund' to provide youth with seed funds and resources to execute creative ideas which they believe will benefit and support Voluntary Welfare Organisations of their choice. Our partners from the corporate and people sectors too have equally important roles in helping to raise civic consciousness amongst our youth. Strong social capital is important to enhance a community's sense of belonging, resilience and cohesiveness. These attributes are essential to keep our social fabric intact and robust in face of adversities. Towards this end, the Government will continue to imbue in our youth the value of giving back to society. APPENDICES Section Name: WRITTEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS NOT ANSWERED BY 3.”
“According to the National Voluntary and Philanthropy Centre's (NVPC's) biennial survey on volunteerism, the volunteerism rate for young Singaporeans between the ages of 15-24 has been rising over the past five years from 17% in 2002 to 25% in 2004 to 28% in 2006. This shows we are making good progress in building up civic consciousness amongst our youth. Recognising that our young have the passion to make a positive difference to society, my Ministry provides support in the following areas to facilitate their contributions. Firstly, we make information about volunteerism opportunities easily available. In addition to the NVPC website, our Youth.SG online portal not only provides a virtual space for youth participation and youth expression, it is also an updated source of information on various possibilities and avenues of volunteering. Secondly, we empower our youth by providing funding for youth-initiated community projects through our Young ChangeMakers (YCM) Scheme. The decision-making and ownership responsibilities are also given to the panel of youth who assesses and disburses the funds. As of 31st December 2006, the youth panellists have assessed some 194 applications and approved 135 applications, amounting to about $233,000. Finally, we support youth who are passionate to bring their volunteerism experiences overseas through our Youth Expedition Project (YEP). The YEP provides expertise and funding for youth preparing to embark on overseas volunteer expeditions. These exposure and experience will broaden their worldview so that they will return to become more active contributors to our society.”
“We hope that keeping active will help elderly persons keep mentally and physically fit, have emotional well-being so that they do not fall into depression. 2 Defined as Singapore residents aged 65 years and above. 3 All data for 2006 are provisional and subject to change. 4 "Recent Trends in Elderly Suicide Rates in a multi-ethnic Asian city", in International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2002, Kua Ee-Heok, Ko Soo-Meng and Ng Tze-Pin, Department of Psychological Medicine, NUS, Singapore. 5 The hotline is a service provided by the Singapore Hospice Council, manned by professionally trained nurse counsellors from the National Cancer Centre. YOUTH VOLUNTEERISM (Trends and initiatives) 8. Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports what is the trend of youth volunteerism in Singapore over the last five years and what are the initiatives to promote the participation rate of Singaporean youths in community service.”
“Such programmes serve to keep the vulnerable elderly, especially those who are living alone or are without adequate family support, socially engaged. These services, which are funded by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), National Council for Social Service (NCSS) and Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) also refer the elderly and their families to other appropriate services as necessary. The services and programmes include: • Counselling services provided by Family Service Centres, the SAGE Counselling Centre, the Samaritans of Singapore and a hospice helpline (tel: 1800-333-6666)5 and hospitals; • Support network programmes by Seniors Activity Centres for those living in rental flats, Befriending Services, Day Care Centres and Neighbourhood Links; • Financial assistance for elderly person in financial difficulties or could not afford healthcare through the ComCare Fund and Medifund respectively. Elder suicide prevention is complex and the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders, including health and social service providers, families and the police, are necessary to prevent elder suicide. Fundamentally, the family is the first line of care and we believe that strong family ties and family support provides the elderly emotional well-being. For those who do not have adequate family support and are more vulnerable, the community will need to keep a look out for them. Community service providers, the VWOs, and grassroots members know the ground best, and are in a better position to identify these vulnerable elderly and befriend them. On MCYS' part, more resources and efforts will be made to encourage the elderly to be socially engaged and to age actively.”
“Suicide cases over the last five years There was an average of 65 elderly2 resident suicides per year from 2002 to 20063. The elderly resident suicide rate per 100,000 elderly residents has been relatively stable, averaging at 24 over the past five years. See Table 1 for the statistics. Elderly suicides by gender In the period between 2002 and 2006, male elderly resident suicide rates have consistently been higher than the female elderly resident suicide rates. See Table 1. This is a consistent finding in studies across cultures4. Table 1: Total Elderly Resident Suicide Data, 2002-2006 Gender 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006* No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % Male 35 56 36 54 40 61 55 71 28 54 Female 27 44 31 46 26 39 22 29 24 46 Total 62 100 67 100 66 100 77 100 52 100 Elderly Resident Suicide Rate per 100,000 elderly residents 24.6 25.6 23.9 26.5 17.0 Source: ICA. Figures for 2006 are provisional and subject to change. Elderly suicides by age groups In general, the elderly resident suicides were fairly distributed across the younger and older elderly subgroups. Table 2: Elderly Resident Suicides by Age Groups, 2002-2006* Age Group 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006* 65-69 13 15 16 16 11 70-74 11 14 12 18 14 75-79 13 12 12 14 11 80-84 12 10 15 14 8 85 & over 13 16 11 15 8 Source: ICA. Figures for 2006 are provisional and subject to change. Studies have reported that the main reasons for elderly suicides were health problems and depression. This applies to both genders. Suicide is complex and multi-faceted and sometimes, there could be more than a single reason. Measures taken by the Ministry and the community There are community services to help relieve the social isolation that can contribute to depression.”
“The Government has therefore put in place a comprehensive marriage and parenthood package to address this situation. These trends, against a backdrop of an ageing population, will also have implications on whether the immediate family will remain the first line of care and support. It is necessary to strengthen family ties beyond the conventional nuclear family or the traditional three-generation definition of children, parents and grandparents. Bonds between extended family members, especially ties between adult siblings, whether married or single, should be strengthened. If the relationship among the adult siblings is strong, there is greater possibility of support from nieces, nephews, and the single elderly would have the support of the extended family for their emotional well-being and personal care. Table 1: Age Profile of Resident Singles (in Percentages) Year 2000 2005 20-24 37.5 37.5 25-29 27.6 27.6 30-34 14.5 15.6 35-39 11.3 10.2 40-44 9.0 9.2 Table 2: Educational Profile of Resident Singles (in Percentages) Year 2000 2005 Below Secondary 19.2 12.8 Secondary 24.5 18.8 Post Secondary 36.3 40.6 University 20.0 27.8 (Note: Excludes student population) ELDERLY SUICIDE CASES (Profile and measures to address problem) 7. Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports if he can provide an update on elderly suicide cases over the last five years, the profile of the elderly who take their lives and the measures taken by the Ministry to address this social problem, given our ageing society.”
“The number of resident singles aged 20 to 44 increased from 480,500 in 2000 to 514,500 in 2005. About 11 to 13% of them are students. The profile of resident singles by age and education is in Tables 1 and 2. In 2005, 56% of singles were male, as was the case for 2000. 65% of the singles were between the ages of 20 and 29. Using the past five years as a gauge, we do not expect the percentages in the next few years to vary too far from the present in terms of age and gender. While single males aged 35 to 44 tend to be less educated than their female counterparts (in 2005, 37% of single males aged 35-44 have below secondary educational qualification, as compared to 20% of single females in the same age group), singles as a whole have become increasingly better educated over the last five years. 68% of non-student singles had at least a post-secondary education, up from 56% in 2000. The proportion of singles who are not students, but have attained at least a post-secondary qualification is likely to increase further in the future. With better educated singles, we expect them to be more sophisticated and have higher expectations of their marriage partners. It would also seem that more singles are opting for success in work and studies over getting married and starting a family. The median age at first marriage for male and female residents increased from 28.6 (males) and 26.2 (females) in 2000 to 29.7 (males) and 26.8 (females) in 2005. As a result of later marriages, the average number of children born to ever-married resident females fell from 2.2 in 2000 to 2.1 in 2005. This would negatively impact our total fertility rate and may affect our economic competitiveness in the long term.”
“(iii) Professional development and growth We will continue to encourage and support social workers to develop themselves professionally. Social workers can already access the VWO capability fund (VCF) for professional training, scholarship, and personal development. On top of this, MCYS is also introducing a $1 million Social Work Professionalisation Package, to further facilitate development and growth. As part of this package, a new Professional and Leadership Development Scheme will recognise and reward the best and most promising social workers by giving them the opportunity to develop their leadership potential. The details of the scheme will be announced later, but briefly, candidates for this scheme will get about six weeks of paid leave from their regular work to attend leadership training courses for professionals in the sector. Another scheme in the pipeline is aimed at offering good and experienced social workers paid sabbatical, so as to allow them to recharge, re-energise, and renew themselves. This is to address concerns about burn-out and emotional stress. We recognise that work in the social service sector can be emotionally taxing and social workers need to be able to have time and the resources to take a break, take stock, and pursue professional and personal development. The paid sabbatical scheme will provide long-serving social workers with such opportunities. SANDWICHED MIDDLE-INCOME GROUP (Tax reliefs) 27. Ms Ellen Lee asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether there are any tax reliefs to help the sandwiched middle-income group that belongs to the generation whose parents practised birth control resulting in them having fewer or no siblings and having to take care of their aged parents and young children.”
“The answer to Mr Sin Boon Ann's question is "yes". We have identified three areas that we will work on with the various stakeholders. They are: (i) Remuneration; (ii) Image and recognition of social work as a profession; and (iii) Professional development and growth. Let me elaborate on each of these areas. (i) Remuneration MCYS will be increasing our annual funding to voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) by about $11 million, to run the programmes supported by the Ministry. Part of the increased funding will go towards raising the salary of social workers. This will help VWOs to better attract, recruit and retain these professionals. (ii) Image and recognition of the social work profession To improve the image and recognition of the social work profession, MCYS, together with the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), will work with the social work sector to introduce an accreditation framework for social workers. This will enhance the image and professionalism of social workers. There will also be a scheme for social workers to continue to learn and grow, and to develop their skills and knowledge so as to stay relevant. This will ensure that the profession maintains a high standard of credibility and enjoy the respect of the people they serve. We will be consulting the sector on the setting up of the accreditation framework. In addition, the Outstanding Social Worker Award, which recognises the best social workers in our midst, will continue to be given out. The Singapore Association of Social Workers will also continue to organise the annual Social Workers Day to showcase the contributions of social workers, and to recognise the profession in helping to build a more resilient society.”
“Bill considered in Committee. [Mr Speaker in the Chair]”
“That is a valid observation. I think, after the recent events, auditors have realised that this is no longer just a small act of charity. Auditing an organisation is a serious job and comes with all the accountability and responsibility of auditing any other company or commercial entity. With this realisation, auditing firms which in the past would devote very little bandwidth and, therefore, could agree easily, now have to be more cautious in their commitments. But having said that, I think a new equilibrium will arise. Yes, in some cases, auditing fees have gone up. But in so far as I see it, the fee is a reasonable one that recognises the serious responsibility and accountability that come with the job. I think that is something which we should not begrudge them because it is a job, and their professional standing is on the line. How can we help? There have been some suggestions, for instance, to make sure that the financial year for charities perhaps not be in sync with the commercial sector because when everybody is jam-packed the last minute and you are short of staff. So, we will look at creative ways in which we can reduce the load on both the charity sector as well as the auditors who are performing this service. But, at the end of the day, I am saying it is a professional service and one that we should pay a fair rate for. Expectations are then set and the key thing is you assure them that when someone signs off on the annual report, you know it is a fair and accurate representation of the state of affairs in that organisation. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill.- [Dr Vivian Balakrishnan].”
“Is that a hypothetical question or is there an application pending? If there is an application pending, I do not want to pre-judge it at this point. The Member is right that ultimately there is a judgement call. Like all judgement calls, you cannot make everybody happy. The Commissioner will have to ensure that his decisions are consistent with his assessment of where the public, in general, stands on a particular issue. I cannot be more specific than that. But you have to ensure that it fits with the public policy, as stated by the Government and the mores, the values and the views of the general public. And because we live in a diverse society, it is impossible to cater to every single view, some of which may be on the margin or even extreme.”
“As I said, the specific objects of charity are already fairly well defined. What I am more concerned about is someone who looks through this and says, "Ah! I can set up a charity for the welfare of children because it seems to fit." What I am more concerned about is whether that organisation is really out to do the service that it purports to be. Having said that you are going to do that service, are you really organised - do you have the people, the volunteers, the expertise, and the funding in place? So, it is more a check on bona fides rather than a question of whether a certain objective is charitable or not because that, I believe, is fairly well established by convention over the last 400 years.”
“So I would give him the assurance that it will be a light touch for the small start-ups but, certainly, as an IPC or a charity grows bigger and behaves, to all intents and purposes, like corporations, it must then be subject to the more onerous standards which we expect of a company or a corporation. I agree with his fourth point which is that all the supporters of a charity or an IPC deserve more information. The currency is money and time from supporters and, in return, the charities must provide information to the supporters - information on how your money is spent, information on the output and the effects of the programmes which you have funded. Mr Speaker, Sir, this Bill, unfortunately, has come at a time when perhaps we are reacting to events which have caused public consternation. But even if you put that aside, I think the direction in which we are amending this is still correct and is appropriate for the future that we are trying to steer the charity sector towards. So, remember the fundamental points - that it is about self-regulation, it is about trust, it is about transparency and confidence.”
“If I could summarise, it is about trust and transparency, and provide all the information that the public needs, all the information that the donors and volunteers need, so that they have an assurance that their money and the time that they donate are put to good use and, if I may add, to also show the value of the services that have been delivered; in other words, what is the output, ie, do not just show the input equation but show the results of your intervention and services to the community. I agree with his second general point that there is a need for clarity in rules. The speech that I have just made, and I mentioned sections here and clauses there, that is not the way in which we will govern the sector, but good examples, work examples or problems from the past will be written up, discussed and presented, so that people know what to do and what not to do in the future. And the Member is quite right, it is really about generating culture, rather than creating new codes. That is what we hope to achieve in this collaborative approach between Government, the voluntary welfare sector and the Charity Council. On the third point, will more charities need professional help, specifically more on auditing and accounting services, and, therefore, will that raise cost? My answer to that is, that is why we are choosing a tiered and not a one-size-fits-all approach because you will then end up with a very rigorous and onerous system, which the small fledgling charities would not be able to afford.”
“So, again, I give him the assurance that commonsense will prevail. On his point about sector administrators, I agree with him absolutely that there is a need to maintain uniformity of standards across all the sectors, and that is why, again, we need to make sure that when we start this system, there is a lot of consultation, collaboration and calibration across all the sectors. We are thinking of establishing an Accounting Standards Board under the aegis of ACRA which will help devise accounting standards which can be applied to these other non-corporate sectors as well. That will give everyone a common term of reference in order to generate their reports and in order to comply with the standards. Let me come back to the more general points. I agree with the Member absolutely that we have to strike a balance. This is not one of those sectors where the Government can solve it by throwing lots and lots of red tape, and lots and lots of fines or penalties. This is a sector which depends on human compassion, generosity of spirit and the ability to self organise in order to keep it going. So what we are really after is to give people, ordinary members of the public, trust and confidence in the charity sector, and we believe this can best be done by having total transparency. In fact, the bulk of all the rules and so-called impositions that we are placing on the charity sector is really to provide more information. That was his fourth point.”
“I agree with him that in the establishment of a Charity Council, we must get people with standing in the community; people with experience in the voluntary sector; people with financial, legal, entrepreneurial experience; people who will bring diverse perspectives to bear on this very difficult and heterogeneous sector. I would tell Members honestly that it is difficult to assemble that Charity Council. And I am very grateful to the pioneer batch who has agreed to serve on this. I agree with him that as they get into the saddle, they will also have to devise the work processes, the norms and the means of consultation because the key reason we chose to have a Charity Council, as opposed to just empowering the Commissioner with more teeth, is to send the message that we want this charity sector to be self-regulated and we want people from the community to come up and to help the sector stay viable and safe. On the Member's specific question on fund-raising appeal - has the definition of this been too wide? He cited two examples - in a newspaper article and personal private donation. If a newspaper article is written to convey news, it is certainly not a fund-raising exercise. But I am aware that sometimes the way it is written sails very close to that definition. So far, no article has crossed that line. But, nevertheless, I think journalists will exercise the power of the pen responsibly, that they are meant to convey news, maybe to convey comments on an event, but they should not be embarked on a fund-raising exercise. If they wish to do so, then apply for a permit. Similarly, out of the goodness of your heart, if you make a personal donation to someone whom you happen to know and is in need, we are not going to deem this as a public fund-raising exercise.”
“How will the Commissioner decide then what is in the public interest? The key here is to consult the public widely that this is, at the end of the day, a community effort and, therefore, no one man, one council, one board or one Minister can or should unilaterally decide what is in the public interest. I give you that assurance that in the exercise of these powers, the Commissioner will consult widely. That is also why we set up a Charity Council to provide a ready avenue of people to provide opinions and guidance to the Commissioner in making these difficult decisions. Thirdly, we have also set out, in our amendments, that the grounds on which he decides, to either de-register or refuse to register, would be set out. In other words, we would do this transparently and a decision would be out there for the public to see and to make their own judgments on. Consequently, I decided that there was no need to set up a formal route of appeal to the Minister because the process would be done through wide consultation; the process would be published and everyone would be in the loop. But having said that, if anyone subsequently does feel aggrieved, he can still write to me. I promise Members that I will still take it up, look at it, discuss it with the Commissioner, discuss it with the Charity Council, and, of course, with the relevant stakeholders. Of course, in extremis, there is still the right of judicial review. I give Members that assurance that the Commissioner of Charities will exercise this power flexibly, but carefully, and in the public interest. His next point was on clause 4.”
“Sir, I propose to respond to the Member's speech in inverse order. I will deal with his specific points first and then return to the more general points. The Member referred to clause 5, which sets out the duties, functions and powers of the Commissioner. Amongst the list of questions he submitted was the definition of a charity, how would the Commissioner decide what is in the public interest and why there is no formal route of appeal against his decisions. The definition of a charity is actually a rather difficult one. I have discovered that it has actually taken almost 400 years of English case law, modified by local experience, in order to generate the list which is contained in the Bill. But just for the record, I would read out the list of what charitable objects are. First, the relief of poverty. Second, the advancement of education. Third, the advancement of religion. And fourth is a multi-limb clause - other purposes beneficial to the community, such as the advancement of health; the advancement of citizenship or community development; the advancement of arts, heritage or science; the advancement of environment protection or improvement; the relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health or disability, financial hardship or other disadvantages; and the advancement of animal welfare. So it is a very wide spectrum. What we are trying to do here is not to redefine a charity, but rather to give the Commissioner more flexibility, to see whether someone who puts up his hand and says, "I am pursuing one of these objectives", is really doing so in a bona fide organisation and in a way which is acceptable to the public. So it is really for the Commissioner to exercise judgment on behalf of the public interest.”
“The social workers from the VWOs will make an assessment and see how they can further help the family on a case-by-case basis. For example, if a family has more than one child with disability, they would enjoy a higher level of subsidy. The Many Helping Hands approach in ensuring a social safety net is in place has worked for us. Together, if each of us does our part - Government, Community and the Family - we can maximise the use of our limited resources and help more needy children with disabilities. APPENDICES”
“The Government has and will continue to do more to support the disability sector. However, resources will always be limited while the wish list is infinite. We need to allocate more funds to those who need them more. Those who can afford to pay should contribute their share. This way, we make sure that more money is channelled to families who are less well-off. This is the basis for means testing. It will ensure that lower income families which require more assistance than higher income families get the assistance they need. Means testing was not introduced to save the Government money. Rather, the government is committed to spending more on programmes for the disabled. As an example, the Government’s contribution to Early Intervention Programmes for Infants and Children (EIPIC) and Community Integration Support (CIS) Programme, two programmes for children with disabilities, is expected to increase from $4.5 million in 2006 to $6.7 million in 2010. The National Council of Social Service (NCSS) through the Community Chest has also committed $4.8 million this year and will continue to generously support these services in the coming years. As a result, EIPIC fees continue to be affordable even after means testing. They range from as low as $10 per month for the lowest income group to about $200-$400 plus per month for those with family income exceeding $3,500. In fact, two centres have reduced fees for the lowest income parents by some $40-$70*. * Asian Women’s Welfare Association and Autism Resource Centre. We would like to reiterate that families who still face financial difficulties despite the subsidy from MCYS and ComChest can approach their Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) for help.”
“Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether there is a phenomenon of a two-speed 'dual economy' emerging in Singapore; and (b) if so, whether this will lead to further structural shifts in our economy.”
“After four consecutive years of declining Total Fertility Rate (TFR), the TFR for 2005 remained steady at 1.24, same as that for 2004. It is premature to judge whether the Marriage and Parenthood package of 2004 has been successful. Nonetheless, it is encouraging to know that, compared to the same period, January to August last year, there has been an increase of some 451 babies in 2006. The TFR across all ethnic groups has been declining. For the Chinese, the TFR decreased from 1.51 in 1995 to 1.08 in 2005. In the same period, the TFR for Malays dropped from 2.50 to 2.07, and for Indians, it fell from 1.71 to 1.24. Across all ethnic groups, the more educated Singaporeans are consistently having fewer children. An MCYS Marriage and Parenthood Survey conducted this year revealed that 83% of 3,000 married respondents agreed that the Marriage and Parenthood Package had created a friendlier environment for having and raising children. Maternity leave has been extended from 8 weeks to 12 weeks. For the first and second child, while employers continue to pay for 8 weeks of maternity leave, the Government pays for the additional 4 weeks of maternity leave, up to a cap of $10,000. And for the third and fourth child, Government pays for the entire 12 weeks of leave, subject to a cap of $30,000. The cap of $10,000 per month is reasonable because only a small minority of women, about 3%, earn above $10,000 per month, in 2005. For these high income women, financial concerns are generally not the main constraints influencing their fertility. TWO-SPEED 'DUAL ECONOMY' 21.”
“I think to be fair to him, it illustrates that I have not succeeded in putting this message out well enough. It is good advice, but I am grateful for his speech and the fact that he has reported. I think now more people will be aware of it.”
“The Member has my assurance that I will look at this carefully although I am not a vet, I am only an ophthalmologist.”
“This will enable us to get to the next phase later on this year where shortlisted bidders will be invited to submit their detailed proposals. Singaporeans can, therefore, look forward to a brand-new Singapore landmark on the Kallang Bay. It will be a vibrant and exciting venue with a host of sporting and recreational activities that all Singaporeans can use, can be a part of and be proud of. Sir, I believe we have now reached the threshold where truly exciting times are ahead for the sports scene in Singapore. Sir, I will ask my Parliamentary Secretary to deal with some of the specific questions which have been raised on the Sports School and FAS.”
“Many companies are already joining the bandwagon of sports marketing and sponsorship by aligning themselves with their own preferred sports and sporting events, eg, the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge, the OSIM Triathlon, the Aviva Singapore Badminton Open and the Standard Chartered Marathon. These are fast becoming household names and entering our common lexicon. Singapore soccer, in particular the S-League, enjoys support from a slew of corporations, including NTUC Income, Yeo s, Levi s and SMRT, to name a few. Mr Wee is right to say that we should recognise our sporting partners. SSC does this through its annual Sporting Singapore Inspiration Awards where we honour our stakeholders individuals and corporations alike for their outstanding contributions and commitment to making sports a way of life in Singapore. At this point, I would also like to give an update on the development of the new Sports Hub at Kallang. This is going to be the first and, probably, largest sports infrastructure project in the world, developed through a public-private partnership approach. The Sports Hub will offer many exciting opportunities in various economic sectors. These range from construction and logistics to sports tourism, retail and the media. Just last week, a total of four submissions were received by the Sports Council in the pre-qualification exercise. Top-tier foreign and local companies and I will just share a few names as it is not an exhaustive list such as stadium architect HOK, Macquarie Bank, Alpine, SMG Entertainment, Dragages, HSBC and Woh Hup are amongst the names of the consortia, which will be participating in the bidding for the building of the Kallang Sports Hub.”
“I am confident that with our good showing in the SEA Games, our athletes will be primed for even greater heights of glory. I hope all Singaporeans will give them the fullest support as they pursue sporting excellence and national glory. To help our athletes have both a successful career and achieve sports excellence, SSC is partnering private sector companies to launch the Programme for Elite Athlete s Career (PEAC). Under this scheme, our top athletes will be placed in participating companies where they will enjoy a flexible work environment that will allow them to continue their elite sports training and participation in competitions, and yet have a job. 2.30 pm PEAC is a fine example of public-private sector cooperation in sports. Currently, three of our top athletes swimmers Sng Ju Wei and Theresa Goh, and bowler Rena Teng have been placed in Standard Chartered Bank under the PEAC scheme. Our athletes, today, truly have more choices, more support and better prospects than ever before. Now, let me touch on the third list, which is sports industry. We want to make Singapore a choice location for international and regional sports federations to house their headquarters and to organise conferences and meetings here. The National Sports Associations (NSAs) will be looking forward to leveraging on their contacts in order to plug Singapore into the international sports network. The presence of sports media heavyweights, such as ESPN Star Sports and AXN-Asia, will serve as further catalyst for companies to do business in Singapore. Mr Wee Siew Kim wanted to know how the corporate sector is being engaged in order to promote this vision.”
“At first, I was too pleasantly shocked by this figure. I had to ask my staff to double-check. They assured me this is true. 48% of Singaporeans exercise at least once a week! Jogging, swimming, walking, gymnasium workouts and badminton are the five most popular sporting pursuits. What is most encouraging is that the increase in sports participation cuts across race, age and gender. In 2005 alone, the SSC and its partners organised some 58 international sports events and close to 200 national sports events. I was told that the total participant and spectator numbers for the SSC's marquee sports events have doubled from some 63,000 in 2002 to over 126,000 last year. To give Singaporeans more opportunities to play, Members will recall that I announced the opening up of school fields for public use last year. SSC and MOE have since opened up 59 school fields. Going forward, we will explore the feasibility of opening up even more sporting facilities in other schools. These school fields complement the other 280 vacant sites of State land that had been opened up by SLA and many of these school fields and vacant sites are located near housing estates and easily accessible to the public. Let me now move on to sports excellence. Team Singapore gave a remarkable performance at the Southeast Asian Games in Manila. They not only brought in 42 gold medals, they also broke six SEA Games records. More important, half of our 367 athletes returned with a medal. And, even more impressive was the fact that, for more than one-third of these medalists, this was their first SEA Games. Our athletes are now gearing up for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, which will be on next week, and the Asian Games in Doha later this year.”
“It is not just the pursuit of a cheap thrill. It requires discipline, guts and calculated risk-taking, which we now recognise are important ingredients for young Singaporeans to succeed in the future. I am pleased to announce that MCYS has been in talks with NParks and the Ministry of National Development to build an even bigger skate park at the East Coast Park. This skate park will be of international standard, complete with higher ramps and better features, that will accommodate all three disciplines of skateboarding, in-line skating and BMX. In fact, its proximity to the cable ski facility, also at the East Coast Park, and its access to the sea may ultimately one day lead to us being able to develop an Extreme Sports Zone in that area. Our efforts will also complement the other community youth spaces around Singapore. I want to assure Miss Penny Low that we will not forget other areas. Members will know that we have opened up soccer pitches and skate parks in the HDB heartlands, in addition to dedicated youth centres run by VWOs. Taken together then, I think I can quite honestly assure young Singaporeans that they are not short of space. Let me move on to sports. There are basically three things which we are trying to achieve in sports. First, mass participation; second, the pursuit of excellence; and, third, the development of a sustainable sports industry. This tripod itself is reinforcing. Let me go through them one after the other. Mr Chew Heng Ching asked how well is mass participation in sports really doing in Singapore. The 2005 National Sports Participation Survey conducted by the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) showed that 48% of Singaporeans exercised at least once a week compared to 38% in 2001 once a week for 30 minutes.”
“I suspect many Members of this House may not have participated or are aware of this, but the fact is this was big and involved young people, and conceived and led by them. The projects involved ranged from community service projects all the way to creative arts and even business enterprises. Given the infectious enthusiasm which I saw for myself at SHINE, we have decided to designate the entire month of July as a "Youth Month". So, we have gone beyond a "Youth Week". We will now designate an entire month as "Youth Month". Miss Penny Low raised the issue of youth spaces. Yes, we have focused on the Skate Park in Orchard Road, but that is only meant to be a prototype to show how similar flowering of youth areas can develop all over the island. But, again, the point is that it must be genuine and not forced down or pre-planned for young Singaporeans. Last year, I announced the development of a 1.2-hectare area in Orchard Road, which the young people in charge of it has decided to call *scape. They chose *scape because it could stand for mindscape, landscape, or any kind of scape. It was meant to be open-ended. In order to give them even more space, I have decided to also allocate to them the piece of land on which the NYC building is standing. We also built a new Skate Park just next to the Somerset MRT station. This now gives them a 2-hectare space to use their imagination and to execute their plans on. These youth spaces, I believe, give opportunities to our young Singaporeans to be meaningfully engaged, not just to hang out and loiter "loitering" is a bad word but to actually do something constructive, openly and, therefore, find themselves and find society. Extreme Sports used to have a bad name in Singapore. But I am glad to say that our attitudes to it have changed.”
“When Pakistan experienced its devastating earthquake, Mercy Relief sent five mission teams consisting of 48 volunteer doctors, nurses, logisticians and general volunteers to Pakistan, treating more than 20,000 patients. I am happy to note that these teams came together spontaneously under a common cause and they used the banner of "Team Singapore". I did not impose it on them. In fact, the concept of "Team Singapore" started in the sporting arena. Yet, we had volunteers spontaneously choosing "Team Singapore", proudly putting on the Singapore flag on their sleeves, and going overseas to contribute. I look forward to more of such projects where youths will discover themselves as well as discover Singapore. Consequently, we will invest $18 million over the next four years to expand YEP. We will encourage more ground up efforts so that YEP will remain youth-led and youth-focused. We will build an inter-connected network of youth, public and private organisations, including commercial sponsors, to support both local and overseas volunteering projects. The National Youth Council (NYC) will only serve as the secretariat for this network. We will appoint a YEP Advisory Panel, which will consist of young people themselves, representatives from youth organisations, corporate sponsors and educational institutions. We will make sure again it is chaired by a people-sector person. Sir, again, the key point here is spontaneous and genuine participation and leadership by young Singaporeans. Last year, we had the inaugural SHINE festival. More than 100,000 young Singaporeans took part in over 60 events spanning three weeks.”
“The NVPC also has a comprehensive volunteering website, while the schools CIP programme also gives our young a first taste of helping others, albeit for an initial six hours. Second, we will enable our youth to volunteer. We will provide platforms for them. For instance, we set up the Young ChangeMakers (YCM) scheme, which provides peer reviewed seed funding for projects conceived, initiated and run by young people. When I say "peer reviewed", it means, "I do not decide whether a project deserves funding. It is decided upon by a panel of fellow young people." Our youth festival, SHINE, has also featured community service events which our youth can participate in. The third aspect is to empower our youth to give them leadership and decision-making roles, to give them responsibility. One example of this would be the SHINE project, where it was run and steered by the young people themselves. They decided the programme and the type of activities that would occur. I believe that with this three-pronged approach, volunteerism will become a part of every Singaporean youth s life. We are now going to move on to expand a very successful programme which we used to call the Youth Expedition Project (YEP). It has been a success since its inception in 2000. Over 9,000 youths have participated in some 400 community projects overseas. In 2005, after the tsunami disaster, the YEP supported 600 young Singaporeans, in 50 different teams, being sent to assist in the rebuilding efforts of affected countries. By participating in overseas projects, young Singaporeans will gain a better appreciation of their life in Singapore as well as an increased social consciousness.”
“Many of our youths are socially conscious and they have taken this social consciousness to actually volunteer to contribute towards their own causes. For example, our youth surveys have shown that social participation among young Singaporeans has increased from 44% to 54%. This has occurred in the last three years. In other words, today, one out of every two young Singaporeans is involved in a social or activity group. MCYS has, therefore, sought to present even more opportunities for young Singaporeans for them to contribute to the community, showcase their talents and to maximise their potential. One crucial way, I believe, for our young people to be involved is through volunteerism. I am sure Ms Eunice Olsen will agree with me. Volunteerism compels the volunteer to look beyond his or her needs and to look and examine the needs of others. Volunteerism benefits both the person who is helped, as well as the person who is offering help. It gives the volunteer a sense of purpose and fulfilment when he sees that he can make a real difference to other people's lives. Through volunteering, one learns new skills, makes new friends, learns how to work with people in order to achieve a common, often higher, goal, and in the process, gains a new perspective of oneself and one's life. In Singapore, the percentage of youth volunteers has increased from 17% to 25% between 2002 and 2004, that is, one out of every four youths today. Going forward, we will adopt a three-pronged approach to increase the youth volunteerism rate. First, we will expose and give information to our youths on volunteerism and volunteer opportunities. To this end, we have set up a web portal called "Youth.sg" that would generate greater awareness and interest and, hopefully, spark greater involvement.”
“Sir, there are currently one million young people in Singapore aged between 15 and 35. What we hope is that all of them will have a sense of history and responsibility for the future. But we cannot just stand or sit here and expect young people to develop that automatically. I believe less is probably better in this case. My answer is to give them a stake in the community, a say in national affairs and to support them as they grow and take responsibility for the future not to dictate to them, but let them grow. Our youths have responded. We conducted a youth consultation exercise some one-and-a-half years ago and it was chock-full of ideas, not our ideas, but ideas from young Singaporeans. We then moved on to the next stage. We said, "Well, these are your ideas, now you implement them. Form work groups, come out with specific plans and, if necessary, we help you with seed funds." The youths responded passionately, enthusiastically and put a lot of time and efforts into their plans. We have seen a flowering of initiatives, like designing their own community spaces, webspaces and putting together an entire youth festival on their own. They have been speaking out on issues. Members of this House will notice that there is a regular two-page insert in the Straits Times called "YouthInk", in which the authors are all young people, the views expressed are genuine and passionate, and their views are being read and heard, even in this House. The past year had shown that young Singaporeans do care about this place and about the future. They have opinions, different opinions. They have ideas and are prepared to stand up for what they believe in. And this is a very good stage for us to see youths eventually translating their ideas and thoughts into action.”
“Sir, my Minister of State has already explained that this is not a childcare allowance. This was a subsidy with a specific objective, ie, to enable women, who have no domestic support, to go out to work. If a lady already has a mother or some other domestic support or arrangement which will enable her to go out to work, this is not meant to pay an allowance for that. So, as far as a review is concerned, as of now, after one year, I am still not convinced that this is the way to go.”
“If we can get this balance right between public involvement in VWOs and a light, sensible and rational regulatory environment, then we will have healthy and vibrant VWOs achieving that mission. Dr Loo Choon Yong has brought up the issue of the Courage Fund, which is not under my Ministry, and I do not know the details of it, but suffice to say that it will be subject to the same rules and regulations that apply to any fund. And I think the same principles of transparency and accountability should apply. If any person who has donated to the Courage Fund feels that in any way the money has not been used in accordance with his wishes, he should get in touch with the leadership. I know of at least one person in the community who has communicated directly with the board managing the Courage Fund. Again, while I am not privy to the details, I think they had a very fruitful and useful discussion. The key point is transparency, accountability and open communication. At the end of the day, we are just trying to make this society better. We are trying to appeal to each other s philanthropy. And whilst there may be a few black sheep who really spoil the scene, we must not lose the vitality, spontaneity, generosity and responsibility that really are at the heart of volunteerism.”
“And Members may also be aware that certain regulations apply, not only to IPCs, but also the charities as well. We support the IMC s proposal to set up a Charity Portal. This will make it more convenient for charities to register, submit their reports, as well as to submit applications for fund-raising permits. Mr Wee Siew Kim has brought up an important point regarding membership of NCSS. NCSS is stringent in its evaluation of membership applications. This process will include examining the constitution of the VWOs, its mission, objectives, leadership, annual reports, accounts, programmes and services that it has been providing, not just at the point of application, but for the preceding years before that. If NCSS is satisfied that this is a bona fide and responsible VWO that deserves support, then it accepts it into membership. Because NCSS is, after all, a members organisation. Once it is accepted by NCSS, this VWO must meet certain governance standards laid down by NCSS. And if it does not, or it contravenes it, then various measures can be taken against it, for instance, suspension of its IPC status, or even termination of membership. But having said that, I think there also has to be a balance between how interventionist you want NCSS to be in the matters and the detailed operations of its member VWOs. We have to strike the right balance, and I would like to remind the House that the other half of this balance, I believe, must still come from the donating public. Again, I ask the public to be informed of who you are giving to, the causes you are supporting and to be involved.”
“The Inter-Ministry Committee on the Regulation of Charities was established in October last year, and it had all these considerations in mind when members drawn from various sectors sat down to consider how best to alter the regulatory landscape. The IMC submitted its final report on 2nd March 2006 after a public consultation process. The Members of the House can refer to the handout which contains a brief summary of the regulatory arrangements that will occur after that, as well as the details of the recommendations. We have accepted its report in total. The Government will, therefore, make the necessary legislative amendments to transfer the Charities Act as well as the office of Commissioner of Charities to my Ministry before the end of this year. We will appoint a full-time senior public officer as the Commissioner, and we will provide him/her with the necessary staff resources in order to get the job done. As recommended by the IMC, we will also establish a charity council. This council will be drawn from people who are within the charity sector as well as from the regulatory agencies but, more importantly, it will be chaired by a people sector person. That is because we want this council to be the icon of self-regulation. This council will advise the Commissioner of Charities on matters relating to good governance and self-regulation because we want to keep this concept of self-regulation paramount. 1.30 pm The Government also accepts the IMC s recommendations for additional regulations on governance, financial disclosures and fund-raising. These regulations, together with those which were proposed earlier by the Council on Governance of IPCs, will be implemented with effect from 1st July this year.”
“Sir, there are three stakeholders in the charity scene the charities themselves, the donating public and the regulators. And there are three key attributes that must govern the triangular relationship public trust, good governance and self-regulation. Charities have to win the trust of the public before they can get any support from the public, particularly when funds are involved, and they can achieve this trust by best being transparent and being accountable, as Dr Loo has mentioned. Charities will also need to have active boards in order to ensure good governance, and all board members must know what is expected of them and they must actually supervise. Let us move on to the public. The public has to go beyond just blindly making a donation. What is needed is informed giving, which means you know where your money is going, how it is going to be used, who is going to be deciding on the use of that money. And we also need the public to be involved, either as a volunteer and, even better still, serve on the board, because a lot of charities are really desperately short of good and able people willing to spend time and effort and, if I may add, reputational risk to serve on the boards of these charities. The third player is the regulator. The key point here is that the regulator must not be overly interventionist. Because if we did so, then that charity would be just another extension of the civil service, just another Government department providing yet another Government service out of taxpayers' dollars. That is not why we have a vibrant voluntary sector. I agree with Mr Sin Boon Ann that this review of our charity regulatory scene has been overdue, and I think last year's NKF incident merely highlighted that.”
“We do not discriminate between physical and non-physical disability. Anything which prevents a child from participating fully in life would be defined as a disability. Having said that, the approach must necessarily be the same, which is, early diagnosis, if necessary, where it makes a difference, early intervention, attempts to integrate the child to mainstream education, attempts to optimise job opportunities for this child when he grows up. As I have explained earlier in my speech, we are making efforts in that. The other area which we are also examining is the long-term financial security of a disabled person when his parents have passed away. I think this is something which weighs very heavily on the minds of parents. We are studying this issue. So in answer to him, yes, these are all things which we recognise and have to be done, but it cannot be done overnight. Overall, it will require resources and there are only three sources of funding for people with disability. The money can come from the public through taxes, which is what every Government-subsidy dollar represents. It can come from public generosity, which is why the Community Chest and many VWOs raise funds from people. And the third source must be the parents themselves. We need to strike the right balance between these three sources of funds, and then organise a system so that these resources are spent optimally, where it really makes a difference, and then as many children as possible with disabilities will get a chance to realise that potential, integrate into society and, ultimately, contribute back to society.”
“The $2 million is meant to be distributed to the self-help groups who will have to raise funds on a co-funding basis in order to be eligible for this. Let me think through the proposal which the Member has put up, where the grassroots organisations themselves build up these enrichment funds. I would not be able to promise him, but I would say this is something which we want to encourage, but let me work out the financing and administrative details.”
“Let me deal with her second suggestion first. I think it is a very good idea, and we will certainly look for opportunities to create networking events for people who are interested in social enterprises. I come back to her first point, and I am afraid I will have to give her the same answer. All businesses, small and large, social or otherwise, for-profit or not-for-profit, have to compete on a level playing field. It would be unfair and would cause unnecessary distortion to our economy if we were to do otherwise. If the problem is really that our rentals are too high, then let us see whether overall, with more innovative policies, shorter leases or other schemes, how we can lower the hurdle. But when we lower the hurdle, it must be lowered for all enterprises. Let us not be distracted from our objective, which is to create an entrepreneurial and enterprising Singapore for everyone, not just for those who say they have a social mission. It must be fair for all players, all businesses, in Singapore. Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng (West Coast): Sir, a point of clarification on the Opportunity Fund for self-help groups. Sir, I see many bright young children in my work as an MP at MPS. However, their potential cannot be fully realised because some of them come from dysfunctional families or disadvantaged backgrounds. In that regard, at our constituency, we have raised some funds to set up a Pioneer Learning Club where we offer, at a nominal fee, to such children enrichment programmes in English and Mathematics. I wonder if MCYS would support such initiatives by matching the amount of funds that the grassroots organisations could raise for such purposes under the $2 million Opportunity Fund.”
“Mdm Halimah always asks penetrating and worthwhile questions. I will make time for her, any time. What we are trying to do for families with low wage workers, as far as my Ministry is concerned, there are three objectives. First, as she has said quite rightly, is to get both parents out to work. Second, to get the children to school, kindergarten or pre-school. But let us not forget the third objective, which is to right-size the family. So, in crafting all our assistance packages, we have to strike the right balance between providing more assistance and yet not contradict the other signal, which is to right-size the family. However, fortunately for us, even for families who come from low wage background, the vast majority have two children. And the vast majority of families will be assisted by the packages which we have constructed for them. Even if they are not eligible for enhanced childcare, they are still eligible for all the other assistance: for kindergarten, for before-and-after-school care. The real message then to these families who are low wage and yet have very large families must be, "Please constrain your family size. You have to take some responsibility. Therefore, in a sense, even pay some small penalty for having a large family, because the size of your family is your choice and your responsibility." So we have to strike this balance.”
“This requires their integration, collaboration and coordination at the backend communications, referrals from, say, the CDC to the Family Service Centre, if the person needs, say, psychiatric help at IMH, if he needs medical help and needs to be referred to the relevant polyclinic or hospital. So a lot of work we are doing now is backend processing. The long-term objective is to make it as seamless and as accessible as possible for people who need help. But for people in today's situation, I would say, just go and see your grassroots adviser. That person will be able to put you in touch with the relevant help agencies.”