Wong Kan Seng
Singapore
“We all want a better future for our children and the future generations. Amid the debates, let us not lose sight of what we are working for – we are working for the benefit and future of Singaporeans. Not for growth targets, not for foreigners, but for Singaporeans.”
“Mrs Mildred Tan also suggested doing a longitudinal study on the impact of new citizens on Singapore. I am told that there is a periodic study on the perception of integration and rootedness of Singaporeans and PRs. A study is now ongoing too.”
“All they need to do is simply declare that they meet the residential criteria. EASING IN US ECONOMY (Impact on Singapore) 9. Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Senior Minister what will be the expected impact on the Singapore economy arising from the US Federal Reserve's announcement on 3rd November 2010 of a "quantitative easing" of the US economy…”
“Well, from the data I have here, 553 registered to vote before the 2006 GE and this is the data I have but Ms Lim may be right. There may be 1,000-odd that Ms Lim had mentioned. From what I am told now, we have 1,325 Singaporean overseas who are eligible to register to vote have registered.”
“But, as I said, there are so many other possibilities that they could come in and there could also be many possibilities that we could have missed and they have entered or left Singapore. LAND SWAP AGREEMENT FOR KTM STATION AND RAILWAY LANDS 2.”
“They are also recruiting people by offering them scholarships. So, we hope more of our companies can do that. Hopefully they come here to work for a while and, if they like our place, they may want to settle down. This is a place which they can think about. POPULATION AND TALENT DIVISION 5. Assoc. Prof.”
The complete record
Every one of 3,192 lines we hold for Wong Kan Seng, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 44 of 64.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, one main reason for the congestion is a significant increase in the number of travellers passing through the Woodlands Checkpoint. In 1990, the daily average was about 176,000 travellers. This increased to 195,000 in 1994 and 203,000 in 1995. This is an increase of more than 15% over the last five years. There are also now more travellers who are not Malaysians and not Singaporeans using the Causeway. Compared to the previous year, the number of this group of travellers increased by 19%. Given the large number of travellers and those who drive through the Causeway every day, some traffic congestion is inevitable, especially during the peak hours. Singapore Immigration has taken measures to ease the congestion problem as much as possible and as far as it is feasible. For example, a new checking area with 12 lanes for clearance of motorcycles was introduced in May 1994. Since its implementation, the traffic situation at the Woodlands Checkpoint in the morning has improved significantly. The traffic flow is now smoother. To meet the ever increasing number of travellers using the Woodlands Checkpoint, the Immigration Department would also be embarking on a new pilot project called auto clearance by giving frequent travellers a smart card and let them travel through the Causeway almost hassle-free. But this is a pilot project which we will only launch next month to try out the system. And if this system works, then of course those who travel frequently to Malaysia will find it very convenient to travel through the Causeway. The congestion at the Checkpoint is essentially due to the Checkpoint's current inadequate capacity to deal with the crowd and the heavy flow during the peak periods from 5.00 to 8.”
“We should leave the court with a wider discretion to decide whether to impose a sentence of imprisonment of up to six months. That is the reason why we are increasing the jail term because we see the need for it. It has a stronger deterrent effect. No doubt the family may suffer as a result of the person going to prison. But that person, before he commits a traffic offence, should seriously think about his family before driving or riding recklessly. The point made by Dr Soin about the Road Traffic Act being a bit difficult to read or understood by the layman is well taken. I will ask my officers to take this up with the Attorney-General's Chambers. And the next time we have a law revision of all the other laws, we can then take a look at it. 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. - [Mr Wong Kan Seng]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. EXECUTIVE CONDOMINIUM HOUSING SCHEME BILL 4.05 pm Order for Second Reading read.”
“The older a person gets and becomes more mature, the probability of an accident happening will be less. So I am not keen to just raise it only to 17 years. I would rather raise it to 18 years. On Mr Kenneth Chen's suggestion to require pubs, hotels and whoever that has got a liquor licence to instal a breath analyser equipment, I think this suggestion can be considered, but it will be difficult to make it a requirement, although we can. Because I want to guard against a situation where customers going to such a place with a breath analyser equipment, take a test and say, "Oh, it is OK", but that machine may not be functioning. If it is not functioning or poorly maintained and eventually he is caught outside the pub for drink-driving, then what happens? I think a lot of difficulties will arise as a result of that. While we want to encourage pub owners to do that, I think they should do so only if they properly maintain the equipment. This can help the customers but it is not the final test. The final test is when the Police brings the person to the doctor or his test result on the new BEA shows that it is positive or over 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, that is the final test. On Dr Soin's question about increasing the sentence, we have increased the fine. But in today's circumstances, paying a fine is not a problem to many people. What is $1,000? What is $5,000? Many people can afford it, especially when they need the licence for making a living. But going to jail is quite a different matter. So if three months is too little, which we have seen to be too little, we increase it to six months. Although the law provides for six months, we know that the courts seldom impose the maximum penalty, unless there are very strong reasons to do so.”
“But we have to consider that any change in the age limit, whether it is for motorcyclists or motor vehicle drivers, will have an impact on other parts of our society and the economy. I think we have to bear that in mind. For instance, if we were to raise the driving age limit for motor vehicle drivers to 20 years, what will happen to the National Servicemen who were called up and have to become drivers in the SAF? Do we give them an exemption? Or what happens to those who leave school at the age of 18 years and are not required to do National Service, like females, and they need to work, and they become drivers? Do we say that they cannot become drivers? Of course, we can look at all these special circumstances and give exemptions. But I think I want to move step by step as far as age limit is concerned. On Dr Ker's suggestion to limit motorcyclists on the road only if they use it for work, it is possible, but I think there will be a lot of practical implementation problems. We will then need to set up a section in the Traffic Police Department to decide who needs a licence for work, who does not need it for work and who needs it for riding for pleasure. Actually, there is no harm in riding for pleasure, provided, of course, that the person who goes on the road, whether in a car or on a motorcycle, does so responsibly and follow all our traffic rules. If he does all that and no accident is caused, then we should not stop him from riding on our roads. On Mr Zulkifli's suggestion to increase the qualification age for motorcyclists to 17 years, I think statistics have shown that it is not wise to do so. In fact, we know people in the age group of 16 and 17 do have a higher preponderance to accidents.”
“Sir, I thank Members for speaking in support of this Bill. Some questions have been raised about sentences and some Members have raised the question of raising the age limit for motorcyclists and motor vehicle drivers beyond 18 years to 20 or 21 years. One Member has even suggested not to increase the age qualification for riding a motorcycle to 18 years but only to 17 years. There was a suggestion about making it a condition for the issue of liquor licence to whoever who wants to run clubs and pubs, to install a breath analyser equipment, and so on. Sir, I thank Members for all their suggestions. I think we want to take an incremental approach by looking at our traffic situation. We have amended this Act, as Dr Soin rightly pointed out, 13 times in the last 16 years because we have to react and respond to changing circumstances. The situation has changed because more people can afford cars and motorcycles, and people need vehicles to go to work. Therefore, more vehicles are seen on our roads and accidents do happen. Despite the strict enforcement action and education campaigns, we still have serious accidents happening in Singapore. We still have people violating traffic laws. So we have to change these laws from time to time to deal with specific situations. Looking at the age limit, for instance, I think by raising it from 16 years to 18 years for motorcyclists is one step that we should take right now. To go beyond that, we will have to see whether the situation will improve. If it does not, then we will definitely look at it again and see whether we should increase it to 20 years, or even 21 years.”
“That person who speeds excessively, that is, more than 40 kmph, and is caught for committing a serious offence a third time, he will attract caning only if that accident causes death or serious injury.”
“We are also of the view that these amendments addressed the concerns expressed. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed.”
“(c) Testing of alcohol content by medical practitioners Presently, the Road Traffic Act requires consent of the motorist to be obtained before his blood can be taken to determine the alcohol content. However, in some circumstances, the consent cannot be given or sought, such as when the motorist is unconscious. In such cases, the alcohol content in the blood of the motorist cannot be ascertained and the motorist cannot be charged for driving under the influence of alcohol. Under the new section 71B(1), the police will be given the power to direct the doctor to send a sample of the blood of the motorist taken by him while treating the injured motorist for a laboratory test to determine the proportion of alcohol or drug or intoxicating substances. Sir, recently, there have been some letters in the press on the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill. Some writers said that the enhanced penalties are too harsh while others demanded even harsher penalties. One even suggested making hit-and-run drivers donate one of their kidneys as an act of penance. There is a need for balance and proportion. We cannot veer towards extremes of leniency or toughness. The proposed measures in the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill are commensurate with the seriousness of the offences after taking into account the penalties for other crimes. Whatever one's views may be, the bottomline is this: the enhanced penalties are targeted only at a minority of reckless and dangerous drivers. The majority of responsible, law-abiding motorists have nothing to fear. In fact, the amendments are for their protection and for the safety of other road users. The interest that this Bill has generated among the public only confirms that the time is right to make these amendments.”
“These are: (a) Presumption of incapability for drink-drivers Currently, under existing section 70 of the Act, a person is presumed to be incapable of having proper control of his vehicle if the amount of alcohol found in his blood is above the prescribed legal limit. This has given rise to a situation where the defence tries to rebut this presumption by trying to prove in each case that the defendant did not lose control of the vehicle. To prevent unnecessary debate, clause 9 of the Bill seeks to re-enact section 67(1)(b) to make the presence of alcohol exceeding the legal limit in a driver's blood or breath an offence in itself without linking it to the control of vehicle. The new section 67(1)(b) makes it clear that an offence is committed once the driver's alcohol content exceeds the prescribed limit. This provision is similar to the provisions in Malaysian and UK legislation. (b) Driving under the influence of intoxicating substance Presently, it is not an offence for a person to drive or to be in charge of a vehicle whilst under the influence of an intoxicating substance. This is an anomalous situation. To plug this loophole, the re-enactment of section 67(1)(a) has been expanded to make driving whilst under the influence of any intoxicating substance specified in the Intoxicating Substances Act, such as Toulene which is commonly known as glue, an offence. The same penalty for drunken driving will apply to this new offence. The presence of or an intoxicating substance in the body will be determined by a blood test in the same manner as it is currently done for alcohol or drug.”
“Streamline procedures for drink driving Presently, under section 70 of the Act, a person is presumed incapable of having proper control of his vehicle if he has alcohol content in his blood in excess of 80 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood. To ascertain this, police has to escort the motorist to the hospital for a blood test and the result will only be known after two weeks. The current procedure is therefore inefficient and manpower intensive. We thus propose using a device called Breath Evidential Analyser (BEA) to assess the alcohol level. This device measures the alcohol level in a motorist's breath and produces a printout of the result immediately. The printout can also be tendered in court as evidence. As the test can be performed by police officers at any police station, there is therefore no need to bring the motorist to the hospital for a blood test. The use of the Breath Evidential Analyser is expected to save police about 1,500 man hours per year. The breathalyser technique has been successfully used in UK, Sweden, Norway and the United States. Clause 12 of the Bill seeks to repeal and re-enact sections 69, 70, 71, 71A, 71B, 71C to deal with drink driving. Essentially, the new sections are a re-enactment of existing sections but with suitable modifications to give effect to the new regime of Breathalyser test and to provide for its results to be admissible in court. Other Amendments Apart from the measures I mentioned above, we are also introducing other amendments. These are meant to tighten the various provisions of the Road Traffic Act.”
“But this is only if the offender had driven a vehicle 40 km per hour above the speed limit and an accident happened as a result, and death or serious injury caused. Raising of composition fines Under section 135 of the Road Traffic Act, Police may compound certain traffic offences by offering a composition fine of not more than $200. This ceiling for composition fine, set 11 years ago, is inadequate. Clause 15 of the Bill seeks to amend section 135(1) to raise the fine from $200 to $500. This amendment will give Police the flexibility to offer composition fines in cases where it may not be necessary to produce the offender in court. Smoother traffic flow Sir, I now come to the measures for smoother traffic flow. The traffic density on our roads is high. The Government has introduced many measures to keep congestion to a minimum. However, even with the best of efforts it will fail if motorists continue to park illegally. Illegal or indiscriminate parking causes inconvenience, obstruction, congestion and disrupts the free flow of traffic. Despite intensive efforts by the Police at enforcement, illegal parking in certain areas continues to remain a serious problem During the first week of an illegal parking enforcement by Traffic Police last month, 139 motorists were summoned daily at the 12 areas where the problem was worst. Three weeks later, it was an average of 250 motorists summoned daily. Clause 14 of the Bill seeks to repeal and re-enact section 123 to allow the Minister, amongst other things, to make rules to provide for wheel clamps to be fixed on vehicles which have been parked illegally on the road. We hope that this measure will deter motorists from parking illegally, especially in the areas where the situation is extremely bad.”
“The new section 67A has therefore been amended to include the offence of refusal to provide blood sample under section 70(4) as one of the offences which will attract the enhanced penalty. A recalcitrant motorist will not escape the enhanced penalties simply by refusing to provide his blood or breath samples. (b) Excessive speeding, ie, speeding in excess of 40 km per hour of the speed limit. Speeding, especially excessively, is a major cause of accidents. Speeding can result in minor, serious or fatal accidents. In 1992 and 1993, there were 93 and 96 cases of speed-related fatal accidents respectively. This works out to be about 41.3% and 39.8% of the total number of fatal accidents in both these years. Speed-related fatal accidents rose to 118 cases in 1994, accounting for about 48.6% of the total number of fatal accidents. In 1995, while the number of such accidents has decreased to 81, they still account for 37.9% of the total number of fatal accidents. The case of Private Choy again comes readily to mind. The car that hit him had earlier been seen speeding along the ECP, and an expressway patrol had clocked it moving at a speed of 191 km per hour. Before the patrol car could catch up with him, the car had turned towards Fort Road and killed Private Choy. Excessive speeding is another manifestation of irresponsible behaviour on our roads and must be treated as a very serious offence. The inclusion of excessive speeding in this category of serious offences will impress this fact upon errant motorists. The new section 67A(1) thus includes speeding under section 63(4) as one of the offences which will attract the enhanced penalty and caning.”
“These offences are: (a) driving under disqualification or suspension; (b) reckless or dangerous driving; (c) causing death by dangerous driving; and (d) drink driving. But he is liable for the enhanced penalty only if he had two previous convictions for the same type of offence. If death or serious injury was caused on the third occasion, the court can also impose caning of up to six strokes. These offences are deliberate manifestations of irresponsible behaviour on our roads. They must be rigorously deterred. Clause 10 of the Bill seeks to amend section 67A. With the amendment, the enhanced penalties, including caning of up to six strokes, can be imposed as long as the offender has two previous convictions for any of the serious traffic offences and has also caused death or serious injury while committing another serious traffic offence. In addition to this, we also proposed to include two more offences to this category of serious traffic offences: (a) Refusal to provide blood or breath samples. As mentioned above, section 67A of the Act provides for enhanced penalties for repeat offenders of serious offences, including driving under the influence of alcohol. Currently, however, a motorist who is suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol, cannot be given the enhanced penalties if he refuses to provide a blood sample. In such an event, he can only be charged for refusing to give a blood sample and the penalty is only a fine of between $1,000 and $5,000 or imprisonment of up to six months for a first offender and a fine of between $3,000 and $10,000 and an imprisonment of up to 12 months for repeat offenders.”
“(b) to create a new subsection (8) to provide that in cases where the offender has been convicted and sentenced for the offence of causing death or serious injury and failing to render assistance, the court shall order the imprisonment terms for these offences to be served consecutively. Enhanced penalties for inconsiderate and dangerous driving offences We have also proposed to increase the penalties for reckless and dangerous driving and inconsiderate driving. The number of such incidents has been rising, from 1,431 cases in 1991 to 2,695 cases in 1995. If this trend continues, more people will needlessly be killed or injured on our roads. Clause 6 of the Bill seeks to amend section 64(1) to enhance the penalty for reckless or dangerous driving from a maximum of $1,000 fine or six months' jail to a maximum of $3,000 fine or one year's jail in the case of first timers. For repeat offenders, it will be enhanced from a maximum of $2,000 fine or 12 months' jail to a maximum of $5,000 fine or two years' jail. Clause 7 of the Bill seeks to amend section 65 to enhance the penalty for driving without due care or reasonable consideration. For first time offenders, the penalty will be increased from the present maximum of $500 fine or three months' jail, to a maximum of $1,000 fine or six months' jail. For repeat offenders, the penalty will be increased from the present maximum of $1,000 fine or six months' jail to a maximum of $2,000 fine or one year's jail. Enhanced punishment for repeat offenders where serious injury or death is caused The Bill also seeks to increase the penalties for repeat offenders of serious accidents involving death or serious injury. Currently, the Court can impose up to three times the maximum penalty for certain serious offences.”
“This amendment will impress upon the drivers of such vehicles that they have a special responsibility to ensure the safety of the people whom they carry or on the streets. Enhanced penalties for hit-and-run accidents The number of fatal hit-and-run accidents has been rising over the years from two in 1991 to eight and seven in 1994 and 1995 respectively. We take a serious view of such accidents because fleeing from the scene after knocking down a person is an irresponsible act. The driver has a moral obligation to stop after an accident and assist the victim. It can make a difference between life and death. One is reminded of the case of teenager Moses Seow who was fatally injured after being hit by a van on the road shoulder of East Coast Parkway (ECP) on 31st June last year. The driver sped off without even stopping to check on the youth. But he left behind a piece of hard evidence: the van's season parking coupon had fallen out with part of the windscreen during the accident. Police later tracked him down and arrested him. Had it not been for this clue, the culprit would have got away scot-free. We need to address this problem urgently, firstly, because fleeing from the scene of accident is an irresponsible act and, secondly, because it is difficult to trace such culprits in such cases, and finally, because the number of deaths in such accidents has been on the rise. Clause 13 of the Bill therefore seeks to amend section 84: (a) to create a new subsection (7) to increase the fine to not more than $3,000 or one year's jail for first time offenders of fatal or serious hit-and-run accidents. Repeat offenders will be fined not more than $5,000 or jailed up to two years.”
“Over the last few years, there have been a number of such cases due mainly to the negligence of the driver. For example, six passengers were injured when a SBS double-decker bus crashed into a gantry post at Stadium Link on 19th September 1993. A more serious accident happened on 1st July 1994 when a lorry carrying an electrical cable drum hit the passage way of a building in Selegie Road. The impact pinned two passengers against the cable drum, killing them instantly. Then on 6th October last year, a crane-mounted lorry hit a gantry post along Ayer Rajah Expressway causing the post to fall. The result: a massive 3-hour gridlock that seriously inconvenienced all motorists. And just in this month alone, two double-decker buses crashed into the structures at Ang Mo Kio bus interchange on two consecutive days. In one of the cases, the bus driver and three passengers were injured. It could have been worse. These collisions not only cause extensive damage to structures and buildings but, worse, also endanger lives. The drivers of such vehicles must be made to exercise greater care and responsibility. Passenger vehicle drivers especially owe a duty of care to their passengers whose lives are literally in their hands. Clause 8 of the Bill seeks to create a new section 65A to make it a specific offence for a driver of a heavy motor vehicle or a public service vehicle to collide with any building or structure. First time offenders will be fined not more than $5,000 or jailed for not more than two years or both. Repeat offenders will be fined not more than $10,000 or jailed for not more than five years or both.”
“Compared with the average accident rates, those in this age group are about six times more vulnerable. Take the case of Jeffrey Tan Yew Hwa. He was only 17 and had just passed his riding test in July last year. Barely two months later, on 29th September 1995, he lost control of his motorcycle while making a right turn along Pasir Ris Avenue 3 and hit a lamp post. He was flung onto the road and died on the spot from severe head injuries. Exactly three months earlier, another 17-year old had met the same fate when his motorcycle hit the side of Benjamin Sheares Bridge and the impact threw him over the bridge. Another tragedy is the case of National Serviceman Private Choy Ying Keong. He was on road marshal duty along Fort Road in June last year when he was fatally hit by a speeding car driven at 191 km per hour, by one Yong Kar Seong who was 17 years old then. Death from accidents is always tragic, but it is more so when the victims are so young. It is heart-breaking to think that they will never grow into adulthood. It is a loss to the nation and to their families. We cannot afford such carnage of our young. Even one death is one death too many. There are many others like them. They died tragically young. Should we allow this situation to continue? The answer clearly must be "no". We need to protect our young from doing harm to themselves and to others. Clause 5 of the Bill therefore seeks to amend section 62(2) to raise the minimum age limits for motorcyclists and drivers from the current 16 and 17 years old respectively to 18 years old. Enhanced punishment for collision against overhead structures Sir, I come to collision by public service vehicles or other heavy vehicles into structures or buildings.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The main purpose of the amendments is to introduce measures which will enhance road safety, ensure smoother traffic flow and streamline procedures for more effective and efficient traffic enforcement and investigations. Before touching on the amendments, let me briefly explain why the new measures are necessary. Singapore's road accident situation has improved since the mid-1980s. However, we still have a long way to go. Our accident death rate is relatively high. In 1995, there were four deaths for every 10,000 vehicles and this was more than twice that of countries like Britain, the United States and Sweden. Almost all road accidents here can be attributed to the behaviour of motorists and pedestrians, all road users, in fact. An average of 7,200 people were killed or injured on the roads every year from 1991 to 1995. Although pedestrians were sometimes at fault, statistics show that 90% of these cases were due to the negligence or rashness of the motorists. The Police, therefore, has been proactive in its education campaigns and strict in its enforcement efforts to persuade motorists to use the roads safely. Whilst the majority has responded positively, a small minority has continued to display irresponsible and dangerous driving habits. This has led to certain worrying trends which must be checked. Let me now elaborate on the measures to achieve this. Measures to Enhance Road Safety Raising of age limits for motorists First, the raising of age limits for motorists. Our young is over-represented in accidents. Statistics show that motorists aged between 16 and 17 years old are the most vulnerable on the roads.”
“With regard to financial procedures, clause 8 seeks to repeal and re-enact section 22 to remove the deadline of 30th June of each year in which the Corporation must submit its financial report to Parliament. Clause 11 also seeks to amend the Schedule to the Act relating to financial procedures to introduce a new paragraph 2A to provide for the auditor to be an approved company auditor under the Companies Act before he can be appointed as an auditor of the Corporation. Furthermore, under the revised paragraph 6, the auditor will be allowed to submit his report direct to the Minister. The penalty for non-compliance with an auditor's request has also been enhanced from $500 to $1,000. These amendments will bring the practice in CISCO in line with the practices of other statutory boards. Finally, Sir, the proposed amendments are needed to improve the management of CISCO in its role in helping the Police and other law enforcement agencies, and to facilitate its future development expansion. 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. - [Mr Wong Kan Seng]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. MISCELLANEOUS OFFENCES (PUBLIC ORDER AND NUISANCE) (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read.”
“However, CISCO uniformed officers are not confined in the operation to any specified geographical areas. They are deployed all over Singapore to support the Singapore Police Force. For this reason, it would be more appropriate to provide for the establishment of an auxiliary police force under the CISCO Act itself while still allowing the Commissioner of Police to have overall control over the CISCO auxiliary police force with regard to professional and disciplinary matters. Clause 7 of the Bill therefore seeks to repeal and re-enact section 12 to authorise the Corporation to set up an auxiliary police force for the purpose of carrying out its functions under the Act. The new section also makes provisions relating to the auxiliary police force and the appointment of a commandant of the auxiliary police force. The commandant will have disciplinary powers over the CISCO uniformed personnel subject to the overall control of the Commissioner of Police. Other Amendments Mr Speaker, Sir, we have also taken the opportunity to make a number of other minor amendments to the Act. Clause 3 of the Bill seeks to amend section 4(1) of the Act by repealing the proviso to remove the maximum number of persons which can be appointed to the Board of the Corporation. This will enable the Board to appoint more persons with the necessary expertise to help its regionalisation efforts. We have also proposed a number of amendments to bring the Act in line with the other statutory boards' laws, including those on financial procedures. Clause 6 seeks to repeal and re-enact section 9 to provide for the appointment of a chief executive officer to be known by such designation as the Corporation may determine.”
“Control of Corporation by Minister In view of the expanded functions of the Corporation, clause 5 of the Bill seeks to create a new section 8A to empower the Minister to give such directions to the Corporation in the exercise and the performance of its functions. Under the new section 8A(2), the Corporation is also required to provide whatever information the Minister requires or to facilitate in providing such information to the Minister in relation to its functions and activities. Similar provisions are also found in the Acts governing other statutory boards, eg, PSA, URA, HDB and EDB. Protection of Corporation's name and logo As a statutory board with substantial commercial goodwill, it is important for the Corporation to enshrine into the Act adequate protection of its acronym "CISCO" and its logo. This is to prevent any misuse or tapping of its goodwill which it has accumulated over the years by other persons or organisations. Clause 9 of the Bill seeks to create a new section 22A to make it an offence for anyone to use the acronym "CISCO" or any of its symbol or representation without written permission. The penalty is a fine of not exceeding $2,000 or imprisonment not exceeding six months. Similar provisions are also found in the Acts of a number of other statutory boards (such as JTC, URA, PUB and HDB). Better control of uniformed personnel in the Corporation Currently, the Corporation derives its auxiliary police force status from section 73(1) of the Singapore Police Force Act. Section 73(1) provides that the Commissioner of Police, with the approval of the Minister, may authorise the creation of an auxiliary police force within the limits of any specified geographical area. An example of an auxiliary police force formed under this section is the PSA Police.”
“The new paragraphs (j), (k), (l) of subsection (2) now specifically provide that the Corporation has the power (i) to provide training to persons employed for the provision of security services; (ii) to provide training of guard dogs and other animals for security-related operations; (iii) to supply, install and maintain security systems including fire safety and computer security systems; and (iv) to provide consultancy services in the area of security including fire safety and computer security. Overseas commercial activities, joint ventures and forming of subsidiaries Over the years, the Corporation has also acquired expertise in a wide range of security services for which there is an overseas market, eg, monitoring of central fire alarm systems and the provision of security consultancy services for buildings. To facilitate the Corporation's overseas commercial activities, it has formed subsidiaries and entered into joint ventures with foreign or Singapore companies, including investing in other companies. The Corporation intends to expand further its overseas commercial activities as part of Singapore's regionalisation effort. Currently, there is no specific provision for this in the Act. Clause 4 of the Bill seeks to re-enact section 7 by creating new paragraphs (g) and (h) to expressly provide CISCO with the legal powers to form or participate in the formation of a company or companies or to enter into a joint venture or partnership in Singapore or elsewhere and that it can subscribe to stocks, shares, bonds and debentures of a company. Similar provisions are also found in the Acts of a number of statutory boards.”
“The Corporation has also gone into computer security and is now offering a range of computer security software packages for computer users, both in the Government and in the private sector. There is scope for the various enforcement agencies to delegate more of the functions to the Corporation, for example, police crowd control at major public events such as soccer matches and enforcement against illegal parking. Such duties do not require the officers to have the same level of training which regular police officers undergo. Given the limited manpower of the Police Force, it will be wasteful to deploy regular police officers for such duties. The Police should concentrate on its core functions of crime control and leave peripheral policing functions to CISCO. Some of the other functions which Police could delegate to the Corporation include issuing summons for illegal parking, enforcement against illegal betting at the Turf Club, execution of search warrants, enforcement of intellectual property rights, security checking at the Causeway and the issuing of driving licences. Clause 4 of the Bill seeks to repeal and re-enact section 7 to enlarge the existing functions of the Corporation by providing expressly in subsection (1)(c) that it is the function of the Corporation to assist the Singapore Police Force in the maintenance of law and order and any department of the Government and statutory board in the discharge of their duties and functions under any written law.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, the Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation (CISCO) Act was enacted in July 1972 to establish CISCO. Its objective was to take over from the Singapore Police Force the function of providing security services and armed guards to banks and other commercial and industrial establishments. Since then, the Act was amended in 1973 and 1976 in respect of the provisions concerning financial procedures. This Bill seeks to amend the CISCO Act in three areas: (a) to widen the functions of the Corporation to enable it to assist the Singapore Police Force and other Government departments and statutory boards in the discharge of certain functions and duties; (b) to clarify the scope of the Corporation's legal powers; and (c) to refine the provisions relating to the administration of the Corporation, in particular, the status of its auxiliary police force. Main Amendments Widening the Corporation's functions and clarifying its powers Over the years, CISCO has advanced from providing armed guards to also providing other forms of security services. For example, it has been involved in the training of officers of the other auxiliary police forces (eg, the CIAS APF, SATS APF, CIS APF, Sentosa APF) at the CISCO Training School and staff of private security agencies. CISCO also provides security consultancy services and operates the central monitoring system for ex-drug addicts and criminal law supervisees placed under electronic supervision by the Prisons Department, Singapore Police Force and Central Narcotics Bureau.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, may I seek your consent and the general assent of Members present to move that the proceedings on item 1 on the Order Paper be exempted from the provisions of Standing Order No. 45(8)(a) so as to remove the time limit to enable the Minister for Communications to give a full and comprehensive reply to all the points raised by the Members. Mr Deputy Speaker: I give my consent. Does the Leader of the House have the general assent of all Members present to so move? Hon. Members indicated assent. With the consent of Mr Deputy Speaker, and the general assent of Members present, Question put, and agreed to. Resolved, That the proceedings on item 1 on the Order Paper be exempted from the provisions of Standing Order No. 45(8)(a). - [Mr Wong Kan Seng]. WORLD CLASS LAND TRANSPORT SYSTEM Debate resumed. 4.42 pm”
“Mr Cheo Chai Chen asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether unit #01-126 of Block 848 Yishun Street 81 has been designated as a coffee shop; (b) if it has been so designated, why is the unit so small; and (c) if not, why are there many tables and chairs in front of the unit.”
“The fees charged per visit to the SCHCC depend on the household income: Monthly Household Income Fee Per Visit Public Assistance Free <$1000 $5 $1000 - $2000 $10 >$2000-$3000 $15 >$3000 $20 The fees for transport vary depending on the distance travelled and the type of patient : Within 4 km - $2 for ambulant patients and $5 for wheelchair patients > 4 km - $6 for both ambulant and wheelchair patients. (iii) The SCHCCs are fully utilised presently. Each month, the total attendances for the various services average 11,000. The average attendance for rehabilitation is 7,000, 1,500 for health education and training in activities of daily living, and 2,500 for geriatric health screening and assessment. The Centres make about 5,000 trips to transport the elderly to the Centres for rehabilitation. (iv) The Ministry's plan is to encourage and assist Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) besides the HNF to set up rehabilitative day care centres for the elderly. At present, besides the 7 SCHCCs, there are 6 other rehabilitative day care centres for the elderly run by other VWOs :- 2 Apex Day Care Centres at Bukit Merah - Apex Club Ayer Rajah Day Care Centre - Ayer Rajah CCC Wan Qing Lodge at Jurong - Yuhua PAP Community Foundation and the Foo Hai Cha_n Monastery. Day Care Centre at Ling Kwang Home for Senior Citizens Day Rehabilitative Centre at St Andrew_s Community Hospital Another 5 rehabilitative day care centres are being planned and should be operational in 1 - 2 years at the following locations : Bedok - Salvation Army Ang Mo Kio - Asian Women_s Welfare Association Geylang - Tzu Chi Merits Association Yishun - Salem Chapel Choa Chu Kang - HNF USE OF UNIT #01-126, BLOCK 848, YISHUN STREET 81 5.”
“The speed-detection cameras came into operation on 15th December 1994. Between 15th December 1994 and 31st December 1995, 19,249 vehicles were caught by the cameras. Of these, 19,184 motorists were fined. The total amount of fines collected is $3.23 million. SENIOR CITIZENS HEALTH CARE CENTRE 4. Dr Kanwaljit Soin asked the Minister for Health to give details on the Senior Citizens Health Care Centre with respect to (i) the number and general geographical spread; (ii) the services provided and fees charged; (iii) the strategies employed to increase their use by senior citizens; and (iv) the future plans for expansion. BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: (i) The Senior Citizens_ Health Care Centres (SCHCCs) are run by the Home Nursing Foundation (HNF), a voluntary welfare organisation. There are 7 SCHCCs, 2 in the eastern, 2 in the central and 3 in the western sectors of Singapore. The SCHCCs are located at the Bukit Batok, Jurong, Toa Payoh, Geylang, Hougang and Tampines polyclinics and at Ang Mo Kio Community Hospital. (ii) The primary function of SCHCCs is to provide day rehabilitation to disabled elderly. The services provided in the SCHCCs are rehabilitation and training in activities of daily living, for patients following strokes, management of incontinence, geriatric health screening and assessment, health education of the elderly and education of the carers in the care of the elderly. Transport to and from the Centres is also available.”
“Question put, and agreed to. Resolved, That this Parliament, pursuant to section 3 of the Departmental Titles (Alteration) Act (Chapter 77), resolves that the Schedule to the said Act be amended by the addition under the headings of ``Old Title or Name of Office'' and ``New Title or Name of Office'' respectively the following: Old Title or Name of Office New Title or Name of Office Head of Administration and Head of Support and Services Specialist Division, Division, Criminal Criminal Investigation Investigation Department Department Officer-in-Charge of the Head of Investigations of the Traffic Investigation Branch Traffic Investigation Branch Officers-in-Charge of the Commanders of the Land Land Divisions Divisions Officer-in-Charge of the Commander of the Police Marine Police Division Coast Guard Assistant Officer-in-Charge Deputy Commander of the of the Marine Police Police Coast Guard. Division ADJOURNMENT Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn to a date to be fixed." - [Mr Wong Kan Seng]. Adjourned accordingly at Twenty-two Minutes to Five o'clock pm. WRITTEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS DONATIONS FROM SINGAPORE TOTALISATOR BOARD 1. Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide details of the organisations and the amounts each organisation received since 1991, or will receive by way of donations from the Singapore Totalisator Board.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the Motion* standing in my name. *The Motion reads as follows: That this Parliament, pursuant to section 3 of the Departmental Titles (Alteration) Act (Chapter 77), resolves that the Schedule to the said Act be amended by the addition under the headings of "Old Title or Name of Office" and "New Title or Name of Office" respectively the following: Old Title or Name of Office New Title or Name of Office Head of Administration and Head of Support and Services Specialist Division, Division, Criminal Criminal Investigation Investigation Department Department Officer-in-Charge of the Head of Investigations of Traffic Investigation the Traffic Investigation Branch Branch Officers-in-Charge of the Commanders of the Land Land Divisions Divisions Officer-in-Charge of the Commander of the Police Coast Marine Police Division Guard Assistant Officer-in-Charge Deputy Commander of the of the Marine Police Police Coast Guard. Division Sir, officers holding the five titles exercise some of the Public Prosecutors' powers by virtue of the Gazette Notification No. 2 to the Criminal Procedure Code - the Public Prosecutor - Deputies and Assistants. In addition, the post of Head of Administration and Specialist Division, Criminal Investigation Department, is designated as the competent authority for the purpose of section 3(3) of the Officials Secrets Act. The five titles have been changed following the Police's adoption of the staff and line system which delineates staff and command responsibilities and accountability. Commanders of Divisions are designated Commanders instead of the general term "Officers-in-Charge". Sir, the proposed motion will affirm that the delegated powers can continue to be exercised by the new title holders. Sir, I beg to move.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we have come to the end of a very long and important debate. The first two days were on the Family Violence and other Bills, but today's sitting is crucial because we have talked about a very important subject, ie, the independence of our judiciary. I think most speakers are very clear about the stand to take, but some are still bumbling along and at the end, they are still fumbling for a position which they can only take at the end of another umpteenth meetings amongst their CEC members. ADJOURNMENT Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn to a date to be fixed." - [Mr Wong Kan Seng]. Adjourned accordingly at Twenty-two Minutes past Four o'clock pm to a date to be fixed.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I think it is very important for us to know the SDP's view, in particular, the views of the two SDP Members, since Mr Chiam has already stated his view. We will have a short adjournment, so that he can clarify his mind and his position.”
“Sir, this sidelining of Francis Seow's speech is not my doing. This is SDP quoting and sidelining what is in this text. I think it would be useful for Mr Ling, as the Leader of the Opposition, to take a stand on this and read out the passages that he agreed with or did not agree for the benefit of the whole House. There is no point showing it to me. I would just keep it to my chest. Please read it.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, before we suspended the sitting, we said that we would give time to Mr Ling to study the text of Mr Francis Seow's speech. He is still not back here yet. Actually, we are eagerly looking forward to his views. May I seek your consent and the general assent of Members present to move that the proceedings on item No. 1 today be exempted from the provision of Standing Order No. 45 in so far as it is necessary to enable hon. Members to speak more than once to any question?”
“Mr Chiam, definitely. I would not forget him. So to allow Members enough time to study the transcript of Mr Francis Seow's speech, I would urge Members to agree to have a break. I would also urge Members to give Mr Ling a second chance afterwards to state his position, because under Standing Orders he can only speak once. But I think we could make an exception for him.”
“Yes, of course, we will definitely need a break. We should also give a copy to Mr Low because I think earlier on, during the exchange, Mr Low was not here. May the Clerk make a copy as quickly as possible and give it to Mr Low, so that he could also study the speech, and to other Members of the House, of course. But give it to Mr Low first, so that he will also be aware of what was said by Francis Seow, and he can tell us his position. An hon. Member: Mr Chiam.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, earlier on, we heard Mr Ling gave us a very enlightening speech but we are still very much in the dark about what he said because he did not shed much light. This is because he was also kept in the dark by his Secretary-General who was present that evening to take part in the alternative panel discussion and his Secretary-General did not tell him what was said, as he had no tape recorder with him at that time. Since Mr Ling does not know what Mr Francis Seow had said and had no full briefing of it from his Secretary-General, and now that Mr Chay Wai Chuen, through Dr Ow, has given him the full text of that speech, I think it is only fair that we give Mr Ling time to study this text, check with his Secretary-General who was there at that time, and who is here today, which part of the speech that he agreed with, which part he did not agree with, and come back and tell us what Dr Chee meant by, "I do agree very much with many things that Mr Seow and Dr Lingle have said ...". And I hope that this time we will be much more enlightened than the earlier occasion.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Debate be now adjourned." I would like to remind Members that since there are so many other Members who want to speak, we will come back again tomorrow. Question put, and agreed to. Resolved, "That the Debate be now adjourned." - [Mr Wong Kan Seng]. ADJOURNMENT Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn." - [Mr Wong Kan Seng]. Adjourned accordingly at Nine minutes to Five o'clock pm.”
“In 1994, Police arrested 133 persons for seizable offences in domestic violence cases. MARKET PRODUCE AND HAWKER FOOD (Cost increase) 9. Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for Trade and Industry whether he foresees the need to study the impact on cost increases of market produce and hawker food after the sale of coffee shops and market stalls in Housing and Development Board estates.”
“Reports of family violence are not separately categorized from other hurt cases. Cases of family violence are presently subsumed under the broad category of voluntarily causing hurt or voluntarily causing grievous hurt. As such, Police do not have a ready breakdown of the statistics as requested. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE (Number of arrests) 8. Dr Kanwaljit Soin asked the Minister for Home Affairs if he will provide the number of arrests in seizable cases of domestic violence that were made in 1994 following reports of such cases to the Police.”
“As provided under the law, an arrested suspect is not allowed to talk to his family until preliminary police investigations are completed. This is to ensure that Police investigations are not compromised. Depending on the complexity of the case, preliminary investigations can take a few hours to several days or longer. Notwithstanding the above, the family is informed of the suspect's arrest within a few hours of the arrest. In exceptional cases, such as where a family member is suspected to be linked to the offence either as a witness, co-conspirator or through an alibi claimed by the accused, the family may not be informed of the arrest until preliminary investigations are completed. VOLUNTARILY CAUSING HURT (Breakdown of victims) 7. Dr Kanwaljit Soin asked the Minister for Home Affairs, of the 3625 cases of voluntarily causing hurt involving family members reported to the Police in 1994, if he will give a breakdown of the victims into categories of (i) husbands; (ii) wives; (iii) the elderly; (iv) children; and (v) other adult family members.”
“Finally, more also should be done to strengthen and support the family rather than introducing another wedge to divide it through a separate and new legislation.”
“In fact, to quote another Chinese saying, I think we are also fully aware that " " (Qing guan nan pan jia wu shi), which means that even the most honest judge cannot deal with family matters. There is also another Chinese saying: " " (Jia he wan shi xing), which means that when you have a peaceful and harmonious family, then everything will be peaceful and calm. " " (Jia shuai shi bu ping) means that when you always quarrel, you will never have a harmonious family. I think in our context, we will rather have Jia he wan shi xing to deal with this problem ourselves, rather than to go to the Police. Sir, family disputes occur in diverse situations and the needs of the family in each situation vary because of the relationships and emotions involved. For this reason, the parties involved should be handled with understanding and sensitivity, and not always with the cold and strong arm of the law. I prefer a more mediatory and conciliatory approach which gives the family in distress a better chance of resolving its problem, with the Police intervening only in the more serious situations, where there is a breach of court order or where the situation is assessed to likely lead to serious hurt. Amending the Women's Charter along the line recommended by the Work Group offers a better legal framework for addressing the problem in the best interest of the family and our future generation. At the same time, more should be done by community and social service organisations to understand and analyse the root causes of family violence, and to devise innovative and therapeutic intervention techniques in dealing with such situations. They need to build up their resources to cope with the increasing demand for their service.”
“This is worsened by the fact that the Bill also encourages reporting of family disputes or violence by members of the public (clause 19). I think members are aware of a case in the USA reported last year in September in The New Paper that a mother slapped her child; somebody complained to the Police, the Police came, arrested the mother and wanted to charge her for abusing the child. But, fortunately, with wisdom, the Police decided eventually to drop the charge. As an Asian society which believes in the strict upbringing of children, we cannot afford to let this happen. Sir, while I understand Dr Soin's passion on the issue of family violence, I do not go along with the Bill's heavy-handed approach in dealing with family violence. Dr Soin quoted a Chinese couplet. It says " " (Sheng bu ru ya men, si bu ru di yu). I think we have to understand the historical and cultural context under which that couplet was framed. In the old days, in the Magistrate's Court in China, the Magistrate was both the judge, the prosecutor and the Police. And of course people at that time also preferred to settle matters on their own through the clansmen and the elders of the clan, rather than to involve a third party like the Magistrate's Court. So it is important to understand that. But today, in Singapore's context, it is different. I think Singaporeans are not afraid of going to the Police. We have our NPPs and community policing. It has been successful for the last 12-13 years. People are very willing to go to the Police whenever they have a complaint to make. And that is seen from the examples dealt with by our NPPs and from the many episodes I heard from my Police Officers. The people are now prepared to go to the Police. So we should not worry about that too much.”
“This will be the scenario if the Bill becomes law and all acts of family violence become seizable offences. Do we want to use our Police Sergeants to respond to every complaint of family violence at the expense of their attention to crimes on the streets? We should get our priorities right. Or does Dr Soin want to empower our young police constables to investigate and decide whether the abuser and the victim should be sent for counselling? He is under 25 years old. Of course, he knows and is trained to do his job. Indeed, the Police Commissioner has introduced the concept of empowerment to his officers. By this, police officers on the ground are encouraged to adopt a "take charge" attitude and exercise initiative and responsibility where appropriate. However, there are situations where judicious restraint is called for and family dispute is one of them. Sir, Dr Soin's Bill also covers other family members, for example, children and the elderly. Our society does not condone spousal violence; similarly, we also do not condone mistreatment or abuse of children and the elderly. Children deserve special protection; the elderly, our respect. In protecting children against family violence, we must, however, not unwittingly blur the difference between real abuse and disciplinary measures such as scolding or parental caning. Although clause 3(2) of the Bill excludes force used on a child "by way of correction", the Bill's wide definition of family violence coupled with making family violence a seizable offence, may in time bring about a situation where parents would think twice before applying disciplinary measures on their children for their own good.”
“Secondly, clause 13(1) empowers the Police to arrest an offender without an order from the Magistrate and without a warrant of arrest. This amounts to making family violence a seizable offence which is what the Bill is intended to do, and just like offences as theft, robbery, housebreaking and voluntarily causing grievous hurt. Is it necessary to go this far? Thirdly, clause 13(1) also obliges the Police to investigate every complaint whenever information is received or whenever the complaint is made. Currently in none of our present laws is the Police required to investigate every matter reported to the Police. The Police can exercise discretion and it does so wisely. When the Police carries out an investigation, it is to establish whether an offence has been committed and to take enforcement action accordingly. That is the meaning of "investigation". Do we really want the Police to investigate every report when it may be better to call a counsellor, or maybe even to leave the matter be if Police investigation would only aggravate the problem? Sir, I do not think we should criminalise family violence. We should leave that to the Penal Code. Perhaps it is not Dr Soin's intention to criminalise family disputes, but this is what the Bill amounts to. Nor should we require by law the Police to intervene and investigate every case and effect an arrest without a Court Order. A typical police constable on the ground is one in his twenties and many are not yet married. In fact, almost half (45%) of our 2,950 junior officers are below 25 years of age. Given the complexity of family violence cases, he will have to refer this case to his Sergeant who is more experienced and mature to consider the circumstances and make the crucial decision whether to arrest and prosecute.”
“The two family service centres involved in the pilot project are very supportive and I thank them for that. But in their feedback, they have expressed some concern that if the case load increases significantly, they would not have sufficient trained counsellors to sustain the programme. Indeed, I see this as a major constraint in implementing Dr Soin's proposal on compulsory counselling for the abuser and the abused if the abuser does not want to be prosecuted. Given the Bill's approach to make family violence a seizable offence, all this will demand a huge amount of counselling resources. Singapore today simply does not have enough qualified and experienced counsellors to cope with this demand as they are also needed to counsel other types of cases, for example, juvenile delinquents, drug abusers, and so on. And petitioners like these two family service centres and the association against family violence should know well enough. MCD and my Ministry support the recommendations of this Work Group. These, together with the pilot project, offer a conciliatory approach to family violence. The Family Violence Bill, on the other hand, seeks to involve Police at the very outset, leans towards an adversarial if not a combative approach. The Bill also has the effect of criminalising family violence. Dr Soin may say, no, not quite. But let me elaborate. Firstly, clause 9(1) of the Bill makes the commission of an act of family violence a specific offence. Such acts include even the "causing of harassment with intent to cause anguish to a family member". Offenders, even first timers, can be jailed (clause 9(1)). Is this what the people want? Can we imagine what will happen to the family if the offending party is jailed for abusing the victim even the first time round?”
“The project is being carried out at Ang Mo Kio Police Division and involves five NPPs, namely, Cheng San, Chong Boon, Ang Mo Kio, Teck Ghee and Kebun Bahru and two Volunteer Welfare Organisations (VWOs), namely, Ang Mo Kio (Family) Service Centre and HELP Family Service Centre. The pilot project has been on-going since April this year. A preliminary report put up by Police HQ indicates that in the period 17th April 1995 to 16th October 1995, the five NPPs recorded a total of 68 cases of spousal violence. Of these, 18 (or 26%) were referred to the two family service centres for counselling. In the remaining 50 cases, three were undergoing counselling, six had reconciled and 41 turned down offers of counselling. Of the 41 victims who turned down counselling, 13 indicated that they were filing for divorce whilst the vast majority did not want any third party intervention because they made their report only for the purpose of record. Of the 18 cases referred to the VWOs for counselling, two are repeat cases and the victims are still undergoing counselling. But they have refused to have their spouses prosecuted. One of them was offered temporary shelter by the VWO but she declined. Of the 18 cases referred for counselling, the VWOs have reported good progress made on four cases, satisfactory progress on 10 and the other four cases were terminated by the victims. This pilot project shows promise as a constructive community-oriented approach to the issue of family violence. It has, however, revealed that in a large majority of cases, victims made police reports only for record purposes, some to buttress their case for a divorce. Some others simply did not want to involve a third party, ie, the counsellors, in their problems.”
“The subject of domestic violence would be included in the training syllabus for Police Officers; Fourthly, a database on domestic violence cases be built up to facilitate policy formulation; and Fifthly, the current public education efforts be improved to increase public awareness of the problem and the assistance available to them. So these recommendations are very useful. As MCD was at that time reviewing also the Women's Charter, the Work Group recommended that MCD introduce provisions to strengthen the protection given to victims of spousal violence by attaching powers of arrest to all PPOs in the first instance, introducing compulsory counselling for abusers if the situation demands, and specifying the penalties for breach of PPOs. In short, the Work Group has addressed quite a number of the main provisions of this Family Violence Bill. I should also mention that at the operational level, the CID has a Women and Family Violence Committee to discuss operational issues concerning the investigation of rape, molest and domestic violence cases. This forum which includes representatives from the SCWO and various Heads of Investigations of Police Divisions discusses such matters as the use of more female police officers and the special training of investigators for handling such cases. It also discusses specific cases of child abuse, rape and family violence. This Committee was formed in 1992 when it was then called the Rape Management Committee. But in November 1994, it expanded its agenda to include also molest and family violence cases. Sir, let me now say a few words about this pilot project which introduces conflict resolution to the handling of spousal violence cases reported to the Police.”
“Since April last year, an inter-agency Work Group on Spousal Violence was formed by my Ministry to recommend measures to improve and coordinate the management of spousal violence cases and to find innovative ways in dealing with them. Here I would give credit to Dr Soin for the impetus in setting up this Work Group because after the last Committee of Supply debate when the subject was raised, I asked my Ministry to look into ways and means of dealing with this problem and I established this Work Group. Hence the Work Group was set up with representatives from MCD, Police, Ministry of Health and the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations (SCWO) to seriously study how we should cope with this problem. A year later in March 1995, the Work Group in its progress report to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Community Development recommended that: Firstly, conflict resolution be introduced into the Police management of domestic violence on the ground. The component of conflict resolution would involve the VWOs and would be coordinated by MCD. So we started a pilot project in the Ang Mo Kio Police Division in April this year. I will say more about this afterwards. Secondly, priority was given to the preparation of medical reports for court purposes and a revised medical form be used to enable the court to issue a Personal Protection Order (PPO) immediately on application by the victims; Thirdly, the training needs of all service providers be reviewed.”