Yeo Guat Kwang
Singapore
“Madam, a supplementary question. Many are concerned that with the rising manpower cost and manpower shortage, whether the standard of cleanliness and the hygiene level in the hawker centres will also be affected.”
“The Government should consider implementing new disposal standards like Taiwan and the cities in China, as well as roll out assistance schemes similar to the Innovation and Capability Voucher (ICV), to encourage the local F&B industry to bring in new technology and provide businesses with grants to purchase kitchen waste disposal machiner…”
“Madam, the Minister of State mentioned that instead of having a one-stop, he is suggesting to provide a better first-stop. So, I hope the Minister of State can elaborate further on how this first-stop can really help.”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like to seek a few clarifications from the Minister. The Minister mentioned that the Bill targets those dormitories that are housing 1,000 workers and above. But this Bill's name is "Foreign Employee Dormitories Bill". Why do we not call the Bill the "Purpose-Built Dormitory Bill"? That is, we call a spade a spade.”
“I would like to ask the Ministry: why does it not just group all these regulations together under this Bill and apply it to all? Madam, as the legislation is allowed time to take effect, I would also want to urge the Government to continue close consultation and engagement with the operators and migrant worker residents especially, as wel…”
“This is a Bill that touches everyone in one way or another: some of us are pet owners, others are potential pet buyers, business owners, and some of us may be neighbours to pet owners.”
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“Madam, a supplementary question. Many are concerned that with the rising manpower cost and manpower shortage, whether the standard of cleanliness and the hygiene level in the hawker centres will also be affected. I would like to know whether the Ministry has plans to incentivise and encourage all the stakeholders to do more to ride on the new technology in the way that they handle and redesign the work process of the cleaners as well as, for example, food waste management and dish washing.”
“Can the Ministry also provide an update on the new management model of hawker centres where managing agents are managing the centres on a not-for-profit basis? How sustainable is the model? Aside from this, are Page: 129 there further plans to ensure the affordability of hawker food? Next, I would like to ask for an update on the progress of the 10 new hawker centres announced in 2012. I do not see anything on site for the hawker centre in Yishun. If I may put it in Hokkien, "wo si wu tia thio sia, bo kua thio ngia." (I hear about it, but I do not see it). When will construction start and when will it be completed? Why has it got to take so long? For comparison purpose, a block of Build-To-Order (BTO) flats with much more complex structures would take just about two to three years to build. Is there any way to make the process of building hawker centres more efficient and faster? Perhaps, to speed up the process, NEA should have the internal capability instead of outsourcing from project management to architect, engineers and contract team. NEA should also compile guidelines for hawker centre design, putting together all the good designs, detailing and practices. Last but not least, can NEA build more hawker centres? The Minister had shared last year that NEA is working with other agencies and partners to encourage new entrants into the hawker trade. While I do not envision an overspill of budding hawkers at this point of time, the prospect of more opportunities would be a promising motivation for more to venture into the trade. Therefore, I would like to see more to be done. As my colleague, Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, mentioned just now, 10 years, 10 hawker centres, is really too slow.”
“With the ageing population and shortage of labour, people are worried that business and hygiene standards at hawker centres will deteriorate. I would like to know what the Government is doing to ensure that hygiene and service standards will not be adversely affected by the shortage of manpower. A recent study by the Consumers Association of Singapore revealed that food prices at hawker centres have gone up by 10% to 20%. I would like to know what can be done to help hawkers ensure that food prices do not increase and remain affordable, amidst rising costs of rentals, ingredients and wages. Let me conclude with this simple poem: "Our hawker centres should provide delicious food at affordable prices with better hygiene standards, and building 10 hawker centres in 10 years is not enough. I hope the Government will work harder in this aspect and build more hawker centres. Building 10 centres in 10 years is really not enough. Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: Hawker centres have always had a special place in the hearts of Singaporeans. They are an affordable source of delicious cooked food. Hence, any news pertaining to hawker centres, be it about upgrading or the rebuilding of a new centre, invariably draws plenty of attention from the public. In the past few years, many plans and changes have been announced for hawker centres around Singapore. Today, I wish to get some clarifications regarding their progress. In May last year, the lease of four hawker centres expired and NEA made an open invite to interested parties who could run them on a not-for-profit basis. Can the Ministry provide an update on the current status of these centres? What will happen to those centres that are not awarded to an approved social enterprise?”
“Studies showed that if we are able to convert this 5% of the vehicles, we will be able to reduce our total vehicle emission by half. So, why does the Government not consider converting the public transportation system, including buses and taxis, to be more eco-friendly for all of us? Hawker Centres Sir, one of the suggestions given by the Hawker Centre Public Consultation Panel is to outsource the running of the hawker centres to social enterprises or private managing agents. I would like to ask the Ministry to provide an update on the reception of the new management model among the hawkers, as well as an appraisal on the operations of these privately-run or managed centres? I would also like to know, based on the experience of the four sold centres, how would the Ministry tweak the current operation model to ensure that future centres sold to managing agents are successfully run? Given that the leases of more hawker centres are expiring in the near future, would the Ministry explore new options and new models? Page: 128 One of the biggest concerns that many potential and existing hawkers have is the impact of this outsourcing model on stall rental. Consumers are also worried that if stall rental went up, the hawkers will pass on the increase of the rental to them through higher food pricing. Would the Ministry provide an update on the mean rentals and food prices in a privately-managed hawker centre vis-a-vis those in an NEA-managed centre? Are there substantial differences on these two metrics? Mr Chairman, I will continue in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Chairman, hawker centres are essential amenities in the everyday life of Singaporeans.”
“Mr Chairman, NEA formed an advisory committee in 2010 to advise on a set of air quality targets for Singapore by 2020. I would like to know whether we Page: 127 are on track towards meeting this target. In the same report, it was also mentioned that diesel-driven vehicles are deemed to be the major contributor of PM2.5 pollutants in Singapore. Could the Ministry give us an update on the efficacy of these enforcements in reducing PM2.5 emission? Also, does the Ministry have further plans to reduce harmful emissions from diesel-driven vehicles? One of the most effective ways to further reduce vehicle emission is to actually intensify the adoption and usage of electric and hybrid vehicles. However, many private car owners are deterred by the cost as well as the limited number of charging and CNG refilling stations. I hope the Government could also consider providing incentive to improve the facilities and infrastructure that support the usage of green vehicles. The Government should explore the option of converting our fleet of public transport vehicles, buses and taxis into electric and hybrid vehicles. In fact, this is not actually new because, like Seoul, the government is actually currently running the world's first commercial all-electric bus service. In Malaysia, they have also already considered such a bus service in Malacca. In the United States and Europe, these are all very common. While the running of an all-electric public transport system seems to be quite difficult in the past, with the technological advancements now, this should not be a problem today. In a factsheet published by LTA, buses and taxis actually made up only approximately 5% the total number of vehicles in Singapore in 2014.”
“The Government should consider implementing new disposal standards like Taiwan and the cities in China, as well as roll out assistance schemes similar to the Innovation and Capability Voucher (ICV), to encourage the local F&B industry to bring in new technology and provide businesses with grants to purchase kitchen waste disposal machinery. In this way, they can try and reduce the amount of waste at their premises. Page: 122 In Taiwan, such machines process food waste on-the-spot by grinding and removing the moisture. This helps to reduce food waste by one-third or one-sixth of the original amount. As the reduction of moisture in food waste slows down the decomposition process, pests and foul smell, are not produced as easily. We should work towards this direction. Food Waste”
“Madam, the amount of food waste generated in Singapore is on the rise and the rate at which food waste is being recycled has remained relatively stagnant at about 13%. I would like to know what the Ministry's plans are to increase the recycling rate of food waste in Singapore. Many of us might perceive that the word "food waste" is generated by food that actually we did not consume. But, in actual fact, most of the food waste in Singapore, on the contrary, is generated by business practices. In a study conducted by several Nanyang Technological University (NTU) students, they found that the majority of the food waste is generated upstream by wholesalers and retailers where they would actually discard fruits and vegetables that have blemishes as they perceive themselves to be unable to sell these "ugly" fresh fruits and vegetables to consumers, so they throw them away. Another major contributor of food waste is from the Food and Beverage (F&B) industry where the industrial practice is to produce more than what can be sold. I would like to ask the Ministry what their plan is to implement more measures to address this issue both upstream and downstream of food waste by businesses and consumers. Madam, let me continue in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Not only is the amount of food waste in Singapore huge, the current disposal methods also cause a lot of environmental problems. A lot of food waste is stored temporarily near kitchens, which exacerbates the problem of pest and rodent breeding and, in turn, affects the hygiene of F&B outlets and public health. In addition, the weather in Singapore is hot and humid, and when food waste contains high levels of moisture, they decompose faster and emit foul smells which affect environmental quality.”
“Mdm Chairman, as an open economy, social diversity will be a permanent feature here. An inclusive workforce with people from diverse cultural backgrounds and nationalities also enhance our competitiveness in the region. I believe that a majority, if not all Singaporeans and foreigners living in Singapore, appreciate the social harmony and diversity that Singapore has. Thus, together, we must guard against deliberate behaviour that may potentially disrupt the balance that we have painstakingly achieved, as well as in sensitive remarks in both the online and offline social space that may injure the feelings of the different communities residing in Singapore. 2.15 pm May I know what more does the Government intend to do to ensure Singapore's social cohesiveness is preserved with our increasing diversity? What more does the Government plan to do to build a resilient society that appreciates and embraces communal differences? Madam, many foreigners here in Singapore might be living in a multi-religious and multicultural society for the first time in their life. Coming from a homogenous society that is culturally different from ours, these foreigners may not be fully aware of how their actions and speech may potentially unbalance the harmony that Singapore took so long to build. I would like to know whether the Government's outreach efforts that have been put in to promote integration are effective. Would the Government consider providing more support to strengthen our outreach by our grassroots organisations and NGOs, like the Migrant Workers' Centre?”
“MOM should, one, provide more levy incentives for employers employing high skilled work permit holders; two, give longer maximum period of employment to the better skilled migrant workers; three, extend the change of employer scheme to allow suitable migrant workers to transfer to new employers rather than to send them back home at the end of every contract. It is better for the employers to keep the better migrant workers. And four, consider a special training support for our working foreign spouses of Singaporeans. I think if they are working, they should also be given better support. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Our labour force has now reached the ratio of 2:1, meaning two Singaporeans to one foreign worker. We cannot further reduce this ratio. I would like to urge all employers to change their mindset. When they hire foreign workers, they should focus on quality, not quantity. They should also further focus on improving the quality of our local workforce. They should also focus on only employing suitable and highly skilled foreign workers, and make sure that they are qualified and try to retain these high quality foreign workers. This will help further promote the harmony of the workforce. (In English): Madam, setting quality indicators upfront in the quota injects more urgency into trying to change the way employers strategise their migrant recruitment and correspondingly their own productivity efforts. We will be able to very speedily change the profile of migrant workers being allowed into Singapore and ensure that productivity is boosted not only among the Singaporeans as a whole, in our workforce, and together with one-third of the migrant workers as One Inclusive Workforce, build a better Singapore. Building a Singaporean Core”
“However, with the number of unfortunate migrant worker related incidents in 2014, I think we need to change the way our employers recruit migrant workers and promote capability-based recruitment. I urge our tripartite partners to review and build a system of migrant workers recruitment for quality and not for quantity. We must just go for what is good for us and not just the number. MOM should consider setting up a firmer skill recognition on requirement upfront in order that we do not inevitably jeopardise our workforce productivity efforts as a whole, but also as a means to ensure Singapore remains a preferred employment destination in our region where all our workers are able to make a real contribution towards the building of our future and where all our workers, both local and foreign, are treated fairly. MOM should consider the setting up of a qualitative skill measurement network and system into a firm dependency ratio of foreign workers quota, so that employers are restricted to a limited number of sub-quota of low skilled workers within their overall quota Page: 60 of migrant workers. Large numbers of the low skilled and no skilled foreign worker will stifle our overall productivity effort. I would like to repeat my call for the Government to consider WSQ-equivalent skill standards to be required for all migrant workers in Singapore. We should set this requirement upon entry, or as a renewal requirement for employers who wish to keep their workers beyond the first work permit term of two years. We want the employers to retain a more experienced and a better trained migrant worker.”
“Unfortunately, the policy changed and he eventually lost his job because the agency has allowed the job of a tower crane operator to be extended to foreign workers, Page: 59 and he ended up becoming a limousine taxi driver. I urge the Government, both as licensing agency and service buyer, to give full support to CoreTrade scheme in the construction sector. I would also request Government to consider building a CoreTrade in all other major industries and job sectors such as Building and Facilities Management, where experienced Singaporean employees can be granted CoreTrade status, with industrial players' recognition, so that they can continue to progress in their career. Such a model would enable CoreTrade employees to progress up the skill and career ladder within the industry in a structured manner, thereby enhancing their retention rates and the standards of the industry as a whole. The CoreTrade model will also complement the within-company Progressive Wage Model (PWM) by ensuring that there will be similar qualified Core Trade employees recognised by the industry. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I would urge our employers not to just focus on the cost, but also to take on the responsibility of building a Singaporean Core. The Government should expand the CoreTrade scheme from construction sector to others sectors, such as building and Facilities Management, financial management , F&B and landscaping, so as to build a Singaporean Core in these industries and promote the steady and healthy development of these companies and industries. (In English): I will now continue with my next cut. Raising Quality of Foreign Workforce Madam, we all recognise the need to complement our workforce with migrant workers.”
“Madam, our world number one workforce is our critical competitive advantage. As our country continues to progress, we must ensure that we maintain a strong Singaporean Core in our total workforce, at the heart of our economy. I would like to call upon the Government to extend the CoreTrade scheme beyond construction to other industries such as manufacturing, retail, F&B, to facilitate the development of Singaporean core and benefit Singaporean workers. The current CoreTrade scheme or Construction Registration of Tradesmen scheme, administered by the BCA, aims to build up a core group of competent and experienced local workers who will anchor and lead the construction industry in order to achieve higher productivity. Employees registered as CoreTrade workers are recognised by industrial players as experienced employees and are rewarded by a clear career progression path within the construction industry, allowing them to progress from a basic skilled worker to a registered tradesman and specialising in specific trades, and eventually become foremen and supervisors. The CoreTrade scheme has benefited the construction industry by increasing the retention rate of construction personnel and ensuring that the industry is supported by a core Singaporean group of highly experienced and productive personnel. This is a good scheme, and I hope that the Government agencies will continue to press on and do not allow the employers to u-turn. Recently, when I met a limousine taxi driver when I was on my way to the airport, he told me that actually he was a beneficiary of this scheme when he became a tower crane operator.”
“Madam, the Minister of State mentioned that instead of having a one-stop, he is suggesting to provide a better first-stop. So, I hope the Minister of State can elaborate further on how this first-stop can really help. We know that Page: 32 many SMEs would like something that is more concrete and for someone to hand-hold them so that they can find a better solution for this. As for the one-stop service centre, it seems that the Minister of State also suggested that the current SME Centres will be able to do the job. I also want to ask the Minister of State, does the Ministry have plans to extend these SME Centres to collaborate with more like-minded organisations, instead of just the SCCCI and ASME?”
“Learn from them in terms of how to create an eco-system for their business. The Government should provide more funding for trade associations to strengthen their organisation, so that they can help SMEs move forward in this direction. As Chairman of the SNEF-NTUC Migrant Workers' Centre, I would also like to urge employers to redesign labour-intensive jobs, provide foreign workers with relevant skills training, as well as retain and promote experienced ones. The focus should be on quality, not quantity. This is necessary, because if we managed to increase the productivity of local workers, yet the foreign workers who make up one-third of our workforce continue to be uncompetitive and unproductive, we would be dragged down. I hope all employers will rethink their manpower solutions. Hopefully, this Budget will also help businesses integrate their manpower needs and improve their human resource planning. I hope that in the next year, more companies will undergo successful transformation, so that we can have more jobs and greater assurance for Singaporeans' income. Madam, I support the Budget. Only with this, can we ensure good employment prospects for our future! 4.26 pm Page: 87”
“I would also like to call on HDB and JTC to review the supply of industrial and commercial spaces and ensure there is proper ratio of trade mix. I would like to share a story that I read on the Internet. Two people were hiking in the forest when they suddenly heard the roar of a tiger. One of them knelt down and tied his shoe lace. The other was puzzled and asked, "The tiger is coming, can you outrun it?" He replied, "I don't have to outrun the tiger, so long as I can run faster than you." With that reply, he dashed off. This story tells us we must run faster than others. Page: 86 But now there is a new twist to the story. The second person then took off his shoes and climbed up a tree as fast as he could. The tiger came but could not climb the tree, so it could not eat him up. Instead, it turned to chase the person who ran off and ate him up! This story has been tweaked. In the past, we would say that the first person's idea was good, because he knew that he would have an edge over the other person if he made the first move and ran faster. However, the current market is changing rapidly and it is no longer good enough to run first and run faster. One must achieve a breakthrough and innovate, instead of running along the same old route. We must each find a way to "climb the tree". I agree with the Deputy Prime Minister that companies need to move from value-add to value-creation. Only then can we solve the problem and help SMEs upgrade. One classic example is Home-Fix. It is not merely a DIY shop, but repackaged and transformed to attract many young people to come on board as their business partners or suppliers, providing customers with better products. I hope our SMEs can learn from the experience of Home-Fix and transform.”
“Another obstacle to improving productivity within the F&B industry lies in the kitchen. Kitchens need to be redesigned, with technology and machines brought in to reduce reliance on labour and food wastage. I hope that all F&B industry players make use of the schemes in this Budget to adjust their work processes. In the case of these two companies, their overall productivity improved by 20%. Madam, in the 2014 SME Development Survey, 49% of SME respondents cited difficulty in hiring staff and 48% of them listed high manpower cost as their top business concern. Forty-five percent of the respondents say that increasing competition is another common concern, while 31% feel that high rental cost is a main concern. Looking at the data, I hope the Government will strive to explore how best to support our SMEs. At this juncture, I sincerely request the Government to support the Labour Movement's call to make "every SME workplace a Better Workplace, every SME job a Better Job, every SME worker a Better Worker". I would like to request all funding agencies to further simplify the application process for grants so that more SMEs can benefit from the schemes. Many SME bosses hope that MOF and the relevant agencies can speed up the approval process and consider increasing the proportion of initial pay out of the grants, as most of them are having cash-flow problems. They also hope that MOF and MTI will set up a one-stop agency or an inter-agency workgroup to better coordinate and fine tune all existing SME assistance schemes, implement these solutions more comprehensively and improve communication with regard to these schemes. In this aspect, I share the same viewpoint as Mr Thomas Chua.”
“Workers no longer need to worry about being scolded by customers, or waste time stabilising tables by placing cardboards at the base. This makes their job easier, smarter and safer. Utilising new technology, the company is also able to better manage inventory. Workers only need to do a simple tally of customer orders, instead of the traditional way of counting inventory. As a result, productivity improved, workers are happier, the company's profits increased and ultimately, workers are able to enjoy higher wages. Besides higher productivity, employees' morale improved and the company has the confidence to open three more outlets after Chinese New Year. Another example is Nihon Mura. IGP was used to redesign their restaurants by re-arranging the seats, so that seats are located near the food conveyor belt, thereby streamlining the work process and improving efficiency. Although only small changes were made, workers became more efficient. If we examine these case studies closely, we will find that through IGP, these SMEs were able to eliminate some of the tedious aspects of the work process, making jobs easier, smarter, safer. These examples showed that every little step matters. These seemingly simple adjustments have impacted a combined total of 215 employees from A1 and Nihon Mura. They are happier and enjoy higher wages and their bosses are also happy and more confident about expanding their business. I urge all SME bosses to do the same. Do not always assume that significant changes must be made to transform business operations. Instead, SMEs should critically assess their Page: 85 current work processes and eliminate bottlenecks to improve productivity. Many F&B establishments are also using electronic equipment to reduce manpower cost and requirements.”
“We need to make every SME a Better Workplace, every SME job a Better Job, every SME worker a Better Worker. Since SME jobs continue to account for the largest proportion of jobs in Singapore, enhancing the branding and operation efficiency of SMEs, as well as the quality of SME jobs, will improve job prospects of Singaporeans. In recent years, the Government has rolled out several initiatives targeted at transforming local SMEs from business models over-reliant on foreign workers, to one that drives growth and development through productivity and innovation. Although SME bosses Page: 84 generally understand that these changes are necessary, the adjustments have nonetheless led to some short-term and transitional difficulties for our SMEs. In the course of my work as a Labour Member of Parliament, I have spoken to many SME owners to understand their views on Government policies, so as to adopt feasible solutions to help our SMEs transform successfully. I agree with some of the suggestions made by Nominated Member of Parliament Thomas Chua. However, I believe that these Government assistance schemes should not be used as painkillers for businesses. We cannot simply prescribe painkillers, but must prescribe the right medicine to tackle the root cause of the illness. If businesses require surgery, they will have to go for surgery; if they require antibiotics, they will have to take them. They should not use subsidies to buy painkillers. At e2i, we can see some unique examples. Take A1 Claypot, for example. It is a small business. It used funding support from the Inclusive Growth Programme (IGP) to improve business operations, with good results achieved. The company introduced auto-adjust table bases that automatically align table tops to eliminate "wobbly tables".”
“[Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Madam, the Labour Movement believes that the best welfare for Singaporeans is to develop an economy with full employment, where everyone has a job and is able to work when they want to. Hence, to ensure that Singaporeans' employment needs are met, remains the most important agenda for the Government and unions. However, with the shortening of business cycles, increased economic competition, upward pressure on costs, stagnant productivity and skills rapidly becoming obsolete, we are concerned about the employability and job security of Singaporeans in the future economy. Hence, we must promptly strengthen the various fields of employment, the employability and career development of Singaporeans of all ages. This is to ensure that every individual can keep up with the times and Singapore continues to enjoy full employment, where everyone has a job. This Budget has allocated a large amount of funds to help workers upgrade and transform. I hope that the Government and employers will strive to ensure that training programmes developed for Singaporeans of various age groups will not go to waste. Employers must assess and establish the framework and needs of future skills, so that we can maximise the returns of our investment in future skills and avoid wastage where skills learnt are not put to good use. The objectives of this year's Budget are to ensure a future-ready workforce that develops related skills and is able stay relevant and to enhance the competitiveness of our labour force. Under such a premise, we should continue to help our local SMEs gear up to meet various future challenges. This is because SMEs in Singapore employ almost 2.2 million workers, which means approximately seven in every 10 workers in Singapore work in SMEs.”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like to seek a few clarifications from the Minister. The Minister mentioned that the Bill targets those dormitories that are housing 1,000 workers and above. But this Bill's name is "Foreign Employee Dormitories Bill". Why do we not call the Bill the "Purpose-Built Dormitory Bill"? That is, we call a spade a spade. It is still important for us to ensure that all the other dormitories are properly regulated. Because of the fact that many Members have raised the concern, may I now ask the Minister if he would recognise that there is a big gap? In his reply, he mentioned that, currently, there are already a lot of existing regulations to regulate the other dormitories. But how are we going to enhance them? I would also like to ask the Minister: why do we not consider, like the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Bill yesterday, grouping all the other relevant regulations into the Bill to make the whole regulatory regime more comprehensive?”
“I would like to ask the Ministry: why does it not just group all these regulations together under this Bill and apply it to all? Madam, as the legislation is allowed time to take effect, I would also want to urge the Government to continue close consultation and engagement with the operators and migrant worker residents especially, as well as migrant advocates, like MWC, to quickly identify and address any negative trends that may develop. Madam, I support the Bill. Page: 52 3.34 pm”
“Today, employers constantly grapple with their business costs and, depending on the considerations that drive them and the degree of importance they place on keeping costs as low as possible, many of the more errant bosses prefer to house their workers in a cheaper, less favourable and often smaller accommodation. The cases are well-publicised and we know that the phenomenon is common. What is worrying for the operators of properly licensed dormitories is how the requirements and conditions in the FEDB will inevitably lead to further increases in their own running costs that will be passed on to consumers. The fear of this happening is that while the increase in cost of compliance applies to the larger dormitories that already practise higher standards today, the FEDB seems to leave the smaller operations to their own devices. The latter group will continue to serve a relevant purpose, as I have mentioned earlier, and it is difficult to argue with a simple economic proposition that higher costs for larger, purpose-built dormitories will make smaller, cheaper dormitories to be held to a lesser standard even more attractive to the employers. In the long term, if this preference begins to take root and the concern is not addressed, the large operators are concerned that the uneven treatment towards these two groups might pull down overall migrant housing standards in general. I would, therefore, suggest that our authorities guard against over-regulation of one segment of the industry and, as far as possible or appropriate, apply the standards and conditions as general as possible to all. The Minister has mentioned that, actually, there are already some existing regulations for the smaller operators.”
“Together with health and safety considerations as well as security concerns, whether within individual dormitories or in clusters, this effort had resulted in MWC being the first to moot the idea of forming an industry association, which could, aside from their other responsibilities, present an industry representative to work with our authorities in developing and implementing the industry-wide standards. Having advised on the formation of the Dormitory Association of Singapore Limited (DASL) in January 2013, and we have been working very closely with them, I was quite glad to know that actually they are in support of the Foreign Employee Dormitories Bill (FEDB). I must also thank the Government agencies for helping the members of DASL to be engaged and consulted to produce such an outcome. Madam, the licensing framework will no doubt enhance the ability to deal with large-scale public and personal security, and even health and also pandemic incidents arising Page: 51 within dormitories. More importantly, in the longer term, dormitories will need to direct their resources and leverage on economies of scale of their business and plough these back into catering in-house to the non-work amenities and needs of their residents. However, during our discussion, there is one worry that has kept coming up – the inadvertent creation and, much worse, perpetuation of a double standard by the FEDB's segregation of the smaller and larger dormitories. Even more worrying are the negative externalities that might arise if this "double standard" is allowed to become structured. Madam, let me elaborate.”
“MWC and, I am certain, all the other migrant activist groups, will continue to meet our authorities halfway in this endeavour, to surface intelligence as eyes and ears, as we are closest to the ground. MWC also stands ready to come in and partner the authorities to provide temporary housing or any other kinds of assistance where investigations or enforcement action renders workers without proper shelter or other protection and care. For example, after a fire had broken out at a workers' quarters in Geylang last December, and sadly led to the loss of lives and serious injury, the MWC team was among the first to arrive at the scene and the hospitals to offer our assistance and care to the workers. We continue to be in contact with the employers of the four deceased workers from the incident to ensure that they do right and stand by their workers and also help their next-of-kin. Recently, when the last seriously injured worker was discharged from hospital, and through his own wanting and was sent home, MWC was also on hand to offer support as well as observe the proper discharge of his employer's duties and responsibilities before he returned to Sabah. My MWC team will continue to work with all affected employers to see how, in addition to their legal responsibilities to their workers, a shared monetary token may also be given to the families of the seriously injured and the deceased. Madam, I would like to turn now to the feedback I have gathered from operators of larger dormitories to which the framework of the Foreign Employee Dormitories Bill will apply. MWC has long advocated for on-site social and commercial amenities to be included in the planning of new dormitories.”
“The MWC has operated the only 24-hour distress hotline here for non-domestic workers from 1 July 2014 and has, through this facility, received quite a number of housing-related complaints from our migrant workers. Our case data shows that the complaints from migrant workers were almost all concerns about smaller factory-converted, temporary or even makeshift accommodation arrangements accommodating less than 1,000 workers. Just a few months ago, in November 2014, MWC itself responded quite aggressively to one such case in Selegie, where information uncovered by my team suggested that more than 100 migrant workers were being housed in just two small residential condominium units. Madam, it is precisely these experiences that lead us to the belief that while the Government strives to implement a viable long-term solution for high-standard, purpose-built migrant workers' housing, we cannot ignore, and should, in fact, redouble our efforts and also regulatory control against errant housing operators, especially among the smaller, less formal housing operations, plainly because this is where the bulk of the abuses have occurred and continue to occur. Madam, we hope the Foreign Employee Dormitories Bill could cover all dormitories in Singapore, regardless of size, type or management mode. While I applaud the policymakers for this strategic piece of legislation, l seek the Government's assurance that, in the interim, before we arrive at the desired state of affairs, its strict attention to and enforcement of all basic rules and standards, regardless of types Page: 50 and, especially size, will continue aggressively and in a coordinated, concerted fashion.”
“Mdm Speaker, the Foreign Employee Dormitories Bill holds special significance to the work that I perform as the Chairman of the Migrant Page: 49 Workers' Centre (MWC). To MWC, the shortage of purpose-built housing facilities to meet the needs of our migrant workers has, in fact, been a major issue. Anecdotally, MWC's close working relationship with the operators of our commercial dormitories, as well as our housing activities for the homeless and destitute workers, has allowed our team to actually witness the dormitory rentals increase from about $170 per bed space in 2009 to about $350 today – a 100% increase within a period of just less than five years. Thus, in the last two years, Madam, calls from the migrant workers advocacy groups, including the MWC, have led to the Government's concerted efforts moving forward to open up more new supplies of purpose-built housing. This is encouraging and I must commend MOM, the Ministry of National Development and their agencies for this positive response. Yet, Madam, our authorities have themselves continued to be mindful that such a ramp-up will not be able to render the operation of smaller dormitory types, like the factory converted or temporary dormitories, obsolete. Statistics from our authorities, as reported in the media, show that roughly half of the 400,000-plus workers requiring customised migrant workers' housing are currently accommodated in the 50 purpose-built dormitories here, while the other half continue to be housed in smaller, often less well-run housing facilities. Madam, this is where our concerns are centred.”
“The collaboration spirit of Singapore's harmonious industrial relations will be enhanced, which will help to prevent future industrial disputes. The core team of a company can work together under a harmonious industrial relationship, much to the benefit of the company's development. Because of this, I hope that MOM can ensure that all employers understand and support this Bill, particularly the SMEs. The SMEs are now facing all sorts of problems; they may mistakenly believe that this is another legal requirement which could cause difficulty to them. MOM should explain to them that this is not to give them more trouble; instead, this is a new incentive and framework to help them develop. It is necessary for MOM to introduce support packages and communication plans to encourage SMEs to understand and adopt this new industrial relations framework. MOM should also strengthen cooperation with SCCCI and other chambers of commerce to help SMEs understand this Bill and the two tripartite guidelines. Page: 92 Let the Government and the enterprises work together; let everyone in the whole company work together to bring Singapore enterprises to a new height. Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Bill. 5.27 pm”
“It was reported recently that MOM has taken actions against a maritime firm for discriminatory treatment of Singaporeans. In that Page: 91 particular incident, MOM's investigation uncovered that 13 Singaporeans were retrenched as a group with unfounded justifications. Although PMEs can seek recourse and resolution for such incidents through the Employment Act and Fair Consideration Framework, I am of the opinion that it is also useful for unions to be also able to represent PMEs in such cases. Nowadays, we also begin to hear more anecdotal stories from PMEs of how their senior colleagues have been retrenched because it is less costly to employ someone younger or to hire a foreign PME. Although PMEs who are unjustly dismissed could approach MOM for assistance, the unions can act as the first line of support to protect deserving PMEs from unfair dismissal through dialogues with employers and negotiations. Dialogues between union representatives and management could possibly prevent such unfair dismissals from happening and escalating to a level where the Ministry has to step in to take punitive actions against the company. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, allow me to continue in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Deputy Speaker, Sir, this amendment Bill will allow industrial relations in Singapore to be further enhanced. This is a win-win solution arising from the participation of and discussion between various parties. This new amendment Bill will help PMEs who are involved in labour disputes or face unfair treatment to have a convenient and effective way of resolving their disputes. More importantly, by becoming a union member, PMEs can be represented by the union and their interests fought for.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill was proposed to allow PMEs to participate in collective agreements. I am heartened to know that the recommendations by the tripartite workgroup are generally well-received on the ground and the Ministry is taking proactive steps to extend collective representation to PMEs, who, in the past, had limited access to union representation. A resident of mine, who is working as a PME for a local company, wrote to me that he had a dispute with his former employer. According to him, his former employer did not pay him his salary, did not contribute to his CPF and did not reimburse him for his petty cash expenses. He made a complaint to MOM. MOM, after investigation, ordered his former employer to reimburse him his salary, CPF contributions and petty cash expenses in full. His former employer is currently disputing MOM's order at the High Court and the resident now has actually spent thousands of dollars to engage a lawyer to file the claim against his former employer. The union will not be able to help now without the amendments contained in this Bill. Hopefully, PMEs like him who, in the past, could only seek recourse for their grievances with costly legal bills will now with the new amendments be able to have an additional avenue to address their industrial disputes. The amendment Bill is also a first important step towards extending collective representation to those who needed it but were denied it because of the nature of their job. I, therefore, hope that the Ministry can also consider extending the range of the collective representation to eventually allow unions to represent PMEs in industrial disputes that are currently excluded from this amendment.”
“This is a Bill that touches everyone in one way or another: some of us are pet owners, others are potential pet buyers, business owners, and some of us may be neighbours to pet owners. Let us continue to work together to increase understanding between groups, consider each other's interests, take on greater responsibility in ensuring animal welfare and together, collectively, raise animal welfare standards in our society. [(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. (proc text)] [(proc text) The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Mr Yeo Guat Kwang]. (proc text)] [(proc text) Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. (proc text)] Page: 45”
“The key idea for improving animal welfare in the recommendations was to move from a "reactive" regime which relies on penalties and punishments, to "proactive" regime which focuses on getting people to do the right thing to begin with, so that eventually, there will be no need for any enforcement. Mdm Speaker, in conclusion, the amendments in the Bill help the transition of the regime in a number of significant ways: (a) it empowers the Minister to make rules to require mandatory training for animal related businesses, so that any person who handles animal for a living will be competent to do so; (b) it empowers the authority to issue Codes of Animal Welfare, which helps to educate the public and sets standards for the proper care of animals; (c) it empowers AVA to issue directions to persons to take corrective actions when their care for the animals under their charge is found to be inadequate; (d) it empowers the court to disqualify persons found guilty of contravening the animal welfare provisions from owning animals or from working in a capacity whereby the person handles animals. Various suggestions have been made on what further actions the authority can take to tighten enforcement. AVA can take these onboard when considering the implementation details and when reviewing its processes. But it is always important to strike a balance and not go overboard. Mdm Speaker, the views shared by the Members today and by the many people who have spoken with me on this issue at one time or another tell me that there are many compassionate people in our society who care very much about improving the welfare of animals in Singapore.”
“Let me now move on to the point raised by Er Dr Lee Bee Wah on publicising type of evidence required for successful enforcement and educating our young Singaporeans on animal welfare and responsible pet ownership. One of the work groups under the MSCC will be formed this month to focus on community outreach and education. This work group will study how best to enhance public awareness as well as educate the public on the type of evidence needed. The work group will also recommend how to increase stakeholders' collaboration on responsible pet ownership education to the public, including to students. I also understand that currently, some of the animal welfare groups (AWGs) as well as AVA also conduct talks at schools on responsible pet ownership. In addition, AVA collaborates with AWGs such as Society of Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (SPCA), Save our Street Dogs (SOSD) and Cat Welfare Society (CWS) to organise road shows to educate the public on responsible pet ownership. From next year onwards, MOE will introduce topics pertaining to animal welfare in the Character and Citizen Education curriculum for Primary 4 students. On the channels for us to make report, I would like to highlight that AVA is the public agency which is responsible for safeguarding animal welfare in Singapore. So, the public can report to AVA on any animal welfare and cruelty case. Page: 44 Mdm Speaker, I take on board the criticisms that the proposed amendments would still regulate with what some might consider a light hand. At the end of the day, the law is not a magic bullet that can help us solve all problems. The Bill must be seen in a wider context of the recommendations made by the AWLRC last year.”
“Moving on to Ms Tin Pei Ling's question on what would constitute "reasonable cause" in relation to abandonment, I would like to highlight that we have proposed the clause on abandonment to be amended to make the act of abandonment in itself an offence, without having to consider whether the animal is suffering or in distress. I would say it is the duty of Page: 43 the pet owner to ensure that the pet is taken care of. Under normal circumstances, there should be no excuse for abandonment and the pet owner should make arrangements for someone else to take over the care of the pet if the owner is for some reason no longer able to take care of the pet. However, the amended provision on abandonment allows for the possibility of some extraordinary circumstances so that the authority and court have the flexibility in deciding if an offence has been committed. Whether a particular reason qualifies as "reasonable cause or excuse" will depend on the specifics of each individual case. Mdm Speaker, as I have mentioned in my Opening Speech, the amendments proposed in the Bill enhance and facilitate AVA's investigation effort. But successful prosecution ultimately requires the careful investigation and availability of credible evidence and witnesses willing to come forward to testify in Court. The challenge often encountered is the lack of direct evidence and witnesses who are willing to step forward to testify in Court for animal welfare cases. In this regard, I once again urge members of the public who have witnessed any acts of animal abuse or have pertinent information regarding a case, to step forward and render assistance to the authorities so that the perpetrator can be brought to justice.”
“Other AWLRC recommendations implemented such as the introduction of a minimum age and pre-sale screening as discussed earlier, are measures in this direction to minimise downstream problems of pet abandonment or poor pet care. On the point raised Er Dr Lee Bee Wah on the need for balancing between the protection of animals and the cost to businesses, the AWLRC – which I headed and also comprised the representatives from all the pet industry and animal welfare groups – views that animal welfare should be balanced against the safeguarding of the public safety as well as the interest of all other stakeholders, including the cost of doing business. The recommendations made by the AWLRC are thus measured, taking into account various considerations, such as business cost. For instance, under one of the AWLRC's recommendations, rather than more regulation by the Government, the pet industry will be taking on the role of formulating the training as well as accreditation schemes for the pet groomers, dog trainers, breeders and other pet retailers, in consultation with other stakeholders via the Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration Committee (MSCC). On another point raised by Er Dr Lee Bee Wah on the concern of the small businesses and neighbourhood shops, I would also like to add that this is not a new requirement, but rather an extension of the existing requirement to fully cover all necessary areas of the industry. In working out the details of implementation between AVA and the stakeholders at MSCC, we will calibrate accordingly to ensure that the requirements are not overly onerous on businesses, but are adequate to get all relevant businesses trained to a consistent level.”
“This requirement is thus aimed at building up a sense of responsibility in pet retailers that they must not sell to people whom they assess are not suitable pet owners, and they also must provide the basic understanding of pet care to potential buyers. Pet buyers on the other hand must understand that in buying a pet, they have to commit to providing proper care for the animal, for the duration of its natural life. Having a third party to screen potential pet buyers would be contrary to the objective of instilling greater responsibility by the pet industry. As an added check and balance, however, I understand that AVA is concurrently refining its existing inspection and enforcement system to ensure that the pet retailers properly educate buyers on pet care and ownership Page: 42 information and carry out pre-sale screening of all their customers. Madam, Mr Baey Yam Keng also called for more stringent upstream measures to regulate the supply of pets. Indeed, this was also discussed vigorously at the discussions and consultation of AWLRC. We had reviewed many different suggestions on this – including even instituting a COE for pet ownership! Someone had suggested that. I will not go into the details of all the suggestions here. Ultimately, the AWLRC felt that setting a threshold on pet ownership and strict regulation of the supply of pets into the market is not the right approach; there is also a risk of driving more pet sales and breeding underground with over-tightening of supply. We agree with the Minister of State, Mr Desmond Lee, that the way to go is to increase public and pet ownership education and raise standards in the industry and allow the market to sort it out by itself.”
“Being from different stakeholders group, all of them brought their distinct views to the table and played a vital part in coming up with the AWLRC's recommendations that led to this Bill. Many of them are continuing in the journey with us in the MSCC. I am happy that some of the members are here in the Speaker's Gallery today to share with us this significant moment in the Second Reading of the Bill; it is, essentially, the fruits of their labour as well. Mdm Speaker, the downstream implementation aspect to the points raised have been addressed by the Minister of State Mr Desmond Lee, and now I would like to address and cover the other points raised by Mr Baey Yam Keng, Er Dr Lee Bee Wah and Ms Tin Pei Ling. Mr Baey Yam Keng raised a concern with the effectiveness of having pet retailers conduct pre-sale screening and suggested that such screening be conducted by an independent third party, such as AVA or an animal welfare group. I would like to assure Mr Baey that this suggestion of pre-sale screening by pet retailers, which came up in the course of the AWLRC's discussion, did not originate from the pet industry, but rather from the animal welfare groups, community members and industry members from the AWLRC consultations. The requirement for pre-sale screening by pet retailers, which is similar in principle to the pre-adoption screening done by animal welfare groups, is part of our overall strategy recommended by the AWLRC to encourage greater shared responsibility for the welfare of the animals – the parties in this case being the pet owners and the pet businesses.”
“Mdm Speaker, this is the first time that we have said so much about and have so many hon Members to speak for animal welfare in this House. I would like to thank the six hon Members who have spoken and also given their support for this Bill. I especially appreciate these Members for raising their concerns as they underscore the many diverse views concerning animal welfare. It is certainly difficult, if not impossible, to please everyone on a subject as emotive and complex as animal welfare. Most of these concerns have been addressed in the course of this debate, and in these closing remarks, I would like to explain the AWLRC's continued belief in the approach that we are taking and what we hope this Bill will achieve in time to come. My fellow Members and I believe that this law is needed to improve enforcement and move regulatory controls upstream. We also strongly believe in the need for a collaborative approach and a shared responsibility by all in strengthening animal welfare. We will continue to work with stakeholders through the MSCC and other platforms to raise awareness, foster understanding and promote greater social responsibility for animal welfare. We hope that in the long run, people's attention will focus less on the regulations for animal welfare and Page: 41 more on the collaborative efforts and the collective levelling out of their responsibility on animal welfare. Once again, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Minister Khaw Boon Wan, Minister K Shanmugam and my fellow AWLRC members, Mr Alex Yam, Mr Gan Thiam Poh, Ms Corrine Fong, Mr Louis Ng, Dr Siew Tuck Wah, Dr Cathy Chan, Mr Eric Lim, Mr Chua Ming Kok, Mr Clarence Tan and the late Mr Lakshmanan Nagarajan.”
“I thus urge again the public to come forward to report cases of animal welfare and abuse to AVA, and to testify as witnesses in court, if necessary. Sir, in line with the Committee's aim to make the legislation more responsive and preventive, and underline the emphasis of ensuring animal welfare beyond preventing cruelty to animals, we propose to include "Animal Welfare" in the title of Part IV, to become "Animal Welfare and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals". In reviewing the legislation, we also took the opportunity to review the existing definition to exclude insects, as it is within reasonable social norms for people to spray insecticides to remove insects, and such a definition may be too draconian and irrelevant for us in our times. Mr Deputy Speaker, to conclude, we hope that the Animals and Birds (Amendment) Bill will be an important first step in strengthening the animal welfare legislation in Singapore. The law is but a tool to set some standards and cannot be relied on solely to solve all animal welfare and cruelty issues. As I stressed at the start of my speech, safeguarding the welfare of animals must be seen as a shared responsibility by all stakeholders, including the pet industry, owners, vet profession and the community. We should also be mindful that there are certainly many diverse views on animal welfare. It is important to balance the diverse interests of the community at large and consider a harmonious living environment for animals, animal lovers and those who may not be comfortable with animals. Sir, as we continue to work on the stakeholder-driven initiatives of the AWLRC's recommendations, I ask again for the support and contribution from all parties to raise animal welfare standards in Singapore. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move. Page: 115”
“The investigation was protracted and prolonged as the owner did not cooperate to come and give his statement in person. Enhanced powers have been proposed to give enforcement officers greater powers in conducting investigation and gathering evidence as well as remove longstanding obstacles to enforcement. For example, the existing provision only allows an arrest to be made if the animal cruelty offence is committed in the presence of the enforcement officer, which is unlikely to happen in reality. As it would be useful for these enhanced powers to also apply to the entire Act for more effective enforcement by AVA, the scope of the enhanced enforcement powers have been expanded to be applied to the whole Act and not just animal welfare/cruelty offences and consolidated in Part VI. Sir, as we enhance the powers of enforcement officers, we also propose necessary safeguards to be put in place. These safeguards, such as on how offenders may be apprehended and how long they can be detained in custody, are similar to those in other existing legislation in Singapore. Page: 114 I would like to highlight that, even with greater enforcement powers provided and proposed by this Bill, AVA may not be able to bring an offender to justice unless they have strong leads to investigate and sufficient evidence to take action. Public involvement to report cases and step forward as witnesses is needed. For example, Members may recall a case at end 2012 where a dismembered kitten was found at a HDB block in Yishun town. Police and AVA investigated the case but could not solve it because there were neither eyewitnesses nor any other credible leads.”
“We also decided against having lifetime disqualification orders, as we believe that people should be given a second chance. Page: 113 The revised penalties are proposed to apply to sections 41C and 42 on duty of care and acts of cruelty to animals. Disqualification orders and related penalties for non-compliance with other orders are set out in section 43B. Sir, beyond the AWLRC's recommendations, my fellow Members of Parliament and I also noted that AVA has experienced gaps in its enforcement powers in the investigation of cruelty cases. Welfare compromises and failure to provide duty of care may be even less straightforward to investigate. Therefore, we felt that it would be useful for the Bill to also enhance the enforcement powers. The new section 43A is to provide powers for the Government to issue directives to require the person to improve the care of an animal. The Committee recommends that failure to comply with a directive be a punishable offence, liable to a maximum penalty of $20,000 and up to one year jail term for animal-related businesses, and $10,000 and up to one year jail term for other offenders. Sir, some of the challenges that enforcement officers face in investigating animal welfare complaints include lack of evidence, tampering of evidence by the public, no witnesses, witnesses not willing to testify, and lack of cooperation from witnesses and suspect. There have been cases where a lack of cooperation by suspected offenders have resulted in cases being dragged on for months or cases closed due to insufficient evidence. For example, there was a case in 2011 where officers investigated an animal welfare complaint concerning a dog being left on the balcony and exposed to the elements for long hours.”
“My fellow Members of Parliament and I felt that it is necessary to scope the animal-related businesses by especially including a definition under the expanded section 41, to include: first, places or establishments which operate for reward such as pet shops, pet cafes, commercial breeders, boarding premises, vet centres, horse riding clubs and zoos; second, providers of services for reward such as pet groomers, pet boarders, animal trainers, dog walkers, pet transporters, vets, businesses providing special treatments to animals and animal control companies; and, third, animal welfare groups, for example, animal rescue, or welfare organisations, or facilities. Animal welfare groups were not included in the AWLRC's original recommendation for higher penalties, which was targeted at pet-related businesses. However, in the course of our discussion, it became clear that animal welfare groups should not be exempted as the law should be fair and consistent to all. Neither is it our intent to cause animal welfare groups to be over-penalised, but rather to ensure that these groups have the proper processes and systems in place similar to any other businesses which handle animals. The Bill also proposes to empower the Court to disallow offenders, where warranted, from owning or being in charge of any animal while working or being employed in any animal-related business, or from engaging in or carrying on an animal-related business, for a set period of up to one year. While it may not be easy to enforce such disqualification orders, such a penalty need only be meted out in specific cases in line with the intent and severity of the abuse, and would be able to serve as a social deterrent to offenders.”
“First-time offenders who may be ignorant of how to care for animals may also be ordered by the Court to perform community work order with animal welfare groups to increase their awareness and ability to care for animals. This is provided for under the Criminal Procedure Code, as an additional sentencing Page: 112 option in lieu of fine and imprisonment. The Bill also proposes to establish separate and higher penalties for animal-related businesses. This is in recognition that businesses are much more financially capable of paying the fine and a higher fine quantum would be a greater deterrent. My fellow Members of Parliament and I also rationalised that the penalties for offences committed by animal-related business should be higher, not only to target the profit motives of animal-related businesses, but also to underscore the greater responsibility that they should bear, seeing as they should have a greater obligation to care or provide for the welfare of animals and cannot claim ignorance of what constitutes proper care for animals. Moreover, under the law they will be required to undergo proper training to handle and care for animals. We also felt that the jail terms should apply to convicted individuals engaged in animal-related businesses, similar to other individual offenders. In this regard, the Bill proposes the maximum fine for businesses to be $100,000 for all offences and, in addition, a possible jail term of up to two or three years, depending on first or subsequent conviction.”
“The Committee also noted that penalties in animal welfare legislation of other countries, such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, US, Europe and Hong Kong, are higher than those in Singapore, with fines ranging from $1,000 to as high as $500,000, depending on the nature of the offence and the type of offender, and imprisonment ranging from days up to five years. However, in determining the revisions to the maximum penalty, my fellow Members of Parliament and I held the view that the magnitude of penalty should provide sufficient deterrent as well as punish those who are convicted of committing acts of animal cruelty, but should not be overboard that it would cause unnecessary or unintended consequences, such as causing people to abandon their pet out of fear of non-compliance. We also felt that it is important to maintain proportionality of the proposed penalties for animal welfare and cruelty offences to other existing legislation for human abuse offences in Singapore. Taking all these into consideration, the maximum penalties of $20,000 for non-cruelty offences and $30,000 for cruelty offences, with a possible jail term of up to two or three years is proposed in this Bill. The maximum fine of $50,000 proposed by the AWLRC for individual offenders has been reduced to maintain proportionality to other existing legislation for human offences. We also saw the need to propose higher penalties for repeat and recalcitrant offenders. The proposed penalty structure has two-tiers, with one tier for the first convictions, and another tier for the second and subsequent offences.”
“However, we have also heard of acts of negligence or unfortunate accidents happening in other sectors of the pet industry. There was also a news report last year of a dog that died as a result of a groomer's handling fault. It is therefore timely and necessary for such a requirement to be extended to other areas of the industry. Page: 111 Under the new section 43, the Bill proposes that those engaging in animal-related businesses – as prescribed under the relevant subsidiary legislation – must employ individuals who are qualified and trained to be in charge of its animals, in such manner as the Director-General may specify. The Bill proposes penalties of $5,000 and up to six months' jail term for failure to comply with this requirement. Section 80(2)(q) is proposed to be inserted to provide power for the Minister to make rules on such training requirements for animal-related businesses. However, to ease the new areas of the industry into the training requirement, downstream implementation will follow later. We have received a lot of feedback from the SMEs and definitely will ensure that the implementation will be phased, to give the businesses more time to adapt and fulfil the training requirement. On penalty structure, Madam, there was strong consensus from the AWLRC's stakeholder consultation sessions to increase the maximum penalty. Over 80% of e-consultation respondents also supported increasing the maximum penalty, with the majority calling for the maximum fine to be increased to $20,000-$50,000 and maximum jail term to be increased to two-three years.”
“This includes pet owners as well as those working with animals and handling animals in the course of their work, for instance, pet industry workers. The duty of care would also extend to include those who do not own the animals but care for them in a shelter or in their homes, including fosterers, hoarders and those looking after the pets of the family members or friends. Under the existing Act, it is an offence for an owner to abandon any animal in circumstances that is likely to cause suffering or distress to it. The clause on abandonment being an offence has been shifted to the new section 41C under duty of care for better alignment, as it should be a duty of care of an owner to look after the animal properly and not abandon it. This is also in line with our intent of addressing the issues upstream, by encouraging responsible pet ownership. The clause has also been amended to make the act of abandonment an offence without having to consider whether the animal is suffering or in distress. The AWLRC found from the consultation sessions that a common comment made was that potential and existing operators of all pet-related businesses should be required to undergo some form of training and not just only the pet shops. Requiring animal related businesses to train their staff will foster greater responsibility within the pet industry to ensure better animal welfare. Furthermore, it is equitable to expect handlers of animals in the industry to have a certain level of training on animal care and handling. Currently, operators and staff of pet shops and pet farms that have been employed for six months or more are already required through licensing conditions to attend training on animal care and handling.”
“I shall now go through and explain the rationale of the main features of the Bill. A new section 41C is proposed to place legal responsibility on owners and persons in charge of animals to provide proper care for them so that the welfare of animals is attended to in a way that they are cared for and not just limited to punishing acts of cruelty after such acts had taken place. Existing clauses in the current section 42 associated with providing care are shifted to the new section 41C. Sir, the Codes of Animal Welfare have been formulated by the Multi-stakeholder Collaboration Committee (MSCC), which includes most of the AWLRC members, and chaired by Member Alex Yam. The Codes stipulate what constitutes proper care. There are specific codes for pet owners and pet businesses. The Codes have undergone stakeholder and public Page: 110 consultations before being finalised, and had been presented by the MSCC to AVA in July 2014. Upon acceptance and issuance of the Codes by AVA, should the Bill be passed by Parliament and gazetted into law, these Codes can be used for enforcement by AVA against failure to provide duty of care. While the Codes are not legislated, failure to meet the Codes can be used as evidence to support prosecution. However, AVA will not prosecute a person purely because of a breach of the Codes. The new sections 41A and 41B set out the legal provisions for the issuance, adoption and amendment of the Codes, as well as the use of the Codes in proceedings. Sir, the proposed definition of "person in charge" will include a person who has the animal in the person's possession, custody or control, or under that person's care or supervision, whether permanently or on a temporary basis and the definition of owner would include persons in charge.”
“Sir, allow me to now turn to the details of the proposed amendments. Page: 109 The AWLRC believes that the fundamental intent of the legislation should be preserved as looking at actions that result or may result in unnecessary pain and suffering of the animal. However, we should be cautious not to veer to the extreme that even actions generally deemed to be socially normal or acceptable, such as a child chasing after an animal in the intent of play, or the meeting of greater public objectives, such as mosquito and rodent control using proper pest control methods for public health reasons, can be also perceived out of context as an animal welfare concern. While the AWLRC concurs that acts causing unnecessary pain and suffering to any animal should be appropriately addressed under the legislation, it notes that the majority of animal cruelty and welfare complaints currently pertain to pet animals, as reflected in the current statistics of animal welfare feedback and the findings from the consultation exercise. The AWLRC also notes that there are existing regulations and guidelines for specific animal groups, for example, animals used for scientific purposes. As such, we proposed to focus our recommendations on pet animals and raising the standards of animal welfare only in this area. The Bill involves the AWLRC's recommendations on: (a) mandating a duty of care by owners and persons in charge of animals; (b) requiring employees of animal-related businesses to be properly trained; (c) raising the penalties to increase deterrence and distinguishing the penalties between individuals and animal-related businesses; and (d) improving the operational powers of AVA in administering the provisions of the Act.”
“I would caution that, however, we should not extrapolate this to mean that our society as a whole is becoming less compassionate towards animals, as there could be many reasons for this increase, including increasing interest in animal welfare and a greater willingness to report incidents. However, it does cause us to think about how our society treats animals and the changes that we should aim towards in order to become a more gracious and compassionate society. Cases are also growing in complexity, and shifting away from the black and white of clear-cut acts of cruelty to increasingly grey areas of neglect or infringements of animal welfare. Challenges in enforcement also have emerged, as it is currently difficult to actually take action – be it punishment or prevention – without strong evidence of cruelty and witnesses who are willing to come forward to testify in Court. To strengthen the legislation in line with a socially gracious and harmonious society, we need to move the regulatory controls upstream. Sir, the existing Animals and Birds Act focuses on preventing cruelty to animals. However, punishment is usually meted out only after cruelty has been done and there is little the authorities can do beyond advising better care or warning potential offenders – before such acts are committed. Much emphasis is also placed on the Government to be the sole protector of animal welfare, when it really should be a shared social responsibility. The key guiding principles in our legislative review were therefore to make the legislation more responsive and preventive, in addressing the welfare of the animals in the way that they are cared for, as well as to instil responsible and appropriate behaviour in all stakeholders who play a part in an animal's life cycle.”
“In this way, the AWLRC tried to avoid over-regulation, but rather to promote co-ownership of solutions and hence a sense of shared responsibility in upholding the animal welfare. Sir, this Private Member's Bill is to give effect to the AWLRC's recommendations. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow AWLRC members for their valuable contributions, as some of them are here in the Speaker's Gallery with us today, and my fellow Members of Parliament Vikram Nair and Edwin Tong who lent their legal expertise on this Bill. I would also like to put on record a big thank you to all the members of the public for Page: 108 their support and suggestions that have made this Bill possible and our very dedicated Secretariat who supported us all this while. Sir, there were suggestions from the AWLRC consultations for a separate Animal Welfare Bill, but we considered that the scope of the current Animals and Birds Act (ABA) is broad enough to actually allow more sections and provisions on safeguarding animal welfare and prevention of animal cruelty provisions to be parked there. As such, we did not think there was a need to enact a standalone Act for animal welfare. The current provisions for prevention of cruelty to animals are found in Part IV of the Act and were last revised 12 years ago. Today, we see the need for strengthening the legislation once again, as our society becomes increasingly aware and concerned about animal welfare issues. The number of animal welfare cases is rising, with a total of over 1,000 cases of animal welfare and cruelty feedback received by Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) annually.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Animal welfare is undeniably an emerging interest in our society today and it is also often a sensitive and emotive topic. In setting up the Animal Welfare Legislation Review Committee (AWLRC), we recognised the importance to take into consideration the views of the Singapore society on cruelty and the expectations for animal welfare. The 11-member AWLRC includes representation from different stakeholder groups – our members come from the animal welfare groups, the vet profession, the pet industry, as well as the community and grassroots leaders. During the AWLRC's consultation process, we also held consultation sessions with all these different stakeholder groups, as well as public e-consultation to seek views. Sir, the multi-stakeholder representation of the AWLRC reflects our belief that animal welfare should be seen as a shared responsibility amongst all stakeholders, and that we need to go beyond relying on imposing stricter laws and regulations to improve animal welfare standards. Thus, the scope of the AWLRC was not only to recommend ways to strengthen the legislation, but also to enhance stakeholders' collaboration on animal welfare. The 24 recommendations put forth by the Committee in March 2013 included legislative recommendations, and other recommendations that seek to strengthen and improve animal welfare through collaborative efforts by all stakeholders. We sought to strike a balance between recommending stricter laws and regulations where warranted and also taking a more graded approach to encourage stakeholder-led initiatives to improve animal welfare standards where appropriate.”