Yu-Foo Yee Shoon
Singapore
“I thank the Member for her suggestions. PRICING GUIDELINES ON CANTEEN FOOD FOR STUDENTS 19. Er Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Education (a) what are the Ministry's pricing guidelines on the sale of food to students in school canteens; (b) how does the Ministry balance the needs of the students and those of the canteen operators to mee…”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Sir, I would like to say that Mr Calvin Cheng must have thought deeply about what I have said. I have mentioned that 80% of singles actually wanted to get married. The responsibility of providing a social network used to be borne by the Government.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme for Child Care (CFAC) and Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KiFAS) provide fee subsidies to help low-income families send their preschool children to childcare centres and kindergartens respectively.”
“The childcare philosophy is to encourage the women to work. We have already relaxed the criteria because for those housewives who send their children for half-day care, we would still help them, so that they can get half subsidy.”
“I think we can consider that. INCOME CEILING FOR CHILDCARE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE SCHEMES 16. Mdm Halimah Yacob asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports whether the Ministry will consider increasing the family income ceiling for eligibility to the Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme for Child Care (CFAC) and Kinde…”
“Very soon. IMPROVING ROAD SAFETY FOR ELDERLY PEDESTRIANS 17. Mr Laurence Wee Yoke Thong asked the Minister for Transport (a) what are the measures in place to (i) promote the safety of elderly pedestrians, especially at traffic crossings; (ii) encourage the able-bodied public to assist the vulnerable frail elderly crossing alone; and (b)…”
The complete record
Every one of 618 lines we hold for Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 5 of 13.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I do agree with the NMP. I have already mentioned that when they go to the Family Service Centre, they will get the same treatment, which means that they will counsel them, ask them to fill up the forms, state what is the problem, and whether it is serious enough for them to apply for PPO, or whether they want to go to court, or file for a divorce, and so on. So we give the same treatment and the same steps of counselling to both men and women. But, like I say, men tend to think that they can handle the situation. So not many of them really go to a shelter home or seek for a crisis shelter, but more women go to a shelter home. So we give the same treatment, and we also train the counsellors to handle both genders properly. If it is really urgent, they can report to SOS or they can go to the police. RESIGNING PUBLIC SECTOR DOCTORS (Permission to take personal information of patients) 7. Prof. Ivan Png Paak Liang asked the Minister for Health whether public sector doctors are permitted to take personal information of patients with them when they resign and enter private practice and, if not, what are the procedures to guard against such practices.”
“Compared to the numbers of complaints about men and women, it is about 1,800 a year for women. For the men, it is about 200- plus. I am sure the hon. Member also knows that in our society, even the participation rate in the workforce, it is about 54% for women and over-70% for men. So, whether you like it or not, there is still a big gap between the needs of men and women. Women's participation in all walks of life still needs to be enhanced. Therefore, we tend to protect women more. But under the Penal Code and Women's Charter, we do protect violence against all members of family, including the aged, children, men or women. I am sure when men go to a Family Service Centre, they do get the same treatment. Assoc. Prof. Ong Soh Khim: Sir, the Minister of State has not answered my question on how easy it is to validate a claim of abuse by men and what are the steps taken. To follow up with the question asked on the participation of men and women in the workforce, it is not on the same basis to compare a labour participation rate to protect women and men. So, I would like to find out what are the steps that are in the pipeline to protect men since men's participation rate in the labour workforce is more than 70%, and all the more they have to be helped and counselled.”
“SERGEY M MIRONOV, CHAIRMAN OF THE COUNCIL OF FEDERATION OF THE FEDERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION, AND HIS DELEGATION (Presence in Gallery)”
“For example, the Parent Support Group in Montfort Junior School, a school under my Ministry's School Family Education Programme, has recently started the Fathers' Wing to actively involve fathers in enhancing the overall development of their sons. The hon. NMP has asked for the number of men who have been abused by their female partners. Since 2002, an average of 260 husbands applied for personal protection orders against their wives every year. There are two specialised agencies that victims of abuse can call for help. They can call PAVe (Promoting Alternatives to Violence) and Trans Centre. PAVe and Trans Centre specialise in helping victims of family violence and perpetrators to stop their abusive behaviour. They also support families to break the vicious cycle of violence. Their services include counselling, group work and practical assistance like helping victims apply for personal protection orders, as well as helping perpetrators deal with their abusive behaviour. There are crisis shelters which cater to men. But, so far, only a few have sought help. We encourage people in crisis, whether male or female, to contact any of the 36 Family Service Centres to seek professional advice and assistance. If they are in immediate danger, they should contact the SOS of Singapore or the Police. There is no need for a campaign to promote programmes targeted specifically for men. We have put in place community-based support services, like the Family Service Centre, and would encourage men and women to approach an FSC as a first stop if they need help for themselves and their families, and to approach Trans Centre and PAVe if they are victims or perpetrators of abuse. VISIT OF HON.”
“My Ministry holds the view that counselling services, crisis assistance, services for victims of abuse and other family support services provided by Family Service Centres (FSCs) and Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) should not be gender-specific, unless there is a clear need to be so. Support services should, in the main, address the needs of families and individuals, the bulk of which is not dependent on gender. Indeed, the Family Service Centres have seen a significant number of men coming forward to seek counselling and other services. The social workers providing the services are trained to adapt their approach, depending on the gender of the person seeking support. However, men may face certain gender-specific issues and stresses associated with their roles as sons, husbands, fathers and as the main breadwinner. In a previous query raised by the hon. NMP, MCYS had informed the House that we have been supporting and working with VWOs such as PPIS-Jurong FSC, the Centre for Fathering and the Association of Devoted and Active Family Men (ADAFM) to conduct regular workshops and support groups for men to help them address these issues which are specific to them. Apart from these initiatives, I would like to inform the House that the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) has piloted a support group for men called Programme Nakhoda where males from at-risk families learn about sharing household responsibilities, communications and problem-solving skills. In addition, As-Salaam Family Support Centre provides counselling, referral services and step parenting programmes to fathers. Some schools have also started father support groups to help fathers to be nurturing to their children.”
“Sir, we do not take a laissez-faire approach. Like I have mentioned, there is existing legislation, such as the Penal Code and the Women's Charter, to protect persons against criminal offences or abuse. Like the hon. Member mentioned about the recent case, such an example is a case of a marriage and sex scam, perpetrated by a 64-year-old cobbler who was charged and convicted for cheating by personation under sections 417 and 419 respectively of the Penal Code. I think he was sentenced to jail for 18 months. 3.00 pm”
“Sir, there is existing legislation such as the Penal Code to protect persons against exploitation or abuse or falling prey to scams. The Women's Charter also has provisions to protect women against trafficking, prostitution and family violence. If any matchmaking agencies or individuals break any of these laws, the Government will not hesitate to take them to task. In many countries, including the US, UK and Japan, the provision of matchmaking services is treated as a business arrangement between willing parties. They are not regulated by the Government. We have adopted a similar approach in Singapore. There is, however, scope for matchmaking agencies to put in place certain good practices, so as to raise their standard of service. For example, agencies could conduct background checks on their clients. This could include checking their clients' particulars against the marriage databases maintained by the Registry of Marriages (ROM) and Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM). Matchmaking agencies dealing in foreign brides could also request for the marriage certificate to be produced, before allowing the bride to follow the man home. I would like to encourage matchmaking agencies in Singapore to seriously consider putting in place such best practices. As matchmaking is an activity that singles, whether Singaporean or foreigner, voluntarily take part in, participating individuals must play their part to prevent being exploited or abused. They should exercise care in selecting the matchmaking agency that they use. It is also prudent to get to know your partner well, before entering into any engagement or marriage.”
“Thank you for the suggestion. I would like to inform the Member that the Ministry, the VWOs, Police and schools have a multi-agency counselling team to help these girls. So far, they have held a lot of seminars for the professionals, especially for the teachers, police and counsellors of family service centres. They also conduct a lot of training courses in schools. Last year, they even published a Child-at-Risk booklet and also to let the children know their rights. The teachers are also trained on how to observe all these problems. We also encourage some of the counsellors of family service centres and grassroots leaders that if they want to go for further training on how to help these children they can come forward to learn from the various VWOs. I am sure that the Member also knows that in 2001 the Children and Young Persons Act was amended to include emotional and psychological abuse, and not just physical and sexual abuse. I think there are enough channels for the children to seek help. But this is a two-way approach. It is not just encouraging the kids to know their rights and where to go for help but we also encourage the professionals to observe and keep a close eye on the children's development. Column No : 1961 BIRD FLU (Surveillance and early detection) 6. Dr Lily Neo asked the Minister for Health whether Singapore will (i) join the United Nations, United States of America and World Bank in the surveillance and early detection of bird flu to prevent a possible human flu pandemic; and (ii) offer to be the regional centre for the various agencies to be based here, in view of our strategic location in Southeast Asia and proximity to countries affected by bird flu.”
“Sir, I would like to thank Mdm Cynthia Phua for her concern on child abuse. In 2004, there were 102 cases of girls below 16 years old referred to the Ministry for child protection. In comparison, 2005, saw 104 of such cases. Most of these referrals were made by schools, hospitals, Police and social workers. All referrals for child protection are investigated, and each child is given specialised help depending on the assessment by a multi-disciplinary team of professionals. Such a team comprises pediatricians, psychologists and senior child protection officers. MCYS will also apply for a Care and Protection Order for the child at the Juvenile Court. Perpetrators may be prosecuted in court for the criminal acts. If found guilty, they can be sentenced to a fine or imprisonment, or both. The Court may also order them to undergo mandatory counselling, psychotherapy and other rehabilitation programmes.”
“Sir, at this moment, the important thing is that we wait for the IMC report. We should put in place some very basic regulatory framework and make sure that VWOs and the charitable organisations carry out their tasks stringently, such as auditing of accounts and convening of board meetings and general meetings. All these should be properly conducted. We still want to put the responsibility on the boards and the volunteers. We must have this internal control system in place. At this moment, the problem is more on the execution and the leadership. We should make sure that the boards and volunteers of VWOs take their responsibility seriously and carry out what is required of them by the Commissioner of Charities, MCYS, NCSS or the various Ministries. We will then observe and see what is the response of this new regulatory exercise. So internal control and leadership are very important. We should give the VWOs some time to go through training to respond to the new requirements. We will have an open mind to see what is best for us. Column No : 1960 YOUNG GIRLS REFERRED FOR PROTECTION 5. Mdm Cynthia Phua asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) how many cases of young girls were referred to the Ministry for child protection from January 2005 as compared to the whole of 2004; (b) who referred these cases to the Ministry; and (c) what actions, if any, were taken against those who exploited these girls.”
“Sir, like I said just now, the current system has worked well and to put in place such a system may cause distrust within the sector. Moreover, protection of whistle-blowers is a much larger issue that goes beyond the charity sector. I think Mdm Halimah also asked the Prime Minister about MAS and the Companies Act which has implication on the criminal law in general. Even the UK and US have implemented some sort of protection but at this moment they cannot prove whether it has really worked well. We should wait and see. We are quite happy with the present arrangement. As I said, in this society, we can use email and give a phone call, and MCYS, NCSS and the various Ministries are very open to any complaint or feedback. If a person is prepared to give feedback, he must be prepared to stand by what he has complained about. When we investigate we do not reveal the identity of the person. But if the evidence proves that it is positive and we need to go to court, then the complainant must be prepared to be called up for justification or clarification.”
“Mr Arthur Fong asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports given the incidents at National Kidney Foundation, Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped and other charity bodies, (a) what will his Ministry do to stop or prevent the slide in Singaporeans' civic consciousness and generosity to donate to causes for the less fortunate; and (b) have the recent incidences raised skepticism and cynicism in Singaporeans who have been encouraged to do some part in helping the less fortunate in our society.”
“The Minister of State,Ministry of Manpower,mentioned just now that under ComCare, thereare three pillars. They areComCare Self-Reliance, ComCare Growth and ComCare EnAble. Sopeople go for help under the MCYS' traditional schemes, eg, public assistance, utilities, etc, as well asMOM's WAP schemeto help them getjobs.These schemes, more or less,help support them so that they canget jobs. But the $4 million that I mentioned about is for the CCCs,from which we have so far spent more than $600,000. Thisis on top of what we have done so farfor those Government schemes. It is a flexible scheme for the CCCs to decide. This scheme is normallyfor one-off payments. For example, they may need something for the children or they are trying to get a job but need a bus card and so on. This is one-off. Therefore, it is about $120. This is not a long-term welfare scheme. As for social enterprises, I am sure hon. Members would know that MCYS has been promoting them since last year. We have about $3 million per year to promote them. Normally, what we do is that we give them seed money, capital grants, to start the business. The cap is about $300,000. Asto Dr Tan's question aboutthe individual going to the CDC and not being able to get anything, I haveheard from Mr Lim Swee Say that they have converted some jobs, such as those at the hawker centres. Whereas70% of the jobs were previously done by foreigners or illegal workers,80% of them are now done by Singaporeans. Therefore, if they really want to do something as a start, they should first try to get a job that maybe pays $1,000, andthey canupgrade themselves after that to get their own job. Social enterprise is more an informalor secondary economy sector. It is more complicated. Column No : 1792 DONATIONS TO LOCAL CHARITY BODIES 7.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I said just now that the school is only in its second year and, so far, according to our records, the girls and boys have done quite well. Whether for this year, there is a drop or not, like I said, this was not asked in the Question. So if he sends us the question, I will give him the answer. But, as a whole, my Ministry monitors the enrolment very closely, bearing in mind the potential of the local students, but we also want to give the opportunity for some interaction to those outstanding students from overseas. I think we want to develop this excellence in our society. On injuries, like I told him just now, whether any student has dropped out because of injury, I do not have the information. But based on the last three months, the average injury is about 20 students and all those cases which are below two or three weeks' rehabilitation, we consider them as minor injury. Only those with more than eight weeks' treatment, we treat them as serious injury. At the school, we have the doctors, physiotherapists and also the coach, and they form a team to monitor all these injuries very closely. The students are very well taken care of. MEDISAVE BALANCES OF LOW WAGE WORKERS AND SELF-EMPLOYED 13. Mdm Halimah Yacob asked the Minister for Health what measures will be taken to assist low wage workers and the self-employed to build up their Medisave balances as a recent Ministry of Health report has indicated that low wage workers and some of the self-employed have insufficient Medisave balances to meet their medical needs.”
“Ms Melvynna Tambunan, at 24, is a four-time national Under-57 kg champion. I understand from the SJF that Melvynna was not selected for the national team for the upcoming SEA Games because she only made herself available to participate in one of the two stipulated international competitions. This was inadequate for the Federation's coaches to sufficiently assess her performance. Furthermore, Melvynna did not attend the national team's training sessions regularly in spite of having clearly been told to do so. Her non-selection was not due to her not being a member of a judo club. I hope Melvynna will not be too disheartened but rather continue to train hard and perform well in competitions. This will put her in a strong position for selection for the national team for future games.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, we do not have specific criteria for single parents. Under the general social service, we have fixed certain criteria. The single parents apply under the generic criteria and we will consider them case-by-case, based on their suitability. Like I mentioned just now, 33 of them are entitled for public assistance. If they do not enjoy public assistance, we will refer them for other social assistance schemes, such as KiFAS, CFACS and so on. MELVYNNA TAMBUNAN (Non-selection for South East Asian Games) 14. Mr Sin Boon Ann asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports why Melvynna Tambunan, a medal hopeful in the next South East Asian Games in Manila, should be prevented from representing Singapore just because she is not a member of a judo club. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman) (for the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports): Sir, the selection of athletes to represent Singapore at major games, such as the South East Asian (SEA) Games and the Olympics, is done by the Singapore National Olympic Council, based on nominations submitted by the National Sports Associations (NSAs). In the case of judo, the Singapore Judo Federation (SJF) makes the nominations. The SJF bases its selection criteria on several key factors, such as participation in local and international competitions, regular attendance at national team training, and the athlete's commitment to the sport. Whether the athlete is a member of an SJF-affiliated judo club or not is one of the factors that is also taken into account, as the judo clubs help to ensure a certain acceptable minimum standard of training and performance.”
“Parents who preferred grandparental care felt that the grandparents could provide guidance in the children's upbringing, and felt safe leaving their children with the grandparents. Our MCYS 2001 survey also showed that parents who opted for centre-based care cited having confidence in the quality of care and education provided by the centres. Parents surveyed also indicated that such programmes contributed to their children's development, especially in their acquisition of social skills. An NIE study conducted in the year 2000 confirmed that parents were aware of the factors that made for good quality child-care centres. Parents placed emphasis on factors, such as the quality of caregivers, the length of time for children to interact, and the quality of children's activities. Many studies conducted locally and overseas show that it is the quality of the care that matters in child development, not where or by whom the care is provided. For example, an American study from the University of North Carolina in 1999 found that quality of care had the strongest and most consistent, positive associations with cognitive and social development across different childcare arrangements. MCYS will continue to conduct research on childcare. We are in fact planning a comprehensive study on the impact of various child-care arrangements on a child's development. We hope to commission the study early next year and complete it by end 2006 or early 2007.”
“The extra subsidy will commence in January 2006. PARENTING AND CHILDCARE PRACTICES (Study) 13. Mr Wee Siew Kim asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, in view of the prevalence of families where both parents are working full-time, whether his Ministry will consider conducting a detailed long-term study to investigate (i) the actual parenting and childcare practices in Singapore; (ii) the effects of alternative childcare arrangements on the development of children; and (iii) both parents' and children's perceptions of the consequences of various childcare practices. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman) (for the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports): Mr Speaker, Sir, MCYS supports families by creating an environment conducive for parenthood. One of the key considerations is the availability, affordability and accessibility of a variety of childcare options. These include centre-based full-day, half-day, flexible care and home-based care through the Family Day Care Services. A survey conducted by MCYS in 2001 showed that 46% of working mothers preferred self-care, 24% preferred grandparental care and 15% preferred centre-based care. Only 5% would opt for care by maids at home, while 6% preferred care by a nanny or relative at home. Another MCYS survey completed in 2004 indicated that the majority of parents still preferred to care for their children themselves, followed by care by family members or friends, and then centre-based care. Parents preferring self-care believed that they were best placed to take care of their children's physical and emotional needs.”
“Actually, there is some good news for Mdm Halimah. At this moment, the KIFAS subsidy is up to $50 per month. The Prime Minister has just announced during the ComCare launch that we are going to increase the KIFAS subsidy to $65 a month. So, in this case, it is another $15 more. On CFAC, basically, we encourage working mothers to send their children to childcare but not the non-working mothers. At this moment, for working mothers, they get CFAC, plus the $150 Government's child-care subsidy per month. For the non-working mothers, they only get the Government child-care subsidy of $75 per month. But for mothers who are prepared to apply for jobs, we would also consider referring them to MOM. If they have seriously registered themselves for some training and are prepared to enrol themselves for a job, we will also consider helping them. Especially those who are first-timers to childcare, we even encourage them to apply for the start-up grant, up to about $1,000, to help their children pay for deposits, uniforms, and so on. For those retrenched women who are prepared to go back to work, we will also consider them on a case-by-case basis.”
“Let us look into institutional care and its supply and demand situation first. Mdm Halimah's question is on whether we are doing enough for those children under institutional care.”
“So far, under ComCare, we are reviewing centre-based assistance. I am sure the hon. Member knows from the newspaper reports that ComCare will be looking into various schemes for families whose income is below $1,500. But we have not taken into consideration home-based assistance. Let us settle all the institutional care first. We have not yet considered his request.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, so far this subsidy is only extended to centre-based, not home-based, childcare.”
“NCSS funds the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) crisis hotline 1800-2214444 which addresses the needs of people in crisis. It operates 24 hours a day to counsel anyone in distress, who is suicidal or who just needs someone to talk to. Other VWOs also provide hotlines to meet needs or fill gaps that they have identified. There are about 30 other hotlines and helplines run by VWOs that the public can call to get information or assistance on social and related services. These hotlines range from those that provide crisis counselling to those that provide referral services. Special helplines include the Teenager Pregnancy helpline, for example, 1800-Mum-to-be and the SAGE helpline for senior citizens. The media has been supportive in publicising these helplines. SOS, the national Family Service Centre helpline and Care Corner hotline numbers are usually featured as numbers to call whenever the media cover issues where such help is required. Some hotlines are also listed in FYI page of the Straits Times every day. The various helpline operators carry out publicity campaigns to promote their helplines. For example, SOS organises an annual suicide prevention campaign to promote their number to the community. Helplines such as the National Family Service Centre helpline, SAGE helpline for senior citizens and mum-to-be helpline also publicise through launched events, pamphlets, cards, broadcast, print media, posters, SMRT train stations and through items of souvenirs. Persons manning crisis hotlines such as the SOS line are trained in crisis intervention and phone counselling. Those that provide information and referral services are trained for such roles but do not need training in counselling. 3.00 pm”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we can consider that. HELPLINES AND HOTLINES FOR THOSE IN DISTRESS 20. Assoc. Prof. Ong Soh Khim asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) how many helplines and hotlines do the Ministry and its affiliated Community Development Councils and voluntary welfare organisations have to help those who are in need; (b) how well are these helplines and hotlines publicised so that a person in need can easily know which number to call when a crisis arises; (c) whether these helplines and hotlines are manned by professionally trained counsellors; (d) what is the typical waiting time before a caller can get through to speak to a counsellor; and (e) what is the percentage of callers in the last three years who have received help after calling these hotlines and helplines. Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon (for the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports): Mr Speaker, Sir, my Ministry has an enquiry line that the public can call for information and enquiries for matters relating to my Ministry's work. However, for better accessibility, most community and social services are now provided by voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs). Members of the public who need help for social services can call the National Family Service Centre (FSC) hotline at 1800-CallFSC. This hotline would connect the caller to the nearest FSC which is a first-stop centre to support families. The FSC will provide the relevant information and advice, including setting up a face-to-face appointment, if necessary, or linking the person with the right agency for assistance. Community Development Councils (CDCs) also have enquiry lines that are primarily intended to provide information and referral or to arrange for meetings and consultation in person.”
“We are the second biggest exporter of tropical fishes in the world. Why can we not have a similar kind of competition and exhibition in Singapore? We have been to the great cities in the world, Shanghai, Bangkok, Melbourne, Toronto and so on. Apart from a lot of high class entertainment centres, they have the Victoria Market, and Sydney has Fisherman's Market and Beijing has the Fisherman Port, and you also have such places in Shanghai. So I hope that when we are promoting our high class and mega scale exhibitions, we should have, for example, a Little India or Chinatown, to explore the characteristics that we have inherited from different types of culture, so that we will have a lot of world-class possibilities and potentials. When we explore this kind of mega-projects, we must not forget our cultural heritage. One Italian friend told me he wanted to set up an Italian restaurant and he spent a lot of money to bring a few gondolas to Singapore. Actually, he wanted to ply the Singapore River. But our officials did not agree to this. They disapproved this project because gondolas cannot be compared with our tongkangs in the Singapore River. It is not allowed. Between China and Japan, you have historical baggage. But, in Singapore, we can absorb all kinds of foreign talents, foreign restaurateurs and other cultures. So, we have everything from the world. Germans have the beer festival, and the Japanese can also have the best restaurants in Singapore. Sir, I hope that after this debate, we will be able to focus on how to reinvent Singapore so that we can cherish this kind of sentiment and passion, and we will be able to succeed in a big way.”
“The Singapore River bank and other places can also match those in Hong Kong. We must allow people to put on neon lights to brighten our city and places of interest. This should not be considered as unhealthy. I suggest that we have a competition for the lighting system so that our country becomes more beautiful and attractive at night. If you go to Shanghai and Hong Kong, if the lights are not turned on, you do not see anything at all. It is very important. Mr Goh Choon Kang already commented on this. I hope he would not say that we are wasting our electricity. We have to rebuild Singapore and reinvent Singapore with all kinds of attractions so that we can bring in the crowd, visitors and human dynamism and night life. I hope that StarHub will be able to attract investors from other countries to Singapore. It can be the crossroad or meeting place for the western and eastern cultures and arts. I hope that world class sporting activities, cultural and artistic activities can be conducted here in Singapore. We should also have our Tiger Beer festival to drink beer. I have been to Cambodia to take part in a certain activity. It was not too bad. Why? Because one evening I was taken on a night visit and they said it was Tiger Street. It is a beer street. It is inconceivable that our Singapore brand name of Tiger Street can be hosted in Cambodia. Why can we not do the same in Singapore? In Yunnan, there are all kinds of flower exhibitions. Why can we not do the same since we are a garden city in the world? We believe that we have a lot of orchids that we can use for cultural or floral festivals which should be well known in the world. We can have a lot of things. We also have a mega exhibition of tropical fishes.”
“Because I spoke Mandarin, we got on very well. I asked the official there, "What is Singapore to you? Is there anything that will attract you?" He said, "Singapore has lost its attractiveness. If I want to go shopping, I will go to Hong Kong. If I want to eat nice food, I can go to Bangkok." So this came from Kunming. It is not even from Shanghai or Beijing. Kunming is only a second class city in China. So I feel that to build an IR with a casino will help to make Singapore into a world-class city with vitality. We have to look further ahead, and spread the flame far and wide. I hope that it will be able to inject new dynamism into our economy and people. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, three years ago, I saw something known as the WOW Singapore idea. This graceful cultural activity is a new culture. It does not mean that we must discard our old culture. It must be based on the existing foundation to flourish and play up the other cultural characteristics that we have from all over the world. Of course, the project to have an IR is one part of our new culture. We do not depend entirely on this for our civilisation. We must use Singapore as the crossroad between the East and the West and as a multi-racial, multi-religious country, we have all kinds of features from all over the world. Some people suggested that we must have some art galleries in Orchard Road so that they can see the cultural displays along Orchard Road. There is the lighting up of Orchard Road. In the Marina Bay, we have a graceful artistic kind of lighting system. It is like the Bund of Shanghai. Some three years ago, when I talked about WOW, I praised the lighting system in front of the Fullerton Building. This is the best that we can see in Singapore so far.”
“We hope this flame will burn into a much bigger ball of fire and bring about much more vitality, for example, recreation, hospitality, retail, etc. This will make Singapore alive again. I hope that we put in as much passion into the other parts of this IR, not only on the casino. When we talk about entertainment, it can bring about the reinventing of Singapore. In the 90s, when the Shanghai Pudong area started reinventing itself, I visited the place and I really feared that Singapore would become a second class city compared to Pudong. Every time when I go to New York, London, Shanghai or Hong Kong, I could feel the vitality of these cities. I asked myself, "Are we going to be like a shooting star that just shoots through very briefly?" Last year, I went to Detroit. It used to be a very famous town for automobiles. Now it is a dead city. I went to Yangzhou which was well known in the past with a lot of historical happenings. But now, Shanghai is the place where most people want to be, and not Yangzhou. Yangzhou has become a second or third class city, and Shanghai has jumped to the top. When our foreign friends talk about Singapore, they always say that it is a very clean and beautiful city and it has a very clean and honest government. These are advantages. We should not let these pass us. At the same time, with all these international places, have you heard anyone say that Singapore is a fun place? A lot of people say that Singapore is boring and full of man-made things. As advocated by Dr Geh Min, we must have a lot of cultural activities here. We have to get Singaporeans start all these activities and take in all the international cultures. For example, I went to Kunming for a meeting. During the half-day break, I visited the Tourism Board there.”
“We must not make gambling become too excessive. If we compare this to the NTUC Clubs, this is quite similar. The strategy is similar. If we want to have large-scale international activities or cultural activities, and we do not have the money, how are we going to have all these activities? With these IRs, they look at the needs of the society. If we do not want to look at what the society needs, then it is difficult to have an IR and maintain it. Furthermore, the Ministers have already mentioned about helping older people to adapt to the new skills. So I will not talk about this again. This project will bring more job opportunities. We must train our low-skilled older workers to upgrade themselves in order to take on these new jobs. This will bring about more goodwill in the family. With the setting up of IRs, the unemployed workers and retrenched middle management executives alike will have better chances to get a new job. So they can continue to work, save their Medisave and not depend on the children. If you look at China, India opening up with their middle class expanding, we hope that with these two IRs, we will improve our tourism and bring about more opportunities in other areas and sectors. Now, I would like to look at the long term prospect: what are the IRs going to bring to the Singapore economy? There are people who ask: is there no other way? Must we take the casino way? Of course, what we are taking now is a multi-pronged approach. We have free trade, transport, medical science, and tourism is just one part of it. As Minister Lim Hng Kiang puts it, we are sowing the seed with the hope that it would grow into a big tree. It is also like a little flame.”
“There are men and women who dress themselves up and they wear beautiful hats. They have a price for the best dressed person, etc. If you look at this horse betting, it is not the focal point, but a place or occasion for the whole family to have a carnival. Last year, I went to Vancouver. Along the two hours' journey from Vancouver to Seattle, there are six different casinos. If you look at these two cities, Melbourne and Vancouver, they are among the best choice cities to live in the whole world. They are ranked among the first few choice cities in the world. Another place is Monaco. It is a country which is smaller than Singapore and it has the very well known Monte Carlo casino. Whether Singapore will degenerate into a third class society will depend on whether the Government knows how to regulate the operation of the casino and pull the stops whenever necessary. In the 80s, when I was in the NTUC, we had the same problem of whether or not we should have the jackpot machines at our NTUC Club. If not for these jackpot machines, we would have closed down long ago. Of course, we had to have a lot of money to set up all the different activities. At that time, the late Mr Ong Teng Cheong advised us to understand why these people gamble. Most of these workers who go to the Club gamble only on small amounts. He said, "Well, if they want to gamble, why don't we let them gamble the money here?" So we can use this money to have other activities like sponsoring an orchestra to perform at various venues and raise funds for the various activities. These jackpot machines actually bring in the funds we need. Mr Ong Teng Cheong said that we must make sure that those people who sat there playing the jackpot machines for too long, we must ask them to go home.”
“The confession of Mr Chia Teck Leng, who is serving his prison sentence for fraud resulting from compulsive gambling, is a very good material for public education. Some people think that Singapore is a piece of clean land. If we build a casino, it will increase gambling many times. But, of course, we have to realise that gambling has been in Singapore all along. If we look at the MCYS' report, where gambling is concerned, Singapore is not losing out to Hong Kong or Macau. Singaporeans buy Toto, 4-D, gamble on football, and many even put their bets with illegal operators. They go to Batam and Genting. If you look at Jack Neo's movie, Tu Ran Fa Cai, ie, getting rich suddenly, you can see that during the weekends in the void decks, there are a lot of people gambling. So if you want to help these people, we have to choose a bigger way. A lot of people gamble and they do it socially. Only 2.1% have a problem. And, of course, what we are concerned with is especially this group of people. We know that most Singaporeans are mature and they know how to look after themselves, and are responsible to their family and society. The person who is in charge of Cosner also points out that in America, as long as you actually keep a cap on gambling, we can avoid excessive gambling. In fact, if you look at all those gamblers, they are not that many. Of course, we have to have the risk-taking attitude to cultivate good entrepreneurial spirit. This is good for them, good for the country and it helps to start their own businesses. In setting up the IR with casino, is it going to make Singapore a third-class city? Let us look at Melbourne in Australia. Since 1861, every year in November, they have the Melbourne Cup. It is just like a carnival.”
“For these older and low-skilled people, I feel that it is a very good opportunity. Some people feel that this could bring about more tax income for Singapore. This is what I hear from our vice-chairperson. For this increase in tax income, it can actually help to tackle the aging problem where health is concerned. From these supporting or opposing voices, we have to weigh the positive and the negative effects, and make a good decision, to see which decision will impact our economy and our people in the long run. We have to look at the problem positively. We have to use education through the masses to ensure that our society will be protected, and through legal ways to lower the impact that it could bring. This debate serves to educate not only the future gamblers but also the present gamblers and the people of Singapore in general. My Ministry will start this educational process as soon as possible. We are not going to wait until the casino is set up before we start educating Singaporeans. We are going to start now. The Government will use all its resources through multi-Ministerial cooperation and strategies to help prevent and halt excessive gambling. This should be done through the three Ministries - Home Affairs, MCYS and Health - to set up a safety net to make sure that Singaporeans will not be lured into pathological gambling and give rise to family and social problems. Of course, we cannot totally avoid all these problems. Our well-known so-called "Home Team" led by Minister Wong Kan Seng can curb the problem of loan sharks. We have to transmit the right values to our people through our education system, the media, the religious organisations and the VWOs. These will include honesty, hard work and other values.”
“Some foreign businessmen also told me that they felt that this is a new way to let Singapore reinvent itself. However, there are also some intellectuals who feel that a little gambling is good for the temperament. And this is perhaps why the Chinese people like to gamble. MCYS actually pointed out that a lot of people feel that gambling is a social activity. To them, to have this IR with a casino is just one more place for them to spend their leisure time. There is another voice, which is also a very loud voice, that a little gambling is a way to buy hope. There is another group of people who feel that gambling can make them rich, and these are the people who are most likely to become gambling addicts. However, there are some who say that when they were studying overseas, they have seen students gambling away their tuition fees. But a lot of them actually still work hard and come back with a degree. They have seen all types of IRs with casinos and are well exposed. So they do not think that this is a big problem. There are others who feel that Singapore has already developed into a mature society, and Singaporeans can think independently and they do not need the Government to "mother" them around. So, they feel that they have to be responsible for their own activities. Others feel that this could be a project that will bring about new job opportunities for the older and low-skilled Singaporeans. For this, I personally feel that this project could bring us new jobs but we have to retrain our workers, particularly the older workers, so that they can take on these new jobs. I have come across many older workers who try very hard to learn how to operate new machines to clean the floor. It seems that there is no other way.”
“Of course, there are those who worry about the social problems that may be brought about by the opening of the casino with the rise in drug-trafficking, prostitution, loan sharks and organised crimes. Some are afraid that Singaporeans may become compulsive gamblers and the percentage will increase from the present 2.1% and jump manifold. Thus, the society has to pay much more for this. A very close friend of mine told me that she opposed the establishment of integrated resorts with casinos. She feels that everybody is drunk, and she is the only one who is sober. I am not sure if I am one of those who are drunk or I am sober. Of course, there are many people who presume or do not really know that a lot of Singaporeans are already gambling. Some people agree to the IR but are against the casino. Some people doubt if this will really bring about good and new jobs for our people. Some people actually oppose it because of their religion or political standpoints. At the same time, we also hear another voice - a very loud voice. A few days ago, a colleague in Parliament told me that his women's group fully supports this and they want the Government to set this up as soon as possible. This is because a lot of Singaporeans already go to cruise ships or overseas to gamble. So, there is a huge amount of money flowing out of Singapore. Rather than letting the money flow out, why do we not just let the money remain in Singapore? Of course, there are people who cannot wait for this project to be completed, so that they do not have to take a boat or bus to Batam or Macau, etc, to gamble. And there are some business people who hope that this project will bring about more opportunities that will boost the tourism services or the property sector.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, for the past few days, we have listened to many different voices. I feel that the Government's decision to allow the opening of IRs with casinos is a very important one. I look at this problem in a wider perspective. If we do not have Minister George Yeo's suggestion, we may not have that durian in place today, and we may not have this debate today. I would like to thank him for his two durians and also for this platform to debate on the matter of casino in Singapore. We have to respect the different voices to prevent and stop extreme gambling. First, we must admit that it is a fact that not everybody would have the same opinion and the same voice. Among Singaporeans, there are some who are staunchly against the setting up of casinos. We respect their opinions and we actually listen to their voices. Because we have these pillars in these fast-moving streams, they help us to hold to our value system in our society. Now, let us listen to different voices and also the different opinions about the IRs. You may have heard about them in the past few days. I think it is worth the while listening to them again. Of course, there is no right or wrong in these opinions. There are some people who actually feel it is all right to gamble on football but object to IRs because of the casino component. Some go to the turf club for horse betting but they are staunchly against the casino. There is a Japanese businessman who told me that in a golf course you can actually lose or win thousands of dollars but the golfers still do not support the opening of casinos. Some people worry that our reputation of an honest, clean, serious, hardworking attitude and value system will collapse and we will have a society filled with all types of undesirable people and things.”
“As I explained just now, actually the Ministry has carried out a lot of measures to help the family take care of the elderly, like home help, befriender and eldercare daycare centres, neighbourhood link, and so on. The budget, together with MOH, is about $98 million for financial year 2005 which is an increase of about 4% or 5% every year. So the Ministry will definitely work together with the people sector, the families and the communities to do whatever we can. There is an inter-ministry committee, which looks into these various ageing issues. It is chaired by Dr Balaji and my Parliamentary Secretary, Dr Maliki. I am sure they will take all the suggestions into consideration and they will release the report at the end of this year. STREAMING IN PRIMARY SCHOOL 2. Assoc. Prof. Ong Soh Khim asked the Minister for Education in view of the strong cultural bias towards students in a certain stream after the streaming in primary school, how will the Ministry make streaming passive so that it does not stress the students and their parents.”
“I mentioned just now that the Ministry will always look into various ways and means to help the families to take care of the elderly. Because we believe that the family is the first line of support instead of institutional care. Therefore, I am sure the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health and my Ministry will always look into ways and means to help. But at this moment, they are not entitled to that.”
“It is only the maid levy, not the tax relief. The tax relief is for them to stay together and they are entitled to that.”
“Yes, I mentioned that singles are also entitled. The Government has reduced the maid levy to $200, and as long as the parents, grandparents or great grandparents stay in the same household, whether you are a single or married person, you will get the same entitlement.”
“Yes, singles can also enjoy the parents' tax relief for the maintenance of one's parents, parents-in-law, grandparents, great grandparents as long as they qualify under the IRAS conditions. So the tax relief also applies to the singles.”
“Sir, I think singles can take advantage of the lower foreign maid levy available to families which have a Singaporean parent, parent-in-law, grandparent and grandparent-in-law aged 65 years and above staying in the same household.”
“Who is the Mayor? What I am trying to say here is that we will feed back and work immediately with the Mayors and the advisors. I am sure Mdm Cynthia Phua will definitely want to work with us and sort out these problems immediately.”
“Miss Penny Low touched on a very important point. Besides the grassroots and the advisors, the VWO is a very important wing. So far, the Family Service Centres are all very supportive. We will definitely work with the VWOs.”
“Sir, like I said, the Supervisory Committee has just been set up. Definitely, my working committee will look into the procedures, like KPIs and accountability and, as suggested by Mr Sin Boon Ann, how to set a benchmark. I think we need to look into all these areas to improve the communication.”
“For social assistance cases, when an MP appeals to the Mayor and CDC - I was a Mayor before and based on my experience - let me explain how the CDC operates. Like I said, the Supervisory Committee needs to give more resources to also train the staff to do the job better and to deliver. But I feel that a strong message to get across today is that for the ComCare Fund, we will take a "people-to-people" approach. What I hope to see is that the CCCs, RCs and the advisors can work together to help the CDCs to investigate the case faster and decide whether the case is a genuine case. In that way, we can help the social workers to speed up their decision. According to the feedback and report from my Ministry, for 78% of the cases, they have processed them in less than six weeks. Some of the cases are quite straightforward and obvious. So I am sure they can handle them within one week. In some cases where they need long-term financial help, the commitment is more long term. They would need to go and visit them. I understand that sometimes, when they sent letters to them, they could not get a reply, or even when they called them, they also could not get a reply. There are many reasons why they need six weeks, or more than six weeks. Anyway, what I am trying to say is that there is room for improvement. The most effective way we want to see from the ComCare Fund is that the Ministry will work together with the CDCs, CCCs, RCs and the advisors.”
“We have to ensure that Singapore's social capability to help needy Singaporeans grows and evolves to keep pace with the changing needs of Singaporeans. The ComCare Fund is an important vehicle in this context. It will help to ensure that even as Singapore undergoes economic restructuring and reaches for higher economic growth amidst stiffer global competition, no needy Singaporean or family is left behind.”
“We will use this fund to enhance the capability of VWOs as well as social workers. We will do this through upgrading professional standards, training staff, piloting new services, and helping VWOs adopt systems and technology that help social workers in their work. MCYS has also introduced scholarships and the Strategic Manpower Conversion Programme to attract more people to become social work professionals. 55 people have joined these programmes since 2003. In the coming year, we will do more to increase the take-up rate of these programmes. I will be chairing a Supervisory Committee, which will consist of the five CDC Mayors, the Permanent Secretary of MCYS, Chief Executive Director of People's Association, the President of NCSS and, more importantly, we are inviting a few leaders from VWOs. The role of the Supervisory Committee will be to initiate, coordinate and monitor all ComCare programmes. The Supervisory Committee has a lot to do. It will review existing social assistance schemes and simplify them. Overlapping resource allocations between schemes will be reduced. It will ensure that needy Singaporeans are able to understand the schemes, and that they know where to turn to when they need help. As the Supervisory Committee has only just been set up, it would need time to meet and identify its priorities. Miss Penny Low and Mdm Cynthia Phua have asked what are the KPIs and timeframes for the ComCare Fund. These are things which the Committee will be looking into. I can assure the House that there will be proper KPIs, and a proper system of accountability and transparency for the funds that will be spent. The needs of Singaporeans will not be static. They will evolve, even as our society and economy continue to change.”
“South-East CDC has organised Edu Assist 2004 for needy students in their district. South-West CDC has food vouchers for those who need short-term assistance. CDC officers and grassroots leaders are closer to the residents and have better understanding of their family circumstances. They are better able to customise the assistance according to their residents' needs. With the ComCare Fund, we will empower the CDCs to do even more. The CDCs will need to strengthen their links with their community partners, such as grassroots organisations and VWOs, so that they can deliver assistance to needy residents more effectively, and those who need help know where to go. This is what I call a "people to people" approach, with people sector organisations helping the people. The "many helping hands" have each its own unique capabilities and strengths. It is only when society marshals its resources that we can effectively help needy families. MCYS will support the CDCs in the administration of the ComCare Fund by providing the necessary resources. Dr Lily Neo had asked about a register for the destitute. MCYS will take the lead to develop a centralised database that will capture the essential data of all social assistance beneficiaries. We will look into linking this database with other Ministries which also deal with the needy. We will also work with VWOs and grassroots organisations to contribute to this database. This database will help to ensure that there is coordinated assistance for needy Singaporeans. I agree with Mdm Cynthia Phua and Miss Penny Low that social workers play a critical role in helping needy families. My Ministry will help to enhance the capability of these social service professionals. In 2002, we had set up a $30 million VWO Capability Fund.”
“ComCare Fund aims to address such cases by providing flexibility in the administration of social assistance. Therefore, while the nationwide ComCare schemes will still be subject to MCYS guidelines, and will remain means-tested, the CDCs will be given the flexibility to provide assistance to genuinely needy cases that do not fit the eligibility criteria. In determining whether and how to provide assistance, the CDCs will take into account all the circumstances that the needy family face. This will help ensure that no needy Singaporean or family will fall through any gaps. We intend to decentralise the administration of social assistance to the community. The CDCs have done good work in administering social assistance schemes with the help of advisors and grassroots leaders. The processing time has improved, with 73% of cases being processed within six weeks. There is however room for improvement. On Wednesday, Minister of Health, Mr Khaw Boon Wan, had quoted Alexandra Hospital's experiment with the Toyota Production System which has helped reduce waiting time. We, too, will be watching the Alexandra Hospital's "Toyota" experiment with great interest. 12.15 pm The CDCs have also developed local assistance schemes to meet the specific needs of their residents. For example, the North-East CDC has a Home Care Assist Programme, which helps the needy ill or bed-bound elderly by providing them with homecare items, home modifications, transport for follow-up care, and medical equipment. Central-Singapore CDC has developed a RiDE scheme, which provides transport subsidies to needy residents who attend activities at selected day care centres. North-West CDC has a Food Ration scheme which provides food rations to needy residents.”
“ComCare EnAble will therefore also cater to the disabled, and the destitute chronic poor. ComCare EnAble programmes will include existing long-term social assistance schemes such as Public Assistance and Special Grant Schemes, programmes that reach out to the elderly living alone, and means-tested programmes to support families that have to take care of the frail elderly. Yesterday, my Minister had announced the enhancements to the Assistive Technology Fund (ATF). Assistance technology is a powerful enabler for persons with disability to overcome their disability and integrate into society. ATF will come under ComCare EnAble. With the changes to the ATF, about 1,150 persons with disability will be able to benefit from the scheme. We expect to spend $14 million on ComCare EnAble programmes in FY2005. Dr Warren Lee, Miss Penny Low and Dr Tan Boon Wan asked about the modus operandi for the ComCare Fund. There will be fundamental changes in social assistance administration. We will take a holistic, flexible, decentralised and partnership approach. Dr Tan Boon Wan asked about treating needy families holistically. In implementing ComCare programmes, we will take into consideration the holistic needs of the family. Many families who need the social safety net face multiple issues. It is not effective to take a piecemeal approach to helping them. Instead, their needs should be looked into holistically, so that a better solution, which covers all their needs, is provided. I agree with Mr Sin Boon Ann that we should simplify social assistance schemes. However, I want to emphasise that simplification must not result in one-size-fits-all solution. We recognise that there are some people who truly need assistance, but may not fit the eligibility criteria of our schemes.”