Zaqy Mohamad
Singapore
“Deputy Speaker, may I seek your consent and the general assent of Members present to move that the Question Time at this day's Sitting be exempted from Standing Order No 22(1) so as to enable questions for oral answer to continue until the completion of Question Nos 7 to 29, including relevant supplementary questions, until 12.45 pm?”
“Mr Speaker, may I seek your consent and the general assent of Members present to move that the proceedings on the item under discussion be exempted from the provisions of Standing Order No 48(8) to remove the time limit in respect of the Minister Tan See Leng's speech, please?”
“I think on the hawker front, we keep our rentals as low as possible to sustain our hawkers. But for food prices, we continue to monitor. My colleague, Minister of State Gan mentioned about how we are monitoring food supply of food prices, and I think that we will continue to do so.”
“I thank the Member for his question. On seafood specifically, we do not see immediate risk. We have diversified our food imports. We have also got local production of seafood readily available. At this point, as both the Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister have shared, our main risk for agriculture lies in fertiliser.”
“Mr Speaker, as I shared, we are monitoring the situation. The Government is monitoring at this point. There is no need at this juncture, because we have not seen the price hikes hit the hawkers in the same way as yet. There will be downstream impact. I think that is quite sure.”
“For us to also look into buying local produce, that helps our farms to increase capacity at this point, helps them build resilience over time and should there be disruptions or should there be a need for us to divert supplies or look to ramp up local production, I think they would be in a better position if we do what we can today to supp…”
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“Minister Iswaran, Member of Parliament Murali and I visited Westlite Papan dormitory last weekend to assure our foreign workers that these heightened measures of safe distancing are to protect everyone and that we will do our best to work with employers to take care of their welfare. I had also visited Sungei Tengah Lodge dormitory on the same evening as MOH announced that a COVID-19 cluster was found in the dormitory. Understandably, they were anxious to know what arrangements would be made to protect them. Top of their concerns was whether they would continue to get paid. Second, what measures will the dorms put in place to ensure their safety and protection. They too have families at home who depend on their salaries here. With Deputy Prime Minister Heng’s announcement of the foreign worker levy waiver and rebate measures, we can now give our foreign workers greater assurance that their employers should be able to continue to pay for their salaries, provide accommodation and food. I strongly urge employers to pass the Budget support to their workers and help us to keep them cared for and motivated during this period. Our self-employed persons, lower-wage workers and foreign workers play an important role in our economy and in building our nation. In this uncertain period, it is important that we provide them with greater certainty and support. The MOM will help them overcome this difficult period so that we can all emerge stronger after this crisis. Mr Speaker, allow me to share how we will support workers and employers in Malay. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Last Friday, the Prime Minister spoke on the COVID-19 situation in Singapore.”
“MOM last inspected the dormitory on 4 March 2020 and found that the dormitory was clean and the conditions were found to be satisfactory. As Members would all know now, as a result of the evolving COVID-19 situation, the Ministry of Health gazetted the S11 Dormitory @ Punggol and Westlite Toh Guan Dormitory as isolation areas two days ago. We acknowledge the challenges at the start to prepare the living areas for isolation while quarantine was going on. Mr Speaker, these are not normal times, and while not ideal, the dorm conditions, admittedly, could have been upkept better during this transition. We appreciate the workers’ patience and cooperation, and will continue to improve the conditions for the residents of the dormitories. I would like to assure Singaporeans that MOM is coordinating efforts to ensure that the needs and well-being of our foreign workers residing at both dormitories are well taken care of. Workers that had close contact with the confirmed cases have already been separately quarantined. MOH has also set up medical posts on-site to assess and treat workers who are unwell. They will be relocated and housed separately from their usual room-mates. This is an unprecedented incident that the Government is managing, and MOM officers and our partner NGO, the Migrant Workers' Centre, have been working round-the-clock with the dormitory operators and our partners to prioritise the well-being of workers who remain healthy. This includes ensuring the timely supply of food and stepping up hygiene management, as a result of extended hours of stay by the workers in the dormitories.”
“More workers can benefit from greater Workfare support of up to $4,000 a year. In his speech yesterday, Member Pritam Singh spoke about adopting "living wage". In times like these, no "minimum wage" or "living wage" system can help low-wage workers. When there is no work, there is no salary, there is no minimum wage to talk about when firms are unable to pay for their low-wage workers. So, Workfare is the reason why the Government can calibrate the 20% additional wage top-up and the $3,000 special payment, or any other wage support needed for later, for our low-wage workers who are vulnerable and who need our support. This, on top of Jobs Support Scheme that we are providing to companies. So, we complement the approach with the Progressive Wage Model for our cleaners, our security officers and landscape workers. Unlike minimum wage or living wage, we take a multi-layered approach to support our low-wage workers, and which is effective especially in these times of need. As the impact on our economy deepens, more firms may close. The Short-Term Relief Fund today provides financial help to low-wage workers whose employers are unable to pay them wages due to financial difficulties or business failure. Since 1 April this year, we have increased the support from the fund, from up to one month’s salary, capped at $1,000 today, to up to two months’ salary, capped at $4,600, depending on the worker’s income. To help more workers, we have extended the coverage of the fund beyond the low-wage workers to cover half of the workforce. While we look out for our local workers, it is just as important that we take good care of our foreign workers. Some Members highlighted the media coverage that conditions in the S11 Dormitory @ Punggol were poor.”
“The Government has now extended the STSS till the end of the year. We will also increase the hourly training allowance from $7.50 to $10, with effect from 1 May 2020. There is no cap to how much training SEPs can sign up for. For example, a self-employed private hire car or bus driver who spends 10 full days of training in a month can receive $800 of training allowance that month. The STSS is administered by NTUC’s e2i. Applications have already started since 1 April 2020. SEPs can refer to NTUC’s website for more details. We encourage all SEPs to tap on this training support. Mr Speaker, during these difficult times, it is also important for us to pay special attention to another vulnerable group – our low-wage workers. Many, such as our cleaners and security officers, are critical to the provision of essential services during this COVID-19 pandemic. At Budget 2020, we announced that low-wage workers on Workfare will receive a Workfare Special Payment (WSP). They would receive an additional 20% of their Workfare payout for work done in 2019, with a minimum payment of $100. This was to be paid in November. We will enhance WSP to step up support for our low-wage workers, including SEPs, earning up to $2,000 per month in 2019. They will receive an enhanced WSP of $3,000 each, fully in cash. CPF Board will pay eligible Workfare recipients two payouts of $1,500 earlier, in July and October this year. There is no need to apply. Eligible recipients will be notified and paid automatically by the CPF Board. Lower wage workers will continue to receive additional support through the enhanced Workfare Income Supplement (WIS). The qualifying income ceiling and maximum annual payouts have both gone up since January 2020.”
“So, we used the Workfare criteria as a starting point, and further expanded the criteria to cover almost double the number of SEPs as Workfare. Hence, there is no need for most eligible SEPs to apply. Eligible SEPs aged 37 and above who declared a positive net trade income to IRAS or CPFB for 2018 will be automatically notified via letter and SMS in end May 2020. They will receive the first payout automatically in end May, followed by July and October this year. We know that some SEPs who do not qualify automatically are worried. They hope to be considered. For example, SEPs who are aged 21 to 36 in 2020, but otherwise meet the criteria; and SEPs whose spouses earn a high income but have many people at home to support. My colleagues and I will try our best to consider the applications of those who did not qualify automatically, particularly those aged 21 to 36 in 2020 but otherwise meet the criteria. We will also seriously consider the appeals of those who narrowly missed the eligibility criteria. I am also glad that NTUC Secretary-General has offered to front the application and appeals of SIRS. MOM will work with NTUC to provide details on how to apply, and how those who do not meet the SIRS criteria can appeal very soon. We seek your patience and understanding. During this downturn, we want SEPs who have spare capacity to train and upskill themselves for the coming upturn. To support them, we announced a new SEP Training Support Scheme (STSS) during COS last month. SEPs who take up any SkillsFuture Series courses and other selected training programmes can receive an hourly training allowance of $7.50 that will help defray their daily expenses. This was for a period of three months, and is on top of the substantial course fees subsidies of up to 90%.”
“Mr Speaker, Minister for Manpower used the word "surreal" as she described this Chamber. Seeing us all spaced out, a reflection of the times that we are facing – to overcome a crisis that will define this generation, our generation. Having spent the last few weeks engaging employers, workers and ordinary citizens, we can see the anxiety shows. For those whom I have met whose livelihoods have been affected, I thank them for their calm and their willingness to work with us to get through this crisis. Many hope for the best, some plan for the worst. With three Budgets in the space of two months – the Unity, the Resilience and the Solidarity Budgets – the leadership, care and concern of this Government shows as it prepares Singapore for the best, the worst and everything else that comes in between. For the Ministry of Manpower, our priorities are clear – to Save Jobs, to Protect Our Workers and to Support Their Livelihoods. In these difficult times, we are especially concerned for those who are more vulnerable – our low-wage workers, the self-employed persons (SEPs) and our foreign workers. I will first address our efforts for self-employed persons. Many SEPs have seen their livelihoods badly affected amidst this COVID-19 situation. To help Singaporean SEPs with less means and family support tide through this period of extraordinary economic uncertainty, we introduced the SEP Income Relief Scheme (SIRS) as part of the Resilience Budget and enhanced it in the Solidarity Budget. All eligible Singaporean SEPs will receive direct cash assistance through three quarterly cash payouts of $3,000 each or $9,000 in total. SIRS will provide cash assistance to SEPs most in need quickly. We want the cash assistance to reach our SEPs fast.”
“I thank the Member for his clarification. First, we have about 64% of suitable injured workers participating in the Return to Work programme. For those who did not participate, it was mostly because either the worker resigned or the employer dismissed the worker. So, we expect participation rate to improve as more hospitals gain more experience with the Return to Work programme. With experience, the Return to Work coordinator should be better able to convince both workers and employers. There is hope for restoring work ability. On the Member's second question with regard to whether we will expand the number of hospitals, right now, the Return to Work service is already available at seven public hospitals and each one is an A&E hospital. So, it is natural that you have ambulances send acute injury cases to these hospitals. The only exception today that has an A&E that is not part of the programme is KK Hospital, as mentioned earlier.”
“Mr Speaker, the Return-to-Work or RTW programme helps workers with traumatic work injuries return to work as soon as medically suitable. As part of the programme, the worker undergoes occupational or physiotherapy, while the hospital assists the employer to make workplace adjustments to support the injured worker’s return and long-term employability. RTW services are available at seven public hospitals. They represent all the public hospitals with Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments, where ambulances send acute injury cases to. The exception is KK Hospital, whose A&E department caters to women & children. As of end 2019, 1922 injured workers have participated in the programme. About 95% of the participants have been successfully placed back to work. This was an improvement from around 75% remaining employed before the RTW programme. We have also received positive feedback about the programme. Some workers shared with us that their supervisors are more supportive after the hospitals’ RTW coordinator explained how the worker can remain productive post-injury.”
“I understand that is being worked on by your Cluster Committee. So, we will wait for your recommendations.”
“That is actually an MOM question but never mind. If they are injured, they can claim under the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA). Under the WICA, you can actually claim. So, whether they have insurance or not, it is claimable.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for her question. Certainly, we can look at this. It is in our interest, in fact, to leverage more on technology and leverage more things like drones, for example, so that we minimise the cost to Town Councils to have to put up gondolas each time. Let us work this out. And certainly, as we expand the regulations to more Town Councils and across the board, I think this is where we can certainly do better.”
“There are about 260 MCPS today in Singapore, and 10 or less MCPS were installed annually in recent years. So, the numbers are not huge. But BCA will work out the details of the MCPS regulatory regime and consult the industry further on the requirements for contractors and technicians. On Mr Gan's question on HDB's procurement of lifts, while it is not relevant to the Bill, we should ask MOF on how you procure lifts in bulk. But I would like to assure the Member that HDB does enjoy the economies of scale in its lift procurement. Each tender covers about 300 lifts, which is large by industry standards. Sir, I thank Members for their support of these amendments, which seek to reinforce our Building Control Act by strengthening the building regulatory control framework and to improve the building accessibility in our built environment. Mr Deputy Speaker, I beg to move. 3.23 pm”
“Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked about how we can ensure the adequacy of lift parts in order to meet the maintenance requirements under the Act, for example, by setting up a national storage for such parts. We agree that it is important for lift faults to be rectified in a timely manner. However, having a centralised storage of the various lift parts from different manufacturers and across different models is neither practical nor cost-effective. It is going to be difficult. Instead, owners can take a preventive approach towards maintenance by planning ahead and scheduling replacement of lift components early, before they cause any issues. The RM&D systems I spoke about earlier have the potential to help owners to do better. Mr Zainal Sapari also raised concerns about major players exerting proprietary rights over their spare parts and asked if we could adopt the EU's practice of encouraging open and non-proprietary lift systems. We understand that EU prohibits companies from restricting the sale of spare parts to other companies and we have similar laws in Singapore that can deal with refusals to supply essential parts. So, I think it would not be practical to legislate that lift systems must be open and non-proprietary because doing so would severely limit the selection of lifts available to Singapore, given the lift designs of many of our international lift are actually quite proprietary. Just like cars, it is very hard to interchange your parts between a Honda, Kia and Volkswagen, for example. So, you have to also be mindful that there are very few of such models around. On Mechanised Car Parking Systems (MCPS), we agree with Er Dr Lee that they should be properly installed and maintained.”
“Such systems are being used in some other countries in Europe and BCA is exploring with the industry how this can be applied in our local context. For example, BCA is working to develop a common standard for these systems that will facilitate more pervasive deployment of such technologies. If successfully deployed in Singapore, RM&D technology could enable us to shift to a use-based or predictive maintenance regime, as suggested by Mr Zainal and Er Dr Lee. Today, it is very rigid in terms of monthly inspections. But that is because we do not have ways in which we can measure how often the lift is used and how far it travels. So, I think, with technology, we are able to do it better and, therefore, we can assess how soon or how often your lifts need to be maintained much more accurately. RM&D can also change the way lift technicians work in the future. A technician will be able to monitor all the lifts under his charge from a remote location and in real time. So, when a fault occurs, the system will provide the technician with the necessary information to diagnose the fault and to attend to it immediately. This will reduce the amount of time that the lift technician is required to spend doing maintenance work on site, which not only makes his job safer but also enables him to maintain a larger number of lifts, thus raising his productivity. I think all these fit into the whole PWM narrative in which you want to see greater productivity, you want to see greater skill-sets and improved working conditions. Therefore, I think you can see the rationale of why we are localising this set of jobs and taking it to the future. We want more Singaporeans to come on board.”
“So, as they improve their skill-sets, competencies and productivity, their wages will also go up. So, it has to be commensurate with the skillsets and skill pathways. Beyond the PWM, we also agree with Mr Zainal and Mr Ng on the need to improve the working conditions in the lift sector. BCA is working with the industry for new lifts to be designed with better working conditions for lift technicians as part of the work of the Tripartite Cluster for the Lift and Escalator Industry, which Mr Zainal chairs. So, Mr Zainal, it is in your hands. For example, I understand that the Committee is looking at measures relating to improving minimum illumination levels and mechanical ventilation in the lift shaft so that lift technicians can work in a cooler, brightly lit environment. And for existing lifts, we encourage lift owners to proactively incorporate these improvements as part of their planned upgrading or modernisation works. Yes, the Tripartite Cluster can do its part and, certainly, we look forward to Mr Zainal's recommendations. On Mr Zainal's specific point, I would like to clarify that clause 20 of the Bill allows the Commissioner of Building Control to issue orders in respect of lifts to prevent safety incidents and not to improve working conditions. So, as we raise wages and improve the working environment, we will also improve the safety and productivity of the L&E industry through the use of technology, as suggested by many Members who have spoken today. One way is to use remote monitoring and diagnostics (RM&D), which enable lift contractors to not only monitor lift operations in real time remotely, but also to troubleshoot and diagnose faults with greater accuracy.”
“For example, a lift technician with the specialist level of competency will be able to earn a basic wage of at least $2,250, while a master specialist could earn $4,000 or more a month. BCA and ITE are also working with the industry to develop more courses to help lift technicians advance along their PWM career progression pathways. This will ensure consistency in training standards and facilitate job mobility, both of which were highlighted by Mr Zainal Sapari and Er Dr Lee Bee Wah. As mentioned by Mr Zainal, we have, indeed, been engaging our stakeholders actively to encourage the early adoption of PWM. On the supply side, 40 lift firms, representing 95% of the market, have already committed to adopt the PWM. On the demand side, all Government procuring entities now award tenders only to lift firms that have adopted the PWM. BCA has been in discussions with Town Councils, trade associations and chambers (TACs) and other major service buyers, who have also been supporting the PWM. We encourage service buyers to come on board early, to smoothen the transition to a mandatory one by 2022. Mr Louis Ng asked about extending the PWM to foreigners in the lift industry. The intent of the PWM is to build a strong local core for the lift industry and not to discriminate against foreigners. So, Mr Ng will be happy to know that several lift firms that have committed to implementing the PWM have also indicated that they provide their foreign lift technicians with comparable remuneration packages. BCA will require all lift technicians, including the foreigners, to be certified for the various competency levels in the PWM, and we will encourage lift companies to also incorporate other PWM principles for their foreign lift technicians as well.”
“To ensure that there continues to be enough competent personnel to inspect our lifts, BCA is working together with the Association of Consulting Engineers Singapore (ACES) and The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) to train lift and escalator inspectors (LEIs). Graduates and diploma holders in the mechanical or electrical engineering disciplines who have relevant experience will be able to apply for registration as LEIs. They will need to complete an LEI training course and pass an examination. These efforts will grow the pool of L&E professionals to meet increasing demand. As for lift maintenance technicians, BCA and ITE have introduced courses for the various competency levels in the PWM to provide them with common engineering knowledge and skills on servicing lifts and their key components. Technicians will therefore be required to obtain the specialist level competency – so they must obtain this – before they are allowed to service lifts independently, once this regulation comes into effect. To date, almost 400 of the 2,100 lift technicians in Singapore have received the certificate of competency (CoC). I urge employers to start training up all the technicians. We are now giving a grace period before we put in the regulations. But this is the time as we have put in more support now with SkillsFuture and we need to help train and beef up our capabilities. I thank Mr Zainal Sapari and Er Dr Lee Bee Wah for their support of the PWM for the lift industry. The PWM provides a common competency and wage framework for all lift firms. This will benefit more than 1,000 local lift technicians and ensure that their remuneration is commensurate with their job responsibilities and competencies.”
“As I mentioned, the schedule of the PFI has been set at seven years, which can be tied in with the R&R schedule to save costs. BCA will also work with owners, including TCs to spread out inspections in the initial phase to minimise any spikes in costs. BCA is also working on other measures. For example, BCA launched a grant call with HDB for the development of a drone inspection system to carry out automated facade inspections. This reduces manpower cost in terms of getting gondolas up and all the other necessary infrastructure. Er Dr Lee Bee Wah and Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked about the number of lifts in Singapore and their reliability. There are 70,000 lifts in Singapore and the number of safety incidents arising from technical faults has been less than 30 per year over the last three years. We will continue to monitor this carefully as we take the safety of all our users very seriously. At the same time, the number of lifts in Singapore is expected to grow. We recognise Er Dr Lee Bee Wah and Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap's concern that there should be enough skilled manpower to keep our lifts safe and in working condition. That is why we have been working with the industry to build up capabilities and capacities at all levels. The Professional Engineers Board (PEB) introduced the specialist professional engineer (SPE) in lift and escalator engineering in 2017. Today, there are about 90 SPEs whose primary duties include supervising the installation of lifts and carrying out routine inspections. Their scope of work will increase with the new requirements under the Bill to also include the certification of new installations.”
“However, depending on the specific situation, specialists with the necessary skills and competencies, such as in building materials and components, may be better equipped to carry out such inspections. So, it depends on the type of issue involved. The amendment allows for such specialists who may not be architects and PEs to be appointed to do inspections. Overall, there should be no impact on public safety. In fact, it should be better because now, you are allowing others with specialised engineering skills. Ms Lim and Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap noted that the PFI regime entails cost. The schedule for the PFI has been set at seven years, to be tied in with the repairs and redecoration (R&R) schedule that TCs, MAs and Management Corporation Strata Titles (MCSTs) conduct, to save costs. Therefore, you can also leverage on the gondolas that you set up, other things that you typically do in terms of painting of the building, for example, and you can leverage on some of these things to reduce cost. BCA will also work with owners responsible for many buildings to spread out the inspections in the initial phase to minimise any spikes in costs. BCA is working on other measures to help manage costs. These include building up the pool of CPs and FIs, and exploring, as some Members have also suggested, how technology can help to carry out inspections in a more effective and productive manner. In terms of whether there will be co-sharing of costs or additional funding provided to Town Councils for the new facade inspections, as building facades are part of common property and under the purview of TCs, TCs are responsible for conducting regular inspections to ensure that the facades are in good condition.”
“In addition, the BMSMA's definition of "person responsible" includes the Town Council's contractor and the condominium's managing agents (MAs) as long as they have charge and control over common property. What we have done – it looks a bit complicated – but we are basically porting over the clauses in the existing BMSMA into the current Building Control Act. In the BMSMA, it was the Town Council mentioned – no HDB. But in the current Act, you do have HDB and Town Council. That is for retrofitting orders by the Minister. That will still be retained under clause 13, in which the Minister can still designate retrofitting works to HDB and Town Councils. So, there are no changes. Just to clarify again, maintenance of exterior features and facades is under the Town Council and its contractors, for coverage of retrofitting, it is HDB and Town Councils. So, there is no change effectively on the total outcome. Also, to clarify on the co-payment by HDB should you have facade repair issues, that comes under an existing HDB co-payment scheme. I think the Member also knows that if it is found to be a facade repair issue, HDB co-funds 50%. If found to be a design fault or construction issue, it will be 100% covered by HDB. So, the scheme is in place and not so much part of the Act. So, we have not changed the position when transferring the BMSMA provisions on maintenance of exterior features over to the Building Control Act. Ms Sylvia Lim also asked why clause 20 of the Bill amends the Act to no longer mandate that inspections ordered under section 24(1) be performed by an architect or professional engineer. She asked if this would have an impact on public safety. We expect most of the inspections to still be done by architects and professional engineers.”
“The CP must be either a professional engineer (PE) or registered architect, and can be assisted by facade inspectors (FIs) in carrying out inspections. So, they do not have to do it all on their own, but there are roles such as FIs that they can use. The FI must be a resident engineer, a resident technical officer, or any other person who possesses the relevant qualifications and experience. CPs and FIs must undergo a compulsory facade inspection course. Since 2017, more than 200 individuals have successfully completed the course. BCA will also introduce inspection guidelines in due course to guide CPs and FIs in performing their duties. These efforts will ensure that we will have a pool of qualified and competent personnel to support the new inspection regime. For these courses, they can also tap on SkillsFuture subsidies available. For those below 40 years old, they can get up to 50% subsidies. For older workers above 40, Singaporeans and Permanent Residents, they can get up to 90% subsidies too. To some extent, I think, if you look at the entire picture, we are trying to beef up our core capabilities. Ms Sylvia Lim also asked about the terms used in defining the persons responsible for maintaining building facades and about the responsibility for facade maintenance in HDB blocks. Let me clarify that the Bill does not change this responsibility. The definition being amended relates to exterior features. The maintenance of exterior features is part of any common property in HDB blocks that is currently covered under the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act, or BMSMA in short. Today, the person responsible for such maintenance is defined in the BMSMA as the Town Council (TC) and not HDB. So, we are porting this across.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I thank Members for their comments and their support of the Bill. Let me address the issues raised. Mr Louis Ng asked why residential buildings and factories were not included under clause 17, which requires for existing buildings without basic accessibility features to provide these when undergoing addition and alteration works. As I mentioned earlier, all buildings built since 1990 have to comply with the Code on Accessibility, including the provision of basic accessibility features. So, buildings in the last 30 years are now compliant. The changes under clause 17 target older buildings built before 1990, which do not have basic accessibility features. We are applying this requirement to commercial and institutional building types as these are more frequently accessed by members of the public. This is a calibrated approach as we are mindful of the physical challenges in existing buildings as well as the cost impact to building owners. Owners of residential and factory buildings can tap on the Accessibility Fund to co-fund up to 80% of the cost for installing basic accessibility features. The fund is available, and I urge them to do so. Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked about maintenance of facades. As mentioned earlier, we will put in place a new Periodic Facade Inspection (PFI) regime. The regime provides a more structured approach towards the inspection and maintenance of facades so that owners can better meet their existing duty and enhance public safety. Er Dr Lee Bee Wah and Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap also asked about the regulation and training of personnel involved in facade inspections. Owners will need to appoint a competent person (CP) to carry out facade inspections.”
“Mr Speaker, these are burning issues which we must address in the public interest as we are quite a densely built up city state. In Chinese, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In 2018, there were several lift breakdown incidents. Therefore, I support the Government to strengthen the regulation of this industry. From what I have observed, lift maintenance is hard work and there are few career progress opportunities. This could have resulted in the situation whereby people are not interested in positions in this industry. This is going to affect the quality of maintenance, and subsequently public safety. Furthermore, we do not know what the quality of training is like in the various companies. Hence, to establish a training and registration system for the technicians can ensure public safety better. Every now and then, we have episodes of claddings and awnings on facades falling off. May I know, for the workers installing and inspecting these facades, what kind of training they have undergone? 2.35 pm”
“Sometimes, soon after the lift is back to order, back to working condition, then it breaks down again. It just shows that the checking was not thorough enough and that caused a lot of inconvenience to the residents. Also, I believe there is a great shortage of technicians and engineers. That is why they hurriedly finish the work and then put it back into service again. Can the Minister share with this House how many lift technicians do we have in the industry currently? The Minister of State mentioned that there are 70,000 lifts in Singapore. But how many technicians are there? What is the target number and the schedule of rolling out? What is the duration of the course? How many qualified trainers do we have to conduct courses on lift maintenance? Are we also training more lift engineers, too? Secondly, are we expecting an increasing number of carparks using mechanised parking system? These are very specialised systems and they need to be properly installed and maintained. Otherwise, any freak accidents can be catastrophic. Again, how many competent people are there to conduct the training? And how long does it take to get someone trained? Would Minister look into how the frequency of maintenance for lifts and mechanised carparks is determined? I think one important consideration is the frequency of the usage, rather than just a standard timeframe maintenance schedule. Next is the maintenance of building façades. Many building owners may want fanciful facades to make their structures stand out. But this is where aesthetics may be achieved at the expense of practicality of maintenance. We have our share of awnings and claddings on façades falling off. What is the protocol for the maintenance of these structures? How are the workers trained for such roles?”
“This will avoid a situation where each owner engages its own QP, which may result in different recommendations and delays in complying with BCA's orders. BCA has consulted industry stakeholders, including building owners, contractors and professionals, on the key changes through more than 10 engagement sessions over the last four years. The industry stakeholders were supportive of the changes. BCA will continue to work closely with the industry to implement the changes proposed in this Bill, which will enhance safety and accessibility in our built environment. Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move. [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)] 2.30 pm Er Dr Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the Bill. The amendments are certainly welcome, especially in light of episodes of lifts breaking down in 2018. I support the amendments for proper registration and training of lift technicians. We know individual lift companies may have their own in-house training, but how adequate are these training sessions? There is also a lack of career path for the technicians. Hence, you do not attract jobseekers and there would be job-hopping, maybe leading to staff who are not adequately trained. Next, how do we regulate that the technical crew are not pressured to do jobs in a hurried manner or jobs they are not trained to do, because they have to meet a quota of servicing X number of lifts in a day? Based on my observation in Nee Soon South, definitely, there is a lot of room for improvement in the quality of lift maintenance and quality of service by lift companies. Sometimes, they even shut down the lift without putting up proper signage and proper notice to the residents.”
“To ensure proper accountability, clauses 31 and 32 amend sections 29F and 29G to stipulate that only a Director or a Board member can be an "approved person". These amendments will also allow more types of businesses to apply for a Builder's licence, including sole proprietors and partnerships comprising corporations. This will provide greater flexibility for the industry. For example, smaller firms will be able to form partnerships to take on projects beyond their individual capacity. I hope Er Dr Lee Bee Wah is happy that more local firms can participate in bigger projects, too. Clause 34 amends section 29J to widen the range of regulatory sanctions that the Commissioner of Building Control can impose on builders. This includes restricting the builder from taking on any new project or any new project above a certain value. The rationale for this change is similar to what I had earlier described – to enhance the measures to regulate L&E contractors. A few clauses will improve the clarity of the legislation to facilitate the administration of the Act. Clause 8 amends section 11 to make it it clear that builders need to notify the Commissioner of Building Control of the appointment or termination of a specialist builder within 14 days and that builders are accountable for the works that they subcontract out. Clause 27 amends section 29A to make clear that builders need not be licensed if they are always carrying on their business as sub-contractors. Clause 20 will require owners in non-strata titled buildings to jointly appoint a Qualified Person (QP) for the purpose of complying with BCA's orders, if such orders are served on multiple owners.”
“As can be seen from the sheet, Tong Building, IOB Building and Bukit Merah Community Centre are among some examples of buildings that provide basic accessibility features on their own accord. These features refer to an accessible building entrance, an accessible route at the entrance level and at least one toilet in the building with lift access if the accessible toilet is on another floor. We should do more to ensure that our existing buildings are made accessible to all, whenever A&A works are undertaken. Today, almost all of our public sector buildings and infrastructure that are frequented by the general public have achieved at least basic accessibility. To accelerate accessibility upgrading in our existing buildings, especially the private ones, clause 17 introduces a new section 22DA that empowers the Commissioner of Building Control to require the owner of a building without basic accessibility features to provide these features when the owner or someone else undertaking A&A works to that building that requires plan submissions to BCA is given approval for those A&A works, regardless of where those A&A works are carried out in the building. The new section 22DA will apply only to commercial and institutional buildings with a gross floor area (GFA) of more than 500 sqm. Examples include offices, hotels, schools and shopping centres. We will exclude smaller buildings, such as shop houses, from these requirements because there is space constraints. The Bill will also make other changes to improve and clarify the Builder licensing scheme and to facilitate BCA's operations. Licensed builders need to have an "approved person" who is responsible for the management of the business.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, may I ask the Clerks to distribute an information sheet showing pictures of these buildings?”
“BCA will introduce inspection guidelines and strengthen R&D efforts to look into more effective and productive ways to carry out facade inspections. In addition to the new facade inspection regime, the Bill will also introduce requirements for the relevant parties to report safety-related defects as well as incidents relating to facades. This is similar to our approach with the L&Es. Mr Speaker, I will touch upon the third key area of the Bill, which is to enhance the accessibility of our built environment. We first introduced accessibility requirements for new buildings in 1990, with a Code on Barrier-free Accessibility in Buildings. In consultation with representatives from social service agencies, trade associations and chambers as well as Government agencies, the Code has undergone several revisions over the years to ensure that the provisions address the evolving needs of Singaporeans, taking reference from international standards. Besides new buildings, the Code also applies to existing buildings that undergo addition and alteration (A&A) works. However, the current requirements only apply at the specific locations in the building where the A&A works are undertaken. For example, if A&A works are carried out to renovate the washrooms on the upper floor of a building, we can require that the washrooms of that floor be made accessible. However, we cannot require the building owner to provide an accessible route connecting the building entrance on the ground floor to the lifts if no A&A works are carried out there. Thus, for many buildings built before 1990, such basic accessibility upgrading is only carried out on a voluntary basis. We are amending this to make sure that we can provide a more holistic treatment.”
“Let me move on to the second area of the Bill – how we will improve the safety of our building facades. Currently, owners and persons responsible have a duty to ensure that building exteriors are kept in good and serviceable repair and that exterior features are securely fixed. In this regard, general maintenance works are already carried out regularly on building facades. These works can include simple rectifications, general cleaning as well as painting of external walls. However, there is a need for us to further improve the facade maintenance standards. Over the last three years, BCA received reports of almost 30 incidents involving falling facade elements each year. Most of these were related to the wear and tear of the facade materials or connections. Thus, we will put in place a more structured approach towards the inspection and maintenance of building facades. This will help guide owners in meeting their existing duty regarding facade maintenance. Clauses 23, 24 and 25 amend the present Part V of the Building Control Act to introduce a new Periodic Facade Inspection regime that will require owners to engage professionals to check their building facades regularly. This will help to detect signs of facade deterioration early and facilitate timely repairs to reduce the likelihood of facade failure. The regime will apply to buildings that are more than 13 metres high – or roughly four storeys – once they are over 20 years old. Inspections must be conducted by trained personnel every seven years. This takes into consideration the expected lifespan of some facade materials. It is also aligned with the typical length of Repair and Redecoration cycles for HDB estates and condominium developments, to save costs and reduce inconvenience to residents.”
“BCA has been working with industry stakeholders to implement the PWM and the associated training and certification framework. The results have been encouraging and lift firms representing 95% of the market share have committed to adopt the PWM. I thank the industry for their support for PWM and their efforts to uplift the pay and wages of our lift technicians. We encourage the remaining firms to adopt the PWM early as well. Under the new section 29Q, BCA is conferred powers to mandate PWM adoption as a registration requirement for L&E firms. We aim to mandate PWM for the lift industry by 2022. Going beyond the lift industry, MOM has recently announced the Tripartite Cluster for Lift and Escalator Industry, which will look into a PWM for escalator maintenance technicians. We expect the Tripartite Cluster to provide its recommendations by the end of the year. Besides reviewing the regulatory framework for lifts for people, we also reviewed the regulatory framework for Mechanised Car Parking Systems (MCPS). These are automated car lifting systems that transport a car, without its driver, to and from a parking area. BCA does not regulate the operation and maintenance of MCPS today. However, BCA has found that these systems could potentially pose a danger to users. For example, some MCPS do not have measures to prevent unauthorised access into the transfer areas, which pose a safety concern should users get trapped in the parking area. Thus, clause 45 amends section 49 to enable the Minister to enact regulations for MCPS to enhance user safety. Our current intent is to regulate only areas where users directly interface with the equipment, such as the car transfer area, and the operating panel for parking and retrieval.”
“Under the new section 29R, BCA will also be able to disallow an errant L&E contractor from taking on new L&E jobs for a specified period, or cap the number of new L&E jobs that can be taken for a specified period, or mandate that employees are retrained to specified standards. Basically, it goes beyond just the machinery but also the standard of employees that may need to maintain our L&Es. Clause 36 also introduces a new section 29Q, which is needed for the L&E industry to be able to attract and retain competent technicians and engineers to ensure that our L&Es are safe. The L&E industry faces the challenges today of an ageing workforce and they also have difficulty in attracting new entrants, especially younger technicians. In January 2017, an L&E Sectoral Tripartite Committee (STC) was formed to look into the sector's manpower challenges. This committee, co-chaired by NTUC and BCA, comprised representatives from Government agencies, industry associations and unions, as well as service buyers and providers. One of its key recommendations was to introduce a progressive wage model (PWM) for the lift industry. The PWM seeks to increase basic wages across the board for local lift technicians, particularly at the lower levels. The recommended wages are pegged against comparable technician jobs in other sectors. The PWM also creates clear career progression paths and ensures that wages are commensurate with the job responsibilities and competencies. The Government accepted the STC's recommendation in September 2018 and announced that we would work towards mandating PWM adoption for lift maintenance firms. From May 2019, Government Procuring Entities have taken the lead by only awarding lift maintenance tenders to firms that have adopted the PWM.”
“Clause 20 will allow the Commissioner of Building Control to issue orders to L&E owners to prevent safety incidents from occurring. For instance, when a check has revealed that there is an imminent safety risk arising from poor design or installation, the Commissioner of Building Control can issue an order to the owner to stop operating the lift or escalator until the risk has been mitigated or removed. This will supplement existing powers to require L&E owners to address maintenance-related issues. Third, clause 16 will allow the Minister to mandate the retrofitting of existing L&Es, for example, if certain models of L&E or their components are prone to incidents that affect public safety. The Bill also increases the range of levers available against errant L&E contractors. Currently, the Commissioner of Building Control can censure or suspend the contractor, revoke the contractor's registration, impose composition sums or prosecute them. This range of measures is not adequate. For instance, suspending or revoking the registration of a contractor may have unintended safety implications if L&E owners are not able to find an alternative contractor to maintain their L&E. On the other hand, simply censuring or imposing financial penalties may not be sufficient to resolve the underlying concerns for public safety. An errant contractor could continue to also take on more L&E jobs without carrying out internal improvements to meet the required standards. Thus, clause 36 introduces a registration scheme for L&E contractors and sets out additional regulatory sanctions.”
“We propose to strengthen BCA's upstream regulatory oversight for L&E, to reduce the likelihood of deficiencies in design or installation which may give rise to downstream safety incidents. Broadly, we will do this by extending the existing design and construction regime for buildings to L&E installations as well. This approach is consistent, given that L&E are integral parts of our buildings. First, clauses 2 and 3 will empower BCA to require L&E professionals to submit design plans for L&E works to BCA for approval just as they would for building works. L&E professionals will then need to ensure that the L&E are installed according to the approved plans. Penalties for L&E offences will be aligned with those for existing building offences of a similar nature. Second, the Minister will have powers to enact regulations to prescribe the key requirements of L&E design and installation, as well as the corresponding duties of stakeholders. For example, we intend to require L&E professionals to ensure that the lift model and its key safety components are certified by independent certification bodies, as part of the new plan submission process. At the same time, we will also enhance BCA's ability to improve safety for both new and existing L&E installations. We will do this in several ways. First, under clause 21, relevant parties, such as L&E owners and contractors, will be required to notify BCA of any safety-related defects they may become aware of. For instance, contractors may come across manufacturing defects during the maintenance of a particular lift. They will need to inform BCA so that BCA can get the L&E owners to rectify the defects in this lift and to check other similar lifts to make sure that such defects are not systemic.”
“One of the key aims of this Bill is to consolidate the design, construction and maintenance requirements over a building's life-cycle under the Building Control Act, by porting over the relevant provisions from the BMSMA, at clauses 21, 45 and 48. The BMSMA will be renamed the Building (Strata Management) Act to better reflect its revised scope. This consolidation will facilitate BCA's oversight over the various building-related processes. It will also allow us to strengthen the building control regulatory framework to improve safety and accessibility in a holistic manner. Besides this consolidation, the Bill contains amendments to the Building Control Act which broadly covers the following three areas. First, it will strengthen regulatory control over the lift and escalator industry, allowing us to mandate a Progressive Wage Model for this sector. Second, it will provide for a building facade inspection regime. And last, but not least, it will accelerate accessibility upgrading in existing buildings. So, let me go through these areas in turn. First, on L&E. There are about 70,000 lifts and 7,000 escalators in Singapore today. We need to ensure that they are designed, installed and maintained properly, so that they are safe to use. This is important as we rely on them in our everyday lives, to get home, to get to work, or simply to get to town. Currently, the regulatory regime focuses on L&E maintenance and operation. So, for example, BCA mandates their maintenance frequency and outcomes, requires annual inspection and testing of the L&E, as well as for owners to apply for a permit to operate annually. Upstream, BCA requires professional engineers to certify that the design and installation of L&E are done according to industry codes and standards.”
“Mr Speaker, on behalf of the Minister for National Development, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time". Singapore has developed rapidly over the last 55 years. And we need to ensure that our building infrastructure remains well-maintained and safe. This is particularly important for older buildings. Today, about 70% of our building stock is more than 20 years old. In addition, our buildings, both old and new, will need to be made more accessible to meet the needs of an ageing population, as well as persons with disabilities (PWDs). It is in this context that we are proposing amendments to the Building Control Act, to strengthen the building control regulatory framework and to improve accessibility of our built environment. Currently, the Building Control Act sets out the duties of relevant parties, such as owners, developers, builders and professionals at the design and construction stages of a building. For example, at the design stage, the developer is required to submit building and structural plans to BCA for approval. At the construction stage, a Qualified Person is required to supervise the works to ensure that buildings are constructed according to the approved plans. But after a building is completed, there are also requirements to maintain the building so that it is safe to use. These requirements pertaining to maintenance are currently in the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act (BMSMA). It gives the Commissioner of Buildings the power to compel owners to carry out repairs to a building that is not properly maintained. It also gives the Minister the powers to enact regulations pertaining to the operation and maintenance of lifts and escalators (L&E).”
“MENDAKI will collaborate with MOE in the UPLIFT programme so that more of our students who need academic support will receive a more comprehensive assistance. By 2021, MENDAKI hopes to work with 15 more schools so that we can increase the number of MTS centres to 100.”
“[Please refer to Vernacular Speech.]Thank you, Dr Intan. Firstly, MENDAKI conducted a review last year. From there, we obtained all kinds of feedback from the community and we have revamped our programmes. We will restructure the MTS centres and introduce Cluster Principals. This will further strengthen the leadership and administration of these centres. Second, we will also update the MTS curriculum and introduce the Science subject to Primary 3 students instead of Primary 4 currently. Third, MENDAKI will also make pedagogical changes to further improve our children’s experience at the MTS. For Primary 1 to 3 students, MENDAKI will explore various learning techniques, including experiential learning or modular learning outside the classroom. Hence, learning should not only be conducted in the classroom but also outside the classroom. This will transform our children’s learning experience. For Secondary school students, MENDAKI will introduce Subject-Based Banding. Therefore, we will be aligned with MOE by transforming the way we provide support, which will be tailored to our children's abilities. To help students who require more guidance, MENDAKI will upgrade its intensive guidance programmes that it piloted last year. The results of this pilot programme has been encouraging so far. MENDAKI will also look into the professional development of its 830 MTS tutors and also explore ways to empower parents so that they can be more involved in giving motivation and support to their children. Lastly, MTS will further enhance its outreach strategy to engage students who need more support and this includes strengthening MENDAKI's involvement in schools with a percentage of Malay/Muslim students who are not performing.”
“[Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Thank you for those questions. MMPG will help families with children who are six years old and below. The grant can be used to quadruple their CDA savings. This money can be used for the pre-school fees, medical expenses, enrichment programmes and even prescriptive glasses for their children. Therefore, for Malay/Muslim families with a per capita income (PCI) of $650 and families with children who are six years old and below, they can apply through MENDAKI. As for the second question – YMO was set up by MENDAKI, with the support of M3, to grow a strong culture of mentoring within our community. Its objective is to provide career guidance which is a key aspect of this mentoring project. It provides useful guidance for our youths especially those who want to pursue a career in new areas like AI, cybersecurity and others. Although there are good career prospects in these areas, they may not know any role models who can help them to explore these pathways. So, we hope that, with this Youth Mentoring Office programme, we can help them to find jobs and careers in new areas.”
“MENDAKI is enhancing their initiatives in response to the changing education and employment landscape. This starts from efforts that encourage the learning and development of young children, to supporting the aspirations of youths, and building a culture of lifelong learning for adults. In turn, we hope that the community recognises the importance of enhancing our educational standards and embracing the spirit of lifelong learning. Come, let us double our efforts to become a highly competent community and continue to contribute to the success of Singapore. 11.45 am”
“Beyond educational support, I agree with Mr Amrin Amin that it is also important to provide emotional support and career guidance for our youths. With the support of other M3 agencies, MENDAKI has set up a Youth Mentoring Office (YMO) to grow a culture of mentoring in the community. We now have over 700 volunteer mentors and 200 of them are already on the ground to support our work with the community. A key aspect of the Budget this year was about supporting Singaporeans in lifelong learning. The ability to upskill, adapt to industry shifts and be ready for new opportunities is key to staying relevant. Mr Saktiandi asked how MENDAKI will be supporting the community in this area. We want to encourage our adults to take up various initiatives to support their learning, such as the SkillsFuture Credit top-up announced in Budget 2020. This is especially useful for our mature workers who are looking to improve their career prospects. MENDAKI SENSE will continue to guide jobseekers and workers on how to make full use of these opportunities provided by the Government so that they can access desired jobs. MENDAKI SENSE has also helped over 2,000 Malay jobseekers who come to its doors to find employment through their programmes in the last five years and we will continue to strengthen its efforts. Sir, this year, Bulan Raikan Ilmu will continue to champion Lifelong Learning. Our first Raikan Ilmu month reached out to about 30,000 participants and we hope to further our outreach to 40,000 this year. Mr Chairman, allow me to conclude in Malay. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] We are committed to providing end-to-end support, at every stage of life, for our community.”
“MMPG will double that amount to $60 and the Government’s CDA co-matching initiative will double the $60 to $120 a month. The money can then be used to pay for your child’s education and medical needs. So, contribute $1 and you get another $3 to support your child. On the academic front, MENDAKI also started moving to pre-school last year with KelasMateMatika(KMM)@CC with the support of our M3 partners for Malay pre-schoolers. This programme reinforces basic numeracy skills and help parents to be more involved in their children’s development. Last year, more than 1,200 children and parents benefited from KMM. Over 90% of parents who attended KMM said that they now recognise the importance of pre-school education and are confident on how to develop their children’s numeracy skills. MENDAKI is planning to scale up KMM to benefit more families this year. As our children progress into schools, MENDAKI Tuition Scheme (MTS) and MOE's UPLIFT programme step in to help those who need extra coaching and motivation to attend school more regularly. This year, so far, more than 7,500 students have enrolled in our 85 MTS centres. By next year, we intend to introduce 15 more centres to make it 100. The academic performance of our MTS students has been encouraging. In 2018, 60% of MTS students who took Standard Mathematics achieved at least one grade performance in their PSLE result, compared to their year-end result the previous year. However, like Dr Intan said, we recognise the need to improve MTS, given our evolving education landscape. This is why MENDAKI will review the MTS in five areas: (a) governance and leadership; (b) curriculum; (c) pedagogy; (d) professional development of our tutors; as well as (e) outreach.”
“Mr Chairman, let me touch on our efforts to strengthen our community’s competencies through MENDAKI. There are three drivers in today’s education landscape to provide the impetus for transforming MENDAKI. First, good pre-school education is critical to the development of our children. Every child should have access to this, regardless of background. Second, as Dr Intan Mokhtar has highlighted, our education approach in schools is changing and MOE is catering for greater flexibility in education for students with different abilities and interests. Third, in a fast-changing world, lifelong learning is a must. Sir, in response to these changes, MENDAKI will enhance its mission to provide end-to-end educational support for our Malay/Muslim community. As Minister Masagos has mentioned, the community has shown significant progress in school dropout and failure rates. We can now focus on new challenges to take the community forward. Completing school today is not enough. We want our children to succeed in school and be equipped to achieve successful careers. Dr Intan and Mr Saktiandi asked about our plans to support the pre-school sector. For our young children, we want to equip them with a strong foundation so that they can achieve in life. While initiatives, such as the Preschool Outreach Programme, have paid off, there are vulnerable families in our community who need extra support. Thus, MENDAKI and MUIS have set up the MENDAKI MUIS Preschool Grant (MMPG) which builds on existing Government initiatives to provide additional financial support for our low-income parents. Sir, with MMPG established in January this year, beneficiaries can see a quadrupling of their CDA savings. For example, if you put just $1 a day in your child’s CDA account, you will have $30 in a month.”
“I thank the Member for his question. Today, under our building accessibility codes, the new buildings will certainly have such accessibility features on board. The AF is to encourage older buildings to come on board. I know Northpoint City is probably an older building. There are certain limitations with buildings that did not come with such designs. When they undergo A&A, BCA will try to encourage as much as we can. But to enforce it on all buildings is quite difficult because many of these buildings may or may not necessarily have the design features or they were not purpose-built for these. When buildings are being designed, we understand the newer ones, like the Member mentioned, are better equipped to provide such tactile pavings. For the older ones, to be fair to building owners, we will encourage them as they undergo A&A. They can still tap on to the Fund. The Fund is quite substantive – 60% and up to $300,000. It is not a small sum either, to encourage more building owners to come on board. To give an example, more than 90% of existing buildings in the Orchard Road shopping belt have already achieved barrier-free accessibility. Certainly, we can do more, and in the heartlands, especially, and see how we can make it better.”
“Speaker, BCA’s Accessibility Fund (AF) provides co-funding for eligible building owners to upgrade their buildings with accessibility features. These features would also include aid for the visually impaired, such as tactile paving and information signage. For eligible private buildings, including shopping malls, the AF co-funds up to 60% of the construction cost for such features, capped at $300,000 per development. More information on the AF, including how to apply for funding, is available on BCA’s website. BCA will continue to reach out to building owners to raise awareness of the AF.”
“Even for the lift too, we have put in the PWM to ensure that our steady stream of workers coming through from ITE also get better-paying jobs, so that they do not either get substituted by cheaper foreign labour or have to go elsewhere for better-paying jobs. These are some of the efforts that we are putting in place, whether it is PCP, BIM, attracting mid-careers, as well as those coming in from the University, Polytechnics and ITEs. It is a whole slew of measures. At the same time, we recognise that there are some jobs at the work permit level that we need to continually depend on our foreign workforce for. Therefore, you do not see us cutting the whole Dependency Ratio Ceiling (DRC), it is just the sub-DRC. The grunt work of construction is still being provided for, so that we continue to grow and build our infrastructure.”
“Just to make it clear to the Member as well, I did say we will study this. I was just saying, some examples provided were that the supply is also changing, as well as demographics. But of course, if they go to other countries, then, basically, it could also mean that we do not pay well enough and other countries are also paying better. There are different reasons, but I do agree – let us not come to conclusions. Let us do our study, which I said we will do. The second one on the S Pass reduction, certainly we have put in place various programmes, as I shared earlier. Apart from the IHLs, we are also putting on stream PCPs. As we have shared in many of our speeches earlier, even MOM in the Budget, that the Government is putting a bit of focus into mature workers to see how we can transform and move along. As I have also shared, in terms of those coming from the manufacturing sector, for example, they can move to DfMA. There are different skills required beyond just the Polytechnic graduates; mid-careers can also shift into such sectors. We do see some slowdown in certain sectors such as process and marine, but these are areas in which we can also look to see how some of the workers can be moved into construction as we build. What I hope is that we continue to attract our Polytechnic and ITE graduates. Yes, some of the Polytechnic graduates may move on to University and ITE graduates move to Diploma too. We need to continually build that pathway for them, so that a career in construction also becomes more attractive. We are looking at all levels, not just on the IDD, BIM or DfMA side.”
“It is not in our interest to make life difficult for our developers and builders. It is a growing sector and we do have long-term pipelines of projects that are being rolled out, not just in the public sector but also in the private sector. We want our local companies to be able to address them. We will help them as much as we can. On Polytechnic graduates, I do not have the numbers. Perhaps the Member would like to file a Parliamentary Question because what she is asking for is specific in terms of pipeline and graduates. So, maybe file a Parliamentary Question in due course.”
“And I think it is good to see more local firms, as I have mentioned in my examples earlier, being able to take on these opportunities. On carpenters and tilers, we looked into this. It is not easy to get foreign workers sometimes, especially with some skill-sets because it is not just about our environment here but also the environment there. Contractors tell me too, that in the past they could get ready access to Chinese workers; but as China develops, they are paying their workers more over there, and there is less impetus for them to come here. When more and more countries develop, there will be opportunities out there. Our carpenters and tilers are typically from Malaysia, and you will probably find younger Malaysians being more educated too. So, supply may come down.To some extent, it is more than just our local environment that causes some of these dynamics. The Member asked earlier on about the Project Completion period. As I have mentioned, we will monitor this. So far, there are just a few appeals. Let us talk to the industry again and see how we can manage this better. And certainly for now, it is on case-by-case basis but we will continue to monitor the situation. On pro-rating the ABSD, or the extension of remission timelines today, I think we can still discuss and negotiate. We understand the current situation. To some extent, we do not have to shift the whole mechanism or the whole system. But I think right now, the approach that we are taking is really on a case-by-case basis. If developers have difficulty meeting their ABSD obligations, we will take it on a case-by-case basis. Let us monitor and see how best we can help developers and builders cope with the current COVID-19 situation.”
“I am honoured to get five questions from Er Dr Lee Bee Wah. First, I just want to assure Er Dr Lee Bee Wah that the tender methods we use today follow the Price-Quality Method or PQM, so, it is not always guaranteed that the lowest price wins. It has to be on merit, based on the quality matrices. Unfortunately, specific to the tender, I cannot comment on LTA's evaluation because I do not have access to that particular tender. But rest assured, our approach has been about building our local firms' capabilities and giving them that chance. As I have said, you have seen more and more local firms accessing larger projects either on their own or through joint ventures. That is where you also pick up new capabilities, new skills and new technologies that you can use and apply to meet the kind of requirements that we have. For some of these projects, such as LTA tenders, I do understand. Some of these involving trains do have specific requirements. So, there could be certain technical requirements that were evaluated. But do not give up. Certainly, these are areas in which you have seen more and more local firms coming through; and certainly, we are giving more opportunities. If I could just share that between 2017 and 2019, local firms have been awarded a higher proportion of contracts, in terms of the smaller contracts between $3 million and $85 million. You can see about 90% of such contracted awarded to local firms. This enables local firms to build their track record. And you can also see that more are also being awarded larger public sector contracts over $85 million too. A decade ago, we used to have only a 40% proportion. Today, local firms have about 50% proportion. These are larger projects above $85 million. So, to some extent, we have seen progress.”