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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“I strongly encourage firms to tap on the schemes available under our $780 million BuildSG Transformation Fund, so that we can all emerge stronger and better prepared for the future. In closing, we have made good progress, but there is certainly much more that we can do. We will accelerate our efforts to build more productively, create more opportunities for our firms and good jobs for our people.”
“Built Environment firms can also tap on the support packages announced by Deputy Prime Minister earlier, such as the SME Working Capital Loan under the Enhanced Enterprise Financing Scheme, and the Jobs Support Scheme. Er Dr Lee also suggested measures to help developers and contractors cope with COVID-19. On foreign worker levies, the Minister for Manpower already said during the Budget debate last week that we are waiving levies for employers with eligible foreign workers serving quarantine leave of absence or stay home notices. However, we have not done so for all foreign workers in general. As much as we want to help the sector or businesses deal with the short-term fall-out, this should not negate longer term efforts for companies to restructure and become less reliant on foreign manpower. Levy waivers would run counter to these objectives. Er Dr Lee and Mr Alex Yam also asked about the Project Completion Period and the ABSD remission timelines. The Government is monitoring the construction industry and the property market closely. We will adjust our policies as necessary to ensure a stable and sustainable property market. We have selectively allowed extensions of the completion period for individual projects because of extenuating circumstances, and would be prepared to consider doing so on a case-by-case basis. But to assure the industry, we have seen just a few appeals, so it is not a big impact thus far. We will continue to monitor the situation and see how it goes. Even as we deal with the immediate challenges posed by COVID-19, we should not lose sight of our longer term transformation agenda.”
“At the same time, contractors should include the necessary documentation to support speedy processing of claims. More recently, we have revised the Security of Payment Act or SOPA, which aims to also help claims for private sector projects. If Er Dr Lee can share more details with us, including the treatment of Liquidated Damages (LDs) and progress payments, BCA will look into these specific cases. Let me conclude by addressing concerns from the construction sector arising from COVID-19. BCA has advised government agencies to take a sympathetic view when considering Extension of Time or EOT requests, for project delays due to COVID-19. We have also sought REDAS' support for private sector developers to do likewise. We will continue to monitor the situation. If delays are prolonged, we will consider whether additional measures are necessary. To ease cashflow concerns from delays due to COVID-19, main contractors can also submit progress payment claims fortnightly instead of monthly, for public sector projects. So, we are trying to help firms with their cashflow too. For on-going PPVC projects affected by delays to the supply of construction materials from China, BCA has adopted a facilitative approach so far. We have allowed 13 projects to install partially completed PPVC modules on-site first, and install the finishing works subsequently when the delayed materials arrive. So, we have also provided some flexibility in some of our projects. Some firms with more PRC workers may also face manpower pressure in the short term due to COVID-19. These firms may consider hiring workers from other firms with excess foreign manpower. Firms can search for eligible workers for transfer via the Foreign Construction Workers Directory System or FCWDS, online.”
“Together with the Institution of Engineers Singapore or IES, and the Association of Consulting Engineers Singapore or ACES, BCA has issued two circulars in 2019 to provide QPs and ACs with guidelines and good practices for plan submissions and supervision. This will help QPs and ACs to improve the quality of their design calculations and ensure that all key structural elements of the project are identified, as well as improve the quality of the QPs' supervision. So, measures have been in place since then and we hope that this will improve the safety record of builders, moving forward. Er Dr Lee also spoke about supporting local contractors. Singapore cannot discriminate against foreign firms, in line with our WTO obligations. Indeed, we have been helping local firms to build capabilities as well as strengthen their competitiveness. One way we have done so is by parcelling large Government projects, such as MRT lines, into smaller contracts, so that our local firms are able to take up projects while the Government mitigates its risk. In recent years, I am also pleased to see more local firms winning large infrastructure projects. For example, Woh Hup won a $1 billion contract to develop an Integrated Business Park at Punggol Digital District. Straits Construction, another local builder, was part of a joint venture that won the $537 million contract for the Singapore Institute of Technology. Er Dr Lee also spoke about payment delays due to Variation Orders, or VOs. BCA and MOF have encouraged GPEs to process VOs progressively and expeditiously, to ensure timely payments to contractors. We empathise with the current situation and will certainly help where needed. For example, agencies can process VOs based on indicative scope and costs.”
“Kimly has also groomed three mid-career BIM modellers under the BIM PCP since 2018. Kimly paced out the on-the-job-training for these employees to smoothen their transition into the firm, and they are now keen to pick up even more advanced BIM skills, such as 4D/5D BIM simulation. We have also developed a Skills Framework (SFw) for the Built Environment sector, to map out skillsets required at various levels for key job roles in the construction and facilities management sectors, and their career progression pathways. More details will be announced later this year. Moving on to other cuts. Ms Sylvia Lim asked about ensuring the safety of building works. For any development, the Qualified Person or QP has a duty to ensure that building and structural plans comply with the building control regulations. In addition, all major building works must be independently reviewed by an Accredited Checker or AC to ensure that the key structural elements are adequately designed. While the responsibility of ensuring structural safety rests with the QP and AC, BCA conducts sampling checks for each plan submission. Where BCA finds non-compliance with legislative requirements, BCA will take enforcement action. Penalties could include a fine, or imprisonment, or both. BCA regularly reviews the Building Control regime to ensure that it is sufficiently robust. BCA has introduced additional requirements since 2017, after the Tampines viaduct incident that Ms Lim mentioned, to raise our standards of building safety. BCA now requires the QPs and builders of higher risk projects to provide additional detailed assessments on the stability of the structure.”
“I have also heard feedback about the shortage of BIM modellers, but firms have not been keen to take in mid-career converts before they are trained. Under the current BIM PCP, participants are trained in BIM while concurrently undergoing on-the-job-training with their firms. But some firms prefer BIM modellers who can contribute immediately upon hiring. To address this, we will allow participants to complete their full-time training first, before continuing with on-the-job training with their firms. So, on a full-time basis; they could be ready within three months instead of six or 12 months if they were doing it part-time. We hope that more firms will take up the enhanced BIM PCP, which will start later this year. For the participants, they will receive an allowance of up to 80% of their drawn salary is, during their full-time training. To Er Dr Lee Bee Wah's and Mr Ong Teng Koon's points on the S Pass sub-DRC cuts, our transformation efforts have created attractive jobs for locals. The S Pass tightening helps level the playing field, and will allow more Polytechnic and ITE graduates to access these jobs, including supervisory roles. Our local PMETs will still be able to take on supervisory roles, so long as they are open to re-skilling themselves. 6.15 pm As we push ahead with our transformation efforts, we aim to create more of these attractive jobs that I shared earlier, for our local PMETs. I encourage firms to take advantage of our good pipeline of infrastructure projects in the years ahead and attract more local PMETs to join our sector. A good example is Kimly Construction. Since 2015, Kimly has sponsored 15 undergraduates with BCA, and introduced them to fulfilling careers in the Built Environment sector.”
“The adoption of new technologies and digitalisation has created new, higher-skilled jobs in better working environments in the construction sector, and generally they will command higher salaries. For example, with DfMA, we will need more production managers, quality assurance personnel, and logistics and supply chain planners at automated production facilities. Tech-savvy local PMETs can also take on exciting jobs such as digital delivery specialists along with the others in the IDD value chain that I mentioned earlier. Our sector should be anchored by a skilled and competent local workforce and our firms must also do their part. The share of local PMETs in construction has fallen over the past decade, even though our total local PMET population has increased. To rebalance the share of local PMETs in construction, Deputy Prime Minister has announced a reduction in the construction S Pass sub-DRC from 20% currently to 18% in January 2021, and subsequently to 15% in January 2023. To help firms build up a strong local core, we are strengthening measures to ensure an adequate pipeline of skilled local PMETs for the industry. BCA and IHLs continually update the curricula of Built Environment courses to meet the industry's evolving needs. BCA also co-sponsors scholarship and sponsorship programmes with the industry to attract students to pursue relevant courses in our IHLs. We will also progressively introduce new Professional Conversion Programmes or PCPs, to prepare mid-career entrants to join the sector. For example, a PMET from manufacturing could be re-skilled as a production manager in a DfMA facility. Hence, we will develop PCPs for prefabrication job roles. Teambuild is developing a firm-level PCP, which will be open for applications later this year.”
“This is a good example of how existing buildings can achieve Super Low Energy standards. Keppel Bay Tower will be the first commercial building fully powered by renewable energy. We can do more. Over the next few months, BCA will co-create the Singapore Green Building Masterplan 2020 with our stakeholders, as we push the boundaries for Green Buildings. We are considering a few initiatives. First, to push for more energy efficient buildings, we intend to raise the minimum energy performance standards. This will lower emissions, and also benefit building owners over the building life-cycle. Concurrently, we will review our Green Mark certification standards, as highlighted by Mr Louis Ng. BCA will engage stakeholders to develop shared aspirations for sustainability standards in the Built Environment, and we need to work out how to get there in partnership. Next, we want to enable greater transparency in building energy performance. Today, close to 80% of commercial building owners voluntarily opt to disclose their buildings' names and addresses along with their energy performance data, which is published by BCA annually. We intend to identify all buildings when publishing the data henceforth, so that the best performing buildings will serve as role models to encourage others to improve their own energy efficiency. We will share more details by this year. We call on stakeholders to co-create the Singapore Green Building Masterplan 2020 with us over the next few months. Beyond improving firms’ capabilities, transforming the construction sector is also about creating more opportunities for our people, as Mr Gan Thiam Poh, Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Mr Ong Teng Koon mentioned.”
“This has reduced time spent on project management by up to 30%. We want more local firms to use IDD to build smarter and more efficiently. To help our local SMEs with IDD, BCA, IMDA and SkillsFuture Singapore have developed the Construction and Facilities Management Industry Digital Plan. We will set aside $19 million to fund SMEs to adopt digital solutions that complement basic BIM software. SMEs will be guided to assess their level of digital readiness, and identify digital solutions that can benefit businesses. For example, site management platforms to plan and monitor construction activities, and facilities management software for operations and maintenance. SMEs can receive up to 70% funding for pre-approved solutions. SMEs can also use the Digital Roadmap on Training to identify digitalisation courses for employees. Moving on to green buildings. Our industry transformation efforts are not limited to improving productivity. As Deputy Prime Minister emphasised during the Budget, we must remake our city to meet the challenges of climate change. Buildings account for over 20% of our emissions. Green buildings are hence an important part of Singapore’s climate change mitigation strategy. Since the launch of BCA’s Green Mark scheme in 2005, we have greened more than 40% of our buildings by GFA. We are on track to meet our target of 80% by 2030. We also launched the Super Low Energy buildings programme in 2018, which goes beyond Green Mark Platinum standards. To share an example – Keppel Land and BCA are working together to transform the Keppel Bay Tower into a Super Low Energy building. The building uses innovative technologies, including a high-efficiency air distribution system and autonomous lighting control, to reduce energy consumption by about 20%.”
“However, our site productivity has improved by over 17% in the last decade, which is significant. To boost DfMA adoption, we enhanced our Buildability Framework last year, raising standards for larger residential developments and allowing outcome-based solutions to encourage building designs that can be constructed more productively. We will further enhance the framework this year, by progressively requiring higher buildability standards for other development types, including commercial and institutional buildings. We will also re-structure the framework to encourage the industry to incorporate DfMA technology into the structural, architectural and Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing designs for buildings. The public sector will also continue to generate lead demand for DfMA. To this end, we will set aside $120 million under the Public Sector Construction Productivity Fund for more public sector projects to adopt DfMA, for projects launched by 2021. Next on IDD. The digitalisation of the construction process will facilitate wider deployment of DfMA technologies. Building Information Modelling, or BIM technology, will allow our architects and engineers to design and build in a virtual setting first. This improves the accuracy of construction plans and reduces abortive works downstream. Now IDD takes this further, by leveraging technology to facilitate better collaboration amongst project parties across the building life-cycle, to coordinate production and supply chains, to build more efficiently, to improve building quality and to optimise operations and maintenance. For example, Guan Ho, a home-grown construction firm, has been using digital technology to track building components as they are fabricated, delivered and installed at Punggol Town Hub.”
“As we continue to remake our city, we must ensure that our firms and our workers in the Built Environment sector keep pace with technological advancements, improve their capabilities and seize upcoming opportunities. In 2017, we developed the Construction Industry Transformation Map or ITM, with the industry, the unions, and IHLs. We have made good progress in our three ITM transformation areas, namely, Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA), Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) and Green Buildings. Allow me to elaborate. Firstly, we are fundamentally changing the way that we build through DfMA. DfMA allows us to move on-site construction work into a more controlled working environment off-site, to prefabricate building components for on-site assembly. This way, construction becomes faster, cleaner, quieter, and of higher quality. For example, Teambuild, a local builder, achieved close to 37% site productivity gains for its Valley Spring @Yishun, a HDB BTO project by adopting Prefabricated Pre-finished Volumetric Construction (PPVC). Here, you can see a module being lifted, to be assembled just like Lego blocks, with the furnishings already fitted inside. This enabled Teambuild significant time savings, and we hope to drive greater adoption in the near future. We are on track to meet our DfMA adoption target of 40% this year, and we aim to achieve an even higher rate of 70% by 2025. Now, this is an ambitious target but I think that we can achieve this by working together with the industry. We aim to make DfMA our default way of building. Mr Ong Teng Koon asked how our construction productivity compares with other countries. Site productivity data is not available for all countries.”
“Chairman, may I show some slides at appropriate junctures, please?”
“Mr Chairman, our laws today already require employers and work permit holders to provide electronic salary payment if the workers request for it. Today, we know we work together with MWC to educate workers as well as share with them their rights so that they can also go to the employers and request for this. In fact, a foreign worker survey conducted by MOM in 2018, indicated that 76% of foreign workers are paid electronically, higher than the 67% in 2014. So, what is different? Over the last few years, we have been working actively to facilitate the set-up of bank accounts amongst new foreign workers. And since October last year, we have also been doing it for those doing renewals. At the same time, MWC has been conducting Settling-in Programmes (SIPs) and therefore, during these programmes, it will help workers who wish to be paid electronically. At the same time as well, we also know through talking to stakeholders that there are micro SMEs that have expressed concerns, the mom-and-pop shops, for example, who have difficulties in the short term. But I think, the numbers will go up in the long term, so let us study this and see how best we can bridge the gap.”
“To improve the well-being of our lower wage workers, we will launch a new Workcare Grant later this year, to accelerate the provision of rest areas in workplaces. To improve the employment and employability of PwDs, we will introduce a new Enabling Employment Credit, or EEC, which will replace the Special Employment Credit when it expires this year. The EEC will strengthen support to employers prepared to help PwDs who are new to the workforce or have been out of the workforce for some time, to be integrated into the workplace. In pursuing inclusive growth, the Government is committed to ensuring fairness for both employers and workers. Together, with the support of tripartite partners and fellow Singaporeans, we will be able to achieve this goal. Supporting Women at Every Life Stage”
“45 pm Mr Chairman, allow me to recap how we provide fair and inclusive support to employers and workers in Malay. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] MOM will continue to champion fairness and provide fair support for both employers and workers. This includes our lower wage workers and persons with disabilities, or PwDs. Over the years, the Progressive Wage Model, or PWM, has provided progressive wages and job progression pathways for lower wage workers. The PWM has benefited over 78,000 workers in the cleaning, security and landscape sectors. We have seen positive effects. Between 2013 and 2018, wages grew cumulatively by 30% or more for full-time resident workers in these sectors, higher than the 16% for median full-time resident workers. Earlier this year, we appointed a tripartite cluster to include escalator technicians under the lift PWM announced in 2018. It will submit its recommendations by the end of this year. We intend to extend the PWM to more sectors, including those where we may not be able to apply mandatory PWM. We will share more when the economic climate is more favourable. We have also helped lower wage workers upgrade their skills through the Workfare Training Support Scheme, or WTS. Since 2010, it has supported over 12,000 companies and 270,000 lower wage workers. WTS will be replaced with a new Workfare Skills Support Scheme, or WSS. Our study of WTS outcomes show that those who train and acquire full qualifications benefit from earning higher wages as a result. The new WSS will provide higher incentives and training allowances to support workers to achieve full qualifications. It will commence on 1 July 2020.”
“To meet WICA obligations, employers are required to purchase Work Injury Compensation Insurance. This is separate from the mandatory medical insurance that employers are required to purchase and maintain under the EFMA. Under the EFMA, the medical insurance purchase can be used to either supplement the Work Injury Compensation Insurance or be used for non-work injury related treatment; so they are both different. We must always treat all workers fairly and inclusively. As the saying goes, "treat others how you want to be treated". This is especially important today, as we face the COVID-19 threat together. As shared last week, MOM is working hard to educate our foreign workers on the COVID-19 situation and the control measures that we put in place. Materials such as posters and videos have been produced and are available in the workers' native language. In addition, MOM has been sharing bite-size information through our foreign worker ambassadors on a daily basis. An employer from a trading company gave feedback that the handling of the COVID-19 situation was efficient and effective. One worker shared that he "felt no panic about COVID-19" and that the "Government took a lot of steps against COVID-19". But this would not have been possible without our partners – our employers, our unions and our NGOs. We really thank everyone for making this successful. In pursuing inclusive growth in a culture of care for all workers, the Government is committed to ensuring fairness for both employers and workers. We can achieve this with the commitment and support of our Tripartite Partners and fellow Singaporeans. By working together hand in hand, we can build the workforce which provides fair support to all employers and workers in an inclusive, empathetic and caring manner. 4.”
“These could include progressive practices such as providing access to anonymised external counselling service, or training supervisors to identify mental health symptoms early. We will also work with tripartite partners and seek views from various stakeholders including members of the newly announced Youth Mental Well-Being Network. Ms Ong suggested including mental health expenses as part of employees' medical benefits. One way is to include it as part of employer-provided medical benefits that complement our healthcare financing offerings, which the tripartite partners can discuss in crafting the TA later. We aim to finalise the Tripartite Advisory in the second half of this year. The Ministry is also happy to partner the Labour Movement to initiate mental health studies and support employee mental well-being. For instance, together we can promote the use of iWorkHealth, a web-based psycho-social assessment tool to help employers and their employees identify workplace stressors. The tool raises awareness of workplace factors that may cause excessive stress and recommends ways to improve mental well-being. MOM is currently piloting the tool and will launch it later this year. Mr Zainal asked about medical insurance for Work Permit holders. Foreign workers who sustain injuries from workplace accidents are entitled to claim compensation under the WICA Framework. Compensation benefits under the WICA include medical leave wages, medical expenses of up to $45,000 as well as lump sum compensation for permanent incapacity or death. The compensation cap of $45,000 for medical expenses will fully cover the medical expenses incurred in more than 95% of claims where hospitalisation was required.”
“Ms Anthea Ong asked whether sick leave entitlements can be used for both physical and mental health conditions. This is already the case. In fact, in issuing a medical certificate, a doctor should not indicate to the employer the nature of the patient's medical condition unless the patient has consented to it. All employers are expected to practise fair and merit-based employment practices, as laid out in the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices. For certain jobs such as pilots and Police officers, some mental health conditions may affect their ability to perform their job roles effectively. In these cases, it is reasonable for employers to ask applicants for more information to make a holistic assessment of overall well-being. Otherwise, employers should not be asking for information on the applicant's mental health. Our recent enhanced penalty framework for discriminatory practices also apply to discrimination on grounds of a person's mental health condition. We agree with Mr Yong and Ms Ong that employers have an important role in supporting employees' mental well-being. Today, MINDEF and MOE already have well developed programmes to support their servicemen and educators. We encourage more employers to do the same because your workforce of tomorrow and workforce of today have gone through that system and as they come out into the workforce, they need the same level of support too. Some employers may want to support their employee's mental health, but they do not know how. As Ms Ong has suggested, we will formulate a Tripartite Advisory on Mental Well-Being to educate employers on what could be done. The advisory will highlight notable initiatives that companies should emulate, what Mr Yong was asking for.”
“One of the underlying principles of WSH2028 is to make good WSH good for business. There will then be stronger impetus for firms to embed Workplace Safety and Health in their culture and practices. For instance, this year, we will establish a framework for public sector developers to disqualify unsafe contractors, when considering awarding contracts. Later this year, designated work injury compensation, or WIC, insurers will have access to potential clients' WIC claim records. We expect insurers to set higher premiums for firms with poorer safety records. So, there is an impact to the premiums that you pay compared to how you perform at the workplace. We agree with Mr Yong that every company should have representatives to champion progressive WSH practices. However, making this mandatory in every company may not be practical. In fact, the WSH 2028 Tripartite Strategies Committee concluded that a prescriptive approach is not the way forward. The more prudent approach is to promote this as a progressive practice. We will support the Labour Movement in championing WSH representatives and other progressive WSH practices. I agree fully with Mr Yee Chia Hsing, that support for the families affected by workplace accidents is essential. I too, visited the family; in the constituency that was affected, and certainly, our hearts go out to the family. It was a really tragic accident that I feel is needless. MOM will sensitise employers, including through the Institute for HR professionals, because HR is usually the first interface that the family has with the company. Workplace safety and health covers mental health at work too. Recently, there have been calls to better support employees' mental well-being at workplaces.”
“NTUC Foodfare will also provide lockers in all 12 food courts by the end 2020. I am also happy to announce that all public agencies and Town Councils will lead by example and have committed to adhere to the TA by end 2020 as well. To further accelerate the provision of rest areas in other workplaces, MOM will launch a new Workcare Grant that we will announce later this year, with a view of legislating this in time to come. Singaporeans, we can play a part too. Simple gestures such as thanking these workers for their services, are small but in significant ways that will improve their well-being and dignity at work. Mr Melvin Yong, Mr Yee Chia Hsing and Mr Zainal Sapari raised issues concerning Workplace Safety and Health or WSH, as we all know it. A culture of care includes ensuring the safety and health of our workers. And over the past decade, Singapore's WSH performance has improved. The workplace fatal injury rate last year was no worse than in 2018. More details will be released in the 2019 WSH Statistics Report by next week; so, stay tuned. In response to Mr Zainal, there was no dominant trend that contributed to the fatal accidents in November last year. Investigations are ongoing. Where necessary, we will issue Stop Work Orders to prevent risks to other workers. Stop Work Orders are minimally for three weeks. And companies have to rectify all unsafe conditions before Orders are lifted. If we find that companies or individuals have failed in their Workplace Safety and Health obligations, we will prosecute them. I agree with Mr Zainal that tripartite partners should do more to prevent accidents. This was what many of the WSH2028 recommendations sought to do. We are progressively implementing these recommendations.”
“Under the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices, employers are expected to treat PwDs fairly, including asking for information only relevant to the job and paying them fairly. Lower income PwDs also receive additional support through the Workfare Income Supplement. In 2019, over 6,300 PwDs received WIS payouts amounting to $6.7 million. WIS has been further enhanced from 1 January 2020, with a higher qualifying income ceiling of $2,300 per month and higher maximum payouts of $4,000 per year. So, ultimately, the best way to safeguard the interests of our persons with disabilities is to ensure that they have many good opportunities to choose from. This means more employers hiring PwDs and giving them opportunities for career growth. It also means more Singaporeans welcoming PwDs as colleagues in the workplace. Beyond inclusive growth, we want to promote a culture of care. It is important to uphold our workers' dignity and to support them by giving them the respect they deserve. Last year, we launched Workcare, an initiative to uplift the well-being of our low-wage workers. To begin, we are focusing on rest areas. Mr Chong and Dr Intan asked for updates. Last December, we launched the Tripartite Advisory, or TA, on Provision of Rest Areas for Outsourced Workers, and I am happy to share our progress. West Coast and Ang Mo Kio Town Councils, with the support of Mr Patrick Tay and Dr Intan, have partnered MOM to spruce up 20 rest areas for their outsourced cleaners, as a pilot initiative. In sites with space constraints, cleaners asked minimally for means to safekeep their belongings. NEA has worked with their cleaning contractors to provide lockers in 10 MEWR hawker centres, and will do so for the remaining 16 centres by the end of 2020.”
“We will also raise training allowance for both unemployed and employed PwDs to $6 per hour and introduce a training commitment award of $100 per completed eligible training course. The SEC and ASEC have served our PwD employees well and will expire this year. To replace the SEC and ASEC, we will introduce a new Enabling Employment Credit, or EEC, which will provide even stronger support for persons with disabilities. The EEC will be given to employers that hire Singaporean PwDs earning below $4,000 per month and this will cover about four in five of current PwD employees. The EEC provides a wage offset of up to 20% of the employee's monthly income, capped at a maximum of $400 per month. In addition, employers hiring PwDs who have not been working for at least six months will receive an additional 10% wage offset, capped at $200 per month, for the first six months of employment. Mr Alvin Yeo, the founder of Faith Music Centre, is one employer that will benefit from the new EEC. Faith Music Centre is a social enterprise which teaches music to PwDs and has also hired several of the centre's learners with disabilities as music instructors and stage masters. Today, Faith Music Centre has 15 employees with varied disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, sensory impairment and intellectual disability. EEC will provide Faith Music Centre a larger wage offset as compared to SEC and even more support if they hire more PwDs. As persons with disabilities become more economically active, the issues of financial independence, whether they enjoy fair salaries, as raised by Dr Intan Azura as well as Miss Cheryl Chan, will become more important to PwDs. MOM will closely monitor workplace practices and encourage progressive practices for PwDs, just as it does for other workers.”
“We want to do more to improve the employment and employability of PWDs. To study this, MSF set up the Enabling Masterplan workgroup comprising of public, private and people sector representatives last year. With the workgroup's support, MOM will be enhancing our schemes to give our PWDs a boost. The workgroup recognised that training and job re-design are key to helping PWDs stay employable. One of the beneficiaries of the ODP Training Grant is David. David was diagnosed with mild retina pigmentosa in his teens, which led to worsening vision over time. He lost his job as an engineer in his mid-50s. David tapped on the ODP Training Grant to pick up workplace IT skills as well as telephone etiquette. The courses prepared him for an alternative career pathway as a call centre agent with Eureka Call Centre Systems, or EurekaCCS. EurekaCCS also tapped on the Job Redesign Grant to purchase keyboards with larger font keys and high colour contrast, allowing employees such as David to work more productively. 4.30 pm The training David underwent gave him confidence to attend to enquiries and feedback from customers and David performed so well that EurekaCCS recognised him as one of their top performing call agents and rewarded him with an additional bonus incentive. In total, EurekaCCS has 14 employees with disabilities, who make up 87% of its workforce. Well done, EurekaCCS! I hope more employers will follow its lead. We will enhance the ODP Training Grant to provide stronger funding support to employers who send their PwDs for training, and PwDs seeking to upgrade themselves. We will raise course fee subsidies from 90% to 95% for eligible training courses curated by SG Enable.”
“He was promoted to assistant security supervisor in 2019, with a pay increment of 10%. We want more workers like Syamsaini to benefit from WSS. Hence, we will raise the Training Commitment Award for low-wage workers who attain a full qualification to $500, from $200. Its annual cap will also be increased to $1,000, from $400. We will also raise the training allowance to $6 per hour, from $4.50, to offset the opportunity costs of workers' training. We will tie the eligibility for training allowance to courses which are more likely to lead to better employment outcomes. The new WSS will commence on 1 July 2020. Let me turn to the concerns of Persons with Disabilities, or PWDs. Our current programmes to support PWDs have contributed to their improving employment rate. Last year, I shared that three in 10 of PWDs aged between 15 and 64 were in employment. Between 2016 and 2019, more than 2,000 PWDs found new jobs through the Adapt and Grow, or A&G, initiative. The Open Door Programme, or ODP, a special scheme under the A&G initiative, is administered by SG Enable, and helps PWDs enter suitable jobs and better integrate into the workplace. It provides support for job placement, training and job re-design. The ODP Job Redesign Grant provides funding of up to 90% of job re-design costs, capped at $20,000 per PWD employee. MOM and SG Enable also launched the Job Redesign Guide to help companies better integrate PWDs into the workplace, one of the critical success factors for PWDs continuing to be employed. Last year, more than 5,900 employers hiring over 9,000 Singaporeans with disabilities benefited from the Special Employment Credit, or SEC, and the Additional Special Employment Credit, or ASEC. This amounted to over $102 million since 2012.”
“The Workfare Training Support Scheme, or WTS, was first introduced in 2010 to encourage companies to send their lower-wage workers for training, and encourage workers themselves to upgrade their skills. So far, WTS has benefited over 12,000 companies and 270,000 individuals, and disbursed over $550 million. More details are in the handout. I would like to assure Mr Chong Kee Hiong and Mr Saktiandi Supaat that we will continue to provide strong support to low-wage workers to undergo training. We will replace the WTS with a new Workfare Skills Support, or WSS. Over the years, our workers have benefited from the introduction of substantial SkillsFuture course fee subsidies of up to 90% and SkillsFuture Credit for training. The old WTS came at a time before SkillsFuture established itself to what it is today. So therefore there is a fair bit of duplication between WTS and SkillsFuture. Under the new Workfare Skills Support, we will no longer provide course fee subsidies. Instead, WSS will provide more support for workers who complete training leading to full qualifications under the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications, or better known as WSQ, as well as the academic Continuing Education and Training (CET) qualification systems. This is because we have found that those who acquire full qualifications are more likely to earn higher wages. Forty-two-year-old Mr Syamsaini Ramli is one such example. Syamsaini's employer, PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, used WTS to sponsor him for courses that led to a WSQ Certificate in Security Operations – a full qualification. Syamsaini gained new skills in areas such as counter-terrorism and managing threatening behaviour, which his employer valued.”
“But we will not stop with these four clusters, and intend to expand the PWM to more sectors. So far, the sectors that implemented PWM have found that a mandatory approach, where a regulator imposes a uniform obligation to comply with the PWM, delivers results most readily. If Government agencies are themselves large buyers of such services, Government procurement policies can also help to kick-start the process. However, the vision of progressive wages, which Mr Lim Swee Say first laid out many years ago as Secretary-General of the NTUC, is more far reaching than that. It is a vision that every sector should have a clear ladder for better jobs, better skills and, as a result, better wages. Therefore, even as we extend mandatory PWM to a few other sectors, we intend to introduce PWM even to sectors where we may not be able to apply mandatory PWM. We want PWM to be a broader movement where the community can play a part as responsible consumers. Under this approach, we want to create a virtuous cycle, where companies that voluntarily pay progressive wages and provide job progression pathways to their low-wage workers, are recognised and rewarded by consumers who support them by purchasing their products and services. This will in turn spur more companies to be progressive as the best way to advance their business interests. We are working actively with our tripartite partners to explore how we can expand the PWM in new sectors and with a new approach. However, we recognise there are current market challenges with COVID-19, and we will have to share more when the economic climate and business conditions are more favourable. Progressive wages are one way to support low-wage workers. The Government also supports them through Workfare.”
“Chairman, as Minister for Manpower has shared, MOM will continue to champion fairness. Fairness in the workplace encompasses fair support for both employers and workers. I will share our plans to enable inclusive growth for low-wage workers as well as persons with disabilities, and how we inculcate care for all workers. First, our initiatives for low-wage workers. Over the years, we have improved their wages and skills through various policies. A handout on the achievements of the Progressive Wage Model, or PWM, can be found on Members' seats. Mr Chong Kee Hiong's asked for an update on PWM. The PWM has benefited over 78,000 workers in the cleaning, security as well as landscape sectors by boosting their wages and providing clear paths for career progression. Between 2013 and 2018, real median monthly gross wages of full-time cleaners, security officers and landscape workers grew cumulatively by about 30%, 31% and 32% respectively, higher than the 16% for median full-time resident workers. The current mandatory PWM framework has served us well. In 2018, we announced a PWM for the lift maintenance sector. MND plans to make this mandatory in due course. Meanwhile, the Government is taking the lead by only awarding lift maintenance tenders to firms that have adopted the PWM. Mr Zainal Sapari and Mr Lim Swee Say asked to expand the PWM to more sectors. We have made progress this year. We appointed a tripartite cluster to include escalator technicians under the lift PWM. Together, close to 1,300 resident lift and escalator maintenance workers stand to benefit. The Tripartite Cluster for Lift and Escalator Industry, the fourth such cluster, will aim to submit its recommendations by the end of the year.”
“I thank the Member. Our Building Codes are typically studied every few years. I do not have a date for the next study, so I am not going to commit at this point. But I do think that this could be further promoted to employers. Like I said, tenants themselves, too, have provided lactation rooms for their own officers. In this case, it is very hard to fix a demand because it depends on the profile of the workers too, whether you have an older workforce or a very young workforce. I think it depends. So, it is difficult and impractical as well to fix a Code and regulate that everyone has to provide this because it also depends on the demand as well. To some extent, we will study this and certainly survey and study more but without waiting for a review, we can certainly do more, such as encouraging organisations to support this.”
“As of 5 February this year, close to 150 private building owners have tapped on the AF to retrofit their buildings with the accessibility features. So, apart from what we put in the Code, the good thing is that we have seen many private buildings, too, coming on board. Again, we have to be very practical about how we put Codes up but we support the motion, generally.”
“I certainly agree with the Member that we should, as much as possible, facilitate our mothers to breastfeed. Certainly, it helps with the raising of the child. Under the Code Review, in many jurisdictions too, the "one room a building" based on the floor area is, I would say, a base guideline. It is a base rule, rather, not guideline. It is a base rule because we also have to be practical about some of these buildings and how you can retrofit such rooms. My own experience so far, coming from the private sector, even in a building, you have tenants who, like my previous firm, provided lactation rooms on every floor or most floors. So, these are on top of the building requirements in which developers may provide one but the tenants themselves could provide more. We have also seen shopping malls with more than one lactation rooms, too. I just did a check on my two Ministries. The Ministry of National Development (MND) has got two in MND Headquarters within the floors that we occupied. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has got five among the two buildings that we occupy. So, we have not done a survey in terms of the take-up rates out there. But I do think that many building owners have provided more than what the Code requires. Certainly, we will continue to promote this. But in setting regulations and codes, it is important that we also take a practical view. On the Member's question on grants, BCA has an Accessibility Fund (AF) worth about $39.2 million in which we incentivise building owners to undertake voluntary upgrading. Up to 60% of the construction cost for accessibility features, such as lactation rooms, can be used up to a cap of $300,000 per development. There is funding available for building owners if they wish to undertake this.”
“Mr Speaker, the Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment was recently reviewed in 2019 by a committee comprising representatives from social service agencies, Trade Associations and Chambers, academia and Government agencies. Under the new Code which took effect in January this year, the requirement to provide at least one lactation room has been expanded to apply to more building types. Besides offices and business parks with a gross floor area (GFA) of 10,000 square metres (sqm) or more, this requirement now also applies to all hospitals and polyclinics, as well as mixed-use developments where the non-residential component has a GFA of 10,000 sqm or more. The intent of the GFA threshold is to strike a balance between the need for such facilities and the practical implications for smaller buildings, such as efficiency in the use of space. Notwithstanding this, the developers are encouraged to provide lactation rooms beyond the requirements of the Code, based on the scale of the building and the needs of the building users. The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) will continue to study how we can enhance our accessibility requirements, including the provision of lactation rooms, as part of its periodic review of the Code.”
“The fact that the technologies are already in use, I think it is already public. So, if the Member needs further information on the Roadmap, I am happy to provide.”
“I thank the Member for his question. In fact, the Technology Roadmap is in place. Today, some of the technologies identified in the Roadmap are the light-emitting diode (LED) lighting with smart controls, decoupled cooling from dehumidification and thermally reflective cool paint. Many of these solutions are novel applications of existing technologies. But, yes, we have also seen some of these technologies being used in some of our buildings today, for example, the Singapore Management University (SMU)-Connexion (SMU-X) building which uses an enhanced passive displacement cooling system. The system uses the natural convection of heat to move the cool air without the use of mechanical fans, so, therefore, reducing energy consumption. The other example is the National University of Singapore School of Design and Environment Building 4 which uses a hybrid cooling system that augments the cool air supply with ceiling fans, making it 46% more efficient than a conventional cooling system. This helps the building achieve substantial energy savings while maintaining a comfortable environment for students.”
“Mr Speaker, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) launched the Super Low Energy Programme in 2018 to encourage developers and building owners to achieve best-in-class building energy performance in a cost-effective manner. The response from the industry has been positive. As of December 2019, 18 buildings have achieved the BCA Green Mark for Super Low Energy certification. To drive the adoption of Super Low Energy buildings, BCA worked with the industry and academia to develop a Technology Roadmap, which comprises 60 strategies and technologies that building owners can adopt to increase energy efficiency. We have also enhanced the Green Buildings Innovation Cluster programme with a $20 million top-up last year. The programme aims to accelerate the adoption of Super Low Energy buildings through funding the research, development and prototyping of energy-efficient building solutions. Through this programme, building owners and developers can work with research partners to develop innovative green technologies for building applications and conduct large-scale demonstrations to assess their feasibility in the local context. In addition, BCA has established the Super Low Energy Building Smart Hub to facilitate the exchange of knowledge on energy-efficient technologies amongst industry stakeholders. This is an open database of green building technologies supported by building energy data and analytic tools. The Smart Hub also has an online advisory function to recommend customised retrofitting plans for building owners and developers to green their existing buildings. We will continue to work with industry stakeholders to encourage companies to achieve the BCA Green Mark for Super Low Energy certification.”
“I thank the Member for his question. We have always made it very clear. It is both the responsibility of the worker and the employer. There are cases in which we have not punished the worker because the worker came to report to us and said his employer had forced him to come back. It is important and incumbent upon us. Again, the measures are in place because public health is at stake. So, in this case, I think we have to also take a really bird's eye view on how we want to deal with the issue, and in which everyone – both the employer and worker – has to cooperate.”
“Firstly, I just want to say "Thank you" to all our employers and workers for cooperating with us. I said Leave of Absence and Stay-Home Notice earlier, but I think even MCs today are an important part of the health measures that we have to undertake. The five-day MC is granted to individuals who display respiratory symptoms to allow them to rest at home and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Employers can treat the five-day MCs as part of the employees' outpatient Sick Leave entitlement, or alternatively, as the Member suggested, if they wish to provide more support to the employees, employers can also treat the five-day MC as part of the employees' Hospitalisation Leave entitlement. We are, indeed, flexible. If an employee were to have insufficient outpatient Sick Leave in the future, employers are encouraged to be flexible and compassionate, and grant additional Sick Leave to the employee to take into consideration the prolonged Sick Leave used for the COVID-19 situation. But generally, for MCs of five days, you will not exceed either one. With the Leave of Absence, Stay-Home Notice or quarantine, the Government does provide a grant to the employer of $100 a day. We are publishing a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to provide clearer guidance to employers on the issue. The team is working on this. So, we are hoping to get the link ready, either by today or tomorrow.”
“For the first question, the Member would have noticed, yesterday as well, we announced that we are going to work on change of employment directives for manufacturing as well as services. These are two areas where today, they are not allowed to do change of employment so easily. So, we are facilitating it through the trade associations, companies and industry representatives. This is important. We try to help these workers. If Members know of such workers, please do refer them to us and we will have organisations or partners, such as MWC, to see how we can support them. On the second point, it is also important for us to signal that for a public health measure, we cannot take this too lightly. When workers fail to respond, I am sure they have valid reasons. We go down and investigate each one of them. There are a variety of reasons why they cannot respond, the most common is, "My phone cannot get a signal" and so forth. The reality is you have the whole day to respond. We do give leeway if needed. When they cannot account for where they were, then it becomes a bit more difficult to explain. In the interest of public health, you have to take a check. This is where we have to take action. And I have to thank employers as well as workers for cooperating with us on all our measures, whether it is Leave of Absence, Stay-Home Notice or the quarantine measures, to ensure that public health is maintained, public safety is maintained. And we manage the situation as best as we can.”
“In cases where the work pass holders were asked to work during their Leave of Absence or Stay-Home Notice, they should not comply and instead report their employer to the Ministry. MOM will investigate and take actions against the employer. As of 22 February 2020, MOM has taken action against 15 employers whose workers breached the Leave of Absence or Stay-Home Notice requirements. These employers had their work pass privileges suspended for at least two years. In three instances, the workers were not found culpable and were provided the opportunity to find alternative employment in Singapore.”
“Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has been actively disseminating educational materials on the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) control measures, including the need to maintain good personal hygiene and on the Stay-Home Notice, to employers and partners, such as the Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC). Many are available in the work pass holders’ native language and are available on MOM’s website. Employers have been encouraged to use these materials to do regular briefings to their workers. MOM has also asked employers to contact the work pass holders affected by the Leave of Absence or Stay-Home Notice requirements and directly inform them of the measures. Dormitory operators have been displaying many of our posters in their premises. In addition, MOM has been sharing bite-size COVID-19 information to the foreign workers through our foreign worker ambassadors on a daily basis. Videos in various native languages have also been produced to explain the situation and control measures. Ground engagement with foreign workers has been further stepped up with the help of MWC. As part of our control measures, since 9 February 2020, employers have to obtain MOM's prior approval before the affected work pass holders can enter Singapore. Employers have to send the MOM approval letter with the Leave of Absence or Stay-Home Notice requirements to their work pass holders before they commence their return. Work pass holders are aware they face cancellation of their work passes if they violate the COVID-19 control measures. Employers and employees have a joint duty to ensure that the employee behaves responsibly during the Leave of Absence or Stay-Home Notice.”
“The 2% was not the number that faced the problem; rather, the 2% was the number that came in without IPAs. We said 98% of foreign workers came in with IPAs. This is something that we can certainly work on. Today, the additional mechanism that we have is the SIP. What has been enhanced since then is that workers do have to come through SIP and they spend a day with not just the trainers, the facilitators, but there are also non-government organisations (NGOs) onsite like the Migrant Workers Centre, for example, which conduct the SIPs themselves. One of the reasons we do that is to ensure that there is that check and balance from the NGO side, trainers, as well as teaching them their rights. I do understand the Member's concerns. It is something that we will continuously improve on. The main difference in the last few months is that the SIPs are now in place and we have expanded them, especially for sectors that are most vulnerable. We have given focus to construction, manufacturing and process. That was where most of our disputes were in the past. As Members have seen, 98% of foreign workers come in with IPAs. It is an improvement from the past. But, yes, I do agree that we still have to work on that 2% who come in without IPAs. Today, they cannot complete their SIPs if they do not come in with IPAs. That is something that we hope to expand and we will enforce against employers who do not comply.”
“Today, if you wish to reduce the salary, it has to be (a) with the agreement of the employee and (b) you have to notify the Ministry. The check is, you have to notify the Ministry before you can do it. That is your check and balance today. Of course, if foreign workers have a concern, they can always report to the Ministry and we will take a look at it, for example, if there are other deductions that were not originally agreed to by the employee. Was there a specific area that the Member was after?”
“I thank the Member for his clarification. Certainly, we share the same concern. Based on a survey of foreign domestic workers in 2015, for example, 94% of foreign domestic workers indicated that they had signed an employment contract with their employers. Today, in fact, we have got new programmes in place, like the Settling-In Programme (SIP) for both foreign workers and foreign domestic workers. We do checks as well as part of the process when they come in, to understand their employment rights as well as advisories on how they can settle in better in Singapore. We do a check to make sure that when they come in, they have their IPAs in hand. Our recent checks through the SIPs from August to December 2019 showed that 98% of foreign workers and almost all foreign domestic workers had the complete set of IPA letters with them before coming to Singapore. So, technically, they already have that written contract. That is good progress. Certainly, there is still that remainder, a small minority, which we need to keep on working on. We do, from time to time, enforce against employment agencies as well as employers who do not comply.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, under the Employment Act, employers are required to issue key employment terms (KETs) in writing to all employees. This covers all workers, whether local or foreign. The mandatory KETs, which must be provided within 14 days from the start of employment, include the job title, main duties and responsibilities, place of work, working arrangements, salary details, leave entitlements, medical benefits, probation and notice period. Employers can issue these KETs in the form of an employment contract or employee handbook. In addition, for Work Permit holders, employers are required to ensure that their workers receive a copy of the In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter prior to their departure for Singapore. The IPA letter contains key employment information, including occupation, basic monthly salary, and fixed monthly allowances as well as deductions. This requirement is to ensure that before departing their home countries, the workers are already notified of the most critical terms of their employment. Employers are not allowed to make downward revisions to the workers’ salary information that was declared on the IPA, unless they have obtained the workers’ written agreement and notified the Ministry. The requirements to provide written KETs and IPA letters already mean that foreign workers will have sufficient clarity of the details of their employment in written form. There is no further advantage to be gained by requiring employment contracts for foreign workers to be written. In fact, it will create an unintended outcome that if for some reason no written contract is issued, there is no employment relationship at all and the foreign worker will lose whatever protection he should be entitled to under the law.”
“I thank the Member for her supplementary question. As I mentioned earlier, we have the AMA scheme which accredits MAs. Do refer to the scheme and maybe the MCs can work closer with the organisations – SISV as well as APFM who manage the scheme – to see how we can improve the accreditation scheme. But to get into ranking, the tricky part is, as I said, that it depends on the performance of the MA on the ground and, ultimately, it is down to procurement. In terms of procurement, you have the option of terminating if they do not meet certain key performance indicators (KPIs). It is important to set the expectations upfront before you procure the services, and set what are the requirements, what are the specifications, that the MAs need to fulfil. The challenge is, again, ranking may work at the firm level, but it does not necessarily work on the ground. That is always a challenge. But really, if the condos would like to have some sense of which ones are accredited, perhaps if the AMA scheme is not well-known, then we can certainly work to keep condos more aware of what are the accredited MAs out there.”
“Currently, the MC can appoint an MA for up to a term of three years. So, the MAs' performance can be reviewed by the residents themselves and they can change the MA if they do not perform. So, technically, the measures are there. If the MAs are not performing, the residents can certainly take action. Because, ultimately, as the Member knows as well, you can rank an MA by company, but it is still down to the persons that they appoint, the persons that they hire to run every condo. You can rank an agency but it really depends on the team that they put in place. To ensure quality, we have got an Accredited MA (AMA) scheme, which is administered by both the Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers (SISV), and the Association of Property and Facility Managers (APFM). So, the accreditation scheme exists. It is just that the details are important, that we pick the right MA and appoint them. For many MAs, you also have termination clauses if they are not performing, too. So, it is not fair or feasible to rank every MA out there because, by firm, some may qualify. But again, it is down to the person that they appoint in the condo. So, it is down to the MCs to decide.”
“Failure to comply with regulatory requirements or directions is an offence under the respective Acts and Regulations, and the relevant public agencies can take enforcement actions against the building owners, MCs or building occupants accordingly. Penalties for non-compliance include fines or imprisonment or both. Public agencies maintain the infrastructure on public land under their respective purviews across Singapore, including public infrastructure within private residential estates. Members of the public can provide feedback on maintenance issues directly to the agencies or via the Municipal Services Office, using the OneService app.”
“Mr Speaker, building owners have a duty to ensure that their buildings are well-maintained. There are legislative or regulatory requirements currently in place. For example, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) requires building owners to appoint a professional engineer to inspect the building on a regular basis and to rectify any structural defects that are found. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) requires owners of buildings with higher safety risks, such as publicly accessible buildings with higher occupancy, to appoint a professional engineer to audit a building’s fire safety measures annually. The Energy Market Authority (EMA) requires building owners to appoint a licensed electrical worker to conduct regular inspections to ensure that electrical installations are fit for operation. The Public Utilities Board (PUB) requires building owners to engage a licensed plumber to inspect their potable water tanks annually to ensure that the water is fit and safe for use. The National Environment Agency (NEA) requires building owners to dispose of their refuse properly, such as by maintaining refuse chutes and also to prohibit any person from creating conditions favourable to the propagation of vectors. I know the Member is concerned about building maintenance. But if buildings are not properly maintained, the respective agencies can direct building owners or management corporations (MCs) to make rectifications where necessary. For example, BCA can issue a Notice to Maintain to building owners or MCs to compel them to repair defects.”
“Mr Speaker, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) has made improvements to the clothes drying systems in flats over the years. Since 2002, new flats have been fitted with an external three-bar clothes drying rack parallel to the kitchen wall. This eliminates the need for laundry poles to be extended from the window. In addition, new flats are also provided with an internal ceiling-mounted clothes drying rack that is sheltered from the rain. Through the Home Improvement Programme (HIP), HDB has been progressively replacing these pipe sockets that you find in older flats with T-shaped clothes drying racks. These T-shaped racks are designed to support both ends of the laundry poles, so that this reduces the effort required to place the laundry poles onto the racks and minimises the risk of the poles falling even under strong wind conditions. HDB will continue to review the design of clothes drying racks to make them safer and easier for residents to use.”
“I thank the Member for his questions. MOM's survey on Fair Employment Practices is nationally representative and because they provide a credible gauge of ground sentiment. So, we do this regularly, just to get ground-sensing. And the 2018 survey cover approximately 3,100 individuals and 3,400 establishments. As our surveys have shown, the majority of employers adopt Fair Employment Practices. But nonetheless, we recognise, too, that there will be a minority of employers who deliberately circumvent employment principles and requirements. For actual details, the Member may want to file a separate Parliamentary Question because this was really just about whether we have a survey or not. But just to answer the Member's question on whether this will be made public, we will publish an occasional paper on fair employment in the later part of this year. So, do stay tuned.”
“Mr Speaker, let me begin by saying that the Government does not tolerate any form of workplace discrimination. In a 2018 survey commissioned by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), over 80% of jobseekers did not feel that their gender, marital status, number of children, race, religion or nationality was an impediment in finding work. The majority of employees also felt that they were fairly treated in their organisation in terms of their employment terms and benefits, training, career development and performance evaluation. MOM and the Tripartite Alliance on Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) follow up on feedback and complaints about workplace discrimination. This is complemented by TAFEP's efforts to promote and advise employers on fair employment practices. Rather than depend on perception surveys alone, MOM relies on other indicators, too, for evidence of workplace discrimination. A good indicator is the number of complaints, which decreased from about 580 in 2015 to about 200 in 2018 and constitutes less than 1% of all complaints received. Discriminatory job advertisements have become rare and employment outcomes of groups, such as women and older workers, have also improved in the past decade. The employment rate of older residents aged 55 to 64 increased from 57% in 2009 to 68% in 2019, and that of female residents aged 25 to 64 increased from 64% to 73% over the same period. We have also seen that the adjusted gender pay gap has also narrowed over time, down from 8.8% in 2002 to 6.3% in 2018.”