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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“To speed up claims processing and reduce the risk of employees being misled or being ignorant of application procedures, clause 35 of the Bill provides that a claim is deemed to be made when the employer first receives notice of the accident. Insurers or the Commissioner will start to process the claims once there is a notice of accident, without the employee needing to submit a separate claims application. Under this regime, employees who do not wish to make a claim under WICA can still opt out at a later stage. Delays can be also caused by parties not cooperating with the Commissioner or the designated insurers in the claims process. To avoid such delays, we will make it an offence under clause 50 for parties who fail to comply with the Commissioner's direction to provide information or documents to the designated insurer or the Commissioner necessary for claims processing. If accidents do happen, we are also enhancing the protection and benefits for injured employees. Under current WICA, employers are required to compensate all their injured employees, regardless of their salaries, where they work, and the nature of work, manual or non-manual. To help employers fulfil this obligation, employers are required to purchase insurance for all manual employees and non-manual employees (NMEs) working in factories earning up to $1,600 a month. The Minister will amend the WICA subsidiary legislation to align with the salary threshold for non-workmen under Part IV of the Employment Act to give added protection to these employees. This will be done in phases to allow employers time to adjust. In Phase 1, we will extend compulsory insurance to non-manual employees earning up to $2,100 a month, regardless of where they work, and we plan to do this in 2020.”
“This will help to expedite claims payout to the employee or their families for many long-drawn claims. The default expectation is for CI to be assessed as soon as possible after six months from the accident. Nonetheless, doctors will still have the professional discretion to assess for PI at a later date if they believe that the extent of incapacity will change further for more complex injuries. Another cause of delay is disputes over AME. The Ministry receives about 360 AME disputes a year. Such disputes may delay claims processing up to one and a half months. Currently, the Commissioner uses documentary evidence, such as pay slips, to compute the employee's AME for purposes of WICA compensation. If the employee's pay slip is not available, the Commissioner can compute compensation based on a co-worker's pay slip. However, there are cases where there is no documentary evidence of the employee's or the co-workers' pay slip. Therefore, the First Schedule to the Bill will also empower the Commissioner to compute the employee's earnings based on a multiple of the employee's basic rate of pay, called the derived AME, if there is no other reliable evidence. The derived AME will be set at the higher end of industry norm. This is to ensure that employees are not disadvantaged due to the absence of reliable evidence to compute the actual AME. We also propose to streamline the claim process to provide for more hassle-free "auto-claim" for fatal and serious injuries. Currently, an employee or his representative needs to submit a WICA claim application for fatal or PI compensation.”
“Second, insurers do not have discretion in determining the compensation amount as it is a fixed formula based on three factors: one, the doctor's assessment of the extent of incapacity; two, the worker’s remaining years of working life; and three, the worker's average monthly earnings (AME). Third, in terms of processing, insurers have to meet the processing timelines set by the Commissioner to ensure that the injured employees continue to receive their compensation promptly. Finally, any parties that are aggrieved by the insurer's decision may raise an objection. Objections will continue to be adjudicated by the Commissioner. Another recommendation to speed up claims processing is to allow compensation to be based on the prevailing state of incapacity that is unlikely to change significantly after the date of assessment of the incapacity, termed "current incapacity" or CI. Today, about 80% of PI claims every year are resolved within six months. The remaining 20% take longer to resolve due to the time required for a PI assessment to be made. The PI percentage is one of the factors determining the amount of lump-sum compensation. However, delay in settling the compensation means injured employees will receive their compensation later, employers of injured foreign employees will incur higher upkeep and maintenance expenses, as well as increased uncertainty for all parties involved. We have consulted the WIC medical board members who advised that the extent of incapacity at six months after accident is a close approximation of the eventual state of the PI in most cases. Clause 15 of the Bill and the First Schedule to the Bill allow lump-sum compensation to be computed based on the CI assessment that is made at least six months after the date of accident.”
“Other jurisdictions that also adopt the private WIC insurance model, such as certain states in the United States (US) and Australia, have also required WIC insurers to process all insured claims. Allowing insurers to process WIC claims can help to speed up claims processing as insurers, who are the payers, do not need to do duplicative work to verify the documents and evidence obtained by MOM on the claim. Under the current system, having the insurers check back with the employers, the workers and with MOM on the claim details can delay processing by up to six weeks. To ensure that the interests of all parties will continue to be protected under this new process, the Ministry will put in place a system of checks and balances. Clauses 31 to 34 allow the Commissioner to impose licensing conditions on designated WIC insurers. The Commissioner may conduct third party audits on insurers to make sure that they comply with the Commissioner’s conditions. Any insurer that fails to comply with the Commissioner's conditions may be subject to administrative financial penalties or, in more serious cases, have their WIC designation suspended or revoked. Under an insurer-processing regime, employees' and employers' interests will continue to be protected in four key ways. First, insurers have to comply with the Commissioner's protocol on claims admissibility. The grounds for liability for compensation under the new Bill remain the same as that in the existing Act. We will set out guidelines to ensure that insurers do not reject claims which are currently admissible.”
“The WSH2028 Tripartite Strategies Committee recommended that MOM facilitate the sharing of WICA claims data with insurers to sharpen the premium differentiation between safer and less safe companies. Clause 33 of the Bill will require insurers to share policy and claims information with the Commissioner. The relevant data will be made available to all designated insurers approved by the Commissioner. Furthermore, to facilitate more accurate premium pricing, all designated insurers will be able to verify their clients' declared aggregated workforce size and annual payroll through MOM's database. Clients' actual workforce size and payroll data will remain confidential and will not be disclosed to insurers. What the insurers will know is whether their clients' declarations are consistent or not consistent with MOM's records, within a certain margin of error. With greater information transparency, employers with good safety records should be able to enjoy lower premiums. More importantly, less safe employers who are faced with higher premiums will have greater commercial incentive to put in place measures to prevent their employees from getting injured in the first place. Next, we have proposed five amendments which aim to speed up and improve WIC claims processing. First, we will designate insurers to provide WIC insurance under clause 31. These designated insurers will be required to process insured WIC claims in accordance with clauses 36, 44 to 47. Today, insurers only process WIC claims for temporary incapacity (TI). For fatal and permanent incapacity (PI), these claims are processed by the Commissioner. In contrast, insurers are already processing the claims for all other types of insurance, such as life, medical and travel insurance, in Singapore.”
“It should also incentivise employers to prevent injuries from happening in the first place. Our Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) 2028 aspiration for Singapore is to be amongst the best in the world in WSH standards. Second, some WICA claims still take too long before payout is made. We will speed up and improve claims processing. Third, we will enhance insurance coverage and benefits for injured workers and employees. Fourth, we will give greater assurance to employers so that WICA provides a balanced package of safeguards for both employers and injured employees. These are substantial changes. So, the existing WICA will be repealed and replaced by a new Act, the Work Injury Compensation Act 2019. Let me explain how the new WICA will influence companies to prevent injuries. In the recommendations of the WSH2028 Tripartite Strategies Committee in April this year, they were convinced that the key in preventing injuries is in aligning the commercial interests of employers and insurers closer to preventing injuries. In short, we need to make WSH good for businesses. More companies will then be self-motivated to prevent injuries. One of the features in the new WICA is designed to influence employers to be more proactive on prevention by making the business impact of injuries more significant, through its effect on premiums. Information transparency on claims history is essential in influencing employers to be safer. Today, there is no information sharing among insurers of their clients' past claims records. This has resulted in safer companies subsidising the less safe companies as there is little premium differentiation between these companies.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, I have asked the Clerk to circulate a handout to illustrate the key changes to the Work Injury Compensation Act to all Members. Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the Minister for Manpower, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, when an employee gets injured at work, he may claim damages under the common law or claim compensation under the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA), but not both. Under the common law, the injured employee has to initiate legal actions and prove his employer's negligence to succeed. The WICA provides a cheaper and quicker alternative for an injured employee to claim work injury compensation. Under WICA, the employee does not need to prove the employer's fault or negligence in order to be compensated. He will be compensated as long as the injury happened in the course of work. This is why we say WICA is a no-fault regime. In exchange, the employer's amount of compensation is capped under WICA. WICA has benefited many injured employees. Over the past three years, an average of about 15,000 work injury compensation claims were awarded, with a total payout close to $115 million per year for wage and lump-sum compensation. All claimants, except five on average per year, were compensated by the deadline set by the Ministry. The common reason for non-payment was because the employer was uninsured and faced financial difficulties. In such situations, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will assist the injured employees using the Workers' Fund. WICA has served its role of compensating injured workers well, but can be improved further, in four main ways. First, the aims of MOM's work injury compensation regime should not be confined to compensation after injury has happened.”
“Earlier, I mentioned that for those PwDs who came through our Adapt and Grow initiatives, at least 60% remained employed after six months. Certainly, from a settling in perspective, we also provide support through the Job Redesign Grant. It is not just to support the placement but also to support the education and cultural awareness education of fellow employees as well, to help them settle in. At the same time, it is a lot of work. Having spoken to members and workers from SG Enable and other voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) who are doing this, there is quite a lot of work to do as well to help a PwD settle into some of the workplaces. They may not be easily settled in. But I think we can do better. Overall, in terms of a national target, it is something we have considered. But I do not think we are prepared to do it at this point, given that we have just got some good visibility on how the situation is. I think our commitment for now is that our employment rates can be improved and this is something for which we need to get more employers on board in order to improve the employment rate and placements for our PwDs. I hope that through greater awareness, through Members like Ms Anthea Ong and other VWOs around, we can certainly do better to bring employers on board, create awareness and help our PwDs to be more gainfully employed.”
“This is inaccurate as the estimate is affected by PwDs aged above 64. For those above 64, you will find a higher prevalence of disability, not just because of conditions which you were born with, but also because of old age and so you have deterioration of health, stroke and other conditions that also add up to disability. Therefore, if you look at some of these composites that were put together, there is a difference in the numbers that came out. So, we have now used the comprehensive labour force survey which is more comprehensive. Last year was the first year for which we have available data.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I have said that today's employment rate for those between the ages of 15 and 64 was 28.6%, which is different from the 5% that was cited by The Straits Times in 2017. This was erroneous because the incorrect data was derived by The Straits Times using different sources of publicly available data. Back then, PwD data from our comprehensive labour force survey was not ready. Therefore, understandably, they had patched together from different sources. For example, for the number of employed PwDs, The Straits Times had used the number reported by MSF in a Parliamentary Question reply which is a composite of PwDs in the private sector who are eligible for the SEC, as well as PwDs in the Public Service. So, they patched that together. This was an underestimate, as SEC does not cover PwDs earning $4,000 and above a month. At the same time, there were also others who were not registered with SG Enable. So, some numbers were missed out. For the total number of PwDs in our population, The Straits Times applied the estimated prevalence rate from a National Council of Social Service (NCSS) survey of 2,000 persons. This is different from what we have for our comprehensive labour force survey which covers about 100,000-plus persons from 33,000 households. So, it is a lot more accurate view of what the population is. And given the small sample survey, there is a higher margin of error in estimating the true prevalence rate. Such a small difference in the estimated and true prevalence rate would result in a significant numerical difference in the derived PwD population. At the same time, The Straits Times used NCSS' estimated prevalence rate for PwDs aged 50 and over to compute the population size for PwDs aged 50 to 64.”
“As I have mentioned, today, we have the SEC which already subsidises the salaries of PwDs. Other schemes, such as ODP, help with job redesign and so forth. From the perspective of implementing schemes, I think we are quite well resourced. More can still be done to encourage employers to think about having more PwDs and being more inclusive. That is an effort that we are working quite closely with MSF and even the Ministry of Education for the Special Education schools, to see how we can make pathways more available. That is an area that the new workgroup that I mentioned earlier would be looking into. It is a bit premature to be talking about what upcoming policies we would need to shape. But clearly, we can do better in terms of employment outcomes. It is one area we can look at. On the second question with regard to a one-stop portal, that is something we can study. Today, we have something like a Jobs Bank that Workforce Singapore already has. SG Enable enables the employment of PwDs. That is one area we could potentially study. Let me speak to the workgroup to consider the Member's suggestions.”
“I thank the Member for her questions. I would just like to clarify on the first supplementary question: is the Member asking for more schemes or just putting in place affirmative action?”
“The workgroup aims to release their recommendations early next year.”
“WIS tops up the salaries and CPF savings of lower-wage PwDs, with up to $3,600 in cash and CPF contributions annually. WTS provides support, such as course fee subsidies, monetary awards and training allowances, to encourage lower-wage PwDs to upgrade their skills. Last year, more than 6,400 Singaporeans with disabilities benefited from WIS, up from more than 3,500 in 2012. The number of Singaporeans with disabilities who benefited from WTS training also increased last year to about 860, up from about 640 in 2017. There are also ongoing efforts to help PwDs integrate into the workforce. Earlier this year, MOM and SG Enable launched the Job Redesign Guide for Inclusive Employers. The Guide provides step-by-step information for companies on how they can redesign jobs to suit PwD workers, for instance, through changes to the workplace or working arrangements. SG Enable also runs disability management workshops and a biennial Inclusive Business Forum to equip employers with knowledge and skills on how to recruit PwDs and integrate them into the workforce. Inclusive employment requires collaboration amongst the public, private and people sectors. In March this year, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) announced the formation of a new workgroup under the Third Enabling Masterplan to look at preparing PwDs for the future economy by enhancing access to lifelong learning opportunities and employment pathways. The workgroup is co-chaired by Minister of State for Social and Family Development Sam Tan and Mayor Denise Phua. The workgroup is engaging PwDs and their caregivers, social service agencies and other disability stakeholders to better understand the needs, challenges and aspirations of PwDs.”
“SEC provides an automatic wage offset of up to 16% of the employee’s monthly income for PwDs aged below 67, and up to 22% for PwDs aged 67 and over. Last year, more than 5,700 employers hiring over 8,600 Singaporeans with disabilities benefited from SEC. This number has increased from 2012, when SEC was paid to around 3,200 employers hiring about 5,000 Singaporeans with disabilities. Employers and PwDs can tap on the employment support services and programmes under the Adapt and Grow initiative. This includes the ODP and Career Trial. ODP, which is administered by SG Enable with funding support from Workforce Singapore, provides job placement and job support services for PwDs and their employers, and grants for training and job redesign. The ODP Training Grant provides a subsidy of up to 90% of course fees to support the training of PwDs and their co-workers. The ODP Job Redesign Grant provides employers with funding of up to 90% of the job redesign costs, capped at $20,000 per employee with disability, to help integrate PwDs at the workplace. Some employers and PwDs may have reservations about job fit and the suitability of the work environment. To address these concerns, Career Trial provides an opportunity for jobseekers and employers to try out each other and assess job fit through a trial. During the trial, which can be up to three months, jobseekers receive a training allowance from the Government. From January 2016 to June this year, close to 780 companies have hired more than 2,000 PwDs with support from the Adapt and Grow initiative. At least 60% of these PwDs remained employed after six months. Finally, the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) and Workfare Training Support (WTS) were extended to lower-wage PwDs of all ages in 2012 and 2017 respectively.”
“Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) recently started collecting data on the employment outcomes of persons with disabilities (PwDs) through our annual Comprehensive Labour Force Survey, with data available from 2018 onwards. Among PwDs in the working ages of 15 to 64, the resident employment rate was 28.6%. Another 4.2% of PwDs in this age range were without a job and actively looking for one, translating to a resident unemployment rate of 12.9%. The remaining two-thirds of PwDs aged 15 to 64 were outside of the labour force, with most of them citing poor health or disability as the main reason. The Member also asked for a breakdown of employment rates by age bands. The resident employment rates for PwDs were 27.6% for those aged 15 and 39; 37.8% for those aged between 40 and 49; 26.1% for those aged between 50 and 64; and 5.9% for those aged 65 and above. The sectors employing the most resident PwDs are Community, Social and Personal Services, Food Services, Administrative and Support Services and Manufacturing, which together account for more than half of PwD employment. Besides Mr Chong Kee Hiong, Dr Intan Mokhtar had also filed a Parliamentary Question* for the next Sitting on the effectiveness of Government schemes in helping companies or employers to hire adults with disabilities. In particular, she cited the Special Employment Credit (SEC), Open Door Programme (ODP) and Workfare. I would like to take this opportunity to address Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar’s1 question as well. To enable more PwDs of working age to be active in the labour force, the Government provides support in several ways. In 2012, MOM extended SEC to employers that hire Singaporeans with disabilities of all ages earning up to $4,000 a month.”
“Yes, Mr Speaker. I will take Question Nos 1 and 2 together.”
“As for air-conditioning, as part of the Green Mark certification, one of the things that we require of all the new buildings and retrofitted buildings is to keep the temperature at 23 to 25 degrees Celsius. That is one thing that is being stated. And, as a minimum design requirement, there are certain efficiency standards that will be required of their chillers and air-condition systems. But, of course, for existing buildings, it is a bit more difficult. So, we will wait till they retrofit. But today, they also score points for keeping the air-conditions to 23 to 25 degrees Celsius, and having efficient systems. I hope that answers.”
“I will start with the third question. I just want to assure the Member that, certainly, we continuously look at how we put up the criteria for the Green Mark Scheme. So, the Green Mark awards or criteria do not only cover energy per se. Energy efficiency is just one aspect, that is, the air-cons or chillers. But it also includes ventilation, lightings, escalators, lifts and how we do system monitoring over these systems. At the same time, we also look at water efficiency, sustainable operations in management, even the indoor environment quality and other green features as well. So, that includes whether you have green rooftops and so forth. So, these are elements which we consider today. Of course, the status will change over time and we will review. So, let me just assure the Member that, yes, we do look at various criteria. Certainly, today, we have done quite okay in terms of getting 40% of all possible GFA on the Green Mark. Our target is 80% and certainly there is work to be done. But as I mentioned in my reply earlier, today, all new projects and major retrofitting works are already required by law. So, that is one way in terms of industry push. So, you find, for example, Bugis Junction Towers and Bugis Junction, and the 85-year-old Police building, these are old buildings that have been retrofitted and today have achieved not just the Green Mark status but the Green Mark Platinum status as well. So, it is possible for really old buildings to be retrofitted. We are seeing some movement there, largely also because some of the technologies are more established, and you also find the industry a lot more able to cater and to provide for more green technologies or green sustainability elements to be put into our buildings. I hope that answers the questions.”
“Mr Speaker, currently, we have greened close to 40% of Singapore’s total gross floor area (GRA) in buildings. We are still aiming to reach the target of 80% by 2030. All new projects and major retrofitting works are already required by law to meet environmental sustainability standards that are equivalent to the minimum Green Mark certification level. To encourage owners of existing buildings to green their buildings, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) also provides financing arrangements where building owners can obtain financing from participating financial institutions and pay off the loan through the energy savings that they reap. We will continue to monitor the progress and explore additional measures as needed. With regard to the Member's question on renewable energy in buildings, the most promising option is the solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on the rooftop. There is already good take-up of such PVs today because the costs have come down. The BCA Green Mark Scheme also encourages this by recognising projects that have solar panels on their roofs or have conducted a solar feasibility study. However, there are physical constraints for some buildings that limit the adoption of solar energy. We will continue to explore how to increase the use of solar and other renewable options in our buildings.”
“(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Thank you. Perhaps we have different interpretations. No further questions, Speaker.”
“I hope that they do not underestimate the people of Singapore as not being smart enough to make a decision. Finally, I think that the snide remarks directed at our leaders to prove that public officeholders cannot be trusted to provide good progress are erroneous. When the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew stated that PAP is the Government and the Government is the PAP, I believe that it was based on the standard of democracy in the Westminster Parliament. He meant that the Government is formed by the party that wins the most number of seats in Parliament and the party that forms the Parliament is elected by the people to exercise wisdom for the country. If the WP wins the election one day, it will be a WP Parliament. The same term is used commonly around the world for any similar system. So, let us not twist the quotes of our Founder just to support unsound arguments. At the end of the day, Singapore is not free from challenges and threats, such as online falsehoods, and we must agree that a careful and effective strategy must be taken and we should not delay this. It needs consensus and cooperation from everyone. We have been facing the dangers of online falsehoods for a long time and seen that its adverse impact includes dividing society. Should we just remain silent? It is the duty of any government to protect every member of society and safeguard national interests. The people have all along given this trust to the PAP Government and this Bill is just another step to extend that protection to Singaporeans. Mr Speaker, I support this Bill.”
“Earlier, Mr Faisal Manap and Mr Leon Perera highlighted a few things that question the Government's integrity and the intent of POFMA. Although clarifications were made by Minister Shanmugam about protection with the Court as a final arbiter, they continue to ignore that fact. Minister Shanmugam had just explained earlier that the Courts are part of the process, like our citizens. The Government must be at the frontline because the Ministries should be in a position to respond quickly. If riots or violence occur as a result of falsehoods, the Government needs to act quickly. The Court is not necessarily open at all times and the judge will need to be briefed. It is a practical matter for the sake of national security. The ability to act quickly will determine whether damage is irreparable or not, and whether people will suffer or not in the end. But this does not mean that the Court is not involved. If any party feels that a Minister's decision needs to be reviewed, Minister Shanmugam has said earlier that the Court will be the final arbiter, and the case will be heard in as early as nine days. The WP continues to ignore the fact that the Minister can be challenged. Do not forget that if the Court finds that the challenge is successful, this would also impact the Minister's political performance because people will be questioning his judgement. So, I do not think that the Minister or the Government takes things lightly. More importantly, POFMA's approach is quite different from other countries which have dealt with it through a takedown order. We are using the correction Direction. The people can decide for themselves whether what they see is the truth or otherwise. The approach is to make the correction alongside the original post. So, people can decide.”
“The proposed measures have been considered carefully without any intent to hinder the flow of information or to curb opinions. This includes asking which authority can take action, and if there should be a fact-checking body. However, based on the examples I have mentioned earlier, the speed at which falsehoods spread, especially those that pit religion against one another, can result in an undesirable situation if it is not dealt with immediately. The proposal to delegate the responsibility to either a body or a committee is a good suggestion, but, in terms of implementation, it will create another layer, and its process may take up more time. And such a body will also need to be appointed by the Government. So, we will be going around in circles. Therefore, the proposal for the Minister to take the step of issuing a factual correction on any falsehood is the best method, because it can be done more quickly, but at the same time, it does not mean that the Minister can act without any strong justification. The law will only be used if a statement of fact is false and goes against public interest. If such a case happens, it is likely that the measure taken will be a correction Direction, that is, to place the correction alongside the false statement. Readers can then decide the truth for themselves. There may be concerns that, through the Act, are the Ministers or the Government being given too much curbing power and who can override the Government's power? In this matter, I welcome the availability of open processes and channels for those who wish to challenge the decision and to bring the matter to the Courts, and the process will also be made quick and convenient.”
“I would like to mention an example of Sunni-Shia tensions that came about during an incident a few years ago involving two Police officers who were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for terrorism-related offences. One of the detainees was said to believe that the war in Syria was a result of Sunni-Shia conflict. He wanted to join the Free Syrian Army and fight against the Shia followers in Syria. Imagine the impact of such tensions in Singapore. In this country, Sunni followers form the majority of Muslims, while Shia followers comprise around just 1%. The fact is that Singapore is not immune to hatred targeted at the Shia, which is gaining traction around the world. The social media group in Facebook called Singapore Malays Reject Shiism has 1,814 members who are often found attacking the Shia followers. There are also comments on YouTube and social media that refer to the Shia followers as having gone astray, becoming apostates, and, in fact, called them "monkeys" and "the Devil". Mr Hazrul Jamari, who gave evidence at the SC hearings, said that he encountered videos of beheadings in Syria that had been spread through social media in Singapore. These videos aim to create trouble between Shia and Sunni followers. He agreed that the tension between Sunni and Shia followers worsened in Singapore after the videos were exchanged and posted. How would this Bill deal with such incidents? It must be clarified that claims related to history and the interpretation of religious history would not be included in the Bill. However, if falsehoods have been used to create tension, this Bill can help to counter it. The fact remains that if falsehoods are allowed to propagate, it will be a threat to our country. The strategy to deal with it has been widely discussed.”
“Singapore is a country with a multiracial and multi-religious society. Our different races and religions have been able to live harmoniously, be it in schools, living spaces and at work. The reality of our world today is that there are people who will weaponise religion against followers of other religions to achieve their aims; to win an election or to radicalise others with their views. Social media and digital technology have become a convenient, cheap and fast tool to amplify their views and to drown out other legitimate voices. We have seen this happen in nearby countries. Indonesia, for example, is the third largest market for Facebook users and the top five market globally for WhatsApp, Instagram and Twitter. The propagation of fake news that utilises religious elements can be fatal to the country, where the majority are Muslims while minorities comprise Christians, Hindus and Buddhists. During the recent Indonesian Presidential Election, the country's fact-checking agency, Mafindo, documented political fake news that used ethnicity and religion to target both Presidential candidates. Its report showed that political fake news experienced a 61% surge. President Jokowi fell victim to 75 fake news articles that went viral, while his challenger, Prabowo, experienced 50 such incidents. This fake news appeared in Facebook, followed by Twitter and WhatsApp, by percentages. Around 30% of this fake news was shared in digital media, rearranged neatly and bolstered by other details and accounts. The fake news was created according to the fault lines of a particular country. We cannot take the position that these cases occur far away from our country and we are not vulnerable to the dangers.”
“" Mr Speaker, Sir, and my respected colleagues in this House, given all the problems with falsehoods, and the issues it has already created the world over, as well as our current inability to address such externalities created by the advent of new media, the Bill is timely and pertinent. I thus support the Bill. Please allow me to continue in Malay. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Speaker, the rapid development of technology, including information and communication platforms, has brought many benefits to the world and greatly helped to make our lives easier. However, alongside these great benefits, potentially harmful effects also exist. As we harness technology, we must also be aware of any negative impact that comes with it and consider the best ways to overcome them without hindering the convenience and advantages that we can use. Online platforms brought many benefits to the world but, like many other things, any misuse, whether intentional or not, needs to be dealt with. This is especially so for Singapore, a small multiracial and multi-religious country where there are minorities and the majority. Our different races and religions have been able to live harmoniously, whether in schools, in living spaces, at work and in businesses. This did not happen by chance. We have worked hard to develop policies and initiatives that instil trust amongst the different races and religions. Therefore, we should not take things for granted and be complacent about the peace and harmony that we enjoy today. Our diversity makes us vulnerable targets for bad actors who wish to divide our society along racial and religious lines. We have seen this happening in other countries. Hence, we need to build a proper defence against it.”
“So, even when there is a statement of fact that is false, and it is against public interest, the Bill will enforce a remedy that will most likely be a Correction Direction – to carry a clarification while the false statement can remain up. That will then allow readers the choice to decide for themselves what is right or what is wrong. Such efforts will thus create a more informed citizenry with accurate information rather than disinformation, thereby increasing the quality of policy analysis or political discourse and help us create a more informed and discerning society. Most importantly, the public has to recognise that the Government is acting for the betterment of Singapore and Singaporeans. This law will ensure that our children will not grow up in the future in a society where they will be the subjects, victims or consumers of fake news. This Government has attempted to provide stability, peace and safety to generations of Singaporeans and has always acted in the long term. No reason why it should not continue to do so with POFMA, whether it is against the perils of fake news, terror or social instability. I would want to provide that peace of mind to my children. My response to the WP's continued insistence that the Court be the first arbiter of fact, but based on what has been discussed so far, it seems that the only arbiter is the Court and that you portray the Government as an untrustworthy bogeyman. Well, my response is probably summed up in the following quote. Former US President Franklin Roosevelt said, "Let us never forget that Government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and Government officials, but the voters of this country.”
“Take our neighbour, Indonesia, for example, which ranks as the third largest market for Facebook, and the top five market for WhatsApp, Instagram and Twitter. During its recent Presidential Election, Mafindo – the country's fact-checking agency – documented a surge in political fake news that used ethnicity and religion to target both candidates. Some of these false claims include that Jokowi was Chinese, Christian and a communist. As many as 25% of Indonesians polled believed this news and as many as 42% of the Prabowo supporters believed this about Jokowi. Other false news included that Jokowi wanted to ban religious teachings in schools and abolish the call to prayer, among other things. The falsehoods will follow different fault lines in each country. In majority Roman-Catholic Philippines, false claims that a Cebu-based Parish priest had impregnated two daughters of his associate priest was consumed by more than 185,000 people and triggered anti-Catholic comments from other religious quarters. All of this has happened in our very neighbourhood. Why would Singapore be any different if such false news were left unchecked here? In fact, the impact could be far worse and could create a severe and irreparable dent in the social harmony that we have worked so hard to build and uphold. It is clearly not worth it. If we take all other aspects of national security very seriously, as we should, then fake news should be treated no differently, given its potential harm. The legislation and powers in place will easily separate what is fake and untrue from what is true, fact-based and analytical. As such, it will allow Government agencies the bandwidth and precision with which it can engage credible views thereby strengthening political discourse.”
“And the best ways to divide societies are to deepen the natural fault lines of race, religion, political ideologies and xenophobia by feeding into people's fears or insecurities, thereby fuelling panic and hysteria. To that extent, it is not dissimilar from terrorism. Terrorism is also meant to strike terror into the heart of society and, therefore, creating divisions and distrust along societal fault lines. I do not believe I am exaggerating, therefore, when I say that fake news is not far from terrorism in its intent and malice to divide. That fake news has that ability to strike divisions in society is something that we cannot take lightly in Singapore. It is no secret that our social stability hinges on our racial and religious harmony. It has always been a pillar of our nation-building, which is something we cannot compromise on. We have seen in the recent example of the Sri Lankan bomb blasts on Easter Day that a society where fault lines have existed can be a fertile ground for terror groups even when there was little or no apparent threat there in the first place. Singapore is no different. Our diversity makes us a vulnerable target for bad actors who wish to divide us along racial and religious lines. The reality of our world today is that there are people who will weaponise religion to achieve their aims – to win an election or to radicalise others with their views. The truth is, today, social media and digital technology have become convenient, cheap and fast tools to amplify their views and to drown out other legitimate voices. The confluence of these two factors can lead to dangerous results. There is sufficient evidence around us to show that these observations are very real.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to speak on this legislation that will help enhance Singapore's safety, national and public interests. Much has already been said about this Bill in the public domain and in this House by my colleagues. Thus, allow me to frame my speech into three parts: (a) what is the most important aspect of this Bill; (b) why it is important for Singapore; and (c) can the new regulations create a more informed and discerning society? To me, the most important feature of the Bill is its ability to give the public access and visibility to the corrections, because then the public decides, comparing the original and the correction, on what is to be believed. This reflects the Singapore Government's trust in the electorate to decide, and it is also a recognition of how our society has matured. Countries around the world have either implemented some form of legislation or are exploring it to tackle fake news, not only because of the risks of falsehoods and its spread, but also because tech and new media companies that are used as platforms to viral these fake news are either incapable of or unwilling to solve the entirety of the problem, leading to market failure in the form of a negative externality. Most agreed that policy intervention is necessary to correct this failure and reduce the cost of this externality. For Singapore, this is very important because of how open we are as a society and country and also because the very levers of attack that these online falsehoods tend to target are the pillars of our society. Allow me to elaborate. At the crux of the problem are the nature and intent of fake news. It is designed to cause divisions and distrust in society.”
“I thank the Member for his observations. In fact, that was what I was mentioning just now. If we create new segments of workers, then all the more you will find employers or some industries trying to game the system. In the last three years, MOM and CPF Board received a total of 308 cases of suspected misclassification. In 160 cases, workers were assessed to be misclassified as SEPs. Each case that MOM and CPF Board investigate could involve more than one worker. On average, about 100 workers a year were found to be misclassified. In all but two of these misclassification cases, employers made good their obligations when informed of the misclassification and paid back the affected employees what they were due, including overtime pay and CPF contribution. Those are the protection they get as employees. Penalties, including warning and late payment interest charges, were meted out to the companies. Two companies which refused to make the necessary payments to the affected employees were prosecuted. One subsequently fully settled the arrears out of Court while the other is currently appealing against this conviction. So, rest assured that MOM and CPF Board will investigate the cases. If misclassification is established, we will ensure that employers make good their obligations and to pay back the affected employees what they were due, including overtime pay and CPF contributions.”
“We are aware of some jurisdictions that introduced a separate category of workers and some limited employment protection. But we assessed that doing so could lead employers to reclassify existing employees under this separate category, resulting in reduced protection. So, to a certain sense, one of the major issues that we have seen in countries, such as the United Kingdom and Italy, where they have created a separate category, is that you find employees being classified there or you find misclassification to try to game the system by providing them less benefits. To some extent, there are two problems that we found. One, we found that in misclassification, employees received weaker protection; at the same time, businesses also got smarter, they then change the contracting models to fully or partially avoid obligations. So, in Singapore, for example, if you are classified as SEP, employers do not pay for CPF, for example, so you will have to fork out yourself. So, in a certain sense, the terms are very different and they are not covered against term. So, I think we will keep to the current model. But where we will do more are schemes in which, for example, for low-wage workers, we have got Workfare to support them and other forms of employability-type schemes, such as training and insurance, so that we can support them better.”
“The tripartite partners are also encouraging adoption of the Tripartite Standard on Contracting with SEPs and the key terms of engagement form template to minimise disputes. Second, we made available prolonged medical leave insurance products for SEPs to enhance their protection. Third, we are working with the tripartite partners and SEP associations to ensure that SEPs have access to both technical and non-technical skills training. Lastly, we will be introducing a "Contribute-As-You-Earn" model to make it easier for SEPs to save for their healthcare needs. The Government, as a service-buyer, will take the lead to pilot this savings model next year. For those seeking alternatives to casual work or self-employment, there is a wide range of support under the Government’s Adapt and Grow initiative. They can approach career centres run by Workforce Singapore and NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute for assistance.”
“Mr Speaker, casual work employees, whose working days or hours are not fixed, make up a small and declining share of the workforce. They constituted 3.4% of resident employees in 2018, down from 5.1% in 2009. All employees, including casual work employees, are covered by Singapore’s various employment-related legislation, such as the Employment Act and Central Provident Fund (CPF) Act. Therefore, like regular employees, casual work employees are entitled to timely payment of salary, CPF and protection against wrongful dismissal. They are also entitled to paid annual and sick leave if they have been employed for at least three months. Other jurisdictions might have seen an increase in the number of self-employed persons (SEPs) engaging in casual work. In Singapore, we cannot equate SEPs with casual workers. For example, taxi drivers are self-employed but work regular shifts. Nonetheless, the proportion of SEPs who did self-employed work as their main job has remained stable at 8% to 10% of our resident workforce over the past decade. In fact, there was a drop in the number of SEPs last year, due in part to the tighter job market. Our surveys show that many SEPs choose to be self-employed for greater flexibility and autonomy. In 2017, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) convened a Tripartite Workgroup on SEPs. The workgroup consulted extensively with SEPs and other stakeholders, such as SEP associations and service-buyers, and considered practices in other jurisdictions as well. Its recommendations are being systematically implemented. First, the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) launched its voluntary mediation services last year to assist SEPs in resolving disputes.”
“Generally, we will talk to the companies to get the insurance to cover. If the insurance does not cover, the SB gets forfeited, and the workers get assisted through MWAF. So, that gets deployed to supplement for the last 10%, for example, who do not get payments. So, the majority of those receiving orders actually get full payments. But there will be some, if they approach the Migrant Workers Centre, we can provide some ex-gratia assistance, but on a case-by-case basis, to help them through.”
“In the last five years, the Labour Court and the Employment Claims Tribunals issued an average of 130 money orders per year for salary claims involving non-Malaysian Work Permit holders. In most cases, affected workers received full payments from their employers or settlement payments through insurers. In about 10% of the cases, the Migrant Workers’ Centre stepped in to provide assistance to the workers via the Migrant Workers’ Assistance Fund (MWAF). Employers are required to furnish a security bond (SB) for non-Malaysian Work Permit holders whom they wish to employ. In the last five years, the Government forfeited an average of 150 SBs annually for workers with salary claims due to reasons, such as non-payment of salary or failure to repatriate the workers. MWAF is funded through donations from the public, which is matched by Government funding, rather than through forfeiture of SBs, which can vary greatly from year to year. All workers, local and foreign, should come forward when they face salary issues. The evidence clearly shows that early reporting greatly improves the chances of recovering the owed salaries fully from the employers.”
“You have to separate the schemes. Perhaps, the Member is not aware of the objective of the schemes. The SEC and ODP are both meant for persons with special needs, classified as disabled, and is an impairment for them. For persons with mental health conditions, as I mentioned, we do have programmes to help them with employability. Certainly, I am mindful that their conditions do need a bit of help. Therefore, we have the Job Club, for example, that IMH runs, together in partnership with the Government. It provides not just employment facilitation, but it also has some social workers there. You have occupational therapists there as well to provide relevant support for them to be engaged in the workforce. So, this is something that, if the Member has, I suppose, persons with mental conditions that need to be employed, talk to us. We will try to see how we can work things out with Adapt and Grow.”
“Firstly, I think there is a big difference between how we classify disability and health conditions. So, the SEC and ODP cover all persons that have been medically certified to have, for example, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), compared to, say, stress-related disorder which is considered a developmental impairment under the Enabling Masterplan. And that is how we define persons with disabilities or persons with special needs. We do make a distinction, similar to how we distinguish physical disability versus, for example, diabetes or someone with chronic illness. So, therefore, there is a difference there. But again, as I said, there are schemes to help those with mental health concerns or issues to find them employment, for example, through the Job Club at IMH. There are other schemes that are available. But rest assured that we will help them and get employers more aware of this issue.”
“The research will help in educating and socialising companies to be more aware of the effects of stress. While legislation is necessary to ensure employment protection, the tripartite partners prefer a promotional approach to bring about more progressive workplaces. This recognises the diverse workforce and employers, where rigid prescriptions are unlikely to be effective or may deter employers from hiring. To help workers and employers deal with the challenges of mental health at the workplace, we will continue to raise awareness, step up education and share best practices.”
“Mr Speaker, the Special Employment Credit (SEC) and Open Door Programme (ODP) cover persons with special needs who face significant disadvantages in employment. Under the Enabling Masterplan, this refers to those with physical, sensory, intellectual and developmental impairments. These are unlike mental health conditions which can improve or be managed with appropriate interventions. We recognise that some jobseekers with mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety disorders, may also require employment assistance. They can approach the Job Club under the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for job preparation and matching services, while managing their conditions. They can also tap on the range of programmes and services under the Adapt and Grow Initiative. To manage mental health issues at work, our efforts have been to educate companies to be more aware of how work stress may lead to mental health issues and, of course, to implement progressive practices that they can adopt to help employees manage stress, whether from work or non-work factors. For instance, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) provides onsite Management Training workshops to equip managers and human resource professionals with skills to recognise employees with common mental health issues, including stress, and to support employees in managing them. HPB has also made available workplace mental health programmes that give practical tips to workers on effective stress management. The Workplace Safety and Health Institute's research on work stress aims to help the Ministry of Manpower and companies understand employees' perceptions of stress, what it could be linked to and how it impacts their well-being.”
“Mr Speaker, building owners are required to obtain approvals and permits from relevant agencies before commencing any additions and alterations (A&A) works. In addition, there is a monitoring regime in place for completed buildings. The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) imposes the Periodic Structural Inspection (PSI) regime to ensure that buildings are structurally safe. The PSI has to be carried out every 10 years for residential buildings and every five years for non-residential buildings, including those for industrial use. These onsite inspections have to be conducted by the Professional Engineers (PEs) engaged by the building owners. During the inspections, the PEs must also check for any A&A works to the structure of the building and report their findings to BCA. Any A&A works not in the original BCA-approved plans would be considered unauthorised. Stern action will be taken against parties who are found to be involved in carrying out unauthorised works. Under the Building Control Act, offenders may be liable to a fine of $200,000 or a jail term of up to two years, or both. A PE who fails to perform his duties in carrying out the PSI according to the requirements may be liable to a fine of up to $20,000. Members of the public can inform BCA if they come across any structures that they think are unauthorised.”
“Mr Chairman, allow me to answer in Malay. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] MENDAKI currently has eight satellite service centres. Last September, we launched MENDAKI@Choa Chu Kang and we served 1,100 beneficiaries in six months. The reception has been encouraging. Therefore, in January this year, MENDAKI and MUIS also launched a one-stop centre, M3@WGS, to further extend the reach of these two organisations to give them a presence in the neighbourhood areas. This office also acts as a hub to create community initiatives. Hence, MENDAKI will conduct a needs analysis to add more satellite centres which will be based on the needs of the residents, and MENDAKI will continue to work with the M3 network to further expand and engage families in the neighbourhood areas.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for her question. Indeed, many of our programmes are targeted at some of the challenges that we face in the community. So, for example, KMM was something we look at. When we look at where MOE is headed, preschools have shown to be one area we need to look at because many of our kids end up over-represented when they go into the Learning Support Programme and Learning Support Facilitator. So, KMM kicked in. But after that, we managed to align it together with the other national programmes so that we can also tap on the expertise as well resources at the national level, so it goes both ways. Among other things that we could potentially look at would be reviewing MENDAKI's tuition schemes to see how they align with the primary school and secondary school changes that were just announced by MOE, for example, for subject-based banding. Another aspect in which we are also helping youths would be things like Future Ready, to prepare them for work-life ahead. So, these are just examples. Apart from that, how we provide holistic care for families, there are also other areas in which we are working on. But not just on our own but also through M3, the CCs, with MESRA and the wider MUIS and the mosques. So, there is a lot of scope now with M3 in place to leverage our resources at both the community and national levels. So, it is not a mutually exclusive thing. It is both ways to address challenges of the community but leveraging the national resources.”
“We will ensure that M3 will dovetail its efforts with UPLIFT so that, together, we can provide support for disadvantaged students and their families through regular outreach, engagement and referral to community-based programmes. Mr Chairman, a culture of excellence is important to spur the next generation onward. As they grow older, our young will benefit from advice and mentoring from the right role models. I wish to assure Mr Amrin Amin that MENDAKI will pilot the Empowerment Programme for Boys and Empowerment Programme for Girls in the second quarter of 2019 for Malay/Muslim ITE students at MENDAKI's Youth Spaces at three ITE colleges. This mentoring programme will strengthen critical lifeskills, provide youths with advice on future education and career pathways. It will also introduce students to role models they can relate to and who will share on different pathways to success. In time, we hope that beneficiaries from this programme will pay it forward as peer mentors to other youths. Recognising the different pathways to success, MENDAKI has convened a committee to review the prestigious Anugerah MENDAKI award, which today honours Malay or Muslim students for their academic success. This committee comprises representatives from schools, madrasahs and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), and seeks to ensure that the benchmarks for excellence remain relevant. Mr Chairman, it takes a village to raise a child. With our renewed spirit of gotong royong, every new generation will be able to build on the successes of previous generations to reach higher and go further.”
“For the second phase of KMM@CC, we have seen strong enrolment rates, with more than 300 parents and children indicating their interest to join, especially at Marsiling and Keat Hong, where the programme has been over-subscribed by more than double. Support from centres in Woodlands, Choa Chu Kang, Boon Lay and Admiralty is also encouraging. This is a clear signal that parents see the value of KMM@CC in helping their children develop strong foundations in numeracy skills, and increasing parents' confidence of teaching Maths at home. Mdm Nur Khairunnisa Bte Mohd Rosli is one such example. Last September, she attended KMM@Nee Soon with her daughter. Mdm Khairunnisa found the concepts and resources from KMM@CC useful to motivate and teach her child who has since graduated from the programme and entered Primary 1 this year. Now that we have established a working model for M3 collaboration on the ground, we can scale up the programme so as to benefit parents and children. This year, we are expanding KMM@CC to five more locations – Admiralty, Boon Lay, Choa Chu Kang, Keat Hong and Woodlands. The classes will commence in the first half of 2019, and will benefit more than 1,500 parents and children this year. Beyond KMM@CC, MENDAKI will enrol families into Parent Circles near where they live. These Circles facilitate sharing between parents and educators, which helps to enhance their parenting skills and confidence. Beyond preschool, we also intend to support children in our schools who need help. Today, MENDAKI oversees a tuition scheme that caters to over 10,000 students. The Ministry of Education (MOE) recently provided updates about Uplifting Pupils in Life and Inspiring Families Taskforce (UPLIFT).”
“Hence, under MENDAKI's School Ready Campaign, MENDAKI pioneered PlayFest to encourage and support parents of preschoolers from age zero to six in adopting a play-based approach to develop their children’s reasoning skills, and in setting up a stimulating learning environment at home. MENDAKI reached more than 2,000 parents and children through PlayFest and mini PlayFest in 2018. MENDAKI also introduced PlayKit, to encourage parent-child bonding using household items for craft work. Five hundred PlayKit sets have been distributed to families. In addition, more than 90 members of the MENDAKI Alliance of Preschool Professionals network had organised training sessions for volunteers. We are encouraged by the parents’ receptivity, and MENDAKI will organise one PlayFest and two mini PlayFests in 2019. We aim to grow this partnership with preschool professionals for parents to benefit from the latest educational techniques and research findings. Mr Chairman, under the M³ framework, we are also strengthening programmes to raise our children’s preparedness for Primary 1. Mr Zainal Sapari asked for an update on KelasMateMatika@CC based on MENDAKI's Tiga M programme which we launched in Nee Soon, Marsiling and Pasir Ris last September. The past cohorts of Tiga M students have done well. In particular, over 80% of children who attended Tiga M did not need to enrol in the Learning Support Programme for Mathematics at Primary 1. Through this, we see that Tiga M has helped strengthen the foundations for our children’s education. To build on Tiga M, the M3 agencies collaborated to develop the KMM@CC programme and I am heartened by the results. The pilot batch of KMM@CC supported more than 170 parents and children.”
“Mr Chairman, I wish to wish all our wonderful women Happy International Women's Day and also to all my Muslim friends Salaam Rejab. Mr Chairman, social mobility is a key feature of Singapore society, and education is central to enabling mobility. MENDAKI has uplifted individuals and families through educational support, by supporting their development and mobilising wraparound support for both parents and children. To enhance school-readiness among our young, MENDAKI is focusing on early childhood education, informed by expert findings, and strengthening networks between parents and preschool professionals. With M3, it will also provide opportunities for role models in our community to contribute and inspire our young to greater heights of excellence. Mr Chairman, allow me to continue in Malay, please. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, research has shown that language acquisition and development are most effective at younger ages. Enrolment and regular attendance at preschool are hence critical. To Ms Rahayu Mahzam’s question on strengthening preschool outreach and support, MENDAKI has been appointed by the Early Childhood Development Agency as a preschool outreach agency to reach out to Malay children aged between four and six not already enrolled in preschool. We want to raise awareness among families of the importance of preschool education and the need for regular attendance, and assist them in enrolling their children into preschool and related-MENDAKI programmes. Ms Rahayu Mahzam also spoke about the central role that parents play in their children’s early development, and we want to help them in their endeavour. At the same time, research has shown that play is important for child development.”
“For issues, such as service diversion, TOP and CSC that are delayed, please raise them to the IACC, which will see how best to assist. Certainly, what we want to try to do is to facilitate and help to bring closure to some of these projects as soon as possible.”
“I thank Er Dr Lee Bee Wah for her questions. I will start off with the contracting of local suppliers. I mentioned yesterday that one of our goals is to help our local contractors grow, and securing Government projects is one way to grow. But I want to stress again that we are also a signatory to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement. So, we cannot give projects away to locals and favour locals over foreign companies. 12.45 pm Today, we also have local companies which are winning large Government projects. For example, Lum Chang Building Contractors won the design and construction contract for a section of the north-south corridor tunnel. This was awarded in December 2018. The awarded value is about $800 million, much higher than the $400 million threshold that the Member cited. Woh Hup had also won in September 2017 the construction of Kim Chuan depot's extension to cater for Circle Line 6, which was about $1.21 billion. To a certain extent, there is opportunity for local firms to win large contracting projects. Our Price Quality Method has also shifted towards focusing more on quality as opposed to cost. Our local firms need to build up capability to address this portion in terms of quality, track record and experience. This is where I think they can develop. That is why if you look at the announcements yesterday, for example, we announced the Build SG Transformation Fund. We hope to upskill and build up capabilities for our local firms. This is something we will look closely at. I hope that the local firms can also do their part and build up capabilities to address these opportunities. Specific to IACC, I am glad that the Member has also noted the changes that we have done to IACC. For instance, they now meet monthly.”