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…”
The complete record
Every one of 1,752 lines we hold for Zaqy Mohamad, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 5 of 36.
“At the post-secondary and tertiary level, MENDAKI's initiatives, such as the Youth Mentoring Office, help students realise their potential. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu will share more on these efforts in her speech. Beyond a strong educational foundation, our Community of Success also needs a workforce that can secure good jobs and meaningful careers. We want to empower our workers to thrive so that they can grow our community and our nation. Mr Fahmi Aliman and Mr Sharael Taha asked about our plans to better support Malay/Muslim professionals and workers in the future economy. MENDAKI continues to help our workforce develop their careers and professional networks, complementing national efforts by our tripartite partners in Government, employers and the Labour Movement. MENDAKI initiated the Professional Networks to support Malay/Muslim professionals in growing their networks; to contribute back to the community; to exchange ideas; and to help younger workers enter growth industries. To date, MENDAKI has formed nine Professional Networks covering various industries in the Care, Green and Digital sectors; and plan to form four more new networks in areas such as Healthcare and Media this year. We now have more than 450 Malay/Muslim professionals in these networks as at 2023 and MENDAKI will continue to encourage more professionals to join and serve as mentors. To Mr Sharael Taha's question, within both the Professional Networks and beyond, we now have about 1,000 Malay/Muslim professionals contributing across MENDAKI's initiatives – whether it is serving as KMM facilitators, MTS tutors, youth mentors or as speakers or human libraries.”
“One KMM facilitator is Mr Irfan bin Ibrahim, a Year 3 student at the National University of Singapore (NUS), who started volunteering when he was serving his National Service in 2020. Volunteering shaped his decision to take up a degree in psychology and pursue a career in the social services sector to continue contributing to the community. The MTS continues to be the backbone of our educational programmes and enrolment for primary and secondary school students has increased by 15% over the past five years, to over 9,000 students in 2023. Today, MTS students are supported by 100 physical and virtual centres. MENDAKI has also continually sought to improve MTS offerings – such as by expanding its subjects offered to include Biology and Additional Mathematics. Mr Fahmi Aliman has also asked how we could encourage and inspire more people to step forward and serve, especially those who have benefited and done well. MENDAKI has many platforms for the community to contribute their skills and passion to meet the community needs. An example is how our steadfast MTS tutors have played an integral role in how MTS has grown from strength to strength. One such tutor is Ms Anggreini Hamid, who benefited from MTS during her secondary school days. Now a schoolteacher herself, she has been contributing back as an MTS tutor for the past 18 years. She adopts innovative techniques to make her classes more engaging and effective for her students. Just a tidbit, all three of us – Minister Masagos, myself and Mdm Rahayu – have all been MTS tutors at some point of our lives too. So, we have done our volunteer duty at some point to contribute back to our community.”
“Chairman, our Malay/Muslim community has made significant progress in the last decade, especially in education. As the community's talent pool strengthens, it provides strong foundations for our community to contribute back and support one another as a Community of Success. MENDAKI has played a key role in improving the education and professional development outcomes in our community. We do so in three ways: first, to strengthen education as a pillar for progress; two, empowering our community to thrive and contribute; and three, grooming the community leadership for the future. Last year, MENDAKI engaged and supported close to 90,000 members of the community through its various programmes and schemes. One of MENDAKI's key pillars is to provide support for our children and youths at all stages of their education. To achieve this, one of our main approaches is to mobilise talents and energise the community. Mr Sharael Taha asked about the progress of MENDAKI's signature programmes, like KMM and the MTS. I am happy to share that our KMM programme for preschoolers saw a 74% increase in its enrolment between 2022 and 2023, with 1,700 children and 1,500 parents enrolled in the programme in 2023. Parental involvement has been an important part of KMM, to ensure that parents are empowered and confident to support their children's learning. KMM's scale-up was possible with the help of targeted outreach and referrals by partners, such as Family Service Centres (FSCs), social service agencies (SSAs) as well as M3@Towns. More KMM facilitators have also come on board, with their number tripling from about 50 in 2022 to more than 140 in 2023.”
“Mr Speaker, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made progress on the Estimates of Expenditure for the FY2024/2025 and ask leave to sit again tomorrow, please.”
“Mr Chairman, may I seek your consent to move that progress be reported now and leave be asked to sit again on tomorrow?”
“Therefore, among the things that we have done, following HSP, was to up the accountability, not just at the worker level, but also at the leader level. If you look at construction, for example, we made it so that there is accountability down to all the subcontracting levels, and not just at the first- or second-layer subcontractors. I think there are shifts in enforcement and regulations. And this has to continue. On top of that, I think we are moving towards more use of technology. For sectors, such as construction, for example, we have put in place video surveillance, which is mandatory now. And very soon, we are also putting in analytics to layer on top of this with the use of AI, because we want to make it more effective and more productive, so that our workforce and our workplaces can be safer. So, I hope that assures Members. But certainly, I would welcome if NTUC would like to enforce and encourage, or strongly mandate, its employers to also put in WSH representatives, especially from the Labour Movement, to push forward the agenda to make sure that all our workplaces, especially unionised companies, take the lead and set shining examples for industries.”
“I thank the Member for his question. Indeed, last year we had a challenging period when we had to implement the heightened safety period (HSP) because of the high spate of fatalities during that period. As I shared, in 2023, we improved the situation. Our workplace fatality injury rate fell to 0.99 per 100,000, which puts us among the top four around the world. I think that this, in itself, hopefully, gives us the first step in terms of our measures. What is key is to sustain this, to keep below one per 100,000 workers. Because after you get there, you do not want to be called a one-hit wonder. You hope to be like Taylor Swift, with 20 years of success. What is more important is that we have to engage all stakeholders to press on with the efforts. This has to start from the top. Therefore, for many of our leaders, especially in critical, high-risk industries, we have already made it mandatory for all leaders and CEOs to be put through the top leaders' leadership training. Another Member spoke about how we need to put in WSH representatives, but I think that itself may not be sufficient. I have been on enforcements with some of our MOM officers as well on the ground. When you speak to some of the leaders who have contravened our regulations, some of the comments that come back from business owners or even directors are that of, "Hey, I had my safety audit done, this was done by someone," and it cannot be that way. If you want to create a safety culture, it has to come from the top. Because leaders decide on the resources, leaders invest in the kind of equipment, processes, how the workers work and what kind of construction methods you use, for example, are all determined at the top. The top has to be accountable too.”
“Now as a security supervisor, Ms Sivamani earns a monthly salary of $3,250, which is a significant progress from her initial monthly salary of $800. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the PWM in supporting meaningful wage increases for our workers, as they enhance their skills and productivity. Today, 155,000 lower-wage workers across nine sectors and occupations are covered by a PWM. This is more than five times the previous PWM coverage in 2020. Under the PWM, workers can receive annual wage increases and expect to earn at least the relevant PWM salary. For example, cleaners will see their pay rise to at least $2,420 per month by 2028. In addition, over 105,000 lower-wage workers are covered by the LQS requirement, where firms employing foreign manpower must pay all their local workers at least the LQS. Together with the PW Mark accreditation scheme, our suite of Progressive Wage measures, comprising the PWMs, LQS and the PW Mark, now benefit nine in 10 of full-time lower-wage workers today. The Government is strengthening our efforts to raise the salaries and well-being of our lower-wage workers. First, we will raise the LQS threshold from $1,400 to $1,600 for full-time local employees from 1 July 2024. We will also raise the LQS threshold for part-time local employees, from $9 per hour to $10.50 per hour. Second, we will enhance Workfare to further strengthen our support for lower-wage workers to help them to save more for their retirement. In the years to come, I would like to give my assurance to Members in this Chamber that the Government will continue to work together with employers and NTUC to ensure that everyone advances and enjoy the fruits of Singapore’s growth together, as one, through the good times and the bad times. 4.45 pm”
“The Government reviews the WICA system regularly. In fact, just this February, MOM announced increases to the WICA compensation limits to keep pace with wage growth and rising healthcare costs. These changes will be implemented from November 2025. We will continue reviewing WICA regularly to ensure that workers have access to expeditious and fair compensation in case of work injury. The Government is committed to working hand-in-hand with employers, service buyers, consumers and workers themselves, to build a safer and more inclusive workplace. We must continue to progress together as one people to ensure that no worker is left behind and that all workers have the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential. Mr Chairman, allow me to recap some of MOM’s efforts in Malay, please. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Over the years, the Government has worked closely together with employers and NTUC unions to support the advancement of lower-wage workers in a sustainable manner. Together with other tripartite efforts, PWMs have supported lower-wage workers in seeing meaningful wage growth. Real incomes of lower-wage workers have risen cumulatively by 30% from 2013 to 2023, faster than the median worker at 22%. PWM workers, in particular, have seen strong wage outcomes. Here, I recall the situation of workers, like Ms Sivamani Taigrajan. As a new auxiliary security officer when she started working in 2005, Ms Sivamani earned a monthly salary of $800. Throughout her nearly 20-year career in the security industry, Ms Sivamani has continued to upskill and take on greater and new responsibilities, guided by the PWM framework for the security industry.”
“We have achieved this milestone five years ahead of target year 2028 because of the Government’s close partnership with employers and workers, and certainly with the help of the labour movement as well. I thank the Member and my colleagues in the Multi-Agency Workplace Safety and Health Taskforce (MAST) for their commitment to improving safety in our workplaces. The key challenge moving forward – and our goal has to be this – is to sustain the rate at below one. It has to be sustained. This requires all stakeholders to press on with our collective efforts. Business leaders must continue to reinforce a strong and pervasive culture of workplace safety excellence, and invest in WSH technologies. Unions must advocate for safe, healthy workplaces and working conditions. On the ground, proper risk assessment and management must be done. Workers must continue to follow safety protocols, speak up to improve WSH practices, and call out safety risks. On our part, the Government will continue to push out the Safety Accountability, Focus and Empowerment (SAFE) measures announced last May, and strengthen WSH ownership of employers and workers through programmes and resources. We will continue to closely monitor sectoral WSH performance. Key findings for 2023 will be shared in the WSH National Statistics Report scheduled for release by this April. Through our collective efforts and vigilance, I believe we can sustain our achievement in 2023 for the long term. Ms He Ting Ru asked about the compensation under WICA. Insurers have to adhere to claims, processing standards and guidelines, including how compensation is computed. The median time for designated insurers to process a WIC claim is about six months, and processing time varies depending on the complexity of the case.”
“This allows service providers to deliver quality services using less manpower and enables employers to pay higher wages to their lower-wage workers using productivity as a tool. Last but not least, consumers can make their choices count, by purchasing from businesses accredited with the PW Mark. Today, over 4,400 businesses are PW Mark-accredited, and more are coming onboard each day. Supporting PW Mark businesses means supporting lower-wage workers. Both you and I can make our purchase matter and help uplift lower-wage workers more sustainably. Chairman, I move on to HR and strengthening HR capabilities. HR is a key enabler for workforce and business success, and MOM remains committed to strengthening employers’ HR capabilities. Mr Edward Chia asked how MOM is empowering employers to adopt job redesign. WSG, in collaboration with IHRP, launched the Job Redesign Centre of Excellence (JRCoE) last November. JRCoE serves as a one-stop centre to equip enterprises with capabilities to transform their business and workforce through job redesign. Around 20 TACs have pledged support for the JRCoE and will be encouraging their member companies to incorporate job redesign in HR practices. Moving on to WSH. I would like to assure Mr Melvin Yong that fostering safer and healthier workplaces remains a key priority for the Government. In 2023, our workplace fatal injury rate fell to 0.99 per 100,000 workers. This is the first time it has fallen below one per 100,000 workers, aside from 2020 when COVID-19 disrupted work. Only four OECD countries have achieved this consistently – the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany. If we can sustain this, this puts us among the top performers of WSH in the world.”
“However, the Government cannot single-handedly drive the growth of lower-wage workers’ incomes, nor can we co-fund wage increases given to lower-wage workers indefinitely. This is not a sustainable approach. As Mr Edward Chia, Ms Yeo Wan Ling and Mr Sharael Taha said, uplifting lower-wage workers is a whole-of-society effort. Workers need to improve their skills, so they can be as productive as they can be in their jobs, as their wages rises. Firms and industries must also transform. Lower-wage workers tend to be in frontline roles, where their productivity growth is heavily dependent on how the firms and industries that they work in operate. This means that transformation must also take place at the firm- and industry-level, as Mr Edward Chia said, so that we can narrow the wage gap in a sustainable way. Industries must therefore accelerate the pace of their transformation journeys, taking guidance from ITMs. Employers must accelerate their individual business transformation plans and drive productivity gains within their firms, through better technology and processes. Employers can find support through Government schemes, such as the Productivity Solutions Grant. Employers can also consider working with NTUC to set up CTCs and tap on the NTUC CTC grant to transform businesses, redesign jobs and improve work prospects for their employees. Service buyers have a role to play too. Where there is a need to renegotiate existing contracts for compliance with Progressive Wages, service buyers and service providers should work together to come to a mutually agreeable solution. Above all, service buyers should embrace outcome-based contracting, which focuses on specifying clear and deliverable outcomes, rather than the exact number of workers for individual tasks.”
“The median monthly wage increase supported by PWCS was about $300. To Mr Sharael Taha’s query, the Government will indeed continue providing transitional support to employers through PWCS over the next few years. As outlined by the Deputy Prime Minister at the Budget, the Government will further enhance PWCS this year to help employers cope with PWM and LQS increases amid a more challenging economic environment. First, we will increase the Government’s co-funding for wage increases given in 2024. This builds on earlier enhancements in 2022 and 2023 at 75% co-funding. With this year’s enhancement, the Government will co-fund up to 50% of wage increases given by employers to eligible lower-wage workers in 2024, up from the original 30%. This includes workers who are not covered by any PWM. Second, we will raise the wage ceiling in 2025 and 2026 to $3,000, up from $2,500 per month. With this enhancement, PWCS will continue to support increases of wages up to $3,000 beyond 2024. Full details are at the PWCS website. Collectively, both enhancements will offset a significant proportion of immediate cost pressures on employers arising from our efforts to uplift lower-wage workers and mitigate cost transfer to consumers. To provide for these enhancements, the Deputy Prime Minister has announced a top-up of $1 billion to the PWCS Fund. This brings the total PWCS budget to $6.2 billion. Together with the increased Workfare payments of up to $1.4 billion per year – $6.2 billion for PWCS and $1.4 billion per year in Workfare payments – I think that is quite significant. I hope Members can see that the Government has committed and invested significant resources into strengthening and supporting our lower-wage workers.”
“Payments for all other qualifying age groups will also be increased. Those aged 30 to 34 will receive a maximum payment of $2,450 per year; those aged 35 to 44 will receive a maximum payment of $3,500 per year; and those aged 45 to 59 will receive a maximum payment of $4,200 per year. These enhancements will benefit around half a million lower-wage workers. In total, WIS payments will increase to $1.4 billion in 2025, up from $1.1 billion last year. Another key step that the Government will take is ensuring employees are aware of the Progressive Wages they are eligible for. We thus launched the Progressive Wage Portal (PW Portal), earlier in January. Even as we support our lower-wage workers, we also understand and are aware that employers face uncertain economic conditions. Many employers have done their part. They have continued paying their lower-wage workers good wages and upskilled them, even for those not on PWM, and despite challenging economic conditions. We need to be mindful of the impact of Progressive Wages on employers in the short run. We should ensure that as we uplift lower-wage workers, we do not inadvertently harm workers’ prospects or risk widespread job losses. Hence, in 2022, the Government introduced PWCS to co-fund wage increases that employers give their lower-earning employees. PWCS provides transitional support for employers to adjust to new PWM and LQS requirements, and encourages voluntary wage increases for lower-wage workers. Through PWCS, the Government has supported meaningful wage increases for lower-wage workers. For wage increases given in 2022, the Government disbursed about $1 billion of PWCS to employers. This co-funded the wage increases given to more than 345,000 employees by over 70,000 employers.”
“As announced by the Deputy Prime Minister at Budget, the LQS threshold will be raised from $1,400 to $1,600 for full-time local employees to better support our lower-wage workers. We will also raise the LQS threshold for part-time local employees, from $9 per hour to $10.50 per hour. Correspondingly, foreign worker quota computation will be adjusted. To be counted as one local workforce count (LWC) for the purpose of foreign worker quota for firms – or one LWC – the local worker will need to be paid at least $1,600. This is up from $1,400 today. For firms hiring part-time workers, locals who earn at least half the LQS are counted as half an LWC. With the LQS increase, such locals have to be paid at least $800, up from $700 today. These changes will be implemented on 1 July 2024. On the Government’s part, we will continue providing lower-wage workers with additional support through Workfare, to complement our Progressive Wage efforts. Workfare comprises two key pillars: WIS, and the Workfare Skills Support Scheme (WSS). Over the years, the Government has steadily strengthened our Workfare support for lower-wage workers. 4.30 pm As announced by the Deputy Prime Minister at Budget, the Government will further enhance Workfare. From 2025, we will raise the qualifying monthly income cap further, from $2,500 to $3,000, for both WIS and WSS. Mr Sharael Taha would be pleased to note that this ensures Workfare continues to help workers in the bottom 20th income percentiles, with some support for those slightly above. We will also raise WIS payments. We will increase the maximum payment to $4,900 per year, up from $4,200. Those aged 60 and above will benefit from this highest payment tier for Workfare, as well as all PwDs regardless of age.”
“Over the past two years, we have expanded Progressive Wages to cover even more lower-wage workers, and this follows the release of recommendations by the Tripartite Workgroup on Lower-Wage Workers in 2021. Mr Sharael Taha and Mr Fahmi Aliman asked about the progress of our efforts. Today, more than 155,000 lower-wage workers across nine sectors and occupations are covered by the PWM. This is more than five times the coverage in 2020. So, we have expanded quite significantly since 2020. In addition, over 105,000 lower-wage workers are covered by the LQS requirement. Our suite of Progressive Wage moves – comprising PWMs, LQS and the Progressive Wage Mark accreditation scheme – now benefit up to nine in 10 of full-time lower-wage workers today. In a tight labour market, lower-wage workers who are not directly covered by Progressive Wages should also see increases in their wages. Mr Fahimi Aliman and Mr Yip Hon Weng asked about how we will build upon existing efforts to uplift lower-wage workers. A key step that we will take is to raise the LQS threshold. The LQS threshold ensures that locals are employed meaningfully, rather than on token salaries for firms to access foreign workers. We regularly review the LQS threshold to keep pace with rising local wages and maintain the effectiveness of our foreign workforce controls. The Government last updated the LQS threshold in 2020 before the pandemic. We recognised that firms needed time to comply with the new LQS requirement, which came into effect in September 2022. So, local wages have increased with our recovery from the pandemic and we are thus adjusting the LQS threshold.”
“Chairman, tripartism is at the centre of Singapore's approach to uplifting lower-wage workers. Over the years, the Government has worked closely together with employers and unions to support the advancement of lower-wage workers in a sustainable manner so that everyone can enjoy the fruits of Singapore's growth. Progressive Wages and Workfare are a big part of our collective efforts. Progressive Wages are implemented in two ways. First, the PWM provides for career and training progression pathways for lower-wage workers in sectors and occupations with many of such workers, ensuring that wages rise sustainably. Members may refer to the info sheet for PWM for the ladders and trajectories and their salaries. Second, for the remaining sectors and occupations, local workers must still be paid at least the LQS, if their employers hire foreign manpower. The Government provides employers with transitional co-funding of wage increases for lower-wage workers, through the PWCS. Through Workfare, the Government further supplements the incomes of lower-wage workers to help them to save more for retirement and support them for upskilling through training. This year is a momentous milestone in Singapore's journey of uplifting lower-wage workers, as it marks the 10th anniversary of our first PWM. Together with other tripartite efforts, PWMs have supported lower-wage workers in seeing sustained and meaningful wage growth over the past decade. Real incomes of lower-wage workers at the 20th percentile have risen cumulatively by 30% from 2013 to 2023, faster than the median worker at 22%.”
“Mr Chairman, earlier, the Minister for Manpower outlined how MOM will strengthen efforts to uplift our lower-wage workers. In my speech, I will elaborate on the positive impact of our tripartite approach to uplifting lower-wage workers and how we will build on our efforts; secondly, how we have strengthened our HR capabilities; and third, our progress in improving WSH. With your permission, Mr Chairman, may I ask the Clerks to distribute a handout detailing our efforts to support our lower-wage workers? Members may also access the handout through the SG PARL MP Mobile App.”
“I thank the Member for his support for TD40. Because indeed, it is not just within these few weeks that we engage these organisations. As I shared earlier on, our initiatives will run the whole year long and we hope that beyond this, we can expand this and certainly get more onboard. If you look at some of the events that we are planning – not just the TD Exercise – we got the Total Defence Exhibition; we have the TD Sandbox that is ongoing with the schools for our youths; we got the Dynamic Defence Display; as well as the Total Defence Awards. These are all a collection of activities, events to commemorate the importance of Total Defence. What is more important is Singaporeans coming onboard and practising it daily, because we always have to be conscious. I hope that the experience, whether they are in school, whether they are part of a company, is something that is memorable and that people remember of some of the threats that are always around us. One thing I reckon, as Minister Ng said yesterday, is that Singaporeans understand our vulnerabilities. Therefore, there is a certain acceptance that we have to be united because the threats are not just within here. The threats are coming from outside, and we have to be united and resilient as a society. So, this is where Total Defence will play a role across all our six pillars. And I thank the Member for his support.”
“For non-Muslim Navy personnel with specific dietary restrictions, such as vegetarians, they can also select from these options on the ships too. I think we have to basically consider that there are different considerations for different groups and we have operational considerations as well. Nonetheless, we thank all our servicemen and servicewomen, particularly those on ships and when training overseas, who understand these constraints and accept them.”
“I thank Mr Faisal Manap for his clarification. We have given him replies on this issue previously and the considerations have not changed. The provision of halal food requires adherence to religious stipulations, including on the food source, preparation and storage. For local training and operations – that is, trainings in Singapore – these conditions can be met by having separate kitchens and halal-certified sources of food. The SAF also provides halal food to our soldiers in camps or when they are training outdoors. But when SAF soldiers are deployed overseas, there are practical constraints. For overseas exercises on land, the SAF links up with local suppliers to provide halal food where feasible. And depending on the country that they are training in. You have to understand that the landscape is very different from having our cookhouses here in Singapore. On Navy ships, the kitchens need to be self-sufficient to prepare and provide meals for all servicemen on board – not just the Muslim servicemen, but also others who may have other dietary restrictions. The space for kitchens and storage of food needs to be compact and maximised due to other operational constraints, such as control and combat systems, ammunition and equipment spares, as well as living quarters for our servicemen. For these reasons, a separate halal kitchen on our naval ships is not feasible. We have to separate the kitchen from the food being served – two different things. For our Muslim personnel on board our ships, our ships provide options, such as seafood, chicken and vegetables. I note that Mr Faisal Manap noted seeing our Malay serviceman in our video. Our servicemen have accepted this.”
“As we move forward, let us remember that keeping Singapore strong is a shared responsibility, not just during crises and disruptions, but also during peacetime. Together, let us keep Singapore strong for many generations to come. [Applause.]”
“Mr Neil Parekh asked about the role of employers in supporting our NSmen in recognition of their contributions towards the defence of Singapore. The best form of employer support for our NSmen is to support their NS commitments. For instance, some employers introduce flexible work arrangements before in-camp training or celebrate our NSmen's NS achievements during company events. We are heartened to see that in the same IPS survey, 95% of employed NSmen respondents agreed that their employers were supportive of their NS commitments. So, I thank employers too for their support. Ms Denise Phua also asked about the role of women in defence. Today, women are already contributing to our military defence as Regulars and volunteers. Since 2015, more than 600 women have volunteered as part of our SAF Volunteer Corps and have been trained and deployed in roles such as in surveillance operations, engineering and safety. Members might also be familiar with another ACCORD initiative, the Women's Boot Camp, which started in 2018 to provide women with a glimpse of NS life through participation in Basic Military Training activities. The experience has inspired some to even consider a career in the SAF. We continue to reach out to women to be our advocates for NS and defence and encourage them to do their part wherever they can. Mr Chairman, reflecting on the past 40 years of Total Defence, we find a journey marked by strength, resilience and a collective commitment by Singaporeans to safeguard our home and our way of life. Over the decades, we have continuously evolved our approach to Total Defence to adapt to evolving challenges. Yet, amidst all these challenges, what endures is the unwavering spirit of Total Defence and the understanding that everyone has a part to play.”
“According to an Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) survey on Public Attitudes towards NS, concluded last year, 98% of respondents agreed that NS was necessary in the defence of Singapore. Close to 90% would encourage their friends and loved ones to serve NS even if NS was not compulsory. However, we must not take the strong public affirmation for granted. We will continue to raise community awareness about the importance of NS and defence, as Ms Denise Phua and Mr Lim Biow Chuan highlighted. One of our efforts is through the Advisory Council on Community Relations and in Defence (ACCORD), which like Total Defence, is turning 40 this year. Today, ACCORD continues to run a wide range of community outreach initiatives to reach out to pre-enlistees, youths, new citizens, Permanent Residents (PRs), NSmen, families and women. Some Members of Parliament such as Member He Ting Ru, Mr Zulkarnain Rahim and Mr Don Wee are also active members of ACCORD. The goal is to bring society together, to champion and to advocate for Singapore's defence and for NS. ACCORD initiated NS info-sharing sessions with pre-enlistees, including those who are new citizens and PRs, to better ease their transition into military life. ACCORD also initiated the NS Family Camp in partnership with SAFRA, where families built barshas with full camouflage on and even belted out familiar military tunes. Supporting our NSmen in their professional development is another key tenet of ACCORD's work. Last year, ACCORD signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with AETOS and Singapore Human Resource Institute. Under these MOUs, our NSmen enjoy concessionary rates for selected programmes to upskill, reskill and learn relevant security and Human Resource knowledge.”
“I spoke about this at MINDEF's COS debate last year. The Sandbox is now in its third year, and I am happy to update that we continue to receive many ideas, especially from our youths. This year, we have shortlisted more proposals for implementation. You may have heard about TD@Singverse. Initiated and developed by Finute – a Singapore-based metaverse edutainment company – this proposal taps on the online platform, Roblox, to create a Singapore within the metaverse. Since its launch a week ago, over 3,500 players have joined the TD@Singverse virtual world where they have learnt about the six pillars of Total Defence through mini games. Another group of students from NUS proposed an idea to strengthen Digital and Social Defence by harnessing the collective wisdom and skills of an online community of volunteers to identify scam websites, and raise awareness and understanding of scam detection. These are good ideas and MINDEF will continue to partner the community to implement them. Mr Chairman, the theme of our Total Defence campaign this year is, "Together We Keep Singapore Strong". Our resilience and strength as a nation are dependent on each of us working together towards common goals. Similarly, in the SAF, our servicemen and servicewomen are steadfast in their commitment to Singapore's military defence. Ms Denise Phua and Mr Faisal Manab asked about inclusiveness in the SAF. The deployment of service personnel to vocations is based on merit, capability and aptitude, as well as their commitment to the SAF and to Singapore, regardless of race, gender or religion. This approach is fair and optimises our manpower for SAF vocations. Sir, we are heartened that Singaporeans continue to express strong support for Defence and NS.”
“I am glad that it has resonated well with participants, and we will continue to find ways to educate, to activate, to think and to inspire action for Total Defence. Beyond the exercise, we will continue to engage Singaporeans on Total Defence throughout the year. Mr Zulkarnain Abdul Rahim and Miss Rachel Ong asked about these efforts. We launched the Total Defence Exhibition which showcases examples of Singaporeans putting Total Defence in action. Through the exhibition, we hope that Singaporeans can reflect on the role that they play to keep Singapore strong and prepared. Visitors are encouraged to make pledges in support of Total Defence. These pledges will be collated on a digital map of Singapore, showcasing Singaporeans' commitment to Total Defence. The exhibition is currently at the Singapore Discovery Centre and from March, it will move into several community spaces, including the National Library and SAFRA Choa Chu Kang. This year, we also hope to bring the Total Defence community together. MINDEF and NUS will jointly organise a Total Defence Convention for our partners and practitioners in April. The speakers will be both local and international and will provide perspectives around the theme of "Building Societal Resilience and Readiness in Disruptions and Crises". Our partners and practitioners will also have the opportunity to exchange best practises, network and discuss ideas through a series of workshops. Beyond the programmes planned for TD40, we will continue to engage different groups of Singaporeans to strengthen Total Defence. Mr Chong Kee Hiong asked about how MINDEF engages our youths. The Total Defence Sandbox (TD Sandbox) was launched in 2022 to call for ideas from Singaporeans on how the community can put Total Defence into action.”
“Visitors to community facilities such as the People's Association Integrated Community Hubs participated in evacuation drills. Last week, about 12,000 members of the public visited Civil Defence shelters at three MRT stations where they learnt shelter procedures and about how these shelters protect civilians in an emergency. Over 160 businesses took the opportunity to enhance and validate their business continuity plans. For instance, Pontiac Land Group, South Beach, Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa and others tested their business continuity plans in the event of a power failure. Other companies conducted their own simulated cyber phishing exercises, referencing playbooks from the Cyber Security Agency, which were developed in consultation with Google and Microsoft. I spoke to some of the CEOs and business owners, and they told me that the exercise was a timely one. But what shone through was the spirit of care for fellow Singaporeans. Thirty-five volunteers from Taman Jurong Community Emergency and Engagement Committee distributed water bags and made house calls during a simulated water disruption. Mr Cheok Xin Lin, a nursing student at the National University of Singapore (NUS), was one of the volunteers and used his professional training to ensure that all residents and volunteers could participate in the exercise safely. He said that this exercise allowed them to test their contingency plans and help those in need. It also helped them recognise that community support is crucial, as everyone had a part to play in times of crisis. This year's Exercise SG Ready has provided just a slice of the disruptions that could hit us in a crisis. It has prompted us to think about what we can do, how we can respond and why we must remain united.”
“Members can also access this through the SG PARL MP mobile app. We launched the exercise about two weeks ago, and as Mr Chong Kee Hiong noted, we had 500 participating organisations then. But two weeks on today, more than 800 participating organisations have come on board and simulated some 250 power disruptions, 300 water or food supply disruptions, and 200 cyber disruptions. Nearly 200 evacuation drills were conducted too, but rest assured none today, here in Parliament. These include students and educators from all over, 330 schools. In some schools, students learnt about the value of water when they experienced water supply limitations during recess. In response to a simulated food supply disruption, some secondary school students ate Ready-to-Eat meals from the Singapore Food Agency and SATS, while others learnt to make do with alternatives from a smaller range of food items, which were made available in their canteens. During simulated power disruptions, teachers adjusted their lesson activities to teach outside of classrooms. Through these experiences, students said they better understood Singapore's vulnerabilities and the importance of being prepared and adaptable during times of disruption. In the heartlands, residents adapted to simulated food and water disruptions and learnt about facilities essential for civic preparedness. Some residents went to alternate places for their groceries and meals when their neighbourhood markets and hawker centres were closed for market cleaning to simulate food disruptions. Over 200 households living in Yung Sheng Road adapted to water disruptions by collecting water from PUB's water wagon and water bag filling machines.”
“The physical conflict in Gaza might be geographically far away from Singapore, but it has strong resonance and strong ripple effects on our population and our harmonious social fabric. We have seen how cyber hackers can attack energy infrastructure, as they did in Denmark, or disrupt public transport systems like they did in Poland. These can affect public confidence and the economy. We have also seen the use of misinformation and hostile information campaigns. Such campaigns can sow distrust, increase anxiety and create divisions within communities if we are not united and vigilant. This is why we stood up our newest pillar of Digital Defence. Singapore must be ready for threats – both traditional and emerging ones. Hence, Total Defence is not just a concept or a narrative; it is imperative for all of us here in Singapore. If and when crises and disruptions hit our shores, every one of us must play our part and stand ready. 12.15 pm Ms Joan Pereira asked about how we are commemorating 40 years of Total Defence (TD40). We have planned a year-long campaign to raise Singapore's threat awareness, as well as strengthen our resilience and readiness for crises and disruptions. Over the past two weeks, education, community, commercial and Government organisations have participated in the inaugural island-wide Total Defence exercise, called Exercise SG Ready. Mr Chong Kee Hiong asked for an update on the exercise. With your permission, Mr Chairman, I have asked the Clerk to distribute a handout on Exercise SG Ready.”
“Mr Chairman, Minister for Defence Dr Ng and Senior Minister of State Mr Heng have updated the House on our efforts to ensure that the SAF remains effective and ready to defend Singapore. To complement a strong SAF, Singapore needs a united and resilient population. I will address how we are building commitment to Singapore and strengthening resilience through Total Defence. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Total Defence. Since its inception in 1984, Total Defence has been our overarching defence strategy and a whole-of-society response against any threat to our sovereignty, our security and our way of life. For 40 years, Total Defence has continued to be relevant and has helped us navigate economic downturns, global uncertainties and even a recent pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw Singaporeans step forward to care for one another. Singaporeans delivered food and essential supplies to those who needed help, supported various COVID-19 measures, including vaccinations to protect our population, including seniors, and reminded one another to be discerning against fake news and misinformation. And this was Total Defence in action. Mr Vikram Nair asked about Total Defence lessons that we could learn from ongoing conflicts around the world. Even as we live in relative peace in Singapore, we must be prepared for threats that can disrupt our way of life and undermine our social identity. Europe enjoyed decades of peace and many countries abolished conscription due to the "peace dividend". Then, the Ukraine-Russia conflict happened – right at Europe's doorstep. Sweden and Finland quickly applied to join NATO.”
“Mr Speaker, on behalf of the Minister for Finance, may I seek your consent to move, "That the debate be now adjourned." [(proc text) Resolved, "That the debate be now adjourned." – [Mr Zaqy Mohamad]. (proc text)]”
“Mr Deputy 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 Minister Indranee's speech, please?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That Parliament do now adjourn." [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)] Global Leadership in Artificial Intelligence”
“Mr Speaker, I beg to move, "That the debate be now adjourned." [(proc text) Resolved, "That the debate be now adjourned." – [Mr Zaqy Mohamad.] (proc text)]”
“Mr Deputy 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 Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and the Minister for Law, Ms Rahayu Mahzam's speech, please?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, may I seek your consent and the general assent of Members present to move that the proceedings on item No 1 under Orders of the Day in the Order Paper for today be exempted from the provisions of Standing Order No 48(3), so far as it is necessary to enable Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and the Minister for Law, Ms Rahayu Mahzam, to speak more than once? In the course of the debate, Members of Parliament have directed queries to Senior Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam and I wish to move this Motion so that Senior Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam can respond to Members' queries on the specific elements of the Bill and related matters.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for his question. I have to say this is not related to the Parliamentary Question and I think the Member may want to file a separate one. Generally, I wish to assure Members that as part of Government contracting, there are certain rigours in place. It is not possible to check the character of every single one who comes into contract with the Government, but we do our best to try. Anyway, if the Member would like more details on the particular case, do file a separate question.”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary question. Following HSP, as I have shared in my reply earlier, we have set up MAST. In that team, we have various Ministries who are involved in high-risk projects, where we track performance across not just the sectors, Ministries and contracts, but also the whole sector as a whole. To some extent, at the management level, there is expectation that they watch this quite closely. The statistics also show the results. If you look at where we were pre-HSP, our fatality rate was about 1.5 per 100,000 workers. During HSP, it dropped to 0.8 per 100,000 workers. Having said that, that is over a short period of time. Nonetheless, we look at improving practices as a whole, beyond just having one officer because it is not possible to monitor so many projects across the board. I think it is important that every project is closely watched by the respective project officers. That is why I also mentioned the expectations on the CEs and the board of directors to also be involved and trained. Hence, we have put in place, as one of the measures of MAST, to have CEs and board of directors attend courses because they cannot just outsource it to someone and say, "no, we have been audited by external party and the external party says 'okay'." That is not sufficient. You need ownership at the senior management level and not just down to one officer. I think that makes a difference because they allocate resources, they put the focus, they put the KPIs. That sets the tone and culture; not just at the sectoral or Government level, but across every company. We need to put that in place to make it sustainable.”
“I am not familiar with the individual compensation formulae for Public Service officers. You may want to try to ask the Public Service Division (PSD) on that one. What I am quite certain about is that many of our agencies – in fact, I think all of our agencies – have got a KPI for workplace, safety and health, especially for those overseeing high-risk projects. This is where I am quite familiar with – many of them have reporting standards and of late, some, for example, like the Land Transport Authority (LTA), have improved their standards by including near-miss reporting, so that they can reduce injury rates. Our agencies do track this. I think you can also seek clarification subsequently, as there is a Ministerial Statement is coming up, on how the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and National Environment Agency do their tracking. That is a good example, as well, in terms of how agencies track and monitor their safety records.”
“Can I ask the Member to clarify? I did not quite get the question. Is the question more, in terms of whether there is a public sector KPI or —”
“Leaders in the organisations must set the tone and foster a culture and mindset where safety is second nature and where workers feel safe to report unsafe workplace practices to their employers, supervisors or union leaders. Employers must ensure that their workers are properly trained and equipped with workplace safety and health capability and knowledge; and use technology to detect and prevent workplace accidents. Workers themselves must play their part to follow safe work procedures and report unsafe work practices to the appropriate authority. This ensures their own and their colleagues' safety, so that every worker can return safely home to their loved ones. On the Government's part, we have implemented various measures and programmes over the years to enhance workplace safety and health. Most recently, the Multi-Agency Workplace Safety and Health Taskforce, or MAST, introduced a series of measures after the Heightened Safety Period, or HSP, to strengthen workplace safety and health ownership and capabilities at the sectoral, company and individual levels. For example, we will require Chief Executives (CEs) and Board Directors of all companies in higher-risk industries to attend a programme on how to meet their workplace safety and health responsibilities and develop their companies' workplace safety and health capabilities. Sir, workplace safety and health standards apply equally to the private and public sectors. I would like to reassure Members of this House that MOM is impartial in our dealings with both public agencies and private organisations, be it in terms of inspections or taking appropriate enforcement actions.”
“The Government takes workplace safety and health extremely seriously. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) investigates every fatal case thoroughly to ascertain the culpable parties and we will not hesitate to take action against those responsible if wrongdoing is found. This includes prosecuting the agencies, organisations, culpable senior management and individuals. Culpable parties will be taken to task under the Workplace Safety and Health Act, where the maximum financial penalty for an organisation and for an individual guilty of an offence under the Act, is a fine of up to $500,000 and $200,000 respectively. An individual can also be imprisoned for up to two years in addition to any fine. These penalties are reviewed regularly. Organisations and individuals found guilty under the Act will also suffer reputational damage. Since the promulgation of the Act in 2006, our workplace fatality rate has improved significantly from 3.1 per 100,000 workers in 2006, to around 1.0 today. However, Speaker, every fatality is one too many. We will continue to strive towards a workplace fatality rate of below 1.0 by 2028. Only four countries in the world have achieved this consistently ─ that is the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Sweden and Germany. No Asian country has done so on a consistent basis. So, we set high standards for ourselves. Improving workplace safety and health cannot be achieved through law and punishments alone. In addition to a good regulatory framework and putting in place sound policies, it is crucial to build a sustainable workplace safety and health culture. This requires a sustained and collective effort by organisations, management, industry associations, union leaders and workers.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That Parliament do now adjourn." [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)] Enhancing Public Rental Housing for Human Thriving 9.43 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 Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat's speech, please?”
“I thank the Member for his questions. My crystal ball does not go that far. As I shared earlier, if we look at the trend for the rest of the year and if inflation moderates, that means the situation with the declines in real income will potentially moderate. At the same time, let us not forget that in the last five years, we have seen good improvements with regard to real income. We have seen strong growth. As I shared, we had about 9.4% real income increase in the last five years, before the current decline and pressures of inflation. Therefore, we have to take some of these things into account. Overall, in terms of how we can help our middle-income and lower middle-income workers improve, it is really through improvements in productivity, helping them benefit from the economic growth that we have, with new jobs, new growth sectors, as well as upskilling and reskilling in some of these new jobs where we can see higher productivity and better wage growth outcomes. The same goes for our lower-wage workers too today, where although they have the PWM, it is really about helping companies transform and redesign jobs so that we can sustain the wage increases. Otherwise, wage increases without corresponding productivity growth will be challenging, not just for the businesses but our economy as well. There are multiple layers. Economic restructuring has to continue. Firm-level productivity improvements have to continue as well. At the same time, at the worker level, you need skills and productivity improvements as well. I will take it at all three levels for us to sustain the wage growth in coming years.”
“Do support us, do work with the Government in areas such as the Career Conversion Programmes for workers, Support for Job Redesign under Productivity Solutions Grant and the SkillsFuture credits. These are among the schemes that businesses can tap on.”
“I thank the Member for his questions. Nominal wage growth for resident workers is expected to ease next year as labour demand cools and tightness in the labour market is alleviated. However, as overall wage growth is projected to moderate, it could remain elevated in several sectors. The Member asked about the sectors. Wage increments are expected to stay firm in travel-related sectors where demand continues to recover, as well as more labour intensive services sectors where manpower shortages could be more persistent. So, we can roughly see the trends. If we think about it, the decline in real income in the first half of 2023 compared to the first half of 2022 was due to elevated inflation, rather than just wage decline. We have to look at real income in that context. Overall, what we see is that the decline in real income was broad-based and not so much specific to certain sectors. And in terms of the nominal income change, you would also see that across various sectors, the changes did not outpace inflation, and therefore, you see the decline in real incomes. For the strategy to help businesses, we do need to support efforts to raise productivity. It goes beyond just increasing wages because there is impact on business costs. If productivity is not raised, you will find that businesses cannot sustain the wage increases. We have to look at that and balance both the impact of inflation and also look to see how we can improve productivity. At the same time, the Government does provide various measures to support business, for example, through the PWCS to reduce the impact of wage increases of lower-wage workers and other efforts such as productivity schemes. This is where we can work together in the next couple of years to improve wage outcomes, as a whole.”
“We have recently expanded the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) to cover more lower-wage workers, and this will boost their incomes even further over the next few years – workers covered by PWM can expect cumulative wage increases of up to 80% by 2028. Amid a tight labour market, lower-wage workers who are not directly covered by PWM should also see meaningful wage increases, as employers will have to respond to market forces to attract and retain workers. To reduce the impact on employers, the Government co-funds up to 75% of wage increases given by employers to eligible lower-wage workers from 2022 to 2026, through the Progressive Wage Credit Scheme (PWCS). PWCS will soften the cost impact on employers in the near term, and give employers time to invest in upskilling workers and improving firm-level productivity so that the wage increases are sustainable. The Government also enhanced the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme in January 2023 to further boost the income of lower-wage workers. We will be further enhancing Workfare as shared by Prime Minister Lee at the National Day Rally 2023 and details will be shared at next year’s Budget.”
“This is why we have embarked on the 23 Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs) to transform businesses and upskill workers for jobs of the future across the economy. The NWC has also reiterated its call to employers to press on with transformation and upskilling to ensure that income growth is sustainable, and the Government will support such efforts. Employers can make use of the 16 Jobs Transformation Maps which provide actionable roadmaps to redesign jobs and upskill workers. Employers can also tap on programmes such as Workforce Singapore’s Career Conversion Programmes, which provide up to 90% salary and course subsidies, to reskill their existing workers to take on enhanced job roles or train mid-career new hires to take on new roles. As indicated in the Forward Singapore report, we will launch new career health initiatives to improve job matching and help Singaporeans better plan for their long-term careers, through access to better data and information about jobs and skills. This will enhance employers’ access to talent and ensure better labour market outcomes. I would like to assure Members that we pay special attention to our lower-wage workers. Mr Saktiandi and Mr Chia would be pleased to know that lower-wage workers have experienced good real income growth over the last five years. From 2017 to 2022, real income at the 20th percentile has risen 15.4%, or 2.9% per annum, faster than 1.8% per annum at the median. This means that as costs of living rose, the incomes of lower-wage workers rose even more, thereby narrowing the income gap between lower-wage workers and the median worker.”
“I would like to assure Mr Saktiandi that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) closely tracks the number of resident workers across finer gross income bands, with special attention given to the progress of our lower-wage workers. But let me first talk more broadly about the wage outcomes before I come back to the income growth of lower-wage workers. From 2017 to 2022, income growth has outpaced inflation, with the real median income growing by about 9.4% or 1.8% per annum. This income growth was commensurate with productivity growth, measured by real value-added per worker, of 2% per annum over the same period. However, due to the elevated inflation and weaker economic outlook, based on preliminary estimates, while nominal median income grew by 0.9%, real median income declined by 4.5% on a year-on-year basis in the first half of 2023 compared to the first half of 2022. While the economic outlook remains uncertain, we expect inflation to moderate for the rest of the year. The Government recognises the impact of inflation on wages and has recently announced a $1.1 billion Cost of Living Support Package in September, which provides additional relief for all Singaporean households, with more support for lower- to middle-income families. In its recent announcement on 31 October, the National Wages Council (NWC) has called on employers to consider giving a one-off special lump sum payment to workers in recognition of the impact of high prices. The NWC Guidelines recommend that employers reward workers fairly based on their contributions and overall business performance, and adopt the Flexible Wage System in order to stay nimble and responsive amidst economic uncertainty. To Mr Chia’s question, our strategy to sustain real income growth is to continue to raise productivity.”