The Singapore Parliament will sit at 1.30pm on Monday, 2 October 2017 for the 51st session of the 13th Parliament.
*70 oral questions and 36 written questions have been scheduled to be asked.
6 bills will be introduced in this Parliament session.
- Central Provident Fund (Amendment) Bill – Minister for Manpower,
- Workplace Safety and Health (Amendment) Bill – Minister for Manpower,
- Massage Establishments Bill – Minister for Home Affairs,
- Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) (Amendment) Bill – Mnister for Health,
- Travel Agents (Amendment) Bill – Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry),
- Sale of Food (Amendment) Bill – Minister for National Development.
6 bills to be read the second time.
- Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (Amendment) Bill [Bill No. 31/2017] – (Minister for Transport)
- Infrastructure Protection Bill [Bill No. 32/2017] – (Minister for Home Affairs),
- Audit (Amendment) Bill [Bill No. 33/2017] – (Minister for Finance),
- Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill [Bill No. 34/2017] – (Second Minister for Finance),
- Property Tax (Amendment) Bill [Bill No. 35/2017] – (Second Minister for Finance),
- Income Tax (Amendment) Bill [Bill No. 36/2017] – (Second Minister for Finance).
And there will be a notice of motion for STAYING UNITED AGAINST THE TERRORISM THREAT: That the House fortifies Singapore’s resolve to stay united against the threat of terrorism by reaffirming the core values of multiracialism and social cohesion and calls on the Government to continue (i) promoting vigilance and resilience among Singaporeans to deter and overcome terrorist attacks; (ii) preventing the spread of radicalised teachings which promote violent extremism; and (iii) investing in multiracialism as the best socio-weapon to defeat the ills that terrorism seeks to sow, by Mr Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah), Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio), Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok) and Dr Tan Wu Meng (Jurong).
There will also be a motion for the Adjournment (Standing Order No. 2(8)(b)) by Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar, Ang Mo Kio GRC Member of Parliament, on Preserving Green Spaces and Heritage in Jalan Kayu Constituency.
Below are the questions filed towards the various Ministers
[accordion] [toggle title=”Prime Minister” state=”closed”]*Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Prime Minister (a) how many of the official websites of Ministries and statutory boards meet the WCAG 2.0 or other international standards for website accessibility by persons with disabilities (PWDs); and (b) what steps will be taken to ensure that Government websites are accessible to PWDs to the fullest extent possible.
*Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Prime Minister whether he can provide an update on the progress of the new digital identity system development in Singapore and how the Government intends to scale up on the use and applications of biometric elements.
*Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Ministry will regulate transaction fees and platform rental fees charged by cashless e-payment platform providers by mandating caps on such fees so as to accelerate the widespread adoption of e-payment by small and medium enterprises and consumers.
*Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Prime Minister (a) how prevalent is the use of cryptocurrency in Singapore; and (b) what measures will MAS introduce to regulate Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs).
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Foreign Affairs” load=”hide”]*Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) whether Myanmar can be compelled to remedy the human tragedy facing the Rohingya people under articles 4 and 39 and other relevant articles of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD); and (b) what other kinds of diplomatic pressures can be applied on Myanmar to curb the alleged discrimination of the Rohingya people pursuant to article 22 and other relevant articles of the AHRD.
*Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) how does Singapore intend to support the government of Myanmar in restoring peace and stability in the Rakhine state; (b) how important is it to Singapore (as chair of ASEAN in 2018) and ASEAN in responding to the urgent situation in Rakhine or conflict in any member states that may threaten the stability of the region; and (c) whether the Government of Singapore will consider providing humanitarian assistance through the government of Bangladesh given that Bangladesh will build a refugee camp for more than 400,000 displaced Rohingya refugees.
*Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs with Singapore assuming the ASEAN chair in 2018, whether there are plans for more concerted efforts to compel the Myanmar government to stop the discrimination and humanitarian catastrophe of the Rohingya people.
*Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) what is the Government’s assessment of the humanitarian tragedy facing the Rohingya population in Myanmar; and (b) whether there is a constructive role that ASEAN can play to address the crisis.
Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs in view of the increasing threats to global safety, what are the Ministry’s plans to get more Singaporeans to e-register with the Ministry when they travel.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Transport” load=”hide”]*Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Transport with regard to the two recent collisions of ships in our territorial waters (a) whether there will be reviews carried out on our Vessel Traffic Information System to enhance the navigational safety and security in our waters; and (b) whether the Ministry will be checking for weaknesses in our sea defence against potential attacks by terrorists in this area.
*Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Bukit Panjang LRT system was built as an afterthought; and (b) what were the political pressures faced by the Government when it decided to build the Bukit Panjang LRT system.
*Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Transport what are the Government’s plans to improve the medium- to long-term term reliability of the Bukit Panjang LRT system and what are the immediate- to short-term plans to improve commuter service and experience when there are breakdowns and stoppages in the LRT system.
*Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Ministry will consider regulating the use of dashboard cameras that face passengers in taxis and private-hire cars so as to protect the privacy of passengers; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider protection for drivers against rogue passengers without compromising the privacy of passengers.
*Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: To ask the Minister for Transport whether motorcyclists, cyclists or riders of personal mobility devices who ride recklessly or dangerously in void decks of HDB blocks or on pedestrian footpaths can be issued with a summons by LTA once they are captured on camera or video by residents or town council personnel who thereafter submit these as proof of reckless or dangerous riding.
*Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Government was consulted regarding the delay in upgrading the North-South and East-West MRT lines that was initially slated for 2002 as announced by SMRT’s then managing director in July 1997 but was only proceeded with in 2012; and (b) why did the Government allow the said delay.
*Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what is the usual communication protocol to the public when delays occur on train lines operated by SMRT or SBS Transit; and (b) whether there has been any instances where the operators have eschewed from making any public announcements of such delays in the last two years.
*Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what is the number of infringements for the Bus Lane and Bus Priority Box Schemes in 2016 and 2017; (b) how do the enforcement officers determine an infringement for the Bus Priority Box Scheme; and (c) what efforts has LTA taken to improve public awareness of the schemes.
*Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) to date, how many Silver Zones have had their adjacent footpaths widened; (b) whether the widening of footpaths along Silver Zones is part of the Silver Zone initiative; and (c) if not, when will LTA implement the widening of footpaths for all Silver Zones.
Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what is the number of accidents involving e-bikes and personal mobility devices this year; (b) what is the number of injuries or fatalities that have resulted from these accidents; and (c) what are LTA’s plans to reduce or mitigate such accidents from occurring.
Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Transport with the increasing viability of the Arctic shipping route and the potential opening of other regional trade and connectivity routes (a) how is Singapore re-positioning itself to meet such challenges; and (b) how will PSA need to transform to thrive in the new trade landscape.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) of the number of accidents involving power-assisted bicycles in the past two years, what percentage of these cases involve power-assisted bicycles which have not been authorised for use in Singapore or have been illegally modified; (b) whether any penalty has been imposed in all these cases specifically for unauthorised use or illegal modification; and (c) if so, what have been the penalties imposed.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport in each of the past 10 years (a) what has been the number of vessels using and/or transiting through the Straits of Singapore and other waters under the jurisdiction of the Singapore Vessel Traffic Service; and (b) what has been the number of reported collisions, sinkings, groundings and contacts with fixed objects involving one or more vessels in the Straits of Singapore and other waters under the jurisdiction of the Singapore Vessel Traffic Service.
Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what factors does LTA consider when the pre-defined time period for pedestrians to cross at signalled pedestrian crossings is increased; and (b) whether LTA will consider increasing such pre-defined time period by up to five or ten seconds in mature neighbourhoods or at roads that cannot be enhanced as Silver Zones due to the high volume of traffic, due to an increasing elderly population.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for National Development” load=”hide”]Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) to date, how many Town Councils have declared to the Ministry that their secretaries or relevant key officers as defined by section 20 of the Town Councils Act come under the new disqualification criteria spelt out in sections 20(1A) and 20(3) of the Act; and (b) which Town Councils have made such declarations to the Ministry.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: To ask the Minister for National Development in respect of Batch 10 of the Estate Upgrading Programme (EUP) (a) what was the closing date for the nomination of these projects; (b) when will these nominations be evaluated and decided upon by the EUP Committee; (c) when will the successful nominations be implemented; and (d) on average, what is the time lapse between the close of nomination of an EUP project and the evaluation of nominations by the EUP Committee.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for National Development what policy incentives and measures are currently in place to encourage building owners of existing and upcoming private developments to accommodate barrier-free link-bridge connectivity to adjacent HDB precincts, especially precincts with a significant elderly population.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how HDB plans for the provision of shared common spaces such as pavilions and void decks in new precincts; (b) whether common space provisions have declined over the years in terms of (i) venues per resident and (ii) area per resident; and (c) how will HDB ensure future adequate venue space for (i) informal interaction (ii) community gatherings and (iii) bereavements or funeral wakes.
Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the rationale for requiring 75% support level from eligible households for the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP) where residents do not need to co-pay; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider setting a timeline for the calling of a tender for NRP works when the NRP for the precinct is announced.
Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will consider reviewing the Goodwill Repair Assistance Scheme to (i) have HDB bear the full cost of repairs for ceiling leaks/structural defects resulting from normal wear and tear or (ii) have only the unit owner who had carried out internal renovation works that may have led to the ceiling leaks, to co-share the cost of the goodwill repairs with HDB.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development whether any environmental impact assessment or studies have been done in relation to the land acquisition for the expansion of Tengah Air Base.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB will update its powers under the Housing and Development Act to enable it to take enforcement action against flat owners who, within the minimum occupancy period, acquire an interest in another property in contravention of HDB regulations and thereafter sell their HDB flat to prevent the flat from being acquired under section 56(1) of the Act.
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how many escalator accidents have happened in the past three years that have not been due to user behaviour; and (b) whether there has been an improvement in escalator safety since the introduction of a stricter maintenance regime in November 2016.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Health” load=”hide”]Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Health (a) over the last three years, how many egg freezing procedures have been carried out at our public and private hospitals respectively; and (b) how prevalent are the risks of the procedure, such as infection and bleeding.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider making neo-natal insurance for IVF compulsory at the point of a positive pregnancy blood test rather than at the point of embryo transfer.
Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef: To ask the Minister for Health whether there are plans to review and assess the sales, content and costing of milk products and milk supplements for adults especially for those who are on dietary supplementation and tube feeding.
Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what are the main reasons for many healthier foods to be more expensive than unhealthy foods despite healthier foods requiring less processing than unhealthy foods; and (b) whether there will be public education campaigns to (i) help people understand and manage their calorie intake (ii) increase public awareness of lower sugar choices in the food types commonly consumed by Singaporeans and the problems of artificial sweeteners and (iii) educate consumers how to eat healthier without incurring higher food bills.
Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Health with regard to the mentally ill who harass their neighbours, destroy properties and display signs of violence (a) whether their treatment and confinement at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) can be expedited; and (b) what criteria have to be met for their release from IMH.
Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Health what measures can be taken to restrict or control food and beverage products with a high glycemic index (GI) so as to reduce the risk of diabetes among our population.
Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will collaborate and partner with more organisations and corporations to provide for increased opportunities for health checks and tests that will raise more individuals’ awareness of the risk of diabetes.
Mr Teo Ser Luck: To ask the Minister for Health in view of recent developments in technology application in the healthcare sector, what is the Ministry’s policy and regulation with regard to (i) tele-consultation between doctors and patients and (ii) telemedicine in areas of prescription, treatment and diagnosis.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry tracks the number of medical professionals who currently have agreements with third party administrators (TPAs) and, if so, how many of such medical professionals are there; and (b) whether the Ministry can consider requiring TPAs to adhere to practices which are consistent with the Singapore Medical Council ethical guidelines or other regulations which bind all doctors working with TPAs.
Mr Yee Chia Hsing: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry currently monitors or regulates the amount of sugar in infant and children’s formula milk so as to prevent an excessive preference for sweetness in later years.
Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health under what circumstances will subsidies for the Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund be withdrawn if there are no changes in one’s household income.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Home Affairs” load=”hide”]Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs with regard to home smoke alarms which must be installed in all newly built homes from June 2018 (a) who will be responsible for maintaining the alarms especially in rental flats to ensure that the detectors and batteries are working; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider connecting these alarms to a central alert system since many elderly have vision and hearing problems and may not notice alerts from the alarms.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the number of traffic accidents on the Causeway in the past three years; (b) how many of these accidents involve jay walkers; and (c) what plans does the Ministry have to ensure road safety on the Causeway for both vehicles and pedestrians especially during peak hours.
Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether drivers who chalk up demerit points can be made to attend short lectures and undergo tests so that their skills can be refreshed, for the safety of all road users.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many motorists have committed the same traffic offence (i) once (ii) twice and (iii) more than thrice in each of the past three years; (b) what is the percentage of such offenders against the total number of licensed motorists; (c) how many of such offences have been successfully appealed against; and (d) what is the percentage of successful appeals out of the total number of offences in each category.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many taxi drivers have committed the same traffic offence (i) once (ii) twice and (iii) more than thrice per year in each of the past three years; (b) what is the percentage of such offenders against the total number of licensed taxi drivers; (c) how many offences have been successfully appealed against; and (d) what is the percentage of successful appeals out of the total number of offences by taxi drivers in each category.
Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) since 2015, what has been the average response time by the emergency services to road accidents involving injuries and fatalities; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider new systems, such as eCall which is an emergency call feature installed in all cars sold within the EU, to reduce the response time by automatically calling the nearest emergency centre.
Dr Chia Shi-Lu: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in respect of annual statistics for juvenile delinquents since 2013 and by gender (a) what are the five main categories of crimes committed; (b) what are the distributions by age groups (below 13, 13-14, 15-16, above 16 years old); and (c) what are the distributions by racial groups.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Communications and Information” load=”hide”]Mr Ganesh Rajaram: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information what steps has the Government taken to encourage more production companies to utilise the state-of-the-art facilities at Mediapolis@One-North.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information whether the Ministry plans to impose on telecommunication and Internet service providers operating in Singapore a requirement to proactively monitor the use of their services for online and phone scams, take all necessary steps to deter such usage and promptly provide all relevant information to enforcement agencies.
Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) over the last five years, what is the number of books purchased by NLB; (b) what is the total cost incurred; (b) what is the number of books condemned by NLB over the same period; (c) what is the total number of books currently in NLB’s collection; and (d) if he can provide an update on the National Reading Movement that was launched a year ago.
Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information in view of Singapore’s push to be a Smart Nation, how is the Ministry equipping mature workers with IT skills to leverage on technology in their workplaces.
[/toggle] [accordion title=”Minister for Finance” load=”hide”]Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for Finance based on the findings in the Report of the Auditor-General for FY2016/17, whether AGO will direct all the entities in the Report to investigate all improper payments made and determine the amount of money to recover.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Finance whether the Ministry will regularly review the Government’s commitment to reduce socio-economic inequality and publish the results of such reviews in light of recent findings from a study by Oxfam and Development Finance International that ranks Singapore in the eighty-sixth placing in the world in this regard.
Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) how does ACRA ensure compliance by business establishments to update their registered address within 14 days of any change in their office address; (b) how many business owners have so far been fined for non-compliance; and (c) what are the measures ACRA has put in place to encourage compliance.
Ms Sun Xueling: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) whether there is a timeline to putting in place the arrangement with ride-hailing firms on the automatic filing of tax returns of their drivers; and (b) what will be the process to consider tax deductibles so as to ensure fairness of treatment for the drivers.
[/toggle] [toggle title=” Minister for Education” load=”hide”]Mr Ganesh Rajaram: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) with regard to nurturing sports excellence in schools (a) whether the Ministry can provide statistics on the success of the Direct School Admission (Sports) programme and the Singapore Sports School; and (b) how many of the students accepted into either of these programmes have represented or are representing Singapore in their chosen sporting fields after they have left school.
Mr Ong Teng Koon: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) how many applications from international students for our local schools have been rejected in 2017 and whether the Ministry will consider increasing the percentage of international students in local schools to above 5% to better accommodate the education needs of children of resident workers who actively contribute to our economy.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) following the recent fracas between students in a secondary school (a) whether the Ministry will consider installing CCTVs along school corridors and other areas for the staff to monitor the students’ activities; (b) what is the psychological and social profile of these students; and (c) how can the Ministry minimise such incidents in schools.
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) (a) how prevalent and serious is bullying in our schools; (b) what preventive measures are undertaken to minimise and detect bullying; (c) whether our teachers are trained to handle bullying incidents; and (d) whether students involved in bullying and who are victims of bullying are given counselling care.
Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) (a) what is the current proportion of tenured and tenure-track faculty members who are Singaporeans in NUS, NTU and SMU; and (b) what was the proportion 10 years ago.
Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) what measures are being taken, and what else is being planned, to ensure that the food served to students in our schools is in line with the Ministry’s overall strategy to manage the rise of diabetes among our population.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) whether there is a correlation between students’ PSLE performances and secondary school results.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) whether the Ministry will consider introducing quotas for students in the top, middle and bottom performance bands for admission into Secondary One so as to create a more inclusive environment for students and reduce the monopoly of elite schools.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) (a) what is the current demand for bicycle parking in schools; (b) whether students are allowed to ride e-bikes to school; and (c) what is the take-up rate of the Safe Riding Programme in schools since its inception.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) in light of the increasing number of HDB BTO flats in Yishun (a) what are the plans to expand the number of places for after-school care; and (b) how will the Ministry cope with the demand for additional resources and personnel to keep pace with expansion.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) (a) what percentage of the racial and household income distributions of students in the primary and secondary schools differs from the national racial and income distributions; (b) whether such differences have an impact on the schools’ results; and (c) what measures are in place to assist schools where there is a negative impact from the difference in racial and income distributions.
Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) (a) what is the passing rate for the National Physical Fitness Award/Assessment (NAPFA) Scheme in 2007 and 2016; (b) whether students are adequately prepared in schools for the annual assessment; and (c) for students who are unable to manage the 2.4km walk-run, how do schools assist them in coping within their ability.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) (a) to date, what is the highest level of mainstream education attained by high-functioning intellectually disabled children; and (b) what is the support given to assist high-functioning intellectually disabled children to remain in mainstream schools.
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) whether the Ministry will consider issuing an infographic annually to update individuals and companies of their usage of national manpower, training and upgrading schemes and subsidies such as those under Adapt and Grow and SkillsFuture.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Law” load=”hide”] [/toggle] [accordion title=”Minister for Manpower” load=”hide”]Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry will consider regulations to (i) strengthen recruitment and hiring practices by employers (ii) ensure employers acknowledge and inform job applicants on whether they are successful in their job applications; and (b) whether the public sector can take lead in this.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Manpower what are the specific challenges in ensuring that self-employed persons who provide delivery services on their own bicycles and personal mobility devices enjoy similar and adequate workplace safety protection as employees working for delivery companies, including insurance coverage in respect of injury, death and property claims arising from accidents while working.
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how many companies have currently adopted the Tripartite Standards for Employment of Term Contract Employees; (b) what percentage of all resident term contract employees do these companies account for; (c) whether the companies who signed on to these Standards are audited or reviewed for compliance; and (d) how will these Standards be further improved in the future.
Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry can provide an update on the efforts to help freelancers and workers in the gig economy with their medical and retirement adequacy.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether his Ministry will consider setting up a grant that companies can apply for to partially offset their cost of hiring one temporary staff member for each female employee entering their second trimester of pregnancy until their employee’s child turns two years old.
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether he can provide an update on the Ministry’s efforts in strengthening the Singaporean core and in particular (i) the total number of companies on the watchlist and (ii) the number of ‘triple weak’ companies where executive measures have been taken against them; and (b) whether the Ministry will take harsher measures against recalcitrant companies such as a moratorium on obtaining government contracts or penal sanctions.
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider auto-inclusion, auto-application and auto-funding for the Adapt and Grow schemes such as the career support programmes instead of making employers and companies apply for the schemes.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the annual breakdown of foreign worker levies which have been collected each year since 2012; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider channelling some of these levies into a fund to provide subsidies for (i) households who need foreign domestic workers (FDWs) but are unable to afford the costs or (ii) financial assistance to FDWs who require help in exceptional circumstances.
Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the proportion of workers re-employed over the last five years, and (b) what is the proportion of re-employed workers who are re-employed without wage adjustments.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Social and Family Development” load=”hide”]Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether there has been an increase in ComCare assistance cases compared to last year.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) in the past three years, how many domestic violence cases against women, especially those above 50 years, have been reported; (b) what is the Ministry doing to reach out to those who may be suffering in silence; and (c) whether the Ministry will look into ways to raise public awareness and work with grassroots groups to reach out to the silent victims.
Ms Sun Xueling: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the online child protection training module to train pre-school teachers in handling child abuse cases can be made mandatory; (b) whether such a module can be made available earlier than late 2018; and (c) whether this training can be provided as part of the NITEC training course for pre-school teachers.
Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development how can the Ministry ensure that the day care centres for residents with special needs will continue to remain affordable for them.
Dr Chia Shi-Lu: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) how many juvenile offenders have been admitted into juvenile homes each year since 2013, by gender; and (b) what is the average length of stay in the homes, by gender.
Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Ministry intends to further extend or permanently waive the application fee for the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) Form 1 beyond the 31 August 2018 extension; and (b) how many new LPA Form 1 applications have been received by the Office of the Public Guardian since the August 2016 announcement of the extended fee waiver for LPA Form 1 applications for Singaporeans.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) for each year from 2011 to 2016, what is the number of ComCare applicants who have withdrawn their applications after having submitted them; and (b) what is the breakdown of the reasons for their withdrawal.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the current percentage of children below the age of four who are diagnosed with special needs; and (b) of these, how many have been diagnosed with intellectual disabilities.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) in the last five years, what is the number of children referred to the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC); (b) what is the current average waiting time for the child to be enrolled in EIPIC centres upon application; and (c) whether there are initiatives in place to enhance the curriculum for EIPIC and building the capabilities of the educators who deliver the programme.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Trade and Industry” load=”hide”]Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) (a) how many Singapore-based companies have cumulatively invested in the Government’s overseas industrial park projects that enjoy G-to-G support such as the Suzhou Industrial Park and Tianjin Eco-City; (b) how many of these are GLCs, SMEs and MNCs respectively; and (c) what evidence has been accumulated by the Ministry as to the spin-off benefits to the domestic economy and local SMEs of these Government-supported overseas industrial parks.
Mr Teo Ser Luck: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) (a) whether there are plans to streamline the grants, funding support and assistance schemes of SPRING Singapore and IE Singapore within the merged entity of Enterprise Singapore; and (b) how will this affect the SMEs that have applied for funding support.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) in view of the prevalence of online shopping portals, whether the annual Great Singapore Sale spearheaded by the Singapore Tourism Board is still relevant.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) (a) since the implementation of the EntrePass scheme in 2003, how many applications have been approved; (b) what types of start-ups are they; (c) what are the outcomes of their start-ups so far; and (d) what is being done to attract more suitable start-ups.
[/toggle ] [toggle title=”Minister for Defence” load=”hide”]Mr Vikram Nair: To ask the Minister for Defence following the two recent incidents of ship collisions in our territorial waters, what is the Maritime Security Task Force’s assessment of (i) our capabilities for surveillance of maritime traffic and (ii) our ability to respond to scenarios where commercial vessels that are in or entering Singapore waters can be used by terrorists.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Defence since the relaxation of the policy on the use of smartphones in army camps in March 2016, how many SAF personnel have taken up the offer and disabled or sandblasted the camera lens on their smartphones so that they can use the phones in the camps’ red zones.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Defence whether the Ministry will consider giving subsidies for NSmen to buy personal tablets and laptops for e-learning use given the relaxation on the usage of electronic devices in army camps.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Culture, Community and Youth” load=”hide”]Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth in light of the cycling team’s good showing at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games (a) whether the Ministry will give more support and attention to promote cycling on a competitive basis; and (b) what is the outcome of the 2014 feasibility study to evaluate the building of a velodrome in Singapore.
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether the Ministry can provide an update on the progress of the study on archaeology in Singapore that has been undertaken to address gaps in law and regulations in this field; and (b) when can the findings and recommendations of the study be published.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for the Environment and Water Resources” load=”hide”]Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources what is the justification for requiring Traditional Chinese Medicine shops that sell herbal teas to obtain foodshop licences with effect from 1 October 2017.
Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what is the rationale for the policy of only penalising the management of food establishments when patrons flout the no-smoking regulation; and (b) why is there no accountability expected of those who intentionally commit smoking offences despite reminders by the food establishment staff, management and other patrons.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources given the ageing population and limited common void deck space available for funeral wakes in some newer HDB precincts (a) whether this has affected the Government’s forecast for funeral parlour capacity requirements; and (b) how the Government will ensure adequate funeral parlour capacity in the years ahead.
Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) in the last five years, how many construction companies have breached the rules on (i) noise levels at construction sites (ii) dengue breeding at work sites and (iii) causing disamenities by working on Sundays and public holidays; and (b) what proportion of these companies are recurrent offenders.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what will be the location of the hawker centre to be built in Bukit Batok Town; and (b) what is the expected date of completion of the hawker centre.
Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources for the past three years, how effective has enforcement been in ensuring cat feeders abide with the two-hour rule of disposing any leftover cat food in public spaces.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what is the outcome of the pilot installation of food waste digesters in schools; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider installing such food waste digesters in more schools and other places such as hawker centres and coffee shops to promote recycling.
[/toggle] [/accordion]COMPLETED
