The Singapore Parliament will sit at 12:00 noon on Monday, 9 July 2018 for the 78th session of the 13th Parliament.
*74 oral questions and 55 written question had been scheduled to be asked.
At the commencement of Public Business, there will be an introduction of Government Bill:
Companies (Amendment) Bill (Second Minister for Finance),
and 7 Government Bills will be read for the 2nd time:
- Singapore Tourism (Cess Collection) (Amendment) Bill [Bill No. 25/2018] – (Minister for Trade and Industry) – Second Reading.
- Customs (Amendment) Bill [Bill No. 26/2018] – (Second Minister for Finance) – Second Reading.
- National Library Board (Amendment) Bill [Bill No. 19/2018] – (Minister for Communications and Information) –Second Reading.
- Intellectual Property (Border Enforcement) Bill [Bill No. 24/2018] – (Minister for Law) – Second Reading.
- Deposit Insurance and Policy Owners’ Protection Schemes (Amendment) Bill [Bill No. 21/2018] – (Prime Minister) – Second Reading.
- Tokyo Convention (Amendment) Bill [Bill No. 22/2018] – (Minister for Transport) – Second Reading.
- Small Claims Tribunals (Amendment) Bill [Bill No. 23/2018] – (Minister for Law) – Second Reading.
Also there will be a notice of motion:
EDUCATION FOR OUR FUTURE: That this House recognises that a love for learning is the foundation of our future, and calls on the Government to partner with the people to ensure accessible, inclusive and lifelong education for all learners.
- Mr Mahdev Mohan (Nominated Member)
- Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin (Nominated Member)
- Mr Ganesh Rajaram (Nominated Member)
- Mr Kok Heng Leun (Nominated Member)
- Mr Azmoon Ahmad (Nominated Member).
Below are the questions filed towards the various Ministers
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Prime Minister with the withdrawal of the hospitalisation and surgical insurance scheme by some statutory boards (a) whether the Ministry is aware that officers previously on this scheme who have pre-existing medical conditions can only get insurance cover under MediShield Life at Class C and B2 levels and that these officers are unable to buy a rider or upgrade for their medical insurance policies; and (b) whether the Ministry can negotiate with insurance companies to offer a comprehensive coverage for all civil servants, especially those with pre-existing illnesses who had better coverage before the withdrawal.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Foreign Affairs” load=”hide”]*Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs what is the state of our bilateral relationship with Malaysia and how will Singapore continue a collaborative and mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Transport” load=”hide”]*Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Malaysian Government has, through diplomatic channels, confirmed its intention to terminate its bilateral agreement with Singapore to build the High Speed Rail; (b) if so, what are the expenses and losses likely to be incurred by Singapore as a result of the termination; and (c) what are Singapore’s contractual rights to seek compensation for these expenses and losses in accordance with the terms of the agreement.
*Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what are the costs incurred for the High Speed Rail (HSR) as of June 2018; (b) what other costs does Singapore continue to incur should a decision be not made by the end of 2018; and (c) should Malaysia decide to call off the HSR, what are the existing compensation clauses to safeguard Singapore’s interest.
*Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Transport whether he can provide an update on (i) the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail project, the costs incurred to date and expenses over the next six months and (ii) the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System.
*Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) since the implementation of the private hire driver’s vocational licence, what has been the passing rate for applicants; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider allowing the tests to be conducted in vernacular languages especially for older drivers.
*Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Transport in respect of oBike’s exit from the Singapore market, whether the Ministry will ensure that oBike will refund all unconsumed subscription fees to its subscribers.
*Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what is the notice period required by any shared bicycle operator to give to the LTA when it wants to cease operations; (b) what is the redress for users who have paid deposits for their services; and (c) what assistance can LTA give to these depositors.
*Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Transport what statutory measures are in place to prevent private companies offering shared bikes or PMDs from defaulting on their public and customer commitments such as service provision and deposits before the company goes into liquidation.
*Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether there are safeguards in place for consumers to obtain refunds on their oBike deposits; (b) what recourse do consumers have should there be no refunds; and (c) how can the interests of consumers be protected when bike-sharing firms exit the market.
*Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) how effective have the CCTV Monitoring Zones been in deterring motorists from parking and alighting passengers in places where they are prohibited to do so; and (b) how often are the CCTV footages reviewed for enforcement.
*Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what is the outcome of the investigation by LTA on the causes of the collapse of the viaduct structure linking PIE and TPE at Upper Changi Road East in July 2017; (b) what are the lessons learned; (c) what are LTA’s plans for the completion of the viaduct; and (d) whether there will be any new measures to improve (i) construction of highways and other public works and (ii) workplace safety.
*Mr Azmoon Ahmad: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry can consider installing speed regulators at both ends of zebra crossings to ensure that rushing users of personal mobility devices have to decrease their speed when approaching such crossings.
*Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: To ask the Minister for Transport from October 2017 to May 2018 (a) how many accidents involving electric scooters or electric-powered PMDs have there been; (b) how many involved serious injuries to pedestrians which required hospitalisation; and (c) whether there are plans to further regulate the use of electric scooters or electric-powered PMDs especially the allowable speeds and usage, testing, licensing and age requirements of the riders.
*Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Transport since the commencement of the Active Mobility Act, what enforcement action has been taken against errant users of public paths who endanger the safety of others.
*Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what is the number of errant PMD users caught and taken to task since the commencement of the Active Mobility Act; (b) what is the profile of these errant users; and (c) what other efforts will be undertaken by the Government to improve awareness of the Act to better safeguard public safety.
*Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider tightening regulations for all PMD users including compulsory licensing of all users and mandatory public insurance coverage to be taken up by all users.
*Assoc Prof Randolph Tan: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider introducing legislation which explicitly prohibits the use of personal mobility devices for carrying young children as passengers.
*Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Transport in view of the potential severe personal injuries that can be sustained in a collision between PMDs and pedestrians (a) whether the speed limit of PMDs on footpaths and cycling/shared paths should be lowered; and (b) whether the the maximum device speed of electric and motorised PMDs should also be lowered.2
Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Transport following the Grab-Uber proposed takeover (a) whether many people will be out of a job as a result of this deal; (b) if so, how many people will be so affected and what is being done to help these workers; and (c) what is the impact of this on the overall public transport service.
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Transport whether he can provide a breakdown of the educational qualifications (primary, secondary, junior college, ITE, diploma, degree, masters and higher) of the 54,000 private-hire car drivers in Singapore.
Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Transport whether language assistance can be arranged for candidates who are more proficient in their respective vernacular languages for the Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational Licence (PDVL) test while retaining a minimum proficiency requirement in the English language.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Transport how effective has enforcement of designated parking for shared bicycles been and what further measures will be taken to prevent shared bicycles creating inconveniences to other path users.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Transport whether any new considerations have surfaced for the Ministry to consider raising the minimum age requirement for private-hire car drivers to that required for taxi drivers to better ensure the safety of passengers.
Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) how is the detrainment of passengers carried out when there is a Bukit Panjang LRT breakdown; (b) what are the measures taken to ensure passenger safety during detrainment; and (c) whether there is a need to strengthen the detrainment process.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Transport whether LTA will require shared bicycle operators to place a security deposit or performance bond to ensure that deposits or any pre-payment made by bicycle hirers or consumers are protected.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Transport whether LTA will consider constructing longer tunnels to provide a better sheltered link for residents to their nearest MRT stations.
Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Transport on the merger between Grab and Uber (a) how does the Government intend to regulate a monopolistic market for private-hire cars; (b) what will be the impact to consumers, drivers and Singapore’s transportation landscape as a whole; and (c) whether the Government will expedite the regulatory framework to control the growth of private-hire cars.
Mr Ong Teng Koon: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider allowing motorcycles manufactured between 1993 and 2003 to be given a one-off exemption to register under the classic vehicles scheme.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport whether Or Kim Peow Contractors will be responsible for (i) the carrying out of all the rectification works required by LTA arising from any faulty construction of the viaduct structure linking PIE and TPE at Upper Changi Road East and (ii) all the additional cost arising from the rectification works required and surveys carried out on behalf of LTA.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for National Development” load=”hide”]*Mr Alex Yam Ziming: To ask the Minister for National Development with regard to Malaysia’s decision to cancel the High Speed Rail (HSR) project, what are the implications for (i) development plans for sites along the Singapore stretch of the HSR especially in the Jurong Lake District and (ii) land acquisition for the proposed HSR.
*Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) which are the areas where stray dogs have been reported but the problem has yet to be resolved; (b) whether there has been any reports of attacks by stray dogs on members of the public; and (c) how is AVA working with the various stakeholders to take concrete action to ensure public safety.
*Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how many Airbnb cases have been reported in HDB units and private residential units respectively in the past three years; and (b) what is the typical time frame for investigation to complete after a case has been reported.
*Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether he can provide an update on plans for heavy vehicle parking spaces in housing estates; (b) how many heavy vehicle parking spaces are there in Yishun; and (c) how many applicants are on the waitlist for season heavy vehicle parking lots in Nee Soon GRC.
*Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for National Development how does the affordability of current private and public housing compare with that of the previous five years and with that of other leading international cities.
*Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether a traffic impact assessment had been carried out prior to having the construction staging ground located at Marina East; and (b) when will this temporary staging ground be relocated.
*Mr Alex Yam Ziming: To ask the Minister for National Development with the conclusion of public consultation on short-term home rentals (a) what are the main feedback and concerns provided by the public during the consultation exercise; (b) when will new regulations be presented to Parliament for debate; (c) how many illegal rentals have there been so far; and (d) how does the Ministry intend to police the current short-term rental websites before the laws are put in place.
*Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) currently, how many Singaporeans are allowed to purchase resale HDB flats while retaining ownership of local or overseas private properties; (b) under what circumstances will HDB allow a waiver of its rule which is to dispose the private property within six months from buying a resale flat; and (c) whether this policy has achieved its intended outcome of cooling the property market.
*Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the rule disallowing cat ownership in HDB flats may be abrogated and replaced with rules promoting responsible cat ownership; and (b) whether there are plans to expand the pilot HDB cat ownership programme in Chong Pang to other constituencies.
*Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will consider allowing selected former school compounds that are now vacant to be converted into retirement villages or assisted living facilities for the aged without the need to incur capital costs of building such facilities.
*Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what measures have been put in place to reduce the number of roadkill in the Mandai area; (b) whether such measures apply to all areas where there are construction activities near national parks and nature reserves; and (c) when will the hoardings along Mandai Road be completed.
*Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what audits have been performed nationwide since the last incident in 2016 of a fallen concrete sunshade; (b) whether there have there been any recommendations or changes made to building design compliance; and (c) what more can be done to prevent future occurrences.
*Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for National Development as of June 2018 (a) how many 2-room flexi flats sold to elderly Singaporeans have been returned to HDB due to the demise of the owner; and (b) how soon are these flats put on sale again; and (c) whether HDB informs buyers that these flats are pre-owned units.
*Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether he can provide an update on the number of HDB blocks that are not given lift upgrading due specifically to the funding cap; and (b) whether HDB will consider polling the residents in these affected blocks to explore the possibility of co-sharing the amount beyond the funding cap to have lift access at their floors.
*Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development what are the eligibility conditions for divorcees with shared care and control of their children to purchase a subsidised HDB flat.
Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will be reviewing requests for Airbnb-type facilities and, if so, how and what will be the criteria for the regulation and monitoring of the industry and its enforcement.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB can consider not to impose a resale levy on applicants of 2-room flexi flats who are senior citizens aged 55 years and above.
Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the current number of families that are successful in their application for a HDB rental flat but are awaiting a vacant unit; (b) whether there has been an improvement in the waiting period for vacant rental flats; and (c) what is the targeted number of rental flat tenants that will be placed under the Fresh Start Housing Scheme within the next three years.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB can install CCTVs in its multi-storey carparks and the lifts serving the carpark to deter crime and those who smoke in the lifts.
Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB will consider extending the lease buyback scheme to 5-room HDB flats given the current difficulty some residents face in selling their flats in mature estates.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for National Development what is the outcome of AVA’s proposals to prevent the mass roosting of mynahs on trees in front of Bukit Timah Plaza and to reduce the incessant noise created by the birds during the wee hours of the morning and in the evening.
Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for National Development as of June 2018, what is the number and percentage of 2-room flexi flats that are (i) unsold including those under construction (ii) sold under a 99-year leasehold and (iii) sold under 15 to 45 year leaseholds.
Mr Ong Teng Koon: To ask the Minister for National Development whether there is a subsidy for the replacement of non-fire rated doors under the Optional Improvement Works Scheme of the Home Improvement Programme and, if so, whether HDB will consider to provide the same quantum of subsidy for the replacement of a fire-rated door.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Health” load=”hide”]*Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Health what is being done to make people with mental illnesses aware of the help they can receive including those who may have yet to be diagnosed due to fear of social stigma.
*Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Health why CareShield Life is not replacing ElderShield for all Singaporeans with transitional subsidies to ease the shift, as was the shift from MediShield to MediShield Life in 2015.
*Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Government will review the principles for setting premiums for the proposed CareShield Life scheme so as to have equal premiums for men and women.
*Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how are premiums and pay-outs for CareShield Life calculated in respect of assumptions such as the targeted capital adequacy ratio and medical loss ratio for the scheme; (b) whether the actuarial model determining such CareShield Life premiums and subsidies will be made publicly available; and (c) how does the ratio of premiums to pay-outs and the actuarial model used compare to similar government schemes in other developed countries.
*Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Health how will the Government ensure that the CareShield Life scheme to be administered by the Government will be as or more cost efficient as compared to ElderShield which is run by private insurers.
*Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether there will be additional support for those who cannot afford to pay CareShield Life premiums even after means-tested premium support; (b) how will the quantum of such additional support be determined; and (c) whether and to what extent will disposable income be used in making this determination as opposed to merely per capita household income.
Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Health whether there are plans to operate a polyclinic within one MRT station from the vicinity of Potong Pasir and, if there are, where will it be located.
Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Government will consider increasing the subsidy rates under the Community Health Assist Scheme for non-Pioneer Generation seniors above the age of 60 as their levels of retirement adequacy is considerably lower than younger Singaporeans.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Home Affairs” load=”hide”]*Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many industrial fires have there been in the past three years; (b) what is the frequency of SCDF’s spot checks on factories and warehouses to ensure that they comply with fire safety measures; and (c) how many infringements have been detected in the past three years.
*Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs with regard to the rising Internet love scams that resulted in $37 million of losses in 2017 (a) what is the typical profile of these victims; (b) what has been done to raise awareness of such scams to this group; and (c) what plans does the Ministry have to further reduce the risk of Singaporeans being cheated by such Internet love scams.
*Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs how is the Ministry evolving its licensing regimes to ensure that Singapore continues to develop into an attractive location for work and play without compromising on our public order.
*Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the Ministry’s position on foreign workers and foreign domestic workers congregating in large numbers in public parks, shopping malls, cultural hubs and other specific areas; and (b) whether this is viewed with a changed perspective in this age of uncertainty.
*Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) since 2016, how many traffic summons have been issued to drivers of heavy vehicles travelling along Fort Road, Tanjong Rhu Road and Meyer Road; (b) what is the nature of the traffic violations committed by the drivers of such heavy vehicles; and (c) what else can be done to ensure the safety of other road users for that stretch of roads.
Mr Ang Hin Kee: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the number of incidents of vehicles with objects not properly secured and falling off onto the roads in the past three years; (b) how many of such occurrences resulted in an accident; (c) how does LTA track such incidents and accidents; and (d) what are the measures to reduce such cases from occurring.
Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the root cause of the fire at Pulau Busing; (b) whether it could have been prevented; and (c) whether there are suitable capabilities on the island itself for handling such emergencies or is there a need to mobilise emergency resources from the mainland.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs for each of the past three years, what is the breakdown of the educational level attained of persons entering the Drug Rehabilitation Centres, the Long-Term Imprisonment 1 and the Long-Term Imprisonment 2 regimes respectively.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Communications and Information” load=”hide”] [/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Finance” load=”hide”]*Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Finance with regard to Malaysia’s decision to cancel the High Speed Rail (HSR) project (a) what implications does the cancellation have on the Government’s decision to raise the Goods and Services Tax (GST) sometime between 2021 and 2025; and (b) what was the Government’s total expenditure estimate for the HSR project up to its originally envisaged inauguration around 2026.
*Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Finance what are the short-term and longer-term impact of the suspension of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail project on Government revenues and expenditures.
*Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will clarify the $5.3 billion of “Capital Reserves” in PUB’s accounts and whether this represents surplus funds that are at the disposal of the Government or PUB.
*Mr Azmoon Ahmad: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) what is the annual consumption rate of the $8 billion Pioneer Generation Fund since its inception in March 2015; (b) what is the estimated number of Pioneer Generation individuals serviced under this fund; and (c) how long is the fund expected to last based on the current consumption rate.
*Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for Finance on how Temasek Holdings and the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation have performed in terms of investment returns over the long term.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) whether the date for the payment of SG Bonus has been determined; and (b) whether details on receiving the SG Bonus by eligible Singaporeans have been finalised and, if so, when will the announcement be made.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Education” load=”hide”]*Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: To ask the Minister for Education (a) how many teachers are trained to teach special needs students in Crest Secondary School, Spectra Secondary School, Northlight School and Assumption Pathway School; and (b) how many allied educators are there in each of these schools to help these students in the classrooms.
*Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what are the efforts to support placement of children with special needs in mainstream schools apart from deploying allied educators; (b) whether there is a comprehensive training plan for teachers in mainstream schools to cope with special needs students; (c) whether there are protocols to guide mainstream schools on the sharing of information between teachers and staff on caring for special needs students; and (d) whether briefing sessions for mainstream students can be arranged to improve their understanding of special needs for better integration with such students studying in their midst.
*Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Education (a) how many ITE students are currently eligible for financial assistance; (b) how many of these eligible students have applied for assistance; and (c) how does ITE publicise the assistance schemes so that eligible students do not miss it.
*Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry can lengthen the time for student movement between classes to give students more time to get to their class and settle down as rushing from class to class causes anxiety and reduces concentration during lesson time.
*Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Minister for Education what are the challenges and implications faced by the Government when assessing whether basic coding skills should be made compulsory in our mainstream primary school curriculum.
*Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will review the policy on maternity leave for female teachers who give birth during the school holiday period given that they lose out on the number of leave days as the school holiday period is akin to their annual leave.
Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Education how is the Ministry helping students to better understand the social-economic opportunities in South East Asia with a view towards helping them thrive in an economically important region in the longer term.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Education how will the Ministry assess regularly and ensure that our children continue to uphold relevant oriental core values and family values such as filial piety, care for the elderly and savings habits that have made Singapore what it is today.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Education in the past 10 years, how many students from each PSLE cohort successfully entered university, broken down according to their PSLE results that are (i) in the 60th to 75th percentile (ii) in the 50th to 60th percentile (iii) in the 30th to 50th percentile and (iv) below the 30th percentile.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Education what is being done to promote integration between students attending international schools and students attending schools run by the Ministry.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Education in light of the recently completed and upcoming completion of BTO developments in and near Bukit Batok SMC, what is the expected increase in demand for primary school places in primary schools located within and near Bukit Batok SMC and what are the Ministry’s plans to meet this increased demand.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Education in each of the past five years for each cohort of students, what is the percentage of students who are promoted from (i) Normal Technical to Normal Academic and (ii) Normal Academic to Express respectively.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is the number of students who have sought assistance from career guidance offices situated in all the polytechnics and ITEs in the last two years; (b) what is the percentage of these students out of the total student population within the same period; and (c) whether there has been an assessment or review of the effectiveness of the enhanced career guidance programmes in these institutions.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what proportion of fresh graduates of autonomous universities, private educational institutes offering degrees, polytechnics, and ITE are hired by the public service as their first job; and (b) how does this proportion compare to other developed countries such as the US, UK, Japan, Korea, Australia, Germany, France and Israel.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Education what is the estimated annual revenue that will be derived from the imposition of parking fees for teachers in schools.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Law” load=”hide”]*Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Law (a) how many temporary occupation licences (TOLs) have been issued to commercial plant operators in the East Coast/Marina Bay area; (b) what is the purpose of issuing such TOLs; and (c) whether any traffic impact assessments or environment impact assessments have been carried out before the TOLs were issued.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Manpower” load=”hide”]*Ms K Thanaletchimi: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the hospitalisation of an employee under section 89 of the Employment Act covers his stay at community hospitals and, if not, whether the Ministry will consider reviewing this as more patients may be treated in community hospitals.
*Ms K Thanaletchimi: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry will consider having tripartite standards on managing workplace abuse and harassment; and (b) if so, whether a review will be conducted to formulate the existing Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment as a set of guidelines.
*Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the current successful job matching rate of MyCareersFuture.sg; (b) whether there are plans to introduce vernacular versions of the platform to help our older job seekers; and (c) what are the plans to increase the job listings by smaller companies.
*Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether an update can be provided on the job match success rate of the Jobs Bank for Singaporeans; and (b) what measures are being implemented to enable the measurement of job match success rates of the Jobs Bank and MyCareersFuture.sg for the purpose of assessing the returns on investment.
*Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what are the current top three sectors with the highest number of salary-related dispute cases involving work permit holders; and (b) in how many of these cases are the salaries of the work permit holders paid electronically.
*Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Manpower in light of the rising minimum fixed monthly salary required for employment pass and S-pass holders for the bringing of family members on dependant passes (a) whether this discourages the hiring of cheap foreign talent and favours expensive foreign talent; (b) how many employment pass holders and their families affected; and (c) how many SMEs and which sectors are most affected by this.
*Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether judgments and grounds of decision of the Employment Claims Tribunal can be made available for access and reference.
*Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry has plans to assist fresh graduates from private universities to gain employment in the workforce and to change the perception of their value-add to the market place amongst employers.
*Assoc Prof Randolph Tan: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the growth in demand for foreign domestic workers (FDW) is sustainable and whether there are measures in place to address the long-term issues associated with a large and growing FDW population.
*Assoc Prof Randolph Tan: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the career switches that have been achieved by participants of the Professional Conversion Programme to date have met the aims of the programme.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the resident employment rate for those aged 25 to 64 with education qualifications below secondary school level; and (b) what are the initiatives to help those in this category who are currently unemployed to find a job.
Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) in each of the last three years, what proportion of jobseekers are placed into jobs that are directly introduced by Workforce Singapore (WSG) and e2i; and (b) whether there are plans to improve the overall placement rates by WSG and e2i.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether additional interest rates can be given to the low income groups’ CPF savings that will support their retirement needs.
Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for Manpower for each year from 2015 to 2017 (a) what is the number of Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) employee-recipients based on the four age groups under WIS; (b) what is the total corresponding expenditure incurred in each year to disburse WIS to the employee group; and (c) what are the considerations taken into account in determining the WIS payout.
Mr Kok Heng Leun: To ask the Minister for Manpower over the last 12 months (a) what are the top five reasons for rejecting non-domestic work permit applications other than the reason of the employer not meeting the dependency ratio; and (b) what channels are open to the worker and employer to find out the reason for the rejection.
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry regulates the living conditions and protection of rights of foreign domestic workers after they have arrived in Singapore and before employment; and (b) how regularly does the Ministry inspect the boarding houses and interview the workers.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Manpower in each of the past three years (a) how many employers have informed the Ministry in writing of modifications to the salary terms for a Work Permit holder to less favourable terms than declared and stated in their in-principle approval letter; (b) how many employers have been fined for not having done so; (c) how many notices of salary reduction have been issued to workers; and (d) on what grounds does the Ministry determine whether a salary reduction can be allowed.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Social and Family Development” load=”hide”]*Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development what are the details and framework of the workings of The Special Needs Trust Company, in particular its objectives, potential partnerships and alignment with SG Enable.
*Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Ministry tracks the average and median salaries of early childhood educators according to their education attainment; and (b) if so, what are the current average and median salaries of early childhood educators according to their educational attainment and how do these compare to five years ago.
Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development in the last three years, what has been the number of divorce cases where custody of the children has been accorded to (i) mothers only (ii) fathers only and (iii) both parents respectively.
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether there has been an increase in the number of children aged 14 and below involved in self-harm cases; (b) how these cases came to be reported; and (c) what assistance was rendered to the children and their families.
Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether current services and programmes are sufficient to deal with cases of statutory rape and sexual misconduct involving children or young persons that are carried out by persons known to the victims; and (b) whether mandatory counselling services will be extended to families where children or young persons are victims of sexual misconduct involving family members, kin and persons known to the victims.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Trade and Industry” load=”hide”]*Ms K Thanaletchimi: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry with the ongoing trade war between the US and China (a) what is the impact on Singapore; (b) how will this affect Singapore workers, employment prospects and consumers at large both in the short term and in the long term; (c) whether the US’s shift towards protectionist trade affects the global norm of free trade agreements; and (d) what is Singapore’s strategy to overcome these challenges.
*Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what are the implications on our economy and industries arising from (i) the increasing trade dispute between US and the rest of the world (ii) the current outlook of a multilateralism trading system and (iii) the recent efforts of EU and China in exploring closer trade links.
*Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry in light of reports on sales persons marketing so-called “freebie” bags to senior citizens (a) whether the Ministry will investigate these vendors to assess if they are using deception to sell their wares; and (b) whether the Ministry will work with other Government agencies and the Consumers Association of Singapore to look into any loopholes in the law that need a review.
*Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether the general cost of living in Singapore has increased significantly and is a cause for concern; and (b) what are the measures that the Government will take to address further cost increases and minimise their impact on the low and middle-income households.
*Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether the wage growth is moving in tandem with productivity gains; (b) whether the sectoral wage growth is commensurate with sectoral productivity gains; (c) which sectors are productivity laggards; and (d) whether the targeted help provided has led to productivity and wage gains.
*Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether an update can be provided on measures to boost the competitiveness of Singapore as an aircraft leasing hub vis-à-vis countries like Hong Kong and Ireland.
Mr Thomas Chua Kee Seng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how much of the overall labour productivity growth of 4.5 per cent in 2017 was attributable to our SMEs; and (b) what is the productivity performance of SMEs in the respective sectors.
Mr Ang Hin Kee: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry as Singapore gears up to be “Smart Nation” ready (a) what is the infrastructure support available to ensure that business transactions and daily digital operations are not affected when there is a power or technical breakdown such as the recent CBD power outage; and (b) whether there are plans to identify skill sets and put in place standard operating procedures to ensure workers are equipped with the skills and know-how to prevent similar incidents.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether published data for Singapore’s Gini coefficient measuring income inequality includes both employer and employee CPF in the definition of income; and (b) if it does, what will be the latest Gini coefficient data if CPF income is excluded.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for the Culture, Community and Youth” load=”hide”] [/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Defence” load=”hide”]Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) what is the total number of recruits to the SAF Volunteer Corp since its inception; (b) what is the ratio of male to female recruits; (c) what is the current dropout rate and what are these cases due; and (d) whether there will be any review of the programme and training based on the observations and feedback thus far.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for the Environment and Water Resources” load=”hide”]Mr Ang Hin Kee: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) whether the deployment of recycling bins to HDB blocks under the enhanced National Recycling Programme has been effective since it was implemented in 2011; (b) whether the Ministry enforces checks to ensure that the bins are returned to their designated spots after the waste have been collected; and (c) whether technology such as geo-fencing can be deployed to ensure that these bins are not inevitably moved or relocated.
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether he can provide an update on the 2016 pilot study of releasing bacteria-carrying mosquitoes into the environment.
Mr Yee Chia Hsing: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether the Ministry will consider increasing the penalties for pollution of our water resources with toxic industrial waste, especially for recalcitrant offenders.
Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources following the fires at Pulau Busing and Kranji in March 2018 (a) whether these fires have affected the air quality in the vicinity; and (b) what is the procedure for activation of the NEA team to monitor air or water quality following a major fire involving hazardous products.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources what can the Ministry do to ensure that the food prices at hawker centres and coffee shops in new estates such as Sengkang, Tampines and Sembawang are comparable to those in matured estates as shown in the Makan Index.
Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether all motorcycles registered before 2003 and of at least 35 years old by 2028 will be allowed to continue under LTA’s Classic Vehicle Scheme.
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