Parliament
Parliamentary questions for 1 April 2019
The Singapore Parliament will sit at 12:30pm on Monday, 1 April 2019, for the 102nd session of the 13th Parliament.
*51 oral questions and 32 written question had been scheduled to be asked.
There will be two Ministerial Statements presented in this parliament sitting:
1. Restricting Hate Speech to Maintain Racial and Religious Harmony in Singapore – Minister for Home Affairs. (Note: Notice is given for the Ministerial Statement to be debated under SO 44.)
2. Protecting Patients’ Interests and Supporting the Medical Community – Minister for Health.
At the commencement of Public Business, 3 Government Bills will be introduced:
1. Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill – (Minister for Law),
2. Protection from Harassment (Amendment) Bill – (Minister for Law),
3. Pioneer Generation Fund (Amendment) Bill – (Second Minister for Finance).
Questions to look out for
Speaking on the tender awarded by the Ministry of Home Affairs to ST Marine for the construction of 12 aluminium-hulled patrol boats, Workers’ Party Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP), Leon Perera will be asking why Ministry of Finance’s Standing Committee on Debarment (SCOD) did not extend the disbarment of companies from tendering for government contracts to cases where the companies or their senior executives had been convicted of corruption in private sector contracts; and whether the notice of award was published no later than 72 days after the tender was awarded to ST Marine as required under the Government Procurement Regulations.
Workers’ Party Member of Parliament, Mr Pritam Singh will be asking for the number of Singaporeans and PRs who paid more than $100 in cash after taking into account subsidies from 2015 to 2018, MediShield Life and Medisave deductions arising from all subsidised hospitalisations; and also what is the average sum paid out by each patient in cash out of all these aforesaid subsidised hospitalisations.
Workers’ Party Member of Parliament, Ms Sylvia Lim is asking the Minister for Home Affairs on whether are there regulations or guidelines are in place to ensure that law enforcement agencies and the media do not release or publish prejudicial information about suspects that can undermine due process in ongoing criminal investigations and proceedings; and whether the prior criminal history and out-of-court records of the suspect who allegedly uploaded videos of the Prime Minister’s son in March 2019 have been divulged to the media by the police or other public agency or official.
People’s Action Party Member of Parliament, Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye will be asking whether the Ministry of Health will review the ban against e-cigarettes as an alternative for long-term smokers to help them reduce the number of cigarettes smoked.
Below are the questions filed towards the various Ministers
[toggle title=”Prime Minister” state=”close”]Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Prime Minister based on the latest update to the Registers of Electors (a) which GRC has the highest increase in the number of eligible voters; and (b) what is the increase in the number of eligible voters for each GRC and SMC.
Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Prime Minister for each year in 2017 and 2018 (a) how many Singapore residents are listed under “Others” in the ethnic category of official documents such as birth certificates and NRICs; (b) what are all the ethnicities and their numbers that make up “Others”; and (c) what is the percentage for each of the categories in the Chinese-Malay-Indian- Others (CMIO) model.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Foreign Affairs” state=”close”]*Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) what are the benefits and implications of the recent agreement with Malaysia to suspend overlapping claims in Singapore’s territorial waters off Tuas; and (b) when was the last occasion that foreign vessels had anchored in Singapore’s territorial waters off Tuas.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Transport” state=”close”]*Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Transport with regard to the suspension of all Boeing 737 Max aircraft flying in and out of Singapore (a) whether he can provide an update on the suspension of all Boeing 737 Max flights from Changi Airport; (b) how long is it expected to last; (c) what is the number of Boeing 737 Max aircraft serving the Singapore route and affected by the suspension; (d) what is the estimated number of travellers affected; and (e) what measures are in place to minimise the impact to travellers.
*Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the aircraft procurement plans of our local airlines are in any way affected by the accidents involving the Boeing 737 Max aircraft; (b) what is the status of our communication with the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing regarding the safety aspects of the aircraft; and (c) whether it is necessary to review the safety risks of other Boeing planes since Boeing 737 Max is reported to be one of the industry’s most reliable passenger aircraft.
*Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) over the last two years, how many serious accidents have there been involving personal mobility devices; and (b) whether there are cases where the victims have been unable to claim for their treatment and left in debt.
*Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) when was the previous bus stop bench replacement exercise done and how much was spent; (b) when is the current bench replacement exercise expected to end; and (c) how long are these new benches expected to last.
Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what is the Ministry’s evaluation framework and process in deciding whether to ground a particular model of aircraft; and (b) how are aircraft types regularly reviewed before they are allowed to operate in Singapore.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the current Productivity Extraction Factor for the Fare Revision Framework takes into consideration operating profits from retail operations of the public transport operators.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Transport whether he can update the House on the progress and timeline for installing 2,000 electric vehicle charging points across Singapore.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for National Development” state=”close”]*Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development in circumstances where low-income parents who co-own their HDB flats with their children decide to sell their flats to enable their children to be removed as coowners so that the children can buy flats in their own names, whether HDB can allow these parents to rely on their children’s income in deciding whether or not to grant a concessionary loan for a purchase of a second flat in the parents’ names.
*Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for National Development what measures are taken to ensure that industrial buildings are not subject to unauthorised modifications beyond the initial inspections.
*Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the current policy of imposing a household income ceiling on Singapore citizens intending to purchase BTO flats may be reviewed to provide some flexibility to households who have unique family circumstances such as the need to take care of mentally disabled family members that require these families to incur higher expenditures or put aside money to deal with the future needs of the disabled family members.
*Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what are the usual causes of cracks on the inside and outside of the walls of HDB flats; (b) what measures does the Ministry take to mitigate these causes; and (c) how often are inspections and maintenance works conducted.
*Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for National Development how can support be given to genuine HDB upgraders who wish to purchase a private property for owner occupation but find themselves caught in transitional issues such as the hefty Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development whether priority can be given to senior citizens who wish to apply for two-room flexi flats together with their peers as a group application as they wish to be neighbours with each other.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development whether BCA, in determining the productivity scoring for public sector construction project tenders under the Price Quality Method framework of tender evaluation, can revise the Technology Adoption Index and Workforce Development Index which are now predicated solely on how much the tenderers tap on the Construction Productivity and Capability Fund so as to ensure tenderers only tap on the Fund when they have a need to do so.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Fresh Start Housing Scheme, which currently covers the purchase of short-lease 2-room flexi flats, may be extended to allow persons with bigger families such as those with three or more children to purchase bigger flats on short-term leases.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the redevelopment plan for the HDB flats at Dakota Crescent has been finalised; and (b) whether HDB can share its plans for the six HDB blocks within Dakota Crescent that are being retained.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the current number of applicants in the waiting list for season parking at the heavy vehicle parking lots at Bukit Batok East Avenue 2 and Bukit Batok Road (Jurong Road); (b) what is the average waiting period for applicants applying for lots at the abovementioned spaces before they successfully obtain season parking; and (c) what are the closest alternative parking areas to the abovementioned parking lots and how far away are those spaces.
Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for National Development as a percentage of the land area of Singapore, what is the total area used respectively for (i) public housing (ii) private housing (iii) industrial land and (iv) parks, nature reserves and water catchment.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Health” state=”close”]*Dr Chia Shi-Lu: To ask the Minister for Health in light of the recent case of a $50,000 fine by the Singapore Medical Council for a doctor who was tricked into conveying medical information to a patient’s brother (a) what are the parameters for communication between doctors and family members, especially when a patient may not be in the position to provide consent or has given implied but not express consent; and (b) what provisions are there in a perceived urgency or emergency, or if doctors have been deliberately misled into giving the information, despite the information being given in good faith and with due concern for the patient.
*Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Health in respect of the Singapore Medical Council’s action against a doctor for breaching patient confidentiality (a) whether the Ministry will review the mitigating factors in the case; (b) how will this SMC ruling impact on any urgent need for doctors to transmit information over the telephone to their patients or their care-givers; and (c) whether the Ministry will be drawing clearer guidelines for the medical profession to comply with.
*Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Health in respect of the incident whereby blood donors’ personal data are compromised (a) whether there are further updates from the preliminary investigation; (b) what follow-up actions have been carried out with the cybersecurity expert who discovered the vulnerability; (c) whether there is a framework in place to ensure that vendors comply with safeguards to prevent unsafe practices and unauthorised access to data; and (d) what measures are necessary to prevent future occurrences and to reassure future blood donors.
*Dr Chia Shi-Lu: To ask the Minister for Health in light of the exposure of blood donors’ personal data online (a) whether the Ministry will consider streamlining the procurement of IT services across its departments, statutory boards, hospitals and clinics to reduce personal data access by multiple vendors; and (b) whether there are factors causing the public healthcare sector to be particularly vulnerable to IT incidents.
*Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Health in light of the cyber breach involving 800,000 blood donors (a) how will the Ministry improve its overall cyber security measures; and (b) how will its security framework also extend to its providers and vendors.
*Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Health in respect of the data leak of more than 800,000 blood donors’ personal information from the database of the Health Sciences Authority (a) why was the data placed on a server accessible through the Internet on 4 January 2019; (b) how did the unnamed cyber security consultant gain access to the data; (c) why did he keep the data; and (d) whether his conduct was in breach of any law.
*Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Health regarding the data leak of more than 800,000 blood donors’ personal information (a) whether the Health Sciences Authority is aware of any unauthorised access to the database during the nine-week period of exposure on the Internet; and (b) whether such incidents are being investigated.
*Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether there has been any compensation or payment made to the cybersecurity expert who discovered and downloaded the unsecured HSA database containing the personal information of more than 800,000 blood donors; and (b) whether it is a condition set by the said expert that his identity should remain secret.
*Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Health in respect of the incident whereby personal information of more than 800,000 blood donors were improperly put online by the IT vendor of the Health Sciences Authority (a) what are the possible effects of such disclosure to the blood donors affected and what measures can be put in place to minimise these effects; (b) what structures will be put in place to ensure that such an incident can be avoided in the future; and (c) what penalties will be imposed to address any improper action by relevant parties that led to the improper disclosure.
*Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will review the ban against e-cigarettes as an alternative for long-term smokers to help them reduce the number of cigarettes smoked.
*Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Health whether consideration can be made to extend the HPV vaccination programme and the one-off catch-up programme to male students as well.
*Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the current average waiting time at the polyclinics; (b) how has the online appointment system helped to reduce the waiting time; and (c) how can the elderly or those who are less IT-savvy be assisted to use the online system especially if the visit is unplanned and necessitated by sudden ailment.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Health since the CHAS card was first introduced, how many residents have visited GP clinics, by number and percentage of increase, using the CHAS card for subsidised medical treatment instead of visiting the polyclinics.
Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health how is the Ministry working with doctors and healthcare staff to prevent healthcare insurance fraud.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health for the senior care industry (a) what is the percentage of local workers; and (b) what are the plans to attract more locals.
Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Health for each year from 2015 to 2018 (a) how many Singaporeans and PRs paid more than $100 in cash after taking into account subsidies, MediShield Life and Medisave deductions arising from all subsidised hospitalisations; and (b) out of all these aforesaid subsidised hospitalisations, what was the average amount paid by each patient in cash.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Home Affairs” state=”close”]*Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs how can the Home Team draw lessons from the recent shooting incidents in Amsterdam and Christchurch to better prevent similar incidents in Singapore.
*Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs how is the Government educating the public on the dangers of the consumption of psychoactive substances since there is some misconception that such drugs are less risky compared to hard drugs.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the number of business e-mail compromise scams in the last five years; (b) what have been the financial losses in total and how much has been recovered; and (c) whether there are plans to better educate potential victims of such business e-mail compromise scams.
Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what regulations or guidelines are in place to ensure that law enforcement agencies and the media do not release or publish prejudicial information about suspects that can undermine due process in ongoing criminal investigations and proceedings; and (b) whether the prior criminal history and out-of-court records of the suspect who allegedly uploaded videos of the Prime Minister’s son in March 2019 have been divulged to the media by the police or other public agency or official and, if so, why.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Communications and Information” state=”close”]*Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information regarding the recent data leak of more than 800,000 blood donors’ personal information from the database of HSA (a) what is the role of the Personal Data Protection Commission in investigating this incident; and (b) whether any review is being done to ascertain whether HSA has acted reasonably in protecting the personal data including whether the contractual obligations between HSA and its IT vendor reasonably safeguarded the personal information entrusted to these parties.
*Ms Irene Quay Siew Ching: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information in view of data breaches across public IT systems (a) whether it is justifiable for public agencies to be exempted from Personal Data Protection Act; (b) what recourse do citizens have, other than to complain to agencies or seek civil action; and (c) whether there should be a tangible penalty meted out to these public agencies for public accountability.
*Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether the Ministry will make it mandatory for all employees in the Government and private sectors to attend courses relating to cyber security; and (b) beyond Internet separation policies, what else is being done to equip employees with the correct mindset towards cybersecurity.
*Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether the Ministry is aware of the complaints of poor customer service by the Singapore telcos; and (b) what can the Ministry do to get the telcos to improve their phone helpdesk especially for the many elderly customers who have to be put on hold for long periods to speak to an officer.
Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) since the Personal Data Protection Commission started receiving complaints in 2014, how many complaints has it referred for alternative dispute resolution under section 27(1) and (2) of the Personal Data Protection Act; and (b) of the complaints sent for such alternative dispute resolution, how many resulted in complainants receiving settlement payments or other redress.
Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information with regard to the porting of telephone numbers (a) what is the time limit for telecommunications companies to complete the process; and (b) how should the costs of delays be distributed.
Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information whether the Ministry has plans to better regulate the installation and access to CCTVs installed in public and private premises in the wake of the recent outcry of CCTVs in a private gym.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Finance” state=”close”]*Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) what is the Gini coefficient of Singapore for each year in the past 10 years when capital income is taken into account; (b) if such data is not available, whether inclusion of capital income is likely to increase or decrease Singapore’s Gini coefficient; and (c) whether the Ministry will take into account capital income when reporting Singapore’s Gini coefficient.
*Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Finance in respect of the tender awarded by the Ministry of Home Affairs to ST Marine for the construction of 12 aluminium-hulled patrol boats (a) why his Ministry’s Standing Committee on Debarment (SCOD) did not extend the disbarment of companies from tendering for government contracts to cases where the companies or their senior executives had been convicted of corruption in private sector contracts; and (b) whether the notice of award was published no later than 72 days after the tender was awarded to ST Marine as required under the Government Procurement Regulations.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Education” state=”close”]*Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is the current demand for Higher Chinese at Primary One level; (b) which are the schools that offer Higher Chinese at Primary One level; and (c) whether the Ministry will increase the number of schools which are currently offering Higher Chinese or Higher Mother Tongue.
*Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is the number of MOE Kindergarten (MK) places that are presently available in primary schools; (b) how has been the take-up rate and whether there are enough places to meet current demand; (c) whether the current expansion plans are sufficient to meet future demand; and (d) whether there is a need to expedite plans to build more MK centres.
*Ms Irene Quay Siew Ching: To ask the Minister for Education with regard to the post-secondary admission system to be implemented in 2028 (a) how does the new subject banding determine subsequent admission to post-secondary institutions of choice; and (b) how can it be ensured that a student chooses subject bands based on his ability and talent and not influenced primarily by entry criteria of his favoured post-secondary institutions.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Law” state=”close”]*Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Law whether the Ministry will consider reviewing the International Arbitration Act to provide for an avenue of appeal to our Singapore courts where it is alleged that there are errors of law in the award issued by an arbitral tribunal.
*Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Law (a) what percentage of cases filed at the Small Claims Tribunal in the past three years are claims arising from tenancy-related disputes; (b) what proportion of such tenancy-related cases are filed by Singaporeans; and (c) whether there are plans to review existing laws to assist landlords and tenants in preventing or resolving tenancy disputes.
*Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Law (a) how much freehold land is currently possessed by the Government; (b) what is the policy governing the sale of this freehold landbank to private property developers; and (c) how much freehold land has been sold to private developers in the past 10 years.
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Law in the recent case of the Singapore Medical Council appealing against its disciplinary tribunal’s sentence, how did the memo containing confidential health information written by Dr Soo Shuenn Chiang for a patient, falsely obtained by the patient’s brother posing as the patient’s husband, come to be accepted by the court for the patient’s brother to obtain a personal protection order against the patient.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Manpower” state=”close”]*Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how can retrenched professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) who are Singaporeans be better helped to find jobs when 76% of retrenched workers in 2018 are PMETs even though the PMET share of job vacancies has risen to 53% in the same year; and (b) whether the Ministry foresees a worsening structural unemployment in 2019.
*Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry has investigated the reasons for PMETs making up 75.8% of retrenchments in 2018; (b) which sectors have been most affected by the PMET retrenchments; and (c) how many of these PMETs have received retrenchment benefits and what has been the average compensation received.
*Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for Manpower since the inception of CPF Life (a) how many CPF members have foregone their earned interest upon their demise; (b) what is the total amount of forgone interest deposited into the Lifelong Income Fund to date; and (c) whether members are made aware that the interest earned under CPF Life does not come under their estate and cannot be bequeathed should there be any unused annuity premium to be refunded.
*Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether persons with mental health conditions will be included in the Special Employment Credit and Open Door programmes and, if so, when; and (b) given that the Workplace Safety and Health Institute’s Research Agenda for Singapore 2018-2020 listed “work stress” as one of its priorities under long-term challenges alongside “ageing workforce and technology”, whether the Ministry is considering legislative interventions for risk assessments and counter-measures in the area of physical and mental health.
*Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how many seniors aged 65 and above currently receive payouts from Silver Support Scheme in addition to CPF monthly payouts; and (b) what is the average quantum of the combined monthly payouts.
*Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider introducing short-term work permits for foreign domestic workers to provide respite support for families and to allow employment agencies to cater to families requiring short-term domestic help.
*Mr Ong Teng Koon: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will review the eligibility criteria of dependant’s passes for children by considering the combined household income if both parents are working on employment or S-passes.
Assoc Prof Walter Theseira: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the current number of women who are out of the labour force because of their caregiving duties to family or relatives; (b) what is the average period they remained out of the labour force; (c) when such women re-enter the labour force, what are their labour market outcomes, disaggregated by employment type, age, and industry; and (d) to what extent do such women experience changes in income relative to their pre-caregiving income or to their non-caregiving peers.
Assoc Prof Walter Theseira: To ask the Minister for Manpower what is the number and proportion of CPF members turning 55 years of age in 2016, 2017 and 2018 respectively who have set aside the Basic Retirement Sum, disaggregated by gender and household income or by housing type as a proxy for household income.
Assoc Prof Walter Theseira: To ask the Minister for Manpower for each year from 2015 to 2018 and by disaggregated housing type (a) what is the number and proportion of households with at least one member over the age of 65 employing foreign domestic workers; and (b) how many of such households have received the Foreign Domestic Worker Grant.
Assoc Prof Walter Theseira: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) for each of the last three years, how many workers have been misclassified as selfemployed persons when they should be classified as employees; (b) what are the major sectors or jobs where such misclassification has occurred; (c) whether there are links between emerging technologies or business models and selfemployment misclassification; and (d) what are the actions taken to resolve misclassification including any penalties meted out to employers.
Assoc Prof Walter Theseira: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) in each of the last three years, how many complaints of gender-related discrimination have been reported; (b) what is the breakdown of complaints by major reasons such as pregnancy, sexual harassment, unequal pay or work opportunities, or other gender-related reasons; and (c) what actions have been taken in category of complaints including any penalties meted out to employers.
Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the number and percentage of current CPF members who are inactive, broken down by gender; (b) of the inactive members, in the last three years, what percentage does not have at least the CPF Basic Retirement Sum in their Retirement Accounts when they turned 55 years old, broken down by gender; and (c) what is the difference in CPF balances of inactive male and female members.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Social and Family Development” state=”close”]*Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) in addressing inequality and social mobility which are inter-agency issues, what is the reason for the difference in income ceilings for ComCare Assistance ($1,900/$650 per capita), the Public Rental Scheme ($1,500), the Workfare Income Supplement ($2,300) and the financial assistance scheme for education ($2,750/$690 per capita); (b) how are these different ceilings derived; and (c) what is the minimum cost of living that is used as a guide for our social policies.
*Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) how many applications for personal protection orders (PPOs) have been made in the last three years; (b) how many orders have been (i) issued and (ii) withdrawn or dismissed; (c) what are the main reasons for the withdrawal or dismissal; and (d) whether there is a plan to streamline the process for the application of PPOs.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Trade and Industry” state=”close”]Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what has been the amount of medical tourism receipts for each year from 2015 to 2018.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Culture, Community and Youth” state=”close”]*Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) of the 8,000 youths who took part in the youth conversations in 2018, what is the number and percentage of youths who indicated mental wellbeing as a top concern; (b) what plans does the Ministry have to address the issue of youth mental health; and (c) how will these plans align with the Ministry’s Community Mental Health Masterplan and programmes being undertaken by other agencies.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) why is there an allocation of only five busking sites to each successful applicant of a Busking Card; and (b) whether the Ministry plans to review and expand the number of (i) designated busking sites (ii) audition cycles per year and (iii) audition slots available under each audition cycle.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth for each year in the past five years (a) how many applications for a Busking Card has the Ministry received; (b) how many applications have been rejected; (c) what are the top three reasons for rejecting an application; and (d) in how many audition cycles are the audition slots fully taken up.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) what are the factors considered when deciding which five busking locations are to be allocated to a busker apart from the buskers’ provided list of eight interested locations; and (b) for each designated busking location, what are the numbers of applicants and successful applicants in the past year.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Defence” state=”close”]*Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Defence in respect of the two SAF personnel who were found dead in SAF camps in July and September 2018 respectively (a) what were the causes of the deaths; (b) whether the deaths were related to issues experienced in the course of service; and (c) prior to their deaths, whether their commanders or colleagues were aware of any problem or difficulty which had a bearing on their deaths.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for the Environment and Water Resources” state=”close”]*Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) whether Singapore has received any updates on the Johor government’s efforts to manage their hotspots and, if so, what are these; (b) how can the health and well-being of Singapore’s residents be safe-guarded against the long-term exposure to haze pollutants; and (c) whether there are plans to conduct outreach programmes to allay concerns and provide regular updates on the haze situation arising from hotspots in Johor.
*Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what specific sensors are there in place in Punggol to measure the level of volatile organic compounds in the air; and (b) whether there has been an increase in the measured levels since the chemical waste dumping incident in Pasir Gudang.
*Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what is the impact of the recent challenges facing Hyflux on our water supply; (b) what contingency plans are there in place, in particular whether PUB has the operational capacity to take over the desalinisation plan; (c) what is the extent of private sector involvement in our water provision; and (d) whether any review should be done in light of what has happened to Hyflux.
*Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether the Ministry will consider instituting a national water rationing day as part of our overall national efforts to get the population to use water prudently.
Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources with regard to the methane fumes incident at Pasir Gudang (a) what is the environmental impact on Singapore; (b) whether there is an adverse impact on our fisheries; and (c) what are the early detection systems put in place to alert Singaporeans.
[/toggle]Parliament
Minister Shanmugam rejects request for detailed information on visa-free visitor offences: Cites bilateral considerations
Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam rejected Workers’ Party MP He Ting Ru’s request for detailed statistics on visa-free visitors involved in crimes, citing bilateral concerns. He affirmed current screening measures are sufficient, with no plans for an electronic travel authorisation system.
On 10 September 2024, Minister for Home Affairs and Law, Mr K Shanmugam, refused to provide detailed information requested by Workers’ Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Sengkang GRC, Ms He Ting Ru, regarding visa-free visitors involved in criminal offences in Singapore.
Ms He had asked for statistics on how many visa-free visitors had been arrested or identified as persons of interest for criminal activities from 2021 to June 2024, along with a breakdown of offences by type, number, and country of origin.
She also queried the consideration of enhanced screening measures and the possibility of introducing an electronic travel authorisation system similar to those in other jurisdictions.
In his written response, Mr Shanmugam stated that with over 150 countries on the visa-free entry list, it would not be practical or meaningful to publish crime statistics specific to visitors from these nations.
He added that doing so could carry bilateral implications and potentially send the wrong message to bona fide visitors from these countries.
Mr Shanmugam affirmed that Singapore’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) employs a risk-based, multi-layered approach to balance border security with traveller facilitation and assured that the current measures are sufficient. He reiterated that there were no immediate plans to implement an electronic travel authorisation regime, as it would increase inconvenience for visitors.
“We are satisfied with the current measures, and for now, do not see a need for an additional electronic travel authorisation regime. Also, such a regime will make visiting Singapore more inconvenient,” said Mr Shanmugam.
This response followed an oral reply delivered earlier that day by Minister of State (MOS) for Home Affairs, Ms Sun Xueling, who addressed a related question posed by Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Mr Leong Mun Wai from the Progress Singapore Party (PSP).
Mr Leong had expressed concerns about the potential rise in crime following the introduction of a 30-day visa exemption arrangement for Chinese nationals in February 2024. He specifically questioned whether the recent burglaries involving foreign syndicates had any link to this exemption and whether automated lanes at Changi Airport increased the risk of non-bona fide travellers entering the country.
Ms Sun refuted Mr Leong’s concerns, clarifying that there had been no increase in arrests among short-term visitors from China since the visa exemption came into effect.
She noted that the arrest rate of Chinese visitors had, in fact, decreased compared to the previous year. While acknowledging the involvement of some foreign nationals in criminal activity, she highlighted that the visa regime alone cannot eliminate all risks. Instead, ICA employs enhanced technology, such as biometrics and advanced data analytics, to screen travellers.
Ms Sun also emphasised the importance of the tourism sector to Singapore’s economy, generating S$27.2 billion in receipts in 2023 and employing over 71,000 workers. She argued that closing borders to prevent crimes would not be a viable solution, especially given Singapore’s competition with neighbouring countries like Malaysia and Thailand, which are also working to attract Chinese visitors.
Despite further calls from Mr Leong for additional security measures and tougher penalties for cross-border crimes, Ms Sun reassured that the government continually reviews its laws, including the Criminal Procedure Code and Penal Code, to address transnational crimes such as human trafficking, drug trafficking, and online scams.
She affirmed that Singapore remains vigilant in adapting its laws and measures to combat evolving criminal trends.
Parliament
Leong Mun Wai questions why NTUC leaders often come from the ruling party
During the Platform Workers Bill debate on 10 Sept, Mr Leong Mun Wai, NCMP from the Progress Singapore Party, backed WP MP Gerald Giam’s call for an independent NTUC. He expressed concerns about NTUC’s ties to the ruling party, questioning its independence given that its leaders are often from the PAP.
SINGAPORE: Mr Leong Mun Wai, Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) from the Progress Singapore Party, voiced support for the Workers’ Party and its MP Gerald Giam’s call for an independent and non-partisan NTUC, separate from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP).
During a parliamentary debate on the Platform Workers Bill on Tuesday (10 Sept), Mr Leong acknowledged that tripartism is a fundamental aspect of governance that all parties, including opposition ones, seek to foster.
He noted that unions naturally seek political power to effect change but expressed concerns about the extent of NTUC’s relationship with the ruling party.
However he questioned the level of NTUC’s independence from the government.
He pointed out that the NTUC’s secretary-general is often a minister or former minister and that many NTUC leaders come from the ruling party.
“Can you find another trade union in the world where the trade union chief is a minister? Are there any countries? Please let me know if there are,” Mr Leong asked, further noting that few opposition politicians are given appointments in NTUC.
“I think we are entitled to think that the independence of NTUC ought to be better than this.”
Earlier, PAP MP Christopher De Souza criticized MP Gerald Giam for using the term “tether” to describe the NTUC-PAP relationship, emphasizing that the NTUC operates through partnership, alliance, and solidarity rather than subordination.
In response, Mr Giam clarified that when he used the terms “tether” or “untether,” he meant that the NTUC and the PAP should be separate and independent organizations.
He sought to ensure that NTUC does not appear to be biased towards the ruling party.
Mr Giam also raised concerns about NTUC’s structure, particularly questioning why the Platform Associations need a Council of Advisors with the power to dismiss the Executive Council and why these advisors are predominantly PAP members or MPs.
He suggested that this structure indicates a lack of independence for NTUC.
The current NTUC secretary-general is Ng Chee Meng, a former PAP minister who assumed the position in 2018 and continues to hold it despite losing to WP’s new team in GE2020.
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