The Singapore Parliament will sit at 1:30pm on Monday, 8 July 2019, for the 106th session of the 13th Parliament.
*79 oral questions and 40 written question have been scheduled to be asked.
At the commencement of Public Business, 4 Government Bills will be introduced:
- Point-to-Point Passenger Transport Industry Bill – (Minister for Transport).
- Home Team Science and Technology Agency Bill – (Minister for Home Affairs).
- Fire Safety (Amendment) Bill – (Minister for Home Affairs).
- Intellectual Property (Dispute Resolution) Bill – (Minister for Law).
And a Government Bill will be read for the 2nd time:
Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill [Bill No. 13/2019] – (Minister for Home Affairs) – Second Reading.
[For amendment on the Bill, see Supplement No. 21 dated 8 July 2019.]
There will also be a Matter proposed to be raised on the Motion for the Adjournment (SO 2(8)(b)) from Mr Terence Ho Wee San (Nominated Member):
Achieving Arts Excellence in Singapore.
Below are the questions filed towards the various Ministers
[toggle title=”Prime Minister” state=”close”]
*Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Prime Minister whether he can provide an update on the new initiatives planned for the next general election, in particular (i) the e-registration of voters (ii) the new prototype booth design and (iii) any other changes made to the conduct of the voting process on Polling Day.
*Mr Mohamed Irshad: To ask the Prime Minister (a) since 2015, how many individuals have changed their Singpass ID to a non-NRIC detail; (b) whether the Ministry has studied the use of other unique user IDs for Singpass login; and (c) what efforts have been undertaken to inform users of the option to change their SingPass user ID to a non-NRIC detail.
*Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Prime Minister whether house unions in the various Ministries and statutory boards can be regarded as part of the organisational structure and hence be allowed to occupy office space within the building premises without being charged market rental.
*Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what are the operating terms for virtual banks as compared with traditional banks; (b) whether MAS will ensure that there is a level playing field for all; and (c) what is the impact of lower operational costs for virtual banks on consumers and the industry.
*Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Prime Minister in light of Facebook’s plans to introduce the Libra cryptocurrency, whether he will consider introducing regulatory changes to manage a potential shake-up in the banking system and to protect the public from the perspectives of market competitiveness and data privacy.
Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Prime Minister what is the impact on Singapore’s economy arising from the US Treasury adding Singapore to a watch-list of currency manipulators.
Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether he can provide an update on whether the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) has been formed; and (b) if not, when he intends to establish the EBRC.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Minister for Foreign Affairs” state=”close”]
*Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) whether he can provide an update on the ASEAN Leaders’ discussion on the Rohingya issue at the ASEAN Summit held from 19-22 June 2019, especially on their repatriation and guaranteed safety on their return; and (b) what have the ASEAN Leaders agreed to do in the meantime with regard to the education and well-being of the children in Bangladesh who, being stateless, are missing out on formal education given the continued delay of a resolution.
*Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether he can explain the objectives and significance of the framework for co-operation across the Indo-Pacific region that was endorsed on 23 June 2019 at the ASEAN Summit in Bangkok.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Minister for Transport” state=”close”]
*Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Transport whether he can provide an update on the current level of our rail reliability and how such continued efforts are going to be sustained and funded.
*Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) in the past two years, how many incidences of unauthorised drones have occurred; (b) whether the offenders were found and, if so, what consequences did they face; and (c) whether there are plans to enforce a larger no-fly zone around major transport nodes such as the airports.
*Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Transport whether he can provide an update on the investigation of the recent incidents of flight delays at Changi Airport due to the presence of illegal drones and what further measures will be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
*Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Transport what are the measures put in place to ensure the prompt removal of drones that have intruded into restricted areas and their identification.
*Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry has ascertained the persons responsible for the flying of the unauthorised drones which resulted in flight delays and the shutting of a runway at Changi Airport on 18 June 2019 and what are the actions to be taken to prevent similar delays in the future.
*Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport with regard to the disruptions to flight operations at Changi Airport arising from unauthorised drones on 18, 19 and 24 June 2019 (a) whether the Government has identified the drones in question, the identity of their owners or operators and the reasons for their operation at the material time; and (b) what are the Government’s plans to prevent or minimise further disruptions to airport operations from drone operations especially by unregistered or unidentified owners or operators.
*Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Transport in view of the latest incident involving unauthorised drones adversely affecting the operation of Changi Airport (a) whether the Ministry has completed its investigation into the incident; and (b) what are the measures taken to prevent future incidents.
*Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Transport how many drones have been detected in the recent two incidents involving unauthorised drones near Changi Airport and what is the outcome of the investigation thus far.
*Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Transport with regard to the security inadequacy discovered in the Malaysian Vehicle Entry Permit registration website in April 2019 where details of thousands of foreign motorists, including Singaporeans, have been exposed, what have been the follow-up measures taken up with our Malaysian counterparts to protect the sensitive information of Singaporean motorists.
*Mr Yee Chia Hsing: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the swapping of car registration number plates with another car’s plate is an offence if the swap is done outside of Singapore for purposes of avoiding traffic summons in a foreign country; and (b) how many drivers have been fined for displaying an incorrect car registration number over the past three years.
*Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Transport in light of the challenges in controlling errant PMD users, what additional measures are being considered by LTA to protect the safety of pedestrians and ensure that growth in PMD use does not overwhelm infrastructure capacity.
*Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether any company has been approved to operate commercial shared PMD services on public footpaths and public parks; (b) if so, when did this take place and which companies have been awarded; (c) if not, when are approvals expected; and (d) whether an update can be provided on the latest conditions and restrictions which have been imposed or which the LTA intends to impose in respect of the operation of commercial shared PMD services by proposed operators.
*Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) how many accidents have there been over the last one year involving cyclists and PMD users at bus stops; (b) how can the Ministry better protect commuters at bus stops; and (c) what are the efforts to improve safer usage of bicycles and PMDs at bus stops.
*Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether there are sufficient workers currently at the two rail operators to carry out preventive maintenance of the MRT lines effectively; and (b) what are the plans by the Ministry to ensure that there are adequate skilled technical workers for rail maintenance in view of the introduction and opening of new MRT lines.
*Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) how many visitors, locals and foreigners, have visited Jewel since its opening; (b) how many injury cases have been reported at the Jewel; and (c) what are the steps that the Ministry has taken to improve its safety measures.
*Prof Lim Sun Sun: To ask the Minister for Transport in view of the discontinuation of the bus-on-demand trial due to high software development costs and poor commuter take-up (a) whether options to lower such costs have been explored through opening up software development to more players; and (b) whether a more concerted effort to educate commuters could be made before concluding the trial.
Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Transport what action can be taken against Singaporean drivers who change their car licence plates when they enter Malaysia, especially when their actions have adverse or detrimental effects on other Singaporean drivers whose licence plates have been copied.
Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what are the safety concerns that LTA has for delaying the decision on which companies can operate shared-PMDs; and (b) what are the additional requirements that LTA intends to impose on licensees to allay these safety concerns.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) in the past three years, how many foreign motorists have been summoned by Singapore authorities for not displaying their vehicle licence plates properly; and (b) what are the measures carried out at the Singapore land checkpoints to ensure that foreign vehicles entering Singapore have licence plates that are properly displayed, such as that requiring that the fonts to be sufficiently large, so that these vehicles can be easily identifiable.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Minister for National Development” state=”close”]
*Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) why does the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act not stipulate a minimum percentage, based on the monthly maintenance fee paid by subsidiary proprietors, to be set aside towards the sinking fund to meet cyclical maintenance needs of a private estate; and (b) whether the Ministry can consider amending the Act to help MCST management committees build sufficient sinking funds without having to go through the process of getting majority support through voting at annual general meetings.
*Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB will consider allowing applicants who have not reached the age of 55 but have bigger families and in financially tight situations to purchase not just 2-room Flexi flats, but also new 3-room HDB flats.
*Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for National Development in respect of the take-up rate of 3Gen HDB flats at recent BTOs, what are the reasons for the current response and what does HDB intend to do for those 3Gen flats that remain unsold after repeated Sale of Balance Flats exercises.
*Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Minister for National Development regarding listings of Singapore residential properties for lease periods shorter than the legally permitted durations on websites such as Airbnb (a) what measures are in place to prevent such listings; (b) how rigorous are the enforcement measures; (c) whether penalties should be increased; and (d) whether the Ministry will consider penalties for websites which host such illegal listings including temporary bans.
*Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether there has been an increasing trend of motorcycle owners being summoned for illegal parking at carparks or service roads in the last three years; and (b) whether HDB will consider providing designated motorcycle parking lots next to the loading and unloading bays, near HDB flats, to allow short-term parking for delivery riders given the increasing trend of home deliveries.
*Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the pigeon nuisance at the housing estates has worsened; (b) whether the additional measures taken by NParks and NEA to step up surveillance, education and enforcement have been effective in reducing pigeon feeding; and (c) whether there is a need for a concerted multi-agency effort to significantly reduce pigeon feeding.
*Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development in respect of the conversion of shops to eateries at shopping malls, whether URA will consider introducing an approval system to address potential problems dealing with fumes and odour that may emanate from the converted eateries to nearby residential areas and to impose quantifiable odour and fume standards for all eateries to observe.
*Mr Alex Yam Ziming: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how many cases of neighbour disputes have been reported to the HDB from 2014 till date; (b) how many have been resolved; and (c) what recourse is available to residents who have been subject to persistent and prolonged harassment by neighbours.
*Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development in light of the growing trend of rainfall volatility and intensity causing human injury and property damage, whether NParks will consider introducing regulations to ensure that all organisations having the responsibility to maintain trees in the vicinity of roads, footpaths, residences, playgrounds and the like apply the same or higher standard of tree inspection and maintenance by NParks.
*Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for National Development what is the rationale for not wanting to draw demarcation lines along park connectors to provide for clear lines of division between cyclists and joggers using the same path.
*Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) over the last five years, what is the number of complaints received by HDB pertaining to foreign tenants in HDB estates; (b) what is the nature of these complaints; (c) how does HDB follow up on the complaints; and (d) whether measures arein place to help first-time foreign tenants of HDB flats familiarise with the norms and practices in HDB estates as well as living in Singapore.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) in each of the past two years, how many first-timer applicants have successfully secured their HDB flats from Built-To-Order (BTO) and Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercises on their (i) first attempt (ii) second attempt (iii) third attempt (iv) fourth attempt (v) fifth attempt and beyond; and (b) how effective has the present measure of additional ballot chances for each failed attempt been in assisting first-timer applicants to secure their flat.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for National Development what can be done to increase awareness of vertical gardens in Singapore such as to increase greenery in residential areas and industrial spaces and to enhance the number of green hobbyists and enthusiasts in Singapore.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development for each year in the past five years (a) how many single unwed parents under 35 years old applied to buy a flat from HDB; (b) how many of such single unwed parents obtained a ballot number without submitting an appeal; and (c) how many of such single unwed parents obtained a ballot number following an appeal.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development for each year in the past five years (a) how many single unwed parents applied for a HDB flat under the Public Rental Scheme; (b) how many of such single unwed parents were allocated a flat without submitting an appeal; and (c) how many of such single unwed parents were allocated a flat following an appeal.
Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the cost of the Home Improvement Programme (HIP) budgeted for Hougang SMC, both for completed and upcoming works; and (b) when will town councils be invited to nominate flats built between 1987 and 1997 for the enhanced HIP announced in August 2018.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Minister for Health” state=”close”]
*Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry tracks the number of residents who are disqualified from buying the Integrated Shield Plans (IP) offered by private insurers due to the implementation of MediShield Life which covers pre-existing conditions; and (b) how does the Government intend to work with these IP private insurers to benefit policyholders.
*Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether there is an oversupply of doctors in Singapore; and (b) what percentage of doctors in Singapore are currently non-Singaporeans and whether there is a specific target that the Ministry is working towards.
*Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Health (a) for the past five years, what has been the trend in premium inflation for private hospitalisation insurance plans; and (b) what measures have been taken to regulate over-charging and over-consumption in the private medical sector.
*Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many cases of imported diseases has been reported in the last three years; and (b) how can the Ministry work with these source countries to minimise the occurrences of these diseases from reaching our shores.
Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Health what is the current number of (i) medical social workers and (ii) AIC care co-ordinators, and their respective ratios to the population of care recipients over the age of 65 years.
Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether any of our public health institutions use WhatsApp to communicate medical information and records to their patients; and (b) if so, what has been done to protect the patients’ information in view of the recent WhatsApp security breach.
Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Health in each of the last three years (a) what proportion of patients receive services from more than one Medifundapproved institution (MFI); (b) what is the average number of different MFIs that patients receive services from; (c) what is the proportion of patients who applied for MediFund at more than one MFI; (d) for such patients, what is the average number of MFIs where MediFund applications are made; and (e) what are the costs incurred by MFIs to assess MediFund applications.
Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Minister for Health whether the use of MediSave can be extended to cover more chronic severe skin conditions other than psoriasis.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Minister for Home Affairs” state=”close”]
*Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether there is a need to review the provisions of the Misuse of Drugs Act in light of the Court of Appeal’s judgment in Adili Chibuke Ejike v Public Prosecutor; and (b) how will the presumptions in the Misuse of Drugs Act continue to function as key legal tools to battle drug trafficking within, into or through Singapore to make Singapore drug-free.
*Ms Irene Quay Siew Ching: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the average response time and time taken by emergency ambulances to reach the nearest hospital during rush hours; (b) what is the percentage of emergency ambulances hitting targets for response time and time taken to reach the nearest hospital during rush hours; and (c) whether paramedics have raised concerns about vehicles not giving way to ambulances especially during rush hours.
*Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in the past five years, how many attempted cases of suicide have been due to undesirable online influence; (b) what measures has the Ministry taken to ensure that websites which share information on teaching how one can take one’s own life or make explosives, guns or other life threatening devices are prevented from spreading in Singapore or made accessible to the public; and (c) whether existing legislation is adequate to tackle the proliferation of such undesirable online materials and their influence.
*Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in the past year, how many road accidents have involved cyclists; (b) how many of such accidents have resulted from cyclists cycling against traffic; (c) what is the maximum penalty for cycling against traffic; and (d) what is LTA doing to create greater awareness for and deterrence against such behaviour.
*Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in the past three years, whether there has been any study on the number of minors tattooing their body; (b) how does the Ministry ensure that a minor has the consent of his/her parent/guardian before getting a tattoo; (c) what is the redress for parents if a minor has been tattooed without parental consent; (d) whether any person has been prosecuted for such an offence; and (e) whether the Ministry will consider imposing a minimum age on getting tattoos in Singapore.
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs since the start of operation of the two integrated resorts, how many cases of money laundering at each of the two casinos have been (i) detected and investigated (ii) prosecuted and (iii) convicted annually.
Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether it is mandatory for all private buildings, including commercial and residential properties, to have sufficient and easily-accessible automated external defibrillators (AEDs) onsite and, if not, why not.
Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what are the guidelines and regulations regarding the availability of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in Government/public buildings and public areas.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs with regard to fraudulent websites and fake social media accounts using the names of Singapore Ministers (a) whether the perpetrators have been caught; (b) what penalties will they face; and (c) what action is being taken against pages that are still active.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many residents have joined the community volunteer police force to help maintain community security since the scheme was launched; and (b) what are the plans to encourage more residents to join the scheme.
Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) where persons are sentenced to death, what is the median and average time frame from the final appellate court decision to the date of hanging; (b) where a clemency petition is filed with the President’s Office, whether there are guidelines as to the time within which Cabinet advice should be rendered to the President and for the President’s Office to reply to the petitioner; and (c) whether it is usual for the prisoner and his family to receive both the reply from President’s Office on clemency and the notice of the execution date from the Prisons Service at the same time.
Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs for each year over the last 10 years (a) how many non-Singaporean spouses have applied for permanent residency (PR) and how many applications have been approved; and (b) which specific Asian and non-Asian countries are the successful applicants from, expressed as a percentage of the successful applicants.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Minister for Communications and Information” state=”close”]
*Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information what impact will the US Huawei ban have on Singapore’s 5G deployment.
*Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information with regard to the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (a) what is the Ministry’s training plan and guidelines for Ministers and their civil service teams on the use of the Act, especially in the assessment of fact and falsehood; and (b) what public education programmes are being planned on the intent and implications of the Act for ordinary citizens and civil society.
*Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether he can provide an update on the current standard of service by SingPost; and (b) whether there have been visible signs of improvement over the past six months.
*Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information whether there will be regular reviews of Smart Nation initiatives on improving reach and access to persons with disabilities.
Prof Lim Sun Sun: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) how does the Ministry assess the efficacy of the Home Access Programme that provides subsidised broadband access to low income families; and (b) whether these families are tracked in terms of their technology adoption and digital literacy skills and challenges.
Prof Lim Sun Sun: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) how does the Ministry assess the efficacy of the NEU PC Plus Programme that provides subsidised personal computer/laptop ownership to low income families; and (b) whether these families’ technology usage patterns and digital literacy skills are tracked.
Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether he can provide an update on the investigation into the hacking of the Singapore Red Cross website; (b) whether it is mandatory for VWOs and NGOs to comply with the IT security guidelines established by the Government; and (c) whether there are plans to equip VWOs and NGOs with the capability to establish resilient IT security frameworks to safeguard confidential data.
Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) what are the engagement and outreach activities conducted by the Cyber Security Agency since its creation in 2015; (b) what is the target audience of the agency’s public outreach programmes; and (c) whether there are plans to increase the agency’s public outreach programmes in light of the recent string of cybersecurity-related incidents.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Minister for Finance” state=”close”]
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Minister for Education” state=”close”]
*Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Education (a) how many cases of parents harassing or abusing teachers have occurred yearly from 2015 to 2018; (b) what measures are in place to ensure that teachers have a safe working environment; and (c) what measures are in place to ensure that teachers who are harassed or abused have access to channels to seek counselling and redress.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is being done to reduce the emphasis on exam-centred grading and what has been the effect of these changes thus far; and (b) what is being done to emphasise character development, life skills and the joy of learning through interest-based learning, learning through fun or outside-classroom learning instead.
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Education what is the number and percentage of Singaporeans respectively in the latest 10 cohorts being tracked who have obtained bachelor’s degrees from public universities, private universities and overseas universities.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Education in each of the past five years, what is the total Government spending on scholarships and other forms of financial aid given to foreign students studying in Singapore schools and universities.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Minister for Law” state=”close”]
*Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Law in light of scammers targeting law firms and impersonating lawyers (a) what steps will be taken to ensure law firms strengthen their IT processes and cyber security; (b) whether any assessment of the state of cyber security awareness amongst law firms has been done; (c) if not, whether the Ministry will consider conducting such an assessment; and (d) how can victims of such scams be assisted to recover their lost monies.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Minister for Manpower” state=”close”]
*Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Minister for Manpower given the expected protracted US-China trade war, how will the job prospects for recent Singaporean graduates and youths be affected and what advice will the Government offer to Singaporean youths entering the workforce.
*Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what are the current efforts to help companies be more inclusive to individuals with autism; (b) how can the Government and society partner each other to help autistic individuals gain employment and better integrate into the workforce; and (c) whether, and how, the tripartite partners are further stepping up their efforts to help autistic individuals train, re-skill and gain meaningful employment amidst economic uncertainty and transformation.
*Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the average participation rate in Flexi-Work Arrangements (FWAs) by employees at companies that have rolled out such arrangements; (b) how does the rate of Singaporeans participating in FWAs compare to those of other countries including OECD countries; and (c) whether there is a difference in productivity, staff morale and turnover for companies offering FWAs and those that do not.
*Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how do rates of return from CPF members’ self-directed investments made via the CPF Investment Scheme compare with those from pension funds invested by professionals such as that in Australia and the US; and (b) what is the average return over three years, five years and 10 years and how do these compare with industry benchmarks.
*Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Manpower why are employers hiring interns from private universities required to pay CPF contributions while CPF contributions are not required for interns from the public universities.
*Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Manpower how is the Ministry working with the food delivery companies to ensure that their food delivery riders using PMDs are provided with work injury insurance.
*Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) in each of the last three years, what is the number of complaints made against maid agencies; (b) what are the top three complaints made against the agencies; (c) whether there is an update on Trustmark, the planned grading scheme for maid agencies; and (d) whether the assessment of the Ministry is that stricter guidelines are required to ensure that maid agencies follow standard procedures with regard to maid hiring, training, replacement and repatriation.
Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) in the past five years, how many commercial divers have suffered accidents and death on the job; and (b) what is being done to ensure that commercial diving companies comply with the industry’s training guidelines and framework for the safety of their divers.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what are the penalties for foreign domestic workers who give false information or accuse employers wrongly; and (b) how many of such complaints has the Ministry received in the past three years.
Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) in 2017 and 2018 respectively, how many households with a 65-year-old family member were qualified for the foreign domestic worker levy concession under the aged person scheme; (b) how many of those households had utilised the concession; and (c) following the increase of the qualifying age to 67 years old on 1 April 2019, how does the current proportion of qualified households compare with those in (a).
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Manpower what are the top three factors that have led to the improvement in the gender pay gap in Singapore over the past decade.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) for the past five years, what are the fatality and injury rates respectively for working at heights; (b) which are the sectors most prone to such risk; and (c) what actions is the Ministry taking to prevent accidents from working at heights.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Manpower in view of recent reports where tourists have been recruited by pet boarding services as volunteers to care for dogs in exchange for accommodation, meals and other benefits (a) how many of such cases have been reported to the Ministry in the past one year; and (b) whether actions have been taken against the tourists and the companies which recruited these tourists.
Assoc Prof Walter Theseira: To ask the Minister for Manpower in the last five years (a) what is the median monthly income of employed residents by marital status, gender, and age group; and (b) what is the median monthly income of employed residents by number of children, gender, and age group.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Manpower what are the existing efforts in reaching out to younger freelancers and self-employed persons who are below the age of 35 to create awareness about opportunities for career progression.
Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the proportion of the workforce given one-year, two-year and three-year reemployment contracts at the point of retirement; (b) what is the proportion of the re-employed workforce being able to work till 67 years old; and (c) what is the number of companies that have re-designed their jobs to support the ageing workforce.
Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the CPF Board can share with the public how the monthly CPF payouts from CPF Life or the Retirement Sum Scheme are calculated as well as the assumptions in determining the payouts, through publication of guidelines and online calculators.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Minister for Social and Family Development” state=”close”]
*Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what are the current efforts to raise the awareness of Singaporeans regarding children and young adults with autism; (b) what has been done to ensure that these autistic individuals continue to have access to resources and provisions; (c) how can the Government and society partner each other to further raise awareness and enhance access to resources and provisions; and (d) whether there will be more efforts to help autistic individuals integrate into society and lead meaningful lives.
*Assoc Prof Walter Theseira: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Ministry will publish the research, evidence or statistics supporting how the income criteria and benefits are determined for the major public assistance schemes; and (b) whether the Ministry intends to undertake new studies that incorporate measurement of basic needs as benchmarks for such income criteria and benefits, in light of the recent Minimum Income Standards study published by the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
*Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the official definition of ‘disability’ used in our social policies; (b) how does this definition compare to the definition under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments); (c) when was our definition stipulated, and whether it is time for a review; and (d) what is the reason for mental disorders to be excluded from this definition of disability for social support and employment schemes.
*Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the total capacity of infant care centres in Yishun; (b) how many applicants are currently in the wait list; (c) how long do they normally have to wait; and (d) what plans are there to meet the demand.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development what are the programmes to help (i) youths who are at risk of under-performing academically or transitioning successfully into adulthood due to socio-economic or familial circumstances and (ii) at-risk youths who come from multi-problem families.
[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Minister for Trade and Industry” state=”close”]
*Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what is the current state of Singapore’s economy and the growth risks ahead and where does the Government intend to pivot to given this period of great external uncertainty.
*Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether he can provide an update on the likely impact that Singapore may face from the US-China trade war and the widening reach of US export controls on emerging and foundational technologies; and (b) what measures and policies can be introduced to ensure headwinds from the escalating US-China trade war, disruptions to the global supply chain and global slowdown will not affect our economy significantly.
*Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how will the ongoing trade war between China and USA impact Singapore; (b) whether the Ministry can name the top three things that the man in the street should be prepared for; and (c) how will the Government cushion the impact.
*Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what are the implications of the trade dispute between US and China on Singapore’s economy; and (b) what are the measures that the Government is prepared to implement should our economy slow down significantly.
*Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the Government’s assessment of the impact of the US-China trade war on the Singapore economy and which sectors are envisaged to be worst-hit or particularly vulnerable; and (b) what measures will the Government institute to support Singaporean workers in these sectors.
*Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether he can (i) give an assessment of the risk of a global trade war and (ii) elaborate on the strategies that Singapore is deploying to manage that risk.
*Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry how widespread is the adoption of the Fair Tenancy Framework by landlords in the retail sector and whether the Ministry has taken steps to promote its adoption.
*Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) in the past three years, how many incidences of gas leaks have occurred in HDB flats; (b) what are the reasons for these leaks; (c) how often are gas pipes checked and serviced; and (d) what other routine preventive measures are taken to ensure these incidences are kept to the minimum.
*Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry in each of the past five years, what is the breakdown of Singaporean versus foreign visitors to (i) Singapore Zoological Gardens (ii) Gardens by the Bay and (iii) Sentosa Island.
*Assoc Prof Walter Theseira: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the cause of the SP Power Grid (SPPG) Substation fire at the Carlton Hotel in February 2019; (b) what is the result of the investigation into the SPPG Substation fire at Bright Hill in January 2019; (c) whether any equipment at fault in these incidents is scheduled for replacement or maintenance; and (d) what measures have been taken to address the risk of recurrence.
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[toggle title=”Minister for Culture, Community and Youth” state=”close”]
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[toggle title=”Minister for Defence” state=”close”]
*Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Defence for the National Day Parade 2019 funpack (a) whether a reusable water bottle can be provided instead of a single-use plastic bottle; (b) whether alternatives to the plastic bag provided have been considered; and (c) whether the unused poncho collection points can be used to collect other unused funpack items or unwanted funpack bags.
*Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Defence in respect of the Direct Reimbursement to Employers of Claims for NS Training (DIRECT) scheme, (a) what is the percentage of serving NSmen whose employers are currently enrolled in the scheme; (b) what are the challenges which discourage more employers from using the scheme; and (c) whether the Ministry will enhance the scheme to increase the take-up rate from employers.
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[toggle title=”Minister for the Environment and Water Resources” state=”close”]
*Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether the Ministry is keeping a close monitoring on the development of the recent air pollution incident in Pasir Gudang and whether it will affect Singapore given the close proximity.
*Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources in light of the Pasir Gudang chemical spill in March 2019 (a) how does the air and water quality in Sengkang, Punggol, Pasir Ris and Pulau Ubin compare with other parts of Singapore from 2008 to 2018, particularly during the northeast monsoon seasons; and (b) what contingency plans are there in the event of an environmental disaster in Johor affecting residents in the aforesaid areas.
*Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources what steps is Singapore taking to (i) address climate change (ii) prioritise green and sustainable living and (iii) reduce food waste in Singapore.
*Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) whether he can provide an update on Singapore’s efforts and strategy in ASEAN to lead and boost the green economy and counter climate change; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider working with other agencies to build a bigger climate financing ecosystem here via incentives and lowering bank capital requirements for climate-friendly investments.
*Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether the Ministry will consider having (i) designated areas for recycling bins at each HDB block, which will make recycling more convenient and (ii) a waste bin beside each recycling bin to reduce the contamination rate in our recycling bins.
*Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) whether PUB conducts regular checks on water meters of residents’ homes to ensure that there is no leakage; and (b) what is the followup process when residents suspect that their water meters may be faulty.
*Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources in view of the recent dengue situation, what assistance measures can be offered to home owners, especially the elderly, who are unable to check on areas beyond their reach such as gutters.
Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources over the last three years (a) what has been the trend of mosquito breeding by households and commercial entities; (b) how many cases of repeat offenders have there been; and (c) whether the current level of enforcement and severity of punishment are sufficient to deter offenders and better prevent the spread of dengue.
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