Parliamentary questions for 5 August 2019

The Singapore Parliament will sit at 12:00 noon on Monday, 5 August 2019, for the 107th session of the 13th Parliament.
*80 oral questions and 29 written questions had been scheduled to be asked.
There will be a ministrial statement from Senior Minister of State for Transport (on behalf of the Minister for Transport):

Personal Mobility Devices.

At the commencement of Public Business, 6 Government Bills will be introduced:

1. 1. Reciprocal Enforcement of Commonwealth Judgments (Repeal) Bill – (Minister for Law).
   2. Reciprocal Enforcement of Foreign Judgments (Amendment) Bill – (Minister for Law).
   3. Resource Sustainability Bill – (Minister for the Environment and Water Resources).
   4. Work Injury Compensation Bill – (Minister for Manpower).
   5. Children and Young Persons (Amendment) Bill – (Minister for Social and Family Development).
   6. Variable Capital Companies (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill – (Second Minister for Finance) – (President’s recommendation signified).

And four Government Bills will be read for the 2^nd time:

1. 1. Point-to-Point Passenger Transport Industry Bill [Bill No. 14/2019] – (Minister for Transport) – Second Reading.
   2. Home Team Science and Technology Agency Bill [Bill No. 15/2019] – (Minister for Home Affairs) – Second Reading.
   3. Fire Safety (Amendment) Bill [Bill No. 16/2019] – (Minister for Home Affairs) – Second Reading.
   4. Intellectual Property (Dispute Resolution) Bill [Bill No. 17/2019] – (Minister for Law) – Second Reading.

There will also be a Matter proposed to be raised on the Motion for the Adjournment (SO 2(8)(b)) from Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon):

Taking Busking to the Next Level.

Below are the questions filed towards the various Ministers
[toggle title=”Prime Minister” state=”close”] *Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Prime Minister (a) if he will review the eligible voting age for Singaporeans under the Parliamentary Elections Act; (b) what is the consideration for retaining the current voting age; and (c) how many more voters will be eligible if the current voting age is changed to 18 years old.
*Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Ministry will extend the Bicentennial Exhibition through to the end of 2020 or even consider making it a permanent exhibition that can be updated as Singapore celebrates future milestones of nation-building.
*Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Prime Minister in relation to persons who are receiving pensions from corporatised bodies of Government departments or statutory boards, whether the Government intends to procure these corporatised bodies’ agreement to correspondingly increase the persons’ pensions so that there will be parity between them and Government pensioners who will be receiving the Singapore Allowance and increases in the monthly pensions as announced in Budget 2019.
Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Prime Minister whether the practice of announcing the names and registration numbers of voters on polling day will be phased out under the e-registration system since verification can be done discreetly on screen in a multi-lingual format for both voters and polling agents alike.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Foreign Affairs” state=”close”] *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”] *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 Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry is considering new measures to curb the use of e-scooters including stronger enforcement and harsher punishments.
*Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether LTA has tracked down vendors who modify PMDs illegally; (b) to date, how many have been caught; (c) what are some of the punishments meted out; and (d) what is the Ministry’s assessment on the adequacy of the current measures.
*Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the length of the amnesty period ending end-2020 for the use of PMDs which are not compliant with the UL2272 standard should be reviewed in light of the increasing number of fire incidents at homes linked to overcharging of PMD batteries.
*Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Transport in view of the recent fire incidents involving PMDs (a) whether there is a need to step up public awareness and education on PMD safety tips; (b) whether current measures to prevent such fire incidents are sufficient; and (c) what measures can the community take to work hand-in-hand with the authorities to reduce and prevent such fire incidents.
*Dr Teo Ho Pin: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) to date, how many PMDs have been registered with LTA; (b) how many of them are UL2272-certified; (c) what measures have been taken to educate the registered PMD owners to ride safely and charge their PMDs safely; and (d) whether there are plans to further enhance the safe use of PMDs on public paths.
*Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Transport in view of the recent spate of fires involving PMDs (a) whether the Ministry can place a temporary ban on the use of PMDs until there are proven solutions for the safer use of PMDs; and (b) whether LTA can bring forward the deadline for all motorised PMDs used on public paths to be certified to the UL2272 standard.
*Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Transport whether there are plans to incorporate dedicated lanes for bicycles and PMDs into the existing infrastructure to ensure the safety of both pedestrians and riders.
*Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether PMDs belonging to current commercial shared-PMD services operating from private premises only are allowed to travel on public land; and (b) if so, whether the Ministry will review the current law or licensing conditions to expressly bar such PMDs from being allowed to travel on public land unless the operators are given a licence to operate commercial shared-PMD services on and from public land.
*Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport whether PMDs belonging to current commercial shared-PMD services operating from private premises only are presently required to be (i) certified to the UL2272 standard to ensure fire safety and (ii) insured against third-party claims for bodily injury or death when travelling on both public and private premises.
*Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Transport whether there has been a further spike of PMD-related fires in the first half of 2019 and what are the considerations for not quickly bringing forward the end-2020 deadline banning the use of non-UL2272 devices on public paths.
*Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Transport in view of the recent fires related to the charging of PMDs and healthcare institutions taking steps to restrict charging of PMDs on their premises (a) whether the Ministry will consider providing guidelines to other institutions where there are significant concentrations of people; and (b) how is the Ministry working with such institutions to mitigate potential fire hazards that may arise from such charging at their premises.
*Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Transport whether LTA will prosecute any retailers or suppliers who sell PMDs or PMD batteries which are non-compliant with regulatory requirements.
*Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what further steps will the Ministry be taking to regulate the purchase of safety-compliant PMDs and the charging of PMDs in homes; and (b) what is the timeline for the review of the deadline for the PMD safety certification.
*Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether there are any requirements for PMDs and their charging systems to be certified with safety marks by Enterprise Singapore before being permitted for sale in Singapore; (b) whether random tests are currently conducted on the charging system of PMDs; and (c) how does LTA manage the retailers who provide modification services for PMDs and their batteries.
*Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what is the current number of registered Personal Mobility Devices (PMD); (b) how many of these registered PMDs have a safety certificate; and (c) in view of the increasing number of PMD-related accidents and fire incidents, whether the Ministry will reconsider its position on mandatory third-party insurance for all registered PMDs.
*Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what will be the measures to protect privacy of drivers when the new satellite ERP system is implemented; and (b) how will the Government store, process and analyse the data collected.
*Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider reviewing its criteria for building lifts at selected overhead bridges especially with an ageing population that faces mobility challenges.
*Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the agencies are looking at new measures to reduce the impact of loud traffic noises to residential housing situated very near the expressways; and (b) whether Ministry is looking at new technologies to reduce such traffic noises and improve the quality of living in such areas.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what are the latest Commuter Graciousness Index results; (b) what is the frequency of these surveys; and (c) whether there are plans to engage in public education at regular intervals to remind all commuters to be gracious.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Transport what legal tools can be used to deter the reckless driving of PMDs especially where such reckless PMD usage causes or could cause serious injury to pedestrians on footpaths or serious collisions with vehicles carefully driven by drivers.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport what are the incidences of MRT train delays of not more than five minutes for each of the MRT lines in each of the past three years.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Transport in light of the increasing use of PMDs in housing estates (a) what is the status of existing projects to widen footpaths in housing estates and what is the completion date for the projects; (b) whether there are further plans to upgrade or widen more footpaths to accommodate both pedestrians and PMD users more safely; and (c) if so, what is the timeline for these plans.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Transport whether there are plans to implement more bus lanes islandwide to facilitate safer and smoother bus journeys.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for National Development” state=”close”] *Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB repair services can be expanded to provide support for the elderly, less mobile residents living alone in non-rental flats when they experience problems in their homes like power trips and infrastructure problems.
*Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB will, deciding not just on a case-by-case basis and without receiving an appeal, allow a single parent and his/her child to get a HDB rental flat when the duo cannot afford alternative housing options and will otherwise have to share a bedroom with existing family members in the family members’ home or stay in the living room because they have no spare rooms available.
*Dr Teo Ho Pin: To ask the Minister for National Development what has been the progress of the industry transformation map for the construction industry.
*Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for National Development whether NParks has plans to install automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public parks.
*Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for National Development what further action does HDB take when complaints against neighbours persist especially against one particular resident and neighbours do not wish to participate in mediation or pursue the matter in the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunal.
*Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for National Development in light of the recent record seizures of illegal wildlife trade totalling S$66 million, whether there is a need to review the legislation and penalties imposed on convicted wildlife traffickers such that they are commensurate with the value of the illegal shipment.
*Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what are the measures to ensure that home defect inspectors are adequately trained and accredited; and (b) whether BCA will introduce a licensing framework for this profession.
*Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Minister for National Development in light of the research collaborations which HDB has signed with material science company Evonik and technology company V-Key (a) whether any of the new applications will be adapted to benefit older flats; and (b) if it is not viable technically to do so for older flats, what plans does HDB have to reduce the negative impact of climate change on older flats or to expedite their replacements.
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for National Development how many Singaporeans have bought BTO flats under the Single Singapore Citizen Scheme since its inception and how many have gone on to get married, with the figures broken down by gender.
Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) currently, how many public buildings frequented by families do not have family-friendly facilities such as a lactation room or a diaper changing room; and (b) what is being done to encourage the owners to retrofit such facilities in these existing buildings.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Health” state=”close”] *Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Health whether he can provide an update on the war against diabetes and how successful has the Ministry been in the preventive, reactive and research programmes in diabetes prevention and management since the programme began.
*Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider allowing Pioneer Generation and Merdeka Generation card holders to receive subsidies for certain treatments at selected traditional chinese medicine clinics approved by the Ministry.
*Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health whether there is currently a shortage of nurses in the public hospitals and, if so, what are the hospitals doing to address the shortage and ensure that the well-being of our patients is not compromised.
*Ms Irene Quay Siew Ching: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how are clinical privileges for medical professionals granted based on their education/training to ensure clinical competence for high-risk, specialised procedures in private practice settings; and (b) what is the oversight process undertaken by the Ministry for the verification of these credentials.
*Ms Irene Quay Siew Ching: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the Ministry’s position with regard to healthcare institutions seeking external accreditations for continuous improvement; and (b) whether the Ministry is looking into coming up with more comprehensive and progressive audit standards like the Joint Commission International (JCI) to sustain Singapore’s reputation of a world-class healthcare system.
*Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many Merdeka Generation Singaporeans require permanent help with at least three of six Activities of Daily Living; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider a disability assistance scheme for the Merdeka Generation that is similar to that for Pioneer Generation Singaporeans.
*Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Health how many students, mid-career switchers, community care sector staff and general practitioners respectively have received scholarships under the Community Care Manpower Development Award since its launch and whether the numbers have been hitting the targets.
*Dr Chia Shi-Lu: To ask the Minister for Health (a) over the last five years, what have been the average daily oil, sugar and salt intakes per capita; and (b) whether the Ministry has set targets for Singaporeans’ oil, sugar and salt consumption over a particular timeline.
*Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry is aware of the number of couples seeking assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) treatment overseas and their reasons for doing so; (b) whether cofunding for ARTs treatment can be extended beyond public hospitals to private hospitals and clinics; (c) what are the reasons for the decreasing ART cofunding with each attempt; and (d) what is the process for women of age 45 and above appealing for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and the average time taken for an approval.
Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the typical profile of people who use home-based eldercare services; (b) how many activities of daily living (ADLs) do people who use home-based eldercare services typically require assistance with; (c) how many people use other types of subsidised services in addition to home-based eldercare services; and (d) what is the average out-of-pocket expenditure, after receiving the maximum subsidies they are eligible for, for people using home-based and communitybased services together and separately.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health for each year in the past five years, what is the absolute number and the percentage of (i) 7-yearold children and (ii) 12-year-old children who have contracted Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) at least once during their life.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Health whether Merdeka Generation Package recipients who have been asked to collect their Merdeka Generation Packages from community clubs or events are entitled to ask for the packages to be sent to them by post instead and with exactly the same benefits as those collecting from community clubs or events.
Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Health in cases where women are unable to conceive due to issues with their egg quality (a) what is the egg donor scheme that is currently available and whether there is sufficient awareness about it; (b) whether there are plans to raise such awareness; (c) what can be done to enhance the egg donor scheme to encourage and ensure the availability of more donors; and (d) whether mothers with spare eggs or women who froze their eggs but no longer need them can donate the eggs to other women who need them.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Home Affairs” state=”close”] *Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether increased law enforcement operations will be undertaken at Orchard Towers so as to reduce or deter any illegal or vice activities there, or around its vicinity.
*Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in the past three years, how many police reports have been made on crime and vice activities at Orchard Towers; (b) what enforcement actions have been taken by the police; and (c) what plans does the police have to eradicate crime and vice activities at Orchard Towers.
*Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the current number of massage establishments in Orchard Towers; (b) whether the number of licensed and unlicensed massage establishments has increased or decreased in the past three years; and (c) whether there are plans to limit the number of licences issued for massage establishments located within one mixed property development.
*Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs how is the Home Team prepared for multiple concurrent civil unrest incidents without significantly compromising its routine incident response responsibilities.
*Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs how effective has the Save-A-Life (SAL) initiative been in saving lives.
*Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether any action will be taken against perpetrators of fake news on social media which is intended to cause racial disharmony.
*Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Ministry will consider taking legal action against companies whose heavy vehicle drivers accumulate more than three speeding summons per year.
*Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs given the prevalence of the use of more powerful batteries for phones, PMDs and other devices and the risk of accidental fires being caused by the overcharging of these batteries, whether the SCDF will consider issuing regulations for the safe charging of such batteries at residences and work places.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs how many incidents of rioting occurred per year from 2010 to 2018.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Communications and Information” state=”close”] *Assoc Prof Walter Theseira: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information for each of the last three years (a) how many total hours of programming aimed at young children are broadcast on free-to-air television channels in the typical week, broken down by the four official languages; (b) within this, what is the breakdown between educational and commercial entertainment programming; (c) what are some examples of educational programming; and (d) how is the provision and financing of such content aimed at children regulated or monitored.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Finance” state=”close”] *Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) whether the valuation of unlisted assets in the portfolios of GIC and Temasek is taken into account when the Government reviews the overall risks of its whole portfolio of assets; and (b) if so, what approaches are taken by the Government to ensure that unlisted assets are valued realistically by GIC and Temasek at the time of injection and in each subsequent year.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Education” state=”close”] *Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is the trend for the total average amount of Government spending on foreign students per year over the past 10 years; and (b) what is the current percentage of foreign students receiving any form of state financial aid out of the total student population (both foreign and local) in polytechnics, junior colleges and autonomous universities.
*Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is the number of international students who have defaulted on their tuition grant bond obligation in the last three years; (b) what is the amount of grants given to these defaulting students; and (c) what are the results of the recovery efforts made.
*Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is the average teacher-student ratio for primary, secondary and junior college levels respectively; (b) what efforts are being taken to reduce class sizes and increase the ratio of teachers to students; and (c) how will the Ministry further alleviate teachers of administrative duties to allow them to focus their day in school on teaching.
*Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is the Ministry’s strategic plan for mental health education and its de-stigmatisation; (b) whether the Ministry has considered re-framing physical health education to total health education that includes mental and emotional health; (c) whether feedback on the mental and emotional health of students are regularly collated and parents informed accordingly; (d) whether co-curricular programmes are recommended to schools to normalise mental health and improve help-seeking behaviours and, if so, what are these programmes; and (e) whether the Ministry will consider partnering external organisations to provide training and support to students’ families.
*Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider allowing SkillsFuture credits to be made available to young adults with special needs from the age of 18 years old, instead of only from 25 years old, in light of the limited post-secondary education or training options for young adults with special needs.
*Assoc Prof Walter Theseira: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will develop a media strategy for improving educational and psychosocial developmental outcomes in young children through subsidising or supporting the broadcast of research-based educational programming on free-to-air television channels or online provision.
*Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Education with regard to the Ministry’s recent guidelines on the wearing of headgear as part of ethnic clothes worn in celebration of Racial Harmony Day (a) whether the Ministry is aware of any public schools that do not allow the use of such headgear; (b) if yes, what types of headgear are not allowed to be worn; and (c) what are the reasons given by these schools for not following the Ministry’s guidelines.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Education to what extent do Institutes of Higher Education (i) offer the teaching of Bahasa Indonesia as an optional module and (ii) facilitate exchange programmes and internships in Indonesia for such students.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Law” state=”close”] *Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Law (a) how many unresolved neighbour disputes have been brought from the Community Mediation Centre (CMC) to the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals (CDRT) so far; and (b) how many orders of damages and their amounts, injunctions, specific performances, apologies and other orders have been issued by the CDRT since its establishment.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Law since the inception of the Community Dispute Resolution Tribunal (CDRT) (a) what is the total number of cases that have been heard by CDRT and the breakdown for each year todate; (b) what is the percentage of the total number of cases where an order on mandatory mediation is made; and (c) what is the total number of exclusion orders made.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Manpower” state=”close”] *Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) why did Singapore abstain from voting on the International Labour Organisation’s Convention on Workplace Violence and Harassment despite its comprehensive coverage; and (b) whether the Government plans to ratify the Convention.
*Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Manpower regarding Singapore’s abstention from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) vote on the Violence and Harassment Convention 2019 (a) whether the Government agrees with the general spirit of the Convention; and (b) what are the Government’s plans to deal with the issues leading to its decision to abstain from the ILO vote.
*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.
*Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the quantum of support provided under the Silver Support Scheme will be reviewed to cater for (i) inflation since its launch in 2014 and (ii) the findings of a recent NUS study which concluded that Singapore seniors each need at least $1,379 monthly to meet basic needs.
*Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) in the last two years, what has been the average and median length of time for workers in the different age groups to secure employment; and (b) whether the various employment assistance schemes provided to help workers in these different age groups to secure employment have been effective.
*Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how effective have the previous downturn measures been in helping workers to stay in their jobs or find new opportunities; and (b) what are the plans that the Ministry has in place to support workers should the economy continue to slow down and jobs may be lost.
*Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for Manpower with regard to the Report of the Auditor-General for FY2018/19 whether any forensic review has been done to ascertain the integrity of the Work Permit and Employment/S Pass systems for the period of 2 June 2011 to 31 December 2017 since there were no reviews conducted by the Ministry of activities performed by the IT vendor staff using the privileged operating system user account during that period as flagged by AGO.
Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act will be amended to ensure that there are clearer standards on the well-being of foreign domestic workers, namely (i) stipulated mandatory rest times (ii) setting out minimum amounts and quantity of food to be provided by employers and (iii) setting out minimum standards for foreign domestic workers’ accommodation including that for shelter, amenities, ventilation, safety and privacy.
Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Manpower with regard to cases registered for mediation by the Tripartite Alliance Dispute Management in each of the last three years that were then subsequently withdrawn due to payment, part-payment or resolution through a formal settlement agreement (a) what were the respective average and median proportions of the settlement amounts compared to the amounts initially claimed; and (b) how many claimants were not paid the settlement amount in full within four weeks of registering the settlement agreement in the District Court.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) which is the industry or service sector that currently employs the most number of senior workers and what is their ratio against the total number of employees; and (b) what are the additional measures that the Ministry will adopt to encourage companies to retain their older workers before they consider applying for foreign workers.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the current number of companies that have actively supported the Professional Conversion Programme; and (b) what more can be done to help companies and employees who are vulnerable to technology disruption to actively upskill and reskill their employees.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) which is the industry or service sector that currently employs the most number of employment pass holders and S Pass holders respectively; (b) what is their respective ratio of employment pass and S Pass holders against (i) Singaporean employees and (ii) Singaporean employees of equivalent education and experience; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider implementing a quota by nationality of source to avoid high concentrations of employment pass and S Pass holders.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Manpower what are the 25th and 50th percentiles of annual leave entitlement received by (i) rank and file employees (ii) management and executives and (iii) all employees respectively.
Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for Manpower in the last three years, how many HDB occupiers were unable to make claims under the Home Protection Scheme because the policy lapsed.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) when will the next review of the maximum age cap for coverage under the Dependants’ Protection Scheme be; and (b) whether the Ministry has considered that the current generation is starting families at a later age and hence may still have dependants at age 60.
Assoc Prof Walter Theseira: To ask the Minister for Manpower since the introduction of the Tripartite Standard on Unpaid Leave for Unexpected Care Needs (a) how many employers have adopted the Standard; and (b) what is the utilisation rate of the unpaid leave among eligible employees.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Social and Family Development” state=”close”] *Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether there are plans to (i) improve and enhance job-readiness and training in our Day Activity Centres (DACs) for young adults with special needs beyond 18 years old such as collaborating with our ITEs for such training and (ii) provide more funding support and resources to ensure full placement of such young adults from Mondays to Fridays.
*Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry will consider providing grants for fees for faith-based preschools run by non-profit organisations such as those by churches, mosques and voluntary welfare organisations.
*Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the number of children in foster care and the number of registered foster parents in the last three years; (b) whether the Ministry is on track to achieve its target of 500 foster families for 2019; and (c) what measures are planned to boost the number of successful fostering cases.
*Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the respective number of qualified therapists in Singapore for occupational therapy, speech therapy and physiotherapy for special needs children; (b) what proportion of these therapists are working in Government-funded organisations versus private practice; and (c) what is the current student intake at the institutes of higher learning IHLs for such specialised courses.
Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the trend of new ComCare recipients over the last five years; (b) what is the proportion of recipients who require ComCare support beyond the initial support of three months; and (c) how does the Ministry ensure that the level of support is adequate relative to changing costs of living.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Trade and Industry” state=”close”] *Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how many domestic households have currently installed solar panels for electricity production; (b) how much electricity is contributed to the national power grid by these domestic households; and (c) how much carbon emission has been reduced as a result.
*Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether the Minister can provide an update on the blockchain-enabled digital platform that allows households with registered solar photovoltaic panels to sell renewable energy to businesses; and (b) whether there are plans to extend this to the open energy market.
*Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what has been the take-up rate for the SME transformation programmes including SME Go Digital, Productivity Solutions Grant, and Market Readiness Grant.
*Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry in view of the tension building up in the Straits of Hormuz (a) how will any escalation of the situation impact on Singapore’s oil trade; and (b) what are the plans to stave off any sudden spike in electricity tariffs caused to households by the resultant rise in oil prices.
*Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what has been the impact of the current US-China trade tensions on Singapore-owned companies operating in either China or the US; and (b) what is likely to be the impact of these trade tensions on these companies’ domestic operations.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Culture, Community and Youth” state=”close”] *Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth with regard to the Report of the Auditor-General for FY2018/19, what is the reason for the AGO’s conclusion that it may be too late to recover the overpayment of $13 million from the contractor in its audit finding of improper waiver of contractual provision for the National Gallery development project.
*Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth whether she can provide an update on whether there has been a review of the Sports Hub public-private partnership arrangement and whether the Ministry is satisfied with the outcomes of the arrangement thus far.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Minister for Defence” state=”close”] [/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 the Ministry will study the impact of the policy on banning single-use plastics in the UK and Ireland; and (b) what is the Ministry’s assessment of the likelihood of adopting a similar ban here.
*Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources in the last five years, how many companies have been prosecuted for illegal discharge of wastewater into our public sewage system and how many of these have been second-time offenders and multiple repeat offenders.
*Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what is the total number of smoking related complaints received in each of the past two years; (b) of these, how many were caught smoking in prohibited areas; and (c) how effective have thermal cameras been in enforcing smoking restrictions in prohibited areas.
Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether NEA has done any study to determine the existence of a pattern of where dengue clusters form so that preventive action can be carried out.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what measures will be in put in place to incentivise businesses to rely on sustainable packaging material instead of single-use plastics; and (b) what steps are being taken to deter or reduce the usage of single-use plastic containers or plastic bags in Singapore.
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) in 2018, how much food waste has been generated by (i) residential households (ii) food industries (iii) food and beverage outlets (iv) markets and supermarkets and (v) other sources respectively; and (b) what is the progress for implementing food waste segregation and treatment in each of these sectors.
Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) whether the Ministry regulates food delivery companies; and (b) how does the Ministry work with food delivery companies to ensure that food is delivered in accordance with food safety guidelines.
[/toggle] [toggle title=” Minister for Environment and Water Resources & Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs” state=”close”] *Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Environment and Water Resources & Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) who are involved in the selection and appointment of the members of the recently announced Committee on Future Asatizah (COFA); and (b) what are the criteria used in the selection and appointment of these members to COFA.
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