Parliamentary questions for 5 April 2021

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Prime Minister (a) how large is the crypto asset market in Singapore; (b) how does MAS view the trend of greater transactions of such assets amongst companies and retail investors; and (c) how are crypto asset exchanges regulated to provide a stable and benign trading environment in Singapore.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Prime Minister whether there are any specific studies conducted in Singapore that show that increasing a person’s childcare leave entitlement will lead to a decrease in their employability.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Prime Minister for each of the years from 2010 to 2020 (a) how many people in the labour force are working as insurance agents; and (b) what is the breakdown for such persons in terms of full-time employment, part-time employment, educational qualification, age, gender and nationality.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Prime Minister what is the current number of retired public servants who are on pension schemes that provide healthcare coverage for themselves and their spouses.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Prime Minister for each year in the past five years what is the take-up rate of childcare sick leave by public servants.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what is the impact of rapidly rising US long-term interest rates on Singapore; and (b) how will it affect Singaporean households with exposure to property mortgages.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Transport whether he can provide more details on the digital vaccine passport system between Singapore and Australia and travel bubble arrangements with countries that have the COVID-19 pandemic under control.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what are the circumstances behind the 25 February 2021 incident where a person was purportedly killed on the MRT track near Kallang station; (b) what safeguards are in place to prevent unauthorised track incursions particularly during train service hours; and (c) whether these measures are adequate in light of this incident.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Transport in light of the Government’s efforts to transition the local automobile fleet toward low-emissions vehicles (a) why COEs for vehicles in Categories A, B, and D can only be renewed for a 5-year period once, compared to those in Category C which can be renewed multiple times until the end of their statutory lifespan even if the latter category is more likely to generate higher emissions; and (b) whether the Government will consider exempting the once-only renewal of 5-year COEs for hybrid and electric vehicles if these vehicles satisfy the necessary vehicle emissions inspections.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) in the past three years, how many requests for covered linkways from the gates of condominiums have been received and how many of these are granted under the Walk2Ride programme; (b) whether exemptions have been granted where condominiums do not fulfil the requirement of having a fully sheltered route within its compound from the residential blocks to the gate; and (c) whether LTA will consider doing away with this requirement.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry considers it safe for a child to be seated on his or her parent’s lap while travelling in a taxi.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) how many and what proportion of street lamps currently use LED lighting; (b) of these, how many have designs which incorporate the use of solar energy capture or storage; and (c) what measures are being taken to increase sustainability and reduce the energy footprint of street lamps while concurrently maintaining adequate illumination for vehicles and pedestrians.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Transport for each year in the past five years (a) what is the number of accidents reported for (i) passenger cars (ii) private-hire cars and (iii) taxis; (b) what is the number of accidents involving injuries reported for (i) passenger cars (ii) private-hire cars and (iii) taxis; and (c) what is the number of accidents involving fatalities reported for (i) passenger cars (ii) private-hire cars and (iii) taxis

Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) in the past three years, what is the number of public feedback on illegal parking; and (b) how many enforcement tickets have been issued in each of the years.

Mr Don Wee: To ask the Minister for Transport whether LTA will consider routing bus service 983 through Keat Hong Close as previously practised and, if not, what are the reasons for not doing so.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider promulgating stringent electric vehicle (EV) battery standards and safe charging practices to reduce the risk of fire from the usage or charging of EV batteries.

Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how is the HDB managing the construction backlog of BTO flats that have been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and (b) whether measures are in place to help those individuals and families who were expecting their new flats but are now adversely impacted because their flats have been delayed.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how many HDB BTO projects have been delayed due to the COVID-19 crisis; (b) how many people have been affected by these delays such as those unable to find housing or having to pay unsustainable rental fees for longer than expected; and (c) what forms of support can the Government provide for these affected persons.

Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Home Improvement Programme (HIP), Lift Replacement Programme (LRP) and Neighbourhood Renewal Programmes (NRP) in HDB estates are affected in the short to medium term due the Government having spent a significant amount of funds to cushion the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) to date, what is the number of HDB flats that have undergone the Home Improvement Programme (HIP); (b) what is the number of HDB flats that are eligible for HIP but have not been selected for HIP; and (c) whether HIP has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and, if so, whether HDB has plans to expedite the HIP process.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Government will consider a full supply chain audit to evaluate the environmental impact of any upcoming land reclamation projects; and (b) whether the environmental impact assessment will be made public.

Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether there is an eco-system approach to mitigating bird pest issues such as the over-population of crows and pigeons; and (b) how long has the “nonfeeding” approach been running in various constituencies and how effective have they been so far.

Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether greater deterrence can be imposed to discourage feeding of pigeons in HDB estates; and (b) whether any research is on-going to find new strategies to tackle the perennial problem of a growing number of pigeons in many estates.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) besides the use of sign posts and social media, how does NParks plan to educate the public on the safe use of its Park Connector Network through its new lane markings; and (b) when will the public education efforts begin

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how many wheelchair-bound HDB residents currently live on floors without lift access; and (b) in the last three years, how many cases of complaints have been received annually from wheelchair-bound HDB residents over accessibility problems within HDB blocks and estates.

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the average annual number of cases of obstruction along HDB corridors; and (b) what is the average time frame for such cases to be successfully resolved.

Mr Abdul Samad: To ask the Minister for National Development whether there are plans to convert huge utility stations in the city areas like power sub-stations and telecommunications stations to underground stations.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for National Development what percentage of those who currently apply to rent a flat under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme are (i) married couples (ii) couples under the Fiancé/Fiancée Scheme and (iii) divorced or widowed parents with children respectively.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the current number of low-income families who are renting HDB units, in whole or in part, in the open market; and (b) what is the mix of flat sizes for this group.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development with regard to recommendations by the Tripartite Cluster for Landscape industry to introduce a dual-track career ladder to create high value-add job roles, how many new entrants are expected to take on the roles of (i) landscape specialist and (ii) senior landscape specialist in the sub-sectors of arboriculture, horticulture and turf maintenance, and nursery respectively by 2025.

Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what efforts are being planned to educate Singaporeans about living in harmony with wildlife; and (b) whether such efforts are being included in primary school education.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for National Development for each of the years from 2010 to 2020 (a) how many people in the labour force are working as real estate agents or salespersons; and (b) what is the breakdown for such persons in terms of full-time employment, part-time employment, educational qualification, age, gender and nationality.

Mr Abdul Samad: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) in the next five years, what will be the 1,000 new and upgraded landscape jobs and skillsets expected, broken down by number and types of jobs; and (b) how will these training needs be met.

Mr Don Wee: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what measures are in place to ensure that property agents under the Council of Estate Agencies do not encourage HDB owners to (i) sell their flats before the end of their minimum occupation period (MOP) and (ii) purchase replacement flats which are usually more expensive than the ones they sold; and (b) how is the code of professional conduct enforced and monitored.

Mr Don Wee: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what measures are in place to ensure that Town Councils and Management Corporation Strata Titles (MCSTs) perform regular inspections to enforce clutter-free corridors, lift landings and stairwells, in accordance with Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) guidelines and the Fire Safety Act; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider imposing fines to increase the compliance rate when the removal of obstacles such as furniture, appliances, mobility devices and flower pots are not done in a timely manner.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB will (i) consider a waiver from the two-time limit for HDB’s housing loan eligibility (HLE) where individuals have derived no direct monetary benefit from their ownership of the property and (ii) review its advisory protocol for HDB loan officers to fully articulate the consequences of including one’s name into HDB flat ownership following the death of a parent so as to preclude instances where names are included “for safety” but inadvertently result in the applicant losing one of their two opportunities to obtain a HLE loan.

Mr Abdul Samad: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how many commercial and residential buildings are currently powered by solar panels; and (b) what is their average power capacity.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for National Development whether local companies will be given priority in bidding for the pilot Tampines Municipal Services project in order to build local capability for future projects.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for National Development how does the Ministry intend to delegate law enforcement powers to a commercial entity in the pilot Tampines Municipal Services Project given that the successful bidder will not be a government agency.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for National Development what is the breakdown in number of unsuccessful applications for public rental flats based on rejection criteria over the past five years.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what limits are in place for the construction of building structures on land designated as a national park; (b) why was Bedok Reservoir Park chosen as the site for the construction of the HomeTeamNS Bedok Clubhouse; (c) why Coney Island Park was chosen as the site for the construction of a second Outward Bound Singapore campus; and (d) whether facilities like these can be built outside national parks instead so as not to destroy green areas in the park

Mr Sharael Taha: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how many HDB flats are currently eligible for the Home Improvement Programme (HIP) but have not had the HIP upgrading works commence; and (b) whether there are plans to expedite the completion of HIP upgrading works.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the carbon footprint of building materials used for public housing projects has any bearing on HDB tender outcomes; and (b) what targets have been set to reduce the carbon footprint of building materials procured for HDB projects.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs given the escalating violent situation in Myanmar, whether the Ministry will consider calling for a coordinated response among ASEAN countries to prevent further escalation in Myanmar.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs given the reports of at least 250 protesters being killed by Myanmar’s security forces since the 1 February 2021 coup in Myanmar (a) what further actions is ASEAN taking to de-escalate and stabilise the current situation in Myanmar; and (b) what steps can Singapore take, both individually and as part of ASEAN, to establish a more principled diplomacy

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information whether there are any regulations to prevent media giants like Google, Facebook and Twitter from shutting down their services in Singapore.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) how does IMDA ensure mobile network operators (MNOs) provide sufficient coverage for users in residential estates or public areas especially at underground MRT stations; and (b) whether IMDA will consider assisting with a standard contract template that can be used by MNOs and building owners (private condominiums) to fairly address the concerns of installations.

Mr Abdul Samad: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) what is the ratio of Singaporean IT graduates in employment currently to foreigners; and (b) how many Singaporean IT students are expected to graduate in one to three years’ time.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what measures are in place to prevent debt collection agencies from engaging in harassment and intimidation of debtors.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what assistance can be provided to parents of minors who wish to make background checks of persons to ascertain that they have not been convicted of sexual offences against minors before engaging them as freelance tutors or instructors for their children.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in the past 18 months, how many drivers have been caught speeding along Fernvale Street, Fernvale Link, Jalan Kayu, Fernvale Road and Sengkang West Way; (b) whether these areas can be considered as “speeding red zones”; and (c) whether joint operations by Traffic Police and LTA can be carried out to tackle speeding and offences of modified engines that cause excessive noise at these locations.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether ICA can provide a one-stop digital reporting system to enable home owners to report the receipt of letters from government agencies that are addressed to persons who are not residing in their homes so that steps can be taken to stop mailing letters to these non resident persons at the reported addresses.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs how will schools, religious and social organisations involving youths work together to engage them online and offline on the ills of radicalisation.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) for each of the years between 2015 and 2020, what are the industries in which inmates have secured jobs upon their release from prison, broken down by percentage of job placements for each industry; and (b) of those inmates who have secured jobs, what is the percentage who are imprisoned because of drug-related offences.

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what is the status and outcome of police investigations into a report by SportSG in April 2017 concerning an alleged misuse of funds, which resulted in police raids of the offices of the Football Association of Singapore and three local football clubs as part of the probe.

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Health whether there can be a standby queue at COVID-19 vaccination centres to allow interested members of the public to take the place of those who do not turn up for their scheduled vaccination.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will reconsider its stand and to allow Singaporeans who are required to travel for work and studies to opt in to receive early COVID-19 vaccination since more vaccine supplies have arrived.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health whether there is a hotline number for members of the public who have had their COVID-19 vaccinations to call if they have queries regarding post-vaccination symptoms and for clarifications and assurance.

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Health whether staff and volunteers working in mosques can be prioritised for COVID-19 vaccination in preparation for conducting terawih and qiyamullail during the holy month of Ramadan.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Health (a) to date, what proportion of persons aged (i) over-70 years (ii) 60–70 years and (iii) under 60 years have taken the COVID-19 vaccine; and (b) what measures are in place to increase the voluntary take-up of the vaccine.

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the proportion of persons invited to make COVID-19 vaccination appointments who have been rejected due to them failing the pre-vaccination questionnaire; and (b) how is the Ministry adjusting its vaccination plans to minimise wastage of vaccines.

Mr Abdul Samad: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the number of workers in the essential services sector who have gone through the COVID19 vaccination; and (b) what are the criteria for the selection of workers.

Mr Sharael Taha: To ask the Minister for Health whether volunteers and staff at congregational and worship services can be considered as frontline staff and prioritised for COVID-19 vaccination.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether he can provide an update on the COVID-19 vaccination programme; and (b) whether the Ministry intends to measure the antibody levels of persons (either as a class or individually) over time after they have been vaccinated to assess whether these persons retain immunity against the COVID-19 virus.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will provide cards or letters to Singaporeans who, for medical reasons, are unable to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations, for them to show merchants and their staff who may disallow those without vaccination from entering their stores in future

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Health whether a digital vaccine passport system will be used to enable local residents who have been vaccinated to return to pre-COVID-19 activities and be exempted from quarantine upon return from overseas.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Health whether the approval of certain less commonly recognised COVID-19 vaccines for use in Singapore may compromise the value of our COVID-19 vaccine certification passport for travel to countries that do not recognise these vaccines.

Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for Health whether he can elaborate on the COVID-19 vaccination passport plan especially on how business, compassionate and leisure travels may be allowed under such a plan.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) from 2016 to 2020, how many registrations of registered nurses lapsed each year; (b) whether the Ministry has ascertained the reasons and underlying causes for the lapsing of registrations; (c) how many registered nurses are still employed in healthcare institutions but not in full-time nursing work at the point of registration lapsing; and (d) what channels exist to assist formerly registered nurses wishing to resume nursing practice.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the take-up rate of the Screen for Life (SFL) programme since 2017; (b) of those who used the SFL subsidies, what is the breakdown by ethnicity and educational levels, income levels or housing type; (c) what is the percentage detected to have chronic diseases and are under follow-up after SFL screening; and (d) whether the Ministry will nudge groups (by ethnicity or education levels) associated with a higher risk of chronic diseases to go for health screening under SFL.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the resignation rate of frontline healthcare workers since the COVID-19 pandemic started as compared to the year before; (b) what measures has the Ministry taken to ensure our healthcare staff are coping adequately with the stresses of their work during this period; and (c) what support measures do healthcare workers receive if they express difficulty in coping.

Dr Shahira Abdullah: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Working Group on Health for Ethnic Minorities will collect data to examine the association between poorer health and other social determinants of health to accurately identify the root causes of poor health in such communities.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry will look into the process of empanelling specialist doctors to the approved list of insurance companies; (b) what is the Ministry’s stand on the violation of medical ethics in the scheme where insurance companies basically reward patients for choosing their panel of doctors; and (c) whether these insurers will be allowed to challenge the opinions of specialists after they had rendered treatment to their patients.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Health since the private healthcare sector is mobilised to support the Government’s mass COVID-19 vaccination programme (a) whether the private healthcare sector can be allowed to procure vaccines approved by the Ministry to provide vaccinations to patients; and (b) what will be the criteria to approve the import of vaccines and execute the vaccination.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Health (a) to date, of the number of applications to the Rare Disease Fund, how many have been successful and how many have been unsuccessful; (b) what avenues of public consultation and engagement the Government is seeking with respect to helping Singaporeans with rare diseases; and (c) whether the Government will consider setting up a Rare Disease Registry to provide publicly available data on the prevalence of rare diseases in Singapore and the burden of cost it imposes on patients.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Health (a) to date, what is the total number of successful applications for the Home Caregiving Grant; (b) how much in total has been paid out of the grant to date; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider a lower grant for care recipients living in properties with annual value of more than $13,000 to $21,000.

Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for Health given the rise in number of seniors living only with their spouse, should one or both of their health suddenly deteriorate and they are unable to look after each other or afford a foreign domestic worker, what are the programmes they can tap on both if they are staying in HDB flats or private landed homes.

Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Health whether workers involved in the food supply production process, including manufacturing, processing, abattoirs, caterers and logistics, can be prioritised in the COVID-19 vaccination exercise given their role as an essential service in Singapore.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry will consider consulting or addressing concerns of religious groups before approving COVID-19 vaccines for use in Singapore, particularly vaccines which are alleged to pose a moral dilemma such as the use of abortion-derived cell lines in the production of such vaccines; and (b) whether the Government will allow a person to select the vaccines based on their religious or moral preference.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health with vaping being on the rise in Singapore, how is the Ministry (i) clamping down on the smuggling of e-cigarettes and (ii) educating and informing youths about the harmful carcinogenic chemicals contained in e-cigarettes.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for Health whether locum nurses and Singaporean construction workers who work closely with foreign workers can be given priority for COVID-19 vaccination, similar to frontline workers.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Health whether individuals will be allowed to select any COVID-19 vaccination centre of their choice regardless of their constituency, to receive their COVID-19 vaccine.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Health (a) in the past five years, how many complaints have been made against mental health practitioners who provide treatment in fields not regulated under the Allied Health Professions Act; and (b) what is the recourse available for patients who experience negative mental health outcomes after seeking treatment from unregulated mental health practitioners.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Health what principles or criteria are used to decide whether (i) returning Singaporeans from certain countries can be exempt from Stay-Home Notice (SHN) requirements and (ii) certain countries are to become exempt from SHN requirements for returning Singaporeans from those countries.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what are the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentile quantum of hospital bills and Government subsidy payable, arising from one day of subsidised ward inpatient hospital admission; and (b) whether the Ministry is studying if ecosystem-level cost savings will arise from decentralising services into the community such as home medication delivery, home medication administration and home phlebotomy especially for less mobile patients.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether the Government’s published cash surpluses indicate that the Government has more fiscal space than it states in its budget statements; and (b) whether this reduces the need for the planned increase in GST rate.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether he can provide an update on the progress of the 23 Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs) since their announcement in 2016; (b) whether the objectives set out for each of the clusters/industries have been achieved; and (c) whether the Government is planning for ITM 2.0 and, if so, when will it be rolled out given the current economic downturn and disruption.

Mr Sharael Taha: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) what is the progress of the Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs); (b) whether the Ministry plans to make changes to the ITMs in view of the impact of COVID-19 on the economy; (c) whether the impact of workplace transformation has been considered in each of the 23 ITMs; and (d) whether the ITMs can specifically address the upskilling, re-training and hiring of mature workers, workers with disabilities and other vulnerable groups of workers for an inclusive transformation of the industries.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether the Government will consider setting the example to reduce or eliminate the submission requirement for hard copies in design and construction tender contracts; and (b) whether different departments or agencies from the same Ministry can share soft copies submitted instead of requesting for excessive number of hard copies in each project review.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Education whether he can provide an update on the progress of the adoption of the skills frameworks that have been developed as part of the 23 Industry Transformation Maps.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Education whether team sports such as football, hockey and netball will be allowed to resume for the National School Games.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Education how is the Ministry working alongside schools to allow for the resumption of the National School Games so that students and coaches will be able to continue with their passion for sports and outdoor learning through experiences on the sports field.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Education how can the Ministry re-ignite sports competitions, whether at a district level or at the national level, to ensure sports atrophy does not set in such as to disadvantage successive generations of potential sportsmen and sportswomen.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is the current ratio of counsellors to students in each of the institutes of higher learning including Singapore Institute of Technology and Yale-NUS College; (b) how does this compare with ratio of counsellors in the public health sector to the general population; and (c) whether young people in our universities have greater access to mental health professionals as compared to the general population.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether all primary schools complete the SwimSafer 2.0 programme as part of their physical education curriculum; (b) what percentage of the 2020 cohorts of Primary 6 and Secondary 4 students have completed at least (i) stage 1 (ii) stage 2 and (iii) stage 3 of the programme; and (c) how does the Ministry ensure that all local school students have basic swimming proficiency and water survival skills to minimise drowning incidents.

Dr Shahira Abdullah: To ask the Minister for Education whether there are currently safe spaces for youths of institutes of higher learning to engage and have difficult or contentious conversations in a well-guided and supported manner without fear of peer or public ‘cancellation’.

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether Government approval is needed for hires of individual staff by the autonomous universities; (b) if so, what is the rationale for this requirement; and (c) to which categories of potential hires does it apply.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Education (a) in the past three years, how many students have been caught for vaping; and (b) how is the Ministry working with the Ministry of Health and the police to educate the students not to get involved in vaping activities.

Ms Raeesah Khan: To ask the Minister for Education (a) over the past five years, what is the number of deaf and hard-of-hearing students in mainstream schools at the (i) primary level (ii) secondary level and (iii) pre-tertiary level respectively; (b) whether, and if so how many, schools offer Singapore Sign Language to hearing students; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider offering Singapore Sign Language as a third language.

Dr Tan Yia Swam: To ask the Minister for Law (a) in what ways are press reports of ongoing trials of sex crimes regulated; and (b) what protection is there for medical professionals whose reputations are affected by media coverage of ongoing trials of sex crimes.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Law in respect of the fees charged by the Public Trustee for the administration of un-nominated CPF monies, how is the minimum fee of $15 and schedule of charges by percentage of amount of CPF money determined.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Law (a) in the past three years, how many claims have been made against home renovation firms that failed to deliver after accepting a deposit; (b) under what circumstances will the Ministry intervene should companies refuse to abide by the court’s judgment to refund payments and instead choose to wind down the business; and (c) whether company owners or directors who face multiple claims will be barred from registering new companies and have their existing companies listed on a registry for consumers to be wary of.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Law for each year in the past five years (a) what is the number of Legal Service Officers of the Singapore Legal Service serving in the Judicial Branch and the Legal Branch respectively; (b) how many Legal Service Officers are recruited for the Judicial Branch and Legal Branch respectively; and (c) how many Legal Service Officers left the Judicial Branch and Legal Branch respectively.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what are the re-skilling programmes that cater specifically to former oil and gas workers that are currently available or under development; (b) whether there are any available financial support schemes for workers who participate in these programmes; and (c) whether the Government will develop roadmaps for higher education programmes based on the expected emerging jobs in sustainability sectors.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Manpower with regard to workplace accidents (a) what more can be done other than issuance of stopwork orders, fines and notices of non-compliance; (b) whether the current deterrence framework is sufficient; and (c) how can employers be proactive and take greater responsibility to ensure workplace safety.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) to date, how many companies have breached safe distancing measures in workplaces in 2021; (b) what are the punitive actions taken; and (c) how can the Government better support SMEs in putting in place safe distancing measures especially where resources may be more limited.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether she can provide an update on the review of vaccination policies for employees in workplaces with high risk of exposure; (b) whether there have been instances of employees being redeployed or asked to leave their positions due to not being vaccinated; and (c) what is the process to seek redress for employees who feel that they have been unfairly redeployed, dismissed or pressured to leave due to their vaccination status

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Manpower what is the rationale for (i) the limited number of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) under the list of investment products under the CPF Investment Scheme (ii) the exclusion of use of CPF Special Account savings for investments in ETFs and (iii) the exclusion of ETFs not listed on the Singapore Exchange.

Dr Shahira Abdullah: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether there are plans to issue guidelines for companies to train their employees on the issues of consent and sexual harassment at the workspace and to ensure that companies’ human resource departments are adequately equipped to handle cases of sexual harassment.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what legal obligations do employers have to (i) enact measures (including training) to prevent workplace sexual harassment (ii) implement reporting procedures for victims of such harassment to seek redress within the company and (iii) properly deal with complaints; (b) what are the legal consequences for employers which fail to do so; and (c) whether the Government has any plans to strengthen legislation to increase employers’ obligations including allowing statutory claims against employers in such cases.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the number of jobs that are related to the fight against COVID-19; and (b) what are the plans to help these workers transit into longer term jobs when these positions are no longer needed.

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the service standard for the payout of SGUnited funding support to employers; and (b) what proportion of payments are within this timeframe.

Mr Raj Joshua Thomas: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how does the Ministry monitor the service quality of the Singapore Business Federation’s (SBF) administration of the SGUnited Traineeship and MidCareer Pathway programmes; (b) what is the average processing time by SBF for claims made by participating companies under the SGUnited Traineeship and Mid-Career Pathway programmes; (c) whether there has been any delay in the disbursement of funds to participating companies; and (d) if so, what is the reason for such delay and the quantum of funds that have been delayed.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Manpower given the rise of mental health issues among our young people, what measures are in place for workers especially the younger workforce.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how is the Ministry working with foreign domestic workers (FDWs) and nongovernment organisations to resolve the challenges FDWs face working in Singapore, including that of legislating leave for FDWs; and (b) how does the Ministry reach out to employers of FDWs to better understand their issues with managing their FDWs.

Dr Tan Yia Swam: To ask the Minister for Manpower in the cases where employers of FDWs use the home-based Six Monthly Medical Examination (6ME) services for their FDWs; (a) how may cases of suspected abuse of FDWs be flagged up; and (b) who is the doctor who signs off on the 6ME form.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Manpower of the 36,000 professionals, managers and executives who are earning a monthly basic salary of less than $3,000 as at 31 December 2020, which are the industry sectors they belong to and what are these occupations.

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Manpower in light of the Ministry’s reply on 8 March 2021 on a special fund that is used to ensure that no foreign worker is denied the medical care needed (a) whether this special fund is fully financed by the Government; and (b) how much money has been paid out of this special fund for foreign workers’ medical bills because the employers are unable to pay.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) in light of Indonesia’s decision to implement a zero placement fee policy, whether the Ministry expects other countries, such as the Philippines and Myanmar, to implement similar moves; (b) whether the Ministry has plans to work with employment agencies to increase the percentage of FDWs from the current approved list of source countries that have a low presence here in Singapore, such as Thailand and Cambodia; and (c) whether there are plans to expand the list of approved source countries for FDWs.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether all companies that may have combustible dust hazards are required to be located in industrial estates far away from residential areas.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what percentage of holders of dependant passes (DPs) working under a letter of consent are currently working part-time; and (b) what industries and company sizes are affected by working DP holders not being able to meet work pass criteria.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) from 2016 to 2020, how many dependant pass holders were granted letters of consent to undertake employment; (b) what are their countries of origin, broken down by region; and (c) what is the breakdown of job types and salary ranges held.

Ms Raeesah Khan: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry has plans to update the workplace safety and health regulations to anticipate and address potential climate change-related hazards such as high outdoor temperatures; (b) if so, when can this be expected to take place; and (c) if no, why not.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether there is emergency interim public housing available at short notice to victims of domestic violence or persons alleging the same; and (b) if so, what are the criteria for the use of such housing.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs what are the current and future support plans to cushion the financial impact of reduced revenue and donations received by mosques during this COVID-19 pandemic especially in terms of support for mosque programmes and wages for staff employed by mosques

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) in the past five years, how many persons with disabilities have approached SG Enable for employment and job placement assistance; (b) what is the average success rate; and (c) whether the Ministry intends to do more to help persons with disabilities to be gainfully employed.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in charge of Muslim Affairs (a) whether there is an internal investigation conducted in 2019/2020 on allegations of abuse of power in Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah by the former Senior Director of Madrasah in MUIS who was also the CEO of Irsyad Trust Limited since 2014; (b) if so, what is the outcome of that internal investigation; and (c) whether there is an out-of-court settlement between MUIS and Irsyad Trust Limited on monies and intellectual property rights belonging to Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah being wrongfully used to profit Irsyad Trust Limited.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in charge of Muslim Affairs (a) whether the financial reports for Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah and Irsyad Trust Limited for FY2013 to FY2020 are made public; (b) whether there is any transfer of funds from Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah to Irsyad Trust Limited between FY2013 and FY2020; and (c) if so, how much is the amount and what is the reason for this transfer.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in charge of Muslim Affairs (a) who established Irsyad Trust Limited; and (b) whether Irsyad Trust is or was an affiliate of Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah

Ms Raeesah Khan: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the breakdown of the number of mother tongue language (MTL) pre-school educators by (i) MTL taught and (ii) pre-school classification such as MOE kindergartens and anchor operators (AOPs); (b) what is the take-up rate of the Certificate in Pre-school Mother Tongue Language Teaching (CPMTL) courses for Malay and Tamil Languages; (c) where are individuals who have completed the CPMTL course currently employed, broken down by pre-school classification; and (d) whether there are targets for the number or distribution of pre-school MTL teachers.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development what measures is the Ministry taking to improve the matching of volunteers and donors for community needs.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development for each year in the past five years, what is the respective breakdown of the number and percentage of divorce cases where shared care and control of the children was awarded.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry can provide on-site counselling support during afteroffice hours in housing estates to residents who are emotionally unstable.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what proportion of COVID-19 support and recovery grants are rejected due to resignations by the individual rather than retrenchments or terminations; and (b) whether the Ministry has considered appeals where these resignations were involuntary and suggested by employers in lieu of a “black mark” on the worker’s resume.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) to date, what is the number of total and successful applications for the COVID-19 Recovery Grant (CRG); (b) what are the common reasons for residents not being able to successfully apply for CRG; (c) how many appeals for CRG have been made to date; and (d) how many appeals have been successful.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in charge of Muslim Affairs (a) whether the appointment of Executive Director of Mosque-Madrasah-Wakaf Shared Services is a promotion when the officer is a former Assistant Director in the Halal Department of MUIS and is currently under investigation by the police and CPIB for alleged halal certification mismanagement; and (b) whether MUIS will present the outcome of its independent review findings on the alleged mismanagement of halal certification to Parliament.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in charge of Muslim Affairs with regard to the case of the self-styled prophet exposed by The Straits Times on 9 November 2020 (a) whether he can confirm whether MUIS received a complaint or report made against the said individual in 2015 and, if so, what actions were taken then; and (b) what is the outcome of the investigation into the case after it was opened for public feedback up till 11 December 2020.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how many workers are employed in Singapore’s petrochemical industries; (b) how many of these workers are work permit holders; and (c) whether the Government will conduct a study on the impact of a low-carbon transition in Singapore affecting our petrochemical industries and its workers, including any cascading effects on related sectors and workers.

Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) to date, how many Singaporeans have yet to redeem their SingapoRediscover vouchers; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider extending the redemption deadline of 30 June 2021.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Ministry will consider reviewing the redemption method for the SingapoRediscover Vouchers to facilitate wider redemption rates.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) to date, what is the utilisation rate for the SingapoRediscover Vouchers; and (b) whether there has been any cases of abuse such as fraud, profiteering and resale of the vouchers.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how is Singapore facilitating the manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines with the various pharmaceutical companies that we have established agreements with; and (b) learning from the COVID-19 situation, how is the Ministry ensuring that Singapore has the necessary capabilities within the country to produce vaccines for citizens’ use in future pandemics.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how many family offices are currently set up in Singapore; and (b) how do family offices contribute to Singapore’s economy.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) as of endMarch 2021, what is the redemption rate of SingapoRediscover Vouchers; (b) what are the plans to encourage higher redemption rates; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider extending the expiry date of the SingapoRediscover Vouchers to the end of December 2021.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) with regard to the case of an Indian composer plagiarising the song titled “Count on Me Singapore”, what actions has the Ministry taken to protect Singapore’s copyright; and (b) what is the policy stance of the Government towards individuals who infringe on Singapore’s national symbols and songs, whether for commercial gain or otherwise.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether the Ministry regularly checks the media and the Internet for possible infringements of our national symbols; (b) how many cases of copyright infringement have been uncovered to date and how were they dealt with; and (c) whether there are any plans to enhance the protection of intellectual property rights for our national symbols.

Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether he can provide an update on the planning and execution of the recent Singapore Tennis Open and what lessons have been learnt from organising a major sporting event under COVID-19 restrictions; and (b) whether more international or major sporting events can be expected to be held in Singapore in the near future.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) in the last five years, what is the amount of corporate donations received by the Community Development Councils (CDCs) collectively; and (b) of this amount, how much has been passed on to its partners that are social service agencies.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) what are the safety measures and equipment within SAF premises to assist in any emergency medical situations; and (b) how regular are full-body health screenings and health intervention screenings conducted for army regulars and NS servicemen.

Mr Mark Chay: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) how many local SMEs currently contribute to the defence sector; (b) how many people do they employ; and (c) how much of this year’s defence budget will benefit such local companies during the economic slowdown facing Singapore and the world as a whole.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) to what extent the recalls for eggs from Malaysian farms have had an impact on egg supply and prices in Singapore; (b) how does the Ministry intend to deter profiteering; and (c) how is the Ministry working with the Malaysian authorities to ensure egg supplies from Malaysia remain safe for consumption.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the public cleaning contractors are required to clear the fallen leaves from trees on a daily basis; and (b) whether additional efforts can be made to clear the leaves so that there will not be mosquito breeding grounds in the fallen leaves.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Ministry has initiated a review of Singapore’s ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and, if so, what is the outcome of the review.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) for high-rise littering cases captured on surveillance cameras, what percentage did not result in enforcement actions taken due to an inability to identify the culprit; and (b) whether the Government will consider changing the law such that the liability for such cases is automatically assumed to lie with the owner of the unit.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Ministry will work with other agencies to educate the young that high-rise littering, laundry dripping, and non-return of food trays after eating in hawker centres and coffee shops are unacceptable social behaviours.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether a standardised design for recycled takeaway utensils, cutlery and packaging can be mandated to reduce single-use plastic at hawker centres.

Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Ministry will consider setting a limit on noise emitted by food and beverage operators located in residential areas.