Parliamentary questions for 13 September 2021

Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo: To ask the Prime Minister with regard to the observations of weaknesses in IT controls highlighted in the Report of the Auditor-General for the Financial Year 2020/2021 (a) to what extent has technology been used in public sector entities to administer and manage user access and controls; and (b) how is artificial intelligence and analytics used to monitor and flag irregularities and to derive insights.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Government can help organisations and businesses that need to check on the COVID-19 vaccination status of their visitors, clients and customers, to install and configure their SafeEntry (Business) Apps to allow visitors and patrons, especially the elderly who carry TraceTogether tokens, to verify their status through a quick scan.

Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Prime Minister with regard to leases of non-residential properties (a) what is the number of landlords and units they own that are in arrears of mortgage payments since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic; and (b) for landlords who are legally obliged to give rental reliefs to support their tenants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, whether the Government will consider mandating measures to compel banks to reduce their interest rates and waive penalties for late payments or interest expenses.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether all public servants are required to make annual declarations of non-indebtedness; (b) if so, what is the maximum amount of unsecured loans each officer can have vis-à-vis their monthly income; (c) whether there is any obligation on the part of officers to report fellow officers whom they know have exceeded this amount; and (d) what are the consequences for non-reporting.

Mr Don Wee: To ask the Prime Minister whether MAS has any plan to increase measures for licensed payment institutions that issue credit/debit cards to Singaporeans younger than 16 years of age as there is a risk of children utilising the card details to shop for unsavoury items or subscribe to dubious websites.

Ms Janet Ang: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) to date, which are the countries that have agreed on a common platform or at least an inter-operable system of recognising COVID-19 vaccination records; (b) whether there will be mandatory implementation and use of such systems; and (c) whether the Government will consider waiving the SHN period for travellers who have been vaccinated and whose serological test is negative upon arrival.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider giving priority to visitors who have been vaccinated to enter Singapore until an acceptable level of local vaccination rate is reached.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) how many shortterm visitors who are currently in Singapore have received vaccinations under the Special Access Route as these visitors are ineligible for free vaccinations under the COVID-19 national vaccination programme; and (b) whether shortterm visitors will continue to be ineligible for free vaccinations under the COVID-19 national vaccination programme.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Transport with regard to the recently announced quarantine-free travel lanes for vaccinated passengers going to and from Germany, what safeguards are in place to ensure that such passengers do not travel unrestricted within Europe before coming to Singapore whilst enjoying this privilege.

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Transport what are the implications on the standards and safety of the Thomson-East Coast and Cross Island MRT Lines arising from the actions of a former deputy group director of LTA who has admitted in court to numerous corrupt transactions involving contractors working on the Lines.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether LTA will be releasing the names of all companies or businesses on behalf of which bribes or loans have been given to LTA Director Mr Henry Foo Yong Thye; and (b) whether the said companies or businesses will be banned from tendering for future contracts with LTA or all future Government contracts.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Transport in light of the COVID-19 situation leading to port closures in China (a) what is the Ministry’s assessment of the global maritime outlook and risk scenarios; and (b) how will overseas port closures affect Singapore’s port operations, logistics sector and supply chain resilience

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Transport with the rise in sea robbery incidents in the Singapore Strait (a) what is the Ministry doing to protect our ships and their crew; and (b) whether the Ministry is leveraging on automation and technology to track and monitor the hot spots with the eventual aim of eradicating the perpetrators.

Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether cars, motorcycles and other similar vehicles are allowed to make quick stops at bus stops to allow passengers to alight/board; and (b) if not, what options are available for drivers to safely drop-off and pick-up passengers from bus stops.

Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider creating a new category of COEs for motorcycles used by riders for delivery work or increasing the quota for motorcycles.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) from 2015 to 2020, how many bus captain applications were rejected annually due to the candidates possessing a Class 3A driving licence instead of a Class 3 driving licence; and (b) what is the rationale for restricting only motorists with a Class 3 driving licence to become bus captains.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Transport whether COVID-19 vaccination can be extended to seafarers who join and sign off ship in Singapore waters as Singapore is an International Maritime Centre and there are countries globally who vaccinate seafarers of all nationalities in their shores.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Transport for each of the past five years (a) how many cases of disposal of refuse, garbage, waste matter, trade effluent, plastics or marine pollutants in packaged form, into Singapore waters have been (i) investigated (ii) issued warning letters (iii) issued compound fines (iv) prosecuted and fines issued and (v) prosecuted and jail terms issued respectively; and (b) how many ships’ garbage and management plans have been verified by inspectors.

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what caused HDB to make erroneous payments of CPF housing grants to ineligible applicants as highlighted in the Annual Report of the Auditor-General’s Office for FY 2020/21; and (b) in what manner will HDB be improving its controls over the processing and assessment of CPF housing grants.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for National Development in view of the ban on domestic ivory trade from 1 September 2021 (a) what are the trends in illegal wildlife trade in Singapore that the Government has observed in the last three years; and (b) what other measures can be taken by the Government to strengthen our resolve in the fight against the illegal trade of species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development besides defending Singapore’s shoreline against rising sea waters with a coastal defence plan, whether there will be similar efforts for the inland elevated slopes and areas with gradients to systematically identify areas where there can be risks of landslips and sinkholes and to fortify against weakening soil conditions.

Mr Don Wee: To ask the Minister for National Development following the winding-up of Greatearth Construction, what are the Government’s efforts to assist the subcontractors that are involved in Greatearth’s five HDB BTO sites and other public projects.

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for National Development what measures are currently in place to ensure the financial viability of HDB’s BTO contractors and whether these measures will be enhanced.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will reduce the sale price of HDB flats to not more than four times of the average annual income of the applicants for the respective HDB flat types.

Mr Xie Yao Quan: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry assesses that the current HDB resale market remains affordable to aspiring homeowners.

Mr Xie Yao Quan: To ask the Minister for National Development with regard to the increase in supply of 800 rental flats under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS) (a) what is the projected timeline for the release of supply beyond the fourth quarter of 2021; (b) whether this additional supply will be withdrawn in the medium term after clearing the key collections backlog due to COVID-19 delays; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider tapping into private housing stock to increase near-term supply and meet young couples’ demand for PPHS flats.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) to date, how many persons have been unable to pay for their stays at SHNDedicated Facilities (SDFs) upon arrival in Singapore; (b) what proportion is this of the total number of persons who have stayed at SDFs; and (c) how has the Ministry supported those who are unable to pay the SDF and testing fees.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development in respect of animal cruelty and abuse cases in the past five years (a) how many cases have been investigated annually; (b) how many cases have been issued warning letters; (c) how many cases have been issued compound fines; (d) how many cases have been prosecuted and fines issued; (e) how many cases have been prosecuted and jail terms issued; and (f) whether the Ministry is considering increasing the penalties for such cases.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for National Development what is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on (i) the number of HDB flats to be approved per year under the Home Improvement Programme from 2021 onwards (ii) the progress of the existing Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) and (iii) the number of HDB blocks to be approved for future LUP.

Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB will consider allowing self-employed persons to use their liquidatable financial investments, such as stocks and bonds, as an equivalent to bank savings to meet the Home Loan Eligibility criteria, as many young Singaporeans invest in stocks and bonds instead of low-yielding saving deposits.

Ms Poh Li San: To ask the Minister for National Development in view of the “code red for humanity” warning in the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest report and the building and household sectors making up the second highest source of carbon emissions in Singapore (a) whether the Ministry will consider slowing down the sale of government land parcels for new developments to preserve more green spaces; and (b) how will the Ministry incentivise existing building owners to switch to more energy efficient air-conditioning systems.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development whether achieving the plan for the development of new parks and enhancing existing parks with more vegetation and natural landscapes by the end of 2026 has been affected by the pandemic.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how does HDB derive the price of a new flat unit for (i) 2- room Flexi flat and (ii) 3-room flat; (b) why is there such a wide difference in the pricing; (c) what is the standard difference in flat sizes for the two flat types; and (d) what are the factors taken into consideration when determining the size of the two flat types.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development having regard to the current short supply of HDB BTO units caused by the COVID19 pandemic and the rising prices of HDB resale flats making it more difficult for buyers to afford them, whether the HDB loan tenure may be increased from 25 years to 30 years.

Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will initiate legislation for private condominiums to (a) disallow requests by residents or MCSTs for delivery personnel to park their motor vehicles illegally on nearby public pavements when making deliveries; and (b) allow and allocate parking space for delivery personnel to safely park their motor vehicles in the condominium compound for the period of their deliveries.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development in each of the past three years, what is number of singles who bought HDB resale flats in the (i) North region (ii) North-East region (iii) East region (iv) West region and (v) Central region, respectively.

Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) over the last five years, what is the average percentage of applicants in excess of the 30% of flats set aside under the Married Child Priority Scheme in HDB BTO projects within mature estates; and (b) how does this compare with that of nonmature estates.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for National Development what short, medium, and long-term goals will the new Centre for Wildlife Forensics and K9 Unit have in contributing towards the global fight against illegal wildlife trade.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how the Government intends to enhance local frameworks and capacities to strengthen Singapore’s conservation of our native biodiversity in our nature reserves, parks, and marine parks; and (b) how can the public be involved in these efforts.

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for National Development for each of the respective five-yearly intervals from December 1990 to December 2020 (a) what are the names of the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP)-affected neighbourhoods where at least one EIP limit was reached; (b) what is the total number of HDB units in each of these aforesaid neighbourhoods; and (c) what is the number of HDB units classified as owned or rented by Chinese, Malay and Indian/Others households respectively for each of these affected neighbourhoods.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) at what stage in the sales process of HDB BTOs are all buyers of their second or more BTOs informed by HDB of the actual quantum of the resale levy the buyers have to pay; (b) what are the modes of communication by which buyers are so informed of the actual resale levy by HDB; and (c) whether any of such communication modes include any non-online mode.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for National Development what measures are in place to ensure that owners of older HDB flats that are built without air-conditioner ledges maintain their air-conditioner brackets and ensure that both air-conditioners and brackets are always securely affixed to the external wall of their flats and pose no safety risk of dislodging.

Mr Vikram Nair: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether the current political situation in Malaysia has any implications for Singapore.

Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs in light of Malaysia’s recent change of government (a) whether he can provide an update on our bilateral ties with Malaysia; and (b) how the Government will move forward on the many bilateral partnerships with Malaysia such as the Johor Bahru Singapore Rapid Transit System Link and COVID-19 border control measures.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) whether and to what degree the staff working in Singapore’s overseas missions have obtained access to COVID-19 vaccinations; and (b) what support is provided to Singaporeans living abroad to gain access to COVID-19 vaccinations in countries where residents’ access to vaccinations is still limited.

Mr Don Wee: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs what will be the expected impact of the change in Malaysia’s political scene on Singapore and our relationship with Malaysia.

Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) whether the changes in the political leadership in Malaysia will impact agreements and discussions supporting Singapore-Malaysia cross-border movements such as the mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates and compassionate cross-border travel; and (b) if so, what will be these changes.

Mr Abdul Samad: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) to date, how many enterprises have adopted the Industry Digital Plans under the 23 Industry Transformation Maps; and (b) how many local workers from these enterprises have seen their jobs and skills been upgraded through digitalisation and mechanisation.

Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information what are the protocols in place on how specific suicide and attempted suicide cases are to be reported by the media to discourage potential copycat behaviours, especially by the vulnerable youth, and to minimise trauma to the already mentally unstable suicide survivors particularly those in the younger age groups.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information whether the Government will introduce legislation to ensure that technology companies take action to prevent vulnerable minors from accessing adult dating sites.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether there is any update on the number of low-income households that have benefitted from the Home Access 3.0 programme for minimum broadband speeds since it was launched in April 2020; and (b) whether the Ministry can consider providing a minimum broadband speed higher than 500 Mbps for the Home Access 3.0 programme to cater for the growing need for online access.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information in light of the findings by the Pegasus Project on the spyware of Israeli cyberarms firm NSO (a) whether there has been or will be any investigation conducted to identify if the operators behind the suspected infection of mobile devices in Singapore, including the operators named “Merlion” and “Ganges”, are operated by NSO’s spyware; and (b) what is the recourse which victims have against such infection.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what steps have been taken to shore up the emergency preparedness amongst Singaporeans and civil defence of Singapore to deal with weather phenomena arising from climatic change.

Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the number of (i) fake vaccination certificates that have been detected at our borders by ICA and (ii) fake Singapore-based vaccination certificates that have been detected at foreign borders; (b) whether the perpetrators of such cases have been apprehended locally or abroad; and (c) whether any action will be taken against perpetrators of fake vaccination certificates and, if so, what are the penalties.

Mr Sharael Taha: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs with regard to a proposed Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act (a) who are the stakeholders that will be involved and consulted on during the drafting of the Act; (b) how will the Ministry consider the concerns of the different communities without creating a litigious culture; and (c) how will the Ministry ensure that only legitimate cases are being investigated and prosecuted.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) from February 2021 to August 2021, whether the Singapore Police Force has accessed contact tracing data for the purposes of investigations; and (b) if so, what is the breakdown of the access requests by serious offences under the Seventh Schedule of the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Ministry will review the penalties for those who run illegal massage and karaoke outlets to make jail sentences mandatory; and (b) whether legislation will be enhanced to make it a serious crime for those who callously flout healthcare rules as they are endangering human lives by their actions.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) from 2016 to 2020, what is yearly breakdown of the 19,758 speeding violations involving Singapore-registered lorries; (b) among these speeding violations, what is the highest recorded travelling speed; and (c) among the 19,758 speeding violations, how many have involved lorries that are ferrying workers.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) when was it made mandatory for heavy vehicles to be equipped with a speed limiter; (b) since then, whether there have been any cases of tampering with these speed limiters; (c) whether the number of speeding offences among heavy vehicles has dropped since speed limiters have been made compulsory; and (d) if so, by how much.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs with regard to the observations in the Report of the Auditor-General for FY 2020/21 casting doubt on the authenticity of several supporting documents on the work performed by facility management contractors (FMCs) (a) whether the Ministry can provide an update on the status of police investigations on this matter; and (b) whether technology can be harnessed to require FMCs to make contemporaneous digital records of work that has been performed to improve their governance.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the number and proportion of prison inmates who are presently above 55 years old; (b) what is the number and proportion of inmates who are presently below 55 years old but will be above 55 years old upon completion of their prison sentence; and (c) for inmates aged above 55 years old upon release, what is the employment rate and job retention rate for them within three months and six months upon their release.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what is being done to reduce the number of first-time drug abusers especially those under 30 years old.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Drug Rehabilitation Centre regime has resulted in lower recalcitrant rates in the past two years of implementation.

Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs from September 2020 to February 2021, what is the total transaction value of the 89 reports of fraudulent card transactions performed with SMS OTPs where victims claimed that they neither performed the transactions nor received any SMS OTPs to authorise the transactions.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Ministry can provide an update on how the latest cyber technology is drawn upon to detect and deter foreign interference with domestic politics and social issues.

Mr Don Wee: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether sex workers have been provided with any form of assistance under the COVID-19 support schemes or allowed to engage in other forms of work to earn income; and (b) what measures are in place to prevent these workers from turning to underground prostitution.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the latest take-up rate of the ScamShield app since its launch in November 2020; (b) when will the Android version be ready; and (c) what are the efforts to encourage more of our elderly to download this app and protect themselves from scams.

Mr Don Wee: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether the various Ministries can work together to prevent and solve cryptocurrency scams and crimes and, if so, in what ways.

Mr Raj Joshua Thomas: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) to date, what is the number of (i) persons who have downloaded the SGSecure app (ii) reports made through the app and (iii) prank reports made through the app; and (b) whether any action has been taken against persons who have made prank reports.

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs with regard to the Independent Review Panel (IRP) formed in 2014 to strengthen the systems and processes of the Home Team (a) how many cases have been referred to the IRP since its formation; (b) what is the nature of the cases referred; (c) who is the current Chair of the IRP; (d) what reforms have been implemented as a result of the IRP’s advice; a

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs when will the amendments to the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act passed in 2019 come into operation.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Health whether there are further plans to diversify COVID-19 vaccine sourcing.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Health when the COVID-19 vaccination rate of 80% is reached by September 2021 (a) what is the Ministry’s plan to wind down the vaccination centres islandwide; and (b) whether there will be permanent vaccination centres and associated facilities should future booster doses be required.

Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry can provide an update on the COVID-19 vaccination of pregnant women; and (b) what support or counselling has been provided to pregnant women who have concerns on the potential effect of the vaccination on themselves and their unborn children.

Mr Alex Yam Ziming: To ask the Minister for Health (a) of those who refuse COVID-19 vaccination but not on medical grounds, what are the main reasons for them doing so; (b) whether the Ministry will implement a more targeted approach to address those who have concerns about the different vaccines; and (c) whether tougher action will be taken against persons who persistently spread misinformation to undermine the vaccination campaign.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) to date, what is the number of children in Singapore diagnosed with COVID-19 and what proportion have the Delta variant; (b) how many needed supplementary
oxygen at any time during their illness; and (c) how does this experience compare with countries with significant numbers of COVID-19 Delta variant infections in children.

Mr Alex Yam Ziming: To ask the Minister for Health in light of reduced vaccine efficacy against COVID-19 variants that is of concern in other countries whether the Ministry will (i) review the speed of relaxation of measures and the opening up of borders (ii) consider the requirement for booster shots and (iii) share what are the long-term outlook and healthcare plans for a COVID-19 endemic Singapore.

Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry will consider subsidising regular Antigen Rapid Tests (ART) for those who are unable to take the current slate of vaccines due to medical or
health reasons; and (b) what proportion of the population needs to bevaccinated before it will be possible for those who are not vaccinated due to legitimate reasons to be able to enjoy the same treatment as those who are fully vaccinated in more and higher exposure risk activities.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health what avenues of support are available for pregnant or post-partum women who are not yet vaccinated against COVID-19 because of medical reasons and who have to visit their loved ones in hospital given the cost of the self-paid pre-visit COVID-19 test.

Dr Shahira Abdullah: To ask the Minister for Health with Singapore achieving 80% COVID-19 vaccination status and moving into endemic status (a) whether the Ministry will stop tracking the number of COVID-19 infection cases; (b) what other forms of tracking and measures will be relaxed when Singapore reaches endemic status; and (c) what other thresholds or criteria must be reached before we do.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Health what are the remaining conditions to be met before the existing vaccinated-differentiated safe management measures can be lifted for Singapore given that Singapore has achieved an 80% COVID-19 vaccination rate.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Health in view of the COVID-19 dose-sharing agreement with Australia (a) whether there are sufficient vaccines for the national vaccination programme by providing details on (i) the current stock of COVID-19 vaccines and (ii) the remaining number of doses that have yet to be delivered under existing supply agreements and when these are due to be delivered; (b) whether the Government has
completed its assessment on the need for a booster shot; and (c) whether additional contracts have been signed to reserve additional doses if required and, if so, what are the expected delivery schedules.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the costs of regular testing under the “Vaccinate or Regular Testing” (VoRT) regime will be fully borne by the Government for individuals who are able to secure a doctor’s certification confirming their ineligibility for COVID-19 vaccination; and (b) how long is the VoRT regime expected to persist given that full-vaccination coverage of the population is now at 80%.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry has received any feedback on restaurants refusing entry for dining-in to unvaccinated individuals who have presented negative COVID-19 test results as required under the Pre-Event Testing (PET) regime and, if so, what is being done to ensure that restaurants will accept these forms of verification.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the differentiated treatment between vaccinated and unvaccinated residents will cause Singaporeans to be divided; and (b) how can the Government encourage more residents to be vaccinated without dividing the community.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Health whether the introduction of the $30.00 HPB voucher as an incentive to those who successfully refer a senior aged 60 and older to get vaccinated discriminates against those who had persuaded their senior parents to get vaccinated earlier.

Dr Tan Yia Swam: To ask the Minister for Health whether Rostered Routine Testing can be implemented for (i) Members of Parliament (MPs) doing home visits (ii) MPs doing physical Meet-the-People sessions and (iii) MPs attending parliamentary sittings.

Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what process does the Ministry adopt to ensure that providers of health supplement products comply with the Health Products (Advertisement of Specified Health Products) Regulations and that those who make false claims are taken to task, especially the recalcitrant ones, so as to protect the public; and (b) how many cases of infringements have there been in each of the last five years.

Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Health given the recent case where a health supplement company is fined for making false cancer cure claims (a) whether the Ministry is working with media outlets to regulate such claims in advertisements; and (b) what is the Ministry’s stand on companies that promote such claims.

Mr Xie Yao Quan: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will allow persons who have been fully vaccinated with an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine under the national vaccination programme to be additionally inoculated with Sinovac in order to facilitate essential travel to certain countries while guidelines for booster shots remain under development.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Health what is the current number of Singapore residents who have registered for and are waiting to take (i) the first dose of the Sinovac vaccine and (ii) the Sinovac vaccine as the second vaccine due to allergic reaction to the first dose of a mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Government has stopped all clinics who are giving Sinovac vaccinations from vaccinating those who are seeking vaccination for both their doses and who
are not medically excused from taking the mRNA vaccines; and (b) whether the Government intends to provide the public with free access to non-mRNA vaccines.

Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Health with regard to fake vaccination certificates (a) whether the Ministry has conducted any assessment of (i) the current situation of forgery and how widespread it is and (ii) the likelihood of such cases happening in Singapore over the next few months and, if so, what are the findings of such assessment; and (b) whether there are stricter measures put in place to ensure that vaccination certificates cannot be forged for fraudulent purposes.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Health (a) in the last three years, how many MediShield Life claims have been denied annually due to the non-disclosure of minor unrelated health conditions; and (b) what recourse is available for those who feel aggrieved about an unfair rejection of their claims.

Dr Shahira Abdullah: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether there are any statistics on the amount of antidepressants prescribed annually to patients under 21 years old; (b) what is the medical protocol and considerations for dispensing antidepressants to patients under 21 years old to mitigate the known risks associated with the use of antidepressants; and (c) how are patients or caregivers alerted to the risks and the required supervision in the use of antidepressants.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health given overseas reports of some paediatric COVID-19 patients needing intensive care (a) how many public healthcare institutions (PHI) currently have children’s ICUs and the
business-as-usual operational children’s ICU bed capacity; (b) what is our PHI children’s ICU surge capacity and how quickly can it be scaled; and (c) how many doctors and nurses are trained in the provision of children’s ICU care and have recent experience thereof.

Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether all polyclinics provide sheltered drop-off and barrier-free access for those with mobility issues; (b) whether any of these facilities have been temporarily removed due to the current COVID-19 situation; and (c) whether the Ministry will review these facilities at Woodlands Polyclinic to ensure that parents with young children and seniors with mobility issues can access the clinic in a more efficient manner especially during wet weather.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for Health what support measures will be granted to persons with disabilities, the young and elderly, who are served with SHN/Quarantine Orders and are deemed to be unable to do so on their own or in unfamiliar physical settings.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Health (a) to date, how many people have developed severe allergic reactions after their first dose of an mRNA vaccine; (b) how many have been advised against proceeding with the second dose; and (c) what is the vaccination plan for this group.

Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Health of the remaining population that is not vaccinated, what percentage of them are (i) children below the age of 12 who cannot receive the vaccination and (ii) individuals who cannot receive the vaccination for health reasons.

Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for Health (a) for the past three years, how many mothers have been diagnosed to be suffering from post-natal depression; and (b) how many of these mothers are first-time parents.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Health (a) from April 2021 to June 2021, how many short-term visit pass holders have entered and are staying in Singapore; (b) how many of them are fully vaccinated; and (c) whether COVID-19 vaccination will be made available to short-term visit pass holders.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Health whether there are private medical service providers that have applied for importation of COVID-19 vaccines other than the inactive virus vaccines approved by the World Health Organisation.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what will be the hospitalisation visitation guidelines under the COVID-19 endemic model; and (b) whether visitation policies can be relaxed or have further exceptions made for a patient in critical condition especially if visitors are fully vaccinated and willing to don the necessary protective gear.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health what is the Ministry’s assessment of the recommendation by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention made on 13 August 2021 that people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised should receive an additional dose of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine after the initial two doses.

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what are the planning parameters that HPB used that resulted in 341,000 excess fitness trackers being purchased; (b) what are the reasons why only 120,000 of these fitness trackers are still functioning; and (c) how will HPB be held accountable for this wastage.

Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Minister for Health when can the National Mental Health Competency Framework be expected to be completed and implemented.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) to date, how many and what proportion of medically eligible pregnant women in Singapore have received an mRNA vaccination against COVID-19; (b) what are the types and frequencies of side effects that have been observed so far; and (c) how does this compare with the experience of other countries.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what are the various non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccines that are currently under evaluation by HSA for use in Singapore; and (b) what is the expected timeline for the release of each of these alternatives

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether existing cancer patients will be able to claim under the current scheme until the new MediShield Life changes come into effect in September 2022; and (b) what are the expected savings for MediShield Life with the new scheme, assuming drug prices remain constant.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many patient-days of medical oxygen supplies are available for patients who require oxygen supplementation because of COVID-19 or other diseases; and (b) whether Singapore has sufficient oxygen manufacturing capacity to replenish our local supply should the number of COVID-19 cases increase rapidly as the economy reopens.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Health in view of the refurbishment and improvement works at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) since 2018 to improve its operational efficiency (a) what are the median and average waiting times for patients for appointments with (i) psychiatrists (ii) clinical psychologists and (iii) counsellors at IMH; and (b) what are the measures being taken to reduce waiting times.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Health (a) to date, how many persons who tested positive with COVID-19 have been allowed to serve their quarantine orders at home; (b) what are the criteria for allowing such individuals to quarantine at home; (c) what medical treatment is provided to such individuals to reduce the chances of them requiring hospitalisation; and (d) how are they monitored for a worsening of their condition which may require them to be admitted to a hospital.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Health as more pre-event testing and self-tests will be carried out in a COVID-19 endemic environment, whether the retail price of self-test Antigen Rapid Test (ART) kits and the cost of Pre-Event Tests (PET) can be made more affordable.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Education in light of the forthcoming merger of the Yale-NUS College and NUS’ University Scholars Programme (USP) (a) how will the establishment of the New College enhance the educational experience of future students as compared to the current
programmes at Yale-NUS College and USP; and (b) how will the decision affect the (i) innovative and open liberal arts curriculum (ii) international make-up of the students and the faculty of the New College and (iii) higher education offerings in Singapore.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Education whether support can be provided to students who have accepted an offer for the cohort starting 2022-2023 in NUS’ Yale-NUS College, Faculty of Engineering or School of Design and Environment but who wish to change university or school given the recent merger announcements.

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what are the considerations behind the closure of Yale-NUS College and its planned merger with the University Scholars Programme (USP) into the New College; (b) how the various key stakeholders were consulted; and (c) how much public monies through the Ministry’s subsidies, grants and funding have been spent on YaleNUS College since its inception.

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what are the considerations for the forthcoming merger of the Yale-NUS College and the University Scholars Programme; (b) what measures will be taken by the Ministry to safeguard the interests of the existing students; and (c) what are the plans for the future college.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Education in light of the closure of Yale-NUS College (a) how will this impact the quality of education for the students; and (b) what will be done to address potential concerns about credibility of the degree and post-graduate opportunities.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Education in light of the announcement that Yale-NUS College will cease operations by 2025 (a) how will NUS ensure that students enrolled over the course of the next four years will be able to enjoy an uncompromised educational experience; (b) whether there will be any reduction of fees or option for transfers in the event that there is a compromised experience; and (c) how will NUS ensure that the Yale-NUS degree retains its value in the future, in particular for graduates of the programme.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Education regarding the decision to merge Yale-NUS College and NUS’ University Scholars Programme (a) what are the motivations behind the decision; (b) whether
financial factors feature in the decision; (c) whether Yale University provided any indication of willingness to continue the partnership beyond 2025; (d) why was the decision not conveyed to the student body in advance, closer to the announcement of the new College of Humanities and Sciences; and (e) whether the faculty and student body of Yale-NUS College were consulted before the decision and, if not, why not.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Education in light of the announced merger of Yale-NUS College and NUS’s University Scholars Programme to create the “New College” (a) what have been the other alternatives considered and why are these options not taken; (b) when was the decision for merger made; and (c) what is the assessment on the impact on NUS’ and Singapore’s international academic standing from this decision.

Mr Raj Joshua Thomas: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether he can shed light on (i) the decision-making process behind the merger of YaleNUS College and NUS’ University Scholars Programme (USP) and (ii) the potential implications on collaboration between NUS and other foreign universities; and (b) whether NUS will provide refunds to Yale-NUS College and USP students who prefer to withdraw.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether there are any key performance indicators for the Yale-NUS College and what was the assessed performance on those metrics; (b) what has been the past impact of the Yale-NUS College on admissions into NUS; (c) whether there are future plans for a dedicated liberal arts college; (d) what are the plans to preserve Singapore’s reputation for quality tertiary education partnerships; and (e) whether student activism at the Yale-NUS College played any part in the closure.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry has data on the current total value of the private tuition and enrichment industry catering largely to school-going children and, if so, what is that total value; (b) what are the findings of studies conducted to examine the effects of the burgeoning private tuition and enrichment industry on Singapore’s overall educational system; and (c) what consideration has been given towards modifying the regulations around such centres to meet the goals of providing a holistic, well-rounded education to all school-going children.

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: To ask the Minister for Education (a) how are schools training and skilling individuals with disabilities during their formal education to enhance their employability in the job market; (b) whether the Ministry tracks the outcome of students with disabilities in this area; and (c) what are the post-education employment trends of student with disabilities.

Mr Mark Chay: To ask the Minister for Education what more can be done by our local universities in supporting the pursuits of our artists and sportsmen.

Mr Abdul Samad: To ask the Minister for Education whether a module on tripartism can be included as part of the graduating year for students in institutes of higher learning.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Education (a) when does the Ministry expect to conclude its review of the Primary 1 registration framework; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider using citizenship and home-school distance as a primary means of allocating vacancies for all three phases of the Primary 1 registration while retaining the existing phase 2A and 2B criteria for determining balloting priority.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Education for candidates who miss national examinations because they are under a quarantine order (a) what evidence will be used to award their grades; (b) how
is a fair grade arrived at since some students may not perform well during earlier school tests/examinations; (c) whether an alternative examination script can be administered on another date; and (d) how can parents be assured that they need not be anxious about their children having contact with infected persons in the weeks leading up to national examinations.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry can consider incorporating self-defence lessons into the physical education curriculum for primary and secondary schools which include violence prevention strategies and strategies on risk assessment and deescalation of conflicts to prevent assaults.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Government plans to (i) look into the survey findings of the Academic Freedom Survey 2021 published by AcademiaSG, notably that faculty who say they work on “politically sensitive” topics are more likely to feel constrained in their ability to research or engage the public compared with those whose work are not “politically sensitive” and (ii) take steps to improve the state of academic freedom especially in respect of Singapore studies and women academics, whom the survey reports as being more likely to feel constrained.

Mr Abdul Samad: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider providing interest-free financial support to Singaporeans pursuing degrees at the PSB Academy.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what plans are in place to reduce the stigma against students seeking psychological help from school counsellors; and (b) whether there are anonymous ways for students to reach out.

Dr Shahira Abdullah: To ask the Minister for Education for low-income youths who study part-time as they have to work to help support the family, whether the Ministry can consider revising the Government bursary quantum for higher education to cover a 100% tuition fee subsidy.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Education (a) how much is budgeted to be spent on the creation of the New College due to the merger of the YaleNUS College and the University Scholars Programme; and (b) how much is anticipated to be funded from public funds.

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) what action does the Government intend to take with respect to irregularities found in audited documents reported in the Report of the Auditor-General for FY 20/21 where documents were altered, backdated, artificially created and falsified by officers across three Ministries and two Statutory Boards; (b) how many investigations have been undertaken arising from these irregularities; (c) how many individuals are involved for each Ministry and Statutory Board; and (d) what specific action has been taken against officers in cases where investigations have concluded.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) in the past five years, what are the types of recurring themes for issues flagged out by the AGO; (b) which are the Ministries and agencies that are repeatedly flagged out by the AGO; (c) why do these lapses and violations keep recurring; and (d) what action is taken to prevent their recurrence.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Finance regarding the case of the former LTA deputy group director convicted of receiving $1.24 million in bribes (a) whether the Standing Committee on Debarment (SCOD)
has received any recommendations from CPIB for debarment action against parties involved in this corruption case; (b) if so, whether SCOD has made any decision to debar any party and the respective periods of debarment; and (c) if not, whether SCOD will proactively request for CPIB to make recommendations for debarment.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Finance whether a public consultation will be conducted on the review of the carbon tax.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) what are the root causes of the repeated incidents of weak controls, lapses and waste of public funds that were highlighted in the Report of the Auditor-General for FY2020/21; and (b) whether the governance and control culture within the public agencies can be further strengthened.

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Finance what is the governance framework being practised at government agencies and Ministries to ensure adequate oversight and monitoring of timely and accurate payments are being made by the qualified teams.

Mr Sharael Taha: To ask the Minister for Finance in light of the instances of public officers fabricating or altering documents for audit (a) how prevalent is this practice in the public service; (b) whether there is ongoing in-service
training for public officers to ensure that they are familiar with audit processes; (c) whether there is a need to enhance these training for public officers; and (d) whether there is a need to introduce harsher penalties for public officers to act as a deterrent against future lapses.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Finance with regard to China’s decision to ban for-profit private tuition (a) whether this decision has resulted in any adverse impact on the portfolios of the Government investment entities (GIE); (b) if so, how does the impact compare to the historical losses experienced in the portfolios of the GIE; and (c) whether the adverse impact will have any implications for our anticipated Net Investment Return Contribution.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Law with regard to the Simplified Debt Restructuring Programme (SDRP) and the Simplified Winding Up Programme (SWUP) respectively, as of 28 July 2021, what is (i)
the number of successful applications (ii) the median revenue of the applicant companies and (iii) the median debts of the applicant companies as at the time of application.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Manpower in light of the tightened Local Qualifying Salary requirement (a) whether the Ministry will provide additional financial support to low-income families to help them cope with the expected increase in the cost of goods and services; (b) what are the safeguards to prevent companies from passing the entire burden to consumers; and (c) how can we ensure that businesses do not engage in such practices.

Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo: To ask the Minister for Manpower in light of the expanding coverage of the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) and new requirement for companies to pay all local employees at least the Local
Qualifying Salary (a) whether any forms of support will be provided to consumers and businesses to manage cost increases; and (b) if so, what are they.

Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for Manpower in view of increases in business costs with the implementation of the Progressive Wage Models (PWM), how will the Government (i) monitor that the increase in costs is fairly shared between the businesses and consumers and (ii) ensure that such cost increases will not raise the cost of living for the low wage workers such that the benefits of the PWM to them are outstripped.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how often and under what circumstances will the Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) be reviewed and revised; and (b) what support will the Government provide to companies
in sectors that are traditionally more reliant on foreign manpower and badly hit by the pandemic, such as the construction sector, to afford the LQS for all their local workers.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what transitory support will the Government provide to employers as the implementation of the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) is expanded especially during under
pandemic uncertainties; (b) how will the Progressive Wage Mark (PW Mark) be administered; and (c) how can the public and private sectors through their procurement and purchases of goods and services encourage more businesses to obtain the PW Mark.

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how is the Local Qualifying Salary being determined currently; and (b) how does the Ministry plan to review the monthly minimum salary regularly.

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how does the Ministry plan to inform and support employers to pay all local workers at least the Local Qualifying Salary to qualify for their employment of foreign workers; and (b) what will be the time period given to employers for this transition.

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Minister for Manpower how does the Ministry ensure that wage increases in the Progressive Wage Model sectors are sustainable for employers given that wage increases may not be directly tied to productivity increases.

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Manpower how many Singaporean employees currently earning under $1,400 per month will not be covered by the changes to the Local Qualifying Salary requirement for companies.

Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo: To ask the Minister for Manpower in light of the expanding coverage of the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) and new requirement for companies to pay all local employees at least the Local
Qualifying Salary (LQS), how can the Ministry ensure that price increases purportedly resulting from the LQS will be fair, reasonable and not attempts at opportunistic profiteering.

Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Manpower with the proposed increase in wages for low-wage workers, how will the Ministry ensure that businesses do not profiteer under the pretext of having to pay higher wages.

Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether there is data on the number of people who are doing gig work full-time; (b) whether platform gig workers can be considered for some form of medical and
insurance benefits as well as annual leave; and (c) whether these workers need to clock in a minimum number of hours per week to qualify for any possible benefits.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry monitors the average income and the number of self-employed persons (SEPs) working as delivery riders for food and parcel delivery
platforms; (b) if so, how many SEPs are currently working as delivery riders and what is their average income; and (c) whether there are any differences in the average income for this group of SEPs in the past three years and, if so, what are the differences.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry has examined the relationship of gig workers and their platform partners, in particular, workers being tied to employee-like relationships with the platform; and (b) whether there are intended studies on the impact of working on such platforms to the worker’s medical, housing and retirement adequacy and the role of platform partners in contributing to these safety nets for the worker.

Mr Sharael Taha: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry will consider (i) legislating workplace protection and benefits (such as healthcare, paid/childcare/paternity/maternity leave) and contribution to CPF (including MediSave) for platform workers from their platform providers and (ii) the economic impact to the operating costs of business for these platforms; and (b) whether the Ministry will put in measures to ensure the increase in cost is not entirely passed on to consumers.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) from January 2021 to date, what is the breakdown on the number of foreign workers that have entered Singapore who are (i) domestic helpers (ii) S Pass holders (iii)
Employment Pass holders and (iv) other work permit holders; (b) how many foreign workers have been tested positive for COVID-19 under each category; and (c) of those who have been tested positive for COVID-19 from each category, how many have suffered serious symptoms which required oxygen ventilators or to be warded in Intensive Care Units.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Manpower with the announcement of the pilot programme to bring in more foreign domestic workers, whether the Ministry will consider allowing a greater number of foreign domestic workers to enter Singapore so as to meet the many urgent caregiving needs of those looking after the elderly, those with disabilities and the very young.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the number of migrant domestic worker (MDW) entry approvals in each month over the last 12 months; (b) what is the current number of outstanding MDW applications that have been granted in-principle approval but have yet to enter
Singapore; (c) what is the average duration from the point of application for a MDW to the point of entry into Singapore; and (d) whether Singapore’s transition to a COVID-19 endemic status will have an impact on the numberof entry approvals granted.

Mr Alex Yam Ziming: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the estimated number of employees who are likely to require regular testing under the new “Vaccinate or Regular Test” regime; (b) who will bear the costs of the twice weekly antigen rapid test; and (c) whether there will be any legal protection afforded to employers or employees in the event of a disagreement on the apportionment of costs for such testing and, if so, what are these protections.

Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry has data on the current minimum, median and maximum total upfront cost and monthly cost of hiring (i) a transfer migrant domestic worker and (ii) a new migrant domestic worker entering Singapore respectively; (b) if so, what are the costs; and (c) whether the current costs are sustainable.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what enforcement measures are in place to prevent drivers of heavy vehicles from being overworked especially for drivers who are migrant workers; (b) whether the
Ministry will review the payment model and structure for these drivers so as to boost safety; and (c) whether the Ministry will make it mandatory for all heavy vehicle owners to install speed-tracking and anti-fatigue devices.

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: To ask the Minister for Manpower given the gradual easing of COVID-19 measures, what are some of the Ministry’s upcoming efforts to ease the movement of foreign domestic workers into Singapore.

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether there are any upcoming measures to better manage the cost of quarantine for foreign domestic workers entering Singapore.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) when was Section 139 of the Administration of Muslim Law Act enacted; and (b) whether there is a plan to increase the fine amount, which currently is not exceeding $2,000.

Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) why are only degree holders allowed to become social workers; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider developing diploma holders into social
workers through short professional development courses targeted specifically at those who have a significant amount of work experience in the social sector.

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what are the Ministry’s efforts to enhance employment opportunities and employability of individuals with autism and intellectual disability; and (b) what are the Ministry’s plans to enhance continuing training support for these individuals.

Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the current percentage distribution of employees in the social service sector across the (i) social work function (ii) back-office function (such as human resource, administrative and finance) (iii) volunteer management function and (iv) communications and/or fundraising function; and (b) whether there is a target or goals that the Community Capability Trust intends to achieve in terms of enabling non-social work professional functions in social service agencies to be beefed up and, if so, what are these targets.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development from 2016 to 2020, what is the yearly breakdown of the maintenance orders made by the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents by quantum awarded in the bands of (i) less than $500 and (ii) each subsequent band of $500.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) for each year in the past five years, how many social workers have left the profession; (b) what are the main reasons for leaving the profession; and (c) if this information is not currently available, whether the Ministry will start tracking this information.

Dr Shahira Abdullah: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the eligibility for the COVID-19 Recovery Grant can be modified from the current percentage-based model to an absolute loss of income for low-wage workers.

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the upcoming Government White Paper arising out of the Conversations on Singapore Women’s Development will include LBTQ
women; and (b) if so, whether there will be any steps taken to ensure that such women are protected from discrimination, hate speech and incitement of violence which may not fall within the protection against religiously motivated violence under the Maintenance of Religious Harmony (Amendment) Bill.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) from 2011 to 2020, how many cases of Muslim divorce are classified under (i) talak rajie (ii) talak bain (iii) taklik (iv) fasakh and (v) khuluk; (b) how many of these divorce cases have been pronounced by hakam; and (c) how many cases are presented to the second set of hakam.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the basis for the upward revision of 2021’s GDP growth forecast to 6%-7%; (b) what are the key drivers; and (c) what is the growth outlook for 2022.

Ms Poh Li San: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry in view of the “code red for humanity” warning in the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest report and industries contributing to about 60% of Singapore’s greenhouse gas emissions (a) whether the Ministry will accelerate the decarbonisation of our power grids by using more imported renewable energy; and (b) whether the Ministry will impose more stringent carbon emission quotas and energy consumption targets on sectors with higher carbon footprints, such as petrochemicals, semi-conductor and data centres.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development in view of the recent COVID-19 clusters involving preschools and updated measures to Phase 2 (Heightened Alert), whether additional precautions will be taken at childcare centres and kindergartens to ensure greater safety for the staff and our children enrolled in preschools.

Mr Raj Joshua Thomas: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what are the Government’s plans to develop the local space industry given its potential economic and strategic value to Singapore.

Mr Abdul Samad: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) to date, what is the take-up rate of the Productivity Solutions Grant, particularly by SMEs and micro SMEs in the 23 Industry Transformation Map sectors; and (b) what is the breakdown of resident workers by numbers and demographics who have seen wage increases as a result of their employers receiving such grants.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Ministry has conducted a study to assess the amount of external methane emissions associated with natural gas imported and consumed in Singapore across both piped natural gas and LNG.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the extent of Chinese port closures during the COVID-19 pandemic; (b) how will this affect supply chains and production in Singapore; and (c) whether it will have a material impact on Singapore’s growth.

Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry how will the Ministry mitigate the overall increase in costs of living so that it does not negate the wage increments for low-wage workers.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry for the last five years (a) what is the annual value of exports and trade surplus or deficit with the European Union, of which, what is the annual value and trade surplus or deficit every year for (i) cement (ii) iron and steel (iii) aluminium (iv) fertilisers and (v) electricity; (b) what is the impact of the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on Singapore’s exports; and (c) what are Singapore’s plans in relation to the CBAM.

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth with respect to the Report of the Auditor-General for FY 20/21 (a) why did the People’s Association (PA) not adopt the Government’s instruction to adopt full price fluctuation in construction contracts; (b) how long has the PA practised this incorrect methodology; and (c) what is the total value of the contracts that invoked this incorrect methodology over the last seven years.

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth with respect to the Report of the Auditor-General for FY 20/21 (a) whether the PA will undertake an extensive review, investigation or audit to ascertain the true extent of lapses in approvals found in more than 50% of PA’s contract variations on a test-check basis; and (b) what is the facility referred to and who is the managing agent identified in paragraph 56 of the Report where out of 36 supporting documents for the project, 34 were suspected to have been falsified
amongst other irregularities.

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) what lessons are learnt from payment irregularities uncovered by the Auditor General’s Office amounting to $1.17 million made by the People’s Association to two contractors; and (b) what control measures have been instituted to ensure such irregularities do not recur.

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether, arising from the sampling of 36 payments conducted by the AGO, the PA will conduct a thorough investigation into all payments made in relation to the management of its facility maintenance contracts; (b) what is the total estimate of all such payments; and (c) whether and what steps the PA intends to take to recover these irregular payments made.

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether PA’s internal audits have picked up on any of the lapses that have been raised by the AGO; (b) if not, what are the reasons for the failure to do so; and (c) what is the scope and ambit of the external consultant in its review of the PA’s governance system and oversight functions in relation to contract management of all development projects.

Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth what is the level of support provided to Singapore athletes in terms of mental and emotional wellness that will assist them in their preparation and recovery before and after major sports competitions.

Mr Raj Joshua Thomas: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth what are the steps taken by the Government to encourage more private sector contributions to the Singapore National Paralympic Council such that Paralympic medal winners can get the same quantum of cash rewards as Olympic medal winners.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) how has fundraising for charities been impacted by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic; and (b) whether the Ministry intends to do more to encourage more charitable donations for the coming years.

Mr Mark Chay: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth how does the Ministry ensure that safe distancing enforcement officers are accurately applying and enforcing the safe distancing measures in gyms, fitness centres and sports facilities.

Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth given the National Youth Council’s findings highlighting anxiety over the future and stress over finance as top stressors for youths in Singapore, what are the targeted mitigating measures in place to alleviate stress and promote greater mental wellness for our youths.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Defence in light of the deferment of in-camp training (ICT) and the suspension of the individual physical proficiency test and in-person fitness training during the period of
COVID-19 Phase Two (Heightened Alert) (a) what plans will be taken to maintain the operational readiness and fitness of NSmen; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider extending the deferment of ICT until next year given the various work and business challenges faced by NSmen during this period.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Defence in light of the Singapore Green Plan (a) whether the Ministry has plans to reduce wastage in food, gears and logistics within SAF camps; and (b) how is biodiversity managed in SAF training areas.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what is the amount of carbon emissions three years ago during the pre-COVID-19 period in comparison to post-COVID-19, with more people
working from home and reduced traveling; (b) if it is a net decrease in carbon emissions, how can this momentum be maintained, moving on; and (c) whether revisions to key targets in the Singapore Green Plan will be made following the report of UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment in view of the “code red for humanity” warning in the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest report (a) whether the
Government will bring forward the targets in the Singapore Green Plan 2030; and (b) whether there will be an introduction of more incentives for electric vehicles ahead of schedule.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment following the latest report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whether the Government will review and bring forward the plans to reach net zero emissions.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment with regard to the Sixth Assessment Report of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR6) (a) what changes are
required to Singapore’s carbon emission and other environmental targets; (b) whether there is a system in place to review and track Singapore’s long-term environmental commitments; and (c) whether there are urgent short-term changes to the commitments that will impact citizens and businesses.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask Minister for Sustainability and the Environment given the latest report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whether the Government plans to (i) review Singapore’s net zero emissions target and set a definitive timeline to achieve net zero emissions (ii) commit the public sector to net zero emissions by 2050 and (iii) commit the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation to having a portfolio of net zero emissions.

Ms Poh Li San: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment in light of the latest report of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (a) what are the plans to mitigate the higher temperatures that will be experienced in Singapore, particularly to alleviate the impact on residents, fauna and flora; and (b) what measures will be taken to mitigate the more extreme sea level rise events especially in the low-lying regions.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) in light of recent global climatic changes, whether there needs to be a revision to estimated timelines of sea-level rise that may affect Singapore in future; and (b) whether he can provide an update on the plan to build polders and implementation of other measures to deal with sea-level rise.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the Ministry can provide an update on Singapore’s polder development project; and (b) how have the findings affected Singapore’s current plans and timeline to protect our coastlines from the impact of climate change.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the Ministry has conducted a comprehensive review of areas that are susceptible to flash flood situations like what was experienced on the morning of Friday 20 August 2021; and (b) what plans are being made to mitigate such possibilities from recurring going forward.

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether she can provide an update on the flood management measures and early warning system in view of the recent flooding.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment in light of the powers granted to Safe Distancing Enforcement Officers to enter, inspect and search various premises without a warrant to check for compliance with COVID-19 regulations (a) under what circumstances are such powers exercised; (b) what procedures are in place during the exercise of such powers; and (c) what measures and safeguards are in place to ensure the safety and protection of enforcement officers and premise owners during such checks.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what are the operating procedures and protocols that the Safe Distancing Enforcement Officers observe when they enter and inspect residential premises; and (b) what are the feedback received from the public on the conduct of safe distancing enforcements.

Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether Safe Distancing Enforcement Officers executing a search of premises without a warrant are required to wear a body camera at all times during the search.

Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment what protocols are in place for Safe Distancing Enforcement Officers executing searches of premises without a warrant, to clearly identify
themselves as authorised Safe Distancing Enforcement Officers, ensure the safety and well-being of occupants who are alone at their place of residence, specifically women, children or the disabled, and avoid abuse of power by such officers.

Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether NEA can work with the hawker centre cleaners and the public to assist the handicapped and very frail seniors to return their food trays rather than to impose the fine on them.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) how many people have been issued fines for not returning their trays in hawker centres since 1 September 2021; (b) how many of these
fines have been imposed on patrons of zhi char and steamboat eating places; and (c) what are examples of situations where enforcers have taken on “pragmatic approaches” for stalls with dedicated service staff who serve food and clear tables.

Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) to date, how many coffee shops and hawker centres have signed up for NEA’s Toilet Improvement Programme since its launch on 2 October 2020; and (b) whether NEA is looking into reviewing the existing scheme to encourage more stakeholders to come on board and increase its participation rate.

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what is the current number of home-based food businesses operating in Singapore; (b) what has been its growth trend in the last three years; and (c) how can such businesses be supported with some form of licensing requirements tailored to home kitchens to support the sustainable growth of this sector.

Dr Tan Yia Swam: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment of the 400 KTVs that pivoted to food and beverage and given licences, how many of them have commercial kitchens.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether he can provide an update on NEA’s investigation under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014 against several companies and individuals for allegedly causing peatland and forest fires in Indonesia causing haze pollution in Singapore in 2015.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Ministry will release public figures on Singapore’s existing carbon emissions that GreenGov.SG’s projections and targets are based on.