Government

Earthworks contractors will have greater clarity on the requirements they have to comply with for projects carried out in the vicinity of underground telecommunication cables by 1 June 2019 to prevent cable cut incidents, which have been the main cause of telecom service disruptions in recent years, the authorities announced in a press release on Monday (18 March). The Earthworks …

The second phase of reductions to the CPF Investment Scheme (CPFIS) sales charge and wrap fees cap will be deferred by one year from 1 October 2019 to 1 October 2020 in response to industry feedback that financial advisors require more time to adjust to the revised CPFIS fees structure. In March 2018, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) announced the …

The Public Service Division (PSD) announced on Tuesday (5 March) that eight civil servants will be taking on a new position or seeing a change to their portfolio with effect from 1 April. The PSD also announced Ms Lai Wei Lin, 43, Deputy Secretary (Policy), Ministry of Education (MOE) to be appointed Second Permanent Secretary (Education). Ms Lai, 43, held …

Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) paramedics will be progressively equipped with Body-Worn Cameras (BWCs), which is is a compact device worn over the ear, starting from Saturday (1 February 2019). In a press release on Thursday (31 January), SCDF said that it expects to roll out the BWCs to all paramedics by 2020. The authority said that the use of the …

Senior civil servant Joseph Leong will be appointed Permanent Secretary (Defence Development) starting from 1 March, announced the Public Service Division (PSD) in a press release on Monday (28 January). Mr Leong, 48, who is a President’s Scholarship and Singapore Armed Forces’ (SAF) Overseas Scholarship recipient, is director at the security and intelligence division of the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). The PSD …

Singapore Customs stated in a press release on Wednesday (2 January) that the three-quarter tank rule will be expanded to cover Singapore-registered diesel-powered vehicles, which is in line with the introduction of a usage-based diesel duty announced in Budget 2017 to reduce diesel consumption and resultant air pollution. Singapore-registered vehicles are required to have a minimum amount of motor fuel …

The Infrastructure Protection Act (IPA), which is touted to be part of counter-terrorism strategy to protect Singapore’s critical infrastructure, and buildings that are iconic or have high public footfall, will take effect from 18 Dec 2018. The Act was passed in Parliament on 2 October 2017. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stated in a press release that new buildings …

Mr Eddie Teo will be appointed to be the new Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA) by the President under Article 37B(3A) of the Constitution as Chairman of the CPA starting from 2 January 2019 to 1 June 2020. The Prime Minister Office (PMO) announced in a press release that Mr Eddie will be succeeding Mr J Y Pillay when his current term …

The National Environment Agency (NEA) announced in a press release on Wednesday (28 November) that public areas within the Orchard Road precinct will be designated as a No Smoking Zone (NSZ), where smoking will only be allowed at the Designated Smoking Areas (DSAs) from 1 January 2019 and the smoking corners at food retail establishments within the NSZ will also …

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will make a working visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina in conjunction with the 13th G20 Leaders’ Summit, at the invitation of His Excellency Mauricio Macri, President of the Argentine Republic from Wednesday (28 November) to Saturday (1 December), the Prime Minister Office (PMO) announced in a press release. The office stated that Prime Minister Lee …