Parliament

The Government should increase legal protections to safeguard the psychological wellbeing vulnerable groups and minorities against religiously-motivated violence in Singapore, said Nominated Member of Parliament Anthea Ong in Parliament on Mon (7 Oct) Speaking during the debate on the Maintenance of Religious Harmony (Amendment) Bill, Ong said more must be done to protect the mental wellbeing of vulnerable groups and …

The Government “should re-evaluate” its viewpoint on “advocacy, activism and dissent”, particularly concerning discourse among Singapore’s youths and their involvement in activism and advocacy, said Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Anthea Ong in Parliament on Mon (7 Oct). Following up on fellow NMP Walter Theseira’s comments during an adjournment motion titled “A Liberal Education and Corruption of the Youth of …

The Singapore Parliament will sit at 10:30 morning on Monday, 7 October 2019, for the 112th session of the 13th Parliament. *70 oral questions and 53 written question have been scheduled to be asked. Two Government Bills will be read for the 2nd time: Income Tax (Amendment) Bill [Bill No. 26/2019] – (Second Minister for Finance) – Second Reading. Maintenance …

A Parliamentary question by Workers’ Party (WP)’s Member of Parliament Leon Perera regarding Singapore sovereign wealth funds GIC and Temasek Holdings’ possible investments in haze-linked companies was highlighted by the party’s unofficial support Facebook page One WP, One SG on Wed (18 Sep). Over three years ago, Perera asked Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat if the Government was involved in …

On Wednesday (4 September), the Resource Sustainability Bill was passed in Parliament. The Bill entails regulations to reduce food, electronic waste as well as packaging, given that Singapore’s sole landfill at Pulau Semakau is expected to run out of space by 2030. Under the Bill, it will be compulsory for large food waste generators to segregate and treat their food …

On Tuesday (3 September), Second Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong revealed in Parliament that it would be possible for the Government to fund S$100 billion needed for climate change measures by using a combination of borrowing, ministry budgets and reserves. “We will need a combination of funding methods to finance the various climate change adaption measures,” Mr Wong said. Mr …

On Tuesday (3 September), Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee presented the Children and Young Persons (Amendment) Bill for debate. The proposed changes in the Act, which was last amended in 2011, include increasing the age limit to protect children below 18, instead of the current age of 16. This means authorities are given the rights to intervene …

The government should grant greater, “freer” access to declassified government documents in the National Archives, said Workers’ Party Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Leon Perera. “The declassification of British colonial government documents relating to Singapore from the 1950s and 1960s provided a valuable resource for historians and others seeking to better understand that period in our nation’s history. “I urged that …

While investments made by the Singapore companies involved in the joint project between Singapore and Andhra Pradesh to develop capital city Amaravati in India are “commercially confidential”, Minister-in-charge of trade relations S Iswaran on Tue (3 Sep) said that no state expenditure was involved in the project. Iswaran was responding to supplementary questions from Workers’ Party Non-Constituency Member of Parliament …

On Monday (2 Sept), the CareShield Life Bill was passed in Parliament after its second reading, making it compulsory for Singaporeans born in 1980 or after to pay CareShield life insurance fees starting 2020. For those born in the year 1979 or earlier, the premium is optional. Future cohorts will join when they turn 30. CareShield Life is an insurance …