Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698847350593.pdf (Singapore)
FOURTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE (SECOND SESSION) ORDER PAPER TUESDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER 2023 No.

112 1.30 pm 1 *1.

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QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER* Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Prime Minister (a) how many polling stations experienced technical issues with the electronic voter registration system during the 2023 Presidential Election; (b) whether cyber interference for the technical issues experienced has been ruled out; and (c) what is being done to (i) ensure that all who voted were correctly registered and (ii) prevent a repeat of situations where persons remember voting in the 2020 General Election but which names were not in the 2023 updated Registers of Electors.
Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Prime Minister in view of the Elections Department’s press statement dated 24 August 2023 regarding the wrongful removal of names from the Registers of Electors after General Election 2020 (a) how many times has this happened in the aftermath of past elections or by- elections; and (b) what steps will be taken to prevent a re-occurrence.
Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Prime Minister regarding voters who were removed from the electoral register due to an error (a) what was the total number of voters affected; (b) whether there was any individual notification exercise to expunged voters in reminding them to add their name back to the register since the last such exercise in 2019; and (c) why was a tally of the number of NRICs scanned and the number of votes collected after the last general election not conducted as a first instance check.
Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what are the reasons resulting in the names of about 200 Singaporeans not being reflected in the Registers of Electors eligible to vote at Presidential Election 2023 despite voting in General Election 2020; and (b) what are measures taken to prevent such recurrence.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the drainage improvement works at Bukit Timah Canal between Rifle Range Road and Jalan Kampong Chantek can be expedited.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Government’s position is that non- vulnerable Singaporeans should continue to get their booster shots to keep their vaccination against COVID-19 current; and (b) how long more will Singaporeans continue to be able to get their booster shots free-of-charge.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether an update can be provided on the Ministry's review of the remaining post-COVID-19 measures currently in place such as the mask-wearing requirement in healthcare settings; (b) whether there are plans to modify this measure to make mask- wearing non-mandatory in healthcare settings; and (c) if so, when will this change take place.
Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether the Majulah Package for Singaporeans can be modified to include items for which only age, and not housing type and income, form the eligibility criteria.

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether the Majulah Package can be amended to encompass elements where sole age-based qualifications are applicable, excluding considerations of housing category and income.

No.
No.

112 19 SEPTEMBER 2023 2 *10.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what will be the measure of success of the recently launched Healthy Longevity Clinic; and (b) whether there are plans to expand the services offered by the Healthy Longevity Clinic to other parts of Singapore, particularly polyclinics, when the current pilot at Alexandra Hospital proves to be successful.

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Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the withdrawal limit of $5,000 from the CPF Special and Ordinary Account savings for Singaporeans who have not met their Full Retirement Sum can be increased to match the rate of inflation.

*12.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether an update can be provided on the sustainability audit carried out from last year's Singapore Grand Prix; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider ensuring that the sustainability audit for the Singapore Grand Prix and the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions sector being developed this year includes timelines for (i) measurement of scope 3 emissions that are indirect emissions occurring in the value chain of the reporting company and (ii) requirements to set interim emissions targets for 2030.
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Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Ministry is considering any mechanisms to be put in place to ensure a substantive portion of emission reductions from the Singapore Grand Prix and other Meeting, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions sector events are driven from actual emission cuts within their direct control and value chain, rather than carbon-offset driven.

*14.
*14.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for National Development regarding the use of live chickens and chicks in an art installation at the National Gallery Singapore (a) whether veterinary expert inputs have been sought prior to the deployment of the chickens; and (b) what is known regarding the impact on the animals' well-being during and after participation in the art installation.

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Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the income criteria for the blue and orange Community Health Assistance Scheme (CHAS) card will be raised in view of the recent inflation; (b) how many households have appealed for blue and orange CHAS cards for the past two years and of which, how many appeals have been rejected due to the household monthly income per person criteria; and (c) whether CHAS subsidies will be reviewed due to the recent high medical inflation.

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Mr Ong Hua Han: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Ministry will consider providing Singapore Sign Language (SgSL) interpretation services during significant Government live TV broadcasts; (b) when will SgSL receive official recognition as one of Singapore’s languages given its legal status in 77 countries as a sign-language used by the deaf; and (c) whether there are plans to increase support for SgSL instruction providers and to increase the number of SgSL interpreters.
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Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in view of the record high tax revenue in the last financial year ending 31 March 2023 (a) whether the Ministry expects the tax revenue growth trend to continue for the rest of the current financial year; and (b) whether the Government will consider additional monetary payouts to Singaporeans, over and above those that have been announced, to combat inflation rather than waiting for the next budget in 2024.

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*18.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry in view of rising global food prices and export controls imposed on rice and its substitutes, what measures will the Ministry implement to mitigate the impact and assist the lower and middle-income groups.

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Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the upcoming inflationary outlook in view of the latest rising food and energy prices; and (b) what are the further measures to mitigate the impact to households and businesses.

No.

112 19 SEPTEMBER 2023 3 *20.


Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many Singaporeans under the age of 35 are living with or have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder within the last three years; and (b) what avenues of appeal and assistance are available to young Singaporeans who encounter stigma from insurers or are declined insurance coverage due to their mental health condition, including bipolar disorder.

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Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what avenues are available to patients who are unable to obtain medical insurance coverage as a result of their mental health condition; (b) whether the Ministry is considering a regulatory approach to address this concern; and (c) if so, what are the measures being considered.

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Ms Yeo Wan Ling: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) since the implementation of the Progressive Wage (PW) Mark accreditation, recognising companies that pay progressive wages to lower-wage workers, how has the uptake of the PW Mark accreditation been; and (b) whether the Ministry tracks if more service buyers have chosen to do business exclusively with companies accredited with the PW Mark.

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Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is the expected impact of the recent announcement by the Ministry to allow an increase in the pricing cap of school bus fares of up to 13 per cent; and (b) how can families of affected students, especially those with higher special education needs, be assisted.

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Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Ministry keeps track of how many adult persons with special needs or persons with disability are financially dependent on their parents who have retired; (b) what are the current programmes and schemes available to help adult persons with special needs or disabilities to secure their own livelihood for their financial self- sufficiency, in particular those who are high functioning; and (c) what is the success rate of these programmes and schemes.
*25.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) how many e-bike models have been approved to date and of these how many are additional new models that have been approved since January 2023; (b) in the past three years, how many e-bikes have been registered; (c) how many e-bikes are detected to be illegal; (d) how many riders are caught for not riding at approved places; and (e) how many accidents have been recorded.

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Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the expected demand on renewable energy in Singapore by 2040; and (b) what are the plans to ensure that Singapore has sufficient capacity to meet the demands.

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Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether Singapore's continued heavy dependence on natural gas will hinder the commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050; and (b) whether the development and growth of renewable energy will soon be enough to tilt the balance.

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Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Law with regard to the guidelines on reduction in sentences recommended by the Sentencing Advisory Panel for guilty pleas, what measures are in place to prevent criminals from getting away with much lighter sentences by exploiting the maximum amount of mitigating options available to them.

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Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Manpower based on the Ministry’s annual Occupational Wage Survey (a) what is the gender pay gap for finance-related roles annually from 2012 to 2021; and (b) what is being done to address the current gender pay gap in the finance sector.

No.

112 19 SEPTEMBER 2023 4 *30.


Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether an update can be provided on the current occupancy and waiting time for HDB rental flats, including flats under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme, temporary and permanent flats; and (b) whether the occupancy and waiting time for rental flats will decrease as more HDB BTO projects are completed in the next six to 12 months.

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Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how does the Government regulate AI and new technologies used for precision medicine in order to protect data privacy and patient confidentiality as well as ensure patient safety; and (b) how does the Government address concerns that customised treatments and precision medicines may increase healthcare costs for patients, compared to cheaper generic drugs.

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Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether there are plans to attract and train more manpower for the special needs care and education sector and, if so, what are they; (b) whether the Ministry is aware of plans by SG Enable to provide community training on caring for people with special needs or are neurodiverse and, if so, what are they.

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Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) for each year from 2018 to 2022, how many full-time National Servicemen disrupted their National Service (NS) for overseas studies; (b) of these, how many were Government scholarship holders; and (c) what are the reasons for the allowing the disruption.

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Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Education (a) for each official mother tongue language (MTL), what is the current expenditure per student to receive such MTL education at the preschool, primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels respectively; and (b) what are the future plans to enhance the teaching of MTLs at all levels.

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Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) whether the China Standard Map 2023 Edition has been discussed during recent high-level bilateral and multilateral exchanges, including the 43rd ASEAN Summit; (b) what substantive progress has been made in the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (CoC) negotiations; (c) what contentious issues are still unresolved; and (d) when will the third reading of the Single Draft CoC Negotiating Text take place.

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Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for National Development how does the new classification of HDB BTO projects into Standard, Prime and Plus flats instead of mature and non-mature estates assure a first-timer family of a HDB BTO flat within the first three tries of application.

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Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether he can provide an update on the percentage of MRT stations and bus interchanges currently having at least one lactation room and breastfeeding room; and (b) whether the Ministry can make it compulsory for all MRT stations and bus interchanges to have at least one lactation room and breastfeeding room.

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Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what is (i) the number and (ii) dollar value of deposits held in dormant bank accounts in local financial institutions (FIs); and (b) whether MAS requires local FIs to trace and contact holders of dormant accounts to activate their accounts or claim their funds.

No.

112 19 SEPTEMBER 2023 5 *39.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Manpower given the recent addition of jobs in the Non- Traditional Sources (NTS) Occupation List (a) what are the measures being taken to build up the pipeline for Singaporeans to take up jobs on the NTS; (b) how will the Ministry ensure that locals in these jobs will not be deprived of job opportunities or attractive salaries; and (c) whether the Ministry will review and roll back on any NTS adjustments when there are sufficient locals taking up these jobs.

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Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs for each year in the past five years, for traffic accidents involving lorries where workers are being transported in the rear deck during the accident, what percentage of the accidents is attributed to (i) lorry driver fatigue (ii) the fault of the lorry driver and (iii) the fault of the driver of the other vehicle involved in the accident.

*41.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for National Development in light of the recently announced moves towards a more equitable public housing system for Singaporeans (a) whether the Ministry is considering differentiated incentives and restrictions based on the number of children per household; (b) what is the justification for differentiating singles from married couples who do not have children; and (c) what additional ways can policies on the public housing system promote parenthood and help young parents without negatively impacting singlehood.
*42.

Ms See Jinli Jean: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Ministry will consider setting up a dedicated, low-cost dispute resolution platform to facilitate the resolution of leasing disputes between vehicle leasing firms and vocational drivers or riders who are concerned about unfair vehicle leasing terms being invoked against them.

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Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether he can provide an update on the percentage of (i) primary schools (ii) secondary schools and (iii) post-secondary educational institutions currently having at least one lactation room; and (b) whether the Ministry can make it compulsory for all schools and educational institutions to have at least one lactation room.

*44.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether MAS will work with the business sectors, including property, law and insurance companies, wholesale dealers, brokerages and telcos, with a heavy reliance on cheques for financial transactions to help them achieve a smooth transition to digital payment methods; and (b) in cases where persistent cheque usage is due to statutory or regulatory requirements, whether MAS will work with the relevant Government agencies to explore the possibility of amending these requirements.
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Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Health what is the (i) average number of complaints received per month for alleged medical negligence by hospital staff and (ii) average total patient intake per month, with a breakdown respectively for Sengkang Hospital, Singapore General Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital and other regional hospitals.

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Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for National Development in each year over the last five years, what is the number and proportion of HDB BTO units launched where (i) the Optional Component Scheme is not applicable and (ii) the pedestal pans are pre-fitted in the flats and whether this is optional or compulsory.

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Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Ministry has plans to support Social Service Agencies in increasing the number of Special Student Care Centres in Singapore; and (b) if so, whether these centres will be set up in more diverse locations across Singapore to make them more accessible to families of children with special needs.

No.

112 19 SEPTEMBER 2023 6 *48.


Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether there are any overseas trips or expeditions that students from schools and institutions run by the Ministry are required to go on without accompanying teachers or adults; and (b) if so, what protocols are in place to ensure students’ safety and well-being on such unaccompanied trips.

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Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the justification behind HDB's decision to cease charging haulage fees for clearing renovation debris in new housing developments after 2012; (b) whether this has reduced renovation debris dumped at new development sites; (c) what has HDB done to prevent the build-up of bulky refuse and renovation debris dumped at carparks or empty spaces under HDB’s maintenance in newly completed BTO projects such as Rivervale Shores; and (d) what corrective measures will HDB take when build-up of refuse and debris occur.
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Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for National Development what are the reasons for the lack of preventive measures to prevent and address the build-up of bulky refuse and renovation debris in or around August 2023 at the Rivervale Shores HDB BTO project carpark, which is under the responsibility and management of HDB.

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Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) in the past five years, of the HDB BTO projects with carparks that are segregated from commercial parts of the project, what percentage of such projects have had their carparks maintained by HDB while the residential blocks are maintained by the Town Council; and (b) when transferring maintenance responsibilities, whether joint site inspections between HDB and the Town Council, and the endorsement of the necessary handover forms in accordance with the terms of the maintenance agreement, are required.
*52.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Prime Minister what percentage of the pay of a (i) junior (ii) middle-rank and (iii) senior civil servant is lost when such officers are interdicted from duty while being actively investigated by CPIB and SPF.

*53.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for Transport whether more parking facilities can be provided for marine offshore workers who carry heavy gear onto their vessels at Marina South Pier and the Marina Bay Cruise Centre.

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Ms Yeo Wan Ling: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether an update can be provided on the Household Services Scheme’s pilot programme to expand its scope to include child-minding and elder- minding services.

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Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether an update can be provided on the revised approach to prioritise inspections of occupied HDB rental flats; and (b) what is the annual schedule and budget allotted under the revised approach for proactive regular maintenance of these flats beyond the repairs requested by tenants.

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Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Transport for bus lines with off-peak frequency that average 15 to 20 minutes and not filled to capacity, whether smaller-capacity buses can be considered for deployment to increase frequency.
Assoc Prof Razwana Begum Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Ministry will consider strengthening the range of early identification, intervention, and support programmes for parents and caregivers of children with special needs; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider developing and implementing a community education programme to inform parents and caregivers of children with special needs about available support options.

No.

112 19 SEPTEMBER 2023 7 *58.


Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Prime Minister whether an update can be provided on the length of time Member of Parliament S Iswaran will be absent from Parliament.

*59.
*59.

Mr Ong Hua Han: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development when will the definition of disability for access to programmes such as Open Door under SG Enable be expanded to include those with certifiable mental health conditions, in order to align the protected characteristic of mental health in the upcoming workplace fairness legislation.

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Assoc Prof Razwana Begum Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry will consider developing and implementing mandatory national child safeguarding standards for organisations that provide services for children and young persons.
Assoc Prof Razwana Begum Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) in the last three years, how many breaches of section 33 of the Early Childhood Development Centres Regulations 2018 have been reported to the Ministry; and (b) how does the Ministry use that data to improve systemic practice across Early Childhood Development Centres.

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*62.

Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Early Childhood Development Agency have any programmes or guidelines in place to ensure that early childhood educators' mental and emotional wellness are managed and taken care of.

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*63.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development to detect and deter cases of child abuse or inappropriate conduct at preschools or childcare centres, what are the plans for ECDA to (i) maintain effective oversight of both staff and management of such centres and (ii) strengthen reporting policies, which include encouraging and protecting whistleblowers.

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*64.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether mandatory training or any other measures to address issues of workload, stress management and mental wellbeing of preschool and childcare centre staff is provided by ECDA.

* Members may postpone their Questions to a later sitting day if their Questions are not reached by the end of Question Time (QT).
For such Questions, Members may email to parl_cop@parl.gov.sg in advance a postponement notice that will be effected after QT.

Members must submit their notices to the Clerk within one hour after the end of QT (SO 22(3)).

Questions will be given a written answer if no such notices are received by the Clerk within the stipulated time.

AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF PUBLIC BUSINESS Business Motions 1.
Leader of the House: REARRANGEMENT OF BUSINESS: That, pursuant to Standing Order 10(2), the motion for leave to bring in a Bill by Ms Hazel Poa be taken immediately after the proceedings on the Motions on “Consideration of Matters Regarding Member of Parliament” and “Suspension of Member” have concluded.

2.
2.

Leader of the House: SIMULTANEOUS DEBATE ON MOTIONS: That, notwithstanding the Standing Orders, the Motions on "Consideration of Matters Regarding Member of Parliament" and "Suspension of Member" be taken together, and the debate on these Motions and on any amendment proposed thereto be proceeded with simultaneously as though the debate were on a single Motion.

______________________ No.

112 19 SEPTEMBER 2023 8 Motion for Leave to Bring in Bill by Private Member 3.
Ms Hazel Poa (Non-Constituency Member): Mr Leong Mun Wai (Non-Constituency Member): PARLIAMENT (PRIVILEGES, IMMUNITIES AND POWERS) (AMENDMENT) BILL: That leave be given to introduce a Bill intituled "An Act to amend the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act 1962.".

ORDERS OF THE DAY 1.

2.

Child Development Co-Savings (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

27/2023] – (Minister for Social and Family Development).
Resumption of Debate on Question (18 September 2023) “That the Bill be now read a second time.”.

– (Minister for Social and Family Development).

Society of Saint Maur Incorporation (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

28/2023] – (Ms Joan Pereira, Member for Tanjong Pagar) – Second Reading.

1.
Leader of the House: NOTICES OF MOTIONS CONSIDERATION OF MATTERS REGARDING MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: That this House: (a) Affirms the need for Members of Parliament to uphold the highest standards of integrity and conduct themselves in accordance with the law; (b) Affirms the need to deal firmly and fairly with any Member of Parliament who is being investigated for possible wrongdoing; and (c) Resolves to consider the matter regarding Member of Parliament S Iswaran when the outcome of the ongoing investigations against him is known.
2 4 6 8 2.

Ms Hazel Poa (Non-Constituency Member): Mr Leong Mun Wai (Non-Constituency Member): SUSPENSION OF MEMBER: That this House suspends Mr S Iswaran from the service of Parliament for the remainder of the current session of the 14th Parliament.

2 MEMORANDUM Matter proposed to be raised on the Motion for the Adjournment (SO 2(8)(b)).

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye (Radin Mas) : Keeping Workplaces Safe Beyond the Heightened Safety Period.

No.

112 19 SEPTEMBER 2023 9 1.

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QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Defence whether the RSAF has conducted research on modifying combat aircraft with fin-lined nozzles to reduce noise pollution from overflights and, if not, whether it will do so.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs how is the Singapore Police Force working with international agencies to tackle online child sexual exploitation.
Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) for each year since 2013, how many foreign persons have received approval to purchase terrace houses, semi-detached houses, detached or strata landed houses under the Residential Property Act 1976; (b) whether investigations into the sources of funds for the purchase of these properties are conducted before such approvals are granted; and (c) if not, why not.
Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether property developers are obligated to report property buyers who fail the Customer Due Diligence (CDD) checks performed on them to the authorities; and (b) if so, to date, how many property buyers have failed such CDD checks.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs since May 2022, what is the number of cases of abuse against security officers that has been lodged; (b) whether the number of abuse cases are trending lower since new offences were introduced in the amended Private Security Industry Act which took effect from 1 May 2022; and (c) whether there are any plans to further enhance penalties to deter abuse against security officers.
Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Law (a) how much have been collected by the Public Trustee in fees charged for the administration of un-nominated CPF monies in 2022; (b) what is the average fee charged and average amount of un-nominated CPF monies administered per estate; and (c) why does the Public Trustee not charge a flat fee for the administration of un-nominated CPF monies regardless of the amount administered per estate.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Law whether the Ministry will consider expanding the new framework for mandatory mediation and increasing the powers of public officers to include resolving secondhand smoke cases between neighbouring units in HDB estates in addition to noise cases.
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry with regard to the decision by Industrial Light & Magic to end its operations in Singapore (a) what is the expiry date of the tax incentive schemes granted to the company; and (b) whether the Ministry has the number of Singaporean and non- Singaporean staff that are expected to be made redundant and, if so, what are these numbers.
Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider requiring less frequent inspections for electric vehicles (EVs) given their generally higher reliability than comparable internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

10.
10.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Ministry will consider working with the industry to have a centralised platform for funeral service providers to register their LED wreaths to ensure that the number of LED wreaths delivered to each wake adheres to the guidelines.

No.

112 19 SEPTEMBER 2023 10 11.

12.

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21.


Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether any reduction in cleanliness standards for tables in coffee shops have been observed after the implementation of the rule requiring diners to return their dirty trays and crockery after dining.
Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Ministry will consider allowing pets in outdoor dining areas of food establishments apart from licensed pet cafes.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) how will the El Nino weather pattern affect Singapore in the coming year; and (b) whether preparations are being made for a dryer Singapore weather, including its effect on water supply from both the local catchment and imported water.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) in 2023 to date, what is the number of cases of mosquito breeding against which NEA has taken enforcement action; (b) how does the trend compare against the past three years; and (c) whether more NEA enforcement officers will be deployed at current dengue hotspots to help close the dengue clusters.
Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment how will the El Nino weather pattern, resulting in warmer sub-surface ocean temperatures, impact local farm yields and imported food supply of Singapore.
Mr Don Wee: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development in the absence of mandatory closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera installations in infant and childcare centres, kindergartens and school buses, what are the independent inspections and checks as well as enforcement measures in place to ensure the safety and well-being of vulnerable infants, toddlers and young children.
Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development in light of the recent allegations of child abuse at preschools (a) what immediate measures are being taken to ensure the safety and well- being of the children enrolled in those schools; (b) how is the Ministry ensuring that such incidents do not occur in other preschools; and (c) what steps are being taken to hold the school's management accountable for their actions or lack thereof.
Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what protocols are in place for reporting and investigating incidents where parents report that their children return home from the preschool with injuries; and (b) how are parents informed and involved in these processes.
Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether there are protocols and platforms in place for whistleblowers, especially staff, to report alleged abuse of children or negligence by childcare centre managers and principals; (b) if so, what are these protocols and platforms; and (c) if no, what can be done.
Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the training of early childhood educators include the definition of mistreatment or abuse of children, given that some educators may have had differing standards of what constitutes abuse.
Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Ministry has data on the number of stay-at-home parents for each year in the past five years; (b) if so, how many of these (i) have received caregiver grants and (ii) have had their CPF topped-up by loved ones; and (c) of those that did receive CPF top-ups by loved ones, what is the median amount.

No.

112 19 SEPTEMBER 2023 11 22.

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Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) since 2014, how much funding has the local preschool provider which runs the childcare centres where the alleged mistreatment of children are reported in August 2023, received as an Anchor Operator; (b) whether the level of funding to this preschool provider will be reviewed given the recent allegations of child abuse; and (c) if not, why.
Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the average staff-to- children ratio for each age group for preschools operated by the Ministry of Education, anchor operators, and other private operators respectively; (b) what are the average salaries of early childhood educators; and (c) what has been done to improve the salaries and working conditions for early childhood educators since October 2022.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry works with healthcare insurers, including Integrated Shield Plan (IP) insurers, to ensure that exclusion criteria are based on appropriate medical and actuarial grounds, and do not inappropriately or disproportionately discriminate against persons with pre-existing conditions; and (b) what avenues of appeal are available to persons concerned that an insurer's decision to deny coverage might be unreasonable.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many private mental healthcare practitioners including psychiatrists accept Medisave payments and how accessible is the information; and (b) whether current Medisave limits are sufficient to cover annual treatment costs.
Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health in view of the COVID-19 variant EG.5 which is designated a variant of interest by the World Health Organisation, whether Singapore's vaccine strategy will incorporate booster doses of updated vaccines.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry has reviewed the Medisave withdrawal limits for in-vitro fertility (IVF) treatments recently; and (b) whether it will consider increasing the Medisave withdrawal limit for IVF treatments.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Health whether the current rules allow patients to use their MediSave Account for treatment received at the public hospital where they first attended, even though they were subsequently referred to and warded at another hospital on the basis that this hospital has the expertise and facilities to treat the patient’s medical condition.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) since 2022, how many junior doctors starting their first day posting at a public hospital cluster or a cross-cluster deployment do not have a fully functioning and usable healthcare information technology (IT) account for login to that cluster's healthcare IT system; and (b) what action is being taken to prevent such disruptions from affecting patient care and healthcare workers.
Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for National Development in the past five years (a) how many HDB blocks have either undergone the Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) or polled in favour of LUP; (b) of these blocks, how many have fewer than 10 units with no direct lift access or units benefitting from LUP; and (c) of the blocks that have undergone or polled in favour of LUP, what is the proportion of the units benefitting from LUP as a percentage of the total number of units in each block.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the scope of HDB's Goodwill Repair Assistance scheme and Home Improvement Programme may be extended to cover works to address (i) water seepage from the floor of 2nd floor units into void decks or common areas and (ii) water seepage from internal walls of units to the external walls thereby affecting external paintwork of the flat.

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Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry has a projection of the impact that the additional restrictions on Plus and Prime HDB BTO flats have on resale HDB flat prices that are (i) within the vicinity of such flats and (ii) in other areas nationwide; and (b) if so, what are the results of these projections.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for National Development in each year for the last two years (a) how many complaints has HDB received regarding the quality of workmanship for the Home Improvement Programme; and (b) of these, which constituencies had the highest number of complaints.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the rationale for air- conditioner ledges of HDB blocks with a Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) issued on or before 30 April 2004 to be maintained by the common vendors and for those with TOP on or after 1 May 2004 to be maintained by the flat owner; (b) whether any study has been done to determine if flat owners have been maintaining these ledges as required; (c) whether the maintenance of these ledges can be standardised regardless of the year of TOP; and (d) if not, why not.
Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether any public funds were spent in taking out the full-page advertisement in the Business Times on 3 August 2023 by the Advisor to Yuhua Grassroots Organisations and various grassroots leaders to recipients of the Singapore Business Awards 2023; (b) if yes, from which agency the funds came from and how much was spent; and (c) what was the rationale behind taking out the advertisement.
Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what steps are being taken to ensure that employees seeking help on workplace discrimination are aware of and have access to formal channels of support provided by their companies or unions; and (b) how is the Ministry addressing the common reasons for employees not seeking help, such as fear of being marginalized at work and facing repercussions in their careers.
Mr Ong Hua Han: To ask the Minister for Manpower based on the Enabling Employment Credit given out every year (a) how many persons with disabilities are employed by small and medium enterprises with less than 25 employees in 2020, 2021 and 2022; (b) what is the average length of employment of these employees in each year; and (c) what is the disaggregated data on the disability group which these employees belong to or identify with in each year.
Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Manpower for each year in the past five years, what is the overall average CPF interest rate across the different types of CPF accounts and balances.

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether there are plans to include platform workers in the workplace fairness legislation in future.
Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Manpower for each year since 2010 (a) how many Employment Pass (EP) applicants have had (i) none (ii) one (iii) two (iv) three and (v) more than four successful EP applications; and (b) what percentage of such groups of applicants have been successful in their most recent EP application.
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Manpower what is the projected number of Singaporeans who are eligible to receive the Retirement Savings Bonus as broken down by (i) age bands of five years and (ii) males versus females.