Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698846167779.pdf (Singapore)
FOURTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE (SECOND SESSION) ORDER PAPER THURSDAY, 3 AUGUST 2023 No.

110 11.00 am 1 QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER* *1.

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Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry in light of the proposed establishment of a Johor-Singapore special economic zone, what opportunities relating to business, jobs, tourism and leisure are expected to be realised from this collaboration.
Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information with regard to online news site Asia Sentinel, why does the Government require the inclusion of a POFMA correction direction on both the main page of its website and on the page which hosts the article that contains false statements of fact.
Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) will be evaluating Grab's proposed acquisition of Trans- Cab for anti-competitive practices; (b) what safeguards will CCCS take to ensure that Grab does not disadvantage taxi drivers from other companies on its platform following the acquisition; and (c) whether the CCCS will provide an assessment of the impact of the recent consolidation in the taxi industry on consumers.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Transport in light of the Request for Information exercise launched by Malaysia’s MyHSR Corp Sdn Bhd on 12 July 2023, whether the Ministry can provide an update on the discussions with the Malaysian government to revive the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail project.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry can provide an update on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail project.
Mr Vikram Nair: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how many workers over the age of 63 years have lost their jobs in retrenchment exercises in the last five years; and (b) whether a higher proportion of workers in this age group have lost their jobs as compared to other age groups.
Mr Vikram Nair: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the rationale under the Tripartite Guidelines for Fair Employment Practices for workers who are losing their entitlement to retrenchment benefits to be entitled only to Employment Assistance Payments upon reaching the age of 63 years old; and (b) whether the guidelines can be amended to reduce a 'cliff effect' in the drop in retrenchment entitlement for long-serving workers upon turning 63.
Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment with regard to the release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea by Japan (a) what measures are in place to ensure the safety of our food products, especially seafood imported from Japan; and (b) whether the Ministry has assessed the potential impact to Singapore’s surrounding waters.

No.

110 *9.
No.

110 *9.

3 AUGUST 2023 2 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment with regard to the impending release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the ocean (a) whether the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) will review the safety of seafood imports from Japan; and (b) what actions will SFA take when an imported food is found to have elevated levels of tritium or other radionuclide levels.

*10.
*10.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what studies have been undertaken on the environmental impact of the relocation and redevelopment of Paya Lebar airbase; (b) what are the findings from these studies; (c) what measures have been or will be taken to mitigate any negative environmental impact; and (d) if studies have not been undertaken, whether the Ministry will conduct these studies and, if not, why not.

*11.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for National Development in view of the impending redevelopment of the Paya Lebar Airbase (a) whether there are plans to retain sufficient green spaces in the north-eastern part of Singapore, including to allow continued connectivity for migratory birds to fly between the Northern Islands and other parts of Singapore; and (b) will the Government consider preserving or enhancing the current tracts of green spaces along Sungei Serangoon from Tampines Road to Serangoon Dam.
*12.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what is the impact of undesirable marketing tactics for financial products, such as ambush style marketing, on less financially literate consumers; and (b) what recourse do consumers have after buying products as a result of such tactics.

*13.
*13.

Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what are the considerations when ICA rejects applications of the spouses of low-wage and aged Singaporeans for Long Term Visit Passes to work and fulfil the care needs of their families in Singapore; (b) whether ICA will consider working with the Ministry of Manpower to create a special entry and work pass category for these foreign spouses to make it easier for them to stay and help with caregiving of our citizens.

*14.
*14.

Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Education (a) how many ITE students are estimated to be able to qualify per year under the new Grade Point Average requirements for entry into polytechnics; (b) what are the anticipated implications of these changes on polytechnic enrolment and respective programmes; and (c) how much flexibility is allowed for students to choose a polytechnic course which is not mapped to their current ITE course.

*15.
*15.

Mr Vikram Nair: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry is (i) taking any steps to address the 25% rise in suicide cases in 2022 and (ii) making mental health assistance more readily accessible and affordable to the public.

*16.
*16.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information whether the National Library Board’s accessible membership for persons with differentiated abilities can be made available to younger children who are registered with the Development Disability registry to support the joy of reading from preschool age.

*17.
*17.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Manpower given that the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) does not track the Tripartite Standard on Work-Life Harmony (TS-WLH) adopters’ provision of specific types of Flexible Work Arrangements and enhanced leave benefits which is a requirement under the TS-WLH, how does the Ministry verify whether a company has complied with the TS-WLH to be listed on TAFEP’s website as an adopter.

*18.
*18.

Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the Ministry’s outlook for the pricing level of the home rental market; and (b) what more can the Ministry do to moderate or reverse escalating rental cost to help tenants manage their cost of living.

No.

110 3 AUGUST 2023 3 *19.


Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether the Ministry has conducted a recent review of the oil and gas industry's presence in Singapore; (b) what is the expected impact of a potential exit by a key oil and gas company such as Shell on the industry; (c) what are the downstream implications such an exit may have on suppliers and ancillary service providers; and (d) whether the Ministry has any plans to mitigate any impact of such an exit.
*20.

Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs since SCDF commenced its trial to install one fire extinguisher at the lift lobby of every two HDB blocks in September 2022 (a) in how many fire incidents have residents since used these fire extinguishers; and (b) whether SCDF is studying how to further improve community fire safety and response.

*21.
*21.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Law whether foreigners are required to obtain SLA approval for buying properties zoned as “Commercial” but which properties have been approved for mixed commercial and residential development.

*22.

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Prime Minister in the light of Singapore’s ambition to be the regional philanthropy hub (a) what are the building blocks that need to be in place to realise the ambition; and (b) how will the Government support such developments.

*23.
*23.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Education (a) how will the Ministry enhance adult employment opportunities for tradesmen, such as recruiting more trainers who can conduct training in dialects; (b) what are the specific targets to evaluate the effectiveness of these efforts; and (c) whether the Ministry can provide details of the on-ground communications and outreach efforts to attract more tradesmen to join adult learning and training programmes.

*24.
*24.

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.

*25.
*25.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how regular are enforcements against drink drinking undertaken each year; and (b) how many drivers have been caught for non-compliance since the last review of the relevant laws and penalties.

*26.
*26.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how does the Ministry educate and equip employers to identify mental distress and stressors of migrant domestic workers (MDWs); (b) how does the Ministry foster empathy and understanding among employers to support these workers; and (c) what are the available resources for employers to help their MDWs with mental distress.

*27.
*27.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether HDB will relax the income criteria for HDB rental flats in light of the per capita income benchmark for Comcare assistance being raised; (b) how many appeals for HDB rental flats have been rejected in the past three years due to household income higher than $1,500 per month; and (c) how many HDB rental flats are rented out under family or joint singles schemes as of June 2023 despite not meeting the household income criteria.
*28.

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what support measures does the Government plan to implement to support local farms increase demand and reduce wastage of produce in light of media reports of a 40% surge in leftover produce in urban farms; and (b) how does the Government plan to further collaborate with retailers and other relevant stakeholders to improve product displays and ensure efficient distribution channels for urban farm produce.

No.
No.

110 3 AUGUST 2023 4 *29.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the current number of jobs in the sustainability or green economy sector in Singapore; (b) how is that number projected to increase in the next 10 years in terms of magnitude and across its sub-sectors; and (c) what are the current and upcoming initiatives to boost our workforce capability in this sector.

*30.
*30.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what avenues there are for Home Team officers to raise complaints about unfair discrimination and treatment against them by their superior officers without fear of recrimination against them.

*31.
*31.

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what avenues does an officer in the Ministry's uniformed services have to address workplace difficulties if the officer's direct supervisors are unable or unwilling to resolve them; (b) what whistleblowing channels exist to address such issues and to protect whistleblowers against reprisals; and (c) whether the Ministry has assessed the effectiveness of these measures.

*32.
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Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Prime Minister how often does the Government require Ministries and Statutory Boards to review the security and access controls of the most privileged (i) Operating System and (ii) Database accounts under their control.

*33.
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Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for Law in light of the marking and assessment boycott by the University and College Union in the UK that began on 20 April 2023 (a) whether applications for the Singapore Bar Examinations by graduating law students from the UK universities will be affected; and (b) how will the Ministry support these affected applicants.

*34.
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Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether the Ministry undertakes customer satisfaction surveys to assess SingPost's performance as part of its quality of service framework; and (b) if so, what are the findings of the surveys for the last three years.

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Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) how many households which previously received a $500–$700 GST voucher subsequently received a lower $250–$350 payout because of the revision in the Annual Valuation (AV) of property; and (b) whether the Ministry has taken into consideration how this may potentially invalidate the purpose of the GST voucher.
Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Education in light of the recent findings from Duke-NUS Medical School and the Institute of Mental Health indicating the economic and societal impact of anxiety and depression particularly among young adults, whether the Ministry has plans to implement mandatory health and wellness modules in institutes of higher learning to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to manage their mental health effectively.

*37.
*37.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health with regard to the recent announcement that the hiring target of 4,000 new nurses will be exceeded by end-2023, whether there will be a corresponding increase in the hiring of administrative and support healthcare employees.

*38.
*38.

Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether Traffic Police will investigate, upon request, vehicular accidents without injuries, in case some parties involved in the accidents deliberately choose not to cooperate in the insurance claims process.

*39.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Government will consider implementing measures to assess and review the quality of cleaning vendors.

No.

110 *40.
3 AUGUST 2023 5 Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Prime Minister regarding the Auditor-General's finding of the Public Service Division's Human Resource and Payroll system having 12 accounts belonging to IT vendor staff with excessive access rights to File Transfer servers and encryption/decryption keys (a) whether there has been any unauthorised access, modification, or exfiltration of data; (b) whether malicious intent or foul play has been ruled out; and (c) whether remedial action has been taken against the vendor.
*41.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how are migrant domestic workers (MDWs) trained in caregiving for special needs individuals; (b) how are their skills assessed for adequacy in handling such tasks; (c) whether MDWs receive counselling or guidance before being assigned to such clients; and (d) whether they can reject the assignment if they do not feel confident in handling it.

*42.
*42.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider expanding the Primary One intake for Kong Hwa School since there are more young children staying in HDB's new BTO flats that are located in the vicinity of the school.

*43.
*43.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what are the statistical and survey indicators that are used to assess Singaporeans’ attitudes towards single unwed parents; and (b) whether annual data from such indicators is available for the past five years.

*44.
*44.

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Minister for Health (a) to date, how many men aged 55 years and above have sought mental health support from local general practitioners or community intervention teams; and (b) what are the efforts currently undertaken by the Ministry to track the effectiveness of support given to them.

*45.
*45.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport regarding the Auditor-General’s Office finding of $1 million overpayment by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to a grant scheme supporting companies in the aviation industry during the COVID-19 pandemic (a) how did the lapses take place; (b) what are the new checks and control measures which CAAS have since required its staff to observe; and (c) what are the prospects of recovery of taxpayers’ monies wrongfully paid.

*46.
Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) in which constituencies did (i) three grassroots organisations (GROs) award or renew contracts with debarred contractors during their debarment period and (ii) two GROs transfer monies to the personal bank accounts of staff, respectively, as flagged in the Report of the Auditor-General for the Financial Year 2022/23; and (b) whether the People's Association will consider centralising procurement for all GROs to ensure compliance with procurement policies and processes and, if not, why not.
*47.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB can perform a proactive check of the flats at Henderson Crescent for repair and maintenance of common issues such as spalling concrete and corroded pipes outside of the Home Improvement Programme cycle.

*48.
*48.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the CPF Board will consider reviewing the current practice of refusing coverage under the Dependants’ Protection Scheme for persons with certain genetic disorders such as Down Syndrome.

*49.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the investigation into the tragic death of a police officer and the concerns raised regarding racial discrimination will involve external experts and reviewers beyond the Singapore Police Force (SPF); (b) whether a process invoking the Inquiries Act (2007) will facilitate such external review and help retain confidence in the SPF; and (c) what mechanisms exist for SPF officers to highlight racial discrimination whether against themselves or fellow officers.
No.

110 3 AUGUST 2023 6 *50.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether civil servants receive training on how to identify, refuse and report inappropriate requests from political office holders; and (b) what protections against retaliation does the public service whistleblowing policies provide to civil servants who report inappropriate requests from political office holders.

*51.
*51.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Manpower regarding the amendment to the Employment Act 1968 that recognises doctors and dentists registered under the Medical Registration Act 1997 and the Dental Registration Act 1999 respectively for the purposes of paid sick leave, what efforts have been made by the Ministry to educate (i) workers and (ii) employers since it has taken effect from April 2019.

*52.
*52.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what is the amount of compensation provided to hawkers and market stallholders for MSE-owned and HDB-owned hawker centres and markets in the event of closures due to repairs and redecoration or renovation works; and (b) what is the basis for the determination of such compensation.

*53.
*53.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether there are plans to define a post-Merdeka generation who are born in the 1960s and are approaching retirement age so that they may receive additional public benefits especially in healthcare.

*54.
*54.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development in each of the past five years (a) what is the number and proportion of preschools that operate on Saturdays; and (b) what is the total enrolment for preschool services on Saturdays.

*55.
*55.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for National Development whether there are plans to conserve People's Park Complex for its strong community significance and design merits in view of the recent initiation of its collective sale process.

*56.
*56.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment with regard to the heavy rainfall observed on 20 July 2023, which nearly equalled the average rainfall recorded for July (a) whether this is caused by a particular weather phenomenon or tropical storm; and (b) whether it has exposed certain areas of Singapore that requires further drainage works to prevent flash floods from occurring due to freak weather incidents.

*57.
*57.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what is the revised regulatory cap on retail deposits for digital full banks; and (b) given the increase in the regulatory cap, what additional safeguards has MAS put in place to ensure that customers’ deposits are protected in the event of a digital full bank’s default.

* 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.

No.

110 3 AUGUST 2023 7 AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF PUBLIC BUSINESS Motion for Leave to Bring in Bill by Private Member 1.
Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar): Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok): SOCIETY OF SAINT MAUR INCORPORATION (AMENDMENT) BILL: That leave be given to introduce a Bill intituled "An Act to amend the Society of Saint Maur Incorporation Ordinance 1923".

1.

2.

3.

ORDERS OF THE DAY Public Utilities (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

23/2023] – (Minister for Sustainability and the Environment) – Second Reading.

National Productivity Fund (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.
24/2023] – (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance) – Second Reading.

Lease Agreements for Retail Premises Bill [Bill No.

25/2023] – (Minister for Trade and Industry) – Second Reading.

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

MEMORANDUM Mr Murali Pillai : (Bukit Batok) Harnessing Technology for Better Road Safety Outcomes in Singapore.

QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER 1.

2.

3.

4.
Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Prime Minister in the revision of the Registers of Electors (a) how many voters’ names have been expunged in each constituency since the 2020 General Election because of (i) death (ii) non-voting (iii) loss of citizenship (iv) serving a sentence of imprisonment and (v) other reasons respectively; and (b) how many voters’ names have been added in each constituency after (i) attaining age 21 (ii) registering as a Singapore citizen (iii) completing a sentence of imprisonment and (iv) other reasons respectively.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how much money has been lost to concert ticket scams in each year over the past five years, excluding the period where the COVID-19 pandemic when local concerts are suspended; (b) whether there has been a spike in monies lost to concert ticket scams arising from the upcoming concerts by popular international artistes; and (c) how does the Ministry intend to educate the public and prevent such scams from occurring.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what are the conditions that the police use to determine if the passport of an arrested person should be impounded.

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Law (a) what is the total rent received by the Government from black-and-white bungalows in 2022; and (b) what are the total expenses incurred by the Government on maintaining and marketing black-and-white bungalows in 2022.

No.

110 3 AUGUST 2023 8 5.

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15.

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Law since 2013, what are the sizes of the state land cleared in other instances of land clearance around state-owned black-and-white bungalows for safety or health reasons.
Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Law since 2018 and for black-and-white bungalows, what is the number of instances of the Singapore Land Authority (i) renting out them at exactly the amount of guide rent (ii) spending over $500,000 in essential repair works to restore them (iii) allowing the tenants to build swimming pools within the rented properties and (iv) clearing adjacent state land on the tenant’s request which is not part of the rented property.
Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Law for each year since 2013, how many foreign persons have been issued clearance certificates to purchase terrace houses, semi-detached houses, detached houses, or strata landed houses.
Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Law (a) to date, how many black-and-white properties managed by SLA have had undeveloped state land located adjacent to the property, for which tenants have raised concerns about maintenance; and (b) what is the procedure that SLA follows to resolve such concerns.
Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Law what is the respective application procedure for (i) tenants of black-and-white properties and (ii) owners of landed properties, who wish to independently maintain state land adjacent to their properties.
Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Law (a) what valuation principles does the Ministry apply for properties that are managed and rented out by SLA; (b) whether these same principles apply to sale of land by the Government, for example by HDB for public housing; and (c) how do the valuation principles affect the pricing of HDB BTO flats.
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether there are plans to phase out the use of coal in Singapore’s energy production given that the new 600MW hydrogen-ready Keppel Sakra Cogen Plant is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2026.
Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau’s arrest of the Managing Director of Hotel Properties Limited, who is also the owner of the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix, will have any material impact on the running of the F1 Singapore Grand Prix 2023 night race; and (b) whether the Ministry will be conducting an independent review of all past F1 Singapore Grand Prix races in relation to its funding quantum and claims.
Mr Sharael Taha: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the CPIB investigation into the owner of the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix will have any impact on the renewed seven-year contract extension for Singapore to host the Singapore Grand Prix till 2028.
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Transport following the request for proposals issued by the MyHSR Corporation to develop and operate the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project, whether the Government has received from Malaysia any proposals, memoranda of understanding or agreements in relation to the development of the HSR project.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Transport whether LTA will consider constructing higher road divider barriers in areas prone to road traffic accidents to help prevent serious injuries and the tragic loss of lives in the event of an errant speeding vehicle.

No.

110 3 AUGUST 2023 9 16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.


Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment with respect to the carbon dioxide measurements taken specifically from workers’ sleeping rooms in migrant worker dormitories, what is the current number and percentage of rooms surveyed that had carbon dioxide levels below 1,100 ppm respectively from (i) Construction Temporary Quarters and (ii) Factory-Converted Dormitories.
Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Education (a) considering that suicide remains the leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 29, what steps are being taken to increase mental health literacy and support in schools and higher education institutions; and (b) how are educators trained to recognize and respond to signs of mental distress among students.
Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider requiring all Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to publish the eligibility criteria for all IHL-specific financial aid schemes.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development what help does the Ministry provide to social service agencies who are unable to meet the salary guidelines for the Social Service Sector, beyond offering clinics and workshops.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry has data on the number of youths being diagnosed with chronic diseases; and (b) what support is available for these young persons with chronic diseases, especially youths who have recently entered the workforce and may have limited MediSave and financial reserves.
Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Health in view of the increase in suicide rates among seniors aged 70 to 79 (a) what additional measures are being taken to provide mental health support for the elderly population; and (b) how are social isolation and loneliness being addressed among this age group.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what are the mental distress indicators and suicide risk factors for the elderly; (b) how will the enhanced Active Ageing Centres and Silver Generation Office work together to support and prevent suicides among the elderly; and (c) whether the Ministry will offer dialect suicide hotlines for elderly individuals who are more comfortable expressing themselves in their native languages.
Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether there is a target median and average waiting time for initial appointments to see psychiatrists and psychologists at public health institutions; and (b) if so, what is this target.

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for National Development in each year since 2010, what is the respective number of Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents and foreigners who rent (i) entire HDB flats and (ii) bedrooms in HDB flats from the open market.
Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how many HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) letter applications have been received per week since its implementation on 9 May 2023, compared to the previous HDB Loan Eligibility (HLE) letter scheme; (b) what are the average waiting times for approval of HFE applications, compared to HLE; and (c) how have any differences in the waiting times for approvals affected the resale market.
Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the maximum number of concurrent users the HDB Flat Portal can accommodate; (b) whether the number of users has frequently exceeded this capacity during BTO launches; and (c) whether there are plans to upgrade HDB’s IT infrastructure to cope with rising demand for housing.

No.

110 3 AUGUST 2023 10 27.

28.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) for each year from 2020 to 2022, what is the total amount of cash distributed at festive events organised by the People’s Association and its grassroots organisations; (b) what is the total number of cash recipients; (c) whether all the recipients are means tested and, if so, what are the criteria; (d) how are the recipients selected; and (e) whether the grassroots advisers personally distributed this cash to the recipients.
Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what initiatives are being implemented to encourage employers to provide mental health support in the workplace; and (b) whether there are plans to introduce mandatory mental health awareness and training programmes for employers and managers.