Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698848781029.pdf (Singapore)
THIRTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE SECOND SESSION REVISED ORDER PAPER MONDAY, 10 SEPTEMBER 2018 No.

82 12.30pm 1 QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER* *1.


Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development with the recent announcements of the Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme, Home Improvement Programme 2 and relaxation of CPF rules for purchase of older flats, to what extent do these measures address the concerns on the lease decay issue and how do the measures support long-term urban planning in Singapore.

.

1 *2.
.

1 *2.

Mr Alex Yam Ziming: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether he can provide .

more information about the Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme (VERS); (b) what is the projected time:frame for its implementation; (c) which are the precincts that will be eligible; and (d) how will the compensation package be computed.

*3.
*3.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Government's offer to buy back HOB flats older than 70 years extends to all flats or only selected ones; (b) what will be the selection criteria for the eligible VERS precincts; and (c) what options will residents have if they fail to get VERS for their flat I *4.
Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: ;fo ask the Minister for National Development (a) what are the factors considered in the planning phase for the Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme; and (b) whether the private developers will have a role in the redevelopment programme and, if so, can more details be shared.

*5.

Mr Ong Teng Koon: To ask the Minister for National Development whether more details can be provided regarding the usage of CPF funds for buying HOB flats with remaining leases ofless than 60 years.
.... No.82 10 SEPTEMBER 2018 2 *6.

Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Minister for National Development in view of the increasing number of elderly Singaporeans with HDB flats and private properties with leases of less than 60 years and the restrictions on the use of CPF for such properties, what measures are in place to assist such owners who have difficulty selling their properties to downgrade to smaller flats or properties.

*7.
*7.

Mr Thomas Chua Kee Seng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether he can provide an update on the extent that our SMEs have applied and commercialised the technologies developed by A *STAR and its research entities; and (b) what are the key challenges and obstacles faced by SMEs in their attempt to apply and commercialise A *STAR technologies.

· *8.
· *8.

Mr Thomas Chua Kee Seng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry in light of the price of water having increased by 30% effective July 2018 (a) what has been the feedback from industries and businesses with high water usage; and (b) how can the Government help to address the impact on the challenges faced by our industries and businesses in respect of the SMEs' competitiveness.

*9.
*9.

Ms K Thanaletchimi: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether hospitalisation leave issued directly by community hospitals to an employee is recognised as hospitalisation leave by the employer; and (b) whether the Employment Act will provide for such recognition in light of increasing follow-up visits made by patients with community hospitals directly.

*10.
*10.

Mr Ganesh Rajaram: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether he can provide an update on the investigation into the possible misuse of funds at National Football League side Tiong Bahru FC.

*11.

Mr Kok Heng Leun: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information what is the standard operating procedure for the declassification of Government documents.

*12.
Mr Kok Heng Leun: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) since 2014, how many complaints have been received by NLB over books with homosexual content; (b) how many of these are in the children's section, and adult and other sections respectively and what are their titles; (c) what have been the actions taken in response and what are the books that have been puiped, removed from the library, or moved from one section to another; (d) how many complaints are there about books with religious, racial and other content and what are the actions taken in light of the complaints; and (e) what is the overall policy on such books. '
No.82 10 SEPTEMBER 2018 3 *13.

Ms K Thanaletchimi: To ask the Minister for Education (a) how many schools are currently equipped with elderly-friendly facilities like lifts or escalators to cater to the ageing teaching workforce and those who have mobility issues; and (b) for those schools without these facilities, whether there are any plans to install such facilities.

*14.
*14.

Mr Ganesh Rajaram: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether Sport Singapore and national sports associations have developed programmes and training to advise talented Singapore athletes who may be considering professional sporting careers; and (b) if so, whether there is a comprehensive support system for athletes that advises them on preparations, what to expect and contract negotiations and whether Singaporean athletes are aware of such training and support systems.

*15.
*15.

Ms K Thanaletchimi: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether there is a special committee formed to address the training needs, programmes and programme accreditation for jobs identified under the Healthcare Industry Transformation Maps; and (b) whether the Ministry is supportive of union participation in the committee with the involvement of the three healthcare clusters to form a training council so as to address the training needs of all categories ofhealthcare staff involved.

*16.
*16.

Mr Kok Heng Leun: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) whether any assistance has been provided to the vendors displaced from the Kreta Ayer weekend market; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider allowing vendors to resume their activities at the weekend market once renovations are completed.

*17.
Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the number of workers who have lodged a complaint against their employers for failing to provide itemised payslips since the time such payslips were made mandatory on 1 April 2016; (b) how many companies have failed to issue itemised payslips to their workers; and (co) what measures are being taken to educate and help employers, especially those in small-to-medium enterprises, in complying with the legislation to issue itemised payslips to their employees.
*18.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Manpower how successful has the Foreign Workers Ambassador programme been in increasing the well being of foreign workers.

No.

82 10 SEPTEMBER 2018 4 *19.


Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what enforcement actions have been taken against agencies who charge foreign workers more than the maximum cap for agency fees; (b) how have these enforcement actions benefited the relevant employees; (c) what can be done to prevent a person from incurring overly burdensome debts to come to Singapore to work; and (d) what can be done to ensure that deductions from employees' salaries made by employers are legitimate.
*20.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Transport in light of the high prices of motorcycle COBs in recent biddings (a) whether the Ministry is concerned about the COE increase; (b) whether there is any market manipulation or any party who is keeping the COB prices up; (c) who bid for the nearly 400 bids that came in during the last moment before the tender closed at 4pm on 8 August 20 18; (d) whether this high COB price has adversely impacted those who rely on motorcycles as a mode of transport or for their job; and (e) whether the Ministry will consider increasing the bid deposit and shorten its validity period.
*21.

Mr Ang Bin Kee: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Ministry is aware of apps-based operators or operators offering courier services using private-hire vehicles and taxis; (b) whether LTA checks that such vehicles come with relevant commercial accident insurance; and (c) what is the progress on the National Taxi Association and National Private Hire Vehicles Association's calls for reviewing of regulations that allow their vehicles to do courier services.

*22.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Defence for each year in the past five years (a) how many full-time National Servicemen (NSF) have requested assistance due to financial hardship after enlistment; (b) how many NSF receive SAF financial assistance; (c) what is the average dollar quantum and type of assistance provided to such applicants; (d) what is the average duration of time for processing and addressing such cases; and (e) how many cases of NSF Absent Without Official Leave (AWOL) charges have been associated with financial hardship.
*23.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider allowing those who are disabled and insured under CareShield Life to make claims and commence receiving a prorated one-third of their monthly payouts upon their inability to perform one Activity of Daily Living (ADL) independently instead of waiting till they are unable to perform three or more ADLs independently before receiving payouts.

!Uk£ No.

82 10 SEPTEMBER 2018 5 *24.


Dr Chia Shi-Lu: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many children under the age of 18 have undergone cosmetic surgeries in each of the last five years in our private and public hospitals; and (b) whether the MinistrY will consider implementing more precautionary measures to protect these children and educate their parents or guardians about the risks involved as they are still growing.

*25.
*25.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) from 2012 to date, what is the number of complaints received regarding job discrimination faced by people with disabilities; (b) whether the Ministry has received feedback from individuals or organisations on job discrimination faced by people with disabilities during this period; (c) what are the main examples of discrimination; and (d) whether the Ministry will study the need for an anti discrimination law to protect such persons.

*26.
Mr Ang Bin Kee: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development in light of more MOE Kindergartens (MKs) being set up (a) how will the transition of early childhood educators from other kindergartens and childcare centres be managed to ensure a seamless shift to the new work environment or employer; (b) whether there have been many enquiries and applications from existing educators to join the "MKs; and (c) whether there is re-skilling required for affected teaching staff whose kindergartens are impacted by the emergence of"MKs and who have not been successful in transiting to the MK environment or employment.
*27.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) how many Day Activity Centres (DACs) are there currently; (b) how many young adults aged 18-21 years old are enrolled in the DACs currently; and (c) how many special needs trained educators or caregivers are there in the DACs.

· *28.

Ms Foo Mee Bar: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources what impact has the pike in water prices had on waterconservation efforts and overall consumption patterns.
*29.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether NEA can lower the cost burden passed to hawker centre tenants and stallholders such as that in the implementation of one-stop payment terminals, electronic cashless payments, tray returns, dishwashing, and general cleaning.

• No.

82 10 SEPTEMBER 2018 6 *30.


Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what has been the progress on the precision engineering industry transformation map and the electronics industry transformation map since their launch in 2017.

*31.
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how many Singaporean workers have participated in the SkillsFuture Leadership Development Initiative and ASEAN Leadership Programme respectively; (b) what industries are these workers employed in at the time of participation; (c) what is the profile ofthese workers (age, gender, profession and years of work experience); and (d) how many of these workers have progressed into higher-value job roles or leadership roles as a result of participating in the SkillsFuture Leadership Development Initiative and ASEAN Leadership Programme.
*32.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether all households have successfully switched to digital TV; and (b) if not, what more can the Ministry do to encourage those households who have yet to make the switch to do so before the analogue TV is turned off after 31 December 2018.

*33.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information whether the Government will put in place appropriate security assessment measures for cybersecurity staff or contractors working with the civil service, statutory boards, banks and other organisations or businesses, who are foreigners, employment pass holders, Singapore PRs or new citizens, including those originating from the country that is linked to the Advance Persistent Threat group who carried out the recent cyberattack against SingHealth, NUS and NTU.
*34.

Mr Chong Kee ffiong: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry will be considering a review of relevant literature texts for lower secondary classes in view of the global pivot to Asia; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider exposing our students to excerpts from great Asian literature classics such as the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

*35.
*35.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether the Government will review the funding models for education and training programmes for Singaporeans; (b) whether the current funding model is optimal and effective (i) by classifying Continuing Education and Training (CET) and Pre-employment Training (PET) separately and (ii) in supporting the Skills Future and life-long learning efforts; and (c) whether there are different values attached to CET and PET programmes.

No.
No.

82 10 SEPTEMBER 2018 7 *36.

Dr Chia Shi-Lu: To ask the Minister for Health what measures will be implemented to ensure that (i) providers of home-based and centre-based services for elderly care meet minimum standards of quality (ii) professionals and staff are adequately trained and certified and (iii) this employment sector has a strong Singaporean core.

*37.
*37.

Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the current total number of cleaning service providers that are contracted by the different hospitals under the Ministry; and (b) how does the Ministry ensure that other cleaning companies have the chance to build their capacity in this sector and prevent the hospital cleaning contracts from being monopolised.

*38.
*38.

Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs with regard to the rise in outrage of modesty cases on public transport (a) what are the current measures in place to ensure that commuters are able to travel safely ·and whether they are sufficient; (b) how does the Ministry plan to deal with the rise; (c) whether most cases occur at peak or non-peak hours; and (d) whether the number of male victims has risen.

*39.
*39.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what actions have been, and are being, taken to prosecute people smugglers.

*40.

Dr lntan Azura Mokhtar: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether there are plans to review the retirement age and push it up to 65 years old automatically without any disruption to salary or benefits in light of Singaporeans living longer.

*41.
*41.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for National Development in view of the 370 applicants on the waitlist for heavy vehicle season parking spaces in and around Nee Soon GRC (a) how long will the waiting time be; and (b) what is the Ministry doing to expedite the waiting process.

*42.
*42.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: TO>·ask the Minister for National Development in the last five years, how many cases have been brought to HDB's attention of elderly parents who have been rendered homeless after their adult children chased them out of their flats even though the flats owned by these adult children have been bought initially with the proceeds from the elderly parents' sale of their own flats.

No.

82 10 SEPTEMBER 2018 8 *43.


Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development what approach will the Ministry take in respect of seniors who are eligible for but refuse to participate in the Lease Buyback Scheme that would have otherwise supplemented their payouts under CPF Life but in turn seek financial assistance from the Ministry's help schemes which may be available to them on the basis of their low household income.

*44.
*44.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what new sectors are being considered for implementation of the progressive wage model beyond security, cleaning and landscaping sectors; and (b) whether the progressive wage model will be implemented in the eldercare sector.

*45.
*45.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the current percentage of mobile phone ownership for each income group; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider defining basic necessities to include· mobile phones when calculating the cost of living, especially in light of the Government's push towards a Smart Nation.

*46.
*46.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the number of jobs which new firms have created in the last five years; (b) how does this number compare to job creation by older firms; and (c) what is the profile and prospects of these new jobs created.

*47.
*47.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry intends to maintain the current restriction of claiming compensation for damage to any building arising from the construction or operation of the railway or road tunnel to just structural damage and loss due to displacement resulting from structural damage and, if so, why.

*48.
*48.

Mr Ang Bin Kee: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what recourse do pedestrians and motorists have in accidents involving (i) private cars that bear only non-commercial use insurance (ii) private-hire vehicles and taxis doing courier service delivery; and (b) what actions will be taken when apps operators conduct themselves in violation of regulations.

*49.
*49.

Mr Alex Yam Ziming: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what plans are being considered to encourage Singaporeans to have more children in light of the 2017 birth rates being at a seven-year low; and (b) whether the Government has studied the main reasons leading to (i) later marriages (ii) later age for first child and (iii) smaller families.

No.

82 10 SEPTEMBER 2018 9 *50.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Prime Minister with regard to employees hired as individual contractors by the public sector (a) how many employees d<,>es the public service have on such contracts currently; (b) what guidelines are in place to protect the interests of these workers in terms of leave benefits and compensation review; (c) what channels are available to them to seek redress on their grievances; (d) whether there are limits to the duration of such contracts; and (e) when such contractors go on to secure permanent employment in the public sector, whether there are provisions to ensure that their prior contract work counts towards the compensation and grade they obtain.
*51.

Ms Foo Mee Bar: To ask the Minister for Education what mechanisms have been put in place to ensure school bus services remain affordable to all school going children.

*52.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Education whether more places in primary schools can be set aside for residents living within 1 km of the primary school if, historically, there are consistently insufficient places for students living in the vicinity of the school.

*53.
*53.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Health whether there are any plans for a polyclinic in Braddell Heights constituency.

*54.
*54.

Dr Chia Shi-Lu: To ask the Minister for Health in view of the latest findings showing the harmful effects of alcohol consumption and that there is likely no safe level of alcohol consumption (a) whether the Ministry will consider lowering the recommended limit for alcohol consumption to no more than two standard drinks a day for men and no more than one for women; and (b) how will the Ministry conduct an updated public education programme to inform Singaporeans and residents.

*55.
*55.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in view of the increase in e-commerce scams on online marketplaces (a) what is the solving rate for such cases; (b) how many offenders have been prosecuted so far, and (c) how is the Ministry working withe-commerce companies to protect users.

*56.
*56.

Mr Dennis Tan Up Fong: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether the former directors and management of oBike Singapore will be investigated by the Commercial Affairs Department for any alleged improper transfer to oBike Hong Kong of about S$10 million that is allegedly collected from its former Singapore customers by way of prepaYJ!l'ent.

No.

82 10 SEPTEMBER 2018 10 *57.


Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry maintains or plans to set up a watchlist for companies that engage in discriminatory employment practices not related to nationality but to other attributes such as gender and ethnicity.

*58.
*58.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how regularly are trees along roads inspected and pruned to ensure that they do not overshadow street lamps; and (b) how many instances of feedback have been received from the public concerning trees covering street lamps in the past year.

*59.
*59.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development in respect of private developments on freehold land that are marked and sold as 99-year leasehold properties, what percentage of the residential properties in Singapore do such developments constitute.

*60.
*60.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry how has the rise in the number of factory less goods producing fums changed Singapore's economic competitiveness and its capacity to export; and (b) what are the implications to job creation and prospects as well as overall economic value add in Singapore.

*61.
*61.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what is the impact to local businesses especially SMEs of Singaporeans and permanent residents shopping in Malaysia and Johore in particular.

*62.

Mr Mnrali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Transport whether measures can be introduced to deal with personal mobility devices and vehicle users who blare loud music or sounds thereby causing annoyance whilst travelling in or along public areas, pathways and roads.

*63.
*63.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what measures is the Ministry implementing in areas with a high number of elderly accidents; and (b) whether the Ministry will install the necessary preventive features to ensure our elderly remain safe.

*64.

Assoc Prof Daniel Gob Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Health what percentage oflong-term care workers are Singaporeans and what is being done to improve long-term care workers' salary and career prospects.

*65.
*65.

Assoc Prof Daniel Gob Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many seniors are currently receiving home personal care (HPC) services and how long is the current waiting list; (b) on average, how much are they paying and how much subsidies are they receiving; and (c) on average, whether subsidised nursing home care is cheaper than subsidised HPC services.

No.

82 10 SEP1EMBER20l8 ll *66.


Mr Kwek Dian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether holders of Class 4 driving licences can be exempted from the proficiency driving test when they reach the age of 65 years.

*67.

Mr KwekHian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether there is a specific period for a traffic sununons to be issued to a driver/offender as in-car evidence or human recall of the incident may be lost after a certain period after the incident.

*68.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) when will the Ministry make public the full findings of the animal monitoring programme conducted at the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, such as the number or frequency of animal sightings before and after the site investigation works; and (b) whether the site investigation works have resulted in a "mainly moderate impact" on the environment, which the environmental impact assessment has projected will happen if mitigation measures are taken.
*69.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Transport whether are route of existing bus services or additional stops for certain hours or a new bus loop service which ply through Boon Lay Place and the Jurong West parts of Boon Lay constituency can be introduced so that residents living in the Jurong West side of Boon Lay can commute to Boon Lay Place (where most of the community facilities are located) more conveniently and vice versa.

*70.
*70.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs for the past five years including the first eight months of this year (a) how many cases of arson relating to illegal money lending have been reported; (b) how many cases have been solved involving the arrest of the (i) culprits who set the fire and (ii) master mind behind the arson; and (c) whether the Ministry can consider increasing the punishment for crimes involving arson and illegal money lending.

*71.
*71.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the.Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether phone scams by callers claiming to be government officials have a different modus operandi from other scams; (b) if so, how is the Ministry helping particularly vulnerable residents, such as the elderly, to quickly check the veracity of these phone calls; and (c) how else the Government is working with overseas enforcement agencies to strengthen detection and enforcement in respect of these scams.

*72.
*72.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Transport whether he can provide an update on the registration of e-bicycles, e-scooters .and other power-assisted personal mobility devices in terms of (i) the number tegistered (ii) the number of violations and (iii) the number of offenders charged.

, I No.

82 10 SEPTEMBER 2018 12 *73.


Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether road resurfacing work is on a scheduled or condition basis; (b) whether there is a prescribed standard on the quality of road resurfacing work; and (c) whether there is central coordination to minimise repeated road surfacing work along the same road over a short period of time.

*7 4.
*7 4.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth whether there can be a co-ordinating body for the organisation of all mass sports activities to ensure that organisers do not create traffic shutdown for residents and that there be no loud music being played in the middle of the night.

*75.
*75.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) whether physical punishments of servicemen by way of enforced physical exercises or physical drills for disciplinary infringements are still allowed in the SAF; and (b) if not, when have such punishments been prohibited in the SAF.

*76.
*76.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Finance how can the Government better assist or advise businesses which have been deceived or misled into signing contracts with companies purporting to be authorised Government agencies or authorised company registrars.

*77.
*77.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether Singapore will (i) send another consignment of humanitarian supplies to Bangladesh to provide aid for Rohingya refugees this year and (ii) consider increasing Singapore's financial contribution to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) next year.

*78.
*78.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) whether the Ministry monitors the amounts ofmicrobeads in reservoirs, tap water, and discharge into the ocean; (b) what percentage of micro beads is removed during the water treatment process; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider banning cosmetics that contain microbeads.

*79.
*79.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) what is the current progress of the conversion to digital TV; and (b) what are the plans to increase awareness and hasten the conversion.

*80.
*80.

Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether a central developmental authority should be set up to support the early intervention sector to improve coordination, collaboration and resource allocation; and (b) whether there are plans to train mainstream preschool teachers to work with children with special needs.

No.

82 10 SEP1E:MBER 2018 13 *81.


Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry will review our kindergarten curriculum to evaluate if the· exposure to mother tongues among our young is adequate; and (b) what measures will be introduced to strengthen their foundation in these increasingly important languages.

· *82.
· *82.

Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Millister for Health (a) whether Careshield Life is subjected to the Insurance Act; and (b) if not, how will the Government ensure that the premiums collected are properly managed and payouts made available when claims arise.

*83.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for National Development how is the land cost amount which is included in the sale price of a new HDB flat tabulated.

*84.
*84.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for National Development whether he can clarify on the timetable for implementing the Home Improvement Programme extension for the HDB estates that are now eligible.

*85.
*85.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how much has HDB spent in its upgrading programme for home owners in 2017 as compared to 2007; (b) how many home owners benefited from the upgrading works; and (c) how have these works translated to enhancing the value of the flats.

*86.
*86.

Mr Alex Yam Ziming: To ask the Minister for National Development in light of the various new initiatives on public housing, whether the Ministry can clarify what HDB flat owners at different life stages should do to ensure that they will have a home for life and also an adequate nest-egg for retirement.

* Members may postpone their Questions to a later sitting day if their Questions are not reached by the end of Question Time.

The postponement fonns are available at the Chamber entrances.
Members must submit their notices to the Clerk within one hour after the end of Question Time (SO 22(3)).

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

No.

82 10 SEPTEiviBER 2018 14 AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF PUBLIC BUSINESS Introduction of Government Bills 1.

Minister for Law: Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Bill.

2.

Minister for Law: Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment No.

2) Bill.

3.
2) Bill.

3.

Prime Minister: Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Bill.

4.

Minister for Trade and Industry: Electricity (Amendment) Bill.

5.

Minister for Trade and Industry: Gas {Amendment) Bill.

6.

Second Minister for Finance: .

Income Tax (Amendment) Bill.

(President's recommendation signified).

7.

Minister for National Development: Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment (Amendment) Bill.

8.
8.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources: Environmental Public Health (Amendment) Bill.

9.

Second Minister for Finance: Variable Capital Companies Bill.

No.

BJ 10 SEPTEMBER 2018 15 ORDERS OF THE DAY 1.

2.

3.

Land Transport (Enforcement Measures) Bill [Bill No.

29/2018] -(Minister for Transport)- Second Reading.

Stamp Duties (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

30/2018] -(Second Minister for Finance) - Second Reading.

Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.
31/2018] - (Minister for the Environment and Water Resources) - Second Reading.

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

Mr Kok Heng Leun (Nominated Member) Addressing Expression in Everyday Places.

Issues that Limit Artistic QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWERS 1.

2.

3.
2.

3.

Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Prime Minister with regard to the 11 sectors identified to review their connections to untrusted external network (a) what is the timeframe for the sectors to complete their review; (b) whether Government grants and funding will be provided to assist companies in these sectors to beef up their cybersecurity capabilities; and (c) how does the Government plan to work with these companies to ensure that they stay vigilant.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Prime Minister in each of the past five years, what has been the bonus paid tQ Cabinet Ministers in terms of (i) the average total number of bonus months (ii) the highest total number of bonus months paid to an individual Minister and (iii) the lowest total number of bonus months paid to an individual Minister.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether the Ministry can release data for Singapore citizens deatlls over the last 10 years (as distinct from resident deaths); and (b) at what year in the future will citizen deaths exceed citizen births according to existing demographic forecasts.

No.

82 4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.
9.

10 SEPTEMBER 2018 16 Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Prime Minister in each of the past three years (a) what is the percentage of retired and re-employed civil service employees who have been given one year and multiple-year contracts respectively; (b) what is the percentage of civil service employees not given a second re employment contract after the first re-employment contract; and (c) how is the civil service helping employees who wish to continue working but are not offered re-employment contracts.
Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Government has thoroughly assessed the possible adverse economic and psychological impact that the move to a cashless society will have on particular segments of society.
Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether LTA is aware of any reason for the consistently higher number of expired Category D (Motorcycles) COBs; (b) if so, what are the reasons; and (c) whether L TA has any concerns that this could be the result of an attempt at market speculation of Category D (Motorcycles) COBs.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) in the past three years, how many cases have been reported of senior citizens who have fallen and got injured while taking public buses; and (b) what are the measures taken to prevent such incidents so as to ensure safe travel for senior citizens on public buses.
Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether there is any advisory on what should be done by the owner of an e scooter that does not conform to L T A's regulations, such as its method of disposal; and (b) if there is no such advisory, whether LTA will consider to produce such an advisory.
Mr AngWei Neng: To ask the Minister for Defence(a) for the past lOyears, what has been the number of outstanding National Service (NS) defaulters; (b) how many have been eventually charged or pardoned; (c) what have been the efforts to trace and prosecute NS defaulters especially when they are overseas; and (d) what are the criteria for providing clemency to NS defaulters, if at all.

10.
10.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Cbye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the number of cases of misuse of airport boarding passes in the last five years; (b) what are the main reasons for the misuse; (c) what actions have the Ministry taken against these offenders; and (d) what is the Ministry's plan to reduce such misuse cases.

No.

82 11.
No.

82 11.

10 SEPTEMBER2018 17 Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how can companies and individuals avoid being scammed by letters that are designed to look similar to official Government letters; (b) whether the Ministry can help to raise more awareness about such scams apart from cyber scams; and (c) whether heavier penalties can be imposed as such scams can have severe repercussions.

12.
12.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Health whether coverage of and payouts to disabled persons under CareShield Life for the remainder of their lives will be provided so long as they remain Singapore citizens or residents.

13.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Health what can be done to increase Government contributions or subsidies for the wages oflong-term care workers including those in voluntary welfare organisations.

14.
14.

Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for Health (a) in the past two years, how many Singaporeans aged 55 and above have hospital bills for inpatient treatment that exceed their daily Medisave withdrawal limits; (b) what are the common reasons for this; and (c) whether the daily Medisave withdrawal limits for unemployed elderly persons can be of a higher daily limit so as to avoid payment requiring cash.

15.
15.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health for each of the years from 2015 to 2017, what have been the respective numbers of unique patients, unique visits, and the average and median costs of each visit for (i) Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (ii) Spondyloarthritis and (iii) Psoriatic Arthritis.

16.
16.

Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what are the figures and trends of Singaporeans seeking medical help for sleep-related problems over the past decade; (b) what the main types of sleep-related problems facing Singaporeans; (c) whether sleep deprivation is increasingly a concern in fast paced and work-oriented Singapore; and (d) whether there is the need to step up measures to address sleep deprivation considering that long-term sleep deficit is detrimental to health.

17.

18.
17.

18.

Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Health whether residency in Singapore is a requirement for the use ofMedisave for emergency treatment at overseas hospitals and, 1f so, what are the reasons for this requirement.

Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Health what is the annual average subsidy disbursed per CHAS cardholder since the scheme started and what is the projected annual expenditure for CHAS subsidies for the next five years.

No.82 19.
No.82 19.

10 SEPTEMBER 2018 18 Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) in the past year, many complaints have been received from mobile customers about being subscribed to third-party services without their consent; (b) under what grounds do such situations arise and what is being done to prevent it; and (c) whether assistance and refunds will be given to elderly consumers who are victims of these situations.

20.
20.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Gnan: To ask the Minister for Finance whether union membership fees/dues can be made tax deductible or as a relief such as in other jurisdictions across the globe.

21.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether pre ticked boxes for purchase of additional goods and services or seeking consent from consumers in online transactions can be made illegal.

22.
22.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the progress in supporting Singapore companies to go regional; (b) to date, how many companies has the Ministry successfully helped in regional expansion; and (c) what are the future plans especially for expansion in ASEAN.

23.
23.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the current takeup rate for our Aircraft Leasing Scheme; (b) for the eight out of the top ten aircraft leasing companies which have their operations in Singapore, how many of them are participants of the Scheme; and (c) how is our Scheme more competitive vis-a-vis that of our closest rivals such as Hong Kong and Ireland.

24.
24.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the basis for the Ministry's claim that Singapore has 20% of the global market share in aircraft leasing; (b) for the eight out of the top ten aircraft leasing companies which have their operations in Singapore, how does the Ministry define "operations"; and (c) how many of them account for their lease income and aircraft assets in the profit and loss and balance sheets, respectively, oftheir Singapore entities.

25.
25.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) in each of the past 10 years, what is the number of HDB flats that have been transferred to the estate of the deceased owner who are also the flat's owners; (b) of these, what is the breakdown by flat types and by lease balance respectively; and (c) how many beneficiaries/administrators of such estates have sold the HDB flat left over by the deceased.

No.

82 10 SEPTEMBER2018 19 26.


Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development whether, with respect to families living in rental flats under HDB's Public Rental Scheme, the income ceiling as well as rent payable for the flats, currently based on monthly household income, may instead be based on per capita household income.

27.
27.

Mr Kok Heng Leun: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether he will provide an update' on (i) the types of assistance provided to Sungei Road Hawking Zone (SRHZ) users since September 2017 and (ii) the status of the 120 or so· SRHZ users who had not taken up the Ministry's offers for relocation, job placement or financial assistance.

28.
28.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Education in 2015, 2016 and 2017, what have been the average and median starting salaries of ITE, polytechnic and university graduates working in (i) the private sector and (ii) the civil service.

29.
29.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Education (a) when was the Regional Studies Programme (RSP) and its scholarship introduced; (b) since its introduction, how many students have been granted the RSP scholarship; and (c) what is the breakdown of the scholarship recipients based on ethnicity.

30.
30.

Mr Christopher de So1ml: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how effective has the policy dated 2013 been in terms ofthe proportion of foreign domestic workers who have an off day stipulated in their contract; and (b) how effective has it been in ensuring that foreign domestic workers actually have a physical, emotional and mental rest from work.

31.
31.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Government will ban the payment of heavy vehicle drivers on a "per trip" basis to prevent excessive speeding or dangerous driving by the drivers.

32.
32.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) to date, how many employers and community stakeholders a:r:e registered under SG Enable or have some form of employment programme for special needs adults; (b) what is the Ministry doing to encourage more to come on board to hire special needs people; and (c) whether more can be done to help employers with adapting the workplace and designing jobs for special needs employees.

• No.
• No.

82 10 SEPTEMBER 2018 20 PAPERS PRESENTED 2018 Date Presented S.L.

513 Legal Profession (Law Practice Entities)(Amendment) Rules 2018 7 August2018 S.L.

514 Customs No.

3) Order 2018 (Duties) (Amendment 7 August 2018 s. s. 334 335 S.L.

515 s. 336 Pres.

Co. 99 Pres.


Co. 100 s. 337 National Council of Social Service (NCSS) Annual Report FY2017 ..... 14 August 2018 Public Transport Fund Financial Statements for Financial Year ended 31 March 2018 Road Traffic Pricing System) Rules 2018 (Electronic Road (Amendment) .
..... 15 August 2018 16 August 2018 Health Promotion Board Annual Report 2017/2018 17 August 2018 Report of the Presidential Council the for Minority Rights on Companies (Amendment) Bill [Bill No 27/2018] Report of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights on the Transport Safety Investigations Bill [Bill No.

28/2018] Civil Service College Annual Report and Financial Statements 2017/2018 ..... 21 August 2018 ..... 21 August 2018 ..... 24 August 2018 No.
82 10 SEPTEMBER 2018 21 PAPERS PRESENTED -continued 2018 s. 338 Cmd.

18 The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore's FY1 T Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements Presidential Council for Minority Rights Annual Report for the period from 1 August 2017 to 31July 2018 Date.

Presented 3 September 2018 ... .. 4 September 2018 •· i 9