Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698847372635.pdf (Singapore)
FOURTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE ___________________ FIRST SESSION ___________________ ORDER PAPER WEDNESDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 2022 No.

75 12 noon 1 QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER* *1.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health (a) for the past eight years, what are the annual median and average lengths of service of foreign nurses in restructured hospitals; and (b) if the data is not available, whether there has been an increasing or decreasing trend in the lengths of service of foreign nurses.

*2.
*2.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether foreign workers in Singapore have been informed of (i) the available channels to seek recourse against their employers who failed to pay their salaries and (ii) the law against illegal assembly.

*3.
*3.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for National Development whether an update can be provided on the implementation of HDB’s policy on conducting periodic inspections on a yearly basis to proactively identify rental flats which require repairs or maintenance.

*4.
*4.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether the National Wages Council (NWC) has completed its review on the wage guidelines for the coming year; and (b) how will the Government work with the Public Service Commission to ensure that the wages of civil servants are consistent with the guidelines to be developed by the NWC.

*5.
*5.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment in relation to the Zero Waste Masterplan’s target of achieving an overall recycling rate of 70% by 2030 (a) what is the breakdown of our recycling rate targets by waste type; (b) what is the target recycling rate for plastics; and (c) what are the pathways to raising the plastic recycling rate from 6% today to the intended 2030 target.

No.

75 9 NOVEMBER 2022 2 *6.


Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether IMDA can do more to educate businesses on the need to protect their customer's data from being hacked; and (b) whether the punishment against illegal hackers of such data can be enhanced.

*7.
*7.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) since 2020, how many appeals have been received from Integrated Shield Plan insurance policyholders regarding their difficulties in making a claim that arises from the insurers’ definition of medical terminologies which diverge from how members of the public, laypersons and medical professionals may interpret the same terms; and (b) what recourse do affected policyholders have.

*8.
*8.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) for the past five years, what is the number of complaints received pertaining to the noise and smell generated from live chickens located at the HDB estates and private residential estates respectively; and (b) whether there will be a review of chicken rearing policy in HDB flat, private residential apartment and private landed residential property.

*9.
*9.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry provides any subsidies and accreditation to Singapore international schools located in cities outside of Singapore.

*10.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry with the new plans for increased reliance on low-carbon hydrogen fuel to address our power needs (a) what sources will the hydrogen come from; (b) how will the Government prepare our infrastructure to transport and store hydrogen; (c) whether the potential increase in spending on infrastructure will lead to significant cost increases for consumers; and (d) how will the Government work with regional countries to encourage the take-up and production rate of hydrogen for energy use.
*11.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Prime Minister in light of Singapore’s core inflation at 5.3% in September 2022 being at the highest since November 2008 (a) whether Singapore will consider tightening its monetary policy again; and (b) whether the Government will consider more targeted measures to rein in food and accommodation prices.

*12.
*12.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Law whether the Public Trustee may be empowered to provide caregivers of individuals who have not made Lasting Powers of Attorney and have become mentally disabled, with access to Government grants provided for the benefit of the mentally disabled individuals, such as Assurance Package for GST and the GST Voucher Scheme.

No.

75 9 NOVEMBER 2022 3 *13.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Manpower for each year from 2013 to 2022 (a) how many reports has the Ministry received against employers that made CPF contributions to “phantom workers”; (b) what are the (i) median (ii) lowest and (iii) highest administrative financial penalties imposed for such infringements; (c) what other penalties are imposed; (d) whether the Ministry plans to step up enforcement and increase penalties for such infringements; and (e) whether random spot checks are performed.
*14.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry in light of the plans to revise the electricity market structure (a) what are the safeguards in place to ensure that volatility of energy prices are minimised; (b) what are the benefits to residents and consumers; and (c) when are the changes targeted to be implemented.

*15.
*15.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether HDB has an initiative that allows single or estranged persons to live alone instead of requiring a co-tenant for HDB rental flats; and (b) if so, whether the Ministry can provide an update on this initiative.

*16.
*16.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the amount of Government expenditure each year to support the Care Ambassador positions filled by the Singapore Airlines Group; and (b) what are the sources of funds used.

*17.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether the Ministry will review section 366(2)(i) of the Companies Act 1967, under which foreign companies are not to be regarded as carrying on business in Singapore for the reason only that in Singapore it invests any of its funds or holds any property and therefore not subject to registration requirements under the same Act, to ensure that these companies are also subject to disclosure requirements pertaining to beneficial ownership and control as a safeguard against money laundering.
*18.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Manpower for each year from 2013 to 2022 (a) how many reports has the Ministry received against employers for illegally recovering employment costs from foreign workers; (b) how many employers have been taken to task; (c) what are the (i) median (ii) lowest and (iii) highest administrative financial penalties imposed; (d) what other penalties are imposed; (e) whether the Ministry plans to step up enforcement and increase penalties for such infringements; and (f) whether random spot checks are performed.
No.

75 9 NOVEMBER 2022 4 *19.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for National Development whether there is any requirement for individuals signing an exclusive estate agency agreement to be formally advised of the option of signing a non-exclusive agreement, especially in situations where the individual is entering into a property transaction for the first time and may not be aware of the existence of non-exclusive agreements.

*20.
*20.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider the introduction of a Redundancy Insurance Scheme to ease financial pressure on workers who have been made redundant as they search for new jobs and which complements existing programmes for retraining and re-employment.

*21.
*21.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for National Development since 2010, what is the respective annual number and percentage of HDB flats whose owners are occupiers of the flat and (i) owns private residential property (ii) owns private residential property and have at least one room in the flat rented out (iii) does not own private residential property and (iv) does not own any private residential property and have at least one room in the flat rented out.

*22.
*22.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Ministry is able to provide the estimated numbers of buses and bus drivers required to transport all workers in buses instead of lorries and, if so, what are they; (b) based on the required numbers and currently available resources, whether there is a shortfall; and (c) whether the Ministry is working with private bus operators to address this shortfall and, if so, what is the estimated timeline for this.

*23.
*23.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether any updates can be provided on studies into chemical recycling of plastic waste in Singapore; (b) what are the implementation plans and whether these can be accelerated with additional support from private or public sectors; and (c) if not, what are the key limitations to the rollout of chemical recycling of plastic waste.

*24.
*24.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for National Development from 2010 to 2021, what is the annual number of HDB flats that are being fully rented out by (i) owners who are residing locally and (ii) owners who are residing overseas, respectively.

No.

75 9 NOVEMBER 2022 5 *25.


Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry in view of the new target to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and with the revised target to reduce our emissions to around 60 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2030 (a) what will be the financial implications on our businesses; and (b) how will the Government help our businesses to cope with additional financial costs of meeting our long-term national climate change targets.

*26.
*26.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the reason for the decline in rental approvals for HDB bedrooms being granted to permanent resident households since 2018 till to date; (b) whether permanent resident households are always allowed to rent out bedrooms; and (c) what have been the changes to the approval requirements over the years.

*27.
*27.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Law (a) whether there have been studies conducted on the education background and English literacy levels of Small Claims Tribunal (SCT) respondents who are individual natural persons; and (b) what measures exist to ensure fair and equitable outcomes when an individual respondent is subject to a SCT claim from a corporate entity whose representatives have access to legal advice and administrative resources prior to the SCT proceedings.
* 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 Introduction of Government Bill 1.

Minister for Transport: Electric Vehicles Charging Bill.

No.

75 9 NOVEMBER 2022 6 ORDERS OF THE DAY 1.

Online Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill [Bill No.

28/2022] – (Minister for Communications and Information).

Resumption of Debate on Question (8 November 2022) “That the Bill be now read a second time.”.

– (Minister for Communications and Information).

2.

Accountancy Functions (Consolidation) Bill [Bill No.
29/2022] – (Second Minister for Finance) – Second Reading.

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

Ms Hany Soh (Marsiling-Yew Tee) : Celebrating Parenthood through Live, Work and Play.

Families: Embracing SG QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER 1.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance how is our national budget planned in order to build the necessary infrastructure to cope with rising sea levels and climate change.

2.
2.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) in each of the years from 2018 to 2022, what is the total chargeable income for companies with (i) up to $10,000 (ii) from $10,000 to $200,000 (iii) from $200,000 to $1 million (iv) from $1 million to $10 million (v) from $10 million to $100 million (vi) from $100 million to $1 billion and (vii) more than $1 billion, in profits respectively; and (b) what is the number of companies in each of these brackets.

3.
3.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) whether Malaysia's intention to continue legal action at the International Court of Justice in the case concerning Singapore's sovereignty over Pedra Branca, Middle Rocks and South Ledge impacts Singapore's existing and planned development and land reclamation works in and around Pedra Branca; and (b) if so, how.

No.

75 9 NOVEMBER 2022 7 4.


Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what is the current and year-to-date short-run marginal cost and long-run marginal cost of producing electricity as compared to the Uniform Singapore Electricity Price.

5.
5.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how has electricity power generation capacity changed in the last five years; (b) what is the projected capacity in the next five years; and (c) what are the plans to ensure that the required reserve margin of 27% is met in the next five years, assuming upper bound of projected system peak demand is reached.

6.
6.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Transport having regard to motorcycle Certificate of Entitlement (COE) premiums reaching new highs recently and recognising that motorcycles generally cause less congestion on roads and are more heavily relied on for livelihoods, whether the COE quota limit for motorcycles may be reviewed upwards.

7.
7.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment how many technological and engineering advances are utilised to tackle future problems of flooding and rising sea levels.

8.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment how is the Government supporting agri-tech start-ups and other SMEs that focus on growing food locally.

9.
9.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment how advanced technology such as blockchain technology and automated climate control is utilised to support our urban agriculture.

10.
10.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment what further plans are there to drive innovation and collaboration among the agri-food sector and to attract more students from Institutes of Higher Learning into that sector, in our country’s bid to increase its food security and resilience.

11.
11.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Education for each year in the past three years (a) how many students have been enrolled in the Enhanced School Resourcing programme set up by the Uplifting Pupils in Life and Inspiring Families Taskforce; and (b) what are the rates of improvement in school attendance by the enrolled students per year.

No.

75 9 NOVEMBER 2022 8 12.


Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will consider including Mandatory Treatment Order as part of the sentencing option for cases of animal cruelty and abuse.

13.
13.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for National Development since 2010, what is the highest amount of rental that has been registered annually for the rental of a whole HDB flat for the different HDB flat types in (i) prime areas (ii) mature estates and (iii) non-mature estates respectively.

14.
14.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for National Development what is the quantitative data on the attribution of the HDB housing demand observed in the past 20 years and projected for the future that is due to (i) smaller household sizes (ii) aspirations for larger units (iii) growing residential population and (iv) rental demand from the growing non-local population.

15.
15.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the 1-year period for reimbursement with upgrading subsidy for Singaporeans who are Singapore permanent residents at the point when they subscribed to HDB’s Home Improvement Programme may be extended.

16.
16.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Manpower in the last five years, what is the annual number of migrant domestic workers hired at a concessionary levy rate, broken down into a hire to care for (i) children (ii) elderly persons and (iii) persons with disabilities.