Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698846603494.pdf (Singapore)
THIRTEENTII PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE FIRST SESSION ORDER PAPER MONDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER2017 No.

50 1.00 pm 1 ELECTION OF SPEAKER PETITION Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon) More Inclusive Provision of Public Housing for Single Parents QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER* *1.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether LTA is aware of the many complaints regarding real-time updates on the MRT service breakdown for commuters on 28 June 2017; (b) what is being done to address commuters' need for timely and accurate information; and (c) whether LTA monitors the service standards of MRT train operators on the level of public engagement when there is a service breakdown.

*2.
*2.

Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Minister for Transport how the plan for a cashless public transport system by 2020 will ensure that the elderly who rely on cash as their sole mode of payment will not be left out.

*3.
*3.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what· are the consultations that LTA has conducted prior to announcing the plan for a cashless public transport system by 2020; and (b) ofthe consultations which took place, what proportion of members of the public consulted were senior citizens.

*4.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Transport what is the estimated annual cost of maintaining existing cash transaction capabilities in our public transport system.

No.
No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 2 *5.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Transport how will the Ministry make it easier for commuters to top up their EZ-link card at MRT stations, bus interchanges, convenience stalls and to use cardless payment via QR codes and remotely via the Internet.

*6.
*6.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Prime Minister how will the Government build a Smart Nation that (i) is inclusive and people-centric rather than technology centric in the implementation of e-services and cashless transactions respectively and (ii) ensures that Government services can still be easily accessed by elderly Singaporeans of all backgrounds.

*7.
*7.

Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Prime Minister how does the Government plan to help the elderly get ready for a smart nation and not be left out in our endeavour towards a cashless future.

*8.
*8.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what are the upcoming areas of public services that the Government plans to implement cashless payments; (b) how will the Government help seniors who may have difficulties adopting e-payments in those areas; and (c) how can the overall costs and charges of e-payments be lowered for the merchants and end consumers.

*9.
*9.

Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Prime Minister (a) ifhe can provide an update on the Smart Nation programme; (b) whether there are plans to bring pervasive technologies into the daily lives of Singaporeans; and (c) how does the Government intend to achieve its Smart Nation vision moving forward.

*10.
*10.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether there will be an effort to identify any potential increase in security and personal safety risks that arise from an increase in electronic payment options including scamming, loansharking, and blackmail; and (b) what steps are being taken to monitor these risks, inform the public and mitigate these risks.

*11.
*11.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) how can the various economic promotion agencies work closer together to support companies to grow and meet the challenges in this rapidly changing economic environment.

*12.

Mr Kok Heng Leun: To ask the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) what is the outcome of the investigation into the request from NTU to foodcourt operators to replace bilingual signboards with English-only signages.

No.
No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 3 *13.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) with regard to the perceived bias against the use of Chinese characters on the signboard of food stalls at a local university, what are the lessons and steps to prevent a similar occurrence in local tertiary educational institutions.

*14.
*14.

Ms Sun Xueling: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) what factors determine the timeline for the relocation ofPaya Lebar Airbase; and (b) whether residents in the northeast within the flight path will experience a steady decrease in loud sounds from aircraft flying past with the phased relocation of Paya Lebar Airbase.

*15.
*15.

Ms Sun Xueling: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) what factors determine the flight times and flight frequencies of aircraft flying to and from the Paya Lebar Air base; (b) whether there is seasonality to these times and frequencies; and (c) if so, how can the public find out more about the frequencies of flight times to plan their daily activities especially when they have to take care of young children.

*16.
*16.

Mr Alex Yam Ziming: To ask the Minister for Defence with the proposed expansion of Tengah Airbase to accommodate the partial relocation of Paya Lebar Airbase, how will the Ministry (i) ensure that residents in the vicinity of the airbase will not be affected by any changes in operations resulting in increased noise and (ii) assure residents of the safety precautions for training or operations with increased air traffic.

*17.
*17.

Mr Alex Yam Ziming: To ask the Minister for National Development how will farmers affected by the land acquisition for the expansion of Tengah Airbase be (i) assisted and (ii) compensated.

*18.
*18.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for National Development in view of the recent investigation into buildings outfitted with combustible claddings, how does the Ministry ensure that (i) buildings are compliant for other types of building materials and (ii) suppliers of building materials comply with existing regulations.

*19.
*19.

Dr Cbia Shi-Lu: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many buildings currently have claddings installed on their facades; (b) of these how many have been checked and passed local inspections; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider requiring more thorough testing of all claddings, including those which will be imported in the future, in view of violations in this sector.

No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 4 *20.


Assoc Prof Daniel Gob Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs other than the buildings with external cladding being tested by SCDF, whether there are and should be plans for BCA to conduct an extensive audit of all buildings with external cladding and ensure compliance of construction materials with the Fire Code.

*21.
*21.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether SCDF's checks on buildings with non-Class "0" cladding also cover the lifts done under the Lift Upgrading Programme; (b) for buildings found with non Class "0" cladding, what interim measures are being taken to protect the safety of the occupiers; and (c) what is the time line given to these affected buildings to remove the unsafe claddings.

*22.
Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what are the main reasons for many healthier foods to be more expensive than unhealthy foods despite healthier foods requiring less processing than unhealthy foods; and (b) whether there will be public education campaigns to (i) help people understand and manage their calorie intake (ii) increase public awareness of lower sugar choices in the food types commonly consumed by Singaporeans and the problems of artificial sweeteners and (iii) educate consumers how to eat healthier without incurring higher food bills.
*23.

Dr Chia Shi-Lu: To ask the Minister for Health in view of the growing body of research about the downsides and potential risks of artificial sweeteners, whether the Ministry will be updating its advisories to vulnerable groups, patients and in their public education communications.

*24.
Mr Alex Yam Ziming: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) how will the Ministry ensure that those holding Class 1 Car Park Labels for Persons with Physical Disabilities but who are not using "bulky" mobility aids, yet with a genuine need for the use of accessible car park lots, will not be disadvantaged by the revisions to the scheme which will take effect in November 2017; (b) how does the Ministry intend to reduce abuses cif the scheme; and (c) whether the Ministry will undertake a comprehensive review of the availability and provision of accessible car park lots with the Ministry ofNational Development.
*25.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry will review the eligibility criteria to grant car park labels for persons with disabilities so as to include not just wheelchair bound drivers but also other drivers who need some form of physical support such as walking aids.

No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 5 *26.


Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the rationale behind the recent policy changes ori parking label benefits for the disabled; (b) what are the top three concerns raised by those affected by the changes; and (c) what are the Ministry's responses to the concerns raised.

*27.
*27.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what percentage of disabled persons who no longer qualify under the new Class 1 car park label has purchased cars under LT A's Disabled Persons Scheme; and (b) over Past five years, how many drivers with Class 2 car park labels have been summoned for using handicap car park lots when not ferrying a person with disabilities.

*28.

Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for Finance based.
on the findings in the Report of the Auditor-General for FY2016/17, whether AGO will direct all the entities in the Report to investigate all improper payments made and determine the amount of money to recover.

*29.
*29.

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Finance whether there will be an accountability review of Government officers involved given the lapses in financial controls in grants administration, management of development projects, as well as IT governance as reported in the Report of the Auditor General for FY2016/17.

*30.

Mr Zainal Sa pari: To ask the Minister for Transport what are the key lessons that LTA has learnt from the accidents involving young drivers of private hire cars .

.

*31.
.

*31.

Mr Ong Teng Koon: To ask the Minister for Transport whether accidents involving private hire drivers have increased more than proportionately to the number of private hire drivers.

*32.
*32.

Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) how will the setting up of the new National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) affect the institutions presently conducting early childhood education programmes such as the polytechnics, ITE and SEED institute, especially in terms of (i) staffing issues (ii) enrolment and (iii) the perceived quality of the certification issued by these institutions .

.

*33.
.

*33.

Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) what will be the impact on smaller independent operators in the early childhood education industry with the proposed significant increase in MOE kindergartens along with the already significant increases in early childhood and kindergarten places by the major anchor childcare operators.

I I I No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 6 *34.


Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how often are hawker centres checked for fire safety compliance; (b) what is the breakdown of such fires from 2015 till July this year; (c) what are the common causes of these fires; and (d) what can be done to address fire hazards at hawker centres.

*35.
*35.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Law in the past two years (a) how many disputes concerning cigarette smoke from neighbouring units drifting into adjacent houses have been referred to the Community Mediation Centres; and (b) of these conflicts, how many have been resolved and what have been the terms of the resolution.

*36.
*36.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether there are any plans for traditional Chinese medicine services to be included under the coverage of the Pioneer Generation Package (PGP); and (b) whether Medisave incentives can be given to pioneer generation members who do not use any PGP subsidies within a calendar year as an encouragement for staying healthy.

*37.
*37.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider (i) requiring all laboratories to participate in the National Electronic Health Record system to upload patients' test results and (ii) providing trained personnel to general practitioners to encourage and assist them to participate in the system.

*38.
*38.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether he can provide an update on the capacity of public bus services to meet demand and users' waiting time from 2014-2017; and (b) whether studies will be conducted for on-demand public bus services that ply routes from major MRT interchanges to schools, business parks and public hospitals to ease capacity during peak hours.

*39.
*39.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Transport whether LTA will review the approval process for public bus service route diversions so that the public transport operators can better respond to traffic conditions.

*40.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth how do the contents in the book "State ofEmergency" deviate from the original proposal ofthe author which allegedly led to the National Arts Council withdrawing its grant.

--II No.
--II No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER2017 7 *41.

Mr Ganesh Rajaram: Information what steps companies production Mediapolis@One-North.

To ask the Minister for Communications and has the Government taken to encourage more at to utilise state-of-the-art facilities the *42.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information whether the Ministry plans to impose on telecommunication and internet service providers operating in Singapore a requirement to proactively monitor the use of their services for online and phone scams, take all necessary steps to deter such usage and promptly provide all relevant information to enforcement agencies.

*43.
Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) with regard to the Skills Future programme (a) whether the Ministry monitors the general categories of courses taken by the different age segments and, if so, what is the breakdown; (b) whether there are regular checks of how courses are marketed; and (c) how does the Government ensure that course providers do not enrol students who lack basic qualifying criteria such as language competency, education background or work experience to benefit from the courses.
*44.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: To ask the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) whether the Ministry can review the need to charge season parking fees for educators teaching in institutions of higher learning and who drive their cars to these institutions.

*45.

Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) what schemes are in place to encourage more entrepreneurship and innovation, specifically among young working adults.

· *46.
· *46.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) in view of the launch of "Passion Made Possible" (a) how is the Ministry working with tour guides to upgrade their skills to thrive in the new strategy; and (b) how will the Ministry work with local retailers to enhance the tourist experience and improve· retail sales.

*47.
*47.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for National Development how can the Southern Islands be made more accessible as national parks so that more Singaporeans can enjoy them and their rustic charm and rich biodiversity can still be preserved.

*48.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development what further measures will the Ministry take to deter feeding of pigeons by the public.

No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 8 *49.


Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Finance whether the Ministry will regularly review the Government's commitment to reduce socio-economic inequality and publish the results of such reviews in light of recent findings from a study by Oxfam and Development Finance International that ranks Singapore in the eighty-sixth placing in the world in this regard.

*50.
*50.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the cost of on-boarding social service offices (SSOs) and Ministry supported VWOs to Social Service Net (SSNet); (b) what is the timeline for the adoption ofSSNet; and (c) what are the initial indications ofthe impact of SSNet on SSOs and VWOs in terms of efficiency and effectiveness.

*51.
*51.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether there has been an increase in Com Care assistance cases compared to last year.

*52.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Ministry will consider allowing parents to use their paid sick leave entitlement to care for their sick children or allowing this at least for parents of premature, multiple births or babies with congenital illness.

*53.
*53.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Prime Minister (a) how many of the official websites of Ministries and statutory boards meet the WCAG 2.0 or other international standards for website accessibility by persons with disabilities (PWDs); and (b) what steps will be taken to ensure that Government websites are accessible to PWDs to the fullest extent possible.

*54.
*54.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the number of cases of slip and fall workplace accidents that happened in kitchens and food preparation areas in the past two years; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider including a workplace safety and health module as part of the food hygiene course for food operators and kitchen assistants.

*55.
*55.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the number of amputation cases due to workplace accidents in the past three years; (b) what are the main causes for such cases; and (c) what are the measures taken by the Ministry to reduce the number of such cases.

*56.
*56.

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources what is the justification for requiring Traditional Chinese Medicine shops that sell herbal teas to obtain foodshop licences with effect from 1 October 2017.

No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 9 *57.


Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) what steps will the Ministry take to improve the robustness of the Marshall Cavendish (MC) Online e-learning portal for schools, given the recent severe outage experienced by students.

*58.
*58.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) what measures are being taken to strengthen online learning portals being used in schools against the prospect of outages that may disrupt the learning schedules of students.

*59.
*59.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether a rehabilitation programme can be implemented for inmates to plan, prepare, cook, and serve meals to the public whereby they can (i) learn ethics, teamwork, culinary and service skills (ii) experience career progression and (iii) earn a food handler certification, valuable trade experience.and monetary savings upon their release.

*60.
*60.

Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the Ministry's position on illegal gambling in HDB estates; (b) what observations and actions have the authorities made and taken so far; and (b) what further actions will they take to resolve long-standing illegal gambling issues in HDB estates when the authorities' actions do not generate lasting positive outcomes.

*61.
*61.

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef: To ask the Minister for Health whether there are plans to review and assess the sales, content and costing of milk products and milk supplements for adults especially for those who are on dietary supplementation and tube feeding.

*62.
*62.

Dr Chia Shi-Lu: To ask the Minister for Health regarding products which make specific health claims such as alleviating certain physical symptoms (a) under what conditions will they be included or excluded from regulations under the Health Products Act; and (b) what measures are there to prevent misleading claims and advertisements of general health products.

*63.
*63.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether all delays on the MRT train system attributed to signalling faults are thoroughly investigated so as to prevent future recurrence; (b) whether LTA is satisfied with the response of public transport operators whenever there are train delays or disruption to train services; and (c) whether LTA requires public transport operators to compensate commuters affected by the train delay or disruption.

l No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 10 *64.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether he can provide an update on the progress of the integration ofthe new signalling equipment for the North-South and East-West MRT Lines; (b) what is the specific timeline for the completion of the tests and checks required beyond the description of" a few months" indicated in LT A/SMRT's press release; and (c) what are the lessons learnt from the train disruptions that have occurred during this integration that may assist to improve service recovery measures for similar future breakdowns.
*65.
Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what arrangements are in place to facilitate the smooth implementation of the communications based train control (CBTC) signalling system on the North-South and East West MRT Lines; and (b) what operational constraints, challenges and hazards have arisen from the concurrent usage of the CBTC signalling system between Pioneer and Tuas Link on the East-West Line and on the entire North-South Line with the older Westinghouse fixed-block signalling system on the remaining stations of the East-West Line.
*66.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) whether his Ministry will consider having a SkillsFuture credit for employers and businesses for the benefit of SMEs and start-ups in the area of continuing education and training for their employees.

*67.
*67.

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) what incentive schemes have been put in place for researchers and academics tapping on the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2020 research funding to and accelerate commercialisation.

translation of research applications industry into *68.
Mr Ong Teng Koon: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the provision of $625 million for foreseeable loss relating to properties under development, as announced in HDB's annual report for FY2017, relates to housing subsidies that are being given to Singaporeans and whether he can give the assurance that these subsidies are being allocated to those who need it the most.

*69.
*69.

Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB will review the 2-room Flexi Scheme to allow the lease period to cover the elderly citizens and their spouses up to the age of 85 years old instead of the current 95 years old.

No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 11 *70.


Ms K Thanaletchimi: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development in respect of a Lasting Power of Attorney drawn up by singles, whether the Ministry has plans to audit and check on their donees for financial exploitation.

*71.
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) how many cases have there been in the past three years where social assistance or medical subsidies were stopped or applications rejected because the recipients raised money through online crowdfunding; (b) whether the Ministry inquired into the reasons for the recipients turning to online crowdfunding and, if so, what were the reasons; and (c) whether online crowdfunding is threatening to disrupt the charity sector.
*72.

Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Government will consider having the Cyber Security Agency to lead a whole of-government exercise to review and tighten IT security management and monitoring in light of the Auditor-General's findings on lapses in IT security at several agencies, especially those handling sensitive personal and financial information.

*73.
*73.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Prime Minister whether MAS will consider converting all Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) to be usable by all major banks in Singapore and all of their customers instead of each bank building its own ATM network and customers having to search for ATMs of their banks resulting in duplication of capital, resources and customer inconvenience.

*74.
*74.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Prime Minister how will the Ministry make it easier for residents to open and maintain bank accounts with low amounts of cash deposit.

*75.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for Manpower under what conditions are male foreign domestic helpers granted work permits to care for male elderly disabled persons at their residences.

*76.
*76.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) in light of a recent study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development which reveals that Singapore students suffer from high levels of anxiety (a) what is the Ministry doing to help reduce this anxiety; and (b) how many students have been identified and counselled for anxiety attacks in the last two years.

*77.
*77.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) how do the levels of suicides and incidences of psychiatric conditions related to anxiety among students in Singapore compare with similar data of other developed countries.

~ .

r ' ' !

I No.

50 11 SEP1EMBER 2017 12 *78.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for National Development how many requests for goodwill repairs were received by HDB in 2016 and whether HDB is adequately resourced to attend to such requests expeditiously.
*79.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Ministry will consider the imposition of obligations, either via licensing conditions or regulations, on gaming arcade operators to identify patrons believed to be suffering from gaming addiction and implement appropriate steps with a view to helping them cope with their addiction.

*80.
*80.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in view of the rising cases of outrage of modesty (a) how is the Ministry working with entertainment outlet operators to better protect female patrons; (b) how is the Ministry enhancing its measures in other crowded public places such as the public transport areas; and (c) whether there is a need to enhance the current legislation to curb such crimes.

*81.
*81.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider (i) banning vehicles turning right simultaneously as pedestrians cross the roads at junctions and (ii) programming junction signals such that vehicles will only be signalled to tum after the red-man signal has turned on.

*82.
*82.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Transport what measures will be implemented to improve the safety of buses and whether the Ministry will consider requiring all buses to be equipped with features such as motion cameras, speed and obstacle sensor alarms and telematics systems to alert drivers to the risk of accidents and deter dangerous driving.

*83.
*83.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB can prioritise the installation of solar panels in mature HDB estates with a higher population of senior citizens so as to provide additional lighting along common corridors at the doorsteps of these elderly residents at a lower cost to the town councils.

*84.
*84.

Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: To ask the Minister for National Development in respect of Batch 10 of the Estate Upgrading Programme (EUP) (a) what was the closing date for the nomination of these projects; (b) when will these nominations be evaluated and decided upon by the EUP Committee; (c) when will the successful nominations be implemented; and (d) on average, what is the time lapse between the close of nomination of an EUP project and the evaluation of nominations by the EUP Committee.

No.
No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 13 *85.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) (a) what is the current proportion of tenured and tenure-track faculty members who are Singaporeans in NUS, NTU and SMU; and (b) what was the proportion 10 years ago.

*86.

Mr Ong Teng Koon: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the introduction of the new bus contracting model has led to improvements in service delivery and performance metrics on Singapore's bus network.

*87.
*87.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Government will set up a committee to examine whether there should be structural changes in our airline industry; and (b) how many airline employees have lost their jobs between 2016 and 2017.

*88.
*88.

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) to date, how many Town Councils have declared to the Ministry that their secretaries or relevant key officers as defined by section 20 of the Town Councils Act come under the new disqualification criteria spelt out in sections 20(1A) and 20(3) ofthe Act; and (b) which Town Councils have made such declarations to the Ministry.

*89.
*89.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the lack of a fire-rated entrance door affects the design of a HDB flat as a fire compartment; and (b) whether there are additional fire safety measures in place for HDB blocks where the majority of flats do not have fire rated entrance doors.

*90.
*90.

Mr Ganesh Rajaram: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) with regard to nurturing sports excellence in schools (a) whether the Ministry can provide statistics on the success of the Direct School Admission (Sports) programme and the Singapore Sports School; and (b) how many of the students accepted into either of these programmes have represented or are representing Singapore in their chosen sporting fields after they have left school.

*91.
*91.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) whether the Ministry will consider collating indications of interest in preferred primary schools from parents for their children a couple of years before Primary 1 registration to better plan for future intakes of each primary school and allocation of resources to the school.

*92.
*92.

Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will require bicycle sharing operators to have a viable proposal for their customers to park rented bicycles adequately and without obstructing public spaces before they can be allowed to operate their business.

No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 14 *93.


Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what has been the take-up rate for the Safe Riding Programme (SRP) since its launch; and (b) what other measures, publicity, and education programmes that the Ministry is planning for to ensure safe riding on roads and footpaths in a proposed "car lite" city.

*94.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will consider banning the practice of debarking dogs.

*95.
*95.

Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what measures does the Ministry have to counter the increasingly challenging problem of food fraud in the global supply chains; and (b) whether the Ministry can provide an update on the equipment, facilities and manpower investments and training to detect food fraud.

*96.
*96.

Mr Zainal Sa pari: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) (a) whether the Ministry has extended its school-cleaning contract that was signed in 2014; and (b) what is the rationale and intent of extending the contract.

* Members may postpone their Questions to a later sitting day if their Questions are not reached.

by the end of Question.Time.

The postponementforms are available at the Chamber entrances.
Members must submit their notices to the Clerk within one hour after the end of Question Time.

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

AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF PUBLIC BUSINESS Introduction of Government Bills 1.

Minister for Transport: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (Amendment) Bill.

2.

Minister for Home Affairs: Infrastructure Protection Bill.

3.

Minister for Finance: Audit (Amendment) Bill.

No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 15 4.


Second Minister for Finance: Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill.

(President's recommendation signified).

5.

Second Minister for Finance: Property Tax (Amendment) Bill.

(President's recommendation signified).

6.

Second Minister for Finance: Income Tax (Amendment) Bill.

(President's recommendation signified).

ORDERS OF THE DAY 1.

2.

3.

Jurong Town Corporation (Amendment) Bill (Minister for Trade and Industry (Trade))- Second Reading.

[Bill No.
[Bill No.

28/2017] - Building Maintenance and Strata Management (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

29/2017]- (Minister for National Development)- Second Reading.

Professional Engineers (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

30/2017]- (Minister for National Development)- Second Reading.

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

Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok) Community Rehabilitative Options.

Sentencing and Other l No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 16 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.


QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what is the number of Singaporeans who do not have a bank account, broken down by age group; and (b) what is the number of Singaporeans who do not have ATM, debit or credit cards, broken down by age group.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Prime Minister with regard to the Smart Nation initiative (a) what is the number of Singaporeans who do not have an active SingPass account, broken down by age group; and (b) what is the number of Singaporeans with an active SingPass account who (i) have not yet enabled 2- Factor Authentication (2FA) or (ii) have not used 2FA in the past one year, broken down by age group.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what is the rate of uptake of parent-care leave by public servants for each year in the past three years; and (b) what is the number ofprivate companies that currently offer parent-care leave.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what is the total amount of public funds spent on developing and maintaining Onelnbox; (b) how many people signed up for Oneinbox as at 31 March 2017; (c) what are the main reasons for the low take-up rate; and (d) whether the Government plans to develop a new system to replace paper notices sent to citizens.
Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Transport whether there are regulations in place to prevent the import of motor vehicles into Singapore that have known defects or have been subject to a manufacturer's recall.
Mr Ang Hin Kee: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) when was the LTA notified and made aware about the manufacturer's recall and rectification of Honda Vezel vehicles owned by Uber in Singapore; (b) what were the actions taken in this case; (c) how does LT A ensure that all imported vehicles are safe especially when they are used as vehicles for hire and reward; and (d) what actions will be taken against corporate entities or individuals who knowingly violate safety measures or ignore safety concerns.
Mr Ang Hin Kee: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what is the breakdown in the number of cases of illegal parking or misuse of taxi stands by taxis and private hire vehicles in 2015, 2016 and first half of2017; and (b) what will the Ministry do to further deter such behaviour.

No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 17 8.

9.


Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Transport whether LTA can consider constructing a lift at the overhead bridge at Braddell Road (near Blk 219 Toa Payoh Lorang 8) in order to facilitate the many elderly residents who use the overhead bridge on a daily basis.
Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the increasing number of taxis relying on ride hailing apps, including platforms provided by Uber and Grab, have significantly reduced the number of taxis available for street hire or at taxi stands, thereby restricting commuters' choices; and (b) if so, whether LTA has any plans to regulate this.

10.
10.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) over the last one year, what has been the number of traffic incidents involving drivers of private hire vehicles; and (b) how is the Ministry working with operators of private hire vehicles to help such drivers drive and operate safely.

11.
11.

Mr Yee Chia Hsing: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the additional 50% rebate and surcharge applicable for taxis under the new Vehicle Emissions Scheme that is effective from 1 January 2018 will be applied to private hire cars since these cars have similar high mileages as taxis.

12.
12.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport what is the total number of incidents of MRT train or track faults, delays and disruptions (of any length oftime) from January to August 2017 and, ofthis number, how many have been due to the signal integration work being done for the North South and East-West Lines.

13.
13.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) how does LTA independently ensure the rail operators' compliance with LTA's operating performance standards dealing with service quality; and (b) how does LTA handle train commuters' complaints on service quality issues.

14.
14.

Mr Chen Show Mao: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Trade) whether he can provide an update on (i) the review of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with India and (ii) discussions, if any, with India on the movement of natural persons, including professionals, business visitors, intra-corporate transferees and short-term service providers, under CECA.

15.
15.

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether work permit holders are legally allowed to borrow money from licensed and unlicensed moneylenders.

No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 18 16.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the foreign domestic worker levy concession can be extended to persons with major illnesses or medical conditions and their ill siblings.

17.
17.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will exclude overtime pay in the computation of monthly salary to qualify for the Workfare Income Supplement as workers' overtime allowances are irregular and may disincentivise workers with gross monthly income near the $2,000 cut-off mark not to take up overtime work.

18.
18.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) for each year over the past three years, what are the employment agencies industry averages for the foreign domestic worker (FDW) retention rate and transfer rate respectively; (b) what steps is the Ministry taking to improve these rates; and (c) whether it will require employment agencies to prominently display their FDW retention rate and transfer rate at their premises.

19.
19.

Dr Chia Shi-Lu: To ask the Minister for Manpower what is the current percentage of CPF members who have nominated their beneficiaries and whether members are made aware of the list of fees charged by the Public Trustee for the administration ofun-nominated monies.

20.
20.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the number of work-related traffic accidents involving food delivery and courier service staff in the past three years; and (b) what are the measures taken by the Ministry to reduce the number of such accidents.

21.
21.

Mr Kok Heng Leun: To ask the Minister for Manpower in the first six months of2017, how many work permit holders (excluding foreign domestic helpers) have been granted the option of'change of employer' by the Ministry and, of these, how many have found new jobs with new work permits issued without first going home.

22.
22.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) what is being done to improve the take-up rate ofthe SGSecure mobile app apart from making it compulsory for full-time national servicemen (NSFs) to download it; (b) why are websites not used for thee-learning modules instead of an app; and (c) whether the Ministry will re-examine its policy for ensuring that NSFs download the app.

23.
23.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs how many foreign spouses of Singaporeans have been granted PR and citizenship respectively in 2016. p. No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 19 24.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in each of the last five years, how many PRs and non-PRs were successful in their application for citizenship respectively, broken down by age group.

25.
25.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in respect of the enhanced Immigration Automated Clearance System (a) what is the failure rate of fingerprint detection; and (b) whether measures can be implemented to assist travellers with dry fingers such as placing bottles of moisturiser near the scanners.

26.
26.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Singapore citizenship ofthe late Mr Tan Lark Sye was reinstated after it was revoked; (b) if so, what were the years in which his citizenship was revoked and reinstated; and (c) what are the reasons for the revocation and reinstatement.

27.

Mr Chen Show Mao: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what measures are in place to reduce the risk of fires taking place at hawker stalls at cooked food centres.

28.
28.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Law (a) how many moneylenders have been taken to task for recovering fees and interests above the principal sum; (b) how does the Ministry prevent moneylenders from giving out short-term loans in the guise of charging administrative fees; and (c) how can the Ministry improve the public awareness on the rules governing moneylenders.

29.

30.

· 31.
29.

30.

· 31.

Asst Prof Mahdev Mohan: To ask the Minister for Law in each year since 2011 (a) what is the number of cases in which psychiatric expert evidence has been found to be unreliable in criminal trials; and (b) whether this number is impacted by standards established by the relevant professional accreditation body.
Asst Prof Mahdev Mohan: To ask the Minister for Law in each year since 2011 (a) what is the number of pre-trial remandees who have been offered the option ofbeing released on bail but do not avail themselves of it; and (b) how many persons within this group have been ultimately remanded for a longer period oftime than their custodial sentences or have been given non-custodial sentences or acquitted by the courts.
Asst Prof Mahdev Mohan: To ask the Minister for Law in each year since 2011, how many instances have there been of cross-examination by defence counsel which have been calculated to scandalise and insult the moral integrity of complainants or witnesses in criminal trials concerning sexual or child abuse offences.· No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 20 32.
Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health with regard to the general health screenings for children including those conducted in schools (a) which are the more common health problems detected; (b) whether the Ministry keeps track of subsequent intervention and outcomes; (c) how often does the Ministry review and update the lists oftests; and (d) whether the Ministry will consider including more tests and detailed examinations such as blood tests, ECG and mental health tests to detect health problems and abnormalities.
33.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider providing a discount on annual Medishield premiums for those who do not file any claim within a requisite period of time.

34.
34.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry wiJl consider extending the group of persons currently permitted to make contributions to the CPF accounts of Singaporeans and PRs for payment of their MediShield Life and ElderShield premiums to include their siblings to address the concerns of those who have insufficient CPF funds as a result of their disabilities preventing them to be gainfully employed.

35.

36.

37.

38.
35.

36.

37.

38.

Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the number of primary and secondary students diagnosed with myopia and astigmatism over the last five years as a result of eye checks in schools; (b) what are the current eye-care campaigns in schools; and (c) whether there are assistance plans in place for students from lower:-income families to obtain corrective lenses.
Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry approves or condones mobile research teams from universities or hospitals approaching residents at their homes to request blood samples for research into vector-borne diseases such as dengue and Zika; (b) if so, what approvals must be sought before carrying out such exercises; (c) what oversight role does the Ministry play to ensure that residents are not exploited; and (d) how are residents' health, safety and confidential information protected during such research.
Assoc Prof Daniel Gob Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Health how widely are physical restraints being used in eldercare centres and nursing homes and whether these centres and homes are being audited for following the safeguards on the use of restraints in the Guidelines for Centre-Based Care.
Assoc Prof Daniel Gob Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether HPB follows the recommendation of the World Health Organisation that a person should reduce the consumption of added sugars to less than 5 per cent of the normal daily energy intake, at around 22g of added sugars a day; and (b) if so, whether this is recommended to institutions and in public programmes.

No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 21 39.


Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) whether there are any plans to regulate the quantum and/or length of prepayment schemes offered by businesses identified to be most at risk of default.

40.
40.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) (a) what are the main reasons and which are the industries which contributed to the positive increase in productivity of 1% in 2016; and (b) what is the forecast for 2017 taking into consideration the productivity figures for the first half of 2017.

41.
41.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) how do the various economic promotion agencies such as EDB, IES, SPRJNG, STB demarcate their roles with respect to industry sector and the size of the company being supported.

42.

Mr Kok Heng Leun: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth what help is given to arts groups to cope with rising rental and maintenance cost of arts housing spaces.

43.
43.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth in view of the rule where athletes are not allowed to promote non official event sponsors during the period of the SEA Games, Olympics or other major sporting events, what mitigation measures are in place to ensure that the athletes do not suffer any loss or compromise on their existing, long term or potential sponsorships.

44.
44.

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what are the effects and conflicts, if any, which the rising trend of individuals seeking welfare donations through social media and other crowdfunding platforms have on the Government's welfare system; and (b) whether the Ministry has plans to regulate these activities in light of the potential fraudulent online claims to exploit public sympathies.

45.
45.

Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) over the last five years, what is the number of older HDB multi-storey carparks that have been installed with lifts; (b) what is the number of carparks earmarked for future lift installations; and (c) what is the cost of such installations and subsequent maintenance of the lifts.

'46.
'46.

Mr Kok Heng Leun: To ask the Minister for National Development whether he can provide an update on the alternative plans of preserving of Ellison Building in light of the construction of the North-South Expressway.

No.

50 II SEPTEMBER 20 I7 22 47.


Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what are the factors that influence the rental cost of hawker stalls; (b) aside from the tender amount, what other criteria determine the success of a tender applicant; (c) what is being done to keep monthly rentals of hawker stalls more affordable; and (d) why do Yishun Park Hawker Centre tenderers have to pay at least twice the average bid to get a stall.

48.
48.

Mr Kok Heng Leun: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) whether he can provide an update on the number ofSungei Road flea market vendors who have received assistance from the Government or have moved into new stalls to date; (b) how many of the vendors who have been allocated new stalls are still in business; and (c) for those who have stopped operating at these new stalls, what are the reasons for the closure of the stalls.
2017 S. L. 329 s. L. 330 s. L. 331 S. L. 332 S. 225 PAPERS PRESENTED Date Presented Goods and Services Tax Act (Amendment of Fourth Schedule) Order 2017 Road Traffic (Collection of Toll at Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints) (Amendment) Rules 2017 Road Traffic (Electronic Road Pricing System) (Amendment No.

4) Rules 2017 Traffic Road (International Circulation) (Amendment No.
2) Rules 2017 Singapore Commission Annual Report 2016 Public Service 31 July 2017 1 August 2017 1 August 2017 1 August2017 2 August 2017 Pari.

7 Reprint of the Standing Orders of the Parliament of Singapore 4 August 2017 No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 23 PAPERS PRESENTED - continued Date Presented 2017 s. L. 333 S. L. 334 s. L. 335 Protection Environmental and Management (Vehicular Emissions) (Amendment No.

2) Regulations 2017 Building Control (Buildability and Productivity) (Amendment No.
3) Regulations 2017 (Public Entertainments Public Entertainment Appeal Board) Rules 2017 S. L. 336 Public Entertainments Points) Rules 2017 (Demerit Pres.

Co. 57 s. L. 337 Cmd.

12 Report ofthe Presidential Council for Minority the Rights Administration of Muslim Law (Amendment) Bill [Bill No 27/2017] on Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Quota System) (Amendment No.
2) Rules 2017 Annual Report of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights for the period from 1 August 2016 to 31 July 2017 S. 226 of Competition Singapore Annual Report 2016/2017 Commission s. L. 338 Crime Act Organised 2015 (Amendment of Schedule) Order 2017 4 August 2017 4August2017 4 August 2017 4 August 2017 11 August 2017 11 August 2017 14 August 2017 14 August 2017 14 August 2017 No.
50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 24 PAPERS PRESENTED - continued 2017 S. 227 Savings and Employee Retirement and Premiwn Fund (SAVER Premium Fund) Annual Report for Financial Year 2016 S. L. 339 Traffic Road (Power-Assisted Bicycles) (Exemption from Part II) Order 2017 Date Presented I '· 16 August 2017 17 August2017 18 August 2017 S. S. 228 229 Legal Service Commission Annual Report2016 of Inland Revenue Authority Singapore Annual Report 2016/2017 22 August 2017 S.L.
340 MediShield Life Scheme (Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2017 22 August 2017 S.L.

341 Building Control Regulations 2017 (Amendment) 22 August 2017 S.L.

342 Road Traffic (Registration of Power Assisted Bicycles) Rules 2017 23 August 2017 S.L.

343 Road Traffic (Electronic Service) (Amendment) Rules 2017 23 August 2017 S.L.
344 Traffic Road (Power-Assisted Bicycles - Approval) (Amendment) Rules 2017 23 August 2017 S. S. 230 231 Health Promotion Board Annual Report 20 16/20 17 25 August 2017 Commissioner of Charities Annual Report2016 29 August 2017 No.

50 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 25 PAPERS PRESENTED - continued 2017 Date Presented S.L.

345 Income Tax (Filing of Estimates of Chargeable Income) Rules 2017 6 September 2017 S.L.

346 Road Traffic (Regulation of Speed) (Amendment) Rules 2017 6 September 2017 S.L.
347 Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Construction and Use) (Amendment) Rules 2017 6 September 2017 S.L.

348 Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Seat Belts) (Amendment) Rules 2017 6 September 2017 S.L.

349 Road Traffic Lighting) (Amendment) Rules 2017 (Motor Vehicles, 6 September 2017 S.L.

350 Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Speed Warning Device) (Amendment) Rules 2017 S.L.
351 Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Rear and Side Markings) (Amendment) Rules 2017 s. 232 Energy Market Authority Annual Report 2016/2017 6 September 2017 6 September 2017 7 September 2017