Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698849009977.pdf (Singapore)
FOURTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE ___________________ FIRST SESSION ___________________ ORDER PAPER MONDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2022 No.

76 11.00 am 1 QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER* *1.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Public Service Division will be considering a one-time wage adjustment for all civil servants to offset the anticipated high core inflation rate in 2022.

*2.
Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) how is the ownership of personal mobility aids (PMAs) being regulated; (b) whether the Ministry will consider tightening the ownership requirements for PMAs to prevent their proliferation from misuse and abuse; (c) how does the Ministry monitor whether the PMAs in use are in compliance with safety standards; (d) how can members of the public report PMAs being misused; and (e) what are the enforcement actions that will be taken following reports of non-compliant PMAs to the Ministry.
*3.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Manpower with the recent big tech companies’ layoff announcements (a) what is the total estimated number of workers impacted in Singapore; and (b) whether this will have a knock-on effect on salary adjustment of workers in the tech industry.

*4.
*4.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Manpower in view of the recent rounds of layoffs by technology firms (a) whether employers have been prompt in submitting notices of retrenchment to the Ministry; and (b) whether the Ministry can require such employers to work closely with tripartite partners to provide employment support for affected employees, including outplacement assistance programmes.

No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 2 *5.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Manpower in light of the reported ground-up initiatives by the IT community to help retrenched tech employees (a) in the last five years, how many employees have been annually laid off in the tech industry; (b) how successful has the Ministry’s job placement initiatives been in helping tech employees secure suitable replacement jobs; and (c) whether the Ministry will engage industry actors to centralise information to ensure fairer and more equitable re-employment processes.
*6.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for Manpower in the recent layoffs by large tech companies (a) what is the number of employees retrenched; (b) what is the number of Singaporeans retrenched; and (c) what are the roles that have been impacted.

*7.
Mr Don Wee: To ask the Minister for Transport regarding rule 39(1) of the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) (Vocational Licences and Conduct of Drivers, Conductors, Trishaw Riders and Passengers) Rules which requires drivers to ensure that no property is left inside their vehicle immediately before or at the end of a journey (a) whether the rule is practicable considering simultaneous boarding and alighting of passengers and where items are small or left at blind spots; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider amending this rule.
*8.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what are the factors taken into account by LTA in its determination on whether to issue a taxi or private hire driver with a warning letter for failing to check for a passenger's belongings left behind in their car after a trip has ended; and (b) what appeal avenues are available to drivers who receive such a letter.

*9.
*9.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what regulatory requirements and policy measures are in place to prevent risks arising from crowd surges during festive periods and at public events.

*10.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether there are adequate crowd control measures whenever there are large-scale events involving large numbers of members of the public so as to avoid crowd crushes or stampedes.

*11.
*11.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what lessons are learnt from the recent stampede incidents in several countries; (b) whether further enhancements to our crowd control measures by the relevant agencies will be needed; and (c) if needed, what are these.

No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 3 *12.


Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what strategies are put in place to proactively manage crowds at large scale public and private events and ensure that they do not develop into crowd pushing, crushing and collapses.

*13.
*13.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Ministry has identified a list of locations or events in Singapore at risk of crowd surge and stampede situations; (b) what are some of these locations or events; and (c) what are the enhanced safety steps that organisers at these locations or events are required to put in place.

*14.
*14.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether SPF proactively informs the public of crowd surge risks and ways to stay safe when participating in large public events; and (b) whether tear gas will ever be used in crowded, confined spaces for the purpose of crowd control.

*15.

Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether Singapore has an occupant load limit for large assembly points; and (b) how is this limit monitored during events with large crowds.
*16.

Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Education with regard to the recent exam paper leak at an Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) (a) whether all IHLs have sufficient measures in place to prevent similar incidents from occurring; and (b) if so, what are these measures.

*17.
*17.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Education in view of the recent exam paper leak at an Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) (a) what measures are put in place by the IHLs to ensure that papers do not get leaked and are protected with secure confidentiality when students take the papers at multiple locations; and (b) what assistance is provided by the IHLs to students affected mentally with having to retake the exams in cases where papers are leaked.

*18.
*18.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry is considering the designation of more marine spaces as marine parks; (b) what are the factors that the Ministry takes into account in determining such designations; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider designating St John’s Island as a marine park.

*19.
*19.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Government can consider further research and gazetting special designated zones in sea spaces to protect marine wildlife and coastal habitats balanced against development, in particular given the sightings of dugongs around Changi Beach, Pulau Tekong and Pulau Ubin.

No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 4 *20.


Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the Ministry has done studies on the annual mortality associated with air pollution from human activities in Singapore; (b) if so, what is the number of annual deaths in the last five years; (c) whether the Government has an estimate on the annual monetary cost to public health and social care services associated with air pollution; and (d) if so, what is the annual cost in the last five years.
*21.

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: To ask the Minister for Transport with regard to the recent incidents of non-compliance of safety instructions on board an aircraft flying inbound into Singapore (a) what are the measures taken to safeguard the safety and security of the cabin crew and passengers; and (b) what enforcement actions are available to the cabin crew whilst the aircraft is still airborne.

*22.
*22.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the Ministry has new or additional plans to improve energy conservation and manage energy demand by businesses and households; and (b) if so, what are these plans.

*23.
*23.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) how many substantiated cases of abuse committed against bus captains were there in each of the last three years; and (b) what further steps have been taken to improve the protection of bus captains in the course of their work.

*24.
*24.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) how many cases of assault against bus captains are reported annually in the past five years; (b) what are the penalties taken against the assailants; and (c) whether protective shields will be installed in our public buses to enhance protection.

*25.
*25.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many victim care cadre counsellors are assigned to provide support during an investigation of sexual crime and family violence; (b) how many victims have requested for such support; and (c) what are the (i) mean and (ii) longest waiting times respectively, before victims receive such support.

*26.
*26.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether he can provide an update on the number of police reports on family violence received in each of the past five years; (b) whether there has been a rise in domestic violence cases; and (c) how do the Police intend to better protect victims of domestic abuse.

No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 5 *27.


Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Education in view of the increase in this year's applications for Direct School Admission for Secondary Schools (DSA-Sec), whether more spaces will be provided for students to be admitted via DSA-Sec.

*28.
*28.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Education in view of the steady rise in direct school admission applications, whether the Ministry is considering more mainstream avenues for students with abilities in sports and humanities to pursue their interests.

*29.
*29.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether payment into the past reserves is required when the Government uses state land for building public infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and transport facilities.

*30.
*30.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether the value of state land which has not been sold is recorded in the Government Financial Statements; (b) if so, whether this is recorded on a historical cost or fair value basis; and (c) whether the total value of Government assets on the balance sheet becomes higher when there is a sale of state land.

*31.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether LTA will consider encouraging all pedestrians and all bicycle, personal mobility device and personal mobility aid users to keep left when using footpaths or the park connectors so as to promote safe and considerate use of footpaths and park connectors by all users; and (b) whether the Ministry can include this messaging in safe riding courses and all its public education materials relating to safe riding and safe use of footpaths and connectors.
*32.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information arising from IMDA's inaugural publication of statistics on telecommunication service providers' handling of consumer feedback (a) what will be done to improve the service quality of the poorest performing telcos; and (b) whether IMDA will impose on telcos a maximum waiting time for their hotline or live chat to better protect consumers' interests.

*33.
*33.

Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Health whether there are plans to track the number of seniors who discontinue rehabilitative physiotherapy sessions despite not reaching the set physiotherapy goal, including those who do so due to financial difficulties.

*34.
*34.

Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether he can provide an update on HDB’s Remaking Our Heartland (ROH) programme; and (b) whether the recent HDB record deficit will significantly impact the overall ROH programme in any way.

No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 6 *35.

Mr Raj Joshua Thomas: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) how does the Ministry assess the effectiveness of the nationwide language campaigns; and (b) what are its findings thus far.

*36.
*36.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for National Development whether a percentage of the HDB community care apartments to be launched for seniors can be allotted for suitable younger persons with disabilities so that they can live within the community.

*37.
*37.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) how does the SAF assess and promote sustainability in its operations and training, especially in reducing the use of single-use items; (b) whether the SAF tracks its use of single-use items; and (c) if not, whether the SAF will start tracking its use of such items.

*38.
*38.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Health whether there is a need for Singaporeans entering Singapore to show evidence of a COVID-19 vaccination or a polymerase chain reaction test since vaccination- differentiated safe management measures have been lifted.

*39.
*39.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information what mitigation strategy is put in place to deal with cellular phone jams occurring at large-scale crowd events that have a potential to develop into public order situations.

*40.
*40.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry has studied the effectiveness of the customer service training provided by Singapore Airlines for Khoo Teck Puat Hospital's Patient Care Officers; (b) if so, what are the Ministry's findings; (c) if not, whether the Ministry will consider doing so; and (d) whether the Ministry will consider expanding such training to other restructured hospitals.

*41.
*41.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB is prepared to review the monthly household-income ceiling for prospective buyers of BTO flats and Executive Condominiums respectively, given the high inflation rate.

*42.
*42.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Health (a) in the past three years, how many incidences of IT system outage have occurred at local public healthcare institutions; (b) what measures are being taken to ensure that the national healthcare IT system will have adequate capacity for the planned system enhancements under Healthier SG; and (c) what helplines or support will be available to affected persons in case of an IT system outage or malfunction, especially for doctors and patients.

No.
No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 7 *43.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) how many consumers enjoy tax rebates under the Commercial Vehicle Emissions Scheme (CVES) since its implementation; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider delaying the stepdown in incentives announced on 15 November 2022 on adjustments to the CVES.

*44.
*44.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Health in light of plans under Healthier SG to promote the use of family doctors (a) whether the Ministry has expended any efforts to engage Singaporean medical students locally or abroad to persuade more medical students and medical graduates to specialise as family doctors or family GPs; and (b) if this has not yet been done, whether the Ministry will consider doing so.

*45.
*45.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the pedestrian foot bridge between Gardens by the Bay East and Suntec City as shown in the URA Master Plan will be built or will it be replaced with the bridge connecting Bay South and Bay East.

*46.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in the past 10 years, how many prison inmates has Yellow Ribbon Singapore helped annually to secure job placements before and after their release respectively.

*47.
*47.

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information with rising concerns of tech companies illegally tracking location data for search and advertisement purposes, what are the measures in place to safeguard the privacy and data of users in Singapore.

*48.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the percentage of traffic accidents involving drivers aged 65 years old and above in the past three years; (b) what vehicles and driving licences do these accidents typically involve; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider shortening the current revalidation cycle of three years as required by rule 4A(1) of the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Driving Licences) Rules for motorcycles and light motor vehicles, especially for those who have a previous accident record.
*49.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether he can provide an update on (i) the plans to better protect gig workers and (ii) the measures to balance the interests of gig work organisations, gig workers and consumers in the wake of high inflation and a high-interest environment.

No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 8 *50.


Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what actions can be taken against night business operators that persistently cause noise disamenity which badly affects residents in a neighbourhood.

*51.
*51.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Manpower in view of the improved standards for new migrant workers dormitories that took effect on 18 September 2021 (a) whether there has been a reduction in the total foreign worker dormitory capacity compared to pre-implementation time; (b) if so, what is the level of such reduction; and (c) whether this new reduced capacity is sufficient to support Singapore’s construction development needs post- COVID-19.

*52.
*52.

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.

*53.
*53.

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what are the plans for the fauna and flora of Jurong Bird Park upon its closure after 3 January 2023.

*54.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how many appeals has HDB received for each of the past three years to allow existing HDB homeowners to switch from commercial bank housing loans to HDB housing loans; and (b) what are the reasons for unsuccessful appeals.

*55.
*55.

Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Government has considered how the recently announced measures to reduce fees and enhance salaries for anchor and partner operators in the preschool sector can affect private preschool operators; and (b) whether there are any plans to work with private preschool operators to see how they can continue to operate in a sustainable manner.

*56.
*56.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment in view of the growing number of residents eating less meat or going on vegetarian or vegan diets, but with some hawker centres not having any vegetarian food stalls, how will the Ministry ensure that there are enough vegetarian food stalls in our hawker centres and food courts.

No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 9 *57.


Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Ministry will review the duration of the crime-free period before a criminal record will become spent and the offences disqualified from becoming spent, under the Registration of Criminals Act 1949.

*58.
*58.

Mr Don Wee: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether new regulation should be mandated on reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for all businesses operating in Singapore; and (b) if not, whether the Government will consider establishing minimum reporting GHG requirements for businesses, with reporting requirements to be progressively tightened over time.

*59.
*59.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how have the cost of the Moderna and Pfizer bivalent vaccines changed since the last supply contract with the vaccine manufacturers; and (b) what is the dollar or percentage change in pricing per dose.

*60.
*60.

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry with regard to the Enhanced Central Intermediary Scheme (a) what are the regulations or rules that protect the interests of sub-accounts who wish to recover excess solar generation power that flows back to the grid; and (b) what are the potential workarounds to resolve constraints faced by sub- accounts in receiving payments for exported solar electricity from the master account holder.

*61.
*61.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) what is the impact of the recent bankruptcy of cryptocurrency exchange FTX on Temasek Holdings’ investment in FTX; and (b) what are the due diligence or measures undertaken prior to investments in cryptocurrency trading platforms such as FTX.

*62.
*62.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether introducing additional the Ministry will consider investment guidelines to the investment mandate of our sovereign funds in view of the recent investments made on cryptocurrency exchanges.

*63.
*63.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance given that the Government does not direct GIC's and Temasek Holdings’ individual investment decisions but holds their boards accountable for their performance, whether the Government will consider creating a bipartisan Standing Select Committee of Parliament that meets regularly to question the boards of the two sovereign wealth funds on their performance, strategies, and risk management approaches, on a confidential basis.

No.
No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 10 *64.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in light of MAS’s proposed measures to reduce cryptocurrency trading risks, whether similar suggestions have been promulgated to Government-related investment entities such as GIC and Temasek Holdings.

*65.
*65.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether there are regulations or a governance framework as to the basic level of due diligence to be observed by entities listed in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution handling Government assets which involve the investment of significant public funds; and (b) whether there are ongoing due diligence or audit requirements for these investments.

*66.
*66.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether the Ministry tracks the extent of concentration of investments by GIC and Temasek Holdings investment vehicles either by (i) geography or (ii) asset class; and (b) whether there are thresholds that trigger warnings of excessive portfolio risks to the Ministry.

*67.
*67.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether there are guidelines or restrictions on statutory boards and entities listed in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore with regard to investing in cryptocurrency- related assets; (b) if so, what are those guidelines or restrictions; and (c) whether all statutory boards and scheduled entities have fully adhered to those guidelines.

*68.
*68.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance as Temasek Holdings and GIC are Fifth Schedule entities, whether the Government will consider adding the two sovereign wealth funds to the audit ambit of the Auditor-General's Office and oversight by the Public Accounts Committee, on the condition that commercially sensitive elements in any audit report be made available to legislators but redacted from published reports.

*69.
*69.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Transport what strategies are put in place to prevent MRT stations from being overcrowded with commuters and to reduce the risk of crowd pushing, crushing and collapses from occurring.

No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 11 *70.
Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how does HDB intend to reassure Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) flat owners that the subsidies provided by HDB are more than the subsidies recovered from them if it does not release the exact subsidies provided for PLH flats; (b) whether HDB seeks to recover nominal or inflation-adjusted subsidies provided; and (c) whether HDB will reduce the subsidy recovery percentage if there is a greater than expected price appreciation by the time PLH flats exceed their minimum occupation period.
*71.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Health whether the electronic Health Declaration done through the SG Arrival Card by specified travellers arriving in Singapore is still necessary in light of prevailing COVID-19 management measures.

*72.

Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Prime Minister in view of the bankruptcy of cryptocurrency trading platform FTX (a) how will this affect Singapore's financial market and economy; and (b) how many retail traders in Singapore are affected.

*73.
*73.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what is the Government's strategy for managing cryptocurrency investments in future, including risk mitigation strategies; (b) what is the extent to which private retail investors have been affected by the recent rout of cryptocurrencies; and (c) whether the Government will do more to educate people about the risks of such investments.

*74.
*74.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether MAS plans to further tighten cryptocurrency trading by retail investors; (b) whether Singapore retail users should only be allowed to park their assets under a local entity of any cryptocurrency exchange; and (c) what additional safeguards or regulations will be implemented on cryptocurrency firms operating in Singapore to protect local consumers.

*75.
*75.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what factors are taken into account the eligibility of Binance and FTX cryptocurrency trading platforms to operate in Singapore; and (b) whether these factors for licence eligibility will be reviewed.

in determining *76.

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Prime Minister whether MAS intends to regulate digital token service providers and exchanges to ensure liquidity requirements so as to safeguard customers' digital tokens from insolvency risks.

No.
No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 12 *77.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what is the magnitude of losses incurred by Singaporean retail investors and individuals affected by cryptocurrency trading platform FTX’s collapse; and (b) whether FTX’s collapse will have a domino effect on other cryptocurrency exchanges.

*78.
*78.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what further steps will be taken to strengthen the system for cryptocurrency companies with non-licensed offshore exchanges that have operations in Singapore; and (b) whether the bar will be raised to prevent local retail investors without adequate risk knowledge or direct funding means from participating in investments.

*79.
*79.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Prime Minister in light of the recent bankruptcy of cryptocurrency exchange FTX (a) what are the lessons drawn from this incident; and (b) what are the immediate and long-term steps that will be taken by MAS to help mitigate against consumer risks in cryptocurrency trading.

*80.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what is the value of Temasek Holdings’ investments in cryptocurrency trading platform FTX and its subsidiaries when FTX filed for bankruptcy in the United States on 11 November 2022; (b) whether the Government has any data on the exposure of Singapore investors to FTX in terms of the number of investors and the total value of their holdings; (c) whether FTX’s sudden bankruptcy will affect (i) Singaporeans and (ii) MAS’s ongoing consultation in relation to consumer harm from cryptocurrency trading; and (d) if so, how.
*81.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Prime Minister with the collapse of cryptocurrency trading platform FTX (a) how many institutional and retail investors in Singapore are affected; and (b) whether are there further downside risks in other similar platforms.

*82.
*82.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether MAS will consider leading a specific study into the regulatory lessons to be learnt from the collapse of cryptocurrency exchanges such as Terra and FTX; and (b) whether there needs to be tighter requirements to ensure the stability of regulated cryptocurrency exchanges in Singapore.

*83.
*83.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Prime Minister in light of the recent bankruptcy of cryptocurrency trading platform FTX, when will additional consumer protection rules be considered, limiting retail participation and rules on leverage when transacting in cryptocurrencies.

including No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 13 *84.


Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Government intends to introduce further measures or safeguards to regulate cryptocurrency trading or investment, as well as to protect Singaporean retail investors in general.

*85.
*85.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Prime Minister in view of the various insolvencies of cryptocurrency exchanges and extreme volatility in the cryptocurrency markets in the last year (a) how will this affect our efforts to become a robust global blockchain and fintech hub; (b) whether MAS will consider further regulatory measures to prevent any contagion into the wider cryptocurrency, fintech and financial markets; and (c) if so, what are they.

*86.
*86.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what are the new drivers for the recent increase in COE prices for motor vehicles and motorcycles; (b) to what extent are these drivers cyclical and non-cyclical in nature; and (c) at present, how many motorcycle owners have de-registered their motorcycles without renewing their COEs.

*87.
*87.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment with regard to the progress of the “30 by 30” goal (a) what are the resource constraints faced by food producers; and (b) whether higher energy and other input costs have any impact on the timeline to meet this goal.

*88.
*88.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Prime Minister with regard to the proposed trial of a digital Singapore dollar (DSGD) for government payouts and vouchers (a) whether the proposed restrictions on fungibility and bearer value will undermine the objective of understanding how the DSGD would operate as a genuine electronic currency; and (b) if so, how will the DSGD differ from an e-voucher system, such as RedeemSG.

*89.
*89.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether he can provide an update on the progress of the implementation of Silver Zones; and (b) how have the designs evolved to take on lessons learnt from the Silver Zones implemented earlier.

*90.
*90.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in the past five years (a) how many persons under the age of 18 have been (i) investigated (ii) arrested and (iii) charged for offences in relation to drug trafficking respectively on annual basis; (b) of these, what proportion are under (i) 14 years of age and (ii) 16 years of age respectively; and (c) what measures are being taken to protect very young Singaporeans from exposure to drug culture and being recruited into drug-related crime.

No.
No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 14 *91.

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether HDB will consider converting underutilised multi-storey carparks to be used for bicycle parking spaces; and (b) what other common areas can be converted to provide for more bicycle parking spaces.

*92.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Manpower what has been the nominal wage growth for full-time employed Singapore citizens by industry in the year-to-date.
* 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 Bills 1.

Minister for Education: SkillsFuture Singapore Agency (Amendment) Bill.

2.

Minister for Education: Skills Development Levy (Amendment) Bill.

3.

Minister for Law: Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution (Amendment) Bill.

ORDERS OF THE DAY 1.

Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment No.

3) Bill [Bill No.

32/2022] – (Minister for Social and Family Development) – Second Reading.

2.
2.

Penal Code (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

31/2022] – (Minister for Home Affairs) – Second Reading.

No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 15 3.

4.

5.

Post-appeal Applications in Capital Cases Bill [Bill No.

34/2022] – (Minister for Law) – Second Reading.

Electric Vehicles Charging Bill [Bill No.

36/2022] – (Minister for Transport) – Second Reading.

State Lands Protection Bill [Bill No.

35/2022] – (Minister for Law) – Second Reading.


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

Mr Leon Perera (Aljunied) : Fostering a Stronger Voice for Students and Staff at Institutes of Higher Learning in Policy-making.

QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER 1.


Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether individuals who are not Singapore citizens can be granted Public Service Commission, A*Star and National Research Foundation scholarships and fellowships; (b) if so, whether they are required to become Singapore citizens prior to commencement of the scholarship or fellowship; (c) if so, how many have done so; and (d) how many have subsequently renounced their Singapore citizenship.

2.
2.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Prime Minister whether MAS will take into account the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges’ Model the International Guidance on Climate Disclosure Sustainability Standards Board’s standards when introducing mandatory disclosure for financial institutions.

in addition to 3.
in addition to 3.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Prime Minister what are the lessons and impact from the recent bankruptcy of cryptocurrency exchange FTX on the timeframe and measures to be taken for the implementation of a purpose-bound digital Singapore dollar by MAS.

No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 16 4.


Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether there is an estimated number of Singapore investors who are affected by the insolvency of cryptocurrency trading platform FTX; (b) what is the estimated size of total investments affected; and (c) of these, how many are from retail investors.

5.
5.

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: To ask the Prime Minister with regard to the collapse of the FTX Crypto Exchange recently (a) what is the impact on Singapore investors and businesses; (b) what are some of the measures in place to protect investors; and (c) what are the short- and medium-term plans to ensure a well-paced crypto industry development in Singapore.

6.
6.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what are MAS's requirements as to the prudential treatment of Singapore banks’ crypto asset exposure; and (b) what are the risk-weighting requirements applicable to crypto asset exposures in assessing Singapore banks’ capital adequacy.

7.
7.

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in each of the years from YA2018 to YA2021, what is the effective tax rate 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 before tax respectively.

8.
8.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether the Ministry will review the Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) for Singaporeans by raising the maximum contribution per annum to match that of foreigners; (b) why are foreigners allowed tax reliefs on their income when they contribute to the SRS; and (c) whether the withdrawal requirements and penalties will be amended for more equality between locals and foreigners.

9.
9.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in view of the distinct investment and development mandates for the two national sovereign wealth funds, whether the Ministry issues guidelines to each on acceptable limits for exposure to different asset including alternative assets such as cryptocurrency and classes, cryptocurrency exchanges.

10.
10.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for in the value of Temasek Holdings' Finance what cryptocurrency trading platform FTX and its subsidiaries.

investments is 11.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether the GST offset packages apply to Singaporeans employed overseas with no reportable tax returns.

No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 17 12.
Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) does the value of new land that has been reclaimed go into current reserves; (b) whether this value is based on the actual cost of reclamation or the value of new land in reference to the Chief Valuer’s land betterment charge (LBC) tables; and (c) for land previously reclaimed, whether the revaluation for marking to market is done once a year based on the annual LBC rates or once every six months based on the six-monthly LBC rates or is the value of the land in past reserves held at the cost of land reclamation until it is sold to the Government for a specific use.
13.

Mr Raj Joshua Thomas: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs what are the key outcomes of the recent visit by the German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Singapore.

14.
14.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs with the United States and India upgrading ties with ASEAN to comprehensive strategic partnerships level (a) what is the expected economic impact for Singapore; and (b) what are the specific areas of deepened collaboration expected between Singapore and the two countries respectively.

15.
15.

Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) for the last five years, what is the annual number of requests received by the Singapore Police Force for help regarding ex-spouses who are overstaying in matrimonial homes that have been ordered by the court to be sold; and (b) what is the typical course of action when such requests for help are received.

16.
16.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs how is the Central Narcotics Bureau monitoring and preventing cannabis plant cultivation within Singapore.

17.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what more can be done to deter the use and prevalence of cannabis in Singapore.

18.
18.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether he can provide an update on the efforts to boost community partnerships to strengthen support for victims of sexual crime and family violence.

19.
19.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether illegal gambling activities tend to increase sharply during the World Cup period; and (b) whether the Ministry intends to push out problem gambling advertisements and messages with more frequency during the period of the World Cup 2022.

20.
20.

Mr Abdul Samad: To ask the Minister for Transport in each of the past five years, what is the breakdown of COE bids by engine capacity of (i) 200 cc and below (ii) 201 cc to 400 cc and (iii) above 400 cc.

No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 18 21.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Transport whether he can provide an update on the expected operational and start date of Stage 4 of the Thomson-East Coast Line.

22.
22.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether he can provide an update on the progress of the upgrading works on the Bukit Panjang LRT system; and (b) when will the system revert to full dual loop service.

23.
23.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) how many unmanned aircraft activity permits are issued annually in the past three years; (b) whether there has been a rising trend; and (c) when will the review for the height limit for drone aerial activities be completed.

24.
24.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Transport given that the creation of Silver Zones generally involves the reduction of lanes in a designated area to a single lane, whether there can be any improvements made to consider the smooth ingress and egress of emergency vehicles in such zones.

25.
25.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the Ministry has industry-specific targets for PM2.5 pollution; and (b) whether there is any data showing our progress on such targets over the last five years.

26.
26.

Mr Raj Joshua Thomas: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) how many petrol stations have applied for and been granted the SG Clean certification; and (b) whether there are any initiatives by the Ministry to improve the cleanliness and hygiene of petrol station toilets.

27.
27.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether teachers who are not Singapore citizens or permanent residents teach Character and Citizenship Education classes; (b) if so, in which year are they allowed to do so; and (c) what measures are in place to ensure that they understand and impart Singaporean values.

28.
28.

Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether primary and secondary schools are able to provide sufficient slots in sporting co-curricular activities for all students who apply for them, outside of forming school teams; and (b) if not, why.

29.
Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development for the past five years, in cases of family violence (a) how many orders under the Mandatory Counselling Programme have been made to mandate perpetrators, victims and other family members to attend counselling; (b) what is the percentage of cases in which one party failed to attend the counselling programme; and (c) what is the percentage of cases, following the counselling programme, which led to a withdrawal of the Personal Protection Order or Expedited Order.
No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 19 30.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development in the past five years, what is the annual average and median staff-to-child ratio at (i) places of safety and (ii) juvenile homes.

31.
31.

Mr Abdul Samad: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs in light of the MUIS requirement for asatizahs in the graduate category to have a degree in Islamic Studies (a) whether the Ministry has data on the current number of undergraduates studying Islamic Studies; (b) how many new asatizahs are required each year; and (c) what plans does MUIS have to ensure that there are enough certified Islamic teachers.

32.
32.

Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Health whether he can provide an update on the redevelopment of the National Skin Centre.

33.
33.

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Health with regard to the cases of COVID-19 infections acquired by patients from within hospitals and nursing homes from April to September 2022 (a) what proportions of transmissions occurred from (i) patient to patient (ii) healthcare worker to patient and (iii) other means; and (b) what is the basis of these conclusions or estimates.

34.
34.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how will the new nationwide sodium-reduction campaign shift consumer behaviour to take up low-sodium alternatives; (b) whether there are incentives for businesses to use or offer low-sodium alternatives; (c) if so, what will these incentives be; and (d) what are the measurements for success and the timeline to achieve them.

35.
35.

Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Health whether there are plans to leverage on smart home technology and devices to support senior care at home given Singapore's aging population.

36.
36.

Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) in the past five years, how many housing purchase applications that involve a dispute between ex-spouses regarding the listing of their child as an essential occupier have been received by HDB; (b) whether HDB refers these applicants to any agency for help with dispute resolution; and (c) what is the course of action recommended by HDB in such cases.

37.
37.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development what assistance may be provided to low-income families with bedridden members residing in HDB flats selected for Home Improvement Programme (HIP) and do not have ability to get alternative accommodation for them during the period of HIP works at their homes.

No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 20 38.


Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development why a person who originally purchased a subsidised HDB BTO flat and whose marriage is annulled by the Family Justice Court and thereafter required to pay back any HDB subsidy received with interest, is treated as a second-time applicant when applying for a BTO flat subsequently.

39.
39.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for National Development in each of the past three years (a) what is the average waiting time before an application under HDB’s Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme is approved; and (b) what percentage of such applicants are waiting for their BTO flats to be completed.

40.
40.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the status of the investigation into the cause of the 2 September 2022 landslide at the construction site of Clementi NorthArc Build-To-Order flats; (b) whether any legal proceedings have been instituted against any of the contractors or subcontractors for the construction; (c) whether slope inspections have been stepped up at park connectors adjacent to large drains, canals or rivers; and (d) if so, by how much.

41.
41.

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) for the first nine months of 2022, what are the prices of three-room, four-room and five-room HDB BTO flats in mature estates at the 25th, median and 75th percentiles, respectively; (b) for the same period, what is the mortgage servicing ratio for flat buyers taking HDB loans who purchased BTO flats in mature estates; and (c) for the same period, what is the house price to income ratio for buyers of BTO flats offered in mature estates.
42.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the current proportion of HDB resale transactions with Cash- Over-Valuation (COV); and (b) what is the (i) 25th percentile (ii) average (iii) median and (iv) 75th percentile COV by town and flat type in the year- to-date.

43.
43.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for National Development based on the latest data from HDB for approved rental flat applications, how have the average rents by (i) town and (ii) flat type changed in the third quarter of 2022 compared to the equivalent period in 2019, 2020 and 2021 respectively.

44.
44.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information whether the Ministry, in compiling the submissions received from individuals and industry players during public consultations on proposed legislation, can publish all unedited submissions after seeking the necessary permission from the feedback providers, to provide the full range of perspectives on the issue at hand instead of only publishing a summary of responses.

No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 21 45.


Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth what are the Ministry's target and plan for masters or seniors level competition to promote sporting excellence, especially as Singapore's population ages.

46.
46.

Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth given that Singapore is surrounded by sea and our aspirations towards being a sporting nation, (a) what is being done to encourage sea sports such as ocean paddling; (b) whether there is sufficient space to support such sports; and (c) whether there are plans to drive a higher adoption rate of sea sports especially amongst youths.

47.
47.

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: To ask the Minister for Manpower in view of the continued tech layoffs globally, what is the assessed impact on tech workers in Singapore.

48.
48.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what percentage of employees affected by the global tech industry layoffs are Singaporeans; (b) what are their typical demographics and job roles; (c) whether the Government expects more layoffs affecting Singaporean tech employees in the next six months; and (d) what support will these employees receive, especially those who recently made a career switch on the premise of a booming tech industry.

49.
49.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry has any restrictions on foreign worker dormitory operators’ ability to impose rules on dormitory residents’ freedom of movement; and (b) if not, whether it will consider curtailing dormitory operators’ powers to protect dormitory residents’ leisure options.

50.
50.

Dr Shahira Abdullah: To ask the Minister for Manpower given the recent retrenchments by tech companies and Singapore's efforts to develop tech talent (a) what are the ages of those retrenched; (b) what support is being given to youths who may have been retrenched; and (c) whether the demand for tech talent has started to reduce this year as compared to 2020 and 2021.

2022 Pres.
2022 Pres.

Co. 69 PAPERS PRESENTED Date Presented Report of the Presidential Council for International Minority Rights on Development Association (Amendment) Bill [Bill No 26/2022] the ..... 16 November 2022 No.

76 28 NOVEMBER 2022 22 2022 Pres.

Co. 70 Pres.

Co. 71 Pres.
Co. 72 PAPERS PRESENTED - continued Report of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights on the Carbon Pricing (Amendment) Bill [Bill No 27/2022] Report of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights on the Online Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill [Bill No 28/2022] Report of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights on the Accountancy Functions (Consolidation) Bill [Bill No 29/2022] Date Presented ..... 16 November 2022 ..... 16 November 2022 ..... 16 November 2022 S. L. 730 Town Councils (Use of Common Property) (Amendment) Rules 2022 ..... 16 November 2022 Parl.
Parl.

14 15 S. L. 731 Report of the Public Petitions Committee ..... 17 November 2022 Second Report of the Estimates Committee ..... 22 November 2022 Environmental Public Health (Exemption from Section 67) Regulations 2022 ..... 23 November 2022 S. L. 732 Road Traffic (Electronic Road Pricing System) (Amendment No.

6) Rules 2022 ..... 24 November 2022