Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698846178708.pdf (Singapore)
FOURTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE ___________________ FIRST SESSION ___________________ ORDER PAPER WEDNESDAY, 14 OCTOBER 2020 No.

9 12 noon 1 QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWERS* *1.


Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the basis for the latest increase in electricity tariffs and gas prices; (b) whether the consumption of electricity and gas has increased as more residents work from home; and (c) whether increased development in alternative sources of energy has helped reduce the overall cost of electricity for consumers.

*2.
*2.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry has plans to introduce the Development Support and Learning Support programmes to non-anchor operator preschools.

*3.
*3.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Education (a) of those who attended the SkillsFuture training programmes in the past year, how many have successfully procured work related to their course; and (b) what efforts does the Ministry take to measure the outcomes of these training programmes.

*4.
Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how long will the SGUnited Traineeship programme be available for; and (b) between ensuring adequate scrutiny and efficient processing of SGUnited Traineeship applications, how many full-time equivalent staff does the Singapore Business Federation currently have and is projecting to hire and train in the next 6-12 months so as to shorten processing time to help jobseekers and graduates start work sooner since they have found employers keen to hire them.
No.

9 14 OCTOBER 2020 2 *5.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Manpower since the set-up of the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Centres (a) how many Singaporeans have sought assistance at the centres; (b) how many successful job and traineeship matches have been made; and (c) how many training and skills placements have been made.

*6.
*6.

Ms Poh Li San: To ask the Prime Minister in view of Singapore's population statistics for 2019 (a) whether the Government will review the long-term population targets given the increasing trend of outsourcing work overseas and reduction in the employment of foreign workers in Singapore; (b) whether the proportion of annual new citizens will remain at approximately 70% of citizens by birth; and (c) how will changes in infrastructure Singapore's population demographics affect national planning.

*7.
*7.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what are the projected trends of birth rates, life expectancy and immigration in the next decade; and (b) whether the Government has a long-term population target and what are the policy considerations.

*8.
*8.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the pricing policy of HDB's BTO flats remains the same in using the average mean income of each income group as a reference and not the prevailing market price; (b) what is the pricing policy for BTO flats in mature estates and whether there is a difference; and (c) whether there is a plan to address the pent up demand as a result of record sale prices crossing a million dollars in mature estates.

*9.
*9.

Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs whether there are studies on (i) the career trajectories of local Madrasah graduates from previous and existing cohorts and (ii) what kind of jobs the graduates pursue and in which industries.

*10.
Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) whether there are proportional statistics of those in the Madrasah student cohorts who pursue their post- the "secular" or non-religious academic pathways secondary/tertiary education; (b) of these, how many successfully graduate from our local secular tertiary institutions; and (c) whether there are support structures for Madrasah students who wish to transition from religious to secular schooling.
in No.

9 14 OCTOBER 2020 3 *11.
Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in respect of the Workfare Special Payment (a) what is the rationale behind having up-to-date MediSave contributions as a qualifying criteria for the payment; (b) how many low-wage workers who are otherwise eligible for this payment have been prevented from receiving this due to arrears in their MediSave contributions; (c) how many of those who are not eligible for this payment have contribution arrears amounting to more than $3,000; and (d) whether the Ministry will consider removing such contributions as an eligibility criteria especially in this difficult time when liquidity and cashflow is needed by individuals to survive day to day.
*12.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how can Singapore's workforce remain competitive when remote workers from the region are willing to work for usually far lower remuneration; and (b) how will our labour laws be updated to address the impact on our locally-based workforce and tax base.

*13.
*13.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Manpower in respect of the Jobs Growth Initiative (JGI), what safeguards will be put in place to guard against companies reducing their headcount of existing employees and at the same time leveraging on the JGI to recruit new workers with the Government providing salary co-payment resulting in no net growth of jobs.

*14.
*14.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what has been the experience of the GPFirst programme launched by Changi General Hospital; and (b) whether the Ministry has plans to extend the programme to other public hospitals and their respective nearby general practitioners in the community.

*15.
*15.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the take-up rate for 2-room HDB Flexi flats for the first half of 2020, especially for retirees and singles; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider building more of such flats to meet the demand.

*16.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development in each of the past five years, what is the number of singles who bought HDB resale flats, broken down by type of flats.

*17.
*17.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) how are the current specified maximum permissible noise levels for construction work determined; (b) how are the noise levels measured; and (c) when were the noise limits and penalties last reviewed.

No.

9 14 OCTOBER 2020 4 *18.


Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Education (a) how are soft skills inculcated, nurtured and evaluated in our education system; (b) how is the impact of e-learning and digitalisation on soft skills acquisition being assessed; and (c) what measures are being taken to ensure that soft skills continue to be learned amidst COVID-19 safe distancing measures including in higher education.

*19.
*19.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Transport whether he can provide an update on the Government's infrastructural plan to provide 28,000 electric vehicle charging points by 2030 and, in particular, how these points will be distributed across the carparks at HDB estates.

*20.

Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Education what is the current percentage of children who enter Primary 1 without completing at least three years of preschool (including nursery, kindergarten 1 and kindergarten 2).
*21.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB will consider providing regular cyclical maintenance for HDB rental flats beyond the typical repair works.

*22.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB will provide a more effective solution for HDB rental flats that are affected by bed bug infestations and excessive hoarding.

*23.
*23.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what have been the results of the review of the pilot Pre-Implantation Genetic Screening programme; and (b) whether the programme can be made a routine clinical service.

*24.
*24.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment what is being done to mitigate against the various chemical odours/fumes (besides cocoa) emanating from the factories in Pioneer constituency that adversely impact the households located within their close proximity.

*25.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether there has been a drop in scam cases in the past six months since the Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams was formed; (b) whether the committee has explored how telecommunication companies (telcos) can play a bigger role to combat online scams; and (c) whether it is possible to work with telcos to set up a system where customers can report a scammer and telcos collectively block the scammers' phone numbers or IP addresses across our local telco networks.
No.

9 14 OCTOBER 2020 5 *26.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in light of the current contraction of the global and Singapore's economies leading to an expected fall in Government revenue (a) whether there will be any delay or cancellation of the local major infrastructural investments that the Government has committed to date and, if so, what are the details; and (b) whether the Government anticipates increased borrowings or issuance of bonds to fund the infrastructural investments on projects that it is committed to complete.
* Members may postpone their Questions to a later sitting day if their Questions are not reached by the end of Question Time (QT).

For such Questions, Members may email to parl_cop@parl.gov.sg in advance a postponement notice that will be effected after QT.

Members must submit their notices to the Clerk within one hour after the end of QT (SO 22(3)).

Questions will be given a written answer if no such notices are received by the Clerk within the stipulated time.
AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF PUBLIC BUSINESS Introduction of Government Bill 1.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance: Third Supplementary Supply and Budget Adjustments (FY 2020) Bill.

(President’s recommendation signified).

ORDER OF THE DAY 1.
ORDER OF THE DAY 1.

OVERVIEW OF GOVERNMENT’S STRATEGY TO EMERGE STRONGER FROM THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: Resumption of Debate on Question (5 October 2020), “That the Ministerial Statement made by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance on the Overview of Government’s Strategy to Emerge Stronger from the COVID- 19 Pandemic be considered by Parliament.” – (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance).

MEMORANDUM Matter proposed to be raised on the Motion for the Adjournment (SO 2(8)(b)).
Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng (Jalan Besar) : Towards Full Participation of Persons with Disabilities in Singapore Society.

No.

9 14 OCTOBER 2020 6 QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER 1.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what is the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile change in a public officer's Current Estimated Potential (CEP) within five years of joining the public service; and (b) whether the Government will start collecting this data if it is not available.

2.
2.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in each of the past three years, what is the average percentage of ex-offenders who find employment within a three-month period after serving their sentences; and (b) what steps have been identified to improve the ex-offenders' employability in the current circumstances when Singapore's economy is affected by COVID-19.

3.
3.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether there are sufficient future-ready counsellors and psychologists to help cope with the potential increase in mental illness; and (b) what is being done to promote these occupations.

4.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how does the Government intend to vaccinate Singaporeans once the COVID-19 vaccine is available; (b) whether the Government will consider providing free vaccination for all Singaporeans; (c) what is the progress on the joint development with all established overseas vaccine producers and makers; (d) whether the Government is prepared to have the vaccine produced in Singapore; and (e) whether Singaporeans have participated in the clinical trial of the vaccines in development and, if so, what is the progress so far.
5.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the full list of selection criteria used in determining whether to include a disease under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP); and (b) what studies and public consultations does the Ministry conduct to determine if a disease fulfils the selection criteria for inclusion under the CDMP.

6.
6.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) how many cases of littering have been reported to NEA for each of the past three years; (b) how many persons have NEA taken action against for littering in each of the past three years; (c) what are the main difficulties that NEA faces in addressing the littering problem; and (d) whether NEA is considering any step to instil a stronger ethos of keeping Singapore's environment clean.

No.

9 14 OCTOBER 2020 7 7.


Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider introducing ways whereby students can learn alongside students who are differently abled or who have special needs, and vice versa.

8.
8.

Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development how many applications for the COVID-19 Support Grant have been rejected due to applicants' prior gross monthly household income exceeding $10,000 per month or $3,100 per capita income despite the fall in their income significantly, exceeding more than 30%, and all other criteria being met.

9.
9.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider allowing car owners to renew their COE for a subsequent five years at the 15-year mark even if they had previously opted for a five-year renewal at the 10-year mark, given the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 crisis.

10.
10.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether there are advantages to merging Workforce Singapore (WSG) and the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) so as to eliminate the overlap between the two organisations and further optimise the efficiency of the resources in both organisations.

11.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for National Development what plans are being made to harness technology in the built environment industry.

12.
12.

Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development given the increasing retrenchment and unemployment figures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, how many requests for deferment of HDB loan payment have been received by the HDB from the start of the circuit breaker period and what is the proportion that has been approved.

13.
13.

Ms Poh Li San: To ask the Minister for National Development in the past five years, of the divorces filed where the couples co-own HDB flats, what is the proportion of (i) the wife retaining the matrimonial flat (ii) the wife allocated a rental flat by HDB and (iii) the wife being unable to retain the matrimonial flat nor be allocated a rental flat.

14.
14.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the ratio of the current number of HDB blocks designed with void decks usable for common spaces, as compared respectively to (i) total blocks and (ii) total dwelling units in new HDB developments; (b) what is the ratio of pavilions to (i) total blocks and (ii) total dwelling units in new HDB developments; and (c) how these compare with traditional precinct designs.

No.
No.

9 14 OCTOBER 2020 8 PAPERS PRESENTED 2020 Date Presented S. 47 Singapore Food Agency Annual Report 2019/2020 ….. 6 October 2020 S.L.

64 Animals and Birds (Amendment) Rules 2020 (Pigeons) ….. 6 October 2020 S.L.

65 S.L.

66 S. S. 48 49 Building Control (Buildability and Productivity) (Amendment No.

2) Regulations 2020 COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) (Amendment No.
16) Regulations 2020 Annual Report of the Infocomm Media Development Authority 2019/2020 ….. 6 October 2020 ….. 6 October 2020 ….. 7 October 2020 Annual Report of the National Library Board 2019/2020 ….. 7 October 2020 S.L.

67 United Nations (Sanctions - Mali) Regulations 2020 ….. 7 October 2020 S.L.

68 CareShield Life and Long-Term Care (CSHL Scheme) Regulations 2020 ….. 7 October 2020 S.L.

69 S.L.

70 S.L.
69 S.L.

70 S.L.

71 CareShield Life and Long-Term Care (Long-Term Care Support Fund - Scheme) Public Prescribed (Amendment) Regulations 2020 CareShield Life and Long-Term Care (Supplement Scheme) Regulations 2020 Employment of Foreign Manpower (Work Passes) (Amendment No.

4) Regulations 2020 ….. 7 October 2020 ….. 7 October 2020 ….. 7 October 2020 No.

9 14 OCTOBER 2020 9 2020 S. 50 Cmd.


4 S. 51 PAPERS PRESENTED - continued Date Presented Corrigendum Government to Technology Agency of Singapore Annual Report 2019/2020 Presidential Council for Minority Rights Annual Report for the period from 1 August 2019 to 31 July 2020 Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore Report 2019/2020 Annual ….. 8 October 2020 ….. 9 October 2020 ….. 13 October 2020