Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698847455438.pdf (Singapore)
FOURTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE ___________________ FIRST SESSION ___________________ ORDER PAPER TUESDAY, 21 MARCH 2023 No.

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QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER* Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what support is available for school teachers returning to work after extended illness leave; (b) whether this support includes flexible work arrangements (FWAs); and (c) whether the Ministry has data on what proportion of such returnees have taken up FWAs and how the FWAs are structured.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what support is available for school teachers who are parents of young preschool children or infants, with difficulties finding childcare arrangements that can accommodate the early morning start to their workday; and (b) whether the Ministry has data on how many of such teachers have taken up flexible work arrangements (FWAs) and how the FWAs are structured.
Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs whether he can provide an update on MUIS’ efforts to strengthen the governance of the madrasahs in light of the recent developments relating to the police report made by Madrasah Irsyad.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how often have enforcement actions been taken under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act for greenwashing-related activities in each of the last five years; and (b) how many of such enforcement actions have been taken against products and services that are not financial services or financial products regulated by MAS.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Ministry will consider working with the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore to explore expanding the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice to explicitly cover greenwashing in non-financial products and services.

No.

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Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider (i) upgrading the Tripartite Standard on Unpaid Leave for Unexpected Care Needs to take the form of Tripartite Guidelines and (ii) eventually legislating the Tripartite Standard on Unpaid Leave for Unexpected Care Needs.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry will consider launching a Tripartite Standard on (i) paid childcare sick leave and (ii) paid parent care leave; and (b) if not, why not.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry in view of the opening of accommodation in Lazarus Island for eco-tourism from May 2023 (a) how does the Ministry intend to address possible disamenities that may arise such as indiscriminate littering and visitors feeding wildlife; and (b) whether there will be regular monitoring of the impact to the island’s wildlife and its surrounding marine ecosystem.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information whether the Government issues guidelines on the use of local vernacular languages in wayfinding signs and public address systems within healthcare institutions and MRT stations to aid elderly Singaporeans.

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Mr Vikram Nair: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) why do investments bought using the CPF Special Account or Ordinary Account of a deceased member go to his estate upon death and not to his CPF nominee; and (b) whether the CPF will consider allowing such investments to also go to the nominee rather than the estate.

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Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Health with the recent revisions to MediShield Life coverage (a) which cancer services or drugs are likely to contribute to out-of-pocket expenses for the remaining 10% of cancer patients who are not fully subsidised; (b) what options are available to patients who cannot afford their treatment; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider relaxing restrictions on the use of MediSave funds for certain types of cancers, particularly in cases of late-stage cancer where treatment is a priority.
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Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Health whether there are any stipulations that a household already receiving financial support from MediFund for one family member is no longer eligible for such support for other family members.
Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) how many mental well-being circles under the SG Mental Well-Being Network have been formed so far; (b) how many members have been recruited and trained; and (c) what are some of the lessons learnt from forming well-being circles in the community.

No.

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Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs in respect of the recently concluded landmark Treaty on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (a) what is the Government’s assessment of the outcome of the negotiations leading to the agreed terms of the Treaty; (b) what is the Government’s assessment of the benefits of the Treaty for Singapore; and (c) how can Singapore and Singaporeans contribute to further the objectives of the Treaty.
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Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what are the reasons why 40% of HDB BTO applicants do not book a flat when invited to do so at selection exercises; (b) how does the Ministry determine whether the reasons provided for failing to book are legitimate; (c) whether applicants will be required to submit proof under the tightened BTO selection rules; and (d) what measures will be taken to exclude applicants who participate in BTO selection exercises for frivolous reasons.
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Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the current average waiting time for a walk-in patient at a polyclinic; (b) what is the current average number of people who are turned away each day on the basis that there are no more queue numbers issued even if they have arrived within the polyclinic’s opening hours; (c) of which, what proportion is above the age of 55 years old; and (d) if any of the foregoing data is unavailable, whether the Ministry will consider collecting them.
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Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in each of the last three years (a) what is the average response time for emergency vehicles to reach their destinations to attend to emergencies; and (b) what are the common reasons for delays in emergency vehicles sending patients to hospitals.

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Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) in the past 10 years, how many HDB BTO applicants who purchased their flat as fiancé and fiancée, did not submit their marriage certificate when requested for verification after six months of collecting their keys; (b) how many of such applicants have refused to surrender their flats when informed, resulting in HDB taking recovery action; and (c) how many have managed to find a replacement who are eligible as joint applicants to retain the flat as approved by HDB.
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Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) when was the last revision of the household income eligibility criteria for the Disabled Persons Scheme; and (b) whether the criteria are being evaluated so as to remain relevant amidst inflation and rising costs of living.
Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Prime Minister what is the scope of guidance or control on the choice of monetary regime or on the total level of reserves held, that the Government is able to convey to or exercise on MAS as an independent central bank.

No.

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Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what steps have been taken to ensure that the construction of Changi Airport Terminal 5 is in line with sustainability goals; and (b) whether steps are taken to future proof the development of the terminal against climate change.

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Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information in each of the years between 2020 and 2022 (a) how many POFMA reports are received by the various Ministries that relate to COVID-19; and (b) how many of such reports resulted in no further action being taken.

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Dr Shahira Abdullah: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs in respect of youths getting radicalised online (a) how is MUIS utilising its digital platforms to combat this; (b) what is the level of reach and engagement of MUIS’ SalamSG TV and MuslimSG to the general public and youths respectively; and (d) whether MUIS will consider supporting mysafespace.sg which connects users to certified asatizahs under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme for personalised and anonymous religious guidance through a chat portal.
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Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether the appointments of grassroot adviser (GRA) cease from the day the Writ of Election is issued to the day after the results of the General Election are announced; and (b) if not, whether GRAs can continue writing appeal letters to Government agencies on behalf of residents during this period.

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Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether election campaigning is allowed from the day the Writ of Election is issued to Nomination Day; and (b) whether potential candidates for the General Election are allowed to conduct house-to-house visits, or visit markets and coffee shops, to (i) check on residents’ well-being or (ii) explicitly canvass for votes while wearing their party uniforms and badges during this period.

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Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what are the main reasons for the low take-up rate for the Lease Buyback Scheme among owners of larger flats; (b) what are the measures being considered to increase the annual take-up rate beyond 1,500 households; and (c) whether there are any upcoming initiatives to assist homeowners in unlocking the value of their flats for retirement needs.

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Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) how many electric vehicles are currently deployed by the public sector; and (b) whether there are plans to convert more vehicles to electric vehicles.

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Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Transport what are the steps the Ministry has taken to work with hospitals in increasing access to the use of infant car seats.

No.

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Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) under what circumstances will law enforcement agencies divulge the names of individuals who are associated with an on-going investigation or details of the said investigation before it is completed; and (b) in cases where such information is publicly divulged, what measures are taken to ensure that the said public disclosure does not prejudice the investigation or the individuals concerned.
* 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.

ORDERS OF THE DAY 1.


SINGAPORE'S COVID-19 RESPONSE: Resumption of Debate on Question (20 March 2023) – SINGAPORE'S COVID-19 RESPONSE: That this House expresses gratitude to all in Singapore who contributed to the nation's fight against COVID-19; affirms the Government's effort to learn from the experiences of the last three years; and, to that end, endorses Paper Cmd.

22 of 2023 on 'Singapore's Response to COVID-19: Lessons for the Next Pandemic'.

– (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance).
2 4 Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

9/2023] – (Minister for Home Affairs) – Second Reading.

Constitution of [Bill No.

10/2023] – (Minister for Home Affairs) – Second Reading.

the Republic of Singapore (Amendment) Bill Resource Sustainability (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

4/2023] – (Minister for Sustainability and the Environment) – Second Reading.
QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether the Ministry tracks the prevalence of abuse of Government-linked online reservation systems, such as for SportsSG facilities, where slots are subsequently resold; and (b) if so, what is the frequency of such abuses.

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Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Ministry has evaluated the efficacy of its safeguards such as anti-bot solutions, limiting multiple logins within the day, and blacklisting and suspending accounts, currently in place to prevent bots and other automated reservation tools rapidly taking up all available slots for Government-linked online reservation systems.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Prime Minister after Parliament is dissolved and before the results of the General Election are announced (a) whether the former Members of Parliament are allowed to (i) hold Meet-the- People sessions in their constituencies, interact with residents and provide assistance to them and (ii) write appeal letters to Government agencies or other organisations on behalf of their constituents; and (b) if they do, whether the Government agencies are obliged to respond to them.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Prime Minister whether the guidelines in section 2.4 of the Candidate Handbook for General Election 2020 published by the Elections Department concerning activities from the Writ of Election to Nomination Day are legally accurate.
Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Prime Minister for women holding Bachelor degrees or higher educational qualifications born (i) before 1968 (ii) between 1968 and 1977 and (iii) between 1978 and1987, what is the breakdown by percentage who respectively have (i) 0 children (ii) one child (iii) two children and (iv) three or more children.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs of the children and young persons who are investigated for offences in the last three years, how many are (i) issued with stern warnings (ii) issued with conditional warnings (iii) charged and obtained a discharge amounting to acquittal (iv) charged and obtained a discharge not amounting to acquittal and (v) convicted.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in each of the last 10 years (a) how many cases involving Chapter 11 of the Penal Code, relating to false evidence and offences against public justice, have the Police investigated; (b) what is the median time taken to investigate such cases; and (c) what is the breakdown of outcomes for such cases.
Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs for each year since 2000, what is the (i) age (ii) profession and (iii) income distribution of foreigners who have been granted Singapore citizenship.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in each of the last three years (a) how many motorists have been charged under the Road Traffic Act 1961 for obstructing emergency vehicles; and (b) what is the breakdown of vehicle types for these offenders.

No.

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Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Ministry will consider collecting data on the number of road traffic accidents involving motorcycles, power-assisted bicycles and personal mobility devices ridden by persons performing food delivery or courier services; and (b) whether the Traffic Police intends to roll out more road safety public education campaigns targeted at such road users.
Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Law how is the land valuation for community centres and community clubs calculated.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Ministry will consider highlighting (i) the life- cycle assessment of the carbon footprints of plastic bags vis-à-vis paper bags and reusable cotton bags and (ii) the challenges of composting paper in the Singapore context as NEA rolls out its disposable carrier bag charge.
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry has data on the expected increase in the number of private hospital bed capacity in the next five years and, if so, what is the number; and (b) whether there are any plans to call for the tender of additional hospitals to supplement the projected increase in public hospital bed capacity.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether nutritionists were consulted in the calibration of the current Nutri-Grade system; (b) whether the Ministry will consider expanding the current Nutri-Grade system beyond sugar and fat content to provide a more comprehensive and accurate assessment of the nutritional value of drinks for the different age groups; and (c) how does the Ministry plan to educate the public on the limitations of the current Nutri-Grade system.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry will introduce rules on the conduct of medical professionals during surgery to prohibit the use of handphones; and (b) how are medical professionals from public hospitals held accountable if they are absent from the operating theatre when conducting surgery and an emergency arises.
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for National Development with regard to public rental flat tenants (a) what is the current 25th percentile, median and 75th percentile length of lease duration with the HDB; and (b) how do the lengths of the lease differ when compared to 10 years ago.
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry can provide the current outstanding number of public rental flat applications which are approved but have yet to be allocated a flat; and (b) what is HDB’s process for the prioritisation and allocation of available rental flats to approved applicants and the weightage of various factors that are considered.

No.

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Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what measures are being considered to support Singaporeans intending to rent a house in the open market; (b) whether rent control mechanisms are being considered for the private housing market; and (c) what are the thresholds and parameters that the Government will consider before implementing housing rent control mechanisms.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for National Development of the annual number of spalling concrete cases reported to the HDB in the past three years, how many cases pertain to HDB flats that are (i) five years old and below (ii) five to 15 years old (iii) 15 to 25 years old (iv) 25 to 35 years old and (v) 35 years old and above.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry investigates potential collusion between employers in Singapore or local employment agencies with overseas agents for forgery of in- principle approval letters for migrant workers; and (b) if not, whether the Ministry will start doing so.
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Manpower with regard to Fixed Deposit Banks under the CPF Investment Scheme (CPFIS) (a) whether the CPF Board has considered including other banks in addition to the three local banks; (b) how many Qualifying Full Banks have applied to be a Fixed Deposit Bank under the CPFIS; and (c) whether the CPF Board has approached these Qualifying Full Banks that meet the criteria to offer such services under the CPFIS.