Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698848424596.pdf (Singapore)
THIRTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE FIRST SESSION ORDER PAPER WEDNESDAY, 9 NOVEMBER2016 No.

28 12 noon QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER* *1.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) what has been the trend in complaints about misleading and derogatory advertisements on the Internet over the past three years; and· (b) what action has been taken against such advertisers and media owners.

*2.
*2.

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information what is the status and outcome of the legal proceedings filed by the executors ofthe late Mr Lee Kuan Yew's estate against the Government in September 2015 on the interpretation of an agreement in 1983 concerning the use of transcripts of interviews conducted by the Government's then Oral History Department.

*3.
*3.

Mr Desmond Cboo: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information in light of the recent cyber attacks on one of our telcos (a) how ready are our telcos and essential infrastructure in meeting such cyber attacks; and (b) and how can the Government better support our companies to improve their readiness.

*4.
*4.

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) under what conditions does LTA revoke a Taxi Driver's Vocational Licence (TDVL); and (b) what due process takes place to enable taxi drivers to have a fair hearing before revocation ofTDVLs.

*5.
*5.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Transport how will the Ministry fix the problem-prone Bukit Panjang LRT system and whether there are plans to overhaul the entire system or to replace it with a more reliable transport mode to better serve the tesidents living there.

No.

28 9 NOVEMBER2016 *6.


Mr Azmoon Ahmad: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what actions have been taken to improve our MRT service disruption problems; (b) whether there have been any benchmarks made with other rail service providers from other world class cities and, if so, where does Singapore stand; and (c) how long more can it be expected for our MRT services to be seen as on par with other world class cities in respect of frequency of disruptions.

*7.
*7.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how has the coordination of services been since the launch of the Municipal Services Office; and (b) which Government agency should be contacted when there is a python found in a monsoon drain and the AVA woulq not act as the drain is not under their purview.

*8.
*8.

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the · Government's estimated budget for the Estate Upgrading Programme (EUP) for private estates for the next three years; and (b) what is the schedule for calling for EUP nominations each year.

*9.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether the Ministry will consider imposing a charge on plastic bags at supermarkets.

*10.
Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) (a) in 2015, what is the number of Singaporean PSLE private candidates who have been posted to secondary schools not of their first choice even though they meet the cut-off point; (b) what is the Secondary One placement policy for such candidates; (c) what is the rationale to treat such candidates differently from those studying in mainstream schools during Secondary One placement exercises; and (d) whether the policy can be reviewed to uphold the principle of meritocracy.
*11.

Ms K Thanaletchimi: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) whether our brand of collaborative tripartism can be better preserved and promulgated by including it in our National Education curriculum.

*12.
*12.

Mr Azmoon Ahmad: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) with recent statistics showing an increase in Malay drug abusers, what actions have been taken by the Ministry to curtail this trend; (b) whether Singapore is on the right path in combating drug addiction; and (c) whether the core ofthe problem has been understood to arrive at the right solutions and action.

I No.

28 9 NOVEMBER 2016 3 *13.


Ms K Thanaletchb:ni: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) can have a police post with police vigilance to protect and safeguard the interests of IMH staff who may be threatened or subjected to physical abuse by unwell patients in a high-risk environment.

*14.
*14.

Ms K Thanaletchimi: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the current percentage of re-employment of female workers who have reached the age of (i) 62 years and (ii) 65 years; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider strategies to improve the employment of female workers beyond 62 years of age in light of females having a longer lifespan.

*15.
*15.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development whether BCA can enhance the requirement set out in the Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment 2013 for access symbols to be affixed on tables set aside for use by persons with disabilities at eating houses so as to make clear that the fixed seats provided at such tables are reserved for accompanying caregivers, family members or friends of persons with disabilities and not for general use.

*16.
*16.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) what does Phase Three of the US Rebalancing Strategy entail for Singapore and the region in terms of security; (b) what is the Government's assessment ofthe associated security benefits, costs, and risks; and (c) how does the Government intend to maximise these gains while addressing the costs and mitigating the risks.

*17.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport given that bicycles and personal mobility devices (PMDs) will share the use of footpaths together with pedestrians (a) what are the criteria used to determine whether an existing footpath will be widened; (b) what is the recommended minimum width for footpaths to ensure safe shared usage between cyclists and pedestrians; and (c) whether Ministry will conduct an islandwide review to ensure that existing footpaths which are often used by cyclists and PMD users are widened in accordance with this minimum width.
.

*18.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Transport what practical steps and mechanisms does the Government have in place to help owners and crew of Singapore-registered civilian vessels avoid encountering difficulties when sailing over the disputed South China Sea.

No.

28 9 NOVEMBER 2016 4 *19.


Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what has been the take up rate for the Singapore Savings Bond since its launch in September 2015; (b) whether the Ministry is satisfied with the interest shown; and (c) what is the Ministry doing to reach out to the man in the street to explain the benefits of the bond.

*20.
*20.

Mr Azmoon Ahmad: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether Singapore is ready to be claimed as an autonomous vehicle ready nation; (b) if so, whether the regulations and legal framework have been established; and (c) how does the Ministry intend to deal with the recent accident involving an autonomous driving vehicle.

*21.
*21.

Dr lntan Azura Mokhtar: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) what led to the mix-up of the GCE 0 Level examination papers for Mathematics recently and how fairness and objectivity will be ensured in assessing the 70 affected students for their final Mathematics grade.

*22.
*22.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the evidence available to the Government that suggests that section 309 of the Penal Code deters attempted suicides; and (b) what efforts will the Government be undertaking to ensure that this law does not deter those who entertain suicidal thoughts from seeking help.

*23.
*23.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) whether the Ministry will consider undertaking a study to determine the link between rates of entrepreneurship in specific industries and the degree of open competition in that industry as measured by the market share of the top companies.

*24.
*24.

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Trade) (a) when did the Competition Commission of Singapore first receive a complaint alleging that EM Services Pte Ltd was refusing to supply lift parts for the maintenance of lifts in HOB estates; and (b) which other companies were investigated by the Commission.

*25.
*25.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health considering that gender bias for Pre-Implantation Genetic Screening (PGS) can now be blinded, whether the Ministry will consider permitting women with recurrent miscarriages or a history of infertility to seek PGS in Singapore.

No.

28 9 NOVEMBER 2016 5 *26.


Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider permitting Pre-Implantation Genetic Screening to improve the chances of healthy live births, subject to strict controls such as banning sex selection and use for other non-medical reasons.

*27.
*27.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) for the past three years, how many cases have there been of schools and childcare centres allowing potential teachers or staff to start work before they have passed the pre-employment medical screening; and (b) what actions have been taken against these schools and childcare centres.

*Members may postpone their Questions to a later sitting day if their Questions are not reached by the end of Question Time.
The postponement forms are available at the Chamber entrances.

To ensure timely notice of such postponements, Members should submit their notices to the Clerk by 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 Bill 1.

Minister for Transport: Active Mobility Bill.

ORDERS OF THE DAY AND NOTICES OF MOTIONS (Those marked • are Orders of the Day) •1.
Constitution of (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

28/20 16] - (Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security) the Republic of Singapore Resumption of Debate on Question (7 November 20 16) "That the Bill be now read a second time.

".- (Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security).

[For amendments on the Bill, see Supplement No.5 dated 9 November 2016.]

No.

28 9 NOVEMBER 2016 6 •2.

Credit Bureau Bill [Bill No.

27/2016]- (Prime Minister)- Second Reading.

•3.


•4.

•5.

•6.

•7.

Income Tax (Amendment No.3) Bill [Bill No.

34/2016] -(Second Minister for Finance) - Second Reading.

Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

30/2016] - (Minister for Communications and Information) - Second Reading.

Fire Safety (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

31/2016] -(Minister for Home Affairs) - Second Reading.

National Registration (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

32/2016] -(Minister for Home Affairs)- Second Reading.
· Child Development Co-Savings (Amendment No.

2) Bill [Bill No.

33/16] (Minister for Social and Family Development)- Second Reading.

•8.

Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

29/2016]- (Minister for Transport)- Second Reading.

9.
Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies: GRANTS TO IMF'S POVERTY REDUCTION AND GROWTH TRUST: That this Parliament, in accordance with section 6A(2)(d) of the Bretton Woods Agreements Act (Chapter 27 of the 2012 Revised Edition), resolves that the maximum amount of grants that the Monetary Authority of Singapore may give under the bilateral agreement (or its subsequent variations) to be made by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Singapore) with the International Monetary Fund to support the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust, is 14,510,000 Special Drawing Rights (approximately 20,017,415 United States Dollars).
3 6 9 No.

28 9 NOVEMBER 2016 7 10.
Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies: GRANTS TO IMF'S CATASTROPHE CONTAINMENT AND RELIEF TRUST: That this Parliament, in accordance with section 6A(2)(d) of the Bretton Woods Agreements Act (Chapter 27 of the 2012 Revised Edition), resolves that the maximum amount of grants that the Monetary Authority of Singapore may give under the bilateral agreement (or its subsequent variations) to be made by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Singapore) with the International Monetary Fund to support the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust, is 226,000 Special Drawing Rights (approximately 311,781 United States Dollars).
11.

Second Minister for Finance: SUBSCRIPTION TO THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION: That this Parliament, in accordance with section 4(2) of the total International Development Association Act, subscription of Singapore to the International Development Association be increased to a sum not exceeding One Million, One Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (US$ 1,1 00,000).

resolves that the 12.
Senior Minister of State (Ministry of Finance): GOVERNMENT SECURITIES: That this Parliament, in accordance with Article 144(1)(a) ofthe Constitution of the Republic of Singapore and section 11(1) of the Government Securities Act (Chapter 121A of the 2014 Revised Edition), resolves that the Minister for Finance be authorised to borrow, by the issue of Government Securities in Singapore under that Act, a further sum not exceeding Two Hundred Thousand Million Singapore Dollars (S$200,000,000,000), thereby in total a sum not exceeding Six Hundred and Ninety Thousand Million Singapore Dollars (S$690,000,000,000).
3 6 9 3 6 3 6 No.

28 9 NOVEMBER2016 8 QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER 1.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether any MAS rules prevent the hiring of any category of ex-offenders for positions in the financial services sector; (b) in how many instances has MAS found any financial institution to be in breach of the "fit and proper" guidelines in their recruitment process over the last ten years; (c) what have been the types of breaches deemed to have occurred in such cases; and (d) whether MAS is alerted if an individual's job application is rejected by a financial institution due to his/her being an ex offender.
2.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs with regard to the recent case of a man who stayed in Changi Airport's departure lounge for 18 days (a) how did the overstayer escape detection for so long; and (b) whether there are measures in place to ensure that this will not recur.

· 3.
· 3.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) (a) how many workers have benefited from the Productivity and Innovation Credit (PIC) and Capability Development Grant (CDG) over the last three years; and (b) how can the Ministry work towards having productivity gains from public schemes such as the PIC and CDG be shared equitably with workers.