Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698846986237.pdf (Singapore)
FOURTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE ___________________ FIRST SESSION ___________________ ORDER PAPER MONDAY, 7 NOVEMBER 2022 No.

73 12 noon 1 QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER* *1.


Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Health (a) for the past six months, how many patients or residents contracted COVID-19 infections from within residential healthcare facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes; and (b) whether the Ministry is satisfied with the effectiveness of the current COVID-19 measures implemented at these facilities.

*2.
*2.

Mr Don Wee: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry will consider expanding the intake of our three local medical schools; (b) what are the measures to reduce the attrition rate of doctors in the public sector; and (c) which are the top five countries that our foreign doctors are recruited from.

*3.
*3.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether there is a net increase in the past reserves when state land is first sold and the sales proceeds are transferred to the financial assets, and when the land is sold again after reverting to the Government’s ownership upon the expiry of its lease.

*4.
Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether Singaporeans are paying (i) the cost of state land used for public housing when initially acquired by the Government (ii) the difference between the higher land cost when the land was purchased by HDB for development, and that which the Government initially acquired the land for and (iii) taxes to cover the shortfall incurred by HDB from the land cost paid to past reserves at full market price, thereby amounting to triple payments for use of state land that are developed into HDB flats if the land acquisition and development occurred in two different terms of Government.
No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 2 *5.

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for National Development in view of the POFMA Correction Directions issued on 14 October 2022 to an individual for his Facebook posts dated 4 October 2022, whether HDB will provide (i) a clear breakdown of the total development cost of all new flats henceforth and (ii) the value of the “generous subsidies” applied to the assessed market price of these new flats.

*6.
*6.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how are HDB rental housing eligibility criteria and rental rates affected by the increase in wages arising from the progressive wage model; and (b) whether low-wage earners who may become ineligible for rental housing or who have to pay higher rents as a result of higher wages will be discouraged from renting HDB flats.

*7.
*7.

Mr Sharael Taha: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what percentage of divorced couples are able to afford their own HDB flats individually after the sale of their matrimonial HDB flats; (b) whether the Ministry has a further breakdown of this data by age group and gender; and (c) for divorcees who are unable to afford their own HDB flats individually, whether the Ministry has a breakdown of the data of lodging solutions for these individuals.

*8.
*8.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how many current HDB flat lessees concurrently own one or more private residential properties; (b) of these, how many are not living in their HDB flats; (c) whether there are any plans to review the policy of allowing HDB flat lessees to keep their HDB flats after they become private property owners; and (d) if not, what other plans does the Ministry have to increase the supply of resale HDB flats and thus moderate their prices.
*9.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry will consider sending a letter in the four official languages to all seniors aged 60 years and above to encourage them to make a Lasting Power of Attorney and also to inform them the steps they need to take to make one.

*10.
*10.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the current number of Singaporeans who have registered a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) since the establishment of the Office of the Public Guardian; (b) whether there are plans to assist more Singaporeans to register for a LPA through the new digital process, especially the seniors; and (c) whether there can be more non-digital ways made available to help seniors sign up.

No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 3 *11.


Mr Mark Chay: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry will provide an update on the Strategic Partnership Co-Curricular Activity (SP-CCA) programme; (b) whether this programme will be extended to more sports and arts activities; (c) whether the programme will be extended to primary schools; and (d) whether the Ministry will work together with National Sports Associations to deliver sports through the SP-CCA programme.

*12.
*12.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the current number of households that have successfully applied for the Lease Buyback Scheme since it was implemented; (b) whether there are plans to improve and expand the scheme; and (c) what are the common reasons why home owners are not considering the scheme.

*13.
*13.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what has been the feedback from stakeholders of the Kampung Admiralty project; (b) whether the Ministry has plans to expand the number of “vertical kampungs” to better prepare the nation for an ageing population; and (c) if so, when and where will these projects be undertaken.

*14.
*14.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether more handicap accessible car park lots will be provided at HDB and URA managed car parks to provide for an accessible built environment; and (b) when is the next review on the Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment.

*15.
*15.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether there has been any review of the working conditions for security officers, including the factors that render them susceptible to abuse; (b) how it can be ensured that both private security agencies and their customers work together to provide safe working conditions for the security officers and minimise incidents of abuse; and (c) whether there are plans to better equip security officers to protect themselves against abuse.
*16.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the enhanced penalties in the Private Security Industry Act have been effective in curbing the number of cases of abuse against security officers; and (b) whether there will be further reviews to these penalties in due course.

*17.
*17.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether foreign workers in Singapore have been informed of (i) the available channels to seek recourse against their employers who failed to pay their salaries and (ii) the law against illegal assembly.

No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 4 *18.


Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether IMDA can do more to educate businesses on the need to protect their customer's data from being hacked; and (b) whether the punishment against illegal hackers of such data can be enhanced.

*19.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether there are any processes in place to ensure the protection of widely recognised heritage sites, such as Haw Par Villa, which do not fall under the purview of NHB and existing laws that protect heritage sites and national monuments; (b) if not, whether the Ministry will consider implementing regulations to protect heritage sites where its statutory boards exercise some regulatory oversight; and (c) whether the Ministry works with other statutory boards to provide protection for such heritage sites.
*20.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) how many employers are currently registered under SG Enable’s Open Door Programme (ODP) as ODP employers; (b) what percentage of ODP employers have hired persons with disabilities (PWDs); and (c) whether there are other initiatives to better promote the aim of having 40% of working age PWDs employed by 2030.

*21.
*21.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for National Development whether an update can be provided on the implementation of HDB’s policy on conducting periodic inspections on a yearly basis to proactively identify rental flats which require repairs or maintenance.

*22.
*22.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will consider increasing the supply of land for non-landed private residential developments as an additional cooling measure to meet the demand for private property.

*23.
*23.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the funds obtained by HDB to issue housing loans are derived from the CPF; and (b) whether the Government can consider to unpeg the HDB concessionary interest rate for housing loans from the prevailing CPF Ordinary Account interest rate and, if not, why not.

*24.
*24.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether the Government will conduct studies to quantify the effect that access to housing such as the length of waiting times for HDB's BTO flats has on Singaporean couples’ plans and aspirations to have children; (b) what effect have the delays to BTO project completions caused by COVID-19 had on couples’ family planning; and (c) if so, whether the findings can be shared.

*25.
*25.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for Education how has the National Institute of Education been preparing trainee teachers to meet the changing demands of education.

No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 5 *26.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the war in Ukraine, intensifying competition between the United States and China, high global inflation and the threat of global recession have affected the Singapore Green Plan 2030.

*27.
*27.

Prof Koh Lian Pin: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment what are the Government’s plans to enhance the population’s understanding of the opportunities and pitfalls of using carbon credits to meet the net-zero emissions target by 2050 and carbon tax obligations under the Carbon Pricing Act 2018, especially for carbon credits sourced from nature- based carbon projects that may have far-reaching implications for the climate, biodiversity and local communities.

*28.
*28.

Prof Koh Lian Pin: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment of the more than 20 countries that Singapore has begun exploring carbon credit agreements with, what is the portfolio of carbon projects the Government is focusing on to diversify and safeguard our carbon credit security.

*29.
*29.

Prof Koh Lian Pin: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) how many views were received via the REACH website regarding the Public Consultation on Singapore’s Raised Climate Ambition held from 5 to 26 September 2022; (b) how they have been considered in the latest Nationally Determined Contribution update; and (c) whether the industry’s and public’s views gathered by the Government will be shared publicly.

*30.
*30.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment given the revised National Determined Contribution 2030 (a) whether Singapore is still anticipating peak emissions at 65 MtCO2e; and (b) when is the peak expected to take place.

*31.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry with the new plans for increased reliance on low-carbon hydrogen fuel to address our power needs (a) what sources will the hydrogen come from; (b) how will the Government prepare our infrastructure to transport and store hydrogen; (c) whether the potential increase in spending on infrastructure will lead to significant cost increases for consumers; and (d) how will the Government work with regional countries to encourage the take-up and production rate of hydrogen for energy use.
No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 6 *32.

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the progress of development of green local firms in Singapore; and (b) how much research and development funding has been deployed to support and promote their development.

*33.
*33.

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how the uptake of the Enterprise Sustainability Programme can be further accelerated amongst SMEs to spur green growth and innovation; and (b) what are the key challenges facing SMEs to come on board the green economy.

*34.
*34.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Prime Minister (a) how have the current global environment of global energy crunch and high interest rates affected green financing in Singapore; (b) whether adjustments are needed to improve green financing take-up rate; and (c) if so, what are these adjustments.

*35.
*35.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Government is monitoring the rate of increase in residential property rent levels; (b) whether this explosion in rents has impacted Singapore's competitiveness in its ability to attract the best foreign talent; and (c) whether the Government takes measures to curb predatory behaviour by landlords, such as demanding exorbitant increases in rent or rescinding offers after tenants have paid security deposits.

*36.
*36.

Mr Sharael Taha: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how has the rise in rent prices affected Singapore’s ability to attract the best foreign talent; and (b) whether the Government is considering measures to cool the rental market and prevent landlords from exploiting the current conditions such as demanding steep increases in rent renewals.

*37.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) why does HDB issue Town Councils contracts for maintenance of HDB carparks although such maintenance falls outside the Town Councils Act 1988; (b) how are the fees in the contracts determined; and (c) having regard to the different contract cycles and price points of the maintenance contracts issued by HDB and Town Councils respectively, how is the risk of Town Councils cross-subsidising HDB for the maintenance of HDB carparks addressed.
*38.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how does the Ministry ensure that the maximum number of six tenants and occupants allowed in each HDB flat that is being rented out is adhered to; and (b) whether the Ministry has plans to increase monitoring on this occupancy cap.

No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 7 *39.


Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: To ask the Minister for National Development with numerous new housing developments near air bases (a) whether there are any additional design or infrastructure considerations to enhance noise abatement capabilities of the new homes; and (b) if so, what is the desired noise abatement target for these new homes.

*40.
*40.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB can consider funding or implementing noise mitigation measures to address the problem of noise generated by persons using amenities such as basketball courts, playgrounds and fitness corners that are in close proximity with residential flats outside the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme cycles.

*41.
*41.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what will be the economic impact to Singapore in view of the forecasted slowdown in economic growth in the United States, Europe and China for the next one year.

*42.
*42.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how much of external demand accounts for Singapore’s current GDP; (b) whether there is significant concentration in the demand markets; and (c) how is Singapore positioning itself for wider diversification given current geopolitical and other economic risks.

*43.
*43.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Prime Minister in light of the recent global financial stability concerns and the unusually challenging financial stability environment as articulated in the International Monetary Fund's October 2022 Financial Stability Report, what is the extent of vulnerability of Singapore's financial sector.

*44.
*44.

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is the amount of funding required, on a per adult basis, to support lifelong learning in order to acquire the necessary new skills and knowledge to keep pace with rapidly evolving jobs and industry development; and (b) how does the current level of funding compare to the required amount.

*45.
*45.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Education (a) to date, what is the number of citizens who have used their SkillsFuture credits, with a breakdown by age; (b) what is the feedback from those who have used their SkillsFuture credits as to the effectiveness and value of the training they have undergone; (c) what type of courses have workers attended using their SkillsFuture credits; and (d) what is the data on their subsequent employment outcomes as a result.

No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 8 *46.


Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the current proportion of workers who obtain a pay increase within a year of attending Workforce Singapore (WSG)-supported programmes; and (b) what is the satisfaction rate of trainees with the WSG-supported training programmes after a year.

*47.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs in view of the focus on Myanmar at the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (a) whether Singapore will take a stronger stance against the Tatmadaw and the situation in Myanmar; (b) whether Singapore or ASEAN has discussed the issue of taking a stronger stance against the Tatmadaw with the other countries bordering Myanmar, such as China, India and Bangladesh; and (c) what are the potential escalation steps after ASEAN assesses the implementation progress of the Five-Point Consensus at its November 2022 summits.
*48.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry can carry out educational publicity to remind residents not to go to the accident and emergency departments of public hospitals except for genuine emergencies; and (b) whether the Ministry can encourage more clinics to operate on a 24-hours basis.

*49.
*49.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is being done to reduce the waiting time for (i) consultation at the accident and emergency departments of public hospitals and (ii) ward beds at public hospitals; (b) whether the waiting time has reduced; and (c) if so, by how much.

*50.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether an in-depth analysis is being done to identify the underlying causes of the hospital bed crunch problem; (b) how will hospitals ensure that care for patients in holding spaces, including those with non-critical issues, will not be compromised; (c) what mechanism is in place for the different healthcare clusters to forecast and raise the alarm about possible upward demand at emergency departments to make necessary arrangements in advance; and (d) when is the bed crunch expected to ease.
*51.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) with the activation of inpatient teams to help at emergency departments, whether this will cause other healthcare teams to be overworked; (b) where will the manpower for transitional care facilities (TCFs), particularly the TCF with 364 beds, come from; (c) how well-equipped are healthcare workers and aides in the step- down facilities to care for transferred patients; and (d) what are the immediate measures to expand our healthcare teams, considering that some services cannot be automated in the short-term.
No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 9 *52.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what are the main reasons behind the long waiting times for admission at some restructured hospitals’ emergency departments in recent weeks; and (b) what are the measures the Ministry is taking to reduce waiting time especially for patients with higher acuity conditions.

*53.
*53.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Health in light of the current hospital bed crunch (a) whether non-urgent elective surgeries in public hospitals will be postponed; (b) if so, whether this will once more result in a backlog after the current bed crunch is alleviated; and (c) how will the Ministry prevent the occurrences of deferring non-urgent treatments from turning into a vicious cycle of care backlog.

*54.
*54.

Mr Mohd Fahmi Bin Aliman: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) how many public transport fare hikes are there in the past two years; (b) what are the underlying reasons for such fare hikes in the past two years; and (c) apart from the one-off public transport vouchers given to lower and middle-income Singaporeans, whether additional measures will be put in place to alleviate the increased financial burden on lower-income Singaporeans in the long run.

*55.
*55.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what measures are in place to (i) safeguard pipelines and electricity cables supplying Singapore from overseas against sabotage and disruption (ii) ensure continuity in the event of a major disruption and (iii) expedite recovery.

*56.
*56.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information what measures are in place to (i) safeguard submarine data cables connecting Singapore with locations overseas against sabotage and major disruption (ii) ensure continuity in the event of a major disruption and (iii) expedite recovery.

*57.
*57.

Mr Mohd Fahmi Bin Aliman: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many new COVID-19 infections are of the XXB variant strain; (b) what measures has the Ministry espoused to contain the spread of XBB within the community; and (c) whether additional precautions will be taken to protect healthcare workers from the spread of the COVID-19 XBB variant.

*58.
*58.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Health what plans does the Ministry have in place to specifically contain possible spikes in the number of COVID-19 cases following each large-scale event, such as the recent Formula One Singapore Grand Prix.

No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 10 *59.


Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Prime Minister what is the rationale of (i) providing civil servants with childcare sick leave beyond the legislated childcare leave and (ii) providing this on a per child basis instead of a fixed number regardless of the number of children the parent has.

*60.
*60.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether the National Wages Council (NWC) has completed its review on the wage guidelines for the coming year; and (b) how will the Government work with the Public Service Commission to ensure that the wages of civil servants are consistent with the guidelines to be developed by the NWC.

*61.
*61.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether there are concerted plans to increase awareness of elderly mental health challenges including depression; and (b) whether the Government will consider developing materials in mother tongue or dialect that are easy to understand and made accessible for the elderly and caregivers.

*62.
*62.

Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the scope of the Building and Construction Authority's Accessibility Fund can be extended to encourage more buildings and malls to construct a safe and conducive designated area for delivery riders to collect and drop off their deliveries.

*63.
*63.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what is the fleet size of car-sharing operators at present; and (b) in each of the last five years, what is the breakdown of the fleet of electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles among the car-sharing operators.

*64.
*64.

Mr Abdul Samad: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether LTA will consider extending public transport services within Jurong Island; (b) if so, when is it estimated to take place; and (c) if not, why not.

*65.
*65.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether nurses working in public healthcare institutions are allowed to work as locum nurses in other public healthcare institutions; and (b) if not, whether the Ministry can permit them to do so in order to alleviate the manpower crunch in public healthcare institutions and enable nurses to increase their income if they choose to and boost retention in the profession.

*66.
*66.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry can consider extending the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme for COVID-19 Vaccination or other forms of financial assistance to Singaporeans who have suffered from psoriasis as a related side effect of COVID-19 vaccination, notwithstanding that it might not have resulted in any inpatient hospitalisation or any permanent severe disability.

No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 11 *67.


Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) over the last five years, what is the average number of households whose water flow rate has been reduced due to arrears in utilities payments; and (b) what is the average duration for such a reduced water flow rate before the normal flow rate is restored.

*68.
*68.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether quadrangles bounded by HDB blocks may be included into the list of places where smoking is prohibited under the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Regulations given the proximity between these areas and the residential blocks.

*69.
*69.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health in view of the current number of outpatients with the common cough and cold who may still need to show hard copy medical certificates to their employers, whether the Ministry can help alleviate the crunch in GPs and polyclinics by having pharmacists issue medical certificates instead.

*70.
*70.

Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether the Ministry monitors and keeps track of how many Singaporeans are affected by the global WhatsApp outage on 25 October 2022; and (b) whether IMDA is investigating the cause of the disruption and considering what prevention measures can be implemented.

*71.
*71.

Mr Mark Chay: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth what are the current number and frequency of athletes tested under Anti- Doping Singapore’s testing pools, broken down by sport, age group and level of participation.

*72.
*72.

Mr Mark Chay: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) what is the rationale for ceasing jackpot operations at Singapore Premier League Clubs (SPL); (b) whether the Ministry will consider providing subsidies to SPLs to mitigate the loss of this income stream; and (c) whether there are plans to extend this cessation of jackpot operations to other social and sports clubs.

*73.
*73.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development with respect to the seizure of rhinoceros horns at Changi Airport on 4 October 2022, whether NParks will work with the Commercial Affairs Department and the Monetary Authority of Singapore to investigate specifically (i) the financial trails linked to the illegally-traded rhinoceros horns and (ii) any links between wildlife trafficking syndicates and individuals in Singapore.

No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 12 *74.


Mr Don Wee: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider rewarding informants with a percentage of parking fines collected through their reporting of vehicles' illegal parking, including bicycles, especially those that block entrances of buildings or are parked on pavements.

*75.
*75.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider making it mandatory for private residential property owners to have their cars parked in their own property should the space permit instead of parking it along the public roads within their estates.

*76.
*76.

Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment pertaining to the perennial challenge encountered in many neighbourhoods to stop high-rise bird-feeding, what methods has the Ministry looked into to punish or deter recalcitrant offenders to put a stop to such actions effectively.

*77.
Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) apart from improving the productivity and efficiency of recyclable items collected, whether NEA has conducted any studies to understand if the contamination rate of recyclable waste has indeed been reduced with the adoption of the new side-loader truck blue recycling bins; and (b) whether NEA will consider increasing the collection frequency of recyclables from the blue recycling bins in HDB estates and private-landed properties.
*78.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether the current number of driving schools and driving instructors are able to meet the demands for practical driving lessons to obtain a Class 3 driving licence.

*79.
*79.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Manpower in light of the recent historic fall in the pound sterling and the rise in the United Kingdom's borrowing costs, whether the Government has assessed the extent to which Singaporeans' CPF savings invested under the CPF Investment Scheme are directly or indirectly exposed to UK gilts and pension-linked funds.

*80.
*80.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Prime Minister in light of the recent historic fall in the pound sterling and the rise in the United Kingdom's borrowing costs, whether MAS has assessed the extent of Singaporean retail investors' exposure to UK gilts and pension-linked funds.

No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 13 *81.


Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how long will the Ministry take to complete its review of pet cat ownership in HDB flats following the end of the public consultation; and (b) what are the key factors which the Ministry will consider in this review.

*82.
Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Education (a) in the past five years, how many Singapore citizens applied to study medicine in our local universities but were rejected due to (i) not meeting the entry requirements (ii) meeting the entry requirements but there were not enough places in the university and (iii) other reasons, and what are these; (b) what are these entry requirements; and (c) how do these requirements compare with those of foreign universities whose qualifications we accept for medical practice in Singapore.
*83.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether an update can be provided on the utilisation of the $100 million Rail Manpower Development Package since it was last provided in October 2021; and (b) how many workers have benefitted from the scheme thus far.

*84.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what will be the total number of jobs that will be created from the investment commitments that have been secured this year.

*85.
*85.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) for the past five years, what is the number of complaints received pertaining to the noise and smell generated from live chickens located at the HDB estates and private residential estates respectively; and (b) whether there will be a review of chicken rearing policy in HDB flat, private residential apartment and private landed residential property.
* 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.

No.
No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 14 AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF PUBLIC BUSINESS Introduction of Government Bills 1.

Minister for Law: Post-appeal Applications in Capital Cases Bill.

2.

Minister for Law: State Lands Protection Bill.

ORDERS OF THE DAY 1.

Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

30/2022] – (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance) – Second Reading.

2.

Carbon Pricing (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

27/2022] – (Minister for Sustainability and the Environment) – Second Reading.
[For amendments on the Bill, see Supplement No.

13 dated 7 November 2022.]

3.

Online Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill [Bill No.

28/2022] – (Minister for Communications and Information) – Second Reading.

4.

Accountancy Functions (Consolidation) Bill [Bill No.

29/2022] – (Second Minister for Finance) – Second Reading.

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

Mr Raj Joshua Thomas (Nominated Member) : Building a Winning Global Talent Strategy.
QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER 1.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Prime Minister what is the projected rate of population growth in Singapore broken down by (i) citizens (ii) permanent residents and (iii) non-residents over the next three years.

No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 15 2.


Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Government has (i) engaged local banks to understand what the primary inhibitions are that preclude longer fixed rate mortgage loans from being offered and (ii) conducted any studies on whether the absence of a separate, government-backed home mortgage company has inhibited local banks from offering longer fixed rate mortgages.

3.
3.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Prime Minister arising from the results of the 2021 Marriage and Parenthood Survey showing that the proportion of singles who wish to get married has been declining over the years (a) what are the factors driving the decline in their intention to get married; and (b) how does the Government intend to mitigate these factors.

4.
4.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs for each of the last five years (a) how many road traffic accidents have been reported in Sengkang Town; and (b) what is the breakdown by (i) types of accidents and (ii) cases that involve cyclists.

5.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether increased penalties have reduced occurrences of abuse towards security officers.

6.
6.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs how is the Ministry working with private security agencies to ensure that security officers receive training to deal with those who seek to abuse them.

7.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Law for each year since 2000, how much of annual revenue from Government Land Sales received by SLA are derived from (i) public housing (ii) private housing and (iii) non-housing use, respectively.

8.
8.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the production of the EZ-Link x Touch 'n Go cards can be accelerated in light of strong demand ahead of the year-end school holidays.

9.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Transport whether a pick-up and drop-off point with a sheltered walkway may be constructed near Bukit Batok MRT station with a view to improve access to and from the station.

10.
10.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry has studied if staggered school commencement times, with students at different levels starting at different times, can ease congestion around schools especially during the morning rush hour.

No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 16 11.


Mr Derrick Goh: To ask the Minister for Transport in view of the high number of new residents moving into the new Yishun Spring BTO estate (a) whether there are plans to increase the capacity of existing roads that use the Yishun Dam to deal with an increase in traffic flow during peak hours; (b) if so, what are the plans and schedule for implementation; and (c) what are the expected improvements arising from the increased capacity.

12.
12.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what is the Ministry’s assessment of implementing diagonal crossing from the four points of a traffic junction; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider implementing diagonal crossings at other junctions including those in the heartlands to facilitate pedestrian crossing more efficiently without compromising road safety.

13.
13.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Transport with more people going back to office and tourists visiting (a) whether the MRT train operators have increased its maintenance regime; and (b) whether they are experiencing manpower shortage which will affect maintenance works.

14.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) why is the public consultation for Singapore’s Raised Climate Ambition held for three weeks, compared to the public consultation on Developing Singapore’s Long-Term Low-Emissions Strategy which is held for three months in 2019 (2019 Consultation); and (b) whether submissions from participants will be published as an annexure to the responses to feedback and suggestions like how it was previously done in the 2019 Consultation.
15.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment following the recent release of the best practice guide for organising Environmentally-Friendly Events (a) whether all Government-organised or linked Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions events will be expected to adhere to the guide; (b) what other concrete steps will be taken to de-carbonise such events; and (c) how will their efforts be measured for success.

16.
16.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment given the recent announcements about the 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution, what are the year-on-year projections for Singapore’s annual emissions from now until 2029.

17.
17.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether agencies have assessed the prevalence of the use of emissions defeat devices, whereby such devices allow vehicles to bypass existing emissions standards; and (b) what is the regulatory approach towards such devices, their installation and use.

No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 17 18.


Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Education (a) how many Singaporeans and permanent residents have received SkillsFuture training to date; and (b) of those who receive training, how many have been offered jobs, broken down by age group and sectors, respectively.

19.
19.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what are the mean and median number of hours of special needs training that primary and secondary school teachers undergo; and (b) whether there are any trends or growth in specific groups of allied educators where specialised support is required in schools.

20.
20.

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what are the enrolment rates for the new courses and programmes in sustainability-related fields since they were introduced in the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs); and (b) how does the pipeline of talent from IHLs meet the demand expected from the green economy.

21.
21.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether there have been studies done regarding epilepsy in Singapore, particularly in relation to ensuring that people with epilepsy are given a fair chance at employment.

22.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development with regard to the decrease in number of households and individuals receiving ComCare Long-Term Assistance (LTA) and a concurrent increase in the number of households receiving ComCare Short-to-Medium-Term- Assistance (SMTA), for the period 2017 to 2021 (a) how many households and individuals receiving SMTA have it renewed for a period of three years or more; (b) why have they not been considered for LTA; and (c) what steps have been or will be taken to ensure that recipients of ComCare assistance are properly classified.
23.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) in the past three years, what is the average waiting time for an applicant to receive a parking label under the Car Park Label Scheme for Persons with Physical Disabilities; and (b) what can be done to help reduce the waiting time for applicants.

24.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Health whether persons with epilepsy can be provided with support such as finding employment and psychological support.
25.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether nurses are required as part of their job scopes to provide services beyond medical care to patients; (b) if so, what training is provided to nurses to do so; and (c) whether nurses are appraised based on the quality of such non-medical care services provided.

No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 18 26.


Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the trend of vaping in 2022 compared to 2021 and 2020; (b) how many vaping incidences are related to minors for this period; and (c) whether the current efforts are sufficient to ensure the decline of vaping incidences.

27.
27.

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what are the trends for the prices of the top 10 drugs on the Cancer Drug List and Non- Cancer Drug List in the last five years; (b) how do the prices on these lists of drugs compare to the OECD median drug prices; and (c) what are the measures taken to ensure that such drugs remain accessible and affordable to all.

28.
28.

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what are the top 10 medical consumables used in private and public hospitals; (b) what are the differences in median prices for such consumables between private and public hospitals; and (c) how are medical consumables sourced and priced in public hospitals to ensure that healthcare remains affordable and accessible to all.

29.
29.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry is working with private hospitals to ensure that these hospitals can step in to provide care to patients once our public hospitals reach a certain capacity limit and, if so, how.

30.
30.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Health in view of the recent rise in COVID-19 cases and increasing costs of living, whether the Ministry will consider reinstating the subsidies at the Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPC) and polyclinics for the treatment of respiratory infections previously applicable before 1 July 2022.

31.
31.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Government is studying how climate change may contribute to the emergence of novel pathogens and pandemics which may affect Singapore; and (b) if so, what are the ensuing assessment of the risk environment and additional measures needed to prepare for the next pandemic.

32.
32.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry has conducted any studies on how the 10-year minimum occupation period (MOP) for HDB flats under the Prime Location Public Housing model may impact projected birth rate trends and impede or discourage young couples from having any or more children for the duration of this extended MOP, especially those living in smaller-sized flats; and (b) if not, whether it will consider conducting such a study.

No.
No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 19 33.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) in 2021, how many single unwed parents have applied to purchase a HDB flat from HDB; (b) how many of such applications have been rejected; and (c) what are the reasons for the rejections.

34.
34.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for National Development since HDB already actively participates in the mortgage lending market, whether it has also considered purchasing mortgages from private financial institutions in the secondary market, or establishing a home mortgage company, similarly to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae in the United States, to promote longer-term fixed rate mortgage loans.

35.
35.

Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) in the past three years, what has been the take-up rate of the Building and Construction Authority's Accessibility Fund; and (b) how many of the applicants have made use of the fund to construct family-friendly facilities such as lactation room and diaper changing stations.

36.
36.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry has considered providing interim rental subsidies to Singaporeans who meet HDB’s eligibility criteria for public rental flats but are not allocated a flat due to insufficient supply.

37.
37.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for National Development in each year since 2018 (a) how many first-timer Singaporean couples were unsuccessful in their BTO applications in non-mature estates (i) two times (ii) three times (iii) four times (iv) five times and (v) six or more times; and (b) what can applicants do to increase their chances of securing a flat.

38.
38.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for National Development whether there are any plans to educate potential residents of future green residential sites like Tengah and Dover on the strategies for human-wildlife coexistence, as being especially close to forested areas, there may be an increase in incursions by wildlife into urban spaces.

39.
39.

Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the external retractable clothes drying rack can be made an optional component of the Home Improvement Programme (HIP) instead of an essential component; and (b) whether HDB will explore other alternatives such as indoor drying rack for HIP to better benefit seniors with mobility issues and those residing on ground floor units with limited space to dry their laundry.

No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 20 40.


Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for National Development in respect of floor-to-ceiling window panels in HDB flats (a) how many cases of defects, including cracks or peeled solar films, have been reported in the past five years; (b) what are the common causes of such defects; and (c) whose responsibility is it to repair and bear the costs of repair or rectification of such defects.

41.
Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for National Development in each year from 2012 to 2022, for HDB BTOs in (i) prime areas (ii) mature estates and (iii) non-mature estates respectively (a) what is the average selling price per square foot sold by HDB to the public; (b) what is the average land cost per square foot paid by HDB to SLA; (c) what is the average subsidy per square foot offered by HDB to the public; and (d) why does the amount of subsidy offered for each BTO flat vary across BTO projects and flat types.
42.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information with regard to the recent data breach at eight Shangri-La hotels in Asia (a) whether the personal data of any foreign dignitaries who attended the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore have been compromised; (b) how will this affect Singapore’s reputation as the host of a top tier security-related conference; and (c) what is Singapore doing to prevent such breaches in such top level events in the future.
43.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether greater awareness can be created among employers about epilepsy and the various kinds of seizures to reduce a barrier to entry for persons with epilepsy seeking employment.

44.

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether feedback has been sought from trade associations and chambers of commerce on the Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass and, if so, when.

45.
45.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Manpower since April 2017, in Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management mediations where a settlement is reached for wrongful dismissal cases (a) what percentage of claimants have reported failure to comply with the settlement terms by the other party; and (b) what actions have been taken to assist these claimants.

46.
46.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Manpower how does the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices monitor employers’ long-term efforts to create a fair workplace environment as opposed to doing the bare minimum to avoid breaching the Fair Consideration Framework.

No.

73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 21 47.


Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Manpower for a public holiday falling on Saturday, whether the Government will consider making the following working day a public holiday similar to the treatment when a public holiday falls on Sunday, so as to improve family quality time and overall well-being.

48.
48.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) in the last three years, how many Singaporeans have retired before they reach (i) the statutory retirement age and (ii) reemployment age respectively; and (b) what are the common reasons for such retirement.

49.
49.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether there is a precise anticipated completion date for the report by the Advisory Committee on Platform Workers; (b) whether the Committee has arrived at any preliminary conclusions for legislative action pertaining to job protections related to gig work that it is able to share; and (c) if not, whether the Committee is able to share the broad scope of its work programme instead.

50.
50.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Manpower over the last 10 years, what is the average balance in Singaporeans’ CPF MediSave and Retirement Account at the point of death.

51.
51.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry will consider publishing the insurers' manual under the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA); (b) what processes does the Ministry use to ensure that insurers are able to meet the WICA claim investigation standards; and (c) whether the Ministry has taken action against any insurers for not meeting reasonable requirements in investigating and processing WICA claims since the WICA 2019 came into effect.
PAPERS PRESENTED 2022 Date Presented S. L. 714 Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) (Amendment) Rules 2022 ..... 21 October 2022 S. L. 715 MediShield Life Scheme (Amendment No.

3) Regulations 2022 ..... 25 October 2022 S. L. 716 Air Navigation (91 – General Operation Rules) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 ..... 27 October 2022 No.
73 7 NOVEMBER 2022 22 PAPERS PRESENTED - continued 2022 Date Presented S. L. 717 Air Navigation (98 – Special Operations) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 ..... 27 October 2022 S. L. 718 Air Navigation) 121 – Commercial Air Transport Aeroplanes) (Amendment No.

2) Regulations 2022 Large by ..... 27 October 2022 S. L. 719 Air Navigation (125 – Complex General Aviation) (Amendment No.
2) Regulations 2022 ..... 27 October 2022 S. L. 720 Air Navigation (135 – Commercial Air Transport by Helicopters and Small Aeroplanes) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 ..... 27 October 2022 S. L. 721 Air Navigation (137 – Aerial Work) (Amendment No.
2) Regulations 2022 ..... 27 October 2022 S. L. 722 Road Traffic (Bicycles) (Amendment) Rules 2022 ..... 27 October 2022 S. 322 Highway (Revision) Code 2022 ..... 31 October 2022 S. L. 723 Buildings Control Productivity) Regulations 2022 (Buildability (Amendment No.
and 3) ..... 01 November 2022 S. L. 724 and Securities 2001 (Amendment of Third Schedule) Order 2022 Futures Act ..... 02 November 2022 S. L. 725 Financial Advisers Act 2001 (Amendment of First Schedule) Order 2022 ..... 02 November 2022 S. L. 726 Employment Agencies (Amendment No.

2) Rules 2022 ..... 02 November 2022 S. L. 727 Building Control of Offences) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (Composition ..... 04 November 2022 S. L. 728 Parking Places (Provision of Parking Places and Parking Lots) (Amendment No.
2) Rules 2022 ..... 04 November 2022