Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698832331111.pdf (Singapore)
THIRTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE FIRST SESSION ORDER PAPER WEDNESDAY, 10 JANUARY 2018 No.

57 12.30 pm 1 QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER* *1.


Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) in respect of the collision at Joo Koon station on 15 November 2017, what were the control options available to the driver of the second train to stop the train before it collided ivto the rear of the first train; and (b) what are the usual control options available to drivers of trains on North-South and East-West Lines for manual or emergency braking.

*2.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) before the collision at Joo Koon station on 15 November 2017, whether the operations control centre and the driver of the second train were aware that the protective bubbles of the first train had malfunctioned; (b) if so, whether there were other options that could have been taken to ensure that the second train remained stationary; and (c) whether there was any previous occasion when a train had continued to operate when its protective bubbles had malfunctioned.
*3.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry monitors the number of young children injured through accidental burns each year; and (b) what measures are being taken to increase awareness among parents and caregivers of bum risks and how to prevent bums in the home.

*4.
*4.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether he can provide an update on the review of Singapore's laws deterring online child pornography and what will be done to restrict, deter and punish access to and the hosting of child pornography websites in Singapore.

I i I ' *5.
I i I ' *5.

Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs how did the two brands of aluminium composite panel used as external cladding that were recently found to pose potential fire risk come to possess Class "0" certificates and how did the SCDF discover that they could pose fire risks.

No.

57 10 JANUARY 2018 2 *6.


Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Law whether he will consider a provision in the Penal Code or the Children and Young Persons Act to enhance the discretionary power of the courts to administer harsher punishments for child abuse offenders.

*7.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources what is the cost of the 320 sensors installed in Singapore's potable water supply pipelines to detect water leakages from the pipelines.
*8.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources what is the number of water pipe leaks each year for the past 10 years.

*9.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether the Ministry is exploring options for burials by sea after death.

*10.

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) what is the implementation roadmap and timeline for the full Open Electricity Market to all households islandwide.

*11.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) how are excavation works to repair telecom cables, water pipes, sewage pipes and other underground works coordinated across agencies such that excavation work is minimised and shared across agencies to the fullest extent possible; and (b) whether the Government will consider tracking and publishing the instances when excavation works are undertaken at the same area multiple times within the same six-month period as a measure of the effectiveness of such co ordination.
1(?, I • I *12.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what additional noise abatement measures to counter low-flying aircraft noises coming from the nearby Seletar Airport can be put in place; (b) whether the height limit of the airspace over residential areas can be increased; and (c) whether a different flight path can be given to aircraft landing at the airport so that they will not fly over housing estates especially in the middle of the night.

h ' *13.
h ' *13.

Ms Sun Xueling: To ask the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) (a) what proportion of university students, polytechnic and ITE students currently embark on work internships during their studies; (b) what is the duration and nature of these internships; and (c) what can be done to encourage more companies to provide internship opportunities for young Singaporeans.

No.

57 10 JANUARY 2018 3 *14.


Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) (a) how many scams on claims have been reported and investigated since the implementation of SkillsFuture; and (b) what is the Ministry doing to stop cases of training providers pressuring citizens to sign up for courses by falsely telling them that their SkillsFuture credits will expire soon.

*15.
*15.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) (a) what are the criteria to qualify a company to conduct Workforce Skills Qualifications courses; (b) what can students do when the quality of the instructors is not as advertised; and (c) how does the Ministry oversee these companies to ensure they are not overcharging.

*16.
*16.

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) whether the Government is concerned that the report by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released in November 2017 titled "Excellence and Equity in Education" found that economically disadvantaged students in Singapore were significantly more likely to under-perform in science in school, compared to their OECD counterparts.

*17.
Ms Sun Xueling: To ask the Minister for National Development what are the processes in place to ensure that (i) design m1d consultancy fees for building iconic "green" and "sustainable" buildings are fair and appropriate (ii) proper cost and benefit analyses are conducted before going ahead with the construction of such buildings (iii) the tender evaluation body of such contracts is well-versed in the subject and has a sense of the fair costs of design and construction and (iv) the tender evaluation body for such bids does not rely solely on an assessment based on relative bids.
*18.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB will consider reducing the minimum age for the Lease Buyback Scheme where the flat owner has a serious medical condition causing significant reduction oflife expectancy.

*19.
*19.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the tempo and siting of land development allocation considers the cumulative effect of continuous noise on nearby residents arising from successive construction developments in close proximity; and (b) what measures are being used to incentivise the minimisation of noise arising from public or private sector developments especially when there are residential areas nearby.

No.

57 10 JANUARY 2018 4 *20.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how many PMETs have been assisted under the Career Support Programme (CSP) since its inception, with a breakdown by each of the three 6-monthly employment period and by those aged above and below 40 respectively; (b) what evidence is available indicating that the PMETs have been successfully reintegrated into the workforce with the help of this scheme; and (c) whether any evidence has emerged indicating gaps in the employability of PMETs under the CSP that require further training interventions.
*21.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) in the past five years, how many HDB flats have been foreclosed and put on mortgage sale/public auction by financial institutions due to defaults in payment by flat lessees; (b) how many flat lessees have approached HDB to buy back the flats that they are unable to sell in the open market; (c) how does HDB assist them to sell their flats in the open market; and (d) how many flats have been sold by lessees with the sale proceeds being insufficient to return to their individual CPF accounts.
*22.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what have been done to control the population of wild birds in HDB estates and the possible transmission of diseases by birds; and (b) whether methods used by airports such as a sonic system to chase away the birds can be used to prevent the birds from over-growing in HDB estates.

* 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.

Members must submit their notices to the Clerk within one hour after the end of Question Time.

Questions will be given a written answer if no such notices are received by the Clerk within the stipulated time.

NOTICE OF MOTION 1.
NOTICE OF MOTION 1.

Minister for Law: SELECT COMMITTEE ON DELIBERATE ONLINE FALSEHOODS - CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES AND COUNTE~ASURES: (1) That Parliament appoints a Select Committee to examine and report on: (a) the phenomenon of using digital technology to deliberately spread falsehoods online; 2 4 ~'' ~ i I i[ I \1 No.
57 10 JANUARY2018 5 (b) (c) (d) the motivations and reasons for the spreading of such falsehoods, and the types of individuals and entities, both local and foreign, which engage in such activity; the consequences that the spread of online falsehoods can have on Singapore society, institutions and including democratic processes; and to our how Singapore can prevent and combat online falsehoods, including: 6 8 J.O 12 (i) the principles that should guide Singapore's response; and 14 (ii) any specific measures, including legislation, that should be taken.
y (2) That the Select Committee shall comprise- (a) Deputy Speaker Charles Chong as Chairman; and (b) seven Members from the Government benches, one Member from the Opposition benches, and one Nominated Member, to be nominated by the Committee of Selection.

16 18 20 2017 S.L.

405 S.L.

406 PAPERS PRESENTED and Environmental Management (Hazardous Substances) (Amendment) Regulations 2017 Protection Protection and Environmental Management (Vehicular Emissions) (Amendment No.
4) Regulations 2017 Date Presented 9 January 2018 9 January 2018