Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698831412871.pdf (Singapore)
FOURTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE ___________________ FIRST SESSION ___________________ ORDER PAPER FRIDAY, 18 FEBRUARY 2022 No.

49 1.30 pm 1 *1.

*2.

*3.

*4.

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER* Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development in the last three years, how many cases have there been in divorce and child custody cases where allegations of child abuse by one spouse against the other spouse in attempting to prevent access to children have been proven to be false.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) for each year in the past three years, what is the income data of the long-term unemployed population with a breakdown by income groups; (b) what are the top five industries with the highest long-term unemployment rates; and (c) what are the plans to support long-term unemployed workers in these industries.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the resignation rate among Singaporean employees in the last two years as compared to before; (b) whether Singapore is seeing a wave of resignations like in other countries; (c) with the rise of remote work, whether the resignation trend will become more prevalent as employees have more choices and less workplace camaraderie to retain them; and (d) which industries are struggling with employee retention and how is the Government helping them.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the rise of hybrid working arrangements has adversely impacted CPF contributions; (b) how will differential benefits and compensation for traditional salaried employees and remote hybrid employees affect the computation of CPF obligations; and (c) what is being done to incentivise employees working remotely for overseas employers to make their share of employee’s CPF contributions for their retirement and healthcare needs.

No.

49 *5.

*6.

*7.


*8.

*9.
18 FEBRUARY 2022 2 Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what has been the take-up rate of trust services for persons with disabilities from low and middle income families to ensure that they are financially taken care of after their primary caregivers are no longer able to support them; and (b) whether the financial support that the Ministry provides to the Special Needs Trust Company (SNTC) for the set-up of trust and related services for the benefit of persons with disabilities can be structured in a manner that will allow the SNTC to focus more on reaching out to families with persons with disabilities from low and middle income backgrounds.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the Ministry’s assessment on the possible effects of the impending winding up of Dream Cruises and Genting Hong Kong Ltd on (i) the business of the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore (MBCCS) and (ii) Singapore as a cruise hub; and (b) what measures will be taken to mitigate any negative impact on Singapore as a cruise hub.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Law (a) whether proceedings can be brought under section 4 of the Community Disputes Resolution Act 2015 for cases of smoking near balconies or windows in homes when the secondhand smoke interferes with a neighbour’s enjoyment of his property; and (b) if so, what kind of evidence will need to be presented in order to show such interference.
Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the Ministry will consider specifying a fixed radius around playgrounds where smoking is prohibited; (b) if so, whether the Ministry will consider a radius further than five metres, considering the harmful effects of second-hand tobacco smoke to children; and (c) if not, what are the reasons for not specifying a radius.
Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the number of requests received by the Ministry from the homeless and rough sleepers for temporary accommodation/shelters in 2021; (b) what is (i) their successful placement rates and (ii) the number of successful applicants placed on the waiting list and their estimated waiting time; and (c) what is the Ministry’s assessment, plans and alternative options for them to meet their existing and future housing needs.
*10.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Health with regard to hospital visits to severely ill patients in hospitals and care homes, whether the Ministry will consider (i) empowering healthcare professionals with some discretion as to visitation policies on compassionate grounds on a case-by-case basis if this is not already the case and (ii) requiring hospitals and care homes to make ART test kits available for sale to visitors.

No.

49 18 FEBRUARY 2022 3 *11.


Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how many companies in Singapore currently practise some form of a shorter work week; and (b) whether assistance and guidance can be provided for companies considering to implement shorter work weeks.

*12.
*12.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in the past five years, how many incidents of deliberate laser pointer beam strikes at pedestrians and motor vehicle users have been reported; (b) of these, in how many cases are the perpetrators identified; (c) what are the enforcement actions or penalties arising; and (d) what recourse do pedestrians, drivers and riders have in the event of a laser pointer beam strike incident.

*13.
*13.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider designated centres or clinics for residents to follow up and check specifically if they are medically suitable for COVID-19 vaccinations.

*14.
*14.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Education (a) how many Singaporean students and educational institution staff use a boarding school or educational institution as their registered NRIC address; and (b) what is being done to ensure such individuals continue to have access to Government schemes or services which may require a residential address for purposes of implementation.

*15.
*15.

Mr Xie Yao Quan: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether there has been a rise in salary disputes between workers who self-isolate without medical certificates under COVID-19 Protocol 2 and their employers; (b) how many low-wage workers have been affected as such; and (c) what are the Ministry’s plans to assist affected workers.

*16.
*16.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment what is the rationale for legislating and making high-rise littering an offence despite the inherent difficulty in enforcement.

*17.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Prime Minister whether MAS will regulate the imposition of credit card fees by banks such that all consumers are treated fairly.

*18.
*18.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Government is a user of Israeli company QuaDream’s spyware; and (b) whether the Government deploys this or other spyware technologies in Singapore.

No.

49 18 FEBRUARY 2022 4 *19.


Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information whether he can provide an update on the Cyber Security Agency’s investigations into a local company, Computer Security Initiative Consultancy (COSEINC), that has been added to an entity list by the US Department of Commerce.

*20.
*20.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether the Government or related agencies have procured any services or products from a local company, Computer Security Initiative Consultancy (COSEINC); and (b) if so, what is the nature of the contract awarded to COSEINC.

* 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.

NOTICE OF MOTION 1.
NOTICE OF MOTION 1.

Minister for Finance: BUDGET STATEMENT: That Parliament approves the financial policy of the Government for the financial year 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.

QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER 1.

2.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether he can provide a progress update on how stakeholders are aiming towards meeting the Five Point Consensus agreed at the ASEAN Leaders' Meeting on 24 April 2021 regarding the situation in Myanmar.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs how ASEAN intends to approach the ongoing violence in Myanmar, pursuant to Article (1) of the ASEAN Charter and Articles 11, 12 and 14 of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, to ensure the safety of the civilian population and the reduction of protracted violence and civil unrest.

No.

49 18 FEBRUARY 2022 5 3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.


Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs what approach can be taken, pursuant to Articles 11, 12, 14 and 22 of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration to ensure the protection of Myanmar’s ethnic minorities, in particular the protection of minorities living in Rakhine State.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether ASEAN can work towards coming up with an agreement and structural framework, pursuant to Article 15 of the Human Rights Declaration, to ensure the possibility of peaceful repatriation of Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs what is ASEAN’s approach to combating the rise in drug production and trade in Myanmar due to the unrest, pursuant to the Statement on Combating the Spread of Illicit Drugs at the 14th East Asia Summit on 4 November 2019 and its efforts to halt the drugs from being exported to the surrounding nations.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in each year of the past five years, how many fire fatalities were there; (b) of the reported deaths, how many of them were due to fires at residential premises; and (c) whether SCDF will consider extending the Home Fire Alarm Device (HFAD) Assistance Scheme, which involves the installation of HFAD in all 60,000 HDB public rental flats, to all other HDB residential units.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) since 1 January 2013, how many certificates of substantial assistance have been issued by the Public Prosecutor pursuant to section 33B(2)(b) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1973 (“MDA”) to persons who have been convicted for offences of trafficking, importing or exporting controlled drugs which are punishable with death thereby resulting in the court imposing imprisonment for life instead of the death penalty; and (b) on how many occasions did the Public Prosecutor refuse to issue certificates of substantial assistance even though these persons were held by the court to be involved in the delivering of or any act for the purpose of delivering the controlled drugs within the meaning of section 33B(2)(a)(i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) of the MDA which resulted in the court imposing the death penalty on these persons.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) since 1 January 2013, how many persons have been convicted for the offences of murder within the meaning of section 300(b), (c) or (d) of the Penal Code 1871 (“Code”) and have been punished by the court with imprisonment for life instead of the death penalty; and (b) how many persons have been convicted for murder within the meaning of section 300(a) of the Penal Code and was sentenced by the court to death.

No.

49 18 FEBRUARY 2022 6 9.

10.

11.


12.

13.

14.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Law (a) in each year from 2020 to 2021, how many applications to the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunal (CDRT) are filed; (b) of these, how many applicants have indicated that they have attended mediation with the respondents in the six months preceding the CDRT application; and (c) how many remedies were eventually granted.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Ministry has studied the possibility of trade associations and chambers (TACs) playing a greater role in supporting sole proprietors of micro SMEs in the event of landlord-tenant disputes, where such disputes are not handled by the Small Claims Tribunal and where the sole proprietor may be elderly or of limited means and bargaining power.
Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment following NEA’s appointment of a new public waste collection contractor from 1 January 2022 (a) what is the cause for the delay in the refuse and recyclables collection in Woodlands, Yishun, Sembawang, Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Panjang and parts of Ang Mo Kio; and (b) what are the steps taken to prevent such delays in the future, especially during a transition to a new contractor.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment what steps have been taken to proactively monitor compliance by companies with a turnover of more than $10 million to collect packaging data and develop plans to reduce, reuse and recycle packaging from 1 January 2021 ahead of the deadline to issue their respective reports to NEA by the 1st quarter of 2022 pursuant to Mandatory Packaging Reporting requirements.
Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry can consider a public awareness campaign where members of the public can get various training to obtain information and knowledge on how to detect and assist survivors of family violence in the community, in the role of a first responder or as part of a peer support group.
Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development what are the assistance available to charities, particularly those running shelters or homes for beneficiaries, to defray or subsidise their operational costs for COVID-19 related measures like deep cleaning of premises, purchase and supply of ART kits, refurbishment of premises to provide for isolation rooms, or the implementation of safe management measures in the premises.

No.

49 18 FEBRUARY 2022 7 15.

16.

17.

18.

19.


20.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development for each year in the past five years, what is the median length of service for social workers working with a single Family Service Centre (FSC) and with multiple FSCs without any interim employment outside of FSCs, respectively.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the current percentage of preschools that provide the Development Support-Learning Support programme for children with special needs; (b) what is the current percentage of preschools that provide the Inclusive Support Programme to integrate early childhood and early intervention services at preschools for children aged 3 to 6, who require medium levels of early intervention support; and (c) how are preschools equipped to provide timely and systematic identification of developmental needs of children.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) in the past two years, how many private estate residents sought help from the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to resolve conflicts and safety concerns arising from airspace encroachment; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider implementing laws to regulate the use of another neighbour’s airspace for essential maintenance work.
Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, what is the number of projects involving HDB commercial properties that have faced delays either in construction or renovation because the contractors have faced financial difficulty or have gone into liquidation; and (b) what are the measures taken and the frequency of checks conducted to track the contractors’ progress and their financial health during the course of the projects.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) for each year in the past 10 years, what is the average and range of prices of each HDB flat type (3-room, 4-room, 5-room and executive flats, BTO or resale) for first- time buyers before and after subsidies; and (b) what is the average household income for first-time buyers of each HDB flat type.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the number of HDB units which owners have bought recess areas before 2005 that would not be deemed allowable under (i) current HDB guidelines and (ii) current safety guidelines prescribed by the SCDF; and (b) whether HDB plans to retrofit the affected units to ensure compliance with current safety guidelines.

No.

49 18 FEBRUARY 2022 8 21.

22.


Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the take- up rate of the Portable Medical Benefits Scheme (PMBS); and (b) how does the Ministry raise awareness of the scheme and encourage more employers to participate.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how many and what percentage of registered companies in Singapore currently offer the right to work from home, following the government’s decision to allow 50 per cent of those who can work from home to be allowed to return to the office starting January 2022; and (b) if the Ministry does not have this data, does it intend to collect the data and by when.
PAPER PRESENTED 2022 Date Presented S. L. 486 Workplace Safety and Health (COVID-19 Safe Workplace) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 ..... 16 February 2022