Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698832367808.pdf (Singapore)
THIRTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE FIRST SESSION REVISED ORDER PAPER TUESDAY, 8 NOVEMBER 2016 No.

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QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER* Ms K Thanaletchimi: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) to date, how many companies have implemented portable medical benefits for their employees; (b) how can it be made more pervasive and attractive for both employers and employee to support such initiatives; and (c) apart from contributing to Medisave, whether portability of medical benefits can be in the form of reimbursements to employees for the premium that they pay for standard medical insurance.
Mr Ong Teng Koon: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the tripartite work group has been successful in encouraging employers and employees to shift to portable medical benefits; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider legislation to mandate that corporate outpatient medical insurance plans become portable in order to protect employees who may be unable to qualify for a subsequent insurance plan due to pre-existing conditions.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what have been the success rates of (i) the Career Support Programme (ii) the Professional Conversion programme and (iii) the P-Max Programme so far; and (b) whether the Ministry will increase the number of intakes for each programme or improve the system including the extension of grants from one year to three years.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry regularly obtains industry information on recruitment plans of employers for future jobs, especial.ly those involving time spans of three years and beyond, in the major economic sectors and, if so, whether it is prepared to publish such information on a regular basis to assist the general public in making better job plans.

No.

27 8 NOVEMBER2016 2 *5.


Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Home Improvement Programme can be extended to flats built after I986 when they reach 30 years.

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Mr Kok Heng Leun: To ask the Minister for National Development in respect of the demolition and rebuilding of three units of Ellison Building (a) whether L TA and URA have considered realigning the North-South Expressway without affecting Ellison Building when the alignment plan was announced in 20 II; (b) whether studies were made before arriving at this option and, if so, whether they were disclosed; (c) whether LTA and URA have consulted with stakeholders such as the long-term tenants of the building, residents living in the area and heritage organisations and, if not, what are the reasons; (d) what is the loss in heritage value created by this option; (e) what are the mitigation measures considered before deciding on this option; and (f) why is this decision the best option.
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Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development how can the Ministry urgently implement and communicate a nationwide action plan to help families in need to apply for the appointment of Deputies for family members who have lost their mental capacity due to accidents, dementia or other disabilities.

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Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry can further assist persons with special needs who require replacement for aids such as (i) motorised wheelchairs and (ii) cochlear implants and other hearing aids throughout their lives.

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Ms K Thanaletchimi: To ask the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) (a) whether the Ministry will review the entry criteria for dental surgery assistants who are keen to switch to a nursing career but do not meet the minimum Grade Point Average requirement; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider a bridging programme for such dental surgery assistants so that they can pursue a diploma in nursing.

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Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) whether the Ministry will consider creating a SkillsFuture-equivalent scheme for Singaporeans aged under 25 years to help them pursue extra curricular training or enrichment courses which may not be available in their present educational institution.

No.

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Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) whether SkillsFuture Credits can be used for overseas courses that are not available through training providers in Singapore, on a case by-case basis, for example where the skill in question is of economic value and where local training providers are scarce.

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Ms K Thanaletchimi: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether there is a defined route for Singaporeans who are foreign medical graduates to do the Qualifying Examinations held by the Singapore Medical Council; (b) whether there is a preparatory programme offered by NUS for such graduates; and (c) whether there is any internship/attachment offered by hospitals for such graduates to familiarise themselves with our healthcare system in preparation for the Qualifying Examinations.

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Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what benchmarks are used to measure the quality of healthcare delivery and the adequacy of healthcare resources such as staffing and infrastructure; and (b) how does the Ministry determine whether our elderly healthcate needs are sufficiently covered by the Pioneer Generation Package and MediShield Life.

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Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the number of citizens and permanent residents who could not pay for their MediShield Life premiums since its implementation; (b) what are the main reasons; and (c) what is the total amount of premiums owed.

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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.

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Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) (a) for a complainant who wishes to pursue a complaint against a merchant, what kind of assistance from any consumer protection organisation is available and at what cost; and (b) has any complainant been refused assistance by such organisation and, if so, what is the breakdown of these reasons for the past five years.

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Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) how many newspaper street vendors have been issued with licences in the past three years; (b) how does one qualify for the licence; and (c) whether there is a quota on the number of licences issued for any one location.

No.27 8 NOVEMBER 2016 4 *18.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kw1\ng: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether the Ministry will consider imposing a charge on plastic bags at supermarkets.
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Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) since the deployment of L T A enforcement officers, how many complaints have been received and what action have been taken against these officers for misconduct; (b) what is the procedure to lodge a complaint against these officers; (c) what is the training given to these officers; and (d) whether the Ministry considers the temperament of the candidates before appointing them as enforcement officers.

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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 residents living there.

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Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Prime Minister in light of the securities fraud investigations relating to the "penny stock" case which have been ongoing for several years (a) how robust are Singapore's safeguards against such cases of fraud; and (b) how does the Commercial Affairs Department compare to equivalent bodies in other developed countries in terms of the level of staffing and resources devoted to detecting and investigating securities fraud.

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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.

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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.
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Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) how many teachers in primary and secondary schools currently give tuition after their working hours.

No.

27 8 NOVEMBER2016 5 *25.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what criteria will be used to determine whether a foreign entity gets a permit to engage in activities relating to a Speakers' Corner event.

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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 of the problem has been understood to arrive at the right solutions and action.

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Dr Chia Shi-Lu: To ask the Minister for National Development what checks and enforcement measurements are in place to ensure the welfare of animals being bred in our local pet farms and whether AVA has sufficient certified personnel to conduct these inspections.

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Mr MuraU 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.

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Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what are the reasons for the discontinuation since 1989 of subsidised stalls under the Government's hardship scheme in markets/hawker centres managed by NEA; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider reinstating this scheme.

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Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether the Ministry will consider scaling the application of the water conservation tax (WCT) for households such that there is no WCT imposed on a quantity of household water consumption deemed necessary for minimum hygiene standards.

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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 of the 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.

No.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Education (Schools) (a) what services or mechanisms are available to teachers to resolve disputes between parents and teachers; (b) how does the Ministry address work related stress faced by teachers; and (c) what services are available to teachers that cater to their psychological well-being.

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Mr Gao Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB can explore building concrete slabs over water tanks and pipes at the roof top of old HDB flats or other effective methods to cover the tanks and pipes to prevent them from being exposed under strong sunlight as a result of which water flowing out from the taps in the flats will not be overly hot for use.

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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.

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Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) how does the Ministry work with HDB to solve housing issues of single unwed mothers who are too well-off to qualify for a rental flat but too poor to buy a flat; (b) why does the Ministry believe that home ownership and not rental access is the better long-term solution to help families escape poverty; and (c) how does the Ministry help single mothers balance the financial trade-offs between working for more income versus having their rental go up once their income goes up.
No.27 8 NOVEMBER 2016 7 *39.

Mr Ong Teng Koon: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) to what extent the improvement in air quality this year can be attributed to the Trans boundary Haze Pollution Act; and (b) how can it be ensured that the problem does not resurface in future years.

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Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what is the impact on carpark provisions in the CBD when Golden Shoe Carpark is developed into an office building; and (b) whether the Ministry is revising the carpark provision guidelines of shopping centres and office buildings inside and outside the CBD.

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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.

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Dr Chia Shi-Lu: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the number of patients with diseases caused by smoking has fallen in the last three years; (b) whether the number of smokers, especially those aged 30 years and below, has decreased; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider reducing hospital subsidies for active smokers as a deterrent measure.

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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 MR T services to be seen as on par with other world class cities in respect of frequency of disruptions.
* 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.
I l No.27 8 NOVEMBER 2016 8 ORDERS OF THE DAY AND NOTICES OF MOTIONS (Those marked • are Orders of the Day) •1.

Constitution of (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

28/2016] -(Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security) the Republic of Singapore Resumption of Debate on Question (7 November 2016) "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.4 dated 8 November 2016.]
•2.

Credit Bureau Bill [Bill No.

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

•3.

•4.

•5.

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

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

Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

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

(Minister for Fire Safety (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

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

•6.

National Registration (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.


32/2016] -(Minister for Home Affairs)- Second Reading.

•7.

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.

No.

27 8 NOVEMBER 2016 9 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).
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 3 6 9 3 6 9 3 6 No.

27 8 NOVEMBER 2016 10 12.
Senior Minister of State (Ministry of Finance): GOVERNMENT SECURITIES: That this Parliament, in accordance with Article 144( 1 )(a) of the 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 QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER 1.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Prime Minister (a) from 2005 to 2015, how many Singaporeans renounced their citizenship each year; (b) what is the breakdown of the top five reasons for citizens wanting to emigrate each year as revealed through the mandatory questionnaire; (c) what is the breakdown of the top three reasons for the renunciation of Singapore citizenship each year, as revealed through the mandatory questionnaire; (d) whether the Government has done a thorough study to understand the reasons for renunciation of citizenship; and (e) what is being done to prevent such numbers from increasing.
2.

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Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider amending the law to make it mandatory for cyclists of electric/motorised bicycles or vehicles who are found guilty in accidents with pedestrians to pay compensation for the victim's medical fees.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) how many National Day Parade (NDP) tickets are up for balloting each year; (b) whether the Ministry will consider disallowing those who successfully balloted in one year from balloting the following year; and (c) whether there is any other measure explored so that more Singaporeans can watch NDP live at least once in their lifetime.