Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698830641618.pdf (Singapore)
THIRTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE SECOND SESSION ORDER PAPER MONDAY, 11 FEBRUARY 2019 No.

89 11.00 am 1 ( QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER* *1.


Mr Alex Yam Ziming: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) whether a safety time-out was called for all SAP training following the incident involving the late Corporal First Class (National Service) Aloysius Pang; (b) if not, why it was not called for; and (c) how the Ministry intends to reassure Singaporeans that safety in the SAP is paramount and is taken seriously following four training deaths in the last 16 months.

*2.
*2.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) how often are all safety manuals for training revised and updated across the Ministry; (b) how thorough is the safety orientation programme before the start of any field exercise; and (c) whether near-miss incidents due to safety lapses are reportable to superiors to plug any loopholes in the safety manuals.

( *3.
( *3.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) whether reservist NSmen are provided adequate refresher training before being deployed on missions or assigned tasks; (b) whether the SAP's safety manuals and programmes undergo review by external experts or industry panels to assess their adequacy; and (c) what has the Ministry done since the incidents over last two years to ensure the processes put in place have effectively address safety concerns and fulfil safety protocols.

*4.
Prof Fatimah Lateef: To ask the Minister for Defence in respect of the incident involving Corporal First Class (National Service) Aloysius Pang in New Zealand (a) whether there are stringent checklists for high risk operations and tasks, especially like the one the NSman was involved in; (b) whether there is practice and simulation training done to achieve competency before actual execution of these tasks; (c) whether these have been complied with in the aforementioned incident; and (d) how adequate is the level of supervision during such training and exercise.
No.

89 11 FEBRUARY2019 2 *5.

Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Defence how much training and preparation National Service reservists are put through to ensure that they are operationally ready before being deployed on assignments and missions.

*6.

Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) how often are the safety protocols and procedures of the SAF audited and assessed; and (b) whether these protocols and procedures are audited and assessed by any external or independent agencies.

*7.
*7.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Defence regarding the death of a national serviceman during training on 23 January 2019 (a) what is the cause of his death; (b) what is the status of the investigations; (c) how can processes be improved to reduce the probability of something similar happening in the future; and (d) how is safety in training balanced with the need to create realistic operational circumstances.

*8.
Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) whether there will be a review to examine the deeper reasons for the increase in the number of SAF training deaths in recent years; (b) whether the number of training incidents resulting in minor and major injuries has also increased in the last three years; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider enrolling other members of a family who have had an immediate family member die or become disabled as a result of National Service in a non-combat vocation.
*9.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) how many military training deaths have occurred in the past three years; (b) what is the Ministry doing to address any effect on the confidence and morale of our NSmen and their families; and (c) how many officers and men were disciplined in the past three years on safety lapses during training.

*10.
Ms Irene Quay Siew Ching: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) whether the Ministry will conduct annual anonymised safety culture surveys on SAF soldiers to understand safety concerns experienced by soldiers of all ranks; (b) with the army safety hotline set up since 2011, what are the initiatives to promote reporting and whether the current number of 50 calls a year is benchmarked with countries of similar military and operational standards; (c) whether there is formal training given to SAF soldiers on the technique of speaking up and formal training to given commanders on creating a safe culture for speaking up; and (d) whether a clear distinction between speaking up or refusing to obey an unsafe command and insubordination can be laid out.
*11.

Assoc Prof Daniel Gob Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Defence whether NSmen go through adequate training and safety refresher courses immediately before participating in exercises and whether these courses need improvement.

No.89 II FEBRUARY 20I9 3 *12.


Assoc Prof Daniel Gob Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Defence whether the design of the Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer will be reviewed to determine possible flaws contributing to the accident and death of Corporal First Class (National Service) Aloysius Pang.

*13.
*13.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) what is the cause of the accident resulting in the death of a national serviceman on 23 January 20 19; (b) whether there are systemic similarities with the other NS training incidents over the last 18 months; and (c) what are the measures being put in place to prevent future occurrences.

*14.
*14.

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Defence what is the scope of the safety review announced by the Ministry in the aftermath of the accident involving the late Corporal First Class (National Service) Aloysius Pang and how does it differ from previous safety reviews announced after major incidents involving SAF personnel.

· *15.
· *15.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) whether any common causative factors can be discerned in the deaths ofNSFs and NSmen over the past 18 months, by way of root cause analysis; and (b) whether any systemic changes in policy, guidelines or approaches to training will be undertaken to address the root causes of these training deaths.

*16.
*16.

Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) whether the safety protocols and procedures are the same and apply as stringently for both NSFs and NSmen; (b) whether additional safety considerations and measures are in place for NSmen due to their time away from active training; and (c) when was the last time SAF conducted a comprehensive review of its safety culture, ang whether a new review is necessary.

*17.
*17.

Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Defence whether the Ministry will consider building a small memorial to recognise all our national servicemen who lost their lives during service since the introduction ofNational Service more than five decades ago.

( .

( .

*18.
( .

( .

*18.

Mr Mohamed Irshad: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) how many cases of ragging have been reported in the SAF in the past five years; (b) whether the Ministry has taken measures to strengthen training on risk management and workplace safety in the SAF; and (c) whether there are any reward schemes to recognise positive behaviours demonstrated by officers who show care for fellow colleagues.

I ,I No.

89 11 FEBRUARY 2019 4 *19.


Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Defence when the Primus Self Propelled Howitzer gun barrel is being lowered either while operated by its crew or when the repair/maintenance crew are on board, whether the existing training, operation and safety manuals, including standard operating procedures, do expressly provide for (i) specific and safe deployment positions for personnel in the cabin and (ii) specific instructions for personnel to stay clear of the gun barrel.
~ !

I i l *20.

Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) what are the psychosocial support systems in place for NSmen and NSFs to augment SAF's safety culture; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider mental health first-aid training for all military supervisors so they can better support their men in times of distress and crisis.

(~ I *21.
(~ I *21.

Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Health to what extent should informed consent for minor medical procedures be sought from patients that will be considered reasonably detailed and effective and not lead to the practice of defensive medicine and drive up costs.

*22.
*22.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Health in respect of the recent imposition of a $100,000 fine on an orthopaedic doctor (a) whether this will result in more instances of "defensive medicine"; (b) whether there will be an impact on medical costs as a result of doctors paying more for litigation insurance; and (c) how will the Ministry work with the Singapore Medical Council to reassure doctors that only egregious cases will attract heavy penalties.

*23.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Health in respect of the recent action against a doctor for not informing his patient on the side effect of a minor medical procedure and the online petition by doctors for a review of the disciplinary action by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) (a) what is the Ministry's position on the SMC ruling and its response to the petition; (b) what is the impact on clinical practice in Singapore if it is now mandatory for a doctor to outline and get the consent of a patient for every possible side effect and potential complications of a drug or treatment procedure; and (c) what is the impact of this requirement on medical costs and treatment.
No.

89 11 FEBRUARY 2019 5 *24.
Ms Irene Quay Siew Ching: To ask the Minister for Health with regard to the fine meted out by the Singapore Medical Council on a surgeon for not informing his patient of the side effect of a medical procedure (a) whether the penalty is commensurate with similar cases in the past, and if there were extenuating circumstances for these cases; (b) whether the penalty meted out will (i) result in a shift of such procedures back to the hospitals and impact patients' accessibility of care and (ii) impact the future practice of medicine and overall healthcare costs in the long run; and' (c) how do we define material information that patients need to be informed of under the modified Montgomery test.
*25.

Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider having all GCE examination papers to be prepared and marked locally to minimise the risk associated with having the papers shipped and marked overseas.

*26.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: To ask the Minister for Education what are the Ministry's plans in ensuring the safety and integrity of our GCE examination scripts that are sent to the United Kingdom or other overseas marking centres.

*27.
*27.

Prof Lim Sun Sun: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry has considered having the GCE "0" and "A" Level exams bee-exams where students key in answers via the computer, or to have written answer scripts be scanned and graded electronically so as to avoid situations ofloss or tampering.

*28.
*28.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is the timeline for the Ministry's plans to introduce electronic marking of GCE "0" and "A" Level examination scripts and whether the plans will be brought forward; (b) what action is the Ministry taking to prevent a recurrence of stolen or lost scripts including any mitigation action to be taken now pending any change of marking methods in future.

( *29.
Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Education with regard to GCE "N", "0" and "A" Levels examinations (a) whether examination scripts of all subjects will be scanned, digitalised and marked onscreen by the end of2019 or will some subjects be exempted; (b) whether any overseas examination boards have conducted e-exams for examinations of similar level; (c) whether the Ministry has conducted trials or is conducting trials for holding e-exams for some subjects; and (d) whether schools and students are currently equipped to conduct and complete examinations digitally.
No.

89 11 FEBRUARY 2019 6 *30.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) what is the status ofthe Postal Quality of Service framework review; (b) how many complaints has Singpost received about missing mails in the past year; and (c) how many of these missing mail cases have been resolved.

*31.
*31.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) in the past 36 months, how many complaints have been received on misuse of failed postal delivery notices when recipients are home; and (b) whether IMDA investigates these complaints to ensure compliance of the Postal Quality of Service framework.

*32.
*32.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Manpower what safeguard can be provided to employers of foreign domestic workers (FDWs) who are required by employment agencies to make advance payment of the FDW's monthly salary purportedly to settle loans or outstanding dues owed by the domestic workers to foreign parties.

*33.
*33.

Ms Irene Quay Siew Ching: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether BCA has plans to mandate child-proof pool fences in private swimming pools in view of the increasing number of near-drowning cases involving children and 10 deaths reported in KK Women's and Children's Hospital from 2011 to 2015; and (b) what are the measures taken by BCA over the years to improve the safety of private swimming pools.

*34.
*34.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will consider making Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) mandatory for all construction works near national parks or nature reserves and making such EIA reports publicly available.

*35.
*35.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development over the past five years, how many cases have been reported of working adults who have faced short-term family support challenges such as taking care of young sick children or elderly sick parents who cannot be left in childcare centres or nursing homes respectively.

*36.
*36.

Dr lntan Azura Mokhtar: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development in the last five years (a) how many cases of child abuse and elder abuse respectively have been reported annually; (b) what are the common types of abuse inflicted on these children and elderly victims; and (c) what are the common types of familial relationship the perpetrators have with the victims.

I I No.

89 11 FEBRUARY 2019 7 *37.


Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what are the median, lowest and highest rental fees for hawker stalls managed by NEA and social enterprises respectively; and (b) whether the Ministry can provide the breakdown, in percentage terms, of the operating expenses for hawker stalls operated under these two different management models.

*38.
*38.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what are the considerations that led to the identification of the industrial area along Bukit Batok Street 23 as one of the four funeral parlour sites to be developed in the next 10 years; and (b) what are the mitigation measures that will be put in place to minimise the impact on residents living nearby.

*39.
*39.

Prof Fatimah Lateef: To ask the Minister for Environment and Water Resources & Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs in view of the recent restriction order meted out to a former religious teacher recognised under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (a) how is MUIS reviewing the Scheme; and (b) whether there will be newer domains for consideration, provisional periods of observation and compulsory face-to-face interviews before final approval of applications under the Scheme.

*40.
*40.

Mr Mohamed Irshad: To ask the Minister for Environment and Water Resources & Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) what safeguards are in place ensure that the religious teachers who are accredited under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) do not hold radical views; (b) whether there are mechanisms to periodically review and renew the ARS accreditation; and (c) whether there is an independent oversight body to review the ARS accreditation.

*41.
*41.

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what is the Ministry's assessment of the vulnerability of Singapore companies with significant investments in China as China witnesses its weakest GDP growth in 28 years.

*42.

Mr Ong Teng Koon: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Ministry will consider legislation to prevent professional scalpers from profiteering by reselling overpriced tickets of concerts and sports events to genuine consumers.

*43.
*43.

Mr Gao Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Thomson-East Coast MRT Line will be operational ahead of schedule; and (b) whether an extension can be made for the Line to connect to Pasir Ris and Punggol to provide additional conveniences and connectivity to residents from the north east.

No.

89 11 FEBRUARY2019 8 *44.


Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Transport in respect of the latest Terrorism Threat Assessment Report (a) what is the threat level for public transport facilities in Singapore; and (b) whether LTA will consider increasing public education efforts to better prepare both public transport workers and commuters on what to do in a security incident at a public transport facility.

*45.
*45.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Prime Minister what measures are being taken to ensure that (i) the minimisation of the risk that SGX-listed companies experience a sudden deterioration in financial viability and (ii) SGXRegCo is sufficiently resourced to discharge its obligations.

*46.
*46.

Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether the Smart Nation narrative includes a Smart Giving Nation narrative as part of our aspiration to be a caring, inclusive and resilient society; and (b) if so, how has the Smart Nation blueprint and architecture been planned to support the vulnerable groups as well as to integrate with social sector agencies and giving platforms.

*47.
*47.

Ms Yip Pin Xiu: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether the Ministry will consider providing more support to athletes who are about to retire from sports as the transition out of high performance sports is difficult in many ways; and (b) what more can be done for these athletes, both mentally and professionally, to ease their transition from their careers as sportsmen to the workforce.

*48.
*48.

Ms Yip Pin Xiu: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is the current ratio of allied educators (AEDs) to students in each school; (b) what are the types of training and resources made accessible to these AEDs; (c) in 2018, how many students required the help of an AED and how were these students identified; and (d) whether the Ministry has plans to increase the number of AEDs in our schools.

( *49.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether there are standard operating procedures or guidelines for teaching staff in dealing with situations involving parents of children who are divorced or are undergoing divorce; (b) whether there are specific guidelines for situations where there are disagreements or disputes between parents in respect of the arrangements for the child in school; and (c) whether there is training for the teaching staff to guide them to handle such situations.

*50.
*50.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Education whether there are guidelines for teaching staff to handle problems arising from the Parents Gateway mobile app being accessible by both parents, such as disputes between parents relating to the arrangements for their child.

No.

89 II FEBRUARY 20I9 9 *51.


Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the percentage of Singapore Prison officers re-employed at retirement; (b) what is the average length of re-employment; (c) whether there are adjustments to wages and benefits for the re-employed officers; and (d) how can trained prison officers be re-deployed at retirement to manage lock-up or remand duties within the other Home Team agencies.

*52.
*52.

Mr Pug Eng Huat: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the number of stateless residents living in Singapore as ofJanuary 2019; (b) out of this group of residents, how many are stateless permanent residents; and (c) what is the Government's roadmap to help this shrinking group of residents to attain their citizenship.

*53.
*53.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the total number of complaints received in the past three years regarding the use of images without authorisation or permission on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat; and (b) whether there are any plans to enact laws to regulate such use when images are misappropriated and used to offend or insult the modesty of a woman in light of the emergence of accounts like SgJCBabes.

*54.
*54.

Mr Gao Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Government can incentivise and support employers to encourage their employees to take part in meaningful exercises every day for the long-term health benefit of employees.

*55.
*55.

Mr Aug Bin Kee: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the female workforce participation rate over the past three years; (b) what percentage of the female workforce are free lancers; (c) what are the key challenges faced by women who wish to seek employment or who prefer freelance work; and (d) what are the Ministry's plans to raise the female workforce participation rate.

*56.
*56.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider drawing up a list of SkillsFuture courses for seniors whereby they can attend with one younger family member to help them in their leamingjoumeys.

*57.
*57.

Mr Ong Teng Koon: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider increasing Government funding for Special Education (SPED) schools in order to expand the means test criteria for the scheme so as to help families cope with the educational expenses of raising children with special needs.

No.89 11 FEBRUARY 2019 10 *58.


Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider a campaign to guide our seniors on proper eyesight care and exercises that can prevent dizziness which is a common cause of falls.

*59.
Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for Health (a) in the past two years, what is the annual average number of times an elderly person above 60 years of age visits a polyclinic or CHAS clinic for outpatient or specialist treatment; (b) what is the basis for setting the Medisave withdrawal limit at $500 per year for outpatient treatment under the Chronic Disease Management Programme and $200 withdrawal limit per year under Flexi-Medisave for the elderly; and (c) whether a higher Medisave withdrawal limit can be set for outpatient treatment by elderly patients based on their Medisave savings.
*60.
Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) in the last three years, what is the number of fires that have been reported involving external industrial kitchen exhaust ducts installed in HDB commercial premises; (b) what measures are being taken byHDB to ensure that these ducts are serviced properly and regularly based on the nature of usage; and (c) what is the number of cases where HDB has taken action against property owners for failing to comply with the mandatory and proper maintenance of these external ducts in the last three years.
*61.

Mr Ang Bin Kee: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether he can provide an update on the take-up rate for parking.sg since its implementation in October 2017; (b) what is the app utilisation rate versus use of coupons; (c) whether there are plans to allow for other payment platforms such as PayNow apart from credit card; and (d) whether there are plans to promote the app to more drivers.

*62.
*62.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether the Ministry will mandate developers, building owners and HDB to provide enclosed smoking rooms or pavilions in a precinct/HDB cluster, similar to what is provided in some airports and Japan, for smokers to smoke within the room and ensure that the smoke will not get into common areas affecting non-smokers.

*63.
*63.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether NEA can provide more assistance to hawker associations to eradicate the nuisance of pigeons and crows at hawker centres.

*64.
*64.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what are the demographics of the employees, including gender breakdown, in the energy and petrochemical sector; (b) what are the life-long learning opportunities in this sector; and (c) what is the Ministry doing to encourage more young Singaporeans to take an interest in this sector.

No.89 11 FEBRUARY 2019 11 *65.


Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the extent of the power failure on the afternoon of26 January 2019; (b) what are the reasons for the failure; (c) what has been the trend in occurrences of such power failures in the past five years; and (d) what steps are being taken to minimise such failures going forward.

*66.
*66.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) over the past three years, what is the number of road accidents that have occurred at Newton Circus and its adjoining lanes; and (b) how can such road accidents be prevented with better road safety measures.

*67.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister forTransport whether the Ministry will consider introducing regulations to facilitate hassle-free compensation by Singapore air operators to airline travellers for significant flight delays.
*68.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will introduce a licensing requirement for pet boarding businesses in addition to the standards and best practices listed in the Code of Animal Welfare (for the Pet Industry).

*69.
*69.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what percentage of shark's fin shipments undergo sampling and DNA analysis to ensure that the species declarations are accurate; (b) for each year in the past five years, how many cases of false declarations were detected; and (c) whether there are plans to introduce a mandatory labelling scheme for all shark products specifying the species of shark.

*70.
*70.

Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will allow a second five-year extension of the Certificate of Entitlement if the vehicle is in good condition and has a track record of proper maintenance.

*71.
*71.

Assoc Prof Walter Theseira: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what is the currently projected share or range of operating costs for the Thomson-East Coast MRT Line that is expected to be covered by fare revenues versus by Government grants and subsidies; and (b) in light of the financial difficulties faced by operators of the existing MR T Lines, what share or range of operating costs for these lines are expected to be covered by existing operators versus by Government grants and subsidies.

No.
No.

89 II FEBRUARY 20I9 I2 *72.

Mr Ang ffin Kee: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether he can provide an update on the status of the digital TV (DTV) conversion till date including key learning points from this exercise; and (b) what are the challenges raised by households who have yet to switch to DTV and what kind of assistance will be available to these households.

*73.
*73.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Defence for NSmen who have been injured during in-camp training, exercises or other Operationally Ready National Service (ORNS) duties (a) what is the length oftime for which SAF will provide medical treatment or reimbursement for civilian medical treatment; and (b) how does SAF compensate injured NSmen for loss of earnings where medical treatment or medical leave is extended beyond the call up days under their SAF 100.

( *74.
( *74.

Mr Saktiandi Snpaat: To ask the Minister for Education (a) how many ITE graduates who took courses related to the energy and petrochemical sector internship found employment in this sector; (b) how accessible are opportunities for ITE students; (c) how are Government agencies working with ITE to help more Singaporeans obtain long-term employment in this sector; and (d) what is the status of the enrolment of courses run by the International Trading Institute of Singapore Management University.

*75.
*75.

Mr Saktiandi Snpaat: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in the past three years, how many inmates who are released from prison have homes to return to; (b) what solutions are there for those who do not have a place to stay; and (c) whether the Ministry works with the Singapore Prison Service to coordinate interim housing for former inmates.

*76.
*76.

Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Manpower what steps is the Ministry taking to (i) leverage the investment and efforts by Workforce Singapore to include and integrate unemployed but employable persons with disabilities into the Singapore core and (ii) advise and collaborate with social sector agencies to ensure that persons with disabilities are prepared adequately for the future economy to prevent them from further marginalisation.

*77.
*77.

Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for National Development in respect of HDB's Lease Buyback Scheme (a) whether the flat owner is required to use the proceeds to return the CPF amount used to purchase the flat before the net proceeds are used to top up the owner's CPF Retirement Account; and (b) whether HDB will consider allowing flat owners in need to receive half of the proceeds from the Lease Buyback Scheme in cash.

No.89 11 FEBRUARY 2019 13 *78.


Mr Mohamed Irshad: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what efforts are being undertaken to cool our island in light of rapidly rising temperatures; (b) whether the Ministry has considered using latest technologies such as thermal insulation coating to paint our buildings to reduce temperatures and keep the buildings cool; and (c) what measures are in place to reduce overall energy consumption in Singapore in the face of such rising temperatures.
* 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.

MINISTERIAL STATEMENT 1.


Minister for Defence: National Service Training Deaths and Safety Enhancements for the SAF.

AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF PUBLIC BUSINESS Introduction of Government Bills 1.

Minister for Home Affairs: Criminal Law Reform Bill.

2.

Minister for Law: Criminal Procedure Code (Amendment) Bill.

No.89 11 FEBRUARY 2019 14 Business Motion 1.


Minister for Trade and Industry: SIMULTANEOUS DEBATE ON MOTIONS: That, notwithstanding the Standing Orders, the motion on Ageing with Purpose and the motion on Support for Caregivers be taken jointly and the debate on these motions be proceeded with simultaneously as though the debate were on a single motion.
ORDERS OF THE DAY AND NOTICES OF MOTIONS ( (Those marked • are Orders ofthe Day) Precious Stones and Precious Metals (Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing) Bill [Bill No.

1/2019] -(Minister for Law)- Second Reading.

Tobacco [Bill No.

3/2019]- (Minister for Health)- Second Reading.

(Control of Advertisements and Sale) (Amendment) Bill Traditional Chinese Medicine [Bill No.

2/2019]- (Minister for Health)- Second Reading.


Practitioners (Amendment) Bill Singapore Food Agency Bill [Bill No.

5/2019]- (Minister for the Environment and Water Resources) - Second Reading.

•1.

•2.

•3.

•4.

•5.

National Parks Board (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

4/2019] - (Minister for National Development)- Second Reading.

6.
6.

Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry (Nee Soon) Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling (Fengshan) Miss Cheng Li Hoi (Tampines) Dr Lily Neo (Jalan Besar) Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar) Ms Rahayu Mahzam (Jurong): AGEING WITH PURPOSE: That this House calls for a whole of Singapore effort to ensure that Singaporeans are able to age with purpose and dignity, stay healthy and connected, and be fmancially stable to look forward to their years ~~ 2 4 No.89 11 FEBRUARY 2019 15 7.
Dr Chia Shi-Lu (Tanjong Pagar) Mr Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah) Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok) Dr Lily Neo (Jalan Besar) Ms Tin Pei Ling (MacPherson): SUPPORT FOR CAREGIVERS: That this House recognises, given our rapidly ageing population, the important role that caregivers play in helping our Singaporeans age with dignity, and calls on the Government and the community to continue strengthening support for caregivers.
2 4 MEMORANDUM Matter proposed to be raised on the Motion for the Adjournment (SO 2(8)(b) ).

Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied) National Service - Balancing Operational Readiness, Safety and the Will to Fight.

QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWERS 1.

2.

3.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether there plans to encourage the take-up of third-party liability insurance among PMD users; and (b) whether the Ministry has engaged with the insurance industry to explore this.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Ministry has carried out studies to determine the extent of the increase of all types of vehicular traffic arising from e-commerce and food deliveries in the past three years and its implications on our roads, road usage and the Government's plans; (b) ifyes, whether the Government can share its findings with the public; and (c) if no, whether the Government will consider doing such a study.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport for 2018, what is the Mean Kilometres Between Failure (MKBF) for (i) the North-South Line (ii) the East-West Line (iii) the Circle Line (iv) North-East Line and (v) the Downtown Line respectively.

No.89 11 FEBRUARY 2019 16 4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.


Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the number of bicycle thefts in the last three years; (b) to date, how many bicycle owners have signed up to join the Bicycle Security Label initiative that was implemented in 2011 to tackle bicycle thefts; and (c) whether the Bicycle Security Label is still issued by the police as part of its theft prevention initiative and, if not, why has it been discontinued.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs over the past five years, how many drivers between the age of 18 and 21 as well as probationary drivers have been arrested for the offence of drink driving.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in 2017 and 2018, how many complaints have been received about speeding vehicles at Upper Bukit Timah Road particularly at night along the stretch outside Springdale and Southaven (1 & II) condominiums; (b) how many accidents · have occurred at this stretch of the road; (c) what enforcement action or preventive effort has been made to reduce speeding at this stretch of the road; and (d) whether speed cameras will be installed to reduce the instances of driving above the speed limit.
( ProfFatimah Lateef: To ask the Minister for Health what are the top three reasons for the continuing increase in MediFund utilisation apart from an ageing population.
Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health in light of more skin cancer patients under the age of 50 (a) what is being done to protect soldiers and students exposed to long hours under the sun; and (b) whether there are studies done to monitor these groups of persons as they advance to their 30s and 40s and who may fall victim to skin cancer because of their exposure to ultraviolet light.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Health whether the teeth whitening products sold online are safe for use and whether there are any regulations governing the online sale of these products.

10.
10.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Health (a) in the past three years, what is the number of cases of home-based salons providing dental services such as dental veneers and teeth whitening; (b) what actions have been taken against these offenders; and (c) whether there are any plans to educate the public against going to such home-based salons for dental services.

No.89 11 FEBRUARY 2019 17 11.


Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Health in each of the past five years, what has been the usage rate of Automatic External Defibrilators (AEDs) installed in public places.

12.

ProfFatimah Lateef: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community andY outh (a) whether there will be a renewal of the Active SG credits once these have been completely utilised; and (b) if so, whether there will be changes in the terms and conditions of use.

13.
13.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how will Singapore be impacted by a no-deal Brexit; and (b) how will Brexit affect the rectification and implementation of the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.

14.

15.
14.

15.

Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the unusual divergence in price trends for private homes and HDB resale flats in 2018 is caused by concerns regarding leasehold decay and depreciation of ageing HDB flats; and (b) whether the divergence is a cause for concern if it is not arrested.
Prof Fatimah Lateef: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources in light of incidents of food poisoning and hygiene issues at food premises, whether there will be any added surveillance and action to be taken for less permanent establishments such as pop-up food stalls, fun fair stalls selling food, night market food stalls and bazaar food stalls.

16.
16.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources in light of increasing food waste in Singapore (a) how can we engage community and partners through enhancing internal processes, public education, and partnerships to reduce food wastage; and (b) what more can be done specifically in homes, schools, workplaces and food and beverage establishments where food waste is most common.

17.
17.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources in the past five years, what proportion of food safety and hygiene checks performed on food service operators and caterers have been unannounced checks.

18.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Education for each year in the past five years, what is the number of students entering the (i) Normal (Technical) (ii) Normal (Academic) and (iii) Express streams respectively.

No.

89 11 FEBRUARY 2019 18 19.


Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Education (a) in 2018, what is the total number of students in schools and institutes of higher learning who sought help with counsellors due to stress and anxiety; and (b) what is the current student-counsellor ratio in each school.

20.
20.

Assoc Prof Walter Theseira: To ask the Minister for Education what is the breakdown of the number of local and foreign academics, PhD students, non faculty research staff and non-faculty teaching staff in our autonomous universities by age group, academic discipline and academic rank/position respectively.

21.
21.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the (" CPF Board can allow withdrawals after an account holder reaches 55 years of age for their payment of annual premiums of endowment policies which will go back to CPF upon maturity.

22.
22.

MrPngEngHuat: To ask the Minister for Manpower as of January 2019 (a) what is the number of members who have reached their CPF Withdrawal Limit for their properties and are using other means to service their housing mortgages; and (b) what is the number of CPF members who appealed to use their Special and/or Retirement Accounts to help service their properties and of this number, how many have been given approval to do so.

23.
23.

Assoc Prof Walter Theseira: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry has studied allowing greater flexibility for eligible CPF members in choosing monthly payout amounts, such as deferring a portion of their monthly payout, to allow members to tailor CPF payouts to their changing incomes and expenditures as they age; (b) if so, what are the results of such studies; and (c) what are the policy considerations involved in allowing such greater flexibility.

( 24.
( 24.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry will consider increasing the manpower in social service offices as they take on the enhanced role of coordinating with all the community organisations to provide holistic help to families and individuals in distress.

25.
25.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether working mothers who have been receiving childcare subsidies can continue to receive the same level of subsidies for up to three months without being subjected to a case-by-case review when they become unemployed and are looking for a new job in the interim; and (b) under what circumstances do current case-by-case reviews reject such appeals.

No.

89 26.
No.

89 26.

11 FEBRUARY 2019 19 Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the total number of social enterprises (SEs) last year; (b) how many of these SEs are registering revenues of more than $150,000; (c) how many SEs are more than three years old; and (d) what has been the impact of SEs on the social sector in the same period.

(~ 2019 S.L.

560 S.L.

561 S.L.

562 S.L.

563 S.L.

564 S.L.

565 S.L.

566 S.L.


567 PAPERS PRESENTED Central Provident Fund Employed Persons) Regulations 2018 (Self (Amendment) (Public Central Provident Fund Sector Employees) (Amendment No.

2) Regulations 2018 (New Central Provident Fund Retirement Scheme) Sum (Amendment No.
2) Regulations 2018 Air Navigation Operating Rules) Regulations 2018 - General (91 Air Navigation Operating Rules) Regulations 2018 (91 - General (Amendment) - General Air Navigation Operating Rules) (Amendment No.

2) Regulations 2018 (91 Air Navigation Operations) Regulations 20 18 (98 - Special Air Navigation Operations) Regulations 20 18 (98 - Special (Amendment) S.L.
568 Air Navigation (119- Air Operator Certification) Regulations 2018· Date Presented 16 January 2019 16 January 2019 16 January 2019 16 January 2019 16 January 2019 16 January 2019 16 January 2019 16 January 2019 16 January 2019 No.89 II FEBRUARY 20I9 20 PAPERS PRESENTED -continued 2019 S.L.

569 S.L.

570 S.L.

571 S.L.

572 S.L.

573 S.L.

574 S.L.

575 S.L.

576 S.L.


577 Air Navigation (I2I - Commercial Air Transport by Large Aeroplanes) Regulations 2018 Air Navigation (I21 - Commercial Air Transport by Large Aeroplanes) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 Air Navigation (12I - Commercial Air Transport by Large Aeroplanes) (Amendment No.
2) Regulations 20I8 Air Navigation (I25 - Complex General Aviation) Regulations 2018 Air Navigation (I25 - Complex General Aviation) (Amendment) Regulations 20 18 Air Navigation (I25 - Complex General Aviation) (Amendment No.
2) Regulations 2018 Air Navigation (135 - Commercial Air Transport by Helicopters and Small Aeroplanes) Regulations 20I8 Air Navigation (135 - Commercial Air Transport by Helicopters and Small Aeroplanes) (Amendment) Regulations 20 18 Air Navigation (135 - Commercial Air Transport by Helicopters and Small Aeroplanes) (Amendment No.

2) Regulations 2018 .

S.L.


578 Air Navigation (137- Aerial Work) Regulations 20 I8 Date Presented 16 January 2019 16 January 2019 c·· 16 January 2019 16 January 2019 16 January 2019 16 January 2019 16 January 2019 16 January 2019 16 January 2019 16 January 2019 No.

89 11 FEBRUARY 2019 21 PAPERS PRESENTED -continued 2019 S.L.

579 Air Navigation (137- Aerial Work) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 S.L.

580 Road Traffic (Bicycles - Construction and Use) (Revocation) Rules 2018 Pres.
Co. 117 Report of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights on the Payment Services Bill [Bill No 48/2018] Pres.

Co. 118 Pres.

Co. 119 Pres.

Co. 120 Pres.
Co. 121 Report of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights on the Merchant Shipping (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill [Bill No 49/2018] Report of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights on the Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill [Bill No 50/2018] Report of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights on the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill [Bill No 51/2018] Report of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights on the Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Bill [Bill No 52/2018] Pres.
Co. 122 Report of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights on the Currency (Amendment) Bill [Bill No 53/2018] S.L.

581 Health Products (Cosmetic Products - A SEAN Cosmetic Directive) (Amendment) Regulations 2019 Date Presented 16 January 2019 18 January 2019 23 January 2019 23 January2019 23 January 2019 23 January 2019 23 January 2019 23 January 2019 25 January 2019 No.

89 11 FEBRUARY 2019 22 PAPERS PRESENTED - continued 2019 S.L.

582 S.L.
582 S.L.

583 Smoking Places) Regulations 20 18 (Prohibition in Certain Date Presented 29 January 2019 Road Traffic (Collection of Toll at Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints) (Amendment) Rules 2019 30 January 2019 - ( \ S.L.

584 Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Seat Belts) (Amendment) Rules 2019 30 January 2019 Pari.

17 Third Report of the Public Accounts Committee 31 January 2019 S.L.

585 Active Mobility Registrable Devices) Regulations 2019 (Registration of Personal Mobility S.L.
586 Active Mobility (Amendment) Regulations 2019 (Enforcement) S.L.

587 Active Mobility Regulations 2018 (Amendment) S.L.

588 Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2019 31 January 2019 31 January 2019 31 January 2019 4 February 2019