Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698831480291.pdf (Singapore)
THIRTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE SECOND SESSION ORDER PAPER WEDNESDAY, 4 MARCH 2020 No.

124 10.00 am 1 QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER *1.


Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) what lessons are learnt from the recent exit of UN Women from Singapore after 20 years of operations; (b) whether it is timely to review the 80/20 fundraising rule for charities given the global and interconnected nature of issues confronting societies; and (c) what efforts are being made to promote regional and international philanthropy.

*2.
Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Education what steps are taken to avoid discrimination on the basis of descent in our primary school admission system which gives preference to children of alumni, given that Article 16(1)(a) of our Constitution provides that "there shall be no discrimination against any citizen of Singapore on the grounds only of religion, race, descent or place of birth in the administration of any educational institution maintained by a public authority, and, in particular, the admission of pupils...".
*3.

Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry intends to delink the eligibility criteria of childcare subsidies from the mother's employment status and, if no, what is the rationale keeping employment status as a criterion.

*4.

Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry how resilient is Singapore's economy and supply chain in the face of crises such as the COVID-19 outbreak.

*5.
*5.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether, as part of economic defence, the Government has considered nurturing a certain amount of domestic manufacturing capacity for critical necessities in product categories like medical disposables.

No.

124 4 MARCH 2020 2 ORDER OF THE DAY 1. the financial year 1 April 2020 Estimates for (Paper Cmd.

24 of 2020) – Committee of Supply (Progress: 3 March 2020) (4th Allotted Day).
to 31 March 2021 Resumption of Debate on Question (3 March 2020) “That the total sum to be allocated for Head K of the Estimates be reduced by $100.” – (Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng).

[For amendments to be moved in the Committee of Supply, see Supplement No.

23 dated 28 February 2020.]

QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER 1.


Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Government will consider incentivising fathers to take their Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL) by providing additional leave to couples which can be used by either the mother or father where the father has consumed his full entitlement of GPPL.

2.
2.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will conduct independent environmental assessments and release regular reports to the public on the implementation and effectiveness of mitigation measures during the construction of the Cross Island MRT Line within and around the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

3.
3.

Assoc Prof Walter Theseira: To ask the Minister for Law in the last five years (a) how many applications have been made under the Guardianship of Infants Act; (b) how many applications have been made to assign guardianship to a person not biologically related to the child; and (c) under what circumstances are applications to assign guardianship to a person not biologically related generally approved.

4.
4.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information whether the Government is considering formulating regulations binding on artificial intelligence (AI) systems deployed locally so as to ensure the ethical and safe use of AI.

No.

124 4 MARCH 2020 3 5.


Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether there are any measures to assist the self-employed tourist excursion bus owners who are directly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak and whether the Point-to-Point Support Package can also be extended to them in some form.

6.
6.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry in respect of the target of 28,000 charging points for electric vehicles, whether the Ministry is evaluating battery-swapping as an alternative to charging.

7.
7.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development what percentages of public sector buildings, excluding schools, with air-conditioned floor areas of (i) at least 10,000 sqm and (ii) at least 5,000 sqm and less than 10,000 sqm, are respectively certified as BCA Green Mark Gold Plus and BCA Green Mark Gold.

8.
8.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development what steps will the Ministry take to encourage more primary schools, secondary schools, mixed-level schools, junior colleges and centralised institutes to achieve at least the BCA Green Mark Gold certification.

9.
9.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether the Ministry will consider creating a Singapore Carbon Agreement to facilitate the exchange of best practices for emission reductions across the 23 major sectors of Singapore's economy following the model of tripartite collaborations like the Singapore Packaging Agreement.

10.
10.

Assoc Prof Walter Theseira: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) whether, and to what extent, efforts are still being made to investigate the open cases against four companies under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act initiated in 2015; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider giving whistleblowers some financial incentives to provide information leading to successful investigation and prosecution.

11.
11.

Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Manpower in each year of the last three years (a) how many foreign domestic workers have been repatriated back to their home countries before finishing a two-year contract; (b) what are the top three reasons for their repatriation; and (c) how many of those repatriated are hired by an employer in Singapore within six months of their repatriation.

No.

124 4 MARCH 2020 4 12.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how many of the 30,000 or so Chinese workers returning to work in Singapore are in dormitory accommodation; and (b) what arrangements are in place to ensure that workers who are subject to Stay-Home Notices are effectively segregated from other workers who are not subject to the Notice, be it in their assigned rooms or in the use of common facilities in the dormitories such as bathrooms, canteens, shops, or recreational or open areas.

13.
13.

Ms Anthea Ong: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development since the shift of early intervention services from MSF Disability Office to Early Childhood Development Agency (a) how many children aged below 7 with developmental needs have been (i) declined for enrolments or (ii) expelled by preschools; and (b) how is the Early Childhood Development Agency supporting families with children with developmental needs secure preschool placements.