Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698078974861.pdf (Singapore)
FOURTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE ___________________ FIRST SESSION ___________________ ORDER PAPER MONDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 No.

67 12.30 pm 1 QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER* *1.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Manpower with the launch of the Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass (a) how does the Ministry ensure that Singaporeans continue to get access to senior level jobs; and (b) how will the Ministry prevent abuse of such work passes by applicants.

*2.
*2.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Manpower how will the new Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass benefit Singapore and Singaporeans.

*3.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Manpower what is the rationale for the relaxation of the eligible criteria for the Employment Pass and Fair Consideration Framework.

*4.
*4.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what will make the Overseas Networks and Expertise (ONE) Pass more attractive to foreign talent than the Tech.Pass; and (b) why are the dependants of ONE Pass holders able to work in Singapore on a Letter of Consent instead of being assessed based on their own merits.

*5.
*5.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Manpower in view that an Overseas Networks and Expertise (ONE) Pass holder is allowed to work at multiple companies (a) whether such Pass holder can work as a freelancer or must be employed by a company; (b) whether the multiple companies are required to be Singapore-based; and (c) whether the fixed monthly salary of at least $30,000 for the ONE Pass holder is shared among the multiple companies.

No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 2 *6.


Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how will the enhancements to the work pass framework benefit Singapore workers, especially the Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass; and (b) in the past 12 months, what is the number of jobs with salaries exceeding $10,000 per month that are advertised on MyCareersFuture under the Fair Consideration Framework that are eventually filled, broken down by Singaporeans and non- Singaporeans.

*7.
*7.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Manpower regarding the new Overseas Networks and Expertise (ONE) Pass (a) what is the maximum number of companies that a ONE Pass holder may work for; (b) whether the minimum monthly salary of $30,000 is an aggregate of the salaries from the multiple companies that the pass holder is employed in; and (c) if so, what is the minimum salary that the pass holder must receive from each company.

*8.
*8.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Manpower in relation to the newly announced Overseas Networks and Expertise (ONE) Pass (a) whether there is any target or projections on how many applicants will be granted the ONE Pass annually; (b) if so, what are these target or projected numbers; and (c) whether there will be enhanced or stepped up checks on applicants for ONE Pass to ensure the veracity of information provided during the application process.

*9.
*9.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Manpower how will the Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass scheme enhance the Singaporean leadership bench strength and align with the policy to build the Singaporean core and complementarity of foreign manpower.

*10.
*10.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what are the planned promotional, awareness-raising activities or channels to promote the Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass; (b) which agencies will be in charge of these activities; (c) what is the timeline for such activities; and (d) what is the annual budget proposed to be allocated to these activities.

*11.
*11.

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether any studies have been carried out on the number of Overseas Networks and Expertise (ONE) Passes the Ministry intends to issue particularly with regard to the impact on job opportunities for Singaporeans; and (b) what are the objective criteria set for the issuance of the ONE Pass to individuals who do not meet the $30,000 per month salary threshold.

*12.
*12.

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Manpower what is the Ministry’s consideration for exempting the top 10% of Employment Pass holders from the Fair Consideration Framework job advertising requirement and the Complementarity Assessment Framework.

No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 3 *13.


Mr Mohd Fahmi Bin Aliman: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how does the Ministry define the criterion of “outstanding achievements” for the Overseas Networks and Expertise (ONE) Pass; (b) how will the Ministry assess whether an applicant meets this criterion in the eligible areas; and (c) whether the Ministry intends to limit the number of ONE Passes issued annually.

*14.
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Manpower in light of the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) job advertising duration requirement reverting to 14 days from 28 days from 1 September 2022 (a) what is the percentage of successful hires from job listings for the period 1 October 2020 to 31 August 2022 compared to the period before the extension; (b) what is the number of job applications received during the 28- day job advertising period, broken down by the number of days since the job listing; and (c) what is the average number of applicants shortlisted for an interview for work pass applications that are deemed to have fulfilled the FCF requirements.
*15.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether there are measures to help Singapore companies develop more Singaporeans, instead of relying on foreign talent, to helm leadership positions and, if so, what are they.

*16.
*16.

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Manpower what are some of the considerations for (i) not imposing a time limit requiring eligible Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass applicants to remain employed and (ii) allowing their spouses to work in Singapore on a Letter of Consent without having to meet other work pass requirements.

*17.
*17.

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how many of the existing Employment Pass holders will meet the eligibility criteria for the Overseas Networks and Expertise (ONE) Pass; and (b) how many (i) Singapore citizens and (ii) permanent residents are in direct competition with eligible ONE Pass holders for jobs respectively.

*18.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Manpower with regard to the newly launched Overseas Networks and Expertise (ONE) Pass (a) whether there are measures in place to ensure that Singaporeans are not disadvantaged as the ONE Pass allows eligible persons to work for multiple companies in Singapore at any one time and, if so, what are they; and (b) whether measures have been taken to enhance our systems and processes to prevent fraudulent ONE pass applications from taking place and, if so, what are they.
No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 4 *19.
Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether regular assessments are conducted under the Hoarding Management Framework (HMF) to ensure that housing units of those assessed to be a threat to public health and safety under the framework do not pose as fire hazards to themselves and their neighbours; and (b) whether the current set of standard operating procedures under the HMF is adequate in ensuring that these housing units do not become a source of fire hazard.

*20.
*20.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether an update can be provided on the implementation of the Hoarding Management Framework; and (b) whether it has reduced the number of reported hoarding cases in the last two years.

the effectiveness of *21.


Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for National Development in view of the recent spate of home fires in HDB estates, whether HDB, SCDF or the relevant agencies will step up inspections and consider issuing decluttering notices to homes with excessive hoarding that pose serious fire hazard risks.

*22.
*22.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for National Development whether an update can be provided on efforts by the multi-agency workgroup in coordinating hoarding cases under the Hoarding Management Framework to reduce fire hazards in HDB flats.

*23.
*23.

Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the installation of Home Fire Alarm Devices (HFAD) for all HDB public rental flats has been completed in 2021; (b) if not, what percentage of flats remain to be fitted with such devices and when will the installations be completed; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider installing HFADs for HDB two- room flexi flats owned by seniors.

*24.
*24.

Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Ministry will consider (i) placing fire extinguishers along the common corridor of specified floors for each HDB block (ii) rolling out educational programmes to instruct residents on the locations and appropriate deployment of these fire extinguishers and fire hose reels in the common areas and (iii) forming a partnership with Resident Committees or Town Councils for the maintenance of the fire extinguishers in their community.

*25.
*25.

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Government will review the fire safety standards of HDB blocks and flats to better mitigate the spread in the event of a fire; and (b) whether the policy on installation of fire-rated doors can be reviewed to allow more pervasive use of such doors.

No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 5 *26.


Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether there is any update on the free installation of Home Fire Alarm Devices in public rental flats; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider extending such installations to all lower-income households or households with at least one elderly person aged 60 years and above.

*27.
*27.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Education beyond increasing salaries for teachers, what other new measures are being introduced to reduce burnout and improve their work-life balance.

*28.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry is considering other measures besides pay increase to enhance the working conditions for teachers including concerns over work load and long hours, such as adding more staff.

*29.
*29.

Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for Education (a) apart from salary increment, whether the Ministry has also looked into ways to ease teachers’ workloads and improve their mental well-being in order to attract and retain talents; and (b) whether the Ministry will be working with relevant agencies to ensure that the salary increment and benefits will also apply to MOE- seconded teachers in special education schools.

*30.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health in light of network hardware issues affecting the IT systems of public healthcare institutions on 27 August 2022 (a) how many institutions, apps and IT-dependent services are affected respectively; (b) how many patients are existing inpatients, patients admitted that day and outpatients scheduled to be seen that day respectively; (c) how many of such patients have experienced diversion or delayed care provision; and (d) how are the affected patients and healthcare workers supported.
*31.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health in respect of network hardware issues affecting the IT systems of public healthcare institutions on 27 August 2022 (a) whether a cyber attack has been ruled out; (b) what are the root causes of the outage; (c) whether existing redundancy measures are sufficient to maintain provision of healthcare services; (d) what lessons have been learned; and (e) what is being done to improve resilience against such incidents.

*32.
*32.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what are the budget, headcount and deliverables of the Integrated Health Information Systems (IHiS); (b) how do these benchmark against best-in-class international healthcare institutions and top technology-sector firms; and (c) what is being done to strengthen the capabilities of IHiS systems, processes and staff.

No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 6 *33.


Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Health with regard to the network hardware issues that caused a system outage at some polyclinics on 27 August 2022, what are the safeguards in place or that will be implemented to prevent disruptions in the future.

*34.
*34.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry has annual data in the past five years on the average number of times when nurses in public hospitals are rostered for an afternoon shift that ends in the evening and is immediately followed by a morning shift the next day in the (i) general wards and (ii) intensive care units; (b) if so, what are they; and (c) if this data is not available, whether the Ministry intends to collect it and, if not, why not.

*35.
*35.

Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in light of the $60.7 billion tax revenue collected in FY2021/2022, whether the 22.4% increase in total tax collection can help defer the GST rises planned for 2023 and 2024.

*36.
*36.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in view of the reported tax revenue increase in financial year 2021/2022 (a) whether this increase will adequately cover a shortfall in the funding for our ageing population and healthcare; (b) whether the Government will be reviewing our fiscal strategy in light of economic recovery; and (c) if so, whether this review will negate previous committed measures to increase tax revenue.

*37.
*37.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in light of the recent study by DBS which found that income growth has not kept pace with inflation, and the sharp increase in tax receipts for the past financial year, whether the Ministry has considered (i) postponing the need to raise GST at the start of 2023 and (ii) adjusting the GST voucher amounts issued to lower-income household quintiles.

*38.
*38.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider prohibiting those who had committed or convicted of sexual offences and violent crimes from practising as an educator, tuition teacher or enrichment teacher.

*39.
Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether there is a standard wait time that the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) has to maintain for provision of (i) childcare (ii) infant care and (iii) preschools and, if so, what is it; (b) whether an update can be provided regarding ECDA’s plans to develop 10,000 new full-day preschools by 2023; and (c) whether ECDA collects data on maternity appointments so as to anticipate the demand for infant care in various constituencies with more geographical accuracy.
No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 7 *40.

Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development what strategies are currently in place to assist the Early Childhood Development Agency ramp up the capacity of existing preschools during periodic higher placement demands as a result of a surge in the sale of flats when the minimum occupation period is met.

*41.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry will consider creating a separate and higher tier of Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) for property buyers who purchase more than a certain number of units in a single development across a period of time; (b) whether the benefits from purchasing property in bulk, such as bulk-purchase discounts, will negate or cushion the impact of previous ABSD increases; and (c) under what circumstances will the Ministry consider introducing curbs on bulk property purchases.
*42.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the inflow of foreign money into the local property market has increased in the last two years; (b) if so, whether such inflow has pushed up private and public property prices in the last two years; and (c) whether the Government intends to introduce new policies to manage the impact of the flow of foreign money into the local property market.

*43.
*43.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in light of persistent high inflation rates in the last few months, whether the Ministry will consider (i) bringing the distribution of CDC vouchers forward to the third quarter of 2022 instead of January 2023 and (ii) issuing $100 CDC vouchers to every Singaporean aged more than 21 years old instead of to each household.

*44.
*44.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is the current percentage of the annual SkillsFuture funding that is left unutilised; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider allowing recipients with unused credits to contribute their credits to a pool to allow others to tap on the unused credits.

*45.
*45.

Mr Don Wee: To ask the Minister for Defence with regard to military demonstrations such as free fall jumps and parachute landings, whether the Ministry will consider (i) reviewing the safety measures and criteria for suitable conditions and (ii) limiting such exercises to training operations only.

*46.
*46.

Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information in view of the rise of the Metaverse and growing number of youths on gaming platforms (a) whether there are sufficient measures implemented to protect our young; and (b) whether the Code of Practice for Online Safety will be extended to cover these platforms and be ready for the Web 3.0 era.

No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 8 *47.


Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment given the Singapore Institute of International Affairs’ Haze Outlook report dated 15 June 2022, assessing that there is a medium risk of severe transboundary haze this year (a) what will the Ministry do to mitigate the risk of severe transboundary haze; and (b) how does it intend to continue working with its regional counterparts to realise the vision of a haze-free ASEAN.

*48.
*48.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health whether smallpox vaccination can be made available to individuals at higher risk of catching monkeypox, in addition to those who are exposed to confirmed cases or their specimens, healthcare workers and laboratory personnel.

*49.
*49.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Health in view of the findings of the 2018 Quality of Life of Caregivers Study and the earlier announcement on enhancements to the Home Caregiving Grant, whether he can provide more details or updates on recognising caregivers' contributions and the Government's care for their well-being.

*50.
*50.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development what additional respite options and support for caregivers in the community are planned to help them care for loved ones with disabilities.

*51.
*51.

Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what options are available to caregivers of adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities who also have serious psychotic or behavioural problems rendering them ineligible for admission to Adult Disability Homes; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider respite care options for these caregivers especially those who are senior citizens.

*52.
*52.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Prime Minister whether childcare leave provisions for parents of children with special needs can be extended until the child is 18 years of age.

*53.
*53.

Mr Mark Chay: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether elite training hours at the Singapore Sports Hub will be affected by the change of ownership and management of the Sports Hub; and (b) whether the National Sports Associations will be able to provide inputs with respect to booking of Singapore Sports Hub’s facilities to avoid national teams being displaced at critical training periods before major games and/or competitions.

No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 9 *54.


Mr Mark Chay: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether the cost of running the Singapore Sports Hub will affect the funding allocated to National Sports Associations and their high performance and high participation programmes; and (b) whether the costs of running, operating and maintaining the Singapore Sports Hub will fall under a separate budget under the Ministry.

*55.
*55.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is HDB’s process and checklist for buyers to conduct a final inspection of a resale flat before transaction completion when a Temporary Extension of Stay is in place; and (b) what recourse is available when the buyer encounters non-compliant structures in the resale flat, such as missing structural wall, despite HDB’s check on the flat’s condition prior to the sale completion.

*56.
*56.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB will consider taking into account the period of Temporary Extension of Stay in resale HDB flat transactions when requiring buyers of these resale flats to make structural and safety works as required by HDB.

*57.
*57.

Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider increasing the capacity of Geylang Methodist School (Primary) and Canossa Catholic Primary School to cater to the new residences built in MacPherson.

*58.
*58.

Mr Derrick Goh: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry can consider increasing the Primary 1 places available at North View Primary School and Huamin Primary School, to cater to the increasing demand from a large number of new residents moving into Yishun Spring BTO estate.

*59.
*59.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Education (a) in the last three years, how many parents have submitted an appeal to the Ministry for their child’s admission to primary schools located near their home; and (b) whether the Ministry evaluates the sufficiency of places in primary schools based on the number of appeals that are received.

*60.
*60.

Mr Derrick Goh: To ask the Minister for National Development with regard to first‐timer applicants of HDB BTO flats in non‐mature estates (a) what is the current median wait time from the date of application to choosing a unit for such applicants; and (b) what is the expected improvement in median wait time in view of HDB’s announcement in August 2022 regarding the increase in allocation quota for first‐timer applicants.

No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 10 *61.


Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Defence what are the steps taken to detect and prevent the abuse of controlled substances or drugs in military installations or during training locally and overseas, particularly among full-time and operationally ready National Servicemen.

*62.
*62.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs regarding the decriminalisation of cannabis in Thailand, what is the Ministry’s assessment on Singapore residents who travel there and accidentally purchase items with cannabis as one of the ingredients as they are not able to read the ingredients list which are written in the Thai language.

*63.
*63.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what steps are taken to raise awareness about the dangers and prevalence of common food products, such as chocolates or candies, containing cannabis which are readily available in retail markets overseas.

*64.
*64.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Public Transport Council will be considering the inclusion of service quality of public transport operators in its fare review formula; (b) if so, what are the likely metrics it will consider; and (c) if not, why not.

*65.
*65.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry is able to expedite the release of the Approved Code of Practice for Company Directors’ Workplace Safety and Health Duties in view of the continuing rise in the number of workplace fatalities.

*66.
*66.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Government will (i) consider regulating platform companies to ensure they do not encourage excessive risk-taking by gig and platform workers to fulfil orders, such as by taking on too many jobs an hour or riding during dangerous weather and (ii) study the artificial intelligence and algorithms of such platform companies to ensure that this is not the case.

*67.
*67.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Ministry sets guidelines covering the rest hours of bus captains working for public and private bus operators; and (b) if not, whether the Ministry will consider doing so in view of the safety implications of fatigue and insufficient rest for vehicle drivers.

*68.
*68.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider enhancing the income eligibility criteria for monthly school bus subsidies for primary school students to help more low-income families, particularly those children who have been balloted out under the Primary 1 registration exercise of schools located within walking distance from their respective homes.

No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 11 *69.
Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information in view of the recent flaw in iOS devices requiring emergency software updates to prevent hackers to seize control of the devices (a) whether the Ministry is aware of reports where Singaporeans’ personal data has been compromised due to this flaw; and (b) what is being done through the SG Digital Office to increase awareness amongst Singaporeans, especially the seniors who are less tech savvy, on the importance of installing software updates on their electronic devices especially their handphones.
*70.
Prof Koh Lian Pin: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Ministry can provide an update on PUB’s and NEA’s (i) collection (ii) filtration (iii) testing and (iv) delivery procedures that ensure drinking water remain safe for consumption, in view of the recent study by scientists from Stockholm University and ETH Zurich which showed that a well-known class of pollutants, the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in rainwater from several locations globally have exceeded the safe guideline levels of the US Environmental Protection Agency and European standards.
*71.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether laboratory-grown food options will eventually constitute a significant component of food security in Singapore; (b) what are the plans to make such food options more affordable for the masses; (c) how is the safety of these food options assessed; and (d) what is the Government’s stand on concerns that such food products are made of artificial ingredients and safety for long-term consumption has not been established.
*72.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether the Ministry will consider raising the maximum amount payable under any contract of employment in a winding-up as stated in section 76(2) of the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005 from $7,500 to $13,000 so as to align with the maximum amount stated in section 2(1)(b) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution (Maximum Amount Payable in Priority) Order 2020.

*73.
*73.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) what is the current Government’s FY2022 to-date operating revenue, operating expenditure, development expenditure and the primary surplus/deficit respectively; (b) how do these figures compare with the budgeted figures; and (c) how much is the overall FY2022 fiscal position expected to differ from the estimated deficit of $3 billion as announced in Budget 2022.

No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 12 *74.


Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether the Government will consider commissioning a special review to comprehensively review controls and checks in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic-related procurement and expenditure.

*75.
*75.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development in relation to the Home Improvement Programme (HIP) to upgrade HDB flats built between 1987 and 1997, whether HDB will make public its forecast of selection of precincts for HIP in advance so that eligible residents living in precincts which have yet to be selected are able to make better plans for the renovation of their homes.

*76.
*76.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development regarding URA’s proposal under Amendment No.
33/22 to Master Plan to rezone the land along Fernvale Close and Fernvale Link (a) what are the reasons for changing the zone to residential development; (b) whether the Ministry can consider changing the zone for the land to Educational Institutions; and (c) if not, whether there are plans to (i) mitigate the potential traffic congestion and (ii) meet the demand for primary and secondary schools, greenery and family recreational facilities in this area.

*77.
*77.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the age criterion for the Lease Buyback Scheme of 65 years old may be lowered for owners who are or have become disabled and have difficulty securing jobs and will benefit from the earlier monetisation of their flats.

*78.
*78.

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment with regard to the new Energy Efficiency Grant for SMEs (a) what is the Ministry’s assessment on the current adequacy for energy efficient accreditation of commercial equipment such as refrigerators; and (b) whether there are plans to expand the scale of accreditation to provide more purchase options for SMEs.

*79.
*79.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what is the Ministry’s definition of a drought in Singapore; (b) whether the Ministry expects Singapore to experience a drought in the near future; and (c) what are the Ministry’s plans to cope with a drought.

*80.
*80.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether there have been studies of the effectiveness of Singapore’s current single-stream recycling approach, relative to a multi- stream consumer-sorted one; (b) if so, whether the results of such studies may be shared; and (c) if not, why no such studies have been considered.

No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 13 *81.


Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth whether there is a timeline on the rollout of the SG Mental Well-Being Network programme, which includes the recruitment of community partners and volunteers.

*82.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will remove the quota for each grade under the performance management system of stacked ranking for teachers.

*83.
*83.

Dr Shahira Abdullah: To ask the Minister for Education what measures do schools have in place to protect school staff from abuse by parents and students.

*84.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development what is being done to encourage more people to join the social service and disability care sector.

*85.
*85.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry in light of the strengthening Singapore dollar, what will be the impact on plans to revive and rejuvenate the tourism and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions sectors.

*86.
*86.

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how will current inflation trends affect our companies’ product and service competitiveness against those from other countries; and (b) what new or additional productivity approaches will be adopted by our companies to keep pace with potential wage increases.

*87.
*87.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry will consider allowing parents to use cash to pay for their children’s MediShield Life plan premiums; and (b) if not, why.

*88.
*88.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the LumiHealth programme will be extended beyond the two-year term; (b) what is the Ministry’s assessment of the success of the programme; and (c) whether the Ministry has any plans to roll out similar programmes that are more accessible to larger segments of the population.

*89.
*89.

Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Health with regard to the National School-based Human Papillomavirus (HPV) programme (a) what are the considerations for offering fully subsidised HPV vaccinations to only eligible Secondary 1 and 2 female students; (b) whether these students are permitted to defer their vaccination to a period after Secondary 2; and (c) if not, whether the Ministry will consider permitting such deferment in view of the benefits.

No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 14 *90.


Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Education (a) in 2021 and 2022 to date, what is the number of bullying cases reported in primary and secondary schools respectively; and (b) whether the number of bullying cases reported at these schools has risen compared to before 2021.

*91.

Mr Abdul Samad: To ask the Minister for Education (a) when were the curricula of the Institutes of Higher Learning last reviewed; and (b) how often are such curricula reviewed.

*92.
*92.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry has data on the number and proportion of Malay applicants to autonomous universities who have chosen to enrol into a course that has a lower cut-off point over other courses which have a higher cut-off point despite qualifying for these courses with their score; (b) if so, what is the data for the past three years; and (c) how does this data compare with Chinese and Indian applicants.

*93.
*93.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether an update can be provided on the local supply of live and chilled chicken.

*94.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry intends to engage early childhood education operators to increase the salary of early childhood educators to minimally match the salary increases provided to MOE kindergarten teachers.

*95.
Dr Shahira Abdullah: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) what is the progress of the introduction of a common salary guideline for asatizahs as recommended in the report from the Committee on Future Asatizah in 2020; (b) when is MUIS’s review of the salary guidelines for the religious sector expected to be completed; and (c) in view of the pay increases of civil servants and teachers in the secular sector, whether the salaries of asatizahs working in religious institutions will be reviewed so that they remain competitive.
*96.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Transport whether there are any plans to (i) impose fines on bunkering companies that are found to be non- compliant with fuel assurance checks and measures, including the ISO 8217 standards and (ii) conduct spot checks on the bunker fuel supplied to ships from the Port of Singapore.

No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 15 *97.


Mr Abdul Samad: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the measures to encourage prudent bidding of Certificates of Entitlement (COE) for motorcycles implemented in March 2022 has mitigated the rising COE price for motorcycles and, if so, how.

*98.
*98.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) whether the SAF’s longstanding training exercises in overseas territories, including those in Northeast Asia, face disruption due to the recent tensions in that region; and (b) what is the Ministry doing to ensure that the SAF continues to have access to training grounds which are suitable for large-scale exercises and manoeuvres in order to meet the needs of the SAF.

*99.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Education (a) in the past three years, how many schools have organised programmes for their students to (i) engage with People’s Association grassroots organisation and (ii) work with Members of Parliament (MP), such as attachment programmes and volunteering at their Meet-the-People sessions; (b) how many students are currently involved in such programmes; (c) whether schools are empowered to reach out to any MP to organise such programmes for their students, regardless of party affiliation; and (d) if not, why.
*100.

Mr Don Wee: To ask the Minister for Education with the shift to focusing on skillsets and other updated types of certifications, what are the reasons for listing GCE "O" Level grades in the SingPass app.

*101.

Mr Mark Chay: To ask the Minister for Education whether there are any critical learnings or observations on the resumption of the National School Games this year with respect to the quality of competition and experience of students, teachers and schools.

*102.
*102.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Education (a) how many students have been sent abroad for overseas attachments this year; (b) whether such a number is comparable to a pre-COVID-19 year; (c) what is the average attachment duration; and (d) how are students briefed to prepare them for their attachments given the significant changes to the post-COVID-19 global landscape, and especially if they are going to countries where smoking cannabis is legal.

*103.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in respect of drivers and private-hire platform drivers who have committed at least one traffic offence in the past five years (a) what is the number and percentage expressed as part of the total licensed population of drivers; and (b) what is the number of (i) licence suspensions after accumulating the full demerit points (ii) licence reinstatements after the drivers have served their suspension period and (iii) drivers who have attended the safety retraining at least once.
No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 16 *104.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) for the past three years, what are the respective numbers of permanent residence and citizenship applications received per month; (b) of these numbers, how many applications were made by (i) spouses and (ii) relatives, of Singapore citizens; and (c) what are the respective success rates for these applications.

*105.
*105.

Mr Sharael Taha: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) over the past five years, how many foreign domestic workers and work permit workers left their employment within the first month of employment in Singapore; (b) what percentage of these workers left on their own accord; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider the cost of repatriating these workers to be borne by the workers themselves instead of the employers or businesses.

*106.
*106.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Manpower what are the unintended consequences which the Ministry is concerned about as a result of legislating the right to work from home.

*107.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what has been the green cover for Singapore over the last five years; (b) what are the plans to further strengthen this greenery density; and (c) whether there is a specific green cover target for Singapore.

*108.
Mr Sharael Taha: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the total number of HDB flats damaged by fire over the past three years; (b) what percentage of these affected flats are covered only under the HDB Fire Insurance Scheme; (c) whether HDB can consider including insurance coverage for renovation, furniture and personal belongings under the HDB Fire Insurance Scheme; and (d) whether this comprehensive insurance coverage can be considered as an opt-out scheme for all HDB home owners.
*109.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry tracks the average prices of cooked food sold in (i) mature estates (ii) non-mature estates (iii) older coffeeshops and (iv) newer coffeeshops; and (b) if so, whether there are any systemic differences between (i) mature estates and non-mature estates and (ii) older coffeeshops and newer coffeeshops.

No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 17 *110.


Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Prime Minister whether and, if so, how has the Ministry been working with family offices in Singapore to deepen investments in local companies.

* 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 Manpower: Strengthening Singapore’s Position as a Global Hub for Talent.

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

Prime Minister: Business Trusts (Amendment) Bill.

2.
2.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance: Income Tax (Amendment) Bill.

(President's recommendation signified).

3.

Minister for Law: Statutes (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill.

4.

Second Minister for Finance: Accountants (Amendment) Bill.

No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 18 ORDERS OF THE DAY 1.

Registration of Criminals (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

19/2022] – (Minister for Home Affairs) – Second Reading.

2.

Singapore Tourism Board (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.


20/2022] – (Minister for Trade and Industry) – Second Reading.

3.

Debt Collection Bill [Bill No.

18/2022] – (Minister for Home Affairs) – Second Reading.

4.

National Symbols Bill [Bill No.

21/2022] – (Minister for Culture, Community and Youth) – Second Reading.

MEMORANDUM Matter proposed to be raised on the Motion for the Adjournment (SO 2(8)(b)).
Mr Abdul Samad (Nominated Member) : Appreciating and Supporting the Well-being of Educators in Singapore.

1.

2.

3.
QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER Mr Derrick Goh: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what is the current total value of “Buy Now Pay Later” (BNPL) loans in Singapore; (b) what is growth rate of BNPL loans in the past 12 months; (c) whether an industry code for effective industry self-regulation will be developed; (d) whether the Government will consider requiring BNPL providers to report such loans to the Credit Bureau for financial players to properly assess consumers’ credit worthiness; and (e) what other measures are being considered to prevent over-indebtedness by consumers and over-lending by BNPL providers.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether studies are undertaken on the effects of increasing childcare leave on a person’s employability; (b) if so, when will the results of the studies be available; and (c) if not, why not.
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what are the restrictions and quantitative limits around maximum interest rates, fees, and total borrowing costs for various classes of secured and unsecured lending to consumers; and (b) whether there are any plans to review such limits.

No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 19 4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.


Mr Derrick Goh: To ask the Prime Minister what is the current percentage of the public’s retail exposure to digital payment token service providers licensed by MAS.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether the amount of tax relief claimable under the Working Mother’s Child Relief scheme can be increased by raising the Personal Income Tax Relief cap from $80,000 to $100,000 for working mothers with children, to encourage growth in our national total fertility rate and support families who incur exponential expenses when raising and caring for many children.
Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in the past three years (a) what is the annual amount of public funds provided by the Government to businesses in the forms of subsidies and support; and (b) what is the amount of Government-backed financing extended to businesses.
Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Defence with regard to the NS55 Recognition Package (NS55 RP) (a) what is the number of National Servicemen who are not eligible to receive the NS55 RP; (b) what is the number of complaints received about difficulties in claiming the credits; and (c) what measures have been taken to address the respective issues.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in the past five years, how many foreign students’ applications to study at a local private school have been rejected; and (b) what are the reasons for declining such applications when these foreign students have received offers by the local private schools to study there.
Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) for the last 10 years, how many fires in HDB units are caused by cluttered homes; and (b) of these, what is the respective percentage of the units that are (i) public rental flats and (ii) two-room flexi flats.

Mr Don Wee: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Ministry can consider reinstating a parent’s dialect group in a child’s birth certificate to assist future generations of Singaporeans to check or verify such information.
Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) when does the Government intend to bring into force Parts 4 to 7 of the Foreign Interference Countermeasures Act that apply to politically significant persons and political donations; and (b) whether the relevant Government department will issue compliance advice to guide political parties and individuals who are subject to the provisions.

No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 20 12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.


Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether the new digital birth certificates, which will be extended to stillborn children, will allow for the designation of a name for the stillborn child.
Dr Shahira Abdullah: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether there is an update from the Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams (IMCS) on the measures that will be introduced to (i) regulate or improve user identification and authentication and (ii) enhance transaction safety of social media and e-commerce platforms; and (b) whether there is data on the uptake of ScamShield launched in November 2020 and its effectiveness in preventing scams.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) when were penalties for driving under the influence of drink last reviewed and enhanced; and (b) whether there had been significant reduction in drink driving offences since the enhancement.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry how has the pandemic affected Singapore’s nominal wage growth and nominal national productivity.
Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether the Ministry has data on the percentage of retail properties that are owned by (i) the Government and (ii) Government- and Temasek-linked entities and companies; and (b) if so, what are they.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Government has any plans to reassess its position on deep seabed mining and evaluate the cost and benefit of a moratorium on deep seabed mining activities.
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry for each year from the date the schemes were established until 31 August 2022, how many foreign PMEs held the (i) EntrePass and (ii) Tech.Pass respectively.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry for each year from the date the Global Ready Talent Programme was established until 31 August 2022, how many Singaporean PMEs have been placed in the programme.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry since the Tech.Pass was opened for application in January 2021 (a) how many applications have been received; (b) of these, how many have been approved; (c) what is the median and mean monthly salary of the successful applicants; and (d) what metrics are being tracked to measure the contribution of Tech.Pass holders to Singapore.

No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 21 21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.


Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how has the Pro-Enterprise Panel helped businesses in Singapore; and (b) what are the future plans for the panel.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what are the implications of the CHIPS and Science Act that was passed in the United States in August 2022 on Singapore’s semiconductor manufacturing industry, considering the recent reports by the Economic Development Board about the shrinking manufacturing output in Singapore; and (b) what are the long-term plans for the sector if global demand for semiconductors remain low.
Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Ministry will consider creating a new category of Certificate of Entitlement (COE) for vehicles used solely for point-to-point transportation to alleviate the vehicle cost or vehicle rental cost to point-to-point transportation workers; and (b) if so, whether the Ministry will outline the requirements for this COE category.
Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Government will consider a new model of a Certificate of Entitlement targeted specifically at encouraging the switch to electric vehicles.
Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) since the adjustments to the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) system in August 2022, whether quarter-on-quarter volatility of COE supply has been reduced as intended; (b) if so, whether COE prices has stabilised; and (c) if not, what other measures are being explored to stabilise COE prices.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Transport in light of the persistently high COE prices despite LTA’s adjustment to the method for computing COE quota available for bidding from August 2022, whether the Government will consider reviewing the possibility of removing the need for Category E (Open Category) COEs as it is almost exclusively used for large cars.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Transport whether LTA will consider erecting a railway noise barrier from Bukit Batok MRT station to the tunnel in the direction of Bukit Gombak MRT station to deal with the increased noise level from the MRT track owing to an “echo effect” arising after the erection of noise barriers from the other end of Bukit Batok MRT station to Bukit Batok Street 22 in the direction of Jurong East MRT station.

No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 22 28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.


Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider requiring taxi commuters to wear masks to protect taxi drivers above the age of 60.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment with regard to the Inflation Reduction Act that was enacted by the United States (US) in August 2022 (a) how will this Act and its projected impact on carbon emissions affect our Singapore Green Plan 2030 and its targets; and (b) how will this Act contribute towards the US-Singapore Climate Partnership to grow our efforts on sustainability and low-carbon solutions.
Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment since the implementation of enforcement action against table littering at public dining spaces (a) what is the number of warnings, fines and court fines that have been issued to diners who do not return their trays; and (b) what is the breakdown of these errant diners by age group.
Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the National Action Strategy on Marine Litter considers discarded fishing gear including abandoned gill nets, lead fishing weights and hooks as marine litter; (b) whether the impact of such items on the oceans and marine life are monitored; and (c) whether stronger regulation towards the use and disposal of these items will be considered.
Dr Shahira Abdullah: To ask the Minister for Education whether the changes to the Primary 1 registration framework have achieved their objective of reducing the number of schools that require balloting.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Education with regard to the persistently high levels of oversubscription for Primary 1 places at Princess Elizabeth Primary School after new housing developments in the area were completed leading to children of families within walking distance being balloted out, whether the Ministry will build an additional primary school in the vicinity soon.
Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is the current number of non-Singapore citizen students in each Government-funded autonomous university; (b) what are the absolute number and percentage of non-Singapore citizen students who are paying full fees versus those receiving tuition grants; and (c) whether the Ministry has similar data on autonomous universities in countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand and, if so, how do the data compare with each other.

No.
No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 23 35.

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what are the steps taken to ensure the affordability of food prices at school canteens, especially for students from lower income families; and (b) whether the food portions in school canteens are monitored or maintained even as prices remain the same.
Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development with regard to investigations conducted by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) under the Mental Capacity Act, in each of the past three years (a) how many have been in relation to the conduct of donees and deputies and the way they exercised their powers; (b) what are the types of violations found and how many are there; and (c) what actions have been taken by the OPG against the errant donees and deputies.
Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether he can provide an update on the review of ComCare eligibility criteria; (b) as Social Service Offices may exercise flexibility when providing financial assistance, whether the Ministry has data on the annual number of families and individuals who did not satisfy the eligibility criteria but were provided ComCare assistance nonetheless, in the past three years; and (c) if so, what is the amount disbursed.
Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry regulates and trains volunteers and staff manning suicide counselling or responder hotlines on the appropriate handling of cases especially when it involves children.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what measures are in place to ensure supply chain resilience for over-the-counter medication to treat fever, cough and cold in retail pharmacies; and (b) whether the reported supply shortages at some retailers have affected the implementation of current policy on encouraging persons with COVID-19 with mild symptoms to self-isolate and recover at home.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health for each year from 2019 to 2021 (a) how many Integrated Shield Plan (IP) policyholders have submitted claims for care at (i) public healthcare institutions and (ii) private healthcare facilities respectively; and (b) what proportion of such bills are respectively paid (i) initially by the policyholder with the IP insurer later providing reimbursement or (ii) by a Letter of Guarantee or pre-authorisation and so did not require upfront payment.

No.
No.

67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 24 41.

42.

43.

44.

45.

46.

47.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Health for each of the years from 2019 to 2022 to date (a) what is the average monthly number of fitness activities that each Residents Network Cluster (RNC) is registered for; (b) what is the average monthly number of participants in these fitness activities; and (c) what is the maximum number of fitness activities each RNC can register for.
Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Health (a) in each of the last five years, how many patients are treated at the specialist clinics in restructured hospitals for diabetes mellitus; (b) of these patients, how many are repeat patients; and (c) how many are referred to community clinics for the management of their condition.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the starting salaries of qualified registered nurses in Singapore are lower than those offered in other developed countries and territories, including Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong; and (b) what is the Ministry doing to ensure that nurses' remunerations are competitive, both locally and internationally.
Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many individuals have sought immediate crisis care from public healthcare institutions for mental health care support between 2019 to 2021; (b) what is the current number of qualified primary care doctors who are able to provide mental health treatment in the community; and (c) whether there are plans to reduce the average waiting time to see a psychologist or psychiatrist in public healthcare institutions.
Mr Mohd Fahmi Bin Aliman: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how many tenants renting flats from HDB have defaulted on their rental payments in the first six months of 2022; (b) how many of such tenants have had the late charges on their rental payments waived on compassionate grounds; and (c) for tenants who have passed on, what are the alternative repayment arrangements.
Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for National Development in view of the increasing number of deliveries to residences, whether the Ministry will consider providing HDB and private estates more loading and unloading parking lots to facilitate the work of delivery workers.
Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry has data on the main reasons that owners of commercial or institutional buildings are not tapping into the Accessibility Fund to have barrier-free access for their buildings; (b) if so, what are they; and (c) how can the Ministry encourage such owners to install basic accessibility features without having to wait for addition and alteration works required by BCA to be carried out.

No.

67 48.

49.

50.

51.

52.

53.


54.
12 SEPTEMBER 2022 25 Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how will BCA ensure compliance to the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for lift and escalator technicians; (b) what enforcement actions will be taken against companies that fail to comply with the PWM for these technicians; (c) what recourse is available for these technicians should their company fail to pay their required wages; and (d) whether a circular is issued to inform companies that the PWM for local escalator maintenance technicians has started with effect from 1 July 2022.
Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) in each of the past five years, what is the number of HDB flats that are damaged in a fire; and (b) whether HDB will consider expanding the HDB Fire Insurance Scheme to include home contents such as furniture, renovation and loss of personal belongings.
Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the current percentage of HDB households that are insured under the HDB Fire Insurance Scheme; and (b) whether the Ministry can consider making the HDB Fire Insurance Scheme mandatory for all HDB flats, with support to be provided to those who are unable to afford this scheme.
Mr Don Wee: To ask the Minister for National Development in view of recent fire incidents occurring in residential estates (a) whether there will be a review of the regulations on hoarding in residential estates; (b) what further measures will be considered by the multi-agency workgroup to prevent such fire incidents from recurring; and (c) whether the Government will move the solution for hoarding issues upstream and, if so, how.
Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Minister for National Development in view of the increasing number of dengue cases and the expected challenges of this problem worsening due to global warming, what are the measures to ensure that new buildings and estates are designed for easier maintenance to minimise mosquito breeding.
Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what are the current waiting times for HDB rental flat allocations under the Public Rental Scheme for approved applications segmented by application zone; and (b) what is the Ministry’s updated assessment of the sufficiency of the supply of HDB rental flats to meet demand.
Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) between 2010 and 2021, what is the number of undisclosed HDB flat subletting cases found; (b) what are the penalties meted to the homeowners in these cases; and (c) how can HDB improve its enforcement of the rules on undisclosed HDB flat subletting.

No.

67 55.

56.

57.

58.

59.

60.

61.

62.


12 SEPTEMBER 2022 26 Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for National Development following the amendment in March 2019 to the housing transition policy which allows parties to a divorce to apply to buy a subsidised HDB flat upon obtaining an interim judgment of divorce, whether the Ministry will consider also introducing this amendment to the Assistance Scheme for Second-Timers and Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme for single parents with an interim judgment of divorce.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth what safeguards are in place for the SG Mental Well-Being Network to ensure that neighbours, members of the community and grassroots volunteers are equipped to assist those coping with mental health.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Manpower how is the Government ensuring that employers consider the impact of inflation on workers and provide wage increments that meet inflation.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether there are plans to raise the Local Qualifying Salary that is used to determine a company’s work permit and S pass quota entitlement, to the 10th percentile income of Singaporeans for the benefit of a significant proportion of lower- wage earners.
Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Minister for Manpower with regard to the manpower shortages faced by many businesses (a) which are the sectors and the sub-sectors within them that face the most severe lack of workers; (b) what are the measures to support manpower needs in sub-sectors providing essential services; (c) whether the dependency ratio ceiling can be adjusted to assist these sub-sectors; and (d) whether the Ministry will permit more migrant workers from non-traditional sources for these sub-sectors.
Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) from 2010 to 2021, whether there were any prosecutions of employers inflating their foreign worker quota by employing Singaporean phantom workers; and (b) if so, how many of such employers were prosecuted in each year.
Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Manpower what is the current number of Singaporean workers who are employed by two or more companies and paid less than $1,500 per month at each company, where such companies are using their Singaporean worker headcount to compute its foreign worker quota for work permit and S Pass holders.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the current action taken against migrant domestic workers (MDWs) who have borrowed money from illegal loan sharks; and (b) whether these MDWs will be banned from returning to Singapore.

No.

67 63.
No.

67 63.

12 SEPTEMBER 2022 27 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Manpower for each year over the last 10 years (a) what is the average monthly salary drawn by Employment Pass (EP) holders by deciles; and (b) what is the number of EP holders within each income decile.
2022 S. L. 656 PAPERS PRESENTED Date Presented Pioneer Generation and Merdeka Generation Funds (Pioneer Generation and Merdeka Generation (Amendment) Regulations 2022 Benefits) ..... 03 August 2022 S. L. 657 Pioneer Generation and Merdeka Generation Funds (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (Appeals Panel) ..... 03 August 2022 S. L. 658 Financial (Amendment No.

2) Regulations 2022 ..... 03 August 2022 S. L. 659 Road Traffic (Electronic Road Pricing System) (Amendment No.
4) Rules 2022 ..... 04 August 2022 S. L. 660 Parking Places (Provision of Parking Places and Parking Lots) (Amendment) Rules 2022 ..... 04 August 2022 S. L. 661 S. 247 Regulation of (Amendment No.
2) Regulations 2022 Imports and Exports ..... 05 August 2022 The National Research Fund Report and Financial Statements Year Ended 31 March 2022 ..... 05 August 2022 S. 248 Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore Annual Report and Financial Statements 2021/2022 ..... 10 August 2022 S. L. 662 Gambling Duties Regulations 2022 ..... 11 August 2022 S. L. 663 Gambling Duties (Compoundable Offences) Regulations 2022 ..... 11 August 2022 No.
67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 28 PAPERS PRESENTED - continued 2022 Date Presented S. L. 664 Income Tax Property" in Section 13X(6)) Rules 2022 (Meaning of "Prescribed ..... 12 August 2022 S. L. 665 (Exemption of Benefits Income Tax Received in Connection with COVID-19 Events) (Amendment) Rules 2022 ..... 12 August 2022 S. 249 Savings and Employee Retirement and Premium Fund (SAVER-Premium Fund) Annual Report for Financial Year 2021 ..... 12 August 2022 Pres.

Co. 59 Pres.

Co. 60 Pres.


Co. 61 Report of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights on the Public Defenders Bill [Bill No 17/2022] Report of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights on the Singapore Armed Forces and Other Matters Bill [Bill No 15/2022] Report of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights on the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment No.
2) Bill [Bill No 16/2022] ..... 12 August 2022 ..... 12 August 2022 ..... 12 August 2022 S. S. S. S. S. S. 250 251 252 253 254 255 National Council of Social Service (NCSS) Annual Report FY2021 ..... 17 August 2022 Singapore Medical Council Annual Report 2021 ..... 17 August 2022 Singapore Nursing Board Annual Report 2021 ..... 17 August 2022 Singapore Dental Council Annual Report 2021 ..... 17 August 2022 Singapore Pharmacy Council Annual Report 2021 ..... 17 August 2022 Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Board Annual Report 2021 ..... 17 August 2022 No.
67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 29 PAPERS PRESENTED - continued 2022 Date Presented S. L. 666 Road Traffic System) (Amendment No.

2) Rules 2022 (Motor Vehicles, Quota ..... 17 August 2022 S. L. 667 Environmental Protection and Management (Vehicular Emissions) (Amendment No.
2) Regulations 2022 ..... 18 August 2022 S. L. 668 Gambling Control (Singapore Sweep Ticket Retail Sale – Exemption) Order 2022 ..... 18 August 2022 S. L. 669 S. L. 670 Gambling Control Employment – Exemption) Order 2022 (Young Person's ..... 18 August 2022 Gambling Control Act (Amendment of Second Schedule – Saving and Transitional Arrangements) Order 2022 ..... 18 August 2022 S. L. 671 Gambling Control (Minor Gambling – Class Licence) Order 2022 ..... 18 August 2022 S. L. 672 Gambling Control (Trade and Other Promotional Games and Lotteries – Class Licence) Order 2022 ..... 18 August 2022 S. L. 673 Gambling Control (Fundraisers – Class Licence) Order 2022 ..... 18 August 2022 S. L. 674 Gambling Offences) Regulations 2022 Control (Compoundable ..... 18 August 2022 S. L. 675 Gambling Control (General) Regulations 2022 ..... 18 August 2022 S. L. 676 Gambling Control Chance – Class Licence) Order 2022 (Remote Games of ..... 18 August 2022 S. L. 677 S. L. 678 Goods (Amendment No.
2) Regulations 2022 and Services Tax (General) ..... 19 August 2022 Air Navigation Certification) 2022 (119 – Air Operator (Amendment) Regulations ..... 22 August 2022 No.
67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 30 2022 S. L. 679 PAPERS PRESENTED - continued Date Presented Air Navigation (121 – Commercial Air Transport Aeroplanes) by (Amendment) Regulations 2022 Large ..... 22 August 2022 S. L. 680 Air Navigation (125 – Complex General Aviation) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 ..... 22 August 2022 S. L. 681 Air Navigation (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (137 – Aerial Work) ..... 22 August 2022 Cmd.
18 Presidential Council for Minority Rights Annual Report for the period 1 August 2021 to 31 July 2022 ..... 26 August 2022 S. 256 Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Financial Year ended 31 March 2022 ..... 30 August 2022 S. L. 682 Workplace Safety and Health (COVID-19 (Amendment No.

5) Safe Workplace) Regulations 2022 ..... 30 August 2022 S. L. 683 Measures) (Temporary COVID-19 (Reopening – Control Order) (Amendment No.
6) Regulations 2022 ..... 31 August 2022 S. L. 684 COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Foreign Employee Dormitories – Control Order) (Amendment No.

4) Regulations 2022 ..... 31 August 2022 S. L. 685 Central Provident Fund (Retirement Sum Topping-Up Scheme) (Amendment No.

3) Regulations 2022 ..... 02 September 2022 S. L. 686 Central Provident Fund (Medisave Account Withdrawals) 3) Regulations 2022 (Amendment No.
..... 02 September 2022 S. L. 687 Active Mobility (Amendment) Regulations 2022 ..... 02 September 2022 S. L. 688 Goods and Services Tax Act 1993 (Amendment of Third Schedule) Order 2022 ..... 05 September 2022 No.
67 12 SEPTEMBER 2022 31 PAPERS PRESENTED - continued 2022 Date Presented S. L. 689 Foreign Employee Dormitories (Prescribed Associates) Regulations 2022 ..... 05 September 2022 S. 257 Civil Service College Annual Report and Financial Statements 2021/2022 ..... 05 September 2022 S. L. 690 MediShield Life Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2022 ..... 06 September 2022 S. S. 258 259 Casino Regulatory Authority Annual Report 2021/2022 ..... 07 September 2022 Health Promotion Board Annual Report 2021/2022 ..... 08 September 2022