Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698837196744.pdf (Singapore)
FOURTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE ___________________ FIRST SESSION ___________________ ORDER PAPER WEDNESDAY, 30 NOVEMBER 2022 No.

78 12 noon 1 QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER* *1.

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what are the plans for the fauna and flora of Jurong Bird Park upon its closure after 3 January 2023.

*2.
*2.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) how will the Government assist residents who are not digitally literate with the use of digital services; and (b) how do Government agencies communicate with residents who do not have an email.

*3.
*3.

Ms Tin Pei Ling: To ask the Prime Minister in view of the bankruptcy of cryptocurrency trading platform FTX (a) how will this affect Singapore's financial market and economy; and (b) how many retail traders in Singapore are affected.

*4.

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Prime Minister whether MAS intends to regulate digital token service providers and exchanges to ensure liquidity requirements so as to safeguard customers' digital tokens from insolvency risks.

*5.
*5.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what is the magnitude of losses incurred by Singaporean retail investors and individuals affected by cryptocurrency trading platform FTX’s collapse; and (b) whether FTX’s collapse will have a domino effect on other cryptocurrency exchanges.

No.

78 30 NOVEMBER 2022 2 *6.


Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what further steps will be taken to strengthen the system for cryptocurrency companies with non-licensed offshore exchanges that have operations in Singapore; and (b) whether the bar will be raised to prevent local retail investors without adequate risk knowledge or direct funding means from participating in investments.

*7.
*7.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Prime Minister in light of the recent bankruptcy of cryptocurrency exchange FTX (a) what are the lessons drawn from this incident; and (b) what are the immediate and long-term steps that will be taken by MAS to help mitigate against consumer risks in cryptocurrency trading.

*8.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what is the value of Temasek Holdings’ investments in cryptocurrency trading platform FTX and its subsidiaries when FTX filed for bankruptcy in the United States on 11 November 2022; (b) whether the Government has any data on the exposure of Singapore investors to FTX in terms of the number of investors and the total value of their holdings; (c) whether FTX’s sudden bankruptcy will affect (i) Singaporeans and (ii) MAS’s ongoing consultation in relation to consumer harm from cryptocurrency trading; and (d) if so, how.
*9.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether MAS will consider leading a specific study into the regulatory lessons to be learnt from the collapse of cryptocurrency exchanges such as Terra and FTX; and (b) whether there needs to be tighter requirements to ensure the stability of regulated cryptocurrency exchanges in Singapore.

*10.
*10.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Government intends to introduce further measures or safeguards to regulate cryptocurrency trading or investment, as well as to protect Singaporean retail investors in general.

*11.
*11.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Prime Minister whether the recommendations in MAS’ ongoing public consultation can be expedited, to reduce the risk of consumer harm from cryptocurrency trading and to support the development of stablecoins as a credible medium of exchange in the digital asset ecosystem.

*12.
*12.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Prime Minister in view of the various insolvencies of cryptocurrency exchanges and extreme volatility in the cryptocurrency markets in the last year (a) how will this affect our efforts to become a robust global blockchain and fintech hub; (b) whether MAS will consider further regulatory measures to prevent any contagion into the wider cryptocurrency, fintech and financial markets; and (c) if so, what are they.

No.

78 30 NOVEMBER 2022 3 *13.


Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in light of the collapse of cryptocurrency trading platform FTX (a) what is the financial loss suffered by Temasek Holdings; and (b) whether this will affect the Net Investment Returns Contribution for the next three financial years.

*14.
*14.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) what is the impact of the recent bankruptcy of cryptocurrency exchange FTX on Temasek Holdings’ investment in FTX; and (b) what are the due diligence or measures undertaken prior to investments in cryptocurrency trading platforms such as FTX.

*15.
*15.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance given that the Government does not direct GIC's and Temasek Holdings’ individual investment decisions but holds their boards accountable for their performance, whether the Government will consider creating a bipartisan Standing Select Committee of Parliament that meets regularly to question the boards of the two sovereign wealth funds on their performance, strategies, and risk management approaches, on a confidential basis.
*16.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in light of MAS’s proposed measures to reduce cryptocurrency trading risks, whether similar suggestions have been promulgated to Government-related investment entities such as GIC and Temasek Holdings.

*17.
*17.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether there are regulations or a governance framework as to the basic level of due diligence to be observed by entities listed in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution handling Government assets which involve the investment of significant public funds; and (b) whether there are ongoing due diligence or audit requirements for these investments.

*18.
*18.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether the Ministry tracks the extent of concentration of investments by GIC and Temasek Holdings investment vehicles either by (i) geography or (ii) asset class; and (b) whether there are thresholds that trigger warnings of excessive portfolio risks to the Ministry.

No.

78 30 NOVEMBER 2022 4 *19.


Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether there are guidelines or restrictions on statutory boards and entities listed in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore with regard to investing in cryptocurrency- related assets; (b) if so, what are those guidelines or restrictions; and (c) whether all statutory boards and scheduled entities have fully adhered to those guidelines.

*20.
*20.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance as Temasek Holdings and GIC are Fifth Schedule entities, whether the Government will consider adding the two sovereign wealth funds to the audit ambit of the Auditor-General's Office and oversight by the Public Accounts Committee, on the condition that commercially sensitive elements in any audit report be made available to legislators but redacted from published reports.

*21.
*21.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what actions can be taken against night business operators that persistently cause noise disamenity which badly affects residents in a neighbourhood.

*22.
*22.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what are the legal and consumer safety nets for customers of home-based businesses or micro businesses should customers feel that they have been unfairly treated or if the businesses have wilfully misrepresented their services and products to them.

*23.
*23.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether feedback from patients and their families is taken into consideration in a nurse’s performance grading; (b) if so, what is the weightage given to such feedback in a nurse’s performance grading; and (c) how are nurses protected against unfair feedback or abuse by patients or visitors.

*24.
*24.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Government will roll out schemes to incentivise SMEs to pivot to renting electric vehicles for commercial use, in view of Singapore’s Green Plan and climate ambitions.

*25.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Transport for upcoming rail lines, whether there are any plans to open the rail market to new operators beyond the two existing operators.

*26.
*26.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry can work with the Ministry of Manpower and consider having an improved employment pass specifically to attract and retain foreign nurses at our restructured hospitals.

No.

78 30 NOVEMBER 2022 5 *27.


Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Education (a) for each of the past five years, how many students who were originally enrolled in the Integrated Programme (IP) had dropped out of IP; (b) what are the main reasons for the same; and (c) what steps have been put in place to help students opting to drop out of IP after completing Secondary Three to join schools offering “O” level examinations as Secondary Four students.

*28.
*28.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether the Ministry will consider the potential merits of further raising the planned enhancements to the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme in January 2023 in light of the higher costs of living.

*29.
*29.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health in the past five years, what studies have been undertaken regarding the use of technology to enhance care and safety for seniors living alone, including the use of motion sensor technology to identify seniors who have fallen or become immobile, while still preserving personal privacy.

*30.
*30.

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether HDB will consider converting underutilised multi-storey carparks to be used for bicycle parking spaces; and (b) what other common areas can be converted to provide for more bicycle parking spaces.

*31.
*31.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what are the trends in traffic accidents involving children aged 18 years and below; and (b) whether he can provide an update on the inter-ministry or inter- agency efforts and resources spent in further enhancing road safety awareness in Singapore.

*32.
*32.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will consider including personal alarm systems linked to our senior care centres and the larger healthcare system under HDB's Enhancement for Active Seniors programme to enable our seniors greater peace of mind to live independently and safely in the community.

*33.
Ms Yeo Wan Ling: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether the Government is aware of banks offering alleged scam victims offers of final settlement which can be significantly lower than the scammed amount, while police investigations are ongoing; and (b) whether the Government will consider regulating this practice to ensure that scam victims who accept such offers are nonetheless not precluded from commencing further claims to recover their money when investigations conclude that the banks are at fault for allowing the scams to succeed.
No.

78 30 NOVEMBER 2022 6 *34.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for National Development what steps are being taken to increase the supply of HDB's BTO flats in lower priced non-mature estates as opposed to mature estates and prime location public housing.

*35.
*35.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether there has been a step up in checks on work sites to ensure any clearance of land is done in accordance with regulations; and (b) how does the Ministry intend to ensure that upcoming projects such as the Bayshore housing projects will have the necessary environmental assessments completed before clearance of forests and woodlands is done.

*36.
*36.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) in each of the past five years, how many children suffering from domestic abuse have been identified through the Signal for Help programme under the Break the Silence campaign; and (b) if the data is not available, whether there is an increasing or decreasing trend in the number of children identified.

*37.
*37.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information what recourse do visitors to commercial and private residential facilities have when security officers at these facilities ask to collect their NRIC numbers or other personally identifiable information in contravention of the Security Association Singapore and Personal Data Protection Commission guidelines.

*38.
*38.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development what is the (i) average and (ii) longest waiting time for intake into a shelter from the time a case is first opened at a Family Service Centre.

*39.
*39.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development whether, in relation to the handling of complaints pertaining to overpopulation of birds in HDB estates, NParks should play a lead role in dealing with the complaints to ensure there is proper ownership and effective handling of the complaints.

*40.
*40.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry in view of the gas supply from Sumatra being set to fall from 2023 (a) how will this affect businesses and residents; (b) what sources will the Ministry tap on to make up for this shortfall in supply; and (c) what is the uptake rate for EMA’s Request-for-Proposal to import electricity.

No.

78 30 NOVEMBER 2022 7 *41.


Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how will the Ministry enhance the knowledge and understanding of palliative and end-of-life care amongst healthcare professionals; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider making these topics a strategic priority in the curricula for all doctors and nurses.

*42.
*42.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether credit payment data from "Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL)" arrangements and licensed moneylenders are included in consumer credit reports; (b) what are the considerations for their inclusion or non-inclusion; and (c) what is MAS doing to step up consumer education about the debt risks of taking up BNPL credit arrangements.

*43.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development in relation to the retractable clothes drying racks that are installed as part of the Home Improvement Programme (HIP) for flats built between 1987 and 1997 (a) what is the warranty period for these racks; (b) what steps can be taken by residents should their racks not work after the warranty period; and (c) what is the role of the Town Council in the maintenance of the racks after they have been installed and how is such maintenance funded.
* 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.

ORDERS OF THE DAY 1.

2.


Electric Vehicles Charging Bill [Bill No.

36/2022] – (Minister for Transport) – Second Reading.

State Lands Protection Bill [Bill No.

35/2022] – (Minister for Law) – Second Reading.

QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER 1.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in each year since 2000, what percentage of the total property tax is collected from (i) owner-occupied HDB flats and (ii) non-owner-occupied HDB flats respectively.

No.
No.

78 30 NOVEMBER 2022 8 2.


Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many prison inmates have taken up the Diploma in Business Practice (International Supply Chain Management) course offered by Ngee Ann Polytechnic since 2018; (b) how many prison inmates have taken up the Bachelor of Science in Logistics & Supply Chain Management programme offered by the Singapore University of Social Services since 2020; and (c) whether there are plans to increase the number of such courses offered.

3.
3.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Law for each year between 2018 and 2022 (a) what is the number of cases in which personal costs orders are sought by the Public Prosecutor against a defence counsel; (b) how many of such orders are granted by the courts; and (c) what are the maximum and median quantum of personal costs orders (i) sought by the Public Prosecutor and (ii) granted by the courts respectively.

4.
4.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Law for each year between 2018 and 2022 (a) what is the number of cases in which the accused or their defence counsel have sought costs orders against the Public Prosecutor; (b) how many of such orders are granted by the courts; and (c) what are the maximum and median quantum of costs ordered against the Public Prosecutor respectively.

5.
5.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Law whether he can provide an update on the progress of the development of the Probate e-service system that was announced in Parliament in March 2022.

6.
6.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry following the recent renewal of a five-year gas supply contract with Indonesia (a) when are Singapore's remaining gas supply contracts with Malaysia and Indonesia expected to expire; and (b) whether piped natural gas is still expected to feature in Singapore’s energy mix by 2030.

7.
7.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment what is the target timeline for (i) allowing the import and sale of insects as food for human consumption and (ii) issuing licences for domestic insect farming for human consumption.

8.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry has considered using dyslexia-friendly font and features in schools for such texts to be inclusive for students on the dyslexia spectrum.

9.
9.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development in the past five years, what is the annual average monthly cost of placing a child in (i) a place of safety and (ii) the Singapore Boys' Home or Singapore Girls’ Home.

No.

78 30 NOVEMBER 2022 9 10.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health in the past five years, what are the annual average and median lengths of service of nurses who are successful in their applications for permanent resident status respectively.
11.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Health to better monitor the demand and take-up rates under Healthier SG, whether there will be a centralised system for patients to make scheduled appointments through phone calls or the HealthHub mobile application.

12.
12.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether eligible patients who do not register with a general practitioner (GP) under Healthier SG will be systematically targeted and incentivised to sign up; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider enrolling them automatically with their nearest available GP with the option to change it subsequently.

13.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider (i) reviewing and expanding the list of registrable basic medical qualifications to include more medical schools and (ii) setting up a system to convert overseas Singaporean doctors that currently have non- registrable qualifications but who can demonstrate the necessary knowledge to render the appropriate medical care in Singapore, so as to increase the pool of qualified Singaporean doctors practising in Singapore.
14.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for Health what is the number of new tobacco import and wholesale licences approved in each of the past three years.

15.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for National Development for each year from 2010 to 2022, how many HDB flats are owned by (i) Singapore citizens (ii) Singapore citizens and non-resident persons and (iii) Singapore permanent residents, respectively.

16.
16.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for National Development for HDB flats required to be disposed of within a six-month grace period by individuals who renounced their permanent residency (a) how many extensions to the grace period for such flats have been granted in each of the past 10 years; (b) what are the reasons for granting the extensions; and (c) how many of such flats have not been granted extensions and are not disposed of within the six-month grace period.

No.

78 30 NOVEMBER 2022 10 17.


Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for National Development for buyers of BTO and resale flats who are below the age of 35 and earning an income at the bottom quintile and the median for their age group respectively, what is the (i) average subsidy they will receive (ii) maximum HDB loan quantum eligible to them (iii) average remaining amount of cash payment required and (iv) average monthly HDB loan repayment amounts by way of cash and CPF respectively.

18.
18.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for National Development of those who are successful in their ballot for a HDB BTO flat but choose not to select a unit subsequently, how do the reasons provided differ between applicants of flats in mature and non-mature estates respectively.

19.
Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for National Development with regard to HDB’s BTO applications in mature estates in each of the last three years (a) how many applicants are successful in their BTO flat application at their first attempt; (b) what is the median number of attempts for a BTO flat before obtaining a successful application; (c) how many applications required more than five attempts for a successful application; and (d) what is the maximum number of failed attempts that an applicant put in for a BTO flat.
20.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Manpower with the setting up of NEST Singapore Limited which is a new corporate entity by the Ministry to operate Purpose-Built Dormitories in partnership with the private sector (a) what measures will be put in place to ensure oversight of this new entity by the Ministry; and (b) whether this new entity will be operated on a for- profit or cost recovery basis.
PAPER PRESENTED 2022 Date Presented S. 324 Medical Endowment Scheme Annual Report for FY2021 (1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022) ..... 29 November 2022 S. L. 733 Organised Crime Act 2015 (Amendment of Schedule) Order 2022 ..... 29 November 2022