Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698836938163.pdf (Singapore)
FOURTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE ___________________ FIRST SESSION ___________________ ORDER PAPER MONDAY, 5 JULY 2021 No.

31 1.30 pm 1 *1.

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QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER* Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Manpower for each year from 2005 to 2020 under Singapore’s free trade agreements with China, India, USA and Australia, how many nationals from the respective countries have entered and worked in Singapore using (i) intra-corporate transferee visas (ii) professional visas and (iii) dependant passes.
Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Manpower how many nationals from China, India, USA and Australia holding Employment Passes or S Passes are currently working in companies with fewer than 10 employees.

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Manpower for each year from 2005 to 2020, how many (i) dependant passes and (ii) Long Term Visit Passes have been issued to relatives of nationals from China, India, USA and Australia who are Employment Pass or S Pass holders respectively.
Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Government will commit to setting up a Commission of Inquiry to review its response to COVID- 19 and, if so, when will this inquiry take place.
Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) how will Singapore be impacted by the landmark agreement amongst G7 nations to reform the global tax system and impose a minimum global corporate tax rate of 15%; and (b) what are the plans to mitigate adverse impact to Singapore's corporate income tax revenue.

No.

31 5 JULY 2021 2 *6.

*7.

*8.

*9.


Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) what are the implications of the G7 agreement on a global minimum corporate tax for Singapore; (b) whether Singapore’s status as a tech hub will be affected; and (c) how will the tax affect multinational corporations that currently operate in Singapore.
Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) what is the number of MNCs that currently pay less than the global minimum corporate tax rate of 15% proposed by G7; (b) given that MNCs receive tax incentives for undertaking activities that benefit Singapore in the long run such as developing new sectors or building capabilities, whether such special tax schemes will be permissible under the proposed changes; and (c) what other levers must the Government strengthen.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry with regard to the latest G7 agreement on a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15% (a) how will this potentially impact our efforts (including the use in part of corporate tax incentives) to attract MNCs; (b) what are the fiscal and foreign investment implications for Singapore; (c) which sectors of our economy will be principally affected; and (d) what strategies will the Ministry take to find new growth industries and hubs in this new global tax environment.
Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) what are the current efforts to build the civic engagement sector for skilled facilitators to lead conversations in the community on sensitive topics of race and religion; (b) how are suitable and effective facilitators sourced for, identified and trained; and (c) how will the tracking, evaluation and scaling of the positive effects of these conversations on social cohesion be made within the community.

*10.
*10.

Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) how does the Government intend to address tensions on racial insensitivities and discrimination on social media platforms; and (b) how does the Government intend to strengthen racial and religious harmony in Singapore.

*11.
Ms Raeesah Khan: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what are the procedures that schools and institutes of higher learning adopt to address concerns from students about racial, religious, and gender discrimination arising from individuals such as staff or lecturers, curricula, or policies; (b) what are the principles guiding these procedures; (c) what steps are taken to review, update and improve on these procedures; and (d) what are the obstacles to making the public more aware of the above and how can they be overcome.
No.

31 *12.

5 JULY 2021 3 Dr Shahira Abdullah: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what avenues are available in educational institutions to ensure that educators with racist views will be flagged up at the earliest possible opportunity; and (b) whether safeguards are available to ensure that persons giving feedback do not fear victimisation or being disadvantaged especially if they choose not to do it anonymously so that they can be informed of the outcome of their feedback.

*13.
*13.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ethnic Integration Policy is still necessary in today’s context; and (b) if so, what steps are taken to assist minority sellers who may have difficulty in selling their HDB flats.

*14.
*14.

Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Minister for National Development in view of the increasing number of inter-racial marriages and the changing profile of our households, whether the Ministry will consider (i) reviewing the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) and (ii) adjusting EIP proportions for blocks and neighbourhoods.

*15.
*15.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for National Development with regard to Project DIAN@M3 which helps Malay families in public rental flats to achieve home ownership, how will these efforts (i) complement existing efforts by HDB’s Home Ownership Support Team (HST) to avoid duplication and (ii) be resourced to achieve intended outcomes of integrating assets towards enhancing home ownership of the Malay-Muslim community.

*16.
*16.

Dr Shahira Abdullah: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) what is the current take-up rate by Malay/Muslims of the national financial and estate planning programmes available; (b) what are the current initiatives available to educate Malay/Muslims on permissible methods of investments and estate planning; and (c) what are the avenues for them to seek clarification or enquire about such financial or estate planning methods.

*17.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether there were pandemic plans at Changi Airport before May 2021; (b) whether these required passenger and staff segregations based on risk assessments of countries; (c) what were the considerations for the mingling of (i) arriving passengers from high-risk and low-risk regions before 15 May (ii) arriving and departing passengers before 13 June and (iii) staff exposed to different risks; (d) how does CAAS classify countries as “very high risk” and “high risk” with arrivals from the former being separately escorted; and (e) whether an inquiry has been made for such decisions.
No.

31 5 JULY 2021 4 *18.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport in respect of flights from high-risk COVID-19 countries (a) whether the Government will consider setting up a separate stand-alone facility away from the airport terminal buildings for immigration and customs clearance of arriving passengers; and (b) whether transit passengers from such flights can be sent from such facility to their departing aircraft at a remote bay thus avoiding any sharing of the use of the terminal buildings with other passengers arriving from or departing for other countries.
*19.
Ms Yeo Wan Ling: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what are the additional duties or responsibilities that airport workers have had to assume since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that allow them to keep Singapore and Singaporeans safe for more than 16 months before the Delta variant came about and since the more transmissive Delta variant arose; and (b) how are the Government and aviation companies supporting frontline airport staff especially when these staff have had to adjust to enhanced measures at Changi Airport.
*20.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether travellers arriving into Singapore at all air, land and sea entry points who have yet to receive their COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test results are permitted to take modes of transport where they will be within two metres of drivers or other passengers; (b) if so, whether this practice risks community transmission of imported infections; and (c) whether these passengers can instead be provided dedicated transport to a Stay-Home Notice dedicated facility with drivers wearing appropriate personal protective equipment.
*21.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether he can provide an update on the recognition of health passports issued by the International Air Transport Association and individual countries; and (b) how can the Singapore Government verify the authenticity of the Immunity Health Passport issued by the respective countries with regard to personal immunisation records and COVID-19 test results.

*22.
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Mr Cheng Hsing Yao: To ask the Minister for Health in view of COVID-19 becoming endemic (a) what will be the future threshold for imposing nationwide restrictions such as another Phase 2 (Heightened Alert); and (b) what must Singapore do to mentally prepare for life in this new normal.

*23.
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Ms Foo Mee Har: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what changes to safe management measures can the public expect when the COVID-19 situation transitions from 'pandemic' to 'endemic' status, particularly in healthcare, community, business and travel sectors; and (b) what are the criteria that will indicate such a transition.

No.

31 5 JULY 2021 5 *24.


Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Multi-Ministry Task Force will make public the full set of metrics and circumstances that will trigger movements between each phase of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions; (b) what are the public health benchmarks for moving between the pandemic control phases; and (c) whether there will be a fixed phase system for restriction levels in the future.

*25.
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Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Health how does the Government intend to follow through on its promise to wind down the TraceTogether data collection programme in light of its announcement that the COVID-19 virus is expected to become endemic.

*26.
*26.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the Ministry doing to speed up the COVID-19 vaccination programme; (b) whether the supply of vaccines is a limiting factor; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider prioritising just the first injection, like in the UK and Canada, to accommodate more sign-ups in an effort to reduce infection rates.

*27.
*27.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether his Ministry is minded to extend the COVID-19 vaccination programme to include prison inmates under the custody of the Singapore Prison Service; and (b) if so, what are the details of this plan.

*28.
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Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Health given that various pharmaceutical companies are actively carrying out studies on the feasibility of vaccines against COVID-19 that are suitable for children aged 12 years and below, what are the steps taken by the Multi-Ministry Taskforce to ensure that Singapore secures and administers such vaccines once made available.

*29.
*29.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Health given that there is currently no provision for children below the age of 12 to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, how is the Multi-Ministry Taskforce intending to address the B.1.617 strain of infection given some scientific suggestion that it adversely affects children more than adults.

*30.
*30.

Ms Janet Ang: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the vaccination plan for workers who have no option to work from home such as retail and delivery staff who need to be on the shop floor or at the frontline; and (b) whether they can be prioritised for the COVID-19 vaccination regardless of their age groups.

*31.
*31.

Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry can provide walk-in vaccination services for delivery workers so that these personnel who have tight busy schedules can continue to make deliveries promptly and safely.

No.

31 5 JULY 2021 6 *32.

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Health whether he can elaborate on the COVID-19 vaccine supply constraints that limit Singapore’s national COVID-19 vaccination roll-out.

*33.
*33.

Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for Education (a) how is the COVID- 19 vaccination programme for students coming along; and (b) whether any student has suffered adverse reactions to the vaccines.

*34.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) to date, how many summons have been issued for failure to wear face masks; and (b) what actions can be taken to encourage members of the public to wear face masks to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

*35.
*35.

Mr Cheng Hsing Yao: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what are the economic opportunities for Singapore in an environment where COVID- 19 is endemic.

*36.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for National Development given the current severe challenges faced by the construction industry (a) whether HDB will be able to build enough BTO flats to meet the demand of home buyers; and (b) whether HDB will assist first-time home buyers with affordable alternative options.

*37.
*37.

Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Minister for National Development with regard to applicants who have to forgo their BTO flats due to further construction delays arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, whether the Ministry will consider providing (i) higher one-off housing grants for those who want to switch to resale flats in view of the rising prices and (ii) short- term rental financial assistance for those renting apartments especially for young couples starting their families.

*38.
*38.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB will allow buyers of BTO flats whose housing needs have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to cancel their booked BTO flats without forfeiture on the condition that they purchase resale flats as replacement flats.

*39.
*39.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will review its policy and consider allocating a bigger proportion of BTO HDB flats for first-time home buyers in light of current delays to all BTO projects and longer waiting time for prospective homeowners.

*40.
*40.

Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what alternatives can the Ministry offer to successful BTO applicants affected by construction completion delays when they approach HDB for assistance; and (b) whether the Ministry can consider reducing the penalty for affected BTO applicants who wish to cancel their applications.

No.

31 5 JULY 2021 7 *41.


Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how many HDB rental flats are currently not occupied; and (b) whether HDB can allow the buyers of BTO flats that were delayed to rent these flats on a temporary basis.

*42.
*42.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Law whether the relief provisions in the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act concerning event and tourism related contracts may be extended to cover such contracts (whether entered into before or after 25 March 2020) and performance of which are affected by the Government’s Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) measures and restrictions announced on 14 May 2021.

*43.
*43.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what are the safety fire considerations for lift users when a non-compliant bike or e-bike is brought into a lift; (b) whether there has been a thorough investigation of the recent fatal incident due to a personal mobility device that caught fire in a lift; (c) if so, whether the cause for the combustion has been identified; and (d) how can this be addressed to prevent similar incidents.

*44.
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 investigations into the online poll ranking of female Muslim religious teachers for sexual attractiveness; (b) whether the perpetrators have been identified; (c) whether there is a larger trend of sexual misconduct in religious schools and institutions; and (d) what are the training, initiatives and support systems available to encourage members of religious schools and institutions to whistleblow on such behaviour in anonymity and without fear of adverse consequences, harassment, victimisation, retaliation, or pressure from others.
*45.
Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) when did MUIS first receive a complaint on the sexually-explicit online poll targeting at women Islamic religious teachers and what was the action taken; (b) since the matter was first reported till now, how many similar cases have been reported to MUIS; (c) what measures are being taken by MUIS to counsel and rehabilitate the suspects; and (d) when will MUIS introduce a comprehensive revision of its moral education programme for students of Kids aLIVE and Teens aLIVE and the Muslim public.
*46.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) what form of sex education and youth engagement is conducted in madrasahs and mosques; (b) what form of training is provided to the staff on how to handle allegations and incidents of sexual harassment and counsel victims of such incidents; and (c) what is being done to promote gender equality in the mosque and madrasah communities.

No.

31 5 JULY 2021 8 *47.


Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in view of the recent mass gatherings of alleged secret society members during funerals and processions (a) what are the enforcement actions taken against gatherings of secret society members; (b) whether there is a trend of proliferation of such secret societies; and (c) what are the immediate and longer term measures taken against secret societies and organised crime.

*48.
*48.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Education whether he can provide an update on the progress of the adoption of the skills frameworks that have been developed as part of the 23 Industry Transformation Maps.

*49.
*49.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry has plans to regulate or license private tuition teachers and tuition agencies/enrichment centres; and (b) what mechanisms are in place to ensure those working as private tuition teachers or in tuition agencies/enrichment centres do not have criminal records of sexual offences or violent crimes.

*50.
*50.

Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Education with recent reports of sexual offences involving young children, whether the Ministry will consider reviewing and enhancing the current Nurturing Early Learners (NEL) Framework to safeguard the physical and mental well-being of students.

*51.

*52.
*51.

*52.

Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what are the efforts to help schools handle sexual offences in schools; and (b) what are the kinds of support rendered to affected students and staff members.
Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Education whether there are any efforts to equip parents and teachers with the skills to look out for and recognise signs of distress and abuse in students and subsequently refer the matter for professional support or to relevant authorities where necessary.

*53.
*53.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information how is Singapore preparing to guard against severe ransom attacks by hackers in light of the high-profile ransom attacks in North America and other parts of the world.

*54.
*54.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what new measures are put in place to minimise workplace accidents and ensure that employers do not compromise on workers’ safety and that workers performing high-risk tasks are trained to do so; (b) over the past 12 months, what is the number and percentage of companies in high-risk industries that have been inspected by the Ministry; and (c) whether the Ministry is planning to expand the number of safety inspections conducted on such companies.
*55.

Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the numbers of worksite injuries and deaths have increased in the first six months of 2021 compared to the same period last year; and (b) if so, whether the reason is less worksite supervision or increased workload due to a labour crunch in the construction industry arising from COVID-19 border restrictions.

No.

31 5 JULY 2021 9 *56.


Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the number of workplace fatalities in the first half of 2021; (b) whether there has been a significant increase as compared to the first half of 2020; and (c) what is being done to curb the rise in workplace fatalities.

*57.
*57.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry will study the maximum number of hours that drivers of buses, taxis, private hire cars, trucks and delivery vehicles should work each day to mitigate the health and safety concerns relating to driver fatigue; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider implementing a compulsory rest break for these drivers after a certain number of hours of continuous driving.

*58.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Defence in light of the new COVID-19 strain and the recent increase in community infections (a) whether additional safety measures will be taken for the protection of all NSmen undergoing In-Camp Training (ICT); and (b) whether NSmen who are due to serve their ICT in the coming months will be allowed the option of taking their full COVID-19 vaccination ahead of their ICT even if they may not be due for vaccination by virtue of the age group which they belong to.
*59.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Transport in view of the recent all-time high COE price for motorcycles (a) whether there are plans to mitigate the situation; and (b) whether there will be any review of the current motorcycle COE system so as to better regulate the COE prices.

*60.
*60.

Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Manpower aside from Tripartite Standards Clinics being held for employers, HR practitioners, and management staff, whether similar clinics are being held for employees and workers through unions or other platforms for them to also understand what they can and should be expecting at their workplaces in terms of progressive employment practices.

*61.
*61.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Manpower for each year in the past five years (a) how many cases involving employers receiving kickbacks from migrant workers did the Ministry investigate; and (b) of these investigations, how many led to (i) stern warnings (ii) charges and (iii) successful prosecutions against the employers.

*62.
*62.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Ministry is studying the turnover rates of social workers; and (b) what are the plans to increase the retention of social workers and reduce the burnout rate.

No.

31 5 JULY 2021 10 *63.


Mr Chong Kee Hiong: To ask the Prime Minister (a) how does the extent of insurance coverage for persons with autism and mental health issues compare against that for the general population; (b) what are the main reasons for rejection or reduced insurance coverage purchases by this group; and (c) whether standardised risk assessment criteria can be implemented across all insurance companies for greater transparency.

*64.
*64.

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the Ministry’s plan to encourage the public to adopt usage of DIY COVID-19 test kits; (b) how will the Ministry ensure that those with indicative positive test results will voluntarily inform doctors for further testing; and (c) whether frontline workers can be provided with financial support to procure the kits when the current testing regimes are no longer in place.

*65.
*65.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what skillsets has the Ministry planned for workers in the cleaning sector to possess to remain relevant in the move towards cleaning automation; and (b) what is the Ministry’s plan to ensure that the cleaning industry will continue to provide viable livelihoods in the long term.

*66.
*66.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) why is the wage ladder under the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for the cleaning sector determined only in 2021 when the announcement for a 6-year wage increment under the PWM for that sector was made in 2016; (b) what are the considerations for the 6-year rollout period; and (c) whether the cleaning industry has been consulted on wage quantum and rate of increments.

*67.
*67.

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) will be adjusted such that enhancements to wages under the Progressive Wage Model are not entirely offset by lower WIS payouts.

*68.
Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Tripartite Cluster for Cleaners (TCC) discussed ways to ensure that the higher cost arising from enhanced wages under the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for the cleaning sector will be fairly borne by cleaning companies, service buyers and the public; (b) what are some of the feedback the TCC received from cleaning companies and their service buyers; and (c) what lessons can be drawn from this as the PWM is expanded to other sectors.
*69.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the income qualifying criteria for Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) will be adjusted in line with the new Progressive Wage Model (PWM).

No.

31 5 JULY 2021 11 *70.

Mr Sharael Taha: To ask the Minister for Manpower how will Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) complement the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) so that an increase in wages of workers through PWM is not offset by a reduction in WIS payouts.

*71.
Mr Sharael Taha: To ask the Minister for Manpower under the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for workers with wages at the bottom 20% of the workforce (a) what is the number and percentage of workers from the cleaning, security, landscape and lift and escalator industries who can benefit; (b) what is the additional number and percentage of workers who will benefit from the expansion of PWM into the food, retail and waste management industries; and (c) what lessons can be drawn from the implementation of the PWM to expedite its expansion.
*72.

Mr Sharael Taha: To ask the Minister for National Development following the announcement on 7 June 2021 on wage increases for cleaners under the Progressive Wage Model, whether the Ministry will consider increasing the subvention grant to Town Councils.

*73.
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) in each of the last 10 years, what is the number of new MNCs that are granted (i) the Pioneer Certificate Incentive (ii) the Development and Expansion Incentive and (iii) any other economic expansion-related tax incentive; (b) what is the average concessionary tax rate granted for each incentive scheme; and (c) what is the current number of MNCs and the average effective tax rate paid for each incentive scheme in the most recent year of assessment.
*74.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) what is the assessed (i) total revenue (ii) profit before tax (iii) corporate income tax paid and (iv) average effective tax rate for foreign companies whose profit margins are above 10% in the most recent year of assessment; and (b) what is the number of such foreign companies.

*75.
*75.

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) in Singapore dollar terms, how much corporate tax relief and rebates respectively have been granted to companies from 2011 to 2020 on a yearly basis; and (b) of these, what amount of rebate or relief has been extended to and taken up by foreign companies respectively to entice them to set up branches or subsidiaries in Singapore over the same period.

*76.
*76.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Finance with regard to corporate income tax collection (a) in each of the last 10 years, what is the assessed (i) total revenue (ii) profit before tax (iii) corporate income tax paid and (iv) average effective tax rate; and (b) what is the breakdown by (i) SMEs and non-SMEs (ii) tax resident and non-tax resident companies and (iii) Singapore-incorporated and foreign companies for each of the items as described in parts (a)(i) to (a)(iv).

No.
No.

31 5 JULY 2021 12 *77.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: To ask the Minister for Law whether the Ministry can take an active approach to help Singaporeans who do not meet the current means test for pro bono legal services and cannot afford the market cost of legal services in matters such as deputyship, estate administration and divorce.

*78.
*78.

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) what is the progress of preparations for Singapore's participation in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics amidst the COVID-19 pandemic; and (b) what are the measures taken to ensure that the health of participating Singapore athletes will be adequately safeguarded.

*79.
*79.

Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry has data on how many Singaporeans are full-time caregivers to persons who suffer from permanent moderate disability, and (b) if so, how many of them have household incomes that fall within the bottom 20th percentile household income group (after transfers).

*80.
*80.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Prime Minister whether Singapore's family friendly policies will be adjusted in view of the 2020 population census results, particularly in the areas of (i) promoting childbirth (ii) child and student care facilities and (iii) child friendly workplace policies.

*81.
*81.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider allowing senior citizens aged 60 years and above to claim reimbursement for taking COVID-19 vaccines approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization.

*82.
*82.

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) why did the Government allow the Sinovac vaccine to be used in Singapore under the Special Access Route even when the Government has not finished its evaluation of the quality, safety and efficacy of the Sinovac vaccine; and (b) what assistance is available for needy patients who suffer severe complications from Sinovac but do not have coverage under Integrated Shield Plans.

*83.
*83.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) whether there will be an extension of current business support schemes until the lifting of restrictions to the same levels as in Q1 2021; and (b) whether there can be more information given upfront to businesses about the types of schemes available to them including the timing of disbursements of the various schemes.

*84.
*84.

Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) what measures have the Government put in place to ensure that all eligible recipients of COVID-related support measures, both in 2020 and 2021, are aware of and have applied for the support schemes; and (b) what has been done to ensure that business owners and individuals across all levels of digital literacy are able to easily apply for such schemes.

No.

31 5 JULY 2021 13 *85.


Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether more students can be admitted to our local autonomous universities this year so as to help students who are unable to study in foreign universities due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and (b) if so, how many additional places can be made available.

*86.

*87.
*86.

*87.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Government anticipates an upward trend in the number of the elderly with mobility issues; (b) how will the Government adjust future policy decisions so that the elderly who live alone will have convenient access to support; and (c) whether the Government will also look into promoting preventive healthcare measures to prevent or slow down the onset of mobility issues.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how is the Government strategising to cope with the new demographic challenges of an aging population; and (b) how will this impact healthcare policies, particularly for the elderly.

*88.
*88.

Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for Finance whether the Ministry will consider the assessment criteria and Environmental, Social and Governance standards that will apply to projects financed by green bonds issued by the Government (ii) ensuring transparency about the carbon and other environmental impacts of these projects using internationally recognised accounting principles and (iii) outlining the timeline for finalising Singapore’s green and transition taxonomy.

(i) publishing *89.
(i) publishing *89.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether pre- departure polymerase chain reaction tests (PDT) can be made mandatory for all in Singapore from higher-risk countries/regions via air, land and sea entry checkpoints; and (b) how does the Ministry ensure that individuals exempted from PDTs are isolated from the community until they receive negative polymerase chain reaction test results.

individuals of all ages arriving *90.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether, prior to 15 March 2021, the COVID-19 Multi-Ministry Task Force has been receiving reports from Singapore’s diplomatic and consular missions in India and other parts of South Asia regarding the surge in COVID-19 cases in that region since February 2021; and (b) what measures are currently in place for Singapore’s overseas missions and intelligence operatives around the world to provide early warnings of impending health concerns that may impact Singapore.
*91.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for Health in light of the latest rise in number of COVID-19 cases in Singapore and notwithstanding the ongoing discussions for mutual recognition of vaccine certification with other countries, whether the Government will re-consider imposing a pre-condition for visitors to be vaccinated prior to their arrival in Singapore.

No.

31 5 JULY 2021 14 *92.


Mr Raj Joshua Thomas: To ask the Minister for Law whether there are any plans to regulate alternative legal service providers in Singapore.

*93.

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether there is a trend of increasing Cash-Over-Valuation (COV) for resale HDB flats; (b) if so, what are the reasons for the increasing trend; and (c) what has been the rate of increase in the past one year.

*94.
*94.

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for National Development over the past 10 years, what is the number of developments that have been stopped as a result of findings from (i) environmental impact assessments and (ii) built heritage evaluations by URA.

*95.
*95.

Ms Poh Li San: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB will consider (i) building bigger format BTOs and communal working spaces within HDB estates to facilitate work from home in the new normal and (ii) converting industrial and commercial areas of low utilisation into parkland and recreational spaces.

*96.
*96.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Ministry will review the permissible noise levels in residential areas given the rise in home-based learning and more people working from home.

*97.
*97.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether there has been an increase in complaints about construction noise near residential estates in the last three years; and (b) whether NEA can review the regulations to reduce noise from construction sites that are situated within 100 metres of residential estates.

*98.
*98.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry with the global shift away from coal and fossil fuel (a) how will Singapore’s petrochemical industries be affected; (b) what is the potential impact on Singapore’s long-term growth; (c) what are Singapore’s plans in terms of allocation of land space and infrastructure for the oil and gas industry; and (d) what major sectors will need to be focused on to balance any potential adverse impact from this shift.

*99.
Prof Koh Lian Pin: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) to date, how much carbon tax revenue has been used to fund transitional measures by industries to reduce emissions; and (b) whether the Government will consider expanding the use of carbon tax revenue in ways that benefit wider society and align with the Singapore Green Plan 2030 including the upskilling of workers to capitalise on emerging green sectors and jobs, and ground-up initiatives of Singapore green groups that support urban sustainability, climate actions and nature conservation.
No.

31 5 JULY 2021 15 *100.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry in light of efforts by the Government to develop Singapore as a global trading hub for climate-related services, what are the Ministry's efforts to spur demand for, and be an active participant in, this market.

*101.
*101.

Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo: To ask the Minister for Manpower with regard to the SGUnited Traineeships and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programmes (a) whether applicants have been able to fulfill the skills profile and requirements of the participating organisations; (b) what is the rate of retention of trainees up to completion of their traineeship or attachment; and (c) what is the rate of conversion to full-time employment.

*102.
*102.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport with regard to the acquisition of 68-74 Thomson Road (a) whether the acquisition happened without any prior consultation with the current owners of the residential units; and (b) what is the expected use of the land after the construction of the North- South Corridor.

*103.
*103.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether more SafeEntry Gateway device stations and TraceTogether QR codes can be installed at more entry points of venues to facilitate check-ins; and (b) what measures are in place to encourage shoppers to wet markets to bring along their TraceTogether tokens or turn on their TraceTogether phone apps.

*104.
*104.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) since March 2021, what has been the outcome of high-rise littering surveillance operations; and (b) whether the Ministry has implemented any new measures, apart from the existing optical or thermal camera technology, to improve the success rate of such operations.

*105.
*105.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether there are any plans to provide additional financial aid to affected hawkers who have been forced to close or seen their business drop significantly due to their proximity to a COVID-19 cluster; and (b) how does the Ministry intend to help draw the crowds back to affected markets and hawker centres once the COVID-19 cluster has closed.

*106.
*106.

Dr Tan Yia Swam: To ask the Minister for Health (a) to date, what is the number of children and vulnerable adults who have been subjected to a deep nasal swab; (b) whether there are any known reports of adverse outcomes or lasting psychological effects during the deep nasal swabs; and (c) of the people subjected to a deep nasal swab, whether the Ministry has done any survey of any lasting side effects, both physical and mental.

No.

31 5 JULY 2021 16 *107.


Dr Tan Yia Swam: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry has conducted any cost-benefit analysis of the role of deep nasal swabs of all contacts once a positive case is identified; (b) whether the cost of the swab tests and potential harm to individuals receiving the swab tests are evaluated; and (c) what is the ratio of the number of cases picked up in comparison to the number of close contacts swabbed in the recent mass swabbing exercises.

*108.
*108.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development whether more species of marine invertebrates such as horseshoe crabs can be included as protected wildlife species under the Wildlife Act.

*109.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what are the measures in place to prevent cat abuse cases; and (b) whether there are plans to enhance coordination between agencies to investigate such cases when they occur.

*110.
*110.

Mr Mohd Fahmi Bin Aliman: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether additional precautions will be taken for pre-school students taking part in indoor activities during Phase 2 (Heightened Alert); (b) whether additional precautions will be taken for pre-school teachers amid Phase 2 (Heightened Alert); and (c) whether the Ministry is considering remote learning options for pre-school students and teachers during Phase 2 (Heightened Alert).

*111.
*111.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Ministry has plans to implement an education campaign that will have hawkers and food vendors default to non-inclusion of disposable utensils in their takeout orders with customers obtaining these on an as-requested basis.

*112.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs with regard to online and phone scams reported in each of the past three years (a) how many were perpetrated against Singapore-based victims by persons situated overseas; (b) what is the financial loss suffered by these victims; (c) how many of these cases were prosecuted, either in Singapore or overseas; and (d) given the difficulties associated with investigating such crime, what is the Police’s strategy to protect Singapore residents from online or phone scams originating from overseas.
*113.
Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) who holds the reversionary interest of the land belonging to Wakaf Haji Pitchay Meerah Hussain at No 5 Lorong 9 Geylang Road; (b) how was the wakaf land and property which is to be forever used as madrasah be used as a temple; (c) how did MUIS come to a decision to carve out a 199-year leasehold on this property; and (d) whether the family of the donor has been informed and agreed to such a change.
No.

31 5 JULY 2021 17 *114.

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the numerical breakdown by nationality of Singapore's permanent resident (PR) pool from each of the top 20 countries and further sub-divided by gender; and (b) of these top 20 nationalities, how many individuals have remained as PRs for the last 10 and 20 years respectively and have not applied for citizenship at least once.

*115.
*115.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health how can the Ministry conduct contact tracing on persons who opt out of TraceTogether and who are later found to have exposed themselves and others to the risk of contracting COVID-19.

*116.
*116.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the median and 90th percentile turnaround time to obtain a virus whole genome sequencing (WGS) result from the time a patient's COVID-19 test is reported as positive; (b) to date, how many COVID-19 cases have case cluster linkages established through WGS assistance; and (c) how does this compare with the experience of other healthcare systems overseas.

*117.
*117.

Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Government can strongly encourage all organisations related to the Government, Ministries and Statutory Boards outside of the public service that receive significant direct or indirect Government funding, to raise their re- employment age limit to 68 years with immediate effect.

*118.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what capabilities do agencies have to analyse airflow, ventilation and movement of droplet or airborne particles in existing buildings and proposed new built environment designs; (b) whether this is considered in designing new healthcare facilities; and (c) whether the Ministry will review existing healthcare facilities' airflow in the different hospital wards and facility settings as part of minimising transmission of COVID-19 and emerging pathogens.
*119.

Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what capabilities exist for detecting the presence, viability and infectivity of the COVID-19 virus in built environments, including in air and on surfaces which members of the public or staff may come into contact with; and (b) whether these tests have been applied to at-risk settings including urban hotspots and Changi Airport's terminals and, if so, what are the findings.

No.

31 5 JULY 2021 18 *120.


Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Transport with regard to the safety of workers being transported on lorries (a) whether the Ministry has studied the proposal to install speed limiters on such lorries; and (b) whether there are any plans to implement such speed limiters on lorries used to transport workers.

* 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 Finance: Support Measures for Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) and Phase 3 (Heightened Alert).
Note: Notice is given for the Ministerial Statement to be debated under SO.

44 on an available sitting on 26 July 2021.

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

Minister for Home Affairs: Police Force (Amendment) Bill.

2.

Minister for Health: Dental Registration (Amendment) Bill.

3.

Minister for Social and Family Development: Child Development Co-Savings (Amendment) Bill.

(President's recommendation signified).

No.

31 5 JULY 2021 19 ORDERS OF THE DAY 1.

2.


Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill [Bill No.

11/2021] – (Minister for Social and Family Development) – Second Reading Registration of Births and Deaths Bill [Bill No.

13/2021] – (Second Minister for Home Affairs) – Second Reading MEMORANDUM Matter proposed to be raised on the Motion for the Adjournment (SO 2(8)(b)).

Mr Raj Joshua Thomas (Nominated Member) : Unending Project of Building Racial Harmony in Singapore.

1.

2.

3.

4.
1.

2.

3.

4.

QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER Prof Hoon Hian Teck: To ask the Prime Minister whether there is any revision to two projections contained in the Population White Paper published in January 2013, namely (i) at current birth rates and without immigration, our citizen population will shrink from 2025 onwards and (ii) the number of citizens in the working ages of 20 to 64 years will decline from 2020 due to more citizens retiring and fewer citizens entering the workforce.
Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Prime Minister what is the impact of the G7 agreement on a global minimum tax rate of 15% on Singapore's status as a financial centre in general and, in particular, on emerging fields such as fintech and green finance.

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Government will make public and publish in full its 2018 review of the 2013 Population White Paper.
Ms Raeesah Khan: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what are the formal processes in the Civil Service to (i) manage incidents of discrimination along racial, religious, and gender lines (ii) review policies, practices and institutions that result in differential treatment or discrimination by race, religion and gender and (iii) improve the current situation on such issues; and (b) whether the Civil Service will report on such issues on a regular basis to Parliament.

No.

31 5 JULY 2021 20 5.

6.

7.

8.

9.


10.

11.

12.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what measures are put in place to prevent the drug fentanyl from entering Singapore given its lethal nature and increasing prevalence in South-East Asia.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Singapore Police Force may be minded to provide assistance to persons wanting to locate their long-lost adult family members.
Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the number of racially charged incidents reported to the Police over the past five years; and (b) what is the Government’s assessment of Singaporeans’ readiness to navigate an increasingly polarised society.
Dr Tan Yia Swam: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs over the past three years, whether there is an increasing trend in the number of police reports on (i) road rage incidents (ii) neighbour disputes (iii) verbal assault (iv) physical assault and (v) nudity or indecent exposure in public.
Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how is the Singapore Police Force building digital investigation capabilities for investigating online scams and digital fraud; and (b) how long does it take on average to solve each case.
Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the number of prison inmates who have sought help for, or were diagnosed as having, mental health issues in 2020; and (b) how has follow-up case work by the Forensic Psychiatry Community Service and care teams of the Institute of Mental Health for released offenders been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what are the rules of engagement when the Traffic Police spots a lorry travelling at a speed higher than 60km/h; (b) how many of such speeding cases have been detected over the past five years; and (c) of these cases, how many are stopped by Traffic Police officers and how many are caught through submissions of dashcam footages.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Ministry is aware of companies claiming to be able to improve the chances of securing permanent residence in Singapore; and (b) whether such claims run contrary to public policy regarding immigration policies.

No.

31 13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.


5 JULY 2021 21 Ms Raeesah Khan: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in light of Singapore's ratification of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (a) whether existing laws against racist hate speech are consistent with paragraph 20 of the General Recommendation No.
35 of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination that measures to monitor and combat racist speech should not be used as a pretext to curtail expressions of protest at injustice, social discontent or opposition; and (b) what legislative and jurisprudential safeguards are in place to ensure that Singapore complies with this recommendation.
Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs between 2017 and 2020 (a) what is the number of reports made by victims of sexual assault, the breakdown by race, and the number of cases in which the perpetrators are family members and relatives; and (b) how many individuals have been arrested and charged for (i) sexual assault and (ii) statutory rape.
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Law (a) what is the basis for determining the reserve prices for sites under the Government Land Sales (GLS) and Industrial Government Land Sales (IGLS) programmes; (b) for sites that have been put up for sale in the last five years, what is the number of sites that are not awarded as the highest bid is below the reserve price; and (c) what is the average percentage premium of the winning bid versus the reserve price for sites that are awarded.
Mr Raj Joshua Thomas: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how many trade associations and chambers have received funding from the Local Enterprise and Association Development (LEAD) programme since its enhancement in 2018; and (b) how much has been disbursed under the LEAD programme since then.
Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the Ministry’s assessment of the potential impact of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting project (BEPS 2.0) on the outlook of Singapore’s technology sector; and (b) what are the steps that the Government will be taking to preserve Singapore’s competitiveness as a favoured hub for technology multinational companies.
Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how does extreme weather conditions affect outdoor electrical installations; (b) whether there is a requirement for a minimum frequency of checks on electrical installations that applies to all town councils and LTA; (c) if so, whether this frequency will be increased; and (d) whether there are plans to deploy artificial intelligence technology to support this increase.

No.

31 19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.


5 JULY 2021 22 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what are the reasons behind Singapore’s drop in ranking from first to fifth in the Institute for Management Development’s World Competitiveness Ranking; (b) whether this will have any severe adverse impact in attracting investments to Singapore; and (c) what are the Ministry’s plans to enhance Singapore’s competitiveness in the short and long term.
Ms Mariam Jaafar: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the number of companies that have taken a decision in the past year to move their regional or global headquarters out of Singapore; and (b) what are the key strategies to address the slump in our global competitiveness rankings.
Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how many companies are currently on the Fair Consideration Framework watchlist; (b) what are the criteria for putting a company on the watchlist; and (c) whether the threshold percentage of a company's workforce from a single nationality is one of the criteria.
Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Manpower for each year from 2005 to 2020, how many nationals from China, India, USA and Australia have been issued (i) Employment Passes (ii) S Passes (iii) Work Permits (excluding foreign domestic workers) and (iv) letters of consent respectively.

Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the current proportion of nationals from China, India, USA, and Australia by industry; and (b) what are the commonly held jobs by these nationals in each industry.
Ms Hazel Poa: To ask the Minister for Manpower what is the current breakdown of the numbers of Employment Pass holders, S Pass holders and work permit holders (excluding foreign domestic workers) by industry as per the breakdown in the Singapore Standard Industrial Classification 2015.
Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry in view of the global shortage of semiconductor chips (a) how can Singapore leverage on its current semiconductor ecosystem to seize growth opportunities; (b) how will the larger economy benefit from larger semiconductor investment; and (c) how can our workforce prepare for this growth.
Mr Desmond Choo: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry in view of the lower rates of COVID-19 vaccination in most ASEAN countries (a) how will the Singapore economy be affected; and (b) how will this affect Singapore’s near to mid-term economic strategies with the ASEAN economies.

No.

31 27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.


5 JULY 2021 23 Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what are the plans in place to reskill and upskill staff of small and medium sized automotive repair shops to handle and repair electric vehicles in the coming years; (b) whether the Government will provide support for the infrastructure upgrades in these shops that are needed for the repair and maintenance of electric vehicles; and (c) if so, what kind of support it will entail.
Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry can provide some level of income assurance should taxi or private-hire vehicle drivers get infected with COVID-19 during their course of ferrying frontline workers so as to cover their loss of income during their recovery and quarantine period.
Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what are the steps taken to segregate persons arriving in flights from countries with a higher risk of COVID-19 transmission; and (b) what other mitigating measures are undertaken at the airport or various points of entry to Singapore, to reduce the risk of transmission to others.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport between 1 March 2021 and 15 May 2021 (a) what is the number of passengers who have flown from India to Singapore who are neither citizens nor permanent residents of Singapore; (b) what immigration passes have they been issued with on arrival; and (c) what are the numbers for each category of these passes.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Transport between 1 March 2021 and 15 May 2021, what is the number of passengers who flew from India and arrived in Changi Airport as transit passengers en route to a further destination.
Mr Raj Joshua Thomas: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) to date, what are the numbers of (i) unmanned aircrafts (UAs) that have been registered (ii) persons who have obtained a UA Basic Training Certificate and (iii) persons who have obtained a UA Pilot Licence; and (b) whether the Ministry can provide some examples of the commercial usage of UAs for which licences have been granted.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) to date, how many taxi and private-hire vehicle drivers have been diagnosed with COVID-19; (b) in how many instances are their household members infected too; (c) what is their median and 90th percentile duration away from work and income loss as a result respectively; and (d) what income and welfare support has been provided to help affected drivers in need.

No.

31 5 JULY 2021 24 34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.


Mr Leong Mun Wai: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what is the change in the size of the taxi fleet from 2010 to 2020; and (b) whether point- to-point service operators should provide a booking hotline for residents who are unable or do not know how to use the smartphone booking applications.
Ms Raeesah Khan: To ask the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider (i) working with transport operators to introduce more on- demand, metered services for users of motorised and high-back wheelchairs who currently have limited options for affordable and on-demand point-to- point transport and (ii) encouraging operators, through subsidies or otherwise, to acquire vehicles which are able to accommodate larger motorised and high-back wheelchairs.
Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment regarding the implementation of tray returns at hawker centres and food courts (a) what guidelines are in place to ensure that there are sufficient tray return locations at hawker centres and food courts and the accessibility of these stations; and (b) whether there are consultations with hawker and food centre committees to determine appropriate numbers and proper siting of these stations.
Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Ministry will consider introducing smoking cabins in residential areas such as condominiums and allow the management corporation strata title to regulate via by-laws that smoking can only be done at such cabins.
Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the supply of vegetables into Singapore is sufficiently diversified to mitigate against the rise in the price of vegetables from Malaysia; (b) whether the Singapore Food Agency has recorded a spike in the import of illegal vegetables in the last six to 12 months; and (c) whether existing enforcement measures are sufficient to deter the illegal import of vegetables.
Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether he will provide an update on the progress of the adaptive learning initiative in schools; (b) whether there are pilot programmes planned in schools which will facilitate the adaptive learning initiative; and (c) what infrastructure developments are necessary to be undertaken in schools that will facilitate adaptive learning.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Education whether online portals can be created to allow students to talk to their school counsellors anonymously so as to encourage students struggling with mental health to open up within a safe space.

No.

31 5 JULY 2021 25 41.

42.

43.

44.

45.

46.

47.

48.


Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry has contingency plans in the event that tightened COVID-19 measures are required when national examinations are about to start or are ongoing.

Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for Education (a) for the past five years, how many students have been suffering from selective mutism; and (b) what are the support systems available for these students.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Education (a) for each year in the past five years, broken down by the degrees awarded, how many students respectively applied for, were accepted into, were enrolled in or graduated with (i) an NUS undergraduate major in Social Work (ii) an NUS graduate diploma in Social Work (iii) an SUSS undergraduate degree in Social Work or (iv) an SUSS graduate diploma in social work; and (b) if such data is not being collected, whether the Ministry will start collecting it.
Dr Shahira Abdullah: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether there will be more initiatives introduced, particularly for youths, to ensure that they do not lose their command of vernacular languages; and (b) what are the schemes and programmes to aid their command of such languages which ability will facilitate employment opportunities in the ASEAN/Asian region.
Mr Sharael Taha: To ask the Minister for Education what is the framework to bring back the National School Games for sports such as football, hockey, netball and floorball in a safe and lower-risk environment for our schools.
Prof Hoon Hian Teck: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) from its introduction in 1994 to the most recent year, what has been Singapore’s share of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) out of total tax revenue; and (b) how does this compare to the share of consumption taxes in total tax revenue in OECD countries.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development what is being done to fight against the stigma that single mothers face and to support them in their challenges as single parents to create an environment of greater empathy and support for them to raise their children.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether more awareness can be raised and greater facilitation can be given to assist in meeting the specific needs of homes for orphans and vulnerable youth by informing the public as to the specific items are needed by the homes.

No.

31 49.

50.

51.

52.

53.

54.

55.
52.

53.

54.

55.

5 JULY 2021 26 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development what are the measures taken by our social service officers including those from the crisis shelters and family violence specialist centres to continue with the monitoring of clients who are at risk of recurring violence during the prolonged period of stay at home under the current Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) measures while at the same time balancing the health and safety of these officers.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what are the average and median numbers of hours per month a social worker is required to spend on (i) a group 2 case (ii) a group 3 case and (iii) a group 4 case; and (b) if this data is not currently being collected, whether the Ministry will start collecting this data.
Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether ECDA will consider implementing fee rebates for households who voluntarily choose to keep their preschool children at home during the Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) period.
Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) what is the take- up rate of programmes run by FITRAH @ Masjid En-Naeem in providing enhanced support services to incarcerated Muslim individuals and their families; and (b) what is the current number of community befrienders who have been recruited and are actively serving ex-offenders and their families.
Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs whether he can explain the different approach and action taken in respect of the Madrasah Irsyad employee who allegedly leaked confidential documents of the Madrasah and who has since resigned and that in respect of the senior MUIS employee who was allegedly involved in the Halal certification issue but was nonetheless retained as part of MUIS’ workforce while investigations by CPIB and CAD are ongoing.
Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: To ask the Minister for Health with regard to the deployment of an artificial intelligence system called Selena+ in the screening of patients through eye scans (a) what has been the efficacy of the Selena+ system in screening diabetic patients; and (b) whether the Ministry will be embarking on further initiatives for an economical and accessible diabetic screening system for the public.
Ms Ng Ling Ling: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry tracks the vaccination rate of taxi and private-hire vehicle drivers and, if so, what is the vaccination rate.

No.

31 56.

57.

58.

59.

60.

61.

62.

63.


5 JULY 2021 27 Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Health for each of the years from 2010 to 2020 (a) how many persons are working as nurses, and in allied, ancillary and administrative roles respectively in the public healthcare sector; and (b) what is the breakdown for such persons in terms of whether they are in full-time or part-time employment, educational qualifications, age, gender and number who are Singaporeans and non- Singaporeans.
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Health for each of the years from 2010 to 2020 (a) how many persons are working as nurses, and in allied, ancillary and administrative roles respectively in the private healthcare sector; and (b) what is the breakdown for such persons in terms of whether they are in full-time or part-time employment, educational qualifications, age, gender and number who are Singaporeans and non- Singaporeans.
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: To ask the Minister for Health for each of the years from 2010 to 2020 (a) how many people are working in the Intermediate and Long-Term Care sector; and (b) what is the breakdown for such persons in terms of whether they are in full-time or part-time employment, educational qualifications, age, gender and number who are Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans.
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Health whether the use of MediSave funds may be extended to patients who incur Accident and Emergency fees arising from referrals made by their treating physicians to the Accident and Emergency Departments of hospitals but do not get admitted to the hospitals either directly or through the MediSave 500/700 Schemes.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Health whether the Government is evaluating SanOtize's nitric oxide nasal spray (NONS) for use in Singapore and exploring supply agreements if assessed to be safe for use.

Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Health whether adults and children aged 12 and above with special needs who face difficulties wearing masks outdoors can be prioritised for COVID-19 vaccination.
Ms Hany Soh: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the number of Singaporeans who suffer from selective mutism and the breakdown in terms of age group; and (b) what are the support systems available for these patients and their caregivers.

Dr Tan Yia Swam: To ask the Minister for Health (a) who are the persons currently undergoing Rostered Routine Testing (RRT); and (b) how does the Ministry determine who needs to undergo RRT.

No.

31 5 JULY 2021 28 64.

65.

66.

67.

68.

69.


Dr Tan Yia Swam: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the method used for Rostered Routine Testing (RRT); and (b) whether there will be alternative methods of testing considered for persons on RRT.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the threshold for COVID-19 vaccination rates before a near-full reopening is possible; (b) what is the basis of this threshold; and (c) what consideration has the Government given towards the development of a COVID-19 risk index that aggregates indicators like the number of new infections and active cases, hospital capacity, vaccination rate, contact tracing efficiency and testing capacity, to provide guidance to policymakers on decisions to ease or tighten safe management measures.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether individuals who have contraindications for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines but not the Sinovac vaccine can be given priority to receive the Sinovac vaccine over those who choose it out of personal preference; and (b) whether the Sinovac vaccine can be made part of the national vaccination programme for this group of individuals so that they can receive their vaccinations at vaccination centres and polyclinics and will be eligible for the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme should they develop any adverse reactions.
Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Health what has been done to ensure supply chain resilience to maintain the availability, affordability and variety of critical medicine which may not be easily interchangeable such as insulin or psychiatric medication for Singaporeans to ensure that treatment is consistent.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) to date, how many workers in the environmental services sector, including cleaners, have been infected with COVID-19 in total and since 1 January 2021 respectively; (b) of these, how many are infected with the Delta / B.1.617.2 strain or other variants of increased infectivity; and (c) at the time of infection, how many are working in or had recent deployment in healthcare frontline settings.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Health (a) to date, how many people have received a dose of the Sinovac vaccine; (b) what adverse effects have been reported from taking the Sinovac vaccine; and (c) whether the Ministry will provide periodic updates on adverse reactions as it does for the mRNA vaccines so patients can make informed decisions.

No.

31 70.

71.

72.

73.

74.

75.
5 JULY 2021 29 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether there are plans to create a more robust food health rating system on a graduated scale instead of the binary Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS); (b) how is the effectiveness of the HCS at influencing food purchases being determined and what is the result so far; and (c) whether the Government has a review system in place to improve effectiveness of HCS labelling and on monitoring social marketing campaigns led by food companies on consumers’ purchasing patterns.
Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the arrival of COVID-19 vaccine supplies can be brought forward; and (b) whether there are plans to accelerate the interim-use authorisation process under Pandemic Special Access Route (PSAR) for other promising vaccine candidates such as the single-dose vaccine co-developed by Arcturus and Duke-NUS.
Mr Sharael Taha: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how is the maximum MediSave700 withdrawal amount of $700 per annum determined for the 20 conditions under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP); (b) whether the maximum withdrawal amount will be reviewed for chronic conditions that may cost a patient more than $700 yearly; and (c) whether the Ministry can consider allowing family members and spouses to withdraw more than $700 in total to pay for the patient’s complex chronic outpatient treatment.
Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Health to date, what is the proportion of persons who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, broken down by age group into (i) 12-20 years (ii) 21-29 years (iii) 30-39 years (iv) 40-49 years (v) 50-59 years (vi) 60-69 years and (vii) 70 years and above; and (b) what is the proportion of such persons, broken down by (i) gender (ii) healthcare workers (iii) cleaners (iv) delivery riders and taxi drivers (v) F&B staff and (vi) migrant workers living in dormitories.
Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Health (a) in the last six months, how many Quarantine Orders (QOs) have been served monthly that required transport to a Government Quarantine Facility (GQF); (b) what is the mean number of hours taken to transport individuals to a GQF from service of a QO; and (c) how many individuals waited more than (i) 24 hours (ii) 48 hours and (iii) 72 hours before being transported to the GQFs after being served with the QO.
Ms He Ting Ru: To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is Singapore’s total testing capacity for COVID-19 for each month since the beginning of the pandemic, broken down by types of tests; (b) how many of each type of test have been conducted each month; and (c) how does the Ministry intend to further expand testing capacity for each type of test going forward.

No.

31 5 JULY 2021 30 76.

77.

78.

79.

80.

81.

82.

83.


Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information since the launch of the Hawkers Go Digital progamme till now, what is the percentage of hawkers aged 60 years and above who have registered for the programme.
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry can work alongside animal shelters to allow potential pet owners to interact with animals put up for adoption so as to counteract misconceptions and stigma against adopted pets.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development whether guidelines on the types and installation of CCTVs including pinhole CCTVs at the main door of residents’ homes can be standardised and published.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) in the past two years, what is the number of residents’ complaints of illegal parking and obstruction by delivery drivers at HDB estates; and (b) whether delivery bays can be provided for HDB flats that have no immediate motorbike parking facility to meet the delivery drivers' and residents' needs.
Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB will allow the flat’s resale levy to be rolled into the purchase price of flats, for buyers who have been financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and are now unable to afford the upfront cash payment.

Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Manpower whether there will be an increase in the Progressive Wage Model bonus for cleaners for 2021 given the increased work requirements due to the evolving pandemic situation.
Miss Rachel Ong: To ask the Minister for Manpower how will wage adjustments under the updated Progressive Wage Model for the cleaning be done sustainably given the sharper wage increase in the first year of the wage schedule.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Manpower with more mandatory training requirements under the adjusted Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for cleaners (a) what type of new training courses can the cleaning industry expect; (b) whether these courses can be vetted and recommended by the Ministry; and (c) how does the Ministry intend to leverage on upskilling to create more skilled positions to attract young Singaporeans to join the industry.

84.
84.

Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for Manpower in each of the last three years, what is the gender breakdown of all recipients of the Workfare Income Supplement.

No.

31 85.
5 JULY 2021 31 Ms Raeesah Khan: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) under the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) Guidelines, whether employers are prohibited from asking job applicants to declare in pre-employment medical examination forms unless there is a job related requirement; and (b) what are the criteria used to evaluate the reasonableness and legitimacy of job-related requirements that allow employers to require job applicants to declare their mental health conditions.
their mental health conditions PAPERS PRESENTED 2021 Date Presented S. L. 235 COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) (Amendment No.

6) Regulations 2021 ..... 11 May 2021 S. L. 236 COVID-19 Measures) (Temporary (Performances and Other Activities - Control Order) (Amendment No.
4) Regulations 2021 ..... 11 May 2021 S. L. 237 COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Sporting Events and Activities - Control Order) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 ..... 11 May 2021 S. L. 238 COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Major Business Events - Control Order) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 ..... 11 May 2021 S. L. 239 COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) (Amendment No.

7) Regulations 2021 ..... 11 May 2021 S. L. 240 COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Major Business Events - Control Order) (Amendment No.
2) Regulations 2021 ..... 19 May 2021 S. L. 241 COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Sporting Events and Activities - Control Order) (Amendment No.

2) Regulations 2021 ..... 19 May 2021 S. L. 242 COVID-19 Measures) (Temporary (Performances and Other Activities - Control Order) (Amendment No.

5) Regulations 2021 ..... 19 May 2021 No.

31 5 JULY 2021 32 PAPERS PRESENTED - continued 2021 S. L. 243 COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Foreign Employee Dormitories - Control Order) (Amendment No.
2) Regulations 2021 ..... 19 May 2021 Date Presented S. L. 244 COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) (Amendment No.

8) Regulations 2021 ..... 19 May 2021 Pres.

Co. 19 Pres.

Co. 20 Pres.


Co. 21 Report of Minority Rights on (Amendment) Bill [Bill No 8/2021] the Presidential Council for the Road Traffic Report of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights on the Land Transport Authority of Singapore (Amendment) Bill [Bill No 9/2021] Report of the Presidential Council for the COVID-19 on Minority Rights (Temporary Measures) (Amendment No.
3) Bill [Bill No 12/2021] ..... 19 May 2021 ..... 19 May 2021 ..... 19 May 2021 S. L. 245 Central Provident Fund (MediSave Account Withdrawals) 3) Regulations 2021 (Amendment No.
..... 24 May 2021 S. L. 246 Shared Mobility Enterprises (Control and Licensing) (Class Licence) Order 2021 ..... 27 May 2021 S. L. 247 Shared Mobility Enterprises (Control and Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 ..... 27 May 2021 S. L. 248 Shared Mobility Enterprises (Control and Licensing) Exemption) (Temporary (Amendment) Order 2021 ..... 27 May 2021 S. 112 Land Surveyors Board Singapore Annual Report 2020 ..... 27 May 2021 S. L. 249 Environmental Public Health (Ash Scattering Facility - Exemption) Regulations 2021 ..... 28 May 2021 No.
31 5 JULY 2021 33 PAPERS PRESENTED - continued 2021 Date Presented S. L. 250 Environmental Public Health (Cemeteries) (Amendment No.
2) Regulations 2021 ..... 28 May 2021 S. 113 The Connect Fund Financial Statements for the Financial Year ended 31 March 2021 ..... 28 May 2021 S. L. 251 Protection from Harassment (Arrest Without Warrant - Prescribed Circumstances) Regulations 2021 ..... 02 June 2021 S. L. 252 Protection from Harassment (Referral for Criminal Investigation) Order 2021 ..... 02 June 2021 S. L. 253 Rules of Court (Amendment No.
3) Rules 2021 ..... 02 June 2021 S. L. 254 Supreme Court of Judicature (Protection from Harassment) Rules 2021 ..... 02 June 2021 S. S. 114 115 Public Transport Fund Financial Statements for Financial Year ended 31 March 2021 ..... 04 June 2021 Report on Registration of Births and Deaths 2020 ..... 04 June 2021 S. L. 255 COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) (Amendment No.

9) Regulations 2021 ..... 11 June 2021 S. L. 256 COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) (Amendment No.
10) Regulations 2021 ..... 15 June 2021 S. L. 257 COVID-19 Measures) (Temporary (Performances and Other Activities - Control Order) (Amendment No.

6) Regulations 2021 ..... 15 June 2021 S. L. 258 COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Sporting Events and Activities - Control Order) (Amendment No.

3) Regulations 2021 ..... 15 June 2021 S. L. 259 COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Major Business Events - Control Order) (Amendment No.

3) Regulations 2021 ..... 15 June 2021 No.
31 5 JULY 2021 34 PAPERS PRESENTED - continued 2021 S. 116 S. L. 260 Annual Report of Home Affairs Uniformed Services (INVEST Fund) for Financial Year 2020/2021 Pioneer Generation and Merdeka Generation Funds (Pioneer Generation and Merdeka Generation (Amendment) Regulations 2021 Benefits) Date Presented ..... 21 June 2021 ..... 22 June 2021 S. S. 117 Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore Sustainability/Integrated Report 2020 ..... 22 June 2021 118 Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore Audited Financial Statement 2020 ..... 22 June 2021 S. L. 261 COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) (Amendment No.
11) Regulations 2021 ..... 23 June 2021 S. L. 262 COVID-19 Measures) (Temporary (Performances and Other Activities - Control Order) (Amendment No.

7) Regulations 2021 ..... 23 June 2021 S. L. 263 COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Sporting Events and Activities - Control Order) (Amendment No.
4) Regulations 2021 ..... 23 June 2021 S. 119 Elderly Care Endowment Scheme Annual Report for the financial year 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 ..... 25 June 2021 S. S. S. S. 121 122 Board of Architects Financial Statements for the financial year ended 31 December 2020 ..... 28 June 2021 Professional Engineers Board Financial Statements for the financial year ended 31 December 2020 ..... 28 June 2021 120 MUIS Annual Report 2020 ..... 28 June 2021 123 Professional Engineers Board Annual Report for FY 2020 ..... 29 June 2021 No.
31 5 JULY 2021 35 2021 124 125 126 S. S. S. PAPERS PRESENTED - continued Date Presented Board of Architects Annual Report for FY 2020 ..... 29 June 2021 Central Provident Fund Board Annual Report 2020 ..... 29 June 2021 Housing and Development Board and its subsidiaries Financial Statements for the financial year ended 31 March 2021 ..... 29 June 2021 S. L. 264 Environmental Public Health (Public Cleansing) (Amendment No.
2) Regulations 2021 ..... 29 June 2021 S. 127 Singapore Labour Foundation Annual Report 2020 ..... 30 June 2021 S. L. 265 Monetary of Authority of Financial (Resolution (Amendment) Regulations 2021 Singapore Institutions) ..... 2 July 2021 S. L. 266 Central Provident Fund (Home Protection Insurance (Amendment) Regulations 2021 Scheme) ..... 2 July 2021 S. L. 267 Central Provident Fund (Approved Housing Schemes) (Amendment No.
2) Regulations 2021 ..... 2 July 2021 S. L. 268 Central Provident Fund (Public Sector Employees) (Amendment No.

2) Regulations 2021 ..... 2 July 2021 S. 128 Pioneer Generation Fund Audited Financial Statements for the Financial Period ended 31 March 2021 ..... 2 July 2021 S. 129 Goods and Services Tax Voucher Fund the for Audited Financial Statements Financial Period ended 31 March 2021 ..... 2 July 2021