REVIEW OF MOT AND LTA SENIOR STAFF REMUNERATION AND BONUSES
Leon Perera asked whether the recent episode of MRT tunnel flooding will affect the compensation of senior staff in the Ministry of Transport and LTA tasked with oversight of the MRT operator.
Khaw Boon Wan did not directly answer the question, but he replied that there is no evidence of shortcomings or lapses in regulatory oversight by LTA or MOT staff.
Read the full exchange here.
INCIDENCE OF DIABETES BY INCOME GROUP
Leon Perera asked whether a breakdown of the incidence of diabetes by income group can be provided.
Amrin Amin replied that while the data on diabetes incidence by income level is not available for Singapore, studies in other countries show that those in the lowest income group tend to have higher prevalence of obesity and diabetes.
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INCIDENCE OF DIABETES BY INCOME GROUP
Leon Perera asked what strategies are being deployed to promote affordable healthier food.
Amrin Amin replied that through the HPB’s Healthier Choice Symbol, Singaporeans can find a wide variety of healthier food products that suit different budget needs.
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CAUSE OF TRAIN FAULT ALONG DOWNTOWN LINE BETWEEN BUKIT PANJANG AND BEAUTY WORLD STATIONS
Pritam Singh asked what is the cause of the train fault along the DTL2 line between Bukit Panjang and Beauty World stations on 16 October 2017.
Khaw Boon Wan replied that it was due to a broken track circuit cable lug between Hillview and Beauty World stations.
Read the full exchange here.
CAUSE OF TRAIN FAULT ALONG DOWNTOWN LINE BETWEEN BUKIT PANJANG AND BEAUTY WORLD STATIONS
Pritam Singh asked why the disruption between Bukit Panjang and Beauty World stations on 16 October 2017 affected train services during the DTL3 Open House on the same day.
Khaw Boon Wan replied that the decision was made to suspend the injection of trains into DTL3 to avoid congestion on DTL2.
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LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF PLASTIC BAGS AND TAKEAWAY CONTAINERS
Pritam Singh asked whether the study covering the life cycle assessment of single carrier plastic bags and common food and beverage takeaway containers has been completed.
Masagos Zulkifli replied that the results of the study on single-use carrier bags will be released by end-2017, while the results of the study on disposable food packaging materials will be released in the first half of 2018.
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CAREER ENHANCEMENT FOR PMETS WITH GOVERNMENT SCHEMES
Pritam Singh asked what were the main challenges and limitations for the Government in pursuing new initiatives to improve career opportunities for PMETs.
Lim Swee Say replied that the pace of restructuring is not even across all sectors and companies.
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CAR GROWTH POLICY’S IMPACT ON E-COMMERCE INDUSTRY AND COMMERCIAL MOTORCYCLES
Leon Perera asked whether the drones are being considered as one solution for urban logistics to reduce the demands on our roads.
Lam Pin Min replied that he agrees, and that the deployment of drones is also on the top of their minds.
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AUTOMATICALLY PERMITTING USAGE OF MEDISAVE SAVINGS OF PERSONS WITHOUT MENTAL CAPACITY
Sylvia Lim asked whether the Government will consider automatically permitting the use of Medisave of a person without mental capacity for Medisave-approved medical expenses.
Gan Kim Yong replied that one initiative is to allow a patient to give lifetime authorisation for Medisave withdrawals while he is still mentally well. He added that the Government will study Ms Lim’s suggestion as part of its continuous review.
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UPDATE ON REVIEW INTO CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM FOR YOUTHS
Sylvia Lim asked for the status of the review into the Criminal Justice System for Youths started in October 2015.
Desmond Lee replied that the inter-agency committee tasked with the review made several recommendations in February 2017 and the Government is working through the recommendations.
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STATISTICS OF PERSONS SUED BY PUBLIC HOSPITALS FOR ARREARS OF HOSPITAL BILLS
Sylvia Lim asked how many persons have been sued in court by public hospitals for arrears of hospital bills in the last two years.
Gan Kim Yong replied that 26 individuals were issued writs o of summons for arrears of bills, of which 15 cases were settled out-of-court, one case was resolved with the individual making payment, and the remaining 10 cases are still in progress.
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INTERESTS OF CHILDREN AND EMPLOYEES IN PRE-SCHOOL CENTRES INSOLVENCIES
Dennis Tan asked what safeguards are in place to protect interests of enrolled children and centre employees in cases of pre-school centres insolvencies.
Desmond Lee replied that the Early Childhood Development Agency would “intervene decisively” in such cases, and involve other agencies like MOM and CPF to act.
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FOREIGN-REGISTERED MOTORCYCLES OR SCOOTERS IN SINGAPORE FOR DELIVERY SERVICES
Dennis Tan asked if foreign-registered motorcycles or scooters can be used for local delivery services, and if LTA ensures owners or users have valid motor insurance for such uses.
In response, Lam Pin Min said foreign-registered motorcycles or scooters can be used locally for delivery services provided the user has a valid work pass, complies with MOM regulations, and has the vehicle insured, plus additional insurance as necessary.
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IMPORTANCE OF GENERALIST DOCTORS’ ROLES
Daniel Goh enquired on actions to enhance health infrastructure for generalist doctors, measures to elevate their status and standing, and promote generalist medicine to young doctors.
Lam Pin Min said measures such as equal recognition of family physicians as on par with specialists, regular multi-platform engagement sessions, and funding and allied health support, are deployed to empower family physicians.
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CLASSIFICATION OF ELECTRIC PERSONAL MOBILITY DEVICES THAT REQUIRE CHARGING AS CONTROLLED GOODS
Daniel Goh asked if electric bicycles and scooters, and other personal mobility devices (PMDs) that requires charging of their batteries are designated as controlled goods under the Consumer Protection (Safety Requirements) (CPSR) Registration Scheme.
Koh Poh Koon said that the adaptors used for charging PMDs are designated as controlled goods under the CPSR Regulations, and have to registered with SPRING Singapore and bear the Safety Mark before supply or sale locally.
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GUIDELINES AND CONDITIONS FOR ARTS FUNDING
On arts funding, Leon Perera asked how guidelines and conditions are developed, how frequently they are reviewed, and who are involved in the review process.
Baey Yam Keng said that the National Arts Council convenes funding evaluation panels regularly that involve “many members” of the arts community, and also hold regular engagement sessions and meetings with them on funding and other issues.
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CLARIFICATION SOUGHT BY THE SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION AND HEALTH
Chee Hong Tat requested Leon Perera to declare any interest the latter may have in the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) (Amendment) Bill debate.
Leon Perera underscored that there were “no commercial motivation in the comments” made, and he registered his very strong objection to any insinuation of any such motivations.
Read the full exchange here.
ANNOUNCEMENTS ON PEAK-HOUR MRT DELAYS
Leon Perera asked if on 24 October 2017 the usual channels of communications were used to convey to commuters the MRT delays, and if the delays then had exceeded the 10-min threshold mandating an announcement.
Khaw Boon Wan said the trains on 24 October 2017 were operating “at slower speeds due to a signalling fault,” and SMRT had informed commuters via usual channels.
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DEVELOPMENT OF AVIATION INDUSTRY FROM SIA-BOEING DEAL
On the SIA-Boeing deal, Leon Perera asked if economic activities to support Singapore’s aviation industry will be undertaken as a result of the deal, and whether such economic activities were conditions for the deal.
S Iswaran replied that the deal was a “commercial deal”, but the Government has been supporting “capability building efforts” across the aerospace sector, and the deal could bring economic spin-offs for Singapore.
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VIDEO RECORDINGS OF PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS
Leon Perera asked if the Ministry will consider removing any protection copyrights so that video footage of parliamentary procceedings can be made freely available.
Chee Hong Tat replied that Mediacorp is commissioned by the government and the public can use recordings for personal purposes with proper source attribution.
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RATES OF RETURN FOR GIC AND TEMASEK HOLDINGS
Leon Perera asked how GIC and Temasek Holdings have performed over the past 10 years compared to major international sovereign wealth funds.
Lawrence Wong replied that it is not meaningful to compared returns across different global entities as they have different mandates.
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GUIDELINES AND CONDITIONS FOR ARTS FUNDING
Leon Perera asked what are the processes behind the development of guidelines and conditions for arts funding, and who are the participating stakeholders.
Baey Yam Keng replied that NAC regularly convenes grants evaluation panels which comprise many members of the arts community.
Read the full exchange here.
RECORDS OF MARITIME CASUALTIES IN STRAITS OF SINGAPORE FROM 2007 TO 2016
Dennis Tan asked what are the categories of maritime casualties in the Straits of Singapore and port of Singapore, and the number of reported cases over the last decade.
Khaw Boon Wan replied that there has been an average of nine collision, nine sinking, 30 grounding and 71 contact incidents reported per year.
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SENSOR SYSTEMS TO MONITOR VEHICLE EMISSIONS AND INDUSTRIAL ODOURS
Daniel Goh asked why NEA is calling for the development of sensor systems to monitor diesel and industrial emissions, and whether these will provide as the basis to combat polluters.
Masagos Zulkifli replied that the NEA is seeking technological solutions for real-time monitoring, which will enable NEA to efficiently assess the impact of such emissions.
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STATE OF MENTAL HEALTH IN SINGAPORE
Daniel Goh asked if there are plans to conduct a nationwide study on social perception, stigma and consequences of mental illnesses in Singapore.
Gan Kim Yong replied that IMH conducted this study in 2010, concluding that 9.3% of Singapore residents would have at least one mood or anxiety disorder in their lifetime.
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ACCIDENTS AT JUNCTIONS WHERE PEDESTRIANS AND TURNING VEHICLES SHARE GREEN TIME
Png Eng Huat asked what is the number and percentage of signalised junctions with shared green time on Singapore roads to date.
Khaw Boon Wan replied that there are about 1,500 signalised junctions.
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STATISTICS ON SINGAPORE CITIZENSHIP GRANTED TO FOREIGNERS FROM 2008 TO 2017
Png Eng Huat asked for the breakdown of number of Singapore citizenship applications received and approved from 2008-2017.
K Shanmugam replied that 20,000 individuals were granted citizenship during this period, with 4,300 married to Singaporeans.
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ENHANCED ANTI-BULLYING HOTLINES FOR STUDENTS
Leon Perera asked what is being done to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of hotlines such as Singapore Children’s Society’s “Tinkle Friend” hotline.
Ng Chee Meng replied that MOE works closely with community partners to address the bullying issue, such as conducting bullying awareness programmes and communication channels.
Read the full exchange here.