CONSIDERATION FOR REVIEW OF FIRE CODE AFTER JURONG WEST MARKET AND COFFEESHOP FIRE
Daniel Goh asked if MHA would review the Fire Code, especially after questions on the Jurong West Market and Coffeeship fire, such as the fire cause and risk-minimising requirements have not been addressed.
K Shanmugam responded that this incident was treated as a criminal act, hence SCDF’s assessment is that there is no need for additional Fire Code requirements on all wet markets.
Read the full exchange here.
MENTAL HEALTH DECLARATION FOR JOB APPLICATIONS
Daniel Goh asked what is the Government’s position on employers requiring prospective employees to declare if they have a history on mental illness, and whether the Government would consider removing such requirements for non-sensitive public service jobs.
Lim Swee Say responded that TAFEP emphasises the importance of hiring on basis of merit. He added that public agencies will select the candidates with the best overall fit for the job, and that existing medical conditions do not disqualify a candidate from being considered for public service.
Read the full exchange here.
CASH-FOR-CREDIT SCAMS RELATED TO SKILLSFUTURE
Daniel Goh asked MOE how many SkillsFuture credits have been lost as a result of scams, and whether the credits have been recovered from scam organisations and returned to Singaporeans who have been cheated.
Low Yen Ling replied that SkillsFuture Singapore has a “very rigorous process” that regularly scrutinises all training organisations that receive funding. She also added that she is “unable to disclose more details” on training organisations who have misused the credit, as the investigation is ongoing.
Read the full exchange here.
LICENSING OF JACKPOT OUTLETS FROM 2006 TO 2015
Chen Show Mao asked MHA how many licensed jackpot outlets have been issued since 2010, and the amount of revenue that has been generated on a yearly basis.
K Shanmugam responded that there are currently 84 Private Lottery Clubs compared to 97 in 2010.
Read the full exchange here.
DECISION NOT TO HOLD STATE FUNERAL FOR LATE FORMER PRESIDENT ONG TENG CHEONG
Dennis Tan asked whether the Cabinet had offered the family of the late former President Ong Teng Cheong the choice to hold a state funeral and whether the Government will consider honouring all past presidents with a State Funeral when they pass on.
Grace Fu said that the decision of how to honour the person, including whether to hold a State Funeral, is made by the Government after consulting the family. In 2002, the then-Cabinet had “arranged a State-Assisted funeral for Mr Ong after consulting with his family.”
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AVERAGE ANNUAL SPENDING BY PROBLEM GAMBLERS FROM 2006 TO 2015
Chen Show Mao asked MSF for the average spending by problem gamblers on a yearly basis, and the respective percentage of aggregate number of problem gamblers according to household income.
Tan Chuan-Jin responded with data from the Survey on Participation in Gambling Activities, which only captures respondents’ self-professed behaviours and not a clinical assessment of their actual gambling disorder. The survey states that the average monthly betting amount among pathological gamblers has decreased from $1,713 in 2011, to $313 in 2014.
Read the full exchange here.
PSYCHOLOGICAL OR PSYCHIATRIC ISSUES RELATED TO PROBLEM GAMBLING
Chen Show Mao asked MOH for the number of people diagnosed with psychiatric issues related to problem gambling, and the most common problems identified.
Gan Kim Yong replied that the number of patients seen by the National Addictions Management Service for suspected gambling disorder varies between 168 and 526 each year. He added that top associated conditions were adjustment disorders, depression and substance abuse.
Read the full exchange here.
STAFFING AND CASELOAD OF SERIOUS SEXUAL CRIMES BRANCH
Chen Show Mao asked MHA for the number of officers assigned to the Serious Sexual Crimes branch of the CID, the annual number of cases, and the criteria for referring cases to the Unit.
K Shanmugam responded that such investigations are led by specialist units, and that police resources used for investigations “vary according to the needs of a case”, and that total resources come from a “larger pool of officers”.
Read the full exchange here.
PROGRAMMES TO HELP SCHOOLS HANDLE SEXUAL ASSAULT AND HARASSMENT
Chen Show Mao asked MOE for the programmes used to educate students, teachers and staff on their rights in cases of sexual assault and harrassment.
Ng Chee Meng replied that teachers look out for distress in students and refer them to professional support where necessary.
Read the full exchange here.
ENSURING QUALITY OF ELDER-FRIENDLY FEATURES IN STUDIO APARTMENTS
Png Eng Huat asked MND how HDB ensures that new housing developments adhere to elderly-friendly specifications before elderly residents are allowed to move in, and who is responsible for fixing known defects after the defects liability period.
Lawrence Wong replied that HDB complies with BCA’s Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment 2013, and that HDB conducts audits through the construction process to ensure that here are no defects. HDB assesses defects after the defects liability period and and makes arrangements when there are safety concerns.
Read the full exchange here.
BETTING AND SWEEPSTAKES DUTY COLLECTIONS FROM EXEMPTED REMOTE GAMBLING OPERATORS
Png Eng Huat asked MOF for the estimated financial effect of exempting Singapore Pools and the Singapore Turf Club from the total collection of betting and sweepstakes duty.
Heng Sweet Keat replied that it is “premature to ascertain any financial impact of remote gambling on the operators or betting duties.”
Read the full exchange here.
WAGE DIFFERENTIAL OF EX-OFFENDER PLACED IN A JOB THROUGH SCORE
Leon Perera asked for the average wage differential of an ex-offender who secures employment through SCORE compared to the media wage in relevant industries, and how many white-collar jobs ex-offenders have been matched to.
K Shanmugam responded that ex-offenders earned “about 10% lower than the median salary of similar occupations in the market”, and that 1% of inmates assisted by SCORE were matched to white-collar jobs. He added that this figure has remained consistent in the last 5 years.
Read the full exchange here.
EVIDENCE THAT LEGAL ONLINE GAMBLING REDUCES ILLEGAL ONLINE GAMBLING AND WOULD NOT RESULT IN OVERALL INCREASE IN GAMBLER NUMBERS
Leon Perera asked MHA whether the experience of Hong Kong and Norway demonstrates that allowing some legal online gambling will cause a significant switch of illegal gamblers to legal gambling.
K Shanmugam responded that those studies suggest that “an exempt operator regime can mitigate the extent of unauthorised remote gambling”. However, he added that “we need to be careful about drawing strict parallels” with Hong Kong and Norway, due to differences in social contest and regulatory environment.
Read the full exchange here.
SPECIAL AUDITS BY AUDITOR-GENERAL ON GOVERNMENT-RELATED BODIES
Leon Perera asked MOF how many government-related bodies have undergone a special audit by the Auditor General in the past 20 years, and requested for the details and rationale of each case.
Heng Swee Keat replied that AGO had carried out 2 audits over the past 20 years, namely the Healthcare Subsidy Audit in 1996, and the Audit of Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council in 2014.
Read the full exchange here.
MINIMUM ATTENDANCE TO PROCEED WITH PUBLIC FORUM
Leon Perera asked MCI how many people registered for the REACH Public forum on the Elected Presidency on 29 Sep 2016, what the threshold for attendance was, and who made the final decision to cancel the event.
Yaacob Ibrahim said that only 80 people signed up as at 27 Sep, while the target attendance was 320. As 30% of sign-ups usually do not turn up for REACH events, they decided to cancel the forum, and all participants were informed.
Read the full exchange here.
INSPECTIONS OF HDB BUILDINGS FOR STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY AND DESIGN
Low Thia Khiang asked if HDB guidelines take into consideration the safety of the design of certain building facades, and whether the materials and structural integrity are taken into consideration.
Lawrence Wong replied that he could “say for sure that the methods have improved and the materials are more reliable and our buildings are safer than before.”
Read the full exchange here.
PUBLIC SPEECHES AND WRITINGS BY SENIOR OFFICIALS
Leon Perera asked MFA for the guidelines on permissible public speeches and writings undertaken by senior officials including accredited ambassadors and ambassadors-at-large, and whether there was consideration for situations where such individuals might publish speeches or writings that negatively impact Singapore’s national interest.
Vivian Balakrishnan responded that their private engagements are not restricted, and that “all of them are expected to exercise good judgement and to do their best to uphold and promote Singapore’s national interests, and I believe all of them do so in good faith, honourably and diligently.”
Read the full exchange here.
INCLUSION OF SLIGHTLY OLDER LIFTS IN LIFT ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMME
Pritam Singh asked MND whether they would exercise flexibility in qualifying criteria for the Lift Enhancement Programme, and to allow lifts marginally older than 18 years to qualify.
Lawrence responded that “HDB is still working out the implementation details of the LEP, including the detailed eligibility criteria, and will inform the Town Councils of the details in a few months’ time.”
Read the full exchange here.
PUBLICATION OF SMRT’S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AFTER TAKE-OVER BY TEMASEK HOLDINGS
Leon Perera asked whether SMRT will continue to publish detailed financial and operating information when it becomes wholly owned by Temasek Holdings.
Khaw Boon Wan said that SMRT will be required to file its annual audited financial statements with ACRA, and the public can obtain the information from ACRA.
Read the full exchange here.
RECOURSE FOR EMPLOYERS OF ERRANT FOREIGN DOMESTIC WORKERS
Sylvia Lim asked MOM if there was any recourse for employers of foreign domestic workers where the worker has abandoned her agreement and owes money to her employer.
Lim Swee Say replied that employers should check the contract they signed with the employment agency, which will state whether they are eligible to a full or partial refund.
Read the full exchange here.
PROVISION OF PARKING LOTS IN KAKI BUKIT
Faisal Manap asked for the number of parking lots available for the newly proposed BTO HDB development in Kaki Bukit, and whether there are plans to increase parking lots due to carpark shortage at Block 45 and 48 Bedok North Street 3.
Lawrence Wong said that there will be 66 carpark and 34 motorcycle lots in the proposed HDB BTO development. For Blocks 45 and 48, additional parking lots are not feasible due to site constraints. However, there are plans to provide additional loading and unloading bays to ease short-term congestion.
Read the full exchange here.
RESIGNATION RATE OF TEACHERS
Daniel Goh asked for data on the resignation rate of new teachers within 5 years of teaching and whether the non-teaching workload is a significant factor in their resignations.
Janil Puthucheary said that for the first five years of service, there is a “slightly higher overall resignation rate of around 3-4% a year.” The main reasons for resignation are family considerations and desire for a change of job. Workload is “not commonly cited”.
Read the full exchange here.
RETENTION OF QUALIFIED TEACHERS IN SCHOOLS
Faisal Manap asked for a breakdown of the number of teachers who left after their teaching bond ended and of which, how many are MOE scholars, had teaching as their first career and are mid-career switches.
Janil Puthucheary did not provide the answer. He said he will provide it separately later.
Read the full exchange here.
TEACHING ON PROBLEM GAMBLING IN SCHOOLS
Dennis Tan asked how MOE has incorporated educational material on problem gambling into the school syllabus and whether educators are equipped to counsel students who may encounter problem gambling at home.
Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim cited the Character and Citizenship Education and Cyber Wellness lessons. Teachers who are aware of students facing problem gambling personally or at home will also refer them to the school counsellors.
Read the full exchange here.
REASONS FOR HIGHER BILLS FOR PATIENTS WITH INTEGRATED SHIELD PLAN RIDERS
Daniel Goh asked if a study to determine the reasons for higher bills for patients with Integrated Shield Plan riders will be conducted before making co-payments by patients compulsory.
Gan Kim Yong said that they were currently studying the Health Insurance Task Force’s recommendations. He did not provide an answer.
Read the full exchange here.