Parliamentary Q&A for January 2020 Sitting

NEW JOBS FILLED BY SINGAPOREANS, PRS AND FOREIGNERS IN INDUSTRIES COVERED BY INDUSTRY TRANSFORMATION MAPS (ITMS)

Pritam Singh requested data on new jobs filled by Singaporeans, PRs, and foreigners respectively per industry covered by, and per each of, the Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs).

Zaqy Mohamad replied the Government looked at employment change across the 23 ITM sectors from 2015, before the launch of ITMs, to 2018. Between 2015 and 2018, total employment (excluding foreign domestic workers) in the 23 ITM sectors grew by 19,500. This was made up of increases in employment of Singapore Citizens by 39,300 and of PRs by 8,600, and a decrease in employment of foreigners by 28,500.

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TOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY (TFP)’S CONTRIBUTION TO GDP GROWTH IN PAST 10 YEARS

Part 1

Leon Perera asked for the growth and contribution of Total Factor Productivity (TFP) to GDP growth in each of the past ten years, the drivers and restraints of TFP growth, and how our performance compared to other developed countries

Chan Chun Sing replied that between 2008 and 2018, Singapore’s Total Factor Productivity (TFP) grew by 0.5% per annum, which was about 12% of GDP growth of 4.5% per annum over the same period. Since 2016, TFP growth had increased to 0.9% per annum or around 27% of GDP growth.

Between 2008 and 2018, Singapore’s TFP performance was stronger than OECD countries France and Finland for instance, and comparable to TFP growth in Germany and in the United States.

Part 2

Pritam Singh sought clarifications on the employment statistics related to the ITMs, the Adapt and Grow initiative, and how information on the ITMs were presented.

Zaqy Mohamad replied that the employment figures were related to all the ITMs though the data was still preliminary as the ITMs were only recently launched in 2016 and would need time to stabilise and be more meaningful thereafter. He added that at present, MOM provided employment statistics by local-foreigner breakdown in broad sectors: Manufacturing, Construction and Services in the annual market labour report, with available data between local and foreigner breakdowns.

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UPDATE ON ENFORCEMENT AND OTHER MEASURES AFTER BAN OF PMDS ON FOOTPATHS

Part 1

Dennis Tan asked if there had been additional resources committed to police the ban of PMDs from footpaths from January 2020.

Lam Pin Min said that as of 1 January 2020, LTA had undertaken strict enforcement and expanded its team of active mobility enforcement officers, including Auxiliary Police Officers, from 100 to 182 officers. And recruitment efforts were underway, to enlarge the team to 200 soon. LTA had also deployed technology trials using roving CCTVs to complement existing enforcement efforts.

Part 2

Noting that some food delivery riders were switching from e-scooters to electric bikes, Dennis Tan asked if there were in place additional preventive measures against more accidents or road traffic/active mobility offences.

Lam Pin Min replied that NTUC had launched a fully subsidised safe riding programme to support food delivery riders making the transition, benefitting 130 riders as of end-December 2019. LTA and Traffic Police were working closely on greater education and awareness efforts, while the regulatory regime for power-assisted bicycles was being updated.

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OBLIGATIONS PLACED ON DIGITAL ADVERTISING AND INTERNET INTERMEDIARIES UNDER CODE OF PRACTICE FOR TRANSPARENCY OF ONLINE POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENTS

Part 1

Sylvia Lim asked for the rationale for obligations placed on digital advertising intermediaries and internet intermediaries under the Code of Practice for Transparency of Online Political Advertisements.

S Iswaran replied that the Code required prescribed intermediaries to ensure that online political advertisements carry disclosure notices to inform readers of the person/organisation that had placed or paid for the political advertisements. Intermediaries were also required to have other accountability measures, such as maintaining a database of online political advertisements, and providing channels for the public to report advertisements that were undisclosed.

Part 2

In her follow-up, Sylvia Lim asked what interest did the POFMA Office have to know specific details of advertisement such as the name of the originator, the amount paid for the advertisement, description of the advertisements’ intended target audience or viewers reached, number of views and so on.

In his reply, S Iswaran said that POFMA had an over-arching coverage which included amongst other things a need to have disclosure and/or requiring disclosure in advertising. The list of details required was thus imposed on intermediaries to keep but it did not mean that POFMA Office had to have access to the information. But the information must be available so that in the event that action was required, the relevant information would be available.

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IMPACT OF RECENT DATA LEAKS ON CONFIDENTIAL OPERATIONS OF MINDEF AND SAF

Png Eng Huat asked when ST Logistics first discover, and MINDEF first learnt about, the phishing attack involving the personal data leak affecting 2,400 Mindef and SAF personnel.

Ng Eng Hen stated that MINDEF discovered on 10 October 2019 that emails from ST Logistics had malware, and the latter had then blocked outgoing data and emails possibly affected by the malware. On 13 December 2019, it was established that personal data of 2,400 MINDEF/SAF personnel could have been leaked. The affected personnel were notified from 21 December 2019.

In the second incident, HMI Institute discovered a malware infection in one backup server on 4 December 2019, and alerted MINDEF on 9 December 2019. Although the likelihood of data leak to external parties was assessed to be low, the 98,000 MINDEF/SAF personnel had been informed from 21 December 2019.

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ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS PROBLEM AS REPORTED IN STUDY OF OVER 1,000 PEOPLE SLEEPING IN THE ROUGH

Sharing that a recent study found over 1000 people were homeless or rough sleepers Daniel Goh asked how the Government was addressing the homelessness issue.

Desmond Lee replied that homeless people often dealt with multiple complex issues which may require government and community support. MSF had a community-based social work approach to deal with the homeless, including partnering various community groups and government agencies in regular night walks to engage rough sleepers and the homeless. Referrals to points of assistance would also be done, as well as collaborations on Safe Sound Sleeping Places to provide a place to rest for rough sleepers within community premises for a length of time as required until their issues were resolved, they were referred to Transitional Shelters, or they had secured longer-term housing options.

An inter-agency taskforce, consisting of 11 government agencies, was set up in May 2018 to review policies, programmes and protocols to address issues faced by homeless persons and rough sleepers, and to explore upstream measures to prevent those at risk of losing their homes from becoming homeless.

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IMPACT OF HDB’S CO-TENANCY POLICY ON HOMELESSNESS

Daniel Goh asked if the rationale of co-tenancy for public rental flats was still relevant in light of its contribution to homelessness.

Lawrence Wong replied there were multiple issues behind homelessness, with co-tenancy being one of the many contributors. HDB said that the “vast majority” of tenants under the Joint Singles Scheme were able to live amicably.

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EFFORTS TO PROMOTE FINANCIAL LITERACY AMONG STUDENTS

Leon Perera sought information on efforts to promote financial literacy in schools, to help students make better decisions ahead for retirement adequacy.

Ong Ye Kung said that schools worked with MoneySense to build financial literacy across different educational levels, commiserating with the financial decisions of that stage in their education and schooling life.

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PROPOSAL TO RECONSIDER ALLOWING PMD USERS AND PEDESTRIANS TO CO-USE ALL PARTS OR LANES OF PARK CONNECTOR NETWORK

Dennis Tan asked if the Government would reconsider allowing both PMD users and pedestrians to co-use all parts or lanes of the Park Connector Network (PCN), and measures to ensure strict and safe segregation.

Lawrence Wong said that a large part of the PCN would be subdivided between footpaths and shared paths, with about 30km marked out so far and the rest expected to complete by this year. In line with the latest active mobility regulations, NParks do not allow PMDs to be used on PCN footpaths – PMDs were only permitted on the shared paths. Thus, NParks would also update and harmonise the markings and signage on the PCN with those of LTA’s cycling path network for clarity and consistency to all users.

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VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK TOKENS AND INFO-COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT REPORTED LOST OR STOLEN BY MINISTRIES AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN PAST FIVE YEARS

Png Eng Huat requested for information on the number of virtual private network (VPN) tokens and info-communications equipment reported stolen or lost by the public service annually over the past five years, if police reports had been made, and if unauthorised accesses or attempts had been made on those devices.

In reply, Teo Chee Hean said that central tracking of lost ICT equipment was implemented from 2017 onwards, with GovTech’s formation in late 2016. From 2017 to 2019, there was an average of 182 reports of lost ICT equipment per year, including Public Service access cards, laptops and about 55 VPN tokens. There were over 140,000 public service officers, most of whom were issued ICT equipment for work. All cases were and are reported to the police. There had been no known unauthorised access to government systems arising from the loss of ICT equipment.

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ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT EGAZETTE LIMITED TO PAID SUBSCRIPTION AND FIVE-DAY ARCHIVE

Leon Perera asked about the considerations behind the current arrangement of making the Government e-Gazette only available for the past five days and requiring a paid subscription to access the archive online.

S Iswaran said that the vendor, Toppan, had been granted a non-exclusive licence to publish documents in the Government Gazette in electronic form. As Toppan had invested in procuring, configuring, maintaining and operating the system which was used for the publication of Government Gazettes on the e-Gazette website, it was allowed to recover costs by imposing subscription fees for access to the e-Gazette archives. The Government had since reviewed the arrangements with Toppan, and by the end of January 2020 all publications on the e-Gazette website would be made available to the public without charge, including publications that had been published for more than five days.

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UPDATE ON SENOKO ENERGY’S REQUEST FOR RESCUE PACKAGE

Daniel Goh asked if the Government had responded to Senoko Energy’s request for a rescue package, and if our energy markets was in trouble.

Chan Chun Sing replied that Senoko Energy had publicly declared that its current financial situation did not require additional funding from the Government in the foreseeable future. He added that the general outlook on the local power industry remained positive.

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ACTION TAKEN AGAINST RIDERS USING THROTTLE-OPERATED ELECTRIC BIKES IN LAST FIVE YEARS AND TYPES OF SUCH BIKES APPROVED SINCE PASSING OF ACTIVE MOBILITY ACT IN 2017

Dennis Tan sought information on the number of cases over the past five years where action has been taken against riders found using throttle-operated electric bikes, and whether any type or case of throttle-operated electric bike had been approved for use since the passing of the Active Mobility Act in early 2017.

Khaw Boon Wan replied that the Land Transport Authority had not approved any type of throttle-operated power-assisted bicycle (PAB) for use in Singapore since 2017 due to safety concerns with sudden accelerations associated with throttle-operated PABs. Action had been taken against 1,863, 1,648, 406, 485 and about 837 cases of non-compliant PABs in 2015 to 2019 respectively, the majority of which had involved throttle-based PABs.

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REGULATIONS GOVERNING CASH ADVANCE PROGRAMMES OFFERED BY EMPLOYERS OR CONTRACTORS

Leon Perera asked what regulations governed cash advance programmes offered by employers or contractors, and if the Government was considering a cap on interest rates instituted for such programmes.

K Shanmugam replied that employers may provide advances of salaries to their employees prior to festive occasions, or upon request by their employees, with the recovery of such cash advances regulated under the Employment Act. Under the Act, employers were allowed to recover the monies through salary deductions of no more than 25% of the salary each month, for up to 12 months. The Employment Act does not provide for interest to be charged for such cash advances.

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MOH’S RESPONSE TO RECENTLY-RELEASED COMMUNITY BLUEPRINT TO END HIV AND AIDS TRANSMISSION BY 2030

Daniel Goh asked about the response of the Government to the recently released community blueprint to end HIV and AIDS transmission by 2030, especially the recommendations to triple the number of anonymous testing clinics and improve access to newer HIV medication.

Gan Kim Yong said that the Ministry of Health (MOH) shared the community’s aim in supporting people living with HIV and ending HIV transmission in Singapore. These included various initiatives currently in place to support HIV prevention and control efforts such as programmes to increase awareness of HIV and lower barriers to testing, improve linkages to care for persons who test positive, and increasing the affordability of HIV treatment. MOH had been working with Action for AIDs to engage community stakeholders on the Blueprint, and would continue to work with the community to strengthen the strategies to reduce HIV transmission, including measures to increase access to HIV testing and medication.

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REVIEW OF BAN ON KEEPING OF PET CATS IN HDB FLATS

Daniel Goh asked if it was timely to remove the ban on keeping pet cats in HDB flats, and towards a regulated cat-keeping system instead to minimise disamenities for neighbours.

Lawrence Wong said that the HDB noted residents’ concerns of both pet lovers and those who were not, and would continue to review and update its pet ownership policies with NParks’ Animal and Veterinary Service.

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MEDIAN AND AVERAGE AMOUNTS OF UNUSED BALANCES IN POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION ACCOUNT TRANSFERRED TO CPF ORDINARY ACCOUNTS FOR EACH COHORT IN LAST THREE YEARS

On the Post Secondary Education Account (PSEA), Sylvia Lim asked for the last three years, what percentage of each cohort had unused balances which were then transferred to their CPF Ordinary Accounts, and what were the median and average amounts of those balances.

Ong Ye Kung replied that about 90% of PSEA accounts had transferable balances, and the median and average amounts transferred were $460 and $742 respectively in 2016, $782 and $943 in 2017, and $748 and $1,013 in 2018. Relevant cohorts had different starting balances and received different amounts of top ups before they reach 30 years of age.

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DATA ON PRIVATE SECTOR BONUSES AND THEIR CORRELATION WITH CIVIL SERVICE BONUSES

Leon Perera asked if the Government tracked private sector bonuses given out each year, and if there had been any pattern whereby private sector bonuses tended to be causally correlated with civil service bonuses

Josephine Teo replied that the Ministry of Manpower conducts annual surveys on wage practices, and publishes the data in the annual Report on Wage Practices, including data on the quantum of the annual variable component (AVC) (i.e. the bonuses) given by private establishments. As reported in the 2018 Report, the performance of establishments and individuals were employers’ main considerations when determining bonuses, and these factors were not affected by civil service bonuses.

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INTERIM FINDINGS OF INCIDENT INVOLVING NSF DURING PARACHUTE TRAINING IN TAIWAN

Pritam Singh asked what were the facts and interim findings surrounding the training accident involving PTE Joshua Quek on 18 December 2019.

Ng Eng Hen said that PTE Joshua Quek had undertaken a night static line parachute jump as part of the Basic Airborne Course on December 18, 2019 when the training incident occurred. PTE Quek had successfully landed within the designated landing area but had sustained injuries to his neck during the jump. He was attended to immediately by SAF’s on-site medical officer, and subsequently evacuated to the nearest tertiary hospital.

Upon arrival at the hospital, a Magnetic Resource Imaging scan had revealed a cervical spine injury. In the morning of 19 December, PTE Quek successfully underwent surgery to relieve the pressure on his spine, and a planned second surgery on 21 December to stabilise his cervical spine was successfully completed without complications. PTE Quek was currently in the ICU for close observations.

A team of SAF doctors was working closely with the hospital specialists to monitor and assess PTE Quek’s condition. While his condition was currently stable, he would require close monitoring over the next few weeks, and would be brought back to Singapore when the specialists deem it safe to fly.

A formal Board of Inquiry (BOI), supported by the SAF Inspector General’s Office, has been convened for a full investigation. The BOI would comprehensively ascertain the detailed circumstances and possible contributory factors for the incident, examining all existing safety processes and procedures, whether they were adhered to, and would recommend areas for review and enhancement where needed.  In the meantime, all static line parachute jumps have been suspended, pending the BOI’s findings.

Preliminary findings showed that the cause of PTE Quek’s injury occurred when the static line swept across his neck when he exited the aircraft, suggesting that the static line was not pulled taut as required and interfered with his exit from the plane causing the neck injury. Detailed investigations were underway to determine why this occurred and if adequate supervision was given during PTE Quek’s jump.

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UPDATE ON RELEASE OF ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES REVIEW COMMITTEE REPORT

Pritam Singh asked whether the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) had completed its deliberations, and when its report would be released to the public.

Chan Chun Sing (for the Prime Minister) said that the EBRC had not completed its deliberations but would present its report to Parliament, and release it to the public, when it has.

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