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PERMISSION TO MEMBERS TO BE ABSENT Under the provisions of clause 2(d) of Article 46 of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, the following Members have been granted permission to be or to remain absent from sittings of Parliament (or any Committee of Parliament to which they have been appointed) for the periods stated: Name From (2007) To (2007) Mr Inderjit Singh 24 Oct 27 Oct 05 Nov 07 Nov Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien 28 Oct 02 Nov Mr Sin Boon Ann 29 Oct 02 Nov Prof. S Jayakumar 02 Nov 24 Nov
PERMISSION TO MEMBERS TO BE ABSENT ABDULLAH TARMUGI Speaker Parliament of Singapore
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS [Mr Speaker in the Chair]
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - WORLD BANK'S RANKING ON DOING BUSINESS IN SINGAPORE 1. Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked the Minister for Trade and Industry in view of the recent World Bank's ranking on the ease of doing business which has put
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - WORLD BANK'S RANKING ON DOING BUSINESS IN SINGAPORE Singapore as the most business friendly country for the second consecutive year (a) why did Singapore rank lowly for areas of registering property, starting a business and getting credit; and (b) how can Singapore improve in such areas.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - WORLD BANK'S RANKING ON DOING BUSINESS IN SINGAPORE Mr Speaker, Sir, for the second year running, the World Bank has ranked Singapore as the easiest place in the world to do business, among 178 countries. Compared to last year, we have improved or maintained our ranking in all of the 10 areas covered. This ranking speaks well of our pro-enterprise and business-friendly environment.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - WORLD BANK'S RANKING ON DOING BUSINESS IN SINGAPORE Mdm Ho has asked why Singapore ranked lowly in the areas of registering property, starting a business, and getting credit; and how Singapore can improve in these areas. First of all, let me state that World Bank ranked Singapore 7th in Getting Credit, 9th in Starting a Business, and 13th in Registering Property. Rankings from 7th to 13th position put Singapore comfortably within the top 10% of the 178 economies surveyed. So, to say that Singapore ranked lowly in these areas may be inaccurate.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - WORLD BANK'S RANKING ON DOING BUSINESS IN SINGAPORE Secondly, we should also understand World Bank's methodology. On the subject of access to capital, for instance, the World Bank report shows that Singapore ranked lower in terms of the availability of credit information. We assume that World Bank defines a linear relationship between the availability of credit information and access to capital. The World Bank methodology measures coverage of the entire adult population by a credit bureau whereas our newly formed Credit Bureau has only captured people with credit history. But I am sure our Credit Bureau's database, even though it
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - WORLD BANK'S RANKING ON DOING BUSINESS IN SINGAPORE is small now, will grow with time. More importantly, the latest SME Development Survey shows that the percentage of SMEs which reported difficulty in accessing funds has decreased from 13% in 2006 to 9.5% in 2007. This, we believe, is the outcome of joint efforts by the Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE), SPRING Singapore and our private sector financial institutions to increase financing options and loan products customised for SMEs in the last 4-5 years.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - WORLD BANK'S RANKING ON DOING BUSINESS IN SINGAPORE On starting a business, the World Bank has reported that it takes five days to start a business in Singapore whereas in the best country surveyed, Australia, it takes only two days. The reality, fortunately, is that over 90% of our new business registration done online via ACRA's BizFile were all carried out within a day. It is also worthy to note that we have improved our performance from last year by removing the need to register with the Central Provident Fund Board when a business is started. More improvements are due to be made in the coming years and I am confident that our ranking in this area will continue to improve. World Bank's 'five-day' assessment is, I believe, due to their treating parallel and optional procedures as sequential. We will work with ACRA to see how we can improve the user interface for business registration by, for instance, streamlining the five procedures identified by World Bank into one.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - WORLD BANK'S RANKING ON DOING BUSINESS IN SINGAPORE On registration of properties, World Bank measured how long it took and how much it cost to register a property. World Bank concluded that it is more costly to register a property in Singapore because of our higher stamp duty compared to some other economies ranked above us, such as New Zealand. But our businesses look at property transactions from a total-cost perspective. For instance, Singapore does not impose any capital gain tax on the property transaction. On the other
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - WORLD BANK'S RANKING ON DOING BUSINESS IN SINGAPORE hand, capital gain tax in other regimes can be costly.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - WORLD BANK'S RANKING ON DOING BUSINESS IN SINGAPORE World Bank also considers the online search for information related to property registration here to take longer, at seven days, compared to leading jurisdictions. We acknowledge that there is room for improvement here. MTI will work closely with the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) to simplify and shorten the process for property registration.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - WORLD BANK'S RANKING ON DOING BUSINESS IN SINGAPORE Mr Speaker, Sir, I am glad that the World Bank has recognised Singapore's efforts in setting pro-enterprise best practices, and accorded us the distinction of being the easiest place in the world to do business for the second year running. While we are gratified with the acknowledgement, we must not become complacent but instead seek continuous improvement in enhancing our business environment for our businesses. I would like to assure Mdm Ho that we will make every effort to keep Singapore's lead in our economic competitiveness.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - WORLD BANK'S RANKING ON DOING BUSINESS IN SINGAPORE I would like to thank the Minister for the very comprehensive and reassuring response. Sir, although this it the second year that Singapore is on the study, how does MTI intend to keep track of Singapore's rankings in such surveys? How will MTI cascade the action steps for improvement to the industry at large? And how are the results of such findings to be translated into action plans? Also, are there examples to showcase that we have tracked and how well are we doing in those areas that we have not fared so well in the past?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - WORLD BANK'S RANKING ON DOING BUSINESS IN SINGAPORE Mr Speaker, Sir, World Bank's survey on the ease of doing business is but one of the many surveys that are done by international organisations. We take all these various surveys seriously. Whenever we identify opportunities for improvement, we will work
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - WORLD BANK'S RANKING ON DOING BUSINESS IN SINGAPORE tirelessly with different agencies to improve the measurement.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - WORLD BANK'S RANKING ON DOING BUSINESS IN SINGAPORE Sir, I think many of these surveys point to the fact that it is important for us to continue to remain responsive and to continue to receive input from the private sector, from the businesses we are serving. I think the other important conclusion that we can find of course is also the fact that our overall competitiveness depends not on one Ministry but on many regulatory bodies whose policy may have an impact on business cost and business efficiency. So MTI's role would be to work with the various agencies to channel the right input to the regulatory bodies to make improvement or incremental steps at times, and to make fundamental changes if we deem necessary.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT GROWTH IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 2. Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked the Minister for Trade and Industry given that much of our Q3 2007 performance was due to the construction industry, whether Singapore is now overly-reliant on this industry vis-a-vis the other traditional growth industries (manufacturing and services) and, if so, how sustainable is this strategy especially after the integrated resorts are built and a possible cooling of the construction industry arises.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT GROWTH IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY Mr Speaker, Sir, Mdm Ho has expressed concern that much of our third quarter GDP growth was due to the construction industry. On the contrary, economic performance has been broad-based, with healthy growth by major sectors. Nor has construction been the major source of GDP growth. At less than 4% of the economy, construction accounted for only an estimated 5% of the total GDP growth in the third quarter. Manufacturing, on the
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT GROWTH IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY other hand, which grew by double digits in the third quarter, accounted for an estimated 35% of the total GDP growth in the third quarter.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT GROWTH IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY I would like to point out that the strong growth in construction was not only limited to the two integrated resorts projects, but to a wide range of private sector projects - commercial, industrial and residential. Some examples would include the Shell petrochemical cracker, residential projects - Reflections at Keppel Bay, commercial projects - Orchard Central and Orchard Turn. The growth of the construction sector has reflected the broader growth in economic activity and investment projects.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT GROWTH IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY Mr Speaker, Sir, the Singapore economy is more diversified now than it was 10 years ago. The growth of the biomedical and chemical industries has helped to reduce our dependence on electronics. Financial services, business services, transport services, and tourism have become strong engines of growth, while new industries like energy, environment and water technologies, and interactive and digital media are emerging. As our economic base diversifies, our growth will become more stable and sustained.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT GROWTH IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY Given that the economy grows as it has on a quarter-to-quarter, and the real GDP growth for Singapore for three quarters fell 14.4% in Q2 2007 to 6.4% in Q3 2007, and with strong inflationary pressures from wages, up 8.5%, at a seven year high, and office rents up at about 50%, how does the Government intend to allay fears that the economy is over-heating?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT GROWTH IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY On the supply side, Sir, obviously, we have to increase the supply, whether the bottleneck is in real estate, commercial space or industrial
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT GROWTH IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY land. I think by increasing supply, we will be able to achieve price stability.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT GROWTH IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY The other fact that we should take note of is the fact that Singapore's economy is about two-thirds services and one-third manufacturing. And construction, as I have said, is but 4% of the GDP. Therefore, many of the sub-sectors in the manufacturing and services would each have their cycle and their cycle patterns closely in a world trend.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT GROWTH IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY So our job is to make sure that each industry's sub-sector enjoys and maintains its competitiveness with respect to the world. We accept the fact that the various industry sectors will have their own cycles. But if we have a broad-based economy, we will be able to ride through these cycles and yet achieve sustainable growth.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - TOPPING UP OF CPF RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS - Communication with CPF members 3. Mdm Halimah Yacob asked the Minister for Manpower in view of the recent amendments made to the CPF Act, what measures have been taken to communicate with CPF members to encourage them and make it easier to top up the Retirement Accounts of their family members as many are still unaware of this flexibility.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - TOPPING UP OF CPF RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS - Communication with CPF members Mr Speaker, the recent amendments to the CPF Act expanded the list of eligible top-up recipients and raised the Retirement Account top-up limit to the prevailing Minimum Sum.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - TOPPING UP OF CPF RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS - Communication with CPF members Currently, the CPF Board has a publicity programme to encourage members to top up the Retirement Accounts of their family members. It had previously identified and sent direct mailers to over
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - TOPPING UP OF CPF RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS - Communication with CPF members 163,000 eligible donors and publicised the Scheme in the major local newspapers. The Scheme is also being promoted on the CPF website and at CPF events, such as roadshows which are held at high-traffic areas such as the Toa Payoh HDB Hub and Marina Square Shopping Mall.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - TOPPING UP OF CPF RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS - Communication with CPF members With the recent changes to the Minimum Sum Topping-up Scheme, CPF Board will send personalised letters to potential recipients as well as their family members who are eligible to make the top-up.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - TOPPING UP OF CPF RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS - Communication with CPF members In addition, we will also help CPF members better understand how they could top up their Retirement Accounts as well as that of their family members to derive maximum benefit from the extra interest tier in the upcoming changes to the CPF interest rate structure. MOM and the CPF Board have engaged grassroots leaders and made available materials to enable them to advise their constituents. Fourteen grassroots dialogue sessions were arranged for the various constituencies in October, with another six sessions to be held in November. The CPF Board will further promote the Topping-up Scheme by working closely with the media and organising special events, such as public talks and roadshows, to educate CPF members.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - TOPPING UP OF CPF RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS - Communication with CPF members Sir, I would like to ask the Minister of State how many CPF members have topped up the Retirement Accounts of their family members.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - TOPPING UP OF CPF RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS - Communication with CPF members Mr Speaker, the number of eligible donors in total is about 146,000. So far, we do not have an accurate number of members who have topped up. It is around 3,000. That is the number I have got so far.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - TOPPING UP OF CPF RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS - Communication with CPF members Mr Speaker, Sir, only 3,000 made use of the facility although there are 146,000 donors. So
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - TOPPING UP OF CPF RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS - Communication with CPF members obviously, the publicity effort has not generated much outcome.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - TOPPING UP OF CPF RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS - Communication with CPF members I would like to urge the Ministry to consider other possibilities and options, so that the family members can really benefit from these new changes to the Act, and also the benefit of a higher return for their Retirement Account.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - TOPPING UP OF CPF RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS - Communication with CPF members Mr Speaker, just a correction, the number is about 6,000. We agree that a lot more effort needs to be done to encourage members to top up, and the CPF will continue with its promotional efforts to explain the benefits of these top-ups and to also encourage and help members, as some of them may not understand the effects of the benefits of these schemes. CPF will continue to work with grassroots leaders and Members of Parliament to reach out to eligible members to encourage them to take up these top-up schemes.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - TOPPING UP OF CPF RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS - Communication with CPF members Sir, to add on to Mdm Halimah's point, are there measures in place to assess the effectiveness of these channels that are currently being used by the Ministry of Manpower and CPF?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - TOPPING UP OF CPF RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS - Communication with CPF members We do get in touch with our members and we also reach out to them through our various channels, through the CPF Board's offices and the members do come to the CPF offices to ask for clarification. We will also continue to explain to them. I think, over time, we will allow this scheme to evolve. Some of the measures have been introduced only recently. So it will take some time for these measures to take effect, and there will be greater awareness of these top-up schemes that we have put in place.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DEPENDANTS' PROTECTION SCHEME 4. Er Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the purpose of the Dependants' Protection Scheme; and (b) in view of the extension in retirement
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DEPENDANTS' PROTECTION SCHEME age for workers, whether the Ministry will consider revising the qualifying age for the Scheme to beyond 60 years.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DEPENDANTS' PROTECTION SCHEME Sir, the Dependants' Protection Scheme (DPS) is a low cost term insurance scheme to help young dependants with a sum of money to tide over the initial difficult period in the event of a member's permanent incapacity or death. The age limit of 60 was set to ensure low premiums and as beyond age 60, most members' children would be working and no longer dependent on their parents.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DEPENDANTS' PROTECTION SCHEME To raise the age limit beyond 60 would also increase premiums substantially. To obtain the same insurance coverage of $46,000 after age 60, members would have to pay between $800 and $900 each year, ie, several times higher than the current premium of $260 for the 55-59 age group. For these reasons, we will not extend DPS beyond age 60.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DEPENDANTS' PROTECTION SCHEME Sir, the reason why I asked this is that during my house visits, quite a number of residents brought up this issue. I hope MOM will look into this.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DEPENDANTS' PROTECTION SCHEME Sir, as I have explained, MOM is mindful of some members who are interested in covering for their dependants beyond age 60, but the cost of covering them is very expensive, and it will undermine the member's own savings for retirement. So I think it is important for us to strike a balance between the two. There are also private schemes that are available for members who are interested in purchasing insurance schemes on their own to cover their dependants.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DEPENDANTS' PROTECTION SCHEME Sir, in view of the fact that Singaporeans are getting married at a later age and therefore having children much later in life, and the fact that we are also persuading Singaporeans to work longer, is there a possibility for MOM to be persuaded to review this matter?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DEPENDANTS' PROTECTION SCHEME Sir, as members continue to work longer, they would have greater security. But it is important for us to also bear in mind that members have to ensure that they have sufficient savings for their retirement, because this insurance is quite costly. And to allow members to tap on their CPF savings to purchase this insurance will undermine the long-term security for their retirement. So it is something that MOM will continue to review but it is not something that we will consider at this moment.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLUTTERING OF COMMON SPACES IN HDB ESTATES 5. Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for National Development in light of the recent unfortunate fire incident in Hougang, what steps, if any, will the Ministry take to ensure that the common spaces in HDB estates are not cluttered to endanger the lives of residents in the event of a fire.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLUTTERING OF COMMON SPACES IN HDB ESTATES Mr Speaker, Sir, the health and safety of residents in our housing estates is of prime concern to both HDB and the Town Councils. Over the years, HDB has worked closely with Town Councils to tackle the illegal obstruction of shop fronts caused by the excessive display of merchandise. Shopkeepers have been advised of good Outdoor Display Area (ODA) practices, such as keeping a clear corridor passageway of at least 1.5 metres from the front of the shop to ODA
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLUTTERING OF COMMON SPACES IN HDB ESTATES and not to leave goods or racks overnight outside the shop. Those who have flouted these guidelines have been warned and summoned. From January to September this year, more than 4,800 warnings and summons were issued by Town Councils for ODA infringements.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLUTTERING OF COMMON SPACES IN HDB ESTATES Given the recent unfortunate fire incident in Hougang, HDB, Singapore Civil Defence Force, National Environment Agency and Town Councils have jointly intensified enforcement against ODA infringements by HDB shop retailers. All Town Councils have been briefed on the ODA guidelines and urged to exercise more stringent control over the use of the ODA by the shop retailers as well as the use of common property by residents. To complement the Town Councils' stepped-up enforcement, regular joint inspections with the HDB, SCDF, NEA will be mounted.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLUTTERING OF COMMON SPACES IN HDB ESTATES Shop retailers are well aware of these ODA guidelines, as they have been reminded repeatedly, through information leaflets, briefings and personal advice by enforcement officers.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLUTTERING OF COMMON SPACES IN HDB ESTATES Uncooperative shop retailers who persist in endangering public safety by violating the ODA guidelines will be dealt with severely. Failure to comply with the guidelines may result in fines of up to $5,000 under the Town Councils Act. The goods and other paraphernalia causing obstructions will be removed, if need be. For the recalcitrant cases, HDB will terminate the tenancies of the shop tenants and shop owners will have their leases forfeited.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLUTTERING OF COMMON SPACES IN HDB ESTATES I would like to assure that shopkeepers will continue to be allowed to display their wares outside their shops in the common areas, but within the guidelines. I would like to urge them to cooperate to ensure the safety of their customers and the cleanliness of our public spaces.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLUTTERING OF COMMON SPACES IN HDB ESTATES Sir, I would like to ask the Minister of State what checks and balances are in place, if any, by the Ministry of National Development to ensure that all Town Councils do their checks regularly and make sure that this is enforced. Is there any form of performance ranking or rating for each Town Council in terms of their performance in such areas, so that the public can have access to the information that the Town Council is serving them well?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLUTTERING OF COMMON SPACES IN HDB ESTATES Sir, in reply to the Member's question, I would like to assure the Member that HDB does perform regular inspections independently of Town Councils, and there are performance benchmarks that we have put in place on the various Town Councils.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLUTTERING OF COMMON SPACES IN HDB ESTATES Is the information in the public domain?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLUTTERING OF COMMON SPACES IN HDB ESTATES This is an issue of performance indicators on the Town Councils. So it is between MND, HDB and the Town Councils.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLUTTERING OF COMMON SPACES IN HDB ESTATES Sir, I would like to ask the Minister of State whether the HDB has any record of cases where MND terminated the tenancy or leases in view of excessive obstruction?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLUTTERING OF COMMON SPACES IN HDB ESTATES Mr Speaker, in reply, the answer is yes, we have a handful of cases of termination of leases.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MICROWAVEABLE PLASTIC AND STYROFOAM FOOD CONTAINERS 6. Ms Ellen Lee Geck Hoon asked the Minister for National Development in view of recent studies showing that microwaveable plastic and styrofoam food containers commonly used in hawker food stalls may be carcinogenic when heated (a) whether AVA is looking into this; and
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MICROWAVEABLE PLASTIC AND STYROFOAM FOOD CONTAINERS if it plans to mandate the use of alternative packaging for food products.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MICROWAVEABLE PLASTIC AND STYROFOAM FOOD CONTAINERS Mr Speaker, Sir, under the Food Regulations of the Sale of Food Act, all food appliances that are imported, sold and used in Singapore must not impart harmful substances to the food stored in the containers and must be safe for their intended use.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MICROWAVEABLE PLASTIC AND STYROFOAM FOOD CONTAINERS The plastic and styrofoam food containers that are commonly used in eating outlets are made of polypropylene and polystyrene. They are safe for use as food containers. Both types of packaging material for the production of food-contact plastics are approved in many countries including the United States (US) and countries in the European Union (EU).
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MICROWAVEABLE PLASTIC AND STYROFOAM FOOD CONTAINERS AVA's tests on these food containers available in Singapore show that they meet the safety standards set by the US and the EU, and do not pose any long-term health concerns.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MICROWAVEABLE PLASTIC AND STYROFOAM FOOD CONTAINERS Consumers should use plastic containers for their intended purpose and in accordance with manufacturers' directions. For example, styrofoam containers are suitable for serving food and for packing take-away food but not for microwave heating. Only plastic containers that are labelled "microwave-safe" may undergo microwave heating. Consumers should not use plastic containers in a microwave oven if they are in doubt.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MICROWAVEABLE PLASTIC AND STYROFOAM FOOD CONTAINERS Sir, given the fact that most people are now eating out and also buying food back instead of cooking, I think in the public domain there is not much information about plastic and styrofoam which can be micro-
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MICROWAVEABLE PLASTIC AND STYROFOAM FOOD CONTAINERS waveable. Is AVA doing anything to raise the public awareness, because it is very common to see people putting styrofoam containers into microwave ovens to heat up food? Is there a time when AVA will be looking into doing away with all these styrofoam food containers, because many people have felt that it is not eco-friendly and could actually be going against the green movement as well?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MICROWAVEABLE PLASTIC AND STYROFOAM FOOD CONTAINERS Sir, on the question of how do we educate the public, it is recognised that today these packaging materials are used in many hawker centres and they are well accepted by the public. The most important thing for the public to know is to use it for microwave only if there is a label which says that it is microwaveable or can be microwaved. By and large, we would like the public to be more aware of circumstances for which they can use containers that could be microwaveable. I think it is possible for us to educate the public but, by and large, most styrofoam containers should not be used for microwave purposes, because they are not microwaveable.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MICROWAVEABLE PLASTIC AND STYROFOAM FOOD CONTAINERS Secondly, on the issue of whether it is environmentally friendly, plastic containers are disposed through incineration, similar to all household wastes in Singapore to recover energy. We have discussed this with MEWR. MEWR also encourages recycling of such food containers. I think in the long run, we will discuss further with MEWR on what are the options and steps that we can take with regard to such food containers.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MICROWAVEABLE PLASTIC AND STYROFOAM FOOD CONTAINERS Sir, have there been any cases where AVA has prosecuted hawkers for using plastic and styrofoam food containers in a way that is not desirable, as there has been concern that hawkers themselves may not know how to use them properly and therefore indirectly injure or harm public safety?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MICROWAVEABLE PLASTIC AND STYROFOAM FOOD CONTAINERS Sir, I do not have the information on whether the AVA has prosecuted any hawkers. As far as we are aware, hawkers ought to be aware of the appropriate uses of these containers. These containers are actually meant to package the food for the consumers, rather than to be used for heating the food that they are selling.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update 7. Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether he can provide an update on the recent cluster of dengue fever outbreak in Bukit Batok.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update Sir, the cluster at Bukit Batok Streets 31, 32 and 34 started on 11th July 2007. The number of cases reported each week increased from seven in mid-July to a peak of 14 cases in early September before declining thereafter. The cluster was finally closed on 4th October with a total of 117 cases reported.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update The outbreak in Bukit Batok is largely due to breeding of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito in homes. NEA has thus far uncovered 70 incidences of mosquito breeding, with majority (83%) of the breedings found in homes. The house index is the number of homes found breeding for every 100 homes inspected. For the Bukit Batok cluster, the house index is 2.67, which is almost seven times that of the national average of 0.39.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update Since July, NEA and the Hong Kah Town Council have been working together in stepping up the mosquito control
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update regime to arrest the growth of the Bukit Batok cluster. From early September, NEA deployed 40 officers on a daily basis to search and destroy all possible mosquito breeding habitats within the cluster, compared to 10 officers when the cluster first emerged in July. From mid-September, the daily inspections were further extended to another 36 housing blocks surrounding the 34 blocks in the cluster, in an effort to curb dengue transmission.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update The Town Council also tripled its deployment of pest control officers to about 20 to carry out daily search and destroy operations in the outdoor areas, including pump rooms, rooftops and bin centres. Staff from other estates were roped in to help rid the cluster of potential breeding grounds by patching up treeholes with cement, filling up ground depressions with top soil, and even drilling holes in ash tray containers on rubbish bins in common areas to prevent water from collecting.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update The Bukit Batok situation improved also because the grassroots worked proactively with NEA and the Town Council to meet the challenge in eradicating dengue in Bukit Batok. Although the Bukit Batok cluster has closed, NEA and the Hong Kah Town Council are not letting their guards down, and are continuing with regular mosquito control efforts in the estate.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update The Bukit Batok episode has provided us with some valuable lessons which I would like to share with Members of the House.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update First, it is critical that Town Councils take every measure to ensure proper maintenance and effective checks of common areas and structures under their charge, to prevent creating conditions favourable for mosquito breeding. This is especially important for estates with
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update ongoing dengue transmission. For example, at Bukit Batok, water ponding was found in pump rooms due to leaky water pipes and poor gradient of the floor. Breeding was also detected in water tanks as a result of damaged mosquito netting. Such lapses can be prevented by putting in place a robust maintenance and inspection regime.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update Second, residents and HDB shop owners can play a part by refraining from cluttering common corridors with potted plants and bulky items, or placing items over scupper drain or concrete drain slabs outside their premises. Bad housekeeping not only gives rise to potential breeding habitats but also hampers inspection by NEA and the Town Council. Proper maintenance and cleaning of corridors and drains are also hindered by heavy cluttering in the common areas. While NEA is working with HDB and the Town Councils to improve the situation, I would like to call for the cooperation of all residents too.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update Third, residents going away on holidays or intending to be away from home for more than a week should ensure that mosquitoes cannot breed in their homes in their absence. Residents are advised to leave behind a contact number with their neighbours or the neighbourhood police post/centre so that the authorities can contact them, if necessary.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update Last but not least, I would like to stress that all stakeholders must continue to work hand in hand to deny mosquitoes of the opportunity to breed. Any lapses by one party will negate the good efforts put in by others. The Aedes Aegypti mosquito is a home breeder and will thrive if we are not vigilant. Further, as more and more conventional indoor breeding sites such as pails and vases are removed, mosquitoes are now breeding in more
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update hard-to-reach and unsuspected places such as dish rack trays and water cisterns. Profuse breeding, some with as many as 200 larvae counts, has been observed in these habitats. The list of potential breeding sites is never exhaustive and every one of us has to diligently check all places where water can possibly be collected.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update The overall dengue situation in Singapore has improved in the recent weeks, despite the persistence of the Bukit Batok cluster. Nonetheless, the number of weekly cases at just below 200 is still high. There have since been eight reported fatalities. To reiterate, complacency among anyone in the community can easily weaken all the efforts that we have put in to control the dengue problem. We need to stay vigilant, not only in Bukit Batok but also in the other areas of Singapore, and during both outbreak period as well as non-outbreak period. We must also learn from past experiences in order to deny the Aedes mosquito places to breed.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update Sir, I would like to ask the SPS whether this cluster could be prevented in the first place. Were there measures that we could take to predict the arrival of this particular cluster, for example, the ovitrap project that was mooted a few years back? What has happened to the ovitrap project, and has it been used for such an incident?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update First, I would like to highlight that dengue is endemic and that it can happen anytime, whether it is peak or off-peak dengue season, as well as anywhere as long as we are not vigilant.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update In the case of dengue control within housing estates, such as in Bukit Batok, an important measure is the residents playing a part in preventing mosquito breeding in their homes. If all residents are vigilant in removing stagnant water,
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK IN BUKIT BATOK - Update then such a prolonged outbreak could have been prevented. And this is especially critical in the case of the Bukit Batok cluster because the area has not been affected by dengue cluster for many years. So, the immunity of the residents is low, which means that you just need a few mosquitoes to trigger a large outbreak. Home owners' vigilance is therefore critical so as not to negate the efforts of all the other stakeholders, like the Town Council and NEA.