Hansard, 2009-02-11

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 (2009) To (2009) Mdm Cynthia Phua 11 Feb 11 Feb Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng 16 Feb 19 Feb Mr Lee Hsien Loong 27 Feb 01 Mar Dr Ahmad Mohd Magad 02 Mar 07 Mar 10 Mar 14 Mar

ABDULLAH TARMUGI Speaker Parliament of Singapore

Order read for consideration in Committee of Supply [5th Allotted Day].

Head K - Ministry of Education (cont.)

Resumption of Debate on Question [10th February, 2009],

"That the total sum to be allocated for Head K of the Estimates be reduced by $100." - [Dr Lily Neo].

Question again proposed.

Financial Assistance

Sir, I am told that there is an increase of between 10%-20% of students needing financial assistance. This is in line with the rising number of people seeking financial assistance during MPS. I am glad that MOE has announced and is responding to this exceptionally difficult time with a bigger budget for needy students. I hope that this increase is not just giving a bigger quantum for the students already on financial aid. Many students are facing financial difficulties when their parents suddenly lost their jobs. MOE needs to be mindful that more students need help and not just boosting the amount of those already receiving help.

In this difficult time, families who were doing well before this, because of their commitments, may also be in financial hardship. I expect that many more students will be in such a situation as the economy worsens. I urge MOE to give them more help to tide over this difficult period. I also wonder whether our universities will be cutting or at least freeze the tuition fee, including an automatic cohort-based annual fee increase.

Financial Assistance for Needy Students

Sir, Budget 2009 has announced that MOE will enhance its financial assistance schemes for students and introduce a Short-Term Study Assistance Scheme (SSAS) for students in ITEs, polytechnics

and autonomous universities. This is timely and greatly needed.

0n the ground, we are already seeing more residents coming to apply for our CCC and CDC bursaries and scholarships for students from schools and tertiary institutions. This is on top of the Edusave bursaries and scholarships given by MOE and the CCCs. I am also seeing more financially strapped residents coming to appeal for waiver of school fees, free textbooks, school uniforms and school pocket money and even for paying the GCE "O" and "A" level examination fees.

Sir, I note that there are two avenues of financial assistance provided by the schools, namely, the MOE Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) and various school-based financial assistance schemes. The latter can be extended to students who do not meet the qualifying criteria for MOE's FAS as well as to those already on the FAS but need more help.

Despite the availability of these schemes at the school level, I still see a sizable number of families appealing for financial assistance for their children at my MPS. Sir, I infer from this that the current economic downturn is stretching resources allocated by the MOE and the schools to assist every student who genuinely needs financial help. Hence, the announcement that more money would be pumped in to help poor students is welcome. Nonetheless, Sir, I would like to ask the Ministry how it determines the size of the budget to be allocated for providing financial assistance to needy students to ensure that no student is deprived of at least a basic education. With the recession expected to deepen further, even the more than the doubling of the budget now for financial aid programmes may prove inadequate.

At the same time, under the Government's many-helping-hands philosophy, besides MOE and the schools,

there are many other organisations, including the CDCs, grassroots organisations and self-help groups, that provide various forms of financial assistance to students at different levels. Each of them, however, has different income qualifying and other criteria for their respective financial assistance schemes.

Currently, there is no designated central agency to act as coordinator for the many help agencies to ensure that every student who needs assistance is identified and adequately helped. Some may get proportionately more help than others, whilst others could fall through the cracks. Because of a fixed pool of funds, whatever the source, collectively speaking, all agencies will need to administer the funds more smartly to ensure "more bank for the buck". I would like to ask MOE to look into how it can ensure that every student who needs assistance is helped holistically, using all available funding sources based on the many-helping-hands approach.

For a start, as the schools would be better placed to identify needy students and assess their needs, they should act as the central coordinating body to identify and channel assistance. I would therefore like to suggest that the schools themselves undertake to ensure that every child who needs assistance receives help. If the school is unable to provide the assistance because it has already expended its resources and the students need additional help, then the school could refer the students to other agencies including the CDCs, grassroots organisations, self-help groups, etc, in the interim, so that no one who needs help is left in the lurch. This, in essence, is the many-helping-hands approach, but it has to be effectively operationalised.

Financial Assistance for All Levels (Primary, Seconday, Tertiary)

Sir, at yesterday's sitting, the Minister spelt out the additional financial

assistance for needy students at tertiary institutions and schools during this economic crisis. I would like to ask the Minister for further details on how MOE intends to reach out and support families of needy students, so as not to compromise education in times of this economic crisis.

Sir, among other institutions, schools and tertiary institutions present a good avenue for us to detect and tackle social problems, such as dysfunctional families and the need for financial assistance for the students. Does the MOE have a holistic approach in identifying and assisting students and their family members with social problems and thus need financial assistance at times?

As the economic crisis deepens, MOE needs to ensure that no one is deprived of educational opportunities at all levels due to financial difficulties. On this note, I would like to ask the Minister, on average, how many students are under the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) in each school and tertiary institutions? How many counsellors does each school and tertiary institutions have? How do the tertiary institutions cater to the counselling needs of the students? Is this adequate? And, as the economic crisis deepens, are there plans to increase the number of counsellors in each school?

Students from Low Socio-economic Status Background

Sir, this is not the speech I expected to make for my cut. I was planning to stand here yesterday and speak about the plight of students from low socio-economic status families and ask the Minister to expand the scope of MOE's Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) and to fund discretionary assistance to be administered by each school. So, I was very pleasantly surprised to hear the Minister's announcements yesterday

about the expansion of FAS and the one-off grants to schools for discretionary assistance. I commend and applaud the Ministry for taking these steps, which will provide critical comfort and assurance in these difficult times. I do have four points to make.

Firstly, I ask the Ministry to reconsider the eligibility criteria for FAS. It should ideally adopt a criteria based on per capita household income. The current criteria do not differentiate between a family with three children, and a family with six children and two elderly retired parents. The criteria should be more closely tied to the number of dependants. While we may question the wisdom of low-income families having large families, we should not penalise the children for the errors of their parents.

Secondly, I hope the Minister can clarify whether the expansion of FAS to cover school attire includes socks and shoes. I have heard of a boy with worn-out shoes, whose insoles wore out after six months, and then he had to step on the metal wire-frames inside the soles for the rest of the year. Similarly, many children wear worn-out socks, which sounds trivial, but their joy when they get new socks speaks volumes of how much it means to them. I also hope that FAS can be expanded to cover supplementary books, which are not official textbooks but are required by teachers for lessons.

My other two points relate to the one-off grants to schools for discretionary assistance, which is intended to mitigate fund-raising difficulties in this recession. All schools will receive the funds, regardless of the size of their reserves, if any. But some schools, in particular, the richer brand-name schools with strong alumni networks, probably would not need this top-up. Others may not have much in the way of existing funds at all. I

therefore urge the Minister to give proportionately more money to schools with little or no existing funds for discretionary assistance, with greater weightage for those schools with disproportionately many low socio-economic status students, whether or not they are on FAS.

My final point is to ask the Minister to make this grant a recurrent one, and not a one-off. Neighbourhood schools would tend to have a greater need for discretionary assistance, but they also face greater challenges in fund-raising. More importantly, I believe that schools and teachers should be focused on teaching and helping students, and not so much on fund-raising, except to the extent that fund-raising is for student development purposes.

Sir, needy students pre-date the recession. Their problems were here before the downturn, and their problems will continue to be here after the recovery. The discretionary assistance disbursed by schools plays an important role. Just as the CCC ComCare Fund is administered by grassroots organisations, it makes sense for schools to administer assistance funds directly, since they would be best-placed to identify their students' day-to-day needs. We should therefore ensure that schools will always have sufficient discretionary funds, and we should provide grants, where necessary, regardless of the prevailing economic conditions.

Education, as the means to social mobility, is the cornerstone of Singapore's social compact. We promise equality of opportunity to all our children. We tell them to work hard and do well in school, so that they will be well-placed to succeed in life, regardless of their background.

But for low socio-economic status children, the correlation between their

effort and their results is less straightforward, due to the many challenges that they face. Of course, some exceptional students have overcome their circumstances, but they are rare. These are the exceptions. The vast majority face daily barriers and hurdles to success arising from their circumstances.

Perhaps most of these problems stem from wider societal and community issues and problems, that cannot be resolved by the Government alone. Some are even due to parents not having the right priorities. But we can, and we must, solve those problems that we can solve, so as to maximise our children's chances of success and to help them to achieve their maximum potential. To that end, I hope the Minister would provide annual grants to schools' discretionary assistance funds of a smaller size, if need be.

Cost of Textbooks

Sir, I have heard from many affected parents that constant revisions and updates to the curriculum have resulted in textbooks being obsoleted within a span of a few short years. Siblings are no longer assured of using hand-me-down books. Even families on the look out for second-hand textbooks are no longer able to rely on them to defray costs. Yes, there are schemes in schools that address the needs of poorer students but they do not address the sense of waste that some parents have noticed.

Can I suggest that the Ministry look into this phenomenon which parents have brought up and see if it is possible to highlight changes from edition to edition, or print supplementals or inserts to bring older editions up to date rather than having to resort to new books? In one instance, one distraught parent said that she combed through two editions of a textbook and came up with only very minor differences. And students would be

left with no choice if teachers insisted on the newer editions. In a simpler age, when I was going through school, I do not recall such a wide variety of textbooks. Many schools in those days seemed to use common textbooks. Maybe we are enriched by the diversity and richness of choice we have today. But if we can coordinate better, and more schools use the same textbooks, then second-hand books for students would be a more viable option. Maybe in the not too distant future, when we go paperless and completely digital, this concern would disappear. But for now, something needs to be done. And in so doing, we also do a little bit for the environment.

Dropouts

Sir, MOE has done well in reducing our school dropout rate to 1.6% as of last year. The setting up of Northlight School and, more recently, Assumption Pathway School, and relaxing the re-admission criteria for school dropouts, are among the key measures that have undoubtedly helped to reduce the number of such dropouts.

Notwithstanding this, it is noted that the largest number of school dropouts come, in fact, from secondary schools. They number about 400 per year and make up more than 60% of the total number of dropouts each year.

I have met a few such dropouts at my MPS. By the time the families come to the MPS to appeal for financial and other assistance, the teenage child might have already dropped out of school for a year or more. These children often come from dysfunctional families and may be disinterested in studies not for lack of academic ability, but due to a lack of family support and financial difficulties faced by the family.

I understand that many schools now have programmes to identify, counsel and

help potential school dropouts as well as try to persuade those who drop out to go back to school. Nonetheless, I feel that such efforts to reach out and help dropouts and get them to go back to school could be further enhanced if the school could also get the community involved. I would like to recommend that the school counsellors or the principals refer appropriate cases to grassroots organisations and perhaps even the Member of Parliament for the area.

To begin with, we may be able to offer some financial help to the family if this is one of the root causes. The grassroots might also be familiar with the parents and are in a better position to persuade them to take an interest in the child's education and welfare. No doubt, this approach is resource-intensive, but I think it is worth the price if one more child can be helped and his or her future better safeguarded.

12.15 pm

Mrs Teo, you have two cuts. Please take them together.

Keeping Youths in Education

Sir, in China this year, six million new graduates will join the workforce. Together with the 1.5 million graduates from last year's batch who are still unemployed, there are a whopping 7.5 million graduates looking for jobs in China this year. This prompted the China Youth League to ask what strategies Singapore used to find employment for Singapore youths. The question was directed to me. As I reflected on it, I offered a view of what, I believe, have been our strategies.

The first strategy is to keep youths in school. Our system channels them by aptitude to relevant institutions and

makes use of their years in education to prepare them to be job-ready. The second strategy is to incorporate industry input in course curriculum. Many academic departments or faculties have industry advisory councils. This helps to ensure that fresh graduates have business-relevant skills. The third strategy is to tap the Continuing Education and Training (CET) framework to keep the skills of youths current. From 2000-2008, about 20% of workers retrenched in the unionised sector were under 30 years old. Youths are not immune to job losses and the solution is to continue to up-skill and re-skill them.

Sir, the CET framework that we have put in place will be helpful in reducing youth unemployment. In the event of a downturn, a fourth strategy has been used. Government agencies like EDB and A*STAR, have programmes to help foot the salaries of fresh or recent graduates employed in industries of strategic importance to Singapore, but which are temporarily not hiring.

Let me return to the fundamental strategy, ie, keeping youths in education. As of 2008, only 1.6% of students in each cohort do not complete a full 10 years of formal education. Compare this to the US. Depending on whether the academic studying the phenomenon is pessimistic or extremely pessimistic, the world's largest economy faces a daunting 9.8% to 25% dropout rate. This is often cited as a reason for the high youth unemployment rate in the US, which for 2008 hit an all time high of 14%. This stands in contrast to our own youth unemployment rate of 4.1%.

Though our school dropout and youth unemployment rates are low, participation in education after the first 10 years of education could be better. In the 2007 edition of Statistics Singapore, it is reported that in 2005, 63.2% of our youths aged 16-17 were enrolled in post-

secondary education, either in pre-university courses or ITEs. From past years' figures, vast majority of these students then progressed to tertiary education in polytechnics and universities. Sir, I would like to know what is the number of youths who do not progress to post-secondary education in the first place? Given their lower educational attainment, it it likely that this group contributes to the 17,000 jobless Singaporeans under the age of 30. They are also likely to fall in and out of unemployment continuously.

I thank the Minister who had earlier announced the additional financial assistance to enrolled students. This will ensure that youths in our ITEs, polytechnics and universities can remain in education, even if their families fall into financial difficulties. At the same time, I would like to ask MOE if there are ways to further improve the rate of participation of youths in post-secondary education. 10 years of education is good but insufficient in today's competitive labour market. The mean years of schooling among youths in Singapore has also stagnated. While in the early 1990s, we witnessed an increase from 9.3 years to 11.5 years, the mean years of schooling has remained at about 12 years since 2003. While we have done very well to build up our educational institutions, do we have a concerted effort to keep these youths in post-secondary education so that their life-long prospects are improved?

Pre-school Education

Sir, my second cut is on pre-school education. We have a world-class system for primary, secondary and tertiary-level education. Even our technical education system has won international accolades. May I ask the MOE if we can say the same for early childhood or pre-school education in Singapore?

Last year, related to pre-school education, I spoke on the need for quality assurance of early childhood education providers and the need to keep fees as affordable as for primary school education. This year, I renew my call to the MOE to place priority on improving quality of pre-school education. Specifically, I would like to suggest that the Ministry look into the following areas.

First, on attracting and developing talents for early childhood education, one significant change announced last year was the raising of minimum qualifications of pre-school teachers. While I applaud the effort, I cannot help but notice the vast difference in the scale and depth of efforts when compared to investments in a quality teaching force for primary schools. The PERI Committee has raised the bar even higher through more stringent recruitment, budget for additional manpower, introducing allied educators, training of more PE, art and music teachers. When can we do the same for early childhood education? Raising minimum qualifications is one step. What about the training, career development and salary progression pathways of early childhood educators? Which agency is the NIE-equivalent for early childhood education? Can we create a Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework for their continuous professional upgrading?

The Government has announced plans to open many more new childcare centres. Yet, we are facing great shortages in the numbers of early childhood educators. Can we attract good people to the sector by looking into these factors? MOE's advertisements to attract talents to the teaching profession do not include early childhood educators. Individual schools would not have the means to mount such a strong campaign to attract teachers. Neither could kindergartens or childcare centres on their own. Could MOE coordinate a campaign

for all early childhood education providers, much like STB has done to promote tourism careers on behalf of all tourism businesses, and MOH has done for the nursing profession?

Sir, the second point is on going into education centre accreditation. For primary and secondary schools, there is a curriculum to be covered, and schools today are given much more flexibility in deciding how to cover the curriculum. However, quality is assured by the MOE. For early childhood education, how does a parent know whether the child is getting a quality early childhood education? The intent is not to have tests, eg, PSLE to assess if the children have "passed" or "failed", nor should we impose rigid timetables or requirements on preschool educators. But, surely, there must be a way for parents to know whether the centre they send their children to "pass" or "fail". We can get no such information today. This is not satisfactory.

As I said last year, we need a way for parents to be able to ascertain if the early childhood educator is meeting some minimum standards of quality in education. Who maintains the standards and accredits the providers so that we have quality assurance? I urge the MOE to coordinate efforts to level-up standards in early childhood education holistically, systematically and urgently.

Mr Chairman, the importance of pre-school education cannot be further underscored. Although MOE has an explicit policy that compulsory education is only at the primary school level, its efforts at supporting the pre-school education over the last few years is laudable. However, I would like to ask the Minister the extent to which MOE oversees the development

of the pre-school sector, both in terms of curriculum as well as human resource development.

First, on curriculum development and outcome indicators. I understand that MOE issues licences to pre-school operators. In this regard, I would like to ask the Minister what are the conditions for the issuance and renewal of licences to pre-school operators. What are the processes and outcome indicators that MOE places for these operators? Has MOE revoked licences of pre-school operators who fail to meet MOE's licensing conditions? How does MOE ensure that the pre-school is in line with the primary school learning objectives? Much has been said about giving our children a headstart through pre-school education. This means ensuring that the pre-school education facilitates the transition and emersion into primary school. With the new initiatives proposed by the PERI Committee, how will the pre-school sector fit into the system, ensuring the seamless continuum of educational experience for our children?

Next, human resource development. Sir, one of the challenges in the pre-school sector is human resources. The need for quality and trained personnel is critical. With the growing emphasis on giving good foundation at the pre-school level, how does MOE plan to increase the quality and quantity of the pre-school teachers? With the current economic recession, much has been said about the PMETs and alternative careers for them. Are there plans for MOE to facilitate the conversion of mid-career PMETs to come into this sector? What incentives, if any, are being put in place?

Sir, several MPs were concerned about how students from lower-income families would be able to cope with education expenses in the

economic downturn. General education is almost fully subsidised by the Government. Beyond this, MOE has been providing assistance to students from lower-income families who might not be able to afford the subsidised fees and other related expenses. In the light of the current economic recession and feedback from schools, we have further reviewed our financial assistance programme and will enhance the benefits to provide even more help to needy students.

For primary and secondary school recipients under the MOE's Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS), in addition to free textbooks, MOE will now also provide a basic package of school attire every year that will include new sets of school uniforms and PE attire. The enhanced benefits will save parents an additional $130 a year for primary school pupils, and $160 for secondary school students. Families with more than one child in school will find that these are significant savings to their family expenditures. For pre-university students, MOE will be increasing the bursary quantum for FAS recipients by 50%, from the current $500 to $750, to help them pay for textbooks and other essential items for their studies. These enhancements to the FAS are expected to cost MOE $7.3 million per year, increasing the total FAS budget by 68%, to $18 million annually.

We understand that some families could be temporarily caught out by the financial crisis because of unemployment or retrenchment, as mentioned by Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim. We are monitoring the situation closely. As at end January this year, there was a 6% increase in the number of FAS recipients compared to the corresponding period last year. I wish to assure MPs that those in need can apply for the MOE's FAS at any time and help will be rendered promptly.

To address the points made by Mr Christopher de Souza and Mr Siew Kum

Hong, MOE will be spending $5.4 million to support school-based financial assistance schemes, as announced by Minister yesterday. Schools have the flexibility to decide on the eligibility criteria and the type of assistance to cater to the specific needs of students more effectively. With some items like uniforms now covered under the enhancements to the MOE's FAS benefits, schools can provide more discretionary assistance to their students, eg, meal and transport allowances, or even, as suggested by Mr Siew Kum Hong, supplementary books. MOE is already giving more to schools and although it is one time, whether or not it is recurrent, we will review it as we look at how we spend on the ground and listen to feedback, and we will respond.

Apart from the MOE's FAS and school-based financial assistance schemes, schools are also able to use their Opportunity Fund at their discretion to help provide students from lower-income families with school-based enrichment opportunities. Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim had asked about the processes we have in place to identify and help students in need. Schools use various channels, like newsletters and announcements at assemblies, to inform parents and students about the availability of financial assistance. Teachers also keep a look out for students in need, especially those who are in fee arrears. Our schools adopt a whole-school support framework, whereby various resource personnel, including teachers and counsellors, are involved to support students in need. Going forward, schools with higher needs in this area will be provided with an additional Allied Educator and Operations Manager (OM) over the next few years. At our tertiary institutions, there are dedicated student financing officers to advise students on the financial assistance options available. Currently, around one-third of local students in our universities benefit from financial assistance.

MOE already provides sufficiently for students at all levels to achieve their educational goals in schools. Beyond MOE's assistance, the community plays an important and useful role in providing social support in other areas, to help children and their families. To Ms Irene Ng's point made earlier in the Budget debate, self-help groups do play a key role in supplementing the Government's existing efforts in helping needy families. Each group may appear to be helping their members in different ways and to different extents, but we should leave it to them to decide how they want to help their community, as they know best the specific needs of their community and are better able to reach out and connect with them because of language and cultural commonalities.

Dr Amy Khor had asked if there could be better co-ordination on the use of the different funding sources to provide financial assistance to students. Schools will continue to provide the first line of support to these students but, in some instances, they will also refer cases to community organisations, like Family Service Centres (FSCs) or Community Development Councils (CDCs) for further assistance.

These organisations would be in a better position to coordinate with other relevant agencies to reach out not just to the students, but also their families. My colleagues at MCYS will give more details on what is being done at the community level to support needy families and children through their coordination with schools.

12.30 pm

I wish to assure MPs that MOE will continue to review our support structures in place, to ensure that every child receives the necessary support and no student will be forced to drop out of

school because of financial constraints, especially during the downturn.

Dr Amy Khor and Mrs Josephine Teo talked about the importance of keeping our youths in schools. Indeed, this has been one of MOE’s key priorities over the years. I am happy to share that MOE has met the attrition target of 1.5% in 2008, a target set earlier by PM Lee, two years ahead of schedule. Therefore, about 99% of our students are in good stead to pursue a post-secondary education. 10 years of education is important because it allows time to build character and a sense of belonging to community and nation.

In April this year, MOE will roll out a system so that schools can better identify and monitor at-risk students as they move from class to class, and from school to school. Teachers can also get a better documentation of the profile of at-risk students, so that they can follow up in addressing the students’ learning and counselling needs consistently.

Schools have also started various ground-up initiatives to guide and support at-risk students with disciplinary, behavioural and academic problems. Last year, I mentioned the Time-out Programme, which has been effective in reducing the dropout rate among the at-risk students. More schools are now organising such programmes for their at-risk students compared to last year.

I agree with Mrs Josephine Teo that in a knowledge-based economy, our students should go beyond the first 10 years of general education and obtain useful post-secondary qualifications that will help them find gainful employment. Today, 93% of our students already progress to some form of post-secondary institutions. MOE has been enhancing the progression pathways for students to progress to ITE and the polytechnics. ITE has also been beefing up their counselling and support services, and strengthening

their collaborations with VWOs to provide further support to students. The various financial assistance schemes we already have in place, as well as the new enhancements announced by Minister, will provide the necessary help to students with financial difficulties so that they can focus on their studies.

I also fully agree with Dr Amy Khor that reducing the number of dropouts is not something that schools can do alone. For students who choose to leave school despite all measures by schools to persuade them to stay on, all schools will refer these cases to VWOs, so that school leavers have support. Youth Link is one such example where MCYS organises social workers to work with the Out-of-School Youths for one year to provide the necessary guidance and support, and to get them to come back to school. I encourage grassroots organisations who wish to help these youths to contact the schools, to see how best they can complement the schools’ efforts and work with the professionals and social workers to help these dropouts as the problem is not always financial.

Before I move to the topic of pre-school education, I wanted to address Mr Wee Siew Kim’s concerns on textbook wastage following changes to the syllabus. Syllabuses for all subjects are reviewed regularly every six years. When the content is found to be dated and when the syllabus does not support key competencies we want to develop in our students sufficiently, it is important that we update the contents and textbooks accordingly. Where changes arising from the syllabus review are minor, MOE works with the publishers to ensure that the existing textbooks can continue to be used, by having the changes communicated to schools. We welcome feedback from Members when this is not actually being followed. Students who require financial assistance can apply to the MOE FAS or the school-based

financial assistance to buy the new textbooks.

Let me now turn to pre-school education, an issue which was raised by Mrs Josephine Teo and Dr Maliki.

MOE’s desired outcome for the pre-school sector is for all children to have access to quality pre-school education, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, so that we can better prepare them for school. Currently, the community and private sector provide a range of offerings to meet the needs of different parents, while MOE focuses our efforts to uplift standards through key leverage areas, especially teacher quality and curriculum.

Last year, we announced the new industry standard for teachers teaching K1 and K2 to have 5 ‘O’ Level passes, including a pass in English, and Diploma-level qualifications by 2013. We are on track in meeting these targets. In 2008, about 1,540 teachers attended the Diploma in Early Childhood Care & Education-Teaching course, an increase of 30% over the previous year.

Today, about 40% of the kindergartens have already fulfilled the requirement of having 75% of their teachers meeting the new minimum qualifications. To encourage kindergarten teachers to take on professional upgrading, MOE will also be providing $4 million worth of bursaries and scholarships each year for kindergarten teachers to pursue full-time and part-time diploma courses as well as the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) programme conducted by NIE.

To raise awareness about jobs in the kindergarten sector, MOE will facilitate recruitment efforts by providing relevant information about various platforms such as career fairs and Workforce Development Agency’s (WDA) websites.

Our polytechnics will also offer more training places in early childhood education. Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic will each start a new full-time diploma course for students who are interested in early childhood education. Temasek Polytechnic will also be starting a new part-time training course for existing pre-school teachers. Altogether, our polytechnics will offer 250 places for full-time studies and 420 places for part-time studies.

As announced by the Minister earlier, the new Advanced Diploma in Kindergarten Education-Teaching (ADKET) will offer up to 100 training places this year for mid-career professionals and fresh graduates or diploma holders to become kindergarten teachers. While the programme is shorter, the rigour and quality of training will be maintained, with a focus on curriculum and teaching methods, so that trainees will be equipped with the necessary competencies to teach young children effectively at kindergartens.

The ADKET course fees will be subsidised under the enhanced Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR). During the period of training, kindergartens will receive a monthly stipend support of up to $1,000 per trainee. MOE is working with the WDA to explore the feasibility of including the ADKET course into the Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework.

To encourage continual upgrading for kindergarten teachers, as asked by Mrs Josephine Teo, MOE has developed a Professional Development Framework to help kindergartens identify training needs and prioritise areas for the professional development of their staff. MOE also organises in-service training workshops for kindergarten teachers, to increase their knowledge and skills in areas such as

pedagogy, and leadership and management skills.

In the area of curriculum, MOE developed a Kindergarten Curriculum Guide last November to help teachers in developing appropriate curriculum and assessment to support and promote children’s holistic learning and development in the early years. I assure Mrs Josephine Teo and Dr Maliki that these are aligned to the Desired Outcomes of Primary Education.

MOE has also provided grants to non-profit kindergartens to enable them to build up their teaching and learning resources, such as musical instruments, outdoor play equipment, and IT and multimedia equipment. Last year, over 90% of the 380 non-profit kindergartens benefited from this funding support amounting to a total sum of $3.2 million. In addition, 51 kindergartens received the Kindergarten Innovation Grant of up to $5,000 each, to help them engage in innovative practices that will enhance the quality of teaching and learning for their students.

PCF Macpherson, for example, used the grant to start a mini-history project about the Macpherson area. Children went around the neighbourhood, armed with digital cameras and video cameras, to take photographs and conduct interviews with residents. I hear that they even interviewed their MP, Mr Matthias Yao. Through the project, the children developed a better appreciation about the history of the Macpherson area, and also developed their level of self-efficacy in the process.

PPIS Kindergarten used the grant to purchase digital cameras and video cameras for teachers to capture the children in action. Teacher and children then update their curriculum activities on a blog. This allows their work and progress to be archived more effectively,

and parents are also updated through E-newsletters, which allows faster two-way communication between teachers and parents.

St James’ Church Kindergarten used the fund to transform their outdoor area into an eco-farming learning environment, including the planting of fruit trees and rearing of fish and rabbits. They set up the environment through recycled materials and conducted sessions to show the children how natural resources could be harnessed for the construction and operation of a farm.

Dr Maliki asked about the licensing requirements for kindergartens. To ensure a minimum standard in the quality of early childhood education, kindergartens have to meet criteria relating to the principals and teachers’ qualification, educational programme, and physical premises. Kindergartens that fail to meet the stipulated requirements will be de-registered. So far, one kindergarten has been de-registered. To help parents select a suitable kindergarten for their children, the profile of each kindergarten such as the staff qualifications, total enrolment and fees are provided on the MOE Pre-school Education website.

Over time, we want to see pre-school providers take greater ownership in monitoring their own performance and striving for greater excellence. MOE is in the process of developing a voluntary quality assurance and accreditation framework for kindergartens. I suppose that is good news for Mrs Josephine Teo. Those that meet specified standards can apply to be accredited as a mark of the kindergarten’s quality. The pilot-testing will start from the first half of 2009, and we hope to roll out the framework in 2011.

Since 2002, the government has provided annual recurrent grants to eligible non-profit kindergartens which are

major providers of kindergarten education. MOE will be enhancing the recurrent funding further, from the current $17 million to $62.5 million a year in 4 years’ time.

In conclusion, MOE will continue to ensure that no one is denied access to quality education due to financial constraints. The enhanced Financial Assistance Schemes, complemented with the school-based financial assistance schemes, will provide some welcome relief to families in need.

Sir, education is our best investment for the future. Even in this economic downturn, MOE will continue to work closely with stakeholders to enhance our education system, so as to provide the best possible education to the next generation.

I would like to thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the comprehensive reply. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary mentioned that there was going to be an organic Opportunity Fund managed by the principal. My concern and query is how autonomous would the management of the Opportunity Fund be. Is there any other fund organic to the principal where the principal can release monies on an expedited basis, especially if they come and see the Member of Parliament, given that time is always of the essence in these matters?

About 80% of the funds are already used up by the schools. This Opportunity Fund is left to the discretion of the principals and the schools to provide for various needs of the students. In fact, the Opportunity Fund is one example where MOE has listened to the ground and feedback from schools, and provided funds for things that were, at one time, probably luxuries, but now are already necessities for students. As an example, these funds are

used to provide computers to needy students, as well as to provide supplementary payment for their trips on overseas programmes. Members know these things. When I was young, I did not even have a computer, I could survive. But today, these are quite important necessities. And this Opportunity Fund is the result of such feedback, and we are providing schools with such funds to provide for the needs of the students.

In addition, schools also use this Opportunity Fund for items like social emotional learning programmes, so that those who need special programmes to increase their self-esteem, for example, are also provided for.

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There are also other forms of funds that we mentioned - the School Advisory Committee Funds that can also be used by schools at their discretion and for their students.

Thank you, Mr Chairman.

Could I seek clarification on the topic of character development and civic education? Many parents have lamented that MOE does not pay enough emphasis on moral education and it shows up in the ranking schools. Could I have MOE's reply on that one? What is our present status on moral education? Is it the responsibility of civic education teachers? Could MOE tweak the present policy to emphasise the importance of moral education, and the responsibility of all educators to inculcate good moral values in class? And lastly, could MOE equip all educators to recognise and to maximise teachable moments at every opportune time in class to impart and to share values with students?

Sir, I

thank the Member for raising this issue of moral education.

I think that she is definitely on the right track where she talked about the importance of developing students with the right values and character. They are so necessary to guide us in this world where there are lots of changes that are impacting us socially.

MOE takes a very serious view of moral education. In fact, if you look at MOE's website, the outcome of education that we look for - the number one item on that outcome - is actually on moral education, that we want to bring up our children to be morally upright. That is number one on our list. And I cannot emphasise more about the importance we place on it. But I must accept and I concede the point that it is not easy to measure the outcome of moral education.

Having said that, we would have in the schools ranking system, a framework to assess the process the schools are teaching. In other words, what are the schools doing to ensure that such values are being conveyed; what are the processes they take; what is the training that they will provide teachers; what are the programmes that were carried out to ensure that these values are conveyed to the children. So although we do not have a ranking of the results of the schools or the teachers in terms of moral education, in our school assessment system, this is an important part. The process in which schools undertake their education task is an important part in the schools assessment system.

In terms of civic education, I think that all teachers would know that it is not limited to the teacher who teaches civic and moral education. In fact, I think, the point that we have been trying to make in the last few hours in our speeches about how we want to balance the teaching of academic subjects with the non-academic

parts - the values, the character building - is really a reflection of the thinking of MOE. That we want all teachers including those who are teaching PE, Music, Arts, Science, Mathematics, to find teachable moments. When you are bringing the children out for Learning Journey, you see behaviour that is not befitting of students, the teachers will have a responsibility to point it out to the children. We believe that those teachable moments are very important in correcting behaviour and teaching the children the right behaviour. And I think all teachers know that. In fact, this is one important part of the NIE training.

I spoke to the Director in NIE. He assured me that teachers, when they go into NIE for training, have been told time and again that it is not just content knowledge that they are teaching but they are bringing up the next generation. And I think, all teachers understand the heavy responsibility that has been placed on them.

I thank Senior Minister of State (SMS) for her comprehensive responses yesterday on the use of IT and also on the education village.

I would like to ask Ministry to consider uploading lectures especially academic ones as well for all stakeholders, not just for teacher-resource sharing. In fact, Ivy League universities like Yale, Berkeley, and Stamford have already avail their lectures online through podcasts for sharing globally. I think we can try to model that - maybe do it at the primary and secondary schools' levels, where we are still upgrading teachers.

Secondly, I would like to clarify if SMS would consider also putting online - assessment papers and worksheets, so that parents and families do not have to pay for these at

shopping centre lobbies where counters are set up to sell these papers. I think some of the parents would be very willing to pay for good quality and authentic examination papers.

On the education village, I thank SMS for the comprehensive reply on satellite partnerships examples that she has quoted. In fact, I am very, very appreciative of that because my schools are involved.

However, the Darlington Education Village is unlike any model that we have seen in Singapore. It is a federation of three schools - mainstream, primary, secondary and special schools. There is daily natural interaction all the time because of the way the schools are constructed. I urge Ministry to study this model in detail. I know it is easy to say to be bold, and as what Minister has said, we have of course to cautiously implement new models. But I urge the Ministry to study this model in detail. Perhaps pilot one or two education villages and let it morph to something that is more Singaporean, more Asian which will be even more powerful than the Darlington Education Village model.

I think on the issue of repository of lecture notes on an electronic platform, MOE does have that practice although this is limited to the subject. For example, I know that our Chinese teachers share their teaching materials on an electronic platform. So, it is not done in the universal form that Ms Phua has asked, but on a subject basis, it is happening.

And also online assessment, while I sympathise with Ms Phua's point about parents probably spending a lot of money in buying assessment books, but I am actually not sure if putting online electronic assessments, would actually eliminate these books, because I think we are a society where parents naturally place a lot of emphasis on education and

they want to provide the best. And I think there is no lack of creativity and ingenuity in our education sector to always provide what is best and what is better than the last version of assessment or enrichment or books that will help our children. So, while I agree and think that there should be some sharing of such materials, I am not sure that it will eliminate the symptoms that Ms Phua has talked about.

Having said that, I think we have to be careful how we want to make assessments readily available on a universal basis because I think as we have expounded on our principle on assessment yesterday, we would like assessment to be really relevant to what we have taught. In other words it has to be contextualised, it is not just putting any assessment on the website and make that available for everybody to have a go at it. We want our assessments to be effective in that they actually help teachers and students assess their progress. It has to be contextualised with what the teachers are teaching in class. So, I do not think it has this universal application that Ms Denise Phua has talked about.

On the education village that Ms Phua has mentioned, Darlington Village is familiar to us. I believe that some of our officers have been there. We will take that example as a reference for us, just as the same way we have looked at examples from other countries as well. We have to find a model, as she has rightly put, that works for us in Singapore, that fits our educational requirement as well as our stakeholders' expectations. We are piloting a few forms of partnership of satellite campuses. We would like to basically go through the process and look at what works and what does not work during the pilot phase; and I will make a decision later on, at an appropriate time.

Sir, I would like to thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary (SPS) for sharing with us MOE's plan to introduce voluntary accreditation for Early Childhood Education centres.

On the matter of attracting the right people into the profession, I am glad to hear that MOE intends to facilitate recruitment. However, may I urge MOE to also look into raising the professional standing and the public perception of early childhood educators? In order for more of such educators to join the profession, they have to be seen as making a professional contribution.

The early children sector sees both a public and private sector participation.

MOE will do its part to ensure that the qualifications that we require will enable these future teachers to be trainable. We will also ensure that we will keep up with the pedagogy to give them sufficient in-house training so that they can keep up with the changes in the pedagogy of the pre-school sector.

On providing and uplifting the stature of the teachers, we got to work together with the sectors so that it is not just an effort that MOE should undertake alone, because there is contribution and value-add that these private sector and public sector communities can add.

Sir, I have a clarification for the Minister. Yesterday, the Minister mentioned that there would be an increase in the number of intake and the courses being offered at the local polytechnics. I would like to know if the capacity of the existing polytechnics is adequate to absorb this new intake as well the number of new courses being offered.And following that, are there plans to build new polytechnics in the near future?

If I may reply to the second part. There are no plans to build anymore polytechnics beyond the existing five. The polytechnics today have drawn up plans to enhance the campuses, and when these are ready we will implement them.

This is a point of clarification in regards to yesterday's progress report on the fourth university. I just want to clarify and find out whether any Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences subjects will be offered in the fourth university. And if not, perhaps the Minister can explain.

And another idea is that, would the students possibly be able to access similar subjects from other universities in case there are constraints of putting these subjects in the fourth university.

Let me thank Prof Mehta for her points which were well made and are along the lines that we are thinking about how our tertiary sectors should evolve in. She is right.

In a small country like Singapore, for universities to actually act in silos whether it is NUS, NTU, SMU or the new university, does not really make sense. We are not competing with each other. Friendly competition is okay, but you are competing with institutions elsewhere with large endowments. I cannot remember what Harvard's endowment is, but it is in the billions. They would have lost 30 to 40% like everyone else who have got positions in equities but nonetheless, still huge amounts. And yes, I would like to see that crossing over where students, even faculty, can take courses in different campuses where one is stronger and the other, not. Prof. Mehta also made a point in cross-disciplinary

exposure, so if you are in the pure Sciences or Engineering, what exposure do you have in the Humanities and vice versa?

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SMS Lui did elaborate on some of that. But the New University offers us a unique opportunity to design it from scratch where it is integrated, and the purpose is an educational one. And we had extended back that philosophy to our integrated programmes for our junior colleges and even secondary schools. This is what the Through-train concept is, where now for the"A" levels, you are required to take other subjects, eg, if you are in the Humanities, you take one which is in the Science and vice versa, so as to allow students to have better exposure.

The educational belief, and I think it is a well-founded one, is that if you have students who are exposed to this, they develop as better thinkers, better leaders, more compassionate, and more well-rounded in their views which is more consistent with what the 21st Century needs are. So I agree completely with her. I also know that she knows that there are implementation hurdles on the ground. We sometimes like to guard our own turf, our own students. Be that as it may, I think there are measures there that we can take to try and have a more integrated system.

We still have some time. Any more clarification? If not, Dr Neo.

Sir, I have been much enlightened on the detailed answers and explanation on the various MOE's policies. I would therefore like to thank Minister Ng Eng Hen, Senior Ministers of State RAdm Lui Tuck Yew and Grace Fu, and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Mr Masagos Zulkifli and, of course, all their MOE staff behind the scene. On that

note, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $8,014,660,000 for Head K ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $686,555,900 for Head K ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

Head I - Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. Mr Sin Boon Ann.

Economic Recession and Social Bonding

Sir, I beg to move,

That the total sum to be allocated for Head I of the Estimates be reduced by $100.

Sir, the current recession is the worst that this country has seen or, for that matter, the world has seen since the Great Depression. What started out as a financial crisis has now become an economic crisis of global proportion. The disappearance of lending and falling demands in world economies has resulted in factories and services having to deal with excess labour and capacities. For many, this would mean making workers redundant and packing them home.

In Singapore, we are not spared either. The current economic crisis has had its toll on many. Just last year alone, 16,000 Singaporeans lost their jobs. Even then, many seasoned commentators believe that the economic tsunami has not unleashed the full force of its destruction upon us. Many more jobs will be lost. These are not just mere statistics, but

developments that will have significant impact on the lives of ordinary Singaporeans.

Suddenly, self respecting Singaporeans who thought they had secure jobs were left to suffer the indignity of being told that their services are no longer required. There will be many, particularly those who are in the middle class, who will be most anxious about their future. They are often sandwiched between two generations - their parents and their children. Once unemployed, many Singaporeans will find it almost impossible to find another similar job that pays just as well.

Sir, we pride ourselves truly as a nation that believes that no one will be left behind in our journey together for a better tomorrow. Through the ages, we have weathered through many storms as a nation. With each passing shower, the waves that rise seem more threatening than the last. Yet, we have never failed to hold steady this tiny ship we call home as we steer through the raging storm. And each time, we emerge from the turmoil a stronger people, having survived the threats and challenges that seek to take away all that we are, and all that we have. Our resilience, the same resilience which helped strengthen our resolve to survive, has shone through.

Now, once again, we are confronted with the prospect of another economic tsunami looming over the horizon. We see the inevitable coming. More than ever, our people will be called to the test. Can we survive the coming storm? Will our tiny vessel, battered by the waves and assailed by the winds, be able to make it through as the generation before us has done?

The helm of leadership is now upon the shoulders of the present generation who, for many, have been blessed with the good fortune of being born at a time

when the land was overflowing with milk and honey, and for whom their present path has been made smooth by the labour of the generation before them.

I believe that the bonds that bind a hundred generation are forged out of the crucible of common experience and endeavour. We have become stronger as a nation from the crisis only because we chose to stay the course to collectively confront the challenges ahead of us. These are the shared experiences and memories that will continue to hold us together in Singapore.

In the coming months, how we stay together to face the onslaught of the financial and economic crisis ahead will help to shape our outcome as a nation. We must continue to rally together as a people. In the coming months, there will be many for whom a full-time occupation was a matter of the recent past. These are not your typical Singaporeans who cannot find a job or hold down a steady job. These are your Singaporeans who have spent the better part of their life toiling and working hard to make for a better future for us all.

This crisis will present us the opportunity to come together as one people - a people characterised by the willingness to go beyond the instinct of self preservation, to help fellow Singaporeans in need. Not all will lose their jobs; however, all Singaporeans will be called upon to consider how they can come forward together as a people to help others who are less fortunate than they are. The spirit of self sacrifice must prevail to be an enduring testimony of the strength of Singapore as one people and one nation.

Sir, I have the deep conviction that Singaporeans, by and large, have the generosity of spirit to freely and generously give. The evidence of that

generosity abounds in recent past. We think of the help given to the Nepalese twins who were conjoined at the head, of the Bangladeshi worker who was hurt and dumped in a canal and left to die until he was rescued by a kind soul, and of the generous giving to the family of the Singaporean who threw himself in the path of the oncoming train to escape life's misery. Every time the public hears of some hapless soul whose life has been dealt with a lousy set of cards, there will always be an effusive outpouring of sympathy and help.

In this recession, there will be many who will be without jobs; there will also be others whose business has failed. Yet, during this time, there will be Singaporeans who are not as badly affected and who can still share the little that they have with others who have not. This is a time when we must close ranks as a nation, because if we do not, we cannot expect others to help. This crisis gives a sharp definition to what it means to be a nation, to go beyond the individual need to think of others in greater need.

If we accept that this crisis will bring out the positive traits amongst Singaporeans and provide the perfect occasion to strengthen the ties that bind, then I would strongly urge the Government to strengthen and deepen the grassroots institutions to ensure that every opportunity is present to allow Singaporeans, whether retrenched or otherwise, to come together to support and exhort one another and, most importantly, not to lose hope for the future.

I would like to ask the Minister, what further steps is the Government taking to facilitate further social bonding during this crisis and whether grassroots organisations may be revamped or reorganised during this period to ensure that the channels of assistance, both in giving and receiving, are open and wide.

Greater Assistance for Sandwiched- and Middle-class

Sir, given the current downturn, the issue of being needy can be relative, of course, with limits. The middle-income and lower-income earners are feeling the squeeze as one or more income earners in the family face retrenchment, salary cuts or poor commissions. Therefore, even if a family used to earn $5,000 a month, and are now down to $2,500, they are still not eligible for social assistance. Yet, they would still be short of $2,500 for their household commitments. For an extended period, they can be in severe credit debt or arrears.

I think the Ministry needs to consider a more formalised approach to help these families for a temporary period. I agree with the Minister, when he said in this House, that our social system needs to be 'high on flexibility and low on entitlement'. So I am not asking for a broad spectrum of welfare to all middle-income families. But for a period of time, can the Ministry be flexible on the upper cap of ComCare's upper limit and increase it to $3,500 or more for the short term? The criteria for qualification can still be stringent to reflect that this is not an entitlement. But the impact is that this will give its frontline officers in MCYS, the CEC and other VWOs the flexibility to assess a broader band of citizens in need and allow for affected families to make their case. Right now, the answer is a straight "no" for many affected families in the middle-class.

Sir, I think the Ministry should also spearhead a study to benchmark what is a minimum amount that families need to afford a basic quality of life in Singapore. How can we effectively determine what is enough for Singaporeans, and what is needed to uplift those who may be under-privileged, if we do not understand the

total impact of cost of living to different groups of Singaporeans from the different quartiles of household income earners? CPI alone is too broad a spectrum to be used as an indicator of inflation.

Different Ministries have different benchmarks and each one tracks these household costs differently. For example, HDB has its benchmarks of housing prices based on mortgage debt ratio, cost of utilities pegged to oil prices and transport prices to a different CPI ratio. I know that MCYS goes out there and purchases a basket of goods to determine what is the benchmark for public assistance. But this is not the total effective cost of living for Singaporeans and it is good for us to understand what is the impact on our households when each of these factors moves under different conditions.

ComCare Utilisation Rate

Sir, the ComCare fund is a commitment by the Government to do more for needy Singaporeans to ensure that no one is left behind.

With this year's budget, allocation for ComCare has been increased. At the local community level, we welcome this. The decentralisation, together with the many helping hands approach, allows the local leaders slightly more leeway in disbursement.

Can I ask MCYS what has been the utilisation rate of the local ComCare fund over the last few years? If there is indeed underutilisation at the local level, can MCYS consider some relaxation and perhaps some other unique approaches for the use of this fund so that we can find other ways of reaching out to the needy, elderly and disabled, especially during this period of the crisis?

Mr Chairman, this is going to be a very long session. We have budgeted more than six hours for this year. MCYS confronts inflation. Every year, the Question time during COS increases inexorably. But I suppose since my Ministry's budget for this year is $1.9 billion which represents a 33% increase, it is only fair that there is an inflation in the time provided for Members to make sure we are spending that money properly and wisely.

My Ministry's priorities in this difficult year are quite straightforward: first, to provide assurance and hope for needy Singaporeans; second, to boost the many helping hands that hold up our social safety net; and, third, to strengthen the bonds that bind our society together.

There are a few questions which I want to put in front of the House, right at the onset of today's debate. The first question is: who are the needy? And this relates also to Mr Zaqy's query earlier on.

I believe there are three broad categories of Singaporeans who are needy.

First, those who are permanently unable to work and have no family support. These are Singaporeans who are going to require long-term social assistance and we put them on schemes like the Public Assistance scheme.

The second group are Singaporeans who are just able to cope in good times, but in tough times like this when they lose their jobs, or their over time, or their bonuses, they find that they are unable to cope. For these borderline families, we have our ComCare schemes which are specifically targeted and provide conditional, relevant and interim assistance.

The key objective here is to enable these families to tide over the current difficulties and get back on their feet.

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The third group of Singaporeans who need help are those from dysfunctional families. This is something which I am sure all Members of Parliament are familiar with. Every week at your Meet-the-People (MPS) sessions, they may present a housing problem and say they need a rental flat. They may ask for some additional cash, or there may be a problem in the school, or a loss of job. But actually, if you spend time with them, you realise that the presenting problem is just the tip of the iceberg. Actually, there is a multitude, a whole web of social and personal problems, which have trapped these families, and it is a hole that is getting bigger and deeper, and they are unable to pull themselves out of it.

We convened a Committee specifically to study this problem and later on in the COS, I will share the recommendations. But, having said that these are the three categories of Singaporeans who are needy, I think we also have to deal with Mr Zaqy's question: what about the middle-class? I believe the imperative for the middle-class is to get a good job. They need jobs and it is not a matter of welfare from MCYS. As the Minister for Finance said in his summing up speech, the Government will spare no effort in job matching. The Government will heavily subsidise training. The Government will provide training allowances under SPUR. In addition to that, MCYS will provide additional interim short-term assistance through our Work Support scheme, which is administered by the Community Development Councils (CDCs).

But let me also be very honest and blunt and say that we cannot give the middle-class more in handouts than what we give to the Singaporeans who are the most needy. That has to be the upper limit. The Member asked just now whether we track cost of living for the different groups of Singaporeans. We do. But I also tell you very honestly that we

track the cost of living for the most needy Singaporeans, and we cannot commit to giving additional support to enable the middle-class to maintain a standard of living which, perhaps, they have become accustomed to. So there are limits to how much we can do. As for Mr Zaqy and Dr Fatimah Lateef's call for greater flexibility at the edges - certainly, we will be there, we will be available, and we will provide assistance. But please understand that it is conditional, it cannot be an entitlement, and it will have to be pegged to the level which the most needy Singaporeans require.

The second question which should frame our discussion today is: do we have enough resources allocated for needy Singaporeans? If you look at the handout that we have just circulated, we have calculated that for this financial year, the social service sector will require and will receive about $460 million, almost half a billion dollars. This is not a small sum of money. Now let us look at where this money comes from. The $140 million is what my Ministry provides to all the Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) and social service organisations on the ground. We all know these are run by their boards and they raise their own funds. But because so much of their work is crucial to our social mission, we provide funds for them to enable them to upscale and do even more. So we have budgeted $140 million this year. Over and above that, we will put in another $100 million. This will be direct assistance provided by my Ministry to needy families. That will come through ComCare, public assistance and other various schemes targeted at individuals and families. So that is $240 million straight off from the budget of MCYS.

Over and above that, you see that there is another $220 million which comes from donations. As Mr Sin Boon

Ann said just now, Singaporeans are a generous people and they do open up their hearts and their wallets to help. But let me also try to take some credit on the part of Government, because with the recent decision by the Minister for Finance to have a 250% tax relief on donations to Institutes of Public Character (IPCs), a significant proportion of those donated funds actually represents tax forgone by the Ministry of Finance. So, let me put to you that there is a major chunk of money available for needy families. Let me also put to you that the Government is shouldering a major portion of that burden, together with the community at large. So I think that we should not doubt that funds are available.

The next question is a perennial question: is our Many Helping Hands approach working? This is a long-standing policy of the Government and we believe in integrating Government agencies, the VWOs, the grassroots - as brought up earlier - and the broader community in order to fashion a comprehensive social safety net. Why do we do so? It is not just a matter of trying to reduce Government liabilities. But we do so because we believe that it is best to let each sector do what it is best equipped to do. We want a lean and rational Government formulating sound policies and providing resources where they are most needed. But we also want a caring community of good hearts and honest hands who know the ground, who know the needs, who make assessments of how much is enough - that is the question the Member asked earlier - and is able to reach out to people to ensure that no one falls through the cracks. Now, of course, the Many Helping Hands model does come with its problems. There is always the risk of duplication. There is the risk of gaps. There is the difficulty of coordination. But, despite all those difficulties - I am not trying to trivialise those difficulties - I submit that our Many Helping Hands model in

Singapore, run by caring hearts and honest hands, is still a system that works. In fact, we have compared it to many other countries which have tried different variations. Our system is sustainable, it works, it is flexible, and it delivers help where it is most needed, by people who truly care.

The fourth question which I want Members to think about is values and responsibilities. In the midst of debating dollars and arguing schemes, we better not lose sight of values and, in particular, of family responsibilities. We must still be a society that believes in hard work. We must still be a society that believes that our primary responsibility is to look after our families and not depend on others in the first instance. We must be able to instinctively fulfil our family responsibilities and obligations. If we want our children to be caring and responsible, we have got to live by those values and show them what being caring and responsible means, especially in tough times.

My concern for Singapore today is that we will fail if the debate in this House and the debate outside this House degenerates into a squabble about how to split the family fortune into handouts and inheritances. So we need to make sure that as we debate all these issues in the next six hours, we keep sight of this fact - that we cannot afford and we should not design a permanent, unconditional and needs-based welfare system, despite the alluring simplicity of giving $400 here and $500 there with no questions asked. That is the road to ruin, it does not work, and there are many examples from the West who have gone ahead of us on those roads. We know it does not work and it is not sustainable. We need to make sure we keep on track and we maintain a system that emphasises empowerment, not entitlement; a system that encourages dignity, not dependence; and a system that emphasises self-reliance and not state reliance.

Policy Matter

Sir, at crisis time such as this, may I urge MCYS to double its efforts to prevent people from falling through the cracks. The plight of poor Singaporeans has got worse. Those seeking financial help have jumped to 30%. Direct social safety net is most urgently called for now.

The bottom 30% of working families have now experienced stagnating real household incomes for about eight years, thus, this group may not have saving to buffer them during crises. Our poorest - numbering some 90,000 to 100,000 households - need special attention presently, as their day-to-day living may be most affected at this time. They need immediate assistance, but it will be better if it is accompanied with a long term-view. I feel that this downturn gives us the opportunity to invest in human capital at the household level, especially for those dysfunctional homes.

Could MCYS assist poor Singaporeans with a view to build long-term capabilities? Short-term handouts by themselves are not sustainable and do not do enough to help these individuals and families to become self-reliant. Education and training are central to achieving equitable wealth distribution. Families should be assisted to achieve this by recommending and matching them with suitable upgrading programmes. Incentives for financial assistance may have to be coupled with requirement to improve oneself. The hope is that they will be equipped for better employments at the next upturn. Such approach, if carried out on a sustained basis over the years, may mitigate the growing income gap and, thus, preventing future social and political instability.

Could MCYS provide more resources and holistic approaches to assisting families in need in totality? This may call

for both parents undertaking improvement of knowledge and acquiring of new skills or upgrading of skills. More social workers are required to undertake hands-on approach at individual level to facilitate and to guide these families. Many housewives, especially those that have never worked before, may need extra convincing to overcome their attitude towards venturing out of their homes. Some may be reluctant to leave the comfort of their homes and doubt their ability to cope with the outside world, while others are concerned about the care of their young children.

Such children should be matched with childcare and student care centres. Some families may also need assistance in their children's school work, or even in their healthcare needs. These families are followed-up over a period a time to ensure success. The holistic approach in addressing the well-being of a family in totality, can better achieve sustained and long-term benefits.

Public Assistance

Sir, I am happy that the Public Assistance (PA) rate for elderly singles will be increased by $30, from April 2009. On behalf of the 80 plus recipients in Queenstown, I thank the Minister. In fact, I need to thank the Minister three times, as after five years when the PA quantum stayed the same, the elderly singles allowance was increased from $260 to $290 in July 2007, from $290 to $330 in May 2008, and in this Budget, an increase from $330 to $360.

I understand that PA is not the only way that the Government helps the needy. Most of my residents on PA also benefit from the highly subsidised flat rental rates, rental rebates, S&CC rebates, free medical treatment and others. With the Many Helping Hands approach, they

are also helped in both financial and non-financial ways by the Grassroots Organisations (GROs) and VWOs in Queenstown.

It has been said in this House that the PA quantum will not be tied to inflation. Indeed, in the last two years, the PA quantum has been increased by 3.6% to 19.3% year-on-year, whereas the inflation rate ranges between 1% to 6.5% during the same period. In fact, with the inflation for 2009 estimated at -1% to 1%, we are, instead, seeing a 9% increase in the PA quantum for elderly singles. It is clear that there has not been a correlation between PA quantum and inflation, and this is to the advantage of the beneficiaries.

With the consecutive increases over the last three budgets, I would like to ask the Minister to explain the thinking behind the policy for the PA quantum. Is there a fundamental shift now and that the Government feels more needs to be given to the needy? My other question is: will the quantum of Public Assistance for couples and families be adjusted this time round too - as in the last two times - alongside the increment for single elderly recipients?

About 10% of the PA recipients in my ward belong to this category. These are people who are staying with their siblings, spouse or children, and these are families which are facing long-term or permanent challenges to make a living. With the stringent criteria to qualify who should be on PA, these multiple-member family units are also living from hand-to-mouth. I would like the Minister to also increase the PA quantum for couples and families to be consistent with the single elderly PA recipients.

Quality of Life Issues for the Very Poor

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Sir, I would like to focus my

attention on the poorest in Singapore, and I will argue that this should not be just confined to the people who are currently on Public Assistance. I remember last year the Minister said that his officials have calculated that one person can live on $90 worth of groceries a month. I am sure that his officials must have done the due diligence checks. I am, however, not so sure that many of them, in fact, how many of us in this House, have actually lived on a $90 food budget for a month. So if we ourselves are not doing it for even one month, then I think it will be quite hard for us to expect our fellow Singaporeans to live all their lives on such a budget. Sir, I have done a survey on about 100 PA recipients in my ward. From the findings, we see that they spend an average of $146 a month on groceries, $26 on rental, $18.50 on SC & CC and $48 on utilities. Although the PA recipients receive free healthcare, many go for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), for which they spend about $20-$30 a month, and in some cases, $100-$200 a month. Our seniors believe more in TCM than western medicine somehow. Other necessities, eg, clothes, toiletries, miscellaneous expenses, all amount to about $50; transportation $39. Some of the PA recipients spend as much as $450 a month in total. The survey also found that nearly half of them receive small hongbaos occasionally from other sources such as temples and VWOs. Despite this, only one-fifth of them managed to have marginal savings for rainy days and also for their funerals when the day comes. This means that the majority of them spend all their PA allowances as well as any other extra hongbaos that they can get. In addition, 75 % say that they have

a source of free food, and yet they still run out of the money every month. Sir, I do not know whether there is a danger of over-reporting by the survey respondents, or whether my methods of analysis are wrong - for example, is taking a rough total average the right thing to do? Or is the sample of the PA recipients in my constituency representative of the overall 2,700 in Singapore? Sir, I do not know the answers to all these questions, but I do know that I have made a start in painting the life of the poorest in our society today. Sir, it is not a rosy picture. If they do not get the extra help, they may have very little to spare. Last year, during my house visit, one 85-year-old man told me and the volunteers who went on the house visit with me, that he had not eaten a plate of chicken rice for five years. Five years! All of us who heard this actually felt very sad. So we gave him a free meal coupon a day so that he can go and eat anything that is available at the hawker centre. Sir, we need to know and remember that this is not by choice but by circumstance. I know that even the poorest in Singapore have a living standard far better than many of those living in other countries. I know that the PA recipients' one-room flats have clean running water and electricity, and I know that they have food, clothes and medical care. But very honestly speaking, is this enough to count as a reasonably good quality of life? Sir, I would like to sincerely thank the Government and the Minister for raising the PA allowance from $330 to $360 a month. However, I also sincerely hope that the Government could further stretch this kindness by raising the amount to $400. Sir, this brings me to my second point - Singapore has only 2,700 people on

public assistance. This strikes me as a very, very small number. Can the Minister tell us how are we comparing ourselves against other countries? How, for example, do we compare against Hong Kong, a population of seven million people in which there are 230,000 people on its Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme? I am told that in Hong Kong, the allowance for people on the CSSA scheme is 80% of the median wage. To me, this is really too generous. But have we veered to the other extreme? Can I request the Minister to relook at the criteria for PA and see if we can relax some of them? We shall not put in place a generous PA scheme, like the CSSA scheme in Hong Kong, which will send a wrong signal to Singaporeans, but I feel that we also should not, for the sake of preserving a low spending on welfare, to exclude those who genuinely need the PA scheme by creating high barriers. Sir, I would like to speak in Mandarin now.

(In Mandarin): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] There is a Chinese saying "lao wu lao yi ji ren zhi lao, you wu you yi ji ren zhi you". This means one should look after other old people and children as one should look after one's own old folks and children.

In Singapore, we take great care of our children. There are various types of schemes and assistance to look after infants and school children and to educate them as they are the future pillars of our nation. If they are not properly looked after, we will face a problem of political succession.

I hope that while taking good care of our children, the Government should also extend the same compassion and care to those old and hapless people - about 2,700 of them - who are receiving public

assistance. They were once stewards of our nation who had contributed much to our growth.

Now that they are old and with no relatives to look after them, and for various reasons have exhausted their savings, they depend only on a monthly allowance of $330 for their living, though such allowance will be increased to $360 a month. According to my survey, the average monthly expenditure could be as high as $450. I hope this amount will be increased to $400. To us, an increase in $40 is nothing but to them, it could be a big difference. Once an elder man said to me that people who have not experienced starvation will not know what it is to be poor. I shall never forget what he said.

Reaching out to such poor and hapless people with compassion and help will make them feel that in the twilight of their years, they can still find human kindness. And this is also in keeping with our Government's objective of building a graceful society. It is also an embodiment of Confucius benevolent government and Mengzi’s philosophy of bringing well-being to all people in the country.

Sir, I would first speak in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] As mentioned by my Minister, we do not lack the resources to help Singaporeans who fall through the cracks. The various public assistance plans that MCYS has, with the different schemes that the various ministries have and combined with the help of the voluntary welfare organisations ("VWOs") and religious bodies, all these have helped build a very resilient social safety network. My Ministry has already listed out the 3 main target groups of people who will

require our assistance. First, those who have lost the ability to work permanently and have no one to depend on and the elderly who are unable to be provided for as their children are in lowly paid jobs. Second, those who are on the fringe and will be impacted once the economy is on a downturn. These are the people whom we will use flexible measures to help them. The last group is those with very complex family problems. So in this case, we will help in all ways towards the old as well as the young. For the elderly, besides depending on themselves, the children and the extended family should also play an important part. In this difficult time, we will extend help to the poor and nobody will be forgotten. We will continue to put the family as the basis.

Apart from increasing ComCare and PA, we will also step up on training to increase the employability for Singaporeans, just as suggested by Dr Lily Neo, to teach them to fish and stand on their own. This is more important, so that their children can continue to finish their education, change the future, and jump out from the poverty circle.

As we go about our plans, my Ministry's stand is to respect each individual, let them have the ability to earn their own livelihoods and to lead the lives that they want. Public assistance is just a temporary measure. The ultimate aim is to enable them to be self-reliant.

(In English): Mr Chairman, the concerns that Members have raised on social assistance can be framed under two key questions:

Is our help comprehensive and adequate?

Is help being delivered effectively?

I will address the first question now and cover the issue on delivery of help in a subsequent speech.

Is our help comprehensive and adequate? Members can be assured that ComCare remains well- placed to help the needy during this difficult period. The ComCare nationwide schemes were helping about 24,000 cases last year.

Some Members have said that our assistance schemes tend to be short-term and ad-hoc in nature. This is not the case. Our ComCare schemes cater to a range of different target groups.

Long-term assistance, which is public assistance. First, the Public Assistance (PA) scheme provides long-term assistance to the destitute. There are close to 2,900 households on PA. Last year, we raised PA rates from $290 to $330 for a single person. We also relaxed the criteria to allow elderly persons whose families are unable to support them to go onto the PA scheme. If you ask me, we have shifted philosophically, such that even those old people who have children whom earn below $1,000, can also apply to the PA scheme. This is a big shift.

I thank the hon. Member Mr Baey Yam Keng for his concern that we have increased public assistance in the last few years. But I want to assure him that there has not been a fundamental shift in our policy. So we are not following Hong Kong. However, to be more flexible in these extraordinary times, during these difficult times, Mr Baey Yam Keng and Mr Sam Tan will be glad to know that we are increasing PA rates from April 2009. The increase will be between $30 to $120 a month, depending on the household size. A PA recipient living alone will get $30 more, from $330 a month to $360 a month. A family with four adults will get $120 more, from $830 to $950 a month.

We will also do more for children of PA families by providing them with additional assistance - this is a new scheme - up to a maximum of $130 per

child per month. This can be used for the children's incidental school expenses, hygiene and nutritional needs.

The PA allowance is only one component of help that PA beneficiaries receive. Other components are the GST Offset package, Senior Citizens' Bonus, rebates on rental, utilities and service & conservancy charges, which PA recipients get a bigger proportion of. They also enjoy subsidised rental housing, free medical treatment and free education for children. I am sure a lot of us are very concerned about outpatient and hospitalisation expenditure.

Consider what Mr Lim, aged 67, who lives alone in a 1-room flat, gets.

In 2009, he will receive almost $120 a month in cash and rebates from the Government. Together with his PA allowance of $360, this comes up to almost $480 a month. So, that is why we put the total benefit at $480++. He also receives government subsidies for his rental flat and gets free medical care. On top of all these, he enjoys a range of community support like meal vouchers, cash grants, hongbaos, weekly visits from befrienders, etc.

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Let me also illustrate what a PA family gets. Mr Ali, 53, is bedridden and stays with his wife and four children. Their PA allowance, including the additional assistance for their children, plus government cash handouts and rebates amount to about $1,800 a month. On top of this, they enjoy subsidised rental housing, everyone in the family gets free medical treatment and the children also receive free education. The family also gets community support - hongbaos, cash grants, bursaries, and so on - $1,800.

So all in, while PA rates are not generous, but PA recipients receive

enough help to cover their basic needs. So, the PA allowance is not to give a comfortable life but to help you get over your difficulty and live a manageable life.

Next, for the group who temporarily cannot work. I think, hon. member Ms Sylvia Lim was also concerned about this. We do not just give long-term help but medium-term help, through ComCare Transitions (CCT). There are close to 1,700 households under CCT. The assistance is close to that given to PA recipients. They have cash and they have other subsidies. We implemented this last July, and we already have 1,700 cases.

We also have the Work Support programme to help the work-capable but unemployed, and to help low-skilled workers upgrade. There are currently about 2,400 households on the programme.

Dr Lily Neo has rightly pointed out that mere hand-outs will not bring about self-reliance. This is why Work Support first and foremost, seeks to help workers upgrade their skills and find a job. In the interim, clients may receive financial assistance, vouchers for rental, utilities and S&CC help, as well as medical and educational assistance.

For an example of what a rank and file worker like Mr Tay would get. Minister Tharman had talked about this case during the Budget debate. He was the sole breadwinner for his family of five till he lost his job last year. He sought help from the CDC, and was assisted under the Work Support scheme from September last year, for three months. He received $510 a month in cash and utilities vouchers, altogether $1,530. After three months, he found work again as a cleaner. This entitles him to a Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) payout of $2,200. If he had not been able to get a job, he would have received assistance for training. His youngest child is now

getting child-care subsidies of $200 a month, on top of the universal childcare subsidy of $300. So that means $500. This year, his family will receive household benefits worth $2,100. The total benefits from the Government amount to $8,230.

During these extraordinary times, we will enhance the flexibility of Work Support, to specially help families on the margins whose breadwinners have been retrenched. Families who currently fall just outside the eligibility criteria will be helped if they have genuine problems coping with basic living expenses. We will also extend the length of assistance, from the present 6 months to up to 12 months. The quantum of assistance will be calibrated according to the needs of the family.

Now, let me touch on the children. I mentioned that we pay special attention to the education of young children from low income families. We are helping almost 16,500 children from low income families with their pre-school, childcare and student-care fees, besides the MOE budget.

We will further improve the ComCare financial assistance schemes for kindergarten and childcare (KiFAS and CFAC). From July 2009, families with monthly income of up to $1,500 will receive at least 95% in subsidies for childcare and kindergarten fees. For those in childcare, the subsidy is on top of the $300 universal childcare subsidy. A family earning $1,500 monthly, with one child in childcare and another child in kindergarten, is currently co-paying about $40 for childcare and $18 for kindergarten after all eligible subsidies. With the enhancements, this family's co-payment could fall to just $10 for childcare and $5 for kindergarten per month. Dr Lily Neo was concerned about whether a mother can put her children in

a childcare and kindergarten and go to work. For those earning between $1,500 to $1,800, they will receive up to 90% subsidies and co-payment would be as little as $20 for childcare and $10 for kindergarten per month.

Dr Lily Neo had called for a long-term and hands-on solution to help some 100,000 low income households in Singapore. I agree with her, and we have done so. This would make up about the bottom 10% of the households in Singapore. According to the Department of Statistics, retirees make up almost half of this group. The low income and needy are covered under the ComCare schemes as well as assistance schemes from other ministries.

For example, there is the Workfare Income Supplement scheme (or WIS) for the low wage workers. There is also help through various other channels including Medifund, subsidised rental flat housing, MOE's Financial Assistance Scheme, and even the training - lately, we have SPUR from MOM.

We agree that at times, intensive case management will be necessary to help families which are dysfunctional or have complex issues. My Minister and I will elaborate on measures to help these families later.

Dr Fatimah Lateef asked about the CCC ComCare Fund (CCF). The CCF is only one small part of the entire ComCare assistance framework. You have the long-term help, medium-term help and short-term help. Actually, if you ask me, the CCF is like the petty cash under ComCare. This enables the grassroots to provide flexible, interim and immediate help to needy residents. In many cases, this is done while the CDCs process applications from the needy families to get onto the national ComCare schemes. So, I hope this clarifies again to my members,

the public and even my good friends, the journalists, that CCF is just for interim, one-off and short-term help. But you'd have the medium-term and you would have the long-term schemes. So, CCF is only given to the applicants when the CDC is processing which long-term scheme is suitable for them.

So, the CCF system has worked well because grassroots leaders have exercised flexibility, prudence and accountability in disbursing public funds. With the downturn, we expect utilization of the CCF to rise. We will therefore be topping up the CCF by another $0.75 million, to $7 million per year for the next two years. This will ensure that money will not be the limiting factor in helping the needy.

Together with the many helping hands, the government will continue to help the needy ride out these tough times. With the ComCare enhancements I have announced, our FY09 ComCare budget will total $77 million.

Even as we talk about help from the Government and community, let us also remember the basics. We believe that the values of self-reliance, responsibility, hard work, honesty and family support are important. Do not forget that today 60% of the retirees, the old people still depend on the children to also help them. I think this is a good value. We should not give it up, we should not follow the West to be completely dependent on the Government and PA. I think, as children we should give even $50, even $30, to our parents. We need each individual, his family and the community to do their part to improve the quality of life. Hon. member Mr Sam Tan had mentioned about quality of life. I think quality of life cannot just depend on handouts. Quality of life depends on love, care, like member of Parliament, Cynthia Phua has said, "We must deliver all these with love!" So, I think, the first line of love should come

from family members, from friends, relatives, neighbours, friendship, RC and so on. So, if we are together and we work hard, we will be able to overcome these tough times.

Thank you!

Resilient Families

Yes, Sir, we all know how siblings and relatives chip in to help their family when some other siblings do not come forth. There are those who feel that the Government should do more, and there have been times when I count myself among this group. But overall and in the main, I feel that it is right to depend on the family – both as a matter of personal philosophy and of public policy.

My suggestion is in two parts. First, do we have a national strategy to build resilient families? We already have many of the pieces in place, but is there a need to put them altogether differently, to target specifically at the goal of resilient families? How can we formulate a coherent and inter-related set of policies that will address this issue?

Second, can we produce a benchmark for us to understand the impact of what the Government is doing to help families become more resilient? As a whole, for all the families in Singapore, how resilient are we? How well do we respond to stress? What kind of help do we need?

Now, we tend to take divorce rates as some sort of resilience proxy – if divorce rates go up, we say that families are becoming weaker. But Sir, there is a sense in which families actually become more resilient after divorce – there is nothing to say that two blended families are less resilient than one family, with an unhappy set of parents.

Sir, do not misunderstand me. I do think that rising divorce rates are a source of concern but I am just making a logical

point here. We speak of resilience as if we all know what we mean, there is something to catch hold of. But there isn’t really.

So, what do we mean by saying that we want to build “resilient families”? Can I ask if the Minister would consider the setting up of a National Family Resilience index? This index would take into account all the multi-layered meanings that we now employ unconsciously when we use the word.

In Canada now, there is an International Resilience Project (IRP) funded by the government of Canada and coordinated through a university there. It aims to develop a more culturally-sensitive understanding of how youth around the world effectively cope with the adversities that they face.The word resilience has also been used in humanitarian terms. The UN has an analytical tool that measures how resilient a household is under severe stress.

So the concepts and the tools for analysis already exist. Can we not use them to get a clearer idea of what we mean when we speak of resilient families? Can we not get a handle that allows us to have a coherent picture from the statistics on divorce rates, the difficulties faced by single parents, problems with delinquent children and the capacity of our families to tackle stress?

I hope the Ministry can consider my points. Thank you!

Reducing Divorce Rates

(In Mandarin): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Sir, I would like to speak on the topic related to divorce rates in Singapore. The number of marriages in Singapore in the past few years has stabilised at around 23,000 annually.

However, the divorce rate is increasing rapidly. In 2007, the number has risen to 7,226 cases as compared to 2002 which were about 5,800 cases.

The high divorce rate among younger couples is worrying. Among male divorcees, those aged 35 to 44 years formed the largest proportion. For female, the largest group was aged 25 to 34 years. Overall, there were large increases in the proportion of divorcees aged 45 years and above.

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Divorce causes a mental strain, as the couple fight over their matrimonial assets, custody of children, alimony, and so on. In some cases, which involve legal assistance, the fees may reach as high as $5,000. With our emphasis on procreation, divorce which causes the breaking up of families has certainly affected the fertility rate in Singapore.

I urge MCYS to take a serious view of this problem and implement measures to stop this worrying trend. In this case, divorce should always be the last resort. We should keep pushing for such measures to stop people from breaking up. If we are able to do so, we may be able to stop this trend from increasing.

Strong and Stable Families

Sir, after the Government revised the pro-baby package last year, people's perception of marriage, parenthood and family has taken a curious turn. Courtship couples are constantly asked when they will tie the knot so that they can quickly receive the Government's goodies. When a couple announced marriage plans, they are asked the following questions:

Was the marriage motivated by the procreation benefits?

How many children do they intend to have? (3) Would they be claiming all their entitlements including maternity and paternity leave?

Some young couples have been indignant as they feel that these questions are attacks on their integrity. They are marrying for love and if there are benefits along the way, these are incidental as they can still choose to forgo them by not having children. I strongly agree, although I do hope that they would change their minds about not wanting to have children. The procreation incentives should not degenerate into a money-grabbing culture such that the sanctity of marriage and family is forgotten.

I draw a parallel with the housing grants that HDB gives to eligible homeowners. In a divorce, it is very common for the spouses to claim their entitlement to one-half of the housing grant in the division of the matrimonial flat. There are also divorcing couples who demanded that the baby bonuses given by the Government should be split between them or that they be separately held for the children so that the money does not fall into the hands of one parent only. In giving out cash grants and other subsidies to help families, MCYS should also explore ways to ensure that these will really go towards promoting family togetherness and not be turned into bones of contention in the event of a split in the family.

Despite our country's affluence and first world status, there are still in existence many dysfunctional families amidst us. Shockingly, they may not just be from the low-income families but stretch and affect various strata of our populace. My other concern, in particular, is in the area of re-marriages and how

young children, youths and their grandparents have to deal and cope with new in-laws, the step-parents and the step-siblings. There are anecdotes of young children and the elderly who are usually economically dependent on the new spouse, usually the male, being subject to verbal and physical abuse and neglect. To exacerbate the situation, the recent rise in media reports of step-fathers or siblings raping/molesting their younger step-daughters/sisters is a worrying social trend.

In the light of all this, may I ask MCYS, specifically for this vulnerable group:

How many cases/reports of such cases have been received for the past five years from 2004 to 2008?

What is MCYS currently doing to help the young/youths/elderly in such dysfunctional families? Has it been effective?

What future plans does MCYS have to proactively prevent, manage and handle such cases?

I hope that the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Dysfunctional Families will also be looking into these issues as well.

Home Ownership Plus Education (HOPE) Scheme for Dysfunctional Families

Sir, I would like to speak on the HOPE scheme and to ask the Government to open this scheme to all families, not just those that we see as mainstream or normal. The HOPE scheme was launched in 2004, with various criteria including the age of the mother, number of children, household income, the father must be working, and so on.

Sir, I understand the rational for this policy - it is to help families who are less well-off, and to give them incentives to

keep their families small. But what about dysfunctional families, for example, divorced mothers with two or fewer children? Can they not be allowed to come under the HOPE scheme? I know that the Ministry has different policy objectives, some of which can be tackled by HOPE and others which require different routes. But I wonder, how many dysfunctional families as defined by MCYS are on their radar screen for HOPE? Solutions for this group are very tough. Even the definition of such groups is not easy. I know that it must require intensive case management and hand-holding for each of such families since circumstances are so varied and the needs so great. But it appears to me now that there is no better systematic, family-based option to helping these families than HOPE. We give them a home, and we give them a peace of mind about their children's education. These are the two main social issues that have already been tackled upfront already, and we can continue to work on the gaps as time goes on.

Sir, there are now 1,600 families who have benefited from HOPE, getting $100,000 each from the Government, for their children's education, skills training, utilities and housing. Last year, families whose fathers are in prison were included in the HOPE scheme.

Sir, I understand that some 6,000 families are eligible for the HOPE scheme in all. For one reason or another, over the past four years, more than 4,000 either do not know about the scheme or have not felt the need to sign up. If it is an information gap, four years seems a long time to not have filled it. So I am surmising that it is because these families can cope on their own; and, if so, perhaps it is time to offer HOPE to others, who may need it more.

Sir, the resources have been set aside but the needs are just as great at the margins of the scheme for which these

resources are meant. For those in need, it is a frustrating case of so near and yet so far.

So Sir, I urge the Government to extend the HOPE scheme to divorced mothers with two or fewer children.

Maintenance of Parents

Sir, many of my parliamentary colleagues would have encountered instances of parents selling their flats and channelling the sales proceeds and their savings into a home with their children; only to be evicted when inter-generational tensions arise. Many turn to the HDB for help. But many would go away empty handed. This is but one example. Many old parents are left out in the cold.

What more can we do to help parents who find themselves in such plight in their twilight years? Should MCYS consider enhancing the Maintenance of Parents Act to go after these children and adjudicate that they provide their parents with not only sustenance in terms of money, but also a roof and emotional support?

In our aging society, such problems will only increase over time. The Minister of State also mentioned earlier that 60% of parents received the pot from their children. While we have made progress with the Maintenance of Parents Act, it may be time to arm ourselves legislatively or administratively to seek fairer outcomes for these mistreated elderly that fall outside the 60%.

While some may argue that filial piety, a core value in Asian culture, may be diminishing in our modern society, it is no excuse for individuals in our midst from abrogating their responsibility. Through their irresponsibility, society will have to bear the unnecessary heavier burden. In good times and in bad, it is important for families to pull together and look after one

another. True kinship sees everyone through thick and thin. We should encourage and regulate as necessary families to take responsibility and care for their aged parents and relatives. This is a value that should be perpetuated so that the young generation knows that in the autumn and winter years of their lives, care is readily at hand for them as well.

While a Chinese proverb says that every family has its unique set of problems and it is not easy for outsiders to judge and mediate, I believe that we must try because there will always be able but irresponsible children who will neglect their parents. While leeway may be made for children who are genuinely financially unable to provide for their parents, there are many who can make adjustments to their life styles and accommodate parent care within their means. They are just not willing to. The way we treat our elderly and care for the aged would reveal to the world the true value system of the Uniquely Singapore society.

Mentoring of Youths At Risk

Sir, the economic crisis would likely cause strains on some families here in Singapore. In particular, tensions might occur within families that do not have a strong foundation. Among those likely to be affected are youths, and I am concerned that the number of at-risk-youths may increase as the economic crisis deepens.

Research has shown that youths are at-risk when two or more risk factors interact. These include poverty, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, truancy and illiteracy. Families with limited resources are especially vulnerable. Mentoring programmes have proven to be successful in reducing at-risk behavior.

I would like to ask the Minister on the plans and programmes to mentor at-risk-youths in view of the economic downturn.

Childcare and Early Childhood Development

Sir, childhood is a critical stage in a child's development. My concern is that childcare centers in Singapore are run on an entirely market driven model, and the regulation of the standards of these childcare centres is sketchy.

I would like to know: how are these childcare centers rated and how do we assess quality of the early childhood education conducted in all these centers? Does the Government have long-term plans for early childhood development and education for our kids, including both the quality of services and also for the teachers?

MOE's expenditure for primary school child rose by 69% over the last 12 years but childcare grants and support for early childhood development and education have not increased at the same level. In fact, while childcare subsidies increase, so do the fees. We must ensure that the amount of subsidies does not up just defraying the cost of the rental for the childcare operators but that the money goes to useful ends and better quality of the childcare center.

Between foreign domestic workers and a proper childcare center, I think the choice of our parents is very clear. But the fact that we still have more than 150,000 foreign domestic workers and many are here to look after our pre-school children shows that much more support from the Government is needed.

In Hong Kong and China, the government helps childcare operators with the building of the infrastructure and sets a standard of assessment for operators to

ensure that the quality of early childhood development is on par. We should consider doing the same.

Sir, let me say a few words in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin) [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.]: Chairman, the Finance Minister announced in the recent Budget that we will be spending a lot on infrastructure building in 2009 to make Singapore better off. To achieve this aim, we have to spend more on human resource which is our only resource, especially investing in our children. And this should start from pre-school and not only when they go into primary school. If we can actually inject more money into early childhood, this should work well for our future. And we have always said that our children are the pillars of society in the future! At this moment in time, Singapore is experiencing a reduced birthrate. Hence it is paramount that we place emphasis on early childhood development and pre-school education. As shown from this old Chinese story, where the mother moves three times to find a good place for the child, we know that in this case we must give our children the best childhood memories and the best childhood education. Hence, in this aspect, I hope that the Government will actually have more grants for pre-school education so that our parents can send the young children to the best childcare centres rather than leaving them with the maids.

Family Court - Maintenance Orders

Mr Chairman, Sir, the number of divorces has increased by almost one-and-a-half times over the last 10 years, from about 4,700 in 1997 to about 6,800 in 2007. From limited statistics available, we can estimate that there can possibly be at least 5,000 children below the age of 18 years affected by divorce every year. Multiply this by 10 years, we have a

conservative estimate of about 50,000 dependent children from divorced families at any one time.

Sir, these children go through an emotional and psychological roller coaster dealing with their parents' divorce. Many also struggle financially as often their mothers have difficulty providing for them especially when their fathers default on maintenance payments.

Sir, a typical case upon divorce: the Family Court issues an order of maintenance of children; man defaults, wife returns to Court; he promises to pay, and Judge orders that he pays by a certain date or appear in Court to explain - in some instances, he makes payment on or a day before the Court date; in other instances, he still does not pay. In the former, he often defaults the next month; woman goes to Court again to file another complaint and the cycle continues. Sir, one woman related to me that she has to go to Court five times in three months. Another lady had to go 21 times in the first 20 months after her separation from her husband. Sir, in some cases when they do not have alternative childcare arrangements, the children are dragged to Court too, only to witness their mothers' constant struggle to get money, causing undue anxiety; sometimes in anger towards their fathers.

Sir, why does this happen this way? Can the Minister enlighten the House on the extent to which men are defaulting on their maintenance payments each year? How serious is this problem? Can MCYS work closely with the Family Court in addressing this issue of compliance to maintenance orders by ex-husbands? How can the process be made easier? While there is the option an Attachment of Earnings Order, how extensive is this option used by the Courts?

Sir, the situation is worsened when the men decide to remarry and set up

another family. His ability to pay maintenance to his children from the first marriage will be severely compromised. What is left for the woman to do? Drained by repeated struggles, feeling helpless and desperately needing economic support,

she gives up and, subsequently, she sees remarriage as a solution with the hope of having a new husband who can support her and her children. Thus, begins the new chapter of the story of a serial marriage and, potentially a serial divorce with potential dysfunctionality.

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Sir, divorce is a breakdown in the marital relationship between the man and his wife, but the parental relationship between him and his children and, thus, his responsibility towards them remains intact. Sir, I do acknowledge that there are many responsible non-custodial fathers who do pay maintenance, and I do empathise with those who are generally struggling economically. However, I think what is more important is for the men to understand that their children need them, and financial support is very important to ease the struggles of these children.

Mr Chairman, I thank Members for their concern for the state of families in Singapore. Incidentally, when I said that my budget for this year is $1.9 billion, Members might be interested to know that about half of that amount - $851 million - is actually allocated to promote family formation and family development. So we put our money where our mouth is.

I totally agree with Mr Ong Ah Heng and other Members' concerns about the increasing divorce rate. I asked my staff to check - since I have been married slightly over 20 years - on the performance of the people who got

married in 1987. Twenty years later, 14% of my cohort are divorced. Then I asked my staff to look at the cohort 10 years after me. In other words, those who got married in 1997. And they reported that 13% of this cohort had divorced after 10 years. So, in other words, the younger cohort has reached practically the same failure rate as my cohort, but they have done it in 10 years (half the time). So I do not think anybody needs to have any doubts that the divorce rate is a clear and present danger to us.

Last year, there were 7,220 divorces. This represents a 35% increase from 5,333 divorces in 1998. This is a high figure when you realise that there were only 24,590 marriages last year. Can and should the Government do anything about this? Well, I did my usual thing when it comes to matters of family - I consulted my wife. We had a discussion two nights ago, and we concluded that this is primarily a challenge which married couples ourselves have to overcome. Have we set the right expectations of each other? Do we fulfill our mutual responsibilities to each other and our responsibilities to our children? Do we still believe in making irrevocable commitments? I think these are questions which each and every single one of us needs to ask ourselves, before we ask about what the Government can do or should do about divorces.

Sir, I say this because I believe that there is a limit to how much the Government can do. But, having said that, my staff are very keen that I do say what the Government can do, because they have invested so much time, effort and resources into it. So what do we do? We provide courses and family life education. We encourage pre-marital preparation and counselling. Last year, we established the Marriage Central, which is a one-stop centre to provide information to couples who are considering getting married. Families in distress can also turn to the

Family Service Centres (FSCs) for advice, counselling and specific assistance. The National Family Council has also recently launched a Family Resilience Series to help families cope during this downturn. I hear that the talks have been well received - I admit I did not go for one myself - and there are plans to bring these talks to even more places.

Mr Seah Kian Peng has suggested a family resilience index. I think we can explore this idea. Actually there is a very simple index for families - what is the outcome for their children? If their children are growing up safe, secure, fulfilling their potential, I think that is a resilient family. But, despite all these efforts, we will recognise that some marriages will still fail. Our goal then is to minimise the impact on family members, especially children.

Dr Maliki has brought up this issue of the payment of maintenance by men to their ex-wives and children. Today, women can file a Magistrate's Complaint in order to begin enforcement actions against their ex-husbands, if they fail to pay maintenance. It costs a "grand sum" of $1 to launch that process. The Family Court can attach an earnings order on the defaulting ex-husband, or even fine or jail him. But you and I know that there are some husbands who play this all the way to the brink and say: "Fine. Put me in jail, then I can't earn money. Then, I can't pay the maintenance." Unfortunately, in Family Court, you see basically decent people at their worst behaviour. This is unlike the Criminal Court where you get criminals putting on their best behaviour.

In 2008, there were about 3,200 applications for enforcement of maintenance orders, made by 1,700 applicants, and a majority of these applications, of course, are from women. I do not think we have arrived at a satisfactory solution to this, so I am still

open to ideas. My Ministry is consulting the Ministry of Law and the Family Court, and if any of the Members has creative or even unorthodox ideas, please send them to me. I will share some of the ideas I have heard, and I am not saying I am going to implement them. These include informing prospective new wives of the payment history of the ex-husband. I am sure women will know - men do not change their spots, even if they find a new wife. So, if he has not been fulfilling his commitments to the first wife, I think they should consider very seriously his commitment to you. It is just a suggestion. Another suggestion I heard is that maybe we should have different thresholds for declaring bankruptcy for a person. In other words, to make a priority the payment of maintenance over and above all the other debts which a person may accumulate. This is also fairly radical. Well, I am just putting all these up because I am telling you that we do not have a complete solution yet. I am open to ideas.

I totally agree with Mr Wee Siew Kim on his comments and concerns for elderly parents. In my own MPS Sessions, I have had one lady who has been seeing me every single week for the last six months, because she wants an HDB rental flat. But the issue is not really about the HDB rental flat. She and her husband have bought two flats previously. They sold them and made a profit. I believe Dr Maliki informed me that a cash repayment of over $100,000 was credited back into their CPF. I asked her what happened to the money. She said her son used it for some business which failed. He got cheated so the money has disappeared. Her son and his wife now do not want her to stay in their flat. She has multiple children - and they are not staying in small flats either - but none of them wants to house her. So she comes to see me every week, and every week, I write a letter to Dr Maliki to try to bump her up in the queue for a HDB rental flat. Dr Maliki or HDB can act as a surrogate provider of

housing but, really - I am sure Members will agree with me - the issue here is the discharge of family responsibilities.

I totally agree with Members that we cannot legislate love and filial responsibility. It is very ironic that, even in this House, the Bill that brought about the maintenance of parents was not initiated by my Ministry. It was initiated by the current Attorney-General, Prof. Walter Woon. I tried to find out why it was, that the Government did not initiate it. It was because of what I believe was a misguided fear that by legislating the Maintenance of Parents Act, it represents the Government getting involved in what should be a family responsibility, and it involves, perhaps, an erosion of this supposed Asian concept of filial responsibility. But you and I know that, especially in modern times, there are limits to these traditional values. Whilst I believe we need to keep reminding people of family responsibilities, I think we also need to have a strong legislative line drawn. So I am also studying whether we should put more teeth into the Maintenance of Parents Act.

One suggestion I have heard was for the Tribunal for Maintenance of Parents (TMP) to be more inquisitorial regarding whether the children truly can or cannot afford to look after their parents. Very often, the parents are actually a proxy for a battle between siblings - who was the favourite son? Therefore, the favourite son should pay more money now to maintain their parents. All this sibling rivalry gets into the equation. There is a time and place for siblings and families to resolve their differences but, I think, if they do not and old folks end up becoming bargaining chips, we need to step in and make sure that they get the proper maintenance which they so rightly deserve. So I am flagging up another area that is open to ideas.

Let me now turn to dysfunctional families. We have in Singapore - by our estimate - about 7,500 such families. These are families, as I have said earlier, with multiple social personal relationship problems, which make them stuck in a hole which they cannot climb out of. We formed a committee to see how we can best help these families. Let me just share some of the ideas and recommendations of this committee. First, we need to identify such families early, so we will train key "touchpoint" agencies, i.e. agencies which will make first contact with such families. Typically, it will be schools because the children attend school and may be playing truant or doing badly in school. It may be polyclinics or hospitals, especially if there is any evidence of child abuse. It may be the MPS sessions because they come to you ostensibly for financial assistance or for housing assistance. We want to have a network of "tripwires" which will allow us to identify those families at risk, because the moment there is one child at risk, there will very often be other siblings at risk, and there is often a vulnerable woman, and maybe a man also - an entire family at risk.

The second aspect we also have to work on are upstream preventive measures so that these families are not condemned to repeating this cycle of dependency and dysfunctionality. Mr Seah Kian Peng has been campaigning for the extension of the Home Ownership Plus Education (HOPE) scheme to divorced mothers. Today, I am very happy to tell Mr Seah that we totally agree with him. We will extend the HOPE scheme to divorced mothers with no more than two children. The reason for this is that we want to send a message to women: if you have two children and if you find someone who says that he loves you and wants to marry you, by all means go ahead. But do not find someone or feel pressurised to marry someone and offer

your fertility, simply because you feel the need to provide security for your existing children. By putting these women on HOPE and reassuring them that there is housing, training and education for their kids, these women are now secure women and they can look after their two children. If they find true love, by all means, go ahead. But keep your families small, focus your resources and your attention on your existing children. So I totally agree with Mr Seah and I think he can be happy with that proposal.

Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim has also asked about mentoring. We will pilot a new mentoring framework starting with 150 youths who are at risk and we will scale this up because, clearly, many more young people will benefit from mentoring. I am also aware of many mentoring schemes started by VWOs and other organisations in the community, and we must support these other efforts, because sometimes a parent or an older person is less effective at transmitting role model behaviour than a peer, or an older brother or sister.

The relationship dynamics are different and I think mentoring is something which we need to support.

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Our third strategy is to intervene judiciously and practically where there are problems. So we will set up a new unit and will start first with our youth who are in the MCYS residential homes, offering practical skills and jobs training for them, because life has already dealt them an unfair hand. If we do not enable them to find jobs and to develop the pride and dignity which come with jobs, these youth will remain at risk and may even offend or re-offend later on.

We will also be piloting a two-year intensive case management programme for identified families at risk. That is because we know that for these

dysfunctional families with multiple problems, they really need far more intensive hand-holding than our current system allows for. So each case worker who is performing intensive case management will handle no more than 10 families at a time. This is a much lower caseload compared to the average of one social worker to 40 or 50 families, which is the normal caseload in the FSCs currently. Frankly, I think even 40 and 50 is too high for normal caseloads. We will need to increase the number of qualified social workers.

I will in a later speech talk more about what we are going to do to further resource the social service agencies and, in particular, on enhancing both the supply and the quality of social workers.

Let me now turn to investing in our children. Of all the things which I can do in my Ministry, let me tell you that at a personal level, this is the one area which I want to make the greatest difference to. I do not believe that the destiny of our children is limited by their genetic inheritance. I believe the family, the culture and the environment play a huge role. And because we can influence the environment, I believe this is an area which deserves investment.

In the case of pre-school education, in particular, because childcare centres, for now, come under my Ministry, I intend to do whatever it takes to put all the resources available to make a quantum leap in the standards and quantity of places available for early childcare, in particular, for dysfunctional families and for low-income families. And that is why in my Minister of State's speech just now, you will have heard that, in fact, for low-income families, it is a negligible amount that they need to pay in order to put a child in either kindergarten (no more than $5) or even childcare ($10 a month). And the reason we are doing this is because I believe this gives these children

an opportunity to break out of a trajectory which would have been stunted by a dysfunctional family or a less than ideal environment. So I hope Members will rest assured that we will do whatever it takes to keep investing in this area.

Today there are 482 kindergartens and 749 childcare centres in Singapore. And I am glad to inform you that that means so far today, 97.5% of all children attend pre-school. There is still a tiny percentage which we are still trying to hunt down and make sure they attend pre-school, and tell their mothers there is no excuse for them not to place their children in kindergarten or childcare. And money is not an excuse because the assistance schemes are there. If you need help filling up a form, we will help you fill up the form, but they must understand that this is a joint responsibility. You must also make that effort to send your children to school, kindergarten or childcare. We will help them and together we will give your children hope for the future.

I realise that we do have, as Mr Yeo has called it, a "market-driven" model for early childhood education. But it is nevertheless a sector which, as I have said, is currently able to provide enough places. And it is a sector in which we are elevating standards by working on the quality of teachers. So we will put in more resources and avenues for teachers to be upgraded. We will enhance the minimum standards and qualifications for teachers. The details are in the handouts which we have circulated to Members. And I can also assure Members that my Ministry will increase the licensing requirements for childcare centres.

I also remember Prof. Kalyani's repeated appeals to me in the past to make all information available to parents. Although my staff keep telling me it is

difficult - believe me, I keep pushing them - we will make more and more information available and transparent, so that parents can choose. And by introducing competitive transparency, I think we will get an overall elevation in standards.

We are also looking at the issue of providing more places for training. In fact, in this economic downturn, can I make a plea again to people who may otherwise be looking for jobs that this is a growth area, and we need highly qualified, committed and dedicated teachers. If you are willing to undergo the courses and the training that both MOE and MCYS provide, we have avenues for you.

Let me also deal with this issue of fee increases. Last year, when we announced an increase in the universal subsidy provided by Government - we increased it from $150 to $300 - some childcare centres raised their fees. In fact, I have been told that 18% of childcare centres have raised or announced their intention to raise their fees. The average fee increase was about $78, so that is still much less than the $150 increase in subsidy that the Government provided. I share Members' concern that it would be a big pity if that entire additional $150 that Government made available was wiped out and eroded by childcare centres increasing the fees.

So I want to make two points. First, today, I want to remind all childcare centres that, in fact, they are one of the major beneficiaries of the Government's Jobs Credit Scheme because they also receive the additional 12% which the Minister for Finance announced. So their cost of employing teachers, in fact, is partly subsidised this year. Second, remember that there is a recession going on but we still want our children to continue their education. Third, I want to remind the operators of childcare centres that I am going full steam with

establishing another 200 new childcare centres over the next few years, so competition is coming your way. I am hoping with the combination of moral suasion, some targeted subsidies, greater transparency and competition, we will be able to get a childcare sector that has got high quality, that charges reasonable fees, and is universally accessible. If we can do this, and if I can make a difference by allowing our children to fulfil their destiny by giving them the best environment possible, then I think this is an investment well worth the amount that we are spending. So I hope Members will support the huge amounts of money that my Ministry is budgeting for children and families.

Child Protection

Mr Chairman, I would like to raise the issue of child protection. Young children are vulnerable. Ordinarily, one would expect them to be cared for and protected by their families. Yet this is not always the case and we have seen instances where there has been a total dereliction of familial and parental responsibility, and an abuse of the trust that the child is entitled to repose in a parent or an adult. There have been instances of physical abuse of children. Children are often the victims of domestic violence especially where the parents have matrimonial problems. Because the child is young and defenceless, it is easy for an adult to take out his or her anger, aggression and frustration on the child. There are also cases, we have read about in the newspapers, of incest or other forms of sexual abuse, either by a parent, relative or other adult who stands in a relationship of trust towards the child. In some cases, the abuse is not physical but it is emotional or verbal. The children are often not in a position to articulate the abuse. And even if they are old enough to do so, not many know that they can and should voice out such problems, nor do they

even know with whom such matters can be raised. I would like to ask the Minister what protections are in place for children who are the subject of such abuse, what kind of intervention the Ministry undertakes when such cases are brought to its attention, and what more can be done to ensure the protection of children. Also, is there any form of specialised counselling for children who have been the victims of abuse as different types of abuse require different counselling and treatment?

Mr Chairman, Sir, I thank Ms Indranee Rajah and Ms Ellen Lee for their concerns. As my Minister has stressed, we pay a lot of attention to our children. Every single child deserves the right to fulfil his or her potential.

Child abuse is totally unacceptable. I would like to assure Members that MCYS pays close attention to the safety of our children, and works with multiple agencies to tackle the problem, including the Police, hospitals, schools, social service agencies and the Courts.

MCYS’ key strategies are: (1) prevention; (2) early intervention; and (3) effective treatment of children who have been abused.

We have two key thrusts in prevention. First, we conduct public education on child abuse issues; and second, we promote training for social workers, healthcare professionals, police officers, educators and others who have regular contact with children. This is to enable them to detect signs of abuse early and refer these cases for investigation.

When abuse does occur, we have a framework to manage each case effectively. When a case is referred to MCYS, first, we assess if the child’s safety is at risk, and if the alleged perpetrator is a family member. Our first

priority is the well-being of the child, and to send the child to the hospital if required. The Police and MCYS would next investigate if there is evidence of abuse within the family. If not, the case is closed, but we may refer the family to a Family Service Centre to sort out any remaining difficulties. If there is evidence of abuse within the family, a specialised plan for the child is worked out by a multi-disciplinary Child Abuse Protection Team, comprising child protection officers, paediatricians, psychologists and educators. They would work out the most appropriate care arrangement for the child, through conducting home visits, interviews with family members and psychiatric assessments.

Children who need protection but do not have a conducive home environment will be placed with their relatives as far as possible. If not, they can be placed in foster care or in a Children’s Home. A Care and Protection Order is also usually issued by the Court to ensure that family members receive help.

Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the case may be brought to Court. The law takes a tough stance against perpetrators of child abuse. Under the Children and Young Persons Act, any parent or guardian convicted of the ill-treatment of a child or young person may be fined up to $4,000 and jailed for up to four years. Where death of the child or young person is caused, the parent or guardian may be fined up to $20,000 and jailed for up to seven years. In an extreme case, where it becomes a case of murder, such a person could be sentenced to death under the Penal Code. The Court may also order the perpetrators to undergo mandatory counselling, psychotherapy and other rehabilitation programmes.

While MCYS takes child abuse very seriously and has put in place a robust

framework to tackle the issue, child abuse can only be stopped by the effort from the whole community. We all have a role to play in protecting the most vulnerable within our midst. If members of the public suspect a case of child abuse, they should call the Child Protection Hotline or even ComCare Call.

During these difficult times, more than ever, I would like to urge families who need help managing their lives or their problems to seek help early. Do not let the situation get out of control and end up hurting your children. Families can seek help from Family Service Centres located near their homes.

I would like to call on the community, grassroots leaders and all of us to pay more attention to help these families. For dysfunctional families, as the Minister has mentioned just now, we will also pay more attention on prevention and early help for these families.

National Council on Problem Gambling

Sir, in 2005, Parliament debated the decision of the Government to proceed with casinos in integrated resorts. To assuage concerns about the social ills of excessive gambling, the formation of the National Council on Problem Gambling was announced to advise the Government on these problems, and to initiate preventive programmes, activities and services.

In the NCPG's annual reports, we see millions being spent on the media blitz on public education and prevention. Less is known about the funding and preparations to be put in place for a robust counselling network to support problem gamblers. The Ministry has appointed two pilot counselling centres which have already been providing intervention services since September 2006.

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Last January, the Minister told the House in a written answer that the pilot centres were already facing challenges, as only one third of the problem gamblers completed their treatment. He indicated that NCPG and IMH would work together with an international advisory panel of gambling addiction experts to enhance counselling and treatment for problem gamblers and their families. What progress has been made on this so far? Are there plans to expand beyond the two centres before or after the IRs are opened? And are such counselling programmes to be fully funded by the Government, or will the counselling centres be expected to raise some of the funds themselves?

Sir, the National Council on Problem Gambling has put in place several measures to help problem gamblers and their families, and to raise awareness of problem gambling. Allow me to elaborate in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Sir, a three-tier help system has been rolled out by the National Council on Problem Gambling. The first tier is the identification of problem gamblers by 'grassroots' organisations like Family Service Centres and Community Development Councils. Officers there have been trained to spot symptoms of problem gambling, and persuade these individuals to seek help.

The second line of help is family-based intervention services. The Council has appointed the Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society to provide these services since 2006. These are fully funded by the Government and Thye Hua Kwan does not need to raise funds to provide these

services. The first two tiers will cost $3 million over five years.

The third tier is psychiatric and medical treatment for those with severe gambling or multiple addictions at the Institute of Mental Health under the National Addictions Management Service at a cost of $37 million over five years for the treatment of all addictions.

Over and above these channels of help, some voluntary welfare organisations and religious groups also help problem gamblers who turn to them. The Council does not fund them, but assists them by opening up training programmes to them.

The Council is preparing to issue Casino Exclusion Orders. This is a key social safeguard under the Casino Control Act. Twenty-nine thousand Third-Party Orders will be issued to undischarged bankrupts, and Public Assistance and Special Grant beneficiaries. Families may apply on behalf for their family members to be excluded, and individuals may apply for self-exclusion. More details will be announced later.

To raise the awareness of problem gambling, the Council has reached out to over 30,000 heartlanders and workers, and 20,000 students since 2005 through the mass media and ground initiatives.

The public education campaign has also been stepped up during the Lunar New Year, through TV advertisements, radio talk shows and a four-part Channel 8 documentary series. This is a time when social gambling is popular, and social gambling may later become the root cause of problem gambling.

In total, $3.5 million has been spent on public education since 2005. Surveys show that the public awareness of problem gambling has doubled from 32% in 2006 to 61% in 2007. The National

Council on Problem Gambling will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the various problem gambling help programmes and public education initiatives, and make adjustments as necessary.

(In English): Sir, NCPG started two pilot counselling centres in September 2006 for a two-year period. In the first year of the pilot centres, from September 2006 to 2007, 190 cases were handled at the two pilot centres, and 80 cases or 36% were closed at completion during this period. The other cases had either dropped out or stopped for other reasons.

In the second year, which is from October 2007 to September 2008, the centres handled about 285 cases. They completed 206 cases, and of these, 43% were closed due to completion. The remaining cases had either dropped out or stopped for other reasons.

In June 2008, the NCPG engaged Dr Jeffrey Marota, a renowned expert in the problem gambling field. He had developed a well-respected gambling services framework in Oregon State, USA. Dr Jeffrey Marota advised NCPG on the framework for counselling and treatment services for problem gamblers in Singapore. Dr Marotta noted that the National Addiction Management Services (NAMS) was starting services in the community through its Community Wellness Centres, the first of which has been established. This was a welcomed move given that addiction treatment is highly complex. He also noted the relatively low case loads of NCPG's two pilot centres, and he advised that we should consolidate.

So, following his advice and consultancy, NCPG decided to cease one of its pilot centres and continue only with the Thye Hua Kwan Centre. NCPG would

work alongside NAMS as it provides the tertiary tier within a community set-up at the Community Wellness Centres. And the Thye Hua Kwan Centre would also complement the Community Wellness Centres by providing debt counselling as well as family-based counselling. NCPG will continue to monitor, and is now monitoring this revised framework and report on its results and outcomes in due course.

Social Assistance

Sir, over the last 12 years, we see that each economic cycle is shorter and shorter, and many have been hit not just once but twice by the economic slowdowns. In this scenario, it is clear that we need more than just quick-fix financial handouts. For some time now, Singapore has done well in our many-helping-hands approach in assisting the lower income groups. But I think we need a network and system to organise these many helping hands. If not, the ball may just get passed around from one organisation to another or drop out of sight.

I propose the setting up of H2O, a Helping Hands Organiser system, either in the CDC or even at the CCC welfare committee, to better coordinate available helping hands and to make it more accessible, so that in times of need, people are not running from one place to another to get assistance, or waiting needlessly for messages to get passed around. Such a system can also ensure that the need, would not drop out of sight.

We also need to look at whether our existing resources, such as Family Services Centres, require more capacity building or need to be expanded in their outreach. It is good news that the Government is extending a helping hand to VWOs, and we must ensure that the Family Service Centres are not left out of the picture. What are the needs of

these existing FSCs? Do they need more resources? How far have they come and what is the profile of the people they help? I think it is important to raise the profile of these centres and I think the Government needs to play a more supporting role in this, particularly to strengthen the existing Family Service Centres or provide support to establish more new FSCs if need be.

Apart from the financial assistance, we also need to promote emotional well being. We need to ensure that there is sufficient assistance and counselling for families with long-term financial difficulties. This is especially important if there are children involved. During this time of family crisis, the children may feel helpless and embarrassed; so they do not seek help or share their problems. They may feel that the situation is hopeless because they cannot help their parents. We need more outreach programmes to increase awareness and more holistic counselling to ensure that the children are protected from this emotional upheaval that may affect them negatively.

Central Agency for Social Assistance

Sir, the number of Singaporeans seeking social assistance during this economic downturn is expected to increase. Many Government agencies, such as MCYS, CDCs, WDA, the VWOs, GROs, FSCs, self-help groups and religious organisations have shown a caring and loving heart by extending assistance to Singaporeans in need. In fact, more and more schemes are being introduced by the different agencies, and the list just keeps increasing. This is indeed very heartwarming and reassuring. However, it is exactly this many-helping-hands approach that has resulted in duplication of resources and confusion on the ground. The needy looking for help in the social assistance circle is like walking into a rainforest full of trees without any

compass or GPS to provide directions. Many needy residents, especially the old and illiterate, are not sure exactly who and where to turn to for help. At times, residents may turn up at a particular agency only to be told that they have come to the wrong place.

I would like to suggest to the Minister that a central coordinating agency be set up to coordinate all initiatives offered by the various agencies, and to provide a no wrong door policy where Singaporeans can just turn up to seek any form of social assistance without being turned away. Just like in a tug of war scenario where all hands pull in one common direction to achieve victory, the many-helping-hands approach is only effective if there is one mind to control and coordinate the efforts of the different agencies.

Coordinating Help for the Needy

Sir, last week, some MPs asked for assistance for retrenched workers and the House was told that there is already such a scheme - ComCare Transition. Let us capture in a nutshell the problem. There are so many schemes now for the needy and they are growing by the day. It is perhaps time to consolidate some of these schemes.

Sir, the other challenge is to know how much has been given out under the many-helping-hands approach. We suspect that some needy recipients are receiving help from multiple sources, but we have no means of finding out. Knowing how much a needy recipient is receiving is important so that we can size financial help accordingly, because we must also be fair to other recipients who are receiving help only from one source. So we need greater coordination in the assistance schemes. I hope MCYS can address this concern.

(In Malay): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Sir, we

have many schemes to help poor Malay/Muslim families. The number of people who need assistance will increase during this economic downturn. However, the present coordination is not very effective in helping them.

There are two types of recipients of assistance. Some get help from various sources but we have no way to ensure the full amount that they receive, and they receive more help compared to the rest. There are also those who did not receive any assistance because they do not know how to get help.

We need to ensure that those who need help will receive it. At the same time, we have to also ensure that the assistance rendered will not weaken the spirit or resilience of our recipients. The assistance schemes have to be linked to efforts to get jobs and upgrade their skills.

I hope that the Minister will focus on these issues and provide more information on what is being done to give assistance to those who need it, and to have a better coordination.

Supporting the Vulnerable in Singapore

Sir, last July, a 14-year old boy with special needs fell to his death from a HDB flat. Sebastian Yeo Wei Xiong or Ah Boy or beggar boy as he was known to his neighbours, lived with his divorced mother in a rental flat. It was reported in the online New Paper that Ah Boy had stopped attending school for more than a year before his death. His mother had depression and would often lock the door on him. On the nights that he was locked out, he would hang the packet of food that he bought for his mother outside the door before going to spend the night at the void deck or at a nearby bus stop. Ah Boy is dead now. Could his death have

been prevented? Sir, I say yes, but only if all of us who are trying to help can organise ourselves as a sector more effectively. Sir, as a full-time volunteer, I have witnessed and protested for years against the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of the way the "many-helping-hands" approach is being applied in essential services, such as education in the disability sector. At times, "many-helping-hands" degenerate to a "many-bosses-to-report-to" syndrome, eg, special schools. Even the formation of a Disability Office by MCYS to coordinate inter-Ministry efforts for pivotal disability services in health, early intervention, education and employment did not bear much visible fruit for various reasons.

Sir, after serving three years as an MP, I now realise that the rest of the social service sector serving the poor and the needy faces similar challenges. The root cause does not lie in the competency or the mission of each agency. In fact, some of them whom I am familiar with, like the Central CDC, CDAC and Kampong Kapor Family Service Centre, are responsive, compassionate and able. Sincere and helpful MCYS and NCSS professionals are constantly developing programmes and seeking funding to support the many VWOs that they are taking care of. My sincere gratitude to them.

But, Sir, most help agencies work in silos. The CDC has its own data base. MCYS has its ComCare data base. The People's Association has its household information system. MOE, Town Councils, Family Service Centres, ethnic self-help groups, VWOs, NCSS and even us MPs have our own mini data bases, from Excel spreadsheets to more sophisticated ware to keep track of our charges. How many of these agencies have the capability and the bandwidth to follow through till the

vulnerable individual or family can stand on their own two feet and to ensure that no one falls through the crack?

Sir, if the social service sector is likened to the Titanic, we need to go beyond rearranging the deck chairs or, worse, buying more deck chairs to save this ship and its passengers. We need a serious systems study of the features of the ship and align it with where it is heading, organise the crew, go beyond programme launches or publicity, and follow it through with execution excellence to save as many of the vulnerable as possible. Specifically, I urge the Minister to personally captain and navigate the following suggested strategies.

Commission an in-depth systems study of the social service sector, listing its target recipients, the numerous agencies involved, reporting matrices and outcomes.

Collaborate with the various agencies and construct a service delivery process map from the perspective of the user for each key group they serve, starting with the most vulnerable. In this regard, I would recommend a study mission to Alexandra Hospital's IDEAS LAB, which chronicles the hospital's key service delivery tools, such as customer-base experience mapping and trending of balanced scorecard results and outcomes.

Appoint a carefully selected taskforce with the right mix of strategic leadership and execution bench depth, to be accountable to deliver what Prime Minister recently promised Singapore that he will "make sure that everyone who needs help will get help."

Consolidate and make available a confidential password-protected data base, so that key information on the case history of the vulnerable is accessible to appointed key agency representatives,

and that the respective help agencies do not overlap their services or trip over each other.

In conclusion, Sir, after observing and experiencing the challenges on the ground in the social service sector, I am convinced that it is not a lack of resources that those helping the vulnerable in Singapore are facing, and this is confirmed many times by the Ministry just now in the COS session. In fact, Government recently announced that only one third of the $6.25 million in ComCare fund is given out. The social service sector needs to undergo a serious review and we need to deploy our many-helping-hands approach wisely. Albert Einstein once said, "Ours is the generation that has seriously mistaken means with ends." Sir, with our MCYS Minister as the captain of the ship to lead us in navigating the four strategies I proposed, I am confident that we can avoid confusing means with ends and prove Einstein wrong, and extend help to where help is badly needed to the vulnerable in Singapore.

Effectiveness of Many Helping Hands Approach during Downturn

Sir, I initially planned to talk about the adequacy of funding and professional staffing for the CDCs, FSCs and VWOs, but the Minister has already covered it and said that he is going to increase the funding. I thank him as the social service sector will benefit.

Sir, in these times, I also see an increase in demand for social assistance, as well as an increase in troubled and distressed families in this difficult period, ranging from house repossession, family tensions due to income issues, depression, etc. Yet, I feel that the current infrastructure, ranging from the grassroots, the CDCs and the VWOs, may be burdened by cases beyond their usual capacities.

Does the Ministry have plans to increase the number of social organisations, such as FSCs, to cope with the increasing demand for financial assistance and social services, such as counselling in these difficult times? Can the Ministry elaborate if it has specific plans and if there are services it deems as a priority to be expanded and funded in these difficult times?

I also think that this is a good time for VWOs and social organisations - what Ms Denise Phua was talking about to restructure the sector - to attract talent to the social sector, and it would be good if the Ministry can to provide assistance for these organisations to enhance their management and operation teams with better talent. Would the Ministry consider putting forth special schemes to help them attract good talent in this sector? Perhaps even consider helping to promote social work as a career, as some Ministries, such as MOE has done to promote teaching as a choice career?

Order. I propose to take the break now.

Thereupon Mr Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.

Order. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair again at 3.30 pm.

Sitting accordingly suspended at 3.05 pm

until 3.30 pm.

Sitting resumed at 3.30 pm

Debate in Committee of Supply resumed.

Head I - Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (cont.) -

Sir, I would like to thank hon. Members for their various suggestions.

Sir, when ComCare was launched in 2005, it was a clear signal of the Government's commitment that no one would be left behind. At the same time, it is a working model of flexibility and decentralisation, highlighting particularly the role of the grassroots organisations, the voluntary welfare organisations and the Community Development Councils (CDCs). So it is a triangle - the CDC, the Family Service Centre and the grassroots organisations.

The main questions Members have voiced surrounding social assistance delivery are: Is the many helping hands approach working? Do the needy know where to go for help? Is our help delivered effectively?

I believe my Minister has already addressed Mr Zaqy Mohamad's question as to whether the many helping hands approach is working. We believe this approach provides the most robust and sustainable safety net.

Do the needy know what help is available and where to go for help? This is a question that some Members are concerned about. Anyone who needs help can just approach one of three touchpoints - CDCs, the 36 Family Service Centres (FSCs) or the grassroots organisations and the advisers. He does not need to worry about which scheme is best for him. The touchpoints will advise on the available assistance and link the needy with the relevant parties.

If he does not know where to go for help, he can just call ComCare Call at 1800-222-0000. Actually, I have personally chosen this number so that I can remember and the old people can also remember. And we will handle this

helpline with four languages and different dialects, even Hainanese.

Having multiple touchpoints in the community lets the needy conveniently access help at their doorstep. Having a central agency deliver all social assistance may seem ideal to some. But we would lose the flexibility and speed with which those who know the ground best can give assistance. What is more, we will also lose the passion and human touch of our many helping hands, like what the Member Mdm Cynthia Phua has said, served with love and care.

Is our help delivered effectively and responsively? The CDCs now process about 98% of social assistance applications within six weeks. So we do have KPIs for all the CDCs. More than 60% are processed within two weeks and for some emergency cases, they are processed on the spot. In contrast, prior to the launch of ComCare in 2005, only about 40% of applications were processed in six weeks. This is a big improvement. For those needing urgent and interim help, the CCC ComCare Fund provides immediate relief. I want to take this opportunity to clarify again.

ComCare has a few components: one is long-term public assistance; in the medium-term there are the Work Support and ComCare Transitions schemes; and the short term help is the CCC ComCare Fund. It is what I call the "Petty Cash", because the ComCare budget is $77 million and the $7 million given to the CCF, to me, is petty cash. But the CCC ComCare Fund gives us flexibility for urgent and immediate help. During this extraordinary period, I think all the grassroots leaders should apply a flexible approach towards this. If they have any difficulty, they can discuss with the Mayor or with us. So you can decide which case deserves immediate help and improve the disbursement. I am not

saying that we should just give away the money. In some countries, this money might not even reach those in need. So it is good that you all have accountability and honesty, to deliver this scheme very effectively. But for those people who need help during this period, we should be more flexible. So, remember, the CCF budget is only $7 million, and the total ComCare budget is $77 million.

I agree with Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Dr Lam Pin Min, Mdm Halimah Yacob and Ms Denise Phua that help must be delivered in an integrated and coordinated way to be effective. I will address their concerns here. Minister Yaacob will address Mdm Halimah's specific questions on the Malay/Muslim community in his speech later.

We will take a holistic approach in delivering assistance. For example, when a family goes to the CDC for help, CDC staff will seek to understand the underlying issues beyond the immediate problem. They will also help link the family up with other agencies for assistance, where necessary. I do agree that we will also build up the resources for CDC, to help them in the administration process.

Where there are familial or marital problems, the FSCs will be brought in. My Minister is going to deliver a very comprehensive speech on how to strengthen FSCs. So FSCs are key players within - the triangle of CDCs, FSCs and grassroots organisations. If there are housing issues, HDB will be contacted. If school children are involved, school counsellors will be brought in. So if the school knows that a kid has dropped out, we should refer him to the school counsellor to hold the hand of this child.

For families with multiple problems, the case managers at the FSCs will coordinate the help needed from the

different agencies, and will also keep an overview to ensure that the various problems are addressed holistically. I do agree that a number of FSCs still need to improve their efficiency and resources, and my Ministry is reviewing this. The case managers can also work with families to address the underlying causes of deep-rooted problems.

We will continue to work with the CDCs to improve the administration of our ComCare schemes. We will also provide the FSCs with more resources to enable them to do their work better and also to train more social workers.

The FSCs, CDCs and grassroots organisations will also strengthen their linkages to better coordinate help for families in need. For example, we have the ComCare Local Networks (CLNs), which my Minister earlier mentioned, which link up social agencies within the community such as the FSCs, VWOs, grassroots organisations, schools, etc. Now, we have nine ComCare Local Networks. So each network will rope in the people from the agencies like VWOs, work council, CDCs, schools and the Police, which all have a representative at the CLN. The CLNs involve more than 400 institutions and agencies at this moment. Through regular meetings, sharing and networking sessions, the agencies can better coordinate help for the needy in their districts.

Agencies can also tap on the ComCare Database. Ms Denise Phua also mentioned the database just now. The database is actually shared by PA, CDCs, grassroots organisations, CCCs and we will try and extend it to more and more other agencies, so as to get information on people who have received financial assistance. For specific cases which require more holistic and hands-on

intervention, case conferencing among the agencies may be held.

Where possible, our social services are also organised and co-located to facilitate easy access to related programmes. For example, we have piloted the Multi-Service Centres or Clusters for more integration. They are being piloted at five centres - MacPherson, Tampines, Toh Guan, Toa Payoh and Teck Whye.

I agree that better coordination among help agencies is critical to helping families facing chronic and complex problems. The Ministries and agencies already exercise flexibility when they assess appeals for help from such families. On top of this, the advisers, CDCs or FSCs can refer such cases to the ComCare Review Committee, which I am chairing. We will involve representatives from the relevant Ministries to look at these appeals holistically, using an inter-agency approach.

Ultimately, the beauty of our many helping hands model is that everyone can play a part to reach out to the needy in our midst. Sometimes, those who truly need help may feel embarrassed to ask for it, or they may not know that help is available. If Members know of someone like that, please refer them to the CDC, FSC, or grassroots organisation and advisers. Or they can just call ComCare Call at 1800-222-0000.

Fund Raising for the Charity Sector

Sir, Singapore is developing, and quite rightly, a relatively vibrant charity sector, including the voluntary welfare organisations. This is consistent with the policy of the many helping hands approach where the Government seeks to work in tandem with others, such as the voluntary welfare organisations, in tackling social issues. Many of these organisations are supported by donations from members of

the public or by organisations who themselves are supported by members of the public.

With the current downturn, it is expected that the donations to the charity sector and the voluntary welfare organisations will decline. Unfortunately, the services that these organisations provide will continue to be in demand and, in some cases, especially in an economic crisis, the demand may, in fact, go up. The services provided by these organisations will have to carry on, or the service clientele will suffer. With a substantial drop to be expected in donations, the challenge for many of these organisations will be to maintain the level of service quality.

I am appreciative that the Government, in this Budget, has decided to increase the amount of tax deduction from 200% to $250% of the total amount donated to the charities. This will only work if the companies are making profit and are able to write off against these tax benefits. But in cases where they are making losses, then I think the ability to contribute to their favourite charities will indeed be placed in peril. Therefore, I would like to ask the Minister what the Government intends to do if there is a significant decline in the level of funding for the charity sector which may compromise on the level of service provided by these voluntary service organisations and whether the Government is prepared to step in to meet the shortfall in funding, if necessary.

Survival of the VWOs Amidst a Global Financial Crisis

Sir, the face having your world turned inside out and upside down definitely has a brand new meaning for all of us during these extremely difficult times. Yes, undeniably, we have entered into a global economic recession of unprecedented scale and magnitude. For the past several

months, we have been overwhelmed by waves of financial tsunami storm. No one is making a final list of the wreckage yet, as many believe that even more tidal waves ahead. People, companies and even countries are struggling. Yes, we are all struggling and trying to make sense of what is happening to keep afloat, basically to stay alive. It is despite this hovering backdrop that I wish to draw attention to our not-for-profit VWOs. Even in the best of times, financial assistance and help to the VWOs are hard to come by. Help being hardly adequate then, the present economic climate and sentiments will render it tougher for them to stay afloat to achieve their missions.

Unfortunately, I do not have a magic formula that I can share to lighten the VWO's uphill task. However, I do not stand alone in believing that these turbulent times demanded we look at and do things a little differently. In an economic downturn of such scale, many industries face reduced demands, excess capacity, more downtime and job losses. Yet, there is one sector that is conversely affected - the non-profit VWOs. To begin with, job losses will see more people in need of social welfare. This leads to Family Service Centres and CDCs having to work overtime. Funds, meaning donations, sponsorships and endowments, are down and yet there is even more to do.

On the athletic front, National Sports Associations are similarly going to be double hit by possible reduced funding and even less or no sponsorships coming in to aid their developmental programmes. So, what can we do differently? I have some suggestions that I would like to share. It would be difficult for companies to continue to open their wallets to donate when the bottomline is what shareholders want accountability on.

Ironically, in the midst of tightening their belts, there is no better time than

now for companies to practise some corporate social responsibility (CSR). Companies, like NTUC FairPrice or Cold Storage, can take the lead in this CSR movement, in what I would term as "brand for charity". Would it not be wonderful if companies, like NTUC FairPrice adopt a charitable organisation for the year and raise money for them by allocating up to 5% of the sales of their house brands? Such goodwill, especially in these tough times, will not only generate positive public perception, it may even increase sales volume. They may end up doing well by wanting to do good. So, how else can we source for financial aid? From our other sacred cow - taxes.

3.45 pm

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. If we concede that the current economic turmoil merits the tapping of our first sacred cow - our precious reserves - then, along the same vein, let us explore how we can tap our other sacred cow - our taxes. In particular, we could look to the taxes levied on our gaming industry. The genesis of Singapore Pools and toto was for the support of sports and community welfare. Whilst we are given to understand that substantial sums are disbursed annually by the Totalisator Board towards these causes, can we now think out of the box and ask that a percentage of the taxes levied be channelled to support the VWOs during these turbulent times?

Next, I would like touch on volunteerism. Some companies have already employed shorter work week to help stamp wage costs. Some 18,000 workers are already placed on shorter work week. These workers should be encouraged to volunteer at the VWO, be it social work at the Family Service Centres or homes for the handicapped, or

even at theNational Sports Associations. We need not stop at workers with shorter work week. Let us cast the net a little wider. Retrenched workers should be encouraged to volunteer, especially the PMETs who face a tougher and longer period to return to the workforce. I am quietly optimistic that these citizens would rather serve and feel good than stay at home. We can also tap the pool of fresh graduates who are struggling to gain employment in an extremely weak job market. This can even spark off and nurture the culture of volunteerism in Singapore. There is no denying that, ultimately, this will help to strengthen our social fabric, so that we emerge a stronger and tighter-knit people as the economy recovers.

Imagine, too with through the tremendous injection and infusion of professionalism, the VWOs stand to gain in these most difficult of times, to be assisted by professionals, hitherto out of their range of affordability, to be guided on how to manage and run their organisations with best practices and good governance as their foundational pillars. When we add on these professionals' network, the multiplier effect can be quite remarkable. When life hands us lemon, let us make some lemonade.

As a final procedural point, in order to facilitate a smooth implementation, the National Volunteers and Philanthropy Centre should be encouraged to be the match-maker. These are indeed exceptionally uncertain and turbulent times. If there is one country that is going to come out of the current global economic crisis in better shape than any other in the world, I believe it would be this little red dot called Singapore. Because, like or forefathers, we will not cower in the face of adversities and, like our forefathers, we will weather through this storm as one people.

Social Workers

Sir, social workers are often the unsung heroes of our society. They work with people and families who are in need of help or counselling. As our society becomes more advanced, we believe more demands will be placed on the services of social workers. This is particularly the case when the economy goes into a recession and workers are retrenched. More families will need to work with social workers to resolve their problems.

Unfortunately, while the workload may be going up, we believe we are not getting enough of social workers to undertake field work. In other words, there is a shortage of qualified social workers, and this is in urgent need of redressing. I know that the Government is look at improving the work conditions and career prospects of the social workers, and also to train many more to undertake support roles for the social workers. I would, therefore, like to ask the Minister to update this House on the progress of these plans, and whether he is confident that the services of social workers will be adequate to deal with the problems that this economic recession will bring upon our society.

Social Work Profession in Singapore

Sir, I would like to declare my interest as a Life Member of the Singapore Association of Social Workers. It has taken more than 50 years for the social work profession to reach a stage where the need for a licensing board is being supported by the Singapore Government. I shall take a few minutes to outline the growth of social work as an academic discipline. In 1952, the Diploma in Social Work was launched in the then University of Singapore. In the late 1960s, the degree programme was launched, and it has produced many leaders in Singapore, including the

President, Mr S.R. Nathan. There are other institutions which are currently offering a degree program, such as Bachelor in Social Work programme by Monash University and UNISIM.

In 1970, the Singapore Social Workers' Association (SASW) was established. It is the voice for the 600-odd professional social workers in Singapore. There have been several small pieces of research conducted by university students on the factors affecting job satisfaction of professional social workers, eg, Ms Corinne Ghoh's research where she identified good working conditions and promotional opportunities as predictors of job satisfaction. The problem of leakage of social work manpower at two points, ie, at the recruitment stage and after a few years of practice, is a major cause of concern to the social service sector planners. In 1995, the then Acting Minister of MCYS stressed the need for more trained social workers to meet the manpower requirements of Family Service Centres (FSCs).

The SASW has been trying to persuade the MCYS to improve the salary scales and career prospects of professional social workers, not just in the public sector, but also in the NGO sector. Three years ago, the SASW organised the first ever Social Workers Day in Singapore. So we have had small steps like the Social Workers' Tea reception by the President at the Istana and the Outstanding Social Workers' Award, etc, which have enhanced the image of professional social workers. But the root of the problem remains. Social work, as a profession, is stilI seen as a 'soft' career and, therefore, the salaries of social workers in the VWO sector lags behind other professional occupations, such as teaching or nursing. The Report of Wages 2007 included medical social workers and community-based social workers within the lowest five occupations with median

salaries of $2,600 and $2,300 respectively. Until 2005, social workers were referred to as associate professionals in the Report of Wages.

To sum up, the Singapore situation lags behind even Hong Kong's professional scene, where a Licensing Board was set up in January 1998. As recently as 24th January 2009, the Chief Executive Officer of National Council of Social Service (NCSS), Ms Ang Bee Lian, reiterated the need for

about 100 professional social workers every year in the next five years to handle the social services sector. She mentioned in the interview with Berita Harian that 50 voluntary welfare organisations have more than 105 vacancies currently. With the present economic downturn, individuals and families will have more severe problems and social workers will be in great demand. If the manpower crunch is not addressed swiftly, even the current social workers who are delivering services will suffer burnout. We all know that the work of a social worker is not only physically and mentally demanding, it also requires strong relationship skills that can be emotionally draining. For all this, they are poorly rewarded in terms of working conditions.

What needs to be done? Even though the Minister for Community, Youth and Sports, Mr Vivian Balakrishnan, announced that the salaries of trained social workers would be raised in 2007, and in 2008, the Accreditation package was announced, the tipping point has not been reached. Undoubtedly, these actions have helped to some extent, but the community-based voluntary welfare sector has not changed its salary structure to any significant degree. What is needed is a higher entry level salary structure, and defined career paths across the board, not only the Government but also the non-Government sectors. The actual remmune

ration has to match the longer working hours, work overload and aspirations of young graduates. This will help stop the leakages that I mentioned earlier.

A licensing board for social workers will raise the status and credibility of professional social workers. The SASW is working closely with MCYS to make it happen this year. Government support is a critical component in recognising the unstinting contributions of professional social workers to the social economy of Singapore, its social capital and well being of its people. An effective network of social services in a country supports the implementation of its social policies which, in turn, complements the economic progress and the moral fabric of society. The social work community awaits the Minister's details, not only on training opportunities for social workers, but also his plans for the establishment of a licensing board.

In my view, a bold and swift policy measure is necessary, akin to what was done by the Ministry of Education in relation to teachers. Mr Zaqy Mohamad has also mentioned this point. A multi-pronged approach, including equal entry level salary standards, greater resources for social service centres so that social work assistants can be hired to assist the professional social workers, and maybe overtime pay as well for all the work done on weekends and the evenings, especially now when the case loads are rising very fast. It is common for domestic violence, crime and breakup of families to occur at times of an economic recession. Therefore, it is hoped that MCYS can institute urgent measures to meet the needs of the social work profession in Singapore.

Sir, the social service sector and VWOs are critical for our system to work. So I share the concerns of Members that this is a sector we need to pay more attention to. I take

the Member's point that perhaps we have not reached the tipping point yet.

I am also acutely aware that this is a counter-cyclical business. At a time of a severe downturn like this, their workload will increase. But this is also a time when there will inevitably be strains on the financing side because of worries about donations from the public. Nevertheless, we still do need to press on and continue to raise funds. As I said in my earlier speech, we estimated that there will be about $460 million flowing into this sector this year. More than half of that is from the Government. The other $220 million is from donations, I also alluded to the fact that this represents a significant portion of tax foregone by the Ministry of Finance. So let us see how this pans out. Yes, there has to be some element of belt-tightening. It is not possible for me to stand here and say, "Don't worry. There will be no impact on your bottom lines. There is no need to be careful with your expenditure".

We all need to do our bit. Our social safety net is really held up by a tripod - first is the support from the Government side, directly through MCYS, and the CDCs, which represent our decentralised delivery arm in the community. Second, the FSCs and the VWOs that stand behind them, as well as the VWOs which provide specialised services. Third is the grassroots network. We need all these three to function. I take Ms Denise Phua's point. But I wish it was so easy - to promise you a masterplan, a master Committee, and that everything would then fall into place.

I have been in this game long enough to know that there are no quick and easy solutions, and I will not stand here and make promises which I cannot fulfil. But having said that, let us take a critical look at what has happened so far.

4.00 pm

We reviewed the role of the FSCs. Currently, we have 36 FSCs scattered

across the island. We have decided that we need to get back to basics and affirm the role of the FSCs to focus on the social well-being of vulnerable families. There is a lot of other upstream and downstream work that they can do, but those are additional options. But every FSC must be like a polyclinic out there in the community. It must be the general practitioner of social work. Families who go there must be assured that there is a minimum level of service which is available. That also means that from the Ministry's perspective, we must provide enough resources so that they can provide that suite of services. My Ministry will raise the funding for FSCs by $3 million this year. It would therefore reach $16 million for this year. Frankly, this is not a very large sum of money. In fact, it shows you how efficient and how much work they have been doing despite such a relatively small sum of money from my Ministry. $3 million is not much but as the workload goes up, I must be willing to allocate more resources to enable them to fulfil these programmes, particularly programmes which the Government supports.

The next issue, of course, as the Member alluded to, is the quantity and quality of manpower. It is very labour-intensive. It is very hands, heart and mind intensive. We cannot automate or outsource this. Even as we talk about increasing the number of FSCs, we do need to increase the number of social workers. We intend to do this through a combination of providing additional training avenues, accelerated courses, conversion courses as well as providing more scholarships and bursaries. And as the Member has said, we also need to make sure that we recognise the professionalism of social workers. I will say more about that later on.

The other key thing that our FSCs need to focus on is to establish a working relationship with key community partners.

Ms Denise Phua always talks about having an integrated, comprehensive, functioning network. And yet, if we ask ourselves honestly, if I ask all the 84 MPs here, both Opposition and PAP, how many of you have a working relationship with the FSC that services your residents? I am glad to see a Member raise his hand. But can we say that universally, across-the-board? Similarly for the CDCs and their relationships with the VWOs and FSCs. We have made much progress in the last few years. But we have not yet reached the happy state that Ms Denise Phua anticipates. We need to work on developing these relationships and it starts at the human level. Do we have each other's phone numbers? Do we consult? Do we call urgently? Do we share information? Yes, we do have a common database but this database is only as good as the data that is put in. If everyone, who is helping a person in need, does not put in the data to begin with, or the data is not updated, then that database is not very useful. Today, every single MP here has access to that database, but I will tell you, quite honestly, not everyone has accessed that database. We do not need to get defensive about why we have not accessed that database. But the point is that the system is there.

The other thing is that the VWOs who are serving in our sector include more than just the FSCs. I announced earlier that we would be increasing our overall funding to social services delivered by VWOs. In fact, this year, it would be somewhere between $131 million and $140 million a year. That means, apart from the $100 million we deliver directly to needy families, MCYS funnels another $140 million through VWOs in order to serve people in need. Another question which has been raised in the past, although not today, is the issue of GST - that VWOs providing these services

are also liable to GST. But what I will do is to help them offset this GST by providing additional funds to the VWOs, so that when they are providing Government-backed programmes, they would not have to worry about additional GST. We will provide that additional assistance to them.

Let me now turn to professionalising the sector. I totally agree with the Member that we need to give due recognition to social workers. For a long time, as she said, sometimes they are not even given the status of a professional. They were considered as associate professionals. I have always felt that this is wrong. And I am glad that we have taken some steps, maybe not as fast as Members would like, but Members would agree that we have taken steps in the right direction. We revised the salary guidelines in 2007. Having said that, the bulk of employers of social workers is not from the Government. It is from the VWOs, and it takes time for them to translate our norm costs, our salary guidelines, into their own actual payments to their staff. Nevertheless, the fact that we have revised the guidelines and that we have also said that we are looking at further revisions to the guidelines, will make a difference. Of course, in this year, 2009, to stand here and say that I am trying to raise the salary of any class of workers would, I think, be dissonant. So I am not going to say that social workers' salaries are going to go up this year. I cannot say that. But I will say that I intend for social workers' salary to go up in the medium to long-term. And that we will work on this together and collectively. We also have other schemes which the Member referred - the Sabbatical Leave scheme, the Professional and Leadership Development Scheme - and several social workers have already taken advantage of these schemes.

On accreditation, I have asked the Director of Social Welfare, Mrs Corinne Koh, to oversee the accreditation process.

Like the Member has said, we have waited long enough for this. I hope that, in the course of this year, she and the other leaders of the social work scene in Singapore can get together and get this accreditation board off the ground. Then, we will have no doubt that a social worker is a professional and there is a proper set of accredited qualifications, and not anyone can claim to be a social worker. But even as we do that, I would advise social workers to avoid the temptations of many other professionals to engage in protectionism and say that, "Well, there is a small elite group of us who are qualified. Everyone else is unqualified and not allowed to practise." I think this would be wrong. That is why we are also working with the polytechnics in order to run courses at the diploma level so that there will be associate social workers. There is some quibble about whether they should be called social work associates or associate social workers. Some of these debates reflect protectionism. But the point is that I need to get more manpower into this sector. We would all agree that the more hands on-board, the better.

I am glad Ms Jessie Phua brought up this point that as retrenchments go up, or overtime is cut and most people work shorter work-weeks, even as new graduates try to enter the market, some of us may actually have more free time on our hands. It is perhaps an opportunity to consider increasing their commitment to volunteerism. I am glad to announce that the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), is working on the same idea - I guess great minds think alike - and will be launching a new programme called Singapore Cares. This is a scheme which, as Ms Jessie Phua has suggested, will play matchmaker for people who are willing to volunteer but cannot volunteer on a long-term permanent contractual basis, but perhaps can spare a few hours a week on a specific area of interest.

NPVC, through Singapore Cares, will play matchmaker between the VWOs on the one hand and this pool of manpower on the other hand. They will launch a real-time online system. In Singapore now, everybody wants to go online and to be real-time. So they will do all that. But let us not get distracted by the technology. In the end, it is the willingness of people to share their time and expertise.

I totally agree with the Member that one of the most corrosive and scary things about retrenchment is the fact that people suddenly have nothing to do. That, sometimes, is even more scary than the loss of income. Whilst we do our best to get the economy back on the ground, to get jobs going again, I think we should really encourage people to find productive and fulfilling uses of their time. I do not present this as an alternative to paid work, but I am saying that volunteering is a fulfilling, viable and good thing to do, especially at a time like this when there are so many needs.

I hope that Members will continue to support our Many Helping Hands model, continue to encourage donations, both in terms of time and money to the VWOs. And we will continue to try to improve the system. It is not perfect, not by a long way, but we will continue to make improvements.

Social Enterprises

Sir, the Member for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, Miss Penny Low, and I have spoken on the subject of social enterprise for several years now. Over time, I am grateful to know that social enterprise is increasingly gaining traction. Both the public and private sectors are beginning to see social enterprises as initiatives that can serve the public good without necessarily imposing too much demand on the charities sector, and by providing the basic structure for people to

find employment or undertake business help to provide some relief from the pressures of mounting unemployment in deep recessions.

Unfortunately, social enterprises are often assessed on the same basis as commercial undertakings. To expect social enterprises, which are organised to serve the public good, to compete on the same footing as normal businesses may, in the view of some, not be reasonable. Social enterprises should be given reasonable assistance and support if we are to ensure the longer term viability of the business. A good example could be offering unused void deck spaces at HDB at assisted rentals to keep the cost of social enterprises affordable. However, with subsidies, of course, we recognise the hazards of over-dependency and relative inefficiencies if these enterprises are not properly managed.

If we accept the proposition that social enterprises are a useful public good, then it follows that the Government can do more to assist in getting some of these enterprises going. It would therefore be helpful if the Minister could inform the House whether he accepts the starting principle on social enterprises, and whether the Government would be prepared to do more in this regard.

Social Economy

Sir, I declare my interest in the social economy.

Sir, I applaud the setting up of the Inter-Agency Committee on Social Economy Implementation Committee, which I regard as a significant milestone and testimony to MCYS' enlightened whole-of-Government approach.

The social economy plays key roles in providing meaningful jobs, stimulating the

economy and providing solutions where the market fails. Innovative social entrepreneurs bring solution from within the community to meet the needs of the community. This means involving citizens more fully in problem-solving, and channeling active citizenry into constructive socio-economic goods and services. Socially-driven businesses could help one another bear the pressures of the downturn.

Therefore, in that light, would the Minister commission a study to better understand, firstly, the size of Singapore's social economy; secondly, the demand and supply of jobs in the social economy; and, finally, its impact on our social compact?

In the United Kingdom, the office of the Third Sector at the Cabinet Office has pledged to work with government agencies to look for ways to grow social enterprise, and in fact, just injected another 42.5 million pounds. And as an example of what they do, the Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) department would explore ways to make community development finance institutions more sustainable, while the National Offender Management Service would research ways in which social enterprise can help reduce re-offending. The UK Department of Health, too, looks at social return on investment (SROI) of social enterprises operating in mainstream healthcare. SROI, by the way, is 'a way to express social value in a way the bankers understand', and it would usually measure not just the financial bottom line, but also the social dividends.

Also, instead of a top-down approach, the UK government understands that giving a fish will only be good for a day, and enterprises really need cashflow and demand for its products and services. Hence, instead of just giving one-off grants and setting KPIs, it embarks on what it calls, public social partnerships

to proactively search for ways to partner and procure goods and services from the social sector, as a full paying customer. In government service procurement documents, efforts are also made to incorporate social and environmental clauses into tenders, and disseminate the opportunities to both social enterprises and social firms.

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Sir, I hope MCYS would seriously study these developments at lightning speed, as we can better tackle the challenges of changing demographics and changing socio-economic landscapes.

I would also like to echo the voices that we have heard in this House that more needs to be done to help the social economy itself. In fact, we are not looking for just a many-hands approach where most of the hands are really coming from the Government sector, but really many-hands approach where most of the hands are bottom-up efforts rather than top-down initiatives.

Sir, let me address Mr Sin Boon Ann's and Ms Penny Low's queries. The concepts of 'social economy' and 'social enterprise' are still fairly new in Singapore. The social economy includes a wide range of enterprise approaches and organisations that contribute to the social good. They can be charities, non-profits, community groups, social enterprises or socially responsible businesses. Together, they are an important part of our Many Helping Hands approach.

I do agree with Ms Penny Low that the social economy needs further study. Last year, we set up an inter-agency group. I am not sure if they can work at lightning speed, but I am sure they are trying their very best to look into developing a holistic socio-economic strategy so that they can integrate also

the efforts of the whole of Government. They are looking into several areas, and I think one of the areas that has been mentioned before is impact analysis. Impact analysis measures the economic and social values of the social economy and the organisation. They are also looking at the regulatory framework, looking at the technical assistance training, which is to build capabilities, and also leadership development of this social organisation. Not only that, they also look at the financing options, which means that they look at the gaps in existing policies to support the system and to develop financing options. It is now work in progress, and we will share the findings when ready.