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Permission to Members to be Absent Under the provisions of clause 2(d) of Article 46 of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, the following Members have been granted permission by the Speaker to be absent from sittings of Parliament (or any Committee of Parliament to which they have been appointed) for the periods stated:
Funds Disbursed from Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) Treatment Co-funding Scheme 1 Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for Health (a) how many couples have benefitted from the Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) co-funding scheme for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) since its inception in August 2008; (b) what is the total amount of funds disbursed; and (c) what is the success rate thus far.
Funds Disbursed from Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) Treatment Co-funding Scheme Sir, the Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) treatment co-funding scheme was introduced to help make ART treatments, such as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), more affordable for couples who have difficulty conceiving. Since the scheme's inception in August 2008, Ministry of Health (MOH) has subsidised a total of 5,503 ART treatment cycles, benefiting 3,841 couples in the process. Thus far, MOH has disbursed around $13 million in funding for this scheme. We are encouraged by the effectiveness of this scheme. About 26% of the treatment cycles under this scheme successfully resulted in live births, which compares well with the national average of 22%.
Funds Disbursed from Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) Treatment Co-funding Scheme Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the Minister of State for the answer. In her reply, the Minister of State said that MOH subsidises about 3,000 couples for this particular scheme. I would like to ask the Minister of State, first, is this a subsidy given, because from what I understand, all patients going through IVF are considered "private patients" and no Government subsidy is entitled? My next supplementary question is that since the success rate is so good, will the Government consider extending this particular programme, because I understand that the grant is only available to couples who are receiving IVF treatment in Government restructured hospitals only? Will that be reviewed and can that be extended to the private hospitals, given that it is a grant and not a subsidy?
Funds Disbursed from Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) Treatment Co-funding Scheme Sir, the Member is right to say that it is not a healthcare subsidy per se. The ART co-funding scheme was introduced as part of the Marriage and Parenthood package to allow couples who have difficulties conceiving to go for ART treatment and make it more affordable for them. ART treatment is not essential to the patient's health and so it is a non-standard form of treatment. Like all non-standard treatment, there is no healthcare subsidy. So, if the patients go to a public hospital for ART treatment, if they are not under this co-funding scheme, they will be treated as private patients and charged private rates. So, the Member is right. But if they qualify under this co-funding scheme, then they will get subsidy under the co-funding scheme. When we implemented this, we did not extend it to the private hospitals because the scheme was new. We will continue to monitor demand and consider this as an option as we review our experience, but currently we are not thinking of extending it beyond the public sector as yet.
Funds Disbursed from Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) Treatment Co-funding Scheme Thank you, Mr Speaker. My last question. I would like to thank the Minister of State for agreeing to review it with a view that it may be introduced to the private hospitals. I would like to ask the Minister of State when MOH compares the average success rate of 22% at the national level versus 26% for this particular programme, is there any factor that causes the success rate to be higher compared to the national level? From what I understand, patients going through this programme have to be below a certain age limit, and have to meet other governing criteria. In fact, a lot of couples unable to fit the criteria have no choice but to resort to going to the private hospitals to receive treatment. I am not sure if MOH would agree that the age difference may have contributed to the difference in success rate. Will MOH now relook at the data to see if when the patients are equal in terms of criteria, the success rates would be the same between the Government hospitals and private hospitals?
Funds Disbursed from Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) Treatment Co-funding Scheme Sir, the statistics that I quoted, that is, 26% under the co-funding scheme as compared to the national level average of 22% – are based on the same age profile. So, in fact, our 26% is also better compared internationally to, say, Australia and New Zealand for the same age profile, where it is about 22.3%. Yes, the Member is right that there are qualifying criteria for patients to go under this scheme. Age is one criterion. The patient has to be below 40 years old. There are certain clinical considerations too. That would likely have contributed to the higher success rate. Clinical evidence is that there is a higher success rate for patients below 40 years old. We need to impose conditions because we are subsidising using taxpayers' money. So, we need to ensure that it is effectively used.
Funds Disbursed from Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) Treatment Co-funding Scheme Sir, a supplementary question. I would like to ask the Minister of State this: besides the age criterion, what are the other criteria to qualify for this co-funding scheme?
Funds Disbursed from Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) Treatment Co-funding Scheme The criteria will be that the patient has no more than one living child with her husband; the patient must be below 40 years of age at the start of the cycle; the patient has been assessed by the doctor to meet the clinical requirements for ART; treatment is a fresh cycle; no more than two embryos are transferred during the cycle; the patient has not already received three co-funded cycles in the past. The ART co-funding scheme is up to a maximum of three cycles. And the patient or her spouse must be a Singapore citizen at the start of the cycle.
Funds Disbursed from Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) Treatment Co-funding Scheme Sir, I just wish to add to Member Dr Lim Wee Kiak's comment earlier about patients going to private sector hospitals if they are not under this scheme. They can actually go to the public sector and, obviously, there will be a range in the fees.
Funds Disbursed from Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) Treatment Co-funding Scheme Order. End of Question Time.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Order read for Resumption of Debate on Question [17 February 2012],
Debate on Annual Budget Statement "That Parliament approves the financial policy of the Government for the financial year 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013." – [Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance].
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Question again proposed.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for the opportunity to speak. Allow me to declare my pecuniary interest as a banker. I would like to begin by congratulating the Deputy Prime Minister for delivering a Budget for a more inclusive and stronger Singapore. I am also heartened that the Budget appealed to our younger Singaporeans, many of whom care about our elderly, our poor and our disadvantaged, as we all should.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement That said, the Deputy Prime Minister's stated goal is a Budget for the future. A Budget for the future should address the long-term issues faced by Singaporeans. A Budget for the future should perhaps relook or adapt to a different economic model to fuel our future growth. The growth model that propelled us for the past 10 years has worked well but reached its limits. We have been successful in attracting MNCs to Singapore, in building high-end manufacturing, and a vibrant services sector, and tourism.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement But these successes have led to a reliance on foreign labour and caused a significant jump in our population. And this in turn has tested the limits of our domestic resources like transport, housing and healthcare. This is not sustainable. For the next 10 years, we need to look for growth that will not add so much to our already highly-stressed domestic resource pool. The kind of growth that will not lead to spiralling inflation, a widening income gap, or an over reliance on foreign labour. This may mean that we look for growth beyond Singapore's shores. This may mean that in the long term, we need to re-sharpen or retool ourselves for a different economic growth model.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement So, today, I want to offer three key issues to focus on: (i) inflation and how the high cost of living is impacting our business competiveness and how perhaps a fresh look at our existing monetary policy could address this; (ii) the sustainability of Singapore businesses, especially at the international level; and (iii) the building of our human capital with our education system becoming more innovative to keep us all ahead.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Let us begin with inflation and monetary policy. It is obvious that Singapore is becoming an increasingly expensive city in which to live and to operate in. Last Friday, we saw our Consumer Price Index (CPI) going up 4.8% and core inflation was a three-year high of 3.5%. This reflects a serious build up of underlying cost pressures. Let us not forget that CPI represents a "change", or a delta. So when the previous figure was already high, then our costs get higher each month and each year.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement In 2011, the CPI was at a high of 5.2% and that was more than five times the median of the 1.0% in the prior decade. Rising inflation hurts our businesses, especially SMEs who are already operating on low single digit margins. High inflation is passed onto consumers, and reduces our purchasing power, with our retirees one of the worst affected. With the new Budget measures pushing labour costs higher, whilst doing not much to address the key challenges of high rental and housing costs, core inflation will likely remain high this year. Is this the "new normal"? Are we asking our consumers and business community to accept that rising prices are here to stay?
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Whilst the MAS has continued to maintain its strong Singapore dollar (SGD) appreciation stance, and this has helped keep imported inflation at bay, it is domestic inflation that is the greater threat. Key drivers of domestic inflation are increases in rentals, wages and COE costs. These are demand-side driven inflation pressures that may require some supply-side measures to counter them. An inclusive Budget should target and hold down domestic inflation. Having a strong SGD policy may not be enough. Perhaps at this point, we may want to think about adapting our monetary policy for a mature economy like ours, focusing on managing our nominal effective exchange rate (NEER) may not be sufficient. We may need to start to focus on other variables, including interest rates and money supply.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Two, business sustainability and internationalisation. It does appear that the Budget seeks to encourage Singapore businesses to venture offshore, be it to tap lower cost facilities and labour or new sources of revenue growth. Whilst this is to be applauded, the facts are not encouraging, especially for SMEs. The National Business Survey for 2011, conducted by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), showed that businesses are actually looking to scale down their overseas expansion in 2012. The number of companies with an overseas presence has already dropped from 75% to 56%. The main sectors with the biggest drop are: manufacturing -23%; construction and real estate -20%; and trading -10%.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Why? Competition, manpower issues and unclear rules and regulations were cited as key reasons. The volatility of the SGD has not helped either. The SME Development Survey 2011 shows that foreign currency exchange loss is the key challenge for 43% of SMEs. And here is why – there was an 11% spike in the volatility of the SGD, with the standard deviation of the SGD/USD increasing to 0.086 over the last four years, versus 0.077 in the four years before. This spike in volatility has clearly made hedging costs for exporters very high. Furthermore, a continued appreciation of the SGD nominal effective exchange rate, means that overseas profits when repatriated back to Singapore, are worth less in SGD, again compressing margins. Hence, a Budget for the future may need to address some of these challenges faced by local companies as they venture abroad, especially SMEs.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Three, education. Let us now talk about education and the grooming of our future talent. This is my final point, and as I had started on a good note, I too want to end on a good note. Education is a sector in which the Singapore Government has done well in the last decades. Now that we've been recognised as one of the world's best, what is next? The Chinese have a saying:长 江 后 浪 推 前 浪, 人 不 进 则 退. As we reach our goals, we need to aim higher. That does not mean better scores or grades. At this juncture, we want our children to stay relevant, to stay ahead. And I think we need to purposefully test some new models and new solutions that will better prepare our children for a more complex, inter-connected world. If we are to face a new economic growth model based on innovative thinking and collaborative action, then the old linear way of thinking is no longer sufficient.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement At this point, allow me to introduce the House to the Collage Method, a non-linear method of learning that has just been piloted in Singapore. My family actually experienced the Collage model of learning first-hand as my son's school had a team of very brave, forward-thinking teachers, and my son, when he was in Primary 3, was fortunate enough to be picked as a guinea pig. As a mother, I was delighted with the Collage experience and I really hope that more can benefit from it.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement So, what is Collage? It is about collaborative teaching and learning. It is about the intertwining of different disciplines, helping children to think for themselves. And it is this connectivity of ideas that make a big difference. Let me share with Members an example where the children were asked to make kites. As they made kites, they learnt Math – angles and triangles. And then they painted the designs on their kites and they learnt art. And the fun part was when they were taken to the park to fly the kites, they saw science in motion. They realised that the faster they ran, the higher the kites flew. Hence, they learnt all about kinetic energy. Then they came back to the class and learnt how to do a presentation on the history of kites 风筝的历史 in Chinese, where they picked up Powerpoint and Chinese Google. They even learnt to make a movie on the kites! And the best part? They all loved going to school and they developed a love for learning that will stay with them for the rest of their life.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement So, whilst the Primary Education Review and Implementation (PERI) system has focused pretty much on the hardware of our primary school system, for our future, why not focus on the software? I hope that by sharing Collage, we can plant the seed to encourage our teachers and parents to adopt such teaching methods where students' learning styles are respected and they are taught to innovate and collaborate at a young age. Yesterday, Ms Indranee Rajah cited a great example of how public-sector productivity could have been improved if only each agency collaborated more with one another. Perhaps, the Collage style of training could be adapted for the public sector too. I can understand the resource constraints faced by the MOE but if the MOE would consider the merits of a Collage model and enable more of our students to benefit from it – even if the initial steps are modest – I am sure our young will benefit greatly.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Sir, we are a small island, 700 square km, which we have expanded through ingenuity, hard work and vision. Thankfully, today, our reserves allow us to spread our wings and invest in far flung countries, and bring home the gains to fund our public expenditure each year. And, yet, we need to do more to ensure that this investment income is not our only source of income. To do so, we need a new model of growth, without all the negative issues that we have seen built up over the last five years. So, whilst we are a small island, we have big dreams, and as we sit on the cusps of big structural change, we need a Budget and a Government to turn these dreams into reality.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Sir, as this House debates an inclusive Budget for all Singaporeans, I hope it will also address some of the long-term challenges we face and help us focus on key issues and the key drivers of our long-term goals – for our businesses, our people and our next generation. Sir, I support the Budget.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Mr Speaker, Sir, in Malay, please.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement (In Malay): [Please refer to Pg 1714 for Vernacular Speeches. ] This year's Budget shows sympathy and honesty in helping those who are less fortunate. I would like to congratulate the Deputy Prime Minister for giving special attention to the elderly, children from low-income families and the disabled. The Government's move to strengthen and widen the social safety net to take care of society's needs is very reassuring. As we face the challenge of an ageing society, we can overcome it with composure and confidence.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement In order for a country to move forward, each citizen must play his or her part. If there are those who isolate themselves, it will impede development and disrupt the country's security and peace. We have seen countries, where those who are rich and in power continue to prosper, and those who are poor are unable to escape from the cycle of poverty. To continue to survive, they turn to crime and, occasionally, succumb to depression. The Deputy Prime Minister's move to continue providing room for society to help the disabled is timely and very appropriate. Each person has an aim in life, talent and uniqueness that we can tap on and channel towards the nation's development. If we do this together, we can continue to progress and succeed.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Pg 1715-1716 for Vernacular Speeches.] This year's Budget is a heart-warming Budget. When the Minister for Finance was delivering his speech, the image of smiling old folks, innocent children and confident persons with disabilities came into my mind. This is part of the Prime Minister's effort to build an inclusive society for the past five years, and was not started only after last year's election.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement The Government is constantly looking at various ways to ensure that older Singaporeans have a place to live and are able to work if they are healthy. The Silver Housing Bonus provides elderly Singaporeans with financial difficulties one more option. I hope HDB can allow citizens joining this scheme to enjoy priority and choose a unit near their children's home, so they can take care of each other. It will also enhance the attractiveness of the scheme.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement As for those who do not wish to move, I hope HDB will allow them to participate in the Lease Buyback Scheme, including those living in 4- or 5-room apartments, as not all old folks can adjust to a new environment. If the elderly needs to move away from their friends, sometimes it may cause great psychological stress to them. It takes time to cultivate friendship. Similarly, familiarising with the living environment also takes time. In addition, some old folks have grown attached to their homes, the environment and their friends, they prefer to stay where they are and age in place.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Another problem faced by my residents is, when they want to downgrade from a bigger flat to a smaller flat, most do so because of financial difficulties. I realised that they often face a lot of obstacles. The main problem is that they are unable to get a loan, or that the waiting time to get a new flat is too long. Can HDB render more help, for example, approve an additional concessionary loan or allocate an existing small unit for them? We should help them to downgrade to a smaller flat and not make the whole process more difficult, as this will cause them to incur more overdue interest payments and penalties.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Another group of people that need help are those who downgrade from private property to HDB flats. The existing 30-month debarment period prevents them from buying a new flat directly from HDB. I see some residents stuck in their small condominium units, which they bought when they were married. Their children have now grown up, yet they cannot move house, as renting a place in the open market for 30 months is a considerable financial burden. As a result, they are stuck. I hope the Minister can consider removing the 30-month debarment period for those private property residents who have not bought a HDB flat before.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Another group that I sympathise with is the sandwiched group. On one hand, their income does not qualify them for a rental flat; on the other hand, HDB says they do not have the ability to purchase a flat. Why can they not buy directly from HDB if they are not qualified to rent a rental unit? This is mainly because HDB applies double standards when calculating income. When the resident wants to apply for a rental flat, everything is included, including overtime pay and income from businesses; but when he wants to purchase a flat, many items are not included, for example, CPF non-payable income and overtime pay. They even want to see if your savings have been increasing every month.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement These residents have no choice but to rent in the open market. However, in the past few years, rentals have been increasing, and most of their income is spent on rent. Their $2,000 monthly rental is higher than the mortgage they have to pay if they buy a flat directly from HDB. Can we make their money spent worthwhile and allow them to use money spent on rental to buy a flat? I hope these suggestions that I have just made can bring warmth and love to more residents.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement (In English): Mr Speaker, Sir, our Government has done much to help the people. It has steadily put in place over the last years schemes like Workfare, ComCare and many others. It has taken measured steps because our Government is responsible. It is mindful that there is a need for funding to support these programmes. While we face an ageing population which invariably demands more spending on such programmes, we need to strike a balance so that we do not over-burden the young working people who are paying taxes. So, we need to improve employment opportunities for Singaporeans, and the Budget has taken the right direction to call for an increase in productivity. This is the way to reduce dependence on foreign workers in the long run and, in the process, will eventually lead to a rise in the real wages of local employees.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Yes, there will be pain in order to have long-term gain. My concerns right now are: is this cut in foreign workers too sudden? Can our SMEs cope with the pain? Or will it be so painful that they just die? Perhaps, it is also time for the Government to do R&R, ie, Review and Reflect. Why are our SMEs in this state? Are our Government policies contributing to it? We have been asking Singaporeans to look at the bigger picture. I think it is also timely for the Government to look at the bigger picture. I must declare my interest as an engineer in the construction sector, the industry that I am most familiar with. We have been building MRT projects for the last 20-30 years. Besides spending money on getting the infrastructure, did we put in deliberate efforts to also build up the capability of local expertise? How many local contractors and consultants have gained experience? And is there anyone who can go out to compete for jobs overseas? I would say there is none.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement LTA has been too occupied to build the rail network at the cheapest possible cost and, in the process, they brought in a lot of foreign contractors. Our local guys felt sidelined in their own country. The Government wants them to invest in productivity tools. But does the Government assure them of sufficient jobs to recoup their investment? We keep complaining that locals are reluctant to be in construction and engineering. But look at the way HDB is calling tenders for consultancy works. I have calculated and it is not even enough to pay our engineers adequately. I am sure the intense competition will have an adverse long-term repercussion on the profession. I am not surprised if more will exit this profession.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement We cannot live on passion for a profession alone. Every time we give feedback, the standard answer is, "MOF policy." In recent years, the construction sector needs more manpower and resources to cope with the demand for BTO flats. If the construction companies are incapable of achieving the required productivity in a short period of time, future BTO construction projects may experience delay or, worse, suffer from inferior workmanship. So, please do R and R – review and reflect.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Moving on to transport, I am sure there is unanimous agreement that a world-class public transport system contributes to an inclusive society. An efficient transport system ensures that everyone gets around safely and punctually, never mind if they do not have cars or taxis. As our population has ballooned by more than a million in a mere short span of a few years, it is imperative that we constantly review our public transport system to ensure that it is able to meet increased demands without sacrificing efficiency and safety.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement SMRT has a fleet of 800 buses plying 74 routes, while SBS Transit has 3,000 buses which it said covers 75% of the scheduled bus service market share. This sheer numbers should rightly translate to better connectivity for residents to their destinations in good time. However, I say "rightly" because this does not seem to be the case. In Nee Soon South, residents are telling me that they are spending up to half an hour getting around the neighbourhood to the key amenities, to the MRT stations, because the waiting times for feeder bus services are too long.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement With Government spending money to give to public transport operators 550 new buses, how does the Government ensure that the public transport operators putting the buses to good use, and not to replace their older fleet or idling in the bus depot due to shortage of drivers?
Debate on Annual Budget Statement I hope some of these new buses will be used to start the new route that my residents have been asking for, ie, to take them to the nearest Khatib MRT in a more direct manner and not round and round the Yishun estate and end up further north in the Yishun MRT Station, instead of Khatib Station. In Chinese, we say, 游车河.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement A good transport system must also remain affordable. I am sure that if the new buses are properly deployed, waiting time for buses can be significantly reduced. But I would like to ask Deputy Prime Minister Tharman, if SMRT and SBS Transit are private companies, why is the Government setting aside public funds for the purchase of buses? The profits reaped by the operators only benefit the shareholders. In the meantime, public transport operators are increasing transport fares every few years, making very little effort to translate their profits to benefit the public. Should the public transport operators not set aside a form of sinking fund for the replenishment of buses and trains? What we are going to do is akin to providing a sort of bail out for the public transport operators. Are there any conditions stipulated by Government in exchange for these new buses? In Hokkien, we say 有来有去,that means, reciprocate. You give them the buses, they must give back in some other way.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement May I suggest three conditions:
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Can Government get public transport operators not to increase the bus fare for the next 10 years or beyond, if possible?
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Can Government get public transport operators to give polytechnic students concession fares, like what JC students are enjoying? Minister Lui Tuck Yew mentioned in this House recently that it would cost $28 million a year if this is done. But bear in mind that the Government is spending $1.1 billion in this Budget for a Bus Services Enhancement Fund.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Give better salary and benefits to the bus drivers.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Last Sunday, I was at a coffeeshop at Blk 848, my favourite spot, and a resident told me that her husband is a bus driver, just started not too long ago. I asked her, "How much does your husband earn?" She said, "$1,375, starting pay, and the working hours are eight to nine hours a day. Lunch time is only half an hour. If the bus were to be delayed along the journey, the half an hour lunch time can cut down to just few minutes. He has no time to go to toilet also." The Minister said that under this new plan, we hope to have a bus at every 10 minutes' interval during the two-hour peak period. This is very good. But where to find the bus drivers if we continue to give them that kind of salary and give them that kind of working conditions. In fact, my resident told me that her husband wants to quit. I told her, "Please don't quit. We need a lot more bus drivers. I will speak up for you in Parliament." Definitely, drivers deserve better benefits and better salaries.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Mr Speaker, Sir, overall, this is a compassionate Budget. Deputy Prime Minister has taken good care of our young and old Singaporeans for the future.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement If I may sum this up in Mandarin:
Debate on Annual Budget Statement 老吾老，以及人之老.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement 幼吾幼，以及人之幼.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement This is the right direction towards an inclusive society. But please do R and R – review and reflect. With that, I support the Budget.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Mr Speaker, Sir, please allow me to congratulate the Deputy Prime Minister Tharman for the efforts taken in the Budget to bring about a more inclusive society in Singapore and attempts to alleviate the effects of inflation.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement Mr Speaker, Sir, I am here to share my thoughts and views on the Government's efforts to achieve inclusive growth. Our rapid economic growth over the years has allowed Singapore to be noticed on the world map today. While we are extremely happy and proud of this collective achievement of ours, the benefits of the growth need to percolate deeply enough to all sections of our society. Inflation in the recent years has in particular prevented a good part of our middle and lower sections of the society from fully enjoying the fruits of Singapore's growth. This section of the society has been struggling to cope with the increased costs in everyday life.