Hansard, Friday, 3 March 2017

1 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Health (a) for each year from 2011 till 2016, how many residents in nursing homes were abandoned by their next-of-kin and how many were unable to pay their bills; (b) what is the typical procedure that nursing home operators follow in such cases; and (c) how are the operators of nursing homes assisted by the Government in dealing with the cases.

Mdm Speaker, we do not specifically track the number of nursing home residents who are abandoned by their families. When families fail to visit, nursing home staff will try to re-establish contact. They may try to contact family members or visit them at their last known addresses to encourage them to visit their loved ones.

The Government provides means-tested subsidies of up to 75% of nursing home costs. Residents who require additional assistance can tap on financial assistance schemes, such as MediFund. Many nursing homes are also run by voluntary welfare organisations and may tap on charitable donations to provide further financial support to their residents. Nursing homes can also provide assistance to eligible residents to seek legal recourse under the Maintenance of Parents Act if they wish to do so.

Mr Leon Perera.

I thank the Minister of State for his answer. I just have a few supplementary questions. Have there been any cases that the Ministry is aware of where because of the inability to pay, the resident of the nursing home could not continue to reside in the nursing home? Second, is there a procedure for what nursing homes should do in case they decide that the bill is not being paid and they cannot afford to keep the resident there?

I would like to thank Mr Leon Perera for the supplementary questions. Like I have mentioned, nursing homes do have certain procedures to try to establish contact with the family members of the residents. Different nursing homes have different procedures but, fundamentally, they are quite similar. They will make phone calls, they will try to email them, they can send letters, and some will also attempt to visit their homes at the last known address.

With regard to residents who are unable to pay for the nursing home cost, the Government does provide financial assistance for those who are eligible under the means testing regime. For those who cannot pay the remaining portions of their bills, they can also tap on MediFund as well.

I would like to reiterate to all Members of the House that every single case of abandonment is sad and heart-wrenching. The Government cannot mandate filial piety but will definitely step in to help whenever possible. While the Government can provide financial support through the various assistance schemes that I have mentioned just now, we cannot play surrogacy to the love and warmth of the family.

2 Mr Seah Kian Peng asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) how many eligible working fathers have applied for a full week of paid paternity leave in 2016; and (b) what is the percentage of applications from the Civil Service.

Madam, among fathers of children born in 2016, about 11,300 fathers have applied for Government-Paid Paternity Leave so far. This figure is still increasing as fathers have the flexibility to take Paternity Leave up to 12 months after their child's birth. The figures will only be finalised at the end of March 2018, when the deadline for the submission of claims is over. Sixteen percent of these applications are from the Civil Service.

Mr Seah Kian Peng.

I thank the Parliamentary Secretary for the answer. A few supplementary questions. So, 11,300 applied in 2016. When I compare this with the corresponding figures for previous years, I note that there were 12,000-over in 2015, and about 11,900 in 2014. Percentage wise, the Parliamentary Secretary mentioned that it was 16% for 2016. This is a big drop from the earlier percentages of 25% in 2015 and 35% in 2014.

To me, these figures do not look very encouraging. Why are fathers not applying? Or are employers not approving or not encouraging fathers to apply? What is the Civil Service going to do about it?

Madam, I shall clarify further. In my answer earlier, I mentioned that 11,300 fathers had applied and 16% is with regard to the whole number and the base that we have. If members look at the actual take-up rate, in fact, it has gone up. In 2014, we had about 38.5% take-up rate; in 2015, it was 44.1%; in 2016, as at to date, it is 35.7%. But like I said earlier, fathers have up to 12 months to take the paternity leave from the date of the birth of their child. On the other hand, the employer has three months more to submit the claims.

The figures for 2015 and 2016 have not been finalised and we expect the figures to be higher. If you look back, the trend has been going up, and it is encouraging.

As for the Civil Service, the 16% is with regard to the total applications. But if you look at the numbers and figures for the Civil Service, in fact, they have also been creeping up. As at to date, 91.4% of eligible fathers in the Civil Service have applied for this leave. Again, similar to what I said earlier, we have not reached the cut-off dates. We expect the percentage to go up further, which is very encouraging.

We are very committed to encouraging fathers to be part of the family development and child-raising process. As such, we have been reaching out to employers to develop family-friendly workplaces and environment. At the same time, there are all the different platforms and initiatives undertaken to provide opportunities for fathers to play a role, not only from Government, but also from community organisations. I am very heartened that Members like Mr Seah and Mr Louis Ng, and my own Minister Tan Chuan-Jin, are trying to promote active fathering. I think this is something that we should develop further. We should harness this within our society so that the whole spectrum of fathering becomes part and parcel of the process of family development. I believe this will help to strengthen our families and will somehow enhance the development of our society.

3 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources if his Ministry will introduce guidelines for the eco-labelling of products to prevent consumers from being potentially misled by non-governmental sanctioned eco-labelling initiatives in the future.

We are encouraged by the increasing awareness of eco-labels among consumers in recent years. Eco-labels are one form of environmental performance certification which can be useful in helping consumers make informed decisions when purchasing environmentally friendly products.

There are several internationally well-established organisations, such as the International Organisation for Standardisation, which establish guiding principles and procedures for the development of eco-labelling programmes to identify products which are environmentally preferable. Taking guidance from them locally are the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme (SGLS), which is administered by the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and the Singapore Green Building Product Labeling Scheme, which is administered by the Singapore Green Building Council.

My Ministry will continue to encourage the administrators of other eco-labels to take reference from these international guidelines to build public confidence in the credibility of their labels with a view to move more people towards environmentally sustainable purchasing practices.

Mr Leon Perera.

Mdm Speaker, I thank the Minister for his reply. Just a few quick supplementary questions. Would there be anything to stop a private organisation from setting up their own private eco-labelling initiative? Will there be anything in the law or elsewhere that would stop a private organisation from doing so, without any connections with international standard bodies or any of the other bodies like SEC that the Minister mentioned? And if there are no such restrictions, how would consumers be able to tell if this is really a credible eco-labelling or otherwise?

In Singapore, there are credible organisations like SEC, which even the Government has taken the signals from in their purchases. In fact, from last year onwards, we have been purchasing paper based on SGLS issued by SEC. Therefore, I urge consumers to use the same credible bodies in making their choices.

4 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (Trade) how does the Government intend to help Singapore companies mitigate the effects of the manufacturing move back to the US by US companies.

Mdm Speaker, Singapore remains an attractive investment destination, including from United States companies. In 2016, the Economic Development Board (EDB) attracted S$9.4 billion in fixed asset investments. For 2017, EDB expects investment commitment numbers to be comparable to 2016 levels, namely, at S$8 million to S$10 billion. Our manufacturing sector is also well-diversified, with investments from companies around the world.

For Singapore to remain attractive, Singapore must maintain our economic competitiveness. In the case of our manufacturing sector, this competitiveness is built on several key attributes, including our pro-business environment, access to skilled talent, research capabilities and strong intellectual property protection. Many companies have decided to establish themselves in Singapore to complement their global manufacturing footprint. From Singapore, they can more readily tap on regional supply chains as well as better access regional markets.

Maintaining our competitiveness means pressing on with our industry transformation efforts to better position our manufacturing sector for the future. The Industry Transformation Maps are critical in this effort. They set out growth and competitiveness plans for 23 sectors, including several in the manufacturing cluster, complemented by initiatives to raise productivity, spur innovation, promote internationalisation, as well as equip our people with the relevant skillsets.

As part of EDB's Home Strategy, EDB anchors the critical functions and differentiating competencies of globally leading companies to improve their rootedness to Singapore for the long term. In the manufacturing sector, EDB aims to anchor industry leaders in Singapore while building up a complementary ecosystem of suppliers and research and development institutes that can partner effectively with these "queen bees". We have also committed S$3.2 billion for the Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering domain under the Research and Enterprise 2020 plan, through which the Agency for Science, Technology and Research will support the development of technological capabilities for our manufacturing and engineering sectors.

In addition, EDB is partnering other Government agencies, such as SkillsFuture Singapore, Workforce Singapore, the Institutes of Higher Learning and industry players, to equip our people with the skillsets to stay competitive. These efforts will ensure that our manufacturing companies can access a steady pipeline of talent.

More broadly, Singapore must remain open and connected to ensure that we retain our relevance to businesses. Singapore must continually work with like-minded partners to guard against protectionist policies, which adversely affect global trade with knock-on effects on economic growth worldwide, while pursuing the liberalisation of trade and investment that will create opportunities for our companies and our people.

Order. End of Question Time.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah.

Mdm Speaker, I refer to my speech in Parliament on 1 March 2017, where I referred to a visit that I had made to a new Build-To-Order (BTO) development in Nee Soon South earlier this year. [Please refer to "Debate on Annual Budget Statement", Official Report, 1 March 2017, Vol 94, Issue No 36.]

I visited the site in my capacity as a Member of Parliament for the constituency. As a Member of Parliament, I normally visit all new BTOs in the neighbourhood when they are completed. For the record, I would also like to declare that I was the Qualified Person for the project. Thank you.

[(proc text) Order read for consideration in Committee of Supply [Allotted Day]. (proc text)]

[Mdm Speaker in the Chair]

Supplementary Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017, contained in Paper Cmd 9 of 2017. As there are no amendments, I propose to take the Heads of Expenditure en bloc. I will first take Heads E, I, N and S of the Supplementary Main Estimates.

[(proc text) Question, "That the sums stated for the Heads of Expenditure as shown on page 4 of Paper Cmd 9 of 2017 stand part of the Supplementary Main Estimates," put and agreed to. (proc text)]

[(proc text) Question, "That the sum of $105,323,500 shall be supplied to the Government under the Heads of Expenditure for the public services shown in the Supplementary Main Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017 contained in Paper Cmd 9 of 2017," put and agreed to. (proc text)]

[(proc text) Resolution to be reported. (proc text)]

[(proc text) Question, "That the sums stated for the Heads S and W, as shown on page 6 of Paper Cmd 9 of 2017, stand part of the Supplementary Development Estimates," put and agreed to. (proc text)]

[(proc text) Question, "That the sum of $464,478,600 shall be supplied to the Government under the Heads of Expenditure for the public services shown in the Supplementary Development Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017," put and agreed to. (proc text)]

[(proc text) Resolution to be reported. (proc text)]

[(proc text) Thereupon Mdm Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House. (proc text)]

Mdm Speaker, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has come to certain resolutions.

[(proc text) First Resolution reported, (proc text)]

[(proc text) "That the sum of $105,323,500 shall be supplied to the Government under the Heads of Expenditure for the public services shown in the Supplementary Main Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017, contained in Paper Cmd 9 of 2017." (proc text)]

[(proc text) Second Resolution reported, (proc text)]

[(proc text) "That the sum of $464,478,600 shall be supplied to the Government under the Heads of Expenditure for the public services shown in the Supplementary Development Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017, contained in Paper Cmd 9 of 2017." (proc text)]

Mdm Speaker, I beg to move, "That Parliament doth agree with the Committee on the said resolutions."

[(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)]

[(proc text) Resolutions accordingly agreed to. (proc text)]

[(proc text) Order read for consideration in Committee of Supply [2nd Allotted Day]. (proc text)]

[Mdm Speaker in the Chair]

Head J, Ministry of Defence. Mr Vikram Nair.

Madam, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head J of the Estimates be reduced by $100".

This year marks the 75th Anniversary of the fall of Singapore in World War II. The events in the 20 years since that day have marked the tumultuous journey of Singapore to Independence.

Even after Independence, security became one of our concerns and National Service (NS) started shortly after. This year, we also celebrate the 50th Anniversary of NS. Happily, Singapore has grown against the backdrop of domestic peace and prospered. However, security threats remain around us.

In the South China Sea, the United States (US) administration has recently mentioned that they see China's developments of installations in the island as illegal and steps may be taken to stop China from accessing them. China has responded by continuing its security patrols and even sailing its aircraft carrier through the region. While I think conflict is not in either party's interest, the threat certainly seems to be looming amongst the great powers.

Closer to the region, along the Korean peninsula, North Korea has carried out its fifth nuclear test in September 2016. Even closer to home, in the Kuala Lumpur airport, a North Korean national, Kim Jong-Nam, a half-brother of North Korea's leader, was killed under mysterious circumstances. It appears that nerve agent VX, classified as a "weapon of mass destruction", might have been used in the process.

Meanwhile, terror threats that have captured our imagination in recent years continue. Even as the so-called Islamic State loses ground in Iraq and Syria, the terror attacks continue. Last year, these included attacks in Nice, Yemen, Turkey and Bangladesh, with the death tolls in the hundreds. Some of these were organised attacks, while others were lone wolf attacks by self-radicalised individuals. This makes the reach of terrorism far and wide, with lone wolf attacks being particularly difficult to detect.

In the region, too, not all appears comfortable. Indonesia, for the first time in many years, was wrecked by violent demonstrations in Jakarta in response to remarks made by its governor. But physical threats are not the only threats. Just the last few days, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) reported that there was an attack on its cyber systems. Cyberattacks, I think, are a threat that has captured our imagination for a long time but now it seems to have come very close to home.

The security threats we face come from far, wide, in many forms, and MINDEF is very much in the frontline to deal with many of these. For this reason, I would like to open this debate by asking what MINDEF sees as the most salient security challenges facing Singapore today, both conventional and unconventional.

[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef.

Madam, can I take both cuts together?

Yes, please.

Our Strategic Framework Agreement with the US formalised our bilateral security and defence relationship. This agreement allows the US access to facilities on a rotational basis without bringing up sensitive sovereignty issues. Singapore's sophisticated facilities and political standing in the region allows us to host the US thus.

In recent times, much change and transformation are shaping up. These include the newly elected US President and also a rising China, with certain observable characteristics. Trump's administration leaves a lot of uncertainties on outcomes in these relations. The leadership in both countries is becoming more unpredictable. Whilst China wants to exercise influence, the US stand is also unclear and in limbo. What is MINDEF's view of this complex, transitional issue, which will have implications on our security and growth, both regionally and globally? Are there anticipated changes expected in our defence relations with the US and China, knowing that maintaining strong relations is important for us.

Today, besides traditional security issues, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is confronted with complex, non-traditional threats, namely, in the form of terrorism and transnational crimes. These may include trafficking, money laundering, cybercrimes and even people smuggling. The region is also not exempt from threats of nuclear weapons as well.

A closer and stronger cooperation and alignment is necessary, bilaterally as well as with our multilateral partnerships and an understanding must continue to be inculcated and strengthened. One particular area is certainly defence relations.

How is Singapore working with our ASEAN partners and others in the region in the areas of, firstly, conflict prevention, mitigation and mediation; secondly, counter terrorism and transnational crimes curbing; and thirdly, peacekeeping activities and operations, including maritime security? Finally, are there also newer areas of cooperation that we are working on together?

Mdm Chairperson, at the recent Seventh Malaysia-Singapore Leaders' Retreat, Prime Minister Lee and Prime Minister Najib reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations and reiterated the importance of defence cooperation between the two countries and to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation. A month earlier, the latest in a long series of the Semangat Bersatu joint military exercises between the Malaysian and Singaporean armies was successfully concluded.

While it remains important to remember that such exercises were halted when relations turn sour in the past, the reality of the geopolitical environment today emphasises the importance of greater defence cooperation and not less, so as to improve bilateral and regional security.

To that end, is the Ministry considering the introduction of newer confidence-building initiatives with both Malaysia and Indonesia, in addition to the Malacca Straits patrol, the Five Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA) and the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM-Plus frameworks? In previous cuts, I have suggested pursuing the prospects of joint peacekeeping initiatives and training for international assignments. Is the Ministry considering newer areas for military-to-military cooperation with Malaysia, beyond those like the Semangat Bersatu exercise series, so as to take advantage of the goodwill arising out of the political relationship with a view to more durable ties in future?

In contrast, while the political relationship with Indonesia is more complex, as a result of the politically diverse and more representative democratic terrain today, the military relationship appears to be an all-weather one despite occasional political turbulence. Yet, 2017 marks the 10th anniversary of the yet to be implemented Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) between Singapore and Indonesia.

As Members would remember, DCA was linked to an extradition treaty between both countries. In 2007, Indonesia sought to review DCA after agreeing details with Singapore, while Singapore insisted that negotiations were complete. All this resulted in a package agreement that was stillborn.

In April last year, however, Jakarta confirmed that it was intensifying cooperation in law enforcement in lieu of an extradition treaty and was reported to have given Singapore a list of fugitives, for follow-up and assistance. In light of the 50th Anniversary of Singapore-Indonesia diplomatic ties and the signing of the Eastern Boundary Treaty, what is the Ministry's perspective of initiating fresh discussions on DCA in the name of renewed military cooperation and stronger diplomatic links between both countries?

Mr Amrin Amin, you have two cuts, please take them together.

As a multiracial and multi-religious country, disinformation campaigns and fake news can erode trust among various groups, and this can be exploited by external parties. Minister Ng Eng Hen had also warned in 2013 that some types of false news could have exponential consequences which could undermine our national security. Online misinformation could spread widely during tense or volatile situations, causing confusion and chaos which could weaken the community's resolve and cause disunity. How is MINDEF preparing to respond to such threats in the information domain? What role can each Singaporean play?

Last year, Minister Ng talked about the "troubled peace" that we will face in an increasingly volatile and borderless environment. We have witnessed recently alleged state-directed hybrid attacks which combine conventional and unofficial military means with cyber warfare, propaganda and indirect tactics. How prevalent are such attacks in our region and are we vulnerable? What can be done to guard Singapore against such attacks?

Madam, today's threats facing Singapore have broadened, as others before me have spoken about. Beyond conventional war, there are areas, including terrorism, cybersecurity, pandemic management, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The year 2016 alone has seen a wide spate of terror attacks around the world. Closer to home, Singapore itself has been targeted by the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in the aftermath of 9/11, and also in August last year by a militant group planning to launch a rocket at Singapore's Marina Bay. The unveiling of this foiled terrorist attack highlighted the real possibility of future terrorist attacks in Singapore.

The training syllabus of National Servicemen (NSmen) and full-time National Servicemen (NSFs), as some of us know it, was largely based on conventional armed conflict. I would like to know if the syllabus has since been updated to cover these new areas of threats and challenges. Specifically, I would like to ask the Minister if MINDEF has put in sufficient preparations such that our Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel are trained for roles in counterterrorism and are equipped with the necessary intelligence, skillsets, technology and equipment to deal with terrorism. More importantly, in the event of an attack in Singapore, are our servicemen trained to deal with its aftermath? Indeed, is our population prepared to deal with such an aftermath and relief efforts?

Cybersecurity, as others have pointed out, is also particularly important to Singapore because our vision is to become an even smarter city. The recent breach of our I-net system clearly illustrated our vulnerability and showed us how hard it is to defend against determined hackers. Cyber terrorism can also potentially cripple us in Singapore as we leverage the Internet and conduct increasingly a large part of our daily lives on the Net.

I would also like to ask the Minister how MINDEF and other Government agencies, such as the Cyber Security Agency (CSA), GovTech and so on, are preparing to strengthen our cybersecurity, and what measures are in place to mitigate the damage if breached?

Chairman, in the Mumbai terrorist bombing incident not too long ago, the use of mobile telephones and electronic devices featured strongly in the coordination and execution phases. Cyberattacks are, indeed, growing in volume by the day and pose very complex and unique challenges. The emergence of sophisticated information systems has, indeed, transformed the world we live in today. Cyber threats do not fit in readily into the traditional security framework that exists in most modern states today. New approaches are crucial and the appropriate and balanced role of the military is central to this. The work from King's College London breaks down these threats into: (a) espionage, (b) subversion, (c) sabotage, (d) cybercrime and, finally, (e) cyber war, which is less common.

The military response is not the only response but part of a concerted and consolidated approach, including legal and political responses and so on. How is MINDEF approaching this issue and also how is it being coordinated with other agencies in Singapore, such as the law enforcement agencies that we have here? How does this framework fit into our national cybersecurity ecosystem?

With the pervasive revolution we are experiencing, technology is pervasive and impacting many aspects of our work and life.

Unlike previous industrial revolutions, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is evolving at an exponential pace. This revolution is characterised by the emergence of a range of technologies fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, creating new ways in which technology is immersed in our lives. These include technological breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, 3D printing, nanotechnology and quantum computing.

We know that technology enables possibilities and it is an important part of MINDEF's transformation effort to build the next-generation SAF. But the differentiator is not just technology but how technology is used. That requires people and talent.

The Defence Technology Community (DTC), which started in 1966, comprising the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and DSO National Laboratories (DSO), as well as MINDEF's Future Systems and Technology Directorate, and Defence Industry and Systems Office, has grown to a 5,000-strong community today.

In his speech marking the 50th Anniversary of DTC, President Tony Tan described DTC as standing at the forefront of scientific and engineering discovery. DTC pioneers have played a key role in shaping Singapore's defence technology.

Can the Minister share how MINDEF is tapping on these emerging technologies in support of Singapore's defence? Apart from leveraging technology, how is MINDEF engaging its talent base to build the capacity and capabilities to realise the potential of these emerging technologies?

Chairman, drones are becoming more common and sophisticated. They will grow to be an integral part of our lives due to their many useful applications, from logistics to transport, photography, videos and even patrols. But in the wrong hands, they can be a threat to our national security.

Last month, the Washington Post reported that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) had established a new unmanned aircraft unit, comprising of fleets of modified drones equipped with bombs.

Drones can be easily bought and transported. They can be launched from almost anywhere and once they are airborne, they can reach any location within a few kilometres in minutes. The smaller ones are almost undetectable in flight. Current radar systems are designed to track larger aircrafts.

Drones can be used to deliver goods. For those with bad intentions, such items may include poisonous powders or gases like sarin, incendiary devices, grenades and bombs.

More worrying, it can be very difficult to trace the owner and operator of a drone. The risk of detection during the process of transporting, launching and operating one is low.

Do we have the controls and infrastructure in place to regulate the access of drones? What is MINDEF's assessment of the threat drones pose to Singapore now and in the future? What measures does the Ministry have to ensure our national security will not be compromised with the increasingly widespread use of drones in our daily lives and in the near future?

As a small country, technology is going to be fundamental to our defence. What is equally important is developing our own technology.

I have personally seen how important these changes can be. I was in a group of NSmen that did NS with the M-16. Later on in reservist, I was acquainted with the SAR-21, a wholely modified weapon. I have also seen the wonderful difference this makes. I used to barely pass my shooting tests when I was in NS. With the SAR-21, my entire section became marksmen. So, there is tremendous improvement in productivity with our homegrown weapons.

One of the important things, of course, is whether we can get enough people to develop these weapons, these homegrown technologies. We need people with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) backgrounds or fields. What is MINDEF doing to ensure that we have enough people with background in STEM to ensure that we will maintain our own capabilities to develop such technology?

Mdm Chair, in 1965, Singapore became an Independent state. We set up SAF soon after that. Over the years, we have continually modernised SAF which gave rise to the Second Generation SAF in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2004, we created the Third Generation (3G) SAF. This transformation journey upgraded our systems to becoming an advanced networked force with leading-edge capabilities.

Today, the threats facing Singapore have, indeed, expanded. SAF remains more important than ever to defend Singapore against a broad array of such threats.

Even as the threats have broadened, the Singaporean manpower that SAF can draw upon will soon shrink as our total fertility rate has been low for many years. How would SAF do more with less manpower available to it? How have we leveraged on technologies, as Mr Vikram Nair has spoken about, to improve our productivity, combat effectiveness and, of course, expand the number of marksmen?

Can the Minister provide an overview of the SAF's capabilities and readiness on land, at sea and in the air, and, indeed, in space through satellites, to effectively defend Singapore against such a broad array of threats? MINDEF will have many busy years ahead.

Mdm Chair, in November last year, Prime Minister Lee spoke of slower economic growth as being the new normal. Indeed, we are going through an economic transition. Trade has been slowing and our local workforce growth is nearing its limits.

As the Finance Minister noted in the Budget Statement, many developed economies going through the same transition have seen their annual gross domestic product growth decelerate to 1% or lower. Against the backdrop of this new normal and, given the growing requirements in areas, such as healthcare and infrastructure, it seems that the current fiscal climate is one of prudence. The Finance Minister noted that with our spending needs increasing, the Government must continue to spend judiciously, emphasise value-for-money and drive innovation in delivery.

Every Ministry has a part to play in ensuring prudent spending in order to better prepare for the future. However, we observe that in the area of defence and security, regional countries' defence spending is at its highest ever. Asia has spent more on its defence than Europe in absolute dollars since 2012. We also observe that the countries in our region will continue to increase the defence spending at even faster rates than the rest of the world in the years ahead. In fact, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, from 2014 to 2015 alone, there was a 5.4% increase in military expenditure in Asia and Oceania, which far surpasses the 1% increase in defence spending globally.

Our security environment is increasingly complex and unpredictable. I recognise that MINDEF must still invest in the necessary resources to ensure that SAF is able to defend Singapore and Singaporeans against different threats to our security. Can MINDEF elaborate on how it remains prudent whilst still ensuring that SAF has the resources it needs to keep Singapore safe and secure?

Mr Vikram Nair, you can take your two cuts together.

Mdm Chair, as a small country, SAF competes for use of land with many other uses. Most recently, the acquisition of Paya Lebar Air Base was announced. I have fond memories of Paya Lebar Air Base because my mother was a psychologist there and I used to go there as a child. That camp will probably not be there in a few years' time.

The camp where I did my NS, Nee Soon Camp, will probably not be functioning as a Basic Military Training (BMT) camp anymore. In fact, I think it has already stopped functioning as one. Bit by bit, we see a long list of training areas and camps that SAF used to use being given up. Whether it is the Air Force, Navy or Army, all three services require land to train. Given local land scarcity and increasing demand for land for other uses, how will SAF ensure that our soldiers receive the necessary training?

As I mentioned earlier, this is also our 50th Anniversary of NS. NS has become a Singapore institution. Not only is it a fundamental part of our national defence, it is also an important part of our national identity. It is the one basis on which men easily relate to one another; and women can easily relate to one another as well talking about what men go through.

One of the fundamental issues we face with NS is our declining population, and cohorts are likely to get smaller and smaller each year. Each NSman will, therefore, become even more precious. What step is MINDEF taking to ensure that each NSman receives adequate training, his potential is well used and whatever capabilities he has will be well maximised?

Related to this are the new form of threats we face. Many of the earlier speakers have alluded to the threat faced by cyberattacks, hybrid warfare, and these threats are likely to become even more important in future. We will need to develop our capabilities to defend against cyberattacks and, potentially, even to use them as part of a counterattack in a broader defence strategy. The fact that MINDEF's own servers were hacked just a few days ago highlights how real and imminent this threat is.

But dealing with this threat also requires people, and the skills required for this are highly specialised and the people with those skills are likely to be few.

What are the recommendations from the Committee on the Future Economy in relation to this? It suggested using NSmen to boost our pool of cyber talent to deal with such threats. I understand that other countries, such as Israel, also use national servicemen to deal with cybersecurity threats.

Can MINDEF provide details on whether it plans to implement these suggestions from the Committee on the Future Economy and, if so, how it plans to do so?

Madam, at the launch of NS50 last month, Minister Ng Eng Hen said that 50 years ago, "We pledged at the founding of our nation that we would never allow the circumstances that occurred in 1942 when Singapore fell to the Japanese during World War II to recur". Minister Ng spoke of the contributions of our Pioneer Generation of NSmen, noting that, in their time, "Singapore was threatened by Konfrontasi, the communist insurgency in Malaya and the possible fallout from the Vietnam War".

When it was first started, NS was essential for the defence of a young nation. Our Pioneer Generation of NSmen was tasked with defending Singapore at a time when there was barely an SAF to speak of.

Fifty years on, our region has benefited from several decades of relative peace and stability. We have a strong and capable SAF that has protected Singapore's borders and interests. Singapore is thriving and secure.

Around the world, other countries, such as Lithuania, France and Sweden, have ended conscription, but, more recently, some are thinking of bringing it back.

Against this backdrop, what role does NS play for Singapore and is it still as important? How does MINDEF continuously remind people, including would-be enlistees, NSFs, NSmen, as well as their families, employers and the public at large, of the evolving role but continued importance of NS?

Madam, I wish to seek clarifications from the Ministry on the following:

Due to the changing landscape in warfare, how does MINDEF evolve its training and operations to meet new challenges in urban warfare?

Madam, this year, Singapore celebrates 50 years of NS. Many male Singaporeans who have served NS understand the importance of defending Singapore and have developed the resolve to protect our land.

However, most of them were trained in conventional tactics, such as jungle warfare, which may not be relevant in today's hybrid warfare threats. Hybrid warfare is a military concept that involves using conventional weapons and unconventional tools, such as economic sanctions and communications, to achieve victory without resorting to open war.

Madam, in today's densely built-up areas and changing threats, both within and outside Singapore, the operating environment for warfare has changed quite drastically. Therefore, we need to review our training doctrines and outcomes to develop new capabilities in our defence force.

Besides training our NSFs and regular Servicemen on new capabilities, we also need to develop a training roadmap to upgrade the capabilities of our NSmen.

Madam, in my opinion, we should focus on three areas to strengthen our defence force. First, develop fighting capabilities in built-up areas for urban warfare; second, develop information and communications capabilities to counter cyberattacks; and third, develop attack capabilities to deter or destroy any aggressors to our country.

Mdm Chair, in June 2014, the Government accepted 30 recommendations proposed by the Committee to Strengthen NS (CSNS). This Committee was made up of members from diverse backgrounds, including Members of this House, all tasked with reviewing how NS could be strengthened to better serve Singapore and Singaporeans.

The CSNS Report cited a survey done by the Institute of Policy Studies where 97% of respondents felt that more could be done to match Servicemen's personal skills and abilities with NS vocations. The Report also noted that CSNS had studied the Finnish and Swiss NS systems, both of which enjoy strong public support, and noted that both the Finns and the Swiss had some form of policy where conscripts could indicate their vocational preferences when enlisted.

Based on these findings, one of the CSNS recommendations was to consider the vocational interests of NSFs when assigning them to vocations. In line with CSNS' recommendations, MINDEF allowed the first cohort of pre-enlistees under the new initiative to indicate vocational preferences when they reported to the Central Manpower Base in November last year.

Can MINDEF provide an update on the vocational interest initiative? Are there other ways in SAF that are being reviewed to better deploy its Servicemen?

Madam, NS is a sacred duty for all male Singaporean Citizens and second-generation Permanent Residents. It is the cornerstone of Singapore's defence and security. For many Singaporean men, it is a rite of passage where he leaves the comforts of his home at the young age of 18 and takes on the commitment of defending his country, family and friends. Men, regardless of social status, race or religion, train hand in hand, look out for one another and overcome challenging tasks as one people. This "social glue" that is forged through NS is, indeed, a precious outcome for the country.

Given that NSmen give their time to train and defend this nation, it would be right for MINDEF to improve the NS experience. How have MINDEF done this over the years and are there recent initiatives to improve NSmen's engagement and fulfilment? The NS Orbat (Order of Battle) is understandably different because its mission is different from the civilian sector, and we draw the entire cohort of men from the civilian sector. However, to the extent that we can match the private sector interest of the NSmen to their NS vocation, MINDEF will get more out of them, and they more out of NS.

Given the importance of our NSmen to Singapore, we, no doubt, should recognise their contributions and efforts. In fact, we should go further and also recognise those who supported them through NS ‒ parents, spouses, girlfriends and so forth.

I am all for SAF Reservists Association (SAFRA) membership recognition and for also highlighting NS contributions to their employers. I think that has gone a long way to recognising them. But as for monetary rewards, I am ambivalent. We ought to strike the right balance, lest we reduce NS duty to a mere commercial transaction.

Can the Minister highlight what other NS recognition programmes and how else we can do to make NS more fulfilling for our NSmen?

Madam, let me first thank the many Members for their speeches. As I was listening to them, I had generally two reactions.

One, I am thankful that we have even helped some people improve their marksmanship. We will take credit where credit is due and even when it is not sometimes. I am thankful for the support across the aisles. Whether you are of any political affiliation, Non-Constituency Member, Nominated Member ‒ I am very thankful that the support for defence is across all parties.

The second reaction was one of agreement. In fact, I could agree with everything, almost all points brought up by Members of Parliament (MPs). And if you listen to their speeches, it was a tour de force of the changing security environment − how the world is, indeed, unpredictable; how new threats are on the horizon and even upon us. And yet, because we are under pressure with other increased needs, how can SAF and Singapore respond to these threats with the budget allocated? So, there is total agreement with what the Members said.

Their speeches capture the essence of the new security environment for which Singapore and Singaporeans must, indeed, prepare for, and which SAF must adapt to, to protect our sovereignty and defend our home. Mr Cedric Foo and Dr Teo Ho Pin spoke about this. We have talked about the 3G transformation for a number of years. But a new environment is upon us.

And like Members here, we recognise that this year is a very special year ‒ 75 years since the fall of Singapore, 50 years since NS' inception. Together with all Members here, we want to thank the more than one million committed NSmen who have done their duty faithfully and built a strong SAF to protect Singapore and Singaporeans these past decades. Even as we laud their individual contributions, I agree with Members here that SAF must now undertake critical steps to better protect Singapore in this new security environment. As we did for the 3G SAF transformation efforts, SAF must once again transform to the Next Generation SAF, to be better positioned for the future. Major parts of my speech will focus on this.

I agree with Members here that the world, indeed, is at an inflexion point. Interview any world leader now and he will say so. Even if world leaders do not say so, our citizens can feel that turbulence, that change to come. What is happening?

The last 25 years after the Cold War were marked by rapid globalisation and relative peace despite the threat of extremist terrorism, which we do not underplay. This relative peace was so much so that militaries in the European Union (EU) physically downsized. I remember when I visited Germany, when I first went to their Ministry of Defence, the Bundeswehr was talking about a one-third reduction, a significant reduction. There were good reasons. They wanted to reap the peace dividend of a united Europe against what was perceived to be a declining Russia.

In Asia, it was a good three decades. China's economy grew for 30 years phenomenally at an average of 10% every year. India's economy also grew, albeit at a slower rate of about 6% per annum over a similar period from 1979 for 30 years. This massive growth lifted all boats in the global economy, particularly for Asia, including ASEAN, which grew an average of 6% per annum, well above the global average of 4%.

That era we are witnessing is now changing trajectory, as the benefits of globalisation have not been uniform either within or across countries. And the so-called "ills" of globalisation related to migration and job disruption have eroded popular support in many countries, never mind the benefits of hundreds of millions lifted out of poverty.

So, instead of the optimism and hope that greeted the end of the Cold War, uncertainty prevails today. There is uncertainty about what "America First" means for global leadership and trade, especially if the erstwhile or current global leader of global trade is not part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership; uncertainty in Asia about how the US-China strategic rivalry will impact Asia and us, as many Members have said before me, especially the pressure on small states like Singapore to choose sides.

Across Europe, still reeling from the global economic crisis in 2008, there is uncertainty about the security threat against some of its members. Many Members have mentioned Sweden, not just one state but across Europe. There is even concern over the existence of EU itself, especially when far-right parties that push for the equivalent of Brexit are gaining ground.

Many Members here have reflected these uncertainties, including Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef, who asked whether we were vulnerable. Indeed, we are vulnerable. And we should accept that the geopolitics will be turbulent and that Singapore has to prepare for choppy waters. But at the same time, our national strategy to deal with this uncertainty is still sound. It is a simple strategy, one based, firstly, on a strong SAF supported by Total Defence, which we have, with your support, steadily invested resources into every year.

Secondly, as Members here have mentioned, including Mr Pritam Singh, good relations with our neighbours coupled with very strong partnerships with like-minded countries. Some Members, including Mr Pritam Singh, have asked what our relations are with our immediate neighbours, and I will tell you that, generally, they are excellent and, indeed, we cooperate on many fronts. The Malacca Straits Patrol, as was mentioned, marked its 10th anniversary last year. There continues to be solid support for FPDA, now into its 46th year. The 18-nation ADMM-Plus has made good progress, with many working groups dealing with different security challenges.

Mr Pritam Singh asked whether we should have more platforms for cooperation. We are open to that. Anything that improves military-to-military cooperation, we will undertake. But we have to understand that, in some aspects, we wait to be invited, for example, the new Sulu Seas Patrols. We have already availed our resources from our Information Fusion Centre in Changi Naval Base to the Sulu Seas Patrols, because that is part of our interest. For other initiatives, we will lean forward if other countries want us to participate further.

We signed an enhanced DCA with the US in 2015 and the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Australia last year. Our bilateral relations with China and India have also grown. In 2014, Members will remember that General Chang Wanquan and I agreed on a "Four Point Consensus" in which we affirmed principles and substantive steps to strengthen our bilateral defence cooperation. For India, Minister Manohar Parrikar and I also signed the revised DCA in 2015 and we are now exploring stepping up collaboration in areas, such as maritime security and counterterrorism.

These strong partnerships stand us in good stead but, ultimately, it is the Next Generation SAF's primary mission and responsibility to deal with security threats in this 21st century, as Members here have said. We know that it is fully in our court, that SAF must stand ready. And I agree with Members that this includes the threat of cyberattacks and fake news.

Two years ago, I brought up the issue of hybrid warfare in the Committee of Supply (COS) debates. It was not a very much bandied word; in fact, it was a very uncommon word. But today, as I listened to Members' speeches, it has become so common, so well-known only within a short space of two years. The threat has progressively risen. I just came back from the Munich Security Conference and, there, Chancellor Merkel stated openly that some countries considered hybrid warfare to be legitimate. She is not wrong. Last week, the Financial Times had a full write-up on cyber warfare. Let me quote a salient paragraph.

"Russia's military does not tend to talk of cyber warfare, as the West does, in tightly proscribed, legally measured actions, but rather discusses the broader concept of an information war, a concept that precedes the Soviet era, in which the toolkit has been brought up to speed for the digital era." The article continued that the Russian Defence Minister confirmed the existence of information troops, rumoured for years but long denied by officials. They quoted the Russian Defence Minister, "Propaganda must be smart, literate and effective," he told the Lower House of Parliament. Russia spends $300 million annually on its "Cyber Army" of about 1,000 people, according to the Kommersant, their local newspaper.

This is the head of a government − the German government − saying that there are countries around them which consider this legitimate. Defence ministers coming out openly to say that "This is part of my Orbat and part of my mission." There is doctrine, there is training, there is execution. Russia is not alone, as other countries, too, have been reported to have cyber battalions, even cyber divisions in their military and ministries. And I agree completely with Members here that the Next Generation SAF needs to prepare for this environment where state-orchestrated cyber and information campaigns against another state are not only considered legitimate but can be ongoing all the time. The impact of that threat can have real and damaging physical consequences. Let me give Members some examples.

Ukraine's power grid has been hit by several cyberattacks, and one such attack in December 2015 cut off power to an area about 20 times the size of Singapore, and this was in the middle of winter. Estonia is a small nation with about 1.3 million people. Their people and government understand this threat particularly well, because they have been a target of well-orchestrated cyberattacks since 2007 for the last decade, so much so that Estonia plans to make a digital copy of the entire nation, everything from birth records, property deeds, bank data, all government records. They want to do this and store it in another location, a secret location, in the United Kingdom or Luxembourg. At least, they have given you the two places they want to store the information.

Why do they want to do this? Just imagine. We had 850 personal information stolen. Suppose somebody burrows into our Central Provident Fund records, death and registry records, housing records and demolishes them. There will be utter chaos for any nation.

Even elections can be influenced by orchestrated cyberattacks. The Democratic National Committee was hacked in the last US Presidential Elections, with thousands of documents released by unknown sources meant to discredit its candidate. The Financial Times alleged that the Russians have already compromised the servers of political parties in France and Germany which are going to have elections. I do not know how the Financial Times knows this, but they have reported it. Nearer to home, Members mentioned Indonesia, that it did, indeed, inflame ethnic and political tensions. And Indonesia has responded by establishing an agency to counter cybercrime and fake news.

Our best defence against this information warfare is Total Defence, which has stood the test of time. I will leave it to Senior Minister of State Maliki to elaborate how we need to update and refresh Total Defence in response to these hybrid threats.

But modern militaries can no longer choose to ignore these external threats through the digital front. We will be silly to do so and be derelict in our responsibility. As it happens, we have prepared this speech for some weeks now, but MINDEF recently disclosed a breach in its I-net system. Plans for this speech were prepared before we detected that breach. It is not a surprise. It is no revelation when I tell Members that we can expect more such cyberattacks in the future. Indeed, it was that potential of the cyber threat which was recognised early, which is why, even from inception, for SAF, our classified and operational networks were separated from the Internet since we had those systems. We understood then. But the threat is now material and even greater. I agree completely with Members that SAF will need to step up its cyber defences, even as the level of this threat increases.

Mr Cedric Foo asked pointedly about our efforts to combat these new threats. In a clear and unmitigated recognition that the cyber domain is the battlefield today, MINDEF and SAF will stand up a new cyber command. It will be called the Defence Cyber Organisation (DCO) and placed at the highest level of our organisational hierarchy. This new cyber command will be led by a Deputy Secretary. It will comprise four major formations, each commanded by at least a Colonel or flag officer, a General or an Admiral, within MINDEF and SAF.

The cyber command will oversee policies, train cyber units to monitor and defend our networks 24/7 from threats, which will assess vulnerabilities, detect attempted intrusions and breaches in the system. SAF must keep up with the tactics and operations of aggressors in the cyber realm, something which Member Teo Ho Pin spoke about, and because this is a never-ending game, as we do in conventional warfare.

In the steady state, DCO will have about 2,600 soldiers, supported by scientists and engineers in DSTA and DSO. This is a significant build-up from the current numbers and it reflects the importance of this new battlefront. In response to Members, this is a clear signal. We agree with you. SAF and MINDEF will step up.

NSmen − some Members have asked − yes, NSmen will also be trained in vocations for cyber defence. It will be silly for us not to; they are our main resource. And just as security troopers now physically protect key installations, we will deploy these NS cyber defenders to protect our installations together with CSA. Minister Ong Ye Kung will elaborate on this.

Some Members like Ms Jessica Tan have asked about technology and how we will deploy resources. Modern militaries are powered by technology. There is no running away from it, especially so for Singapore. As Members have rightly pointed out, we will see a fall in manpower, and our defence technology organisations will gear up to support these changes.

Mr Vikram Nair asked about our STEM recruitment efforts. He is quite right. We now have a 5,000-strong and growing community of defence engineers and scientists. We will increase such scholarships and awards by 40% by 2025. So, 170 from 120 today. The pinnacle Public Service Commission Scholarship (Engineering) within MINDEF will be awarded this year.

Two new labs will be set up so that we can focus our efforts, just as many Members talked about leveraging technology, which I completely agree with. One lab will be DSO's, which will set up the robotics lab. DSTA's new lab will exploit AI and data analytics. We will give these two new labs a seed grant of $45 million annually as a start, so that they can lead in more experimentation and innovation. We are at the front edge of this, and it is not as if you can buy commercial software easily, so you will have to invest in resources to kickstart the process.

The work on robotics has already begun. Six Singapore Infantry Regiment soldiers are currently experimenting with unmanned aerial and ground vehicles to perform their missions. The Navy has gone further. The Navy is putting Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) which can navigate and avoid collisions autonomously into operations. Let me make this clear: it is not a remote control device, it is an autonomous device.

SAF, working with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), has already deployed and developed countermeasures against potential drone attacks. This is something that Member Joan Pereira asked about. We recognise this threat. This is a real threat. We are monitoring these aspects, such as developments in Iraq and Syria. But we are not taking it lightly and, in fact, this is an issue that was discussed at the Security Policy Review Committee that is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Teo. And whether you know it or not, in the last National Day Parade that was held at the National Stadium, these systems were already deployed, not only to detect, but countermeasures. Laws, as you will remember, were also recently enacted by this House and legislation gazetted so that we can have powers.

The Analytics and AI Lab will exploit the mega volumes of realtime information that can be derived from the Internet of Things and platforms. We have many platforms, and I agree with Members that not only are we vulnerable, but we need to exploit it. Because the realisable potential is enormous. Let me give Members just one example.

Every single day, there are about 1,500 commercial ships that ply our waters. The Singapore Maritime Crisis Centre uses a particular programme with AI embedded to generate unique signatures for each of these vessels in our waters. These individual signatures are collated from multiple sources, which include social media and other specific information. They are collated, scanned, made sense of and fused to give one picture. Then, it detects deviations from this signature.

This AI-embedded method detected a possible ISIS supporter on board a tanker that was in our waters in 2015. So, among all the ships, among the tens and hundreds of thousands of occupants, cargo, they detected a possible ISIS supporter. That person was barred from disembarking into Singapore. Finding this needle in a big haystack is only possible through modern means.

I also believe that Singapore can take the lead in defence technology even though we are small. So, to achieve that aspiration, DSTA, together with our national universities and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research and Government agencies like GovTech, CSA, the National Research Foundation and the Economic Development Board, will host an inaugural Singapore Defence Technology Summit in 2018.

I asked staff whether there were any global technology summits in the world. They said, "It does not exist yet", and I replied, "Oh, that is good. Let us try."

This summit will provide a global platform to invite luminaries, leading figures, to come share their views. It will give us a window into the future. Not only that; it will allow us opportunities to network and increase our access to ideas and innovation. Because you and I know that, for defence, for us, it is existential. We need to deploy technology because other factors are working against us.

Even as we set up a new cyber command and technology labs, even as we want to host the inaugural Singapore Defence Technology Summit, I agree completely with Member Teo Ho Pin that we must never neglect to train the SAF's conventional force against traditional threats and, as Mr Cedric Foo pointed out, terrorism. Many Members agree with that line.

We all know that we have finite land and we are building training facilities overseas, such as in Australia, when we signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. But at the same time, we must have world-class training facilities here. Mr Vikram Nair talked about his childhood memories and how each time certain camps are taken away. There is finite land, we understand the pressures. We do need a minimum baseload of training camps, but we will maximise what we have. And we must guard against over-dependence on overseas training grounds. Recent events have pointed out the dangers. It is not possible for all our NSmen to only train overseas because the bulk of our training is still conducted here, especially for the Army.

Many of the Members here who have done NS will be familiar with the SAF Training Institute (SAFTI) Live Firing Area. You and I remember charging up Peng Kang Hill, for whatever reasons we were told to, and being trained at Fighting On Fortified Objective (FOFO), the fortified hill. These are all in our memories. But the SAFTI Live Firing Area was built in the 1960s, or 50 years ago.

As Members here pointed out, SAF has changed, cities have changed, terrains have changed, the world has changed. Members here asked: "How is SAF going to respond to this? Is there any new tactic? Is there a new doctrine? Is there new equipment?" We recognise these. The answer to all your questions is yes. Not only these, we will need training grounds that reflect the missions and operations that SAF will be called upon to conduct. For SAF to train realistically and effectively, we will build a new SAFTI City, because even peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) missions are likely to be conducted in built-up cities and infrastructure.

The new SAFTI City will take a decade to complete and cost approximately $900 million. Members have a handout. But, with your permission, Madam, I think it is easier for Members to see what we are going to build. Can I please show the video?

Yes, please. [A video was shown to hon Members.]

Thank you, Madam. Many details but let me give Members the broad gist. The idea of what the new SAFTI City wants to accomplish is to allow any battalion to fight across different terrains successively, as they would do in real life missions.

It will, therefore, have both urban and conventional terrain. In the urban setting, low houses and high-rise buildings. In the open terrain, jungles, hills and rivers to cross. But the signature change, because we are using technology, will be state-of-the-art training simulation technologies designed into the operating environment. We are building it from scratch, so that we can do it. There will be interactive targets and battlefield effects, such as artillery attacks, so that our soldiers can train more realistically and get ample feedback about how well they perform. When it is completed, SAFTI City will take our NS training to a much higher level of realism and effectiveness.

For instance, for our soldiers who are involved in Island Defence operations, this SAFTI City will allow them to train in mock-up petrochemical complexes, warehouses, container parks and industrial buildings. Sector 2 will have high-rise and interconnected buildings, basement car parks, a bus interchange and an underground Mass Rapid Transit station which will be useful for Counter Terrorism and High Intensity Urban Operations, as Members talked about. Sector 2 will also include urban rubble for Disaster Relief Operations.

In the areas surrounding SAFTI City, three new Instrumented Battle Circuits (iBACs) will be built. These will help small units train up their fighting skills because there will be video cameras, data analytics to point to what a specific person did or did not do and they will give feedback on each soldier's performance. Different scenarios can be configured for both peace time contingency and conventional military operations.

Ms Low Yen Ling asked how SAF is going to meet its needs with prudent defence spending, and she is absolutely right. We are aware of these budgetary pressures from an ageing society, coupled with slower growth rates for the economy. As I have sketched out to Members here, all these new programmes will need significant and sustained resources over the medium term. They cannot be built in five years. It will take us 10, 15 or maybe even 20 years to fully size up the Next Generation SAF. But we will reprioritise programmes to meet these challenges that we must face.

Here, I am very thankful for Members who have supported us over the years, steadily, so that we can spend steadily on our defence budgets to renew our Orbat and platforms continually, which today allows us to grow for these new areas, which we did not foresee 10-15 years ago.

The Army's refurbished Leopard tanks and Terrexes are young. The Belrex Protected Combat Support Vehicle was introduced last year. The next-generation Armoured Fighting Vehicle will be rolled out in 2019. The Air Force will upgrade its F-16s with new radars and weapons later this year, and the Aster 30 missile system will be deployed to strengthen our air defences. The Navy has new Littoral Mission Vessels and will need to replace two of its Archer Submarines. We will announce the replacement for these submarines later this year.

We have been able to do this because, every year, we commit a sizeable proportion to defence spending, but steadily. No sharp dips, no sharp rises. Even with new demands that I have sketched out for the Next Gen SAF, MINDEF has projected that our defence budget can be maintained on the current trajectory of 3%-4% growth each year, which would allow us to at least keep pace with inflation.

Member Low Yen Ling made a very incisive comment that in our region, Asia's military spending has outstripped that of the EU and has an average growth of 5.4%. Our 3%-4% is below that, but because we have had a longer runway of steady spending, we can keep to the 3%-4% projection. But MINDEF will not hesitate to push for higher spending if there are increasing new demands or if the security environment deteriorates.

MINDEF and SAF are conscious that the Government, with the strong support of Singaporeans, invests substantially into the defence budget each year.

I want to thank Members and Singaporeans for their constant support and I promise you that we will pledge to stretch each defence dollar to the fullest. Where we can, we will cut cost, as some Members have asked. We did it through the Republic of Singapore Navy's new Frigate Ship Management System. This system reduces maintenance time by 93% and saved us $40 million. Another example is the Army's SMART magazine. NSmen here will know that we fire blanks for various reasons. But someone thought, why have blanks, why not have a magazine that can simulate the blank? Indeed, that is what the SMART magazine does. And it will save $1.4 million each year. These measures, big and small, reflect the culture of prudence, using innovation to cut costs without loss of effectiveness for SAF.

Mdm Chair, let me conclude and allow Second Minister Ong Ye Kung and Senior Minister of State Maliki later to address other queries which I have not addressed and which Members have brought up in their speeches.

SAF will develop next-generation capabilities to deal with threats in both the real world and cyberspace. I want to end with a quote from Dr Goh Keng Swee in his last major public speech. He said: "The most dependable guarantee of our Independence is a strong SAF. A strong SAF, in turn, depends on the political will to make the effort and pay the price."

I think Dr Goh's reminder is timeless. Whether we were a poor country as a new nation having to spend on defence or as an up and rising country with other needs and now having to face an ageing society with an uncertain world, at each step, you need to invest in defence and you need political will.

I want to thank the strong commitment of our NSmen, the unwavering support of the Members of this House and the unshakeable resolve of Singaporeans. With these elements, SAF stands ready as guardians of the peace and defenders of our way of life. [Applause.]

Mdm Chair, SAF has a significant role to play in efforts to improve the health and well-being of all Servicemen, especially the newly-enlisted NSFs within its ranks. Since the enlistment age of 18 also coincides with the age at which smoking is legally permitted, SAF's role in addressing smoking concerns is, therefore, a natural one.

Although smoking prevalence has decreased in Singapore, the proportion of our male population who are smokers is higher than that in many developed countries.

Although I am not aware of any confirmed evidence, the high proportion of males who smoke happens to coincide with anecdotes suggesting that smoking is still highly prevalent among our Servicemen. If true, this would have severe consequences across a range of domains, including healthcare costs and discipline.

The tolerance for smoking as a popular culture within armed services is nothing new and it was even embraced in early popular culture. However, in the context of a modern SAF, it should be viewed as antithetical for many reasons. If the existing bans on smoking in army camps and training areas are not strongly enforced, they could reduce training effectiveness, lead to an erosion of discipline and have potential knock-on effects on performance in the field for combat personnel. There are also the potential difficulties faced by non-smokers if a tolerance of a smoking culture persists in the ranks. For instance, if smoke breaks are permitted, what do non-smokers do?

Although military bases and training areas are off-limits, there is an observable practice of service personnel as well as visitors who gather and smoke outside of camps. This suggests that while smoking controls may be in place, a smoking culture persists. Madam, in case it appears that I am against smoking for Servicemen, I must say clearly that that is not the case. What I am pushing for are clear guidelines so that a culture of indiscipline associated with smoking does not arise.

Given the importance of NS and the costs associated with a lack of enforcement, I would like to urge the Ministry to conduct a study of smoking trends among its Servicemen, examine the impediments to achieving a greater reduction in smoking prevalence and introduce active interventions to root out any smoking culture within bases and in training areas. Madam, I am not suggesting smoking cessation as the primary aim, because this would clearly detract from the role of SAF. However, I strongly urge SAF to take active steps to ensure smoking rates are not inadvertently allowed to increase.

Even though one would not expect SAF to take it upon itself to eliminate smoking, it should develop strategies to encourage Servicemen who smoke to give up the habit. In doing so, I would caution that it should set realistic targets in consultation with experts in the field of smoking addiction. It should also actively discourage Servicemen from gathering in groups to smoke as, say, a form of social interaction. Finally, it should discourage those who are non-smokers at the point of enlistment from picking up smoking during the course of their service.

Madam, NS is part and parcel of Singapore life. Yet, often during my interactions with my residents, the subject of safety during NS training comes up, usually from the mothers and grandmothers with sons and grandsons in NS. They have trust in MINDEF but cannot help but worry a little. They worry about their sons' and grandsons' health, physical training, the terrains and handling of weapons. Some unfortunate incidents in the past also serve as reminders of how things could go wrong.

MINDEF has given the assurance that maintaining training safety is a key element of a strong and professional armed force. I am heartened to note that in 2013, SAF added Safety as its eighth core value. A Safety and Systems Review Directorate (SSRD) was formed to oversee the conduct of safety and systems reviews for MINDEF and SAF. SSRD set up its first external review panel, the External Review Panel on SAF Safety (ERPSS) in 2013 to review various aspects of SAF safety over its three-year tenure. I would like to ask what the next step would be now that the tenure has expired.

SAF has consistently reiterated its commitment to safety over the years. However, one should always relook processes. Can MINDEF share what additional efforts have or are being made to make training regimes safer for our NSmen and how these efforts are being communicated to their family members and loved ones to provide greater assurance?

Madam, I understand that NSFs may be allowed to make transport claims, such as taxi claims, for the purpose of odd working hours, to facilitate travel between their unit and home on working days. I believe that this is meant to assist to defray their transport costs, given their limited NS allowance.

For NSmen, not all NS units have a "stay in" policy during their In-Camp Training (ICT). Madam, there are NSmen who are not given the option to stay in or could not stay in for good reasons. Some of these NSmen may still be required to book out very late or book in very early due to the demands of their roles. I would like to ask the Minister to consider allowing some of such NSmen to be eligible for transport claims, namely, full-time students or NSmen who are unemployed at the time of ICT.

In last year's COS debate, Minister Ong Ye Kung mentioned that students in local universities are called up for Operationally Ready NS (ORNS) training while studying. These are full-time students and may be no different from NSF personnel in that they are not working and do not have income. I would also like to ask the Minister to consider allowing this benefit to NSmen who are full-time students studying private courses and NSmen who are unemployed at the time of ICT. Their commanders can help administer such claims in accordance with suitable conditions to be stipulated by MINDEF.

I believe that allowing such transport claims will assist some of our NSmen to cope with booking out and booking in at odd hours without having to shoulder any unnecessary financial burden.

One of the Committee on the Future Economy (CFE) initiatives was to "Acquire and Utilise Deep Skills", which can apply to people serving NS as well.

In 2015, MINDEF and MHA, together with the Singapore Workforce Development Agency, jointly organised the Career Skills Workshop for all NSFs. This arose from the recommendation by the Committee to Strengthen National Service and aims to help NSFs transit to the workforce after they complete full-time NS.

Can MINDEF elaborate on what other initiatives are planned to prepare our NSFs for life after NS?

Madam Chair, last year, Senior Minister of State Dr Maliki Osman spoke about the importance of total defence in countering hybrid threats. He said that, and I quote, "While Singaporeans are confident that our home and our way of life are safeguarded by an advanced and highly trained SAF, we must know that our security agencies cannot do the job on their own."

Last year, I spoke with great concern of the threat to Singapore posed by ISIS and by terrorism more generally during the COS debate in 2016. In the past 12 months, it appears that the news headlines have become even more troubling.

Recent developments have also shed light on a variety of other non-traditional threats to our security. For example, countless cyberattacks around the globe have had serious real-world outcomes. Countries or groups have hacked political parties and institutions with the intent of influencing political outcomes. Cyberattackers have also proven their ability to hack into bank accounts by the thousands and to steal unsuspecting victims of hard-earned money.

We have also learnt of cyber breaches closer to home where personal information has been stolen. Some cyberattacks can be attributed to criminals and mischief makers but the fact that there are people out there with the skills to hurt us through attacks in cyberspace should worry us. Put in the wrong hands, cyberattackers can be trained and employed to wage bigger conflicts against Singapore as a whole.

At the same time, we have learnt how countries and groups with malicious intent can use influence campaigns to divide and damage communities as well. It is clear that a military solution alone cannot address the wide-ranging security challenges that Singaporeans faced. Even the US, which spends more on its military than the next few countries combined, has been a target of large-scale cyberattacks and influence campaigns. Experts argued that the conflict between countries will increasingly be fought in the grey zone between war and peace, where military forces may not be even involved. This means that ordinary citizens could be on the front line of hybrid attacks against Singapore. We have all heard from Minister Ng Eng Hen earlier. He spoke about how some countries even see mounting hybrid warfare as legitimate.

So, in light of all these recent developments, can MINDEF provide its assessment on how hybrid threats have continued to evolve and how we are strengthening total defence to deal with these threats?

Madam, the Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence (ACCORD) had submitted 18 proposals to MINDEF aimed at boosting support and recognition for NS. As of last year, Senior Minister of State Dr Maliki Bin Osman updated that 14 of the 18 ACCORD proposals had been completed. I would like to praise the Government for their good progress on the ACCORD proposals made thus far. Can MINDEF provide a status update on the implementation of the remaining ACCORD proposals over the last year? What are some challenges and constraints in implementing the remaining proposals?

Mdm Chair, Singapore has enjoyed decades of peace and stability. At the COS debate last year, we learnt that our younger generation, unlike the Pioneers, saw events, such as Konfrontasi, racial riots and our road to Independence, as study subjects rather than personal experience or memories.

With that in mind, I would like to ask how MINDEF is working to engage our younger generations of Singaporeans on defence issues and to foster a strong commitment to defence amongst the youth. I note that Senior Minister of State Maliki had launched a "Commitment to Defence" Ambassadors programme to allow SAF Pioneers to engage and inspire the younger generation.

Mdm Chair, each generation of Singaporeans will have to confront our own security threats. While we may no longer be in the era of World War II or Konfrontasi, Singapore still faces multifaceted threats to our security. Just in the past year alone, developments from around the world and the region have shown us that threats to our way of life, including from terrorism, cyberattacks and fake news, have become increasingly apparent and are closer to us than we think.

More so than ever, the security challenges of today require the vigilance, unity and resilience not just of SAF and the Home Team, but of all Singaporeans. In light of our rapidly evolving security environment, can we have a status update on MINDEF's Total Defence efforts and how it fits in with other Government efforts, such as SG Secure?

Madam, I wish to seek clarifications from the Ministry on the following: how does MINDEF reach out and engage Singaporeans on a sustained basis in order to inspire them to learn, practise and be operationally-ready for Total Defence?

Madam, due to the changing landscape of warfare, it is necessary for Singapore to review our Total Defence approach. Based on the defence spending in our region and new threats to our security, we need to build our defence and fighting capabilities in urban and cyber warfare.

Every year, Total Defence Day is observed on 15 February to commemorate the day when Singapore fell to the Japanese in World War II in 1942. Since 1984, a wide range of activities has been organised to remind Singaporeans of the roles they can play in building a strong nation and defending Singapore.

The five pillars of Total Defence, namely, military defence, civil defence, economic defence, social defence and psychological defence, provide a framework to guide Singaporeans to play a part in Total Defence. Despite much effort, there is a general lack of understanding and total defence readiness among Singaporeans.

Many Singaporeans still do not know their roles in the five pillars of Total Defence. The operational readiness of Singaporeans in Total Defence is also lacking.

Madam, I visited Israel many years ago and was, indeed, very impressed by the operational readiness of its people to respond to terrorist attacks and conventional warfare. Both the young and old Israelis are ready to respond to any attacks on their land.

In fact, when I was there, I saw a group of youths armed with rifles patrolling the streets of the city centre. These youths performed their duties very diligently while ensuring safety and security in the areas patrolled.

Madam, I do hope that MINDEF can map out a set of total defence skills which Singaporeans must possess so that they can play a more effective role in contributing to total defence. We need to constantly test the operational readiness of Singaporeans in Total Defence. Total Defence requires practical defence skills. Thus, I would urge MINDEF to make Total Defence real and drive the fighting spirit of Singaporeans.

Second Minister Ong.

Last month, I was in Pulau Tekong for the launch of NS50 − the 50th Anniversary of NS. Enlistees were there on their first day, together with their families, and I joined them for lunch at the cookhouse. The food was very good. I asked "Is this standard fare?" They assured me that it is like that every day, but it is not chicken every day. It is a rotation. There is a standard that has been kept up.

I sat with many of the enlistees and their families, spoke to them, asked them if they were ready and how they felt. I sensed amongst the youngsters pride, even eagerness. Many of them shaved their heads and then get enlisted. Though the hairstyle, of shaving your heads, both inside and outside camp, is actually similar. But they were quite eager to do so. I asked the parents how they felt and they all said, every single one, NS is good for their sons.

Times have changed. Support for NS is strong amongst Singaporeans. One key reason is that we see how NS has bonded us all together and toughened up our young. Another important reason is that after 50 years, fathers have gone through NS and know its benefits and now are supportive of their sons going through the same experience. This is truly a duty passing from one generation to the next.

Today, I will talk about how we can better leverage our most precious resource in SAF − NSmen, and how we can enhance the NS experience.

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen has spoken about a Next Generation SAF, one where we have to maximise the talent, expertise and contribution of every single Serviceman.

First, we ensure that every soldier is individually "strong". That is why we have launched the "Soldier Strong" initiative to develop soldiers who are physically strong, psychologically resilient and committed to the defence of Singapore.

Under the "Soldier Strong" programme, NSmen will have access to enhanced fitness training programmes at the new Centre for Excellence for Soldier Performance that will be operational at the end of 2017. This centre will focus on fitness regimes, soldier nutrition, prehabilitation regimes to prevent injuries, and rehabilitation to help injured Servicemen recover. The centre will also integrate training packages on resilience to enhance the mental strength of our soldiers.

Assoc Prof Randolph Tan asked how SAF addresses smoking in SAF. We are aligned with national policy on this. We will continue to encourage Servicemen to maintain a healthy lifestyle and reduce their health risk factors. Today, smoking is not allowed in SAF camps and bases, except at designated smoking points. Cigarettes are not sold in any of our camps or bases.

We also partner the Health Promotion Board to conduct smoking cessation workshops for our Servicemen. But soldiers will need to take personal responsibility for their own health, too.

Second, we maximise contributions of NSmen by deploying them better. Mr Lee Yi Shyan asked about this. Technological advancements in SAF have altered the nature of vocations. For certain vocations, automation has greatly reduced the physical demands. One example is the Army's Combat Engineers. In the past, Combat Engineers had to lift and hold heavy interlocking parts of a bridge. Today, these bridges have been replaced with the Mobility 3rd Generation bridge, or M3G. M3G is deployed through a remote interface with the help of a hydraulic arm. In other words, you can now deploy a bridge that can carry up to three five-tonner trucks, mainly by pushing buttons.

Because of these advancements, we have been reviewing vocation requirements and can better deploy our NSFs effectively in accordance with their fitness and abilities.

Third, we take into account the vocational interest of enlistees and, in so doing, better match skills and interests with deployment. Mr Lee Yi Shyan asked about the vocational interest initiative, and Mr Cedric Foo asked how NS can be made more engaging and fulfilling and better recognised by society.

We have implemented the Vocation Interest initiative to promote greater personal ownership by NSFs over their NS experience. Since November last year, pre-enlistees have indicated their interest in 33 vocations across SAF, the Singapore Police Force and the Singapore Civil Defence Force. Their indicated interest will be an additional factor in determining their vocations, together with other considerations, such as suitability, manpower and operational requirements.

There is some perception that enlistees, fresh out of school, when asked to indicate their vocational preference, will avoid the very "siong" vocations like Infantry and Guards, and then they will pick non-combat vocations that are more related to their areas of studies. There is some perception of that. That has actually not been the SAF's experience, which is that most enlistees today want to contribute to the best of their abilities and sweat it out if possible. So, in the latest enlistment exercise, 60% of pre-enlistees indicated interest in Infantry and Guards. They know that the training is "siong" but good for them.

Mr Vikram Nair asked about cybersecurity. We will develop a new cyber vocation in support of the new cyber command, which Minister Ng has announced. This vocation will allow SAF to tap on the talent available to defend our military networks and systems. NSFs will be deployed to these vocations from August this year.

Our cyber defenders will need to possess a high level of skill, given the increasing frequency and complexity of cyberattacks. They will be entering a very selective and demanding vocation, comparable to the Commandos or Naval Divers. As part of their duties, they will also be supporting CSA in a pilot scheme to defend our critical information infrastructure.

Pre-enlistees who possess these skills will be rigorously selected and identified, possibly through established local cyber competitions, camps and activities, as well as rigorous selection tests. I expect many of these competitions and selection will be done in our education institutions − junior colleges, Institutes of Technical Education and polytechnics. The impact is not just on the few selected for the vocation but will heighten the interest and expertise in cyber and digital technology across the student masses. This will also increase the talent pool for national defence as well as Singapore's growing cyber industry.

Let me now talk about ways to enhance the NS experience. Our efforts over the years have been guided by the recommendations of CSNS.

The first is safety, which is a critical element of training. Ms Joan Pereira asked how we can provide assurance that our NSmen will be safe while serving. Every year, 20,000 families entrust their sons and, increasingly daughters, to us. We take the issue of safety very, very seriously. We worry about the safety of our Sservicemen as much as their mothers and grandmothers. And this is how we keep our safety record very well.

In 2013, MINDEF convened an External Review Panel, comprising prominent safety experts outside of SAF, to review safety in SAF.

The Panel has recently completed this three-year safety review and concluded that our health and safety system are internationally one of the best but, of course, there are areas for improvement. One is to strengthen safety culture at the unit level and another is to further promote open reporting of near-miss incidents. SAF has accepted the Panel's findings and will improve on these areas.

SAF has also been doing more to reassure NSmen's family members and loved ones of our emphasis on safety. Because safety culture must be inculcated at the unit level, outreach must also be done at the unit level.

Take the Naval Diving Unit, for example. It makes a special effort to engage NSmen's family members regularly. For example, upon enlistment, there is a briefing for family members on what this is all about. At the Combat Diving Course graduation ceremony, families are also shown videos of diving training drills plus many other engagements. All these assure parents that while the training programme is tough, it is carried out progressively, professionally and safely.

Because the strength of NS as an institution lies in our NSmen, it is important for society to show our appreciation to them. Mr Cedric Foo asked about such initiatives.

To commemorate NS50, Minister Ng announced last month that each NSman will receive $100 in vouchers and, for ORDN NSmen, a one-year membership to SAFRA or HomeTeamNS. But as we all know and as Mr Cedric Foo has pointed out, vouchers cannot reflect the true value of the commitment and contribution of our Servicemen. It is just a small way for us to say "Thank you".

Support and appreciation from society are the strongest form of motivation an NSman can receive. We will encourage this through the NS50 Week in August, where companies and organisations can thank and appreciate the NSmen amongst them. More than 250 organisations will support the month-long recognition campaign from July to the first week of August, through retail discounts, free souvenirs, more NS-friendly human resource policies and rededication ceremonies.

Mr Dennis Tan asked about transport allowances for NSmen who stay out during their ICT. We must recognise that NS is a contribution and sacrifice to the nation, but we also gain from the experience in many intangible ways. Our approach, therefore, is a more general one, to provide an allowance or Service Pay to support the basic personal upkeep of NSFs and NSmen. We regularly review NS allowances to ensure that they remain appropriate. The last review was in December 2015 when it was adjusted upwards.

Mr Amrin Amin asked how MINDEF prepares our NSFs for life after NS. This is an important question because learning new skills is one major aspect of NS. These could be vocational skills, such as driving, maintenance or physical training as an instructor, or soft skills, such as leadership and teamwork. But we can go further by formally accrediting the skills that are learnt in NS which NSmen can use for their future careers.

MINDEF has been working with SkillsFuture Singapore under the Ministry of Education (MOE) on this initiative. From this year, SkillsFuture Singapore will accredit enlistees with skills, such as teamwork, that are honed during BMT. In fact, the teamwork we learn in NS, I think, is far better than many of the commercial workshops. Throughout their full-time NS, they could also be accredited with other competencies, such as leadership, technical or specialist skills.

These achievements will be reflected in the enhanced Certificate of Service given to NSFs on their Operationally Ready Date. By 2018, the Certificate will be made more comprehensive to include additional achievements, such as awards, commendations and milestones, that an NSF acquires during their service, their full-time NS.

While accrediting skills learnt in NS is a useful enhancement of the NS experience, this is neither the main objective nor the key takeaway of NS. NS fulfils the obligation and accords the honour of contributing to the defence of our country. The lasting benefits are the development of character and resilience, and the camaraderie and friendships forged with fellow NSmen. Ultimately, the fact that someone has completed NS well demonstrates his commitment and dedication, especially in a challenging unit that stretches his abilities. This should speak for itself and be valued and recognised by the whole society, including employers.

Today, more than one million Singaporeans have gone through the rite of passage of NS. Mr Baey Yam Keng asked about the continued importance of NS. NS continues to be the cornerstone of our defence and security. Our well-trained and committed NSmen increase our military capability and give us credibility when we speak. Potential adversaries know that if they attack Singapore, it is a fight against a populace, all trained and ready to defend our sovereignty and freedom.

Other countries, such as France and Sweden, have abolished conscription since the end of the Cold War. Yet, in today's increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment, these countries are considering reinstating conscription. In fact, it was just reported in the media yesterday that Sweden has already decided to do so. Others, as mentioned by Mr Baey Yam Keng – Lithuania, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar − have recently legislated mandatory conscription. They recognise that transition from a benign to a hostile geopolitical environment can happen without warning, and a capable and credible military cannot be built overnight. We should learn from these examples and cherish the institution of NS.

Recently, I read an article in the New York Times written by Karl Marlantes, a US Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War. Marlantes highlights the importance of the US draft. The draft gave all eligible American men a shared experience fighting for their country, socialised Americans of all backgrounds to the idea that they are all equally American. After the war, the US military abandoned the draft and transitioned to an all-volunteer force. This, Marlantes argues, deprived Americans of the common experience and undermined the American social fabric, which has manifested itself in divisive politics today.

Indeed, as Dr Goh Keng Swee said in 1967, and I quote, "Nothing creates loyalty and national consciousness more speedily and more thoroughly than participation in defence and membership of the armed forces. The nation-building aspect of defence will be more significant if its participation is spread over all strata of society."

The role of NS in nation-building has become ever more salient today as we march forward in this era of globalisation. NS is a core part of the Singaporean identity, not just for males, but for mothers, wives, daughters and girlfriends who supported and encouraged our NSmen in their contribution and sacrifice.

It builds mutual trust within society, and between society and the Government. Our NS50 tagline "From My Generation to Yours" anchors the theme that NS is a shared responsibility and remains crucial to Singapore's security and nation-building. The NS system we have today is something we can be collectively proud of and continue to build on in the next 50 years and beyond.

Senior Minister of State Mohamad Maliki.

Mdm Chair, amidst the global trend of drawing boundaries and rejecting outsiders, Singapore stands out with our own brand of multi-ethnicity and multi-religiosity. Our principle of embracing different cultures and faiths while building a shared Singaporean identity has been the foundation of our success and will continue to be so in the years to come. But it must never be taken for granted, as evidenced by our own early history of religious tensions and race riots.

As a small country, we remain vulnerable to pressures from around the world and at home. The pressures will only increase in the face of hybrid warfare. Mr Amrin Amin and Ms Low Yen Ling asked about the threat that hybrid warfare poses to Singapore. The threat is real. It is pervasive. Attackers will continue to devise ways to exploit our growing reliance on technology across all sectors of society, targeting all pillars of our Total Defence. Minister Ng has earlier spoken about the ongoing threat of cyberattacks.

Information attacks are less obvious. But as history has shown, they are clearly effective in targeting all sectors of society. The devastating Maria Hertogh riots in 1950 arose out of newspaper reports that gave competing versions of the facts about legal proceedings and Maria's stay in the convent. These were distortions of facts by the media that was used as a tool of Muslim activism against colonialists. The activists exploited the incident to incite hostility between the Muslim and predominantly European and Eurasian Catholic populations in Singapore then. This resulted in 18 dead, 173 injured and significant property damage. And this took place in an age when news was spread in print or simply by word of mouth.

Information attacks today are far more effective and dangerous, when technology permeates every aspect of our lives. The spread of fake news and misinformation is much accelerated with WhatsApp and Facebook, and its impact is amplified. For example, the owners of the now-defunct site The Real Singapore made a false claim that a Filipino family's complaints had caused a scuffle between the Police and participants at the 2015 Thaipusam procession. It was a distortion of facts, again aimed at inciting hostility among different groups in Singapore. It went viral and could have led to a breakdown in our society, similar to the Maria Hertogh riots but with far greater impact, if not for discerning netizens who reported the "insensitive article". It clearly showed that we must act to protect the bonds that hold us together.

Ms Low Yen Ling, Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef and Mr Amrin Amin asked how we can respond to new hybrid threats. Now in its 33rd year, Total Defence remains our best defence and response. The avenue of threats is new ‒ social media, the Internet and electronic devices, but the threats are the same ‒ distortions and falsehoods. And they target the same vulnerabilities ‒ our differences in race, religion and background. This is why the five pillars and the core message of every Singaporean standing together, playing our part to protect Singapore and our shared way of life continue to be relevant. I am glad that more than 80% of Singaporeans surveyed by MINDEF in 2016 are aware of Total Defence and more than 90% of them agree that it remains important for Singapore.

However, to deal with our new challenges, the way we practise Total Defence has to evolve. The Government will, therefore, make a shift from "concept to action", and help Singaporeans understand how they can put Total Defence into action in their everyday lives. And we may find the social and psychological pillars of Total Defence gaining more prominence.

In the cyber domain, each individual is the first line of defence by guarding against phishing and hacking attempts through simple actions, such as using strong passwords for our personal devices and online accounts. Businesses also play an important role by putting in place necessary cybersecurity measures and training their staff to respond to potential risks. The latest threat hijacks Internet of Things devices like security cameras and media players that you might have in your own home. Securing these devices, as well as your phones and laptops is, therefore, the first step in cyber defence.

In the area of fake news, again, each individual is the first line of defence. We need to be discerning and responsible with what we read and decide to share online. When you see a shocking article, for example, a good first step is to Google it and see if it is being reported on reputable news sites like the British Broadcasting Corporation, Reuters or Channel NewsAsia. If you find fake news, it could be as simple as reporting a post to Facebook or commenting to expose the falsehood. There is a movement in Eastern Europe called the Baltic Elves that does just that ‒ fighting trolls and disinformation. I am glad that Singaporeans are also stepping up. For example, when a Whatsapp message was circulating in December last year, warning of potential terrorist attacks in popular shopping areas, many citizens countered by warning that the message was unsubstantiated and should not be circulated. Madam, if I may continue in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Singaporeans must have confidence in our own community and institutions and be discerning enough to question, check and push back against fake news, instead of simply forwarding it. This is even more so when fake and distorted news have an impact on our security.

This is even more so, given the security challenges we face in the ideological battle with terrorist groups like ISIS in social media. ISIS wants to set up a wilayat in Southeast Asia. It has already formed a militant group called Katibah Nusantara comprising about 1,000 volunteers from Southeast Asia. It has also released several propaganda videos and magazines in Bahasa Malay that are targeted at Muslims in the region.

These are aimed at inciting hostility and violence against other groups in our society that do not fall within ISIS' definition of being Muslim. Our youths who are active on social media are particularly vulnerable; it is not difficult to access videos of beheadings juxtaposed with those showing an idyllic society under ISIS and a fighter explaining why it is every Muslim's duty to join ISIS, followed by a celebration of his martyrdom in death.

Around our region, the growth of extremist groups who spread exclusivist and literalist leanings in Islam poses a significant threat to our multi-religious society. We know of 31 such groups which have pledged allegiance or support for ISIS.

Our Mufti and Muslim groups, such as the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG), have made clear that ISIS' methods go against Islam. These Muslim groups have been reaching out to educate the community through counselling, publications and speeches.

At the individual level, when confronted with extremist material, instead of forwarding it, our first instinct should be to check with our Mufti and Islamic authority, Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), and then commenting to counter such views. We should not allow exclusivist thinking to permeate the minds of our community. We must have the psychological resilience to resist and reject materials that we suspect are untrue, extremist or exclusivist, which may have a negative impact on our social cohesion.

(In English): Dr Teo Ho Pin and Mr Lee Yi Shyan rightly noted that Total Defence requires a whole-of-society effort and asked about MINDEF's Total Defence efforts and how we reach out and engage Singaporeans. MINDEF will enhance our extensive partnerships across the public, private and people sectors. First, we will collaborate closely across the Government. Last month, we commemorated Total Defence Day with the Ministry of Communications and Information and the National Archives of Singapore, in conjunction with the opening of the revamped gallery on the Japanese Occupation at the former Ford Factory, where Singapore was surrendered to the Japanese on that day 75 years ago. This was an opportunity to remember our heritage and draw out messages of psychological and social defence and remind Singaporeans why we cannot rely on others to defend our home.

We are working with MHA in SGSecure to encourage Singaporeans to put Total Defence into action in the fight against terrorism, by building community vigilance, cohesion and resilience. Within SAF, we are training our Servicemen to be prepared citizens and active responders, such as by equipping them with basic first aid and firefighting skills, so that they can support the civil pillar of Total Defence in their personal capacity. One such example was Military Expert 1 (ME1) Gregory Poh from the Republic of Singapore Air Force 113 Squadron. In November 2016, ME1 Poh was on his way home from work when he noticed that a child at the playground was having seizures and was not breathing. He administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation immediately, continued to keep the child's condition stable and assisted the paramedics when they arrived.

Beyond SAF, we will roll out a Total Defence strategy card game, "Guardians of the City", to all secondary school uniformed groups this year. Members can pick up a set and try out for yourselves from the library later on. This game, an example of a ground-up initiative, was designed by Mr Wan Junyan, an SGfuture participant, who was inspired by discussions with students on how to convey Total Defence lessons in a more engaging manner and developed in collaboration with MOE and MHA. It educates youths on how society can come together to better prepare for terrorist threats based on real-life examples, respond to them and recover from them. We hope that through the game, our youths will grow to become Total Defence advocates amongst their peers.

Our younger generation will shape the future of Singapore. We want to ensure that they have the same commitment to Total Defence and the right instincts to face future threats and challenges.

MINDEF is, therefore, working with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth's Committee on Citizen Engagement and partners like the National Youth Council to engage youths in conversations on what it takes to build up Singapore's psychological defence from their perspectives.

I hope there will be many more youths like Nurul Fatimah. She was a 14-year-old student in a local madrasah when she decided to attend CampTeen, which encourages cross-cultural friendships amongst students. She says, "For nine years of my life, I lived thinking that it was best to just stay within my comfort zone, without thinking of the importance of mixing around in this multicultural land. Now, I know that common space is really significant to our generation today, but the bonds are not easily made." Now 17, and inspired by her experience, she is an active youth advocate with OnePeople.sg, which runs CampTeen.

Second, we will engage economic and community leaders through ACCORD. Mr Zainal Sapari asked for an update on the implementation of the ACCORD proposals. As Chairman of ACCORD, I am pleased to update that we have successfully implemented all 18 proposals involving various stakeholders − employers and businesses, families and communities, and educational institutions. For example, under the "We Support YOU in NS" initiative, the ACCORD Family and Community Council has been encouraging merchants and retailers to show their support for NSmen by offering discounts and benefits. Dr Cheng Eng Wah, iDental's founder and Principal Dental Surgeon, readily agreed to have promotions on metal braces for NSFs when his team raised this initiative to him. Alluding to a Chinese saying 有 国 才 有 家, Dr Cheng explained: "There is no home without a nation. I believe we need a strong army to punch above our weight." And he is not alone. In a recent survey, 96% of employers agreed that NS provides the security needed for Singapore to prosper.

ACCORD members have also helped us to reach out to new citizens and Permanent Residents who will become an integral part of our society. For example, the Global Indian International School and United World College (Southeast Asia), whose principals are ACCORD members, organised sharing sessions to provide more than 700 students and parents with information on the NS enlistment process. Alumni from these schools who have been through NS also returned to share their experiences and communicate the importance of NS for Singapore's defence.

Third, we will reach out to individuals directly, because they can be empowered to initiate their own Total Defence efforts. Ms Priya Shahane, Chief Human Resources officer of AXA Singapore, introduced a system to plan for coverage of duties in advance when an employee is called up for ICT in her company. This allowed AXA employees like Mr Pan Chee Keong, an Assistant Manager, to go for ICT without worrying about work piling up. Ms Shahane also introduced measures to grant time off work for NSmen employees to prepare for the individual physical proficiency test (IPPT) and reward gold achievers with an additional half day of annual leave, which encourages them to do better in their IPPT. In recognition of her efforts, Ms Shahane was awarded the NS Advocate Award for Individuals in 2016.

Madam, personally, I am confident that my fellow Singaporeans will play their part and strengthen our Total Defence and national spirit. We saw this when a 40-metre tall and 6.5-metre wide Tembusu tree toppled at the Singapore Botanic Gardens last month. At least a hundred of those present rushed forward to push the branches and logs away to help those who were under the tree when it fell. This immediate civic-minded response gives me confidence that we will be able to respond appropriately to any challenges, support one another and recover quickly after any crisis.

Madam, as we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the fall of Singapore this year, we are reminded of our vulnerability. We have responded with 50 years of NS and a strong SAF, and all Singaporeans coming together for Total Defence. The future may be uncertain, the threats more unpredictable. But our resolve is resolute. We will stand together with resilience and confidence, just as we have done before, ride out any crisis and emerge stronger as one people.

We have a bit of time for clarifications. Mr Vikram Nair.

There have been many interesting announcements. The most interesting, from my perspective, was the one on the new division or group being set up to deal with cyberattacks and fake news. I think it is going to be a big group of about 2,600 people. This is an organisation being created almost de novo. Are there any other models for us to follow or are we just pioneering this on our own? If we are pioneering this on our own, then it is going to start in about a year's time. Do we have the capabilities within our existing people to do that? If not, how would we be developing this, because this is quite ground-breaking?

Madam, it is not quite de novo. You would remember in 2013, we announced the set-up of the Cyber Defence Operations Hub. We have been monitoring this. Obviously, with many of our systems being dependent on computer systems, data linkages and, particularly for all militaries and especially for the Singapore military because we are leveraging technology, we recognise that our strength can be exploited as a weakness.

We have been studying other models. I have gone to France to look at them. They have a fairly well-developed system and there are different organisational structures, not only for the military but actually, more importantly, how the military coordinates as part of a national cyber defence. The very nature of the digital domain is its porosity and connectivity and you cannot very well just protect one segment because you will be affected.

There are different models that MINDEF, SAF and the Government as a whole have studied, and that was the reason why the Cyber Security Agency was set up in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). If you look at other countries, some of them are with the prime minister's office, some of them with the Ministry of Defence, but we have chosen to have a tiered structure where CSA is a national defence for cybersecurity under PMO and MCI. This cyber command is another layer which protects primarily MINDEF and SAF. But because we recognise that our cyber units, our cyber soldiers can be trained and can be deployed as they do for physical key installations in Singapore; that is the concept we are extending. So, not quite de novo. We are ramping up significantly because the level of the threats has risen and we recognise that the damage can be material.

Mr Cedric Foo.

About this SAFTI new training area revamp, I think it is a great idea and overdue. At the same time, I would like to ask the Minister if he would consider two points. One is when we move the grounds and put up new buildings and all that, that we do not lose the history and the old names that were used in the old training grounds. We will do us a big disservice if Peng Kang Hill is changed to another name.

Secondly, because we are building it from scratch, we now have the ability not just to make sure that it is productive and combat-effective, we can also think about solders' safety and see how we can weave it into the design.

Madam, I thought the Member's points were particularly relevant. I agree with him. We want some resonance, and it is across the system and across all our agencies. Even as we update ourselves, refresh our systems to meet new needs, we want to retain a sense of history that can carry across generations. So, I will put that to SAF and leave it to them how they will do it. I do not think they will be physically removing some hills or features, but even if they do, they can convert hills to street names, I suppose, but I will leave it to them.

The Member's second point is a significant one on safety. Mr Foo is absolutely correct. It is much easier and, just like buildings, to design safety in. I learnt that when I was the Manpower Minister and had to deal with injuries and deaths at the workplace. For example, they said some buildings are designed and are beautiful but very hard to clean. It is much easier to design safety in across not only just the building but the lifetime maintenance of that building. In this case, Mr Foo is saying, during your operations, can you design it, so that, for instance, your video feedback actually gives you an alert to say this is an unsafe zone? That is one example. So, yes, that will be taken into consideration. I thank the Member for the feedback. We will take it in.

Mr Nair, would you like to withdraw your amendment?

I would like to thank Minister Ng Eng Hen, Second Minister Ong Ye Kung and Senior Minister of State Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman for dealing with a wide range of questions that we have raised. We are very heartened to hear that NS, which we are celebrating our 50th Anniversary this year, a timeless institution, is still very strong. I am particularly heartened to hear that the young men are very keen to do combat vocations. I wish I could say the same for my generation but not sure it would be true. Luckily, we had no surveys back then. But I am particularly heartened because, in my personal anecdotal experience, I know people coming up saying they want to join the Naval Diving Unit as well.

Mr Nair, just withdraw the amendment.

Okay, Madam. Sorry, recounting NS stories. I thank the Ministry and the officials as well for all their support for our defence. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

[(proc text) Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. (proc text)]

[(proc text) The sum of $13,612,805,500 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. (proc text)]

[(proc text) The sum of $839,000,000 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. (proc text)]

Madam Chair, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head P of the Estimates be reduced by $100."

Last year, 2016, the clear and present danger of terrorism was made even clearer to us in Singapore. Why do I say this? In May 2016, it was revealed that "eight radicalised Bangladeshi men were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for plotting terror attacks in their own country, that they would meet in parks or open fields and share large amounts of radical propaganda and videos." Another five investigated under the ISA were repatriated.

It was reported that Singapore could have been a target. Essentially, if they had been directed to attack in Singapore, they would have attacked.

In August 2016, the Indonesian police foiled the plan for a rocket attack on Marina Bay. It cannot get clearer. The threat of terrorism is real and the battle against it is for every Singaporean to bear. Being vigilant against an attack and staying united for an attack vest on our shores is key. If we stay united as one people, we will be successful in denying any terrorist his victory. We are very fortunate to have a dedicated, professional and reliable Home Team. That Home Team is a key pillar in our battle against terrorism, but it is not a fight for that team to bear alone.

Singaporeans must play their part alongside dedicated Home Team officers to keep vigilant against terror threats. Such threats come in many forms ‒ acts of actual violence, radical ideology preaching discord, funding of terror cells or glorification through the Internet of senseless causes. Couple all of that with the trend around the world, in which governments start to look inward and become fervently nationalistic. These trends and movements could fuel further global discord among peoples of different cultures and ethnicity.

Singapore and Singaporeans must resist these negative global trends and tides and never allow them to envelope Singapore. Thankfully, through initiatives, such as the ethnic integration programme in public housing and Racial Harmony Day, the different cultures and ethnic groups in Singapore are able to enjoy harmonious relationships. Nevertheless, we must continue to work at it. We cannot take it for granted. Why? Because in multiracial societies, where peoples of different creeds and races intermingle, the risk of flashpoints is higher. Singapore is no exception, and we have to be careful when we encounter incidents which may become potential flashpoints.

For example, as recent as this week, I read that a Police report was made about an imam who was alleged to have made offensive remarks against Christians and Jews. It was assuring to read in that same report that the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) took the courageous and generous position when it stated that, "MUIS takes a serious view of any behaviour or speech which promotes feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will among different faith communities." What we have attained, what we have enjoyed, we need to maintain, nurture and strengthen.

In light of these challenges, I seek an update from the good Minister, in particular, how is the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA): one, tracking overseas terror threats; two, isolating potential threats from within Singapore society; three, reinforcing our enforcement response, such as manpower, equipment and the updating of our standard operating procedures against such threats; four, bolstering our communal response by strengthening multiracialism and national unity should a terror threat vest in Singapore.

Furthermore, one, how can we carefully manage potential flashpoints? Let me repeat that because it is important. How can we carefully manage potential flashpoint incidents and strengthen our racial and religious harmony which is vital to Singapore in peacetime as well as in the aftermath of a terrorist attack? Also, how is MHA ensuring Singaporeans continue to welcome globalisation instead of turning isolationist, since we all know an isolationist Singapore will lead to her severe detriment.

Let us not let our guard down. Let us strengthen our fight against terrorism and let us stand together with our dedicated Home Team in this collective fight against those who seek to do us harm.

[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]

Dr Tan Wu Meng, please take your two cuts together.

The terrorism threat remains alive and real. We need to be vigilant so that, as a society, we are ready for whatever comes our way ‒ leaders, public servants, citizens standing together as one.

Can the Ministry update us on the threat situation internationally, regionally, domestically? We also need to actively study the new and innovative terror tactics that we are reading about around the world, so that we can learn how best to counter them. Tactics that are using household items, such as knives, tactics that use easily available equipment and vehicles as weapons. Likewise, we also need to protect our society from self-radicalisation, especially with the proliferation of online recruitment, extremist propaganda and social media tactics.

Looking to our landscape, we are densely populated. Many population centres happen to be soft targets for those seeking to do us harm, such as schools with young children, shopping centres with members of the public, Mass Rapid Transit and bus stations which, if shut down, could affect a wide transport network and even our hospitals, with the sick and elderly who cannot be evacuated as easily as the able-bodied. Many of these population centres are in our Housing and Development Board (HDB) heartlands.

All these pose unique challenges for rapid responses against a terrorist attack. Can MHA update us on how we are upgrading our counterterror efforts and how we are enhancing Home Team capabilities and SGSecure so that, as a whole of society, we are equipped to deter and, if needed, respond?

Since we launched the SGSecure movement last year, can MHA share the progress of its outreach efforts, in particular, in the community as well as in workplaces? I urge MHA to work with the community and businesses to recruit SGSecure Ambassadors at every HDB block and at every workplace. These ambassadors can help spread the SGSecure message and be trained in first aid, automated external defibrillators (AED) and skills to handle the community or workplace response in the event of a terrorist attack, especially the day after.

In my Boon Lay constituency, we have recruited about 500 SGSecure ambassadors last November and look forward to training them this year. In fact, the first training session starts in a fortnight. I hope MHA can give full support through funding the training, exercises and our outreach to the residents and community.

From my conversations with people, there appears to be an increased awareness of SGSecure. It is important to ensure that everyone remains vigilant and aware of what needs to be done in the event of a terror attack. I, therefore, would like to know the update on the implementation of SGSecure. Are there means to measure the level of awareness and preparedness of the community?

I note grassroots and community leaders are being trained to equip them with the knowledge and skills to handle a terror crisis. Multiracial and multi-religious sensitivities may arise and community leaders play an important role to ensure that the community stays strong and united. The Community Emergency and Engagement Committees (C2E Committees) and the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs) have undergone some exercises to learn about handling the situation in the days following a terror attack. I was fortunate to observe these exercises and would like to highlight the following.

One, the exercises were done separately for the C2E committees and IRCCs but there was overlap in the grassroots leaders and community organisations involved. The exercises were also similar and there did not appear to be a clear delineation of the roles the different committees play. Perhaps, there could be better coordination of what is to be done by the different groups on the ground.

Two, the information on the community networks that can be relied on to provide support during times of emergency was not updated. Following from the exercises, the community leaders were asked to continue building and updating their networks within their local communities. It would be useful to provide them with specific guidance on how they should go about doing this.

Three, there were queries on the chain of command and the extent to which the community can take initiatives. Perhaps, more resolution can be given in future trainings.

I believe coordination of the exercises can be improved. I would like to hear the Ministry's efforts to train the community leaders.

On the issue of multiracial and multi-religious sensitivities which I spoke about earlier, like Mr de Souza, I also read about the recent case where an imam was alleged to have made offensive remarks about Christians and Jews, and we have seen reactions from netizens. Would the Ministry be able to give information on this case?

Madam, the private security industry is increasingly becoming an important part of our security landscape. I fully support the mandatory annual security exercise that was introduced in 2009 to ensure higher standards of security requirement can be maintained. That said, I would like to ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether a review could be done on this annual grading exercise.

Firstly, I would like to call on MHA to ensure greater transparency of standards. Could MHA provide clearer guidelines and share the benchmarking process used in the assessment?

Secondly, private security agencies have expressed their concerns with regard to the frequency of this grading exercise, which is conducted annually from June to May, meaning that agencies are perpetually in a grading mode. Considering that most of the 250 agencies are small and medium enterprises, perhaps the Police Licensing and Regulatory Department (PLRD) can look at reviewing the timelines in between the grading exercises.

Finally, the union is also concerned with the perception that the grading exercise seems to be inconsistent in their ratings based on anecdotal examples shared by the unionised private security agencies. Some agencies risk losing their right to secure a site because their grading slipped a notch. The officers consequently will either have to change employers to stay on the same site or have to relocate to another site, all of which create considerable constraints. We hope MHA or PLRD can review this as well.

Ms Sylvia Lim, you have three cuts. Please take them together.

Mdm Chair, first, the Auxiliary Police. The need for additional resources for policing is clear. The population of Singapore is now more than 5.6 million, compared to 4.4 million in 2006, a 1.2 million increase over 10 years. More people mean a higher population density, increased interaction and proximity, more potential for crime and more assets to protect.

Over the last few decades, the role of the Auxiliary Police has expanded exponentially. From an initial brief of static guarding of key installations to accompanying cash in transit, the Auxiliary Police are now in roles that require them to interact with the public in a variety of scenarios, such as crowd control, management of prisoners, checkpoint security and policing liquor control zones. The training of the Auxiliary Police has been enhanced, but is it adequate to ensure that the Auxiliary Police Officers (APOs) are equipped to meet the challenging needs of handling complex and unpredictable situations? Policing Singapore is complicated by the fact that our population consists of 1.7 million non-resident foreigners.

In answer to a Parliamentary Question I filed, the Minister has confirmed that Certis Cisco has obtained approval to recruit officers from Taiwan due to manpower shortages. I wonder whether the shortage will lead to a compromise in recruitment standards. Several Singaporeans have expressed to me their concern about foreign APOs walking around with firearms. Related concerns also crossed my mind, in particular, in the wake of the Little India riots in 2013, when it was clear from the incident reports that quite a number of the APOs at the scene were not Singaporeans. What security risk is posed by having foreign APOs carrying firearms? What risk mitigation measures are in place? What about psychological testing? Is it time to consider arming APOs, especially fresh recruits from overseas, with less lethal weapons, such as stun guns?

Next, I move on to safeguards during Police investigations. Singaporeans want the Police to be effective. At the same time, the criminal justice system needs to balance state power with due process and ensure that investigations are conducted lawfully, with suspects accorded their constitutional and legal rights. One of the safeguards proposed by myself and others during previous Committee of Supply (COS) debates was to video-record the process of the recording of statements from suspects.

As argued previously, such a procedure will also save the state from spending time to address frivolous challenges in Court and protect officers from false allegations. The Ministry had indicated that it would do a pilot project in the first quarter of 2016.

Last October, I was disappointed to learn from a Parliamentary answer that the Government had decided to put the initiative on hold, pending putting the legal framework in place. Could the Minister elaborate on the rationale and when we can expect the pilot to commence?

Secondly, the right to counsel upon arrest has also been debated in the past. Article 9 of the Constitution guarantees the right to consult the legal practitioner to a person under arrest, but case law has held that this right is subject to the exigencies of Police investigations. During the COS debate 10 years ago, in 2007, there was a pilot announced to give early access to counsel. What is the status of that initiative?

Finally, there is an issue about the length taken to complete the investigations. In some cases, the individual under investigation may suffer in his ability to earn a livelihood while the investigation continues, for example, when a person's vocational licence to be a public bus or taxi driver is suspended or revoked during the pendency of investigations. Sometimes, cases hang for months with no visible investigative step being taken. This leaves the accused person in indefinite limbo and unable to earn a living. Could there be a monitoring mechanism to ensure that such cases are investigated with a certain haste?

Finally, I wish to touch on young suspects and their rights in a criminal justice system, in particular, those aged 16 and 18.

Singapore has acceded to the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC). This is one of the few human rights treaties that Singapore has acceded to, showing the importance our country places on this set of international obligations. Article 1 of CRC defines children as persons below the age of 18. Under Article 4 of CRC, Singapore is obliged to undertake all appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures for the implementation of the rights recognised in the Convention.

However, Madam Chair, our Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA) defines a child to be a person below the age of 14 and a young person to be between the ages of 14 and 16. This means that children between the ages of 16 and 18 are not covered by the protection under CYPA. For instance, children in Singapore between 16 and 18 years old are not protected by section 35 of the CYPA which prevents the media from publishing their particulars or identifying details of those under 16 years old involved in Court proceedings. This gap in our law is not consistent with our CRC obligations as Article 40 obliges state parties to ensure that every child up to the age of 18 has his/her privacy fully respected during criminal proceedings.

Children between 16 and 18 years old are also not protected by section 29 of CYPA which protects those under 16 years old from being detained for adult offences. This gap in our law is again not consistent with our obligations under CRC as Article 37 obliges state parties to ensure that every child up to the age of 18 is detained and separated from adults.

Consider this, at 17 years old, many of our sons and daughters are still wearing school uniforms in junior college or attending polytechnic or Institute of Technical Education. Until they reach the age of 18, surely they could be given the full protections Singapore has signed up to provide under CRC. Otherwise, what is the point of signing this treaty?

Madam, turning to the framework we do have, I note the Minister's commitment to extend the Appropriate Adult scheme to young suspects under the age of 16 in the light of the suicide of 14-year-old Benjamin Lim. I hope the Ministry will have a legislative framework to entrench the Appropriate Adult scheme and extend it to those below 18. Will the Ministry also consider admitting parents of such suspects to act as Appropriate Adults?

Many drug offenders are already disadvantaged socio-economically − troubled backgrounds, disrupted lives. I have met some at my Meet-the-People Sessions in my constituency and what they tell me is that it is not just a stigma that gets in the way of returning to society meaningfully but also the skills gaps, especially when industry and job practices change during the years of incarceration. So, this is why, in prison, rehabilitation must continue to include skills training to help employability upon release.

I would like to ask if MHA is studying the skills background of incarcerated Singaporeans. In particular, what efforts are being made to improve the skills of our fellow Singaporeans who are in prison, so that they can have better odds of finding a job and reintegrating into society upon release?

Mdm Chairperson, the role of the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) to be a place where strayed lives can be steered back on course is crucial and deserves the support of the whole of society.

In August last year, during the debate on the SkillsFuture Singapore Agency Bill, I asked the Minister for Education to consider how to push training and education content via, say, an e-learning platform to those serving prison sentences. I am raising this again and I would like to highlight two statistics from the Singapore Prison Service.

In 2014 to 2015, despite only a 1% decline in the total number of inmates, there was a 7% decline in the number of inmates trained in 2014 and a 6% decline in 2015. There was also a 4% decline in the number of inmates engaged in work programmes.

Why are fewer inmates getting access to training programmes? Can we consider different ways of enabling training for prisoners? Can SkillsFuture support our prisons by providing more platforms for education and training content for our inmates?

Pushing training to prisoners will facilitate the rehabilitation process help make them productive workers and even, possibly, entrepreneurs in their future. SkillsFuture can be used for e-learning or for training conducted within incarceration or detention premises. In the United States (US), we hear examples of prisoners obtaining university degrees while serving their sentences. As SPS says, serving time should never be a waste of time.

Mr Louis Ng, please take your two cuts together.

I visited a Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) and saw first-hand the work our Captains of Life do. While the recidivism rate has remained stable at around 26%, it is worrying to me that almost 60% of drug abusers arrested were repeat offenders. Even more worrying is that statistics that the more times we incarcerate someone for drug offences, the higher the chances he or she will be incarcerated again.

A significant focus of the rehabilitation process is to ensure that inmates secure a job when they are released. I feel an equally important factor is whether they have family support when they are released. Only a third of DRC inmates use their full quota of two 30-minute visits per month. This is a clear sign that inmates lack family support and this is a problem that might have existed prior to their drug problem. Strained family ties were perhaps one of the reasons they consumed drugs in the first place. We need to address the root of the problem.

Can the Minister share what plans it has to strengthen family bonds during rehabilitation? Can we provide more classes on parenting, better communication with spouses and other such classes? Can we strengthen the current family programme, especially the joint session component?

Next, I recently watched a very touching video of children of prisoners reuniting with their fathers behind bars for a day in a US prison. I watched fathers in tears as they realised how much they missed their children and perhaps how their actions have hurt their children. I saw in the eyes of the fathers the resolve to be rehabilitated so that they can spend not just one day but the rest of their lives with their children. And I also saw what that one day meant for the children as, ultimately, they are the real victims. I strongly feel we should introduce this programme in our prisons. With stronger family bonds, a prisoner's rehabilitation process will be more effective.

Will the Minister consider piloting this programme in our prisons? I have seen too many residents whose spouses are repeatedly incarcerated and how their families have been torn apart. A key part of the rehabilitation has to be rebuilding these bonds.

As we navigate the uncertain times ahead and the future economy, we must always remember the vulnerable in our community and ensure that there are continued efforts to support them. One group that we should not lose sight of are those incarcerated and their families. I believe it is important to continue ensuring that there are proper rehabilitation and support upon release from prison so that they can continue living their lives and participate in the future economy just like everyone else. Difficulties in getting a job or stable income in a challenging economy can contribute towards some segments of the community succumbing to committing a crime, drug abuse or re-offend.

In this regard, I believe it is important to review the efforts in tackling offending, re-offending and drug abuse. We should look at these holistically and see if there can be collaborations and partnerships with community organisations. Within the Malay/Muslim community, we see organisations, such as Pertapis and Jamiyah, supporting this effort.

More can be done to involve some Malay/Muslim organisations in helping individuals and families in this area. I would like to ask about the Ministry's current efforts with the Malay/Muslim organisations and whether there are plans to work with them further on this matter.

Madam, in 2016, the number of new drug abusers arrested increased by 3% from 2015, out of which, close to two-thirds were below 30 years of age. It is a matter of concern and we should be concerned.

The method of obtaining drugs has also changed. Most alarmingly, the accessibility of the Internet has been exploited by drug traffickers. In fact, the number of people arrested for buying drugs and drug-related paraphernalia online increased significantly from just 30 in 2015 to 201 in 2016. Most of those found to have obtained drugs or drug-related paraphernalia online were between the ages of 20 and 39.

In light of these recent developments, what measures are MHA and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) taking action to deter the supply of drugs into Singapore? What percentage of the total prison population are serving sentences for drug-related offences?

In order to tackle the drug problem holistically, rehabilitation is also vital. After the drug abusers are put into DRCs, what measures are taken to rehabilitate them with the mind to reduce recidivism rates?

Can I take both cuts together?

Yes, please.

When a drug offender is incarcerated, it is a double tragedy − one life poisoned by drugs and drug culture; the family affected, too, especially the children.

I would like to ask whether the Ministry is studying the socio-economic outcomes of the children of drug offenders? Is there a higher risk of intergenerational offending or becoming incarcerated, too, all things being equal? And how can we prevent a cycle of tragedy?

Going upstream, we see that, in the West, there is an emerging movement to sugar-coat the drug problem. And with globalisation, the drug culture can easily spread, including to our shores. How do we inoculate our young Singaporeans at an earlier age so that they do not pick up the habit, so that they resist peer pressure and "fake news"? Among offenders, what is the average age of starting getting younger? And how can we prevent the problem from taking root in our schools and educate our young?

Madam, the nature of crime is evolving in Singapore. While violent crimes, robberies and theft have been trending downwards, cybercrime is increasing.

As more of our interactions and transactions go online, so do criminals. Cyberattackers stealing money, information and data are costing individuals and companies here millions of dollars a year. Millions more are lost through e-commerce cheating, online scams and ransomware.

The Internet also facilitates transactions of illegal goods and services. The number of arrests for buying drugs and drug-related items online has jumped six-fold. Vice activities are also increasingly being coordinated online.

Even recruitment by terrorists is also being conducted online. The arrests of self-radicalised Singaporeans last year highlighted the danger of terrorist activities here.

How will MHA leverage technology to transform frontline operations so that our Police Officers can react to security breaches and emergencies quickly? What measures are in place to help the Home Team stay updated and equipped to cope with new security challenges and increasing demand? Would the Ministry consider increasing recruitment to boost our ability to deal with security crises?

Mdm Chair, let me first congratulate the Ministry and the Home Team for their achievements last year in keeping Singapore safe and secure. Our crime rates continue to be low and responses to emergency calls remained prompt. Overall, residents feel safe in their neighbourhoods and public confidence in the Home Team continued to be high.

These are commendable achievements in the face of increasing threats to peace and security globally.

Of course, the heavy responsibility of protecting Singapore does not and should not rest on the Ministry and the Home Team alone. We must recognise that this is a collective responsibility which requires the combined effort of all of us who call Singapore our home.

The Ministry nonetheless has to take the leading role in coordinating this effort. Apart from what has already been done, how does the Ministry propose to further strengthen its partnership with the community in the combat against crime, corruption and terrorism?

Mr Desmond Choo, please take your two cuts together.

The security landscape today is more uncertain and complex than ever. Yet, we face tremendous manpower constraints while ever more resources are needed.

We need to especially up our ingenuity when resources are thin. We need to operate differently and maximise technology to free up our precious manpower resources for more critical, on-the-ground work. The Home Team has embarked on a transformation journey. Can the Ministry update on the progress? And what are the challenges to be tackled in this journey?

In this transformation, I envisage building up a new Home Team unit comprising officers recruited and trained from Day 1 to tackle threats in an integrated manner. Crimes of the future will be more complex and will cut across traditional agency domains. These officers become the links across our current agencies, facilitating whole-of-Home Team work.

It is also critical to have an integrated interagency training and operations command. There is a greater need for cross and networked sensing to pre-empt threats and we must be nimble in tackling new and evolving threats. How can we train and equip for such sensing capabilities?

With a 2% reduction in MHA's budget, how do we ensure that our safety and security are not compromised? Firstly, we must never stop investing in our people. They need best-in-class training and be well-resourced. Next, use technology and streamline our work processes to take administrative work away from our officers whose best work are out on the streets and on the frontline.

Technology does not replace old-fashioned security work. Ground work requires experience. Our veterans are vital mentors. There is a need to review their retirement age to retain this valuable resource. We must also use technology to help our older officers work longer and more productively. An enlarged civilian scheme, akin to the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF's) Military Expert scheme, will buttress competencies in the Home Team.

Over the past 50 years, more than 260,000 men have served National Service (NS) or are serving NS with the Home Team. I had the privilege of serving with some of the most dedicated and professional full-time national servicemen (NSFs) and NSmen. They held their own with the regulars. Three new Home Team clubhouses will be set up within the next 10-15 years. This is good news for Home Team officers. In view of their outstanding contribution to Singapore and patriotism, I would like to know how the Ministry had recognised or intend to honour our Home Team NSFs and NSmen.

At a time when security demands are escalating, every NSF and NSman count. How can the Ministry better equip, train and deploy our officers? Many NSmen continue to want to play key roles in protecting our homeland. I encourage the Ministry to leverage the professional expertise of our NSmen. For example, many of our NSmen go on to become cybersecurity experts, financial experts or lawyers. They would be better served in continuing similar roles or training positions during their reservist.

We can also be innovative in our deployment. Can the Ministry consider having NSmen to sign up for non-security sensitive projects that NSmen can sign up for, much like an MHA version of upwork.com? These can include community outreach projects. There is also a group of highly trained ex-regulars who can be grouped together for more involved Home Team projects.

While our NSFs serve the nation wholeheartedly, we should also help them embark on their careers post-NS. I would like to suggest providing in-depth career counselling and career preparation courses for NSFs by working with the Labour Movement. Can they also be provided with grants to upgrade themselves while serving their NS?

Our Home Team NSFs and NSMen from the Home Team have served with distinction. They are an indispensable part of our security blanket. Let us continue to develop them into a force to be reckoned with.

Mr Christopher de Souza, please take your three cuts together.

Given the destructive consequences problem gambling can bring to the family of a gambling addict, what measures are we taking to further reduce the incidence of remote or online gambling?

Would MHA provide an update on the efficacy of the remote gambling regulatory regime, in particular, whether the number of problem gamblers has increased or decreased following the introduction of the exempted operator regime?

Would MHA also provide the clamping down of illegal gambling through the recent regulatory framework?

Madam, in the constituency I serve, there have been instances where parents have shared with me that, very unfortunately, their children have been sexually assaulted by adults. These parents are of the view that their children were molested. I see the anguish in their eyes and the concern they have for their children.

One of the main desires of these parents is for the Police to accord priority to these cases and conclude the investigations as fast as they can. This is because the parents do not want to prolong the anguish of the child and, also, the child may find it difficult to recount the evidence as time goes by.

Therefore, would the Minister direct their investigations into sexual abuse against minors be prioritised and expedited for the sake of the child and the parents?

Parliament must also support the Home Team in ensuring that a strong message is sent to the culprits or potential culprits that society does not condone preying on innocent children.

Madam, cybercrime comes in many forms – online cheating cases involving e-commerce, credit-for-sex and Internet love scams. Each form is dangerous. Each cybercrime leaves the victim in a highly vulnerable state. Some cybercrimes target Government frameworks. Such invidious acts threaten our national security. As there is a need to remain vigilant against all forms of cybercrime, would MHA kindly provide this House an update on (a) its recent and upcoming initiatives to enjoin Singaporeans to battle cybercrime; and (b) what has been done to minimise the incidence of cybercrime and mitigate its effects?

Minister Shanmugam.

Madam, if I may make some observations as a background context for many of the questions that had been raised.

First, the fundamentals of law and order in Singapore are very strong. The overall crime rate in 2016 was the lowest in the last three years and we were again ranked first in the Gallup's Law and Order 2016 Report. That report studied the public's sense of safety and the public's confidence in the Police Force.

Mdm Chair, there has been discussion about the Public Service in the last two days. In that context, let me share with Members a Public Perception Survey that the Police conducted last year, the results of which came to me yesterday. The results will put in context the general discussion on Public Service.

On the question of the public's sense of safety and security, 92% rated general safety and security in Singapore as "good" or "very good". Ninety-two percent is quite astounding. The top three reasons were low crime rates, more Police around and fast response to crimes. These again give the context to what most people think. Ninety-three percent felt safe walking in their neighbourhood at night and that was attributed to a highly effective Police Force, more Police presence and, again, quick arrest of criminals.

If you think about it, 93% feel safe at night in a public space. You will not get this result anywhere in the world. New Zealand and Hong Kong, also known for good safety, carried out their own surveys. They had 75% of people feeling safe at night. If you go to other first-world cities, I suspect the figures will be much less and, in some cities, you will find much less than 50%.

Almost half of the public said that installation of Police Cameras at housing estates made them feel safer. An incredible number of the public hold the Police in high regard. Eighty-seven percent regarded the Police as a world-class crime fighting organisation. Ninety percent believe that the Police are ready to deal with any major law and order incidents and are well-prepared to respond to future security needs. So, if we ignore some of the artificially created online attacks on the Police, this is what people on the ground really believe, as opposed to Members coming here and trying to make it out that people say this and people say that and trying to create the impression that the majority believe it. I have no doubt some people believe and I have no doubt that Members are honest when they put it out. But you got to have context. Eight-eight percent felt that the Police provide a high quality of service.

All of this reflects the extraordinary level of faith and trust Singaporeans have in the Police Force. I have no doubt that the same goes for the other Home Team departments. I believe, for example, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) ranks very high in the people's assessment.

Many law enforcement agencies around the world will envy this. All of these have been possible because of several factors. But a key and critical factor is the immense dedication and commitment of our Home Team officers. This is a survey on the Police Force but, at the broader level, it also gives a perspective to the discussions about the Public Service.

Singapore is where it is today because of three key reasons: excellent political leadership, excellent Public Service and excellent quality of our people who are extraordinarily capable. If any one of these factors were absent, we would be in a very different position.

I can understand the frustration of Members in individual cases. All of us face these cases. They arise for a number of reasons, for example, structural reasons, interagency issues. But in perspective, these cases are the exception and not the rule. In a large majority of cases, our public servants are outstanding, dedicated. They go well beyond the call of duty and serve with heart. And I know the Members who spoke share this view. I spoke with Er Dr Lee Bee Wah and Mr Louis Ng and they confirmed this to me. And Nominated Member Kuik Shiao-Yin has made a Facebook post setting out her thinking along these lines.

It is, therefore, good to see the position in context. Without an outstanding Public Service, we would not be here. And without an outstanding Public Service, we would not get to where we want to be. Many things go right, so we do not think about them. The Public Service works very hard so that the rest of us can go about our lives seamlessly.

Mdm Chair, I will now focus on three areas: terrorism, SGSecure and drugs.

In the public perception survey I mentioned earlier, 4% felt less secure compared to two years ago. Of those who felt less secure, almost half attributed this to the threat of a terror attack. Terrorism remains a key concern of the public, not only for those who felt less secure, but also those who felt secure but felt that the Home Team will easily handle it.

Mr Christopher de Souza and Dr Tan Wu Meng asked about the threat situation in respect of terrorism. The threat of terrorism continues to be high. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-related attacks were carried out in Indonesia and Malaysia last year. With your permission, Mdm Chair, may I have some slides displayed on the light emitting diode (LED) screens?

Yes, please. [Some slides were shown to hon Members.]

The southern region of the Philippines may become an ISIS province or wilayat. It has experienced a wave of terrorism-related attacks. Most recently, on Sunday, a German was beheaded by the Abu Sayaaf Group.

ISIS seems to be concentrating on the Southern Philippines. In 2016, four militant groups established an umbrella group called the Islamic State Philippines (ISP) and pledged their allegiance to ISIS. ISIS also endorsed ISP leader, Isnilon Hapilon, a leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group in Basilan, as "amir", or supreme leader, for Southeast Asia. We need to watch this carefully. The area can attract would-be terrorists from the region and become a safe haven to trained terrorists who can then come back to harm us.

Within Singapore, we took security action against nine Singaporeans last year. The Home Team has taken significant efforts to strengthen our computed tomography capabilities in 2016. Mr Christopher de Souza and Dr Tan Wu Meng asked for an update on this.

First, we launched the Police Emergency Response Teams (ERTs). Our ERTs are on the ground daily. They are spread out across Singapore. They patrol public places, such as malls and stadiums. They talk to building owners and operators and they familiarise themselves with their operating environment and are trained to respond swiftly to neutralise threats.

Two, we sharpened our operational preparedness with major public exercises. In October of last year, we conducted the largest counterterrorism exercise to date, involving more than 3,200 participants. It tested the island-wide response of Home Team and SAF officers for terror threats.

Three, we enhanced our Police Camera coverage and video analytics capabilities. We completed the installation of Police Cameras in all 10,000 HDB blocks and multi-storey car parks under Police Cameras (PolCam) 1.

0. The House was updated on that. We have started installing cameras in public areas − towns and neighbourhood centres and hawker centres. Over the next few years, we will install about 11,000 Police Cameras at 2,500 locations island-wide.

We will also develop video analytics capabilities from 2018 onwards and we will continue to strengthen our capabilities through 2017. Amongst these steps, I will share two examples.

One, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has started to enrol iris images. This will help ICA more accurately verify a person's identity. For travellers, if they face difficulties with fingerprints, they can still do self-clearance, as long as their iris matches.

Two, to further enhance our frontline response capabilities, the Police plan to equip frontline officers with pistols. Pistols will give our officers better firepower, compared to revolvers. They have up to three times more ammunition.

On dealing with terrorists, our position is that we will deal with anyone who engages in conduct that is potentially a trigger for terrorism. If necessary, we will detain the person. Otherwise, the person may be counselled or placed on a Restriction Order. ISA allows us to do this and that has helped avoid what has happened in other places. Let me quote two examples that have been widely reported in the media.

First, Jamal al-Harith. According to media reports, he is a British citizen. In 2001, he was picked up by American forces in Afghanistan. He was detained in Guantanamo Bay. In 2004, he was released without charge and repatriated to the United Kingdom (UK). He launched a claim against the UK government and was reportedly awarded a million pounds. In 2014, he left the UK to join ISIS in Syria. Last month, he reportedly carried out a suicide bomb attack in Mosul.

There is much debate and concern within the UK whether the government's compensation was used to fund ISIS. It is not a question of whether the UK approach was right or wrong. Each country has got to decide its own approach. But it is basically a question of how much risk you are prepared to take with such people. We believe people in our society will not want to allow this to happen here. In Singapore, Jamal would have been detained under ISA. Singaporeans accept a tighter security framework.

The second example is Anis Amri, the Tunisian truck driver, who drove a truck into the Berlin Christmas Market last December. Between 2011 and 2014, he served a four-year prison sentence in Sicily for several crimes, including arson. He arrived in Germany in July 2015. He visited radical mosques, mingled with extremist preachers and was linked to extremist networks. The German authorities had him on their radar. Security services closely observed him. But the laws did not allow the authorities to pre-emptively arrest him or produce him in court. Unable to find sufficient evidence as required by them, the monitoring stopped in September 2016. The state police chief said that they had "exhausted all legal powers to the limit to ward off potential dangers". Three months after the monitoring stopped, in December, the Christmas attack took place.

We should not reach that stage in Singapore. The trade-off for us is between taking a greater risk or intervening earlier. And my view is we must be able to intervene early and decisively.

Mdm Chair, Mr Christopher de Souza and Ms Rahayu Mahzam spoke about the Police report lodged over an imam's remarks on Christians and Jews. The imam is reported to have quoted a verse from the Quran and he seems to have said, I quote, "God grant us victory over Jews and Christians", amongst other things. And he seems to have repeated it and said it more than once. Investigations are ongoing. We will know the context of what he said once the investigations have finished.

At this stage, let me say this to make clear the Government's position. If the imam had referred to the phrase to say, for example, that such phrases can promote ill-will, hatred, enmity or violence against other communities and that this is not acceptable in a multi-religious society, then there can be no objection. But if he had said that Jews and Christians should be defeated and for God to grant Muslim brothers victory over them, to make that very point, then that is completely unacceptable. And if any Member disagrees, I welcome him or her to stand up and clarify.

The Government has taken a strict position when Muslims have been attacked. People have been charged and sent to jail. There have been many examples. Let me give one. In 2009, a Christian couple was sentenced to eight weeks' jail for distributing publications that cast Islam in a negative light. The same applies to any attack on any other religion. We will not tolerate any religious preaching that encourages violence or seeks to pit one religion against another.

If the imam had not made any inflammatory suggestion, no action will be taken and we will issue a public statement. But if he did, indeed, make such suggestions or had engaged in such preaching, then some appropriate action will be taken. We have to be fair to the imam. Thus, I have set out the position in the broadest possible way, outlining the Government's position so that everyone is clear where, as a matter of principle, the Government stands on these issues.

Even as we make clear that we do not fully know the exact context in which the imam spoke, the Government's position has to be made clear because matters like these have the potential to escalate with people jumping in, opinions being formed, hardened along religious lines.

A National University of Singapore (NUS) academic, Khairudin Aljunied, has come out to criticise the individual who made public what the imam has said. Mr Aljunied has encouraged vilification of that individual. Looking at what Mr Khairudin Aljunied has said, he seems to suggest that it is okay for the imam to say that Jews and Christians should be defeated. He assumes that the imam intended to mean that and Mr Khairudin Aljunied sees nothing wrong with that, even if the imam had intended the meaning of his words. Mr Khairudin Aljunied's position and actions are quite unacceptable. He has jumped into this without verifying the facts and without checking the context. He supports a position that is quite contrary to the norms, values and laws in Singapore.

The Police will look into the issues and the conduct of everyone involved quite thoroughly. When such issues arise, it is best that parties referred it to the Police. Going public may inflame the views further.

This brings us to SGSecure. In September 2016, we officially launched SGSecure. The objective is to have at least one Prepared Citizen in every household who knows how to recognise and report suspicious behaviour and items, protect their family and themselves and keep calm and reach out to others in times of crisis.

To achieve this, we have embarked on an extensive outreach effort. Mr Patrick Tay, Dr Tan Wu Meng and Ms Rahayu Mahzam asked for an update.

Our Home Team officers, NSmen, volunteers and grassroots leaders have been conducting house visits. During these visits, they explain to residents how they should respond in the event of an attack and encourage residents to participate in SGSecure programmes. We will push ahead with our efforts in 2017.

We also launched the "SGSecure in the Neighbourhood" programme. We revamped the Emergency Preparedness (EP) Day in 2016. Residents learn skills, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid. Live exercises sensitise residents to the threat of attacks and train their responses. We will roll it out across all 89 constituencies over the next two years.

We will expand our outreach efforts to workplaces in 2017. We will train public officers in SGSecure skills. We will partner the Ministry of Manpower, the National Trades Union Congress and the Singapore Business Federation to engage unions and businesses. We will have SGSecure briefings and conferences, customised EP Days; and CT seminars for industries, such as the security, manufacturing and hospitality sectors. We urge companies to come forward and join us.

This year, we will also focus on strengthening community cohesion and resilience. We need to make sure our community comes together as one united people after an attack.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam spoke about how we can improve the training of our community leaders to respond after an attack. We have begun to pilot the Crisis Response Exercises (CRX) within the constituencies. CRX will involve C2E committee members, IRCC representatives and other community stakeholders in the neighbourhood, such as schools and merchant associations. They will work together in a simulated attack scenario to assist the community after an attack and to manage potential communal tensions and restore social cohesion.

Second, our Home Team psychologists will partner the People's Association. Together with psychologists from the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), they will support and train grassroots leaders to provide swift and effective psychological first aid to affected residents after an attack.

Mdm Chair, Mr Desmond Choo asked how NSmen can contribute to the Home Team's efforts beyond their NS call-up. Our NSmen play an important role in SGSecure and they can be active responders in emergencies, whether on or off their NS duties.

Some of our NSmen have also stepped forward to mobilise their communities, for example, SCDF NS Commander Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) (NS) Raizan bin Abdul Razak. He works with his local grassroots at Tampines West to raise awareness of the terrorism threat and rallies fellow SCDF NSmen to promote SGSecure in their neighbourhoods and social circles.

We celebrate Home Team NS50 this year. A series of events and initiatives that have been lined up to recognise the importance of contributions of our NSmen made towards nation-building. We will continue to count on them also in the fight against terrorism.

Mdm Chair, I will now turn to the threat of drugs. The New York Times ran an article in January this year on what it called the "Killer Drug Epidemic" in the US. Across the US, cheap smuggled heroin is "handed out like candy". In 2015, more than 33,000 people died from opioid abuse and that does not include the number who died due to gun-related violence but linked to drugs. The 33,000 figure is higher than the number killed due to pure gun homicide. Babies are now being born with drug dependency. Entire neighbourhoods are affected and there is little hope for young people in these neighbourhoods.

The article told the story of a young 24-year-old girl who was doing well in school. Unfortunately, she developed anorexia. That led to alcohol, then drugs. She got addicted, went in and out of rehabilitation eight times, still unsuccessful. And to pay for her drugs, she lied to her family, pawned her mother's jewellery and went into prostitution. Countless others die, either through drugs or through drug-related violence.

There are hundreds of thousands of such examples across the world. Singapore is one of the few countries in the world that has dealt effectively with the drug problem. Our approach − we have a tough legal framework against traffickers and abusers. We are firm and relentless in enforcement. We carry out intensive efforts to educate Singaporeans on the dangers of drug abuse, and all this is complemented by comprehensive rehabilitation measures.

The Economist ran a major article in January this year. It said that Asia's harsh anti-drug policies are falling out of step with the rest of the world. It criticised these policies as needlessly severe and probably ineffective. Yet, it had to concede that Singapore's drug consumption is admirably low. It caveated that by saying that this is because we are small, have secure borders, little corruption, effective anti-drug education and laws that allow searches without warrants and detention without trial.

Apart from our size, none of the other factors happen by themselves. They are the result of our policies and many years of hard work. There is strong public support, both for our tough laws and our approach. Singapore's example demonstrates that the vision of a drug-resistant society is not impossible with the right policies properly executed.

The same Economist article referred to me as "Singapore's Fearsome Law and Home Affairs Minister" and it quoted my speech at the 2016 UN General Assembly, where I said, "Show us a model that works better, that delivers a better outcome for citizens and we will consider changing. If that cannot be done, then don't ask us to change." I do not accept the description "fearsome". But I will not flinch from taking a position in Singapore and outside Singapore that I believe is in the interest of our people. In this context, let me also put to rest one other myth.

Recently, there have been some suggestions that international pressure will cause us to deviate from our policies. And the death penalty was referred to in that context. Such suggestions are delusional. We do what is right for Singapore. A penalty will be in the books if we believe it to be right, and it will be removed if we believe that removal is the right thing to do, and not because of any international pressure.

The challenge of keeping Singapore drug-free is increasing. First, there are growing threats from the region. Southeast Asia continues to be a major market and producer of illicit drugs. Myanmar and Lao PDR account for 22% of the total global area used for illicit opium poppy cultivation. The trafficking of ice and heroin in the region generates over US$32 billion. This lucrative black market has attracted criminal syndicates from Africa, Iran, South Asia, Mexico and, of course, China. Singapore will be overrun by these syndicates, if we do not take a tough approach.

Our neighbours share our concerns. They, too, want to be drug-free. Their challenges are somewhat different. We will continue to partner them as we work towards a united position in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The second challenge is that the number of new drug abusers in Singapore has increased. Close to two-thirds of new abusers in 2016 were under the age of 30. A survey conducted by the National Council Against Drug Abuse in 2016 found that young people below the age of 30 were more open-minded towards drugs, as compared to a similar 2013 survey. This is a worrying trend. Dr Tan Wu Meng also raised similar concerns.

This problem is compounded by the rise in online drug availability. Online black market sites allow users to buy drugs anonymously. Drugs are couriered in small parcels, unmarked, innocuous-looking and difficult to track. The young are especially susceptible. Many of us may think that only young people from low-income households are vulnerable. But the Task Force on Youths and Drugs commissioned a study in 2014. It found that most young cannabis abusers come from either middle or high socio-economic backgrounds. Many of them did well in school. The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) will take active measures, together with our community partners, to tackle this concern. My Parliamentary Secretary will elaborate on this.

Third, there is increasing international pressure to adopt a softer "harm reduction" approach. We have to remain steadfast in our resolve to keep Singapore drug-free. We will continue to work with our partners, at regional and international platforms, to safeguard our position.

Senior Minister of State Desmond Lee.

Madam, there have been some 25 minutes of savings from MINDEF's COS. In order for Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin and I to address the remaining cuts, may we have Mdm Chair's indulgence for us to take that extra time?

I give my permission. Please proceed.

We will be brief, Madam.

Madam, over the past few years, the Home Team has been transforming to meet future challenges. This year, we are shifting gears significantly from planning to implementation. I will cover three aspects of this transformation.

First, we are ramping up the use of technology to better combat crime, secure our borders and save lives. Second, we are further integrating the Home Team's operations, so that we can more effectively deal with evolving and complex threats. Third, we are strengthening the Home Team's partnerships with the community, because everyone has a stake in keeping Singapore safe and secure.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh and Mr Desmond Choo spoke about leveraging technology. We are doing so across the whole spectrum of our operations. One example is the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). They give our officers a bird's-eye view of the situation and allow them to make better ground decisions. We have begun to deploy UAVs to support Police and SCDF operations.

For instance, in the Tuas View Circuit fire just last week, after the fire was extinguished, the UAV located hotspots in the large area which were otherwise out of sight from the firefighters. This allowed SCDF to act quickly and prevent the hotspots from re-igniting the fire. We will train our officers to use technology and help them adapt to new ways of working. Indeed, our people are central to our transformation. Officers will deepen their skills and master new ones. We will redesign jobs as new technologies are introduced.

One example is ICA's automated self-clearance lanes for motorbikes at our land checkpoints. ICA officers who no longer have to man the counters as a result can now be trained and redeployed to detect suspicious travellers and manage incidents on the ground.

Mr Desmond Choo also highlighted the need for Home Team departments to work together. We have taken steps to further integrate Home Team operations. For example, we are co-locating the various departments' operation centres. So, by the end of this year, officers from the Police, CNB, SCDF and ICA will sit side-by-side at the Police Operations Command Centre, enabling faster communication and information sharing and enhancing coordination of ground responses to incidents.

Mr Murali Pillai spoke about the importance of the Home Team partnering the community, and I agree. An active citizenry that is invested in the safety and security of Singapore is essential to the Home Team's work. We have, therefore, stepped up efforts to strengthen partnerships between the Home Team and the community. Let me share an example of the Save-a-Life initiative by SCDF, to illustrate. Madam, I will now speak in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The Save-a-Life initiative by SCDF seeks to increase peoples' awareness of first aid and build a nation of lifesavers. Trained community responders can become first aiders to provide initial response to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases. We will scale up community involvement in three ways.

First, we will equip citizens with the skills to help those who suffer a cardiac arrest. About 2,000 residents have been trained in CPR-AED skills under the Save-A-Life initiative. In the coming years, we hope to train more than 24,000 residents, or about 300 residents, per constituency.

Second, we will install more AEDs across Singapore. Currently, there are close to 460 AEDs installed in eight constituencies. By 2019, there will be one AED for every two HDB blocks in all constituencies across the whole island.

Third, we still need to find a way to bring help to persons in need. This is where the SCDF's myResponder app comes in. The app alerts its users if there is a report of somebody suffering from cardiac arrest nearby.

I urge more people to learn CPR-AED, download and use the myResponder app, and be part of our life-saving force.

(In English): Aside from individual citizens, businesses have an important role to play in Singapore's security. We will amend our laws this year to require businesses to adopt certain measures to guard against security threats. We will amend the Public Order Act to require certain events to put in place security measures. We will also introduce a Bill to enact a new Infrastructure Protection Act.

In imposing these requirements, we are mindful of the potential impact on businesses. We will take a practical approach so as to keep the cost of such measures reasonable. This is a cost which terrorism has imposed on society as a whole. The Government has borne a significant share of this cost. Communities have been roped in to play their part through SGSecure, and we seek the business community's understanding that these measures are necessary as a shared effort to keep Singapore and Singaporeans safe.

Another important partner in ensuring Singapore's safety and security is the Private Security Industry. The quality of our private security agencies has improved. The Progressive Wage Model has also laid the foundation to raise the skills, wages and productivity of our security officers. To build on these developments, MHA will work with the tripartite partners to develop an Industry Transformation Map (ITM) for the Private Security Industry, with a strong focus on innovation and technology, as well as the upgrading of jobs and skills of our officers.

Mr Zainal Sapari highlighted areas for review in the Security Agencies Grading Exercise (SAGE). In working on the ITMs, we will certainly take his comments and suggestions into account.

Ms Sylvia Lim raised some concerns about having foreigners as APOs. The reality is that there is a shortage of APOs, as Ms Sylvia Lim also acknowledges. It has not been possible for the Auxiliary Police Forces to recruit only Singaporeans. Our supply is limited. So, we have to decide what to do. What are our options? Do we live with the shortage of APOs and compromise on overall security when we need to deploy officers, or do we find other sources to meet these needs?

We have carefully considered the options and have decided to allow the recruitment of foreign APOs. They supplement our Singaporean APOs to meet our security needs. They are properly screened to ensure that they are suitable for security work and we also make careful assessments with regard to where they are deployed, and this is reviewed from time to time. We have not heard of a more effective proposal.

Ms Sylvia Lim was concerned about foreign APOs bearing arms. There are already, since the 1970s, non-Singaporean APOs carrying arms − these are the Malaysians. Anytime we give weapons to people, there is that risk.

We have had isolated cases of both local and foreign APOs misusing their arms. There is a risk when equipping people. But we have to arm our officers with weapons, if the risk assessment and operational needs so require, so that they can carry out their tasks and protect our installations. Not doing so may compromise our security even more. We have to recognise and manage the risks through screening, training and supervision, whether it is an APO of Singaporean or foreign origin who is equipped with arms.

Our priority is still to increase the number of Singaporean APOs. Singaporeans APOs are employed on better terms than foreigners, and the Auxiliary Police Forces have stepped up efforts to attract more Singaporeans.

I will now respond to other questions from Members. Mr Christopher de Souza asked for an update on cybercrime. Cybercrime continues to grow in scale and complexity. Last year, MHA launched the National Cybercrime Action Plan. Under the plan, we have stepped up efforts to raise public awareness, as prevention remains key. The Police's Scam Alert portal educates members of the public on the latest scams and we launched an Anti-Scam Helpline in November last year for members of public who wish to seek advice on potential scam situations. We are also enhancing our agencies' capabilities and strengthening our legislation, so that we remain effective in fighting cybercrime.

Mr Christopher de Souza also asked for an update on the exempt operator regime under the Remote Gambling Act. As exempt operators, Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club have to put in place a very extensive suite of safeguards. It is too early to draw conclusions on the impact of the regime on problem gambling. MHA and MSF will continue to monitor the situation and adjust our regulation, if necessary. The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has also stepped up public education and outreach on problem gambling.

Ms Sylvia Lim also asked about how the rights of the accused are safeguarded during Police investigations. She also made observations on the time taken for Police investigations, in the context of people who hold vocational licences. When a Police report is lodged and there is a prima facie case, the Police have a duty to investigate. Investigations will invariably impact those involved, such as accused persons, victims and witnesses, and we understand this.

Regulatory agencies that issue licences, including vocational licences, have a responsibility to consider the potential risks to the public and to assess whether there is a need to suspend or revoke those licences. In the case of vocational driving licences, the suspension or revocation is determined by the Land Transport Authority. They consider each case and whether the commuter's safety is at risk. If this creates hardship, then we should immediately refer these individuals to social support agencies so that they get assistance. I assure the Member that the Police will conduct investigations as speedily as possible. Although they try to expedite investigations, they also require sufficient time to conduct a thorough and fair investigation, and some cases will take longer to investigate.

This applies as well for investigations into alleged sexual abuse against minors, which Mr Christopher de Souza asked about. The Police treat such cases with great urgency. But speed should not come at the expense of due process, diligence and sensitivity. Utmost care is taken to support child victims during investigations.

For example, investigations are carried out in private consultation rooms designed to provide a safe and comfortable environment. Investigation officers are specially trained to use interviewing techniques sensitive to the welfare and emotional state of the child. We are also working with agencies to reduce the number of times a victim has to recount his or her experience to different parties.

On providing early access to counsel, we need to be fair to the accused, but also to the victims and to society as a whole. We should protect the rights of the accused without prejudicing the rights of the victims and the safety and security of society. We have, therefore, taken the approach of granting access to counsel within a reasonable time after investigations begin. This has served us well.

Ms Sylvia Lim also asked about the status of the video recording of interviews (VRI) pilot. My Minister had spoken about it last year. The Member may refer to that Statement. Essentially, we have consulted the legal community and, after taking into account the feedback that they have given, we have decided it would be better to put in place the necessary legislative amendments before starting the pilot. The work to amend the legislation is ongoing. We are also configuring VRI-enabled interview rooms for our law enforcement agencies and enhancing training for our officers. We will announce details in due course.

For youths between 16 and 18 years old facing criminal charges, which Ms Sylvia Lim spoke about, there are various protective measures in place. Offenders in this age group are usually dealt with by the Community Court, which is committed to restorative justice and rehabilitation. These offenders could be asked to undergo family conferences or offender-victim mediations.

Youths below 19 years old who commit minor offences can also be diverted from prosecution in Court to community-based rehabilitation programmes, such as the Guidance Programme and Enhanced Streetwise Programme.

In October 2015, MSF, MHA and the Attorney-General's Chambers started a review of the Criminal Justice System for youths. The Committee has made several recommendations, including to further strengthen the protection of youth offenders between the ages of 16 and 18 and raising the threshold under CYPA to 18 years of age. The Government is presently studying the recommendations and will announce details in due course.

Ms Sylvia Lim also asked whether parents could be allowed to be Appropriate Adults. There is the risk that some persons related to the young suspect would face difficulties staying neutral during the interview. Therefore, we prefer a neutral third-party, with no direct interest, to be the Appropriate Adult. This will achieve the objective of providing emotional support to young suspects without unduly interfering with the investigation process.

In conclusion, the Home Team is committed to staying ahead of challenges by harnessing technology in new and innovative ways, further integrating our operations and partnering the community. Together, we will continue to keep Singapore safe and secure.

Mdm Chair, I thank Members for their support for the Home Team's work and I will speak on two areas: first, the scourge of drugs; and second, the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-offenders.

Mr Christopher de Souza asked about our drug situation and the strategies to combat this trend. The overall drug abuse situation in Singapore is under control. In 2016, there was a 3% drop in the number of drug abusers arrested compared to 2015, but there are areas of concern. Close to two-thirds of the new drug abusers arrested were below the age of 30, and we are also seeing more cases of students abusing drugs. Therefore, we cannot take our foot off the pedal in the fight against drugs.

Even with our tough drug laws and active enforcement, we remain vulnerable to the global and regional drug trade. Minister Shanmugam highlighted the situation in the Golden Triangle, as well as the cross-border drug syndicate activities. We must continue to strengthen our enforcement efforts and regional cooperation. CNB works closely with its foreign partners to target syndicates which attempt to supply drugs to Singapore. For example, last December, CNB and the Malaysian Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) coordinated operations to successfully nab an elusive Malaysian and his associates who were supplying a sizeable amount of drugs into Singapore. At the same time, we need to reduce demand and step up preventive drug education so that Singaporeans know the dangers of drugs.

Dr Tan Wu Meng highlighted the growing movement overseas to sugar-coat the drug problem. Our youths are not immune from this influence. On the Internet, our youths see drugs being glamourised. They read about the legalisation of cannabis overseas and they hear that drugs like cannabis are less harmful and addictive. But this is not true.

A review conducted by experts at Singapore's IMH found that cannabis is both harmful and addictive, and chronic exposure to cannabis during adolescence is linked to lower intelligence quotient and possibly irreversible decline in cognitive performance lasting into adulthood. The World Health Organization has also compiled research which found that regular cannabis users were more likely to take other drugs like heroin and cocaine.

To better engage youths and extend outreach, CNB has developed a multi-pronged strategy.

First, CNB has been increasing their social media presence and they have produced videos to convey accurate information on the harms of drugs. These are shared online, as well as during drug prevention talks and roadshows.

Second, CNB is piloting a new initiative to establish positive "influencers" in peer circles. Youths from the Institutes of Technical Education, polytechnics and universities have signed up for the pilot of an Anti-Drug Advocate (ADA) Programme. These youths will learn about the harmful effects of drugs and Singapore's drug policies. They will visit halfway houses and DRCs, hearing first-hand accounts from ex-abusers on how hard it is to kick the drug habit. These youths will see what is really at stake if they try drugs. We hope the experience will encourage them to start their own initiatives to spread the anti-drug message to their friends.

We need more people to step forward to spread the anti-drug message. Prevention is our first line of defence, and a key part of the battle is won if we keep our people away from drugs. However, when someone starts to abuse drugs, we must help them to stop. And it is vital that we curb the vicious cycle of re-offending and prevent the spread of drug to non-abusers.

Last year, CNB arrested a man for drug trafficking. He mixed with bad company, picked up drugs and never successfully quit. What happened next was worse. He taught his two young sons, aged 19 and 20, to smoke "ice". He got them addicted and even supplied their habit.

We share Dr Tan Wu Meng's concern on the impact of drug abuse on the family. If we do not succeed rehabilitating offenders, their families, including their children, may end up becoming victims or offenders. Curbing intergenerational offending starts upstream, and this applies to both drug abuse and crime. This is an area which we are working with other agencies to better understand and tackle.

The rehabilitation process starts upon admission. Inmates are assessed for their risk of re-offending and severity of drug abuse and, depending on risk levels, inmates undergo different programmes which address criminal thinking and addiction issues. They also undergo family support programmes, religious programmes and skills training.

To ease their transition back into the community, they can later be emplaced in a halfway house or on home detention. Under the Day Release Scheme introduced last year, first-time lower-risk inmates can also go out to work and study during the day. We hope these measures help inmates better reintegrate into society.

Mr Louis Ng asked about the role of family support in rehabilitation. Indeed, this is one of the key factors that motivates ex-offenders to rebuild their lives and to keep themselves away from re-offending.

The SPS partners Fei Yue Family Services and Lakeside Family Services to provide structured family programmes for inmates − workshops to help better understand the impact of their crimes on their families and build their parenting and communication skills.

SPS also works with community partners like the Salvation Army to conduct family sessions in prison. During these sessions, family members are allowed to enter the Prison to spend time with the inmates, and they are designed to encourage bonding between inmates and their children, and they serve as powerful reminders to inmates that they need to turn their lives around. These family sessions are also held during special occasions, such as Mothers' Day, Fathers' Day and Children's Day.

Other than helping the inmate, SPS also helps their families. The grassroots-led Yellow Ribbon Community Project (YRCP) was established to help the families and children of inmates cope by connecting them to the national social support networks. YRCP has assisted more than 5,000 families. We recognise that family ties are vital to the inmates' rehabilitation, and family support is especially important after the inmates' release. Thus, the community's long-term involvement is vital to ensure continuity in these efforts.

Madam, I understand that my time on the clock has run out. Can I proceed to finish up my answer?

Yes, try to keep it short.

Sure. Besides family support, employment is another critical factor for successful reintegration. Employment provides the ex-offenders with a sense of purpose and income to help meet their families' needs. The Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE), its partners and employers play key roles by providing training and job opportunities for inmates.

Dr Tan Wu Meng and Mr Leon Perera asked about skills training for offenders during and after incarceration. SPS and SCORE conduct training programmes that are aligned with the Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework. This year, SCORE will commence the WSQ Advanced Training for inmates during incarceration. Courses include the Certified Operations Professional training where inmates are trained to be operations professionals in the manufacturing industry or technical supervisors in other industries. Completing these courses also helps inmates to pursue WSQ Diploma courses upon their release.

To keep up with increased automation in our workplaces, SCORE will introduce courses for inmates on the use of workplace smart devices, such as tablets. These skills will help inmates to be more competitive when they join the workforce upon their release.

SPS and SCORE work together with agencies, such as Workforce Singapore, to fund these courses for inmates. The combination of training and employer support have helped many inmates re-enter the workforce. And over the last three years, more than 95% of inmates referred to SCORE successfully secured jobs before their release.

Inmates can use their SkillsFuture credits during their stay at halfway houses or after their release. And SCORE informs inmates about SkillsFuture programmes and works with halfway house operators to encourage residents to attend courses.

In 2016, SCORE also worked with employers to pilot a new initiative where ex-offenders are sent for further skills upgrading if they perform well at work. So far, more than 260 ex-offenders have benefited from this.

Through the multiple rehabilitation programmes, we help inmates and their family cope with their difficult situation.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam asked about our partnerships with Malay/Muslim organisations to tackle offending, re-offending and drug abuse. Madam Chair, I will now speak in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] MHA has formed close partnerships with the Malay/Muslim community to tackle the issue of offending and re-offending.

We have achieved good progress in recent years. I am encouraged by the progress made by our Malay/Muslim community. The strong support of our Malay/Muslim volunteers is invaluable in helping our ex-offenders start afresh. Many people from our community have stepped forward to play a role in supporting the rehabilitation and reintegration efforts of offenders and repeat offenders.

For example, SPS is working closely with the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) on a rehabilitation programme for Muslim offenders. This includes religious, family and financial literacy programmes during their incarceration, as well as case management and family support services after they are released. The programme will be piloted with about 100 drug offenders later this year.

MHA is also partnering the Singapore Muslim Women's Association (PPIS) to enhance drug prevention education efforts within the community. Under this initiative, PPIS will help spread the anti-drug message to their clients who are participating in their support programmes.

PERGAS (Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association), also shared our concern over drug offending. Recently, they met and counselled young drug offenders during the pilot run of the Insan Mukmin programme. PERGAS is very concerned that our youths lack awareness about the danger of drugs and how drug abuse runs counter to the teachings of Islam. They shared with me that they planned to organise a campaign to raise more awareness on this front.

I would like to encourage more community partners to join the Home Team in our efforts to reduce the number of drug offenders.

(In English): Mdm Chair, to conclude, the Home Team is committed to achieve a drug-free Singapore and will increase our efforts to rehabilitate and reintegrate ex-offenders and will partner the community to safeguard the safety and security of Singapore.

We have a few minutes for clarifications. Mr Zainal Sapari.

My clarification is for Minister Shanmugam. I would like to ask whether the Police in its investigation into inappropriate remarks made by the imam during the Friday sermon, whether the Police would be consulting MUIS to establish whether it was really out of context or, indeed, it was incriminatory.

The Police will interact and speak with a wide variety of people in coming to their conclusion. Ultimately, the Police will be guided by advice from the Attorney-General's Chambers, taking into account the facts, the videos which are available and a proper translation of what was said. Everything will be looked into.

Mr Desmond Choo.

Mdm Chair, my clarification is for the Senior Minister of State. Can the Senior Minister of State share more on how we can support older Home Team officers? Also, how would the Home Team train to arrive at that strong joint Home Team capabilities that are needed to fight crimes of the future?

Madam, I thank the Member for his clarifications. On his first question about older workers in the Home Team, the Police will be putting in place a more structured career transition programme. I had spoken about it recently. It provides our retiring officers with dedicated training time as well as subsidies for them to take part in career transition courses. These will enable them to have the necessary skills to transit smoothly into a second career.

Based on the outcome of these initiatives, MHA will also progressively extend these career transition support programmes to other Home Team departments. The departments are also actively looking out for opportunities to deploy and re-employ our veteran officers in both uniformed and civilian positions where we can tap on their experience, skills and knowledge.

The Member also asked about how we can have a better joint Home Team psyche for our officers. In today's complex operating environment, this is critical because no Home Team department completely operates in silo. In more complex situations, our officers often have to find themselves having to work together on the ground at the operational level. I spoke earlier about the Police Operations Command Centre, where you will have other Home Team agencies in that nerve cell. With quicker sharing of information, it will begin to translate into a fuller, whole-of-Home Team operational stance.

But to support this, you have to start from training, and officers need to go into their Home Team uniformed service knowing that they are part of a larger organisation and that they have to work together.

So, the Home Team Academy will be rolling out two new Home Team training modules later this year for our new officers. Officers will learn about the functions of Home Team departments. They will gain a better insight into the heritage, history, ethos and values of each department, as well as the importance of integration across the Home Team departments. As an officer progresses through his career, he will be trained in joint operations and gain an understanding of the different capabilities of the Home Team departments. So, we have courses like the Home Team Leadership Programmes for Senior and Junior Officers, and the Home Team Senior Command and Staff Course, which will equip officers at different stages of their career with the knowledge, skills and network to work together as one Home Team.

Mr Patrick Tay.