Hansard, Monday, 16 September 2013

Order. I wish to inform hon Members that under the provisions of Standing Order No 102, I have on 5 September 2013 nominated the following Members to fill vacancies in the respective Standing Select Committees:

Mr Gan Thiam Poh to be a Member of the Public Accounts Committee in place of Mr Desmond Lee; and

Dr Lim Wee Kiak to be a Member of the Public Petitions Committee.

The nominations take effect from 5 September 2013.

Mdm Speaker, may I seek your consent and the general assent of Members present to move that Question Time at this day's sitting be exempted from the provisions of Standing Order No 22(1) so as to enable Questions for Oral Answer to be taken till 4.00 pm today?

I give my consent. Does the Leader of the House have the general assent of hon Members present to so move?

[(proc text) indicated assent. (proc text)]

[(proc text) With the consent of Mdm Speaker, and the general assent of Members present, (proc text)]

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

[(proc text) Resolved, "That notwithstanding Standing Order 22(1), Questions for Oral Answer set down on the Order Paper for today be taken till 4.00 pm today." (proc text)]

1 Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for Defence in light of the relocation of Paya Lebar Airbase, how will the Government maintain the Republic of Singapore Air Force's operational readiness and ensure that Singapore's security needs will not be compromised.

Mdm Speaker, the Member Dr Lim Wee Kiak has asked a highly relevant question as the relocation of Paya Lebar Airbase (PLAB) must never compromise the ability of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) to safeguard Singapore's security and sovereignty.

Indeed, this was the over-riding and primary consideration when MINDEF and the SAF studied the possibility of relocating PLAB. We were mindful that the current capabilities of the RSAF were achieved over four decades and remain critical to protect a small country like Singapore which lacks strategic depth.

The RSAF's superior air defence and strike capabilities have been built up through prudent and steady investments of resources and land allocation for our defence needs. Over the years, we have acquired, adapted and developed advanced technologies and state-of-the-art platforms to provide more accurate and timely early warning and situational awareness of potential threats. We will continue to invest in these capabilities.

In particular, the RSAF is putting into place a state-of-art multi-layered Island Air Defence System to provide a comprehensive shield protecting Singapore against airborne threats. This includes at the outer perimeter, our existing Gulfstream-550 Airborne Early Warning aircraft, which replaced the E2C in 2012, and significantly enhanced our early warning and air defence

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capabilities through its better endurance and longer range of detection.

I would like to announce today that the SAF will also be acquiring the ASTER-30 Surface-to-Air Missile System. This missile defence system against airborne threats is used by advanced militaries such as France and Italy. The ASTER-30's capabilities are many times more potent than our current I-HAWK ground-based air defence system. The ASTER will allow us to engage multiple threats simultaneously and from a longer distance. It will complement the SPYDER, which we have already operationalised – it is a mobile, shorter-range, quick reaction ground-based air defence system – and together, they will provide a layered air defence shield.

The RSAF will also be looking to upgrade its fighter fleet. We plan to upgrade our F16s to modernise their avionics and extend their lifespan. Our F15SGs were recently acquired and have proven themselves in recent multilateral military exercises with advanced Air Forces like those from the US and Australia during Exercise Cope Tiger and Exercise Pitch Black. Also, as announced at the Committee of Supply in March this year, we are evaluating the suitability of the advanced multi-role F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in meeting our long-term security needs to further modernise our fighter fleet and replace our older aircraft.

These advanced capabilities that I have mentioned have been built up through steady defence investments over the years, and have now provided the confidence for MINDEF and the SAF to consider relocating PLAB in the long term to meet national development needs.

In 2011, MINDEF and the SAF conducted a thorough assessment of our capabilities and security threats for the long term. We satisfied ourselves that our security would not be compromised and that relocation of PLAB could take place after existing airbases at Changi East (CAB) and Tengah (TAB) have been expanded to accommodate relocated assets and facilities.

The expansion of CAB and TAB will be necessary to house relocated fighter and support squadrons as well as accommodate facilities currently housed in PLAB. As Members would recognise, this undertaking is complex but the RSAF will use this opportunity to build anew through innovative operational concepts and advanced airbase designs, which will enhance the effectiveness and resilience of the airbases. Newly expanded and improved airbases together with advanced fighter fleets protected by a multi-layered air defence shield will ensure that the RSAF maintains its deterrent edge and continues to be an

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effective and formidable Air Force.

PLAB's relocation will be a long-term and complex undertaking. MINDEF will be working closely with MND on the detailed planning and implementation of the relocation over the next two decades.

Mdm Speaker, let me thank the Minister for his comprehensive answer. I would like to ask the Minister: does this relocation change the order of battle (orbat) of the entire Air Force and what is the estimated cost of the entire relocation?

First, I would say that Paya Lebar Airbase's relocation is a long-term plan. It does not in any way affect current operations or manning at PLAB. Dr Lim asked for orbat. I would say that generally, the answer is no. It does not affect the orbat. We will continue to modernise our air fleets, as I have said. I also announced that we are currently looking at the F-35s. We will take our time because that is a long-term need.

He also asked for cost. It will be costly because it is a complex undertaking that will require fairly intense and sometimes highly skilled engineering to accommodate some of the facilities. In coming to this decision, we have worked together with MND to calculate the trade-offs, and on balance, because of the space that is released from the relocated Paya Lebar Airbase, including the height templates around it, on a nett basis, it is many billion dollars worth of positive returns to the people of Singapore. That is the basis on which we have made the decision.

Thank you, Mdm Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister if there is a potential in the future for all our airbase facilities to be consolidated in a possible location, and what are the factors that might actually contribute to us consolidating them in that way.

As I have said in my reply, we took a very detailed study of this possibility just to relocate Paya Lebar Airbase. I am not at liberty to release all the classified information that we looked at, but it was a balance between our ability to preserve RSAF's capabilities and to protect Singapore. It is not our intent to squeeze our defence assets to the most efficient because there is the issue of ability of operational needs. This configuration, with an expanded Changi Airbase and expanded Tengah Airbase, fulfils those needs.

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Already, the relocation of Paya Lebar Airbase is a long-term initiative and we have given this a timeline of perhaps around 2030. This will serve us for the longer term and there are no plans and no studies to even further consolidate.

Mdm Speaker, I thank the Minister for the announcement that the HAWK system would be upgraded. I am a HAWK officer. In fact, a whole squadron of men and women has been dedicated to manning the system for many years. Therefore, my question is, how much overlap would there be to ensure that a whole squadron of men and women are equipped with the new upgraded system that the Minister talked about.

Mdm Speaker, first, let me thank the Member Christopher de Souza for protecting our skies through the HAWK system. We will ensure that officers like him and units which are caught in the transition will be smoothly transitioned to new systems. We have done it before, as we did with SPYDER that replaced various other systems. This is not the first time that we have changed systems. I am confident that we will put in the gears smoothly.

2 Mr Pritam Singh asked the Prime Minister in light of the discovery of used election ballot boxes that were not disposed of in a proper manner (a) who was responsible for the lapse and what action has been taken against the person; (b) whether these boxes were for the 2011 presidential election and, if so, whether there was any breach of section 37 of the Presidential Elections Act; (c) whether there were any other ballot boxes or presidential election paraphernalia that were similarly mishandled in the course of the presidential election; and (d) what role does the Elections Department play in ensuring that such episodes do not occur and what oversight responsibilities does the Elections Department have over their appointed contractors.

Mdm Speaker, I understand that Mr Alex Yam had also filed a similar question for a subsequent sitting.

Let me first assure Members of the House that the discovery of used empty ballot boxes does not constitute a lapse in the election procedures that ensure the integrity of the election process. There is a rigorous process to ensure

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security of the vote and voting secrecy at each election. There is no break in the chain of custody of ballot papers from the polling station to the counting centre, and from the counting centre to the Supreme Court where the ballot papers are retained in safe custody for six months and then subsequently destroyed. For transparency, the process is open to observation by candidates and their agents who are present.

Ballot boxes are boxes so designated and used for the deposit of ballots cast in an election on Polling Day. These boxes are marked and are shown to be empty to candidates and their polling agents who are present before they are sealed by election officials at the polling station before the start of the polls on Polling Day. These boxes are treated from this point as controlled items for use for the casting of ballots. After the polls have closed, election officials at the polling station seal these ballot boxes containing the ballot papers which have been cast. Candidates and their polling agents who are present witness the process and may also place their own seals on the ballot boxes. The sealed ballot boxes carried by the election officials are then transported under Police escort to the counting centre. A Police officer is on board the bus used and stands guard over the ballot boxes throughout the journey.

At the counting centre, before the ballot boxes are opened, candidates and their counting agents who are present may inspect all the boxes again to ascertain that all the boxes are accounted for, and that no others are present; and that the seals of all the ballot boxes are intact and have not been tampered with. The seals are then broken and ballot boxes are opened, and the ballot papers therein are poured out, sorted and counted. The emptied ballot boxes are ascertained in the presence of all to be empty and cease to be a controlled item and are put aside with other discarded material to be later collected by the Elections Department (ELD)'s contractor for general disposal.

After the election result has been announced by the Returning Officer, the ballot papers and other official documents used in the election are placed into separate boxes and sealed, witnessed by candidates and their counting agents who are present, who may also place their own seals on these boxes. These boxes are then conveyed by Police escort and retained in safe custody for six months at the Supreme Court. After six months, they are destroyed by incineration, unless directed by order of the President.

The empty ballot boxes set aside at the counting centres, along with other paraphernalia like disused writing material, emergency lanterns and any other equipment and leftover general items are supposed to be collected by a contractor appointed by ELD from the counting centres the day after Polling Day.

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In the event that the contractor is unable to collect all or any of these items the day after Polling Day, such items are then kept in the storeroom for the contractor to collect on another date. The used and empty boxes and other debris collected are disposed of by the contractor. This arrangement has been in place for years over several elections without issue.

The fact that some boxes were recently found clearly suggests an oversight by working personnel on the ground involved in the collection of such discarded material after Polling Day. Although, as I had explained, this does not constitute a lapse in the election process proper, I have directed ELD to study how such an incident can be prevented in future to avoid undue alarm or confusion. However, such a tightened process to ensure disposal of such discarded material and debris should be practical and not onerous.

Following this incident, ELD has also since checked with all the 164 schools that were used as counting centres to see if there are any other such discarded empty used ballot boxes or other similarly non-controlled election paraphernalia or items kept in their stores. They have since found several such disused boxes in the stores of five schools used as counting centres. These will be collected by the contractor for general disposal.

Member of Parliament Mr Pritam Singh asked whether there is any breach of section 37 of the Presidential Elections Act with regards to this specific case. The investigation by the Police thus far shows that there is no offence disclosed under section 37 of the Act, which relates to the tampering of ballot boxes before and while in use, but investigations continue as to the unauthorised removal of these disused boxes from a locked storeroom.

I would like to thank the Minister for the comprehensive reply and the detail at which the Minister went through the elections process proper. Coming to my question, I refer to the press release by ELD on 30 August, where it was stated that ballot papers and other documents used in the elections, are placed into separate boxes and sealed for safe custody at the Supreme Court and then six months later, for disposal. Can I ask the Minister if these other documents include spare ballot boxes and their locked down form and if the other documents used in the elections are to be placed in separate boxes and sealed for disposal, are there any other election related items that are also similarly disposed by the appointed contractor?

The answer to the first question is no. They are not the same boxes and there are no other things that are similarly in that category.

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For the disposed items, or what we call, the non-controlled items would be collected by the contractor for subsequent disposal. This may include other writing materials that are non-controlled items. At no point in time is any controlled item being mixed or left unattended.

The entire process is controlled and carefully watched from the beginning of the polls until the boxes are emptied out. Once the boxes are emptied out, the boxes cease to be called election boxes. They will be known as discarded boxes and the boxes that are used to store the materials for safe keeping at the Supreme Court is a different set of boxes.

Mdm Speaker, I thank the Minister for his reply. Two supplementary questions, please. One, is this the first time such an incident has occurred and whether there were previous examples of these? The second is that section 49 of the Parliamentary Elections Act has a list of required steps for the disposal of items. Of course this does not include the non-controlled items at the moment. I am wondering if the Ministry would consider the inclusion of additional items under this schedule.

Mdm Speaker, let me first clarify the difference between controlled items and non-controlled items. In this particular case, the empty disused boxes are non-controlled items. For the ELD, the priority is to ensure that all controlled items, for example, ballot papers are properly accounted for and this, we have done so over the course of the election.

The other question is whether there had been any previous instances whereby non-controlled items were similarly found. We are unaware of this but following this incident, we have done a thorough check on all the counting centres and indeed, we found there were some non-controlled items that were not collected by the contractors, and we will tighten up this process even though they are non-controlled items.

I thank the Minister for the reply. As the Minister suggested in the initial response that he gave, some people were unduly alarmed at the presence of the spare boxes being discovered. To avoid this sort of alarm in future, would the Minister, depending on the Police investigations and other discussions that take place with regard to the incident, consider including spare boxes as controlled items in future elections?

Mdm Speaker, let me say it once again. Spare boxes are not controlled items. The life span of a controlled item in this case, the box,

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starts from the moment before the polling starts, whereby in the presence of the election officials, the candidates and all their agents, they are shown the empty boxes. The life of the box starts once the box is sealed with the proper seal and then from that point onwards, it is known as a controlled item with the seal under the watch of the election officials all the way until the counting centre.

The life of the ballot box ceases when the seal is broken and the ballot papers are emptied out and the box is certified to be totally empty. That will be the end of the life of the ballot box.

As to whether we would include the unused boxes as controlled items, we will take this issue and study it with ELD. But I must emphasise again, unused boxes are not controlled items. The Member's question is whether ELD will include them as a controlled item, but these boxes are just like any other box.

The most important thing, to ensure the integrity of the process, is that once it is sealed with all the necessary markers, it is a controlled item and from that point onwards, we must make sure that the box is always under the watch of the election officials and the agents, and at no point must there be a break in the chain of the controlled item.

3 Ms Foo Mee Har asked the Minister for Health if he can provide more details on the qualification and inclusion of Singaporeans under the age of 40 years in the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) and whether the qualification can be simplified by using a pre-approval process in order to bring those who need help onto the scheme as quickly as possible.

Mdm Speaker, from 1 January 2014, the qualifying age for the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) will be removed. This will allow Singaporeans of all ages in lower and middle income households to access subsidised care at private General Practitioner (GP) clinics and dental clinics near their homes.

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For existing Health Assist cardholders who have family members in their household who are 40 years and below, we will automatically include their family members into the scheme with effect from 1January 2014. They will receive their Health Assist cards from 26 December 2013 onwards.

For younger households who only meet the revised criteria now, they can already start to apply for the scheme now and each household will only need to submit one application form, which is available at the Restructured Hospitals, Polyclinics, Community Centres and Clubs (CCs) or Community Development Councils (CDCs) and they can also download the forms from the CHAS website. We will also work with grassroots organisations to reach out to needy households in the community to help them apply for the scheme.

I thank the Minister for making the process so seamless. The Singaporean families, especially those who already qualified for the CHAS card, would greatly benefit from the streamlined process. I have a supplementary question for the Minister. If a CHAS eligible household suffers a drop in the household income within the two-year validity period – say from $1,500 to $900 per capita household monthly income either because of loss of employment or due to changes in household members' employment – would the Minister consider upgrading the CHAS subsidy level from orange to blue?

The answer is yes. Please apply and we will review on a case-by-case basis. If the income has indeed dropped, we will give you an upgrade to the blue card. The idea is that this card eventually aims to help the low-income and the middle income and if you need help, we will try our best to help.

I would like to ask the Minister, with these changes, does the Ministry expect more private GPs and clinics to come on board the scheme? And what would Ministry be doing to encourage more to join the scheme?

Mdm Speaker, we are already progressively seeing more and more GPs signing on and we want to continue to reach out to them. In fact, through our Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), we have been engaging the private GPs to explain to them what the scheme is about and how they can benefit from this scheme as well as help us to reach out and benefit the needy patients. More and more GPs and dental clinics are coming on board. We will continue to step up our efforts to reach out to them to encourage them to sign

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up.

Mdm Speaker, can I just ask the Minister: for clinics that are displaying the CHAS logo, both dental and medical clinics, are there only specific procedures that are applicable to CHAS subsidy? I have got lots of residents who are now coming forward to say that when they go for certain procedures, they are told that these are not covered under CHAS.

First, let me explain the CHAS was conceptualised primarily to take care of chronic diseases. Therefore, if we are going to see the GPs for chronic diseases which are covered under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP), treatment for the diseases would be covered by CHAS. Other conditions will not be included, but we also cover outpatient acute conditions for the blue card as well.

For the CDMP, we recently announced that we are going to expand the list from 10 conditions to 15 conditions. We will continue to review whether there is a need to further expand the CDMP as we go on and as we gain more experience with the five new diseases.

4 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Health what is the projected annual increase in MediShield payouts if (i) all Singaporeans and Permanent Residents are enrolled (ii) all pre-existing, congenital and neonatal conditions are covered; and (iii) the maximum coverage age is removed.

Mdm Speaker, as part of the overall healthcare financing review to ensure that healthcare remains affordable for all Singaporeans, MOH is studying the introduction of better coverage for large bills and moving to life-long MediShield coverage for all Singaporeans.

As the move to MediShield Life is a major policy shift, we will have a public consultation exercise later this year to seek Singaporeans' views on the proposed MediShield Life. The details and costs of the MediShield Life, including the likely impact on the payouts from MediShield Life if all pre-existing conditions and all residents are covered for life, are currently under

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study. More details will be shared during the public consultation exercise.

Madam, I have three supplementary questions. First, my concern is that the increased coverage will also come with higher premiums. While I support the increased coverage, my concern is that these higher premiums will be a financial burden on some members, especially the elderly and the low income. So, my questions are: is the Government planning to subsidise MediShield Life premiums as part of its overall plan to increase the healthcare budget, because currently MediShield is completely self-funding and receives no Government subsidies? Secondly, can the Government provide more details about the Pioneer Generation Package that was announced during the National Day Rally? Would it be means tested and what is the cut-off age? Lastly, when will the full details of MediShield Life be announced?

Mdm Speaker, first let me explain that today, the Government already indirectly subsidises MediShield because the Government provides top-ups into MediSave, and MediSave is being used to pay for the premium for MediShield. So, indirectly there is Government subsidy for MediShield, particularly for the lower income. Going forward, with MediShield Life, as the Member has rightly pointed out, with enhanced benefits, the pay-outs will increase and that is the objective of enhancing the benefits, and therefore the premium has to go up as well.

The Government is very conscious about the impact of higher premiums and, therefore, we have already made the commitment that we will make sure that the lower income as well as older Singaporeans who may not have sufficient savings, will be looked after. We will make sure that the premiums, with Government subsidies, will be affordable for them. That is the first question.

The Member also asked about the Pioneer Generation Package. The details are being worked out now. In due course, we will reveal more details on who will qualify for Pioneer Generation Package and what is provided for in the Pioneer Generation Package. I urge the Member to be patient. We will reveal that in time.

Last question is about the details of MediShield Life. We will have a public consultation. We are still working on MediShield Life and what form it will take. But the key parameter is that we want to make sure that all Singaporeans will be included and they will also be included throughout their lives. Therefore, we

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will remove the age limit on MediShield Life.

As for the other features, for example, how we can enhance the payouts, how we can help to reduce the co-payment especially for the larger bills, these are the details that the Ministry is working on now. During the public consultation, we will share more details. And we hope to be able to give even more details and the broad shape of the scheme by the next Committee of Supply (COS) debate.

Mdm Speaker, I would like to thank the Health Minister for accepting the feedback from the ground and several of us in the House to include those with pre-existing congenital conditions in MediShield Life. My question to Minister is: what are the details of the public consultation that Ministry is currently conducting, because it has just completed one public consultation before it has come up with this plan to include these others who were previously not included. The second is: when will MediShield Life be expected to be implemented, because there are quite a number of Singaporeans who are currently not receiving any basic health insurance at the moment?

Mdm Speaker, let me just explain that we have conducted a few rounds of public consultation on healthcare. In fact, the consultation is ongoing. So, we consult the public on many issues including Medisave, MediShield, as well as how we can help them with the medical costs in general. This coming public consultation is aimed specifically at MediShield Life and what the features are, and how do we make sure that it is practical and meaningful to the man in the street, to the patients who need help, and what are the features and the costs involved. There are several aspects to be dealt with in the consultation.

We will produce a consultation paper shortly before the consultation exercise starts, to outline what are the key things that we are consulting the public about. I will again urge the Member to be patient and it will be out soon.

As to when MediShield Life will be implemented, this is quite a major shift and, therefore, we will need to take a bit of time to work out the details and consult the public as well. I think it will take some time. We do not think it will be completed within a year. We hope to be able to implement MediShield Life by 2015.

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In the meantime, I am very conscious that the Member has asked what about those who need help who are not covered. For now, until we implement MediShield Life, for those who are excluded currently, if they still need help in terms of financial support, they can approach our hospitals or public health institutions and we have schemes to help them, especially for the lower income and, for the older Singaporeans. So, help is available even before MediShield Life comes into being, but with MediShield Life, they will have greater assurance that their healthcare bills will be covered by insurance.

I would like to thank the Minister for his answer. Post-National Day Rally discussions with the residents in Ulu Pandan have received warm acceptance for us taking care of the Pioneer Generation. My question is: many of them are advanced in years and, therefore, many would have pre-existing conditions. Would we try to keep premiums low, even for those who have pre-existing conditions, and also spread it out for those younger than that? Would the Minister do his best to keep premiums low? That is really the nub.

The short answer is yes, we will try our best to keep the premiums low and affordable. The Government will pay particular attention to those who are in the lower income group and those who are elderly who may no longer be working, and also may not have accumulated sufficient savings because they might have started work many, many years ago. And during those years, their incomes were limited. These people belong to the group we call the Pioneer Generation. We will look after them and make sure that the premiums will be affordable to them, so that they will be covered by MediShield Life.

As I have said, MediShield Life is meant to cover all and to cover for life. If there are people who cannot afford it and drop out of the scheme, it will not be MediShield Life. An important feature of MediShield Life is to ensure that all of us are covered.

5 Assoc Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene asked the Minister of Defence and Leader of the House whether the identities of applicants seeking appointment as Nominated Members of Parliament can be made public and, if not, what are the reasons for not disclosing the identities of applicants prior to

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or after the appointment process.

The Member has asked whether names of those seeking appointment as Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs) can be made public. The legal requirements and administrative processes for selecting NMPs for appointment by the President are laid out in the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution which was drafted after extensive consultation and debates. This was in 1989−1990 when then Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong moved the Constitution Amendment Bill to provide for NMPs in this Parliament. The Bill was referred to a Select Committee to examine in detail the merits and demerits of various modes of selecting NMPs including the question which the Member has asked today, that is, whether the process should be made more public.

This Select Committee, after careful deliberation, submitted their report to Parliament then and therein did not support an open process as it would, and I would quote here, "cause considerable discomfiture and embarrassment to the persons concerned and their families. Few, if any, individual being considered for NMP would want to subject themselves to such public scrutiny". Instead, the Committee proposed the current method of selection where NMPs are selected through a Special Select Committee of Parliament.

The 1990 Select Committee on the Constitution Amendment Bill also made two specific proposals which have been incorporated into our processes. First, that the Special Select Committee obtains the views of other Members of Parliament (MPs) before it made its final recommendations to the President. This is provided for in section 2(3) of the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution. Second, that the criteria for selecting NMPs be put out, which have been spelt out in section 3(2) of the Fourth Schedule, and I will read it:

[(proc text) "The persons to be nominated shall be persons who have rendered distinguished public service, or who have brought honour to the Republic, or who have distinguished themselves in the field of arts and letters, culture, the sciences, business, industry, the professions, social or community service or the labour movement; and in making any nomination, the Special Select Committee shall have regard to the need for nominated Members to reflect as wide a range of independent and non-partisan views as possible." (proc text)]

The Fourth Schedule did not impose a requirement for the Special Select Committee to publish the identities of all the candidates who apply to be NMPs. Indeed, the 1990 Select Committee on the Constitution Amendment Bill argued against it, as I have explained.

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Mdm Speaker, I think the reasons cited for limiting the process to the Special Select Committee are still valid. Revealing the names of unsuccessful candidates may give rise to speculation and public debate on their suitability. It may also cause those who are not appointed discomfort or embarrassment. This may deter potential good applicants from participating in the NMP process in the future. Other Parliaments also approach this matter in the same way. For example, in the United Kingdom, there is a scheme which invites members of the public to submit names for appointment to the House of Lords. The nomination and assessment process is undertaken by the House of Lords Appointments Commission which treats all nominations and supporting information in confidence.

Mdm Speaker, I thank the Leader of the House for his reply. I am aware of the Select Committee report. I would like to know, given the desire for more transparency, whether the identity of the applicants can be made known. If someone is prepared to serve, there should not be a concern about whether he or she will or will not get appointed. Essentially, my concern is whether we can add transparency into the process.

Mdm Speaker, I would think that Parliament in 1990 debated this thoroughly and was in no less pressure or desire to have transparency. But as I have outlined quite in detail the reasons why an open process, on the balance, was not supported and preferred by the Special Select Committee. I would leave it to the Member to see who were the Members of the Special Select Committee that sat to put up recommendations to the President for the appointment of the NMPs, but thus far, I do not think there has been a large issue in terms of integrity and transparency as he points out.

The reasons why the process should not be made public, as recommended by the then-Special Select Committee, are still valid. The Member says that those who want to put themselves up for public service should not feel embarrassed or discomfort. I would presume he is speaking for himself and for others who wish to reveal. But the truth is there may be others who do. It is a balance and I think we would keep to this system because it has worked well. Certainly, I think the Members who have been selected into this House as NMPs have done credit to the House.

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6 Mrs Lina Chiam asked the Minister for National Development what is the average salary of the General Manager or the most senior management staff of the Town Councils managed by elected Members of Parliament from the Government party.

Mdm Speaker, the employment terms of the General Manager of a Town Council are not regulated by MND. We do not collect information on Town Councils' General Managers' salaries.

Mdm Speaker, I thank the Senior Minister of State for the answer. I would like to just ask one question. Are all these General Managers or senior management officers affiliated to the party?

Mdm Speaker, most Town Councils operate on the basis that they engage a managing agent and the selection of managing agents is through open tender. On that basis, the most competitive managing agent will have to be selected and they themselves will appoint their staff to perform the jobs. I cannot answer the Member's question but this is how it is done in the interest of the public.

7 Dr Chia Shi-Lu asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether more housing options may be made available to divorcees who have no children living with them; and (b) whether the debarment period may be shortened or lifted for elderly, low-income divorcees who may have more limited housing options.

Mdm Speaker, HDB treats divorcees who have no children in their custody as singles. There are a few housing options available to them.

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They can buy a new HDB flat if they form a family nucleus with their parents. Those who prefer to live independently or with another single under the Joint Singles Scheme, can purchase a resale flat if they are 35 years or older. If they are 55 years or older, they can buy a Studio Apartment. If they are HDB first-timers and earn not more than $5,000 per month, they can now also apply for a 2-room Build-to-Order (BTO) flat in a non-mature estate.

Eligible divorcees can get housing grants and a HDB loan to help in their flat purchases. As for those who have no other housing options or family support, they can then apply for a public rental flat with another single.

A divorcee who wants to buy a resale flat or Studio Apartment is not affected by any debarment period. For others, the debarment period was reduced from five years to three years in March this year. If there are extenuating circumstances, HDB is prepared to exercise flexibility. Such flexibility is exercised on a case-by-case basis, depending on the circumstances of each case.

I would like to thank the Minister of State for his very comprehensive reply on the options that are available to this group of Singaporeans. I have two supplementary questions. The first is considering the new BTO for Singles Scheme, could I clarify whether this particular group of single divorcees with no custody of their children can be considered also as first-timers or will they only be considered as second-timers? The second question is with regard to the debarment period for rental housing. For some of them who may not be prepared or be in a state to apply to buy a house – whether it is resale or BTO – whether the debarment period for rental housing for this particular group of low-income or single divorcees can be further lowered.

Mdm Speaker, for the first question, on whether we regard divorcees as first- or second-timer, it really depends on whether they have been tagged as having taken the first subsidy on their matrimonial home. Sometimes, they may have purchased a home but not tagged as a residential occupier or as a first-timer. As long as they are first-timers at the point of divorce, then they are eligible to purchase the 2-room BTO flats that we just allowed for singles, and they have to meet the eligibility criteria like age and income.

Secondly, on the issue of whether the debarment period for divorcees for rental flats can be reduced or waived, it really depends first on whether they

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have custody of the children. We are more sympathetic towards to divorcees who do have custody of the children and when they form a family nucleus. They are bound by the demand debarment, but we have seen cases that require some further assistance and we are prepared to look at those. If they do not have custody of the children, we treat them as singles and we hope that they can also try to look for housing options on their own. If they are above 35 years of age, they can always apply for rental flats under the Joint Singles Scheme.

8 Mr Zainal Sapari asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the total number of HDB rental flats that are currently occupied; (b) what is the average length of occupancy in these rental flats; (c) whether HDB has plans to help these occupants attain home ownership; (d) what is the number of approved applicants currently placed on the waiting list and how many applicants have been rejected since 2011; and (e) whether HDB has done a study to understand the systemic causes for the increase in rental flat applications and, if so, what are the plans to address these issues.

Mdm Speaker, there are 48,200 households living in HDB rental flats. Their average length of stay is 11 years.

We help all low-income families, including HDB rental tenants, own their homes. New HDB 2-room flats are priced affordably, with a significant market discount. In addition, first-timer low-income households can receive the Additional CPF Housing Grant and the Special CPF Housing Grant of up to $60,000. With these grants, they can buy a 2-room flat for as little as $16,000 in the latest Build-To-Order (BTO) launch. Public rental tenants also enjoy priority allocation of 5% of new 2-room and 3-room flats in BTO or Sale of Balance Flats exercises. In 2011 and 2012, 630 rental tenants progressed to own homes.

There are 1,900 registered applicants waiting to be allocated a rental flat. Since 2011, HDB has received 23,900 applications and 13,700 were not eligible. Most of them could afford to purchase a small flat or had family support. We have to turn down their applications, so that we can focus our help for the truly needy. Where there are genuine hardship cases, HDB does exercise flexibility, even if they do not fulfil the eligibility criteria.

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HDB works closely with MSF and other social agencies like the Community Development Councils, the Social Service Offices and Family Service Centres to understand the challenges facing low-income and vulnerable families. We find that housing difficulties typically occur as a result of underlying socio-economic problems, such as unstable employment, family conflicts and marital problems. HDB thus works closely with these social agencies to complement housing assistance with other forms of social support, including employment assistance and training.

Madam, I thank the Minister of State for his reply. Given the rising cost of renting a unit from the open market, can HDB consider using an affordability index that takes into account the applicants' gross family income and market rental prices to assess applicants' ability to get suitable accommodation for themselves?

Madam, affordability is also dependent on the family's capability in budgeting their income and expenditure. We try to help them in various ways: first, we do financial counselling for the families, especially on how they manage their expenses, and depending on the number of children they may have. The current pricing or fees for rental flats are already heavily subsidised. We try to allocate them to the truly needy. We do have criteria in place, for example, the household income criterion. But we do take into consideration the number of children in the family. As far as possible, we have a broad guideline in relation to the criteria that we put in place for families who are eligible for rental flats, but beyond that, we look at individual cases and try to help them as far as possible to be allocated rental flats when they really, truly need them.

Mdm Speaker, I wish to ask the Minister of State what is the current stock of balance rental flats, that is, the on-going balance stock of rental flats. I do see that some blocks still have empty units of rental flats. And so, in view of the high demand for rental flats, how can the Ministry expeditiously allocate these flats out?

Madam, as I have mentioned earlier, we have a stock of 50,000 rental flats, of which 48,200 have been allocated. We have about 1,300 rental flats that are awaiting allocation. It is an on-going number because there are rental flats that are returned to us when families move out. Right now, we are looking at allocating the 1,300 flats I mentioned. The speed at which we can allocate the flats really depends on the availability of those flats and the readiness of those flats. Sometimes, yes, as the Member

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mentioned, we see empty flats available, but it does not mean that they are not being allocated. They are being allocated, but sometimes, flats are affected by the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) quotas. But we try to allocate to those families who are on the queue as soon as we can. We have reduced the duration or the waiting time in the queue from 21 months to the current average of seven and a half months.

Thank you, Mdm Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of State on rental flats. I understand that previously the Minister for National Development had announced that the plan was for 57,000 rental flats to come on stream. Can I just confirm when the additional 7,000 will be available?

In fact, we plan to ramp up supply for rental flats up to 60,000 by 2017. We have reached the level of 57,000 rental flats and we are moving upwards to enhance the number to 60,000 by 2017.

9 Mr Hri Kumar Nair asked the Minister for National Development whether the Ethnic Integration Policy is still necessary with respect to purchasers and whether the Ministry will exercise flexibility in cases where the owner needs to sell his flat for financial reasons but is unable to secure a purchaser of the relevant race.

Madam, the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) was implemented in 1989 to prevent the formation of ethnic enclaves and promote racial harmony in HDB estates. This policy is still needed, to ensure a good mix of residents of different races in different neigbourhoods and blocks of an HDB estate.

The EIP limits are consistently applied across all ethnic groups. Currently, only 11% or 18 of HDB neighbourhoods are affected by the EIP limits. For these neighbourhoods, flat sellers are usually still able to secure buyers from the eligible ethnic groups given the large volume of resale transactions annually. For owners facing financial difficulties and cannot service their mortgage, HDB has various financial assistance measures to assist them.

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Mdm Speaker, I thank the Minister of State for his response. I have had instances of residents coming to me saying that they are unable to sell their flats which have been on the market, in one case, for at least eight months, because they did not receive offers from persons of the relevant race. In cases like that, where they can demonstrate that they did not receive offers, will HDB exercise some flexibility?

Madam, we will look at appeal cases on a case-by-case basis, but our observation is that for those cases affected by EIP, often times, it depends on the practical nature of the asking price. We noticed that in many cases that are affected by EIP, at the end of the day, they are able to sell their flats. Majority of the cases that are affected by EIP are being sold either at or above valuation. The way we look at it is: we want to try to encourage these families to look at the conditions of their flats and to try their best to find buyers.

Yes, I understand that sometimes they are not able to receive any offers, but when we look deeper, often times, it is due to the kinds of prices that they are prepared to receive. The prices that they are prepared to offer are also dependent on the characteristics of the flats. If we looked at the figures, even in the Member's constituency in Bishan-Toa Payoh, the majority of flats that are affected by EIP have been able to be sold by sellers at or even above valuation. There are also flats that are not affected by EIP that were sold at below valuation. So, I think the EIP alone is not one of the key factors in determining whether the seller is able to sell their flats. We recognise that some face more challenges than others but, by and large, our data show that it is not impossible for them to be able to find the buyers of the necessary ethnic group.

Thank you, Mdm Speaker. May I know whether the Minister of State will consider extending the EIP to private estates and private and executive condominiums?

Madam, I think the laughter from the other Members of the House reflects the answer. It is beyond the Government at this point in time. We understand the importance of the EIP and because 90% of Singaporeans live in public housing estates, we want to ensure that the ethnic mix is useful for our society to continue to function. Within private housing estates and condominiums, these units are bound by the Management Councils' regulations. We will leave it at that. But we hope that Singaporeans will also be able to appreciate the mix that is required and that it would come naturally in the private estates. We hope that Members will continue to support

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the EIP within the HDB estates.

10 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Education whether the Government kindergartens can adopt an added purpose of sending an industry signal to for-profit private pre-school operators not to increase fees beyond the reach of parents.

Mdm Speaker, MOE's pilot kindergartens seek to provide quality and affordable kindergarten education for children from a wide range of family backgrounds. Teaching and learning materials developed will be shared with the rest of the pre-school sector to catalyse quality improvements.

The monthly fee is kept affordable at $150 for Singapore Citizens. While other operators can take reference from the fees of MOE pilot kindergartens, this is not the key purpose of the pilot kindergartens.

Notwithstanding this, we recognise parents' concerns about pre-school fees. One of the key priorities of the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) is to keep early childhood programmes affordable, especially for low- and middle-income families. Apart from providing subsidies to parents, ECDA will continue to support Voluntary Welfare Organisations and Anchor Operators to provide quality pre-school services at an affordable fee in the heartlands. ECDA will expand the Anchor Operator scheme to more operators, so that more parents and children may benefit.

ECDA also provides guidelines to ensure that fee revisions are carried out in a transparent manner. Centres are required to give parents sufficient advance notice, and can only revise fees at the start of an academic year. Centres are also advised to clearly explain the basis for their fee increase to parents and directly engage parents who face difficulties in meeting the fee increase.

Mdm Speaker, I would like to thank the Senior Minister of State for her comprehensive reply.

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Indeed, MOE kindergartens are a very good place to start and it is an excellent initiative. I have spoken with young parents and they welcome the added contributions to Child Development Accounts (CDAs). Unfortunately, some of the same young parents say that unscrupulous private operators in the forms of kindergartens and childcare centres use the increase in the CDA to raid and justify to themselves an increase in fees. So, sometimes, it is sort of like a dog catching its tail. More subsidies go into the CDA, and then the private childcare operators are sometimes unscrupulous to raise fees. That catches some parents off-guard.

My question is, could there be some form of fee justification that can be built into the industry, especially for the private, for-profit operators, and submission of those fee increases to MOE, and some form of general justification as to why. If it is for increase in salaries for teachers, then that may be a good reason. But if it is just to increase profit, it may not be a good reason.

Mdm Speaker, if I may address the Member's questions: sometimes, there is confusion as to what MOE's role is, and what the role of MSF is. If I could assist in this regard: MSF is the Ministry that looks after the pre-school sector as a whole. MOE's role is to look at curriculum and to provide input on that to make sure that the educational portions are addressed. And then, of course, MOE had recently entered into the pre-school space by having MOE kindergartens.

With respect to the question that was originally asked, as to whether MOE's entry into the market could have an added purpose of affecting the fees of the private operators: as I have answered, that is not the primary purpose, although the entry of MOE into that space with the provision of the MOE kindergartens will undoubtedly be something that the private sector pre-schools have to take into account because there is now an alternative that is providing pre-school education at an affordable rate.

With respect to the question that the Member has just raised about fee justification for the private pre-school operators, as indicated in my earlier answer, I believe that they are required to justify any fee increase to ECDA which oversees the pre-school sector. They must justify by giving the reasons for the increase and give six months' advance notice to give parents sufficient time to find an alternative if the parents are not able to afford that. If in the course of giving their justifications, it appears that that is not sufficient, I am sure that that is something that MSF will take into account.

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I thank the Senior Minister of State for the tutorial of the delineation of the two Ministries. I would like to ask, therefore, that the MSF considers this very seriously on a whole-of-Government approach, that the MSF takes this very seriously because there has been quite a lot of feedback from young parents with pre-school-going children that whenever there is an added contribution from the Government into the CDA, somehow, magically, the fees increase downstream. I do think that we need perhaps a little bit more teeth to ensure that the minority, unscrupulous private childcare operators do not have a free rein on increase of fees.

Mdm Speaker, I would agree that that is valid concern on the part of the parents and I will without any doubt convey that to the Minister for the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

Maybe the next time, Mr de Souza, you might like to direct it to the relevant Ministry to get a direct answer.

11 Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked the Minister for Law in light of plans to develop underground space more extensively, what is the Government's position on the ownership of underground space in Singapore.

The Minister for National Development discussed recently some of the possibilities that could be explored: underground transport hubs, pedestrian links, cycling lanes, utility plants, storage and research facilities, industrial uses, shopping areas and public spaces. This will make Singapore an even more vibrant and exciting city.

On the question regarding ownership of underground land, our law assumes that the owner of the surface land also owns the underground space, to a depth that is reasonably necessary for the use and enjoyment of the property.

MND's objectives are important ones. MinLaw will work with the industry on how these objectives can be realised and will, in this context, also consider the experiences of other countries on what would be a sensible approach. Some countries, for example, allow owners of the surface land to have a certain depth

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of underground space for their use, while enabling deeper subterranean space to be used for underground projects. We will consult stakeholders and set up a sound framework for agencies to realise the vision of more space to live, work and play.

Madam, I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State whether in view of these plans to better use the underground space, would we be expecting new laws or legislative clarifications on the rights of landowners? In particular, I would like to ask whether MinLaw sees underground space to be a mortgageble asset in the future, something that has an ownership to it, that is, an asset that can be mortgaged.

Mdm Speaker, these are certainly issues that we are studying. We would not have any details at this stage as the idea of the subterranean space is something that has been recently mooted by MND. As indicated in my earlier answer, we are certainly supportive of this. The question is: to what degree, what depth, to what extent, how would you treat this underground space? I can assure the Member that we are in the process of looking at it. As and when there is sound framework available, we would certainly come up with a concept for the public to comment on and to get ideas.

12 Ms Lee Li Lian asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance with regard to the cash component of the GST Voucher (a) why is the Assessable Income (AI) of $24,000 used as a threshold for eligibility; (b) whether the Ministry plans to review this threshold in light of inflation and, if so, when; and (c) whether basic annual salary instead of AI can be used to determine eligibility.

Mdm Speaker, the GST Voucher helps lower- and middle-income Singaporeans with their costs of living. It comprises three components: cash, MediSave and U-Save.

Of these three components, the GST Voucher – Cash is targeted at those who are less well-off and who require the most help in meeting immediate needs. We have used, as an eligibility criterion, an Assessable Income threshold

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of $24,000 as this covers the bottom 40% of Singaporean workers. It also covers those who do not earn an income, such as housewives and retirees.

It is appropriate for a nation-wide scheme like the GST Voucher that we use Assessable Income instead of basic annual salary as a measure of how well-off a person is. Assessable Income includes other forms of income from employment, such as allowances, bonuses and commissions, which can be significant sources of earnings in certain jobs. It also includes other income, such as rental income. It is fair and transparent that these sources of income are counted in. If instead we use basic annual salary, as Ms Lee Li Lian suggests, those who are well-off because they earn large commissions or bonuses will also benefit from the GST Voucher – Cash.

We, therefore, use Assessable Income as the criterion. The Assessable Income threshold is reviewed every year, and our reviews will take into account changes in incomes, to ensure that we continue to target those who need the most help.

Mdm Speaker, I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. I have one supplementary question: whether the Ministry can consider, as I have mentioned earlier in my PQ, using basic salary instead of Assessable Income, with the provision that the Assessable Income is not more than a certain number of times of the basic salary, since allowances make up a substantial portion of low-income workers' pay. As such, they may inadvertently be left out of the scheme. For the Ministry's consideration, please.

Mdm Speaker, I thought I should perhaps point out that of the three components of the GST Voucher, only the GST Voucher – Cash uses Assessable Income as a criterion. GSTV – U-Save and GSTV – Medisave, in fact, do not use Assessable Income.

Also, in addition to the GST Voucher, there were other types of assistance in this year's Budget. For example, HDB households were eligible to receive Service and Conservancy Charges rebates. Individuals could also receive Medisave top-ups or benefit from enhancements to the Workfare Income Supplement. And Singaporeans who need additional assistance could also turn to the Community Development Councils to tap on other schemes available.

Nonetheless, I would like to thank Ms Lee for her suggestion and it is something that we will look at when we review the Assessable Income

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threshold.

13 Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar asked the Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs in view of the report submitted by the Suara Musyawarah Committee, whether there are new areas of concern that the Malay/Muslim community will need to particularly focus on and address.

Madam, I had announced in my Hari Raya speech in August last year that an independent committee would be set up to engage members of the Malay/Muslim community. The Suara Musyawarah Committee, chaired by Haji Sallim Abdul Kadir, has since completed its work and handed me its report on 7 July 2013. This report, Madam, is a compilation of the Committee's findings on the Malay/Muslim community's main areas of interest and concerns today, as well as their hopes and aspirations for the future.

Madam, I would like to commend the Committee for their dedication to this challenging task. In a short span of seven months, they worked tirelessly to dialogue with more than 500 members of the Malay/Muslim community from all walks of life, be they residents in rental housing, single mothers or professionals. For a small, independent committee that had to work within a tight timeframe, this extensive outreach is remarkable and it has initiated conversations with people who otherwise might not have come forward to share their stories or their views.

On the whole, the report reflects the positive ethos that the Malay/Muslim community sees itself as part of the broader Singapore community and has the desire to move forward and do better. I am also heartened by the report's comprehensive scope, which covers issues ranging from education as a conduit for upward social mobility to social consciousness.

As the report aptly points out, the passionate conversations on how to move the Malay/Muslim community forward pre-date the Committee and should continue well into the future. Pragmatically, the community recognises

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that we should leverage on collective resources to improve outreach efforts, as well as programmes and services for vulnerable segments of the community in particular.

This report sends an important signal that even the less advantaged among us are hopeful that they can do better than the previous generation. Vulnerable families whom the Committee spoke to are clear that they are not looking for hand-outs but prefer to be given appropriate opportunities to achieve self-reliance and upward mobility. This is the kind of active participation that our community needs to be open to and ready for. With greater community and national-level support to optimise the potential of vulnerable groups, the next phase of our community's development will be to contribute even more significantly to Singapore's continued success.

To this end, our community should also embrace a broader definition of success beyond academic achievement. The Committee recommends media engagement to disseminate the message that the pursuit of excellence in all that we do is an Islamic virtue. We have to strive for peaks of excellence where individuals are passionate about and rise to the top of their respective fields. Indeed, it would bode well for the Malay/Muslim community in the long term to adopt this new mind-set and develop talents in diverse arenas to serve our community and society at large.

Other recommendations in the report are also worth exploring further. I encourage organisations that have a keen interest in uplifting the community to study the report fully and develop appropriate programmes that are able to lead our community to greater success.

Mdm Speaker, I thank the Minister for the reply. While it is heartening to note that the community generally is coming together in trying to forge our way forward, I would like to ask the Minister whether existing programmes are sufficient to address these new areas of concern that you mentioned earlier and what are the specific roles that Malay/Muslim organisations (MMOs) can play in this.

Finally, how can the information-gathering process that has been started through the Suara Musyawarah initiative be continued within the community because I think that it is a very good platform to gather even more diverse views and concerns from the community?

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I thank the Member for the two supplementary questions. For the second question, there was a recommendation by the Committee that we should continue with the conversation. Clearly, we cannot do as the way we have done, which means I have to set up another committee. But the idea of reaching out to groups that we would not have heard before is an important point. We are studying this to see how best we can continue with the conversation.

One idea is to go back to the various groups that they have met to close the loop on some of the suggestions that they have made and how those suggestions have been implemented by the various organisations. But we are studying it.

On the Member's first question as to whether or not there are sufficient programmes, the short answer is that there is never a sufficient number of programmes because we need to do a lot more. But clearly, in certain areas, we need to pay greater attention and I mentioned this during the recent Hari Raya speech. One area which the Committee recommended – and I think we should do this – is about how to reach out further to the vulnerable groups. I have tasked both MUIS and MENDAKI to study this, on how best we can leverage on existing structures within the community to reach out to the more vulnerable in our community so that they have access to all of our programmes.

Here, the role of the MMOs are very important because, firstly, they have their own networks, their own resources on the ground. If we can again leverage on them and get them to do more in terms of reaching out to their clients and beyond their own existing client base, then there would be a good outcome. Secondly, I have also encouraged the various organisations to study further the recommendations, whether there is room for them to either expand their existing programmes or adopt new programmes.

We have announced new funding that the Government has given to Malay/Muslim Community Development Fund (MMCDF) and, therefore, there are additional resources for us to do a lot more. We are planning to meet the various MMOs to explain to them the areas that we would like them to go into so that we can tap on this new funding.

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14 Mr Zainudin Nordin asked the Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs in view of the recent leadership change in MUIS (a) whether there are more changes to be expected in MUIS and other Muslim-related institutions; (b) what are the mid-term and long-term plans and development that the community can expect from these changes; and (c) whether there are challenges to the identification and development of high calibre and quality officers to head important institutions such as MUIS.

Madam, from 7 August 2013, Haji Abdul Razak bin Hassan Maricar is the new Chief Executive (CE) of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, or MUIS. When the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) was amended in 2005 to create the CE post, I had explained in Parliament that this was to strengthen MUIS' executive leadership and align its governance practices to other statutory boards where there is a clear separation of board responsibilities and executive functions. This change took some time to plan and execute, because changes in the leadership of this key Malay/Muslim institution must be carefully undertaken.

With this, the MUIS Council will be chaired by a non-executive President, with a CE reporting to the Council. This separation of functions will enable experienced and qualified Muslim public officers to be appointed as the CE. The position of the non-executive President can then be filled by a person with stature and standing in the community, who does not have to run MUIS on a day-to-day basis at the same time. So, I am grateful that the previous President Haji Mohammad Alami Musa has agreed to remain as the non-executive President. This will ensure continuity and stability in MUIS before a successor is appointed later in the term.

Leadership renewal is critical to maintaining the effectiveness of our key Muslim institutions and Malay/Muslim organisations in a continuously changing landscape. We will continue to identify capable persons to lead our key Muslim institutions. Indeed, there are challenges finding top-calibre officers to fill echelon positions, as is the case with all other organisations. One strategy that I am keen for MUIS to push further is the cross-posting of high potential Muslim officers between MUIS and the wider public service. This will enable MUIS officers to pick up broader public service capabilities, and allow other

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officers to be groomed for future positions in MUIS.

Continuity and innovation are two prongs of what the community can expect from these leadership changes. MUIS will continue to carry out its statutory functions, such as regulating haj and halal matters.

Earlier this year, MUIS unveiled its fourth three-year plan after extensive consultation with the community and stakeholders. For the next three years, MUIS will focus on (i) developing asatizahs; (ii) increasing its outreach to our young; and (iii) strengthening madrasah education. Building resilience in zakat receiving families and strengthening our mosques as important socio-religious nodes to serve the community are two other areas in which MUIS will carry on in its fourth three-year plan. Madam, I am confident that the new CE, who has been part of the MUIS' senior management team since 2007, will ably lead MUIS in implementing its vision as laid out in the fourth three-year plan.

Supplementary question, Madam. I would like to ask the Minister: are there mid-term or long-term plans or strategy that the Ministry is thinking about to further enhance beyond the institution? There are other Malay/Muslim organisations that are quite important in the community, be it in the area of leadership or even management.

Madam, I think it is an important point for us to think together as a community. As I mentioned in my reply, leadership positions not only within key Muslim institutions, such as MUIS or MENDAKI, but also for the Malay/Muslim organisations are a point worthy of our reflection and consideration.

Having said that, we do not have authority over the MMOs but, clearly, we understand that there is a need to continue to renew and upgrade the leadership. In line with that aspiration, with the recent funding increase from the Government for the Malay/Muslim Community Development Fund, the plan is for us to set aside part of the funds towards capability development programme for the Malay/Muslim organisations and we hope that the MMOs can tap on this funding to not only improve governance but also training for their senior management because we believe that by providing resources and opportunities for the leadership within the Malay/Muslim organisations to be groomed and to be trained, they will be able to better run their programmes and provide relevant programmes for the community.