Hansard, Tuesday, 12 November 2013

1 Mr Alex Yam asked the Minister for Health (a) how many second trimester abortions were conducted in 2012; (b) what proportion of terminations of pregnancies have been for medical reasons; (c) how many girls under the age of 16 have been referred for mandatory counselling since 1 April 1999; and (d) whether any cases have been referred to the police for prosecutions for abortions below the age of 16.

In 2012, 10,624 abortions were carried out, of which 990 were carried out during the second trimester.

Less than 4% of the pregnant women who underwent abortions in 2012 indicated medical reasons, such as fetal anomalies or maternal medical conditions like cancer, lupus and so on as the reasons for abortions.

Under the Termination of Pregnancy (TOP) Regulations, it is mandatory for medical practitioners to refer an unmarried girl below 16 years of age requesting for an abortion for pre-abortion counselling at the HPB Counselling Centre.

The number of girls below 16 years old requiring such counselling has decreased from 109 in year 1999 to 51 in year 2012.

Abortions performed in accordance with the Termination of Pregnancy Act and Regulations are not illegal, regardless of the age of the pregnant female who undergoes the procedure.

I would like to thank the Senior Minister of State for the response. I note with some sadness that only less 4% was for medical reasons. I have three supplementary questions. First, overall, are we seeing a trend towards more abortions at a younger age? Secondly, if we look at our Termination of Pregnancy Act, we have one of the more liberal laws within our area. With changing social norms as well as the rising number of

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foreigners seeking abortions, would it therefore be apt for the Act to be renewed or reviewed so that we do not become a regional abortion hub? Thirdly, in March 2013, I understand the Ministry commenced a review on the mandatory counselling criteria. Could the Senior Minister of State also provide an update to the House on how far along the process has gone and when public consultations will begin?

Mdm Speaker, with regard to the first question on whether there is a trend towards abortion at a younger age, on the contrary, looking at the numbers, there is actually a gradual decline in the number of abortions carried out on girls below 16 years of age. In 2006, the number of abortions carried out on girls below 16 years was 84. This number has declined to 47 in 2012.

As for Singapore becoming a regional hub for abortion, in fact, the Termination of Pregnancy Act already has safeguards to prevent foreigners from coming into the country just for an abortion. This is because under the Termination of Pregnancy Act, the authorised medical practitioner can only carry out abortions for foreigners if they are the spouse of a Singapore Citizen or they are holders or spouse of a work pass holder under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, or they have been residents in Singapore for at least four months immediately prior to the date of the scheduled abortion. In that sense, there are already safeguards under the current Act. Of course, this will exclude cases where the abortion has to be done to save lives.

I would like to share that the total number of abortions carried out has also shown some decline over the years. In 2006, the number of abortions carried out was 12,032; and it was 10,064 in 2012.

On our review of the issues relating to mandatory pre-abortion counselling, let me assure the Member that we are in the midst of looking into the review of the TOP guidelines, specifically with regard to the issue of strengthening pre-abortion counselling including mandatory counselling, the criteria for mandatory counselling as well as the contents of counselling, and also improvements of the TOP guidelines. We are in discussions with relevant stakeholders including MSF, and we will conduct consultations once we are ready.

Mdm Speaker, I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State whether more could be done for the pregnant women, particularly those who are married, to keep their

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unborn child. In this regard, could we do more to promote adoption, for example?

Even currently, under our regulations and the Act, most women, as long as they fit the criteria and regardless of their age, are required to go for pre-abortion counselling. If we look at the numbers, the majority will go for pre-abortion counselling. Pre-abortion counselling would include showing them the video of medical procedures of abortion and so on, as well as social and emotional support and alternative options to abortion, including adoption. Let me assure the Member that we will continue to look at ways to strengthen this effort.

Just one final supplementary question. I am not sure if the Ministry has the statistics, but for those who have gone through mandatory counselling, are there figures for people who have reconsidered their decisions after going through counselling?

Yes, we do have those figures. The numbers are about 4% or less. Many of them would have various reasons. As I have noted earlier, only 4% say it is due to medical reasons. For many of them, reasons could be that they are unmarried, divorced, they have enough children or they feel that they are not ready to start a family. These are the reasons. Through pre-abortion counselling, some of them do change their decisions, but the number is small.

2 Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Government accepts the methodology adopted in the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Gender Gap Report 2013 as a fair and meaningful measure of gender equality in Singapore; and (b) whether the Government is satisfied with Singapore's scores in the Report for the indices of educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.

Mdm Speaker, in the World Economic Forum's 2013 report, Singapore is ranked 58th out of 136 countries, compared to 84th out of 130 countries in 2009. This translates to a jump of 20-over places in ranking in five

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years. This itself is an indication of the progress we have made in gender equality. Not just in rankings but also in absolute scores. Our score for 2013 improved from 0.663 to 0.

700. For Members who are not quite aware of this report, a higher score indicates a narrower gender gap.

In tracking the progress of women in Singapore, we take reference from various reports, not just this indicator, such as the UN's Gender Inequality Index (GII). The UN Index places Singapore at the 13th spot, out of 148 countries. This makes us the highest ranked country in the Asia Pacific region. The UN Index covers dimensions including education, health, economic participation, as well as representation in decision-making portfolios.

Compared to the UN Index, the WEF Index does not measure absolute levels of progress in the country. Let me elaborate. What this means is that instead, a country's ranking is determined by comparing the attainment levels of women to those of their male counterparts in the same country. Even if a country has limited opportunities and because of that, does not make significant progress for its women, the country's rating would still improve as long as the relative equality between the men and women narrows during that year.

As a signatory to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Singapore also reports relevant indicators on a regular basis. Both our CEDAW reports and indicators are published and publicly available. Just to name a few for the House, for the year 2012, the percentage of women enrolled in university is 50.7% while that for men is 49.3%. The literacy rate for women has gone up to 94.4% in 2012, as compared to 89.7% in 2002.

Overall, women in Singapore have made significant strides in many areas including education, health, as well as economic empowerment. While we have made progress, improving the well-being and status of women is an ongoing process. We are all committed to creating an enabling environment for women's progress as well as equality so that every woman in Singapore can be empowered to contribute to her family, to community as well as to the future of our nation.

Mdm Speaker, a few supplementary questions for the Parliamentary Secretary. First, I do agree with her that the WEF Gender Gap Report measures gaps, that is, disparities between the status of men and women, rather than absolute levels. But does she agree that gaps are also

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important to track?

Secondly, it was noted in the WEF report that Singapore did not provide the figures for enrolment of women in tertiary institutions. I would like to know why that figure was not given because it could have impacted the scores.

Thirdly, in the WEF report, Singapore was ranked fairly well for economic participation. In other words, men and women participate in the economy. We were pulled up basically because of good scores in wage quality and earned income, but our labour force participation rate, I think, has room for improvement. My question is: will the Government look at a policy framework which will encourage shared parental responsibilities so that more women, especially educated women, will be encouraged to go back to work.

Last of all, there was an indicator in the WEF Report on political empowerment. It was noted that while we scored fairly well – 47 out 136 countries for Members of Parliament – in terms of Cabinet, we are really far down. It is 125 out of 136 countries. I would like to know whether we will improve on this, instead of having just one lady Minister out of 18 currently, and in the last few decades. Do we expect any improvement in this area?

I thank the Member Ms Sylvia Lim for her questions. First, on the importance of tracking gaps, different indices measure different aspects of the progress of women. This is why in MSF, we track different indices such as the UN Gender Inequality Index which measures gender inequality in a few dimensions. It is quite similar to the WEF index. We measure a few indices as well as The Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU's) Women's Economic Opportunities Index, and the Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) for OECD countries. We agree it is important to track a basket of indicators.

In terms of the enrolment rate for tertiary institutions, let me explain a little more in terms of the ranking for educational attainment, one of the parameters for the WEF indicator. I understand that WEF obtains these statistics from UNESCO's Institute for Statistics (UIS). The assumptions that are used in their methodology, I understand, do not apply so well in the context of a city-state like Singapore. As a result, it has led to fairly inaccurate statistics. For example, instead of a Gender Parity Index (GPI) for Education of 0.93 to 0.95 which was reported, Singapore's GPI for Education was in fact 1. My good colleagues in MOE have engaged UIS many times in the past, and we will continue to engage them.

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That alone does not really reflect the educational attainment of women in Singapore. For example, we all know the Singapore Government provides all Singaporean children equal access to quality education. As a result, Singapore has achieved a high literacy rate for women – 94.4% in 2012. This is a significant increase from 89.7% in 2002, just 10 years ago.

Women make up 50.7% of the full-time enrolment at the local universities. In addition to that, women are now very well represented in subjects that were traditionally viewed as male domains. For example, in 2012, women accounted for 78.1% of health sciences graduates; and 56.2% of natural, physical and mathematical science graduates. I just want to give some context to the ranking for educational attainment.

In terms of economic participation, indeed, we are mindful of the need to create better understanding of the multiple roles that women hold, not just at home and at work, but also in the society. Indices aside, we are committed to creating a conducive environment for women's progress and equality.

To that end, we recognise and appreciate the multiple roles that women in Singapore play in society, at work and also at home. For example, for women who are still the primary care-givers of young children as well as elderly parents and parents-in-law, we are strengthening the support system to help them balance these responsibilities with their work. This includes gaining access to quality and affordable childcare as well as access to eldercare services in the community. That, itself, will lead to better labour force participation rates.

In the area of childcare, the House will be aware that Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) is ramping up the number of childcare places to cater to the needs of families with young children. In the area of eldercare services, we all know MOH is working hard to improve services and accessibility.

To address all these, we need not just a whole-of-Government but a whole-of-society approach to better improve the labour force participation rate, which has in fact gone up significantly in the last 10 years. In addition, this involves pushing for greater understanding of the multiple roles that women play as well as strengthening the support infrastructure like I have mentioned, and also strengthening the partnership amongst all the various stakeholders in the society.

We are mindful of the need to continue to encourage and foster better understanding and better support for the multiple roles that women juggle

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today. Just like Ms Sylvia Lim has mentioned, it goes beyond government; it is a whole-of-society approach.

Family education programmes are also very critical because they will play a part in promoting the role of fathers in families as well as helping young parents better balance their work and life expectations.

In MSF, we have a division that is called Office for Women's Development. We work very closely with the women civic groups as well as in collaborating with the various VWOs on programmes and projects to advance the status and well-being of women in Singapore.

As for the last point mentioned by Ms Sylvia Lim, we know that in this House, if we include the NCMPs and NMPs, we have a total of 99 seats, out of which we have 25 women. In terms of percentage, we are doing better compared to a decade ago. Percentage wise, it is 25.4%. This compares very favourably to the Inter-Parliamentary Union's world average of 21.4%. That, itself, is a very important indicator.

For many other countries – for example, Brazil where there is a female head of state or some other countries where there are more female Cabinet members – it is because of certain policies like quotas. We think it is much more important to anchor our system based on meritocracy.

3 Ms Janice Koh asked the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) how many public art pieces have been placed in public areas since the launch of the Public Art Tax Incentive Scheme and Art Incentive Scheme for New Developments In Central Area; (b) for each year over the last five years, how many public art pieces have been provided and integrated under each of these schemes; and (c) whether a comprehensive listing of all public art works under these two schemes, including their current status and condition, can be made available to the public.

Mdm Speaker, launched in 2006, the Public Art Tax Incentive Scheme (PATIS) allows organisations and individuals to get a double tax deduction when they donate, commission, display and maintain public art.

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Since the launch of the scheme, five art works have been placed in public areas, four in 2007 and one in 2011.

The other scheme that the Member mentioned is the Art Incentive Scheme for New Developments in Central Area (AIS) and that was in effect from 2005 to 2012. And under this scheme, there were 36 artworks approved and installed in nine developments.

NHB and URA will look into making public, information on art works under the both Public Act Tax Incentive Scheme as well as the Arts Incentive Scheme for New Developments in Central Area.

Mdm Speaker, I have just three supplementary questions. First is: what happens when buildings and developments undergo demolition or major renovations that might involve the removal of previously commissioned artworks? Given that these artworks under the two schemes have either made use of public monies or tax exemptions, how do we then encourage public accountability for these works? And should there be a public agency involved in ensuring the care and consideration in relocating or the re-adoption of these public artworks?

My second question is: what does the Ministry think might be the impact of URA ceasing its Arts Incentive Scheme and how will MCCY continue to encourage the good maintenance and the commissioning of new artwork? Would the Ministry consider increasing the tax incentive from the current two times to two and a half times tax deduction on the cost of maintaining these artworks and commissioning new art, for example?

Thirdly, other than just a listing of the public art available, would the Ministry consider an online resource to share best practices of commissioning public art and case studies of successful collaborations so as to encourage more public art in our landscape?

On the first question on developments that are demolished or which have some impact on the installations, there are indeed public agencies which will look at how to manage the impact on the installations. The agencies are the ones that are responsible for the schemes, namely, NHB, in the case of the Public Art Tax Incentive Scheme and URA, in the case of the Art Incentive Schemes for New Developments. These agencies will then look at what is the best way to manage the installations which are impacted and how

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they are to be relocated.

On the second issue of commissioning, since the URA scheme has expired, whether we are looking at new ways in which more public art can be commissioned and installed. Indeed, we are doing so. I have said that publicly in an event a month ago that MCCY is looking at how we can promote more public art, make it more accessible. We are not just looking at PATIS, which is the NHB's tax incentive scheme, but the broad range of schemes that we have today. There is the Art in Transit Scheme by LTA which has already installed, I think, something like 48 installations in quite a number of our MRT stations. There is the CDL Sculpture of the Year Award which is a partnership between CDL and NParks to have sculptures commissioned and installed in our parks.

We are looking at a wide range of different schemes that are available today and then looking at how we can enhance and make public art more available and accessible to Singaporeans.

On the third point about online resources, certainly, that is a suggestion that we will be happy to look at – to make available the information on all the different visual artworks and installations that are in Singapore as well as provide artists and commissioning agents with more information on how best to maintain these artworks. So, that is something we will be happy to consider.

4 Assoc Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene asked the Minister for Law whether trainee lawyers may serve their practice training requirement at Qualifying Foreign Law Practice (QFLP) firms for admission to the Singapore Bar, notwithstanding that QFLP firms practise in limited areas of Singapore law.

Madam, law graduates who meet the criteria of being a "qualified person" under the Legal Profession Act are required to serve a practice training period before being admitted to the Singapore Bar. The trainee can fulfil the practice training requirements by having a practice training contract with a Singapore Law Practice (SLP) or in the context of public service, by serving as a Legal Service Officer or a legal officer in one of five prescribed

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public bodies.

Trainee lawyers cannot serve their practice training requirement at Qualifying Foreign Law Practice (QFLP) firms for the purposes of being called to the Singapore Bar. QFLP firms are foreign law practices (FLPs) with a licence which allows them to practise Singapore law only in "permitted areas of legal practice".

The "permitted areas of legal practice" are mainly commercial areas of law. Areas of domestic legal practice, such as constitutional and administrative law, criminal law and family law, and the conduct of litigation are excluded, or ring-fenced.

Mdm Speaker, I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State, notwithstanding that the QLFPs practise in limited areas of Singapore law, whether there could be schemes or arrangements by which trainee lawyers could fulfil the requirements in the non-commercial areas. The QFLPs are some top law firms in the world, and with the goal of trying to build a legal hub here, the expertise these firms can offer to our trainee lawyers would be a significant benefit to the Singapore legal profession.

That is not something that is presently being considered. Under the criteria for admission to the Bar, one of the things that is taken into account is whether a trainee lawyer receives instruction or has gained experience in every type of work normally undertaken by an advocate and solicitor. The ring-fenced areas, such as criminal law, family law, constitutional and administrative law, are all excluded. A QFLP would not therefore be able to give a trainee lawyer exposure to these areas of the law.

It is open, of course, when a lawyer gets called to the Bar, to work with QFLPs and other foreign law firms and they will then be able to get the other type of exposure that they may not be able to get at the local law firms.

Having said that, though, I feel impelled to say that local law firms do also have good regional practices and are able to provide very good training in the area of corporate and commercial practice.

Mdm Speaker, I want to say that I support the Ministry's point on the importance of ensuring that trainee lawyers are exposed to domestic areas of legal practice, especially in areas like criminal law, family law and litigation. I also want to commend the Government's efforts

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to set up the third law school at UniSIM to address the domestic legal needs because, really, it is not easy to be able to attract young lawyers to these areas of practice.

May I ask the Senior Minister of State if the Government can consider providing more funding, say for criminal legal aid, just to encourage lawyers to take up work in this area so as to better serve the domestic needs of the community?

Mdm Speaker, I thank Mr Lim Biow Chuan for his support. The Member's query on criminal legal aid was also raised earlier this year by Mr Hri Kumar at the Committee of Supply debates. At that time, I had replied to Mr Kumar to say that we will consider the position and I believe I had also mentioned this when we were discussing the amendments to the Legal Aid and Advice Act. And I said at that time that we were considering how to expand our funding to the Law Society's Criminal Aid Scheme to enable them to support more cases that are deserving.

Members will know that for capital cases, legal assistance is already funded by the State, and we have been reviewing the position for non-capital cases for some time. We have decided that the Government should do more in the provision of criminal legal aid compared with the position hitherto and the details are still being worked out with the stakeholders, such as the Singapore Academy of Law and the Law Society.

While we make this move, though, we need to be careful about how we do this as the monies come from a finite pool of taxpayer money. The experience of other countries is salutary. Countries have found the cost to be prohibitive and the outcomes not entirely satisfactory. For example, in the United Kingdom, the government spent some £2 billion on legal aid every year with criminal defence making up for more than half of the bill and there have been scandals involving wealthy criminals who receive legal aid from the State because their assets were frozen. The United Kingdom has now been forced to cut back on criminal legal aid funding.

We want to learn from the experience from these other countries and to develop a system that is sustainable. There cannot be an approach of unlimited funding nor funding for unmeritorious cases. We have to structure some acceptable way of identifying cases where assistance needs to be given. We will announce more details when we are ready.

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5 Mr Baey Yam Keng asked the Minister for Defence (a) if he can provide the reasons why the provision for National Service disruption does not apply to National Servicemen enrolling in SUTD, SIT, UniSIM, LASALLE College of the Arts and NAFA; and (b) whether the policy can be reviewed.

Let me address Mr Baey's question in two parts. First, in general, when disruption is granted and then specifically, in terms of the institutions he has asked about.

Mdm Speaker, when we disrupt National Servicemen (NSFs) from their training, it affects the operational readiness of the units that they come from. So, we grant disruption on a selected basis. Specifically to Mr Baey's questions, it is on the basis of equity. This means if his classmates or his peers were called up earlier in that year, and they can go to university in a particular year, the person in question who is called up in later cohorts, he will be disrupted so that he can go into the university in the same year as his peers. It is a fair basis in which we grant disruption.

Now, on specific institutions, we currently allow NS disruption for servicemen to pursue full-time degrees at institutions that are funded by MOE or confer their own degrees. These include full-time degree programmes at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), LASALLE College of the Arts and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA). It will also include the Singapore Institute of Management University (UniSIM) when it begins conferring its own full-time degrees from 2014 onwards.

I would like to ask the Minister to clarify the courses that are eligible for disruption. They must be fully funded by Government and/or conferred by the universities themselves. Is it an "and/or" criterion? I was reading the MINDEF's website that disruption is only given to students or NSFs enrolled in courses conducted by institutions that confer their own qualifications. I know that SIT has some courses which are offered in partnership with overseas universities which then confer their degrees. Would students or NSFs enrolled in these courses be eligible for disruption? And whether amongst these five tertiary institutions, are there any courses that do not allow the students to be disrupted for any reason?

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We grant disruption when they are eligible for NS servicemen into institutions where they are pursuing full-time degrees that, as Mr Baey said, are funded by MOE, or confer their own degrees. This would include SIT. I am not aware of any specific courses for which we do not grant disruption, but if he can file a specific Parliamentary Question or if he knows of a particular case, I would be happy to respond to him.

6 Ms Mary Liew asked the Minister for Defence (a) whether the Ministry will consider allowing National Servicemen to state their preferred vocations and give priority for navy shipboard vocations to maritime graduates pursuing sea careers; and (b) whether shipboard officers' service can be recognised as National Service for seafaring graduates who commit to three years of working on board ships.

Madam, in deploying National Servicemen to some vocations, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) does take into account the individual's aptitude and suitability to fulfil the required tasks and operational roles. These personal considerations are balanced against the priority to train and generate combat and supporting units to defend Singapore. The Committee to Strengthen National Service (CSNS), which I chair, is presently studying how to expand the number of vocations where the individual's aptitude and preference is considered while still maintaining or strengthening our defence capabilities. I think this was the gist of Ms Mary Liew's question.

The Nominated Member of Parliament also asked about maritime sector qualifications. And, indeed, maritime sector qualification is one of the several factors that the SAF takes into account when deploying full-time National Servicemen to the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). Let me give some details on the relevant qualifications. It includes Diplomas in Nautical Studies, Maritime Transportation and Marine Engineering as well as Higher National Institute of Technical Education Certificates (NITEC) in Marine Offshore Engineering.

National Servicemen (NSmen), who have suitable maritime sector qualifications, such as the Certificate of Competency issued by MPA may be deployed to the RSN to serve their National Service (NS).

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The Member has also suggested that civilian shipboard service be recognised as NS. This would be unwise and inequitable, as it would erode the support for NS, where every enlistee performs his duties, whether it is within SPF, SCDF or SAF.

I am very heartened to hear the Minister's response. Just one supplementary question: will the Minister consider working closely with MPA to recognise the sea time served on board navy ships for these seafaring maritime graduates as part of their career sea time to be accumulated for their Certificate of Competency (COC)?

Madam, indeed, the RSN already does that and it tracks individuals with maritime sector qualifications and works with MPA. We recognise that it is not a large pool and, so, it is to our interest to be able to deploy these NSFs who are more likely to pursue maritime careers. As I have said, they have the COC and we recognise that the COC is a professional qualification that enables NSmen, and some of them actually are already serving in selected RSN officer appointments that require these professional qualifications.

7 Ms Faizah Jamal asked the Minister for Health to date, how many Government and private hospitals have been accredited with Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative status and when will all hospitals be so accredited.

8 Ms Faizah Jamal asked the Minister for Health what steps have been taken to actively promote breastfeeding in Singapore and what steps are being taken to prevent companies from unethically marketing infant formula and food to mothers with babies one year old and below.

Mdm Speaker, with your permission, may I take both Question Nos 7 and 8 together?

Yes, please.

Thank you. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby's

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life as it provides all the energy and nutrients needed for optimal growth, development and protection against infectious and chronic diseases. The promotion of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers, by educating and supporting them in breastfeeding, before birth, during their hospital stay and after they are discharged, can contribute towards improving infants' health.

HPB and the Association for Breastfeeding Advocacy (Singapore) (ABAS) have been working with five hospitals – National University Hospital (NUH), KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), Singapore General Hospital (SGH), Mount Alvernia Hospital and Thomson Medical Centre – to implement the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) guidelines and achieve BFHI certification. HPB and ABAS are working with the five identified hospitals as they account for 80% of the births in Singapore. Currently, NUH and SGH have achieved BFHI certification. All five hospitals are committed to the principles outlined in the BFHI guidelines and have implemented initiatives such as the provision of training to all maternity ward staff to provide breastfeeding counselling, consultation and support to mothers.

Promotion of breastfeeding is also accompanied by measures to protect parents from excessive marketing of infant formula targeted at children aged 0-6 months. In this respect, the Sale of Infant Foods Ethics Committee Singapore (SIFECS)'s Code of Ethics was established to safeguard ethical standards on appropriate marketing and distribution of breast milk substitutes. Adherence to the Code is obligatory on the entire infant food industry operating in Singapore.

Breastfeeding puts an infant on the right start to life. MOH will work together with stakeholders to ensure that mothers are provided with the appropriate skills and support to ensure that they are motivated to continue breastfeeding their babies for the recommended period.

Mdm Speaker, I thank the Senior Minister of State for the answer. I have three supplementary questions. The experience of other countries has shown that what is important is community support after the mother is discharged from hospital because that is critical in ensuring that the breastfeeding practice continues. So, my question is what has MOH done or will want to do to build upon such peer support to increase breastfeeding awareness amongst mothers in the community, and have there been any funding and, if so, what has been the impact of such activities.

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Secondly, with the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) being implemented, how does the Government plan to monitor the effectiveness of such a scheme, especially in increasing breastfeeding rates in Singapore? And what kind of a feedback system is in place?

Lastly, with regards to the Sale of Infant Foods Ethics Committee Singapore (SIFECS)'s Code of Ethics, does MOH intend to do more in terms of introducing penalties for companies which do not comply?

I will go in the reverse order. Firstly, for the SIFECS' Code of Ethics, as I have noted, the major infant food industry players are all committed to subscribe to the Code of Ethics. In fact, HPB is the agency that oversees compliance with this Code of Ethics. Generally, there has been good compliance with a handful of violations. What we do really is for HPB to send a warning letter to those who have violated the guidelines, firstly, to the regional HQ, and, if necessary, to the global HQ. And, generally, they will rectify the violations. We have observed that there are no continued or consistent violations by the same company. Generally, this approach has worked well, and we intend to continue with this approach, promotional as well as getting the major players involved with compliance. In fact, all of them are committed to complying with the Code.

The other question on BFHI – plans to monitor the effectiveness after implementation, and then the feedback regarding the breastfeeding rate. First, let me share that between 2001 and 2011, the percentage of women who have taken to breastfeeding their infants upon delivery and then discharge from hospital, that is at initiation, has increased. In 2011, the rate was 99.1% at initiation. Continued breastfeeding, partial breastfeeding, at six months has also improved. In 2001, it was 21%. It has improved to 42% in 2011.

The exclusive breastfeeding rate is still very low. We continue to see how we can encourage exclusive breastfeeding, which means that only breast milk for the first six months, excluding water. I think one of the problems really is cultural practices and beliefs that you should supplement it with water, which is not in accordance with the definition of exclusive breastfeeding.

We conduct a national survey for breastfeeding periodically and that will be one of the ways that we can monitor the effectiveness. For hospitals which do not have certification, as I have noted, they have already implemented many of the guidelines in the BFHI and they are committed to getting certification. For the three hospitals that have not gotten it, we are working with them, and we

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are in communication with other hospitals, too.

Regarding support for mothers who want to breastfeed, HPB actually has been working with Association for Breastfeeding Advocacy to encourage and advise employers on the establishment of breastfeeding friendly workplaces. For instance, having a lactation room as well as, of course, organising talks for women on successful breastfeeding. The "Project Liquid Gold" initiative by NTUC U Family has the same objectives. MOM has funding under WorkPro where you can get subsidies for expenditure on lactation rooms.

Besides that, HPB also produces a one-stop parent toolkit called "Healthier Child Brighter Future" and it has information on the benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child and knowledge to help the women onto successful breastfeeding. We continue to work with partners to promote breastfeeding.

One last supplementary question, please. I think in the National Breastfeeding Survey 2011, only 0.9% of mothers were still exclusively breastfeeding when the baby was six months, which is really, really low. In fact, the experience of other countries shows that if you have trained peer breastfeeding counsellors, it really, really helps the rate to go up. So, my last question is: what has MOH done or want to do to ensure that there are trained peer breastfeeding counsellors, whether within the community or somebody from the agencies?

We are aware that the exclusive breastfeeding rate is low but, as I have noted, two out of five women are breastfeeding partially at six months. Therefore, for exclusive breastfeeding, some of the issues could be that cultural practices and beliefs are such that you cannot comply with the definition of what exclusive breastfeeding means. Nonetheless, HPB is working with the hospitals. Under the BFHI initiative, all staff in the maternity ward, the healthcare professionals, would be trained to provide counselling and support for breastfeeding mothers, that is, teach them how to breastfeed, and so on and so forth. We will continue with that. HPB also will work towards providing more support in this area.

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9 Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng asked the Minister for Education (a) what the core components of the new Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) syllabus; (b) whether "Animal Welfare" is confirmed to be a core module for all students; and (c) if a specific module on "Common Special Needs/Disabilities" can be designated as a core, and not an optional, module in the CCE curriculum.

Mdm Speaker, the new CCE syllabus is anchored on core values, social and emotional competencies, and skills related to character and citizenship development. CCE lessons are based on the life experiences that students undergo, drawing out values and skills appropriate to the students' age.

Students are guided to apply the core values of respect, responsibility, resilience, integrity, care and harmony; make decisions and act on them in a responsible way. There is also a reflection component to encourage students to think of their experience, learn from it and apply their learning.

Students will also engage in various learning experiences, such as co-curricular activities, Learning Journeys and Values-in-Action programmes. These experiences provide authentic contexts in which they can apply what they learn in the classroom, thereby deepening their learning.

Animal welfare and common special needs and disabilities are both topics that are covered in CCE lessons. Through discussions on issues related to animal welfare, students will learn the concept of responsibility, and the values and attitudes they should adopt to be more responsible members of the family, community and the nation.

Through lessons on common special needs and disabilities, students are taught to appreciate diversity in the community, respect each other while appreciating different strengths and abilities and being sensitive to special needs.

I thank the Senior Minister of State for her response. I just want to ask the question again. I was told on the ground that animal welfare is considered a core component in the new CCE syllabus and "special needs" is not. Can the Senior Minister of State

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confirm that? Second, I am glad that, in any case, special needs and disabilities are covered. I want to ask the Senior Minister of State if MOE would consider for the Ministry to work with key disability groups to develop and fund the content and pedagogy, and perhaps to consider more online resources so that students and staff can access this content on a 24/7 anytime-anywhere basis.

With respect to the first question, whether it is a core subject for either one, the answer is no, not for either one. In the Member's original question, she asked whether it was a core module. A module, as we understand it or as it is applied in the curriculum, is a self-contained area of learning that is covered over a few lessons. So, neither animal welfare nor special needs are modules. Both however are individual lessons within life themes. Insofar as the Member is concerned that either one – whether the animal welfare or special needs – is taught to students, they are both covered and they are both given due weight.

With respect to the second question on pedagogy and whether we can work with special needs communities, the answer is that MOE would be very willing and open to have input from these communities.

On the third question for online learning, the answer is yes, and that is not limited just to CCE. MOE is looking at online learning across the board to see how we can more effectively teach, leveraging on online resources but also recognising that technology alone cannot replace the role that teachers play.

10 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Education (a) what measures are taken to ensure that our students have a good amount of interaction opportunities with peers from other nationalities to enhance their holistic learning experiences; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider immersion programmes for students from local and international schools as well as local schools with skewed enrolments to strengthen the opportunity of interactions between Singaporeans and other nationalities.

Mdm Speaker, Mr Gan has highlighted an important area of learning for our students. They will need to acquire global

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and cultural literacy, feel comfortable interacting with one another, and share common experiences.

Schools play an important role in promoting mutual understanding and respect between local students and international students. This is achieved through both the formal curriculum and co-curricular activities (CCA).

Subjects, such as History, Geography and Social Studies, help broaden the world view of Singapore students. Through these subjects, students learn about the cultures of other countries. They are also taught the importance of respecting others through Character and Citizenship Education. School programmes, such as CCAs, provide opportunities for students to interact and work with international students and people of different nationalities.

Schools also carry out school-wide programmes to provide opportunities for students to interact and develop friendships with students of other races and international students. Annually, schools commemorate International Friendship Day where they learn the importance of global flow of trade, ideas and talent, and how to work with others from different cultures. At Hua Yi Secondary, as a follow-up to lessons on the significance of International Friendship Day, international students shared with their local schoolmates about their respective cultures, and the trade links between Singapore and their countries. Local and international students also worked together to put up exhibition booths which featured products from different countries in Asia and highlighted the importance of good relations with other countries.

Our schools also have various types of collaborations with both local and overseas institutions to provide our students opportunities to interact with international students. Our local schools and Foreign System Schools regularly hold joint activities, such as cultural celebrations and student exchanges. Many schools also have exchange programmes with overseas schools, where international students would come to Singapore schools for a short stint. In turn, our schools would organise programmes to schools overseas to allow our students to experience a different culture and learning environment.

I thank the Senior Minister of State for the comprehensive reply. Enabling Singapore students to have a deeper understanding of our diverse cultures and perspectives is quite important. In fact, some parents have actually shared with me their concern that in the current Primary 1 admission system, it is quite highly possible that some schools will end up with all Singaporeans while others may end up with a high

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percentage of Permanent Residents (PRs). With that in mind, what MOE can do to help Singapore children have a better understanding of each other and between Singapore PRs, and how to deepen their interaction and sharing of personal experiences?

As I mentioned in my earlier reply, the interactions and opportunities for interactions given are numerous. If the students are in the same school, they will have the opportunity to interact with each other. If they are not in the same school, then there are events in which they have the opportunity to meet and interact. The local students also have the opportunity to travel overseas where they can experience different cultures and exchanges with students in their own countries.

11 Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether the taxi fare charges can be less complex than what it is now; and (b) whether the current fare structure has been effective in ensuring that there are adequate taxis on the roads and which are able to meet the travel needs of commuters.

12 Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether taxi companies are at liberty to impose different taxi charges for different types of taxis; (b) whether commuters are expected to scrutinise the type of taxis which they flag down before deciding to board the taxi; and (c) how does the Ministry expect taxi commuters to be able to distinguish the different types of taxis before flagging the taxi.

Mdm Speaker, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 11 and 12 together?

Yes, please.

Mdm Speaker, taxi fares were deregulated in September 1998 to allow taxi companies to set their own fares, so that they can be more responsive to market conditions. The taxi fare structure has since evolved with different surcharges to better match taxi supply with demand by giving incentives to taxi drivers to serve locations and time periods where demand is high. The charging of different fares for different types of taxis by

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the same operator is not a recent phenomenon, although we are seeing more of it lately, which taxi operators have attributed to the different cost and rental rates for different models. The varying rental rates depend on the model and age of the taxis which some see as a fair reflection of preferences of the taxi drivers.

Although fares are deregulated, taxi companies are required to publicise fare revisions at least one week in advance in the media and on their websites. Taxi fare information must also be made available on taxi stand information panels, on LTA and PublicTransport@SG websites, and on fare decals in taxis.

We recognise that the current taxi fare structures are complex and confusing for commuters. LTA will work with the Public Transport Council (PTC) and the taxi companies to study how the fare structures could be made simpler and easier for commuters to understand, taking into consideration the impact on taxi drivers and availability.

Madam, I thank the Senior Minister of State for the response. I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State whether it is a case of these complex charges that are incentivising taxis to concentrate on specific areas or even some specific practices to maximise the mileage, and whether that is counter-productive, as having too many complex charges lead to different behaviour. Secondly, would LTA consider a single call booking system rather than have the present system where each commuter calls each company to book a fare? And would that be a better system for consumers?

Madam, as is the case for many types of services, there is uneven distribution of demand at specific times of the day and at specific locations. What is quite evident today is that operators are sensitive to the mismatches between demand and supply and have made efforts to address them through various surcharges. So, whilst it is unsatisfactory from the commuter's standpoint, they have gone some distance to addressing supply and demand mismatches. The taxi drivers themselves are quite familiar with the different surcharges and they respond accordingly.

As to the Member's question on whether we should have a single call booking service, this is something that we can look into. But I should add our priority right now is to address the need for greater simplicity to fare structures.

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Mdm Speaker, I want to ask the Senior Minister of State whether she agrees that there are frequent complaints by the public that it is difficult to find taxis at peak hours and many a time during off-peak hours. My second question is whether the Senior Minister of State would agree that allowing taxi companies to impose different taxi charges for different types of taxis is unfair to commuters and unfriendly. It does penalise commuters because they really do not have a choice in what taxis come their way. So, would the Senior Minister of State reconsider the decision not to interfere with the market and to disallow taxi companies from charging different taxi fares for different types of taxis? Finally, would the Senior Minister of State give her opinion as to whether the different fares charged would benefit taxi companies or do they really benefit taxi drivers?

A very long string of questions. I apologise in advance if I did not get every one of them. I think the key point to note is that demand and supply are going to vary at different times of the day. As I explained earlier, taxi service is not different from any other types of service and it has the same issue of uneven demand. So, there will be occasions and at certain locations where the demand is very high, and we do need to find a way to get the taxis to ply those areas at those times, and pricing is one way in which the operators have achieved it. Rather than try and talk about the question of whether it is fair or unfair, we have acknowledged that it is complex, and it is confusing. We are interested to try and find a better way to let the commuters understand what the fare structure is. Simplifying it is what we would like to do right now. I hope that addresses his question.

Mr Lim.

They already have different surcharges for different times, for different locality. So, their charges help to bring taxis to where the peak demand is. I am saying that these are different taxi types and why do we allow different taxi types to charge different taxi fares?

Mdm Speaker, as I have said earlier, we are looking at whether it should be simplified further. To his question of whether the same taxi company, same taxi operator, ought to charge different fares, the answer is that it is not a recent phenomenon. It has been going on for some time. It is just that we have seen more of it lately, and we are going to address this issue of how we can simplify it. As to whether we will allow the taxi companies to do so in future, that is a question that we are trying to come to a conclusion on.

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I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State, in MOT's effort to try to simplify the fare, could MOT also ensure that the rental that is levied on taxi drivers is also simplified? Today, many assume that higher flag-down fare means drivers earn a better take-home income. But the take-home income has not changed due to the increase in rental fares. Having a mere increase in the flag-down fare simply means that they partially offset the increase in costs. So, in MOT's effort to try to simplify the flag-down and other fares, I hope MOT will balance the views that taxi drivers also have to bear higher rental costs.

Mdm Speaker, I think we want to be very careful about doing that. The rental agreement is between the taxi driver and the taxi operator. Right now, what Mr Ang is asking is whether the Government should get involved in this agreement between the taxi operator and the taxi driver. I am not so sure that that is the outcome that we really want to see, because at the end of the day, the taxi drivers will have to compare among which of the operators offers a rental scheme that best meets his requirements and he has to decide which one of it is a fair one from his point of view. In the context today, there is more than one taxi operator. So, there is competition in the market and it is up to the market to come forward with an agreement that taxi drivers find acceptable.

Mr Ang. Last question.

I understand what the Senior Minister of State is alluding to, as far as options available to taxi drivers are concerned. But in today's context of a lot of the hiring agreements, the terms that are drafted in the agreements are highly disadvantageous to the taxi drivers to be able to move from one company to another company. There are a lot of incentive programmes packaged into the agreements whereby you cannot simply leave because another company offers you a better deal. They will have a package to say that if you drive for two years, you get this incentive; if you put in this amount of deposit, you have to drive for five years, and so on.

As far as the driver is concerned, he is unable to shift just because the rental is cheaper elsewhere. So, in a sense, the market is not working as effectively to allow a driver to have that portable scheme to be able to navigate between options just to save cost.

Mdm Speaker, I think our question has gone far beyond the original scope and the questions that were posed by Mr Liang and

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Mr Lim. Just very briefly, Mr Ang, I think it is an issue that perhaps the National Taxis Association (NTA) would also like to look into because it concerns the terms between the taxi operator and the taxi driver. I believe that it falls also within the remit of the NTA to look into.

13 Mr R Dhinakaran asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) how many foreign employment passes were not renewed in the first half of this year; and (b) what was the breakdown in terms of the type of employment pass and which were the industries/professions that the employment pass holders belonged to.

Mdm Speaker, in the first half of 2013, about 2,600 Employment Passes (EPs) have not been renewed, of which slightly more than half were Q1 Pass holders. The top industries for these EP holders were Wholesale and Retail Trade, Professional Services and Information and Communications. This is very likely due to the tightening of the EP qualifying criteria implemented in January 2012, as part of the Government's effort to raise the quality profile of foreign professionals working here.

Madam, I would like to ask the Acting Minister whether MOM has received any complaints from MNCs which are engaged in this kind of industries because of the tight labour market; whether they are complaining saying that they want to move out of Singapore which may adversely affect our citizens' employment opportunities.

Mdm Speaker, we are constantly in dialogue with the various chambers of commerce. As a result of tightening, I would suggest that it is not just foreign companies but local companies as well, that have expressed concerns. As the Member has rightly pointed out, this is one consideration that companies will look at. I have said before in this House that the competitiveness that Singapore offers extends beyond a diverse and open labour market. There are many pluses that are going our way: rule of law, transparency, flexibility, the infrastructure and so on. All these go into the consideration of any company operating here.

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Having an open diverse workforce is beneficial and it does eventually benefit Singaporeans as well. So, these are ongoing discussions we have with various companies, both local and foreign. We are very mindful of their concerns. That is why I think we do take a calibrated approach and we proceed quite carefully on this front.

The overall message is consistent. We do need to tighten and we do need to move on to a much more productivity-led growth as well as a more manpower-lean approach towards growth.

14 Ms Lee Li Lian asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) what percentage of HDB flat owners is not covered by the Home Protection Scheme (HPS); (b) what percentage of this is due to insufficient funds in the owners' CPF Ordinary Account to pay for the premium; and (c) whether the Government will consider allowing the payment of premiums from the CPF Ordinary Account of the owners' children if the owners have insufficient funds in their Ordinary Account.

Mdm Speaker, HDB flat owners who are using CPF savings to service their monthly loan instalments are required to take up the Home Protection Scheme (HPS) or an equivalent mortgage reducing insurance (MRI). This applies to about 60% of all HDB flat owners with outstanding loans. Of this group, that is, of this 60%, 95% are covered under the HPS or an equivalent MRI, while 3% are uninsurable or ineligible for HPS cover. The remaining 2% had lapsed on their HPS premium payments.

Of the 40% of HDB flat owners who are not required to take up HPS because they are not using CPF savings to service their monthly loan instalments, 44% of this 40% have taken up the HPS voluntarily. Some have also chosen to take up MRI from private insurance companies.

The HPS premium is deducted automatically from the Ordinary Account (OA) of CPF members. For those with insufficient OA savings, a grace period of two months is provided for them to make their premium payment. During the grace period, any new OA contributions are channelled first towards meeting the HPS premium payments, and then monthly loan instalments. This is, essentially, to minimise lapses in coverage. CPF members are also notified to

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make cash top-ups to their OA, as required, to make up the shortfall for the HPS premiums. If their children wish to assist with making premium payments, they can actually do so via this route. CPF members can also choose to tap on the OA savings of their spouse, who must also be a co-owner of the flat, to pay for the premium.

We will study the feasibility of using non-spouse co-owners' OA savings for the payment of HPS premiums, without affecting the payers' own retirement adequacy. This is a feedback that has cropped up regularly. We are in the process of working with MND to study other options to help HPS policy holders who face difficulties in paying their HPS premiums to minimise lapses in HPS coverage.

I would like to find out the rationale for not allowing HPS premiums to be deducted directly from children's CPF OA since funds from the children's CPF MAs are currently allowed to be used to pay for parents' premiums for MediShield as well as Medisave-approved integrated Shield plans. Are there different parameters that are used to consider them?

Mdm Speaker, I would like to thank the Member for the supplementary question. We would like to support home ownership and, therefore, CPF members can actually use their OA savings to finance their own home purchase. The OA contributions, however, are not sized to support additional housing needs that the CPF family members may have.

For the OA account, at present, we are not sizing it such that it is meant to cater for this need. Essentially, we do encourage CPF members to set aside sufficient CPF savings for retirement and should not compromise this by overspending on their housing or in support of their parents' housing.

The long and short of it is how we size that particular account. At present, we do not believe that that is the approach that we would like to take.

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15 Mr Zainal Sapari asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the number of HDB flat owners who are currently in mortgage arrears because of CPF limits on mortgage repayments; and (b) in each of the past three years, what is the number of HDB flat owners who have been served eviction orders despite having CPF savings in their Special Account or the CPF Minimum Sum.

Mdm Speaker, 5% or 16,300 out of 335,000 households with an outstanding HDB loan are in arrears of three months or more. Among those in arrears, 0.7% or 111 households are affected by the CPF Valuation Limit.

These flat owners can continue to use their CPF OA savings to repay their housing loan after setting aside the required amount in their CPF accounts to ensure that they have at least some level of cash savings for retirement. If they are unable to do so, depending on the merits of each case, CPF Board may exercise flexibility to allow them to continue using their CPF savings to service their housing loans.

Madam, there may be many reasons why flat owners fall into arrears. They could have over-stretched their finances, or suffered a reduction in income due to loss of job or illness. HDB proactively helps flat owners manage their arrears early. If their financial difficulty is temporary, HDB will consider reducing or deferring their instalments, or work out an instalment plan to resolve their arrears. For flat owners who can no longer afford to keep their flats, HDB will explore more sustainable solutions, such as helping them to right-size to a smaller flat.

Compulsory acquisition is taken as a last resort against flat owners who persistently refuse to resolve their arrears, or work towards a sustainable solution, despite the assistance given. Eviction may have to be carried out in the final stage of compulsory acquisition if the owners are hostile and uncooperative. Over the past three years, none of the cases scheduled for eviction due to arrears was affected by the CPF Valuation Limit.

A balance has to be struck between allowing the use of CPF savings for housing and safeguarding savings in the CPF Special Account (SA), or the Minimum Sum Cash Component in the Retirement Account, for retirement

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purposes. Flat owners in financial difficulty should engage HDB early to work out sustainable solutions to solve their arrears.

Mdm Speaker, I thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive reply. Can I confirm that HDB will actually allow house owners to draw down from their Special Account or Minimum Sum to pay for their mortgages in cases where they could not come up with the cash mortgage payment?

Madam, in the case of an HDB concessionary loan being used to purchase a resale HDB flat, for instance, if the loan is still outstanding when the total CPF used has reached the Valuation Limit, the owner, if he is below 55 years old, can indeed continue to use the OA savings to repay the loan after setting aside half the prevailing CPF Minimum Sum in the OA and the SA. If he is 55 years old or above, the Minimum Sum cash component has to be set aside in the Retirement Account.

As for the use of the SA, in general, SA savings may not be used for property purchase, but we allow exceptions in the cases only of CPF policy changes affecting members' ability to service ongoing mortgage loans.

16 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether the 2012 and 2013 rounds of cooling measures have dampened demand from foreign buyers and reduced their speculation in the private property market; and (b) what can be done to ensure a predictable regulatory regime, beyond ad hoc cooling measures, to regulate foreign ownership in Singapore's property market in order to create sustainable property prices.

Mdm Speaker, the cooling measures have, as intended, dampened foreign demand and reduced speculation. Since 2011, foreign buying in our private housing market has shrunk, both in proportion and in absolute numbers.

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The proportion of purchase by foreigners has fallen from 17% in 2011 to 7% in the third quarter of this year. Over the same period, the number of purchases by foreigners has fallen from about 1,400 per quarter to 330 in the third quarter of this year.

As for property speculations, sub-sales, as a proportion of all private housing transactions, have dropped from 7.6% in 2011 to 4.6% in the third quarter of this year. In absolute numbers, sub-sale transactions have fallen from about 670 per quarter in 2011 to 181 in the third quarter of this year.

Our priority is to support home ownership for Singaporeans. This is reflected in our policies. Only citizens are allowed to buy new HDB flats and provided grants to purchase resale HDB flats. Almost all landed housing can only be purchased by Singaporeans. The private condominium market allows foreigner buying and the cooling measures have moderated their impact. The resultant trend is encouraging but we continue to closely monitor the market and we will not hesitate to act further when necessary.

Mdm Speaker, I thank the Minister for the response. My question also had as its intention a system that would create sustainability of prices. Therefore, I just like to ask the Minister whether it is still his position that a collection of different avenues in the form of stamp duties or additional stamp duties would be better than, for example, a restriction on foreign ownership to an extent as in the Australian model. So, I just want to get a sense that it is the versatility of the many tools presently in the system, rather than something a lot more draconian.

Madam, managing the property market is both an art and a science, which also requires a heavy dose of good luck. I would say the outcome in the last two and a half years has been "so far so good". There is not really a single measure or a silver bullet that will solve the problem and deliver a particular outcome.

Even the Australian model that the Member talked about has its fair share of property bubble. Currently, in fact, they are still trying to sort things out there, with much difficulty.

We do require a basket of measures and calibrate them in a way to achieve a particular outcome. I certainly share the same wish as the Member to achieve a sustainable, perhaps, even boring, property market. But for a small Singapore market that is plugged into the global system, we face many factors which are

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completely outside and beyond our control. That is why, although the Member in his question referred to our measures as ad hoc, I am afraid that this is part and parcel of managing our property market, that we have to be nimble and we have to try to anticipate and make certain projections but we can never be sure. And, therefore, for some measures after we have done it, we still have to re-calibrate the quantum.

As I said, "so far so good"; I am seeing more light at the end of the tunnel but we are still in the tunnel. So, we continue to have to watch carefully over the market. At the same time, we wish for good luck too but, so far so good. As you can see, I am now more relaxed. My hair has even turned black.

17 Mr Baey Yam Keng asked the Minister for Transport whether heavy vehicles can be banned from using roads that are near schools and have high pedestrian traffic with exceptions granted on application when there is no alternative route.

Mdm Speaker, LTA has localised traffic schemes that restrict the entry of heavy vehicles to areas around schools or with high pedestrian activity. However, a blanket ban is not possible as there are many occasions when heavy vehicles need to serve community amenities, or to access construction sites within residential estates.

In such cases, LTA will work with the community and industry stakeholders to implement alternative arrangements such as re-routing to minimise the access of heavy vehicles to these areas, or road safety enhancement schemes such as traffic calming measures and warning signs.

Thank you, Mdm Speaker. Since the accident in Tampines earlier this year where the two brothers died, the Members of Parliament for Tampines have worked with LTA to re-route heavy vehicles in the area so that they do not go near school zones. This was initiated by the community. May I ask when the Parliamentary Secretary talked about the localised scheme, who is the driver of this scheme? Does LTA proactively reach out to the local community whenever there is a new project in the area? Does this apply to both private and public construction projects in every area?