Hansard, Wednesday, 14 January 2026

Reports of Condensation and Mould on Walls and Ceilings due to Neighbours' Use of Air-conditioners 1 Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo asked the Minister for National Development (a) in 2025, how many cases did HDB receive regarding condensation and mould on walls or ceilings arising from neighbours’ continuous air conditioning use; and (b) whether HDB will consider requiring flat owners to undertake wall or ceiling enhancements as part of preventive maintenance obligations.

Reports of Condensation and Mould on Walls and Ceilings due to Neighbours' Use of Air-conditioners In 2025, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) received a total of about 240 cases of feedback regarding condensation and mould on walls or ceilings arising from neighbours' use of air-conditioners.

Reports of Condensation and Mould on Walls and Ceilings due to Neighbours' Use of Air-conditioners Upon receiving such feedback, HDB will conduct inspections to determine the cause of the condensation and mould, and provide appropriate advice to the flat owners and neighbours, including how they are using their air-conditioners. We also recommend flat owners to keep rooms well-ventilated to minimise mould growth and consider the use of mould-resistant paint as a preventive measure.

Reports of Condensation and Mould on Walls and Ceilings due to Neighbours' Use of Air-conditioners Ms Tan.

Reports of Condensation and Mould on Walls and Ceilings due to Neighbours' Use of Air-conditioners I thank the Senior Minister of State for her reply. The reason I am asking this is because I have seen an increasing trend of appeals with regard to these kinds of issues, especially mould caused by continuous use of air-conditioning by neighbours. The challenge for residents is that they cannot do anything because it is coming from the neighbour's unit. I would like to ask if HDB will consider mandating wall or ceiling enhancements for people, if they are going to be continuously using the air-conditioning. If not, then what measures could be taken to ensure accountability or cost-sharing or timely resolution of condensation disputes between neighbours?

Reports of Condensation and Mould on Walls and Ceilings due to Neighbours' Use of Air-conditioners My second question would be whether guidelines would be introduced to clarify responsibilities of affected flat owners? Because the damages are quite serious – entire walls or ceilings. The mould has also led to some health issues for many of my residents.

Reports of Condensation and Mould on Walls and Ceilings due to Neighbours' Use of Air-conditioners I thank the Member for the questions that she raised. HDB can consider providing an advisory to the neighbours on proper usage of air-conditioners, for instance, when it comes to the length of air-conditioning use or temperature settings. As to her suggestion on wall and ceiling enhancements, HDB has to explore if these enhancements will truly work. And as for whether or not we could stipulate them, I think we will have to take a look the specific circumstances, the specific cases. Where there are egregious uses where it has led to damage in the corresponding neighbour's flat, then based on the case specifics, we will have to see how the compensation can be best shared by the two individuals.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore 2 Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Social and Family Development in light of recent news of an Indonesian trafficking ring transferring babies to Singapore (a) how many approved adoptions are being reviewed further; (b) how is the Ministry ensuring that affected families can obtain clarity and resolution expeditiously; and (c) whether the Ministry is considering providing interim assistance to these families, particularly where the adoptees have not obtained Singapore Citizenship.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore Investigations by the Indonesian authorities into the alleged trafficking of Indonesian babies are underway. The Singapore Government is currently working closely with our Indonesian counterparts to review these allegations. The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) is unable to comment on the number of cases currently under review at this stage.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore Child trafficking is a serious matter as it exploits children’s vulnerabilities, violates their rights and separates them from their biological families for personal gain or criminal purposes. It also affects the children’s long-term well-being and development.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore MSF has been engaging affected families to provide more information on processes and to address their concerns as information becomes available. We are also working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure that cases are reviewed expeditiously, while safeguarding the welfare and best interests of the children involved.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore MSF takes these matters seriously and will continue to work with relevant authorities to ensure appropriate safeguards, transparency and support for affected families.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore Ms Lim.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore Thank you, Speaker. I have three supplementary questions for the Minister of State. He mentioned that the investigations by the Indonesians are underway, and I think our Government is cooperating with them, something along those lines. Is he able to give any indication of the timeline as to how long this will take? I have constituents affected by this situation and they have already been caring for these babies for more than a year and this uncertainty is a torture to them. So, would the authorities in Singapore be able to give any indication of how long this is going to take – months or years. This is really quite devastating.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore The second question is, there is an issue of, perhaps, public confidence in the adoption process. These parents in Singapore are innocent parties that have done every step in accordance with the law. And I think the MSF officers and their partners have also looked into each adoption case before recommending to the Court whether the case could be supported and, on that basis, the adoption orders were given. So, my question is, was there any possibility that the MSF officers or its partners could have discovered any suspicious circumstances before the orders were made?

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore And the third question actually concerns expenses in child raising. In the case which I know of, the adoption order has been given but the child's application for citizenship is on hold now because of this investigation. Because of this, the parents will have to incur childcare expenses and so on, based on the foreign nationality of the child. Given this unique situation, where the parents are innocent, really, can the agencies give a special exception to allow these expenses of these affected families to be incurred on a Singapore child basis, to take into account the fact that they have applied for citizenship and it is on hold because of something outside of their control. I would like to ask the Minister of State these questions.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore I thank the Member for the questions. Let me take the three questions, one by one.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore MSF empathises with the parents and we understand that the uncertainty may cause a little bit of anxiety for the affected families. Investigations are still underway and we are trying our very best to work closely because this involves not just within Singapore, but also with the Indonesian authorities. Therefore, we are trying to proceed as expeditiously as possible and to give the families resolution. We are unable to comment on a timeline at this juncture.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore In terms of public confidence in the process and especially in terms of whether there are certain things that we are looking into the process or the agencies involved, I think adoptive parents are informed of the process and they proceed with adoption under the framework that has been put out. There are certain processes in place to ensure that agencies abide by certain procedures to ensure the babies are of the correct origin, appropriate sources. But at the same time, agencies which parents approach for such child-matching services, many of them – in fact, all of them – operate on a commercial basis. Therefore, the onus is on adoptive parents to try their best and ensure that children are identified, matched and placed in accordance with the prevailing laws of both Singapore as well as the child's origin country.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore For the third question in terms of process, I would just like to explain that we recognise that navigating both the adoption process as well as the citizenship process can be a long process, especially because we understand that the parents would have already made commitment, enduring commitment and it is also an emotional commitment to the child.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore I would just like to explain that we keep the adoption process and the citizenship process separate because they are governed by different legal frameworks and policy considerations. Adoption establishes the legal parent-to-child nexus and it is assessed primarily based on the child's welfare and suitability of the adoptive parents. Whereas the citizenship process, on the other hand, establishes the immigration considerations and evaluates based on that.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore Without adoption, there will be no legal nexus for the Singapore parent and the foreign child; whereas an adoption is necessary to formally establish that relationship in the eyes of the law before we can proceed with establishing the legal status of the child and applying for citizenship for the child. Not all adoption applications will get approved for citizenship.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore All prospective adoptive parents are also informed of this process during the social investigation procedure, MSF will inform them of that – that the adoption and the citizenship processes are actually delinked processes and the granting of citizenship is not automatic following the adoption order. We also inform them that the citizenship process can take up to 12 months. This is to ensure that the families proceed with a clear understanding of the processes and the potential outcomes.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore Having said so, MSF recognises the emotional stress and especially the financial strain, like what the Member has highlighted. If the adoptive parents do need financial assistance, they may approach MSF and we will assess every case based on the circumstances.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore Ms Lim.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore Thank you, Sir. Perhaps, one more supplementary question. I am not sure whether I heard the Minister of State correctly. When I asked about whether the agencies could have uncovered the suspicious circumstances earlier, he mentioned something to the effect that the parents engaged the adoption agencies on a commercial basis. So, is he saying that there is nothing more that the agencies can do to try to prevent this kind of thing from happening again? I mean, the parents, really, what can they do?

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore Allow me to clarify. I mentioned that the agencies operate on a commercial basis. However, we do have guidelines telling the agencies what they can and cannot do, and what is due diligence on their part. If we do uncover that agencies are aware that the children they are bringing in are of unknown and suspicious origin and despite so, bring them in, they will be taken to task. We will take the necessary actions against those agencies. We expect the agencies to do due diligence and to bring in children of correct background and origin, having done all the due checks prior to bringing them in.

Review of Approved Adoptions following News of Indonesian Ring Trafficking Babies to Singapore Having said so, there may still be cases whereby something may have been done in the country of origin, with the agencies in Singapore not knowing of what that background may be. I do not think we should comment further specific to this case. It is under investigation. We should let the investigation run its course, before I comment further.

Monitoring and Enforcement of Noise Threshold Compliance of Construction Noise near Residential Estates 3 Dr Charlene Chen asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) in relation to construction noise near residential estates, how is compliance with noise thresholds enforced and how frequently is it monitored; (b) how are prolonged duration and cumulative exposure to such noise factored into enforcement measures; and (c) whether noise thresholds will be reviewed, including the use of psycho-acoustic factors such as sharpness and roughness of sound.

Monitoring and Enforcement of Noise Threshold Compliance of Construction Noise near Residential Estates Mr Speaker, Sir, construction sites within 150 metres of residential premises are required to install noise meters which the National Environment Agency (NEA) monitors. NEA takes strict enforcement action against contractors who exceed the permissible noise levels, with more severe enforcement action typically taken for repeated offences as well as those with a longer duration of time above the permissible noise level.

Monitoring and Enforcement of Noise Threshold Compliance of Construction Noise near Residential Estates NEA will continue to review the regulations including the permissible noise levels to ensure that they remain relevant and effective in protecting public health.

Monitoring and Enforcement of Noise Threshold Compliance of Construction Noise near Residential Estates Dr Chen.

Monitoring and Enforcement of Noise Threshold Compliance of Construction Noise near Residential Estates I thank the Senior Minister of State for his response. Residents in Tampines living near the long-running Loyang Viaduct construction have reported prolonged stress from construction noise. So, given that sounds of similar decibel levels can differ in perceived loudness and distress, does the Ministry consider the use of psycho-acoustic factors, such as sharpness and roughness, in the review of thresholds?

Monitoring and Enforcement of Noise Threshold Compliance of Construction Noise near Residential Estates And another supplementary question would be what are the penalties when construction sites exceed noise thresholds?

Monitoring and Enforcement of Noise Threshold Compliance of Construction Noise near Residential Estates Sir, I thank Dr Charlene Chen for her questions. When it comes to psycho-acoustic factors, we take reference from the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, which currently do not include psycho-acoustic factors, but this is a part of the science that is under review. We will continue to review our stance as well as take reference from the WHO with respect to what are the factors of sound that we take into account when enforcing the framework.

Monitoring and Enforcement of Noise Threshold Compliance of Construction Noise near Residential Estates Dr Chen also asked about the penalties. There are different ways in which we do this. The requirement for monitoring itself is a burden placed on the site operator, potentially requiring closed circuit television (CCTV), continuous real time monitoring. But if they transgress, then we will take further action against them. And if they fail to comply with the regulations, they will be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $40,000. In cases of continuing offences, further fines not exceeding $1,000 a day, or part thereof, during which the offence continues after conviction. Thereafter, there are composition sums, depending on the circumstances of the case and the court findings.

Monitoring and Enforcement of Noise Threshold Compliance of Construction Noise near Residential Estates Ms Gho Sze Kee.

Monitoring and Enforcement of Noise Threshold Compliance of Construction Noise near Residential Estates Similar to the hon Member, Dr Chen, I also receive feedback from residents of RiverEdge, a condominium that is situated in Tanjong Rhu. The lived experience on the ground appears to differ materially from what average equivalent continuous sound level (LEq) measurements suggest, with the Tanjong Rhu Build-To-Order construction site located less than 150 metres of existing residential block, residents have informed me that these repeated short bursts of intense construction noise that are technically compliant when averaged over five minutes – but nonetheless, they are quite disruptive.

Monitoring and Enforcement of Noise Threshold Compliance of Construction Noise near Residential Estates So, I have two questions for the Senior Minister of State. In such close proximity situations, how does NEA assess whether the current averaging based approach adequately reflects the actual disturbance experienced by the residents? And will the Ministry consider using Lmax instead in assessing compliance and addressing residents' complaints?

Monitoring and Enforcement of Noise Threshold Compliance of Construction Noise near Residential Estates Sir, I thank Ms Gho for her questions. Indeed, we will consider and review how to best provide the correct supervision, regulatory framework and enforcement. We need to have a balance between the protection of the public health and allowing necessary work to proceed.

Monitoring and Enforcement of Noise Threshold Compliance of Construction Noise near Residential Estates And indeed, we do have an averaging of five minutes, but we also have some of the framework where it is averaging over 12 hours.

Monitoring and Enforcement of Noise Threshold Compliance of Construction Noise near Residential Estates So, there is a balance that we need to strike for different types of sound: persistent recurrent, repeated sharp bursts, as Ms Gho has pointed out. The current framework requires an average sound level over five minutes and she has asked us about Lmax, which means, not taking into account the time span for a person to be exposed to that sound, but the absolute level for the sound exposure. It is indeed something that we can study and we will study together with taking reference from the WHO guidelines that I explained earlier, which is the basis on which we have developed our framework. And this is also something that is under study internationally.

Review of Enforcement Measures Against Pet Groomers and Proposal for Mandatory CCTV Recordings in Pet Grooming Facilities 4 Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo asked the Minister for National Development whether the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) will consider (i) mandatory CCTV recordings in areas where pets are handled or housed in pet grooming facilities and (ii) requiring licensed operators to retain such footages for investigation purposes, to support accountability and transparency.

Review of Enforcement Measures Against Pet Groomers and Proposal for Mandatory CCTV Recordings in Pet Grooming Facilities 5 Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo asked the Minister for National Development (a) what measures are being taken to strengthen enforcement against pet businesses, including pet grooming facilities, that fail to comply with the Animals and Birds Act (ABA) and Code of Animal Welfare; and (b) whether under the review of the ABA, serious negligence by pet businesses causing animal harm or death may result in enhanced penalties or longer licence suspensions.

Review of Enforcement Measures Against Pet Groomers and Proposal for Mandatory CCTV Recordings in Pet Grooming Facilities Sir, may I have your permission to answer Question Nos 4 and 5 on today's Order Paper together, please?

Review of Enforcement Measures Against Pet Groomers and Proposal for Mandatory CCTV Recordings in Pet Grooming Facilities Yes. Please proceed.

Review of Enforcement Measures Against Pet Groomers and Proposal for Mandatory CCTV Recordings in Pet Grooming Facilities Mr Speaker, all individuals working in animal-related businesses, including pet groomers, are entrusted with the care of their clients' animals and are expected to uphold high standards of animal welfare. Hence, these individuals face higher maximum penalties under the Animals and Birds Act (ABA) for animal cruelty and welfare offences compared to other members of the public. Failure to meet minimum standards stipulated under the Code of Animal Welfare may be used as evidence for enforcement action. Upon conviction for an animal welfare offence, the Court may also issue a disqualification order to an individual to disqualify them from owning an animal or running an animal-related business for up to 12 months.

Review of Enforcement Measures Against Pet Groomers and Proposal for Mandatory CCTV Recordings in Pet Grooming Facilities The National Parks Board (NParks) has investigated 54 cases of feedback alleging harm to pets caused by groomers over the past three years. We are reviewing the regulatory regime for pet sector activities, including pet grooming businesses, under the ongoing review of the ABA. We will consider whether to include requirements for closed circuit television (CCTV) recordings when we amend the legislation. We are also reviewing the appropriate penalties for animal welfare and cruelty offences, including those that apply to animal-related businesses.

Review of Enforcement Measures Against Pet Groomers and Proposal for Mandatory CCTV Recordings in Pet Grooming Facilities Ms Jessica Tan.

Review of Enforcement Measures Against Pet Groomers and Proposal for Mandatory CCTV Recordings in Pet Grooming Facilities I thank the Minister of State for the reply and for the reassurances. I do have a few supplementary questions for both my Parliamentary Questions (PQs). For my first PQ, I would like to ask, are the current standards for supervision of pets during grooming sessions, particularly when they are secured in holding areas or cages, whether the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) would review the protocols for this to prevent prolonged unsupervised confinement that may result in distress or worse, injury or fatality?

Review of Enforcement Measures Against Pet Groomers and Proposal for Mandatory CCTV Recordings in Pet Grooming Facilities And the other supplementary questions for this PQ are: what are the current processes and response time for handling complaints of suspected negligence in pet businesses? And how can AVS improve public reporting channels and investigation process to ensure timely follow-up?

Review of Enforcement Measures Against Pet Groomers and Proposal for Mandatory CCTV Recordings in Pet Grooming Facilities The whole point is really, how to, first of all, report and also, how can pet owners be more aware of businesses that have had complaints and may not have followed protocols. But more importantly, are there going to be tighter protocols, for when they are in confined areas or unsupervised?

Review of Enforcement Measures Against Pet Groomers and Proposal for Mandatory CCTV Recordings in Pet Grooming Facilities For my second PQ, I would also like to ask, apart from penalties – because that is after the fact and when once pet is injured, or I think the distress I have had for my residents and many pet owners who have shared that it can be extremely distressing and so, rather than penalties, which are good deterrents, but really prevention – so, will AVS consider introducing mandatory certification or competency requirements for pet groomers? And more importantly, skills training to ensure proper animal handling, not so much the grooming, but the animal handling and safety protocols, and more importantly emergency response when the pets are injured.

Review of Enforcement Measures Against Pet Groomers and Proposal for Mandatory CCTV Recordings in Pet Grooming Facilities Will the Ministry also review the licensing conditioning for pet grooming businesses to incorporate minimum supervision requirements and emergency preparedness protocols?

Review of Enforcement Measures Against Pet Groomers and Proposal for Mandatory CCTV Recordings in Pet Grooming Facilities That is a lot more than two supplementary questions. Minister of State Alvin Tan.

Review of Enforcement Measures Against Pet Groomers and Proposal for Mandatory CCTV Recordings in Pet Grooming Facilities Thank you, Mr Speaker. Clearly, it is a very important topic. First of all, as I mentioned to the Member, we are reviewing the ABA and we are getting feedback from Members, as well as members of the public. We are reviewing under the review of the ABA, the regulatory regime for pet sector activities and this includes pet grooming businesses and the other areas in which the Member has highlighted.

Review of Enforcement Measures Against Pet Groomers and Proposal for Mandatory CCTV Recordings in Pet Grooming Facilities With regard to the Code for Animal Welfare, which I mentioned earlier on, this is for specific to the pet industry. This Code of Animal Welfare specifies minimum standards and best practices for pet businesses and pet groomers. All pet groomers are encouraged to comply with these sets of standards and best practices, and that includes not leaving animals unattended in rooms, unsupervised, as the Member had mentioned.

Review of Enforcement Measures Against Pet Groomers and Proposal for Mandatory CCTV Recordings in Pet Grooming Facilities But where there are breaches to this code, they can be used to support prosecution under the ABA and where unnecessary pain or suffering has been found to be inflicted on the animal, that is section 42 of the ABA, or failure of duty of care is found, section 41 of the ABA, NParks then can take an appropriate enforcement action under ABA. [Please refer to ​"Clarification by Minister of State for National Development", Official Report, 14 January 2026, Vol 96, Issue 14, Correction By Written Statement section.]

Review of Enforcement Measures Against Pet Groomers and Proposal for Mandatory CCTV Recordings in Pet Grooming Facilities So, we are looking at all of these reviews under the review of the ABA. Currently, there are already levers for NParks to take action and we will take all of the feedback into regard.

Review of Enforcement Measures Against Pet Groomers and Proposal for Mandatory CCTV Recordings in Pet Grooming Facilities If members of the public or the Member herself comes across any reports, please feel free to contact AVS. I have gotten the number here – it is 1800 4761 600. And AVS will be prompt and swift.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency 6 Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked the Acting Minister for Transport (a) whether the LTA should consider regulating owners of large rental car fleets, given the impact on private-hire drivers' livelihoods if these car rental companies were to undergo financial distress or insolvency; and (b) how will the LTA work with tripartite partners, including the National Private Hire Vehicles Association, for an orderly transition and to safeguard drivers’ livelihoods in such circumstances.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency We are deeply sympathetic towards the plight of drivers who are affected by the Autobahn business failure. We recognise the impact large car rental companies have on drivers' livelihoods when such companies become financially distressed or insolvent.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency That is why, when the Autobahn situation happened, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) worked swiftly with the National Taxi Association (NTA), the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA) and the point-to-point (P2P) operators to help affected drivers secure other vehicles and earning opportunities. If drivers wish to seek civil recourse, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) also has a legal clinic to provide legal advice to members, including on contractual issues.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency Availing of such support does not require car fleet owners to be regulated. Regulation can result in increased compliance burden and ownership cost for private hire vehicles which could likely be passed through to drivers and passengers.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency Ms Yeo Wan Ling.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency Thank you, Speaker. With the growing number of private hire drivers renting their vehicles from third party rental companies, many are actually subjected to non-standardised and often onerous rental contract terms. This includes, for instance, high excesses for vehicle damage and unclear clauses governing termination, as in the Autobahn case, penalties or the withdrawal of driver benefits.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency What more can the Ministry or the LTA do, working with NTUC, the NPHVA and the NTA to equip our drivers to better understand and compare rental agreements, so that they can make informed decisions and avoid unfair contractual terms.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency The other one too, is whether or not, such contract literacy and consumer protection guidance can actually be incorporated into the curriculum for our vocational licences.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency I thank the Member for raising the questions. LTA will work with the associations to increase drivers' awareness of their rental contract terms so that they are more aware of their contractual rights and obligations.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency On her second point, LTA will set up a workgroup to review the vocational licence curriculum and this review of the curriculum will include the recent Platform Workers Act and its relevant protections. We are also open to including in the curriculum, education on contractual matters.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency Mr Ng Chee Meng.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency Thank you, Mr Speaker. I declare my role in NTUC as the Secretary-General. In this case, Senior Minister of State, NTUC's affiliated platform workers associations – NTA and NPHVA – stepped in almost immediately together with the tripartite partners to assist the drivers and provided a timely support, especially in arranging new cars to continue with their livelihood.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency But even then, I know that even many of the drivers are concerned about losing their deposits, ranging from $500 to $1,000. This is not a small sum to many of my brothers on the ground. Would there be some measures to ensure that owners of large rental fleets, to get them to ring-fence some of the funds, so that in the event of insolvency, these deposits for drivers can be safeguarded?

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency I thank the Member for his question and also his suggestion. With regard to ring-fencing, it is quite close to what the earlier Member had shared. It is along the same lines as to whether or not there can be regulations, whether or not the car dealer industry should be regulated. I had shared in my earlier reply that this can lead to increased compliance burden, which can eventually find its way into becoming higher cost for drivers as well as passengers.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency That said, I recognise the difficulties that the current set of drivers who are impacted by the Autobahn situation face. The matter is now before the High Court, but because these drivers are unsecured creditors, it is likely that they will face difficulties getting their deposits back.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency And that is why, I think moving forward, we need to work closely with the associations to see how to better equip our drivers about what they understand about their rental contracts.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency And where these drivers who are currently impacted face financial difficulties, I think we can work together to see and together with community help, see how we can best help these drivers.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency I would also like to add that I think most importantly, which is what LTA has done together with NPHVA and NTA, is to quickly secure new earning opportunities for the drivers, which is what has been done together as a tripartite group to quickly work with GrabRentals, CDG Rent-A-Car, to make sure that the affected drivers are able to secure new vehicles at good contractual terms, so they can quickly get back onto the roads and to continue earning an income.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency Last supplementary question. Mr Patrick Tay.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency Can I just suggest to the Senior Minister of State that perhaps, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) short-term financial assistance for those workers that are in need, may possibly be extended to this group as well, since the company is being liquidated or some scheme arrangements being carried out? For consideration.

Regulating Owners of Large Rental Car Fleets due to Impact on Private Hire Drivers' Livelihoods After Insolvency Thank you for the suggestion. Let me consult with my MOM colleagues.

Implementing CPF Lifetime Retirement Investment Scheme to Enable CPF Members an Option for Higher Expected Returns 7 Mr Shawn Loh asked the Minister for Manpower what are the considerations to implement the CPF Lifetime Retirement Investment Scheme, accepted by the Government in 2016, given that a typical investment portfolio of 65% equities and 35% bonds has earned 9.5% returns per annum over the past five years, and delaying the scheme's implementation may deprive CPF members an option to take risks to earn higher expected returns.

Implementing CPF Lifetime Retirement Investment Scheme to Enable CPF Members an Option for Higher Expected Returns Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is in the final stages of studying how we can provide further support to Central Provident Fund (CPF) members to plan for their retirement through products that would strike the right balance between risk and return. We will provide updates when ready.

Implementing CPF Lifetime Retirement Investment Scheme to Enable CPF Members an Option for Higher Expected Returns In the meantime, members who wish to invest their CPF savings for potentially higher returns can already do so through a number of low-cost funds under the CPF Investment Scheme.

Implementing CPF Lifetime Retirement Investment Scheme to Enable CPF Members an Option for Higher Expected Returns Mr Loh.

Implementing CPF Lifetime Retirement Investment Scheme to Enable CPF Members an Option for Higher Expected Returns Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is often said that time in market is more important than timing the market for investments. And so, I am glad to hear the Minister's update that the Ministry is in the final stages of implementing the Lifetime Retirement Investment Scheme. For too long have Singaporeans been deprived of the simplified investment choices that the scheme had envisaged.

Implementing CPF Lifetime Retirement Investment Scheme to Enable CPF Members an Option for Higher Expected Returns My question to the Minister is this: given the passage of time, would the Ministry also consider investing resources to educate the broad base of CPF members that can eventually benefit from this scheme? Can we invest a lot more resources to increase the level of financial literacy for the broad base of CPF members whose many CPF savings are still stuck in Ordinary Account, savings that are not used for housing and education, and can be better applied to earn a higher investment return on an expected basis?

Implementing CPF Lifetime Retirement Investment Scheme to Enable CPF Members an Option for Higher Expected Returns I thank the Member for his supplementary question. The straight answer is, of course, we will do that. When we have finalised the details of the provision of further support, in terms of planning their retirement through products, striking this optimal balance between risk and return, we will contemporaneously roll out publicity initiatives to educate the broad masses of our CPF members, hoping that they will benefit from it.

Implementing CPF Lifetime Retirement Investment Scheme to Enable CPF Members an Option for Higher Expected Returns I wanted to also address the hon Member's point about timing the market and the time in the market. I fully agree with him. But I think we also have to be very mindful of the fact that whatever plan, whatever investment products that we eventually do end up working with the multiple big providers in the market to provide, we have to carefully study the impact of these proposed adjustments to our CPF system. For us, the penultimate objective has always been to safeguard retirement adequacy.

Implementing CPF Lifetime Retirement Investment Scheme to Enable CPF Members an Option for Higher Expected Returns So, the different features, the parameters that strike this optimal balance between risk and return are quite essential for us.