Hansard, Thursday, 12 February 2026

1 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health in view of the Nipah virus (NiV) high case fatality rate (CFR), whether the Ministry will (i) require health declarations and conduct screening of passengers arriving from or who have recently been in high-risk areas at our ports of entry and (ii) provide healthcare advisories and information to doctors and the public.

Mr Speaker, the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) issued a press release on our responses to the Nipah virus infections in West Bengal, India, on 28 January 2026.

Since then, we have further issued clinical guidance to all medical practitioners, conducted an educational webinar for primary care doctors, adjusted the electronic Health Declaration Card for all incoming travellers and activated temperature screening for travellers arriving on ships from affected areas. The Ministry of Manpower has also disseminated CDA’s announcements on precautionary health measures to migrant workers and migrant domestic workers as well as to employers, dormitory operators and employment agencies.

CDA is monitoring the situation in India and globally closely, and will adjust our measures as needed based on the evolving risks that are developing.

Ms Pereira.

Thank you, Speaker, and the Senior Minister of State. I seek two clarifications from the Senior Minister of State on border health measures that have been stepped up in view of the disease outbreaks overseas.

First, will these include updating the SG Arrival Card declarations required of arriving passengers in terms of prior travel destinations? I ask this because I checked the SG Arrival Card, and only Africa and Latin America are listed.

My second clarification is whether this information will be shared with the health authorities for further monitoring.

Sir, I thank the Member for raising these questions, which many people are naturally concerned about. Indeed, the answer to her question is yes, we have enhanced the electronic health declaration card, which is part of the SG Arrival Card. In this format, if the arriving individual, clicks yes on the SG Arrival Card to any of the symptoms, then there will be a prompt to enter the previous travel destination, and that would include the West Bengal region as well. But if the person clicks no to any of the symptoms, then he would not be prompted for any travel destinations that we are monitoring. So, it is to make sure that there are no excessive compliance needs on the individual submitting the information card to make it seamless. At the same time, we do not want to end up having over-declaration for those with no symptoms. [Please refer to ​"Clarification by Senior Minister of State for Health", Official Report, 12 February 2026, Vol 96, Issue 17, Correction By Written Statement section.]

What is the second question?

Whether information will be shared with the health authorities.

Yes, for sure. Any of the information collected by the SG Arrival declaration card will indeed be piped into CDA so that we can perform any contact tracing if necessary.

Mr Giam.

I have filed similar questions and I will repeat them here. What is the progress of local research into Nipah virus diagnostic kits and vaccines and does Singapore currently possess or have any plans to develop bio-safety 4 laboratory capacity for vaccine testing. And what grants or subsidies are there for local firms to ensure that such research remains viable even though there is no commercial market.

My Giam, I think Senior Minister of State Dr Koh was only answering Question No 1. Yours is Question No 2. So, anyway, we will move to Question No 2.

2 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) what is the progress of local research into Nipah virus diagnostic kits and vaccines; (b) whether Singapore currently possesses or has plans to develop Biosafety Level 4 laboratory capacity for such vaccine testing; and (c) what grants or subsidies support local firms to ensure such research remains viable without a commercial market.

Sir, the main local research programme on Nipah virus and other pathogens with pandemic potential is the Programme for Research in Epidemic Preparedness and Response (PREPARE). PREPARE is funded under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) programme, which can involve collaborations between public sector institutions and private sector firms.

To date, under PREPARE, Duke-NUS, the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) are conducting six research projects on Nipah virus covering diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. All of these are in progress and do not involve the use of live Nipah virus, which requires a biosafety level (BSL) 4 laboratory.

Singapore currently does not have a BSL 4 laboratory for the purposes of research. The Ministry of Defence is upgrading the capabilities of DSO National Laboratories to BSL 4.

Mr Giam.

I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. Can the Senior Minister of State provide a timeline, if any, for a locally developed and validated Nipah diagnostic kit, and when will that be ready for deployment across our public hospital network?

Secondly, the concerns about the Nipah virus are real but the Oxford NipahB vaccine has recently entered Phase 2 trials in Bangladesh and received prime designation from the European Medicines Agency to expedite review. Given these developments, will the Health Sciences Authority consider an interim authorisation for this vaccine through the Pandemic Special Access Route to ensure rapid deployment in the case of a local outbreak?

Thirdly, how is Singapore coordinating with regional neighbours in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to share genomic sequencing data or research findings to ensure a collective response to any potential regional Nipah outbreak?

Sir, on the Member's first question on timeline for the outcomes of research, I do not have definitive timelines. And I think the Member would understand that for research activities, even the researchers themselves probably would not know when they would hit jackpot.

I think we will continue to fund and support them in any way we can and hope that their research will bear fruits in the time horizon that they are hoping to achieve. So, that is something where I am afraid we would just have to let time take its course and for the research activities to be concluded.

For the vaccine targets that may well be on trial elsewhere, we will keep a close eye on some of the developments and see if these are useful products that we can have access to as well.

But I must also caution on the Member's suggestion. The Nipah virus outbreak at this moment is localised. It is not something that is widespread. The Nipah virus in the South Asia continent has been something that occurs there from time to time. So, this is not the first time it is happening. But generally, it is a zoonotic infection that has very rare, or does not often have, human-to-human transmission.

The current transmission is localised to certain localities, it is not widespread. But we are raising our caution to watch this carefully. It is not the same posture that we adopt as for COVID, which had become a generalised pandemic in that episode we had been through. So, there is probably no urgency at all for now, for us to look at procuring vaccine targets ahead of time in anticipation of a widespread global pandemic.

Nonetheless, we have stepped up our national posture and issued out alerts to healthcare practitioners, institutions, as well as tighten some of the monitoring at our migrant worker onboarding centre to make sure that we keep our borders under some observation. For any incoming individuals who may have symptoms, to take proactive actions to contain, to isolate and also to to give them supportive care if necessary; and at the same time, also to help them to monitor their symptoms within the first 14 days of arrival in Singapore, for example. So, we are adopting a cautious posture, but looking for vaccine target at this moment is premature. [Please refer to ​"Clarification by Senior Minister of State for Health", Official Report, 12 February 2026, Vol 96, Issue 17, Correction By Written Statement section.]

Thirdly, on his question on coordinating with other regional and global partners, that is an ongoing stream of work that CDA has always undertaken. That was the reason why we have raised our alerts – because we have information from our partners in the World Health Organization, in other jurisdictions, such as West Bengal. We will continue to maintain those links, share information as needed and to continue to adjust our posture.

3 Mr David Hoe asked the Minister for Education (a) in each of the last five years, what proportion of students who participated in the Uplifting Pupils in Life and Inspiring Families Taskforce (UPLIFT) programme are placed in posting groups 3, 2, and 1 or equivalent academic streams after their PSLE; and (b) whether the Ministry has observed improvements in these posting or other educational outcomes for UPLIFT participants over time.

Mr Speaker, the work of the Uplifting Pupils in Life and Inspiring Families Taskforce (UPLIFT) has been scaled up through integration with ComLink+, which is a whole-of-society effort led by the Government to provide comprehensive, convenient and coordinated support for lower-income families with children.

According to the latest available data, in 2023 and 2024, about 70% of ComLink+ families with school-going children had all children attending school regularly and progressing to post-secondary education institutions. More detailed data is publicly available in the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s (MSF's) “Supporting Lower-Income Households Trends Report”.

As ComLink+ was launched recently in 2023, we will need more time to observe trends arising from efforts under ComLink+.

Mr Hoe.

I thank the Minister for his response and I understand that more time is required to study the trends. I have three supplementary questions. First, based on the latest data provided, what is the Ministry of Education's (MOE's) view on that 70% of school-going children attending school and also being able to progress to secondary school? I ask for MOE's view: is this a positive outcome? If this is a positive outcome, what interventions actually contributed to this outcome? Knowing this would help us to better channel our resources.

The second question I have is on the role of community. I do know of many ground-ups and also social service agencies (SSAs) that provide academic support for students from disadvantaged families, specifically homework club and mentoring club. Aside from having access to the syllabus online, are there any other resources that MOE can consider supporting such SSAs, such as pedagogical training? Just because one can do Maths does not necessarily mean that he or she is able to teach Maths well.

My third question is, beyond academic support, how does UPLIFT enable students from a disadvantaged background to be able to discover their strengths in non-academic pathways, be it in sports arts, or the digital space?

I thank the Member for his questions. The first question he asked is what to make of the data that MSF had put out, which incorporates the enrolment, attendance and the progression outcomes for children from ComLink families who are in school. I would say that it is a result of the efforts to provide holistic wrap-around through integration of support from various agencies and SSAs, as well as community groups and corporates. It is more data driven, there is a family coach, there are colleagues in the schools brought in, such as special education needs officers, student welfare officers and so on, better to support the children, but also link up with the agencies and SSAs supporting the family. Because often the challenges that the student faces is not necessarily just limited in school, but also relate to challenges they face at home and in the community.

We, of course, want to keep assessing the impact of our school-based programmes. Each partner in the ComLink Alliance Working Group will need to continuously assess the efficacy of the programmes that they bring to bear into the overall ComLink efforts. For our schools, we look at the impact of the extra resourcing we provide, the support in schools through, say, after-school support, and of course the partners that we bring into the schools through the Opportunity Fund and other programmes in order for them to support our children in school.

The second question, if I recall the Member is asking is, that there are community groups that do homework club support and mentoring support, and what more can MOE do to coordinate? Am I right? I would encourage the Member or all Members who know of these groups to link them up with the ComLink Alliance Working Group in every town where there are rental flats or where there are families supported under ComLink+, there will be an Alliance Working Group. Please link them up so that the alliance of SSAs and Government agencies, including our schools who are represented, can better coordinate these efforts so that nobody works in a silo.

The Member's third question is whether the support through UPLIFT in our schools that contribute to for the overall ComLink+ efforts nation-wide, whether they support only academics. I would say they provide support for the holistic development and enrichment of our children in our schools. Some of our after-school support does not just cover academic or homework support. They also provide mentoring, they provide learning journeys, interest-based activities like photography, sports, arts and so on. In that regard, in school as well as outside school, our community partners also provide not just academic support but holistic development.

4 Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng asked the Minister for Digital Development and Information (a) what alternative Singpass identity verification options are available for users with medical conditions that prevent facial verification, and who wish to set up digital tokens with banks; and (b) whether the Ministry will review current requirements to ensure that such users are not excluded from essential services while upholding security standards.

We are grateful to the Member, Ms Denise Phua, for caring for users with medical conditions.

The Member may refer to The Straits Times Forum letter reply issued jointly by the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on 4 February 2026, regarding alternative biometric or non-facial verification options for Singpass. As explained in the reply, there are alternative verification methods for users who are unable to use the facial recognition technology for reasons such as medical conditions or disabilities. Examples include one-time passwords or hardware tokens. Singpass users who require assistance may contact the Singpass team via email or call the Singpass helpdesk.

Organisations who have onboarded Singpass as a means for authentication are expected to have at least one non-Singpass alternative method for users.

The Government will continue to work with relevant stakeholders on alternative methods to facial recognition technology for all users to maintain accessibility to digital services.

Ms Phua.

I thank the Minister of State for her assurance, assuring the House that there are indeed alternative identification methods available for those who are unable to use facial recognition. Just a couple of supplementary questions. Number one, are these measures systemic and applicable for all fully digital or not fully digital banks? Number two, are these available alternatives communicated? So that all the affected parties will know and they will not have to resort to raising the question in Forum letters, or even in this House.

MAS does require the banks to have alternative methods for verification. And for digital services that are offered by Government, we do make sure that we engage citizens across all ranges of abilities to test out our services, to ensure accessibility for all. On the point about public education, we can definitely do much better in communicating and explaining these different methods of access to our citizens.

5 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Manpower pertaining to the voluntary Safety Time-out focused on vehicular safety from 13 to 27 January 2026, what specific enforcement or inspection actions, if any, has the Ministry taken to ensure that companies not only pause operations but also implement concrete improvements to vehicular safety practices.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) had called for a voluntary Safety Time-out from 13 to 27 January 2026, focusing on vehicular safety because of four vehicle-related workplace fatalities in December. The objective of the Safety Time-out was to remind companies to take time off from their regular work routine to review and ensure that appropriate safety measures and procedures were in place, and for workers to refresh their knowledge of these procedures and to stay vigilant.

In line with the voluntary nature of the Safety Time-out, there were no inspections nor enforcement actions. MOM and the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council, through its existing channels, have encouraged companies to participate in the Safety Time-out. They have also issued WSH advisories to guide companies on the key learning points from the recent incidents and the relevant safety practices to be reinforced with their workers.

In addition to initiating the recent Safety Time-out, MOM conducts regular inspections in the high-risk sectors where vehicular hazards are present. This ensures that companies comply with measures, such as having proper traffic management at the workplace and ensuring the drivers or operators have the requisite competencies. Around 500 inspections have been conducted in January. Three stop-work orders and five fines were issued to companies and individuals for vehicle-related breaches.

Mr Yong.

Mr Speaker, I thank the Minister of State for his reply. The reality on the ground is that tight scheduling and shift work patterns continue to entrench workers' fatigue. And we all know driving heavy vehicles is a very challenging task because of the vehicles' large size and unladen weight. Fatigue therefore compounds this difficulty and increases safety risks. Can the Minister of State share whether there are further plans to manage drivers' fatigue?

I would also like to ask how many employers have tapped on the resources and grants available for companies to adopt vehicular safety technologies? If these technologies are proven to improve safety, but take-up rate among these companies are low, then would the Ministry consider mandating the adoption of such technology to improve vehicular safety outcomes? Perhaps we can start off with the higher risk sectors.

I would like to thank the Member for the question and for the passion that he has for our workers. I would like to assure him that I personally went through every single case, particularly the ones in December. And as tragic as it was, I could not see any common trends or any root causes, per se. These could potentially have happened due to unfortunate lapses of judgement or not adhering to the existing safety protocols.

But that said, I would urge the Member to await the final investigations, which are currently ongoing, and then we can discuss on subsequent moves that need to be put in place, either be it because of fatigue or otherwise.

But he has raised important points about fatigue affecting drivers and I wanted to just say that what we have in place are WSH guidelines on fatigue management, where rest breaks are recommended and the need to manage shift work as well, as part of these WSH guidelines.

And in terms of technologies, we see some useful technologies, such as the driver status monitoring system, which detects driver fatigue.

On the question that the Member had on grants, I want to just highlight that we have the Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) that small and medium enterprises can tap upon, where 50% of funding can be defrayed, for up to a cap of $30,000. And as at July 2025, about 1,000 companies have adopted vehicle safety technologies via the PSG, and a total of about $12.5 million has been dispensed.

I think we have to continue to push the adoption of technologies, especially the proven ones. As to whether or not for it to be mandated, I think we take a holistic and calibrated approach to all the solutions as well as the situation that we have. I think what we want to try to avoid is having a Maslow's Hammer type of a situation, where every problem is seen to be a nail that requires hammering. Instead, what we need to have is a repertoire of solutions, sometimes a loving nudge, a firm stare or a warning might in fact do the trick.

Having said that, the ultimate aim is really to have a lasting and sustainable safety culture in Singapore, and I look forward to working with the Member on it.

6 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry in view of the 10% US tariff imposed on Singapore and the nearly 30% year-on-year decline in exports to the US (a) what criteria does the Ministry use to determine when such tariff impacts translate into price pressures for everyday Singaporeans, especially lower-income households; and (b) how often are these criteria reviewed.

Mr Speaker, Singapore's exports to the United States (US) are currently subject to a baseline "reciprocal" tariff rate of 10%. The US has also imposed various Section 232 sectoral tariffs that are applicable to Singapore, such as on steel and aluminum. Singapore's non-oil domestic exports to the US fell by 9.2% year-on-year from April to December 2025.

The tariffs and corresponding decline in exports to the US are not expected to have a direct impact on Singapore's inflation. This is because the tariffs are paid for by the US importers. Nonetheless, there could be an indirect impact if higher prices in the US lead to an increase in the prices of its exports, including to Singapore, in the future.

Thus far, we have not observed any tariff impact on Singapore's import prices, with our import prices falling in 2025. In turn, the decline in import prices helped to lower Consumer Price Index (CPI)-All Items inflation and Monetary Authority of Singapore's Core Inflation to 0.9% and 0.7% respectively last year.

We will continue to closely monitor our import prices and inflation rates and the corresponding impact on Singaporeans, especially those from lower-income household groups, and we stand ready to provide further support if needed.

Mr Yip.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister of State for her reply that there is an indirect impact. The Ministry of Trade and Industry regularly assesses macro price pressures, but does the Ministry use indicators to identify disproportionate effects on lower-income households, such as changes in the cost of basic food, transport and utilities?

The answer is yes, we do look at various indices and indicators to understand the impact of inflation on different household income groups. For example, for the lowest 20% income household groups, we know that last year the CPI-All Items inflation for them was 0.6%. And this is different from that for the middle 60% income group of 0.9%.

We do look into such details, so that we can provide targeted support to Singaporeans, especially those from the lower-income household groups.

7 Mr Kenneth Tiong Boon Kiat asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the Ministry's operational definition of a "good job" as used in the Economic Strategy Review; (b) what measurable indicators will the Ministry use to track whether the strategy is creating such jobs; and (c) whether the Ministry will adopt a multi-dimensional job quality framework comparable to that published by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Mr Speaker, we use wages as a key operational measure to track if proposed investments create good jobs, since this is the most objective indicator of job quality. This enables comparisons across sectors, firms, occupations and workers.

Having said that, the notion of a "good job" varies across individuals, shaped by their circumstances and aspirations. It often includes factors such as wage growth, opportunities for career development, fair and safe workplaces, personal fulfilment, and what gives someone highest utility, among many others.

There are multiple dimensions to good jobs, and no single, universally accepted framework for measuring job quality. The perception of what constitutes good jobs also has a time dimension to it and may change with age.

Hence, we chose to measure a range of more objectively measurable labour market indicators and regularly benchmark our labour market performance internationally across key dimensions that cover job creation and job quality, such as: one, labour market participation; two, labour underutilisation; and three, earnings.

These are broadly aligned with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) framework and across these domains, Singapore generally ranks favourably relative to OECD economies.

Local workers have experienced sustained and inclusive wage growth. From 2021 to 2025, real gross monthly income at the median grew by 7.4%. At the 20th percentile, income grew even faster, by 10.1% over the same period.

Two-thirds of private sector establishments provided structured training to employees, demonstrating that employers continue to invest in their workers.

Fewer employees experienced discrimination at work, with the proportion decreasing from 8.5% in 2021, to 6% in 2023.

We have also enacted the Workplace Fairness Act to promote fair employment practices and protect employees from workplace discrimination.

Our Workplace Safety and Health performance also ranked amongst the top performing countries, with a five-year average workplace fatality rate of 1.1 per 100,000 workers in 2024.

We will continue working to ensure that our economic strategies translate economic growth into good jobs for Singaporeans.

Mr Tiong.

Thank you, Speaker. I have three supplementary questions.

The Economic Strategy Review (ESR) mid-term update factsheet uses the phrase "good jobs" six times without defining it. My first supplementary question is, what is the issue with creating a job quality framework like the OECD has done?

Second is, I thank the Senior Minister of State for mentioning the different factors that he tracks. Our wage share of gross domestic product (GDP) remains lower than many OECD countries – I believe it is in the mid-40s, where OECD countries are in the 50s. So, will the Government track this, to define this as part of their definition of a "good job"?

My last supplementary question, the ESR also says it will uplift and transform roles like electricians and care workers. But a commitment that cannot be proven true or false, is not really an accountable commitment. So, would the Ministry set clear benchmarks in terms of pay, progression and working conditions, so that Parliament can actually determine if uplift has occurred?

Sir, on Member's first supplementary question on job quality, I have already explained in my main reply that we do track multiple parameters and dimensions across our workforce and the labour market. But I guess, fundamentally, the workers are interested in whether their pay goes up. For them, as I have said, a good job need not just be pay, but many other dimensions around it. But fundamentally, workers want to see their wages go up from year to year. And in fact, as they get more seniority, they want to be recognised for their talent as well.

So, we do take reference from the wage distribution of our workforce. In general, well-paying jobs are those that pay above the median wage of the resident workforce. And by creating more of such jobs and helping more Singaporeans to upskill to take them on, we will grow the median wage of our workforce over time. This is a useful indication of broad-based wage growth that also shows that with the measures that are put in, the median wage of individual workers goes up over time and as a workforce, it also rises.

The Member's second question of looking at wage share, well, I think there are, like I said, there are multiple dimensions to track and we will continue to measure multiple dimensions of job quality, that could include looking at wage share over time. In doing so, we will consider relevant dimensions that are included in other international frameworks of job quality, including the one that the Member has mentioned – the OECD's job quality framework.

The Member's third question on what the ESR is doing with regard to trade and skilled roles, this is an area still under deliberation by the ESR, so I would not jump the gun and make any pronouncements here. In time to come, when the ESR releases its final report, there will be a better treatment of the questions that the Member asked regarding trades and skilled roles.

8 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what is the latest assessment of transboundary haze affecting Singapore; and (b) whether bilateral and regional measures to mitigate haze are being reviewed and strengthened.

Mr Speaker, with your permission, my response to this Parliamentary Question (PQ), will also cover related questions raised by Members Joan Pereira, Fadli Fawzi and Elysa Chen regarding transboundary haze scheduled for Sittings on 24 February and later. The Members may wish to ask supplementary questions later and I will be happy to address them.

Please proceed.

The Meteorological Service Singapore has assessed that hotspot activity could increase in the coming weeks over nearby areas due to wind patterns and drier conditions in the current dry phase of the northeast monsoon. This could result in hazy conditions affecting Singapore.

Cloud seeding for rain will not be effective, given our size and geography. Any induced rain might not fall on Singapore due to variable wind patterns.

Regional and bilateral cooperation are therefore essential to address transboundary haze and Singapore is committed to these efforts. The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) based in Singapore provides regular updates to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states on the weather and haze situation, including hotspot information and early warnings to support their respective haze prevention and response efforts.

Singapore also engages our neighbours through platforms, such as the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) and the Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution. We strongly support Indonesia's efforts to operationalise the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control, to be based in Indonesia. The Centre will enhance regional preparedness and response to transboundary haze by facilitating cooperation and coordination in managing the impact of land and forest fires that cause haze pollution.

Our 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings have remained in the "good" to "moderate" range this year, with a peak PSI reading of 69 on 8 February, well within the "moderate" range. Hence, at this stage, the haze has not reached such levels that warrant investigation under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act.

We will continue to monitor the ongoing haze situation closely. Should the haze situation worsens, the Haze Task Force (HTF), led by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and comprising 28 Government agencies, will implement measures to safeguard public health, particularly for vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, pregnant women, children and people with chronic lung and heart diseases. These measures include the issuing of advisories to minimise outdoor activities and ensuring sufficient supply of N95 masks. Indoor air purifiers will also be deployed in premises where vulnerable groups are likely to congregate, such as schools, public hospitals, nursing homes and polyclinics. Members of the public may stay updated through NEA's website, the MyENV app and the dedicated haze microsite at haze.gov.sg.

Mr Christopher de Souza.

I thank the good Minister for the comprehensive reply and also put on record my thanks to the officers who work tirelessly behind the scenes.

My question is one born out of history. We debated in this Parliament the Transboundary Haze Pollution Bill and we saw – Mr Speaker, l will get to my point soon – a great increase in air quality. And I think there has been a lot of cooperation from the south. I have read reports that this deluge of potential pollution came not from the south.

So, I would like to understand how we, as a Government, as a Ministry, is engaging the people creating this air pollution to reciprocate the domestic efforts of Singaporeans, reciprocate the domestic efforts of our Government agencies, such that, on both sides, we do not emit pollution.

And here I speak from some degree of experience. Having done my home visits, in or around the time to my constituency, and I felt and I breathed not all that high quality of air. So, I seek reciprocity in the region for all our efforts – and this is a humble request.

I think we could smell it throughout Singapore. Minister Fu.

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I do share the Member's concern for Singaporeans' well-being and indeed, that has been an issue for us to pay significant attention to, both in terms of getting our own domestic regulations in place, such as the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, as well as to work very closely with our own agencies for preparedness. We do not wish it to recur, but if it does, we believe that we have developed a scientifically-based hierarchy of responses, catering to different segments of the society and we stand ready to activate them.

Having said that, I do share the Member's wish to see if we can, in a more effective way, go upstream and to have neighbours also paying attention to their management of air pollution. And I would like to say that my experience in this area has shown that actually the air quality has improved. The incidents of transboundary haze has actually reduced over the years. This is in no small way, due to the efforts made by our neighbours in managing their own regulations and also their own communities domestically, but also cooperating regionally at the ASEAN level.

So, I would just reaffirm the suggestion of working closely with our neighbours. We do that in a few ways: we provide information; we provide capability building; we supply forecasts regularly, quarterly, half-yearly. When we see that we are getting into a potential dry season, we will step up the communications. We share our models very closely. We even have some of the officers attached to the ASMC, so as to build up trust and also common understanding of how forecasting works.

At the ASEAN level, this is a constant platform for meetings and discussions. At the sub-regional level, we meet up with our neighbours regularly to go through past data and also go through forecasts, so as to get everyone ready for the weather that is coming our way.

So, I would like to assure Members that this is really an area of focus, an area that we pay attention to and we will do our very best to get regional cooperation in managing transboundary haze.

Ms Joan Pereira.

Thank you, Speaker and I thank the Minister. I have two clarifications for the Minister. I understand that there is a lot of support in kind in collaborating with our cross border counterparts to tackle fire hotspots, as the Minister mentioned. But how about some financial assistance for countries, if they require it? Second, whether these have been activated recently, in view of the very dry weather and windy conditions?

Mr Speaker, I would like to say that, in my past encounters with my counterparts at the ASEAN level, the issue of finance has not arisen, because I do not think our neighbours are looking for financial assistance. They have capabilities and they are aware of their own accountability to their people. So, there is no discussion about financial assistance from Singapore.

As I mentioned earlier in my reply, meeting with them, the discussions on forecasting, a review of the hotspots in the past six months, 12 months, it is an ongoing process that we have with them and it is not triggered by the recent dry period.

So, what I am trying to summarise is that the effort to put transboundary haze on the agenda is continuing and it has achieved its outcome because we have seen haze incidents declining over the years. Having said that, we should not be complacent, because we are dealing with changing weather patterns and we expect climate change will bring about drier conditions, at the same time hotter temperatures, which make them good conditions for more potential wildfires.

So, I just want to assure Members that we are doing our utmost to have that discussion at the regional level. But even with all good intentions and all good efforts by all parties involved, including our neighbours, climate change effects are being felt and we cannot rule out more wildfires contributing to haze conditions. Therefore, even as we try to manage upstream, we must also be prepared downstream to deal with hazy days when they arrive.

Mr Fadli Fawzi.

Thank you, Speaker. Sir, I would like to ask a few supplementary questions. Firstly, will any firms, inside or outside Singapore, be investigated under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act of 2014, in relation to the recent pit fires in Johor that have caused Singapore to be impacted by the haze, and if not, why not?

Secondly, can the Minister update this House whether there has been any prosecution brought under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014, in its 12-year history? If not, can the Minister share some of the challenges bringing these cases to Court?

I thank the Member. For the first question, the answer is no. As I have explained in my reply, we have not crossed the threshold of a haze episode, because the PSI reading has been well below 100.

The second supplementary question, we have an investigation that is open at this moment, with four companies under investigation. We will continue to work hard to get to some conclusion on these investigations.

Ms Elysa Chen.

Thank you, Speaker, and I would also like to thank the Minister for acknowledging the additional risks faced by vulnerable groups.

With the current haze persisting since late-January and doctors flagging out the elderly, children and those with pre-existing respiratory conditions as disproportionately affected, has the Inter-Agency Task Force been convened for the current episode? And at what PSI threshold will the Government activate the distribution of N95 masks and the opening of haze sanctuaries, particularly for seniors, children and vulnerable families in non-air-conditioned rental flats who may not have access to air purifiers?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. As I have explained earlier in my reply and also in my reply to the supplementary questions, we have not reached the threshold for a haze pollution episode. But we are monitoring closely and if we get close to that threshold, we will activate the plans.

Sorry, Mr Christopher de Souza, I am moving on. Ms Hazlina Abdul Halim.

9 Ms Hazlina Abdul Halim asked the Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs what induction or onboarding plans have been developed for the committee of the Singapore College of Islamic Studies, if any, to (i) better understand the objectives of the College, (ii) appreciate the aspirations of the community and (iii) cater to the profile of the students.

10 Ms Hazlina Abdul Halim asked the Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) what is the technical, professional and operational expertise contributed by non-Muslim members serving on the committee of the Singapore College of Islamic Studies; and (b) how do their roles support the College's governance, institutional development and administrative effectiveness, while complementing the Islamic studies mission of the College.

Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 9 and 10 together?

Please proceed.

Sir, the Board of Governors and the Steering Committee of the Singapore College of Islamic Studies (SCIS) play important roles in developing and guiding SCIS to nurture future generations of asatizah who are not only strong in Islamic knowledge and values, but also able to support the community in addressing contemporary challenges, including in areas such as marriage, family and employment. Therefore, we must ensure that our asatizah are equipped with a range of relevant skills and knowledge, such as the social sciences, in addition to knowledge in Islamic studies, to enable them to carry out their role effectively in our multiracial and multi-religious Singapore.

The shared commitment to the mission of SCIS and the diversity present in these committees are therefore valuable. The non-Muslim members make up less than half of the Board of Governors and Steering Committee, and are appointed for their diverse expertise and experience in working with the Muslim community. They include professionals and experts in areas such as leading Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs), the social sciences and professional development, which contribute to SCIS' interdisciplinary approach. Other members with legal, financial and governance expertise also support SCIS' corporate development and long-term sustainability.

This wide range of expertise supports and complements the SCIS' mission of providing high quality Islamic studies, which remains guided by qualified Muslim scholars and religious experts. Matters of faith and religious scholarship continue to be led by the Mufti and are supported by renowned Islamic scholars in the SCIS Advisory Panel as well as through partnerships with foreign Islamic institutions.

All Board members undergo a structured induction programme, which includes briefings on the mission, vision and values, and objectives of the College. They also engage regularly with Muslim religious and community leaders as well as madrasah leaders and students to understand how the SCIS can best serve the community. For example, at the recent SCIS symposium on 27 January, Board members had the opportunity to interact with madrasah students to understand their hopes and aspirations.

Ms Hazlina Abdul Halim.

Speaker, I thank the Acting Minister for his response and assurance that a structured induction programme will be designed and has already begun at the recent symposium. I have two supplementary questions – one on pipeline talent development for the leaders as well as on partnership opportunities. And Speaker, with your permission, I will ask the questions in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I thank the Acting Minister for providing an overview on the induction arrangements for the Board of Governors and the Steering Committee that will lead this college.

I believe that for every newly established institution, it is important that succession planning begins as early as possible or be even prioritised.

My first question is, what are the methods or pathways that will be outlined to ensure that there will be more capable people who can continue serving, whether on the Board of Governors, the Panel of Advisors or the Steering Committee? While the right skills are essential for leading an institution, it is also important to understand the context in which the institution exists and the objectives that we want to fulfil.

Secondly, for those interested in joining this national effort, what are some ways in which the public, or those who are keen, can participate in shaping the future of this college together?

Finally, will the Panel of Advisors be further expanded to also ensure that we benefit from regional perspectives, whether from Southeast Asia or even Asia?

Sir, I thank the Member for the supplementary questions. If you do not mind, may I answer in Malay?

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Sir, our Islamic College is a welcome development and it also demonstrates our progress as a multiracial nation.

I have been fortunate to meet with many organisations, including those from academic institutions in Islamic countries, such as Jordan, Morocco and Egypt, and I have had the chance to also speak with my colleagues from the Religious Council of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore (MABIMS), as well as the asatizah in Singapore. They view this College as having tremendous potential, not only for the development of an institution, but as a new institution with a fresh approach, which is multidisciplinary. It also has a focus where Islamic learning and teaching serve as a subject, and it generally serves as a platform for us to further understand Singapore's context for our asatizah and also our students.

There is also the social science aspect, which provides us with the opportunity to see how learning and teaching can be designed to benefit students and also future asatizah, and to think of Islamic learning as an education that provides benefits, not only in terms of approaching Islam as a subject, but in our lives as well, especially in the context of a plural and multiracial society.

So they see this as an opportunity for them to participate, to learn in this process. And I am pleased because when I see that they are not only enthusiastic, but also see this as a good foundation and a journey that is relevant to the current times.

Therefore, we will continue this effort so that everyone participates – and as I mentioned in my response, we still have experts, especially in aspects of Islam led by our Mufti, where we have established asatizah, such as Ustaz Pasuni Maulan, Ustazah Dr Rohana and others, as well as capable experts in university development, curriculum development, and so forth. So, this is an opportunity for us to continue this effort.

Furthermore, if we look at it, we have many other platforms besides the Committee that we mentioned earlier, where we still want to approach various professionals, including those who are Muslim, where they can play a role as resource panels, as well as those who can share their experiences, and most importantly, see this as a journey to fulfil the aspirations of our community.

So, even as I speak in Parliament now, my colleagues continue to approach various segments of our community.

Hence, this is an achievement of our community within a multiracial Singapore, because we have helped build our country for over 60 years and we have developed a successful Muslim community. We will not stop, and we will continue this effort to provide benefits and a better life for them, especially for our asatizah.

Mr Fadli Fawzi.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Thank you, Minister, for the reply. Mr Speaker, I have three additional questions. First, how many students does the Singapore College of Islamic Studies expect to admit each year? Second, what are the planned career pathways for the graduates of this college? And third, will this college have a dedicated professional development and career support unit for the students?

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Sir, I thank Mr Fadli.

Firstly, we will provide opportunities to our madrasah students. We are planning perhaps for more than 50 students and we will expand this further.

In terms of careers, as I mentioned, it will be much broader compared to what we can see today. Not just broad, we want to develop an ecosystem that equips our asatizah with competencies, where even though they can work in social organisations or jobs related to social work, we want them to obtain the highest competencies. In Singapore, we have institutions that conduct and pursue fields of study, and provide good career development for our citizens, and we do not want our asatizah, as well as those who are studying in a similar field, to be left behind. This is a good opportunity for us.

Thirdly, careers or the learning process in Singapore, does not end once certificates are obtained. We want them to deepen and develop their experience. Therefore, we will conduct programmes that develop their careers year after year. Most importantly, in my opinion, is how we can establish research platforms so that we can develop a foundation that builds knowledge in Islamic studies, various aspects of Islam, as well as life in a multiracial context.

I have approached many asatizah and representatives or ministers of religious matters. They state that although there is diversity in our lives today, that same diversity may bring about negative aspects. However, when they look at Singapore, our diversity brings goodness and gives us strength to continue with our development. Therefore, this is an opportunity for our community to show how we can live as a multiracial society and continue to progress within Singapore's context.

Hence, this is a good opportunity and I hope everyone, not just from our community, but our country, will develop this institution, because its success will bring benefits and continue to contribute to Singapore's success.

Last supplementary question, Ms Hazlina.

Thank you, Speaker, and I thank the Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs for his leadership in engaging the ground and people that we serve closely and also, the commitment for the leadership committee of the College to do the same.

I have one more supplementary question, which talks on the strength of the diversity, which the Acting Minister has mentioned and also, outreach and engagement plans. What are some of the outreach and engagement plans that the College has in mind, or its leadership, to better engage the wider Singaporean community to understand the potential of its impact, locally and in the region? Especially, as the Acting Minister has highlighted, this is an opportunity that is encouraged by our neighbours so that we find the strength in our diversity and celebrate this new institution.

The second point to that is, what are some of the plans for the College to be working closely with other IHLs, so, varsities or its peers, to ensure a seamless ecosystem of further education?

I thank the Member for the supplementary question. She raised very important questions that relate to how we want to engage not only the Muslim community here and the Muslim world, but I think also, the universities, as well as academics around us.

As I shared in my answer to the supplementary questions in Malay earlier, I am very encouraged by the responses that I have gotten – not only locally, but also from the rest of the Muslim world. When I engage the members of the Advisory Panel, they shared with me that this is something that they have been looking for, but no country has done it and in fact, their countries have different context from ours.

Increasingly, they see diversity may not have been handled well across the world, but Singapore has done it well. When news came out that Singapore was seriously looking at it, they saw how it developed. They saw the potential and they want to be part of it. In fact, it is something that I am encouraged. I also met my colleagues from MABIMS during my recent meeting. They shared the same sentiment – something unique, something that Singapore is in a better place to do, and that is something we want to shape together.

I want to assure Members that we want to shape it together with the Muslim community here as well, including the bigger Singapore society. Because this is for Singapore, for our Muslim community, especially our students – madrasah students – and our future asatizah. Because they also aspire to play a part in the development of Singapore.

I will also look into how we want to engage the various professionals that can play a part. We will be looking at how they can even play advisory roles in some of the efforts that we plan, even some aspects of curriculum development and partnerships.

So, this is a long haul, a journey that we take on together. I want each and everyone, especially those from the Muslim community to help us to develop this and to look at it as a process. For today, is a milestone for us to bring the Muslim community forward and to be part of nation building here in Singapore.

11 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Digital Development and Information (a) what is the projected expenditure on the Government’s strategies for global leadership in growth areas and an AI-empowered economy; (b) whether the Government will fund ambitious exploratory projects with breakout growth potential through a Government-owned AI corporation; and (c) whether the Government considers such entities more effective than foreign entities at pursuing projects where data sovereignty and public interest are paramount.

Under Singapore's National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy 2.0, we seek to harness AI for the public good and to improve the lives of Singaporeans. This vision is supported by making investments across both the public and private sectors, building up AI capabilities in research, government and industry, and applying AI to solve real-world problems.

In developing these capabilities, we consider what serves Singapore's needs, alongside other factors, such as the performance, security, resilience and cost-effectiveness of the technology. There is due regard for data security and the public interest. We leverage local capabilities and partner with international entities, including leading companies who can impart knowledge, build skills and create local jobs.

The Member may refer to the upcoming 2026 Budget Statement and the Committee of Supply debates for more details on how Singapore will develop an AI-empowered economy.

Mr Giam.

I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. Sir, does the Government have any concerns that our AI landscape will be dominated by global technology giants? How will the Ministry prevent what is called a "data drain" where these companies use our public data or public grants to build superior proprietary models, and that they eventually charge Singaporean subscriptions for or risk forcing local firms into a position of enduring technical dependency?

Secondly, will the Senior Minister of State consider a policy where any foreign firm using Singapore's public data sets for AI training must commit to a structured local knowledge transfer programme and share a portion of the resulting intellectual property with Singaporean firms?

And lastly, given that public data sets are a national resource, will the Government consider charging commercial AI developers, particularly foreign-based ones, a fee for training their models on these sets and how will this revenue be accounted for and publicised to ensure it is used for the delivery of public goods?

Sir, regardless of whether the companies are domiciled here or are domiciled outside Singapore, I think it is very clear that we have robust data protection framework to facilitate the secure processing of data.

For the private sector, all organisations must comply with their obligations under the Personal Data Protection Act. Examples of these obligations include the Protection Obligation to protect personal data in their possession from unauthorised access and the Transfer Limitation Obligation, which applies when data is transferred to another country, regardless of whether they use the data for processing it for Singapore clients, or for something else, including training data for their AI models.

These organisations must also comply with any additional data regulations which apply to their sectors, and as the Member has alluded to, that includes the Government as a sector, but there are also financial sectors, telecommunications, healthcare, logistics and so forth. These sectors may have its own specific set of requirements.

In this House, we just had a debate on the Second Reading of the Health Information Bill as well as the Public Sector Governance Act, which impose similar requirements and safeguards to ensure high standards of data security. Such data can only be shared, and that is for the public sector data that the Member has mentioned if there is a legitimate purpose to support the public interest, and the Ministerial authorisation and contractual agreements for data protection and data security are in place.

His other questions around the specifics of the commercial model, the business model, these have to be use case specific and driven by the use case problems and the relevant agencies looking after it.

12 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Education given that problematic gaming intersects mental health, education, student welfare and youth social development (a) whether the Ministry can elaborate on the current framework for cross-ministry coordination on this issue; and (b) whether preventive policy has emerged as a joint strategic priority.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) works closely with other Government agencies to support students' mental well-being and healthy engagement with digital media. The inter-agency efforts indeed span from preventive education to intervention and treatment.

MOE's Cyber Wellness lessons for primary to pre-university students teach the importance of maintaining a healthy balance of online and offline activities, and guide students to be discerning users of technology. This includes learning to manage their use of social media and online games, to recognise risks in the digital space and to manage negative influences. Schools identify students with gaming concerns and refer them, with parental consent where required, to social service agencies (SSAs) for early intervention or to the National Addiction Management Service (NAMS) under the Institute of Mental Health for assessment and treatment.

Beyond schools, we recognise that parents, too, play a critical role in guiding their children at home. MOE has partnered the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the Health Promotion Board to develop the Parenting for Wellness resources to equip parents with parenting knowledge and strategies. These include recognising the signs of excessive gaming, for example, increased levels of anxiety and excessive in-app purchases; and working with their child to counter excessive gaming by engaging in screen-free activities.

In addition, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, MOE and MSF co-developed the "Positive Use Guide on Technology and Social Media", which includes practical tips on limiting gaming activities. Relevant content of the guide is reinforced through MOE's Cyber Wellness lessons and also shared with parents.

Mr Yip.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for his reply. As a parent of five kids, I can attest that gaming is indeed very addictive for school-going children. Once they are given the devices and screens, they can be gaming for hours.

I just have two short supplementary questions, which are: can I clarify that MOE is indeed the lead agency involved because there are many Ministries involved in this area and MOE has clear lead ownership and outcome accountability on this particular issue? And has the Government engaged gaming platforms on addictive design features?

I thank the Member for his supplementary questions, as well as his concern. Indeed, as parents, many of us are concerned about the impact of gaming on the development of the child.

With regard to the nature of addressing problematic gaming, indeed, it is a multi-agency approach which I have shared earlier. While MOE focuses on the preventive aspect towards encouraging our students having proper habits in engaging with the online space, you find that we take a calibrated approach to the level according to the age of the students. For example, at the primary levels, we nurture our students to learn good habits in terms of safe online practices and respectful online relationships. At secondary school, we look at learning about safety and empathy in relating to others, both online and offline. And in the post-secondary levels, we focus on the skills that are reinforced as students learn about cyber ethics, cyber citizenship and the positive role that they can play in the digital future.

In terms of where they require subsequent care, certainly MOE works with the different partners and it takes a "many helping hands" approach. That is why, also in terms of the engagement with our colleagues from MOH, when it comes to the mental healthcare of the students who have problematic gaming in the mental wellness space, that is where we have partnerships as well. In terms of the regulatory aspects of managing the online space, the Government has progressively introduced measures to better protect users, in particular, children when they go online over the years. We have made some of the regulatory changes, in particular in 2022, with the Broadcasting Act, the introduction of the Code of Practice for Online Safety that was promulgated by the Infocomm Media Development Authority for social media services, and later in 2025, also with app distribution services.

As to the Member's question about whether MOE is indeed the lead agency, it really takes a "many helping hands" approach because the issue spans quite broadly, throughout society, as well as the interface that we have with the challenges online.

The Member's third question is actually subsumed in the last part of my reply. In terms of the engagement with the gaming platforms, we do not, at least currently, engage them directly as a Ministry in terms of how they promulgate the nature of gaming to make it less addictive. I think it is within the remit of the gaming platforms to decide. But we do have regulatory levers at this point of time through the Broadcasting Act, as well as the Code of Practice for Online Safety, as mentioned earlier.

13 Dr Hamid Razak asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) whether the current tiered-care mental health model explicitly includes individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism, who have co-occurring mental health needs; and (b) if not, what clinical pathways and funding support are available when such individuals seek public psychiatric or psychological care.

The current tiered-care model is organised by severity and complexity of mental health needs, not specific diagnoses. And so, it applies to individuals with ADHD and autism who have co-occurring mental health needs.

In the community, such individuals can access free or subsidised services like the Response, Early Intervention and Assessment in Community Mental Health (REACH) for children, the Centre of Excellence for Youth Mental Health in Singapore (CHAT) for adolescents and young adults, and the Community Integrated Health Team (CIHT) by Happee Hearts Movement for adults.

Specialist psychiatric services are also available at our public Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOCs) where eligible patients, including those with neuro-developmental conditions, can receive means-tested subsidies of up to 70%. Those who still face difficulties paying for their bills, can approach medical social workers at our public healthcare institutions for assistance such as MediFund.

Dr Hamid Razak.

Thank you, Speaker, Sir, and I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. In my earlier Parliamentary Question, the Ministry did respond that each professional of our Community Resource, Engagement and Support Teams (CREST) sees about 90 clients per year. The Community Intervention Team (COMIT) professional sees about 70 clients a year, and these clients receive a number of sessions per year. So, I want to give my appreciation to the CREST and COMIT teams on the ground.

So, they are seeing all these different clients, I am just wondering how are the frontline teams actually guided to differentiate between these clients, whose primary issue may be neuro-developmental, rather than the usual anxiety or mood disorders, and whether there are plans to equip them with the skill-sets to recognise these conditions and thereafter, refer them for subsidised care in our restructured hospitals.

Sir, I thank the Member for his questions. The National Mental Health Office has a collaboration and close interaction with many of our social partners that provide some of these services in the community. We do interact with them. If they feel that there are areas in which they need to be strengthened in terms of capabilities, we would be happy to work with them to conduct awareness courses for them.

But generally, I think our more experienced counsellors that are providing services to these clients with neuro-developmental needs, if they do feel that there is something beyond what they can handle, if they feel that there is an element of co-occurring mental illnesses like depression, for example, I think they, being from a counselling background, will pick up on depression because they have dealt with other non-neuro-developmental clients in other aspects of their work as well. And if they do detect some elements of depression, we would encourage them to refer onwards for specialist assessments. And if need be, work with other healthcare partners providing a higher tier of service to co-manage these clients, if necessary.

14 Mr David Hoe asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) whether all polyclinics currently offer video consultations for non-emergency acute conditions in a primary care setting; (b) if not, whether there are plans for polyclinics not offering such telemedicine services to introduce them; and (c) if so, what are the expected timelines for implementation in these polyclinics.

Sir, the video consultations at polyclinics are generally limited to patients who had previously attended in-person at the polyclinic and for specific indications, such as follow-up of minor acute conditions, to review test results or to monitor patient's recovery. This ensures adequate clinical evaluation of medical conditions. Where clinically appropriate, such appointments will be arranged by the polyclinic.

At the point of teleconsultation, if new or worsening conditions are identified, the video consultation will not proceed and the patient will be advised to seek an in-person consultation instead.

Teleconsultations for common acute symptoms like cough and cold with accompanying medical certificate issuance are not typically offered because these are already well-provided for by private sector players. And while SingHealth Polyclinics currently offers this service under a cluster-run pilot, there are no immediate plans for a broad-based expansion across all polyclinics.

Mr Hoe.

I thank the Senior Minister of State for his response. I have three supplementary questions.

I understand that telemedicine is suitable in certain circumstances and as of today, SingHealth serve the East side with telemedicine for acute conditions. I would like to just clarify again whether the Government would consider expanding to the two other health clusters serving in the West side of Singapore and also the Central region of Singapore.

My second question is, if we do expand, what is the Ministry of Health's (MOH's) view on the services that the polyclinics will provide? Would it be similar or different to the private telemedicine? If so, what are the principles that guide this decision?

Finally, on eligibility, currently today for SingHealth Polyclinics, a patient has to be at least 18 years old. Whereas in the private teleconsultation, they have different thresholds. Can I understand what is the rationale and are there plans for a more consistent guideline nation-wide for the minimum age to access tele-consultation?

Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for his three clarifications.

On his first question regarding services provided at three polyclinics, let me just clarify with him that actually all three polyclinic clusters currently do offer video consultation for follow-up of acute conditions. In other words, not for the first consultation, but for follow-up care. As I explained in my earlier reply, it really is to provide a good assessment of the patient's condition so that there is some assurance in terms of the quality of follow-up care through the tele-consultation means, in which the doctors may not be able to examine the patient. So, it is really to just risk stratify and make sure that even while we offer convenience for the patients, their care is not compromised.

And SingHealth Polyclinics, while they also offer acute video consultation for the first attendance, as I said earlier, this is still under a pilot and there are currently no plans to expand this. Typically, the polyclinics will have to take into account their own resourcing and the needs of the patients. So, they are now, at the moment, for the other polyclinics in the other two clusters, they are now focusing their resources on chronic disease management, which includes telehealth for chronic diseases as well. So, it is offered, but to a more conscribed group of patients and not for acute conditions as a first presentation.

The second clarification on the differences between what we provide at the polyclinics and the private sector, well, the polyclinics are guided by how best to meet the needs of their patients, while ensuring good care, at the same time, is provided in a safe and efficient manner. MOH is monitoring the progress of the pilot by SingHealth Polyclinics and we will take lessons from that and see whether there is a scope for us to implement it more widely, and also to learn from it and see how it reflects or complements what the private sector is already currently providing.

His third clarification on the age criteria, SingHealth Polyclinics in the pilot project has a cut-off age of 18 years old, but this is based on the polyclinic's definition of what is deemed as a child and what is deemed as an adult. So, this may be different from what the other clinics are using, and given the nature of this pilot being an early attempt to look at how it can be used for acute conditions, SingHealth is taking this 18-years-old cut-off as a more cautious approach to ensure that only adults are included in the testing of this service.

In terms of guidelines, there are circulars issued by the Ministry to the service providers regarding how they should use telehealth services and how they should structure those services. But it will be quite difficult for us to provide a very prescriptive, line by line guideline for every possible condition out there. So, in general, we issue guidelines to give broad guidance and to make sure that providers assess patients' suitability for telehealth holistically, including their condition, their age, their ability to communicate using telehealth, like say, through a video conference.

At the same time, we think that the providers should be given enough latitude to exercise their own judgement, because even while doing a telehealth, video consultation for a supposed simple condition at presentation, if the provider detects something that is somewhat more sinister and perhaps needing more evaluation, they should actually get the person to attend in-person and make a thorough evaluation with an examination, for example. There are times also where in telehealth consultations, the person may say there is no pain. But when you look at the person on the video, he obviously is not looking too good. That is why judgement is still needed even in providing convenience.

Ultimately, what we want is to make sure that whatever guidelines we give to our providers, we are not conscribing and constraining their ability to make the right judgement. All healthcare providers, typically doctors, are trained to picked up conditions that they may have to be cautious about. Ultimately, the bottom line is this: you can offer convenience, but that should not replace the need for patient safety and making sure that you discharge your duties in a professional way, looking at patient safety and outcome as a key priority.

15 Mr Cai Yinzhou asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) in each year between 2020 and 2025, how many traffic accidents occurred along Tanah Merah Coast Road and how many of these involved cyclists; (b) what are the primary causes of cyclist accidents and whether they are primarily due to heavy vehicle movements and road debris; and (c) what steps will the Ministry take in preventing accidents along this stretch of road.

Sir, between 2020 and 2025, there were on average around 20 accidents per year resulting in injuries or fatalities along Tanah Merah Coast Road, of which around nine accidents per year involved cyclists.

The primary causes of accidents involving cyclists along this road are: cycling in a disorderly manner, cyclists and motorists failing to keep a proper lookout, and cyclists and motorists failing to have proper control of their vehicle or mobility device.

The Traffic Police (TP) conduct regular enforcement at accident hotspots, including at Tanah Merah Coast Road. TP and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) also raise awareness of safe and gracious practices on our roads and pathways. For example, TP and LTA work closely with the Singapore Cycling Federation and the People's Association to engage the cycling community on cycling safety and disseminate guidelines on safe behaviour for motorists and cyclists.

16 Ms Gho Sze Kee asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether HDB has reached its targeted supply of 4,000 units under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme by the end of 2025; and (b) what does this mean for the success rate of just married or affianced couples applying to the scheme.

The Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme, or PPHS, provides subsidised rental housing for families awaiting the completion of their Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats. HDB has met its target of ramping up the PPHS supply to 4,000 units at the end of 2025.

In terms of allocation, households with at least one child aged 18 and below, as well as married couples expecting a child are given highest priority. Married couples without children and households with older children are next in priority, followed by fiancé-fiancée couples.

In recent exercises, all households in the highest priority tier and about 30% of households in the next priority tier were invited to select PPHS flats.

A quick, short one, Ms Gho.

I thank the Minister for her reply. I ask this question because I had many residents who came to see me about the PPHS and they were unsuccessful despite multiple attempts. I understand that the supply of these flats are from vacant Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Schemes (SERS) units. Are there other SERS flats available for the PPHS? Would the Ministry consider tapping other available supply of flats, such as returned units from Lease Buyback Scheme (LBS), to help alleviate the queue?

I thank the Member for her supplementary question. Our assessment is that about 4,000 flats, and maybe just a little bit more, would be the right steady state. Because in tandem with this, we are also ramping up the Shorter Waiting Time flats. So, you have to see this together.

In terms of whether that we are looking at additional flats, we are looking to see as many of the SERS vacant flats as we can. But there is a limited supply of vacant flats. For those that come back from the LBS, the ones that can be resold, those should be sold to those who can purchase. So, these are really ones that are available for rental.

But as I said, the two strategies go in tandem. The PPHS ramp-up came about really because of the housing crunch due to the COVID period and the difficulties in meeting our building programme. But we have caught up with the building programme, we are having more of the Shorter Waiting Time flats, and so, we anticipate we should be able to get to a steady state for the PPHS flats.

Order. End of Question Time.

[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), provided that Members had not asked for questions standing in their names to be postponed to a later Sitting day or withdrawn, written answers to questions not reached by the end of Question Time are reproduced in the Appendix.]

[(proc text) "to amend the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act 1993 to enhance the controls relating to tobacco products, vaporisers and imitation tobacco products, to control the consumption of certain psychoactive substances, to provide for the treatment and rehabilitation of certain persons, to make saving and transitional provisions when these psychoactive substances cease to be controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1973, to amend the Poisons Act 1938 and to make consequential and related amendments to certain other Acts", (proc text)]

[(proc text) presented by the Senior Minister of State for Health (Dr Koh Poh Koon) on behalf of the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health; read the First time; to be read a Second time after the conclusion of proceedings on the Estimates of Expenditure for FY2026/27. (proc text)]

So be it. Order. I propose to take a break now. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair at 3.30 pm. Order, Order.

Sitting accordingly suspended

at 3.04 pm until 3.30 pm.

Sitting resumed 3.30 pm.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Order. The Clerk will now proceed to read the Notice of Motion.

Mr Speaker, I move, "That Parliament approves the financial policy of the Government for the Financial Year 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027."

This is our first Budget in this new term of Government. It comes as we enter a post-SG60 phase in our nation building journey.

We begin this next phase at a time of profound global change. For nearly eight decades, the world benefited from an international order that supported stability and economic cooperation. The system rested, in large part, on the leadership of the United States (US). It underwrote global security, championed open markets and helped form the institutions and rules that enabled shared prosperity across the world, including here in Asia.

That era has now come to an end. The US is re-assessing, and in some areas undoing, key elements of the very system it once helped to build. Trade rules that were once promoted are being set aside. Global institutions are being bypassed and long-standing norms are becoming less reliable.

The cumulative effect is a weakening of the multilateral system. Countries everywhere have less confidence that common rules will protect their interests. As a result, more states are resorting to unilateral action and some are becoming emboldened to do so.

At the same time, the guardrails that once managed disputes and tensions are eroding. And so, the world is becoming more contested, more fragmented and ultimately more dangerous.

Against this backdrop, last year, there was widespread expectation that the US Liberation Day tariffs would trigger a sharp global slowdown.

Fortunately, our worst fears did not materialise. Many firms adjusted quickly – front-loading production and imports to get ahead of the tariff measures. Subsequent trade deals, together with shifts in global supply chains, helped to reduce the actual impact of the tariffs.

As a result, growth in the major economies held up, supported in part by strong investment in artificial intelligence (AI)-related activities.

In short, despite mounting stresses, the global economy proved more resilient than anticipated and the international system continued to function.

This year, however, we may not be so fortunate. Events in just the first month of 2026 have already been of exceptional scale and consequence. They have increased geopolitical tensions worldwide. As pressures build and the margin for error narrows, the resilience of the global system will be tested far more severely.

There are also clear and growing signs of fragility in the global economy. Rising public debt in many major economies will strain financial stability and weigh on longer-term growth prospects. At the same time, heightened risk-taking in financial markets has pushed up asset valuations, leaving them vulnerable to abrupt corrections. Any such adjustment would dampen confidence and spill over into real economic activity.

These external developments have a direct bearing on us. Last year, the resilience of the global economy, combined with our own economic strength, resulted in better-than-expected growth of 5%. Strong external demand boosted key industry clusters, including electronics and biomedical manufacturing. These gains generated spillovers across the broader economy.

Some of the positive momentum will continue into this year. But amidst heightened global uncertainties, we expect a more moderate outlook for 2026. Growth is therefore projected at 2% to 4%; with inflation at 1% to 2%.

Despite these uncertainties, we can move forward with confidence – confidence grounded in fundamentals.

Over the decades, we have systematically strengthened our economic foundations: deepening capabilities, investing in our people and reshaping our industries as technologies evolve.

We have built a reputation as a reliable and trusted hub – stable, secure, and well-governed – qualities that businesses and investors have come to value highly, more so now than before, precisely because the world has become more fractured and uncertain.

All these give Singapore an important and tangible competitive advantage.

But past success alone will not carry us forward. In a profoundly changed world, standing still is not an option. We cannot wait for conditions to turn more favourable. Nor can we fall back on strategies designed for a previous era.

We therefore have a full agenda in this term of Government to refresh our strategies and strengthen our social compact. Budget 2026 is the first step in this effort, to secure our future in a changed world. It lays the groundwork for how we will navigate our next phase of development – together, as one people.

In this Budget, we will: advance our refreshed economic strategy; harness artificial intelligence (AI) as a strategic advantage; build a resilient and skilled workforce; give families more support and greater assurance; protect our security and sustainability; and renew and strengthen our Singapore spirit.

I will touch on each of these in turn.

While our economy did well last year, some businesses continue to face cost pressures and operating challenges. We will support our businesses and help them stay competitive.

I will provide a 40% Corporate Income Tax rebate in the Year of Assessment 2026. Every active company that employed at least one local employee last year will receive a minimum benefit of $1,500. The total benefit for each company will be capped at $30,000. [Please refer to Annex B-1.]

This will provide short-term relief, as we press on with our restructuring and transformation efforts.

Growth will be harder in this changed world. We must aim higher, move faster and be prepared to take calculated risks. This is why the Government convened the Economic Strategy Review (ESR). The ESR committee shared their mid-term update last month and we will move decisively to act on their recommendations.

Our ambition is to secure growth at the higher end of the 2% to 3% range over the next decade. But growth itself is not enough. Growth must translate into good jobs and rising incomes for Singaporeans. Let me share how we will achieve this.

First, we must adapt and connect differently in a changed global environment. Some countries are turning inward, seeking to reduce their external dependence. But for Singapore that is not an option. To prosper, we still need to be connected to the world – trading with others and integrating ourselves into global flows.

Importantly, globalisation has not ended. No country can succeed on its own. Most major products still depend on a global division of labour, combining expertise and materials from many countries, and on access to global markets to achieve scale. This fundamental reality has not changed. What has changed is globalisation as we knew it. Economic flows are becoming more selective, partnerships more strategic and resilience now matters as much as efficiency.

So, Singapore must adjust to these new patterns – staying open, but connecting in smarter, more diversified and more resilient ways. That is why we are forging new forms of cooperation with partners who share our commitment.

Last year, we launched the Future of Investment and Trade Partnership, bringing together like-minded partners to cooperate in areas like technology, trade facilitation and supply chain resilience. This month, the EU-Singapore Digital Trade Agreement entered into force – a landmark agreement with robust rules for digital trade. Later this year, we will sign a first-of-its-kind Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies with New Zealand – to ensure the continuity of critical trade flows between our two countries in times of crisis.

We will also step up engagement with fast-growing markets, including in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. We will establish new embassies and strengthen our diplomatic and economic presence on the ground to take better advantage of emerging opportunities in these regions.

Closer to home, we are working with our neighbours to deepen regional integration. This includes cooperating on projects like the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, and the Batam, Bintan and Karimun Free Trade Zones in Indonesia.

In short, we will redouble our efforts to diversify globally and to integrate regionally. But connectivity alone is not enough. It must translate into real opportunities that our businesses can capture and seize.

Many Singapore companies are already doing this. One example is Rotary Engineering. It started in 1972 offering electrical installation services to oil refineries and petrochemical plants here in Singapore. But it did not confine itself to our domestic market. Over time, it built a leading presence in Southeast Asia delivering energy infrastructure services. Now, it is venturing further afield and deepening its presence in the Middle East. [Please refer to Annex I-1.]

But doing business overseas is not easy, especially for smaller firms. Companies face unfamiliar regulations, different business practices and intense local competition. So, we will do more to support Singapore companies as they venture abroad.

We will enhance the support levels for grant schemes that support companies to internationalise – up to 70% for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and up to 50% for non-SMEs.

We will also enhance the Market Readiness Assistance grant to support companies not just to access new markets, but to deepen activities in existing overseas markets as well.

Under the Double Tax Deduction for Internationalisation scheme, companies automatically enjoy a 200% tax deduction for selected qualifying activities, capped at $150,000. We will allow more qualifying activities to be eligible for such automatic tax deduction claims and raise the cap to $400,000.

We will enhance the Enterprise Financing Scheme by increasing the maximum loan quantum for trade and fixed asset loans. This will give companies more flexibility to cater to their different financing needs. We will also provide more support for companies pursuing significant overseas ventures that require higher capital outlay.

The Minister for Trade and Industry will share more about these changes at the Committee of Supply.

Second, we will build leadership in key growth clusters. That means anchoring critical segments of global value chains here in Singapore, especially activities with high knowledge content and strong spillovers. Our goal is not just to host such activities, but to shape how these industries develop and where they create value.

We are already doing this in some areas like semiconductors. A key frontier in semiconductors is Advanced Packaging. Despite what the name suggests – Advanced Packaging – this is highly complex and technologically demanding. Traditionally, faster chips have been built by packing more transistors onto a single chip. But this is becoming more costly, and we are approaching physical limits. As a result, attention has shifted to Advanced Packaging, which integrates multiple chips into a single package, using highly precise manufacturing technologies. This delivers better performance and energy efficiency.

Singapore began investing in Advanced Packaging research and development (R&D) more than two decades ago, well before it became a global priority. These investments are now bearing fruit. They are one reason why major semiconductor companies continue to invest heavily in Singapore, not just in manufacturing, but also in R&D, innovation and supply chain partnerships.

We see a similar pattern in other key industries like aerospace and biomedical sciences. Technology is the critical enabler underpinning our strategy to build leadership in these clusters. Singapore must be a place where frontier technologies are developed, tested and commercialised. That is why we will invest $37 billion under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise, or RIE2030 plan. This reflects our sustained commitment to research and innovation, amounting to around 1% of gross domestic product (GDP) each year.

At the same time, we must be realistic. In absolute dollars, our public R&D spending will always be modest compared to the sums deployed by much larger economies. We cannot outspend them. Instead, our investments must be disciplined, focused and strategic, directed at areas where Singapore has clear strengths and where our efforts can make a real difference.

There is potential in emerging areas like decarbonisation solutions and quantum technology. In quantum, for example, we made an early and deliberate bet. In 2007, we established the Centre for Quantum Technologies at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Much of quantum research then was still theoretical. But we invested patiently in building foundational capabilities, believing that these would one day translate into transformative applications.

That foresight is paying off. Today, quantum computing is moving rapidly from theory to reality, with far-reaching implications across many fields. The major technology players are investing heavily in capabilities to build commercial-scale quantum computers. And Singapore is attracting some of the best. Quantinuum, one of the world's leading quantum computer companies, has established operations here and will be hosting its latest quantum computer in Singapore, making us the first country outside America to host this system. This will give our researchers and companies, including a few home-grown startups, direct access to cutting-edge quantum compute and opportunities to work on meaningful projects.

We are also attracting top global talent and partnerships. Nobel Laureate Prof John Martinis, a pioneer in superconducting systems, co-founded a quantum computing startup, which is collaborating with our researchers at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and NUS. They are developing novel components to advance the performance of quantum computers, using state-of-the-art semiconductor processes. They chose Singapore because of the unique combination of our strengths – in advanced manufacturing, semiconductors and frontier quantum research.

These examples show how we can build leadership in key growth areas, and shape where innovation and value creation take place. In doing so, we strengthen Singapore's strategic resilience and relevance, while creating more jobs and better opportunities for Singaporeans.

Third, we will strengthen our enterprise ecosystem. Enterprise funding is a key part of this ecosystem. Over many years, we have worked steadily to strengthen this area. In venture and seed funding, we have made good progress. Compared to a decade ago, it is now much easier for startups to access early-stage capital.

But many firms continue to face challenges at the growth stage. This is not unique to Singapore. Globally, growth stage capital has tightened. As a result, many firms, especially in deep tech, find it harder to raise the larger and longer-term funding that is needed to scale.

We will therefore do more to catalyse growth capital in Singapore. Under the Startup SG Equity scheme, the Government provides initial capital to catalyse and crowd in private funding for promising startups. To date, the scheme has focussed mainly on early-stage funding. We will now go further. I will set aside $1 billion to enhance Startup SG Equity, and expand its scope to cover growth-stage companies.

Beyond this, we will take a more systemic approach to strengthening our growth capital ecosystem. We will convene a new workgroup led by Minister Chee Hong Tat, working closely with the industry, to develop strategies to position Singapore as a leading centre for growth capital.

When enterprises are ready to list, we want them to see

Singapore as their listing venue of choice. We had earlier set up the Anchor Fund to attract and anchor high-quality listings, and we are now seeing encouraging signs of renewed listing activity on the Singapore Exchange (SGX). I will therefore launch a second $1.5 billion tranche of the Anchor Fund. As with the first tranche, this will be a co-investment between the Government and Temasek.

We will also continue to strengthen our broader equities market. Last year, MAS launched the Equity Market Development Programme, to develop our fund management industry and increase investor participation in Singapore equities. Industry response has been encouraging. MAS has allocated close to $4 billion to nine asset managers. To build on this momentum, I will expand the programme, with a $1.5 billion top-up to the Financial Sector Development Fund.

At the same time, we are implementing the other recommendations of the Equities Market Review Group. This includes streamlining listing rules and requirements to make it easier for high-growth companies to go public, and establishing a dual-listing bridge connecting the SGX and Nasdaq. These measures will enhance the depth and vibrancy of our public equities market and provide more pathways for enterprises to grow and scale from Singapore.

Deep and vibrant markets are one part of the equation. We must also ensure a strong pipeline of high-quality companies that choose to build, grow and anchor themselves in Singapore. Some will be locally grown enterprises. Others will be promising enterprises from abroad.

The Economic Development Board has traditionally focused its investment promotion efforts on multi-national enterprises. Going forward, it will step up efforts to attract high-growth companies with the potential to become future industry leaders. By anchoring such companies early, we can build new engines of growth and capture greater value for our economy as these enterprises grow and expand from Singapore.

This comprehensive approach – from nurturing homegrown startups, to catalysing private capital and attracting promising global companies – will strengthen our enterprise ecosystem. It will enable companies of all sizes and at every stage of growth, to access the capital and partnerships they need to succeed. Importantly, this will create more opportunities for Singaporeans to secure good jobs and grow their careers.

In a changed world, a decisive factor for success will be how we harness new technologies – foremost amongst them, AI.

AI is advancing at remarkable speed. We are reaching a stage where systems can write their own code and improve through iterative learning. The potential is immense – to raise productivity, unlock new discoveries and transform lives in ways that we are only beginning to understand.

But with this promise comes deep concerns. Workers worry that AI will displace jobs. Societies worry about misinformation, bias and the ethical use of powerful technologies. These anxieties are real and we must confront them squarely.

But fear cannot be Singapore's response. If we allow uncertainty to paralyse us, we will fall behind in a world that is moving rapidly ahead. So, we must act with clarity and resolve.

AI is a powerful tool, but it is still a tool. It must serve our national interests and our people. We will define how AI is developed and used in Singapore. We will set clear rules to ensure it is applied responsibly and safely. And we will ensure that its benefits are shared widely across society.

Harnessed well, AI will be a strategic advantage for Singapore. It can help us overcome our structural constraints – our limited natural resources, rapidly ageing population and tight labour market.

To do this, we must invest deliberately and with discipline, not by simply following what others do, but by playing to Singapore's strengths. Our advantage does not lie in building the largest frontier models. It lies in deploying AI effectively, responsibly and at speed. Singapore can be a trusted hub where companies and researchers come together to develop, test and deploy impactful AI solutions – and do so faster and more coherently than many larger countries.

This is already happening. Today, more than 60 firms, including Google and Microsoft, have set up AI Centres of Excellence here. These investments have created a growing number of good jobs for Singaporeans, in AI research, engineering and deployment.

But to fully realise AI's potential, we must go beyond individual pilots and isolated experiments. We must organise at a national level and move with speed and scale.

We will therefore launch a new set of national AI Missions. These missions will drive AI-led transformation in key sectors of our economy and push the boundaries of what is possible, for Singapore and for the world. We will focus on four sectors: advanced manufacturing, connectivity, finance and healthcare. [Please refer to Annex C-1.]

For example, in advanced manufacturing, we aim to accelerate innovation and build best-in-class factories that can compete globally.

In connectivity and logistics, AI can help to automate airport and seaport operations, move goods more efficiently, and strengthen Singapore's position as a leading global hub.

These are not abstract aspirations. Each AI Mission will be anchored in clear objectives and tangible outcomes.

Delivering this will require us to work differently. We will review regulations and create sandboxes, so that companies can test AI innovations safely and responsibly. Within the Government, we will better align our R&D, regulatory and investment promotion efforts so that agencies act in concert and pull in the same direction.

All this will require a coordinated national effort. We will therefore establish a new National AI Council, which I will chair, to provide strategic direction and to drive Singapore's AI agenda.

For AI to truly transform our economy, companies must also adopt it comprehensively. Many firms say they are using AI. But end-to-end transformation with AI is very demanding. It requires organising data, rebuilding systems, redesigning processes and jobs, and retraining workers. Even the major global companies are grappling with this. But those that succeed will gain a decisive competitive advantage.

A few leading Singapore companies like DBS and Grab are already moving decisively on AI transformation. We want to encourage more to do so. So, we will launch a new Champions of AI programme to support firms with the ambition to use AI to comprehensively transform their business. Support will be tailored to each company, and will include enterprise transformation and workforce training. As these companies succeed, they will set benchmarks for their industries and inspire others to follow.

Beyond this, we will strengthen support for all enterprises, especially our SMEs, so they adopt AI and benefit from it in practical ways.

We will build on the Enterprise Innovation Scheme, which provides businesses with 400% tax deductions on qualifying expenditures in activities like R&D, innovation and capability development. We will expand the scheme to include AI expenditures as a qualifying activity, for the Years of Assessment 2027 and 2028, capped at $50,000 per Year of Assessment.

We will also strengthen our existing support schemes. The Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) already helps companies to adopt digital solutions. Increasingly, these solutions will be AI-enabled.

Take HarriAnns, an F&B company known for its freshly made nonya kueh. It began in the 1940s, started by Mdm Chia Nguk Eng, and later grew into a stall at Tiong Bahru Food Centre. In the 1980s, her son took over the business. Today, the third generation runs the company, and it has expanded to eight cafes across Singapore. With support from the PSG, it adopted an AI-enabled restaurant management system to automate ordering and billing, and streamline operations – serving customers faster and growing its revenues in the process.

We will expand the PSG to support a wider range of digital and AI-enabled solutions, so that every firm, regardless of size, can access tools that help them work smarter and compete more effectively.

To build a vibrant AI-enabled economy, it helps to have a focal point – one that brings together AI founders, practitioners, researchers and innovators, and catalyses more collaborations and interactions.

We have started a pilot initiative called Lorong AI. It is a dedicated co-working space that serves as a convening hub for our AI community. We will build on this pilot and establish a larger AI park at One-North. This will be a new cluster to catalyse ideas, forge collaborations and translate AI initiatives into practical solutions for businesses and public services.

Just as we support enterprises, we must do the same and more, for our workers.

AI will change how we work. Some tasks will be automated. New roles will emerge. Many existing jobs will evolve. I know this creates real anxiety for workers. The pace of change can be unsettling, especially when livelihoods are at stake.

But we will not allow technological change to come at the expense of our workers. We will press ahead with AI – because we must. At the same time, we will put in place strong support to help our workers adapt and progress – because we will take care of our own.

The Government will stand with our workers throughout this transition. No one will have to navigate the changes alone. We will help Singaporeans acquire new skills, adapt to new roles, and use AI as a tool to be more productive and effective at work. Where jobs are impacted, we will manage the transitions carefully, and work closely with the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and our unions to help workers move into new areas and opportunities.

Our commitment is clear: every Singaporean who is willing to adapt and learn will continue to secure a good job and make a good living here in Singapore. [Applause.]

To succeed in this new reality, we must prepare both our future workforce and those already working today. For the next generation, we will strengthen AI literacy for students across all our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs). Just as importantly, our IHLs will continue to emphasise strong foundations, so that students learn to use AI wisely, not as a shortcut, and are equipped with rigorous thinking and deep disciplinary skills.

At the workplace, we will help workers use AI to take over routine tasks, so that they can focus their time and energy on higher-value activities – work that requires judgement, creativity and human insight, and that cannot be replaced by machines.

Take accountancy as an example. Today, accountants can use AI to automate large parts of data consolidation, preparation and book-keeping. This allows them to move up the value chain, spending more time on client advisory, forensic work and complex analysis, where professional expertise and trust matter most.

To support workers through this transition, we will help them build practical AI capabilities. Because AI is already reshaping many forms of white-collar and cognitive work, we will start with the accountancy and legal professions, and progressively extend them to other fields.

Beyond these specific sectors, every Singaporean can take the initiative to learn and pick up AI-related skills. Today, many AI chatbots, like ChatGPT or Gemini, are widely available and easy to use. For many, they are just smarter versions of a search engine. But there is much more to AI than just doing a search. With the right guidance and prompts, these tools can do a lot more – helping users analyse information, generate ideas nd solve problems.

Using AI well requires learning, practice and the right support.

There is already a wide range of AI-related courses on the SkillsFuture website, from fully online options to part-time and full-time programmes. But we know it is not always easy to navigate the options and identify what is most relevant. So, we will redesign the SkillsFuture website to make AI learning pathways clearer and easier to access so that Singaporeans can quickly find courses that match their work needs and proficiency levels.

Learning must go beyond theory. It must translate into hands-on applications. While most AI tools are free at the basic level, access to more advanced models requires a paid subscription. To further encourage learning, we will provide Singaporeans who take up selected AI training courses six months of free access to premium AI tools. This will allow them to practise, experiment and apply what they have learnt.

Several Ministries – the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) – are involved in these cross-cutting efforts. And the Ministers will provide more details at the Committee of Supply.

Sir, Singapore will not be passive in the face of rapid changes around us. We will adapt. We will compete. We will continue to move forward with confidence. By harnessing AI as a strategic advantage, we will shape our own future and secure our place in this changed world.

Singaporeans, and especially our workers, are at the centre of everything we do. Ultimately, what matters is not just the policies we announce, but the outcomes they deliver in people's lives. That is why we track results carefully and assess whether our efforts are making a real difference.

Earlier this week, MOF released an Occasional Paper on income growth, inequality and social mobility trends. It shows that over the past decade, we have made good progress with broad-based wage increases and smaller income gaps. These improvements did not happen by chance. Left entirely to market forces, they would not have occurred on their own. Indeed, in many advanced economies, as growth slows, inequality becomes more entrenched.

Singapore faces these same underlying pressures. That is why the Government has and will continue to lean against these trends, and strive to ensure that the fruits of growth are shared widely and fairly. Every Singaporean, regardless of where they start in life, should have a fair chance to pursue their aspirations and realise their full potential.

So, in this Budget, we will continue to strengthen support for lower-wage workers.

The Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) sets the minimum salary that local employees must be paid in firms that hire foreign workers. We will raise the LQS for full-time local employees from $1,600 to $1,800. [Please refer to Annex D-1.]

To help businesses defray some of the cost, we will enhance the Progressive Wage Credit Scheme (PWCS). We will raise the PWCS co-funding support for this year, from 20% to 30%.

We will also extend the PWCS for two more years, to 2028. From next year, we will raise the minimum wage increase to qualify for PWCS support from $100 to $200. This will better encourage and reward the firms that invest in their workers.

These measures build on the Progressive Wage Model (PWM), which we have developed together with NTUC and our tripartite partners. The PWM goes beyond a simple flat minimum wage and instead links pay increases to skills, productivity and career progression – and it is delivering results.

We will also continue to strengthen training support for the PWM. Last year, I announced additional support under the Workfare Skills Support for workers who take up long-form training courses. We will go further to enhance the basic tier of the scheme and increase the hourly allowance for workers who upgrade their skills.

We will also do more to support lifelong learning for all Singaporeans through SkillsFuture.

When we first started SkillsFuture more than a decade ago, the training landscape looked very different. At that time, our IHLs were still largely focussed on pre-employment training. But we knew this was no longer sufficient. That was why we set up SkillsFuture Singapore in 2016 under MOE to embed lifelong learning within our education system.

Today, we have achieved this objective. Working adults at all stages of their careers can access a wide range of high-quality training options across our IHLs. All our autonomous universities, polytechnics and Institutes of Technical Education (ITE) have internalised lifelong learning as part of their mission. For example, NUS and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), our two largest universities, have made lifelong learning an integral part of how they organise their teaching and learning. They offer flexible pathways for alumni and adult learners to take modular courses, earn stackable credits and progressively build these into recognised qualifications.

Singaporeans, too, are increasingly embracing lifelong learning. Last year, more than 600,000 individuals took up training with SkillsFuture support, offered by IHLs and private training providers.

While SkillsFuture Singapore under MOE focused on skills training, we also had Workforce Singapore under MOM to engage employers and help jobseekers find jobs. Over the years, we have worked to strengthen coordination between these two agencies.

But in an era of faster technological change and more frequent job transitions, stronger alignment is needed, and our systems must work more seamlessly together. Hence, the ESR committee recommended that the Government review how we organise jobs and skills support for Singaporeans.

We have carefully considered this recommendation and will take a decisive step forward. We will merge SkillsFuture Singapore and Workforce Singapore into a new statutory board jointly overseen by MOE and MOM. This new agency will be a one-stop shop for skills training, career guidance and job matching services.

For workers and jobseekers, that means support will be more seamless – from career planning, to skills acquisitions, and job matching and transitions. For employers, the support will be more integrated – covering workforce planning, job redesign, hiring and workforce development.

The Minister for Education and the Minister for Manpower will share more at the Committee of Supply.

This goes beyond making an organisational change. It is about continually strengthening our system of lifelong learning and career support, so Singaporeans can continue to adapt, grow and realise their full potential. In a world where change is constant, we must remain a society that never stops learning and never stops striving to do better.

We are also strengthening support for specific segments of our workforce.

In 2024, we launched the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme to help mid-career workers undergo a skills reboot. The take-up has been encouraging: over 60,000 Singaporeans aged 40 and above have already benefitted from substantial training courses.

Mr Jeffrey Loh is one of the many adult learners who has benefited from the programme. After 18 years as an air steward, he was keen to reskill and pursue new opportunities aligned with his interests. So, he enrolled in a Digital Product Management course at the Singapore Institute of Technology. Most of his course fees were offset by SkillsFuture subsidies and credits. He also received the Mid-Career Training Allowance during the three-month course, which helped support his daily expenses while he trained. Now, Jeffrey is doing well in a new role as a Duty Terminal Manager with Changi Airport Group.

We will continue to enhance the Level-Up programme. From next month, the Mid-Career Training Allowance will be extended to those who take up not just full-time, but also part-time training. We will also expand coverage to include more industry relevant courses.

Another important group is our senior workers. We will support our seniors so they can continue to contribute meaningfully. This includes helping them plan ahead for their later-stage careers and supporting them in refreshing their skills. We will also equip employers to design age-friendly jobs and multi-generational workplaces.

MOM has convened a Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment to study these issues comprehensively. Their recommendations will be released later this year. In the meantime, we will extend the Senior Employment Credit to end-2027, to support employers who continue to employ senior workers.

As we create better jobs and upskill Singaporeans, we must also remain open to global skills and talent. Foreign professionals and workers strengthen our teams, transfer knowledge and enable companies to grow. This in turn creates more and better opportunities for Singaporeans.

At the same time, we will continue to ensure that our foreign workforce complements a strong Singaporean core. In line with this approach, we will refine and update our foreign worker policies to reflect evolving conditions.

We will raise the Employment Pass (EP) minimum qualifying salary for new applicants from $5,600 to $6,000 from January 2027. This maintains the quality of the EP holders, as local wages rise. For the financial services sector, which has higher salary norms, we will raise the minimum qualifying salary from $6,200 to $6,600. The qualifying salaries for older EP applicants will be raised in tandem. For renewal applications, the changes will apply a year later in 2028, to give businesses more time to adjust. [Please refer to Annex D-2.]

Likewise, we will raise the qualifying salaries for S Pass holders. From January 2027, the minimum qualifying salary for new S Pass applicants will be raised from $3,300 to $3,600. For the financial services sector, this will be raised from $3,800 to $4,000. Qualifying salaries for older S Pass applicants will be raised in tandem, with renewal applications affected one year later, from 2028.

We will also adjust Work Permit levies. For the Marine and Process sectors, levies for basic skilled workers will be raised by $100 and $150, respectively. For the Manufacturing and Services sectors, we will simplify the current tiered levy structure. The details are in the Annex to the Budget.

To give businesses time to adjust, these changes will take effect from 2028. The Minister for Manpower will share more at the Committee of Supply.

The wide range of workforce measures I have outlined reflects Singapore's overall approach: to stay open to skills and expertise that strengthen our economy, while ensuring that Singaporeans remain firmly at the centre of our workforce and our policies. We will help Singaporeans adapt to change with confidence, move across career transitions with assurance, and build meaningful and fulfilling careers.

Sir, families are the bedrock of society and the first line of support for every individual. Through Forward Singapore, we have made significant moves in recent years to support Singaporeans and their families – from parents, to seniors, caregivers and persons with disabilities. We have also ramped up the supply of HDB flats to ensure that public housing remains accessible and affordable for couples and families.

In this Budget, we will make further moves to give families more support and greater assurance.

Many young couples hope to become parents. We want to create the right conditions, so they feel confident and ready to start a family. The decision to get married and have children is deeply personal. But for those who wish to take the step, the Government will do more to support them along the way.

One of the biggest concerns for young couples is the cost of raising a family. Over successive Budgets, we have strengthened support to help parents manage these expenses.

For example, we introduced the Large Families Scheme to support families who have, or aspire to have, three or more children. For every third or subsequent child, the scheme will provide up to $16,000 in additional benefits.

At last year's Budget, we announced $500 in Child LifeSG Credits for each Singaporean child aged 12 and below, to help their parents defray their day-to-day household expenses. This year, we will provide another $500 in Child LifeSG Credits to families for each Singaporean child aged 12 and below. [Please refer to Annex E-1.]

We will continue to keep preschool and student care affordable, to support the critical early years of a child's development.

Over the years, we have reduced preschool fee caps and increased subsidies. Today, childcare fees for dual-income families are comparable to primary school and after-school student care fees. Lower- and middle-income families also receive means-tested subsidies, which further reduce out-of-pocket expenses.

We will enhance these further. From the start of next year, we will extend means-tested preschool subsidies to more families, by raising the monthly household income threshold to $15,000. This will benefit more than 60,000 families. Eligible parents, including those who previously qualified, can also receive more in infant care and childcare subsidies. [Please refer to Annex E-2.]

We will also strengthen support for student care. We will raise the monthly household income threshold for Student Care Fee Assistance to $6,500, so that more families can qualify. Beyond these enhancements, we are undertaking a holistic review of the student care sector to study how to better meet the caregiving needs of families with primary school-aged children.

We will continue to help lower-income families, especially those with young children, move towards greater stability, self-reliance and social mobility. We take a family-centric approach to support such families. Under ComLink+, each family is paired with a dedicated family coach, who works with them to develop personalised action plans and to coordinate support.

To recognise and reinforce the families' own efforts, we introduced Progress Packages. These are more than financial assistance; they are a form of social contract where family coaches work with the families to set clear goals, like securing a stable job, saving towards a home, or ensuring their children enrol in and attend preschool regularly. When these milestones are achieved, the families receive additional payouts.

Take Mdm Hurul and Mr Hafiz for example. They had taken important steps on their own to stabilise their finances. What they needed was sustained guidance and support to keep moving forward. With support from their family coach, and through their own hard work, they have made good progress over the past year. Through the Progress Packages, their financial circumstances have improved, and they are now closer to securing their own 4-room HDB flat.

ComLink+ is built around close and sustained support for families. It relies on dedicated family coaches, case workers from Family Service Centres and volunteer befrienders who work directly with families to help them make steady progress.

Over time, we have strengthened our capabilities on the ground and we are now ready to enhance the ComLink+ Progress Packages. First, we will provide a new payout of $500 per quarter for all ComLink+ families who make a commitment to work with family coaches and take active steps to make progress. Second, we will enhance the additional payouts that families receive when they make concrete progress in their goals of maintaining stable employment and good preschool attendance for their children. Third, we will provide more of these payouts in cash, while continuing to set aside monies in their CPF accounts. This will help families meet immediate needs, while also building their longer-term financial security.

With these enhancements, a family with two children under ComLink+ can receive around $10,000 per year in cash and Central Provident Fund (CPF) top-ups, while their children are in preschool. And we hope this will provide them with the necessary support to stabilise their finances and secure a better life for themselves and their children. [Applause.] [Please refer to Annex E-3.]

The Minister for Social and Family Development will provide more details at the Committee of Supply.

We will also do more for persons with disabilities, as well as their families and caregivers. Minister of State Goh Pei Ming is leading a task force to review how we can provide more meaningful support at different life stages for persons with disabilities and their families. This includes expanding capacity in community-based facilities, keeping services affordable, and supporting graduates of special education schools to secure meaningful employment and live well in the community.

We look forward to the recommendations of the task force. Strengthening support for persons with disabilities is a key priority for the Government and a shared responsibility for all of us. So, the Government stands ready to set aside additional resources to advance these efforts.

As our population ages, we will also provide more support for our seniors so they can age with dignity, security and peace of mind.

We recently enhanced CareShield Life to provide higher payouts, giving seniors greater assurance against long-term care costs. We also increased CareShield Life premium subsidies to help cushion the impact of the higher premiums. I will top up the Long-Term Care Support Fund by $400 million to fund the additional subsidies.

With longer lifespans, retirement adequacy is another major concern for many Singaporeans. Our aim is clear: Singaporeans who work and contribute to CPF consistently should be able to meet their basic retirement needs with confidence. Over the years, we have enhanced the CPF system to achieve this. We introduced Silver Support to uplift seniors with less means and the Majulah Package to give additional assurance to our "Young Seniors" as they approach retirement.

In this Budget, we will take further steps to strengthen retirement support.

First, we will provide a CPF top-up of up to $1,500 for Singaporeans aged 50 and above, and with CPF retirement savings below the Basic Retirement Sum. Those with lower balances will receive larger top-ups, so that support is targeted at where it is most needed. [Please refer to Annex E-5.]

Second, we will proceed with the next step of planned CPF contribution rate increases for senior workers in 2027. This will help older workers build up their retirement savings in their later working years. The Government will also continue to provide the CPF Transition Offset to employers, covering half of the increase in employer contributions for 2027. [Please refer to Annex E-4.]

Third, we will offer more investment options for CPF members who wish to grow their savings further.

Today, the CPF system provides stable, risk-free interest rates to help Singaporeans build up their retirement nest egg. With the extra interest that CPF offers, CPF members can earn up to 6% per annum, risk-free, on their CPF balances.

Some CPF members, especially those with a longer runway to retirement, are prepared to take more risk to generate potentially higher returns. But experience shows that most people do not do well picking and trading individual stocks. It is very hard to beat the market consistently.

For retail investors, a more sensible approach is broad and diversified exposure through low-cost funds. But even then, risks remain. Because some may invest when markets are high, and retire during a downturn, precisely when they need their savings.

That is why the CPF Advisory Panel earlier recommended introducing a Lifetime Retirement Investment Scheme. This is essentially a life-cycle investment approach, with a predefined glide path to retirement. In other words, members take on more risk, with greater exposure to equities, when they are younger; and their investments are automatically rebalanced towards safer assets as they approach retirement.

We studied this recommendation carefully. Currently, such life-cycle investment products are available in the market, but they have traditionally come with high fees. So, rather than leave this entirely to the market, the Government will help shape and develop such products under a new scheme for CPF members.

Later this year, CPF Board will engage the industry and invite expressions of interest from potential providers. A key requirement will be that the fees are kept low. We will select two to three credible providers to keep choices simple for members. The Government will also be prepared, in-principle, to provide some time-limited support to kick-start the scheme. Participation in the new investment scheme will be voluntary. CPF members can choose whether to opt in.

At the same time, we will strengthen efforts to help members understand whether this option is suitable for them – in particular, for members who are younger and have a long runway to retirement, and who can better ride out short-term market fluctuations.

I have set out the broad framework today. But there are still many details to work out, and MOM and CPF Board will share more when ready.

The Government will continue to do whatever is necessary to help Singaporeans manage cost pressures for as long as it is needed.

Although inflation has eased in recent years, we know that many Singaporeans still face anxieties and pressures. So, we will continue to provide additional support this year.

First, I will provide a Cost-of-Living Special Payment, comprising $200 to $400 in cash, to Singaporean adults earning up to $100,000 in Assessable Income and who do not own more than one property. [Please refer to Annex E-6.]

Second, there will be additional U-Save rebates to help households with their utilities expenses. Eligible HDB households will receive 1.5 times the regular amount of U-Save rebates, or up to $570 this financial year. [Please refer to Annex E-7.]

Third, I will provide another $500 in Community Development Council (CDC) Vouchers [Applause.] for all Singaporean households in January 2027. Similar to previous rounds of CDC Vouchers, half can be used at participating supermarkets, while the other half can be used at participating heartland merchants and hawkers.

Mr Speaker, we will continue to review and enhance our social support system – across education, housing, healthcare and retirement, and for different groups, be it families, parents, seniors, persons with disabilities or caregivers. We will keep working at this, steadily and responsibly, so that Singapore remains an inclusive and united society and a place that we are all proud to call home. [Applause.]

Next, let me touch on security challenges as well as our longer-term sustainability concerns.

The world has never been free of conflict. But in recent years, it has become more dangerous. In 2024 alone, there were 61 state-based armed conflicts worldwide, the highest number recorded since the Second World War.

The conflicts are not confined to distant regions. Closer to home, we witnessed one of the most serious armed clashes involving Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states in years. A long-standing border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand escalated into an open military confrontation – drones, rocket launchers and even fighter jets were deployed. Civilians were wounded, displaced and lives were lost.

These developments are deeply troubling. They reflect a shrinking space for negotiation, a greater willingness to use force, and a higher risk of miscalculation, with consequences that can easily spill across borders.

History has taught us a hard lesson: no one will come to our rescue if Singapore faces a crisis. We alone are responsible for our defence and survival. This is why we must stay vigilant and be prepared for a wider range of security challenges.

Since Independence, we have invested steadily to safeguard Singapore's peace and stability. That has allowed us to adopt new technologies, and build credible and strong capabilities in both the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Home Team.

The recent conflicts we see around us have also underscored how the nature of warfare is changing. Unmanned aerial systems are now a common feature of modern conflict. They are used not only for surveillance, but also for precision strikes, electronic warfare and coordinated operations. Drones are cheaper, more accessible and increasingly sophisticated, allowing even smaller actors to project force in new ways.

We will study these developments carefully. We will invest decisively in capabilities that are essential to Singapore's defence. And that includes strengthening our ability to deploy, counter and operate alongside unmanned systems across all domains.

Beyond the physical battlefield, the digital domain has emerged as an increasingly contested arena. We are seeing a sharp rise in attacks by both state-sponsored and non-state actors in cyberspace. They range from scams targeting individuals, to highly sophisticated attacks on critical information systems.

Singapore is an attractive target. We have faced attacks from malicious cyber actors, including hostile information campaigns and deliberate attempts to undermine our national security.

Over the years, we have strengthened our defences. We established the Cyber Security Agency; built expertise within the Home Team Science and Technology Agency; and stood up the Digital and Intelligence Service in the SAF. These efforts have enabled us to detect, disrupt and fend off many attacks. But the threat landscape continues to evolve, with attacks becoming more frequent, more coordinated and more sophisticated. We will therefore continue to strengthen our cybersecurity posture by deepening capabilities, improving coordination across agencies and better safeguarding our most critical systems.

It is also no longer sufficient to defend government systems alone. Many private sector companies play a critical role in delivering essential services and their systems are likewise vulnerable. The attackers often exploit smaller or less-protected companies as weak links to gain access to larger systems, and cause widespread disruption. Yet many companies lack the resources or expertise to deal with these advanced cyber threats.

So, we will therefore deepen partnerships with industry, especially owners of critical information systems to improve our preparedness and strengthen our collective cyber defence.

All this underscores the importance of sustained investments in our security. For now, we expect to keep defence spending at about 3% of GDP. But we are prepared to spend more if the need arises. Importantly, our security effort goes beyond the Ministry of Defence alone. It also includes investments in the security of our critical infrastructure and in the Home Team. Taken together, we expect overall security-related expenditures to rise in the coming years to keep Singapore safe and secure in a far more complex threat environment.

Beyond immediate security threats, we must also confront a longer-term challenge to Singapore and that is the growing impact of climate change. We are already feeling its effects: higher temperatures, heavier rainfall, and more frequent extreme weather events.

Unfortunately, global momentum on climate action has slowed. At the 30th Conference of the Parties in Brazil last November, countries were unable to agree on concrete decarbonisation roadmaps. At around the same time, the International Maritime Organization delayed adoption of its Net Zero framework, as member states could not reach consensus.

Some governments are scaling back their climate ambitions. But for Singapore, retreating from action is not an option. We will continue to do our part, not only to address climate risks, but also to secure our longer-term resilience and competitiveness.

A key pillar of our climate strategy is the carbon tax. It sends a clear price signal to encourage emissions reduction. This is already having an impact. Firms are investing more in low-carbon solutions, and improving energy efficiency.

We had earlier announced our carbon tax trajectory for this decade. The tax has just been raised to $45 per tonne for this year and next, and the plan is to reach $50 to $80 per tonne by 2030. For HDB households, the additional U-Save rebates that I highlighted earlier will help to cushion the impact of the carbon tax. For businesses, we will extend the Energy Efficiency Grant and support for green loans under the Enterprise Financing Scheme. These will help firms invest in energy-efficient and sustainable solutions.

While Singapore will continue to contribute responsibly to climate action, we recognise that our actions alone cannot determine global outcomes. We will therefore calibrate our moves cautiously, doing our part to reduce emissions as a responsible global citizen, while taking into account what other countries are doing, in order not to put ourselves at a competitive disadvantage.

So, beyond 2027, we are assessing Singapore's carbon tax trajectory carefully, in light of international developments. Singapore already has the highest carbon tax rate in the whole of Asia. If global climate momentum continues to weaken, we may need to position ourselves towards the lower end of the $50 to $80 per tonne range by 2030.

Looking further ahead, our path to net zero will depend heavily on technological breakthroughs and sustained international cooperation. Without these, it will be increasingly difficult for a small, resource-constrained country like Singapore to move further on our own. The progress of our transition to net zero may therefore be uneven. But our efforts will be credible, forward-looking and aligned with global realities.

Even amidst these uncertainties, we continue to make concrete progress. For example, on clean energy, our sustained push to expand solar deployment is delivering results. We have reached our 2030 solar deployment target of two gigawatt-peak ahead of schedule. We will therefore raise the target to three gigawatt-peak by 2030. Beyond that, we will continue to maximise solar deployment across all viable surfaces and progressively set more ambitious targets further into the future.

We are also advancing plans to import low-carbon electricity from the region. They are at various stages of development. While not all will materialise, those that do will help to reduce our carbon footprint and strengthen our energy resilience.

Importantly, we are actively pursuing possibilities to further diversify our energy mix, be it through hydrogen, geothermal energy, or civilian nuclear power. We are building up capabilities in nuclear energy to be able to assess its safety and viability for Singapore. We have initiated cooperation with the US and France, and are discussing similar arrangements with other partners like South Korea.

In transport, we remain committed to achieving 100% cleaner vehicles by 2040. Incentives are in place to encourage early adoption of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure is being expanded nation-wide.

We are also greening our aviation and maritime sectors. In aviation, we are supporting demand for sustainable aviation fuel, with a target of 1% sustainable fuel use for flights departing Singapore this year.

In shipping, we are partnering industry to develop a low-carbon ammonia bunkering solution on Jurong Island. If successful, Singapore will be among the first countries in the world to supply ammonia commercially as a fuel for international shipping.

Sir, the years ahead will be beset by uncertainties, from geopolitical tensions to cyber threats and climate risks. We will face these challenges squarely and overcome them one by one. That is how we will move forward, steadily and decisively, to build a safer and more sustainable home for generations to come.

Singapore's greatest strength lies not just in our policies and plans, but in the spirit of our people. Time and again, we have defied the odds – not by chance, but by standing together as one people, especially in our most testing moments, whether it be Separation or financial crises or the current geopolitical uncertainties.

Around the world, we see growing polarisation and a tendency for groups to turn on each other. Many societies are becoming more divided and more ungovernable. We cannot let this happen in Singapore. So, in this Budget, we will continue to invest in renewing and strengthening the bonds that bind us.

Our shared bonds are strong today. But they were not formed overnight, nor by chance. They were built patiently and deliberately, generation after generation.

Our arts and heritage play a vital role in this journey. They help us understand where we came from, express who we are today, and imagine who we can become as a people. Multiculturalism is a defining part of our identity. We cherish and embrace our distinct cultural traditions and heritage, even as we continue to build common ground and a shared identity that unites us as Singaporeans.

Our cultural and heritage institutions embody this approach – celebrating the richness of each community, while expressing our distinctive Singaporean identity. We will continue to strengthen these institutions. We will open the revamped Malay Heritage Centre later this year. We will work with the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre to expand its reach and engagement. The Indian Heritage Centre just marked its 10th anniversary, and we will provide further support to enhance its outreach and programming.

Sport is another powerful force that brings Singaporeans together. Through sport, we learn resilience, teamwork and the determination to press on even when the odds are stacked against us. We will continue to roll out the Sports Facilities Master Plan, so that Singaporeans can more easily access affordable and quality sports facilities.

In the coming years, we will open the new Punggol Regional Sport Centre, the Toa Payoh Integrated Development, sport facilities in Farrer Park and Tengah, as well as revamped sport centres in Hougang and Queenstown. We will also expand the Dual-Use Scheme, so that Singaporeans can conveniently access sports facilities in schools. We will complement these facilities with more sports programming, bringing Singaporeans of all ages and abilities together through shared participation.

On the foundation of our shared bonds, we must continue to nurture a strong sense of solidarity. We see this in giving, volunteering and everyday acts of kindness. These actions break down barriers, draw us closer, and remind us that we are all in this together. They form the foundation of a "we first" society. The Government will do our part to encourage and support this.

Today, we provide 250% tax deductions for qualifying donations to Institutions of a Public Character (IPCs) and eligible institutions. We will extend this scheme for another three years until end-2029.

Beyond financial contributions, many Singaporeans give something equally valuable – their time and skills through volunteering. This spirit of giving can be strengthened when companies make it easier for their employees to serve the community. That is why the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and the National Council of Social Service have been working closely with professional groups and industry bodies to encourage businesses to integrate giving, volunteering and socially responsible practices into their operations.

To support these efforts, the Government earlier introduced the Corporate Volunteer Scheme, which provides 250% tax deductions when employees volunteer or are seconded to IPCs. We will extend this Corporate Volunteer Scheme for another three years until end-2029.

Singaporeans also contribute by starting ground-up initiatives to meet community needs. The Government supports such efforts through the "Our Singapore Fund". Since its introduction in 2016, the fund has supported over 800 ground-up projects, from community-building and sports, to municipal and digital readiness initiatives.

One example is "Little Hands, Big Hearts SG". It is an initiative by Kaizen and Kay, aged 7 and 9, together with their parents, to involve others in monthly community service projects. Their first project focussed on fire safety awareness. They designed a poster and worked with the Nee Soon Town Council to display it at Housing and Development Board (HDB) lift lobbies. They also brought other children and their families to visit Yishun Fire Station, where they presented care packs and handmade gifts to the officers on duty.

They have more projects in the pipeline: from a beach clean-up and support for seniors, to donating school supplies to children and writing appreciation cards to our migrant workers. It is a wonderful example that shows anyone, no matter how young, can step up to make a difference.

Last year alone, the Our Singapore Fund received more than 250 applications. At the same time, we have heard feedback on how the fund can be improved, including the need for larger grant amounts, longer funding horizons and broader eligibility.

So, we will launch a new $50 million SG Partnerships Fund. This is to catalyse ground-up initiatives and help them build sustained capabilities and impact. The new fund will provide differentiated tiers of funding over different time frames, including grants of up to $1 million for larger, multi-year projects.

We will also continue to partner our youths and open up more avenues for them to shape Singapore's future. Youth Panels have enabled young Singaporeans to work with the Government on issues that matter to them. In the first round, 120 youths contributed across four Panels. We will launch the next round of Youth Panels later this year, enabling more young people to step forward and make a difference.

The Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth will share more details on these initiatives at the Committee of Supply.

Sir, our forefathers understood that Singapore's success would ultimately depend on unity, not just shared prosperity but also shared responsibility. This conviction is captured in our Pledge, which begins with "we", and affirms that we are "one united people".

That sense of togetherness has carried us through uncertainty and brought us this far. If we continue to invest in one another – strengthening our bonds, looking out for those around us and putting the common good first, we can face the future with confidence and build a Singapore that endures and thrives. [Applause.]

Now, let me touch on our fiscal position. Our prudent fiscal approach remains one of Singapore's core strengths. We manage our public finances with discipline and care, ensuring that revenues are sufficient to meet expenditures, and that every dollar is used responsibly, for the benefit of both present and future generations.

The changes we made in the last term of Government have put Singapore on a healthy and sound fiscal footing. We have a tax and transfer system that is fair, progressive and anchored on shared responsibility. That gives us the capability and confidence to move forward.

This year, I will adjust vehicle taxes.

Currently, car buyers are taxed through the Additional Registration Fee. To encourage timely renewal of the vehicle population so that it is safer and less pollutive, we provide a Preferential Additional Registration Fee (PARF) rebate for cars deregistered by their 10th year. This is sized as a percentage of the Additional Registration Fee paid. Electric vehicles (EVs) are less pollutive than conventional petrol cars. As EVs become more common, the need to encourage early deregistration through the PARF rebate is reduced.

Therefore, I will reduce the PARF rebate by 45 percentage points. I will also lower the PARF rebate cap from $60,000 to $30,000. This will apply to all cars registered with Certificates of Entitlement obtained from the next bidding exercise.

Next, to discourage the consumption of tobacco products, I will implement a 20% increase in tobacco excise duty across all tobacco products with effect from today. The details of these tax changes are in the Annex. [Please refer to Annex H-1.]

Sir, let me summarise our fiscal position. For Financial Year (FY) 2025, we expect higher revenues. This is partly due to the better-than-expected economic performance, which I shared earlier.

Another key driver is the increase in our Corporate Income Tax collections. In FY2024, Corporate Income Tax contributed 4% of GDP – significantly higher than in past years. I talked about this in our last Budget. Based on the latest estimates, we expect Corporate Income Tax collections to increase further in FY2025.

We also saw higher asset-related revenue collections such as Vehicle Quota Premiums and Stamp Duty, driven by strong demand for private vehicles and properties. Therefore, I expect to end FY2025 with a surplus of $15.1 billion, or 1.9% of GDP. For FY2026, I expect a smaller surplus of $8.5 billion, or 1% of GDP.

Our approach remains to keep the budget balanced over time, and across the ups and downs of the economic cycle. [Please refer to Annex H-2.]

Looking beyond this Budget, our public finances remain sound and resilient. On the revenue side, we will proceed with the implementation of the Top-up Tax under Pillar Two of Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS). This will raise the effective tax rate for large multinational enterprises operating in Singapore to 15%. So, we expect higher corporate tax collections from FY2027 onwards.

At the same time, our spending needs will grow across multiple fronts.

First, on external relations and security. We will need to invest more in expanding our overseas partnerships, and in building up deeper capabilities to keep Singapore safe and prepared for emerging threats.

Second, on the economic front. Even with the BEPS initiative, many other countries are rolling out generous incentives to re-shore and on-shore major investments. That is the reality of today's competitive landscape. To remain attractive and stay in the game, we must update and strengthen our investment promotion toolkit. That is one reason why MTI's expenditure has risen sharply in this Budget and why it is likely to remain elevated in the years ahead.

Third, on social needs. We had anticipated higher spending for healthcare and provided for it through the GST rate increase. But healthcare is not the only social need we must address. We also need to strengthen assurance for families, enhance social mobility and boost retirement adequacy so that Singaporeans can face each stage of life with confidence and peace of mind.

Finally, we must prepare for longer-term challenges. We have set aside resources through specific funds for major future needs, including critical infrastructure investments for our energy transition and coastal protection. In this Budget, we will make further top-ups to the relevant funds to support the development of Changi Airport, as well as our longer-term economic strategies.

We therefore expect both revenues and expenditures to continue rising. The Government will manage this increase carefully, ensuring that spending remains supported by revenues and consistent with our objective of maintaining a balanced Budget over the medium term.

Sir, our sound public finances give us the ability to act decisively and to invest where it matters most. This puts Singapore in a very different position from many other countries, where governments are constrained by debt and deficit pressures, and forced into difficult trade-offs over what to cut.

In contrast, we begin this term of Government in Singapore on a firm fiscal footing. We are therefore able to invest meaningfully and responsibly in policies and programmes that benefit all Singaporeans – now and in the years ahead.

Mr Speaker, Singapore has come a long way from its humble and tumultuous beginnings.

I recently visited an exhibition at the National Gallery organised by the Founders' Memorial. It takes us back to Singapore in the 1950s to the 1970s, and traces how our pioneers forged a shared identity amid diversity and uncertainty. One display revisits the Aneka Ragam Rakyat, or the People's Cultural Concerts, organised by the then Ministry of Culture shortly after we attained self-government. At one of these concerts, Mr Lee Kuan Yew addressed the crowd and described Singaporeans as "not mere spectators", but "active participants" in building a nation that belonged to all.

Indeed, Singapore has come so far only because generations of Singaporeans stepped forward. They took responsibility, contributed what they could and did their part to shape our collective future. That same spirit is alive today, especially amongst our youths.

Take for example Ayuni Nur Izyanti Md Zuraimi. Ayuni discovered her passion for volunteering at 15. Together with four friends, she started a non-profit called You(th) Can Do It . It connects youths with volunteer opportunities across different organisations via Telegram. Now 19 and studying Medical Biotechnology at Temasek Polytechnic, she continues to volunteer regularly with her friends, tutoring primary school students from disadvantaged families, and cleaning the homes of senior citizens.

There is also Shantini D/O Subramaniam. From a young age, Shantini helped care for her brother who has cerebral palsy and relies on a motorised wheelchair. That experience instilled in her a deep commitment to serve others. At just 11, she began volunteering at the Sree Narayana Mission Nursing Home. Today, at 23 and studying nursing at NUS, she leads the operations for Project Caring Hearts, a volunteer initiative that supports palliative patients through befriending programmes and community outreach.

Then there is Josef Tan Kai Heng. He first became active in community service while studying Electrical Engineering at ITE College West, volunteering with the Heartware Network. Two years ago, he joined a non-profit group as a volunteer to teach migrant workers digital skills. Now 19 and a Computer Engineering student at Singapore Polytechnic, he remains deeply committed to this cause, driven by his belief that migrant workers, who have contributed so much to Singapore's development, also deserve opportunities to upskill and progress.

These stories differ in form, but they are united in spirit. They remind us that nation-building has never been the work of a few, or of one generation alone. It is the cumulative effort of ordinary Singaporeans who choose, in their own ways, to step forward and make a difference.

Today, this sense of shared responsibility matters more than ever. We cannot afford to be mere spectators. We must be active participants, looking out for one another, strengthening our social bonds, and contributing to a Singapore that belongs to all of us.

This is the conviction that underpins Budget 2026. It is a Budget to support Singaporeans today, prepare our society for tomorrow and enable us to navigate this changed world with confidence. Together we will secure a stronger, fairer and brighter future for all.

Mr Speaker, I beg to move. [Applause.]

The Question is, "That Parliament approves the financial policy of the Government for the Financial Year 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026."

In accordance with paragraph (1) of Standing Order No 89, the debate now stands adjourned. Debate to be resumed on what day, Prime Minister?

Tuesday, 24 February 2026, Sir.

So be it. Leader.

[(proc text) Resolved, "That at its rising today, Parliament do stand adjourned to 24 February 2026." – [Ms Indranee Rajah]. (proc text)]

Mr Speaker, I move, "That Parliament do now adjourn."

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

Mr Kenneth Tiong.

That is quite an act to follow but I will try.

Speaker, an industrial policy in finance may seem a contradiction in terms, but it is not. The most consequential 20th century financial industrial policy was built by the British on the then undisputed reserve asset – the United States (US) dollar.

Once, in 1933, the US imposed Regulation Q, capping interest rates that American banks could pay. By the late 1960s, the ceiling was 4%, while three-month Treasury Bills approached 7%. Dollars held offshore, especially in London, escaped this cap. This offshore dollar market became known as the Euro dollar market.

The British did four things.

First, deliberate forbearance. Choosing not to regulate offshore dollar deposits.

Second, active defence. When G-10 central banks proposed international regulation in the 1970s, the Bank of England blocked it.

Third, direct participation. Central banks provided official deposits of 20% of net market and currency swaps with domestic banks.

Fourth, after the 1974 banking crises, the G-10 Basel communiqué constructed an implicit lender-of-last-resort guarantee.

The result: London became the global centre for dollar financing. By the mid-1980s, there were more Euro dollars than dollars. The Euro dollar market increased the appeal of dollar holdings, deepening the liquidity for American borrowing. This privileged position, London held for many decades.

What is instructive is that the British reinvented London's proposition amidst the decline of sterling. Nostalgia is not a strategy. They re-positioned for their emerging present.

Today, we have another emerging present. Then, interest rate caps created a push factor for the world's reserve asset to move offshore. Today's push factor is not yield. It is custody risk – the question of whether your reserves are still yours when the politics turn; and the emerging reserve asset seeking an offshore home is not dollars. It is gold.

Two forces are driving this shift.

First, access to funds has become conditional on political alignment. In 2022, Western nations froze over $300 billion in Russian sovereign assets. We rightly condemn the invasion of Ukraine, but the knock-on effect on Western financial centrality is real. Trust in those systems has diminished.

Second, market participants are pricing in US asset risk in a way they did not before the 2020s. Some call it a "Sell America" dynamic.

Central banks are responding with their feet. Gold purchases have exceeded 1,000 tonnes annually for three consecutive years, more than double the 2010 to 2021 average.

The World Gold Council's 2025 survey shows 73% of central banks expect fewer US dollar holdings over five years; 95% expect to increase gold over 2025 to 2026.

What makes this structural is the price insensitivity. There are few good alternatives for a reserve asset. Central banks bought at $2,000 an ounce, at $3,000 an ounce, at $4,000 an ounce. And gold crossed $5,000 in January. These are sovereigns seeking safety over returns.

But if gold is becoming a reserve asset, it will need to be financialised. Later, I will describe what that means in five pillars.

First, let us assess some major gold hubs of today. London, New York and Dubai.

London is the central gold pricing venue and is one of the world's major custodians for the world's central banks, via the Bank of England vaults. It offers unmatched liquidity for gold, especially for the 400 oz "large bars" used by central banks.

It is the home of the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), which controls the global "good delivery" standard. This certificate is important for liquidity amongst major financial centres.

In February 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the G7 immobilised $300 billion in Russian central bank reserves within weeks. The LBMA suspended all six Russian refiners from the Good Delivery list. The message: custody and market access are conditional on political alignment.

Central banks have responded. In 2024, India repatriated 100 tonnes of gold from the Bank of England to domestic vaults – its largest movement since 1991. Germany, Hungary, Turkey and the Netherlands have done the same over the past decade. The repatriation trend is accelerating.

The case of New York is a puzzle. In the lead-up to Liberation Day in April 2025, as tariff fears spiked, the exchange-for-physical (EFP) basis, which is the spread between New York COMEX futures and London over-the-counter (OTC) gold, blew out to $60 per ounce – the widest since the 2020 COVID-19 panic. This led to COMEX vaults in New York hitting a record 43 million ounces. For a moment, most of the world's financialised gold was in New York, rather than its typical home in London. New York had custody over both today's reserve asset and tomorrow's, simultaneously.

Consider the counterfactual. A US Federal Reserve (the Fed) gold repo window, accepting COMEX gold warrants as collateral. Strong financing terms could have made New York the permanent home for monetary gold, since much of it was already in COMEX vaults.

Now, it is true that the Fed conventionally runs repo backstops on Treasuries, agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS). But that is already an expanded listing over pure Treasuries, pre-2008. So, why not COMEX gold warrants? They had the moment – and did not act.

So, there is no appetite, not yet, to backstop gold in New York. Deep markets, but no lender of last resort.

Asset holders must also weigh the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tail risk. The executive powers used to impose tariffs in February 2025 could be turned on foreign-held assets.

Today, only the US can offer a sovereign repo on gold as they have the reserve currency. So, if they do not backstop gold, financialisation will likely not proceed on single sovereign rails.

Dubai is closest to what we could build. Aggressive infrastructure: vaults, multiple refineries, direct African sourcing and the natural catchment of India. It is estimated that Dubai handles upwards of 15% of global physical gold trade. In 2023, the United Arab Emirates overtook the United Kingdom to become the world's second-largest gold trading hub.

Dubai offers proximity to supply and demand, but also to Gulf conflict dynamics. Singapore offers a trusted node to multiple parties.

Dubai has captured volume partly through more permissive sourcing standards. That is not our game – our competitive advantage is rigor and any visible compliance failure on money-laundering would destroy the credibility we hope to sell.

But this is not zero-sum competition. The shift to gold is large enough for multiple hubs. And the market interest already exists.

Deputy Prime Minister Gan said in response to my January Parliamentary Question about critical minerals financing, that the Government will act "when there is sufficient market interest." Well, the interest is here. In the second quarter of 2025, gold investment in Singapore surged 37% year-on-year. SPDR Gold Shares recorded S$309 million in net inflows in the first half of 2025 – the highest of any Singapore-listed Exchange Traded Fund (ETF). The Singapore Mint launched its Lion Bullion line in September, explicitly citing strong investor demand. Private vaults are expanding: The Reserve opened last year with capacity for 15,500 tonnes.

The market is here. And so is the chance.

In that same Parliamentary Question I posed to the Ministry of Trade and Industry in January, I asked why our framework for metal warrant financing is under-utilised. The response from the Ministry framed it in terms of the base metals, by referring to the London Metal Exchange (LME) ecosystem, which handles the six primary base metals – copper, zinc, aluminum, nickel, lead, tin. But not gold.

I had in mind gold, not base metals. Gold operates through the LBMA – different rules, different warehousing, different settlement – and requires purpose-built architecture.

Singapore's gold infrastructure, with respect, is minimal. We have one LBMA-approved refinery – Metalor, Swiss-owned. Central Provident Fund members investing in gold through SPDR Gold Shares will see that gold held in London and New York vaults.

What is puzzling is that Singapore also seems to be on the other side of the trend. The World Gold Council's central-bank gold statistics for May 2025 state that year-to-date 2025, Singapore was the second-largest net seller at 10 tonnes, behind Uzbekistan, and that the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) sold five tonnes in May.

Keep in mind that this was when gold, averagely, was about US$3,300 per troy oz. Gold today trades at US$5,000 per troy oz, 50% higher than where MAS was sold it, if this report is true. MAS' own disclosures confirm this: gold holdings fell by 849,000 troy ounces from January 2025 to January 2026.

So, could the Government confirm whether this is true? If so, why does it hold such a contrarian view relative to most global central banks? Does it have a framework for thinking about gold's role in tomorrow's reserve system?

Sir, let me describe what an industrial policy in gold would look like, in five elements.

First, a Sovereign Guarantee. The core asset Singapore can offer is not location or tax rates. It is legal predictability – the credible commitment that asset treatment follows established judicial process, not executive discretion.

We have already done it once before. In January 2020, Singapore enacted the International Organisations (Immunities and Privileges) (Bank for International Settlements) Order. It states that property and assets entrusted to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), quote, "wherever located, by whomsoever held and in whatever format, are immune from search, requisition, confiscation, expropriation or any other form of seizure, taking or foreclosure, by any form of legal process."

That is the gold standard, forgive the expression, for custody protection. The question is: why only BIS? Singapore should consider a Reserves Custody Protection Act, or an amendment to the MAS Act, establishing that custody arrangements are governed by Singapore law and due process, immunising it from executive discretion. The principle is legal certainty.

We should be a top choice for jurisdictions seeking diversified custody. Sovereign guarantees are best implemented via sovereign vaults in the same vein as the Bank of England, rather than outsourcing capacity to private parties, as Zurich has done.

Second, a Sovereign Anchor. If 73% of central banks expect to increase gold holdings, Singapore should be among them, not amongst the sellers. MAS reserves held in Singapore vaults create the base load that foreign participants need to see. The Euro dollar market had central banks providing 20% of net demand. We should do the same.

Third, Refining, Sourcing, Verification. It is one thing to have custody, but to have trusted custody requires the above.

Recasting connects markets. Western central banks hold 400-ounce bars. Yet, Asian retail buys kilobars. To connect these markets, you need recasting capacity. You need refineries. Singapore has only one. Dubai built multiple refineries with no mining industry. We should expand refining capacity and establish direct relationships with miners in Africa, Australia, Indonesia, and strengthen existing ones with the bullion banks. Precious metals streaming – providing upfront capital to miners in exchange for future production at agreed prices – is one proven vehicle for building those relationships.

Assaying builds trust. Tungsten has nearly identical density to gold – counterfeits exist. In 2020, China's Kingold was accused of pledging gilded-copper "gold" as collateral for 20bn yuan in loans, turning "gold receipts" into a major credit-fraud event. Robust verification through X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and ultrasound should be part of the chain, if possible, non-destructively to preserve provenance, but if necessary, destructively by recasting. Not just "is it stored?" but "is it real?" Singapore should build a reputation for rigorous verification that makes our warehouse receipts bankable.

And in our warehouses or vaults, we need strong verification standards, to be able to financialise a wide net of gold collateral, the LBMA-approved and those outside the LBMA system alike. Digital warehouse receipts issued under Singapore standards should be legally enforceable claims.

Fourth, our own standard. The LBMA sets the global Good Delivery standard. It is valuable. We should emulate it. Create a Singapore Bullion Standards Authority. Launch an Asian Good Delivery standard accepted by major exchanges. Competition between standards is healthy. We should aim to make our standard inter-operable with LBMA, possibly as a custody wrapper on top of LBMA.

To illustrate: within the CME Group, gold receives different treatment depending on standard. COMEX warrants are valid collateral for customer accounts, while London LBMA bullion is not. We would be selling liquidity: the guarantee that gold with the Singapore custody stamp can be used as collateral, that banks will lend against it, that it trades on major exchanges.

Beyond custody: liquid markets for price discovery and financing against verified collateral. We can be a multicurrency hub for gold financing – swapping it for US dollar, renminbi, or other currencies of choice.

Fifth, we should revive the GOFO, the Gold Forward Offered Rate, and the derivatives architecture it enables. GOFO was the benchmark interest rate at which banks lent gold. The LBMA published it daily until 2015, when it was discontinued – not because the market no longer needed it, but as collateral damage from the London Inter-Bank Offered Rate (LIBOR) scandal.

Its main practical use was enabling interest rate swaps on gold. Consider a gold producer hedging future production over five years. The conventional instrument is a long-dated forward – locking in a price to sell gold years from now. The problem is that if gold moves from $3,000 to $5,000, the mark-to-market between counterparties swings accordingly, and that exposure sits unsettled for years. The result is large, volatile collateral calls and significant counterparty credit risk.