Hansard, Monday, 26 July 2021

1 Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Health with regard to the Government’s COVID-19 strategy in the long term when the virus becomes endemic, what steps are being taken to develop medical treatment options for patients infected with the virus in future.

2 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Health (a) how extensive is wastewater testing for traces of COVID-19 being currently conducted across the various HDB and private housing estates in Singapore; and (b) what are the lessons learned from wastewater testing in recent COVID-19 cases in Hougang and Yishun.

3 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Health with regard to the mandatory 14-day COVID-19 testing for businesses in high-risk settings (a) whether the Government will provide assistance to one-man operations to help them comply with the new regulations; and (b) what form of supervision is there over their swabs.

4 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Health whether the Ministry has considered revising the guidelines on indoor versus outdoor masking protocols in light of emerging evidence that outdoor transmission rates tend to be significantly lower than indoor transmission.

5 Ms Raeesah Khan asked the Minister for Health as Singapore moves towards an endemic strategy in dealing with COVID-19 (a) whether a decrease in the number of COVID-19-related temporary roles can be expected; (b) whether the demand for such roles will be expected to vary based on the prevailing COVID-19 situation; and (c) what are the Ministry's plans to maintain flexibility in our COVID-19 response in terms of staffing so as to be able to scale up operations should the situation require it.

Mr Deputy Speaker, may I answer Question Nos 1 to 5 in my Ministerial Statement later, please?

Yes, proceed. Question No 6, Mr Saktiandi Supaat.

6 Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether the Ministry is able to do more to limit the number of +65 scam calls made to unsuspecting Singaporeans; and (b) whether the Ministry and local telcos can expand its scam awareness outreach efforts offline particularly to the elderly who have no knowledge of such apps.

Mr Deputy Speaker, the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) work closely with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams to strengthen our whole-of-Government efforts to protect Singaporeans against scams. One key initiative, which the Member cited is our effort to combat scam phone calls from overseas. The +65 prefix which we implemented with telecommunication companies (telcos) in April last year helps to alert the public that these are calls coming from overseas and that the public should not pick up such calls if they are not expecting anyone calling from overseas. This is part of our broader anti-scam efforts, including the expeditious blocking of known numbers used to perpetuate scams or those attempting to spoof the numbers of Government agencies.

IMDA will continue to work with telcos on solutions that telcos can deploy within their networks to enhance their ability to detect and block suspected scam calls, while ensuring that genuine calls continue to be efficiently connected.

The technological solutions that we implement need to be complemented by measures to heighten the awareness and vigilance of the public. In this spirit, IMDA teaches seniors cyber safety tips such as how to identify spoofed scam calls via its Seniors Go Digital programme. The Government has also partnered key stakeholders like the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), banks and telcos to disseminate anti-scam messages. These efforts take place online and offline, in order to reach out to a wider audience, including vulnerable segments in our society.

For instance, the Police work with Residents’ Committees and grassroots volunteers to spread scam alerts to residents, including senior citizens, via WhatsApp and community events like block parties, roadshows, festive events and Community Safety and Security Programmes. The NCPC’s crime prevention ambassadors also reach out to seniors to share crime prevention tips at various community events.

A vigilant public remains critical in our defence against scams. We urge members of the public to join in the fight against scams by looking out for family members and for one another.

I would like to thank the Senior Minister of State for the answer. I have two supplementary questions. I believe many Members in this House have asked this question about the +65 scam calls. The first question I have is, I have been receiving a lot of questions from residents about the +65 scam calls and it seems that the trend has increased quite significantly. So, the first question is whether MCI and MHA would look into blocking the source of these +65 calls in a more concerted way.

Secondly, how much more can we educate our elderly residents and even young residents or adults who may unsuspectingly pick these calls up and combined with scam and phishing efforts of these perpetrators, lead to further worsening exposure of our residents to such efforts.

Mr Deputy Speaker, indeed, the Ministries and agencies involved will continue to monitor and are concerned about an increased trend in attempted scam calls and spoof calls using the +65 prefix. We will try to work upstream.

There is unfortunately a problem in that there are also legitimate calls that will end up using the +65 prefix, for example, Singaporeans who are roaming overseas and calling back home. But we will continue our efforts and we are as concerned as the Member.

As far as education, indeed, that is the key. The main prevention is going to be the vigilance of the public, the awareness of what a scam might look like, what they may be trying to get away with. In this, the education and outreach is not confined only to the specifics of a scam call or a spoof call, as our general efforts to education the public around using online technologies, digital technologies – which are often what the scam calls are trying to extract value from; as people have a comfort and understanding about those things; they will become more vigilant, more understanding about what is possible and what needs to be protected in this space. We thank all stakeholders in our community who have helped to spread the word on this.

7 Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked the Prime Minister (a) in the last six months, whether there is an increase in successful bank-related cyber scams or unauthorised bank transactions involving victims not divulging their OTPs, IDs or passwords to scammers; (b) who bears the financial loss when the unauthorised transaction is not due to the banks’ lapses or non-compliance with Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) rules and the consumer has not given his login information to a third party; and (c) whether victims who suffer financial loss can be given financial help during the period of investigation and recovery.

Mr Deputy Speaker, I am taking this question on behalf of the Senior Minister and Minister-in-charge of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Generally, consumers who have suffered financial losses from fraudulent transactions are protected as long as they have acted responsibly.

For online card transactions, if a merchant has not adopted a system which requires consumers to authorise transactions using one-time passwords (OTPs), a consumer will not be liable for an unauthorised transaction. For lost or stolen cards, a consumer’s liability is capped at $100 for lost or stolen cards, provided he or she has not been careless and has reported the loss promptly.

Likewise, for non-card e-payments, consumers who have practised proper cyber hygiene and have not been negligent will not be liable for any losses arising from unauthorised transactions that do not exceed $1,000. For unauthorised transactions exceeding this limit, financial institutions will investigate further on the root cause of the issue before liability is established. Where the unauthorised transaction arose because of lapses or non-compliance with MAS’ rules by the financial institution, the consumer will not be liable.

The question raised by Ms Yeo pertains to a situation where neither the consumer nor the financial institution is at fault. Specifically, the consumer has not given out his credentials to a scammer and there were no lapses or non-compliance on the part of the financial institution. Between September 2020 and February 2021, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) received a total of 89 reports of fraudulent card transactions performed with SMS OTPs, where victims claimed that they neither performed the transactions nor received any SMS OTPs to authorise the transactions. While these cases represent less than 0.1% of fraudulent online card transactions reported and the number of cases has come down since March 2021, it is nonetheless concerning.

SPF and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) are investigating these cases. MAS has however asked financial institutions to step up vigilance towards such fraud. Financial institutions have put in place additional measures, such as rejecting card payments made to common merchants previously linked to the unauthorised transactions or placing limits on the transaction amounts that consumers can transact with such merchants.

MAS also expects financial institutions to ensure that consumers are treated fairly whilst investigations are ongoing. For instance, banks have waived finance charges and late fees on the outstanding amounts or offered temporary goodwill credits on the consumers’ credit cards in the interim. For those who wish to settle on the issue, banks may also offer partial waiver of the disputed amounts, taking into consideration individual circumstances, such as financial hardship and whether there were indicators of negligence by the consumers.

MAS is working with the industry to review the existing framework to provide greater clarity on the responsibilities and liabilities of consumers and financial institutions in the case of fraudulent payment transactions. The review will include the scenario where neither the consumer nor the financial institution was remiss in allowing the fraud to occur, the scenario that Ms Yeo had asked about. The framework should provide a balance of incentives for all parties to do their part in preventing fraudulent transactions, while ensuring that consumers who are not at fault are protected.

Thank you, Sir and also, thank you to the Minister for his comprehensive answer. I have one supplementary question. I have seen over the past few months a rise in the number of appeal cases from my residents who have fallen victim to such cyber crimes. They tell me that they have not received any OTPs nor have they divulged their bank account information or credit card information unwittingly. When they go to their banks for investigation, their banks' usual response is that they have divulged their OTPs and hence, the victim, not the bank, is responsible for the loss.

One of my residents, who is a retiree, lost over $10,000 in a string of transactions and she is very sure that she has never given her OTP once, if any. Another resident has told me he has merely done one banking transaction online with a payment platform and before he knew it, he had $1,000 missing from his bank account.

Given the push towards online financial transactions and digital banking, what are the measures that the Ministry has put in place, especially with the banks and financial institutions, to ensure that our citizens are made aware of these fast-evolving banking and credit card scams?

Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank Ms Yeo for the supplementary question. I am sorry to hear about her residents who have been victims of these fraud cases.

As I cited just now in my reply, if you look at the overall statistics, the numbers have not been rising and the overall numbers are small as a percentage of transactions. Nevertheless, as I highlighted, this is concerning and we are doing a few things.

One, Police and IMDA are investigating these specific cases that have arisen and they will find out, try to determine what exactly has happened so that we can get to the root of it.

Two, MAS has also asked the financial institutions to step up vigilance, as I highlighted just now. So, they are putting in place additional measures, including making consumers more aware of such possible frauds that may happen.

Thirdly, as I also highlighted, we are working with the industry through the Payments Council to review the framework to provide greater clarity should instances arise where both the financial institution and consumer say, "Look, we did not do anything" and the consumer says, "I never revealed any OTP", as what Ms Yeo said her residents claimed. So, the banks too have put in place sufficient safeguards, complied with all the rules. What exactly went wrong there? We will have to find out but should such an incident arise and we hope in the future, less and less of it will happen, but should such an incident arise, then, we are looking at the review to see how we can provide greater clarity on the responsibilities of both parties – the banks as well as the consumers – in order to resolve such incidents.

But certainly, we want to see fewer of such incidents and the reviews and investigations by the Police and IMDA and the safeguards that MAS is putting in place with the financial institutions will hopefully result in fewer incidents in the future.

Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I just have a few questions.

First of all, my resident is also one of the victims. I would like to ask might MAS know what is the total value involved in that 89 cases spoken about? Two, these are hard-earned monies, so, I am wondering whether for some of the fraud cases where the amount that is being cheated, if it is below a certain amount, can the bank just write it off first, so that it reduces the stress on the poor victims. And thirdly, I am glad to know of the review; I am just wondering if there is an indication of the timeline for when this will be done? Technology is fast evolving and so is the nature of crime. So, the faster we can react to this, the lesser the number of victims that we will have.

Mr Deputy Speaker, on the first question, I do not have the figures of the amounts that were involved in these 89 cases. The Member can file a separate question and we can always provide that data.

On the second question, indeed, the banks do offer a waiver of the disputed amounts and if there are specific cases that the Member knows about, please let us know. We will be able to look at them on a case-by-case basis, raising this with the banks because, on such instances, they are prepared to offer waiver of the disputed amounts, as I have said, taking into account the individual circumstances of the victims involved.

On the third question, on the timeline, we are working towards a review and an outcome by the end of the year. So, we are doing as fast as we can.

Assoc Prof Jamus Lim.

Deputy Speaker, I am wondering if the Minister can clarify the extent to which a much more robust legislation, along the lines of what we see in terms of the Consumer Credit Protection Act of 1968 in the US, has been seriously considered and examined by MAS and the Ministry. For those of us that have spent some time in the US, we would be aware of the enormous comfort that is provided by the kind of consumer protection legislation where, at the very least, it means that the amount of liabilities that are faced are often capped at a certain amount, once evidence of fraud has been established. So, I wonder if the Minister can elaborate on legislative efforts along this front.

Mr Deputy Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, we are doing a review together with the industry to look at the existing framework holistically and we will not rule out whether or not legislative changes are required. But we will look at it holistically and see how best we can move forward on this issue, providing assurance to consumers but also ensuring a balance of incentives for all parties to do their part in preventing fraudulent transactions.

Dr Tan Wu Meng, next question, please.

8 Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Transport (a) what is the cause of the accident at the Bukit Batok Bus Interchange on 11 July 2021; (b) what contributing factors had led to one of the buses reportedly falling two metres and onto its side; (c) what is being done to support and help the persons injured; and (d) whether bus interchange designs undergo stress-test evaluation to assess for potential modes of accidents and consequences thereof.

9 Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Minister for Transport (a) how many cases of accidents involving public transport buses have occurred in the last few years and whether such cases have increased; (b) what is the range of causes of such incidents; and (c) what mitigating measures can be taken to minimise these types of incidents happening so as to reduce the risk of injuries and fatalities to commuters and pedestrians.

10 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Transport (a) in the past five years, what is the number of accidents reported within bus interchanges and bus depots; (b) how many of these accidents have been due to speeding or blind spots; and (c) what are the safety measures put in place at bus interchanges and bus depots to prevent accidents.

Mr Deputy Speaker, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 8, 9 and 10 together?

Yes, please.

Thank you, Sir. On 11 July 2021, an accident occurred at the Bukit Batok Bus Interchange when a bus that was making a turn within the interchange hit another bus that had just entered the interchange. Following the incident, a bus captain was placed under arrest by the Traffic Police and has been temporarily suspended from active duty by Tower Transit Singapore. The Traffic Police is investigating the accident. As investigations are ongoing, I would refrain from commenting on the cause and contributing factors for the accident.

SBS Transit and Tower Transit Singapore have been in close contact with the passengers and the two injured bus captains, including rendering help to facilitate their medical and insurance claims. The National Transport Workers Union is also working with operators to provide support for the bus captains.

Sir, safety is a key priority for the Government and public transport operators. Bus interchanges are designed to ensure safe movement of passengers and bus captains. Prior to the commencement of operations, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) conducts analyses and trials to ensure that buses can move around the interchange safely. Buses driving within the interchanges must adhere to a speed limit of 15 kilometres per hour and obey traffic schemes such as the stop lines and the "Slow" markings which are prominently painted on the driveways. Bus parking warning systems are also installed to warn bus captains of reversing buses.

All four bus operators have instituted continual safety training for their bus captains, imposed disciplinary procedures for errant bus captains as well as provide incentives for safe driving. They have also invested in telematics systems on board buses which monitor the driving of bus captains and proactively identifies those who require refresher training.

With these measures, our public bus safety record has improved in recent years and there are relatively few accidents. The number of accidents involving public buses, not just in bus interchanges but across different settings, has been falling steadily. There were 148 of such accidents between January and May 2021, as compared to 270 in the same period in 2017. The average yearly accident rate for our public buses has been on a downward trend over the last few years, from about 0.15 cases per 100,000 bus-kilometre travelled in 2017, to about 0.10 cases per 100,000 bus-kilometre travelled between January and May 2021.

Accidents that occur are often attributed to human factors, such as failing to keep a proper lookout or give way to traffic with right of way. The public bus operators and LTA have put in place a process to collate and share learning points from accidents and also near-misses to raise awareness among bus captains and reduce the risk of future accidents.

Dr Tan Wu Meng.

I thank the Senior Minister of State for his answer. A number of Clementi residents with family who transit through or go through that interchange have expressed concern about what happened. I understand the investigations are still ongoing, but if I may raise three supplementary questions more generally.

Can the Ministry share if the agencies have kept track of the number of accidents at this particular interchange over the past few years? Secondly, how many near misses have been reported at this interchange over the past few years. And thirdly, with regard to human factors, has it been studied whether a driver towards the end of the shift, may be more likely to be in an accident and what measures are there to better support our brothers and sisters in the transport sector who may be facing fatigue or challenging circumstances at work?

Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank Dr Tan for his three supplementary questions. I share the concerns that his residents expressed about safety. As I mentioned earlier, safety is a priority for LTA and also for our public transport operators. We will continue to watch this carefully, not just safety within the bus interchanges, but also safety on the roads too.

Sir, the accidents and data for near misses for Bukit Batok Interchange is not too different from what is in the general situation that I reported earlier, in terms of the accident rate and also the number of accidents that happen within bus interchanges and also across different settings.

There is this very unfortunate accident that happened in July, as I mentioned earlier, investigations are ongoing, so I do not want to go into the details of the causes and also, the accountability of different parties. I think we let the investigation take its natural course. But what is important to remember is that the public transport operators, all four of them, have a process of collating and sharing information about accidents and near misses so that we learn. After every accident or every near miss, there is a learning process to see how we can further reduce the risk of future accidents.

Mr Murali Pillai.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I thank the hon Senior Minister of State for his comprehensive response and I also want to record my thanks to the hon Member Dr Tan Wu Meng for raising this question because the Bukit Batok Bus Interchange lies within the constituency where I serve.

Sir, the accident has caused serious concerns among some of my residents, particularly the aspect, where the bus fell two metres onto its side. I recognise that the Interchange itself was built in around 1987. I wonder whether LTA is minded to look into the design, having regard to the fact that buses have become bigger. Also, there may be a need to provide for sufficient safety margins and also extra safety measures to ensure that should something untoward happen, at least there are some structures in place to make sure that the pedestrians', commuters' lives and of course, that of our bus captains', would also not be impacted.

Sir, I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. Again, I want to stress that the importance of safety is something that both LTA and the public transport operators, we take very seriously. And not only do we look at how we can learn from every accident or every near miss and how we can then improve both in terms of the infrastructure, but also in terms of the safety procedures and the awareness of bus captains to pay attention to safety.

Sir, I want to assure the Member and his residents that all bus interchanges – and this includes Bukit Batok Bus Interchange – have safety features in place that meet prevailing safety standards. Notwithstanding the presence of these safety features, safe driving is ultimately the most important. Because no matter how much infrastructure we put in, if it is due to human error, the infrastructure cannot completely take that away. So, safe driving, at the end of the day, I think it is still the most crucial and this is what will help to reduce the risk of accidents.

So, I mentioned earlier in my main reply, how we have built in some of these safety features into the design of the buses, to also monitor using telematics systems the driving behaviours of individual bus captains and then to pick up those that may require further refresher training. There is also constant sharing to reinforce the importance of safety. Through this whole process in obeying speed limits, obeying, traffic schemes, both within the bus interchanges and also outside on the roads, this is what will allow us to continue to improve safety records of our public transport system.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat.

Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the Senior Minister of State for answering some of the questions in my Parliamentary Question (PQ). I have two supplementary questions.

The first is in relation to the types of cases. The Senior Minister of State mentioned that the number of cases has been falling and also that 0.15 cases per 100 kilometres have dropped to about 0.1 number of cases in 2021. But, to me and to many residents, every single bus accident, not just in the interchange but outside, is one too many as it involves a heavy vehicle. So, for the 148 cases, what types of cases are those? Do they involve pedestrians, cyclists or motorists?

The second supplementary question is: how much can we enhance in terms of education of our pedestrians and other commuters, especially either in the interchange or outside the interchange scenario, to understand and be aware about public buses and safety when they are commuting and going around?

Mr Deputy Speaker, Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked about the types of cases that I reported earlier: 148 so far between January and May 2021, they are different types of accidents. Some involving pedestrians, some involving cyclists, some involving motorists. I think what happened in Bukit Batok is within the interchange and it is actually between two buses.

But Mr Saktiandi Supaat is right. Safety is not just safety within interchanges; safety is also safety in different settings, including on the roads. So, this is why, in my main reply, I emphasised that safety, both within interchanges and in different settings, is a priority. And this is something which we must continue to pay careful attention to, continue to look for ways in which we can do better both in terms of the infrastructure but also, importantly, the behaviours and safety consciousness of users – from bus captains to motorists, to cyclists to pedestrians. So, it is an ongoing effort and I would like to call upon all stakeholders to please continue to work with us because, ultimately, safety is a collective responsibility.

11 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Transport what training, continuous training and refresher courses or programmes are in place to ensure that drivers of heavy vehicles and buses stay updated on road safety and take extra precautions to prevent accidents.

Mr Deputy Speaker, road safety is a core part of learner driver training and has been integrated into both practical and theory lessons and tests conducted at the driving schools. This applies for all motorists, including drivers of heavy vehicles and buses, as part of the process of obtaining their Class 4/4A or 5 driving licence.

In addition, the driving schools and the Automobile Association of Singapore offer courses that drivers can sign up for, such as courses on defensive driving and crash prevention. Drivers who have accumulated a certain number of demerit points are also encouraged to undertake corrective education through the Safe Driving Course or Driver Improvement Points System retraining courses.

Safety is also a key part of the vocational licence curriculum for bus drivers. The mandatory Bus Driver’s Vocational Licence course for private bus drivers will reinforce key road safety aspects covered under the driving licence syllabus. Public bus captains are required to pass a module on Safe Driving Techniques in order to obtain their Omnibus Driver’s Vocational Licence. Bus captains continue their training even after they are deployed, through avenues such as operator-run refresher courses or regular safety briefings. Bus operators, such as SBST, are trialling new technologies to help monitor and improve driving behaviours. Bus captains who exhibit high-risk driving behaviour are identified and promptly sent for corrective training.

Sir, I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary. I have a supplementary question. I am concerned about the mental well-being of our drivers of heavy vehicles and buses. I am wondering whether there are processes and checks in place to ensure that these drivers are provided with counselling support if they require it, because this affects their ability to drive well and safe.

Mr Deputy Speaker, drivers can access public mental health resources, such as Mindline.sg and other community-based hotlines for support and assistance. For public transport workers, they will also be referred to medical professionals for psychological support and counselling as necessary, particularly those who may have experienced trauma, such as serious accidents, during the course of their work.

12 Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for National Development (a) how has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted construction costs in Singapore; (b) what are the contributing factors; and (c) how will public estate upgrading and construction projects that are in the pipeline before the COVID-19 pandemic but only had the tender called this year be affected.

13 Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for National Development given the current high construction costs, how will this affect the demand for green building projects and Singapore's Green Plan.

Sir, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 12 and 13 together, please?

Yes, please.

Sir, construction costs in Singapore have increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contributing factors include an increase in foreign manpower costs due to border measures that limit the inflow of our migrant workers, additional costs and reduced productivity due to the Safe Management Measures at the worksite to lower the risk of transmission in the sector, as well as increases in the cost of construction materials.

The Government has implemented a suite of support measures to help construction firms cope with the additional costs arising from COVID-19. For example, the $1.36 billion Construction Support Package helps share the costs that firms have incurred for implementing safe management measures, as well as non-manpower related prolongation costs for public sector construction projects. Firms have also received support for manpower costs through the Jobs Support Scheme and Foreign Worker Levy waivers and rebates. We also provided rental waivers for tenants and lessees of Government-owned properties for industrial, office and agricultural use and are sharing the risks for bridging loans to help qualifying Singapore-based companies ease their cashflow. In addition, we put in place unprecedented legislative mechanisms to provide reliefs to construction firms. For example, the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act requires project parties to fairly share the increases in foreign manpower costs due to COVID-19.

These measures have mitigated some of the cost increases facing construction firms. That said, tender prices for public sector construction projects, including public housing and upgrading projects, have generally increased this year compared to pre-COVID-19 levels.

We recognise that public housing projects are necessary to serve the needs of Singaporeans. So, we will press on to deliver these projects and maintain a steady supply of public housing to meet demand. The increase in cost will not be passed down to flat buyers.

Since August last year, when Build-To-Order (BTO) construction work fully resumed, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) has been working with its contractors and consultants to keep construction progress on track and avoid further delays as much as possible, while ensuring that project quality and safety standards are not compromised. HDB is also supporting contractors to bring in more workers from various countries and working with other agencies to minimise cost increases and reduce construction delays. For upgrading projects, HDB resumed construction works progressively from August last year. HDB has also been similarly working with its contractors and consultants to minimise the delays to these projects, while ensuring that any upgrading works are carried out in adherence to prevailing Safe Management Measures.

The rise in construction costs has not adversely affected the demand for green buildings. The Gross Floor Area, or GFA for short, of developments applying for Green Mark certification has remained steady at around half of overall construction demand since 2018. One possible explanation is that the cost premium of fulfilling the Green Mark requirements is small in proportion to overall construction costs, at less than 5% for most projects.

Furthermore, the resultant energy savings during the life cycle of a building outweigh the upfront investment costs. For example, a large office building of 15 storeys which achieves the Green Mark Platinum standard can save around $300,000 in operating costs annually. The Government also provides funding support for the development and deployment of green technologies and works with financial institutions on the financing of energy efficiency retrofits.

The Government remains committed to pursue our sustainable development agenda under the Singapore Green Plan 2030. Some infrastructure projects may face construction delays in the immediate term, but we will press on with our plans and sustainability efforts. We will also continue to monitor the impact of the pandemic on the sector and work closely with trade associations and other partners to support the industry through this crisis.

Ms Tin Pei Ling.

I thank the Minister of State for the reply and assurance. I have two questions.

One is on the upgrading projects. There is a Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP) that was slated for McPherson constituency, it was offered before the pandemic, but the tender was only called I think sometime earlier this year. As a result of the increasing construction cost, the scope of work that we can undertake within that budget has been drastically reduced. So, I would like to ask whether the budget could be reviewed or what other measures could we consider so as to avoid or minimise disappointment from the residents.

Secondly, can I ask whether we are still on track to meeting the green targets of having at least 80% Super Low Energy buildings from 2030, as well as achieving 80% energy efficiency improvement by 2030?

Sir, I thank the Member for her two supplementary questions.

On the first question on the various upgrading programmes, for example, the NRP which the Member has referenced, these tenders are usually scheduled to be called from the second half of 2021 onwards and work should commence in 2022. And for those which have already been called for and work has been scheduled, these are projects that we will be happy to work together with the Town Council on. For these selected NRP projects, the Town Councils have been advised to consider alternative modes to engage the residents for those which need to garner the necessary support for the projects, given that we are in a pandemic. And for those projects which are looking at scope increases and budget reviews, we will look at them on a case-by-case basis. But we encourage the Town Councils to work within their budgets and reduce upgrading items if necessary. And it is something that we will discuss with the Member if there are issues raised for that specific project.

On the second question around the 2030 targets, I thank the Member for her question. The Member referenced the targets that we announced at the Committee of Supply (COS) this year. Eighty percent of buildings to be green by 2030, 80% of new developments to be Super Low Energy buildings and achieving 80% improvement in energy efficiency for best-in-class buildings by 2030.

We have been in discussion with the various industry partners including construction firms and developers. We are committed to these targets. These are ambitious targets we set for ourselves, for Singapore, under the Singapore Green Plan 2030.

As I mentioned earlier, while some infrastructure projects may face construction delays in the immediate term and we may need to absorb higher cost to implement those projects in view of the current situation, many of the projects have not been impacted. The overall progress of the Singapore Green Plan is on track. We will press on with this effort and achieve the sustainability targets that we have committed to.

Most importantly, many firms and developers see these investments in green and sustainability projects as something that are commercially viable and something that benefit them. Overall, this is a small part of the construction cost and we are committed to achieving those targets by 2030.

14 Mr Desmond Choo asked the Minister for National Development (a) how have HDB resale flat prices and cash-over-valuation trended over the last 12 months; and (b) what are the new measures that HDB will put in place to support families opting for resale flats in view of the prolonged completion of BTO flats due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Housing and Development Board (HDB) resale flat prices registered an increase of 5% in 2020 and 6% in the first half of this year. The proportion of buyers who paid a cash-over-valuation (COV) increased from around one in five in 2020 to slightly above one in three in the first half of 2021. The majority of buyers did not have to pay any COV and the median COV has remained at zero.

For flat buyers who have been affected by Build-To-Order (BTO) delays and who cancel their BTO flats to buy a resale flat due to urgent housing needs, HDB will consider waiving the forfeiture of the option fee or 5% of the flat purchase price based on an assessment of the flat buyers' specific circumstances. HDB will also consider waiving the one-year wait-out period to allow first-time families with urgent housing needs to receive housing grants if they decide to buy a resale flat.

Resale flats are generally available for immediate occupation and buyers can choose from a wide range of flats, according to their preferences and budget. Eligible first-timer families can receive up to $160,000 in grants when they buy a resale flat. We will continue to monitor the market situation to ensure that it remains stable and sustainable.

Mr Desmond Choo.

Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the Minister for his assurance and clarification. The need to get a flat urgently for young couples is significant and we also know that there is a significant delay because of COVID-19. I would like to ask the Minister if they can assure younger couples, or couples looking to get a place of their own, if there would be a significant increase in supply; therefore, being able to calm the market down and being able to keep resale flat prices at a reasonable level.

I say this because we recognise increased subsidies can also lead to an escalation in resale transaction prices.

Mr Deputy Speaker, indeed, we have increased the supply of BTO launches over the last few years to meet the needs of young families, including echo boomers or the children of the baby boomers. In 2019, we launched 14,600 flats. Last year, some 16,800 flats. And this year, we are on target to launch 17,000 flats.

For next year, we are still looking at demand and keeping track of the property market. We will announce the figures for next year's launch soon. Having said that, we do not see that we will reduce the number of flats for launch next year. Certainly, it will be at or above 17,000 flats.

Ms Carrie Tan.

Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I would like to address the Minister, to find out, due to numerous cases that I have met amongst my residents, such as divorced couples who are not first timers, but they are unable to get any Sale of Balance Flats and also, residents who because of their income, do not qualify for public rental housing, will they also be eligible to have additional subsidies if they had to opt for a resale option?

I thank the Member for her continued concern for more vulnerable families. We will assess each case on a case-by-case basis for their eligibility for rental housing or other forms of housing support. And I urge the Member to raise any specific cases to us for our consideration.

15 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for National Development whether HDB can increase the supply of BTO flats by 10,000 units per year for booking in the next three years to make up for the construction delays due to the pandemic since 2020.

Sir, the construction industry is one of the sectors hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Disruptions from the circuit breaker last year, coupled with stringent safe management measures imposed at worksites, the tightening of border controls for workers from South Asia and supply chain disruptions impacting a availability of materials and components, have affected private and public sector projects, including the Housing and Development Board's (HDB's) Build-To-Order (BTO) projects. Many will take longer to complete.

We recognise that the delays to the completion of BTO flats have caused inconvenience to flat buyers and affected many of their life plans. We seek their patience and understanding.

HDB is doing its best to work with contractors and consultants to expedite the construction works as much as possible while ensuring that the project quality and safety standards are not compromised. In spite of the challenges faced, we have continued with our BTO launch plans. As I mentioned in my earlier reply, HDB is on track to launch about 17,000 BTO flats in 2021, a higher number than the 14,600 in 2019 and 16,800 flats in 2020.

We will continue to monitor the market situation closely and calibrate the supply of public housing accordingly, to ensure that the flat supply remains responsive to the housing needs of the population.

Going forward, we will continue to maintain a healthy and steady supply of BTO flats annually. There are no plans to reduce the number of flats to be launched for 2022, which we will announce when ready.

I thank the Minister for the reply. I echo my colleague, Mr Desmond Choo's feedback. I believe the public will understand but because of this delay, there will likely be this gap or a backlog in demand that will build up over time for these two years. That is why I am urging HDB to consider, if possible, to increase the supply for the next two or three years, per year. This will help to address this gap and stabilise the prices.

I thank the Member for his concern. Indeed, as I have articulated in this reply and the earlier reply, we will maintain a steady supply of BTO flats. We will certainly not drop below 17,000 for this year's supply when we go forward. And we will work closely with our contractors to address the issues that they face, including worker shortages, supply chain disruptions and also, work with fellow agencies to ensure that our construction projects, for existing projects, can get back on track, but without compromising the safety standards of the projects nor the quality of the homes that we deliver.

16 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Social and Family Development whether there are plans to increase the offering of non-Chinese official languages as a mother tongue language at the preschool and kindergarten levels for MOE-registered institutions located within Sengkang Town.

The Government has been working to increase the offering of Mother Tongue Language (MTL) at preschools. All Ministry of Education (MOE) Kindergartens offer all three MTLs. The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) has also been working closely with the Anchor Operators (AOPs) to expand the offering of MTL in preschools, especially in Malay and Tamil language. There are plans to double AOPs' provision of Malay and/or Tamil language education to about 350 centres by 2022. This was announced by ECDA in 2018.

However, the increase in provision of MTL requires time as the number of MTL teachers is limited. Nationally, about 1,800 or over 90% of preschools offer at least one MTL. Of these, about 160 preschools offer all three MTLs and another 270 preschools offer two MTLs.

We have at least one preschool centre offering Malay or Tamil language in almost all heartland planning areas. Within the Sengkang planning area, about 30 preschools offer Malay language and about 10 preschools offer Tamil language. ECDA will continue to work with the AOPs to ensure a good geographical spread of centres offering MTL.

To expand MTL teaching resources, ECDA has been working closely with training providers and operators to expand training capacity. For example, we introduced the Certificate in Preschool MTL Teaching (CPMTL) for Malay and Tamil Language in 2019 and have progressively increased the number of training places since then. As of June 2021, more than 300 in-service educators have completed the CPMTL for Malay and Tamil Language and have been deployed as MTL teachers in the preschools.

While ECDA continues to ramp up the supply of MTL teachers, preschools may determine their provision of MTL according to the needs and preferences of children and parents in each locality. ECDA's continued efforts to expand the provision of MTL, together with MOE's planned increase in the number of MOE Kindergartens, will offer parents a wider range of preschools that offer MTL learning.

Assoc Prof Jamus Lim.

I thank the Minister of State for her response. I noted as well that she shared that there were quite a large number of these MTL facilities located within the Sengkang planning area, I believe, were her words. Based on my background research online at the MOE portal, I was actually able to establish that within Sengkang Town, meaning Sengkang GRC, it currently only has nine institutions offering Chinese MTL, versus 12 in nearby Punggol. One offering Tamil versus two in Punggol. And four offering Malay, versus seven, in Punggol. This is despite the slightly larger population within Sengkang GRC.

So, I am wondering if this is a function of the planning radius, like what the Minister of State described, or is it a difference in demographics that accounts for these differences?

I thank the Member for his question. I am not sure what specific website or source the Member is referring to. But based on the information that I have, there are a total of 97 licensed preschool centres within the Sengkang planning area, of which 95 offer Chinese language, 28 offer Malay language and 10 offer Tamil language. If there is a need for a further clarification of these numbers, I would be happy to take this up with the Member offline.

I just have one clarification. I did ask a question about Mother Tongue Language education teachers in the Early Childhood level and the question was "what was the breakdown in the number of MTL preschool educators". The answer was that there was 10,500 for Chinese Language, 2,800 for Malay Language and 700 for Tamil Language.

I was just wondering what MOE will be doing to improve our capacities in offering Mother Tongue Languages in schools and increasing the number of teachers available.

I thank the Member for her question. I think I have answered the question in my main reply, which is there are plans to double the AOPs' provision of Malay and Tamil Language education to about 350 centres by 2022. And this was already announced by the Ministry of Social and Family Development and ECDA in 2018.

I would also like to clarify that the Member had referred to MOE. I think there is a need for us to distinguish between MOE Kindergartens and childcare centres. So, as I mentioned in my main reply, all MOE Kindergartens offer all three Mother Tongue Languages.

17 Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman asked the Minister for Communications and Information in light of the recent global cyber attack that forced Swedish Coop supermarkets to close, whether there have been any attempts to attack Singapore’s supply chain software in the past three years.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Swedish Coop supermarkets were forced to close earlier this month due to what is known as a supply chain attack. The Coop used the Kaseya Virtual System Administrator (VSA), which is a software management platform designed to help organisations manage their IT services remotely.

Similar attacks have occurred in recent months, such as the SolarWinds breach reported in December 2020 and the attack on the Microsoft Exchange Server reported in January 2021. How are these supply chain attacks orchestrated? Essentially, they take advantage of unsuspecting companies’ introduction of new software into their systems that turn out to contain malicious elements or ransomware. Usually, neither the companies nor their vendors that supplied the software were even aware that the software had been compromised.

The same software that was afflicting tens of thousands of organisations and businesses can also find its way into IT systems in Singapore. To date, we have not observed any adverse effects on our Critical Information Infrastructure or CII and Government systems. The Singapore Computer Emergency Response Team (SingCERT) has also not received reports of any Singaporean businesses falling victim to these attacks.

Nevertheless, the Government continues to adopt a cautious stance and the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) monitors global developments very closely. Whenever potential threats arise, CSA will immediately direct our CII sectors to check for any potential compromise in their networks. SingCERT issues alerts and advisories to the public on actionable steps to take, should they be affected. Given the global and transnational nature of such cyber attacks, CSA also works closely with regional CERTs and its international counterparts to track developments and share information.

The attack through the Kaseya VSA is yet another example of how cyber attacks have spilled over into the physical realm, with real-world consequences. Attackers are clearly learning and evolving their tactics to maximise their gains from a single attack. We must expect that cyber attacks will become increasingly commonplace and sophisticated. They can strike any of us or our organisations and we must assume that our systems will be breached at some point.

As was mentioned in the response to a query on the SolarWinds attack in Parliament earlier this year, CSA is strengthening its engagements with CII sectors, enterprises and organisations to shift towards a "zero-trust" cybersecurity posture. This comprises two key principles: first, do not trust any activity on your networks without first verifying it; and second, ensure constant monitoring and vigilance for suspicious activities.

Organisations should also implement simple steps not only to prevent breaches, but to detect incidents early and recover quickly from them. These include keeping systems and software updated, backing up data regularly and keeping the back-up offline and practising incident response and business continuity plans to ensure that employees are well-prepared when breaches happen.

The Government is taking steps to reinforce this mindset and raise the national cybersecurity posture against this new normal. CSA will launch the CII Supply Chain Programme later this year, in partnership with the owners of such infrastructure and their vendors to ensure that stakeholders adhere to international best practices and standards for supply chain risk management. At the same time, CSA is developing the SG Cyber Safe Programme to provide businesses with actionable cybersecurity tool-kits and resources to bolster their cyber defences.

Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to stress that everyone must play their part. Businesses and organisations are ultimately responsible for their own cybersecurity and must take action to strengthen their posture. Conduct an assessment of the risks, consider in advance how you will mitigate them and ensure that you have business continuity plans after an attack. It is in our own interest to stay vigilant against cyber threats, even as we leverage the opportunities of an increasingly digital world.

Mr Leon Perera.

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank the Minister for her reply. Just one supplementary question, specifically on ransomware. That is an increasing threat around the world and while prevention is better than a cure, many companies do end up paying these ransoms in cryptocurrency. In the Colonial Pipeline case, I think the US government actually worked with the company that was victimised to help them to recover the cryptocurrency that was paid, using law enforcement methods.

I am just wondering whether this is something that the Government can assist companies with, companies who have had to pay ransomware. I am sure that such support in the systems is something that many companies would also be prepared to pay for, to bear a share of that cost in order to recover the cryptocurrency that is paid.

Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the Member for his question. In the first place, prevention is better than cure. So, continued vigilance, I think, is the first line of defence.

Second, the Government does not recommend the payment of ransoms to cyber criminals as there is no guarantee that the business will be able to restore their business operations or get their data back. This is a very important point to keep in mind. These are criminals. They are there for financial gain and they are not necessarily going to acknowledge the payment of ransoms in order to help you to restore your systems.

The payment of ransom also encourages these threat actors to continue their criminal activities and target more victims. Additionally, we also see that the threat actors will take notice that an organisation is willing to pay up and, therefore, consider that organisation to be a soft target and, therefore, strike again in future. So, the businesses have to consider what their message is to the cyber criminals. Is your message to them that, well, we have been compromised, we will cough up the ransom as you require? Or is your message that we have taken preventive measures and, yes, we were affected but we were able to recover and we will strengthen our defences? That is a very important consideration for businesses to take.

We would also suggest that they refer to the advisory that is published on SingCERT's website for further guidance on responding to ransomware attacks.

18 Ms Raeesah Khan asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what proportion of training resources provided by organisations such as e2i and Workforce Singapore are conducted on a flexible basis so as to allow individuals who work shift hours to upskill or reskill themselves; and (b) what are the Ministry's plans to help individuals currently holding temporary COVID-19-related roles such as Safe Distancing Ambassadors and swabbers, to transition to permanent roles as Singapore moves towards an endemic strategy in dealing with COVID-19.

19 Mr Sharael Taha asked the Minister for Manpower (a) how many people are employed in COVID-19-related temporary roles such as swabbers, safe entry and temperature screeners, Safe Distancing Ambassadors and vaccination staff; (b) whether the number of workers required for these roles will be reduced as more residents are vaccinated; (c) what is being done for these workers to prepare them for their next job; and (d) how does the Government ensure that unemployment numbers do not increase when these jobs are phased out.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, since the start of COVID-19, over 15,000 workers have been placed into public sector or Government-funded short-term –

Excuse me, Minister, just to clarify, you are taking Question Nos 18 and 19 together?

Yes, I would like to take Question Nos 18 and 19 together. Thank you for the reminder.

Yes, please proceed.

Since the start of COVID-19, over 15,000 workers have been placed into public sector or Government-funded short-term roles under the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package to support COVID-19 operations, such as swabbing, quarantine operations, implementing safe management measures and providing patient services.

At some point and we certainly hope so, the demand for such roles will taper down. For the moment, however, these roles continue to remain in demand.

Among those placed into short-term COVID-19 job roles, about three in 10 were temporarily re-deployed as part of the National Jobs Council’s efforts to support workers in hard-hit areas. For example, some flight attendants from Singapore Airlines worked as Care Ambassadors in hospitals. These workers remain as employees of their parent companies and most of them are expected to return to their parent companies when demand recovers.

For the remaining workers, as well as those who are not able to return to their previous jobs due to reduced demand or who choose not to, our job matching services and ecosystem stand ready to help them.

In 2020, the combined efforts of Workforce Singapore (WSG) and NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute, or e2i for short, collectively placed close to 55,000 workers into suitable opportunities. It is, therefore, not beyond the ability of these networks to facilitate the job searches and to help them find placements in new sectors or activities where demand is rising. This is also supported by the Jobs Growth Incentive or JGI for short. JGI has been extended to September 2021 with eligible employers receiving support of up to S$54,000 per hire.

Employers who hire jobseekers who need to reskill can also tap onto the career conversion programmes and these programmes provide substantial wage and training support in addition to the JGI. This year, we have catered capacity for 10,000 places in these programmes.

Finally, the SGUnited Traineeships, Mid-Career Pathways and Skills programmes remain available.

Mr Sharael Taha.

I thank the Minister for the clarification. Just one supplementary question for me. As we transition to living with COVID-19, can the Ministry also consider encouraging the companies employing these temporary workers to send the workers for training, possibly through an additional training grant mechanism? Having supported the frontline through this pandemic, I worry that the workers, who have been in these temporary roles, may struggle to translate their experience to a new employment.

Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the hon Member for his suggestion. We certainly would encourage all companies who hire short-term workers for this particular pandemic to encourage them to go for training to convert them into longer-term job opportunities.

There are many schemes available. There are also quite a number of task forces in which I personally chair and we drive, alongside with the other sector agencies to look at growth sectors. We have identified three of them: the wholesale trade, finance and infocomm. We encourage and we nudge many of the employees and workers to actually go for upskilling or reskilling to be able to fit into these new job roles and to pivot some of the existing career opportunities into newer ones. We will continue to provide support.

Employers may face hiring challenges. They should also look to consider a wider range of jobseekers. Instead of thinking with the plug-and-play mindset, we would encourage employers to open up to consider hiring them, bringing them on board and placing them collectively in training opportunities that the Government has set aside and work towards making sure the upskilling and training of these workers into their relevant industries and the jobs would result in a much better fit.

We also encourage jobseekers to stay resilient, to also keep very open minds to new opportunities and also to consider less familiar roles. So, if we all work together collectively and to the Member's point, I believe that we will come out and emerge from this crisis in a much better position.

20 Dr Wan Rizal asked the Minister for Education with regard to the new enhanced curricular structure for ITE students whereby students will experience a three-year pathway leading directly to a Higher Nitec certification (a) what are the Ministry's plans for students who find it more difficult to cope under the new structure; and (b) what are the plans to provide additional support and academic coaching to support them in completing their Higher Nitec certification.

Mr Deputy Speaker, the new Institute of Technical Education (ITE) curricular structure seeks to equip ITE graduates with deeper industry-relevant skills for employment. With the enhanced three-year structure, we hope that more students can continue on to a third year and attain a Higher Nitec, instead of leaving after the two-year Nitec certification. This gives them a stronger foundation to build on for further education and skills upgrading over their careers.

ITE will do its utmost to help its students persevere in their learning journey in the following ways.

First, ITE will continue to proactively and regularly engage its students and identify those who may need more support early based on their class participation, engagement level, performance in assessments and other relevant factors.

Second, once these students are identified, ITE will provide them with targeted support in a timely manner. ITE lecturers will provide them with appropriate learning scaffolds, additional coaching as well as social and other forms of support. For those who would like more time to complete their modules, ITE will support them with a more flexible pathway to take a lower load of modules and take additional semesters to complete.

Third, ITE will beef up the industry exposure elements in its courses and raise their quality. It will provide students with early exposure to industry, jobs and careers to better engage them and strengthen their motivation for learning. The industrial attachments planned for both Year Two and Year Three will help to reinforce and strengthen what they learn in the classroom and help them appreciate the applicability of what they are learning. They will be able to sustain and deepen their learning and also strengthen their work-ready skills.

However, in spite of ITE's best efforts, there will remain some students who will not complete their three-year pathway. ITE will encourage these students to take up the second industry attachment in the third year to deepen their workplace learning. Students can still choose to exit with a Nitec qualification and transcript reflecting modules that they have already completed. ITE will also provide job placement support to help them with their transition to work, as well as customised education and career guidance. The goal is to encourage and support them to return to ITE anytime they choose to do so, to complete the rest of the modules and attain their Higher Nitec qualification, either through the full-time or part-time programmes.

ITE's strong mission of education and social support and strong industry orientation and focus has benefited many cohorts of students, equipping them with work-ready qualifications and skills to take on skilled jobs in the economy. MOE and ITE will continue to support and help ITE students thrive and succeed and fulfil their potential.

Dr Wan Rizal.

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank the Minister for the reassuring reply.

The enhanced pathway, or rather the structure goes a long way into destigmatising ITEs. Having taught students who went to the Polytechnics, I truly believe that ITEs is not an acronym for "It's the end", but "It's towards excellence". So, with that, given the increased accessibility to the Higher Nitec, are there plans to increase the places for the Polytechnic intake? And will there be a transition programme for these students in this batch of ITE students as they further their studies at the Polytechnic?

Sir, I thank the Member for that question. It is very heartening for him to translate the much talked about ITE as "It's the end" to "It's towards excellence". I think we want to certainly work towards ensuring our students get the best technical education through the ITE curriculum.

Sir, the intent of the revised ITE curricular structure is to ensure that the ITE students are better prepared for the skills demanded by the industry and have a stronger foundation for further upgrading subsequently for their future needs. So, beyond this, we will continue to support upgrading for our ITE graduates via different pathways after their Higher Nitec qualification. The diploma programmes offered by the polytechnics is one of the pathways and there will continue to be places that will be set aside for them. And if need be, there will be programmes that will support them in the transition.

There are also other upgrading pathways available to our ITE graduates, such as the Technical Diplomas in the ITE themselves, as well as the Work-Study Diplomas offered by the ITE, which ITE is planning to expand further.

ITE graduates can also choose from across the different pathways and programmes according to their learning styles and career development needs and aspirations at the appropriate point in time and in accordance with the entry requirements of each pathway. So, there are a lot of pathways that our ITE graduates can take up at different points in time in their careers.

21 Ms Carrie Tan asked Minister for Education (a) whether the mental health or stress levels of students are being tracked and evaluated as the new subject-based banding system is being rolled out in the 28 pilot schools; and (b) whether there are any observations on how the new system may have improved the situation in terms of minimising the labelling and stigmatisation towards and among students so far.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) works closely with the 28 secondary schools piloting Full Subject-Based Banding, or Full SBB, in all aspects of the implementation, including the socio-emotional development and the well-being of our students.

The pilot has started last year and we are monitoring the implementation closely. Feedback is collected through surveys and focus group discussions with students and teachers so that we know how Full SBB is impacting student well-being, social and learning experiences and outcomes.

Findings from the first year of implementation indicate that students in the pilot schools have a more diverse network of friends drawn from across the different courses, compared to schools that have yet to implement Full SBB. They form stronger friendships based on common interests and treat their peers with respect regardless of course. It is early days yet, but there are also indications of more students adopting growth mindsets.

MOE will continue to work closely with schools implementing Full SBB in the coming years to better understand the impact of Full SBB.

Ms Carrie Tan.

I thank the Minister of State for the reply and I am glad to know that efforts are being taken to track the effectiveness of these recalibration efforts to our examination system.

I am aware through engagement with students and teachers that often, the other major challenge to mental health for our students come from expectations. And children respond to expectations of adults in their lives, whether their parents or teachers and often, their self-esteem rest on making the adults around them proud.

So, I am wondering other than the current efforts to recalibrate the examination system and the streaming system, are there current efforts by MOE to enrol parents as co-stakeholders together with teachers to redefine the narratives and expectations of what success looks like, to alleviate the stress that the students are facing in a rather hyper-competitive culture?

I thank the Member for her question. MOE has been promoting the concept of multiple pathways to success and not just in relation to Full SBB. I think we heard the response from Minister Maliki earlier as well. There is a continuous conversation and continuous encouragement to society – parents, stakeholders and community partners alike – to expand the way we look at success and acknowledge multiple pathways of success. And this is to help our students develop a growth mindset and also alleviate any mental well-being concerns that may arise from academic stress.

So, it is a continuous effort and it requires really a whole-of-society effort.

22 Ms Ng Ling Ling asked the Minister for Manpower (a) since January 2021, what is the number of foreign domestic workers who have had their entry approval postponed due to the border restrictions; (b) how long is the waiting time before an entry approval can be given; and (c) whether the Ministry will allow the entry of these workers on an exception basis for families with a member who is delivering a baby soon, or an elderly who is immobile or with disabilities needing urgent care-giver support.

Mr Deputy Speaker, from January to April this year, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) was able to schedule a larger number of migrant domestic workers (MDWs) to enter Singapore as the regional COVID-19 situation was much calmer. From May, due to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases locally and globally, the Government tightened the entry approvals given to MDWs as well as other travellers from countries with higher incidence of COVID-19, so as to manage the risk of COVID-19 importation and local transmission.

Among the travellers and MDWs coming from these countries, we found a significant number who were COVID-19-positive when they arrived. They posed a transmission risk to our frontline workers at our checkpoints and at Stay-Home Notice (SHN) facilities and had to be cared for under our healthcare system. Hence, the Government has had to restrict the numbers entering from high incidence countries.

Since May, MOM could only approve a small number of MDWs for entry every week. MOM has also had to postpone the entry of about 1,800 MDWs who had previously received approval to enter Singapore. With a much smaller number allowed to enter, MOM prioritised the entry of MDWs for families with very challenging caregiving needs.

Of those who had their dates postponed earlier, we have rescheduled one-third so far to enter Singapore. Barring any further tightening of entry approvals by the Government, we hope to progressively schedule the entry of the remaining two-thirds by the end of the year. But there are also more employers who are still waiting to submit their entry applications and we hope that the COVID-19 situation in the region improves so that we can approve more to enter.

In the meantime, we are not waiting passively for the regional situation to improve. The employment agency industry, through the Association of Employment Agencies Singapore (AEAS), has begun a pilot which we announced on 14 July 2021. And this is to implement additional safe management measures in the MDW's home country before they enter Singapore. MOM is monitoring the effectiveness. If the pilot proves successful in lowering the number of imported COVID-19-positive individuals, we can progressively allow for more MDWs to enter under this arrangement.

Our priority is to ensure that the risk of COVID-19 importation is well managed so as to protect our public health as well as the safety of families where the MDWs are deployed to. Not every employer will be able to get entry approval for their MDW before the end of the year. But MOM will continue to prioritise those with urgent care-giving needs. Some prospective MDW employers may have to consider other arrangements until the regional COVID-19 situation improves. Employers may also wish to consider if using the cleaning services of providers under the Household Services Scheme may be of some help.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely but rest assured we will do our best to facilitate the entry of MDWs in a safe manner.

Order. End of Question Time. Ministerial Statements. Minister for Health.

[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), Written Answers to Question Nos 23, 25 , 29-35, 38, 40-47, 49-51, 53-63, 65-67, 69-72 and 75 on the Order Paper are reproduced in the Appendix. Question Nos 24, 26-28, 36-37, 39, 48, 52, 64, 68 and 73-74 have been postponed to the sitting of Parliament on 27 July 2021.]

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, today, my fellow Co-Chairs of the Multi-Ministry Task Force (MTF), Minister Gan Kim Yong and Minister Lawrence Wong and I will be delivering Ministerial Statements to update Members on the COVID-19 situation in Singapore.

Our Ministerial Statements will address Oral Question Nos 1 to 5 and 26 to 28 and Written Question Nos 28, 29 and 31 to 33 on today's Order Paper. It will cover questions on the KTV and Jurong Fishery Port clusters, our COVID-19 vaccination programme and our plans to transit to live normally with COVID-19.

Mr Murali Pillai1,2, Assoc Prof Jamus Lim3, Mr Darryl David4,5, Mr Xie Yao Quan6,7, Mr Yip Hon Weng8, Mr Seah Kian Peng9, Ms Raeesah Khan10 and Mr Sitoh Yih Pin11 have filed Oral and Written Questions scheduled for future Sittings on these issues. As today’s Ministerial Statements would address those questions, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to invite these Members to seek clarifications, should they have any, on these issues after the Ministerial Statements. And should their queries be sufficiently addressed, it may not be necessary for them to proceed with their Parliamentary Questions (PQs) for future Sittings.

With that, let me start.

On Monday, 12 July 2021, MOH detected several COVID-19 positive cases amongst individuals who frequented KTV bars and lounges. These individuals included patrons of the bars and hostesses who worked in the lounges. These activities were considered very high risk and had been disallowed since the beginning of the pandemic.

The cluster grew rapidly and MOH moved in quickly to isolate infected persons. We identified rings of contacts and tested them for COVID-19. We ordered a two-week suspension of operations in all pivoted nightlife establishments from 16 July till 30 July. The pivoted nightlife establishments cannot resume operations until they pass inspections to ensure that safe management measure protocols are in place and they have received written approval.

Mr Xie Yao Quan asked if we would consider making the individuals in the KTV cluster pay for their COVID-19 medical expenses in full. We are all upset by the irresponsible behaviour of the individuals involved in this KTV cluster, but we still have a public responsibility to ensure that everyone receives the medical care that they need. We also do not want individuals, especially those who are infected, to avoid getting tested and treated, or hide where they have been from contact tracers, because they are afraid of getting penalised. This will make it harder to contain the spread and would cost us more in the long run.

We were on the path towards progressive opening and the KTV cluster was a major unexpected bump on the road. The MTF deliberated on the matter, took in advice from MOH experts and came to the conclusion that, given our extensive tracing and testing efforts and our population vaccination rate for two doses was approaching 50% at that time, on balance, we felt that the cluster ought not significantly change our plans to open up.

Hence, on 16 July, the MTF announced our decision to maintain our then current safe management posture. We made some adjustments to the rules for eating in restaurants, we called it the "two-five rule". Two, if you are unvaccinated; five, you can dine together, provided everyone is fully vaccinated.

Based on how the cluster has developed, we still believe that was the correct call. As of 25 July 2021, that means end of yesterday, the KTV cluster has a total of 237 infected persons. For the past three days, the daily increase in infection for the cluster was six, five and five respectively. So, it is coming under control.

Unfortunately, things got derailed due to a larger and more troublesome cluster and this is the Jurong Fishery Port cluster. On the evening of Friday, 16 July 2021, we started to detect multiple infections at the Jurong Fishery Port, as well as in Hong Lim market. This involved fishmongers, their assistants going about an honest living, collecting fishes at the fishery port, but unwittingly getting infected and then transmitting to more people in the markets and communities where they ply their trade.

MOH, with the help of NEA, took immediate steps to prevent further spread by stopping the fishmongers and their assistants from setting up stalls on Sunday, 18 July 2021. It was very tough to tell them "You can't set up stalls". We then issued Health Risk Warnings which required them to undergo PCR tests and isolate themselves until they get a negative result.

Of the 1,548 tested, 43 were found to be COVID-19 positive. The numbers are a bit different from what I reported earlier as we cleaned up the numbers. This indicated that significant community transmission had most likely already silently occurred in the days before 18 July 2021, Sunday.

Markets are frequented by wide segments of the public, particularly seniors, of whom one-quarter are still not fully vaccinated. The risk of infections rising uncontrollably could not be ruled out. These infections could potentially result in more cases of severe illnesses or even deaths among our vulnerable senior population.