Hansard, Tuesday, 21 March 2023

1 Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Education (a) what support is available for school teachers returning to work after extended illness leave; (b) whether this support includes flexible work arrangements (FWAs); and (c) whether the Ministry has data on what proportion of such returnees have taken up FWAs and how the FWAs are structured.

2 Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Education (a) what support is available for school teachers who are parents of young preschool children or infants, with difficulties finding childcare arrangements that can accommodate the early morning start to their workday; and (b) whether the Ministry has data on how many of such teachers have taken up flexible work arrangements (FWAs) and how the FWAs are structured.

Mr Speaker, may I take Question Nos 1 and 2 together?

Please do.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) provides a range of options for teachers who require flexible work arrangements (FWAs), including to meet medical needs or caregiving responsibilities. These include part-time work arrangements for teachers who require a reduced workload.

Teachers who need more flexible work hours, such as a later reporting time to send their young children to a childcare centre, should discuss their needs with their schools early so that arrangements can be made to support them, where operationally feasible. Schools implement such FWAs based on their operational needs while maintaining a duty of care to their students. As many of these FWAs are localised and could be on an ad hoc or short-term basis, MOE does not collect such data.

Dr Tan.

I thank the Minister of State for her answer. Some of my Clementi residents are teachers and I have met a Clementi resident who is a teacher and herself is a young mother with young children. She has found that her workplace requires her to report by 7.15 am, but all the childcare options that she has explored only open from 7.00 am. So, she finds it hard to get to work in time for the prescribed reporting time of 7.15 am. I was told that it has been suggested to her that she should go part-time as the FWA, with implications on salary and career progression.

Can I ask the Minister of State if MOE would consider working with agencies, such as the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) to help facilitate childcare arrangements for such young teacher-parents, childcare arrangements as near to the school, place of work, as possible to help these teachers continue as fully as possible at work while maintaining their responsibilities to their own children at home as well?

Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for showing care for our teachers, including those who are residents in Clementi. We have a duty of care to our students. So long as the students are physically present in school, our teachers will have to be present with their students. At the same time, we care for our teachers as well, as they are the backbone of our education system.

So, when a teacher has a need for flexible work or certain reporting times to meet her caregiving needs, we would try to reach a reasonable arrangement that balances both the needs of the staff as well as the students.

I hope the Member understands that our schools work as a team and that teachers do not work by themselves. It is important for teachers to have open and early discussions with their school leaders so that arrangements can be made. For example, there are some schools that hire flexible adjunct teachers to cover the duties of the main teachers for certain periods of time so that our teachers who have other urgent needs or caregiving needs, will also be able to continue with their teaching careers.

On the Member's suggestion to have arrangements with other agencies, I believe he mentioned ECDA. We are open to exploring all options, but at the same time, we also respect that parents usually have their own preferences on childcare arrangements; it is not just about whether the childcare centre is near their homes, but sometimes, parents themselves have other considerations on the choice of childcare. So, we do have to be mindful about over-leaning and exerting ourselves on the choices of childcare for our teachers.

3 Dr Wan Rizal asked the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs whether he can provide an update on MUIS’ efforts to strengthen the governance of the madrasahs in light of the recent developments relating to the police report made by Madrasah Irsyad.

Mr Speaker, the hon Member has asked for an update on Madrasah Irsyad and its relationship with Irsyad Trust Limited (ITL), a public company limited by guarantee, formed in 2006.

Allow me to briefly recap the events that occurred and the actions the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) has taken.

Since the formation of the Joint Madrasah System in 2008, the role of Madrasah Irsyad’s Board of Governors (BOG) has been to set strategic direction and oversee the management for the Madrasah. MUIS oversees the appointment of the BOG members. The Madrasah Management Committee (MMC) continued to exist until 2016 to assist the madrasah in its fundraising efforts.

Up until 2014, the madrasah carried out international projects that broadly promoted Islamic education and supported capacity building of Islamic schools in our region.

In 2014, the MMC decided that the Madrasah should move its international projects to ITL, in order to focus its efforts and resources on strengthening management and improving education outcomes.

Subsequently, MUIS' audits into the madrasah discovered questionable transactions and activities involving the use of the Madrasah's funds and resources for the activities of ITL. None of these transactions and activities were authorised by the BOG. Some of these transactions and activities may have resulted in the madrasah suffering financial losses.

For example, the annual audit of the madrasah's accounts in 2016 found that $2 million had been transferred from the madrasah to ITL in 2014 for its international operations, with the endorsement of the MMC, but without the knowledge or approval of the BOG. Following this discovery, MUIS requested ITL to return this $2 million sum to the madrasah, which ITL did so in full.

In April 2021, MUIS initiated a further audit on the madrasah to examine the financial transactions and relationship between the madrasah and ITL. Based on preliminary findings from this audit, MUIS lodged a Police report in July 2021. Since then, MUIS has been assisting the Police in their investigations into this case, which resulted in the recent charges tendered in court against a Director of ITL.

Earlier this month, the madrasah filed a civil claim against a Director in ITL and other related parties, to seek an account of their improper use of the madrasah's funds and resources for ITL's purposes and to recover losses caused to the madrasah.

As the court case and civil claims are ongoing, I am not able to provide more information at this point. But MUIS will continue to monitor the developments to ensure that there is accountability to the madrasah and the community.

In recent years, MUIS has put in place measures to strengthen governance across the madrasah sector. The importance of these measures has been reinforced by the problems discovered at Madrasah Irsyad.

MUIS has established the Mosque-Madrasah-Wakaf Shared Services to support the madrasahs in their efforts to manage their finances better and prepare their accounts for audit. This shared financial service improves financial efficiency and governance across the madrasahs.

Madrasahs are required to submit annual updates on their financial audits to MUIS and the BOG. This enables MUIS and the BOG to exercise financial oversight of the madrasahs, address gaps in a more timely manner and to identify and share lessons learnt on financial governance across the madrasah sector.

MUIS requires staff rotation at the leadership level to be more frequent in the madrasahs. This will strengthen governance and staff development.

MUIS has introduced a whistleblowing procedure across the madrasah sector. This encourages a culture of active feedback from madrasah staff on situations or decisions made by the madrasah leaders. Where there is any suspected wrongdoing, this should be reported to MUIS or any relevant law enforcement agency.

MUIS is also piloting the implementation of an IT and Data Policy Manual for the madrasah sector. This will strengthen the madrasahs’ data and information security policies and implementation.

Mr Speaker, our madrasahs are vital institutions to develop future religious teachers and scholars for our Muslim community. MUIS will continue to strengthen our madrasahs' efforts to deliver quality education and ensure good governance of the sector, so that we can build a strong cadre of asatizah who exemplify the three "C"s – Competency, Character and Citizenry – and provide religious guidance to our community to thrive as a Community of Success.

Dr Wan Rizal.

Mr Speaker, I thank the Minister for sharing what happened in that timeline, as well as the countermeasures that were taken to prevent similar things from happening in the future. But I do have some questions about the timeline.

It started back in 2014 and it took some time before a report was made. I was just wondering whether this timeline could have been shortened, given the new countermeasures in place? And of course, I also worry about the IT and data capability that the Minister mentioned, that they are now implementing and working at. Is there any way we can hasten this because the data is pretty important for us to ensure in the system?

Mr Speaker, MUIS has taken action whenever a discovery is made. A lot of these can come from the internal reporting, but these few discoveries that we have mentioned, including the $2 million transfer, came after we undertook an audit externally, into the madrasah as part of the process of ensuring governance and checks.

Whenever an irregularity has been detected internally or externally, MUIS would take action. For example, discovery of the $2 million transfer was done after an audit in 2016, although it was transacted in 2014 internally by the MMC. Without the audit, we probably would not have discovered it.

In the same way, too, MUIS commissioned a special review in 2021 – which is way past the 2016 timeline – to see whether there are even further transactions between the madrasah and ITL. It is in 2021, arising from the findings of this review, that MUIS filed a Police report.

These regular checks that we have to do, even when what seemed to have been settled, must be carried on in any institutions so that we can continue to be accountable to the community.

There is one more question that the Member asked about IT. As I mentioned just now, we do have to upgrade the IT capabilities as well as the governance around IT and data management in the madrasahs and that is a work in progress.

4 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how often have enforcement actions been taken under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act for greenwashing-related activities in each of the last five years; and (b) how many of such enforcement actions have been taken against products and services that are not financial services or financial products regulated by MAS.

5 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Ministry will consider working with the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore to explore expanding the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice to explicitly cover greenwashing in non-financial products and services.

Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 4 and 5 in the Order Paper together, please?

Please proceed.

The Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act, or CPFTA, protects consumers against false or misleading claims, including those related to greenwashing. The Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) and the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) have not received any specific complaints alleging greenwashing.

There are existing guidelines under the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice, developed by the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore, to ensure that advertisers must clearly explain, adequately substantiate and qualify any environmental claim, where necessary.

The Government will continue to monitor developments on greenwashing and develop further measures, if necessary.

Mr Perera.

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. Just two supplementary questions.

One is in relation to the possibility of legislation in the future. There are countries that have legislated to say that when brands make green claims, they must be able to provide supporting documentation to some kind of authority or independent auditor process. So, will the Government consider this in the future, given how important it is to ensure public confidence in the accuracy of green claims when they are made.

Secondly, if I heard the Minister of State correctly, is it fair to say that if there are complaints about greenwashing from members of the public, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or other parties, will those complaints be investigated by the CCCS? Should those complaints be made to CCCS?

I thank the Member for his supplementary question. In fact, the Member had also raised this at the Ministry of Communication and Information's (MCI's) Committee of Supply (COS) debates and I thought that this was a very important issue that the Government is very much concerned about.

It is an emerging issue that has received growing interest among environmental and consumer protection authorities in many of the overseas jurisdictions. And the Member, in his MCI COS speech, had also outlined some of the different jurisdictions that have taken an interest in it, and, in fact, some had also legislated on the issue of environmental claims or greenwashing as well.

While the current scope of the CPFTA is sufficiently broad to address greenwashing claims by a supplier in a business-to-consumer (B2C) transaction, CCCS is studying developments on greenwashing in other jurisdictions, in fact, to assess if any specific guidance or regulations would be useful in the Singapore context.

On the Member's second question, I would like to say that consumers who encounter greenwashing or misleading environmental claims made by suppliers can approach CASE for assistance in resolving the dispute.

In egregious cases, CASE may refer the supplier to CCCS for investigation. I thank the Member for his supplementary questions and the Government is studying this very carefully and we will make the necessary moves, where necessary.

6 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider (i) upgrading the Tripartite Standard on Unpaid Leave for Unexpected Care Needs to take the form of Tripartite Guidelines and (ii) eventually legislating the Tripartite Standard on Unpaid Leave for Unexpected Care Needs.

7 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry will consider launching a Tripartite Standard on (i) paid childcare sick leave and (ii) paid parent care leave; and (b) if not, why not.

Mr Speaker, may I take Question Nos 6 and 7 together?

Yes, please.

Currently, employers are required by legislation to provide various types of leave to support employees' caregiving needs. For instance, besides Maternity and Paternity Leave, employers are also required to provide Childcare and Extended Childcare Leave on an annual basis.

Some employers have also gone beyond these legally-mandated provisions to provide additional paid leave, such as Child Sick leave, Parental Care leave and Family Care leave.

To promote such progressive practices, tripartite partners introduced the Tripartite Standard on Work-life Harmony, which encourages employers to provide at least two enhanced types of leave in their companies. Depending on what best meets the needs of the employer and its employees, these can include paid Child Sick leave and paid Parental Care leave, which the Member had asked about.

We will continue to promote workplace practices that strike a good balance in addressing employees' caregiving needs and business needs. This includes encouraging flexible work arrangements (FWAs), which are more sustainable.

Mr Louis Ng.

Thank you, Sir. I thank the Minister of State for the reply and for showing concerns, especially for parents who have twins or triplets and pre-term babies. But we have had the Tripartite Standards for quite some time now. So, could I just ask whether there is a timeframe where we are going to review on upgrading these Tripartite Standards into Tripartite Guidelines?

Second, what are the thresholds before we will consider converting it into Guidelines? And I know that this would not affect the majority of companies because, even for the Civil Service, only about 25 officers take this unpaid leave every year for the last few years. So, it has a minimal impact on the majority of companies but a tremendous help that parents of twins and triplets and pre-term babies really need. So, I hope the Government will consider this.

We share the Member's concerns with supporting employees with caregiving needs, especially those with young children as well as those who have to take care of elderly parents. The Tripartite Standards are voluntary in nature and, basically, what we are trying to do is to enable businesses to be able to support their employees through family-friendly workplace culture and also balancing business needs as well as the employees' caregiving needs.

The Tripartite Standards, basically, give flexibility for employers to provide additional benefits for the employees, where possible to do so. And in a tight labour market, it is actually in the employers' interest to consider how best to meet the needs of their employees in order to attract and to retain them.

At the same time, the Government is also looking at stepping up and enhancing ways in which the community and infrastructure in the public can support employees who have caregiving needs, whether it is childcare facilities or eldercare day care facilities.

Mr Louis Ng.

Thank you, Sir. I really hope the Minister of State can share whether we are going to review this. I appreciate that there are all the other programmes in place, but are we going to review this and improve it from a Standard into Guidelines? I am not asking for legislation, but for it to become a Tripartite Guideline instead.

Well, the difference between Tripartite Standard and Tripartite Guidelines is that a Tripartite Standard is voluntary for companies to consider. Guidelines, on the other hand, will become mandatory for companies to apply, which means that companies that do not comply will be subject to administrative actions by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

So, as I have explained earlier on, the reason why we do not too quickly and easily convert Tripartite Standards into Guidelines is because we also have to be mindful of the impact on businesses and, at the same time, we understand that if we want to support employees who have caregiving needs, it is important to promote family workplace culture and FWAs, which will become Guidelines by next year, and, at the same time, look at how else we can support employees with caregiving needs through community support as well as public infrastructure.

Assoc Prof Jamus Lim.

I thank Minister of State Gan for her response. I am just wondering if we can push it just a little bit more, because, of course, many of our residents – especially mothers, not just mothers of triplets; but working mothers in general – have struggled with this. So, I wonder if the Ministry will consider, not moving to Guidelines for all firms, which I understand, especially for SMEs, it may be difficult to follow through, but perhaps only for the largest firms, to begin with.

Minister Tan.

Thank you, Speaker, for allowing me to respond to both the hon Members of Parliament. We intend to put the Tripartite Guidelines on FWAs up some time next year, in 2024. Members would appreciate the fact that this is a tripartite initiative. So, it involves the Government, the Labour Movement as well as the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF).

So, in moving it forward, we need to get the concurrence and support, not just from a top-down perspective, but also from ground-up. And those Guidelines will then be set into motion. It will always be a work-in-progress to see how we can continue to titrate and calibrate according to the needs of the businesses and the needs of our workers, our local population, as well as also the needs of the employers. I hope this answers and addresses both the Members' concerns.

The following question stood in the name of Mr Melvin Yong –

8 To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry in view of the opening of accommodation in Lazarus Island for eco-tourism from May 2023 (a) how does the Ministry intend to address possible disamenities that may arise, such as indiscriminate littering and visitors feeding wildlife; and (b) whether there will be regular monitoring of the impact to the island's wildlife and its surrounding marine ecosystem.

Question No 8.

Sir, the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) has worked with the operator of the short-term eco-accommodations, Big Tiny, to minimise guests' environmental footprint. The scale of the eco-accommodation is small, with a maximum occupancy of 15 adults in five units.

Big Tiny also adopts sustainable practices, such as using solar energy as their main source of power and has in place responsible and appropriate waste management measures. It will also educate its guests by providing pre-visit and in-room materials to remind them of best practices to protect the environment. SDC has worked with and will continue to work with Big Tiny and nature groups to finetune operational best practices. Should visitors or the operator breach regulations, the relevant agencies will take the appropriate enforcement action.

On a broader level, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) works closely with relevant Government agencies and other stakeholders to safeguard the biodiversity and heritage of our Southern Islands, including Lazarus Island, to preserve their rustic charm and rich habitats. For example, in terms of biodiversity monitoring, the National Parks Board (NParks) is currently working with various stakeholders to compile the Southern Islands Biodiversity Survey. This will cover the terrestrial and marine habitats of all the Southern Islands, including Lazarus Island, and guide its conservation strategies. I want to assure Members of the House that we will continue to monitor and safeguard the biodiversity and heritage of our Southern Islands, which are of utmost importance to us.

9 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Communications and Information whether the Government issues guidelines on the use of local vernacular languages in wayfinding signs and public address systems within healthcare institutions and MRT stations to aid elderly Singaporeans.

Sir, Government agencies make their own assessments on when to use the three mother tongue languages (MTLs) to effectively communicate and meet the needs of their stakeholders.

In general, counter and service staff are available in the healthcare institutions to assist elderly Singaporeans who need help with wayfinding. In the case of our MRT stations, key information signages, such as station names, as well as public address announcements on important matters, such as travel advisories, are made using the four official languages.

Mr Gerald Giam.

I thank the Senior Minister of State for his reply. Can I check if the Government has any intention to publish any guide on wayfinding that can be used by developers and other public institutions, as well as private institutions, to include and mention about how it is important to use the vernacular languages in some instances, especially places where senior citizens are frequenting, like hospitals and MRT stations?

Sir, the responsibility is for Ministries and Government agencies to assess the operations and functions within their facilities and make an assessment. How they choose to rely on MTLs where it is relevant to meet the needs of their stakeholders is an assessment for the individual Ministry or agency to make.

10 Mr Vikram Nair asked the Minister for Manpower (a) why do investments bought using the CPF Special Account or Ordinary Account of a deceased member go to his estate upon death and not to his CPF nominee; and (b) whether the CPF will consider allowing such investments to also go to the nominee rather than the estate.

The Central Provident Fund Investment Scheme, or CPFIS, investments are disbursed to the deceased member's estate. Doing so allows the beneficiaries of the estate to decide how best to manage these assets, including the preferred timing for the sale of assets, such as unit trusts and stocks. These decisions should be made by the beneficiaries, as these decisions could affect the value of the CPFIS investments.

CPF monies, on the other hand, under the CPF nomination scheme, can then be disbursed quickly without having to wait for the beneficiaries' decision on the CPFIS investments.

Members are informed upfront, when making their CPF nomination, that the nomination does not cover CPFIS investments. Hence, CPF members who want their CPFIS investments to go to the same beneficiaries as their CPF nominees, should do so through their will.

Mr Vikram Nair.

I thank the Minister for his reply. That is a helpful explanation. I think the issue arises particularly with vulnerable families or less-educated individuals and the CPF Nomination Scheme was meant to be an easy way to avoid people having to write wills if their only asset was CPF.

Two areas of complications arise.

One, is in the event of bankruptcy. So, for example, if an individual is bankrupt, his CPF monies would go to his nominee, which could be the wife. But if it were to go to the estate, it would all go to the creditors. I had a Meet-the-People Session (MPS) case, for example, where a bankrupt had CPF monies which could not be touched by the creditors, which he was hoping to go to the wife, but because they had gone into investments, they went to the creditors.

The second, is again bankruptcy, but, where one of the recipients is a bankrupt. In this case, the nominee was the wife, but, because the money were in investments, they went to the estate. There was no will, so half of it would go to a child, who happened to be a bankrupt; and the other half would go to the wife. But then, the creditors then come in to decide how to sell the assets.

Another solution may be, to have the assets go to the nominee and then the nominee can decide when to sell, because the beneficiary and the estate may be quite different from the nominee.

I thank the Member for his suggestion. I think it is something that we could potentially contemplate. But to the Member's first point about members who belong to low-income families, from our understanding, based on the statistics that we have been able to aggregate thus far, the main impact is actually on the Singtel discounted shares. Because, at the particular point in time, the Government took a stand at that time, as far as possible in terms of the growth, for the economy, we wanted to benefit a larger part of a group of Singaporeans.

Today, the Singtel discounted shares are treated as per what you have suggested.

When it comes to managing the investments, I think that it would not be prudent for CPF to manage the timing of the sale of these assets because, ostensibly for us, it is really to protect the member and his nominees to provide for financial retirement adequacy; and also to help them with the MediSave and also for housing. That was the construct of CPF.

If you try to manage and disburse the investment proceeds and time the sale of the investment that the member has made and you make a wrong timing or you make a wrong a decision to sell or, well, you made a decision to sell but at a wrong timing, it could have adverse impact on the savings.

Because of that, we left it to the beneficiaries according to the will. No, sorry, we left it to the estate to manage. But to the Member's point about some of the other potential improvements to the scheme, I am prepared to take them on board and consider.

11 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Health with the recent revisions to MediShield Life coverage (a) which cancer services or drugs are likely to contribute to out-of-pocket expenses for the remaining 10% of cancer patients who are not fully subsidised; (b) what options are available to patients who cannot afford their treatment; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider relaxing restrictions on the use of MediSave funds for certain types of cancers, particularly in cases of late-stage cancer where treatment is a priority.

To reiterate, the Cancer Drug List (CDL) conferred negotiating leverage to the Ministry of Health (MOH), to lower the prices of commonly used and effective cancer drugs. Since its implementation, we have brought down CDL drug prices by an average of 30% and over 60% for some drugs. Today, the CDL covers about 90% of Health Science Authority (HSA)-approved cancer drug treatments in Singapore. We will work with pharmaceutical companies to expand the CDL.

For the remaining 10%, many continue to be able to tap on their insurance rider policies, which can cover drugs beyond the CDL. We also advise that patients and their families discuss the suitability of more cost-effective alternatives on the CDL with their doctors. If both are not possible and the patient is seeing a private doctor, the patient can consider transferring to subsidised care under public hospitals, where we will also explore the possibility of using additional MediSave and availing other forms of financial assistance. We are committed to ensuring that no one will be denied of appropriate care due to an inability to pay.

Mr Yip.

I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for her reply. My first question is on cancer services. I wish to ask whether the Ministry will consider allowing more MediSave use for patients who may need services, like consults and tests, for late-stage cancers. This is because some patients may want to tap on their MediSave instead of burdening their loved ones. Second, how often will the new cap of $3,600 a year for MediShield Life claim limit for cancer drug services be reviewed to ensure that cancer services remain affordable for Singaporeans?

I thank the Member for the questions. The MediSave limit is usually sized to cover the 10% co-insurance of MediShield Life for treatments and the CDL. The current limit is actually more than enough to cover the 10%, so we will not be reviewing this at this juncture. But if the subsidised patient faces financial difficulty – some affordability challenges – after the subsidies, after insurance and after tapping on MediSave, he or she can still apply for financial assistance.

In respect of the question on MediShield Life, we have just done a review of the latest data available and we have raised the services limit quite substantially from $1,200 to $3,600. This would cover nine out of 10 subsidised bills in the Public Healthcare Institutions.

On top of that, patients with Integrated Shield Plans or riders would actually have higher coverage, more than the $3,600 limit that is set. We will continue to monitor this and we will continue to monitor the impact and review data and, if necessary, we will adjust our policies accordingly.

12 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Health whether there are any stipulations that a household already receiving financial support from MediFund for one family member is no longer eligible for such support for other family members.

There are no stipulations that a patient cannot qualify for MediFund if any family member is already receiving MediFund support.

Assoc Prof Jamus Lim.

Thank you for the response. Just a very quick follow-up. This was actually conveyed by a resident during my Meet-the-People session and I understand that he may have been misinformed. But I am just wondering, is there any kind of threshold limits that MediFund typically considers in terms of the number of family members that can qualify for such support? Because I am thinking not in terms of just a spouse but, perhaps, other members of the family as well.

In respect of that, the Ministry of Health (MOH) provides operational guidelines to the MediFund committees and the MediFund-approved institutions to facilitate their management of MediFund, so that there is some sort of consistency in the decision-making. But actually, the MediFund committees have full discretion over the assessment of the applications.

In such situations, what they will do is assess the families' means and ability to pay for the patient's medical bills holistically. They will take into account the different income as well as other Government grants and support provided to the family. So, it is a holistic approach and I believe that is something that will be done on a case-by-case basis.

13 Dr Wan Rizal asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) how many mental well-being circles under the SG Mental Well-Being Network have been formed so far; (b) how many members have been recruited and trained; and (c) what are some of the lessons learnt from forming well-being circles in the community.

Culture, Community and Youth): Sir, we recently updated on the Well-being Circles at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth's (MCCY's) Committee of Supply (COS) debate on 6 March 2023. The Network has set up six Mental Well-Being Circles across Singapore. There are now 400 trained volunteers and around 30 partners, across the six Mental Well-Being Circles.

The Well-Being Circles are still relatively new and are trying different approaches and models. While it would be too soon to be definitive about the learning points, I assure the Member that we will gain valuable experience over time and apply the lessons that we have learnt.

Dr Wan Rizal.

Sir, I thank the Minister of State for the reply. I just want to ask: I have seen the good work that MCCY has done through the Mental Well-Being Circles and I am actually quite encouraged and I hope that we can push more forward in a shorter time. One of the questions that I want to ask, is about how we can prepare them further when a pandemic comes again because we are currently debating this Motion where we talk about COVID-19. But when a pandemic strikes, we want to make sure that these Well-Being Circles can transform and become an emergency preparedness approach. Are there plans to go into that direction?

Sir, I thank the Member for his supplementary question. The purpose of the Mental Well-Being Circles was born out of the Youth Mental Well-Being Network and expanded to the SG Mental Well-Being Network – the purpose is to raise awareness about mental well-being and mental health issues; and also to train peer supporters so that they may be able to support their friends, their families and the community. And thirdly, it is to have a network for them to support one another and, if necessary, to refer people who need step-up care to step-up support.

So, I would like to thank the Member for his contributions and also his strong support in his Kolam Ayer Well-Being Circle and I encourage him and other Members to continue to give us feedback on how to improve this as we go along.

14 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs in respect of the recently concluded landmark Treaty on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (a) what is the Government’s assessment of the outcome of the negotiations leading to the agreed terms of the Treaty; (b) what is the Government’s assessment of the benefits of the Treaty for Singapore; and (c) how can Singapore and Singaporeans contribute to further the objectives of the Treaty.

Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Tan for that question, and I beg indulgence of the House to give a somewhat detailed answer.

The Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty is an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention, on the Law of the Sea for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. There has been significant concern for many years about the degradation of the marine environment and the depletion of resources in the high seas and the deep seabed. This refers to the waters and the seabed beyond the 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of countries and, therefore, it is beyond the jurisdiction of any particular country.

There is an urgent need for collective action to address the urgent threats confronting our oceans, including the issues of climate change and biodiversity loss.

The BBNJ Treaty is, thus, a historic achievement and a critical boost for global efforts to protect the marine environment. The treaty covers nearly two-thirds of the ocean. It is an important step towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 14 – to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development – as well as the global target to protect 30% of the world's lands, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans by 2030.

First, the Treaty enables a more holistic regulation of the marine environment in areas beyond national jurisdiction. This has hitherto been fragmented across different regional and sectoral organisations overseeing individual issues, such as fisheries management and maritime shipping. It will fill some of these regulatory gaps, it will promote coordination across the different regional and sectoral bodies and provide greater clarity on what is required for the assessment of environmental impacts for activities in these areas.

Second, the Treaty seeks to address some of the inequalities among states in their ability to manage and use the resources of the areas beyond national jurisdiction. It provides for greater and more equitable sharing of the benefits arising from marine scientific research in these areas for all countries; and it will boost capacity-building efforts for developing countries to better conserve and to sustainably use their marine biodiversity and to implement this Treaty.

We are proud that a Singaporean, the Ambassador for Oceans and Law of the Sea Issues, Ms Rena Lee, presided over the five Intergovernmental Conference sessions, which were held between 2018 and 2023; and that this successfully led to the conclusion of the Treaty negotiations. Rena's able and tireless leadership during this long and arduous process brought countries together towards achieving a consensus outcome and reaffirmed Singapore's position as a trusted interlocutor and bridge-builder as well as underlying our leading role in developing the international law of the sea. The successful conclusion of the negotiations is also a strong affirmation that multilateralism remains effective and relevant, and that a rules-based international order is needed more than ever before to resolve global issues.

These outcomes are relevant and beneficial to Singapore. By codifying scientific best practices across jurisdictions and giving effect to the principle of open science, the BBNJ Treaty will augment our Institutes of Higher Learning as well as maritime companies' access to deep sea samples, thereby creating new opportunities for our research and development sector.

Through the Treaty, our scientists working with repositories such as the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum in the National University of Singapore and agencies like the Agency for Science and Technology Research as well as the National Research Foundation will find it easier to obtain access to information and to samples of the marine organisms for their research.

Singapore can also contribute to the objectives of the Treaty in a variety of ways. In the immediate term, we can work with other countries and regional and international organisations towards the early ratification and the effective implementation of the Treaty. In the longer term, we can support capacity-building efforts for developing countries by sharing our experience and expertise through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Singapore Cooperation Programme. Singaporeans can contribute to combatting climate change and protecting our own environment and oceans by living sustainably and practising zero-waste lifestyles.

To conclude, the oceans, whether they lie within exclusive economic zones or in the high seas beyond national jurisdiction, are all inter-connected. The waters and the marine biodiversity in them move freely across borders. This means that, whatever happens in the areas beyond national jurisdiction can and will have an impact on us in Singapore – be it in terms of biodiversity loss, environmental degradation or the ocean-climate nexus. We are, therefore, privileged and honoured to have been able to play a part in ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of our oceans through the BBNJ Treaty negotiations. We will certainly continue to support this crucial endeavour.

Mr Dennis Tan.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Hougang): I thank the Foreign Minister for his detailed reply. May I join the Foreign Minister in also commending Ms Rena Lee for her leadership in her capacity as President of the United Nations Conference for the BBNJ and her excellent work in facilitating the agreement of many nations for the text for the landmark Treaty on the BBNJ, which I understand is an effort and has taken so many years. I have two supplementary questions.

The first is this: the signing of the Treaty is only the beginning; the devil is in the details. And there are a number of details to agree to, in the coming months, if not longer. As we know, in international law, the initial agreement of the Treaty is just a first step. It is important that all countries will also ratify and introduce – in their local laws – in as short as possible a time, so that we can all start reaping the benefits of the Treaty. So, will the Minister share with the House, what he sees as some of the challenges in getting as many countries to sign up and ratify, so that the Treaty can be properly enforced sooner rather than later? This is especially so, given the competitive nature of the world fisheries and mining industries.

The second supplementary question: how would the Government encourage or even ensure that Singaporean businesses will only source from sustainable fisheries and undersea mining, in compliance with the requirement of this convention?

Mr Tan is absolutely right. The challenge now, having concluded the negotiations on the text, is to get countries to ratify and, more importantly, to actually implement. It will require, at the domestic level, policies and legislation and programmes to do so. I will not underestimate the effort needed to persuade everyone to come on board. That is why I have dealt with this at some length because, in fact, we need not just within Singapore, but across the world for everyone to understand why the oceans and the marine biodiversity in the high seas and on the seabed, the natural resources in a sense – the natural heritage of all mankind – is important and worthy of protection.

To be honest with you, this requires political support. I am glad that at least in the case of Singapore, I think in this House, I can say that it is unanimous support for the protection of the environment for dealing with climate change, for conserving marine biodiversity and, equally important, a fair and equitable approach to how we extract resources sustainably, in areas both within our own jurisdiction, as well as areas outside.

The point is, I am very grateful for your support, but I am also saying that there will be challenges internationally. What will these challenges be? On a couple of fronts.

Number one, the unequal capacities of countries already cause a challenge. Because there will be some countries who have the technology and, therefore, have a head start to exploit and gain even sometimes an unfair advantage over others. This is one reason why this treaty is so important – because it sets common rules for everyone.

Second, this treaty also ensures that there is a more equitable distribution of the benefits that derive from the extraction and the exploitation of this natural heritage of all of us.

Third, training capacity building, which will also require sharing between countries. And in the case of Singapore, one of the most important programmes that we run on the international front is capacity building; in the sense of uplifting, as many across the board that we can – officials, students, scientists – we will continue to do so.

But I would also say, we do need transparency. Which actually brings me to the second point – how do you ensure compliance? Because these are the areas which are beyond jurisdiction. I will not trivialise how difficult it will be to hold people to account.

But I believe that if there is broad-based public support in all countries and we have a system with sufficient transparency, so, you know which companies or which institutions, what they are doing, where and the impact of their activities, I think that transparency will help ensure compliance.

So, again, I just want to say that I am grateful for Members' interest in this area and for Members' support, and I hope this is the same situation in parliaments all over the world.

15 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for National Development (a) what are the reasons why 40% of HDB BTO applicants do not book a flat when invited to do so at selection exercises; (b) how does the Ministry determine whether the reasons provided for failing to book are legitimate; (c) whether applicants will be required to submit proof under the tightened BTO selection rules; and (d) what measures will be taken to exclude applicants who participate in BTO selection exercises for frivolous reasons.

Mr Speaker, applicants are not required to provide or justify their reasons to the Housing and Development Board (HDB) for choosing not to book a flat. The most common reasons shared by applicants who did not book a flat when invited to do so, are as follows: firstly, their preferred units have been taken up; secondly, they have since decided to buy a resale flat; or thirdly, they have changed their minds and want to apply for flats in other sales exercises instead.

While there are different reasons for non-selection, such applicants do crowd out other home buyers who may have more urgent housing needs. Hence, we have the rules for non-selection. From the August 2023 Build-To-Order (BTO) exercise, first-timers (FTs) with one non-selection count will be considered as second-timers (STs) for a year in the computer ballot; while STs with one non-selection count will not be allowed to participate in sales exercises for a year.

To be fair to applicants who are left with limited choices, HDB will not issue a non-selection count to applicants with 10 or fewer BTO flats, or five or fewer Sale of Balance flats, to choose from when their turn is due. This is regardless of the applicants' reasons for non-selection.

Where there are extenuating circumstances, HDB may exercise flexibility to waive the non-selection count. Each appeal is evaluated on its own merits and appellants will need to provide documentary evidence to HDB to substantiate their case where necessary.

Mr Yip.

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. Just one short supplementary question. For first-time BTO applicants who do not choose a flat for valid reasons, like out of budget, will exceptions be made for them to retain their priority status?

Sir, I thank the Member for the supplementary question. As I shared earlier, when there are extenuating circumstances, HDB may exercise flexibility on a case-by-case basis. So, I will urge the applicant with the circumstance shared by the Member earlier, to appeal with the documentary proof or evidence and we will take a look at it.

The following question stood in the name of Mr Saktiandi Supaat –

16 To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the current average waiting time for a walk-in patient at a polyclinic; (b) what is the current average number of people who are turned away each day on the basis that there are no more queue numbers issued even if they have arrived within the polyclinic’s opening hours; (c) of which, what proportion is above the age of 55 years old; and (d) if any of the foregoing data is unavailable, whether the Ministry will consider collecting them.

Question No 16.

Sir, the overall median and 95th percentile doctor consultation waiting time for walk-in patients at polyclinics in February 2023 was 17 minutes and 164 minutes respectively. We currently do not track the number of patients turned away from the polyclinics, nor the proportion above 55 years of age.

Given their high volumes, the polyclinics generally operate on an appointment basis to optimise capacity, patient waiting times and manpower allocation. For walk-in patients who are unable to get a same day appointment, the polyclinics will triage based on medical needs. Patients requiring urgent medical attention will be seen by the doctor, whilst non-urgent cases may be advised to seek treatment at a nearby general practitioner (GP) clinic. Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) cardholders can receive subsidies for medical care at CHAS GP clinics. Such triaging is generally independent of age.

To meet anticipated healthcare needs, we are developing more polyclinics and are on track to meet our target of 32 polyclinics by 2030.

17 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Home Affairs in each of the last three years (a) what is the average response time for emergency vehicles to reach their destinations to attend to emergencies; and (b) what are the common reasons for delays in emergency vehicles sending patients to hospitals.

Sir, the median time taken for an emergency ambulance to arrive at the incident location was about seven minutes in 2020, about seven minutes in 2021 and about eight minutes in 2022.

A common reason when there is delay is traffic or weather conditions en route, for example, traffic congestion during peak hours or heavy downpour affecting road visibility. Also, sometimes, the Singapore Civil Defence Force may have to dispatch emergency vehicles that are further away from the incident location because those from the nearest bases are fully engaged in other incidents.

18 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for National Development (a) in the past 10 years, how many HDB BTO applicants who purchased their flat as fiancé and fiancée, did not submit their marriage certificate when requested for verification after six months of collecting their keys; (b) how many of such applicants have refused to surrender their flats when informed, resulting in HDB taking recovery action; and (c) how many have managed to find a replacement who are eligible as joint applicants to retain the flat as approved by HDB.

Mr Speaker, Sir, Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat owners who purchased a flat under the Fiancé-Fiancée Scheme are required to produce their marriage certificate within three months from taking possession of the flat. The three-month period is generally sufficient as most couples would have ample time after the flat application to plan for their marriage. Should the couple require more time due to unexpected circumstances, HDB may grant a further three-month extension and exercise flexibility on a case-by-case basis.

HDB does not track the number of fiancé-fiancée flat applicants who submitted their marriage certificate after six months of taking possession of their flat. Some of these applicants were granted further extensions of time due to extenuating circumstances and were able to submit their marriage certificate subsequently. Couples who do not intend to proceed with their marriage would have to surrender their flat to HDB. In some cases, an exception can be made to have one of the applicants retain the flat with the inclusion of a family member originally listed in the application, with the agreement of the other party. Owners who refuse to regularise their lease will face compulsory acquisition actions by HDB.

As of 31 December 2022, there were 79 couples who have bought their new flats from HDB under the Fiancé-Fiancée Scheme in the last 10 years and have taken possession of their flats for more than six months but have yet to produce their marriage certificate. Of these 79 couples, HDB allowed three of the cases to have one of the applicants retain the flat with the inclusion of a family member originally listed in the flat application and initiated compulsory acquisition actions against two of them. Another five couples have submitted applications to surrender their flats. The remainder are recent cases, where many had cited difficulties proceeding with their marriage during the COVID-19 period.

HDB will continue to work with the owners of the remaining outstanding cases to regularise their lease through the submission of marriage certificate, surrender of the flat or via compulsory acquisition actions.

Assoc Prof Jamus Lim.

I thank the Minister for the response. I am wondering if you could just elaborate a little bit on the reason why the stipulation that an original member of the application has to be included. I say this because I have had residents that have made a request because they no longer ended up with the original intended partner, actually try to apply with another new partner – and all the parties involved agreed with the process – but because, of course, the new partner is not listed in the original application, this was rejected.

Essentially, with a break-up of the fiancé-fiancée relationship, there is a breach of the fundamental eligibility condition of the family nucleus to buy a flat. Hence, the retention of the flat is not allowed and the flat is to be surrendered to HDB. If the flat owners refuse to surrender, then, of course, HDB will compulsorily acquire the flat.

And then, specific to the question that Assoc Prof Lim raised, the only exception to allow one party to retain the flat is with parents who were originally listed in the application for purchase of the flat, as the retaining party with his or her parents would have qualified to buy the flat as a family nucleus even without the couple's marriage. So, that is the idea. Because with the other family member, they would have qualified on their own even without marriage.

19 Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) when was the last revision of the household income eligibility criteria for the Disabled Persons Scheme; and (b) whether the criteria are being evaluated so as to remain relevant amidst inflation and rising costs of living.

for Social and Family Development): Mr Speaker, the Disabled Persons Scheme (DPS) exempts eligible Singapore Citizens with permanent disabilities who cannot take public transport from paying premiums for Certificates of Entitlement and Additional Registration Fees (ARF) when they purchase a vehicle for work purposes. The household income eligibility criteria for the DPS were last reviewed and revised in 2017.

As we move towards being a car-lite society, we have enhanced the Taxi Subsidy Scheme (TSS) to cater to persons with disabilities who are unable to take public transport. The TSS provides means-tested subsidies to defray the cost of travel via taxis and private hire vehicles to school, work or employment-related training. In 2020, the Ministry of Social and Family Development increased the TSS qualifying monthly per capita household income from $2,600 to $2,800.

In recent years, there have been increasingly more transport options for persons with disabilities who cannot take public transport. For example, all taxis are required to be able to fit foldable wheelchairs in their boot. Taxi and private hire car operators have introduced more wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Several private transport operators catering to persons with disabilities have also entered the market, further enhancing the overall accessibility.

We will continue to monitor and review the transport landscape for persons with disabilities to ensure that transport options remain accessible and affordable.

Dr Tan.

I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for his answer. I have two supplementary questions.

The first question is regarding the existing scheme, the DPS. Do we also consider, as part of the assessment, the upkeep needs of the other dependents within the same household? So, for example, if there are very young children, infants who need care, is that a factor considered when there are appeals?

Secondly, based on the previous income threshold from 2017, which was six years ago, would the Senior Parliamentary Secretary happen to have information on what percentile household income that was in 2017; and how that figure translates into percentile household income in today's setting?

Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. Actually, to both questions, the short answer is yes.

First one, we do consider, holistically, the situation and factors within each family. On the second question about numbers, I do not have the exact numbers; but we do review, as I mentioned in my main reply, the affordability and accessibility from time to time.

20 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Prime Minister what is the scope of guidance or control on the choice of monetary regime or on the total level of reserves held, that the Government is able to convey to or exercise on MAS as an independent central bank.

Sir, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) Act states that MAS is to maintain price stability conducive to sustainable growth of the economy and that it is to conduct monetary policy for this purpose. Within this stated mandate, MAS has full autonomy over the appropriate choice of monetary policy instrument and the formulation of monetary policy.

We have addressed questions on the Official Foreign Reserves (OFRs) in this House several times, most recently during the Second Reading Speech on the MAS (Amendment) Bill on 11 January 2022. These covered the purpose of maintaining OFR, how it is accumulated, how it is invested and how much of it is needed. MAS assesses how much OFR is needed for the purpose of implementing its monetary policy, taking reference from internationally accepted measures of reserve adequacy as well as the highly open nature of our economy and financial markets.

Assoc Prof Jamus Lim.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I am just wondering if I could just clarify. So, my interpretation of what was just shared is that MAS actually does maintain quite a bit of discretion in how it operationalises the various scopes, but that the Government is able to make broad suggestions on just how it goes about operationalising these principles. And if that is the case, would the Minister of State be able to share if this is also the general principle that the Government adheres to for all other independent bodies, such as the Chief Valuer?

Sir, I will focus my answer on the MAS. And the structure of the MAS and, indeed, how MAS conducts its exchange rate monetary policy is not new. In fact, it has been something that is a long-stated policy of the MAS. Many advanced countries have opted for statutory central bank independence, but this has not really fully insulated monetary policy from political interference.

The MAS' model is different – MAS may not have statutory independence in the way that many central banks do. It is not independent of the Government, but it is independent within the Government. Let me elaborate.

MAS operates with considerable autonomy, with no interference from the rest of the Government, be it in the conduct of monetary policy or supervisory policy. Yet, MAS is part of the broader Singapore Public Service, working closely with other Government agencies for the national benefit. And macro-prudential policies are successful in Singapore only because the MAS, the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of National Development coordinate and use their respective policy tools in a concerted manner.

If we take a step back and look at over five decades of MAS' history – MAS has built its credibility as a central bank, as a financial supervisor as well as a partner with industry, by learning from the best. Particularly in MAS' earlier years, but also where appropriate, doing things in our own way.

So, we do things in our own because our circumstances are very different from many other jurisdictions around the world. We play an outsized role in global financial markets, for example, as a financial centre; and we are also a very small place but a very open economy. And that is why the way that we do things are different. MAS maintains that operational autonomy from Government.

21 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Transport (a) what steps have been taken to ensure that the construction of Changi Airport Terminal 5 is in line with sustainability goals; and (b) whether steps are taken to future proof the development of the terminal against climate change.

Mr Speaker, on the Member's first question, the factsheet entitled "Enhancing Singapore's Connectivity; Securing our Future" which was released by my Ministry on 21 August 2022, includes details on how we are designing Terminal 5 (T5) to be a green and sustainable terminal building.

Changi Airport Group's 2022 Annual Sustainability Report addresses the second question. The Report describes measures that have been taken including the enhancement of the drainage network at Changi Airport, installation of tidal gates and raising the platform level at Changi East to 5.5 metres above mean sea level.

I have also given a Written reply to Dr Tan Wu Meng's Parliamentary Question on 13 September 2022 on the mitigating measures that have been taken to protect Changi Airport against the effect of higher temperatures. [Please refer to "Effect of Increased Temperatures from Climate Change on Changi Airport Operations", Official Report, 13 September 2022, Vol 95, Issue 68, Written Answers to Questions section.]

We will continue to monitor technological developments and review and enhance the measures for T5 to be green, sustainable and resilient to climate change.

22 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Communications and Information in each of the years between 2020 and 2022 (a) how many POFMA reports are received by the various Ministries that relate to COVID-19; and (b) how many of such reports resulted in no further action being taken.

or Communications and Information): Sir, between 2020 and 2022, the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office received over 280 pieces of feedback and enquiries related to COVID-19 issues. This included public feedback to various Government agencies on potential COVID-19 falsehoods that were redirected to the POFMA Office. There were four POFMA cases involving the issuance of seven POFMA directions that were linked to such public feedback.

Ms He Ting Ru.

I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. I just have a very quick supplementary question. Just wondered, what was the assessment of the effectiveness of the POFMA legislation and, obviously, all the tools available under the POFMA regime given to the Ministries in the various authorities in order to combat these falsehoods that resulted from COVID-19-related misinformation being circulated?

Sir, in all the cases that I have mentioned, where action was taken, the Government was already aware of the falsehoods prior to receiving the feedback and had begun an assessment of the falsehoods. The Government took and continues to treat COVID-19 misinformation very seriously, even if the feedback did not result in a POFMA action. The feedback highlighted gaps and understanding that potentially would deserve attention.

As a result, other than the POFMA direction, the Government has also used public communication and education efforts to provide accurate and timely information relating to COVID-19. This includes, providing up-to-date information directly to Singaporeans through various channels, such as the Gov.sg's WhatsApp channel, which grew to over 1.2 million subscribers during the pandemic.

Some of our polls in 2022 show that three in four members of the public think that the Government has provided sufficient information on COVID-19. A 2021 survey showed that over 86% agreed that these messages helped in their decision to get vaccinated.

Our actions and our concerted efforts to counter COVID-19 misinformation contributed to high levels of public trust, which have allowed us to come together as a country to achieve high vaccination coverage and implement effective COVID-19 measures.

23 Dr Shahira Abdullah asked the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs in respect of youths getting radicalised online (a) how is MUIS utilising its digital platforms to combat this; (b) what is the level of reach and engagement of MUIS' SalamSG TV and MuslimSG to the general public and youths respectively; and (d) whether MUIS will consider supporting mysafespace.sg which connects users to certified asatizahs under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme for personalised and anonymous religious guidance through a chat portal.

Mr Speaker, SalamSG TV is a faith-inspired YouTube channel developed by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) during the circuit breaker in 2020 and is now part of the SalamSG Movement, a nationwide community movement driven by all mosques in Singapore with the aim of spreading good within and beyond the community. MuslimSG is a one-stop online media platform by MUIS that provides Islamic religious content.

MUIS leverages SalamSG TV and MuslimSG, as well as collaborates with key influencers to promote mainstream, contextualised Islam. This includes disseminating positive and religiously accurate and context-appropriate narratives that inoculate Muslim youths in Singapore against inappropriate, divisive and exclusivist religious content.

SalamSG TV and MuslimSG have achieved substantial reach and engagement, including with the youths. A significant portion of this reach is to youths. For SalamSG TV, 63.2% of its Facebook audience in 2022 were between the ages of 13 and 44 years old; and for MuslimSG, 70.9% of its Facebook audience in 2022 were between the ages of 13 and 44 years.

The hon Member raised mysafespace.sg, which is a chat portal that connects asatizah to those who wish to seek guidance on religious matters anonymously. This is a ground-up initiative by a group of asatizah and MUIS is not directly involved. However, most of the asatizah on mysafespace.sg are from the Asatizah Youth Network (AYN), which was formed by MUIS to engage youth in our community via social media. MUIS supports the AYN, by funding training in areas, such as developing positive counter-narratives, curating digital content as well as youth-specific counselling skills.

Parents and families play an important role to inculcate the right values and understanding of our religion. Sites like SalamSG and mysafespace.sg are good resources. But we should not, as parents, delegate our responsibility nor concede our duty of care to our children.

In the meantime, MUIS will continue to support the development of our asatizah, so that they may provide religious guidance to the community, including reaching out through different and innovative ways, such as mysafespace.sg. In 2019, the Committee on Future Asatizah (COFA) was formed to develop a vision for the asatizah of the future. In line with their recommendations to achieve this vision, MUIS remains committed to professionalise the asatizah sector, strengthen our religious institutions and nurture inspiring religious graduates.

Dr Shahira Abdullah.

I thank the Minister for his reply. I just have two supplementary questions.

The statistics that were given were wide. Is there a smaller breakdown available for the reach of these platforms? And if not, will the Ministry consider collecting such data? Because what we have right now is just for those aged 13 and 44. It is even beyond the youth age range.

Secondly, I agree that mysafesapce.sg is a great ground-up initiative by the asatizah. I am particularly heartened by it, because youths at that age do not really like to call the MUIS hotline. They prefer to chat, they prefer to type. It gives them an element of anonymity and a bit more confidence. I was wondering, if there is any other way that MUIS or the Ministry would want to support them either to promote or even to help out with their website? Because, right now, sometimes, it gets a bit buggy. Are there any plans for this?

On the first question, MUIS uses a particular service which gives this breakdown of their data. At this point of time, this service does not give very micro data that we can further analyse and see how we can understand the data. Right now, we are looking at a broad reach and I think it is generally okay. Unless there are necessary imperatives to spend more to get an even deeper dive, I think we will do with this for now.

For the second question, I accept that the young people may not always want to go to MUIS' website. It is quite frightening sometimes to talk to an ustaz; or to be known talking to an ustaz; or find out that the ustaz even knows him.

But the irony is that, if we endorse a particular site, which is actually a very independent and ground-up initiative, then we should also be mindful that youths think this is a MUIS site. And then, again, we lose the segment that this site, like mysafespace.sg, has gotten some reach to our youths. And therefore, endorsement is not something we should be doing just automatically.

Support can be given. If useful, MUIS can put that in its SalamSG, for example, to say these are other independent sites that youths could reach out to if they want support. And if there is any need for our asatizah in that space for further support, they should reach out to MUIS and we would be happy to let them thrive and support them.

24 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether the appointments of grassroot adviser (GRA) cease from the day the Writ of Election is issued to the day after the results of the General Election are announced; and (b) if not, whether GRAs can continue writing appeal letters to Government agencies on behalf of residents during this period.

Sir, Grassroots Advisers, or GRAs, are appointed by the People's Association (PA), a Statutory Board which is under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY). They help the PA with its mission to foster social cohesion and also connect with and engage people on Government policies and schemes.

The term of a GRA's appointment is determined by PA and is not tied to the term of Parliament. As with all Government agencies, which continue to function after a Writ of Election is issued, GRAs continue to discharge their responsibilities. In this period of time, Government agencies also continue to receive and will duly consider appeals made by members of the public, or those made on their behalf.

Mr Gerald Giam.

Can I clarify with the Minister what he means when he says members of public. Does that include the Members of Parliament as well or the former Members of Parliament, who are now members of public after the Writ of Election is issued?

Sir, as the Member knows, after the Writ of Elections is issued, Members of Parliament vacate their offices. And so, they are no longer Members of Parliament. So, to that extent, they are not Members of Parliament. Therefore, the appeal, if any is filed by that person, it will be treated as a request made on behalf of another member of public. I hope that clarifies.

25 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Prime Minister (a) whether election campaigning is allowed from the day the Writ of Election is issued to Nomination Day; and (b) whether potential candidates for the General Election are allowed to conduct house-to-house visits, or visit markets and coffee shops, to (i) check on residents' well-being or (ii) explicitly canvass for votes while wearing their party uniforms and badges during this period.

Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of Prime Minister, please.

Our election laws primarily regulate campaigning during the campaign period, which commences from the closure of the place of nomination on Nomination Day and ends at the start of the eve of Polling Day. Outside of the campaign period, the election laws do not prohibit political parties and aspiring candidates from conducting activities, such as house-to-house visits; visiting markets and coffee shops to interact with residents; or to explicitly canvass for votes while wearing their party uniforms and badges. This is assuming that these activities comply with the other laws of the land.

However, there are some restrictions during this period. For example, election advertising must comply with the prevailing publishing requirements and non-Singapore Citizens must not publish or display election advertising.

Mr Gerald Giam.

I thank the Minister for his reply. Can I clarify with him, what is the material difference between the periods as far as campaigning is concerned before: one, the Writ of Election is concerned; two, from the time the Writ of Election is concerned until Nomination Day; and thirdly, from Nomination Day until the day before cooling off day?

And are canvassing for votes and general interaction with residents by potential candidates allowed during each of these periods?

Mr Speaker, Sir, in response to the last question by Mr Gerald Giam, I have already stated during my answer just now. Anyone can interact with any residents at any time of the year, so long as it complies with the laws of the land.

Second, in answer to the first supplementary question that Mr Gerald Giam asked, what is the difference between the period from the Writ of Election to the nomination, the details can be found in the guidebook that we have published. What are some of the key differences? For example, during the election period, there are rules that governs the electoral advertising – what can be done and what cannot be done, as part of electoral advertising. As to the rest of the activities, Mr Giam can also refer to the election guidebook and the rules that apply to the normal course of activities that all of us conduct on a daily basis.

26 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for National Development (a) what are the main reasons for the low take-up rate for the Lease Buyback Scheme among owners of larger flats; (b) what are the measures being considered to increase the annual take-up rate beyond 1,500 households; and (c) whether there are any upcoming initiatives to assist homeowners in unlocking the value of their flats for retirement needs.

Sir, the Lease Buyback Scheme (LBS) was introduced in March 2009, to help improve the retirement adequacy of elderly flat owners by enabling them to sell a portion of the lease of their Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat to the Government and join the Central Provident Fund (CPF) LIFE. In return, they receive a stream of income in their retirement years, while continuing to live in their flat.

Since then, we have made enhancements to the scheme. When it was first introduced, only owners of 3-room or smaller flats were eligible. The scheme has since been expanded to owners of all flat types, including 5-room and larger flats. In April 2020, the maximum LBS bonus was increased by 50% across all flat types, to $30,000 for 3-room and smaller flats, $15,000 for 4-room flats and $7,500 for 5-room and bigger flats.

There are various reasons why some elderly flat owners may not be keen to take up the LBS. Some may have other sources of income to meet their retirement needs or they have plans to bequeath their homes to their loved ones when they pass on. Others may prefer to take up other monetisation options, such as right-sizing to a smaller flat and applying for the Silver Housing Bonus or renting out spare rooms or their flat. Our aim is to provide seniors with different options to unlock the value of their flat to supplement their retirement needs, while giving them the autonomy to decide on the best option that suits their needs.

HDB reaches out to seniors on these housing monetisation options in various ways. Besides publishing details of these options on the HDB InfoWEB, HDB also works with media outlets to raise awareness of these schemes alongside public talks, seminars and mini exhibitions at local community events. For example, there was a community event covering housing options for our seniors at Fengshan Community Club on 10 March 2023.

Moreover, CPF Board invites members turning 55 and 65 years old to attend a CPF Retirement Planning Service, which includes sharing on available housing monetisation options. HDB also works with CPF Board to send out letters on housing monetisation options to these seniors. These letters provide seniors with personalised estimates of the proceeds and additional CPF monthly payouts they can receive if they take up the LBS and information on right-sizing with the Silver Housing Bonus.

Sir, we will continue to explore ways to increase our outreach and communication efforts to seniors on the various housing monetisation options. HDB will continue to review the housing needs of our elderly flat owners to ensure that our housing policies remain relevant and responsive to the changing needs and preferences.

Order. End of Question Time. The Clerk will now proceed to read the Order of the day.

[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) Order read for Resumption of Debate on Question [20 March 2023]. (proc text)]

[(proc text) "That this House expresses gratitude to all in Singapore who contributed to the nation's fight against COVID-19; affirms the Government's effort to learn from the experiences of the last three years; and, to that end, endorses Paper Cmd 22 of 2023 on 'Singapore's Response to COVID-19: Lessons for the Next Pandemic'." – [Mr Lawrence Wong]. (proc text)]

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

Miss Cheng Li Hui.

Mr Speaker, I was working in the oil and gas industry in 2009 when H1N1 happen. I had about 400 direct workers on the island and totaling about 1,400 direct-hire foreign workers in the company.

Many of us do not remember that there was contact tracing then, too. We learnt some lessons. When an engineer in another refinery contracted H1N1, the workers that he spoke to the days before had to go into self-isolation. Then, the workers in that dormitory room who were working in my jobsite, had to go in as well. Workers who took the same transport from jobsite, also went into isolation and it was tough to plan our work.

The ideal situation would be for the workers in the same dormitory to work in the same jobsite. But that is not possible as there will be new hires, resignations and change of jobsites due to work the requirements every week. Human Resources (HR) staff would see which dormitory had spaces and put workers there. It was not an easy job, as sometimes, there may not be enough man-year entitlement (MYE) and they will send experienced workers back and re-hire them when MYE is available, but that dorm spot would be filled by other new hires.

There is probably no ideal, practical solution because every situation is unique in its own way and we cannot have systems that can dynamically adjust all the time. However, most businesses will try their best to make things work. They have to, because their businesses depend on it.

Some initiatives work only in theory, but in reality, can impose a lot of friction and we may be better off not having some of these solutions in the first place. Hence, businesses must speak up in trade and business dialogues. Because sometimes, not only are the desired outcomes not achieved, there can also be serious unintended consequences.

Thankfully, the H1N1 outbreak was nowhere as extensive or disruptive as COVID-19 was. So, right after that period, I rented a brand new 500-pax dormitory in Senoko and also planned the construction of our own dormitory. I was very clear. We needed better conditions for our workers and be prepared for the next virus and even isolation rooms for chicken pox and flu.

For the new dorms that we were building, it was initially for 900 persons. New rules set in when we were submitting for approval, and it was finally approved only for 804. We wanted to factor in the possibility of quarantine by building shared toilets between two rooms, but that would end up building a dormitory for lesser than the 804 persons approved. The sums began not to add up and did not seem to make any business or efficiency sense.

Businesses have to decide how much contingency is needed. The more we did, the more we managed the risks downwards, the higher the cost. Cost pressures for businesses are real. Is it worth spending $X million for a scenario that may or may not happen?

This is not unlike how we can be under-insured sometimes. It is when we are hit by a major illness that we wished we had purchased the insurance when we could.

Dealing with the pandemic is no different. If we leave it to businesses, their efforts to prepare will be patchy and that is where the Government needs to step in. But there must be discussions with the businesses in order to realise the real impact of these policies. If we are not careful, it can affect our competitiveness vis-à-vis the region.

With hindsight, it is always easy to critique and say that one should have done this or that. But the reality is, every crisis is likely to be different. And what we learnt and put in place in the aftermath, may not be wholly applicable in a new pandemic.

When COVID-19 struck, I was no longer in the process industry but was involved in some work on the ground as a volunteer. I am grateful to the many people who responded to my Facebook call for mask-making in March 2020 and we received thousands per week.

On the first day of the circuit breaker, I was outside Mustafa Centre. The streets were empty, except for the hundreds queuing for food handouts by charities, hotels and one hawker even provided fresh fruit juices.

The workers were stranded, as their flights were cancelled and they were staying in units above the shophouses in the area. They had no masks and they did not know where to get them. We gave them care packs with handmade masks.

After that, I volunteered with Crisis Relief Alliance as the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) had given each Non-Government Organisation (NGO) a list of dormitories to visit. There are many Purpose-Built Dorms and it is critical to leverage on these NGOs and other volunteer groups to assist MOM and the authorities to visit them, evaluate the conditions, assess the risks and also to ascertain what the needs might be.

For me, being a volunteer was the fastest way to get the masks to the dormitories and even for the dormitories I could not visit, I used the headcount in the spreadsheet and threw bags of required masks over the gates. Many workers gave thumbs up and friendly waves from their windows.

I salute the doctors, nurses, MOM officers and volunteers who went into the dorms in the early days. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and N95s masks were in short supply, the seriousness of COVID-19 was unclear, there was a lot of fear. Even as we drove from dorm to dorm, PPE and masks could not be taken off for fear of contamination. But there was a strong sense of duty, as we moved from room to room to check on workers' mental health and hygiene.

I remember pulling open one huge metal door of a shed to see a COVID-19 case sitting on his bed with heavy equipment all around him. He was all smiles and said he was okay. He said he had to be considerate to the other people in dormitory and he will stay there until there is ambulance available for pick-up. Everyone in all the dorms were super grateful for the 50GB SIM card provided by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). The workers could watch movies and kept in touch with their friends and loved ones.

I had great empathy for Malaysian workers in dorms as they chose to stay here because of the Movement Control Order (MCO) but were met with circuit breaker. Many of them did not have smartphones. So, even simple things like watching YouTube or ordering Grab food and other transactions were not available for them. I posted on my Facebook and residents donated food rations at my Tampines Town Council office for them.

In the outreach work, there were so many officials we met on the ground and they were professional in their efforts and tried to do as much and as quickly as possible. The patience and forbearance of the workers are to be highly commended too. It was clear that the foreign workers were aware of what was happening back in their homes and were glad that they were working in Singapore where they were largely treated fairly and reasonably looked after.

At the local level, I am grateful to our Town Council staff and workers who helped with all the additional work that was suddenly required. Disinfecting blocks when residents were infected, replenishing hand sanitiser bottles in every lift, enhancing the hygiene regime and many more. They gave residents peace of mind.

Lastly, I want to recognise the People's Association (PA) staff who worked long hours distributing masks, sanitisers, tokens, temporary relief fund applications and many more. They were frontliners and were afraid too. They facilitated the first masks distribution without wearing masks nor have sanitisers for the pens that everyone was using to acknowledge collection. Some did not visit their extended families even after circuit breaker because of their exposure to the many relief schemes.

My own sense is that there is much that our Government can and should do in any pandemic. We need to be better, faster and to prepare in "peacetime" before the next outbreak occurs. But having been involved in the work, it is also quite apparent to me that the Government cannot do everything. It is not possible to cater for the surge needs now in anticipation of future pandemics – it would be prohibitively expensive for everyone. We, as a society and community, need to stand up and take action. NGOs should also come forward. This is how a whole-of-society effort is mobilised to deal with a crisis.

This was seen during COVID-19. We need to give thanks for these efforts by so many and we must not also take this for granted. We can and should have table-top exercises to refresh relationships and connections, establish some standard operating procedures (SOPs) and ensure that everyone is on the same page and to, perhaps, even practise these mock exercises for various plausible pandemics.

To be fair to ourselves, despite the mistakes and inadequacies we see, when you take a few steps back, you would realise that relative to so many other countries, we have done pretty well. Please give ourselves a pat on the back. Most importantly, let us all give a great big shout-out to all our frontline, middle-ground and backroom colleagues who have gone many extra miles in the past few years.

The cycle continues. We must now begin to prepare for the next contingency. Change what we must, tweak what is needed and maintain what continues to make sense.

Sir, I fully support the Motion put forth by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance on Singapore's COVID-19 Response.

Singapore's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, while not perfect, is one of the best in the world. For those of us who have had loved ones suffer or even pass away in other countries due to a lack of access to vaccination and proper healthcare, we can appreciate how well the Singapore Government has fared. However, I am glad that the White Paper not only highlighted what we do well, but also where we fall short and how we can improve in the future.

Today, I wish to focus on how we can better support Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in future pandemics.

First, on the commendable efforts to support the disabled. Whilst the pandemic has affected many, PwDs and their families have been hit harder. Nonetheless, there are commendable sparks of great work being done.

SG Enable, the main disability hub of Singapore, started a dedicated COVID-19 resource page on its Enabling Guide website. Together with Mediacorp, it facilitated C.A.R.E. – or the Care initiative – to provide cooked meals, financial assistance, respite and essentials distribution.

The amazing support by Temasek Foundation throughout the pandemic is well-known. Additionally, Temasek Trust partnered the five Community Development Councils (CDCs) to launch a $4 million CDC-Temasek Trust Lifelong Learning Grant, to provide learning support in the form of devices and training courses, especially for those affected by COVID-19.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) also worked closely with the Ministry of Health (MOH), Health Promotion Board (HPB) and the special education (SPED) schools, to run school-based vaccination centres for those who are still in schools. It learned from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) pandemic and actively included students from SPED schools in its suite of measures to protect them.

Dr Lim Hong Huay and her husband, infectious disease specialist Dr Leong Hoe Nam, Eden School, SuperHero Me, an arts movement, and Lien Foundation, developed an educational resource package to empower children and older PwDs. There are many other commendable efforts in Singapore.

Elsewhere, in other countries, I have been informed by disability volunteers and caregivers about some good practices in the disability space during the pandemic. In one country, PwDs were prioritised to be vaccinated with other vulnerables in Phase 2, after the health professionals. PwDs were also earlier included in the home vaccination programme. They can also get vaccination jabs whilst sitting in a familiar car, in car drive-throughs in one country. PwDs were also given priority lanes in the bigger vaccination centres. Those with needs can request for vaccination and the use of private calm rooms to avoid meltdowns. Such were the best practices I hear from other countries and I think those are some things Singapore can refer to in our future planning.

What can we do to better support PwDs more effectively in future pandemics? I have three suggestions.

Firstly, it is essential to adopt a universal design approach so that the vulnerable including the disabled are included upstream. This should happen at the strategic Inter-Ministerial Task Force (MTF)-level and at the highest operations level. So, not downstream. Upstream.

The dedicated Centre for Public Health and the Forward Planning Team, announced by Deputy Prime Minister Wong yesterday, must include an arm to look into the key vulnerable groups, such as the disabled, the young and the elderly.

It is crucial to recognise that the well-being of the vulnerable cannot be solely delegated to just one Ministry or dependent on the kindness of others – piecemeal stop-gap measures. The voices of the vulnerable should be designed to be heard at the highest level upstream and not downstream.

Secondly, we need to include outreach to the disabled in the mainstream communications channels, such as television, newspapers and useful GovTech WhatsApp updates that other residents receive daily. Many individuals are unaware of how to access disability hubs, such as SG Enable, and there may also be barriers, such as language and information technology (IT) proficiency.

During the pandemic, we have heard of desperate parents who were also worried what the quarantine arrangements of their children would be, should the children get infected.

For adults with disabilities above age 18 who need supervision and escort, many of their families do not know where to turn to, to appeal for special needs measures, such as being accompanied by a familiar adult before and during vaccination. Neither was it clear that they have options to be vaccinated either at a centre or at home – not to mention the car drive-throughs that I talk about in another country.

Whenever such cases come to my attention, I had often approached and relied on the kindness of public servants and office bearers, such as Senior Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam to point me in the right direction. But outreach has to be more systemic and affected parties need to be confident enough to have their needs heard and responded to.

Thirdly, we need to develop a playbook for inclusive pandemic policies and practices at the national level. Besides involving Government agencies, such as the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and SG Enable for the disabled, there must be a platform to actively engage and consult with disability agencies and advocates to ensure that the unique needs and perspectives of the disabled, their caregivers and their community are highlighted.

We need to tap on mainstream practices, wherever possible, and communicate clearly and widely. For instance, in matters, such as applying for caregiver escort and supervision during vaccination and quarantines; and in offering the younger disabled options, such as public community vaccination centres; mobile home-based vaccinations and even, if possible, vehicle drive-through centres.

Set up a dedicated hotline staffed by human beings that is accessible for the major disability groups and their families. Identify and learn from best practices elsewhere. Allow for flexibility where reasonable – at school, at work or at public places – because not all disabilities and support needs are the same.

So, universal design, including the disabled; upstream, not downstream. Include outreach via the mainstream communications platforms. Develop a playbook for inclusive pandemic policies and practices for the future.

In conclusion, Sir, Singapore has done the best it could under the challenging circumstances brought about by COVID-19. Like many others, I feel so blessed to be in Singapore for a time such as this. With hindsight, let us better include the voices of the disabled and their proxies, such as their families and advocates, so that we can better support persons with disabilities in future pandemics. Let us all work together to ensure that no one, indeed, is left behind.

Mr Raj Joshua Thomas.

Mr Speaker, Sir, the pandemic response was a massive effort by all quarters of Singapore society. Many Members have expressed appreciation to various segments, including our healthcare workers, our private and people sectors, our own citizens doing their part in their own way. In my speech, Sir, I would like to express gratitude to our public servants.

It has often been mentioned in this debate that, with hindsight, everything is clear. With hindsight, it is easy to criticise. And criticism, taken correctly, including self-criticism, lends itself to identifying weaknesses, improving capabilities and doing better in the future. This is what the White Paper does.

But as the hon Minister of State Sun Xueling said yesterday, it is the actions of the man in the arena, when he is in the arena with dust, sweat and blood on his face, that determines the outcome of the battle.

Furthermore, in this battle, the gladiator was blindfolded because we were dealing with an enemy of which little was known. So, it should not be unexpected that there was a good amount of shifting and adjusting as we understood more and even some backtracking in some cases.

I thought I should share my experience as a trade associations and chambers (TAC) representative of an essential service during the pandemic, who worked with various Government bodies.

The security industry operated throughout the pandemic, with officers being deployed on-site even during the circuit breaker. Our numbers were fairly large, with over 40,000 workers going to their workplace every day.

There were significant measures imposed on these workers as well as their employers, who had to ensure that the proper procedures were implemented on the ground; that PPE was made available; and that they complied with administrative requirements imposed by the Government.

For example, during the circuit breaker, employers had to seek approval from the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) for quotas for the number of workers who could be deployed on site. These had to be sought and updated on a daily basis, with the names of the workers on site provided. It proved to be an administratively onerous and unwieldy system.

This and other impositions, presented an administrative burden on employers who had to juggle manpower constraints and day-to-day operations that had changed rapidly due to new requirements in access control, like temperature taking, with a genuine desire to protect their workers and to comply with Government regulations.

The agencies I worked with, in particular, were Enterprise Singapore, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and MTI, and at varying levels of staff seniority. I have several observations working with these Government bodies in respect of an essential service industry deploying a large manpower base.

First, I found that these agencies made considerable effort to reach out to explain the new measures, to provide updates and, where necessary, to carry out Zoom briefings. During the circuit breaker, I received updates almost on a daily basis. As a result of all the information coming to my TAC, we were empowered to ourselves send daily updates to our members. These communications involved not only information on the measures to be taken on the ground but also schemes that were concurrently being rolled out, like the enterprise financing schemes and support for digital solutions by IMDA.

Second, the officers whom I was liaising with were very responsive. The White Paper mentioned that Enterprise Singapore received over 200,000 calls in 2020 alone. I understand that Enterprise Singapore officers from all departments and at all seniorities were roped in to man the lines. I will confess, Sir, that probably not an insignificant number of these calls were made by my own TAC staff.

The officers I was liaising with were also easily contactable by phone, WhatsApp messages and Zoom. Furthermore, they were also contactable and working day and night, weekday and weekend.

My third observation was that not only were they contactable, but that they were also working actively to address our concerns and many accommodations were made on the fly.

I mentioned earlier, one of the more administratively onerous requirements during the circuit breaker the employers faced – the need to seek approval from MTI for the headcount quotas of on-site workers.

Employers had urgently approached my TAC that they had received approvals for headcounts far less than what they had requested for. For example, an employer providing security services and access control at Government quarantine facilities and dormitories, had requested for a headcount of 580 but was only granted approval for 268. Another employer that was providing services to foreign embassies' data centres and dormitories, requested for a quota of 729 but was granted approval for only 409.

This meant that these companies did not have approval for the headcount they needed to carry out the very measures that had been rolled out and that were required by the Government and what their clients had engaged them for.

Of course, I understood that this portal and the system had been rolled out for all Singapore companies. But for employers on the ground, receiving such a reduced quota was extremely frustrating and shocking. What made it more difficult was that helplines could not give them a definitive solution as to how to increase the allocated headcount, other than to submit an appeal through the GoBusiness platform. Because these quotas were given on a daily basis, employers had literally no time to react or to wait for appeal results. Even worse, some of these appeals resulted in less headcount being approved or just a marginal increase.

To add to these troubles, MOM also rolled out an SGWorkPass app for foreign workers at the same time. Many workers who were approved on the MTI platform appeared not to be approved in the SGWorkPass app at the same time. We raised these issues with MHA and Enterprise Singapore and asked for them to urgently look into it.

The consequence of complying with these quotas was that many sites would be left with no security and many measures, like temperature taking and access control, would not have been fulfilled because the vendors that were supposed to carry these out, simply did not have the required number of approved headcount.

Very quickly, MHA informed us, and we subsequently informed our members, that security officers who were not yet approved on the SGWorkPass app could continue to be deployed while MHA sorted out the backend approvals with MOM. Both MHA and Enterprise Singapore also assured us that security officers could still be deployed, while MHA and Enterprise Singapore worked with MTI on the headcount approvals.

All this, Sir, was done on a Sunday – specifically, 3 May 2020. Eventually, my TAC worked with MHA and MTI, even down to the headcounts for individual employers.

These, Sir, are examples of precisely the shifting and adjusting that were being done by our public servants as the situation unfolded, as feedback was coming in and as it became apparent that changes had to be made to some of the Government's requirements.

The security industry, because we have seen the successful effects of our feedback, and I, personally, come out of this pandemic experience with a greater appreciation and respect for our public servants.

Public servants, like Mr Dhruv Ang from Enterprise Singapore, who actively reached out and acted as a coordinator for us across various Government agencies. Mr Jonathan Mark Capel from MHA, who swiftly and tirelessly supported our companies and their operational needs. Mr Albert Tsui and Mr Robbie Poo from MTI, who worked with us on the headcount quotas.

Sir, I named these officers who helped us to get through the pandemic, because we often look at our Public Service as a faceless, nameless, monolithic organisation. But, Sir, it is made up of individuals, many of whom have contributed so much to the pandemic response effort and who have made a real difference.

The hon Member Liang Eng Hwa mentioned yesterday and commended the considerable effort by Government officers to secure vaccines and masks. If we look at the sheer scale of Government intervention, including for businesses and jobs, the effort put in by our Public Service must have been herculean.

From implementing the Jobs Support Scheme, which dispersed almost $30 billion to tens of thousands of businesses; to more targeted schemes, like the Hawkers and Heartlands Go Digital programmes and the Food Delivery Booster Package; or efforts to help SMEs with their leases – behind all these initiatives are our public servants, who had to conceptualise these schemes, think about the details and what they were trying to address; how to execute them and then actually executing them and adjusting accordingly – of course, under the able leadership of the MTF. This would have taken tremendous hard work under trying and urgent conditions.

Let us also not forget our diplomats overseas, many of whom were stationed in countries where the pandemic situation was far worse than in Singapore. They remained in these foreign countries to provide assistance to Singaporeans and to help them get back home.

Sir, there are not many countries that can so quickly roll out so many schemes so effectively and have the ability to adjust and change, as required. I am strongly of the view, Sir, that one of the things that we should take back from our COVID-19 pandemic experience is the robustness of our Public Service and confidence in its ability to respond and serve in any future crisis. In this regard, I would like to express my gratitude to all our public servants who worked hard and were instrumental in getting us through the pandemic.

Sir, finally, I would also like to commend the hon Leader of the Opposition and the Workers' Party for its position that, in a crisis, it would seek unity of purpose and support the Government of the day's efforts to deal with the crisis, instead of opportunistically seeking political mileage. This ensures that the Government will be able to focus on dealing with the critical and urgent issues in the crisis, without being distracted by political challenges and considerations. It will also help to bring our people together instead of sowing division. The Workers' Party's stance on this is patently responsible and it is the type of politics that we want to see in Singapore.

This is a position that Mr Pritam Singh had expressed at the start of the pandemic and I am heartened that he has repeated it in this debate. It gives me confidence, Sir, and it should give all Singaporeans confidence that, in times of crisis, we will unite as a country, as a society and as a polity.

Dr Wan Rizal.

Mr Speaker, I applaud Singapore's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, as reviewed in the White Paper. In my speech today, I aim to support the White Paper, while highlighting a few areas – our healthcare workers, teachers, mental health and asatizahs.

Sir, it is important to take a moment to thank the frontline workers who have been instrumental in our success in mitigating COVID-19. Healthcare workers, in particular, have been on the frontline of this battle, working tirelessly to provide care and support to those who need it most. Their selflessness, dedication, hard work and sacrifice have inspired us all and we owe them a debt of gratitude.

However, there were reports of healthcare workers being subjected to verbal and physical abuse, online and offline; harassment and discrimination, due to fear and misinformation surrounding the pandemic. Such abuse is unacceptable and significantly impacts the mental health and well-being of our healthcare workers who were under immense pressure during the pandemic.

Therefore, I am glad that the Tripartite Workgroup for the Prevention of Abuse and Harassment of Healthcare Workers recently shared a set of recommendations that includes a zero-tolerance approach, effective reporting and escalation protocols and a support structure to report abuse and harassment. I hope that the recommendations can be implemented soon and practised, as we create a new norm. Let this be a new norm where abuse and harassment have no space in our society.

Sir, the pandemic significantly impacted the education system and our teachers were at the forefront. To me, they are as good as frontliners. I applaud the Government's stance to keep schools open and ensure that education continues.

Our teachers more than rose to the occasion to ensure that learning continued even under tremendous pressure. They had to quickly adapt to new teaching methods and find ways to engage their students in a challenging and constantly changing environment. They have demonstrated resilience and dedication to their students' education, ensuring that the next generation of leaders can thrive in a post-pandemic world.

During the pandemic, the sudden shift to online learning and the need to adopt new teaching methods became a burden to some teachers, especially when the Singapore Student Learning System (SLS) broke down intermittently. Parents became anxious and when the system failed, the teachers became anxious and came under pressure too. In that regard, we should consider setting up multiple online learning platforms, similar to SLS but different. Much like food resilience, we now want to have education resilience.

Training for both teachers and students should continue and we must encourage the usage of Home-Based Learning (HBL) as a new norm, especially for Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs). This will sufficiently prepare our systems and human capabilities, if and when any other pandemic strikes.

Sir, teachers also shared how administrative duties, like attendance and contact tracing, bogged them down. Regardless, they understood the importance and went on to do any other additional jobs and duties. The Government must provide support and resources to teachers to help them navigate the challenges posed by the pandemic.

One resource available are actually the parents. This is where the parent-school relationship becomes important. We could enlist parent volunteers to help with the administrative or additional duties during a pandemic.

Thus, it is important that we begin to continually engage and recruit parents beyond the minimal service hours. Get them more involved in activities, like school games or events, and participate in pandemic scenario exercises.

Sir, the pandemic not only affected physical health, but also profoundly impacted the mental health of Singaporeans. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression and stress, due to factors like social isolation, economic uncertainties and health-related factors.

I thank the Government for taking steps to address the mental health needs of Singaporeans, such as the formation of the Inter-Agency COVID-19 Mental Wellness Taskforce in October 2020 that later developed strategic recommendations for intervention and support.

Sir, the pandemic created barriers to accessing mental health care, with lockdown measures leading to the closure of some facilities and limited availability of services. We must identify ways to ensure such support continues during a high-anxiety period like the pandemic.

First is the formation of what I call a "Mental Health Community Emergency Preparedness Teams" comprised of residents, somewhat like the Community Emergency and Engagement committees that we now have in our community. In terms of emergency, the mental well-being circles must be able to transform, step up and take on bigger roles. This peer network must also leverage technology to connect residents online, so that the first level of mental health support is provided and remains accessible during a pandemic.

Second, is the creation of a central mental health op-centre to be activated only during the pandemic, to allow accessibility and channel to the many available resources that we have in the community. Sir, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for all Singaporeans. We have now left the pandemic behind, and we have progressed safely.

In the national struggle against COVID-19, the Malay/Muslim community made some important adjustments. Our asatizah, led by the Mufti and the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) played an important role in our community. They calmly and astutely provided much-needed counsel during a difficult and unprecedented period.

Sir, here, I would like to express my deep appreciation to the Mufti, the asatizah and MUIS for their leadership. Our religious leaders, after consulting with the Ministry of Health (MOH), had proactively provided guidance on how we can make adjustments to our religious life in order to be safe from COVID-19.

These include the closing of mosques before the circuit breaker period; the postponement of congregational prayers; the postponement of the Haj; and being unable to visit our parents and loved ones during the Hari Raya celebrations; as well as the limited prayer space in mosques.

I am grateful to the community for being understanding about the challenges at that time, supporting the decisions taken and cooperating with safe management measures to protect Singapore from the COVID-19 outbreak.

Sir, we have emerged from this epidemic, as one Singapore.

As a stronger and more united people, and most importantly, one that is more caring towards each other. We made the necessary adjustments and showed a strong sense of togetherness, regardless of age, race or religion to overcome this epidemic as one nation.

In closing, I would like to express my deepest gratitude once again to all the those at the frontline, including our health workers, teachers and asatizah. With that, I thank you.

Mr Edward Chia.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Motion. The White Paper on the COVID-19 Response is a fair assessment of how Singapore performed in its fight against COVID-19 and candidly stated certain areas to be improved, which I will elaborate upon in my speech today.

First, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the healthcare workers, frontline essential workers and all those who have worked tirelessly to keep our communities safe during these challenging times. Your dedication, sacrifice and unwavering commitment to the well-being of our society, have not gone unnoticed and we extend our heartfelt appreciation to every one of you.

As we reflect on the past few years, it is important to acknowledge the challenges we have faced as a nation. In particular, I would like to address three areas that we could have done more to mitigate the effects of the pandemic.

First, the need to build more resilient housing, especially for low-resourced and vulnerable households. Challenges in our housing structures and capabilities, especially in the case of 1- and 2-room flats, became even more apparent during the implementation of the Home Recovery Programme (HRP).

The HRP was made the default mode for managing COVID-19 cases, from 15 September 2021. Fully vaccinated individuals aged 12 to 50 years, with no or mild COVID-19 symptoms were advised to recover at home, without needing to visit a hospital or a community care facility. The transition proved frustrating for many Singaporeans. Some were unable to get through to MOH's hotline for instructions, while others who were not suited for home recovery faced delays in conveyance to recovery facilities.

For our resource-low households, particularly those living in 1- and 2-room flats, these challenges were amplified and experienced more acutely because of their space constraints.

During the Delta wave, our strategy pivoted from "zero-COVID-19" to "living with COVID-19". With the re-characterisation of the virus as a disease mild enough to recuperate at home, the directive that followed was for infected individuals to self-isolate within the confines of their homes.

However, for those living in 1- and 2-room flats, where there is only one bathroom and multiple dwellers share the same bedroom, self-isolation proved almost inconceivable and this drastically increased the risk of other household members contracting the virus. Having multiple members of a resource-low household contract COVID-19, leads to greater financial insecurity, as compared to middle- and higher-resource households.

While their ability to work is compromised, resource-low families often do not have access to work-from-home (WFH) alternatives and rely on a smaller pool of savings to tide them through periods of no work.

As a Member of Parliament of Zhenghua, I have first-hand experience of the challenges faced by such families, especially those living in our public rental flats. I was in constant communication with residents and appealed to the MOH team who did their best, given the situation, to assist them.

The limitations of our present homes in protecting residents in the face of a pandemic, especially in the case of 1- and 2-room flats, justifies a re-think of our minimum housing standards. Taking into account the challenges faced by households living in 1- and 2-room flats, due to constraints in living space, what must be done to fortify all housing types to ensure that they are resilient in future pandemics?

Secondly, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for businesses to work closely with the Government to ensure that essential services are not disrupted. During the pandemic, many businesses in Singapore worked with the Government to manage migrant workers' inflows at dormitories. This helped to ensure that essential services continued to be delivered.

Particularly, associations, such as the Dormitory Association of Singapore Limited (DASL), contributed significantly to managing the unprecedented situation in the dormitories. Were there useful lessons learned from these partnerships with DASL and the Singapore Contractors Association and has MOM put in place measures to better prepare for the next pandemic?

It is crucial to work with the trade associations (TAs) on pandemic response and establish pandemic-related SOPs and communication channels. This way, TAs will be ready with a pandemic response and there will be a clear line of communication with the Government to ensure the efficient cascading of information, both ways.

To tackle the possibility of such similar pandemics where the speed and scale of virus spread becomes unprecedented, is the Government looking to prepare pre-emptive policy coordination in the present state? Will these be included as one of the workstreams of the dedicated centre for public health and forward planning?

Lastly, I have received feedback from the business community that the Jobs Growth Incentive (JGI) rolled out during the pandemic to save jobs and spur hiring were, unfortunately, beset with instances of disbursement delays. In particular, Phase 5 of the JGI payout has caused some administrative pain for companies. Businesses shared that the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) conducts random checks to verify employment numbers. These checks involve specific documents, like employment details of certain employees, hours worked, work schedules and pay slips, and such reviews take up to six months.

In a particular case, since June 2022, no payouts for Phase 5 onwards have been made, although information for those phases have been asked for by IRAS and reviewed. This means that the review has taken close to 10 months. Upon further enquiry, IRAS was not able to provide the status updates and was not clear on whether the company was eligible for payouts or not. When asked about the delays, IRAS cited manpower shortages as the reason for the longer review, rather than any cause for concerns with the company's documentation.

Sir, businesses continue to be cash flow-driven and delays in payouts can make or break companies, especially in these cost-inflated times. Can the Government work towards ensuring that the disbursement process is better streamlined and efficient, without compromising on the necessary checks and balances?

This must certainly be challenging for civil servants involved too, so I do understand the operational constraints. So, any solution has to include the organisation being adequately resourced. It is important that these support measures are effective and accessible to businesses, when they need it the most. Therefore, I look forward to the review and some proposed pathways to making this better for all.

In conclusion, I have highlighted three important areas of focus in Singapore's response to COVID-19: first, ensure that our homes are resilient in the face of future pandemics and that resource-low households are safeguarded; two, work closely with TAs to prepare for future pandemics; and lastly, expedite the disbursement of Government support for businesses to save jobs and spur hiring.

Mr Melvin Yong.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I stand in support of the Motion. The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented crisis that has impacted the entire world. Our lives have been upended and we have had to learn to adapt to a new normal.

Today, I would like to pay a special tribute to our workers in the air, sea and land transport sectors. They have collectively kept Singapore connected, kept Singaporeans moving and ensured that we continued to have access to essential goods and services – right from the very beginning and throughout the pandemic. Our transport workers showed up to work every day, despite the uncertainties surrounding how deadly and contagious the virus could be. They set aside their fears and kept our airways open, our sea lanes flowing and our buses and trains moving for all of us.

As a transport unionist at the frontline, I have witnessed first-hand how the Government, the unions and our corporations, come together to overcome crisis after crisis and emerge stronger together. Amidst the many uncertainties throughout the pandemic – new COVID-19 clusters, new virus variants, travel bubbles forming and popping – what was certain for the tripartite partners was that we knew that we had each other’s back. Let me elaborate.

I start with aviation. The pandemic severely disrupted the global economy. But the aviation industry, a vital part of global connectivity, had to keep moving. Despite having a high risk of contracting the virus, our air crew and those working at our airport worked tirelessly and selflessly to ensure that all flights coming through Singapore remained safe and secure. They worked long hours; sacrificed personal comfort, having to don cumbersome PPEs; and put in extra efforts to uphold the highest standards of safety, sanitation and service on board our flights and at the airport. They did so to transport essential supplies and to bring back our loved ones stranded far away, when global travel came to a virtual standstill.

One example is Jessica Chua, a stewardess with Scoot, who was among the crew that was deployed on a flight to Wuhan in February 2020, to deliver humanitarian assistance from the Singapore Government and to return over 170 Singaporeans and their family members back home to Singapore.

Soon after, the magnitude of the impact of the pandemic set in and many aviation workers were faced with the sobering prospect of an uncertain future. But the tripartite partners were quick to step in. The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) worked closely with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and SkillsFuture Singapore to launch the Enhanced Training Support Package to help companies retain and reskill their workers instead of retrenching them. NTUC's Job Security Council also worked closely with the Public Service Division to place more than 4,000 aviation workers on secondary employment in areas, such as healthcare and public transport.

Sir, throughout the pandemic, our aviation workers have shown us what it means to be resilient. During the Ministerial Statement on aviation recovery in October 2020, I had asked the Minister for Transport why Singapore Airlines (SIA) was operating flights to countries that Singaporeans were not allowed to travel to. The Minister explained there were some flights, although the load factor is low, that SIA would continue to fly to maintain a minimum connectivity network, to maintain our presence in those markets. So, even though the load factor is low, the Government would support SIA to continue these flights and to mount cargo flights so that our supply chain is not affected.

Sir, it is the foresight of such policy decisions and the resilience of aviation workers like Jessica Chua and many others that Singapore’s aviation sector has rebounded as quickly as it has, allowing Changi Airport to regain its crown as the world’s best airport at the 2023 World Airport Awards. SIA was also named Airline of the Year last month by Air Transport World and ranked top global airline by Fortune magazine in its February issue.

Next, let me extend my appreciation to all the seafarers and port workers who bravely continued their work during the pandemic, often against all odds, to ensure that our supply chains remained operational during the most challenging of times.

When global air passenger demand evaporated almost overnight, the demand for cargo increased exponentially. Unseen and unheard, our maritime workers worked around the clock to ensure that essential goods and services continued to flow into Singapore during the pandemic.

Sir, seafarers and port workers have always played a critical role in global trade and commerce, but the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed just how essential their work really is. Without our maritime workers, we would not have had the medicine, food, fuel and other vital supplies that we needed to navigate the pandemic. Our maritime workers helped to keep our economies running and our communities fed and provisioned, even as the rest of the world was brought to a standstill.

But our seafarers did not have an easy time during the pandemic. They endured unimaginable hardships and uncertainty. They risked infection and severe illness. Many were stuck onboard their ships for months due to travel restrictions and border closures, unable to return home to their families and loved ones. Yet, they persevered to keep our global supply chains open.

In response, Singapore's tripartite partners established a world-class floating Crew Facilitation Centre and a $1 million Singapore Shipping Tripartite Alliance Resilience Fund to facilitate crew changes to take place in Singapore, helping hundreds of thousands of seafarers to return home safely. Such efforts were vital in ensuring the safety and welfare of our maritime workers while keeping supply chains open, even during the worst of the pandemic.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to acknowledge and thank the many land transport workers who have been silently working to keep our country moving during the pandemic, including during the circuit breaker period.

Sir, our bus and rail workers and our taxi and private hire drivers put their lives on the line every day to provide us with safe transportation services. Every time they interact with passengers, they are exposed to the risk of contracting the virus. Despite taking precautions, such as wearing masks, using sanitisers and maintaining social distancing, they remained at high risk of exposure. Yet, they persisted in discharging their duties.

The risk of infection is real, which was evident when the highly transmissible new Delta variant started spreading rapidly at our bus interchanges. At its peak in September 2021, we had more than 100 bus captains down with COVID-19, impacting normal bus services.

Non-infected bus captains were worried. Will they get the virus too and will they pass it to their family members at home? But instead of staying away, they worked extra hours and stood in for their quarantined colleagues. The tripartite partners also came together to enhance infection control measures at all bus interchanges. The COVID-19 clusters were eventually closed in October that year, slightly less than two months after the first cluster was detected.

Additionally, public transport workers were constantly facing the challenges of enforcing mandatory mask wearing and social distancing policies. They were often subjected to verbal and physical abuse from passengers who simply refused to follow these regulations. It was, therefore, a huge disappointment when the number of abuse cases against our bus captains jumped from 26 cases in 2018, to 50 in 2020.

In quick response, the National Transport Workers’ Union rallied the public transport operators and the Land Transport Authority to take a firm stance against abusive passengers. The tripartite partners signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), to provide public transport workers with guaranteed legal support to pursue civil action against their abusers beyond criminal prosecution. The signal was clear and the number of abuse cases against bus captains fell sharply the following year in 2021.

Sir, we must also not forget the contributions made by our delivery riders. Throughout the pandemic, they were instrumental in ensuring that we could get our food and other basic supplies, even when we were in home quarantine. Many hawkers, too, relied on their services to stay afloat, especially when dining-in was prohibited. To all our delivery riders out there, thank you for bridging the vital last-mile gap, rain or shine.

In conclusion, COVID-19 has been the greatest test that our generation has seen. Many unsung heroes have come together to ensure that we emerge stronger from the pandemic. Today, I place on record our sincere appreciation to the many men and women who work in the transport industry, for keeping Singapore connected and keeping all of us moving even during the darkest of times. May their contributions be remembered by all of us, always. Sir, I support the Motion.

Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad.

Mr Speaker, the speeches by Members of the House have allowed us to reflect on our nation’s fight against COVID-19 and the lessons to prepare us for the next pandemic.

It was slightly more than three years ago when we first heard about a cluster of severe pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China. No one could have imagined the prolonged impact that this would have on the world, our society and our economy.

Being in the Ministry of National Development (MND) and MOM at the onset of the pandemic, I witnessed how sectors, like construction, faced the risk of collapse if we did not intervene early to address disruptions to supply and foreign manpower; and business distress due to the pandemic and global border control measures.

I also vividly remember Prime Minister Lee's speech on our commitment to our migrant workers, for their role in building Singapore over the years. It was a powerful one – our migrant workers will be paid their salaries and that we will provide medical care and treatment that they need.

It was a bold and inclusive commitment that resonated and was very much appreciated by the workers. Members may recall seeing many videos of thanks from our migrant workers on social media then. During my rounds visiting the dormitories and in meetings, the High Commissioners and Ambassadors from our migrant workers' home countries conveyed their nations' appreciation for our efforts. Our swift actions and commitment showed Singapore to be a reliable and trusted partner.

Our migrant workers play an important role in building and maintaining Singapore’s infrastructure and I would like to reiterate our appreciation for all their contributions to Singapore and their trust, patience and understanding during the pandemic, as we worked to keep them safe during COVID-19 and manage the evolving situation.

Through this journey, we all learnt to be adaptable and resilient in overcoming the challenges before us. We rallied together – our people, the Public Service, private companies and civil society – to put the interests of our nation and others before our own and came through, as one united people.

In my speech, I will elaborate on managing the impact of COVID-19 on the construction industry; standing up emergency accommodation facilities for migrant workers and supporting their health and well-being; ensuring that the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) maintained a high level of operational readiness; and adapting to adjustments to religious life by the Malay/Muslim community.

Mr Speaker, our built environment sector was one of the worst-hit sectors by the pandemic. Almost all construction work came to a halt during the circuit breaker period. Even after work resumed and the dormitories declared cleared of COVID-19, companies had to adjust their operations and adapt to new requirements, such as safe management measures (SMMs) at worksites. Companies faced manpower shortages, as they were unable to bring in new migrant workers, due to travel restrictions and border measures. And these led to project delays and significant cost increases to the sector.

Given the unprecedented challenges faced by the built environment sector, the Government intervened in a significant way. We introduced a $1.36 billion Construction Support Package to help companies ease back into work safely after the circuit breaker period and this came on top of the general support measures for all sectors.

We also provided companies with multiple rounds of Foreign Worker Levy rebates and waivers, as well as wage subsidies via the JSS. This relieved some of the burden from manpower costs and helped preserve jobs in the sector, including for locals.

We recognised that some companies would be unable to meet their contractual obligations and previously committed timelines, with the work stoppages and delays due to COVID-19. As such, we introduced the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act, or COTMA, provisions to provide relief for defaulting parties, by putting in place a moratorium, during which legal obligations relating to inability to perform contractual obligations due to COVID-19 could not be enforced.

COTMA also provided a defence against claims for contract breaches, including liquidated damages in such instances. A universal Extension of Time of four months was granted for construction projects, to account for the circuit breaker and time taken to clear the dormitories.

We also recognised the need to ensure that no single party in the built environment value chain bore a disproportionate cost burden, arising from delays due to the pandemic. Hence, we inserted provisions in COTMA to facilitate equitable sharing of non-manpower prolongation costs and foreign manpower cost increases between project parties.

We also supported developers and end-users, such as home buyers. Developers whose projects faced construction delays could seek relief on the date of delivery of possession. Home buyers who were affected by extended delivery dates, could similarly seek reimbursement from the developer, for qualifying expenses.

Our TAs also played a pivotal role in addressing the acute manpower shortages. The Singapore Contractors Association Limited (SCAL), Association of Singapore Marine Industries (ASMI) and Association of Process Industry (ASPRI) took the lead to pilot a tightened end-to-end process to bring migrant workers into Singapore safely.

This initiative involved integrating the testing of workers at dedicated onboarding facilities in their home countries, with protocols for them to stay safe from infection.

I thank SCAL, ASMI and ASPRI for their herculean effort in coordinating across multiple local and foreign companies in the healthcare and hospitality sectors and working closely with various public sector agencies, to facilitate the safe inflow of workers.

The pilot's success allowed us to scale up further to meet the manpower needs of the construction, marine and process industries, while safeguarding public health and our healthcare capacity.

The lessons learnt and experience gained from these initiatives will help to minimise future manpower disruptions in the next pandemic.

Today, our construction activities are now close to pre-COVID-19 levels. Firm formation and cessation numbers also point to a stable situation. I thank our TAs and all members of the built environment sector for their understanding, support and resilience, which has made this recovery possible.

The strong partnerships that we have forged over the past three years and the can-do spirit to overcome challenges will go a long way in preparing us for the next pandemic. Ultimately, what COVID-19 has taught us is that we need to transform the built environment sector towards greater resilience and productivity.

The Minister for Manpower had elaborated on the fight against COVID-19 in the dormitories yesterday and areas where we could do better.

To protect our migrant workers and reduce COVID-19 transmission within the dormitories, we brought together public agencies, private companies and NGOs to identify and stand up emergency accommodation facilities. Put together, they came up with adaptable and innovative solutions, often under tight timelines and resource constraints.

We repurposed a wide range of facilities into safe emergency accommodation facilities. These included cruise ships, floatels, hotels, as well as retrofitted state properties, such as multi-storey carparks, vacant schools and vacant HDB blocks. We also used port land and exhibition spaces, such as the Tanjong Pagar Port and Singapore Expo. We even used a vacant en bloc site, the former Chancery Court condominium, offered by the Far East Organisation.

Moving on to another group of partners, I will always be thankful for the support from our NGOs in providing care and support for our migrant workers throughout the pandemic.

I recall our many meetings and dormitory visits during the pandemic, where I felt heartened by their tireless efforts, especially during circuit breaker. They came together to forge new partnerships and coordinated efforts on the ground to meet the needs of our migrant workers in different ways.

The Migrant Workers' Centre, for example, quickly kickstarted initiatives to distribute masks, hand sanitisers, soap bars, shampoos, dental kits and other key essential items to all migrant workers in the dormitories, including those in smaller factory-converted dormitories and construction temporary quarters (CTQs).

We also had medical volunteers from NGO HealthServe, who helped to supplement the efforts of our medical teams on the ground.

As an inter-racial, inter-religious and inter-cultural organisation, Hope Initiative Alliance (HIA) played an important role in ensuring that the spiritual needs of our workers were met. They organised congregational prayers and religious services for our workers of different faiths in the dormitories and recreation centres. When workers were unable to return home during their festive holidays, HIA helped to spread cheer by distributing festive care packs and meals. Many of their volunteers came from Christian groups and I remembered them coming at 4.00 am in the morning to deliver breakfast during Ramadan and this was at the height of the pandemic in 2020.

If I had to share all our stories together on the ground, we would be here for quite a while. So, just let me just acknowledge our other NGOs who had made a difference in the lives of our migrant workers and helped as sounding boards for some of our policies and these include the development of the improved dormitory standards over the last three years.

Thank you, COVID-19 Migrant Support Coalition, Crisis Relief Alliance, Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics, It's Raining Raincoats, My Brother SG and The Salvation Army, for all your support.

Miss Rachel Ong spoke about how we should continue our close working relationship with our NGOs to sustain their outreach within the migrant worker community. The Alliance for Migrant Workers Support (AMWS) was initially set-up as an engagement platform with our NGOs during COVID-19. Moving forward, the AMWS will continue to be an important platform for us to come together to discuss how we can better support our migrant workers, work to improve policies affecting them as well as to build our capabilities to better coordinate the distribution of resources and respond quickly in the next pandemic.

The Minister for Manpower spoke yesterday on how the Government stood up the Inter-Agency Task Force and brought in the SAF and the Home Team to manage the COVID-19 situation in the dormitories. Despite the risks involved, we saw the unwavering dedication of these officers, including those deployed as part of the Forward Assurance and Support Teams (FAST). Allow me to share two inspiring examples.

Singapore Police Force (SPF) officer Station Inspector (SI) Sheik Ismail volunteered as a FAST officer at the S11 dormitory@Punggol, which saw the largest COVID-19 cluster. SI Sheik made sure that the workers' needs were met, helping them to talk to their employers about their salaries, ensuring that they stayed connected with their families and assisting them to remit money back home. What struck me was that SI Sheik went beyond the call of duty to lend a listening ear, taking the time to understand their fears and encouraging them to focus on their hopes and dreams.

Corporal (NS) Vinod, a Combat Medic with the 2nd Combat Support Hospital, was deployed to the EXPO Community Care Facility. He supported the operations to plan, monitor and deliver care to affected migrant workers. He shared that his In-Camp Training (ICT) has been "the most meaningful one" for him. He felt a strong commitment to "fight a different kind of war" in a hall filled with thousands of migrant workers with COVID-19.

Against an enemy that threatened to instil fear and destroy our way of life, Singaporeans from all walks of life, the Public Service, private sector, NGOs, volunteers and national servicemen, have indeed come together to "fight a different kind of war", each playing their part through Total Defence.

One of the key lessons from the pandemic is the importance of adaptability and the resilience of our infrastructure. The unprecedented scale and prolonged nature of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in overwhelming demand for quarantine housing and temporary accommodations.

Learning from this experience, public sector agencies are working to identify suitable facilities to meet possible crisis scenarios and better safeguard and operationalise sites for emergency needs. This includes exploring developing dual-use facilities to serve both peacetime and crises functions.

One way to do this is by retrofitting available and suitable state properties to be able to pivot from peacetime to crisis use when necessary. An example is the Quick-Built Dormitory at Sengkang West. It is currently used for new migrant workers to undergo residential onboarding and medical examination when they first arrived in Singapore. In the event of a pandemic, the Onboard Centre can be quickly converted into a dedicated facility for newly-arrived workers to serve their Stay-Home Notice.

Public sector agencies will also explore with private sector owners to potentially utilise a wide variety of private infrastructure for emergency housing. These include chalets, hotels, serviced apartments and exhibition spaces. One such example was how D'Resort@Downtown East was used as a Government Quarantine Facility.

The two new migrant worker dormitories that MOM will be operating in partnership with the private sector, will have enhanced liveability and adaptability features for both peacetime and future disease outbreaks. For example, there will be larger recreation spaces, such as multi-purpose and sports courts, which can be repurposed as medical facilities.

We are also looking at strengthening the resilience of key food distribution facilities, such as the Jurong Fishery Port and Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre, against future emergencies and pandemics, as raised by Mr Saktiandi Supaat.

The Singapore Food Agency is carrying out upgrades to enhance the security, surveillance and access control systems of our key food supply facilities. This would allow for better contact tracing, in the event of a future disease outbreak and support the enforcement of control measures. Businesses should also continue to review and keep their business continuity plans relevant, to ensure supply resiliency at the company level.

Even as we continue to enhance the adaptability of our infrastructure, we need to maintain strong partnerships across the people, the private and the public sector. This will be instrumental to enable us to meet demands for quarantine housing and temporary accommodations in the next pandemic.

Let me take this opportunity to also address some of the matters relating to our workforce and workplaces during COVID-19, which were mentioned in some of the Members' speeches.

One concern was on the necessity of Workforce Vaccination Measures (WVM), raised by Ms Hazel Poa and Mr Yip Hon Weng. At that time, the virus was mutating and new variants, which were highly transmissible, were emerging; while time was needed to assess whether these new variants also put infected persons at a higher risk of severe disease. This was when we were still grappling with Omicron, by the way.

Unvaccinated individuals, especially those who are older, would have put themselves at risk of infection at the workplace. We were concerned that infected, unvaccinated individuals could be at risk of severe illness. There could also be significant added strain on our healthcare system.

The Government, therefore, decided that there was a need to put in place stronger measures at the workplaces to protect vulnerable and at-risk groups. These measures complemented the public health measures in the community, such as the vaccination-differentiated safe management measures (VDS).

In the Advisory on COVID-19 Vaccination at the Workplace, the tripartite partners made it very clear that dismissal is a last resort and employers should try to allow unvaccinated workers to work from home, including through redeployment. Following the lifting of the Workforce Vaccination Measures, Workforce Singapore (WSG) and NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) had reached out to and offered employment assistance to such unvaccinated employees. Unvaccinated individuals can also approach WSG or e2i, if they require further assistance.

The lifting of the Workforce Vaccination Measures followed the relaxation of the VDS in April 2022. With the full lifting of the VDS in October 2022, if an individual feels that an employer is making vaccination-differentiated requirements without genuine occupational needs to do so, he or she may approach MOM or the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices for assistance. Since October 2022, there has only been a handful of complaints.

For the broader workforce, a key lesson from the pandemic is developing a strong Singapore Core and complementing it with a diverse foreign workforce, to ensure the resilience of our businesses and our economy. This was a point that Mr Saktiandi Supaat spoke about as well. Due to border restrictions during the pandemic, the total number of foreign workers fell from about 1.4 million in December 2019 to about 1.2 million in December 2021. However, the number has since recovered to pre-COVID-19 levels, as border restrictions were relaxed and employers tried to catch the upswing of economic recovery.

Even as we strengthen the complementarity of our foreign workforce and continue to attract global talent, international investments and companies, our focus on strengthening the Singapore Core in our workforce will remain.

We have developed Industry Transformation Maps and Jobs Transformation Maps, which include strategies to prepare our workers for higher value-added jobs in each sector. We have in place an ecosystem of programmes and schemes to prepare workers for jobs of the future, such as the Career Conversion Programmes and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme. We have also put in place various programmes to increase the global and regional exposure of locals to enable them to take up leadership positions in global firms.

By combining and complementing local and foreign expertise, we can grow the pie for Singapore and provide more good opportunities for all.

Mr Speaker, I spoke earlier about how the SAF contributed to Singapore's fight against COVID-19 in the dormitories. At the same time, more than 7,000 SAF personnel were deployed across operations – ranging from contact tracing, call centre operations, logistical support to medical operations.

While our nation grappled with and were fully focused on overcoming COVID-19, Singaporeans can be assured that the SAF kept up our security operations and maintained a high level of operational readiness to keep us safe from external threats. Critical SAF operations, such as maritime security, air defence, protection of key installations and counter-terrorism, continued round-the-clock even during the pandemic.

Our servicemen had to train in challenging conditions arising from pandemic restrictions. These conditions tested the SAF's grit, tenacity and resilience. But our people adapted quickly and quickly rose to the challenge.

To minimise infection risk, SAF implemented strict health and safety measures. These included vaccination, cohorting, safe distancing, reduction in training group sizes and COVID-19 testing regimes. Some personnel performing critical operations had to isolate themselves in camps and bases for days, to ensure that they were free from infection before they could start their duties. For many, this also meant sacrificing time away from their family and loved ones.

This made celebrations like Mother's Day during the circuit breaker period slightly different for our servicewomen.

Major Doris Sam, for example, an RSAF Air Warfare Officer, was isolated in base with her unit to ensure they were free from infection and could continue to safeguard Singapore's skies. This was the first time she was apart from her two-year-old toddler, Atlas, over a prolonged period. Despite the sacrifices required, Doris, like many fellow sons and daughters of Singapore, stayed true to her mission and continued to defend our home.

With the gradual easing of restrictions, the SAF progressively resumed training, often operating under conditions more strenuous than before the pandemic.

At the height of the pandemic in 2020, the Singapore Navy participated in the SAF's first overseas training since the onset of COVID-19. This was for the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, a multinational naval exercise.

The crew of the RSS Supreme embarked on one of their longest sails – 67 consecutive days on board the ship travelling across the Pacific Ocean. No shore leave. Vaccines were not available at that time, so they were in a COVID-19-safe bubble and had no interactions with anyone else apart from their fellow crewmates. The ship was reconfigured with Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capabilities in the event that someone turned positive. Fortunately, the entire crew tested negative throughout their deployment and successfully completed the exercise.

One of them was Weapons Systems Cluster Chief Military Expert 3 (ME3) Suresh Subramaniam, a father of three. ME3 Suresh told me that he was thankful for his wife's support and assurance on the home front.

The SAF is grateful for the support from spouses and families of our servicemen and women, who also shared the belief on the need to uphold high standards of training amidst COVID-19 in the defence of Singapore to ensure our sovereignty and our way of life.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there were many groups who also kept Singapore going in different ways.

One such group is our public transport workers, as mentioned by Mr Melvin Yong earlier. They braved the virus every day to keep public transport services running. Some workers also volunteered to come back to work on their rest days to cover colleagues who were sick, especially when COVID-19 clusters were emerging among bus captains.

Taxi drivers supported the conveyance of travellers on Stay-Home Notice to their accommodation and COVID-19 positive patients to and from healthcare facilities.

Employers too, played their part. Public transport operators – SBS Transit, SMRT, Tower Transit Singapore and Go-Ahead Singapore – adjusted shifts to ensure that their workers had sufficient rest while minimising impact on commuters.

At the height of the pandemic, platform operators and their workers also provided much-needed services: point-to-point transport, food and goods delivery.

The Government had earlier accepted the recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Platform Workers to strengthen protections for platform workers, such as in areas of financial protection in case of work injury and for housing and retirement adequacy.

I echo Ms Janet Ang and Mr Melvin Yong's tribute and thank our public transport workers and operators, platform workers and operators, workers in the air and sea transport sector and many others in our fight against COVID-19. This was a whole-of-society effort, one filled with sacrifice, dedication and duty.

Mr Speaker, moving on to the Malay/Muslim community.

Our Malay/Muslim community, too, played an important role. The community had to adjust to the closure of mosques and suspension of congregational prayers, which Mr Sharael Taha and Dr Wan Rizal spoke about. While in circuit breaker, the community also had to observe Ramadan and Hari Raya away from their loved ones.

With the month of Ramadan upon us in just two days' time, there is much to be grateful for to be able to observe and pray together without COVID-19 restrictions.

I recognise that it has not been easy for the Malay/Muslim community or the Muslim community in general, including our religious leaders, because of the sacrifices needed over the past three years to battle and to overcome COVID-19. I thank our Malay/Muslim community for making adjustments to their religious and cultural practices and staying united with fellow Singaporeans to keep our country safe. Speaker, I will deliver the next segment in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] For many Muslims, the circuit breaker phase had been a very difficult period. We could not perform religious practices and obligations, such as our congregational Friday prayers. We also had to suspend prayers and other activities that were typically conducted during Ramadan, such as Terawih prayers at mosques.

But the community quickly adapted ─ performing their congregational prayers at home with their family. The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) also introduced online religious resources, such as SalamSG TV to support home-based Ramadan activities. In retaining traditions, the community also turned to online means to convey their well-wishes to family and loved ones for Hari Raya.

In 2020 and 2021, we also had to defer the annual Haj for Singaporean pilgrims. Singapore was among the first countries to do so, before other countries made similar decisions. This included Saudi Arabia who announced that the Haj would be limited to domestic pilgrims only, in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Many pilgrims were saddened by this decision, especially because of the very long waiting time to perform the Haj. But the community understood the need to do so as it would not only protect our pilgrims, but those around them as well.

These measures would not have been possible without strong religious leadership of the Mufti, the Fatwa Committee and our asatizah, as well as the strong partnerships within the community.

Our religious leaders were astute in assessing the health risks and adjusting religious practices to the prevailing COVID-19 situation. These were difficult decisions that needed courage during our most trying moments to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the community.

Our religious leadership benefitted from the close partnership with our Muslim healthcare professionals, through the Malay/Muslim COVID-19 Working Group. This Group advised MUIS in developing the necessary precautionary measures and communicating the scientific reasons behind them to the general public.

For example, Dr Norhisham Main, the President of the Muslim Healthcare Professionals Association, alongside the Mufti, explained the closing of mosques and other changes to the community's socio-religious norms from a medical perspective during an interactive online talk show.

Through these adjustments, the community has shown its progressiveness – one that is able to make adjustments to their religious life, without compromising on religious tenets. I am proud that the community played an impactful role through a strong sense of citizenry, as displayed in our fight against COVID-19. Such contributions are important, particularly in our multi-cultural, multi-religious society.

I am also heartened that their contributions have been recognised by the international community as well.

Last year, our Fatwa Committee under our Mufti’s leadership was conferred the Al-Qarafi Award by the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide under the Dar al-Ifta in Egypt, for their leadership and contributions in guiding the community through the pandemic. This is more than just an award for Mufti and the Fatwa Committee, but also a recognition to the community who responded well to the adjustments that had to be made.

I am glad that the community continues to apply the lessons learnt and good practices from the pandemic. This builds our resilience, which will come in handy as we face future challenges.

For example, many mosques continue to offer multiple Friday prayer sessions. This was initially introduced in response to the reduced size for congregational prayers, but now provides more flexibility on the timing for individuals to perform their prayers.

In a few days, the Muslim community will enter the month of Ramadan. Three years ago, we observed Ramadan during the circuit breaker period. Since then, the community has overcome many things. As we return to normalcy, let us continue to build on the gotong royong spirit that we demonstrated during the pandemic, to build a united and resilient Singapore.

(In English): Mr Speaker, in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's national broadcast on 7 June 2020, just as Singapore emerged from the circuit breaker, the Prime Minister addressed Singaporeans that we faced "the crisis of a generation" and also expressed his hope that "an even stronger and better Singapore will emerge from this crisis".

Three years later and on this side of the crisis, I believe that this holds true. We can be heartened by how our people have shown resilience, adaptability and unity throughout the pandemic. I am confident that the lessons we have learnt will put us in good stead for the future and prepare us for the next crisis.

In June 2020, at the start of the pandemic, I began my speech on the Supplementary Budget with a verse from a song by the legendary band, Queen. That verse was, "Your every day is full of sunshine. But into every life, a little rain must fall."

Today, I would like to close this chapter with another verse, this time from another legendary band, The Beatles. It goes this way. You can also imagine Deputy Prime Minister Wong playing his guitar, strumming in the background. "Little darlin', it's been a long, cold, lonely winter. Little darlin', it feels like years since it's been here. Here comes the sun. Here comes the sun, and I say, it's alright." [Applause.]

Mr Mark Chay.

Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to join this debate on Singapore's COVID-19 response.

Before I start my speech, I would like to take a moment to reflect on those who were lost to the effects of COVID-19. May those close to them find solace and the departed rest in peace.

The world has undoubtedly changed in the past three years. We were forced to embrace technology, to connect and transact digitally when we physically could not. We, somehow, became familiar with the Greek alphabet. We learnt to survive on frozen chickens. And through the pandemic, Singapore faced a formidable challenge and rose to the occasion, displaying a side of the nation that is compassionate and caring for its fellow man.

I would like to speak on three areas from the White Paper on Singapore's Response to COVID-19.

First, on support for businesses, workers, and jobs. The JSS helped businesses address the financial challenges of COVID-19. It provided wage subsidies so employers could keep employees on the payroll and retain their jobs, even as the commercial sector took a hit.

The JSS also enabled the sports and fitness industry to press pause, re-evaluate and reimagine how sports and fitness businesses should run. Through the Enterprise Innovation and Capability Development Grant, SportSG provided the sports and fitness industry with a way to incorporate innovative technology into their businesses to remain resilient during this challenging period. It was a necessary step for the industry to take.

The JSS clarified which industries were considered essential and non-essential during the pandemic.

It was apparent that in times of crisis, the sports and fitness industry is non-essential. However, I do believe that the industry has a significant role in Singapore's journey towards living with COVID-19.

The pandemic presented the sports and fitness industry with an opportunity to redefine itself, encompassing not just events production companies but also sports academies, social sports and recreation clubs, fitness clubs, boutique gyms and freelancers. This realisation has been valuable in equipping the industry for success moving forward.

Second, the MTF has responded proactively to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their work is commendable and they have consistently kept Singaporeans updated with the situation. The MTF has taken a data-driven, scientific approach to the ongoing crisis. I especially appreciate the co-chairs and members for diligently using their "head and heart" strategy to make decisions that affect us all. We are incredibly thankful for their hard work and dedication, especially during these trying times.

Third, Singapore strived to ensure that vulnerable groups were supported during the COVID-19 pandemic. Numerous initiatives were put into place, with financial assistance, job retraining, counselling services and additional subsidies being provided by both the Government and NGOs. The collective effort is a testament to our society's dedication to helping those in need during difficult times.

Sir, please let me share some stories of our Team Singapore athletes and their activities during COVID-19.

Former national sprinter, UK Shyam and other athletes initiated a cause to donate laptops to students from lower-income families. With the help of Engineering Good and the Singapore Golf Association, more than 1,000 laptops were collected and $20,000 was raised.

National tennis player, Shaheed Alam, created "Project Love", which provided meals for migrant workers during Hari Raya through fundraising efforts.

Our Silat athletes, Sheik Ferdous, Sheik Farhan and Nurul Suhaila, started an initiative called "Sayang Sayang Fund".

"HopeFull" is a project spearheaded by golfer Jen Goh that provides resource kits for children and youths from disadvantaged backgrounds. Members of the sporting community took part in monthly engagements with beneficiaries, including virtual interaction sessions and delivery of kits. They also organised fundraising drives as well as packing and distributing food/care packs to vulnerable groups.

Also, 25 Team Singapore athletes collaborated with the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) during the circuit breaker, to mentor kids from Crest Secondary School through their Circuit Breaker Buddy programme.

And, of course, Speaker, as President of Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) and the SNOC Athletes' Commission participated in the "You'll Never Walk Alone" by ComChest campaign, which raised funds for children at-risk, persons with disabilities, persons with mental conditions, vulnerable seniors and families in need.

Indeed, when our athletes could not compete or train, I am proud that they used their platforms to show resilience in a different way, inspire Singapore and used sports as a force for greater good.

Sir, Singaporeans have shown tremendous strength and resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even with the profound economic disruption caused by global lockdowns, Singaporeans took rapid action to contain the virus and protect their fellow citizens. Despite the daunting challenges brought on by COVID-19, Singaporeans have embraced the circuit breaker and other SMMs with courage, resilience and a collective sense of responsibility. From reducing foreign worker density to closing schools and workplaces, citizens across all sectors have come together to prioritise safety for their fellow countrymen and women.

Singaporeans' strength and resilience are remarkable, proving that unity can produce tremendous positive change even amidst a crisis, that people from all walks of life can come together and contribute to the fight against this global crisis. In such times, it is an incredible reminder of what we can do – we are united, SG United in solidarity. The lessons learned from this pandemic will help prepare our nation for any crisis in the future. With this knowledge, determination, tenacity and hope for brighter days, Singaporeans are ready to face whatever comes next. And to that, I say, "Majulah Singapura!"

Sir, I would like to commend Opposition Leader Pritam Singh's comments yesterday that the Workers' Party would support and not undermine national efforts in times of crisis. This is deeply encouraging and underscores our responsibility as Parliamentarians, to work together for Singapore and Singaporeans.

Sir, at this juncture, I would also like to offer my sincere gratitude to our frontliners, our healthcare professionals and public servants for their courage and devotion over the past three years. They volunteered themselves to be on the frontlines, while everyone else stayed in the safety of their homes. They persevered through these trying times to save as many lives as possible. They put their own safety at risk to protect us and fought tirelessly, going above and beyond what was required of them.

With that, Speaker, I support this Motion put up by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Finance Minister that this House expresses gratitude to all in Singapore who contributed to the nation's fight against COVID-19, reaffirms the Government's effort to learn from the experiences of the last three years and to that end, endorses Paper Cmd 22 of 2023 on "Singapore's Response to COVID-19: Lessons for the Next Pandemic".

Ms Poh Li San.

Mr Speaker, Sir, COVID-19 is known to be the most dangerous pandemic in more than a generation. Together with my fellow Parliamentarians, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all Singaporeans who have stepped forward and done their part to assist Singapore during the crisis.

Our nation's founding father Mr Lee Kuan Yew and his team understood the importance of building up substantial national reserves for rainy days. Their vision saved Singapore, in more ways than one, during the pandemic. For a nation of 5.5 million people, $72.3 billion was spent to ensure that our economy will come through and survive the pandemic. These reserves provided our Government the ability to work fast and speed up purchases of essential supplies and vaccines. On top of that, Deputy Prime Minister Wong and his team was able to roll out essential assistance schemes to businesses for employers and the self-employed.

Needless to say, it is now time to replenish our reserves, in order for future generations to have that advantage during their rainy days. This White Paper captures the lessons to be learnt and as a nation, we know we must always be better prepared for the next crisis.

Singapore cannot be totally dependent only on a task force to resolve problems during a pandemic. We must look into preparing Singaporeans to manage daily concerns on the ground.

There were many groups of Singaporeans who made significant contributions during the pandemic. I would like to specifically acknowledge the contributions of two groups and, at the same time, highlight the realities facing us should we encounter another pandemic.

The outbreak in the migrant worker dormitories during the early months of the pandemic was at a near-tipping point, as the virus could have spread rapidly into the rest of our society. Not many are aware that there were about 200,000 migrant workers staying in more than 40 dormitories across the island. Our military and Police services took control, contained and stabilised the situation. The Joint Task Force (JTF) was quickly set up to contain the cases within the migrant worker dormitories. There were no vaccines then and these officers risked their own health and safety to be on ground. Some even contracted COVID-19.

During the circuit breaker, some officers had to stay in a hotel for fear of passing the virus to their families. Our nation depends on the SAF and SPF to protect us and to restore order.

Here is the reality. Will we still have these well-trained military and Police personnel during the next pandemic? Attitudes have been more distinct due to the fast-changing times that we live in. Younger Singaporeans are also re-evaluating their priorities. We need to be able to attract good people to join and maintain excellence in our military and Police services. Not to add fuel to fire, we do have an expedited falling birth rate.

The second group of people will be our grassroots network and volunteers. This network was built-up over the past five decades. This extensive and close-knitted network was able to help affected residents very quickly. They were responsible for distribution of masks, sanitizers, TraceTogether tokens and care packs, and so on.

Again, how do we ensure that we are able to continue having such support? How can we strengthen our grassroots networks and volunteerism, especially amongst the younger Singaporeans?

Mr Speaker, I would also like to speak up for three groups of Singaporeans who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. While no fault of theirs, they have been severely or permanently impacted by the COVID-19 policies and restrictions. I hope to be able to appeal for more assistance to help these Singaporeans.

The mRNA vaccine is a very new technology and a small number of people developed severe reactions as a result of administering it. The first group consist of Singaporeans who suffered permanent injuries or deaths after taking the mRNA vaccines.

A resident residing in Sembawang West constituency lost her husband and brother due to heart attacks soon after they were administered the first dose of mRNA vaccines. Within a short span of time, she and her children had to deal with the sudden grief of losing of two loved ones. Coping with financial difficulties under such sad circumstances is extremely tough.

There were other examples of Singaporeans who suffered severe reactions, such as strokes, severe rash breakouts and so on. They shared their experiences with me during my Meet-the-People Sessions and house visits. It was also reported that a nurse was hospitalised for five months and was handicapped after recovery.

There may not be many such cases and there is not anyone to blame. However, we have to acknowledge what these innocent Singaporeans had to go through, how their families have been permanently affected and how much they had to suffer. Unfortunately, some of them did not receive any Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme compensation, for various reasons cited by MOH. They trusted the vaccines to protect themselves from the COVID-19 virus but, unfortunately, instead of being protected, they suffered. I hope the Government will look into ways to assist Singaporeans who had to go through such a painful experience.

The second group will be the workers and companies in the construction sector.

During the outbreak, strict SMM were imposed at the worksites. Workers had to be transported everywhere they went. Meal breaks were carefully scheduled and migrant worker dormitories had to be drastically reduced in capacity.

All these regulations changed how construction companies operate and productivity diminished due to the restricted construction work processes. As a result, many construction projects, including various Build-To-Orders (BTOs), were severely delayed.

Many workers left the construction industry during the pandemic. Many who left are not returning. There is now a real shortage of workers. The construction companies had to increase the salaries of workers quite significantly to avoid bigger financial losses arising from delays in project completion. In fact, some large-scale local construction companies, such as Greatearth, could not survive the cost pressures and had to close.

Many local companies are still struggling with the massive financial losses incurred during the pandemic. The rising costs of materials, utilities, fuel and high Certificates of Entitlement prices for their vehicles are not helping them to gradually recover. I do hope the Government will try to provide even more assistance to the local construction companies during this vital recovery phase.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I declare my interest as an employee working in Changi Airport. The third group that I would like to mention are workers and companies in the aviation industry.

Changi Airport was a ghost town when the borders were closed. At one point, our air hub's passenger traffic fell to less than 0.5% of pre-COVID-19 traffic. There used to be some 50,000 staff employed in Changi Airport pre-COVID-19. About one-third of the staff lost their jobs or got redeployed to other sectors. During the pandemic, the aircrew suffered significant pay cuts and some had to switch careers – like one airline pilot, Johnny Tan, who had to sell durians instead of being able to fly a plane.

In response to the fluid situation during the pandemic, the border control measures had to change every now and then. Airport staff working in the transit areas had to don PPEs, as they faced the highest risks of contracting the virus from arriving passengers. Similarly, aircrew risked their own health and safety, serving passengers who could be COVID-19-positive.

We are now almost back to pre-COVID-19 days, but our recovery has a different set of challenges. Over the last 10 months, passenger numbers rebounded from 2% to 80%. Companies are struggling to find staff who can be trained quickly in order to deal with the sudden surge. With the opening of the Chinese border, manpower demand will further increase. Manpower is a major problem. In addition, companies operating in Changi Airport will have to deal with the increase in utility cost, fuel cost, salaries, GST, carbon taxes and so on.

Changi is one of our most important strategic assets and being Skytrax's Best Airport comes with a price. That only means that we have to deliver and confront the challenges facing the aviation sector.

Mr Speaker, no country is immune to the trials and tribulations caused by the pandemic and the rapid-changing world. I hope that Singaporeans who have saved us from COVID-19 are celebrated, that we will continue to have such individuals to serve Singapore; and that the inadvertent impact and hardship suffered by various groups of Singaporeans will be addressed. I support the Motion.

Minister Ong Ye Kung.

Mr Speaker, Sir, 1,711 – this is the number of people in Singapore who had died of COVID-19 infections as of 31 December 2022 and as reported in the White Paper.

MOH estimated an additional 2,000 deaths over the course of the pandemic – that is above the expected number of deaths based on pre-pandemic trends. These individuals, not recorded in the official death toll for COVID-19, might have died of undiagnosed COVID-19 infections or COVID-19 could have worsened some underlying conditions, leading to their deaths.

All in, over 3,700 deaths, estimated – most of them older, with co-morbidities, underlying illnesses, many unvaccinated and they are most affected by COVID-19 infections. We will never know the exact number or all the names and the faces of every victim of this pandemic crisis.

Never had Singapore gone through a crisis that inflicted such a heavy toll on the lives of our fellow men and women since Independence. I think nothing even comes close. This is, indeed, the crisis of a generation.

And behind every passing, there were family members, loved ones, doctors and healthcare workers doing their best to comfort them, to save them. At MOH and, I am sure, in this House, we mourn their deaths and extend our deepest condolences to their families.

COVID-19 placed lives and livelihoods in very stark contrast – or, maybe more aptly put – it put in contrast your desire to survive and live vs what is the purpose of living.

This same challenge was faced by every country, every region, which is: how do you navigate out of this dangerous conundrum, regain your normal lives while protecting the lives of your people as much as possible?

Every country and region faced this challenge. And every one took their own or its own path – some by choice, others forced by circumstances. I would say how each country or region faired in this COVID-19 common challenge, essentially, boils down to the following three judgement calls.

First, whether through our decisions and, in the early stages of the pandemic, we effectively made hospitals the singular defence against the virus. Here, past experiences mattered.