Hansard, Tuesday, 9 January 2024

1 Ms Poh Li San asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment in light of the latest charges against the National Environment Agency (NEA) for the Tuas Incineration Plant explosion on 23 September 2021, how has NEA strengthened its workplace safety practices and culture.

2 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment pertaining to the Tuas Incineration Plant explosion in September 2021, what measures have been put in place at all incineration plants to ensure that such an incident does not recur.

Mr Speaker, this being the first Sitting of the year, may I wish you "Happy New Year", and through you, wish everyone in the Chamber, as well as all supporting staff of Parliament, an equally prosperous and happy new year.

May I have your permission, Sir, to answer oral Question Nos 1 and 2 in my Ministerial Statement to be delivered later at today's Sitting, please?

You may, Minister. And allow me to also take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy and healthy 2024.

3 Mr Ong Hua Han asked the Minister for Education (a) what other programmes beyond the artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled tools on Singapore Student Learning Space will be put in place to develop baseline AI literacy of students; (b) whether there are plans to launch AI coding programmes in the curriculum; (c) if so, when will such programmes be targeted to be launched; and (d) whether such programmes will be run by teachers or third party service providers.

4 Mr Ong Hua Han asked the Minister for Education (a) how many students have applied to join the Artificial Intelligence Student Outreach Programme; (b) what is the respective percentage of applicants who are from (i) secondary schools (ii) polytechnics (iii) Integrated Programme schools and (iv) junior colleges; and (c) whether there are plans to increase the take-up rate of the programme.

Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 3 and 4 on today’s Order Paper by Mr Ong Hua Han, together with the Parliamentary Questions from Mr Patrick Tay1 and Assoc Prof Razwana Begum2 scheduled for a subsequent Sitting?

Yes, you may.

Mr Speaker, Sir, Members have asked how the Ministry of Education (MOE) plans to prepare our students, teachers and the workforce on the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) and address potential risks, such as data breaches, misuse and fake news spread through AI systems.

MOE recognises that AI will become increasingly pervasive in the workplace and in our daily lives. To prepare our students and workforce, MOE develops students’ foundational knowledge of AI and promotes its safe and responsible use in schools and at the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs). Educators in schools and IHLs are provided with guidance, resources and training to effectively harness it to enhance learning.

Students acquire relevant digital literacies, such as understanding AI, its uses and limitations, and ethical considerations in the course of learning different subjects. Students also have opportunities to further their learning through school-based programmes, such as co-curricular activities, Applied Learning Programmes (ALPs) and enrichment programmes, which may be taught by teachers, industry partners and service providers.

One example is the AI Student Outreach Programme conducted by AI Singapore. In 2023, close to 17,000 students applied to join the programme, with the breakdown of applicants as follows: (a) 11% from the polytechnics; (b) 52% from the secondary schools; (c) 11% from the IP schools; and (d) 3% from the junior colleges. Students from the autonomous universities and the Institute of Technical Education make up the remaining 23% of applicants.

Besides knowledge of AI, schools and IHLs have measures to guard against the risks of AI. In schools, students are taught cyber wellness skills, which include evaluating information and identifying fake news including those transmitted through AI systems, understanding data security, privacy and responsible online behaviours. Teachers also guide students to use AI to support their learning, emphasising ethics related to the use of data and AI, such as the importance of integrity and proper data handling.

The IHLs also incorporate the use of AI tools in specific domains to ensure students understand the risks that AI poses, such as the potential to perpetuate misinformation. They also have governance frameworks to ensure the ethical and responsible use of AI.

Beyond our schools and IHLs, working adults can take up AI-related SkillsFuture courses to become smart and secure users of AI in their respective industries.

Mr Speaker, Sir, if I have your permission, let me illustrate this with some real examples of what is happening in our schools and IHLs.

Teachers at Temasek Primary School taught students to use an AI tool called Stable Diffusion, which is a generative AI image-generator, when learning about sustainability concepts as part of the school's science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) ALP. Guided by their teachers, students learn how to write prompts, evaluate the effectiveness of their prompts and adjust them to improve the quality of the generated images as they create an e-book to advocate sustainability.

Another example: students at Montfort Secondary School learn AI through their STEM ALP. Students learn the basic AI applications, such as image recognition, chatbots and smart assistants that use natural language processing. Students build on this knowledge and further apply it in the Design and Technology subject to design products, such as a blockchain-inspired smart savings application that tracks spending habits and automates money deposits.

Yet another example: at Peirce Secondary School, they use generative AI tools in coursework subjects like Design and Technology, and Nutrition and Food Science. Design and Technology teachers guide their students to use generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Vizcom to generate new ideas for their products, develop their ability to sketch, visualise and imagine solutions for their prototypes. At Yuan Ching Secondary School, students also use AI to generate ideas for their Nutrition and Food Science projects. In both schools, students are taught to evaluate the credibility of AI-generated content by corroborating it with other reliable information sources. Students are also taught to acknowledge the use of AI tools and other sources in their reports. This helps them to use AI ethically.

At a higher level, Anderson Serangoon Junior College partnered AI Singapore to introduce students to foundational learning in AI. Through a jointly organised event, "Prepping for an AI career revolution", students learn about AI and its use cases and engage in a dialogue with industry leaders. Anderson Serangoon Junior College also developed the infocomms technology (ICT) Champions Programme to enhance digital literacy and skills amongst interested students.

At another level, we also use an AI-enabled adaptive learning system (ALS) for mathematics that has been made available through our Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS) for Primary 5-level topics since 2023, with more topics to be progressively rolled out in the next two years.

At St Hilda's Primary School, teachers guide students to use customised recommended resources for self-learning or embark on a different lesson if they wish to explore a different sub-topic. At Rosyth School, before using the ALS, students undergo an introductory module on how AI can be used and its ethical considerations to ensure students use AI safely and holistically.

At Temasek Polytechnic's Diploma in Interior Architecture and Design, students are taught to use AI tools to aid them in the design process, such as using ChatGPT to generate design statements and Midjourney to generate reference images.

Singapore University of Technology and Design's Design and Artificial Intelligence Programme equips our students with technical expertise in AI and design innovation skills. Core domains covered include algorithms, AI applications in design and applied deep learning. Through acquiring such competencies in the various domains, graduates can apply AI-driven designs to transform the economy and improve lives.

Mr Speaker, Sir, these are various examples where we apply AI and teach AI in our schools according to the age-appropriate level.

Mr Ong Hua Han.

I thank Minister Chan for his answer. I have one supplementary question. I understand that the SLS holds a repository of lessons for our students to engage with at their own pace, outside curriculum hours. Could MOE consider recognising a student's commitment to completing all the self-paced lessons, perhaps under the LEAPS 2.0 framework for secondary school students or in some other way?

Mr Speaker, Sir, we thank Mr Ong for the suggestion. I would like to share with Members of the House that in the SLS, there are different types of modules. There are modules that are part of the core curriculum – or part of the school curriculum – which the students can access and help them to pace their own learning. Within the SLS, there are also modules that are outside the school curriculum or available in other schools, which the students can access at their own time to learn about things beyond the curriculum. We encourage the students to do so because we would like our students to develop the habit of initiating their own learning and taking charge of their own learning. Hopefully, these habits apply to them not just within the school premises, but also, throughout their lives.

We will take into account Mr Ong's suggestion.

Mr Gerald Giam.

Sir, I note that the Minister shared how schools are using generative AI in the instruction of their students, has there been any change in the stance of MOE on the use of generative AI for graded schoolwork and assignment submissions?

Secondly, do schools specifically teach all students on how to prompt generative AI models, since this is fast becoming a key skill for the workplace?

Mr Speaker, Sir, the short answer is that it depends on which level of exposure we give to the students. In the various examples I have highlighted just now, for example, at the primary school level, many of the things that we do are for exposure purposes, for the students to learn how to be a smart user.

We do not necessarily use it for assessment at all levels. But if I may give an example, at a higher level, the module at Temasek Polytechnic which they demonstrated to me, the students used generative AI as part of their coursework. When they use the generative AI coupled with the interior design course, what they figure out very quickly are two things.

First, with AI, they can refine the designs very quickly – using, perhaps, half the time that they used to, using the previous method. But the second thing that they have also learnt and very importantly, is how to sharpen – as the Member said – the prompt required in order to start the whole process. If the prompts are not well-crafted, then, you could be doing things very fast, but not necessarily down the correct path.

This is what we mean by age-appropriate lessons. At a certain level, you can apply AI and sharpen the skills necessary at that level. Different students at different levels learn to use AI at different levels of competencies and sophistication.

Ms Jean See.

Thank you. I have a supplementary question. Relating to AI readiness, the Minister mentioned about schools preparing students for AI type of work skills. I just wanted to understand, what is the bridging with the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), in terms of getting students ready for the AI-type of work?

The second area would be in terms of ethics. For those in IHLs, when they enter the workforce, it is not just about being able to do the job, but it is also about how we shape the work that is carried out. I think there is quite a number of grey areas in terms of AI ethics. What would be the type of education pathways that we intend to introduce to IHL students to help them to better prepare for AI-types of job roles in the future?

Mr Speaker, Sir, let me make a few points in response to Ms Jean See's comments. First, we certainly agree that learning to use AI is important, but learning to use AI ethically is even more important. For us, from MOE's position, we will always couple the learning of the technical use of AI with the ethical use of AI. To us, that is very important.

This goes beyond just about giving credit to or informing people that you have used these tools. But more importantly, to know the downsides that the program or the AI algorithm – after all, it is an algorithm – may bring and some of the biases that may happen in the course of using that.

This is something that we are very careful about. We do not start this at the IHL level. For example, in one of my visits to the schools, the teachers encouraged their students to use an AI tool to help them craft an essay. But it is not about the essay that is most important. After they crafted the essay, the teachers wanted the students to: first, know the sources of information that the AI draws upon; then, the teachers encouraged the students to critique the AI product so that they can understand the upside and the downside of the product and also, the potential biases that that algorithm has generated.

So, it is through such examples that we allow our students to learn to use AI ethically.

My second part of the comments relates to how we are preparing our students for an AI-enabled world. There are two sub-parts to this.

First, at the broader level, it is making sure that our people are smart users – they know how to use this. That is easier done – how to use it, how to use it ethically and how to use it intelligently.

The other part is how to prepare our people to be the coders, the people to work on such algorithms. That is a bit more sophisticated. For that, our belief is that there are certain fundamentals that are important to equip our students across the board for them to get into careers in this track. For example, the importance of mathematics, logical thinking, computational skills – these are very important. So, we may not teach AI or we may not teach coding specifically. But behind coding, there are certain foundational skills that are very important.

Even in the recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results, we are glad that our students have done well in terms of their ability to think logically and to exhibit traits of computational thinking. Because ultimately, in this AI-enabled world where there is an overflow of information, three words come to mind when we encourage our students to use AI.

First, the ability to distil, discern and to discover. Why these three?

Distil: because the world will be flooded with information. How to distil the information into what is relevant and useful to us, is the first important step.

Discern: because, having done that, it must come with value. Discernment comes with value. So, it is important to distil and discern.

But, very importantly, our students and our workers, in time to come, must be able to discover, which means to create new value propositions.

In today and tomorrow's world, none of us will be rewarded by regurgitating old knowledge or what I usually say, "No point answering yesterday's questions with yesterday's answers". What we need, is to prepare our students to answer tomorrow's questions and challenges with tomorrow's solutions ahead of time. That is where the discovery comes in and that ties in with the emphasis on self-initiated learning so that you take control of the mastery of the content that we want our students to have.

So, these are important skills for us to prepare our students for the AI-enabled world and we are working closely with MCI on the technical part to build up the repository of courses and knowledge for our students.

Dr Tan Wu Meng.

I thank the Minister for his answer. Last year, during the debate on the President's Address, I spoke on the age of AI and how Singapore needs to survive in it. I am glad that MOE is taking a serious look and making a serious push regarding AI in our education system. I have got two supplementary questions for the Minister.

Firstly, I have met Clementi parents who are excited by the prospects of AI but also the concerns about the implications for inequality and what happens when some households have better information technology (IT) access, IT opportunities and training opportunities than others. Can the Minister assure us that the opportunities he described in his answer are evenly available for students across households of diverse social economic backgrounds? That is my first question.

The second question is that there are also Clementi parents worried about media literacy in the age of AI. Recently, the Prime Minister, himself, mentioned the risk of deepfake videos. Are we educating our younger generation to be mindful of deepfakes, the risk of being tricked as well as the risk of deepfake technology being abused against peers in unethical ways?

Mr Speaker, Sir, let me take the second supplementary question first. The short answer is yes. We are concerned about the issue of misinformation – including deepfakes – and this is an ongoing topic of conversation in all our schools and IHLs. I think it is not just about schools and IHLs.

Actually, across our whole society, we should be equally concerned about this: how to distinguish truth from fake news, right from wrong. So, this is a concerted effort and MOE cannot do this alone. We will certainly partner all the stakeholders to make sure that we can share the right information – appropriate information – with our students and also the community, so that we all become more informed in the process without being misinformed by others or being proxies for other people's misinformation. That is important.

On the first supplementary question on inequality of access, it is precisely what we have been trying to do, which is to democratise the access. We are very keenly aware that some families may not have access to some of the materials in the past. But let me just give two examples of how we have done this and continue to do this.

First, is the SLS. In the past, some parents might have more resources and then they go and buy more resource materials for their children to read and worksheets to work on and so forth.

But today, I encourage everyone to check the SLS. If you have children who are in the school-going ages, you will find that within the SLS, there is an entire repository of all kinds of materials. The best teaching resources are available in the SLS. And your child does not need to just log on to do the homework that is being assigned by his or her teacher. He or she can also log on and do many other things that the teachers did not assign them. Recently, I put up a video to illustrate this because a Secondary 3 student, Kairos, demonstrated to me how he took charge of his own learning during the school holidays by accessing the modules on SLS – these are all free of charge, by the way – to learn at his own pace.

So, this is one way we democratise the access to all the best materials available across our own system. It helps our people to save time; it also allows everyone to have the access to similar materials.

Another example of how we have done this to democratise the access is that we make sure that even students from poorer family backgrounds do not get left out. It is the vivid example of how we have overcome a potential learning loss among such students during COVID-19.

When schools were closed during COVID-19, we did two things.

First, we made sure that even if the students do not come to school, they have access to laptops, tablets and computers so that they can learn at home and we even made sure that they have access to the bandwidth necessary to support the working of this laptop. And, of course, on top of that, for students who are unable to do such things at home, we even opened up the schools to allow them to continue their learning in schools.

So, our teachers actually run two systems in parallel whereby we have online access and also offline, back-in-the-school access. This is MOE's commitment to make sure that, through the use of technology, we do not end up with a digital divide but, instead, we use technology to democratise the access to the best material available to all students.

Dr Tan, later in this Sitting, we do have a Motion to talk about Building a Safe and Inclusive Digital Society. Last supplementary question, Assoc Prof Razwana.

I thank the Minister for sharing the various initiatives to ensure ethical and responsible use of AI. Considering the danger of fake news and misinformation and the impact on public safety and security, would the Ministry consider adopting a comprehensive framework across Ministries to educate both parents and students, especially the younger children, on the concept of digital citizenship?

Minister Chan, I hope it is a short answer.

The answer is yes, we are working closely with MCI and other Ministries to do this. But I must say that this is an ongoing challenge not just for MOE or MCI; but it is a whole-of-society challenge. At the crux of it is whether we can have trusted sources of information, which goes to the core of our democratic system. We cannot have reasoned debate, elections and so forth, if we cannot trust the information that we are accessing. So, I think this requires a whole-of-nation effort and, definitely, MOE and MCI will be working closely with all our stakeholders to develop the framework that the Member suggested.

5 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for National Development (a) what steps will be taken to ensure that construction on the "Long Island" reclaimed site will not significantly impact sensitive marine habitats like coral reefs; (b) whether a public consultation will be carried out; and (c) whether the nature groups have been or will be consulted from an early stage on this process.

6 Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the projected environmental impact, specifically concerning marine life and habitats, from the "Long Island" reclamation project; and (b) whether the Government will involve environmental groups and nature researchers in stakeholder consultations to assess and mitigate potential ecological consequences before commencing the project.

7 Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for National Development in relation to the "Long Island" project (a) what have been the considerations for population and developmental planning along East Coast Parkway; (b) what is the longer-term impact on property prices in the area; and (c) whether significant traffic infrastructures will be required to facilitate smooth traffic flow adjoining the areas.

Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to give a combined reply to Parliamentary Question Nos 5, 6 and 7 in today's Order Paper?

Please proceed.

Sir, my response will also cover matters raised in the question by Assoc Prof Jamus Lim1, scheduled for the subsequent Sitting on 10 January. I invite the Member to seek clarifications if need be. If the question has been addressed, it may not be necessary to proceed with the question for future Sittings.

Sir, Dr Lim Wee Kiak and Mr Louis Ng have asked about the environmental impact of the "Long Island" reclamation.

As with all other land reclamation projects, before we proceed with the "Long Island" reclamation, detailed environmental studies will be conducted to assess the environmental impacts and to develop appropriate mitigating measures. These studies will take into account surrounding marine habitats, including intertidal flats and coral communities. We will also explore ways to incorporate nature-based solutions into the design of "Long Island" to minimise the environmental impact of the reclamation as we seek to tackle the effects of sea-level rise. We will engage the nature community, academics and researchers and the public for feedback on the environmental studies and mitigation measures before commencing reclamation work.

Miss Cheryl Chan asked about the considerations for and the impact of the planned developments at East Coast Parkway and "Long Island".

Our key considerations are the need for coastal protection for the low-lying East Coast area due to future sea-level rise and the need to create land to meet Singapore's longer-term developmental needs. "Long Island" will integrate coastal protection measures with our reclamation plans while strengthening our flood resilience and water supply. It offers an integrated solution to meet the multiple needs of future generations, including the building of new homes with a quality living environment, comprising coastal and reservoir parks and amenities, as well as creating new jobs. By reclaiming "Long Island" away from the current coastline, we can achieve coastal protection, the strengthening of our water supply and creation of new tracts of land, while retaining the existing East Coast Park largely as it is.

Given its scale, planning and implementing of "Long Island" will take a few decades. We are only at the very beginning of the process – kickstarting environmental and engineering studies to determine feasibility, as well as the shape and form of "Long Island". At a later stage, agencies will undertake further studies to ensure that the area is well developed – with quality housing, network of new green spaces integrated with East Coast Park and good transport connectivity.

We recognise that many people and stakeholders would be keen to understand and know more about the project and how it may potentially impact them – residents, businesses, nature and heritage groups, the sporting and water sports community, park users, maritime industry and many more groups. That is why we are starting our planning and engagement early.

Assoc Prof Jamus Lim asked about the source of reclamation sand. The import of reclamation sand to Singapore is conducted on a commercial basis and sand is imported from a variety of sources. Importers must abide by the laws and regulations of source countries. These include sourcing from legally permissible areas, obtaining the proper export documentation and permits from the relevant authorities, as well as complying with local environmental regulations governing proper extraction and transport within source countries. Where applicable, our agencies would check that the necessary environmental-related approvals from the source countries are in order before contractors are allowed to commence sand imports.

Mr Louis Ng.

Sir, I thank the Minister for the reply. I think there is particular concern about the source of the sand that we are using for this project. The Minister has clarified some of the questions about this earlier. But could I ask, one, whether we have a list of countries where we are hoping to import sand from; and two, whether we will have a responsible sourcing framework to evaluate the social and environmental impact of the imported sand?

I thank the Member for his concern. We must ensure that as much as we study the impact of our "Long Island" plans on our own surroundings and environment, we also want to make sure that when we import material for reclamation and other works, that our commercial operators also act within the ambit of the laws and regulations of the source countries and minimise the impact of their operations. The list of countries where we import from, some of these are available online in terms of the quantity of sand.

But when we are talking about "Long Island", this is far into the future. Works are not going to proceed in the near term. So, this will be something that will be developed as the technical studies and implementation plans get greater granularity.

Assoc Prof Jamus Lim.

I thank the Minister for his response. If I may just push a little bit, my understanding is that this sand is typically procured by JTC Corporation – I am willing to stand corrected on that. What are the mechanisms to ensure that JTC complies with the stipulations that the Ministry sets forth?

And secondly, if I may just follow up from the Member Louis Ng's question: what is the broader framework? I think what we want to avoid is a situation where we get just all the valid paperwork, but we violate the spirit of acquiring sand in an ethical fashion. And I think that is, ultimately, what he may be suggesting when it comes to a broader framework for acquisition of sand.

I think the Member made very sensible points, along with Member Louis Ng. As I said earlier, JTC and other agencies that procure sand, procure it on a commercial basis from operators. There are requirements in the specifications for tender that the operators who import the sand comply with certain rules and regulations, particularly those of the source country. And the source countries will have their own regulators. But on Singapore's end, the entity that procures the sand will, where necessary, do the necessary checks to ensure that the rules and regulations and the paperwork are in compliance.

Mr Dennis Tan.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can I ask the Minister, when are the environmental studies going to be commenced and how long would they be expected to take?

Sir, the technical and environmental studies are expected to take around five years.

Ms He Ting Ru.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Just one supplementary question for the Minister. I think the Minister mentioned earlier that there are some checks that are done by the agencies with their counterparts overseas, from source countries, on where the sand comes from.

I just want to understand, how often are these checks done and what triggers their being carried out; whether it is through tip-offs or whether it is a regular spot check or audit? How do they actually decide when to carry out these checks to make sure that all the regulations have been complied with?

And then, the follow-on thought process from that is, whether or not our current regime is strict and enough to make sure that all these things, like illegal mining and smuggling of sand, do not take place as and when our counterparts export the sand to us?

Well, as I have mentioned earlier, the tender specifications and contractual requirements require compliance with local laws and regulations and certain standards that are set out and expected by the agencies procuring the sand. And the agencies will look out for and receive information from a variety of sources, if there is a sense of non-compliance with any of these contractual terms as well as with regulatory groups.

Miss Cheryl Chan.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have got two supplementary questions for the Minister.

The first one is with regard to the population. While there is reclamation and there will be additional land mass at the area, I think the East Coast residents would be concerned, partly because there is already a Bayshore Build-To-Order (BTO) project that is upcoming. While the "Long Island" project may be decades out, it would increase the entire population around the area. So, that is the reason behind my question. What is the population framework control that is thought behind this?

The second supplementary question is, the Minister has explained that this entire project planning and implementation will take several decades. So, the whole idea is there will be newer technologies around coastal protection that may come up over time. How are we going to integrate some of these newer technologies, in terms of the protection around the "Long Island" project or along the East Coast, so that we will not just put all the expenditure only on one project, particularly around the "Long Island" project?

I thank the Member for her questions. Let me start with the second question first. In 2021, we started a series of site-specific surveys. We know that sea levels are expected to rise up to 1.15 metres by the end of this century, above mean sea levels. This came out in the latest report, version 3 of Singapore's National Climate Change study. And if it coincides with storm surges and high tide, by as much as four to five metres.

So, certainly with some one-third of Singapore's land being below five metres above mean sea level, this is an existential challenge. And not doing anything about it is not an option.

At the same time, we have to plan early and well in advance, harnessing the various technologies that are available to tackle sea level rise.

When we did the site-specific study, we focused on areas which face some of the greatest risks of flood inundation from sea level rise. We started with the city to the East Coast; we are also working on Jurong Island, the Jurong West area and also the northwestern coast.

When we did the study for City-East Coast, essentially, the broad mitigation measures revolved around two possible measures. One was the "Long Island", where you reclaim and build land higher at the distance from the existing coast. So, this is, effectively, the indicative plan for the "Long Island" reclamation profile for coastal protection. The other is actually what I call the "Long Wall" concept, where you take a stretch of 14 kilometres from city to East Coast, along the existing East Coast, and you build a wall, roughly around three metres tall, with 12 pumping stations and tidal gates along the whole stretch.

So, these are the two broad concepts. The specific technologies – whether you are pumping, whether you have coastal walls, whether you have nature-based solutions incorporated – these are the technical details that will be studied over the course of the next five years. So, that is in response to the Member's second question.

In response to the first question, starting from this year, we will engage all stakeholders, all Singaporeans, including residents that the Member has spoken about, who are concerned about the plans for the future "Long Island". As part of the Draft Master Plan 2025, we consult Singaporeans on the detailed concepts and ideas around various parts of Singapore, flowing through from the Long-Term Plan or Concept Plan which we concluded two years ago in 2022 and 2023.

That will be an opportunity for residents, Singaporeans and stakeholders to have a better sense of the broad concepts and ideas that we may have.

But broadly, the purpose of "Long Island" is: first and foremost, coastal protection; second, enhance our water resilience; third, create more land and opportunities for future generations of Singaporeans; and lastly, to keep the East Coast Park largely as it is.

In terms of the master planning of the future land that will be generated over the course of the decades ahead of us as we implement the "Long Island" project, that will be subject to detailed planning; and certainly, detailed consultation with stakeholders, including the Member's residents.

Last supplementary question. Mr Louis Ng.

Thank you, Sir. If I could go back just to the issue of sand again. I understand that with the sand imports, we are reliant on compliance with the local laws, but I think the concern is that the local laws might not be as strong as we hope for them to be. And so, the call is for our own responsible sourcing framework, and for this framework to be made public as well, so that we are assured that the import of the sand will not affect the social and environmental conditions in other countries.

Certainly, we have a mechanism in place in the contractual procurement processes, to ensure that rules and regulations are complied with. Certainly, the source countries have their own rules that they implement to protect their local communities.

Commercial operators have an obligation, both under the laws of the source countries, as well as the procurement framework under which we procure sand. And we will certainly continue to find ways to continue to improve the processes, so that we ensure that the sourcing is done well and that the environmental impact here in Singapore is also mitigated.

8 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Manpower whether fines meted out to agencies under the Ministry's charge are sufficient deterrence to ensure that unsafe activities are not carried out by the agencies' officers.

The Government takes workplace safety and health extremely seriously. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) investigates every fatal case thoroughly to ascertain the culpable parties and we will not hesitate to take action against those responsible if wrongdoing is found. This includes prosecuting the agencies, organisations, culpable senior management and individuals.

Culpable parties will be taken to task under the Workplace Safety and Health Act, where the maximum financial penalty for an organisation and for an individual guilty of an offence under the Act, is a fine of up to $500,000 and $200,000 respectively. An individual can also be imprisoned for up to two years in addition to any fine.

These penalties are reviewed regularly. Organisations and individuals found guilty under the Act will also suffer reputational damage.

Since the promulgation of the Act in 2006, our workplace fatality rate has improved significantly from 3.1 per 100,000 workers in 2006, to around 1.0 today. However, Speaker, every fatality is one too many. We will continue to strive towards a workplace fatality rate of below 1.0 by 2028. Only four countries in the world have achieved this consistently ─ that is the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Sweden and Germany. No Asian country has done so on a consistent basis. So, we set high standards for ourselves.

Improving workplace safety and health cannot be achieved through law and punishments alone. In addition to a good regulatory framework and putting in place sound policies, it is crucial to build a sustainable workplace safety and health culture. This requires a sustained and collective effort by organisations, management, industry associations, union leaders and workers.

Leaders in the organisations must set the tone and foster a culture and mindset where safety is second nature and where workers feel safe to report unsafe workplace practices to their employers, supervisors or union leaders. Employers must ensure that their workers are properly trained and equipped with workplace safety and health capability and knowledge; and use technology to detect and prevent workplace accidents.

Workers themselves must play their part to follow safe work procedures and report unsafe work practices to the appropriate authority. This ensures their own and their colleagues' safety, so that every worker can return safely home to their loved ones.

On the Government's part, we have implemented various measures and programmes over the years to enhance workplace safety and health. Most recently, the Multi-Agency Workplace Safety and Health Taskforce, or MAST, introduced a series of measures after the Heightened Safety Period, or HSP, to strengthen workplace safety and health ownership and capabilities at the sectoral, company and individual levels.

For example, we will require Chief Executives (CEs) and Board Directors of all companies in higher-risk industries to attend a programme on how to meet their workplace safety and health responsibilities and develop their companies' workplace safety and health capabilities.

Sir, workplace safety and health standards apply equally to the private and public sectors. I would like to reassure Members of this House that MOM is impartial in our dealings with both public agencies and private organisations, be it in terms of inspections or taking appropriate enforcement actions.

Ms He Ting Ru.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is good to hear from the Senior Minister of State that we have got this target in mind, to bring our fatality rates down to 1.

0. And I do hope that we do achieve that consistently in the future.

The one supplementary question that I had was, in terms of the compensation of the office holders who are involved in overseeing workplace safety and health, when there is a public agency involved — because I think the concern here is that, when the public agencies are given the fines, that is obviously fining the public agency. Then of course, that comes from public funds. So, how do we ensure that the public officers who are in charge, how do they, apart from the usual key performance indicators (KPIs) that ensure they do their jobs well and the usual appraisals, is there an element of compensation that is linked to these safety KPIs?

Can I ask the Member to clarify? I did not quite get the question. Is the question more, in terms of whether there is a public sector KPI or —

Sorry. When the public officers are responsible for safety records, is there an element of their compensation or any KPI that is tied to the safety record of the agencies under their charge?

I am not familiar with the individual compensation formulae for Public Service officers. You may want to try to ask the Public Service Division (PSD) on that one.

What I am quite certain about is that many of our agencies – in fact, I think all of our agencies – have got a KPI for workplace, safety and health, especially for those overseeing high-risk projects. This is where I am quite familiar with – many of them have reporting standards and of late, some, for example, like the Land Transport Authority (LTA), have improved their standards by including near-miss reporting, so that they can reduce injury rates. Our agencies do track this. I think you can also seek clarification subsequently, as there is a Ministerial Statement is coming up, on how the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and National Environment Agency do their tracking. That is a good example, as well, in terms of how agencies track and monitor their safety records.

Mr Melvin Yong.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Senior Minister of State for his answers. I think the Senior Minister of State would know, throughout the years, I have been calling for a dedicated WSH officer for every organisation so that there is a focus on workplace safety.

I would like to ask, for the public agencies, do they each have a dedicated WSH officer? And if no, are there any plans – at least for the Public Service – to start having one to focus on some of these projects that have a higher risk, so that risk assessments can be done properly?

I thank the Member for his supplementary question. Following HSP, as I have shared in my reply earlier, we have set up MAST. In that team, we have various Ministries who are involved in high-risk projects, where we track performance across not just the sectors, Ministries and contracts, but also the whole sector as a whole.

To some extent, at the management level, there is expectation that they watch this quite closely. The statistics also show the results. If you look at where we were pre-HSP, our fatality rate was about 1.5 per 100,000 workers. During HSP, it dropped to 0.8 per 100,000 workers. Having said that, that is over a short period of time.

Nonetheless, we look at improving practices as a whole, beyond just having one officer because it is not possible to monitor so many projects across the board. I think it is important that every project is closely watched by the respective project officers. That is why I also mentioned the expectations on the CEs and the board of directors to also be involved and trained.

Hence, we have put in place, as one of the measures of MAST, to have CEs and board of directors attend courses because they cannot just outsource it to someone and say, "no, we have been audited by external party and the external party says 'okay'." That is not sufficient. You need ownership at the senior management level and not just down to one officer. I think that makes a difference because they allocate resources, they put the focus, they put the KPIs. That sets the tone and culture; not just at the sectoral or Government level, but across every company. We need to put that in place to make it sustainable.

Assoc Prof Jamus Lim.

I thank the Senior Minister of State's first response. I wish to elaborate a little bit on a specific case that I believe he is familiar with, about a former investigation officer who was charged with molestation against three women while conducting investigation on behalf of the Health Sciences Authority. The point I wish to raise is that, that individual who was charged the year before worked for WSH Experts, which is an outsourced agency.

I mentioned this because all individuals, whether contractors or agents directly employed by the Government are subject to the stipulations of the law. But nevertheless, when this form of law enforcement is outsourced, one wonders, whether these external contractors are put under the same rigours of clearance before employment, because they are after all, carrying out an official duty.

Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for his question. I have to say this is not related to the Parliamentary Question and I think the Member may want to file a separate one.

Generally, I wish to assure Members that as part of Government contracting, there are certain rigours in place. It is not possible to check the character of every single one who comes into contract with the Government, but we do our best to try.

Anyway, if the Member would like more details on the particular case, do file a separate question.

The following question stood in the name of Mr Desmond Choo –

9 To ask the Minister for Defence (a) whether the Houthis' attacks on shipping in the Red Sea impacts Singapore's maritime security; and (b) noting that the US and other nations have announced the creation of a multinational maritime security initiative to secure the Red Sea, whether the SAF will be contributing to this effort.

Question No 9.

Mr Speaker, the Red Sea, which connects the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, is the shortest sea route linking Asia and Europe. It is a major Sea Line of Communications (SLOC) with approximately 12% of global trade by volume and 30% of global container traffic.

As of 7 January 2024, the Yemen-based Houthi forces have unlawfully attacked 15 merchant ships in the Red Sea through firing of missiles, drones and hijack attempts. There have been 20 such attacks, including one on a Singapore-flagged vessel MAERSK Hangzhou. As a result, all five of the world's largest global shipping companies, namely the Mediterranean Shipping Company, Maersk, CMA CGM, COSCO, Hapag-Lloyd and other shipping lines, had earlier announced that they would suspend transits through the Red Sea.

Prior to the attacks, around 60 ships passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea daily, but the number has dropped by about a third in recent weeks. Singapore-registered ships have also been affected, with the number of daily transits through the Red Sea now approximately halved.

The disruption of the Red Sea SLOC will have an impact on global supply chains. However, based on the current situation, the immediate impact on Singapore is expected to be limited, as the majority of our critical supplies, such as food and pharmaceuticals, are delivered via air freight or do not pass through the Red Sea. Our local manufacturers also seem to have sufficient spare inventory to hedge against supply disruptions, though they are worried about increases in business costs.

Nonetheless, it is in our interest for Singapore to join cause with the international community to protect and ensure that key SLOCs around the world remain open, especially if threatened by unlawful acts by non-state actors or terrorist groups. We have previously articulated key principles that govern the Straits of Malacca and Singapore when this key SLOC was threatened by piracy and sea robbery. I think some Members would remember those incidents, that resulted in insurance premiums for ships that traverse the Straits of Malacca and Singapore to increase manyfold. These principles were articulated in the 2005 Shangri-La Dialogue.

There are three. First, the primary responsibility of maritime security lies with the littoral states. Second, the international community and agencies, such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO), have a role to play. Third, all measures have to be in accordance with international law and respect the sovereignty of the littoral states.

As Mr Desmond Choo mentioned, the United States has announced the launch of the multinational Operation Prosperity Guardian to ensure maritime security in the Red Sea. This operation aligns with the key principles that I have just articulated. In this regard, Singapore hopes that the littoral states that surround the Red Sea step up efforts to end the unlawful Houthi attacks.

The international community of user states also has a role to play. In particular, there is the 39-nation Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), of which Singapore has been a member since 2009. The CMF's Combined Task Force (CTF) 153: Red Sea Maritime Security has been tasked to keep the Red Sea SLOC open and safe. The launch of Operation Prosperity Guardian aims to restore international confidence and the free flow of maritime shipping through the area.

Singapore will participate in Operation Prosperity Guardian and contribute to CTF 153's efforts. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) had similarly participated in the Combined Task Force 151. That was a counter piracy effort in the Gulf of Aden, where we deployed assets for quite a long time from 2009 to 2023.

For CTF 153 and the current Operation Prosperity Guardian, the SAF will deploy a team of planners, to work with international partners at their headquarters to formulate plans; a team from the Republic Singapore Navy's (RSN's) Information Fusion Centre to support information-sharing and engagement outreach with the commercial shipping community; and a Senior National Representative to the Combined Maritime Forces in Bahrain.

Separately, Singapore and the SAF, together with our international partners, have continued to monitor developments in the region, including the ongoing need for humanitarian assistance. Some of you will remember that the SAF has been supporting Singapore's humanitarian contributions to Gaza and we were doing this through our Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre's information, networks and resources.

Most recently, the SAF delivered relief supplies on 30 November last year to the Egyptian Red Crescent. Further to this effort, the French Armed Forces has invited the SAF to provide two medical personnel to serve on FS Dixmude, now docked at the El-Arish port in Egypt. This is a reconfigured hospital ship and has been treating casualties from Gaza. The SAF has accepted the offer and plans are underway to deploy this medical team to aid civilian casualties there.

Mr Desmond Choo.

I would like to thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply about how Singapore will support the efforts. Does he also foresee that if the situation does not improve or the tension at the Red Sea escalates, that Singapore will also similarly increase our support to international task forces or supporting humanitarian support in the area?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I do not want to pre-empt the situation, it is a complex situation. I would just make two general points and then perhaps a specific one.

As I took pains to elaborate, our contribution to CTF 153 has been consistent with the principles that we have articulated. In other words, it is focused primarily on keeping key sea lines of communication free, which is in our interest because if the same thing happens, as it did in the Straits of Malacca, we would want the international community for assistance as well, if that was necessary.

Nonetheless, we recognise and we have articulated that the littoral states have the primary responsibility and there must be sufficient efforts there. That is why we encourage the littoral states and other countries, to work towards a diplomatic solution so that the Red Sea problem can be mitigated.

If the problem gets worse, we will assess it. Apart from that, we are also watching, as I said, the humanitarian situation unfolding and where we can contribute and, we think, meaningfully, we will do so.

10 Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether there is any correlation or increase in neighbour disputes with regard to the number of occupants living in a HDB unit over the past five years; (b) whether the Ministry foresees that the increased rental occupancy cap for HDB units from January 2024 will result in more of such disputes; and (c) if so, how will HDB intervene to manage it.

11 Mr Pritam Singh asked the Minister for National Development with regard to the increased rental occupancy cap for HDB units from January 2024 (a) whether the Ministry foresees a rise in neighbour disputes and community disamenity, given the rationale for a reduced occupancy cap in HDB flats from nine to six as previously announced in 2018; and (b) whether HDB is sufficiently equipped to resolve any rise in complaints from such disamenity.

12 Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry can provide details on why the number of unrelated occupiers in a residential unit is increased from six to eight; and (b) what mitigation measures are taken to address the concerns of neighbours as a result of this increase.

13 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for National Development in each of the last five years (a) what is the number of cases of infringements of the occupancy cap on the number of persons allowed in (i) HDB flats and (ii) private residential properties respectively; and (b) what is the number of cases of unauthorised renting out of HDB flats.

14 Ms Foo Mee Har asked the Minister for National Development whether HDB will limit the number of flats in each HDB block that will be allowed to house up to eight unrelated people under the new occupancy guidelines in order to ensure the existing infrastructure such as lift operations and bicycle parking space can cope with increased density of occupants in the block.

Sir, may I have your permission to give a combined reply to Question Nos 10 to 14 in today’s Order Paper?

Please proceed.

Sir, my response will also cover matters raised by Mr Gan Thiam Poh scheduled for a subsequent Sitting. So, I invite the Member to seek clarifications if need be. If the question has been addressed, it may not be necessary for him to proceed with the question for future Sittings.

Since 2022, we have seen sharp increases in rents in both the public and private rental market. Prior to the pandemic, rents had stayed broadly stable, even a bit soft. However, COVID-19 caused unprecedented disruption in the construction industry, global supply chains and border controls, and the ensuing construction delays contributed to significant tightness in our rental market.

In addition to the supply-side constraints, the delays resulted in strong rental demand from Singaporeans who were seeking interim housing while awaiting the completion of their new residential units. Subsequently, with the easing of border restrictions in 2022, non-resident rental demand also quickly recovered.

To address these supply and demand imbalances, we have undertaken a broad suite of measures to support households that intend to rent. This includes significantly ramping up our public and private housing supply and increasing the supply of flats available under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS) for those awaiting completion of their new Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats. Close to 100,000 public and private residential units will be completed from 2023 to 2025. We have also more than doubled PPHS supply to about 2,000 since 2021 and will further double it to about 4,000 units by 2025.

Public and private housing rents have showed recent signs of stabilising, with the quarterly increase in public and private housing rents moderating to 1.9% and 0.8% respectively in the third quarter of 2023, from 3% and 2.8% respectively in the previous quarter.

That said, we expect rental demand to remain robust over the near term.

That is why we announced the temporary relaxation of the occupancy cap for 4-room and larger HDB flats, and private residential properties of at least 90 square metres. From 22 January 2024, these accommodations will be allowed to house up to eight unrelated persons, up from the current cap of six unrelated persons.

Allowing larger units to be rented out to more tenants will increase rental supply, even as we recognise that not all landlords and tenants will tap on the relaxed occupancy cap.

By increasing supply, we aim to ease the pressure in the rental market and help to moderate rents overall. This will benefit all households seeking to rent, such as Singaporean families who are in-between homes, including those waiting for the completion of their new flats, as well as Work Pass holders who play a critical role in our domestic economy and essential services, such as healthcare workers.

As of November 2023, there are approximately 58,000 HDB whole flats that are rented out. This is about 5% of the approximately one million sold HDB flats islandwide. Of these, 16% are rented out to six unrelated occupants. About 90% of these occupants are non-residents, with most in their 20s or 40s.

Some Members have raised concerns about infringements of the occupancy cap and potential disamenities that may arise from this temporary relaxation. We understand these concerns. We have put in place measures to mitigate these infringements and disamenities.

First, HDB regulates who is allowed to rent a HDB flat or a bedroom to minimise disamenities and maintain the Singaporean character of our HDB estates. We have put in place the non-citizen quota of 8% for HDB neighbourhoods and 11% for HDB blocks, which limits the number of flats that can be rented to foreigners in each neighbourhood and block. Non-Malaysian Work Permit holders from the construction, marine and process sectors are also not permitted to rent HDB flats or bedrooms. These rules will continue to apply.

A Member asked if we intend to limit the number of flats in an HDB block that may tap on the temporarily relaxed occupancy cap, to prevent overloading of existing infrastructure. While we do not currently have plans to impose such a cap, the existing non-citizen quota will help to limit the increase in occupants in each block, given that most of those renting at the occupancy cap are non-citizens.

Second, HDB flat owners are required to seek HDB’s approval prior to renting out their flats or bedrooms. HDB also undertakes routine inspections to ensure that owners and tenants comply with the terms and conditions of approval and do not cause serious disamenities to the public.

Over the past five years, instances of feedback relating to nuisance caused by tenants renting HDB flats or bedrooms constituted 1.5% of the total feedback on nuisance from neighbours. Where friction arises between neighbours, including tenants, HDB adopts a mediative approach and advises flat owners and tenants to be mindful of causing disturbances to others. Should the parties require additional mediative assistance, we will encourage them to tap on Government initiatives, such as the inter-agency Community Dispute Management Framework and the Community Mediation Centre, which provide facilitated mediation sessions that can help parties reach mutually acceptable solutions. Finally, in instances where tenants cause serious disamenities, HDB will take firm action by revoking the approval for the rental of the flat or bedrooms.

Over the past five years, HDB has taken action against an average of 115 cases of unauthorised renting a year, including cases where flat owners had breached the occupancy cap.

As we temporarily relax the occupancy cap, we will continue to take firm action against those who breach the rules. Depending on the severity of the infringement, HDB will issue written warnings, impose financial penalties or compulsorily acquire the flat for the most severe cases.

Similarly, owners of private residential properties must first register with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to authorise their properties to accommodate more than six persons. In the event of serious disamenities, the authorisation will cease, requiring the property to revert to its original occupancy cap of six.

URA undertakes regular inspections to ensure compliance with the prevailing occupancy cap. Those who breach the cap can be fined and/or imprisoned. Over the past five years, URA has taken action against an average of 244 cases per year for breaches of the occupancy cap in private residential properties.

Sir, the relaxation of the occupancy cap is a temporary measure that will be in place for three years to better meet near-term rental demand and moderate rents for Singaporean households that need to rent. We will continue to monitor the demand and supply of open market rentals as well as residents’ feedback on disamenities. These will be taken these into consideration when reviewing whether the relaxed occupancy cap should be extended beyond 2026.

Ms Denise Phua.

I thank the Senior Minister of State for the good work and the comprehensive reply to our Parliamentary Questions. I understand of course there is a need to meet the increasing accommodation needs nationally to address the increasing housing needs of both locals and foreign non-home owners in this very tight rental market. And, of course, looking at the number of questions, many Members of Parliament have had to handle disputes over the years primarily between the transient tenants and the neighbours who own their homes permanently.

I have two supplementary questions. First, where tenants are non-citizens, are there more specific, more blatant, explicit measures to ensure that they are familiar with local standards in terms of safety, in terms of noise or even the use of these units as Airbnb type of accommodation or practices like unlawful partitions. That is one. Are there blatant, explicit measures to ensure they understand?

Number two, to ensure that the units do not turn out to be unregulated hostels, causing a negative impact on both the occupants and the neighbours, what are some measures that can be done to proactively prevent this from happening?

Sir, I thank the Member for her two questions. I believe these are at the back of the minds of many Members when they raise the questions today about potential disamenities.

Let me set in context some of the key points that I highlighted in my earlier reply.

Firstly, there are rules that are in place, both in terms of eligibility. For example, in HDB estates, who can rent a flat and a bedroom; and there are also non-citizen quotas that we have put in place and these rules apply. I also, earlier, mentioned that only about 16% of the rental flats that have been rented out are reaching the six unrelated persons occupancy cap. We do not have a feel of how many of the full tenants and landlords will take advantage of this temporary relaxation.

At the same time, we are also putting in place measures to minimise potential disamenities. I mentioned earlier that those landlords who want to take advantage of this temporary relaxation have to apply to both HDB, prior to renting out, as well as to URA to increase to that eight unrelated persons occupancy cap.

We will take all feedback and complaints seriously and we will investigate and take firm action if needed.

Just to share with the Member, HDB investigates all feedback received and conducts routine planned inspections of almost 500 flats per month. URA, likewise, has been maintaining a high enforcement tempo over the last five years. On average, there were about 330 instances each year where enforcement actions were taken.

So, I assure Members that we will take all feedback and complaints seriously; and we take firm action if needed.

Miss Cheryl Chan.

I thank the Senior Minister of State for his replies. I guess it is never easy whenever it comes to neighbourly disputes and we all know we have received such feedback. Trying to do that mediator role is probably one of the most challenging.

I have got three supplementary questions for the Senior Minister of State. The first one is, back in 2018, the Ministry made the decision to reduce the number from nine to six in terms of the occupancy cap. There are always questions: while this is a temporary measure, why is the number increased back to eight and not nine? That is the first supplementary question.

The second one is, given the very robust rental demand at present – and that is the reason for this temporary measure – would the Ministry have sufficient capacity to do the enforcement to make sure that the landlords stick within the number that has been put as a cap?

And lastly, given the disamenities that have been happening, there is still a lot – particularly, noise between neighbours – that we have still not resolved, even with the current limitations. What is HDB's plan on trying to manage the situation? Sometimes, it is not enough to just tell them to go for mediation through the Community Medication Centre. Would the Senior Minister of State elaborate on this?

Sir, I thank Miss Cheryl Chan for raising the three supplementary questions and I note that she also spoke about this matter in 2017, on the occupancy cap. At that point in time, we revised the occupancy cap from nine to six for HDB flats. In this instance, we are making a temporary relaxation to raise from six for 4-room and larger HDB flats, up to eight.

Her question was, why not nine; go back the original number? There is no magic number. Firstly, at that point in time, for private residential apartments, the cap was also at eight and we reduced it to six – for the same reason, to minimise disamenities. For us, we will continue monitoring whether this move will help to elevate the rental tightness that we currently face and also, some of the consequences in terms of potential disamenities.

So, I think we will continue reviewing the results of this move and we will continue to look and see whether this relaxation will continue.

The second question is about whether we have enough resources to enforce. This is something we take seriously, and we will take the adequate steps to make sure that we follow up on feedback, complaints and to continue the tempo of inspections and enforcements.

The third supplementary question, if I got it correctly as I was scribbling it down, is about noise disamenities and what are the steps that we can take. Well, Sir, firstly, let me set the context. The number of feedback relating to neighbourly disputes as a result of rental, is about 1.5% of the total feedback received about nuisance from neighbours. So, by and large, I would believe that most of the tenants and landlords are responsible in making sure they are aligned and consistent with the norms and culture in our HDB estates. That is the first point.

The second point is that issues around noise disamenities go way beyond just about rental units. It goes into many of the other aspects because tolerance levels and sensitivity to noise are actually a very complex and multi-faceted issue, and we have had many discussions about this issue in this House. Suffice to say that these are issues that we continue to take seriously and work together with community partners through the different mechanisms to minimise neighbourly disputes and to still take a mediative approach in the first instance. In most cases, that works. If need be, HDB will not hesitate to take firmer action against serious disamenities, including revoking the permission to rent out the flat or bedroom.

I see many hands. I will request every Member to keep your supplementary question short. Mr Louis Chua.