Hansard, Wednesday, 14 November 2012

1 Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for National Development (a) for the past three years, how many applicants for HDB flats are unable to secure a loan from HDB because they had taken two HDB loans previously; (b) whether HDB can review this policy; and (c) what is the financial cost to the Government for providing an HDB loan.

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Sir, from January 2010 to September 2012, there were nearly 178,000 applications for HDB loans. Among these, 3,500 applications, or 2%, were rejected because the applicants had previously taken two or more HDB loans.

Two HDB loans are generally sufficient to meet the life-cycle needs of each flat buyer. The first loan helps buyers purchase their first home, while the second loan helps them right-size as their needs change. Flat buyers also have the option of taking a bank loan. Nonetheless, for buyers in exceptional circumstances, HDB may assist them by providing them with another HDB loan on a case-by-case basis.

Over the past 20 years, HDB's interest rate has been, on average, 1.5%-points lower than the market rates. That is why we need to restrict the number of HDB loans, in order to manage our limited loan subsidies.

Sir, I thank the Minister for the answer. The feedback is that there are residents who are trying to get a third loan because they have one transfer in-between, that is, between relatives. Therefore, that is not, strictly speaking, a second loan. There are also residents who have to change their flats because of divorce. The feedback is that they have difficulty getting another loan because of the two-loan policy. In view of HDB's principle of providing affordable quality homes, would HDB be prepared to review this policy so that we can try to allow as many residents as possible to own their homes, when they are trying their best not to be stuck with a rental flat, and instead buy their own home?

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Sir, as I said, the rejection rate is rather low – 2%. In any case, we do exercise discretion and respond with sympathy where we can. I have been watching the success rates of appeals. The last I saw, for appeals to HDB for house mortgage matters, the success rate is pretty high – 36%. I think this is quite good.

Sir, as Members of Parliament, we often encounter instances where the applicants are unable to get a loan from commercial banks due to their income levels. Yet, they are also unable to get HDB loans for various reasons. For example, their income levels could be too high to qualify. Their incomes could also be too high to qualify for HDB rental flats. They end up paying market rentals, which are way above what they would have paid to service their mortgages. I would like to ask the Minister whether such situations are desirable. Should we not help or facilitate these applicants to own their own flats, so that there is some secured retirement financing and, in a way a hedge against rising property prices?

Sir, home ownership as a social objective is something highly desirable, and which we strive to achieve. At the same time, it must be underpinned by prudence. Let us not forget the huge problem created in the US by the sub-prime loan crisis. While we will try to make sure that everyone who can afford it can own a home, the outcome that some Members are hoping for – 100% for everyone who puts up his hand will get a loan – is a little unrealistic because if we push beyond prudence, potentially, we can have a sub-prime crisis, as did the US.

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The following question stood in the name of Er Dr Lee Bee Wah –

2 To ask the Minister for National Development in light of HDB resale prices rising to a high in the third quarter of this year (a) whether the HDB resale market has shown any signs of stabilising; (b) whether there is any cause for concern; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider introducing measures to moderate the prices of resale flats.

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Question No 2, Sir.

Sir, the HDB resale market has shown signs of stabilising. Yearly Resale Price Index (RPI) growth has come down from 14.1% in 2010 to 10.7% last year and to 3.9% in the first nine months of this year. Nonetheless, the uptick in quarterly RPI growth to 2.0% in the third quarter shows that while things are improving, we still have some way to go.

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We have implemented a number of measures but they will take some time to work their way through the market. For example, the global low interest rate environment will take some time before it returns to its normal level, and the huge local supply of new housing units will only be available over the next two, three years.

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3 Mr Pritam Singh asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether the ethnic limit of 25% for the Malay ethnic group at the block level in all HDB rental flats has been reached and, if so, when; (b) whether HDB has plans to increase this limit for the Malay ethnic group at the block level; and (c) whether HDB will consider allocating rental flats on a strict needs basis only to avoid rejection or delay as a result of the applicants' preference of rental zone.

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Sir, the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) limits are reviewed from time to time to reflect Singapore's demographic changes. Currently, about 60% of HDB's public rental blocks have reached the EIP block limit of 25% for Malay households. We are in the midst of reviewing the EIP limits for rental flats, to take into account the demand from the various ethnic groups.

Applications for a rental flat are assessed and approved on a strict needs basis. As for allocation, rental applicants may prefer certain locations, which are nearer their workplace or their children's school. We allow them the flexibility to choose the location zone, so that we are better able to meet their needs. HDB will advise them on the estimated waiting time for their preferred zone as well as the zone with the shortest waiting time, so that they can make an informed decision.

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4 Mr Baey Yam Keng asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources with regard to the cleaning fee hike at nine hawker centres (a) what is the justification for the quantum and timing of the increase; (b) how are the hawkers protected from unexpected increases and whether there is a cap on the quantum of such increases; (c) how is the cleaning services procurement process conducted; and (d) how much of the increased fees goes towards the cleaners' pay.

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Sir, NEA currently manages the contracts for table-top cleaning and collection of crockery at the 25 MEWR-owned hawker centres. When the previous cleaning contract expired, an open tender was called on 16 August 2011 and three bids were received. The bids were evaluated on price and quality, and the new cleaning contract was awarded in accordance with best sourcing practices.

The last contract was secured more than three years ago. Since then, the cost of providing cleaning services has increased due to, among other things, higher manpower costs. NEA's role in this contract is to consolidate the cleaning needs of the centres and to ensure compliance with cleaning standards. NEA does not levy any additional charges for managing the cleaning contract.

Hawker centres that are not managed by NEA would usually award the cleaning contracts collectively and directly to the cleaning service provider through the Hawkers Association with each stall-holder paying his share of the actual cost of cleaning.

We are mindful of the impact of the increase of cleaning charges on stall-holders. After consultations with the Hawkers Associations in the affected centres, MEWR has decided to phase in the table-cleaning charges in two steps at four-month intervals for six of the nine centres. The increases faced by the remaining three centres are of a smaller quantum – less than $200 per month – and would, therefore, be implemented in a single step. The hawker representatives have accepted our proposal to mitigate the impact of the increase on their stall-holders. I would like to emphasise that this move should not be misread as a subsidy since all the hawkers will eventually have to pay the full cleaning costs.

Mr Baey asked about the impact on cleaners' salaries. I would not be able to provide details on the extent to which the increases in fees would benefit the cleaners since this will depend on the operations of each cleaning service provider. However, under the prevalent Government procurement process, NEA prescribes the terms and conditions for best sourcing and ensures that there was transparency and competition in the tender process for effective procurement.

The tender stipulates that the contract will only be awarded to cleaning companies accredited under the Clean Mark Accreditation Scheme which requires cleaners to be provided basic statutory benefits stated under the Employment Act, including CPF contribution, paid public holidays, and so on. With effect from 1 April 2013, the Government will require all tenderers of new Government cleaning contracts to be accredited under the Clean Mark Accreditation Scheme which has since been enhanced on 1 November 2012 to incorporate the recommendation of the Tripartite Committee on Cleaners on progressive wages, among other enhanced criteria. These changes signal that the Government is taking the lead in improving the employment conditions, training and development provision and career progression of the cleaning industry.

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The most sustainable solution to the moderation of cleaning charges for the hawkers is for all of us – the patrons and stall-holders – to help keep our hawker centres clean. It is not possible for us to infinitely increase the number of cleaners at our centres to clean up after our mess. Thus, our tagline for our Clean and Green Singapore campaign this year: every action counts. Please help us and our hawkers to keep Singapore clean.

Sir, I thank the Second Minister for the answers. I have the following supplementary questions. The first is: I recognise that the contracts were called at different times for different hawker centres. So, my first supplementary question is whether the quantum of any increase in cleaning fees is clearly stated in the contracts. Going forward, I think that it is important to make such provisions clear from the onset. My second supplementary question is: would the cleaning fees at the other hawker centres be expected to rise, going forward? Next, with these increases, can we expect cleaning services to improve, and in what ways? Finally, with the on-going push for the Tray Return scheme – which all of us are fully supportive of – what would the impact be on the efficiency and productivity of these cleaning services at these hawker centres and whether these factors will be taken into account in any new cleaning fee increase?

Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for the supplementary questions. First of all, on the first question, on whether the increase in fee is stated in the tenancy contracts, the answer is yes. There are provisions in the tenancy contracts on cleaning fees that could change from time to time. Sometimes, the stall-holders may not expect and would not be able to anticipate the movements in the pricing of the cleaning contracts, but I think they are aware that these are some of the business risks that they have to manage, just as they are managing other risks, such as cost of utilities, and so on.

As far as whether cleaning fees would increase in other centres – let me say that at this point in time, the cleaning industry is going through some changes. First of all, there is accreditation that the Government will be insisting on. Secondly, there is also some impact coming from the tighter foreign workers dependency ratio. Also, the hours of working and operations in the centres may vary from time to time and from centre to centre.

These are all factors that could have an impact on cleaning charges, and part of the effort in having an enhanced accreditation is to try to move the industry towards one that has better standards, takes better care of its workers through training, development and progressive wages, and where there are greater economies of scale, and therefore, in a better position to invest in productivity measures, such as improvements in the use of equipment, investments in mechanisation, and so on.

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The industry is actually characterised by a large number of low-skilled workers, lowly educated, sometimes not in a very good position to know their rights. Sometimes, they do not know how to look for information on training, and so on. So, it is time for the society and the Government to take a holistic view and try to improve the working conditions as well as career prospects for this group of workers. It is through the accreditation system that we hope to achieve these objectives.

Whether there will be improvements, as I said, we hope so. We hope that by putting in criteria for best sourcing that there are better standards required of the cleaners. With better training, we hope that each of the cleaners will be in a better position to do their jobs better. More importantly is also the need to mitigate the lack of workers because we know that this is not an industry where many Singaporeans would jump on the band wagon and will look for a career here. So, we recognise that we have to achieve more with fewer workers, going forward. This is where looking at processes, looking at improvements in the equipment, looking at better mechanisation will be a longer term solution towards mitigating the cost of increase, going forward.

This is the thinking behind the return of trays. At the moment, when we look at the Tray Return effort, we are looking at it from the point of view of promoting social graciousness, a responsibility amongst Singaporeans to pick up after ourselves and not to leave work behind for others. This is also a more sustainable way for all of us to work towards reducing our reliance on workers, particularly foreign workers. We will have to monitor the progress of Tray Return scheme and continue it on a process of reviewing the work processes, discussing with the service provider, and also looking at how we can make the work of the cleaners a more satisfying and progressive one.

Sir, I have three hawker centres in my constituency. The feedback from the Hawkers Associations is that they are ill-equipped to manage the calling for contracts for these cleaning contractors. Would MEWR consider consolidating cleaning contracts for all hawker centres so that we can assist the Hawkers Associations who do not know how to call for cleaning contract tenders, as well as for better economies of scale, so that we can, perhaps, with more hawker centres covered under one contract, there can be more cost savings?

Sir, I thank the Member for the supplementary questions. I am glad to hear that the Hawkers Associations see NEA as a good partner for calling of cleaning contracts. This is also a call that has been made by other Members in this House. We will consider NEA's role in the management of hawker centres. We would like to take a more cautious view because I think there is a balance to be made between centralising greater economies of scale versus more autonomy, more room to decide how cleaning should be undertaken in the various hawker centres.

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When we approached the nine affected hawker centres, the feedback from some of them was that they wanted to be more involved in the process. When they meet with an increase in cleaning costs, that is when they will start applying their mind to how to make the work better, or to be less reliant on cleaners. Some of them are even considering undertaking some of the cleaning works themselves. This is where there is always tension, whether we should want to leave the calling of the contracts and tenders to an agency, or does the Hawkers Association want to take it upon themselves and manage the risk better.

We will be happy to get into a conversation with the three hawker centres in the Member's ward, but we will like to take things one at a time. Right now, our focus is on the centres that are currently managed by NEA and would like to see how the enhanced accreditation scheme works before we consider taking on more hawker centres.

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5 Ms Foo Mee Har asked the Minister for Law (a) whether he can provide details of a legal framework that can be instituted to deal with disputes between neighbours; and (b) how this framework can work alongside community mediation and the spirit of give-and-take amongst neighbours so that disputes can be first resolved with mutual understanding.

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Sir, I think Members can agree that neighbour disputes are not infrequent. We live in close proximity, people cherish their quiet time and space, and when that is infringed, disputes arise. How should the law deal with such disputes or should it deal with it at all?

If an offence is committed, you can get prosecution, and punishment meted out. If there are wrongful acts, you can get civil action for damages or injunction. The trouble is that the traditional legal framework may not always be the most appropriate or adequate. The legal process itself can be long drawn out. It is adversarial in nature, and it is not often easy to get amicable solutions. The proceedings may themselves also not be the most cost effective to deal with day-to-day disputes between neighbours.

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So, if you want to think of an effective framework, it has to go beyond what is traditionally available in the law. I think one important component of our current framework is community mediation where volunteers are trained as mediators. They try and bring parties together to reach common understanding. The process is voluntary. There is a good rate of success − about 70% of the cases are successfully mediated, and a few hundred cases have been mediated every year since 2009. The weakness or the drawback of mediation is that it is voluntary. If one party does not want to come for the mediation, there is not much you can do. So, the question is, how can we improve on this framework as we go forward?

It is really at a very conceptual stage, and we are considering, firstly, strengthening the mediation process where we get people to mediate their disputes, and then getting them to abide by the understandings that have been reached. The second approach is to try and develop norms of conduct between neighbours which need to be specific enough to be meaningful, but also take into account the complexities of urban life and that includes close proximity. And then encourage the residents to abide by these norms, and introduce effective and properly calibrated sanctions if the norms are breached.

We are assessing whether these ideas are workable and feasible, and we will update the House. I think we have got to be realistic in that legislation and regulation can only do so much. Ultimately, the responsibility for creating a neighbourly and pleasant living environment lies with each individual.

Sir, by and large, we know that most of our neighbours observe the acceptable social norms. However, there will always be a very small minority that would cause a significant social nuisance to their neighbours on a prolonged basis. Sometimes, really, no amount of mediation, education or grassroots engagement can change the behaviour of such neighbours. So, would the Minister agree that, perhaps, we need some form of local regulation, maybe some powers devolved to the local agencies to impose some form of penalty? In Hong Kong, there is a demerit point system for the public housing. I would like to ask the Minister whether that will be suitable for Singapore.

Sir, the essence of my answer was that we are considering some form of framework. The precise framework is not settled. There are other countries which have this, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, as the Member mentioned. That is being studied, as I have pointed out in my answer. It is at a very conceptual stage and no decisions have been reached. We have to be satisfied with what is workable before we can do anything.

Ms Foo Mee Har, last question, please.

I would like to ask a simple supplementary question. Is there a time frame that the Minister is looking at for this conceptual framework and whether it is possible to be implemented in Singapore soon?

The Member will appreciate first that this is not under either of my two Ministries. I am answering the question because I was foolish enough to put it on my Facebook, thinking aloud. [Laughter] And so the Ministry has asked me to respond to the Member. I think time limits are going too far. The Member should ask the Minister concerned.

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6 Mr Yee Jenn Jong asked the Minister for Transport (a) if he will provide a breakdown of the costs arising from the major changes from the original plan for the Downtown Line that have led to the huge increase in the construction budget; and (b) what are the lessons learnt in terms of budgeting, planning and structuring of contracts for future train lines.

7 Mr Png Eng Huat asked the Minister for Transport (a) which stage of the Downtown Line (DTL) contributed the most in the $8.7 billion cost spiral; (b) which contractor filed the most claims in additional cost; (c) why are the DTL contracts structured to subject LTA to fluctuation risk in construction cost; and (d) are the contracts for the Thomson Line structured the same way as well.

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Mr Speaker, with your permission, I would like to take Question Nos 6 and 7 together.

Yes, please.

Sir, we announced an original budget of $12 billion for the Downtown Line in early 2007. Subsequently, we revised the budget upwards to $20.7 billion.

Approximately half of the increase is due to the increase in construction costs from late 2007 onwards, because of the sharp growth in overall construction demand in Singapore. The prices of construction materials also increased significantly. For example, market prices for key materials, such as steel bars and concrete, spiralled upwards by 60% and 14% respectively from late 2007 to mid 2008. Actual tender prices were therefore higher than what we had originally envisaged in early 2007, when we planned the $12 billion budget, and we had to revise the budget upwards.

The increase in budget was also required to make enhancements to the line that was initially based on a set of preliminary engineering and planning parameters drawn up in 2006-2007. For instance, the original alignment was extended from 40 km to 42 km and an additional station was added. Also, for several of the stations, we decided to improve their design to provide for more entrances and underground links to improve connectivity and access for commuters and pedestrians.

Sir, let me explain that the initial planning for the Downtown Line, including the original $12 billion budget, was based on preliminary studies. Detailed engineering and architectural plans were finalised only later, as is typically the case for such major projects. These detailed plans also took into account URA's long-term land use plans which were updated after 2007, and, hence, resulted in some significant changes to the original plans for the Downtown Line. Overall, when compared to the original $12 billion budget, most of the increase in the revised budget can be attributed to Downtown Line 1.

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Sir, Mr Png also asked about risks for fluctuating construction costs. As is the practice for LTA's major construction tenders, price fluctuation clauses for key materials were included in the Downtown Line tenders. This will also be the case for the Thomson Line contracts. In these clauses, LTA would bear the downside risk for any increase in the cost of key materials from the tender price. At the same time, LTA would also enjoy the upside savings should the cost of the materials come down. Moreover, because LTA bears this risk associated with the cost of key materials, which is beyond the contractors' control, tender prices would be lower because the contractors would not need to factor in this risk premium in their tender. This approach is in line with best practices across other Government agencies and across the world.

For example, the material costs for Downtown Line 3 were higher than tendered because market prices for materials went up subsequently. However, LTA enjoyed some savings for DTL1 and DTL2 contracts compared to the tendered prices, through the price fluctuation clauses, as the prices of key materials came down somewhat after the tenders were awarded. In case there is confusion, let me point out that these subsequently reduced market prices were still higher than in early 2007, when we planned the original $12 billion budget, but if the prices of materials remain at around current levels, then we should expect to see some savings from the revised budget of $20.7 billion.

Finally, Sir, let me assure Members that we are prudent in managing public funds. For all development projects, we ensure thorough scrutiny and review at various stages, and work closely with the Ministry of Finance on cost management and value maximisation. LTA also adopts best practices in its tendering and contracting processes, reaps economies of scale through bulk supply contracts, where possible, and attracts overseas international contractors to tender for rail projects as well, in order to keep prices competitive.

I thank the Minister for the answer. I have two supplementary questions. First, how many of the contracts were actually awarded to the lowest bidder? Second, in 2007, the ex-Minister of State for Transport said in Parliament that LTA was reviewing whether some stations required more than one entrance and making stations more user-friendly and handicap-friendly, and that any enhanced standards would also apply to the Downtown Line. Immediately after that, Downtown Line Stage 1 was started in about 2008. So, were those changes made known or incorporated into the tender?

Sir, if I may explain a little bit more about the tender process. Basically, it is a two-stage process. We, first of all, evaluate the tender returns based on the quality of the returns and thereafter we open the envelope to review the prices, and we take into account the composition between quality as well as the price of the tender in order to decide on which is the most suitable and appropriate bidder for that particular stage of the project.

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Secondly, with regard to provision for more entrances, I believe that part of the additional cost that I mentioned earlier came about as a result of an increase in about 30 entrances that we incorporated into the existing Downtown Lines. So, there were about 30 entrances that were built into the various stages of the Downtown Line.

I thank the Minister for the answers. I have a supplementary question. I noted that in the press report, it says that one of the measures that LTA is taking is to invite more firms to bid for the projects, to make it more competitive. I would like to ask whether that was done so previously, as in how many companies took part in the earlier bids and how competitive were these bids.

I thank the Member for the supplementary question. The answer actually depends on when the tender was put out. So, more recently, because of the lack of work around the world and also in the Middle East, we have actually seen more responders to the tenders that we have put out. And we hope that in this way, we also get more competitive pricing. But as much as possible, we try to make sure that for such major projects like this, we cut it up into many chunks of different sizes and in this way, we allow different-sized companies, including some of our local ones which may not be as significantly capitalised as some of the international companies, also the chance to participate in the tender.

Mr Png, last question.

The Minister said that most of the cost overrun came from Downtown Line Stage 1, and that is actually the shortest line with six stations. Can the Minister explain this?

If I may give a little bit more clarity on the total cost overrun. From an initial budget of about $12 billion, it went up to $20.7 billion. So, it is about $8.7 billion in total. If we take away the GST component for this $8.7 billion, it comes up to an increase of about $8 billion. Seventy-five per cent of that increase came about as a result of either construction cost, technical requirements or the improved connectivity that I was talking about. Why I said that Downtown Line 1 attributed to a larger part of this increase in cost is because of the time when the tender was called. And if Members recall, from 2007 to 2008, construction prices as well as material prices went up significantly.

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8 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Health given that the maximum entry age for MediShield coverage will be removed from 1 March 2013, how does the Ministry intend to encourage the 35% of elderly Singaporeans aged 76 to 85 who are not insured under MediShield to enrol in the scheme.

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Mr Speaker, Sir, we recently announced the lifting of the maximum entry age for MediShield, which will take effect from 1 March 2013, along with other MediShield enhancements. This change was in response to feedback received during the public consultation on the proposed MediShield changes.

We will encourage eligible, uninsured Singaporeans to apply for MediShield coverage through public outreach efforts, such as the public talks run by the CPF Board. MOH will also be tapping on the Health Ambassadors' network of the HPB and other grassroots organisations to spread the message within the community about the benefits of MediShield through our various activities, including those targeted at our older citizens. We also encourage children to apply on their elderly parents' behalf.

Beyond MediShield, the elderly can also receive help for their healthcare costs. All elderly Singaporeans will continue to enjoy Government subsidies of up to 80% for subsidised healthcare treatment at our public healthcare institutions, regardless of their insured status. Under the GST Voucher scheme, the Government will also provide annual Medisave top-ups for the majority of elderly Singaporeans to help with their medical expenses. Those who still face difficulties can approach the medical social workers at our public healthcare institutions for financial assistance, including through Medifund Silver, which is a targeted assistance scheme for the elderly. Since 2007, Medifund Silver provided about $61 million to help elderly patients with their healthcare expenses.

Sir, what are the main reasons why such a high percentage of this age group is not insured? We are looking at 35% of them who are not insured compared to only about 8% of the general population.

The Member was asking why they were not insured. There are a variety of reasons. Some of them have their own insurance schemes and some of them may have pre-existing conditions where insurance may not be feasible or may not be the most efficient protection for them, because insurance, including MediShield, operates on a risk-pooling basis. When the total pool of the insured becomes smaller, especially those like the elderly group, the risk pooling may not be effective. Among those in the elderly group, a significant number of them may already have pre-existing conditions. Even if they are included in the MediShield, these existing conditions may be excluded from the coverage and, therefore, it may or may not be efficient for them. So, it is on an individual case-by-case basis. We make MediShield available for the elderly beyond 75 years old primarily because of the feedback that some of them may be healthy and they may want to opt in. We open up the scheme to allow them to opt in to MediShield but some of them may already have pre-existing conditions that make insurance not practical for them. We will look at how we can help these people who may not be covered by MediShield in a different way. As I mentioned, we provide assistance and generous subsidies in our public healthcare institutions for all patients, including the elderly. On top of that, we have introduced the Medifund Silver specifically targeted at these elderly, as we understand that they have specific needs, to help them with the medical expenses.

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We help these elderly patients through a variety of ways – some through insurance; some through Government broad-based subsidy and some through specifically targeted programmes to help them.

Mr Speaker, I have two supplementary questions for the Minister. With MOH's intention to extend the maximum age of MediShield coverage from 85 to 90, there will be a corresponding rise in the premium for those above 85. Will MOH consider raising the upper limit in Medisave quantum for paying the premium for this group of elderly such that there is no need for out-of-pocket cash payment? Secondly, I would like to ask the Minister for an update on the public consultation on MediShield for congenital diseases.

Mr Speaker, I would like to inform the Member that we are, indeed, looking at adjusting the Medisave withdrawal limits to be in line with the adjustments in the premiums to make sure that adjustments in the premiums will continue to be affordable to Singaporeans. With regard to the congenital and neo-natal conditions coverage under MediShield, we have considered it at length and we feel that it is part and parcel of our efforts to provide healthcare protection for our children. It is also part of our overall effort to encourage marriage and parenthood. That is why we have surfaced this for discussion at Our Singapore Conversation, to allow Singaporeans to participate in the discussion on what kind of a healthcare system we want for the future, and what kind of protection we like for our children. We will also be discussing this as part and parcel of a debate on marriage and parenthood. In due course, at these various avenues, we will discuss the issue before we make a final decision.

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9 Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (a) for the first 10 months of 2012, whether foreign individuals or groups have been engaged in housebreakings and thefts from dwellings in landed properties in Singapore; (b) if so, on what entry permits did these individuals enter Singapore and whether the Police and immigration authorities have specific strategies to deal with this phenomenon.

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Mr Speaker, the Member has asked about foreign criminals who break into private properties to commit theft. Such an act is classified as housebreaking by Police. For the nine-month period of January to September 2012, a total of 428 housebreaking cases were reported. This is a 15% decrease when compared to the same period in 2011.

In the first nine months of 2012, Police solved 91.6% of the cases reported. A total of 189 persons were arrested for housebreaking, of which 34, or 18%, were not Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents. This is 19% lower than the January to September 2011 period. Of the 34 persons arrested in 2012, 17 were on Social Visit Passes, 16 were Work Permit Holders and one was an illegal immigrant.

Police adopts a holistic approach in crime fighting, comprising intelligence, enforcement, public education, community involvement and international cooperation. The community also plays an important role in crime prevention, by taking proactive measures to safeguard their properties and keeping a lookout for suspicious characters in their neighbourhood.

Police has been monitoring the situation closely together with ICA, and will act firmly against foreign criminals who attempt to commit crime in Singapore.

Mr Speaker, Sir, some supplementary questions for the Senior Minister of State. I am sorry that the Senior Minister of State's answer came very quickly, so maybe I did not hear him correctly. My question was about the first 10 months of 2012, and the first part of his answer dealt largely with the first nine months, so I wonder whether he could clarify that.

Secondly, the Police has made it public that they noted a surge in housebreaking cases committed by Latin Americans recently. I would like to ask specifically about this phenomenon, for these housebreaking cases which are committed by professional burglar groups, how many cases are there? Are they geographically spread out in Singapore or are they concentrated in certain areas? For this group of Latin Americans, could the Senior Minister of State tell us how they entered Singapore, as in, did they fly in directly from their home countries or did they come by land, for example, from some neighbouring countries?

Lastly, I wonder whether the Government is considering the conditions of Social Visit Passes for certain groups of people. I know it is a difficult area but, right now, I think most people can enter Singapore for one month which also allows these professional burglars to plan and the time to commit serious cases. So, I wonder if at some point in time, the Ministry would look at restricting the number of days that people can stay in Singapore, perhaps on a case-by-case basis, or based on certain originating countries.

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I thank the Member for the question. Unfortunately, I only have the statistics up to September because those for October are not ready. For the other specific questions on Latin Americans, these were not alluded to in the question, so I do not have the numbers with me. But if the Member would like to file a parliamentary question (PQ) on it, I will be happy to answer it.

On the operational issues, unfortunately, many of the things that the Police and ICA are doing are very sensitive and we cannot divulge them. In our Crime Watch series, we can see cases being solved in just half an hour, but really a lot of work and intelligence are being put into it. I assure Members that we will take a very strong stance against anyone coming into Singapore to commit crime. We will turf them out when we can, and work with international authorities as much as possible.

A supplementary question again for the Senior Minister of State. In the news reports so far that we have seen, there were reports in June and also in October about these burglaries committed by foreign groups. I think in July as well, the Police issued a media release talking about the fact that they had managed to foil a group from Hong Kong which was on a transnational housebreaking operation. That was announced publicly. I would like to ask whether the Government is concerned that the choice of Singapore as a housebreaking destination by foreign groups is something that we should be concerned about. Is there a trend of concern?

In general, the Police is very concerned about any crime that is perpetrated on our citizens or their properties. Therefore, we will take all measures to ensure that this particular trend that will affect us, we will try and stem it as quickly as possible. We do not see yet a surge in the number of foreign syndicates coming into Singapore. They know clearly that we are very strong in solving our cases, as I mentioned to the Member – 91.6% of these cases were solved and we have deterrent sentences against them. I hope those are strong enough messages to any foreign elements who think that they can easily break into our houses and not get detected. But more importantly, it is essential for all of us to take the prerequisite proactive measures to ensure that our houses, properties and ourselves are properly protected. Take proactive measures to put burglar alarms, cameras, in addition to the enforcement actions that are being taken on the part of the Police.

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10 Ms Tan Su Shan asked the Minister for Health in light of most women marrying later in life (a) how are Singaporean women being educated on age-related fertility decline; and (b) whether the Women's Health Advisory Committee (WHAC) can be expanded to fully include fertility issues.

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Sir, encouraging marriage and parenthood is a key Government priority to address the population challenge. The Government provides a broad range of measures to support Singaporeans' aspirations of getting married and having children.

There is already general awareness among Singaporeans that fertility declines with age. The 2007 Marriage and Parenthood survey of about 3,000 married respondents showed that 94% were aware that it gets more difficult for couples to conceive as they get older, up from 89% in 2004.

More can and must be done to strengthen awareness of fertility issues and to transform awareness into changes in attitude and behaviour, so that couples are encouraged to get married and have children earlier. These messages are best woven into marriage and parenthood promotion efforts by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), previously known as MCYS, in a holistic manner.

MSF has been working with voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) to promote fertility awareness, which provides couples with fertility facts and information to help them make informed parenthood decisions and encourage them to plan early. This is done through public education programmes and activities, including talks, workshops, road shows, resource guides, as well as the sharing of real-life stories through publications and online media. It has also gone upstream to engage youths in tertiary institutions to raise the awareness of age-related fertility decline and the risks of late pregnancies. For couples already planning or expecting a baby, both MSF and HPB conduct programmes to equip and prepare them for pregnancy, as well as caring for their newborns.

We recognise that having babies is not a woman's sole decision, and involves a considered decision between husband and wife, taking many factors into consideration. Hence, MSF plays a leading role in promoting parenthood. However, to complement the efforts of MSF, the focus of the Women's Health Advisory Committee (WHAC) to promote the health of women could also include health issues related to sub-fertility in women, as part of a holistic women's health programme.

Sir, I thank the Minister of State. My supplementary question is this: some countries now consider age-related decline in fertility as a medical condition and, hence, they allow egg-freezing. There is growing evidence that eggs frozen from a woman below age 35 have a higher chance of a successful pregnancy or birth. Will the Ministry, therefore, be open to considering egg-freezing as an option available to more women, including single women before they marry? This may enable more Singaporean women to preserve their fertility till they marry, thereby increasing their chances of a successful pregnancy after marriage.

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Firstly, let me say that I share the Member's concerns about age-related fertility as more men and women delay marriage and parenthood. However, it must be noted that advanced technology, such as IVF, can help women solve their fertility-related problems only to a certain extent. It is not a foolproof or guaranteed solution. Besides the conventional IVF, as the Member has rightly pointed out, there has been an increase in interest in vitrification or ultra rapid egg-freezing, which is a new technology. It is a technique that can help unmarried women to freeze their eggs and store them for future use to overcome the reproductive or ovarian ageing problem.

Currently, MOH only allows egg-freezing for medical reasons, such as women who have to undergo certain treatment, for example, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which will damage their fertility. There are various reasons why egg-freezing has not been allowed other than for such medical reasons, and they include the fact that there are inherent risks to the women who undergo the egg-freezing procedure, such as ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome, bleeding and infection.

Furthermore, because the technology is relatively new, there is limited information available on the perinatal outcomes of the procedure, for instance, the success rate, live births, pregnancies, and so on. There is also no information on the long-term effects on children born through AR using vitrified eggs.

Besides these medical implications, there are also potential social and ethical implications, for example, the misconception of the use of egg-freezing as guaranteed fertility preservation as well as over-commercialisation. Notwithstanding this, MOH is reviewing the medical, scientific and ethical implications of egg-freezing with the aim to establish a policy position to develop a regulatory framework with the necessary safeguards, if the eventual policy position is to allow social egg-freezing. Having said that, it is still important to reiterate that egg-freezing, like other AR-related techniques, is really not a foolproof or guaranteed solution.

There is no better substitute to natural child-bearing within marriage for women when they are relatively young and healthy. Lest the men in this House think that age-related fertility problem is a women's issue, let me say that the men are also not spared the ticking of the biological clock and they do suffer from age-related fertility problems.

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11 Ms Janice Koh asked the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) what subsidies or preferential rates are given to non-profit and for-profit local arts groups to help offset the venue rental cost of spaces run by the Esplanade and other Government agencies; and (b) what more can be done to help these groups alleviate the cost of such rentals.

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Mr Speaker, Sir, subsidised and preferential rates are extended to both not-for-profit and commercial local arts groups, for spaces run by agencies, such as The Esplanade Co Ltd and The Old Parliament House Ltd.

The Esplanade, for example, tiers its venue rental rates according to the different forms of hire. Public performances by local commercial arts groups enjoy preferential rates starting from 35% off the rates charged for private hire and non-arts use. Local not-for-profit arts groups are the main beneficiaries, as they are offered subsidies of at least 60%.

At the Goodman Arts Centre (GAC) and The Arts House (TAH), both of which are arts centres run by The Old Parliament House (TOPH) Ltd and supported by the National Arts Council (NAC), public performances by local arts groups are entitled to rates that are less than 50% of those compared to private hire rates.

Other for-hire venues, such as the Drama Centre, similarly accord preferential rental rates to local arts groups that are approximately 30% to 40% lower compared to private hire rates.

In addition to subsidised and preferential rates for venue rental extended to our local arts groups, NAC's support under the Arts Spaces Framework and the Arts Housing Scheme also provides highly subsidised spaces for artists and arts groups to create work, rehearse, or even perform or exhibit in. Under these schemes, arts groups, such as The Necessary Stage (TNS), Theatreworks, Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) and The Substation, enjoy performing arts spaces which are highly subsidised by between 80% and 90%. We encourage our arts spaces and arts housing tenants to explore sharing such resources with other artists, wherever appropriate and available.

Apart from looking at financial assistance, MCCY is also cognisant of the need to broaden our support by expanding the range of arts venues and facilities that are available. This will allow our arts groups more opportunities to find the right spaces that they can afford and which suit their needs.

Sir, I thank the Acting Minister. I have three supplementary questions. NAC's current funding guidelines support no more than 30% of an arts group's total production budget. On average, the rental costs paid by arts groups who do not have access to their own performing spaces, for these arts groups to rent venues like the Drama Centre, which is run by The Esplanade, the rental costs vary between 20% and 35% of their total budget. In this scenario, many of the non-profit funded arts companies have expressed to me that they are literally receiving Government funding from one public agency and handing over the whole amount as rental to another public company. It puts immense pressure on these groups to find the remaining 70% to 80% of their budget from other sources, such as box office revenue and corporate sponsorships, which are hugely uncertain in this economic climate.

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My first question to the Acting Minister is: in view of the Ministry's push to bring the arts to a wider public, and to nurture the arts and culture as a way of developing Singapore's soul, would his Ministry consider reviewing its rental rates to local arts groups, to not only create a conducive environment for them to develop original work and new artistic talent, but also to ease the financial pressure that is eventually passed on to the Singapore public through high ticket prices? Secondly, are public companies, such as The Esplanade and The Old Parliament House, under any expectation or pressure from the Government to profit or break even from running these theatre venues which might explain why rental rates and manpower costs for these venues are so high? Thirdly, does the Ministry have plans to develop more mid-size theatres like the Drama Centre, which is now insufficient for the needs of local arts groups.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Member for the supplementary questions, and I share her concerns and desire to provide more support for the arts groups in Singapore. On the first question, NAC is indeed doing a review of its grants framework and one of the items being reviewed is the guideline of funding of 30% of operating costs. For the review, NAC has been talking to arts groups, having consultations with the groups, getting their feedback. NAC will design a new framework, a new grant scheme or new items in the grant scheme which will provide more support for the arts groups, and I think the arts community will find it a positive move when the announcement is made.

On the second point about rental rates charged by The Esplanade and other agencies, I did a check on the rental rates and actually the rental rates by The Esplanade have not increased since the day it started operations. So, it is not as though the rental rates have been repeatedly raised in order to recover costs or to charge higher profits. They have not increased the rates since the day it started operations. Be that as it may, I understand the concern from the arts groups about rental costs. It is indeed a significant part of their operating costs and one way in which we can help them is with the grant that NAC provides, and that is why I have alluded to earlier that NAC has been doing a review of its grants framework. And I believe with the new grants framework, more support will be provided to the arts groups.

On the third point about additional mid-size theatres and additional venues, that is something that the Ministry will be committed to do. We are looking at expanding our institutions and spaces for performances. One of the things that we have done is to look at quality arts infrastructure and how we can expand that. We do look forward to the reopening of the Victoria Theatre and the Victoria Concert Hall, and that would be some time in the first quarter of 2014. We are also looking at upgrading facilities in other community nodes. So, we are mindful of the need for more spaces, and we will be looking to expand the possibilities and the spaces that we can have for performance venues.

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Sir, I thank the Acting Minister. I just want to clarify that based on my supplementary question on rental rates, I was referring to some of the venues that The Esplanade runs, not just necessarily within the Esplanade, but, for example, the Drama Centre, which in 2008/2009, the rate collected was something like 12% of gross box office takings, and by 2010/2011, that had increased to 15% of gross box office takings. Similarly, in 2008/2009, if the venue was not used, the Dark Day Rate would be $750 and by the following year, it had increased to $1,400. So, there have been increases in the venue rental rates, not necessarily within The Esplanade but at the external venues run by The Esplanade.

Mr Speaker, Sir, the increases may happen from time to time. I mentioned The Esplanade. In the other spaces, there may be some rental increases. These have to cover some costs. The agencies that rent out these venues do not do this for profit. They are doing this to ensure that their finances are sustainable. So, we will do several things, as I mentioned. One, continue to manage the costs and ensure that the rents are affordable; two, do whatever we can to better utilise these status so that they are well optimised, in terms of utilisation rates; and, three, through the grants framework that NAC provides, ensure that sufficient support is given to our arts groups.

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12 Mr Nicholas Fang asked the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) how much funds have been given out under the Multi-Million Dollar Award Programme since its inception as a programme for rewarding medals won at major sporting games; and (b) what is the breakdown of the medals won.

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Mr Speaker, Sir, the Multi-Million Dollar Award Programme (MAP) is an initiative of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC), and it is fully funded with the support of sponsors. Since its inception in 1991, a total of $21.76 million has been awarded under the MAP, of which $20.43 million went to the athletes while $1.33 million to National Sports Associations to further the development of their sports.

Prize monies are awarded for gold medals at the SEA Games and for gold, silver and bronze medals at the Commonwealth, Asian and Olympic Games. In total, prize monies were given out under the MAP for a total of 483 medals. This comprises 336 SEA Games medals, 62 Commonwealth Games medals, 82 Asian Games medals and three Olympic Games medals.

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Mr Speaker, one supplementary question for the Acting Minister. I think the sports scene has changed since the MAP was first introduced to where we are now with more Singaporeans being asked to dedicate themselves to sports excellence. My question pertains to whether or not the Ministry would consider encouraging SNOC to look at, perhaps, scrapping the MAP completely and moving away from a transactional nature when it comes to encouraging our athletes to dedicate themselves to sports.

I think a lot of young athletes these days still view the fact that representing the country and winning for Singapore is an honour and a reward in and of itself. Front-loading the support from the MAP to the training and preparation process will be a more practical way of supporting a sportsman and Sports Associations and also give greater assurances to athletes, coaches, Sports Associations and the families, that the support will be coming in a very structured way from the start, more akin to giving somebody the petrol to drive from A to B, rather than saying, "When you reach there, I will give you the petrol then". This will signal to more stakeholders and sponsors that holistic kind of support framework is needed, and is more beneficial to the sports community.

I thank the Member for the supplementary question. It is something that I think we will be happy to discuss with SNOC and with the sports community in general. I think the Member will be aware that there is a differentiation between what the Government funds to SSC and MAP which is an agreement between the SNOC and its sponsors, principally the Tote Board and Singapore Pools, and other private sponsors. The agreement between SNOC and its sponsors is subject to review from time to time – I think every four years – and this present agreement would be due for review in 2015 after the SEA Games. That is an agreement between SNOC and its sponsors.

On the Government side, the idea that the Member mentioned about whether or not some of these private sponsorships can be brought over to supporting athletes in their training and development, rather than be provided as an incentive or as a reward for their achievement, I think that balance is something we will be happy to discuss and have a conversation on, not just with SNOC, being mindful that it has a separate agreement with its sponsors, but also with the sports community at large. And with Singaporeans to see where that balance should be. That is something we will be happy to facilitate.

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13 Mrs Lina Chiam asked the Minister for Defence in the past five years, what is the number of male Permanent Residents who leave Singapore within the two years leading up to enlistment for National Service and later return to Singapore on a student pass/Employment Pass or on PR status.

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Mr Speaker, Sir, Permanent Residents who are liable for National Service but who leave Singapore before enlistment and fail to register or enlist for National Service have committed an offence under the Enlistment Act. They are NS defaulters. Under the Enlistment Act, NS defaulters shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or both. They would have to fulfil their National Service obligations thereafter.

None of them are allowed to return on student passes or work passes or on PR status, without resolving their NS offence and serving out their NS liability.

I thank the Minister for the answer. I have one supplementary question to ask the Minister: whether the Ministry will allow male foreigners below the age of 40 who did not have to do NS, to be made to serve community service for an equivalent period of 24 months?

Mr Speaker, as I said and it stands, those who default on their NS liabilities or fail to register or enlist are NS defaulters, and that is in our Enlistment Act, and that Act stands.

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The following question stood in the name of Mr Zaqy Mohamad –

14 To ask the Minister for Education in light of the Ministry's report on the performance of students in the national examinations from 2002-2011 (a) what is the Ministry's assessment of our education system being a promoter of social mobility over the past 10 years; (b) what is the number of students making it to post-Secondary education; (c) what are some of the key trends; and (d) whether the Ministry has studied factors such as the background of parents, the socio-economic status of the families of students who are more successful and of students who are not able to achieve the desired results.

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Question No 14, Sir.

Sir, our education system seeks to provide strong support to all students to enable as many as possible to complete 10 years of general education, and to go on to post-Secondary education, via multiple pathways.

Our system recognises that students differ in their interest, aptitude and pace of development. Through the building of good foundations, and through providing multiple pathways and curricular options, our students can progress through appropriate development routes to successfully complete secondary schooling and progress further to post-Secondary institutions. For instance, at the Secondary level, Normal (Technical) and Normal (Academic) students are offered elective modules to enrich their learning experience through practice-oriented approaches. To further enhance the link between Secondary and post-Secondary education, we have introduced additional pathways, most recently, the Polytechnic Foundation Programme and the Direct Entry Scheme to Polytechnic for Normal (Academic) students which will begin next year.

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For weaker students, we have customised teaching and assessment methods to help them build a good foundation early. For instance, at lower Primary, our Learning Support Programmes (LSP) provide specialised support in literacy and numeracy for students who need it. At upper Primary, subject-based banding enables students to offer a combination of Standard or Foundation subjects based on their strengths.

Today, less than 1% of the Primary 1 cohort did not complete Secondary education, an improvement from 4% 10 years ago. Moreover, some 94% of the Primary 1 cohort, or about 46,000 students, progress to post-Secondary education institutions. This is an increase from 86% 10 years ago. These are significant achievements. Further, consistently over the last 10 years, more than 40% of students from the lowest socio-economic quintile progressed into our Polytechnics or Universities, and this has increased to 47% for the latest cohort.

Many factors affect the performance of students. Worldwide, one important factor is the socio-economic and education background of parents. Other factors include the presence of positive peer influence, the commitment of parents to their children's education and the support from schools and the broader community.

For these reasons, our efforts to help students make progress need to be multi-pronged, and to involve parents and the broader community.

To help needy students, we have enhanced the MOE Financial Assistance Scheme this year. We have also, since 2011, enhanced the scholarships and bursaries provided for ITE, Polytechnic and University students. MOE is also expanding student care centres in Primary schools to provide additional supervision and guidance after school for students who may require stronger learning support.

MOE's efforts have been well supported by parents and volunteer groups who provide additional support, such as reading and remedial lessons. Community self-help groups, such as CDAC, MENDAKI and SINDA, also provide strong support in various ways. It is important that we continue our multi-pronged approach so that we can continue to help students progress better.

Sir, I have one supplementary question. I wonder whether MOE has analysed the reasons for the decline in the passing rate for Mother Tongue and what can be done to arrest the decline further.

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Sir, this is not quite related to the performance of students from low-income families. So, I would suggest the Member file a specific question on it.

Sir, with regard to the social mobility question, recently, we read in the newspapers the report that about 40% of students living in HDB flats are studying in the top schools. Knowing that more than 80% of our population are living in HDB flats, is this trend worrisome for MOE? Have we seen more of the students living in better conditions progressing into top schools as an indication of difficulty faced by the low-income families?

Sir, on the contrary, we should be happy to see that many of our students from low-income families progress through their education, complete their Secondary education, and move into post-Secondary institutions. Instead of looking at the development the way the Member had, I would suggest that we look at it this way. About one in two students from the bottom third SCS families scored in the top two-third at PSLE. This proportion has remained stable over the past decade.

Second, about one in six students from the bottom third SCS families scored in the top third at PSLE. This proportion has also remained stable in the last decade. It basically means that students from lower SCS families have made good progress and have moved into the different Secondary school level or post-Primary, based on their interest and ability. But, broadly, I would say, we should have a broader definition of social mobility and move away from purely academic or monetary achievements. Rather, I would say, the social mobility is about striving for each successive generation to have more opportunities to pursue their interests and aptitudes and, in so doing, realise their full potential and to live better and more fulfilling lives than their parents. I think all of our students, irrespective of their social background, have made progress and do better than the current generation. In general, I would say, we are doing well.

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The following question stood in the name of Mr David Ong –

15 To ask the Minister for Education (a) over the last two years, what is the number of requests for the use of the Post-Secondary Education Account; (b) how many of these were for education at non-approved institutions; and (c) whether the Government will ease the restriction and allow students to upgrade themselves in their post-Secondary education at local and overseas private institutions.

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Question No 15, Sir.

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Sir, on average, about 84,000 Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA) holders withdrew monies from their accounts in 2010 and 2011 each year to pay for expenses at approved institutions. MOE received about 20 appeals per year for the use of PSEA monies at non-approved institutions.

The PSEA scheme provides financial support for Singaporeans' post-Secondary education at our publicly-funded institutions. These are institutions with good track records and which are accountable to MOE through established frameworks, so that the Government can be more assured of quality and outcomes.

There exists in the private education sector today a large number of course offerings of uneven quality. The value that these courses bring to students and the outcomes that they support are not uniformly clear as these tend to vary by institution and course. Hence, the use of the PSEA is currently limited to local publicly-funded institutions. As with other policies, this is reviewed from time to time.

I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the answer. I have two supplementary questions. May I know what is the outcome from the deliberation of the Committee on University Education Pathways, particularly on the issues of affordability and financing of University education at the autonomous or private institutions? My second question is: would the Ministry consider allowing individuals to use their CPF monies for undergraduate degree programmes at our local Universities, whether publicly-funded or private ones?

Sir, the Committee on University Education Pathways Beyond 2015 has already submitted its report and recommendations, and its report does address the issues of affordability. Essentially, the Ministry continues to be committed to look at ways and means of improving affordability of education, particularly for post-secondary education of all pathways.

As for CPF monies, on this particular issue, the Member would be familiar with the current policy stance on the use of CPF monies. The primary use of CPF monies is for retirement. Therefore, in considering the further expansion for other uses, a careful balance has to be struck with particular regard to the adequacy of retirement savings. This remains our policy position for the time being.

I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the clarification. I have a supplementary question. For the CPF, the citizens can actually apply to use the CPF monies if it is a local university, that is, take it like a loan. But it is not applicable for those who pursue their tertiary education in a private institution. Would it be possible to extend that to them as well, but with the requirement that they put it back into their CPF accounts after their graduation and after they have started working? That will really give flexibility and more options for Singaporeans who wish to pursue high aspirations, but do not have the means to do so at that point in time.

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Sir, as with all policies, this is subject to review from time to time. As I have mentioned earlier, the important consideration here is the adequacy of CPF monies for the purpose of retirement. Therefore, any consideration of further policy reviews will have to take into account retirement adequacy.

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16 Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Acting Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the number of women who have joined the Home Ownership Plus Education (HOPE) scheme this year; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider relaxing the criteria for the scheme to include mothers between 35-40 years old and/or have up to four children.

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Mr Speaker, Sir, the Home Ownership Plus Education (HOPE) scheme was introduced in January 2004. It is a voluntary scheme for young low-income families who choose to keep their families small. Beneficiaries are provided with help for a head-start in the form of cash grants as well as funding in housing, training and children's education. They also receive mentoring support.

There were 222 families who joined the HOPE scheme in the first nine months of this year. The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) will review the HOPE scheme as part of our regular programme reviews. We will look into whether it should be refined to better meet its objectives. We note Mr Ang's specific suggestions on the scheme.

Sir, I thank the Acting Minister for the reply. When I do the weekly house visits, I encounter quite a few families where the mothers have three or more children, and they are pregnant. They really hope to join the HOPE scheme. If we do not help these mothers, they will have problems bringing up the children. Without additional help, these children may not be able to do well in school and subsequently may not do well in society. This could create a vicious cycle. So, I hope the Acting Minister can review it earlier, rather than later.

Mr Speaker, Sir, we note Mr Ang Wei Neng's suggestion. I would like to share with Members that if Members see that there are families who require help to manage their finances or bring up their families, whether it is the HOPE scheme or other schemes, they can always refer them to MSF, and we will see how best we can help them, either through the HOPE scheme or some other ways.

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The original intention of the HOPE scheme is to help our young families to keep their families small, and provide them with the mentoring help, in order for them to bring up their families better. But if there are other people who require help and do not qualify for the HOPE scheme, we can always look at some other ways to help them.

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17 Mr Yee Jenn Jong asked Acting Minister for Social and Family Development (a) how much recurrent grants have been disbursed to each of the non-profit childcare anchor operators for each year since the scheme started; (b) how the amount to be disbursed to each anchor operator in each year is determined; (c) what Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are used to determine on-going eligibility of anchor operators for recurrent grants; and (d) whether these operators are required to submit a regular report on how the recurrent grants have been used and how they measure up to the KPIs required.

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Sir, the anchor operator scheme is aimed at enhancing the affordability, accessibility and quality of childcare in Singapore. Since 2009, a total of $69 million has been disbursed to the anchor operators.

The grants are determined based on the number of centres developed and the manpower to support the centres and their capacity. The disbursement of grants is performance based, and the level of funding depends on the standards met by the operator. Anchor operators are required to submit regular reports and audited statements on the utilisation of the grants.

Since the scheme was introduced, the two anchor operators currently on the scheme have built a total of 132 childcare centres. Apart from expanding capacity, the anchor operators are required to keep childcare programmes fees at these centres affordable, below that of the industry median. Anchor operators also need to meet quality targets. These quality indicators cover areas such as teachers' qualification, kindergarten class size as well as centre quality.

I thank the Acting Minister for the answer. I noted some statistics that have been shared in the press and in previous parliamentary answers. Thirty-nine out of 330 PCF centres are Singapore Pre-school Accreditation Framework (SPARK) accredited. Twenty-seven PCF and NTUC Centres, out of the approximately 210 combined centres, are SPARK-accredited. That is about 12% of all the centres that are owned by these anchor operators. This is way short of the target of 85% of the centres to be SPARK-tested by 2013, as shared in this House in November 2010. The first supplementary question that I would like to ask the Acting Minister: does he feel that these statistics show that the anchor operators have also not met the kind of quality standards that are expected by MCYS?

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The second supplementary question: should there be a greater link between the grant disbursement and certain published objectives? For example, one of the intentions is that the grant allows operators to recruit and retain better staff. But from earlier answers, I have also gathered that there is no direct link between how much they have to spend on various parts of the targets to be met. I hope that the Acting Minister can clarify this.

Sir, in response to the first supplementary question on the SPARK-standards, for those who are trying to achieve the SPARK-accreditation, and that is if they have not met it, we will work with them to see how best they can meet it. We do want to encourage more of our centres to meet the accreditation required.

On the second question, for those centres that do not meet the requirements, we have withheld funding from them until they do so.

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18 Ms Faizah Jamal asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council's specific guidelines to the healthcare industry can specifically include sexual harassment and sexual abuse; and (b) whether there are plans for the WSH Council's guidelines to apply to all industries beyond only the healthcare industry which it now currently covers and when this extension will take place.

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Sir, developing a progressive and pervasive Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Culture in the workforce is critical to our efforts to improve WSH standards in Singapore. WSH Council's CultureSAFE programme is designed to help businesses in this endeavour. The programme measures and benchmarks an organisation's WSH culture. It also identifies gaps and develops programmes to help the organisation better manage all work-related risks, including psychosocial risks. As the programme has just been launched, WSH Council will be gathering feedback and, when appropriate, review and improve the programme.

Ms Faizah suggested specifically addressing sexual harassment and sexual abuse in the WSH Council's Guidelines for the healthcare industry. These guidelines already touch on violence and workplace harassment. They were added following industry feedback that workers in healthcare were more susceptible to psychosocial risks. These guidelines can also apply to risks associated with sexual harassment.