Volume 94 Monday No 7 29 February 2016 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SINGAPORE OFFICIAL REPORT CONTENTS Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time Page 24. Non-citizen Single Parents with Singaporean Children in HDB Rental Flats (Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar) 1 26. Activation of Traffic Diversions to Ease Traffic during Oil Spills (Er Dr Lee Bee Wah) 1 27, 28. Public Education and Resolution of Online Commercial Crime (Mr Desmond Choo and Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye) 2 30. Bogus Charges for Business Registration Services (Mr Lim Biow Chuan) 3 31. Utilisation of ActiveSG$100 Credits (Mr Zainal Sapari) 4 33. Impact of NS IPPT Scheme Enhancement on First-attempt Pass Rate (Mr David Ong) 5 38. Impact of Recent CPF Changes on Number and Amount of CPF Top-up (Ms Foo Mee Har) 6 40. Complaints about and Bookings of Errant Cyclists (Ms Sun Xueling) 7 41. Updates on Licensing Irregularities at Singapore Rifle Association and Singapore Gun Club (Mr Pritam Singh) 7 44. Application Rate for Additional Childcare Subsidy for Non-working Mothers (Ms Sun Xueling) 8 45. Support for Retrenched Workers and Their Families (Ms Tin Pei Ling) 9 46. Singapore's Response to Malaysia's Imposition of Higher Vehicle Permit Fees at the Causeway and Second Link (Mr Ang Wei Neng) 10 47. Adequacy of Speed Limit Signs (Mr Gan Thiam Poh) 10 50. Impact of MAS's Imposition of Borrowing Limit on Easing of Individual Indebtedness (Ms Foo Mee Har) 11 53. Projected Tourist Arrivals and Hotel Rooms with Completion of Terminal 4 (Mr Gan Thiam Poh) 11 54. Employment Rights of Tertiary Students who Work Part-time (Mr Zainal Sapari) 12 56. Obesity and Physical Activity Levels among Students and Youths (Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar) 13 57. Effectiveness of Existing Disease Surveillance Programmes (Dr Chia Shi-Lu) 14 58. Recruitment Efforts of Singapore Police Force (Mr Ang Hin Kee) 15 59. Utilisation Rates of SCDF's First-Responder Apps for Civilians (Mr Ang Hin Kee) 16 60. Update on HDB's Goodwill Repair Assistance Scheme (Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap) 17 64. Paper Road Tax Discs (Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye) 18 68. Schools' Assistance to Ensure DSA Students Fulfil Academic Requirements (Er Dr Lee Bee Wah) 19 69. Compliance Rate for National Childhood and Adolescent Immunisation Schedule (Dr Chia Shi-Lu) 20 71. Monitoring Lift Maintenance and Repair (Ms Sun Xueling) 21 73. Review of Arts Fund Guidelines (Mr David Ong) 21 74. Supply and Demand for Pilots (Ms Tin Pei Ling) 22 NON-CITIZEN SINGLE PARENTS WITH SINGAPOREAN CHILDREN IN HDB RENTAL FLATS 24 Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar asked the Minister for National Development (a) how many non-permanent resident/non-citizen widows/widowers with Singaporean children are currently renting a HDB flat; and (b) what are the available housing options for single mothers or fathers with Singaporean children. Mr Lawrence Wong: There are currently 31 public rental tenants who are non-Singapore Citizen (SC) or non-Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR) widows/widowers with Singaporean children. In general, they were allowed to retain the flat upon the demise of their SC spouses who had been the tenants of the flats. Single parents who are widowed or divorced and have an SC child may buy a flat from HDB, or a resale flat on the open market if they meet the prevailing eligibility criteria, such as the citizenship requirement and income ceiling. Single unmarried parents have the same housing options as singles. If they are SCs aged 35 and above, and have not received a housing subsidy before, they may buy a new 2-room Flexi flat in a non-mature estate, or a resale flat. They may also be eligible for housing grants. Single parents in hardship who have no other viable housing options or family support could also rent a flat from HDB on a case-by-case basis. Back to Contents ACTIVATION OF TRAFFIC DIVERSIONS TO EASE TRAFFIC DURING OIL SPILLS 26 Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Transport (a) what is the procedure to activate traffic diversions to ease traffic jams when there is a major oil spill or accident on a busy road; (b) how long does it take to despatch the police to activate these diversions; (c) how long does it take to disseminate traffic news to the public to avoid the affected roads; and (d) what is the normal platform used in disseminating this traffic news. Mr Khaw Boon Wan: Once a report of a major traffic incident or oil spill is received, the 2 Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Traffic Police will assess its severity. If traffic diversion is needed, the nearest Traffic Police resources will be mobilised. Traffic diversions are implemented swiftly once the Traffic Police arrives on scene, which is typically within 30 minutes of the report being received. Traffic advisories are immediately disseminated through various radio and online channels, such as the LTA Traffic News radio broadcast, the OneMotoring website, smartphone apps such as MyTransport.sg and LTA’s traffic news Twitter account. Back to Contents PUBLIC EDUCATION AND RESOLUTION OF ONLINE COMMERCIAL CRIME 27 Mr Desmond Choo asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the solving rate for online commercial offences; (b) whether the current legislative powers are sufficient for our law enforcement officers to tackle such cases effectively; and (c) what other measures is the Ministry implementing to improve the situation. 28 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what steps is the police taking to address the significant spike in online commercial crime cases; and (b) whether the public education measures taken by the police have been effective. Mr K Shanmugam: Online commercial crime nearly doubled from 1,929 cases in 2014 to 3,759 cases in 2015. Examples of such crimes include cheating involving e-commerce, credit- for-sex scams and Internet love scams. Police are taking active steps to address this increase. First, Police are stepping up local enforcement efforts. In 2015, Police conducted four island wide enforcement operations targeting online scams and arrested 139 persons. Persons found to be perpetrating an online scam or who knowingly assist foreign syndicates in such criminal activities will be investigated and prosecuted. Second, Police work closely with their foreign counterparts to foil such syndicates. For example, Police received reports of credit-for-sex scams committed by syndicates operating in China last year. As a result of collaboration between SPF and their Chinese counterparts, the Chinese police conducted simultaneous raids and detained 43 members of one such syndicate. Third, Police are reviewing our laws to enhance the powers for officers to deal with online 3 crime. Fourth, Police have stepped up public education programmes, to raise awareness and prevent the public from falling victim to scams. Online crimes are particularly hard to solve because of the borderless nature of the internet. A significant proportion of online commercial crimes are committed remotely by foreign syndicates. Despite our best efforts in going after the perpetrators in such online commercial crimes, they will find new ways to exploit and prey on the vulnerabilities of potential victims, and hide themselves from law enforcement agencies. Awareness and prevention are therefore critical in addressing the rise in such crimes. SPF and NCPC launched a dedicated anti-scam website, www.scamalert.sg, as a one-stop resource to keep the public abreast of the latest scams and the modus operandi of various scams. The website has attracted more than 170,000 visitors since its launch in November 2014. Police also reach out to the public at locations with high human traffic, for example, displaying posters at hawker centres, bus stops, and train stations. Crime prevention commercials are also aired on local TV channels and at over 500 office buildings. Police will continually review and improve these public education measures to ensure they stay relevant and effective. Ultimately however, beyond public education and outreach efforts, it is about how we as individuals and families are aware about the threats on the Internet and how vigilant and alert we are. We have to be cautious when we are online as the stranger on the other side may not be who he says he is, and when the offer sounds too good to be true. Back to Contents BOGUS CHARGES FOR BUSINESS REGISTRATION SERVICES 30 Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for Finance what actions are taken by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) to protect companies or businesses from being misled or deceived into paying for registration services purportedly rendered by ACRA or its related agencies. Mr Heng Swee Keat: The Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority or ACRA is the only statutory body responsible for the registration of companies and businesses in Singapore. ACRA does not condone any attempt to use its name or a name resembling that of ACRA’s to deceive or cause confusion to the public. ACRA will not hesitate to investigate 4 suspected breaches and prosecute offenders. Under the ACRA Act, an offender will face a maximum penalty of $10,000 and six-month imprisonment, as well as a further fine of up to $250 per day for a continuing offence after conviction. While non-Government organisations can collect information from companies through private agreements, there are safeguards against such organisations trying to pass themselves off as Government entities. Letters from government agencies, such as ACRA, have distinct letterheads, with their names and logos. Companies and other business entities are also required to state their name and registration number in all business correspondences.