Volume 94 Tuesday No 24 13 September 2016 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SINGAPORE OFFICIAL REPORT CONTENTS Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by 3.00pm Page 31. Reconstruction of Novena Pedestrian Underpasses (Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye) 1 32. Fostering Community Unity with SGSecure (Mr Christopher de Souza) 1 34. Action against Anti-social Neighbours (Mr Darryl David) 2 35. Popularity of Pre-fabricated Construction in Building Industry (Mr Alex Yam Ziming) 3 37. Thermal Comfort as Pre-requisite for Air-conditioned Spaces (Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang) 4 38, 39. Accreditation and Licensing of Psychologists and Psychotherapists (Ms K Thanaletchimi ) 5 40. Take-up Rate for Home Access Plan to Aid Low-income Families with Internet Connectivity (Mr Murali Pillai) 6 42. Singapore's Financial Contribution to Support Syrian Refugees (Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang) 7 43. Benefits and Allowances for Grassroots Leaders and Advisers (Mr Png Eng Huat) 8 44. New Benchmark for Madrasahs under New PSLE Scoring System (Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap) 9 45. Security Measures for Primary and Secondary Schools in Light of Growing Terror Threat (Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye) 9 46. Practice by Managed Care Companies for Doctors to Pay Administrative Fees for Referral of Patients (Mr Desmond Choo) 11 47. Subsidised or Free Health Screening Packages under MediShield Life (Ms Joan Pereira) 12 48. Impact of Indonesia's Plan to Stop Its Foreign Domestic Workers from Living in Singaporean Employers' Homes (Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye) 14 51. Considerations behind Decision to Convert Coupon Parking to Electronic Parking Systems in Housing Estates (Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap) 13 53. Pre-employment Tuberculosis Screening for Pre-school Staff (Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong) 14 54. Nuisance Posed by Chironomids from Pandan Reservoir (Ms Foo Mee Har) 15 55. Reviewing Provision of Plastic Bags at Retail Shops (Miss Cheng Li Hui) 16 56. Coaching Researchers to Help Them Relate Better to Business Needs (Mr Thomas Chua Kee Seng) 17 58. Safety Interlock Systems and Height Warning Devices for Crane Booms (Mr Murali Pillai) 18 59. Rationale for Alternative Ownership Model for Changi Airport Terminal 5 (Er Dr Lee Bee Wah) 18 60. Safeguards for Sale of Financial Products to Vulnerable Groups (Mr Zainal Sapari) 19 62. Freezing of Eggs of Healthy Women for Future Use (Miss Cheng Li Hui) 20 63. Proposal for Special One-off Public Holiday to Celebrate Singapore's First Olympic Gold Medal (Mr Lim Biow Chuan) 24 64. Unjust Termination of Employment for Employees Diagnosed with Tuberculosis (Dr Tan Wu Meng) 23 65. Financial Deficits in HDB Car Park Operations (Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong) 23 66. Formula Used in Deriving New Public Parking Rates (Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap) 27 67. Protection for Foreign Spouses and Children when Marriages with Singapore Citizens Break Down (Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin) 27 69. Provision of Recycling Bins in Schools to Educate Students on Environmental Responsibility (Miss Cheng Li Hui) 27 70. Possibility of Fare Reduction with New Operating Models for Public Transport (Mr Gan Thiam Poh) 28 72. Use of CPF Savings for Housing Loan for Flats with Less Than 60 Years Lease (Ms Joan Pereira) 29 73. Purchase of Second Property for HDB Flat and Private Property Owners (Mr Zainal Sapari) 30 74. Complaints of Foul Smell during Rubbish Collections (Dr Lim Wee Kiak) 30 76. Legal and Policy Distinction between Legitimate and Illegitimate Children (Mr Kok Heng Leun ) 31 77. List of Registered Medical Practitioners who are Lasting Power of Attorney Certificate Issuers (Ms Joan Pereira) 32 78. Workplace Safety for Female Employees of Child-bearing Age (Ms K Thanaletchimi ) 33 79. Recognition of Medical Certificates Issued by Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners (Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan) 34 81. HDB's Mechanised Parking System at Three Sites (Mr Leon Perera) 35 82. Update on Iskandar Malaysia Project (Er Dr Lee Bee Wah) 36 RECONSTRUCTION OF NOVENA PEDESTRIAN UNDERPASSES 31 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Transport (a) what are the options to reconstruct the two Novena pedestrian underpasses as part of the North-South Corridor project given that the existing underpasses are set to be demolished; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider improving the reconstructed underpasses or linkways to make it more user-friendly to the elderly, disabled and parents with strollers. Mr Khaw Boon Wan: The existing two underpasses connect Goldhill Centre to Novena MRT Station, and Revenue House to Novena Square respectively. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be reconstructing them to connect all four locations. This will be an improvement over today’s situation. LTA will also be installing lifts at the entrances and exits of the reconstructed underpasses. Back to Contents FOSTERING COMMUNITY UNITY WITH SGSECURE 32 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Home Affairs how SGSecure will help foster the unity needed to overcome threats to Singapore. Mr K Shanmugam: SGSecure is a call to action to Singaporeans to unite and prepare for the threat of a terrorist attack. SGSecure builds on the work that we embarked upon in 2006 under the Community Engagement Programme, or CEP. The CEP began as an initiative to preserve and strengthen communal harmony and cohesion in the aftermath of a terror attack. We decided to do this because we saw what happened after the London 7/7 bombings in 2005, when some segments of the community became targets of hate crime. Over time, the CEP expanded its objectives to also prepare our people to be resilient and better prepared for any crisis or emergency. In the last 10 years, the CEP has laid the groundwork and built networks of trust, so that we will stand strong and united. In today’s heightened security climate, it is even more urgent that we continue to strengthen the bonds among our various communities. Terrorist attacks can have a crippling effect on societies that extends beyond the physical devastation. In some instances, we have seen how terrorism has fomented distrust among fellow citizens, making their efforts to stand united and bounce back as one people more challenging. There are lessons for Singapore in this regard. We must ask ourselves how we will react when a terrorist attack happens here, especially if the perpetrators are fellow Singaporeans. Will our communal ties remain strong? Will we be able to overcome suspicion and fear? Will we refrain from pointing fingers, and instead help and support fellow Singaporeans, regardless of race or religion, to overcome the trauma of an attack? To enhance our community response, two key pillars in SGSecure - “Stay United” and “Stay Strong” – will specifically focus on the need for the community to stay united in the aftermath of a terrorist attack, to pull closer together by helping one another, and to be able to bounce back quickly to show that we will not be cowed. SGSecure will be officially launched by the Prime Minister on 24 September. Members will hear more about the SGSecure programmes which MHA and its partner agencies will be rolling out across the various domains, such as schools, workplaces, national service community and community groups. Back to Contents ACTION AGAINST ANTI-SOCIAL NEIGHBOURS 34 Mr Darryl David asked the Minister for National Development what action can be taken towards recalcitrant HDB residents who create persistent problems for their neighbours such as noise pollution, hoarding, cluttering public areas, poor environmental hygiene and disrupting the peace. Mr Lawrence Wong: The approach to take depends on the nature of the issue involved. If there are clear regulatory breaches by these “recalcitrant residents”, then it is best to approach the relevant agency. For instance, if the issue is over obstruction of the common corridor, and there is a clear breach of the rules, then residents can approach the Town Councils. If it is a case of smoking or littering, then NEA will enforce. Or if it is a case of hoarding, then HDB officers will step in to carry out inspections, and if the hoarding is assessed to be excessive, HDB will ask the residents to remove the unwanted items. Sometimes, the anti-social behaviours may not be regulatory breaches but involve private disputes between neighbours. In such cases, we want as much as possible for the individuals concerned to take responsibility and ownership of their own issues. They should first speak to each other and strive to resolve the matter amicably. If the issue cannot be resolved, disputants can seek help from a neutral third party, such as a grassroots leader to facilitate resolution. Such intervention or informal mediation goes a long way to prevent simple conflicts from escalating further. Should informal mediation be unsuccessful, the case can be referred to the Community Mediation Centre (CMC) for mediation. Where the cases involve long-standing and intractable disputes between neighbours, the aggrieved parties can bring a claim to the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals as a last resort. Back to Contents POPULARITY OF PRE-FABRICATED CONSTRUCTION IN BUILDING INDUSTRY 35 Mr Alex Yam Ziming asked the Minister for National Development (a) what has been the overall take-up rate for pre-fabricated construction in the building industry for (i) the public sector and (ii) the private sector; (b) what have been the key benefits of the Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC) method; and (c) how will the Ministry be helping the industry to transit into pre-fabrication over the next few years. Mr Lawrence Wong: In prefabricated construction, on-site construction activities are shifted to factories off-site. Components that are prefabricated in the factory are then transported to work sites for installation. This approach is called Design for Manufacturing and Assembly or DfMA.