Volume 94 Tuesday No 49 1 August 2017 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SINGAPORE OFFICIAL REPORT CONTENTS Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by 3.00pm Page 23, 24, 25, 26. Rejection of Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence Applications (Mr Zainal Sapari, Mr Gan Thiam Poh, Mr Pritam Singh, Mr Lim Biow Chuan) 1 27. Withdrawal of NAC Funding to Author of "State of Emergency" (Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong) 2 28. Feasibility of Public-private Partnership for Sports Hub (Mr Ganesh Rajaram ) 3 29. Breakdown of Programmes that Received Public Service Broadcast Funds (Mr Ganesh Rajaram ) 4 30. Impact of Completion of SUTD and MIT Tie-up (Ms Foo Mee Har) 4 31. Singaporeans in Key Leadership and Management Positions of Autonomous Universities (Mr Lim Biow Chuan) 5 32. Government Investigation of Encrypted Instant Messaging Apps (Mr Seah Kian Peng) 6 33. Raising Maximum Penalty for Unattended Bags at MRT Stations (Miss Cheng Li Hui) 7 34. Impact of Cessation of Sand Import from Cambodia (Mr Pritam Singh) 7 35. Extension of Child Development Account Government Dollar-for-dollar Matching Benefit (Mr Kok Heng Leun) 8 36. Ban of Smoking at Open Windows of Residential Properties (Mr Gan Thiam Poh) 8 38, 39. Cashback Features in Hire-Purchase Schemes (Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng, Dr Tan Wu Meng) 9 40. Enforcement Actions against Illegal Sale of Contraband Cigarettes (Mr Gan Thiam Poh) 12 42. Reach and Effectiveness of Pioneer Generation Disability Assistance Scheme (Mr Leon Perera) 11 43. Protection of Public Hospitals against Security Threats (Ms K Thanaletchimi) 14 44. Preparedness of Our Population for Emergency (Er Dr Lee Bee Wah) 15 45. Proportion of 999 Calls that were Emergencies and Required Police Intervention (Ms Joan Pereira) 17 46. Instructions on Safe Use of Personal Mobility Devices (Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong) 18 47. Percentage of Pro-family and Pro-breast-feeding Companies (Ms K Thanaletchimi) 19 49. Fire Alarms for All HDB Blocks (Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang) 18 2 50. Infestation of Mayflies in Nee Soon South (Er Dr Lee Bee Wah) 21 51. Sightings of Crocodiles in Sembawang (Dr Lim Wee Kiak) 20 55. Standard Bar Code Label on Drugs as Safeguard (Ms K Thanaletchimi) 21 57. Use of CPF Funds for Children's Tuition Fees (Mr Zainal Sapari) 21 58. Paid Annual Home Leave for Foreign Domestic Workers (Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang) 22 59. Actions against Short-term Rentals of Homes (Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye) 23 60. Availability of Heavy Vehicle Lots around HDB Towns (Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry) 23 61. Electric Vehicles for Public Transport and Government Agencies (Mr Ang Hin Kee) 26 62. Checks on Hawkers to Prevent Touting (Ms Joan Pereira) 25 64. Bicycle Location Services for Bike-share Operators (Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye) 25 65. Human Resources Industry's Role in Helping Jobseekers (Mr Liang Eng Hwa) 26 66. Government's Assistance for Developers of Mobile Apps for Foreign Workers (Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong) 27 68. Review of HDB Blocks in Hougang for Lift Upgrading Programme (Mr Png Eng Huat) 28 69. Upgrading Ageing Bus Depots (Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye) 29 70. Parking of Vehicles by Car Rental Companies at Residential Estates (Ms Sylvia Lim) 30 71. Joint Effort between SportSG and Football Association of Singapore to Promote Local Football (Mr Ganesh Rajaram ) 30 72. Career Counselling for Polytechnic Students (Er Dr Lee Bee Wah) 31 73. Index to Track Business Costs by Category (Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry) 31 3 REJECTION OF PRIVATE HIRE CAR DRIVER'S VOCATIONAL LICENCE APPLICATIONS 23 Mr Zainal Sapari asked the Minister for Transport for those whose applications for a Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence have been rejected, whether LTA can reassess their applications to make a more compassionate assessment without compromising the safety and security of commuters. 24 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Transport (a) in the last three years, how many Taxi Driver's Vocational Licences and Bus Driver's Vocational Licences have been granted to applicants who have history of court convictions respectively; and (b) whether LTA will consider granting Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence to applicants with such history of convictions but with proven good track records thereafter. 25 Mr Pritam Singh asked the Minister for Transport (a) how many Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licences have been issued up to end-July 2017; (b) how many applications have been rejected; and (c) of the rejected applications, how many have been issued following an appeal. 26 Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for Transport what are the reasons for refusing to issue vocational driving licences for taxi drivers and private hire car drivers because the drivers have adverse records which are not related to public safety. Mr Khaw Boon Wan: LTA has received about 47,000 Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL) applications, and about 1,600 have been rejected. Applicants are rejected either because they have failed background checks, do not meet the driving experience requirement, or have poor driving records. LTA considers the nature of the offence when assessing applications from ex-offenders for a PDVL. Those who have committed extremely serious offences, such as rape, murder or kidnapping, are barred from obtaining a PDVL for life. Applicants who have committed less serious offences, like theft and cheating, will be barred for a few years from the date of conviction. Other offences which do not pose any threat to commuters, such as forgery, do not attract any debarment. 4 LTA also considers appeals from rejected applicants to see if we can make an exception on a case-by-case basis. Out of 35 appeals considered so far, nine have been accepted. This is similar to how we assess applications for the Taxi Driver's and Bus Driver's Vocational Licences. In the last three years, LTA has granted about 1,500 Taxi Driver's and Bus Driver's Vocational Licences to applicants who have criminal records. This calibrated approach is necessary to strike a balance between giving ex-offenders an opportunity to re-integrate into society while ensuring the safety of passengers. Back to Contents WITHDRAWAL OF NAC FUNDING TO AUTHOR OF "STATE OF EMERGENCY" 27 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) why did the National Arts Council (NAC) withdraw its funding to the author of the book "State of Emergency"; (b) whether the author has failed to comply with any deliverables and, if so, what are the deliverables; and (c) whether the book has failed to comply with any of NAC's requirements and, if so, what is the non-compliance. Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: The author received funding under the Creation Grant Scheme in 2010, which supports the incubation of new works. As with all National Arts Council (NAC) Creation grants, artists and arts groups sign an agreement with NAC upon successful application. This agreement sets out the terms and conditions for the grant. Based on these agreed terms, NAC then disburses this grant in stages. In certain cases, NAC may only be able to partially support projects. For instance, when the artist is unable to meet project milestones that include mutually agreed deliverables and timelines; or when the artist is unable to secure copyright and other clearances; or when the work is assessed not to meet NAC's funding requirements. In this case, the project did not meet the funding requirements mutually agreed upon as the content in the book deviated from the original proposal. Members may want to note that the book has been published in Singapore, and is in circulation in bookstores. Beyond grants for specific projects, NAC's support to artists includes facilitating arts housing, professional development, market and audience development, and arts philanthropy. NAC may support an artist or arts group in other areas, even if it is unable to support a specific 5 project. Back to Contents FEASIBILITY OF PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP FOR SPORTS HUB 28 Mr Ganesh Rajaram asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether the public-private partnership between the Government and the Sports Hub remains viable and sustainable given the recurring concerns over operational, structural and management issues in the past two years; and (b) whether SportSG have officers experienced enough to deal effectively with the consortium managing the Sports Hub. Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Under the Sports Hub public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement, SportsHub Pte Ltd (SHPL) is contracted to design, build, finance and operate the Sports Hub for 25 years. It has delivered a 55,000-seat stadium, 3,000-seat aquatic centre, multi- purpose arena and other facilities. Since the commencement of operations in July 2014, the Sports Hub has played host to major events, including the SEA Games, ASEAN Para Games, National Day Parade, International Champions Cup, HSBC Singapore Rugby 7s and WTA Finals. Given the scale and complexity of the facilities, the project has faced challenges in the first three years of operations. More can and should be done by SHPL to enhance the vibrancy of the Sports Hub, and improve the quality of its calendar of events and programming. As with all major international venues, sustained effort and investment are needed to ensure progress for the project and to build up an exciting events calendar. Sport Singapore (SportSG) is in constant communication with SHPL's management, to ensure that the goals and objectives of the project are met. It has a dedicated team of officers who monitor SHPL's performance closely and holistically.