1.  Mr Baey Yam Keng asked the Minister for National Development under the public rental scheme, if the HDB will consider renting three-room flats to low-income families which cannot afford a purchase flat but need more living space than a two-room flat.

     2.  Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim asked the Minister for National Development what is the demand and supply situation of rental flats offered by the HDB and what is the average waiting time from the time one applies to the time one is allocated a rental flat.

     The Minister of State for National Development (Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien) (for t he Minister for National Development):  Mr Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission to take Question Nos. 1 and 2 together?

     Mr Speaker  Yes.

     Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien :   Currently, HDB has about 42,000 rental flats, of which 1,200 are vacant and available for rent. Each month, 160 rental flats are returned to HDB while 370 eligible applications are received.  Given the limited numbers of rental flats, we need to ensure that rental flats are allocated to only deserving cases without alternative housing options.

  The average waiting time for a rental flat ranges from two to six months, depending on location.  Those who need rental flats urgently can participate in HDB's Daily Selection Scheme where flats are available for immediate selection and allocation on a daily basis.

     HDB has no plans to build 3-room rental flats, as we need to focus our limited resources on meeting the housing needs of as many needy households as possible.  In addition, rental flats also need to remain small so that the rent will be affordable to the families in need. 

     In fact, HDB plans to convert some available 3- and 4-room blocks at Boon Lay and Woodlands into about 1,000 units of 1- and 2-room rental flats.  HDB will also build new 1- and 2-room rental flats in the near future starting with around 1,000 units in the next few years. 

     Dr Lily Neo (Jalan Besar):  May I ask the Minister of State whether she will review the joint singles scheme for those who have lost their spouses or who have no family member or friend to share their rental flat with?  Is it not very difficult for many single elderly to comply with this ruling requring them to share and to live with complete strangers? 

     Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien:  Mr Speaker, as I have mentioned, the need for rental flats is there.  We have a limited stock of rental flats and we have to allocate them carefully.  From a resource allocation perspective, we would prefer to have two singles sharing a 1-room flat.  HDB has facilitated the pairing up in the past.  We do try to put them together and, in some cases, where it is extenuating, as the Member has mentioned, perhaps the demise of a spouse or there are some peculiar personality issues, we have made exceptions.  But from a resource allocation perspective, we want to maximise the limited pool of rental flats that we have and, if possible, get as many needy people housed.  For every 1-room flat that is only occupied by one person and leaving the other vacancies unoccupied, we do have another person basically to house.  From our perspective, with a limited budget, having two singles paired up is the best solution, going forward.

     Mr Baey Yam Keng (Tanjong Pagar):  Mr Speaker, will the Ministry consider, for families which are low-income but larger in size and who may find 1- or 2-room flats too small for their living comfort, opening up 3-room flats for those families in need?  The second question is:  why is it that HDB is appointing commercial marketing agents to market 3-room flats to be rented out at commercial rates?

     Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien:  Mr Speaker, as I mentioned in my answer, we would like to provide as many needy households that are eligible for rental flats as quickly as we can and, therefore, given the very limited stock of rental flats that we have, we would prefer to have them in 1- or 2-room flat size.  To have new 3-room flats at the expense of being able to build two 1-room flats, for example, obviously it is wiser to have more 1-room flats than a single larger room flat, like a 3-room flat.  So, from a resource allocation perspective again, we would stick to 1- or 2-room flats because, as much as we like to provide a shelter for the needy, we would also like to encourage them to own their homes at some point in time, and  comfort is a good reason to encourage them to perhaps start with acquiring a 2-room flat, for example.

      On the issue of management agents renting out 3-room flats, that is really for us to make better use of vacant flats.  They do not come under the Public Rental Scheme. 

     Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong (Tampines):  Sir, some elderly cannot rent a flat in the open market.  They cannot afford to stay in their own flat and they have to sell their flat.  But HDB will come back to them to say that they cannot, because they have to go through a 30-month debarment period.  Not only that, some of them have purchased two flats before.  But these elderly, with medical bills to pay, have no choice but to sell their flat to settle the many bills that they have.  I want to ask the Minister of State whether there is flexibility given for those who have bought two flats before and those who have sold their flats and have to move on to a smaller flat, to give them this rental option.

      The other question is that the Minister of State has been stressing that there is a limited number of flats.  Can I ask the Minister of State whether there is any possibility of increasing the number of rental flats to meet this increasing demand for rental flats?

     Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien:  I will take the second question first.  As I have mentioned in my answer, we are planning to construct new rental flats over the next few years and we are also in the process of converting 3- and 4-room flats into 1- and 2-room rental flats.  That review is done after considering the number of new applications that we have.  We are receiving about 370 eligible applications on a monthly basis.  We have a stock of 1,200 at the moment.  We will be using up our rental stock quite quickly if we are not careful in assigning the rental flats.  That is what we are doing.  We are starting to construct and convert the 3- and 4-room flats into 1- and 2-room rental flats. 

     With regard to the 30-month debarment period rule as well as having sold two flats or more, I think Members would agree with me that the rental flats are heavily subsidised.  For example, for those who earn $800 a month and below, we are charging them $30 for a 1-room flat and $60 for a 2-room flat.  It is highly subsidised and highly attractive, and if we do not have very strict rules, I think it will be very attractive for many to turn to rental flats as an option.  We should keep rental flats to those that are really in need and therefore there are rules, for example, to stop families who have just sold and received a big proceed from their sale of flat, to rent and to look at rental housing as a first choice option.  Having said that, we have exercised discretion and we have granted exceptions to cases that are really deserving. 

    Ms Lee Bee Wah (Ang Mo Kio):  Mr Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister of State whether we can give priority to those families with many young children.  I have a Malay family with four young children, aged between one and four years old, and they will be evicted by their landlord by the end of the month and she has been coming to see me about a rental flat.

     Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien:  We do look at cases on a case-by-case basis.  As I said, we do exercise discretion.

     Dr Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade):  Sir, can I ask the Minister of State for the renewal rate for rental flats?  Can a group of residents who are in the income bracket of $801 to $1,500 per household income per month be considered on a case-by-case basis because these are people who are in a very tight financial situation?

     Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien:  Mr Speaker, we do look at rental revisions very carefully and as much as possible accommodate them by giving advance notice as well as spacing out the increase.  In this case that the Member has mentioned, for income brackets of $800 to $1,500, after the revision, we are talking about a monthly rental of $110 for a 1-room flat and $150 for a 2-room flat.  I believe that for someone who is earning $800 to $1,500, this would be an acceptable amount to pay.  It is actually way below market rate.  The subsidy is very heavy.  But obviously we would apply a principle that if you have the ability to pay, you should pay according to your earning capacity.  In this case, for $800 to $1,500, we have decided to raise the rental progressively.

     Having said that, we were very mindful of the impact on the low-income and that is the reason why we have capped those who are earning $800 and below at rentals of $30 and $60 for 1- and 2-room respectively for the time being.

     Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim (Marine Parade):  Sir, will the Minister of State update the House on the rate of increase on the number of new supply of rental flats that are coming on board annually over the next three years and whether such a supply will be sufficient to cater for the demand of rental flats?

     Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien:  Mr Speaker, as I have mentioned, we have a stock of about 42,000 rental flats.  If you look at it in proportion to our total public housing, that is roughly about 5% of our total stock.  For HDB to set aside 5% for very heavily subsidised rental flats, I think that is a very reasonable proportion.  Having said that, we are mindful of some of the difficulties that some needy families may be going through, particularly in view of possible stagnation of income, and that is the reason for us to embark upon construction as well as conversion programmes.  We are talking about 1,000 to 2,000 units being built or converted over the next few years.

     3.  Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked the Minister for Manpower (a) how many Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) have been re-employed in the last 9 months;  and (b) what efforts has the Ministry taken to create fresh employment opportunities for displaced PMETs, especially in this period of economic growth and recovery.

     4.  Dr Lam Pin Min asked the Minister for Manpower (a) if there are any existing schemes or future plans to assist Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) who are bankrupts and unemployed, in job placement; and (b) if there are measures in place to minimise possible discrimination against them in their bid to look for a job, both in the private and public sector.

     The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Manpower (Mr Hawazi Daipi) (for the Minister for Manpower): Mr Speaker, Sir, may I take Question Nos. 3 and 4 together?

     Mr Speaker:  Yes.

     Mr Hawazi Daipi:  Sir, in tandem with the robust employment growth, the prospects for residents retrenched from PMET jobs in 2006 were much better compared to the three years before.  83% of the residents retrenched from PMET jobs in the first six months of 2006 were re-employed by September 2006, ie, within nine months of retrenchment.  This is a significant improvement compared to 2004 and 2005 where the re-employment rates were 67% and 71% respectively.  The re-employment rate for PMETs as at September 2006 is also higher than the overall resident re-employment rate of 76% for the same period.  Furthermore, the re-employment prospects for retrenched PMETs aged 50 and above had improved dramatically from 54% in 2004, 61% in 2005 to 86% in 2006.

  Unemployment of PMETs has also fallen.  The resident unemployment rate for PMETs has declined steadily from a high of 4.1% in June 2003 to 2.9% in June 2006. This is much lower than the overall resident unemployment rate of 4.5%  in June 2006 and 3.6% in December 2006.

     Nevertheless, we recognise that some PMETs may need help to find a job.  Between January  and December  last year, the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) assisted some 3,800 PMETs to obtain employment through its Public Employment System (PES) and funded some 17,000 PMETs to upgrade their skills via SDF-funded programmes. 

     In addition, other PMET-targeted programmes have been effective in helping many PMETs find work opportunities in wholly new career areas.  For example, since 2003, more than 400 PMETs have been trained and put onto new career pathways in nursing and radiography, under the Strategic Manpower Conversion Programme (SMCP) in Healthcare.  A new programme introduced last year, called the Property Officer Re-skilling Programme, has helped 61 workers holding at least a diploma qualification to be retrained as property officers.  184 workers were placed and trained for the marine and maritime industry, under the ASMI Super V programme in 2006. However, it is ultimately the buoyant economy that will create demand for PMETs, thus allowing them to find employment.   

     MOM's records on complaints of discrimination in hiring practices do not indicate that bankruptcy is a significant factor of discrimination.  In view of this, it is not necessary to have special programmes for job seekers who are bankrupt.  In any case, any programme that is targeted specially at persons who are bankrupt is likely to stigmatise them further.  

     Nevertheless, MOM recognises the importance of fair employment practices in the workplace.  It adopts a promotional and educational approach towards employers, working with the tripartite partners.  A key vehicle is the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP), which is headed by Mdm Halimah Yacob from NTUC and Mr Bob Tan from SNEF.  Amongst other initiatives in its first year, TAFEP has gotten more than 300 companies and organisations to endorse a Pledge of Fair Employment Practices, and has recently partnered Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) to ensure that all job advertisements carried on SPH publications conform to the Tripartite Guidelines on Non-Discriminatory Job Advertisements.

     Dr Lam Pin Min (Ang Mo Kio):  Sir, bankruptcy under the law of Singapore is not an offence and, if there is a Yellow Ribbon Project to help reintegrate ex-convicts into society, I believe there is a need for a similar initiative to give undischarged bankrupts a helping hand to move on in life.  May I ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary if there are any undischarged bankrupts who are employed in the civil service and, if so, how many are there and what are their areas of work?

     Mr Hawazi Daipi:  Sir, I do not have the information.  Indeed, undischarged bankrupts who are unemployed, just like any other unemployed, can reskill themselves in other areas which they may want to learn, to further improve their re-employment capabilities. 

     Sir, I do not have with me the information on the employment or re-employment of undischarged bankrupts in the civil service.

     Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Sembawang):  Sir, whilst it is heartening to hear that 83% of them are re-employed after nine months, may I know what is their pay like?  Do they get back their original pay or is it much lower, compared to what they used to receive?

     Mr Hawazi Daipi:  Sir, salary gains by employees depend very much on the nature of work done, so we do not have the figures about their salary.  We also do not have information about whether they are employed in better jobs or jobs which are paying less, compared to their previous salary.

     Mr Siew Kum Hong (Nominated Member):  Mr Speaker, Sir, given that the Ministry does not track the salary figures, would the Ministry consider asking the Workforce Development Agency to track the information between the jobs that were lost and the new jobs in which they were re-employed, so that, moving forward, the Government would have a much better idea of what kind of re-employment these PMETs are getting?

     Mr Hawazi Daipi:  Sir, we can consider that suggestion.

     Mdm Ho Geok Choo:  Mr Speaker, Sir, I have three supplementary questions for SPS.

     My first question is, with the improved rate of employment among the retrenched PMETs, would the Ministry consider actually tracking the retention of these re-employed PMETs?  If not for anything, it is at least an exercise to gauge how long these re-employed PMETs will stay in employment.

     My second question is that in a globalised economy, we know that retrenchment among PMETs is going to be a recurring problem, even when the economy is good.  In view of this, what other kind of long-term programmes will the Ministry be looking into for the PMETs, especially also for PMETs in the service sector?

     The third question I have has to do with the fact that PMETs represent a very rich pool of talents.  If we do not capitalise on this talent pool, it is really a waste.  Many of the skills and experience may be in demand outside Singapore, but PMETs may not be able to tap these opportunities on their own. Therefore, what plans does the Ministry have in terms of aggregating the talents and experience of these displaced PMETs in order to help them to secure overseas assignments?

     Mr Hawazi Daipi:  Sir, I have mentioned earlier some of the programmes organised by WDA and its related agencies for PMETs.  We already have programmes covering 14 industry sectors - retail, hotel and accommodation services, logistics, healthcare, marine and maritime engineering services, and so on.  These are programmes which are designed to help PMETs to gain new skills, so that they are even more employable, whether for their future use or when they are seeking re-employment.  We can always expand and look for new areas in which we can help PMETs to gain new skills.  But I want to report that we have actually a lot of programmes already running for PMETs. 

     Sir, on whether we can help Singaporean PMETs to find jobs overseas, our best knowledge lies locally.  I think we have a good knowledge about local employment needs, skill needs and employment demand.  It is best to focus our attention on the local market and help our PMETs and job-seekers alike to look at areas in which there are demands for workers. 

     As to securing overseas assignments for PMETs, as more Singapore companies operate overseas, we can widen the network and find out whether there are employment opportunities in Singapore-owned companies overseas.

     5.  Dr Lam Pin Min asked the Minister for Education (a) what is the proportion of Singaporean children who do not attend pre-school education; (b) whether there are any data or statistics to show the benefits of pre-school education or a direct correlation to future academic performance; and (c) whether there is a need to make pre-school education compulsory.

     6.  Dr Lily Neo asked the Minister for Education whether he will consider subsidies for pre-school education for children from lower-income families so as to give these children the opportunity to level up.

     7.  Mrs Josephine Teo asked the Minister for Education (a) if he will provide an update on the number of pre-school education providers in Singapore; and (b) if the Ministry plans to issue guidelines on the fees charged by providers of pre-school education services.

     The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education (Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M) (for the Minister for Education):  Mr Speaker, Sir, allow me to address Question Nos. 5, 6 and 7 together.  The three Questions relate to the pre-school education scene, benefits of pre-school education, and opportunities to level up.

     The pre-school landscape in Singapore is diverse, with various community and private organisations providing a variety of pre-school education programmes to cater to different needs and expectations.  As at 1st January 2007, there are altogether 1,210 kindergartens  and childcare centres offering pre-school education.  Of these, 492 (40.4%) are kindergartens and the rest are childcare centres.  This diversity provides choice for parents to select the most appropriate pre-school education in accordance to their needs and preferences.

     Recent international research suggests that the early childhood years are a sensitive period in which a child's future development can be influenced.  Our own data at MOE indicates that pre-school education is particularly helpful in allowing children from low-income families and non-English speaking families to catch up with their peers. 

     Indeed, the vast majority of parents already recognise the value of pre-school education.  We estimate that roughly 95% of children have received formal pre-school education.  Given this attendance rate and the real choice parents have from a diversity of the pre-school options available, MOE does not see a need to make pre-school education compulsory.

     MOE is therefore targeting its efforts at continuing to uplift the quality of pre-school education, particularly for children from lower-income backgrounds.  Several measures to improve quality have been introduced over the years by MOE, such as developing a curriculum framework, introducing training, qualification requirements for teachers, and accrediting teacher training courses.

     MOE is also working with MCYS, the People's Association and the self-help groups in a coordinated effort to reach out to the small number of families, ie, the 5% that I mentioned just now, who do not already send their children to pre-school and to persuade them to do so.  The success of these joint and targeted efforts will, we hope, have a significant impact on this group of children.

     MOE and MCYS provide operators with guidelines on making fee revisions, but do not control their fees.  For example, pre-schools intending to raise their fees are advised to provide adequate notice to parents about their fee revision plans.

     There are a variety of financial assistance schemes in place to help children from lower-income families.  MCYS provides a fee subsidy under its Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KiFAS).  Families which cannot afford the initial costs related to sending their children to kindergarten may also be considered for a Start-up Grant (SUG) of up to $200 per child per year.  For low-income families with children enrolled in childcare centres, there is also the Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme for Childcare (CFAC) if mothers are also working.  Low-income families can receive up to $300 in childcare subsidies per month.

     For those who need further help, community-based support is available through the grassroots organisations and self-help groups.  For example, CDAC and MENDAKI provide additional financial assistance to needy families under the Pre-School Assistance and Support Scheme (PASS) and Education Trust Fund (ETF) initiatives respectively.  Advisers and grassroots leaders can also tap on the Citizens’ Consultative Committees' (CCC) Welfare and Education Fund, and the ComCare Fund to assist their residents who need financial support to send their children to pre-school.

     Our primary schools are doing good work to help children catch up and realise their potential, regardless of their initial starting point, whether or not they have attended pre-school.  From this year, the enhanced Learning Support Programme (LSP) will be rolled out to all Primary schools, starting with the Primary 1 children.  The enhanced LSP provides a more customised support for children to improve their basic early reading skills.  Similarly, additional support in Mathematics for P1 pupils has also been introduced in all schools this year.  Many schools continue to provide customised support for children needing help in English and Mathematics beyond Primary 2.  Hence, support for these children does extend beyond the pre-school years.

     The rigorous primary school curriculum, coupled with support programmes, builds strong foundations for our children to go on to secondary and post-secondary education.

     Dr Lily Neo:  Mr Speaker, Sir, may I ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary how committed is MOE in wanting to help children from disadvantaged families to get pre-school education?  Has there been any evaluation done to ascertain what are the measures that need to be taken to ensure that these children do get help?  Is it not very important for us to try our best to give these children a better change in life in getting out of their social status?  Why is MOE reluctant to give free education for these children in order to remove one of the most important hurdles, ie, financial, for these families?

     Mr Speaker:  Dr Neo, please keep your views to yourself about reluctance.  Just ask the question.

     Dr Lily Neo:  I will rephrase that.  Will MOE consider free education in order to remove one of the most important hurdles, ie, financial assistance for these families?  As the SPS earlier said that these children can tap financial schemes, such as KiFAS and others for financial assistance, am I not correct to say that these schemes are in fact limited and they only provide temporary and partial assistance and, therefore, do not solve the problems?  Lastly, am I not correct to say that a $48-million opportunity fund has been set up to help children in schools to level up by paying for their co-curricular opportunities, such as going for overseas trips?  If so, why can MOE not prioritise the more important and basic pre-school education for these children?

     Mr Speaker:  You are making speeches again, Dr Neo. 

     Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M:  Mr Speaker, Sir, I will re-emphasise that the MOE is committed to the pre-school scene, although the efforts are directed at this point of time and emphasis is given in helping to level up the children who are needy.  So, it may be indirect in the form of curriculum and teacher upgrading, where they go most, and it is also more directed to the students in need in terms of financial assistance schemes.  I do not believe that the ground reflects that the schemes are inadequate.  I think we need to go for more.

The Many-Helping-Hands scheme that MCYS has put in place would be adequate to meet the needs of the children at hand.

     However, I believe the review to see whether these schemes are adequate or not will continue to be a process that MCYS as well as inputs from MOE will continue to have.

    Mrs Josephine Teo (Bishan-Toa Payoh):  Sir, my views are slightly different from Dr Neo.  For a start, instead of making pre-school education free, could we consider making pre-school education as affordable as primary school education, given that the Ministry recognises the value of pre-school education, particularly for lower-income families?

     Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M:  Mr Speaker, Sir, my answer remains the same.  It is a targeted approach.  It is a question of how we target our approach, giving subsidies to everybody or giving financial aid to those who really need help. The structures and the schemes are already available through the KiFAS, the self-help groups as well as other schemes under the CCC or other conditions that may be able to help this group of children.

     Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Hong Kah): I would like to take this beyond the welfare portion.  Where does the Government then stand on when compulsory education or even fundamental education should be funded by the Government start?  Should it be at K1 or P1?  The amount of resources that you are putting in seems to be moving into pre-school as well.  Should pre-school education be Government-funded, the way we fund primary education, for example?

     Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M:  It is certainly not the same, the way funding is given. The funding for primary education is quite separate from compulsory education. Compulsory education compels people to attend school.  It does not actually mean free education. So it is quite a separate issue altogether. The funding for pre-school is targeted at this point of time for the primary needs of those in need as well as to upgrade the skills of the teachers in the industry. So there have been a lot of efforts to put in resources to upgrade the teachers' skills, qualifications as well as the curriculum framework to help all children attending pre-school education to attain the same good standards for all.

     8.  Mdm Cynthia Phua asked the Minister for Health (a) how are our medical training programmes and facilities at hospitals oriented towards coping with the needs of an ageing population; (b) how many of our doctors are trained in gerontology; and (c) whether there are plans to set up a special centre for gerontology in Singapore.

     The Minister of State for Health (Mr Heng Chee How) (for the Minister for Health):  Sir, as our population ages, the skills of our healthcare professionals and the care facilities will need to change to meet evolving patient needs.
 
     To help doctors prepare for the care of the elderly, Geriatric Medicine is now a core module for undergraduate medical training. The Ministry has also taken steps to increase the exposure of doctors to this field and to encourage more to take up this specialty. Today, there are over 40 geriatricians in Singapore, and this is double the number in 2002.  In addition, we have 46 doctors who completed the NUS Graduate Diploma in Geriatric Medicine over the last five years.

     Efforts are also in place to prepare nurses to take care of our elderly patients. Over the past 10 years, 177 nurses have been trained in Gerontology under the Nanyang Polytechnic’s Advanced Diploma Programme. The NUS Master of Nursing programme also offers Gerontology as an area of specialisation. 

     Given that elderly patients tend to have multiple medical needs, all restructured hospitals have in place geriatric departments or services which work closely with other specialties to coordinate care for elderly patients. Some hospitals also arrange for their geriatricians and other specialists to provide continued care for patients when they are transferred to community hospitals for rehabilitation.

     Besides specialist care within hospitals, there is also an important role for Family Physicians in helping society deal with the health challenges of an ageing population.  A good Family Physician will know the medical history of his patient well and is in the best position to help coordinate that patient’s need for specialist care.

      In this regard, MOH has made changes to the training programme for family physicians to better prepare them for an ageing population. Elderly care is now a compulsory module for all family medicine training programmes.

     In addition, from May 2007 onwards, all trainees in Family Medicine will go through a compulsory posting in hospital geriatrics departments. They will also be given the option to do additional posting in community hospitals.

     Finally, we are not aware of any plan to set up a special centre for gerontology. 

      Mdm Cynthia Phua (Aljunied):  Sir, I would like to ask MOS whether we have a section on gerontology in the polyclinics now.  If not, are there plans to set up, because a lot of our residents are now going to polyclinics for such help?

    My second question is:  what are the three top common ailments among the elderly?

    The third question is:  how is the physiotherapy department coping with the demand now?  If there is a shortage of these physiotherapists, what are the plans to address this problem?

     Mr Heng Chee How: Sir, on the different ailments of the elderly, you can divide them into diseases that become more prevalent as one ages, as well as the risk associated with one's physical condition as one ages.  On both fronts, we will have to put in efforts.  We know that recently, the Ministry has introduced a chronic disease management programme. This one actually takes the society from the point of middle-age onwards and we have included four diseases in that programme - diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and stroke.  The idea is to say that, as we prepare an ageing society to better take care of itself, we also organise the resources, both in the community as well as in the medical community, to gear up for this increasing need.  These are not the only four diseases, but certainly, these would be diseases that we would want to care for.  Obviously, as one ages, there will be other diseases, such as Alzheimers, for example, that would also become more prevalent.  So there is a wide range.  I do not have the exact rank order to provide to the Member.  But, certainly, we will have to address that.

    In terms of the risk to the physical condition of the elderly, we all know that falls and hip fractures, for example, would be one category.  It is something that we can do a lot about, both in terms of how do you help an elderly person who has suffered a fall to recover, and also at the same time, what can be done within the home setting, for example, to prevent these occurrences.  I want to address the concern of the Member by saying that it is not only the medical facilities that we have got to look at, but it is an entire societal effort.  Certainly, within the medical side of things, the emphasis is on what we call "right siting". What do we mean by "right siting"?  It means that we try to address the needs as close to the community and as close to the person as possible, rather than to wait for a deterioration and for this person to be bumped around in a complex organisation and finally ending up in acute care which is actually very expensive and perhaps too late.  So it is precisely in this connection that we have and will continue to emphasise the role of family physicians and how we can better equip them. These GPs are the best gatekeepers in helping to refer our elderly patients in a familiar setting for the help that they need. Certainly, in this regard, our polyclinics is also part of this community network and we will look at our facilities there and to adjust to the needs.

    In the area of training up more manpower of the right kind to address this need, I have already earlier given some figures.

     Mdm Halimah Yacob (Jurong):  I would like to ask MOS, in line with the wish on the part of MOH to keep the elderly sick at home and in the community, are there plans on the part of MOH to intensify efforts to help caregivers take care of the elderly sick at home because the services and facilities currently available are extremely lacking?

     Mr Heng Chee How:  Sir, I would agree with the Member that, as a society, much more can and should be done in the area of preparing all of us to take better care of the elderly in a home setting and in a community setting.

     On the question of specific examples of what could be done, I recently visited the Jurong Medical Centre. There, I saw a particular section that has been constructed, specialising not only in showing people how they could configure the home setting in order to better provide for the safety, comfort and care of the elderly, but they also emphasise on the training of caregivers to use in the correct way such equipment and to provide such care. That is for family members.  I believe that the Jurong Medical Centre is one good example, but there are other programmes in the other institutions as well.   

     Beyond that, I would also like to say it is the on-going participation of the community in better understanding the risks involved in the care of our elderly and how we can exchange this information and, as a result, pick up more knowledge as a society, moving forward, and improve this programme as we go along.

     Mr Sin Boon Ann (Tampines):  I am glad to learn from the Minister of State that the Ministry is looking at the right sizing of the care institutions. What I want to hear from the Minister is whether or not the Ministry is also working towards right timing because one of the concerns is that when you need medical attention, you do not need to wait nine months to see a specialist when the time comes. 

    Mr Heng Chee How:  Sir, just to clarify, I said "right siting" and not "right sizing", meaning as close to the community as possible.

    With regard to right timing, the Ministry assures the Member and this House that first, nobody who requires medical care will be denied it on account of a lack of means and that each person will be attended to according to the urgency of his need as assessed by medical practitioners.

     9.  Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Health (a) if he can provide statistics on the balances remaining in the Medisave accounts of CPF members when they pass away; and (b)  if further liberalisation of the Medisave scheme can be made if the statistics show that the average balance is large, such as using Medisave for payments for peripherals related to hospitalisation or serious illness.

     The Minister for Health (Mr Khaw Boon Wan):  Sir, among the Singaporeans who passed away after the age of 65, their average Medisave balance was about $3,500.  In fact, about 60% of all Singaporeans, and this is regardless of age, both young and old, had less than $2,500 in their Medisave Accounts at the time they passed away.

     Looking at this data, my view is that generally we are not over-saving in Medisave.  If anything, my concern is that most Singaporeans are under-saving for Medisave.  We should therefore be careful not to allow Medisave to stray too far away from its original purpose, which is to ensure that Singaporeans have enough savings for their hospitalisation at the Class B2 or C level.

   However, among the higher-income group, some have very healthy Medisave balances and are still working and contributing towards their Medisave.  There is scope to allow such account holders to make larger withdrawals from their Medisave when they use the unsubsidised wards.  I will announce the details soon. 

     Mr Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah):   In light of the reply, will the Minister consider allowing patients who are suffering from terminal illness to use this $3,500 average more liberally, for example, for payment for peripherals related to hospitalisation?

     Secondly, on the Minister's point of under-saving, I think it needs to be appreciated that when a patient contributes $100 per month to Medisave, it would have taken him three years to save $3,500. So how can this be taken into consideration in liberalising its use amongst terminal patients?

    Mr Khaw Boon Wan:  Sir, for terminal illness, there is a wide range of illnesses and, therefore, the treatment requirements vary and the consequential funds that they need also vary.  So we have to look at each case.  But as a policy, we apply certain general rules.  I have been liberalising, the last few months, the withdrawal quantums and, by and large, my sense is that the measures are adequate.  On average, these patients, when they die, have about $3,000 in their account.  You cannot drive it down to zero because we are talking about average here.  If we drive it down to zero, then there will be many accounts which are below zero, that means, they run out while alive.  We have to take that into account.  But for patients whose hospitalisation was their last hospitalisation, I changed the rule last year to allow the whole bill to be paid off for those who died in hospital.

    What is the Member's second question?

     Mr Christopher de Souza:  It relates to the first on the Minister's point about under-saving.  If somebody had $100 per month contribution to Medisave, he would have to wait three years to accumulate $3,500. Therefore, does the Minister not think that that can be taken into consideration in liberalising Medisave for terminal illness patients?

     Mr Khaw Boon Wan:  For somebody who is contributing $100 per month, he must be earning a few thousand dollars. For such account holders, his Medisave account would have been quite sizeable, and I have been liberalising Medisave for this group of patients.

But your point is about such account holder who has a terminal illness. Are you saying he is under-saving or over-saving?  I do not quite follow your point.

     Mr Christopher de Souza:  My point is that if it is $100 per month, you are well-to-do enough to contribute the $100 per month.  Then, if you are contributing less than $100 per month, it would take you years to accumulate $3,500, which is the average.  In that sense, it cannot be deemed as an under-saving.  It should be further liberalised.

     Mr Khaw Boon Wan:   We have almost three million account holders of various demographics.  It is hard to generalise.  But, as I said, as a nation-wide policy, I can only set broad rules that cover the majority.  Whether you are under-saving or over-saving, it also depends on your health conditions.  You could be from the lower-income group, but if you stay healthy, and you hardly use hospital treatment, your account may be sufficient.  Or, as you said, you could be contributing $100 a month but, let us say, bad luck, you have a lot of illnesses, you are depleting your Medisave account, then you will be under-saving. The critical point for Singaporeans is this:  when you work, save in Medisave.  And when you have Medisave, please buy MediShield both for yourself and for your family (children and spouses), and then for those who, despite Medisave and MediShield, still drop out of the safety net, we have Medifund.  And in a couple of hours' time, you will hear the fourth pillar to our social security system. 

   The key is to make sure that every Singaporean gets into these social security pillars.  That is the key.  If you are not in, you decide to stay out, then I think that will be rough for the family.

     Assoc. Prof. Kalyani K Mehta (Nominated Member):  Mr Speaker, Sir, would the Minister consider the use of Medisave of the individual or a family member for respite care in a nursing home, for a short-term period, say, for example, the caregiver (the child) wants to take a holiday or take a break and the elderly person is in need of supervision in relation to medical care?  Right now, as I understand, it is the policy to pay cash upfront for respite care and this is sometimes quite tough on the family caregivers.

    Mr Khaw Boon Wan:  I reminded Members just now that Medisave was designed for a specific purpose and we should not forget that.  Medisave cannot solve all medical problems.  It is highly focused and for it to be effective, we should stay focused.  We started it 22 years ago specifically to look after hospitalisation needs and that is why the contribution rates are designed that way.  If, however, you want Medisave to be also used for other purposes, then, clearly, the contribution rate of 6% has to be raised to a higher level, which I do not think is advisable.  I hope that answers the Member's question.

     10.  Mr Seah Kian Peng asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs whether there has been an increase in the incidence of theft of public property such as lightning strips and metal railings and, if so, what measures are being taken to minimise them.

     The Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs (Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee) (for the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs):  Mr Speaker, Sir, the number of theft cases involving metals increased considerably last year. About 1,100 such cases were reported, representing an increase of some 570 cases (or about double the number) as compared to 2005. This increase can be attributed to opportunistic criminals capitalising on rising metal prices by stealing various metallic items for sale as scrap metal. Fuelled by the high demand in countries such as China and India, the price of metal is expected to rise even further in the next few years.

     As to the types of goods stolen, they comprise cables and wires (44%), raw materials (9%), lightning conductors (6%) and urns (5%).  These were among the most common items stolen last year.  Other items include metal pipes, bars, strips, dry-riser lugs, signs and drain covers. 

     Of these theft cases, items made of copper accounted for about some 62%, followed by those made of aluminium (13%). The remaining cases involved other types of metals, such as stainless steel, steel, brass and bronze. This trend reflects the price increases of both aluminium and copper compared to steel.   The total value of metallic items stolen last year was estimated at about S$4 million. 

     Sir, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) has adopted a three-pronged strategy to combat this phenomenon, encompassing, firstly, enforcement; secondly, creating awareness; and, thirdly, prevention measures.

     Towards this end, Police has stepped up enforcement efforts against both thieves and errant dealers.  Hence, last year, Police arrested a total of 200 persons for committing 150 cases of metal theft.  MHA also recently amended the Secondhand Dealers Act, introducing a more focused approach to specifically provide for the inclusion of "cables and wires made of copper" in the Second Schedule list of secondhand goods to be covered under the Act.  Other key changes include requiring the buyer’s details to be amongst details required to be submitted by the dealers to Police, and also increasing penalties for greater deterrence.  In this way, we will more effectively deal with the disposal of such stolen goods by secondhand goods dealers, otherwise known as "fencing".

     To create awareness, SPF will conduct briefings and issue crime advisories to licensed scrap yard dealers to alert them of this crime trend and the consequences if they are found to have transacted in stolen metal items.  Through public education campaigns, Police intends to solicit public assistance to act as its eyes and ears to deter such crimes.  In addition, SPF has engaged stakeholders, such as PowerGrid, HDB, Town Councils, Singapore Cable Vision and NParks, to improve their respective crime prevention measures.  As a result of this collaboration, useful measures, such as the embossing of metal items with organisational identification, replacing of metal with alternative materials such as concrete, and beefing up patrols by their own personnel, have been implemented.

     Let me assure Members that Police will do its best to keep the metal theft situation in check.  Let me also urge the public to play a part by being more vigilant.  Some culprits are able to steal in broad daylight as witnesses assume that they are legitimate workers engaged to remove the metal items.  If Singaporeans see such suspicious activities, they should immediately call the Police or town councils for verification or assistance.

     Mr Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade):  Sir, offenders who commit such crimes now are charged under the Vandalism Act, I believe.  But thieves who steal lightning conductors are not mere vandals.  Given the surge in such cases, in fact more than 100%, I want to ask the Ministry whether they can consider more effective deterrent measures, including making the punishment a lot stiffer.

     Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee:   Sir, I believe that the legislative arsenal which is now available is adequate because offenders can be charged under different sections, depending on the severity of the offence, number of items taken and whether they have antecedents.  These include section 379, which is theft under the Penal Code and also vandalism, as the Member has mentioned.  Under section 3 of the Vandalism Act, besides attracting a penalty of imprisonment of up to three years, it also attracts mandatory caning of at least three strokes.  So I think that is pretty tough already.  Indeed, those with antecedents can also be subject to the corrective training regime, and some have indeed been punished under the corrective training regime which has a mandatory punishment of five years. 

     Let me assure the Member that we will continue to monitor not just the punishment regime but the entire slew of measures that we have taken. The somewhat assuring news is that when this problem surfaced last year, it reached a high of about 131 cases in August, but it trended down to about 80 in December but went up a bit in January to 112.  So it is not, of course, a time to claim victory.  But let me say that the collective measures taken by everybody, in particular, the stakeholders, are important.  So HDB has taken some measures. For example, NParks has taken measures to replace their metal bollards with concrete bollards.  Community vigilance is also important because some of these things are stolen at night.  If Singaporeans see these people loitering around, they should alert the Police.  I think it was Mayor Zainudin who was interviewed together with Mr Seah Kian Peng in a The New Paper article who called for community vigilance.  So, let us work together.  Let me assure Mr Seah that, indeed, I will personally monitor the trend and see whether tougher actions are necessary.

     Dr Teo Ho Pin (Bukit Panjang):  Sir, may I ask the Senior Minister of State what is the profile of these offenders?  Are they mainly locals?

     Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee:  Sir, of the 200 offenders who were caught last year, about half were foreigners and half were locals.

     11.  Ms Cham Hui Fong asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports what financial programmes are there to assist low income sole breadwinners to look after their disabled children and elderly parents, as tax relief is of no benefit to them.

     The Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports (Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon) (for the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports):   Mr Speaker, Sir, the Government's ComCare social assistance schemes to assist low-income breadwinners are based on Workfare principles, whereby those who are willing to help themselves through work would be encouraged and facilitated to do so.  We believe that work is the best form of welfare, and individuals should take responsibility for their own lives.  

     We subsidise childcare and student care to help low-income parents go out to work. These subsidies were increased under the Workfare package that was introduced last year to help low-wage workers.

     In addition, through the many-helping-hands approach, we partner with Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) in the community to ensure that there is a broad range of services available to help low-income families care for their elderly dependants or disabled children, so that they are able to go out to work.  For the elderly, the services range from Day Care Services to Home Help Services.  For children with disabilities, these include the Early Intervention for Infants and Children Programme, integrated child care programme, special student care and special education schools for children up to 18 years of age.  We have also set up the ENABLE fund last year to encourage employers to make that first step of employing persons with disabilities.

     The Government and the Community Chest help to co-fund these services to ensure that the cost of these services is affordable for low-income Singaporeans.  The subsidies that MCYS provides to assist needy Singaporeans, under the ComCare last year, were about $68 million, out of which the subsidies for the elderly were $3.1 million and $4.8 million for the disabled children.  The VWOs complement these subsidies with fund-raising efforts to assist needy families, for example, by waiving part or all of the fees.     

     We also recognise that healthcare costs can be a major expense for those who are caring for the elderly or the disabled.  The Government therefore provides significant healthcare subsidies for Singaporeans.  Lower-income Singaporeans who cannot afford to pay for their hospital bills despite the Government subsidies, Medisave and MediShield, may also tap on Medifund for additional help. 

     Low-income sole breadwinners who need more help with their living expenses in caring for their disabled children and elderly parents, can also approach their Community Development Councils for assistance.

    In addition, the caregiving needs of low-income families with elderly and disabled dependants will be addressed by the newly formed Ministerial Committee overseeing ageing issues, to be chaired by Minister Lim Boon Heng, and the inter-Ministry efforts on disability issues co-ordinated by MCYS.  So I urge Members to give feedback and suggestions for us to consider when we come up with a comprehensive package to solve these two problems.

     Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng (Jalan Besar):  I am often baffled by the numerous financial assistance schemes and different assistance schemes for the low-income families.  I wonder if the Ministry can consider doing a more user-centred communication package to help the low income and possibly uneducated families make sense of all the schemes that are available to them, and that might also help the Members in this House.

     Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon:  Yes, I am sure the suggestion is very useful.  I just want to inform the House that we are now trying to develop a package for all the advisors as well as the CCC ComCare helpers, and also to give them some training as well as to share good practices.  The package will give them an idea about the three key pillars which we mentioned a few times in this House. You can divide the ComCare help into three big areas. One is self-reliance.  Self-reliance includes Workfare.  Workfare means anything about job or self-sufficiency which is under this pillar.  The second pillar is ComCare Grow.  Anything about children, KiFAS and CFAC is under ComCare Grow.  And anything about the disabled and elderly is ComCare EnAble.  So if you can remember these three big areas, when people come to you, you can just refer to them.  

     We are also trying to develop a database to see how we can help the CDCs. At the same time, we are also thinking of setting up a hotline.  Of course, the number should be repetitive which is easier for the old people to remember.  So I think we will look into the mechanism and how to set  up this hotline.  But we will announce it in a few months' time so that when an old person calls, you will not have an automatic voice answering service. We want to have a personal touch in this area. 

     Mdm Ho Geok Choo:  Sir, to a certain extent, we are all actually suffering from information overload.  While all the packages that have been outlined are going to be very useful for us over the long term, I am just thinking, in the short term, whether MCYS would consider deploying some officials, whether be they from the social services or MCYS itself, to assist the grassroots leaders and advisors in the comprehension of all these packages so that it helps to facilitate a more speedier approach when it comes to dispensing all these assistance programmes.

     Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon:  If you read the newspapers a few days ago, all the Mayors had launched this ComCare network.  The purpose is to get the Mayors to drive this platform by getting all the local grassroots organisations, for example, RCs, CCCs and VWOs of your area, together with the Advisors, to coordinate and deliver the social services more effectively on the ground.  At the same time, we have announced that MCYS has come out with $1 million to train the grassroots leaders and also enable PA to hire a few more staff to help to coordinate this.  So I think we need "many helping hands", like we said, and also we hope that all of us could maybe read more and simplify in our own way the key messages we want to know.

     12.  Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether he will consider changing the schedule on the payment, including the issue of late payment penalty, and refund of GST for businesses, to help small and medium enterprises manage the impact on their cashflow.

     The Minister of State for Finance (Mrs Lim Hwee Hua) (for the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance):  Sir, first, let me assure the House that the existing schedules for GST payments are not unreasonable. Businesses only need to make payment of GST to IRAS after deducting the relevant input GST incurred from the output GST collected by them.  They have one month from the end of their prescribed accounting period to do so.  In fact, businesses that pay via GIRO have up to 45 days to pay the net output GST that they have collected on behalf of IRAS.

     Businesses can choose their prescribed accounting period to be either quarterly or monthly. Most businesses choose a quarterly accounting period. This means that they would effectively enjoy a net cash float from the output GST collected during the quarter. As GST is actually money collected by the businesses on behalf of the Government, there is no reason to extend the one-month period to allow businesses to keep GST money for a longer period. For the same reason, a late payment penalty is necessary to enforce prompt payment. 

     For GST refunds sought by businesses from IRAS, so far, 90% have been processed within eight days and 95% within 30 days. The 5% of cases that require a longer processing time are those where the claims have to be verified before the refunds can be made.  Nonetheless, IRAS will continue to seek improvements in its current service standards.  Alternatively, if businesses want to receive refunds more regularly, they can opt for a more frequent accounting period of one month, instead of the quarterly accounting period of three months. The faster turnaround under the monthly GST filings should also help with businesses’ cash flow.

     Mr Siew Kum Hong:  Mr Speaker, Sir, it is expected that the GST rate will be increased and I think we will find out just how much in a couple of hours.

     Mr Speaker:  Do not pre-empt, Mr Siew.

     Mr Siew Kum Hong:  This will result in many more enterprises registering for GST, and they will be unfamiliar with the system.  However, IRAS has announced that they will charge for tax rulings on GST.  So I have two supplementary questions for the Minister of State.  Firstly, what is the rationale for imposing such a charge, especially at this time?  And, secondly, would IRAS consider a grace period for newly-registered enterprises where it will not charge for tax rulings?  So it would be a sort of amnesty period.

     Mrs Lim Hwee Hua:   Sir, as for levying a charge for advance ruling, this is, in a way, to counter the cost savings that companies would realise by having the advantage of an advance ruling.  As regards the special arrangement that might come about from helping businesses to register for GST compliance, I shall leave the Member to await the Minister's statement afterwards.

     Ms Lee Bee Wah: Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister of State, for the service industry, correct me if I am wrong, once it is invoiced, we send an invoice out, we have to pay the GST regardless of whether we collect the payment or not.  If this is true, would the Ministry consider "pay when paid"?

     Mrs Lim Hwee Hua:   Sir, allow me to put the situation in context.  Currently, most GST-registered persons do not have difficulties in paying GST to IRAS.  In 2006, 93.4% of GST-registered persons actually paid GST on time.  The amount that is actually not paid on time is only about 5% of the GST collection.  Having said that, for businesses that have special circumstances or experience genuine financial hardship, IRAS would certainly help them tide over the financial difficulty by granting monthly instalments with the late payment penalties.

     13.  Ms Lee Bee Wah asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) since the introduction of the "No Wrong Door" policy in 2004, whether there has been any feedback on how this scheme has worked out; and (b) will his Ministry look at ways to give more publicity to this scheme as it may not be widely known by the public.

     The Minister for Defence (Mr Teo Chee Hean) (for the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance):  Mr Speaker, the Public Service is a large organisation and it does have many agencies and departments, each with different responsibilities.  Fortunately, most members of the public do know which are the appropriate agencies to approach if they do have a particular issue.  And we have facilities like the eCitizen portal which all different Government departments can be accessed.  So we do assist members of the public to approach the appropriate agencies.  However, it is possible that, in spite of this, there will be particular issues which members of the public are not sure which agency to approach to have the issues resolved.  So in 2004, the Public Service introduced the 'No Wrong Door' policy so that members of the public do not get referred from one agency to another when they have an issue for the Government to resolve. 

     Under this policy, when a public agency receives a query or feedback on an issue that does not fall under its purview, it should identify the agency responsible for the issue and put it in touch with the person who submitted the query or feedback. If the issue involves multiple agencies, then the agency who receives the query is to coordinate and put up an integrated response.  Hence, the name 'No Wrong Door'. 

    The key to the implementation of the policy lies in public officers being helpful and being able to make the connection and do the necessary coordination behind the scene.  So when the policy works smoothly, the member of the public need not even know that such a policy exists.

     For this reason, the Public Service has focused its efforts on emphasising the importance of the policy to public officers through induction and training programmes, and urging public agencies to put in place processes to implement the policy smoothly.   

     We have observed that most public agencies have actively implemented the 'No Wrong Door' policy although we still do get lapses.  While we have not officially solicited feedback from the public on this policy, we are aware that some public officers have been commended by the public for helping to put them in touch with the relevant agencies to solve their problems.  We will continue to remind all public agencies and officers to practise the policy consistently. 

     Then, when the policy does not work properly, we also get to hear about it pretty quickly.  Of course, there are some complex issues and sometimes not clear where the issue falls under, and the 'No Wrong Door' policy may not work well.  But overall, the policy has brought convenience to members of the public and the Public Service will continue to try and improve and do better all the time.

     Ms Lee Bee Wah:   Sir, I have three supplementary questions.  First, does this 'No Wrong Door' policy also extend to those residents in the private estates who need help for their environmental problems, such as mosquito breeding, no one cleans the road, drain or prunes the trees?

     Question 2: what can the residents do if they call the Government agency and were told off very rudely by the person who picked up the call just because he had called the wrong number or department?

     And question 3: will the Ministry take into consideration the effectiveness of the civil servants when it comes to salary increments, that is, for those who are not service-oriented or those who introduced policies that incurred cost for no good reason will not have any pay increment, and vice versa?

     Mr Teo Chee Hean:   Mr Speaker, Sir, supplementary question 1, does it apply to residents of private estates?  Certainly, it does.  It applies to all members of the public, including those who live in private estates.  Secondly, what can they do?  If they do encounter rude civil servants, I think there are hotline numbers which they can call to complain, or they can go and see their Member of Parliament and complain; sometimes, they came to see me too.  These are avenues which are possible, which are open.  And certainly, the approach that the officers take towards members of the public and how they deal with members of the public is one factor which is taken into account in their overall assessment.

If an officer, whose duty is to interact with the public and serve members of the public, is unable to do so properly, obviously the officer will not be assessed very highly.

     Dr Teo Ho Pin:  Sir, may I ask the Minister whether the Government can consider setting up a national hotline on Government services, so that all Singaporeans and people in Singapore can call if they want to enquire on Government services, ie, a phone line, not E-Citizen Portal.

     Mr Teo Chee Hean:  As I said, Mr Speaker, most members of the public do know where to approach.  For example, the previous question from the Member, even if we have a mosquito problem, I think most Singaporeans know that if you call the NEA, these are issues that will be addressed.  So if you have one hotline for which all the calls go to, it will create an enormous bottleneck, which may not achieve the purpose which the Member is after, which is improved service.

     14.  Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Transport if he will give an assessment of the efficacy of Electronic Road Pricing in alleviating traffic congestion along the Central Expressway.

     The Minister for Transport (Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat):  Mr Speaker, Sir, the implementation of ERP along the northbound and southbound CTE has helped keep average speeds within the optimal range of 45-65 kph during the morning and evening peak period. The average speeds on the alternative arterial roads are also within the threshold speeds of 20-30 kph.

     While traffic may still be heavy on the CTE, the average speeds are better than before ERP was imposed.  For example, before evening ERP was implemented, average speeds were about 25 kph during the period from 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm when traffic flow was heaviest.  With the ERP, the speeds have crossed 45 kph, which is within our optimal speed range.  If we had not implemented evening ERP, we would expect that average speeds would have gone down to well below 25 kph by now, possibly resulting in a gridlock situation.

     However, the situation is never static, as the improvement in travel speed will wear off over time as the car population grows and more drivers feel that it is worthwhile paying the charge for the reduction in traveling time.  Hence, the LTA needs to constantly monitor the traffic situation and make timely adjustments to deal with it.

     Ms Sylvia Lim (Non-Constituency Member):  Sir, I think if we look at the history of the ERP rate adjustments along the CTE, we can see that there has actually been a steady increase from 1999 to-date.  In fact, for some gantries, the rates have gone up from $2 to $4, and it has actually been particularly acute from August last year to February this year when there was the latest round of increase.  So, Sir, it appears that the cars are still coming back onto the CTE.  And because of this, I have a few supplementary questions.

     The first is that it seems to me that the residential population in the north and northeast of Singapore will continue to grow, based on the fact that there are still empty flats in some housing estates, as well as new condominium developments.  So does the Minister agree with me that we can expect further demand to use the CTE city-bound, and also in the evenings coming back towards the north?

     Secondly, Sir, all car users receive the same rebates for the implementation of ERP.  And I wonder if the Minister would agree with me that users of the CTE, paying the highest rates, actually are bearing a disproportionate amount of the road charges for living in the north and having to work in the city.

     Thirdly, Sir, can the Minister tell us if there are any plans to control the car population, whether by way of COEs available or, perhaps, reviewing the financing rules on vehicle ownership?

     Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat:  I think it is useful to look at this issue in perspective.  When it comes to the problem of urban transport, there is no single solution.  So you often need a holistic approach to solve it.  The issue with the CTE is that, basically, you have demand for road space during peak period where the demand exceeds the supply.  It is finite - the particular road space.  And how is the best way to deal with it?  Well, the best way, the most direct way, is through a pricing mechanism.  So you have a choice:  you decide whether you want to travel during that particular period of time or change the time; to use a different mode of travel, a different route, or not to make that particular trip at all.  You are given a choice.  So, that is the most efficient way, but, by itself, it is not enough.  You need other measures.

     So, in response to her first question, developments in the north and northeast sector, do we take that into account, yes, we work very closely with MND on this, because it is really urban planning, eg, where the residential sites are, where the business centres and commercial centres are, etc, and then we build the infrastructure accordingly.  So for the north, northeast sector, besides the CTE, we are going to build the Kallang/Paya Lebar Expressway, which is new capacity, and that should help to reduce congestion.  And along the CTE itself, we will be widening the CTE between Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3.

     The second question she has is, if you are travelling in that particular sector, are you bearing an extra cost?  It is really a matter of choice.  You have to decide whether or not you want to pay the charge in order to have a faster speed of travel.  It is not something which is imposed on you.

     In terms of car population, that is a good question, something that we have to balance.  Part of the problem is that, if the car population continues to grow, then, of course, it would put pressure on the infrastructure, and we need to strike a balance between car population growth, ERP and the amount of roads that we can put into Singapore because it is so finite.  And one of the things that is worth emphasising is that we are very different from other cities.  We are not a city within a country.  The city is the country itself.  Everything that you see in a country is within the city, whether it be business centre or military base, you cannot push it out, it is all here.  So the space is extremely finite.  We need to use a whole range of instruments, not just ERP pricing.  We need a good road network, we need to have good public transport and proper and integrated land use and transport planning - the whole range.

     Mr Low Thia Khiang (Hougang):  Sir, the Minister just mentioned that the price mechanism is, to him, the best way to solving the traffic problem in the city.  I would like to ask the Minister what is his response to a motorist's comment and feeling that the price mechanism employed, especially on the CTE, serves as a means to squeeze money from a motorist and, at the same time, also face the same jam?  So, you pay the money but, at the same time, you also face the traffic jam.  What is his comment on that?

     Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat:  That is actually factually inaccurate.  Since we introduced the ERP, if we look at the numbers, the revenue has actually come down.  Compared to the ALS, it is down by about 20 per cent.  And the pricing actually changes.  So, if we look at, say, since it was introduced in 1998 till now, have ERP rates gone down?  Yes, it has gone down, various periods.  In fact, in 1999 and 2003, it went down - certain periods.  2004, it went down.  So it is not a revenue-raising exercise like the Member said, nor do we intend to squeeze people.  We are trying to match an imbalance between the demand, as I said, for finite road space, over that period of time, and the supply.  So how best to do it?  And I did not say that that was the only way.  I think it is the most direct way but we need other things to solve this problem.  There is no silver bullet to this.  So it has to be all these measures and we have to keep on adjusting them all the time to try to address this problem.

     Mr Chiam See Tong (Potong Pasir):  Does the Minister know that at the ERP gantry at the CTE and Braddell Road junction, there is always a traffic jam, both in the afternoon and in the morning?

     Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat:  You are talking before the gantry point?  At the gantry point?

     Mr Chiam See Tong:  Yes.

     Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat:  Actually, it starts to thin down, because I have gone down there.  You are talking before the run up to the gantry point?

     Mr Chiam See Tong:  Yes.

     Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat:  Yes, it gets congested and we are monitoring that.  We have to monitor to see the speed.  LTA had to make a decision where to put the gantry point.  If you put it further down, where you are suggesting, then you will not catch the flow of traffic from the PIE into the CTE.  So they put it further up, to catch that flow, rather than further down.  But that is something that they are constantly monitoring.

     Ms Sylvia Lim:   Sir, I wonder if the Minister can comment on some feedback from the public about the evening ERP on the CTE, that is, that people moving from the CTE northwards towards Yishun, for example, some are prepared to pay the evening charge in the hope of getting a smoother ride home.  But they have found that after passing the evening gantry near Braddell Road, there are other motorists who are apparently wiser, evading the gantry and entering the CTE through Ang Mo Kio Avenues 1 or 3, causing a holdup at the northbound end.  So they feel kind of cheesed off that they paid the charge but are facing the jam at the northbound end.  I wonder if the Ministry has verified whether there is validity in this and what can we do about that.

     Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat:  I am not sure whether the Member is suggesting that we put up more gantries to cut it all off.  As I have said, you have to decide where you want to put the gantries.

     Mr Speaker:  Do you want to clarify your question?

     Ms Sylvia Lim:  Sir, I think the point of the motorists is that when they pay the charge to move northwards, they expect that all motorists would be treated fairly if they are going in the same direction.  So for people to just escape the gantry and then cause the jam further up, it is not fair to those who have paid just maybe a kilometre down.

     Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat:   As I have said, when we put in the ERP, we give a choice to the motorists on the different routes that they can take.  If the Member is suggesting that we start to monitor all access points and then put up the gantry points at all these points, it would make it very onerous for motorists.  That means, basically, it is shutting it all off.  That is why I said it is better to monitor it and basically take into account the major access points into the CTE.

     15.  Mr Seah Kian Peng asked the Minister for Trade and Industry what is the impact of Jurong Town Corporation's decision to divest a substantial portion of its industrial property portfolio on the business operating environment and whether this will curtail the development and growth of local businesses, especially the SMEs.

     The Minister for Trade and Industry (Mr Lim Hng Kiang):  Mr Speaker, Sir, JTC plans to divest all its flatted, ramp-up and stack-up factories, three multi-tenanted business park buildings, and one warehouse.  The estimated net floor area of the JTC properties to be divested is 1.7 million square metres. This is less than 20 per cent market share of the high-rise factory space in Singapore.  The rentals for JTC’s high-rise factories and business park buildings are already largely determined by the market.  JTC will divest its properties in a manner that will promote competition in the property market.  Instead of divesting its entire industrial portfolio to one owner, JTC plans to do so through a combination of real estate investment trust (REIT) as well as trade sale.  This will introduce more players into the industrial property market, which should make for an even more competitive environment. There is also potential for higher quality and new types of industrial space products to be supplied to the market.  SME industrialists looking for high-rise or business park space can thus enjoy more choices and options.

     I would like to assure the Member that JTC’s divestment will contribute to a more vibrant industrial space market that will benefit SMEs rather than curtail their development and growth.

     Mr Seah Kian Peng:  Sir, a lot of SMEs are very concerned with this news because I think they regard JTC as a more reasonable ---

   Mr Speaker:  Mr Seah, you have two minutes left.  No speeches, please.

     Mr Seah Kian Peng:   --- as a benign landlord.  So they see this as something which is going to increase their operating costs.&nbs