Parliamentary Questions by Mr Louis Ng on 26 Feb – 3 Mar 2020
1) To ask the Minister for National Development what plans does the Ministry have to encourage companies in the private sector to achieve the BCA Green Mark for Super Low Energy Buildings certification.
2) To ask the Minister for National Development in respect of the Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment 2019, whether the Government will consider
(i) increasing the number of lactation rooms from the one lactation room currently required for offices and business parks with a gross floor area of 10,000 sqm and above and
(ii) lowering the gross floor area threshold of 10,000 sqm before buildings are required to have at least one lactation room.
3) To ask the Prime Minister whether the Government will consider increasing the period during which Government Paid Paternity Leave may be consumed from within 12 months of childbirth to within 24 months of childbirth.
4) To ask the Minister for National Development whether he can provide an update on its investigations into alleged animal welfare-related offences by the operator of the pet boarding facility Platinium Dogs Club.
5) To ask the Minister for Manpower whether she can provide an update on the Ministry’s consideration on the possibility of disallowing downward revisions from the salary indicated in the In-Principle Approval letter (IPA) of a foreign worker.
6) To ask the Minister for Transport
(a) for each year in the past three years, what was the median and mean road tax paid for a car owner of
(i) an electric car
(ii) a hybrid car and
(iii) a petrol car respectively; and
(b) whether the Ministry will start collecting such data if it does not currently do so.
7) To ask the Minister for Transport for each year in the past three years
(a) what are the numbers of registered
(i) electric cars
(ii) hybrid cars and
(ii) petrol cars;
(b) for each of the three categories of registered cars, how many are
(i) between 600 cc to 1,000 cc
(ii) 1,000 cc to 1,600 cc and
(iii) 1,600 cc to 3,000 cc; and
(c) whether the Ministry will start collecting such data if it does not currently do so.
8) To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources
(a) for each month from 1 January 2018, how many cars have been registered under the Vehicle Emission Schemes in the A1, A2, B, C1 and C2 bands respectively; and
(b) whether the Ministry will start collecting such data if it does not currently do so.
9) To ask the Prime Minister whether the Ministry will consider requiring all Ministries to produce a climate compliance certificate explaining how their budgets and operations will comply with Singapore’s climate commitments prior to budget approval.
10) To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what set of criteria does EMA use when assessing an electricity retailer’s application to pass on additional costs, arising from the carbon tax, to consumers.
11) To ask the Minister for National Development in relation to the proposed designs submitted for the future NS Square
(a) whether water points and sunshades for large audiences have been incorporated into the proposed redesign; and
(b) if not, whether the Ministry will ensure that these facilities are incorporated into the final redesign.
12) To ask the Minister for Manpower
(a) for each year of the past five years, how many applications have been received from current or former work permit holders to marry Singapore citizens or permanent residents;
(b) of these, how many applications have been rejected;
(c) what are the top three reasons for rejecting such an application; and
(d) what are the considerations in determining whether an application is to be approved.
13) To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry will consider allowing Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL) to be taken in shorter durations such as half-days or hours.
14) To ask the Prime Minister
(a) whether the Government has conducted a study into why fathers are not taking their paternity leave;
(b) if so, what are the results of the study; and
(c) if not, whether it will consider doing so.
15) To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider requiring employers to declare the reasons for the salary reduction from the amount stated in the In-Principle Approval letter of a
foreign worker when they notify the Ministry and the foreign worker of the reduction.
16) Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Manpower
(a) how many work permit holders have not been issued with Key Employment Terms in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 respectively; and
(b) whether the Ministry will start collecting such data if it does not currently do so.
17) Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Manpower what is the rationale for the requirement that a current or former work permit holder who wishes to marry a Singapore citizen or permanent resident must seek approval from the Ministry when S Pass and Employment Pass holders are not subject to the same requirement.