Parliamentary Questions by Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang on 4 and 5 June 2020
1) To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources with regard to the import of wild-caught soft-shelled turtle for consumption
(a) what diseases are the animals tested for;
(b) for each disease, how many tests have been carried out in each year for the past five years;
(c) for each disease, what are the number and percentage of test results that have been positive in each year for the past five years; and
(d) whether the Ministry will start collecting this data if it is not already doing so.
2) To ask the Minister for National Development with regard to people seeking to euthanise their healthy dog or cat
(a) whether the Ministry will make it compulsory for them to produce documented proof that they have
(i) attempted to rehome the animal and
(ii) received certification from an Animal and Veterinary Service-accredited trainer that the animal, if aggressive, is untrainable; and
(b) whether it will be made compulsory for veterinarians to wait for a pre-determined length of time before euthanising the animal, during which the animal’s details are published on websites of NParks and animal welfare groups to facilitate rehoming.
3) To ask the Minister for National Development
(a) in each of the past five years, how many dogs have been euthanised for
(i) medical reasons
(ii) aggression-related reasons and
(iii) non-medical and nonaggression-related reasons; and
(b) whether the Ministry will start collecting this data if it is not already doing so.
4) To ask the Minister for Manpower
(a) currently, what number and percentage of employers with foreign workers residing in dormitories
(i) declared that they will pay salaries electronically
(ii) paid salaries electronically and
(iii) paid salaries in cash;
(b) what specific steps, other than relying on worker complaints, does the Ministry take to monitor employers who are paying salaries in cash are correctly paying their foreign workers residing in dormitories; and
(c) what are the exceptional circumstances under which employers are permitted to pay workers residing in dormitories in cash.