Parliamentary Questions filed by Mr Louis Ng on 1 to 3 November
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry has studied the impact of movement restriction on the mental health of migrant workers who have not been allowed into the community since March 2020; (b) if not, why not; and (c) if a study has been done, when will the results be released.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will waive the requirement for ex-spousal consent on who can list the children as occupiers in a HDB flat application if the ex- spouse has already purchased a private property or a HDB flat following the divorce rather than reviewing this on a case-by-case basis.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Ministry will consider making it mandatory for lorries that are used to ferry persons in the rear decks to be fitted with foldable benches and seat belts similar to those used in the SAF 3-tonners; and (b) what studies have been done into the cost and safety benefits of such a requirement.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether in the children’s best interests, the Ministry will consider requiring divorce rulings that award shared care and control to also state which party is allowed to list the child as an essential occupier in their application to buy a subsidised HDB flat as the ability to list the child has a direct impact on each parent’s eligibility to purchase a HDB flat.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development for each year in the past 10 years (a) how many applications with applicants having shared care and control of their children were received by HDB to purchase or rent a flat respectively; and (b) of these, what is the number of applications that were (i) rejected as applicants were unable to obtain mutual consent from their ex-spouse to list their children for the application and (ii) approved without requiring the mutual consent of their ex-spouse.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs with regard to Sections 4, 5 and 19 of the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act and Sections 8 and 9 of the Wildlife Act, whether the Ministry will consider classifying contraventions of these sections as serious offences in the Schedule of the Organised Crime Act 2015.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry will consider increasing the period a person is disqualified from owning any animal or any class of animals from the current maximum of 12 months under Section 43B of the Animals and Birds Act; (b) if not, why not; and (c) if so, whether the Ministry will consult with stakeholders and the general public in considering the extent of the increase.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) how many condominiums currently have by-laws prohibiting smoking at balconies, patios or windows; (b) what are the names of these condominiums; and (c) whether the Government has studied whether these by- laws have been effective at curbing the problem of secondhand smoke.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether there is any threshold on the number of persons who must be affected before a nuisance can be considered to be an offence of a public nature under the (i) Penal Code and (ii) Environmental Public Health Act; (b) if so, what is the threshold; and (c) whether persons who are affected in their own homes are considered part of the threshold number.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether special covenant 2(1)(a) of the Memorandum of Lease to HDB’s lease agreement can be enforced to prevent smoking near balconies or windows; (b) under what circumstances has HDB enforced this covenant; and (c) if HDB has not enforced this, why not.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry is providing assistance to those undergoing assisted reproductive technology procedures overseas but have not been able to continue their treatment due to travel restrictions; and (b) whether the Ministry is considering setting up specific travel arrangements for them so that they can continue their treatment overseas.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Education for each year in the past 10 years (a) what is the median number of days a primary school is closed outside of the school holidays; and (b) what is the median number of days a primary school ends earlier than the regular dismissal time outside of the school holidays.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Manpower for each year in the past five years (a) how many workers were repatriated on the same day that their work permit was cancelled; (b) how many workers have been repatriated within a week from when their work permit is cancelled; and (c) what is the median number of days a worker is repatriated following the cancellation of the worker’s work permit.