Ms Carrie Tan (Nee Soon): Mr Chairman, there is great comfort in having a nice home to rest and recharge in – physically, emotionally and mentally. For some people, a restful home may be an elusive concept if there is frequent conflict, arguments or violence in their families. The roughly 50,000 households under the PRS today, do not have this luxury of a restful home because of space constraints. Another group is young singles below 35 that I meet often in my Meet-the-People sessions,....
Mr Derrick Goh (Nee Soon): Sir, digitalisation remains an imperative for our SMEs in a rapidly evolving technology space, to thrive and capture opportunities in the new economy. The year 2023 saw the breakthrough of AI and its use cases in the real world. But as is always said, AI will not replace humans but the person using AI will. In essence, SMEs who will succeed better are those that can adapt and transform quicker, by viewing digitalisation and AI as a friend instead of a foe.....
Ms Carrie Tan: Beyond income, work raises confidence, self-esteem, provides identity, structure and purpose to one’s life. It can also provide persons with special needs with a community of support at the workplace. Persons with special needs are physically and neurologically diverse. They are not a monolithic group of helpless or disabled care recipients. The framing of persons with special needs labels them as needy. The framing of neurodiversity as a problem labels people who have them as problematic.....
Ms Carrie Tan (Nee Soon): SPARK certification was meant to raise the quality of preschools and it did help to ensure some standardisation and processes are in place. But are there now some side effects? Only 37.7% of preschools here are SPARK-certified. Some early childhood educators find being uncertified more beneficial as they have greater flexibility to do more for the children. Increasing salaries in the sector has not been enough to solve the high turnover problem.....
Mr Derrick Goh (Nee Soon): Sir, access to justice is a cornerstone of a just society. Over the years, this Government has demonstrated commitment to improve legal access for the vulnerable. A milestone achieved was MinLaw’s introduction of the Public Defender’s Office (PDO) in December 2022 – as a fully funded scheme offering vulnerable residents legal assistance. I understand that since its founding till September last year, the PDO had helped around 303 cases in Court.....
Mr Derrick Goh (Nee Soon): Mdm Chair, Singapore is well-known for its physical safety and security. We should uphold this reputation in the digital sphere too – so our residents and businesses can truly thrive within. MHA has made significant strides in fighting scams. From the Anti-Scam Command to the ScamShield app and new legislation, such as the Online Criminal Harms Act, they reflect MHA’s commitment to enhancing its capabilities against scams. Thanks to such efforts,....
Ms Carrie Tan (Nee Soon): Mr Chairman, Singapore’s Zero Waste Masterplan aims to increase the overall national recycling rate to 70% and reduce waste sent to the landfill by 30% by 2030. This goal seems reasonable. Singapore has had Clean and Green Campaigns since 1990 and most of us recognise the 3Rs – reduce, reuse and recycle. But our actions do not mirror this awareness. Even though more than half of Singaporean households said they were recycling,....
Expanding Climate-Friendly Households Programme Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: Singapore’s green transition should be a just and inclusive one. I am glad that the Climate Friendly Households Programme helps 1-, 2- and 3-room HDB households reduce their energy and water consumption. The programme gives eligible households vouchers to purchase refrigerators, shower fittings and LED lights. If all eligible households make the switch, this is the equivalent of taking 10,000 cars off the road. The water savings amount to 400 million gallons of water annually.....
More Climate Support for Businesses Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: Achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 must be a whole-of-nation effort that must involve businesses. In Budget 2023, Minister Grace Fu said that “businesses should do more with less”. The Minister also said that while some upfront costs may be incurred, lower energy and resource used will lower costs over the long run. In a 2023 survey of businesses that have adopted technology to make the green transition,....