.jpg)
DATA ON EXPENSE RATIO FOR MANAGEMENT COSTS AGAINST ASSET UNDER MANAGEMENT FOR TEMASEK HOLDINGS, GIC AND MAS
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether the Government has data on the expense ratio, as expressed by management costs against assets under management for funds managed by each of Temasek Holdings, GIC and MAS in each year over the past 10 years; and (b) if so, whether the Government has data on the relative returns earned by the respective funds before and after management costs during the relevant annual periods.
Mr Lawrence Wong: We had previously addressed related questions in this House, and the Member may want to refer to the Hansard records for more information. The two investment entities, GIC and Temasek, publish net returns, which are returns after investment fees and expenses have been deducted. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) publishes its investment gains before deducting investment fees and expenses, and net profits after deducting all expenses. MAS adopts a different approach from the investment entities, as its mandate extends beyond reserve management to include monetary policy formulation and implementation, supervision and development.
INVESTIGATION INTO OIL SLOP LEAK INTO SEA BETWEEN PULAU BUKOM AND BUKOM KECIL ON 20 OCTOBER 2024
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the Ministry can provide an update on the status of the joint investigation carried out by NEA and MPA in respect of the leak of oil slop from a land based pipeline into the sea between Pulau Bukom and Bukom Kecil on 20 October 2024; and (b) whether the investigation has uncovered the reasons for Shell to take more than seven hours to discover the leak and notify the authorities, preventing mitigation measures to be carried out earlier.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Shell Singapore Pte Ltd (Shell)submitted its investigation report on 20 November 2024 on the cause of the oil leak incident on 20 October 2024 and the key aspects of Shell’s response, including the events between the discovery of the oil spill and the notification of agencies. As the joint investigation by the National Environment Agency and Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore is still ongoing, it would not be appropriate to reveal any details at this time.
POLYCLINICS' PROCESSES FOR ISSUANCE OF MEMOS FOR BEING MEDICALLY UNFIT FOR WORK
Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Health whether medical professionals at polyclinics have been advised to no longer issue memos declaring that an individual is deemed medically unfit for work.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: There has been no advice to medical professionals at polyclinics to stop issuing memos declaring an individual's unfitness for work. Medical certificates and memos certifying unfitness to work continued to be issued at the discretion of the doctor, based on a clinical assessment of the patient.
ADDITIONAL ACCESS ROAD TO RIVERVALE SHORES ESTATE
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for National Development whether HDB can consider introducing an additional road access entry point to the Rivervale Shores estate to address concerns around having only one entry point into the entire estate.
Mr Desmond Lee: The Housing and Development Board (HDB) works closely with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to determine the location and number of road access entry points for new Build-To-Order developments. For Rivervale Shores, agencies had explored several options for additional road access entry points, but they were not feasible due to site constraints. The site is bounded by an expressway and the down-ramp portion of a major road. Hence, there is limited road frontage to add another entry point without adversely affecting traffic flow and road safety.
HDB and LTA have been monitoring the traffic flow at Rivervale Shores closely. We observe that traffic is generally smooth, but a vehicle tailback sometimes builds up at the entry to the estate, typically during the evening peak period. During such times, we seek residents’ understanding that they may take a few more minutes to enter the estate as more residents are returning home at the same time.
UPDATE ON FINDINGS FROM PROBE INTO 25 SEPTEMBER 2024 EAST-WEST MRT LINE DISRUPTION
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Transport(a) whether the Ministry can provide an update on the status of LTA’s investigation into the East-West MRT Line disruption on 25 September 2024; and(b) when are the report and findings expected to be made available to the public.
Mr Chee Hong Tat: The Land Transport Authority's investigations are ongoing. The findings will be released publicly after investigations have concluded.
REQUEST TO ESTABLISH SERVICESG CENTRE AT SERANGOON TOWN CENTRE
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether a ServiceSG Centre will be established in Serangoon Town Centre to serve residents requiring in-person assistance for e-Government services, given that the nearest centers are at One Punggol, Our Tampines Huband Nee Soon Central; and (b) if not, why not.
Mr Chan Chun Sing (for the Prime Minister): The Public Service is committed to ensure that Government services are accessible and inclusive. As we digitalise Government services to make them more convenient for citizens to access, we are also making efforts to close the digital divide. This includes initiatives to enable digital access and help citizens learn new digital skills to transact with the Government.
We have also started ServiceSG Centres to support citizens who need help with Government e-services. Since 2021, we have expanded the ServiceSG Centre network to nine centres islandwide, including two new centres that opened in October 2024 at Woodlands and Bukit Merah.
There is no plan in the short term to start a ServiceSG Centre in Serangoon town. However, we will continue to plan and expand the network of centres taking into consideration factors such as the level of needs in a locality, opportunities for integration of various existing Government agency shopfronts within a locality for greater service delivery effectiveness, the availability of resources and the availability of suitable sites.
DATA ON POST-DISBURSEMENT AUDITS ON PSG-FUNDED PROJECTS
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what percentage of Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) projects approved in the last three years have undergone post-disbursement audits, broken down by grant quantum and sector; (b) what is the total amount of grants recovered from companies found to be non-compliant with grant terms or unable to demonstrate meaningful productivity improvements from their PSG-funded purchases; and (c) what specific enforcement actions have been taken in these cases.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: The Productivity Solutions Grant(PSG) supports businesses to improve productivity and enhance business processes through a wide range of pre-approved solutions. Post-disbursement of the grant, Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) conducts regular audits on a sampling basis to ensure compliance with the grant conditions.
In the last three years, more than 1,100 approved PSG projects, with a total grant quantum of S$8.7 million, were subjected to post-disbursement audits. About 50% of these were from the food and beverage and retail and services sectors, with the remaining from sectors including manufacturing and engineering, building and construction, and wholesale trade. This breakdown is broadly in-line with the PSG application numbers across these sectors.
About 3% of the projects subjected to post-disbursement audits were assessed to be non-compliant with the grant conditions and required rectification actions, such as a claw back of disbursed grants.
For recipients found to be in breach of the grant conditions, EnterpriseSG will withhold or, if disbursement had been made, claw back the grant. EnterpriseSG will also subject these companies to enhanced scrutiny for future applications. Pre-approved solutions found to be less effective in helping companies achieve productivity improvements will be removed from PSG’s list as part of agencies’ regular review to ensure PSG remains fit-for-purpose.
EFFECTIVENESS OF SG FRESH PRODUCE LOGOS IN PROMOTING SALE OF LOCAL PRODUCE
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) how is the effectiveness of the SGFresh Produce (SGFP) logos in promoting the sales of local produce being measured since its introduction in 2020; (b) whether this initiative has achieved its goals of increasing sales of local produce; and (c) whether other schemes are being considered to help local farms better compete against imported produce.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: The SG Fresh Produce (SGFP)logos aim to help consumers easily identify and support local produce. The Singapore Food Agency’s (SFA’s) survey found that the proportion of respondents who recalled seeing the SGFP logos on produce packaging and buying said local produce increased from 58% in 2022 to 75% in 2023.
We are unable to attribute the sales of local produce solely to the use of the SGFP logos as there are other measures such as promotions and publicity efforts by suppliers and retailers. We have observed growing industry acceptance of the SGFP logos. As of January 2025, 109 farmers, distributors, and retailers have used the logo on produce packaging and in marketing channels, which is more than double the number since it was first launched in2020. SFA has been working with the industry to improve demand offtake for local produce through other initiatives. SFA launched the Farm-To-Table Recognition Programme (FTTRP) in March 2023 to encourage food businesses to procure local produce. As of January 2025, 101 food businesses have been onboarded to the programme. We have incorporated a criterion in Government procurement to give additional points to businesses which have undertaken sustainability initiatives, such as being recognised under the FTTRP. The additional points increase their chances of securing Government catering contracts.
In addition, SFA has been working closely with the Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation Limited (SAFEF), as an industry-level supply and demand aggregator, to facilitate long-term commercial contracts between farmers and food businesses. Through the efforts of SAFEF and its partners, some locally grown vegetables and fish are now sold at selected FairPrice outlets under the brand names “SG Farmers’ Market” and “The Straits Fish "respectively. Public response has been encouraging. For example, the sales for xiao bai cai have increased about fivefold while sales for processed fish products such as sliced skinless marine tilapia have increased twofold since the launch in May 2024.
SFA will continue to explore initiatives to facilitate demand offtake for local produce.
MANAGING DEMAND SURGES AT GOVERNMENT-MANAGED CREMATORIUM
Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment how does the National Environment Agency manage cremation service bookings to ensure that the Government-managed crematorium is able to handle demand surges, especially during public holidays.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: The Mandai Crematorium, which is managed by the National Environment Agency, operates daily and has sufficient capacity to meet current cremation demand. This includes buffer capacity to accommodate any fluctuations in daily cremation demand, including around public holidays. When some private crematoria choose to close beyond the designated public holidays, as experienced in recent Lunar New Year period, demand may be diverted to the Mandai Crematorium. To handle demand surges, the Mandai Crematorium may offer cremation slots beyond the usual operation hours.
REQUIREMENT FOR DOCTOR'S MEMO TO EXCUSE AN INDIVIDUAL FROMWORK WHEN ATTENDING EVALUATION FOR COMCARE LONG-TERM ASSISTANCE APPLICATION
Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Social Services Office requires or strongly recommends that a certificate or a memo from a doctor deeming an individual medically unfit for work be provided for the purposes of evaluating an application for ComCare Long-Term Assistance.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: ComCare’s Long Term Assistance provides support to those who are permanently unable to work due to old age, illness or disability, and have limited or no income and family support. For applicants who have clear disabilities, we do not require a doctor’s certification that they are unfit for work. For other cases, we would require certification by a doctor that they have permanent medical conditions that prevent them from working.
BREAKDOWN OF CPF MEMBERS AND ACTIVE CPF MEMBERS EARNING EXTRA 1% ON FIRST $60,000 OF CPF COMBINED BALANCES
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for Manpower for each year over the past 10 years, what is the number and percentage of (i)CPF members and (ii) active CPF members who are earning an extra 1% on the first $60,000 of their CPF combined balances that forms the entire sum of their CPF monies.
Dr Tan See Leng : Members’ Central Provident Fund(CPF) balances have grown over the past 10 years. From 2015 to 2024, the number and proportion of active CPF members who have at least $60,000 of combined CPF balances and received the maximum extra interest amount have increased from 1.1million to 1.6 million, or from 54% to 74%. The corresponding number and proportion for all CPF members have increased from 1.3 million to 2.2 million, or from 40% to 52%.
BREAKDOWN IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT MODE AND USAGE DURING PEAK HOURS
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for Transport for each year over the past 10 years, what is the peak period public transport mode share as broken down by (i) MRT/LRT (ii) buses and (iii) taxi and privatehire cars, respectively.
Mr Chee Hong Tat: The available data from the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA’s) Household Travel Survey, on peak-period mode share of all motorised journeys for public transport (comprising Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT) and buses), as well as taxis and private hire cars (PHCs), is given in Table 1.
ENSURING FAIR ALLOCATION OF PEAK-HOUR SLOTS AVAILABLE TO LOW-COST CARRIERS AT CHANGI AIRPORT
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Transport(a) what is the current percentage of peak-hour slots at Changi Airport that are currently allocated to low-cost carriers (LCCs) compared to full-service carriers; (b) whether there are any policies ensuring a fair proportion of peak-hour slots are available to LCCs; and (c) if not, whether the Ministry will consider introducing such policies to enhance competition and consumer choice.
Mr Chee Hong Tat: In December 2024, 33% of slots in the peak hours for passenger flights were allocated to low-cost carriers (LCC).This is comparable to the LCC share of Changi's overall passenger traffic. Slots at Changi Airport are allocated by the Changi Slot Coordinator (CSC), a unit within Changi Airport Group. CSC assesses new slot applications based on Changi Airport’s available capacity, as well as how the proposed route would contribute towards Changi’s network.
