Mr Leon Perera (Aljunied): Mr Chairman, our Family Service Centres (FSCs) and Social Service Offices (SSOs) are intended to be the core nodes for social support. Our social workers are best placed to understand and respond to residents’ needs. Social workers help point residents to more specific assistance schemes, such as those for students. IContinue reading “Capabilities at Social Service Offices”
Category Archives: COS 2023: Leon Perera
Poverty Relief for Specific Segments
Mr Chairman, I want to draw attention to three possibly underserved groups in our social service landscape. With full-time National Servicemen (NSFs), allowances start at $580, going up to $1,280 or more, depending on vocation. In most cases, NSFs need to depend on their family, at least in terms of housing, and are unlikely to beContinue reading “Poverty Relief for Specific Segments”
Strengthening the Trampoline
Mr Leon Perera (Aljunied): Mr Chairman, the trampoline is used to talk about helping individuals bounce back. Safety nets are equally important but, today, I will make proposals to improve the trampoline. Firstly, the Global Nutrition Report says Singapore is “off course” to prevent prevalence of overweight children under five from increasing. The cost of healthyContinue reading “Strengthening the Trampoline”
Cruelty Towards Animals
Mr Leon Perera (Aljunied): Mr Chairman, residents have raised concerns following some brutal cases of animal cruelty recently. NParks receives about 1,200 complaints on average each year, of which about 20 result in warning letters, 38 in fines and six in jail. I am aware it is not easy to obtain evidence in such cases. However, in my opinion,Continue reading “Cruelty Towards Animals”
Endangered Animal Products
Mr Leon Perera (Aljunied): Mr Chairman, all of us should care about biodiversity and the protection of endangered species. I propose that we enhance our efforts in tackling the illegal wildlife trade to better reflect Singapore’s role as a globally important transport node. In last year’s Endangered Species Act debate, the hon Member Mr Louis Ng asked ifContinue reading “Endangered Animal Products”
Migrant Workers Welfare
Mr Leon Perera (Aljunied): Mr Chairman, last year saw 46 workplace deaths, the highest since 2016. We need to reflect on that. Migrant workers are more vulnerable to unsafe workplace practices because of their limited bargaining power. They need employers’ consent to transfer to a new job, save exceptions. This can be held against them andContinue reading “Migrant Workers Welfare”
The Right to Sit
Mr Leon Perera (Aljunied): Mr Chairman, there has been recent debate over the provision of chairs at retail outlets and the right of retail workers to sit. Multiple studies report there are significant health risks associated with prolonged standing, including chronic venous insufficiency, musculoskeletal disorders, as well as spontaneous abortion for pregnant women in some rareContinue reading “The Right to Sit”
Advertising Standards
Mr Leon Perera (Aljunied): Mr Chairman, the practice of making false environmentally-friendly claims in advertising is dubbed greenwashing. In Singapore, it would seem that action is very rarely taken against advertisers who make dubious claims with the intent to deceive consumers that their products are “environmentally-friendly”, “carbon neutral” and so on. Some countries have legislated onContinue reading “Advertising Standards”
Government Advertising
Mr Leon Perera (Aljunied): Mr Chairman, extrapolating from a Parliamentary Question reply, the Government’s total spending on advertising in 2022 may have been well over $100 million. I will make two points. Firstly, there has been concern expressed about an SGAG Instagram post that was only labelled “#sp”. The Instagram function to show that an IGContinue reading “Government Advertising”
Stress in Education
Mr Leon Perera (Aljunied): Mr Chairman, recent reforms such as the new PSLE scoring system, the introduction of some aptitude-based admissions and the removal of mid-year examinations are commendable steps to make education more equitable, holistic and less exam-focused. However, we should ask what more we can do to reduce unhealthy competitive stress in schools. 6.15Continue reading “Stress in Education”
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