RESEARCH TO UNDERSTAND NUMBER OF CHILDREN SINGAPOREAN WOMEN WOULD LIKE TO HAVE

Mr Leon Perera asked the Prime Minister (a) whether the Government has conducted any research to understand the number of children that Singaporean women would like to have and the reasons why this may be different from the number they actually do have; and (b) if not, whether it will consider doing so and publishing the findingsContinue reading “RESEARCH TO UNDERSTAND NUMBER OF CHILDREN SINGAPOREAN WOMEN WOULD LIKE TO HAVE”

ASSESSING EMPLOYABILITY IMPACT OF TRAINING COURSES SUPPORTED BY GOVERNMENT FUNDS

Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Education (a) what surveys or research are currently undertaken to assess the job impact of training courses that are supported by Government funds; (b) whether the Government will publish the findings of such studies; and (c) whether the Government will consider extending funding support to trainers based on theContinue reading “ASSESSING EMPLOYABILITY IMPACT OF TRAINING COURSES SUPPORTED BY GOVERNMENT FUNDS”

MAKING MORE HISTORIC WAR BUNKERS ACCESSIBLE TO PUBLIC

Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth whether more historic war bunkers may be made accessible to the public via guided tours, or protected and developed into heritage attractions, so that more members of the public may visit them in a safe manner. Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: World War II (WWII) isContinue reading “MAKING MORE HISTORIC WAR BUNKERS ACCESSIBLE TO PUBLIC”

AID TO ROHINGYA REFUGEES IN BANGLADESH

Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs in view of the UN Food Programme’s decision to reduce the amount of food aid to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, whether Singapore is considering working with the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management to render assistance. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Singapore has made contributions through theContinue reading “AID TO ROHINGYA REFUGEES IN BANGLADESH”

PLACING LIMITS ON LOCAL BANKS REFINANCING COAL POWER PROJECTS OVERSEAS

Mr Leon Perera asked the Prime Minister whether MAS will consider placing limits on local banks refinancing coal power projects overseas. Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (for the Prime Minister): Financing the progressive decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors and energy sources is a key priority globally and in Asia.  With regard to coal, we start from a situation where itContinue reading “PLACING LIMITS ON LOCAL BANKS REFINANCING COAL POWER PROJECTS OVERSEAS”

DISBURSEMENTS FOR NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY FUND

Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the pattern of funding from the National Productivity Fund (NPF) by industry in the past five years; (b) whether the NPF uses research to benchmark Singapore’s productivity according to sectors with other developed countries and when deciding how much to fund each sector; andContinue reading “DISBURSEMENTS FOR NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY FUND”

FOREIGN VERSUS LOCAL COMPANIES THAT QUALIFY UNDER CONDITION 1 OF MANPOWER FOR STRATEGIC ECONOMIC PRIORITIES SCHEME

Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Trade and Industry of the 1,000 companies that qualify under Condition 1 of the Manpower for Strategic Economic Priorities scheme, what is the breakdown of the number between foreign companies and local enterprises. The Minister for Manpower (Dr Tan See Leng): All Manpower for Strategic Economic Priorities (M-SEP) beneficiaries are locallyContinue reading “FOREIGN VERSUS LOCAL COMPANIES THAT QUALIFY UNDER CONDITION 1 OF MANPOWER FOR STRATEGIC ECONOMIC PRIORITIES SCHEME”

FRONTLINE POLICE OFFICERS TRAINED TO IDENTIFY AND HANDLE PERSONS WITH MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES

Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the number of frontline Police officers trained to identify and handle persons with mental health challenges; (b) what are the indicators used to measure the effectiveness of such training; (c) whether refresher courses are regularly conducted; and (d) whether the internal Standard Operating ProceduresContinue reading “FRONTLINE POLICE OFFICERS TRAINED TO IDENTIFY AND HANDLE PERSONS WITH MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES”

DOCUMENTING GOLDEN MILE COMPLEX’S HERITAGE

Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for National Development regarding the conservation of Golden Mile Complex, whether action will be taken to document its intangible heritage given its historic role as an early example of high-rise apartment living and as a transit point for bus links to Malaysia. Mr Desmond Lee: Golden Mile Complex has been theContinue reading “DOCUMENTING GOLDEN MILE COMPLEX’S HERITAGE”

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”