ESTIMATES OF EXPENDITURE FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 2002 TO 31ST MARCH, 2003 (Paper Cmd. 3 of 2002)

Order read for consideration in Committee of Supply [8th Allotted Day].

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Head I (cont.) -

Resumption of Debate on Question [22nd May, 2002],

"That the total sum to be allocated for Head I of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100." - [Mr Charles Chong].

Question again proposed.

The Acting Minister for Community Development and Sports (Assoc. Prof. Yaacob Ibrahim): Sir, before I take Members through some of the initiatives that the Ministry is putting in place to help Singaporean families with care-giving responsibilities, let me answer some specific questions on the family that were raised yesterday.

Dr Maliki asked if MCDS has a "family policy". We have widely-known principles that undergird all our social policies. May I take this opportunity to remind Dr Maliki that these are:

One, family is the building block of society. Family ties are the key factors in rooting Singaporeans. They are the ties that bind us.

Two, family is the first line of care and support. This principle is applied even in the implementation of our social safety net. So, whenever an applicant comes in through the CDC, we will check his family background to ensure the level of support that he has. So, family, as the first line of support, is a very important consideration in everything that we do.

Three, strong and stable families are critical for the well-being of individuals, and for our nation. If families are weak, they will undermine the first two principles.

Family, as a building block of our society, is an important principle for us in Singapore. But we know that family is a personal domain, and we respect that. But the health of society rests on the health of the family. This is something that we should not forget. Thus, the role of the Government is to provide the support, the infrastructure, to enable the family to fulfill its roles and responsibilities. I suppose we should support this, and not supplant it.

Dr Maliki also asked about the role of fathers and husbands - a very interesting topic. There is the emotional tug-of-war between a father who feels he is doing everything and earning an income, and a homemaker, or a working mother, who is exhausted and frustrated, because she is not getting the support and involvement from her spouse. Couples need to examine not only how much time each parent spends with their children, but also the type of activities that they are engaged in. While it is much easier for mothers, because of the way a mother's role has been socially conditioned, it is unfortunately less straightforward for fathers. But I am pleased to note that, increasingly, fathers too want to enjoy the joys of parenthood or fatherhood. Judging from the good response the Centre for Fathering has been receiving, fathers want a role to play in the family too. More recently, I have been told by some mothers that the way to encourage good fathering is for mothers to withdraw from some areas of activities, in order to provide some opportunity for fathers to be good fathers.

Sir, I would like to congratulate my parliamentary colleague, Dr Maliki, for having taken the first steps to start Forum Adam last year, a seminar aimed at empowering Malay men to embrace a fair-share of parenting. The event attracted the highest number of 300 Malay men attending any Family Life Education Conference. Today, the publication Visi Adam serves to empower many Malay fathers on their fathering skills.

Having fathers who are equally involved as mothers in the parenting partnership is a fundamental tenet on what it means to be a family. Sir, my Ministry promotes this underlying principle in the various education programmes conducted by our community partners.

Ms Irene Ng asked whether the civil service would extend the 5-day unrecorded paid leave for looking after a sick child to fathers as well. MCDS will work with the Public Service Division to review this.

Also, Mdm Halimah asked about the implementation of family care leave. Again, MCDS cannot implement this unilaterally. We will have to consult the Public Service Division for the civil service, and the Working Committee on Work-Life, comprising officials from MCDS, NTUC, MOM and SNEF and, of course, Mdm Halimah who is a member of this committee. 12.45 pm

Sir, I have discussed, so far, some of the programmes that we have embarked and will be embarking upon to strengthen the family. Let me now turn to the range of services and care options that my Ministry will implement in order to help Singapore families stay strong. We know that with the trend towards nuclear families, smaller families and dual-income households, families will require more assistance, especially in the area of childcare. I will describe what are the things that my Ministry is doing to increase some of the care options and improved access for childcare for families in Singapore.

Sir, we are committed to increasing the range of the childcare options to help parents to fulfill their role. For a start, we have launched the Baby Bonus Scheme as a way to help parents to meet the financial needs of their children, especially when they are young. But parents do require more options in terms of childcare so that they will help them to balance their work and their life. Flexible work arrangements and part-time work for parents are becoming more prevalent these days, and this is because of the increased awareness among both families and businesses about family-work practices. More couples, especially women, are also working part-time during the early years of their children's development.

Sir, in view of this, on top of the current subsidies for full-day and half-day childcare programmes which we have given to families, my Ministry will now grant a pro-rated childcare subsidy to both working and non-working mothers for flexible childcare programmes in licensed childcare centres. Under this flexible childcare scheme, parents will be eligible for a pro-rated childcare subsidy when they place their children in a childcare centre that offers programmes for a minimum of two half-days every week. This scheme will be implemented in January next year, and my Ministry has set aside $5 million for this financial year.

Mr Charles Chong and Dr Lily Neo have asked for more help for parents with young infants, especially below 18 months. As Members will know, childcare operators can offer infant care services for children as young as two months old, provided of course they comply with certain requirements, both physical and staffing, because these are very young children. Therefore, we need a certain type of skills set. Such requirements, as we know, are critical because of the safety and well-being of our young children. Currently, there are eight centres providing infant care services but, at the end of the day, we will have to allow market forces to dictate the supply and demand for infant care services.

Dr Neo also asked whether higher subsidies could be provided for infant care. Besides the childcare subsidy of $150 and $75 for working and non-working parents respectively, there are two other subsidy schemes that can be used for fees at infant care services. First, of course, is the Baby Bonus Scheme, which provides cash payment for six years - $500 per year for the second child, and $1,000 per year for the third child. The Government also matches the parents' contribution, so it is a co-payment scheme, dollar for dollar, up to a maximum of $1,000 for the second child, and $2,000 for the third child. This works out to be about $125 and $250 per month for the second and third child respectively, and these can be used to pay fees at the infant care centres. The second scheme is what I mentioned yesterday. The Centre-Based Financial Assistance Scheme for Childcare (CFAC) is available for low-income families. Together, these subsidies can help families cope with infant care fees.

Sir, while affordability is an issue, it is equally important that parents are provided with childcare options other than centre-based options. As Ms Irene Ng has pointed out, studies have shown that home care, especially by one or two of the parents, by a mother or father, or a consistent caregiver, is far superior to a centre-based option. Infants are better cared in a family setting where they receive individualised care. I am, therefore, pleased to announce that my Ministry is piloting the Family Day Care Service as a care option, especially for infants and toddlers who require greater individual care and attention. The Family Day Care Scheme provides home-based care for children by trained caregivers, who are mainly housewives and retirees. It will provide a flexible care arrangement that will allow parents to work and to work out mutually acceptable arrangements with the caregiver. So it is an arrangement whereby they can work together with the caregiver.

Under this scheme, which we are piloting now with both the Southeast and Southwest CDCs, the councils will help us to recruit and maintain a list of caregivers who can care for children in their homes. The councils will also support them with information and training. After the training, the service refers and matches the caregivers with the parents who have no full-time care for their children. We are putting aside $150,000 this year for this initiative. So far, from what we have heard from the two CDCs, they have received many enquiries about this scheme, and the actual matching and referrals are expected to pick up soon. The two CDCs will also maintain a list of short-term or temporary caregivers to provide parents with occasional care services. Some parents may not need such a service on a frequent basis, but they may need such service because they have to go out and do something else and, therefore, they can rely upon this list.

Sir, Mr Charles Chong and Dr Lily Neo also asked for more childcare centres. At the moment, there are 608 childcare centres operating in Singapore offering about 50,400 places, and the take-up rate is only about 76%. So there is still extra capacity. Since the delegation of childcare development to CDCs, the CDCs have played a significant role in identifying sites for childcare centres that are both convenient to parents and, at the same time, meeting the local needs. This year, we plan to develop another 60 childcare centres, which will give an additional 3,700 places for children.

Mr Charles Chong also asked for better training for childcare teachers. I am pleased to inform Members that since 1985, MCDS has had a training system to ensure a steady supply of trained childcare personnel. The quality and level of their training have a direct impact on the quality of care provided by our centres. We stipulate the training requirements currently, and all centre supervisors have the required Certificate in Pre-School Management and Administration. In addition, 65% of all childcare teachers possess the Certificate in Pre-School Training. Last year, we took the process one step further. MCDS and MOE established a joint training framework for all pre-school personnel, and a joint pre-school qualification accreditation committee was formed to set training guidelines and accredit pre-school teacher training courses. To further enhance the professionalism and the quality of childcare in Singapore, MCDS announced in 1999 new training requirements for childcare centre personnel. All centre supervisors, and at least one teacher per centre, must possess a Diploma in Pre-School Education by the end of 2004, and all teachers must be trained at the Certificate in Pre-School Teaching by this date. Based on the projected number of training places provided by 15 training agencies that offer accredited training courses, there are sufficient training places to meet this current demand.

Besides providing more childcare options, my Ministry is also committed to improving the quality of childcare. My Ministry, with the help of partners, such as the Association of Early Childhood Educators (Singapore) (AECES) will also be implementing training programmes for informal caregivers for children, such as maids or relatives. Short courses will be offered in different languages which will equip the caregivers with basic skills of caring for our young children. They will impart knowledge on physical care, hygiene, first-aid and, of course, child development. The course will be launched by the end of this year.

Besides helping families in childcare, sometimes families have other concerns requiring temporary assistance. Mdm Cynthia Phua has raised some concerns about making accessibility better for families. She has also suggested the setting up of one-stop support centres to provide such frontline service for the families. Currently, this frontline function is undertaken by Family Service Centres (FSCs). Members of the public who need advice on family matters and they are not sure whom to contact, they can call the FSC helpline at the toll-free number 1800-8380100. This is a first-stop telephone hotline for families. Once they make the call, it will be directed to the FSC serving the area where the resident is living in.

FSCs, as we know, are the first-stop neighbourhood-based focal point providing social services to families and they manage four core programmes - casework and counselling, information and referral, family education, and outreach. For example, if a family approaches an FSC for financial assistance, they will be counselled and, if necessary, referred to the nearest CDC which administers the various schemes. FSCs also have the expertise to deal with most family problems, but if specialised expertise or assistance is needed, they will work closely with CDCs and other organisations. So, coordination and networking among the social service providers are important steps to ensure that families get the help that they need, timely and effectively. At the moment, there are about 35 FSCs operating in Singapore. One more FSC will be established next year in Chua Chu Kang, and each FSC serves a population of between 80,000 and 160,000 residents. And based upon what we have seen, this is adequate to meet the needs of our family and our community.

Sir, all these initiatives and programmes relating to the family that I have mentioned, must only be matched rightly by a change in mindset about care-giving roles within the family. We cannot but stress the impact of the couples' marital health on family well-being. In the first place, full and equal partnership in a marriage can help share stress and offer mutual support and this, of course, in turn contributes to work-life balance. Furthermore, children are affected by their parents' relationship to each other. Loving, cooperative 2-parent families are clearly the best environment for today's children to be raised. Both sets of parents, therefore, need to share the care-giving role. Father care is as important as mother care.

If I can now turn to the subject on the elderly, I would like to thank all the MPs who have spoken on the issues pertaining to our seniors. Mr Charles Chong, Chairman of the GPC for Community Development and Sports, has asked about the progress of the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Aging Population. I am pleased to inform the House that the work of the Committee is bearing fruit. To date, over 80% of the recommendations have been or being implemented. I think we are quite familiar with some of them. The more recent developments include, of course, the Lift Upgrading Programme, the Five-year Eldercare Master Plan which was launched last year, the Severe Disability Insurance Scheme and, of course, the provision for barrier-free access in all our MRT and LRT stations. The infrastructure is being put in place to prepare for an aging population.

But there are a few outstanding recommendations that are still being studied, and these pertain primarily to changes to the Central Provident Fund and the implementation of a portable medical benefits system. All these recommendations, as Members will agree, have a tremendous impact on Singaporeans. Therefore, we should take a prudent approach in implementing some of these recommendations. Hence, we should study them thoroughly before coming to a decision. Mr Charles Chong is probably aware that the CPF issues and the question of portable medical benefits are currently being studied by the Economic Review Committee (ERC). And as the Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee, Mr Mah Bow Tan, will be releasing a more detailed progress report on the work of the IMC soon.

Sir, if I can turn to the issue of social integration, Ms Irene Ng spoke passionately yesterday about making sure that there is a place for the elderly, and not for us to be overly focusing on the young. I think we need a balance. Social integration and active aging are the corner-stones of our national effort to achieve successful aging in Singapore. We want to achieve this with three strategies.

First, of course, promoting positive mindsets and attitudes towards aging and older people. Second, creating opportunities to stretch the productive potential of our seniors and tap their wealth of experience, particularly in ways in which we can promote inter-generational contact and bonding. Finally, as Mr Charles Chong has rightly pointed out, strengthening our community-based services to support families in caring for their frail elderly members in their own homes. 1.00 pm

Let me elaborate on these three strategies. One key success factor, of course, is society's mindset, and Dr Lily Neo has rightly raised that as a challenge for us to discuss. We have already taken a systematic approach to have a public education programme year round, in order to promote positive attitudes towards aging and older people. Our target audience is across all sectors, including the elderly. We have and will continue to collaborate with various Government and non-Governmental organisations to promote positive public attitudes through public and professional forums, talks, media campaigns and production of resource materials on aging issues. We also have the annual Senior Citizens' Week and Grandparents' Day as forums to promote active aging and respect for our seniors. But Members will agree that changing mindsets will take time, and it will require the collective effort of everyone in our society, including the elderly. To this end, I am glad to learn that many community organisations are taking the lead to promote positive aging and senior volunteerism. For example, in last year's Senior Citizens' Week, more than 40 community clubs organised programmes and activities for the elderly and their families. The Central Singapore CDC, which I was closely associated with, has launched a programme to rope in elderly volunteers, who then read to primary school children every week, a programme called Read and Reach Programme. The Retired Seniors Volunteer Programme (RSVP) conducts a mentoring programme for school children. Last year, the People's Association Senior Citizens' Network launched the SPICES for Life Programme. This programme is designed to motivate older people to learn to pick up new skills, such as IT. I hope that we could see more of such community organisations coming forward to help us spread the message.

We must recognise that in the life cycle, at different times, at different points in our lives, our needs will be different and therefore, we need to prepare for them. Therefore, my Ministry will intensify all our efforts to work together with other agencies to promote what we call, a culture of planning for the various transitions in our life, including aging or the so called "third age". The key, as Mr Maidin has rightly pointed out, is to start early.

Sir, on the second thrust, both Mr Maidin and Mr Zainul have spoken about giving our seniors productive and meaningful roles to play. Over the next 4-5 years, MCDS will place greater emphasis on programmes to develop the potential of our seniors. We have launched the Active Seniors Programme. We have set aside $5 million for this programme over the next four years to pilot innovative projects designed to tap the talents and the experience of older Singaporeans for the benefit of our community. I am pleased to inform the House that the first six projects are currently being implemented. We welcome any other proposals from anyone or any community organisations. These projects will involve over 2,000 senior volunteers.

Dr Lily Neo has asked specifically if senior volunteers can be reimbursed for incidental expenses, such as transport and what have you. Some of the VWOs, for example, RSVP, Singapore Action Group of Elders (SAGE) and Lions Befrienders, are already doing so and we will promote this as a best practice for others to consider.

Mr Zainul and Ms Irene Ng also raised issues about grandparenting and the need to foster greater inter-generational interaction. Besides community involvement, our elderly can continue to play a valuable role in the family, by promoting family value and transmitting positive values to their grandchildren. The role of grandparents will evolve in tandem with our more educated elderly population. Towards this end, MCDS supports public education programmes related to grandparenting.

Ms Irene Ng will also be happy to learn that we are also developing more facilities that will bring the young and old together. The Neighbourhood Link is one such facility, located in studio apartments and HDB void decks. The Link mobilises volunteers of all age groups to help needy residents in the community. I visited one in Toa Payoh, well-located, not too far from the town centre, and they have lots of activities for the senior citizens to engage themselves in. With the help of the VWOs, we can continue to engage them in other types of activities.

The co-location or close location of services for different age groups also promotes social integration, as does joint programming. The Tampines 3 in 1 Family Centre is an example of co-location of services for the young and the old under one roof. Children from the student care and childcare centres are brought to the eldercare centre daily for them to mingle with the seniors. Another example is our Singapore Boys' Home located in Jurong, next to the Saint Joseph's Home. This proximity allows our boys to help out regularly at the home and befriend the elderly residents there. The experience has been a mutually beneficial one. The elderly are able to share with the young their experiences, the history of Singapore and, in some instances, we found that they act as mentors to the boys. And the boys, in turn, bring companionship to the old.

Mr Zainul also asked whether we have studied the experiences of other countries with regard to inter-generational programming. Sir, we have visited several countries, including Japan and Hong Kong, which face similar ageing challenges as we do. We will be visiting Australia and the United Kingdom to learn not just about inter-generational issues, but also about aged care and policy measures. Where feasible, we will adopt some of these learning points. We have to adapt them to the local context and perhaps also expand on our range of programmes.

Sir, now onto care for the aged. Mr Charles Chong also highlighted the impact the ageing society will have on the care-giving role. Currently, our range of eldercare programmes, services and facilities are run by close to 70 voluntary welfare organisations. Over the next four years, we will step up these services to better support families in the care for the elderly at home. The initiatives being planned for include 400 additional day care places, more home help services, gerontological counselling, case management and a wide range of respite care services. In planning these services, my Ministry will work closely with the respective CDCs.

However, to meet the rising demand, not only for a wider range, but for a higher quality of services, I think we need to bring new players into the field of community-based services. This will, of course, inject fresh ideas on how services can better meet changing demands, and be more cost-effective in meeting these demands.

Starting this July, my Ministry will introduce a new incentive framework to encourage more cooperatives to provide eldercare programmes for seniors in the community, beginning with day care and home help services. The incentive framework will have two elements.

First, the extension of Government subsidy to cooperatives that run these services. Second, making subsidised premises available to cooperatives to set up and run the services.

Over the next 2-3 years, MCDS will also implement further measures to encourage private operators to enter the eldercare field. One key initiative is a user-subsidy system in which an elderly Singaporean, who meets the eligibility criteria, will receive a subsidy, regardless of which service provider he goes to. So there is portability. Another initiative is to set aside 10-20% of the premises reserved for eldercare services for commercial operators to bid over the next five years.

My Ministry is also constantly reviewing our subsidy policy to ensure that services remain affordable to Singaporeans. Last year, we introduced differential subsidy rates for elderly services such that lower income users receive a higher level of subsidy.

MCDS has recently reviewed the eligibility criteria and I am pleased to announce that we will be raising the income ceiling for the 50% subsidy from $500 to $700. This revision will potentially benefit our seniors who are in the per capita family income range of $500-$700 and who need day care services or sheltered accommodation.

Finally, I will address the specific suggestion of Mr Ang Mong Seng to set up a community senior citizens' institute. I agree that our community facilities should also cater to the needs of older Singaporeans. Currently, there is already an infrastructure in place to organise various activities for our seniors. For example, as Members know, they can sign up for courses in community clubs, participate in sports, social and recreational activities organised by our Senior Citizens' Clubs. Today, there are 112 Senior Citizens' Clubs or groups in the Southwest CDC alone. Among them, 73 have set up mutual care and support groups among their members. For those who need a job, they can approach the CDC concerned for assistance. I am happy to inform Mr Ang that my Ministry is now working with Southwest CDC to set up two Neighbourhood Links at Jurong East and Chua Chu Kang respectively. Instead of building a new facility, we would like to suggest that Mr Ang may want to work with the CDC first to see how best we can leverage on the existing infrastructure and facilities and the two neighbourhood links that we are proposing with Southwest CDC, so that we can better coordinate the programmes and services to meet the needs of our elderly.

Sir, I think I have addressed most of the concerns raised yesterday.

Mdm Cynthia Phua (Aljunied): Sir, can I make a point of clarification? The FSC has the undertone of the VWOs. For example, the rich Family Service Centre in Bishan is a Christian organisation. I know that some families do not want to go there. That is the reason why I asked for the CDC to be the front-line office for such family service support centres and, at the same time, they can also handle the financial assistance cases.

Assoc. Prof. Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I do not necessarily disagree with the Member that the CDC can play that value-added role. In terms of FSCs where there are such barriers, it is better for us to work with the FSCs to lower those barriers so that people of different faiths or different races will feel comfortable. In fact, our experiences have shown that in some other FSCs, such as the Marine Parade FSC, the number of Malay clients there has been increasing in the last few years. There are ways in which we can lower the barriers to make FSCs more effective, in terms of reaching out to a wider clientele. Certainly, if the CDCs are prepared to take that role, I am sure we could work together with the CDCs, so that they could play the role of a front-line office. I think this is best left to the Mayors to consider.

Mr Charles Chong (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Sir, the Prime Minister, in January this year, announced that Inter-Racial Confidence Circles (IRCCs) will be formed to foster inter-racial and inter-religious rapport among the different communities through regular interactions.

The descriptions and objectives of the IRCCs resemble that of goodwill communities that were formed shortly after the racial riots in Singapore during the 1960s. These communities were eventually replaced by the CCCs and other grassroots organisations. IRCCs are now being formed as an extension of the CCCs. Have we come a full circle? In the 1960s, there were numerous kampongs and villages were informal but acknowledged leadership, in the form of village headmen or penghulus, had evolved over the years.

However, times have changed. Our housing and resettlement policies, although assuring better ethnic mix, have broken up the informal but influential leadership as penghulus and their flocks were dispersed through resettlement throughout the island and these kampongs vanished. It is now harder to find acknowledged penghulus or village headmen in our new HDB estates, but we should still try.

IRCCs are likely to see greater success in fostering inter-religious rapport as religious leadership in mosques, temples and churches are still quite clearly defined. Could the Minister give us an update on the formation of the IRCCs, and how successful have IRCCs been in inducting acknowledged community leaders who are not already serving in grassroots organisations? Are IRCCs, that have already been formed, clear on their composition, objectives and methods on how they should go about achieving the desired outcomes?

Mdm Halimah Yacob (Jurong): (In Malay): Mr Chairman, it has been more than 40 years that the People's Association has been involved in the development of community work. However, the involvement of Malay activists in the PA activities is unsatisfactory. This does not mean that the involvement of Malays in community activities in general is reducing. It can be said very accurately that many Malays are involved in community activities but only with organisations that are related to the mosques and Malay/Muslim bodies.

The Malay community does enjoy social interaction and is concerned with the problems of others. I believe that increasing the involvement of the Malay community in grassroots activities, such as the RCs, CCCs, is one way for us to strengthen inter-community relations at the constituency level. The Malay community's involvement in the activities of the People's Association is important and must be encouraged.

Mr Chairman, the question is: why is the involvement of the Malays in the People's Association activities so lacking? What measures can be taken to enhance their involvement? Maybe the People's Association needs to use more suitable strategies and approach and it should take into account efforts to attract more Malay activists. One group we should be concerned about in our efforts to enhance the involvement of the Malays in the People's Association's activities, is the young or the youths.

Mr Chairman, not long ago, the People's Association had carried out a study to identify the interest and needs of the Malay community in terms of community activities. Could the Minister for Community Development and Sports give an update or information on the results of the study? Secondly, based on the study, what measures have been taken to enhance the involvement of the Malay community in the People's Association's activities? 1.15 pm

Mdm Ho Geok Choo (West Coast): Prime Minister's Goh initiative of forming the IRCCs has sparked off a number of cultural and bonding programmes, aimed at bringing about cultural and religious appreciation and understanding.

Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether enough measures have been taken to prepare our community leaders and community to cope with the events of a terrorist attack or riot in Singapore. I am well aware that our security forces and civil defence force are fully prepared to deal with such exigencies. Nonetheless, are our ordinary folks prepared to deal with such an occurrence - God forbid - or a terror were to transpire? Could we have a regular television and radio programme to educate our ordinary folks, especially the old and the young, on what they ought to do, and how they ought to react, if such a situation were to take place? For example, would the Minister consider putting out some programmes on how the community leaders and community can manage their emotions in a very tense-filled atmosphere that is normally an aftermath after such an event?

Sir, the main point that I would like to raise here is that our community leaders and community need to be aware of, and knowledgeable about, how to respond during any emergency. They cannot completely depend upon the efforts of our civil defence officers to tell them what to do during such times. In this connection, what types of programmes are in place, and are there sufficient funds earmarked for these programmes to raise the awareness level of our community leaders and community so that they will know how to respond? In my opinion, some crisis management education programme must be in place so that our community leaders and the community will know how to react to these crises. Such crisis management programmes are also required in schools and at the workplace.

Mr Charles Chong: Sir, Singapore's rate of volunteerism, when compared to the developed countries, appears to be rather dismal. The National Volunteers Centre was formed in July 1999, as a joint initiative of MCDS and the people sector. Its mission is to promote volunteerism as a way of life across all sectors and all levels of society. In so doing, the Centre hopes to root Singaporeans, bridge social stratification, and increase interaction, to foster deeper community bonding, thereby strengthening the heartware of the nation.

These objectives sound very similar to that of CDCs when they were formed just two years earlier, in 1997. In adopting the "many helping hands" approach, MCDS should also be careful to avoid wasteful duplication of services and resources.

Could the Minister tell us what additional measures have been taken to increase the rate of volunteerism in Singapore? And VWOs also need to upgrade their services and professional standards to meet the new challenges of an ageing population, growing social problems, and higher levels of stress in the family. Given the tough economic climate, more assistance to the voluntary sector is necessary. I was therefore delighted to hear the Minister announced yesterday the additional assistance that will be extended to VWOs. I am also quite amazed that he was able to predict exactly what I was going to ask for in my speech.

Mr Sin Boon Ann (Tampines): Sir, the future challenge facing Singapore is not just building more and better hardware, but rather to get Singaporeans in tune with the software that seeks to develop strong community ties.

This challenge to build strong community ties is, to my mind, greater than building the infrastructure. For many of the grassroots organisations, the question is how do they get more and better people motivated to volunteer their time and services within the community. This is an essential part of getting people to take greater ownership of the community that they live in. As my colleague before me has said earlier, our participation rate in volunteerism is dismal. If I may just give the figures, in Singapore our volunteerism rate stands at 9.3% compared to 25% for Japan, and 55% for the United States.

In the case of volunteers, typically, in Singapore, the volunteers comprise the young and retired Singaporeans. It is difficult to get those in the middle age group to participate. Sir, you will agree with me that at 9.3%, we are a far cry away from the benchmark set by the developed countries elsewhere. I believe that if we want to build our software by increasing community bonding within our society, we must work towards increasing the rate of participation amongst Singaporeans. We know, and we heard earlier, that the National Volunteer Centre was set up for this purpose, and that purpose being to promote volunteerism in Singapore. In this regard, I would like to ask the Minister three questions. First, whether the National Volunteer Centre has made much progress since its formation, in getting more volunteers to come forward to give off their time and energy to serving the community, and to give us an update of its progress. Second, whether or not we can inculcate in our young a greater spirit of volunteerism that goes beyond just the perfunctory community service programmes organised by the schools just to fulfil its curricula requirements. And, lastly, whether we can bring volunteerism down, even further, to the grassroots organisations by organising smaller groups within each block to encourage residents there in community living. Presently, the RCs typically look after 11-12 blocks. It is not possible for them to pay attention to all the residents, in all the blocks, and to be aware of all that is happening within the community. By having a smaller group in each block, it would help the volunteers better able to create a sense of community and a sense of belonging, and thus strengthen community bonding. I hope the Minister can respond to the comments.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Home Affairs (Encik Mohamad Maidin B P M): Sir, I agree with many of the points raised by my colleagues earlier. In fact, as a young multi-racial and multi-religious country, I believe we will continue to face challenges that can either unite or divide our people.

On the whole, Sir, I believe that Singaporeans from all ethnic and religious groups, share a similar desire to see that we will continue to live harmoniously, hopefully, no tensions, no riots, no bloodshed. We have not had any ugly incident for more than three decades. But the problem is we cannot guarantee that this will forever be so.

If I remember correctly, there were several times when the temperature rose, and it became somewhat tense. Often times, it started not as a local problem. Instead the situation was actually imported from real tensions which happened elsewhere. However, due to the active work of our security officers, we managed to avoid things from getting worse.

However, in maintaining racial and religious harmony, I do not believe it is a good idea for us to rely entirely on our security apparatus to do the job. Instead, I believe that all of us, the people of Singapore, from all races and religions, should take it as part of our national duty, to build and improve upon inter-racial and inter-religious relations.

In fact, we need to be able to see each other as part of the big Singapore family. And as a family we need to reach a higher level of comfort in the way we deal with one another. We need to take care of each other and willingly help one another. And we should not let anyone to be sidelined, alienated, discriminated, or marginalised.

Sir, no responsible citizen should leave things to chance when it comes to inter-racial and inter-religious harmony. I believe we should all play a part. And we need to enhance our social and community bonding in times when we are living in peace and harmony. I think it is too late to want to do something when things have already turned ugly. It is like our young men in National Service. They need to do their in-camp and reservist duties, and they are kept prepared to deal with difficult situations whenever it arises. And we all hope that they could measure up to it when the time comes.

In the same way, we should all do our best to establish trust among our people, such that we would be able to keep calm and not easily be aroused and fall prey to calls of riot and bloodshed. The real danger in difficult and tense times, as we can learn from past incidents, and the recent happenings in Gujarat, is the spread of rumours and lies, designed to infuriate different groups against one another.

Sir, we are most vulnerable if we lack trust and a sense of one people, one nation. But if we are successful in building bonds between the races, we can be resilient enough to face such trying times and remain a stable and harmonious country. I sincerely hope that more Singaporeans from all races and all walks of life will come forward to spend time to keep Singapore a safe place, not only for ourselves but also for our children and the future generation. There are many ways for us to do so, through various organisations, through volunteerism, through the IRCC. And I hope the Minister, in this case, could share with us his assessment of progress in community bonding, inter-racial and inter-religious harmony in Singapore, and what else need Singaporeans do or do not do in order to maintain and improve the situation.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman (Sembawang): Sir, much has been talked about on the need to maintain social cohesion. It is even more critical for a multi-racial society like Singapore. Sir, the CDCs were formed in 1997 with the primary task of maintaining and enhancing the level of social cohesion in our society. Since 1997, the CDCs have taken different shapes and sizes, and today we have five CDCs managed by full-time Mayors.

Sir, apart from the CDCs, the People's Association, with its fleet of grassroots organisations, has also been actively involved in implementing programmes that aim to enhance social cohesion. To this end, I would like to ask the Minister the following questions.

How much has been spent by each CDC in programmes that aim to promote social cohesion? How do these CDCs measure social cohesion? What are the outcome indicators used by CDCs in ascertaining the effectiveness of their programmes? How much have been achieved thus far, and how much more do we need to do? Has there been any systematic evaluation of these programmes? If there are, what are the findings? If not, are there plans to evaluate these programmes? With the expanded size of the CDCs, how do they ensure social cohesion in their respective geographical areas?

Sir, the programmes developed by the CDCs and other grassroots organisations oftentimes set the stage and provide opportunities for Singaporeans to interact. However, we have often heard the common lament that it is the same people who are participating in these activities. If this is so, what is the profile of Singaporeans who are not actively involved in social programmes organised by these grassroots organisations? How do MCDS and the CDCs plan to engage this group of Singaporeans?

Sir, the responsibility of ensuring that social cohesion is enhanced should not be limited to the community sector alone. We need to ensure that the other sectors, the employment, the schools, etc, also consciously work towards enhancing social cohesion. To this end, may I ask the Minister the extent to which MCDS works with the private sector in enhancing social cohesion in the workplace? What programmes have been in place to facilitate this process?

Sir, when we discussed the issue of social cohesion, we must also go beyond inter-ethnic relation. Sir, our society is as hierarchical as any other modern society. We do have different levels of social classes. Social cohesion must also address the relationship between the different social classes. In this regard, may I ask the Minister what is the level of participation of residents in private estates in the programmes that aim to promote social cohesion organised by CDCs and grassroots organisations? Sir, as we attempt to narrow the economic divide between the different social classes, we should also work towards narrowing the social divide. The state of our social cohesion is indeed the responsibility of every Singaporean. We must ensure that Singaporeans understand the circumstances that Singapore is facing, and take ownership of the issue and the need to improve our level of social cohesion. I understand the Ministry, and its related agencies, can do that much in providing opportunities for Singaporeans, but if Singaporeans do not respond, these efforts would only be futile. Of course, the Ministry should continue its best to attract and assist Singaporeans to identify and own the issues.

Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed (Aljunied): Sir, when we talk about community bonding, normally we turn to social programmes. But the CDCs' experience in the last six months, particularly when we embarked on "jobs, jobs, jobs", it has given another dimension to this idea of community bonding and social bonding, and I would like to call that the "economic glue" to social cohesion. I would like to urge the MCDS to exploit the current economic downturn to better forge bonding and social cohesion among our people. I would like to see the MCDS, for example, to encourage the better-offs, particularly those who have benefited from the IT boom, and those who are knowledgeable in IT knowledge, to impart and work with the other groups, especially those in need of help to promote, not only better dissemination of knowledge but also better bonding. I would be most grateful if the Minister could share with us MCDS' programmes that put into practice this idea of economic glue to social bonding. 1.30 pm

Mdm Ho Geok Choo: Sir, I note with pleasure the budgetary provision for double tax deductions to individuals and corporations who contribute monies to Institutions of Public Character.

As I see it, philanthropy extends beyond giving money to the needy. Philanthropy also means giving of our time and energy to cater to the needs of the needy in our society. If a society is to forge those bonds that make for national cohesion, then one of our unsung heroes or heroines is one who makes the time and the effort to volunteer his or her service at these institutions.

Volunteers carry a range of out-of-pocket expenses associated with their work. The contributions of time and money made by volunteers in an emergency situation can be considered as endowments bestowed on the community. These endowments are funded by both volunteers and their employers. For those volunteers who are self-employed, their endowment contributions could be substantial. This situation contrasts with the treatment of reservists and the Armed Forces, volunteers of another kind. Where both the participants and their employers get many statutory-based tax concessions and other benefits, these are funded by the community through the tax system to encourage their commitment and continued participation.

Volunteerism and community service are a strong and important tradition for our nation to cultivate. Expanding opportunities for senior service befits an ageing population like Singapore's. The population of older adults is growing rapidly, and it is expected that the ageing of the baby boomers will accelerate this growth. Seniors today are living longer than ever before and can often anticipate up to 30 years of productive post-retirement years. Retirement should be a time of economic security and physical well-being and should also provide seniors more opportunities to serve their communities. Singapore should consider the setting up of a national vehicle for senior volunteerism. This senior voluntary programme can work with non-profit self-based groups, schools and other civic organisations to provide opportunities for Singaporeans of all ages to serve their communities.

The senior volunteer group can use the talents, skills and experiences of older Singaporeans to help solve problems. Members can help meet a wide range of community needs, serve one-to-one with young people with special needs, and help other seniors live independently in their homes. This senior group can organise themselves into various categories, like the Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme, the Foster Grandparent Programme and the Senior Companion Programme. Of course, you may argue that the best volunteers will be the ones who do the job quietly and efficiently, taking the lead without taking public recognition, knowing full well that the hard work and dedication will be recognised in due time, but, until then, happy with the knowledge that a task was completed and perhaps a life enriched, taking satisfaction from the wisdom found. In the first Analect of Confucius, "To remain unoffended, and to feel no discomposure, even one's ability and accomplishments remain unrecognised by others." Is that not, after all, expected of a person of complete virtue?

On the other hand, Government and the community must recognise that it costs to be a volunteer. Without appropriate official recognition and support, many volunteers have begun to question whether their commitment and effort are appreciated. Politicians, judges and the community may applaud the unselfishness of volunteerism, but the values of a fair go and equity are also key elements of our Singaporean ethos and need to be shown to volunteers.

Managing volunteer participation to ensure the long-term sustainability of volunteerism, for example, in the emergency services, will become a significant focus for Singapore after September 11. Many of the agencies in which volunteers serve have vigorous volunteer recruitment, motivation and retention programmes, which include suitable forms of rewards and recognition.

May I ask the Minister how many individuals, who offer their services in the form of time and effort on a voluntary basis to Institutions of Public Character, are recognised for their voluntary spirit?

As for the seniors, would the Minister look into granting some seed funding to support a senior voluntary group which could be the source supplier for volunteer work? This will help to sustain volunteerism in Singapore.

Mr Gan Kim Yong (Holland-Bukit Panjang): Sir, Singapore is fast becoming a globalised state. This is inevitable if we were to plug into the world economy. But as we become globalised, more and more of our young generation will be working abroad. At the same time, an increasing number of our children are also going overseas for their education. This in itself is not necessarily a bad thing. However, as more and more Singaporeans are going overseas, the issue of national identity and rootedness becomes more acute. We need to address this issue urgently or we will risk losing our younger generation. Home ownership, Sir, is no longer an effective means to hold them back. We need a new raison d'etre.

Sir, I would like to ask the Minister what programmes his Ministry has to address this issue. Perhaps I could suggest a two-pronged approach to reach out to the hearts of Singaporeans. These are: passion and participation.

Passion: passion for Singapore, passion for the community, passion for the family and passion for friendship. Family and community bonding is an important element in fostering rootedness. I have spoken to a number of Singaporeans who are contemplating migration. One of the major reasons that is holding them back is the relationship they have with their family members here and their friends in Singapore. Sir, I would like to urge the Minister to look into programmes and initiatives that would encourage our people and help them build closer relationships and stronger bonds with their family members and their friends. This is particularly so for the younger generation. This way, their roots here will be strengthened. For this purpose, perhaps we can designate part of the Marina Esplanade as a Youth Corner, to allow our younger generation to hang out and to make friends. The place must, firstly, be youth-friendly. We can also organise wholesome and exciting activities, not boring ones, that will engage the young.

Participation: active citizenship and participation in nation building. One of the factors that are pushing some Singaporeans away is the sense that they have no place in Singapore. They have to choose between being nobody in Singapore or being somebody in a less competitive country. We cannot reduce the competitive spirit, but I would like to appeal to the Ministry to create more space for Singaporeans, and give them greater opportunity to participate in important matters such as nation building. This will make them know and feel that they have an important role to play in the making of Singapore, that they have a say in shaping their collective future. This way, we can promote active citizenship and strengthen the sense of belonging. We must take the feedback from the people seriously. Change, if we agree to the feedback, and explain if we do not agree with them. Otherwise, we may end like what some of the residents say about feedback - feed, but nothing comes back.

Sir, national identity and rootedness cannot be developed overnight. We have come quite a long way, given the short history that we have. However, more needs to be done and can be done. I believe passion and participation are the keys to building a strong national identity and active citizenship.

Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed: Sir, yesterday I spoke about growing old. It is always a pleasure to talk about the youth, for after all they are our future.

Sir, the Ministry of Community Development and Sports has identified one of its objectives as being rooting youth with our shared values. I think that is a very important area, and I am glad that the Ministry has chosen that as one of its key objectives. But I would like to just raise a few questions in the context of shared values "in a different world" which, I think, the Deputy Prime Minister spoke about when he tabled the Budget.

We are indeed facing a very different world. More and more of our youths are travelling, studying overseas, and they will imbibe the kind of values which may be quite different from ours. Looking at those kinds of challenges, what are the programmes in place to make us root our youth better to the kind of changing world and, more importantly, the changing Singapore? There are very serious issues the community faces, especially post-911, which, I think, the youth must understand fully, eg, what multi-racialism is about, what are the challenges facing a young society, which is very keen on nation building, especially in the context of our multi-racial, multi-religious Singapore.

I would like to ask the Minister to share with us, again, the thinking and the programmes which the Ministry has in terms of what it means by rooting our youth with our shared values.

Mr Chew Heng Ching (East Coast): Sir, it is heartening to note that the standard of corporate governance in our public companies in Singapore has improved in recent years. This follows a gradual implementation of the Code of Corporate Governance practices recommended by the Corporate Governance Committee some 1 1/2 years ago. There has also been some adoption of better governance practices among the larger private companies, including having greater transparency and more independent audit committees and board members.

However, Sir, in the area of non-profit charitable organisations, there are currently no such practice codes to guide and strengthen the management of large sums of public monies. For example, from time to time, there has been public disquiet or criticism over the use of funds by large charitable organisations, like NKF, Community Chest, and so on. I believe greater oversight of charitable organisations, through the formalisation of a proper governance code similar to public companies, may help strengthen and further enhance the confidence of Singaporeans who contribute to charities.

Sir, the formulation of a Code of Good Governance Practices for charitable organisations is indeed timely. Why? Because in the recent Budget debate, DPM Lee has proposed that double tax relief be given for donations to Institutions of Public Character (IPC). IPC status is also made more readily available for qualifying charitable private foundations. Sir, I see this as part of the national effort to encourage more Singaporeans to donate to charities.

I understand the promulgation of such a code rests with the Commissioner of Charities under the Ministry of Finance, and MCDS' role is just to help promote more charitable giving. Nevertheless, I would like to ask the Minister if his Ministry is working closely with MOF and the various agencies under his charge to develop and implement a Code of Practice for fund-raising, in line with the national effort to promote transparency and ensure greater accountability in the use of public monies, which include charities. I would like to recommend that this be looked into so that public accountability can be strengthened and that kind and generous Singaporeans can be assured that their money is going to where their hearts want it to go.

Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed: Sir, let's all be charitable but, I am sure, not with time, I am sure.

Sir, we have set ourselves the laudable task and mission of becoming a gracious society. But we all know that we are still far from that target, the Small Kindness Movement notwithstanding. The call for TUP (Toilets Upgrading Programme) and kiasuism are some of the examples to show that we still have some way to progress. But I am very happy indeed to see the Deputy Prime Minister and the Government promoting philanthropy. Yes, let us focus on upgrading ourselves, become more competitive, but we should not inadvertently become less public spirited and more self-absorbed individuals. I agree that we must continue to show our care and concern for fellow Singaporeans, and to contribute as members of our society to worthy projects.

Sir, I would just like to add that while the Government in being generous in the new areas which they are offering tax rebates, I would like to also propose that perhaps for those organisations without IPC status, the Government could also consider on a project-to-project basis, worthy projects and good programmes, which I think deserve community support and philanthropy. Perhaps, the Government could also look at them on a case-by-case basis. 1.45 pm

Assoc. Prof. Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I like to thank Members for all their charitable remarks for MCDS. First, I like to thank Mr Charles Chong and other Members for raising their concerns about social cohesion. We all are equally concerned that this is an important area. But let me try and address this in a larger context before I take some specific issues. As I see it, there are two very important concerns: first, the communal divide, and, second, the material divide.

Let me first describe what I see as the fundamental principles of managing communal relations for the last 40 years. Basically, there are three principles. First, a secular government that "holds the ring" and takes firm action against disruptive elements. Second, equal access to all communities to basic services, that is, education, housing, medical care, and so on. In this way, no one group will feel denied or marginalised. And, third, the principle of meritocracy, where everyone advances by his own merit, not because he belongs to a certain group, race or religion.

Sir, this model for maintaining communal harmony has served us well for more than four decades of nation building. A Survey on Social Attitudes commissioned by my Ministry and conducted in the first half of 2001, found that 9 out of 10 Singaporeans were generally satisfied with race relations in Singapore, with the Malays being slightly more likely to be satisfied than the Chinese and the Indians. The Survey also found that a vast majority of Singaporeans, about 97%, thought it was good to have people of different races living in the same neighbourhood. And not only that, 98% of Singaporeans were comfortable with the idea of allowing their children to play with children of other races. There were no significant differences between the different races in this regard. So across-the-board, everyone feels comfortable for their son to play with the son of a neighbour who may come from a different group.

Almost 9 in 10, or 89%, of Singaporeans found their neighbours helpful and friendly, and with Malay Singaporeans being slightly more upbeat than their Chinese or Indian counterparts. 82% of Singaporeans thought that they could turn to their neighbours for help in times of need.

So, in general, based upon the survey that we had done on attitudes, communal relations look to be good. But of course, you must remember this survey was conducted in the first half of 2001. And foremost in the minds of us, undoubtedly, in Mr Zainul Abidin's mind, events of September 11 and, of course, December 2001 have placed some stresses on our communal relations. My Ministry will be conducting another survey to see whether or not the views have changed. So the first set of surveys will help us to establish the baseline for us to manage or to understand where communal relations are going.

Sir, even before the event of September 11, the Survey on Social Attitudes found that, whilst Singaporeans in general are satisfied with communal relations, there is actually one very striking difference - younger Singaporeans were significantly less satisfied with race and religious relations than older Singaporeans above 30 years of age. So we need to understand better the reasons for this generational difference which could be rooted in the life experiences of younger Singaporeans.

Sir, I share what Mdm Ho and Mr Maidin have raised that our people are our core aspect of defence. How we, as citizens, respond to the events of late 2001, or indeed to any crisis, such as terrorist attack on our country, would be critical to the test of our cohesion and maturity as a nation.

Through the HDB housing policies and efforts by the People's Association and MOE in the community and schools, we have tried to maintain an integrated environment where different races can mingle. The survey findings, I cited earlier, show how our inter-racial ties are good, but I think we need to build more upon this.

Indeed, the promotion of harmonious communal relations is an on-going journey that all communities in Singapore have to take and we will have to adapt as we go along. The coming of age of a younger generation of Singaporeans means that we need to re-energise our efforts at inter-communal communication, to re-discover each other if need be, especially in relation to what has happened in the last few months. Each community in every generation will have new views, new mindsets, new influences and, maybe, even new blind spots. So we cannot assume that the foundations that underlay the comfort level among older Singaporeans can be understood, appreciated, or even replicated, by different generations. Indeed, a new generation will have to work together to create their own comfort zones and comfort levels.

Communal harmony does not mean that each community insisting on having its way. Indeed, all communities must learn to give and to take, and no community should labour under the false impression that they are always the ones having to make concessions. What is needed is an understanding and readiness to accommodate one another in the interest of the greater national good.

Sir, this is where I believe the various grassroots organisations, community-based organisations, schools and Inter-Racial Confidence Circles (IRCCs) can play a useful role. In response to our Prime Minister's call, there are now about 38 IRCCs created and they are made up of leaders of different ethnic groups and organisations in the community. They organise programmes to help residents better appreciate one another's culture and religion. By July this year, we hope to form IRCCs in all constituencies. Mr Charles Chong has asked us about the composition and how successful we have been. From the best of my knowledge, in terms of the composition, we have been able to attract the non-grassroots organisation type into the IRCCs. But having said that, we are leaving it to the various IRCCs. So you may form an IRCC of 10 members. It does not mean you should stop at 10 members. You can continue to expand and bring in new leaders that you think will be helpful in your IRCC. These IRCCs will play an important role, should there be a crisis, because they will help to maintain calm and manage relations in the community.

Schools are also embarking on many activities to promote racial harmony. I believe such cross-cultural appreciation and interaction from young will help to pave the way for bonds and friendships to be cemented across the races.

Sir, the effort to get to know one another must take place from the ground up and from the young. And the effort must also be sustained. The learning must start with what each community is all about - the identities, the beliefs, the values and the practices. The learning must cover uniqueness, but more importantly, it must also address commonalities - what are the values and objectives that all communities share that bind us together, in spite of our differences.

I would like to share with you an example. I am sure other Members can relate to the same example. Just recently, the Kolam Ayer IRCC organised a group of grassroots leaders and residents to visit the Sri Mariamman Temple and the Taoist Man Sun Fook Tuck Chee Temple, both in Jalan Besar GRC. Participants from different religions found that they all pray for the same thing - harmony, peace, prosperity and happiness. So when we recognise the things that we share in common and hold dear, stronger bonds can be developed.

Sir, let me now touch on the second potential area that could affect social cohesion, and that is a growing material divide. As mentioned by some Members in the House, income disparity is inevitable in a globalised economy that pays knowledge workers a premium but where the pay of unskilled workers is constantly being beaten down by cheaper labour elsewhere. Disparity itself is not a bad thing, but a sense of divide can be dangerous. So we need to build bridges and bonds across all levels of society as well as all social classes. We need a culture where the more successful are motivated to "give back to society" and help those who are less successful.

Sir, let me now address some of the concerns raised by Members - Mr Charles Chong, Mr Maidin, Mdm Ho and Mr Sin Boon Ann. They have all called for more Singaporeans to be active citizens and to volunteer their time to help those who are less fortunate. First, Mr Charles Chong and Mr Sin Boon Ann have pointed out that our volunteerism rate, which is 9.3%, lags behind some other developed countries. Although this figure looks small, I believe there is a growing interest in voluntary service, and there is a lot of informal volunteering by Singaporeans, such as helping your neighbours, keeping an eye on the house of your neighbour when they are away on holiday, feeding the cat, and the like. These are all not captured in the statistics. So I think this is an under-reporting. More than anything else, we should not be complacent, we should work towards increasing that rate.

At the core, the people sector is made up of ordinary people who are moved to do something, big or small, for the wider community. I could cite many heartwarming examples but let me just mention one: Rachel Ong, a very successful young professional, who helped to start a programme called Thumbs Up to help teenagers build their self-esteem and reach their potential. She also roped in her friends, many of whom are busy young professionals, to volunteer with the programme. The programme achieved overwhelming response from over 6,000 students in less than a year. I see people like Rachel and her friends as part of a bridge across the material divide in Singapore.

Several Members have raised the point on how we should appreciate the efforts of volunteers. Mdm Ho touched a bit on some of the incentives which are given to National Servicemen. I am not sure whether she is suggesting that we should give tax rebates to volunteers. But I am sure financial incentives are not the only reason why people volunteer their time and resources. How do we actually value and quantify volunteers' time and contributions across the different activities? It is a very difficult question to answer.

There are important factors that help volunteers to come forward, such as the supportive family and supportive employers, the desire to contribute, and a fulfilling volunteering experience. Obviously, they must feel fulfilled when they go down to the schools, or to the home, or even helping out in the neighbourhood. People just do not want to feel that they are wasting their time. Today, more educated volunteers seek meaningful volunteering opportunities which capitalise on their skills and they have to fit in with their own work-life commitments because there are other demands on their time.

Many volunteers may also find it increasingly difficult, given their time constraints, to commit themselves for too long to any one particular cause or programme. They may have an hour a week, or two days a month, that they can contribute. How do you slot that into the needs of the voluntary organisation is a challenge for all of us. So volunteer host organisations will have to respond creatively to these trends.

Therefore, other than attracting more volunteers, a critical challenge that we face is to help the organisations strengthen their capabilities to manage volunteers more effectively, and thereby nurture a culture that appreciates and recognises volunteers. Previously, volunteering means we are spending time on a particular project organised by a VWO. We came forward and gave our time without really knowing the details of the project. Now, we need to better manage those expectations because some of them may not have the luxury of time as some others may have.

Sir, the National Volunteer Centre (NVC) works closely with the volunteer host organisations to put in place a good volunteer management practice, for example, through consultancy and training. There are various awards also to recognise volunteers' contributions. At the highest levels, these include the President's Social Service Awards and, of course, the National Day Awards.

Sir, the NVC will not replace the CDC, but they will play a complementary role in fostering community bonding. The NVC is actively partnering CDCs to support volunteer-driven programmes at the community level. As a national body, what the NVC will do is to set standards in volunteer management practices and administer national awards for volunteer coordinators and volunteer host organisations. So the NVC will therefore augment, or value add, the CDC's efforts by providing consultancy and advice on volunteer management practices and training. Promoting volunteering is just one of the ways in which CDCs encourage their residents to have a strong sense of ownership in the local community.

Sir, let me now move on to the matter of philanthropy. Before that, Mdm Ho has made two specific suggestions, ie, funding for a senior citizens' volunteer group. I mentioned earlier, in my speech, that we have launched a $5 million fund for an active senior citizens programme. Six projects have been approved and these projects are meant to promote specifically inter-generational bonding and to engage our senior citizens. So any group is welcome to submit proposals to this particular project so that they tap the money for the purpose which Mdm Ho has suggested.

Let me address another point. Mdm Ho may know that there are already existing senior citizens organisations at the national level, such as RSVP and SAGE. So these are again organisations that could easily tap on the funds which are made available, through the Ministry, to run programmes, to draw upon the volunteers and make sure that they remain active and engaged within the community. 2.00 pm

Sir, Mr Sin Boon Ann has also asked what else can be done and what sort of impact have we made after the formation of the NVC. We did a volunteer benchmark survey in 2000. I do not have the results of the survey here. But we will do another survey this year to assess the progress. There are other signs of progress that NVC has made an impact. There is greater awareness, and the media has helped us in terms of promoting some of the good examples. Last year was the International Year of Volunteers 2001, so we had a whole range of programmes. One particularly interesting programme is "Volunteer as a Family" that was promoted by the NVC. So there are many efforts in place. I hope Members can wait until the second survey, when we can do an analysis of the progress of our efforts.

Finally, Mr Sin also suggested that in order to promote the sense of volunteerism, we should try and work with the grassroots organisations to build smaller units instead of the RCs. I am sure Members have heard about the Block Representatives. I understand some constituencies have it, some do not. But these are schemes, that I agree with Mr Sin, that we could work towards, forming smaller units, because some of the estates may have grown and, therefore, we need small and nimble units. There is nothing to prevent that from happening. I am sure we could work with PA on how we can further push this process.

Sir, in a strong and close-knit society, the more successful must see it as their responsibility to help the less successful. We have many examples of early philanthropists, such as Dato Lee Kong Chian, Dr Lim Boon Keng, the various Arab families, such as the Aljunieds, the Alkaffs and the Alsagoffs, Mr Mohammed Eunos Abdullah, Mr Govindasamy Pillai, and many others who have contributed to the building of modern Singapore.

To nurture a supportive environment and charitable giving, my Ministry will work with our partners, such as the National Council of Social Service and the Commissioner of Charities under IRAS, to promote the value of philanthropy, to support informed-giving and to strengthen the accountability of charities. The public will be more confident about supporting charities, if charities demonstrate that they are responsible in fund-raising, and wise and prudent in using the donated funds.

Sir, to set the pace, the Community Chest will increase its efforts to reach out to the donor community. ComChest will keep donors regularly updated on its work and the results of their donations. It will continue to give full and transparent accounts of its stewardship of the funds raised.

I fully agree with Mr Chew Heng Ching that we must ensure that charities remain accountable and responsible. My Ministry is working closely with the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) to draw up a code of good governance for voluntary welfare organisations this year. NCSS is also developing codes and guidelines for VWOs, covering areas such as programme development, financial accountability and fund-raising practices. NCSS also organises workshops for VWOs on these topics.

NCSS is also studying the feasibility of requiring its members to comply with a code on fund-raising practices, in order for the donors to continue to enjoy tax exemption. The code will address many issues including, for example, how to deal with fund-raising appeals that are being made after the target has been achieved. Another issue is fund-raising ethics, eg, the use of children and how children are approached to raise funds for charities.

The Government is also working on requiring Institutions of Public Character (IPCs) and charities to place their essential profile and financial information on the Internet. This will give donors and members of the public easy access to information on how donations are disbursed and the types of activities which are being funded and undertaken by the IPCs and the charities. MOF has sought feedback from the public and they are supportive. So my Ministry is working with NCSS and MOF to provide more information online about such best practices so that donors can make more informed decisions.

I am also pleased to note that NCSS is helping the Government to set up an online donation portal on the e-Citizen website by the end of this year. The portal will make it easy for people to donate to Institutions of Public Character of their choice. It will also have information about the participating IPCs to help promote more informed giving.

Sir, to strengthen community bonding among Singaporeans, we need a good infrastructure and strong voluntary organisations to serve as effective platforms for community participation. However, most importantly, it is people like you and me, who are at the heart of it all, community leaders, volunteers and citizens, stepping forward as active citizens to make a difference to Singapore.

Sir, if I can now address some of the specific concerns raised by Members. Both Mr Gan Kim Yong and Mr Zainul Abidin have raised pertinent questions on the rootedness of our youths and how to keep them engaged and young. Mr Gan has made an interesting suggestion of a programme based on passion and participation. Somehow, it did not escape me, but the acronym is PAP! We share the Member's concern, Sir. Indeed, with increased globalisation and ease of connectivity with the rest of the world, our youths will increasingly see themselves as global citizens. This is not a bad thing in itself. It becomes a challenge, however, if their sense of global citizenship replaces or outstrips their attachment and commitment to Singapore.

I agree with Mr Zainul that our young is our future, and we recognise that for our youths to become effectively rooted to Singapore, they must be informed and engaged in national issues. They must also feel that they have a stake in our society through active involvement in various programmes. We have, for example, the National Education programme which is conducted by MOE, and the various Government agencies are part of the Government's effort to educate, expose and engage our young Singaporeans. The National Youth Council (NYC) organises and supports programmes, such as the National Youth Seminar, Prime Minister's dialogue with young Singaporeans, the Polytechnic Forum and ITE Seminar, where young Singaporeans can express their views on national issues and play a part in policy making.

Sir, I was involved in some of these seminars, and I have found our youths, far from being detached about Singapore, are passionate about some of the issues in Singapore, and they are prepared to raise their ideas without any inhibitions. The Youth Expedition Project organised jointly by the NYC and the Singapore International Foundation brings youths to another country to experience, reflect and discuss issues concerning the country they visit and relate these lessons to Singapore. Such experiences will strengthen their conviction about their roles and obligations towards Singapore.

Sir, the CDCs have also created many platforms for the active involvement of our youths in the community. The "Dare to Dream Fund" administered by the Northeast CDC and the "Young Leaders Community Project" by the Northwest CDC and, if I may add, the "High-5 Youth Award" by the Central Singapore CDC are some good examples of ways to attract the young into community involvement.

The National Volunteer Centre has also been working with the schools to interest their students in community involvement and volunteer projects. I am glad to report that in a recent National Volunteer Centre survey, it was found that almost one-third of those between 15 and 24 years of age have done some form of voluntary work. My Ministry believes that by engaging our youths in discussions and allowing them to turn their ideas into deeds through youth-initiated community projects, we build in them a sense of ownership and belonging. The issue of rooting our young is, of course, a multi-faceted one. Yet, I think it boils down to one thing which Mr Gan has pointed out - creating ties that bind, to friends and families.

If we can provide social anchors for our youths, be it through strengthening family ties, education, opportunities for community participation, or simply involving them in more of our discussions, we will be sending a strong signal to our youths that we value them and that they belong to Singapore. I assure Members of the House that my Ministry will continue to work with other agencies to create and sustain these ties.

Sir, I have answered most of the queries. I have mentioned about IRCCs. At an appropriate time, we will report on the progress of the various efforts of the IRCCs.

Dr Maliki has raised some concerns about whether or not we are going beyond the usual people that we are engaging in. I would like to assure Members that we are also concerned about that. Obviously, in order to attract more people, we have to bring in new faces, but this is where volunteer management becomes a very important aspect of how we are able to draw some of these people, not only in terms of programmes but to be able to contribute their time and resources to some of the programmes that we conduct. I do agree with him, as I mentioned earlier, that we have to bridge the social classes, and this is where our appeal to the more successful to come forward is indeed something that we will continue to do.

Mr Zainul has mentioned specifically about how we root our young in relation to what has happened, ie, 911. Later on, I will touch on what MUIS is trying to do beyond the confines of just the Malay-Muslim community, to reach out to a cross-section of the non-Muslim community, including the young. I hope the hon. Member can bear with me.

Finally, with respect to the suggestion by Mr Gan Kim Yong that perhaps a place in Marina Esplanade be set aside for youths, we do have a place in Orchard Road, called the Youth Park, which is meant for our young. Other than physical spaces, I would like to assure Members that opportunities for our young to contribute their ideas are available and continue to increase, eg, the efforts by the Remaking Singapore Committee. The Committee is reaching out to a whole cross-section of people, including our young. The same thing was done during the Singapore 21 exercise in which I was involved. We will reach out to the school students, the polytechnics, the JCs and the universities, to create not only physical spaces but also virtual spaces for them to come forward to contribute ideas and suggestions. I know there are programmes being undertaken by the CDCs with some youth groups to carry out programmes to further entrench some of these youths who have come forward.

Sir, I think I have answered most of the queries raised by Members.

Mdm Halimah Yacob: Sir, I think the Minister has not answered my questions. I would appreciate it if he could answer my questions.

Assoc. Prof. Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I would like to thank Mdm Halimah for reminding me. Mdm Halimah has asked in Malay about the People's Association's survey on grassroots participation and efforts in strengthening racial harmony. Dr Maliki has also raised about the efforts of the CDCs and the People's Association in enhancing social cohesion and how this can be measured.

I would just like to add that I chaired a committee in PA to look into how we can strengthen participation among the various communities in Singapore. We have launched a couple of programmes through the various groups that we have in the CCs. But, if I could seek Mdm Halimah's indulgence, Minister of State, Mr Chan Soo Sen, will address some of them, together with the other issues that both Mdm Halimah and Dr Maliki have raised in their cuts on PA and CDCs, and we will give a more complete reply to them.

Mr Charles Chong: Sir, in September 2000, the Committee on Sporting Singapore (CoSS) was set up to review and make strategic recommendations on how sports should be further developed in Singapore. The main Steering Committee, comprising three Ministers and a Minister of State, had four equally high-powered sub-committees. These committees met between September 2000 and May 2001, and involved almost the entire sporting fraternity in Singapore. The objective, in the words of the former Minister for Community Development and Sports, ie, yourself, Sir, was "To question fundamentals, discuss possibilities, re-examine priorities and explore our dreams for sports in Singapore." The Committee eventually submitted its report with 40 recommendations that would set the directions for sports development in Singapore. To implement these recommendations, the Government, together with Singapore Pools, has committed $500 million over five years to sports. Could the Minister give us a progress report on the implementation of these 40 recommendations? How successful have we been in moving towards our "Sports For Everyone" objective of achieving a sports participation rate of one in every two Singaporeans by the year 2005? In "Sports Excellence", what measures have been taken to ensure that we stand a good chance of emerging one of the top 10 sporting nations in Asia by 2010?

In our efforts to promote "Sports Excellence" and "Sports For Everyone", I would also like to urge the Minister not to overlook the sporting needs for the disabled. Perhaps more grants could be provided for the Singapore Sports Council for the disabled. Our disabled sportsmen and sportswomen appear to be bringing home more medals in international meets compared to our able-bodied athletes. Perhaps, more of our sports facilities should be disable-friendly, and the future sports school should admit promising disabled athletes in order that they, too, can realise their full sporting potential. 2.15 pm

Mr Ang Mong Seng (Hong Kah): (In Mandarin): Mr Chairman, Sir, MCDS has set two very challenging objectives: (1) By 2010, Singapore will be one of the top 10 sporting nations in Asia; (2) 50% of Singapore citizens could take part in sports activities.

If we can formulate some strategies to fulfil these objectives, I think we can achieve the objective of becoming one of the 10 sporting nations in Asia or the third best sporting nation in Southeast Asia. There are many countries in Asia, such as China, India, Japan, Korea, Australia, Taiwan and Hong Kong which are very strong in sports, and certainly stronger than Singapore in this aspect. Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia are the strong sporting nations in Southeast Asian countries. In order for us to achieve the objective of becoming one of the 10 sporting nations in Asia, we have to be in the top 3 positions in Southeast Asian countries.

Last year, I attended a SEA Game in Malaysia. I found that the standard of sports in the Southeast Asian countries has improved significantly. I am sure we are all familiar with the story of the tortoise and the hare. If the tortoise is well prepared and perseveres all the way, he will beat the lazy hare who relaxes in mid-stream. Therefore, in order to achieve the objective laid down by the MCDS to become one of the top 10 in Asia, I have two suggestions to make.

First, the Singapore Sports Council should meet up with all the National Sports Associations to find out what are the reasons for their inability to excel. Athletes and sportsmen should discuss ways to improve their skills and techniques to bring out their best performance. Second, we should award scholarships to our sportsmen and sportswomen, sportsboys and sportsgirls to go overseas for further studies, and to receive professional training there, in order to have breakthroughs in their respective sports. Then, we may have a good chance of fulfilling our objective of becoming one of the top 10 sporting nations in Asia.

Mr Tan Soo Khoon: Sir, in the budget for MCDS, there is an allocation of $21.8 million for the sports and youth programme. According to the budget, this money is mainly for the implementation of the Committee on Sporting Singapore Programme. I would like the Minister to enlighten the House as to the details of the sports and youth programme.

Following the recommendations of the CoSS, the Government agreed to give a grant of $500 million to promote sports to be spread over five years. I would like the Minister to inform the House how much of this money comes from Singapore Pools, and how much is actually from Government funds.

Mdm Cynthia Phua: Sir, one of the pillars for the vision of a sporting Singapore is "Sports for Everyone". Statistics have shown that adults who take up sports start when they are young. To achieve this vision, we must put in resources to get our children active when they are in school. Presently, there is this stark missing link. We are not reaching out to the young in the schools.

I would like to propose the setting up of an Inter-Ministry Committee for sports for everyone and excellence for our school children by the Education Ministry and the MCDS. There is a nice fit. MCDS has the vision, the expertise and the funding, especially the facilities, but MOE has the students, that is MCDS' target customers. Without working closely with the caregivers of the students, the principals and the teachers, MCDS would not be able to reach the students to encourage an active sports lifestyle.

There is a lack of sporting facilities in schools. Schools have limited spaces so they would only pick the few sports which they have the facilities. In my daughter's school I observe they play soft tennis in the school hall, about 30-40 students at one time, congested with a long waiting queue to just hit the ball. Within one hour, the poor kid is only able to hit about three rounds of three balls each. They cannot even enjoy the game, the sun and the feeling of perspiration. So how do we achieve sports excellence?

We should tap on the community facilities among the schools. For example, the CCs could bring in the regional sports and fitness facilities nearer to the community so that students could tap on these facilities with less transportation problems. We could also identify the community facilities and have a central booking system where the regional sports office could manage so that all organisations in the community could fully maximise the use of these facilities.

There is also a lack of sports facilitators and coordinators. The teachers are doubling up these roles in schools. Some do not even know the sports they are coordinating. Let me quote my personal experience. In view of the shortage of teacher coordinators, a teacher coordinator asked a Primary 3 student to learn from a page of 30-40 questions and then take a 10-question test paper in order to be eligible to become a student scout. The answers given by the student must be perfect, with the capital letters in place. MCDS could support these schools with trainers, coaches or sports volunteers who know the games.

We should expand the concept of volunteers into the sports arena. MCDS has done a great job for volunteers in social and community work itself. We should extend this to the sports arena. I thereby urge the adoption of an Inter-Ministry approach to provide for an integrated approach to sports for everyone and excellence, especially to the school children and to lay the foundation for excellence.

Mr Charles Chong: Sir, in our effort to promote sports for everyone and to achieve our objective of one in every two Singaporeans being involved in sports, we must ensure that sports complexes are available as basic infrastructure in all our HDB housing estates where the majority of Singaporeans live.

These sporting complexes should have, as a basic requirement, facilities for track and field, an indoor sports hall and a swimming pool. Facilities that can be utilised by as many residents as possible, such as a swimming pool, should take priority over facilities that only a few can use at any one time, such as a tennis court.

Would the Minister consider ensuring that all our HDB housing estates, including Pasir Ris New Town, have a sports complex with at least the basic facilities mentioned earlier?

Dr Teo Ho Pin (Holland-Bukit Panjang): Sir, to be a sporting nation, we need to have the appropriate sports infrastructure in Singapore. Many existing sports complexes and facilities were built in the 1970s and 1980s. Some of the designs or facilities are obsolete while others require immediate upgrading. We need to develop a Masterplan to upgrade and rebuild our sports complexes.

Sir, Singapore should aim to host more world sports events. This will not only boost our sports industry, but also place Singapore in a global sports arena. To-date, we do not have world-class sports facilities with capacity to host large world-class sports competitions.

Sir, I wish to ask the Minister the following questions:

(1) What is the Masterplan for upgrading and building sports complexes in Singapore?

(2) Do we have any plans to build a world-class sports complex?

Mr Chew Heng Ching: Sir, for many years, Singaporeans have identified with the National Stadium and its vicinity as a venue for various sporting activities. They range from the former Malaysia Cup to even the recent Singapore Rugby 7.

The Kallang area indeed contains some of the symbols of the Singapore heartbeat that we are striving to build so that Singaporeans can identify with. In the Budget debate in the House here last year, in your capacity as the Minister for Community Development and Sports then, you told the House that the Government intends to redevelop the National Stadium into an integrated sports hub which will provide Singaporeans with a world-class venue to watch top level sports, as well as provide excellent facilities for sports participation.

Sir, the Kallang area has historical heritage value for Singapore and is used for a wide variety of sporting activities for the participation of both the young and old. It is an area where Singaporeans could use and develop their sports talents and yet be a good venue for healthy lifestyle pursuits and family recreation.

I am given to understand that commercially, land use in the Kallang area, as calculated by MOF and URA, may have better yield from other uses besides sports, especially with the proposed location of the new MRT line there. I believe we could still achieve this by blending on the development of the sports hub with appropriate commercial activities and yet meet the needs of MOF.

I would therefore like to ask the Minister if he is still proceeding with the development of the sports hub at the Kallang Theatre, in view of the concern of MOF and URA, and, if so, to give the House an update on the proposed redevelopment of the National Stadium and the sports hub in that area.

Dr Teo Ho Pin: Sir, each year, we have between 30 and 100 drowning cases in Singapore. Over the last 10 years, 514 lives were lost through drowning. Drowning can be attributed to a number of reasons, such as the design of waterways and pools, management of water facilities, and the knowledge and skills of users. But drowning can be prevented if proper training and measures were undertaken by the authorities, the water facility operators and the people. Experiences from other countries have proven that drowning prevention efforts have been successful in saving lives. One key strategy in drowning prevention is to promote the understanding of water safety among our people.

Sir, water thrills, but it can kill if you do not understand water and its dangers. Sadly, not many Singaporeans understand water and water safety. That is why we often read about drowning cases in the papers. These drownings can be prevented. For example, if a child cannot swim, he should not be allowed to be in a wave pool or should at least wear a life jacket, in addition to a buoy when playing in a wave pool. Wave pools are designed for strong swimmers to have fun, and they are dangerous to weak or non-swimmers. The simple lack of such knowledge will cause the loss of lives.

In order to help reduce drowning in Singapore, I would like to urge the Minister to take the lead in spearheading a water safety or drowning prevention campaign in Singapore. This programme should reach out to all Singaporeans, including domestic maids. Sir, I wish to ask the Minister the following questions:

(1) What is the Ministry's plan to increase water safety knowledge and skills among Singaporeans?

(2) Can the Ministry form a committee to review the water safety measures in our pools and beaches?

(3) What are the plans to prevent further drowning in Singapore?

Assoc. Prof. Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, just to alert Dr Teo, he asked what the Minister is going to do to take the lead. I just want to inform him that the Minister cannot swim, so I am not sure whether I can take the lead.

Sir, Mr Charles Chong has asked about the progress in implementing our sporting plan. Mr Ang Mong Seng has also asked about our plans to achieve our sports excellence target which is for Singapore to be among the top sporting nations in Asia by the year 2010. Allow me to give the House an update. 2.30 pm

Last year, the Government committed an additional $500 million over five years to our Sporting Singapore Plan, and this was allocated to three broad areas: Sports Excellence; Sports for All; and the sports industry.

Our aim in Sports Excellence is that Singaporean athletes should be able to compete against the very best in Asia by 2010. We have a number of initiatives from the Sporting Plan to achieve this, but let me just address three of these key areas which have made some progress.

The first, as Members would have rightly noted, is the setting up of the Sports School which will be operational in 2004. This is one of the major recommendations in the Sporting Singapore blueprint. The Singapore Sports School will have a high standard of sports training. At the same time it will have a very flexible academic curriculum to cater to the training and the competition schedules of the students. This will ensure that the student athletes will have access to quality education, even while they train. The Sports School will also be admitting talented, disabled student athletes, who can integrate in the mainstream school system. Graduates from the school will form a significant part of the base of the future sporting talent that will help us to achieve our Sports Excellence target.

The second initiative, which was also touched by Mr Ang Mong Seng, is that the Singapore Sports Council is currently carrying out a comprehensive review of the National Sports Associations (NSAs). This review will help establish strategic directions, targets, as well as key programmes for the NSAs. Increased support in funding and manpower will be given to deserving NSAs so that they will be much better equipped, to not only promote their sport to the masses, but also to select and develop elite athletes in Singapore.

The third key measure is a comprehensive support package for the training of all national athletes. Elite level sporting performance requires dedication, commitment of athletes for a very long period of time. SSC has put together the Athlete Career and Training Scheme (ACT), which is a customised and enhanced support package to enable elite athletes to commit to full-time training, either locally, or overseas, for a period of 2-4 years. Some of our swimmers are now overseas under this programme. This package includes living allowance, training grants, study grants, coaching fees, and training and competition expenses.

Apart from the three key measures, my Ministry and the SSC are also reviewing what we call the "Sports Excellence Delivery System". This will cover issues like talent identification, youth development, sports science and sports medicine, career counselling and planning, and the developing of expertise of coaches and officials. With the implementation of the current, and possibly new initiatives, we are confident that we will be able to compete against the best in Asia by 2010.

In the second area of Sports for All, I am pleased to report that the sports participation rate has improved from 24% in 1992 to 38% in 2002. I would just highlight two areas that we are focusing on to help us improve the sports participation rate. The first, of course, relates to sports complexes managed by the SSC. Mr Charles Chong and Mdm Cynthia Phua, both asked whether sports complexes could be provided at more locations. Dr Teo Ho Pin has also asked about our plans to upgrade and rebuild some of our sports complexes in Singapore.

Sir, under the SSC's masterplan for Sports Facilities, Singapore is divided into 13 sports zones. Each sports zone has a population size of about 200,000, and should enjoy at least an outdoor running track, a football field, a sports hall, a swimming complex and a tennis and squash centre. For instance, Sir, in the Pasir Ris New Town, which is within the Changi-Pasir Ris Tampines sports zone, it has a swimming complex and a sports hall at Tampines Avenue 5, about two kilometres from Pasir Ris New Town. But, Sir, the SSC is considering building another sports hall and a tennis centre at Pasir Ris New Town.

In setting out these guidelines, the SSC has to take into account the cost effectiveness of operating the sports complexes. The SSC is currently reviewing the masterplan for facilities up to the year 2010. Among other things, the review will look into the adequacy of our sports facilities, types of facilities to be provided, as well as the upgrading, rebuilding, or phasing out of older facilities. This review will therefore look at how sports facilities can be better patronised by integrating them with other community facilities, and how the cost of operations of the sports complexes can be minimised. SSC will endeavour to seek feedback from various sources, such as the users of facilities, grassroots organisations, as they undertake the review.

Sir, I agree with Mdm Cynthia Phua that the shared use of the facilities is the way forward and we have started working in this direction. For instance, to address the shortage of playing fields, the SSC and the Ministry of Education are embarking on a pilot scheme to share school fields within the community. Under the pilot scheme, seven school fields would be opened up for community use outside curriculum time. The SSC will maintain these fields, and manage the use of the playing fields, after schooling hours. Concurrently, we are also opening up temporary vacant lots of land for use as interim sports fields. Two of such sites will become available shortly, one at Ubi Avenue 1 and the other at Marina South. With these new initiatives we hope to create more opportunities for Singaporeans to enjoy the benefits of sports.

The second area that we are focusing to promote Sports For All is to expand, and strengthen our network of sports partners. The idea is to multiply our efforts through encouraging more sports partners to support and deliver sports programmes. Mdm Cynthia Phua has suggested a joint committee between MCDS and MOE so that we can promote sports among the students. I would like to inform her that we have started a programme with the schools to encourage the schools to hire trainers, to help those who are not the school athletes to participate in sporting activities. Well over 30 schools are now involved. With a bit of funding from the SSC they are now able to open up sporting opportunities for those who otherwise would not be involved in sports. And this is best left to the schools to decide. Some of them have even engaged the parents of the students as trainers. In one particular school I visited, the mothers were very actively involved in some of the sporting events together with their children and the trainers, to ensure that the children continue to participate in some of these sporting events.

Financial support, as I mentioned, Sir, where applicable, will be provided to these partners. With their new role as facilitator and catalyst, the SSC also hopes to have a more coordinated approach to the planning of sports programmes and competition.

Mr Charles Chong has also asked about the support for the disabled sports. I want to assure him that the sports agencies, representing the disabled sports in Singapore, will also be part of the network which I have just mentioned.

Sir, the third pillar is sports industry. The Singapore Sporting Plan also called for the development of a sports industry. I wish to report that we have been working very closely with the Singapore Tourism Board, as sports tourism is one of the key pillars of the sports industry. In FY 2001, we organised a number of prestigious sporting events which proved to be popular with both Singaporeans and tourists. Dr Teo must have known this. We had Singapore-Manchester United and Singapore-Liverpool matches, as well as the Singapore Rugby 7, which was just recently held in Singapore. Sir, our aim is to have a range of prestigious sports events that are commercially viable and are able to help establish Singapore as a regional hub for sports events.

SSC has also formed a sports marketing team to build up its sports industry capabilities. In time, Sir, we hope to be able to nurture sports related enterprises as the industry grows.

Sir, Mr Tan Soo Khoon has drawn our attention to the budget on youth and sports. The $21.8 million is part of the $500 million Singapore Sporting Fund. We are tapping the Singapore Sporting Fund to help schools in terms of youth development for sports. In fact, in our arrangements with the NSAs, one of the key items in the NSAs is that we want them to have a youth development programme.

Secondly, Sir, Mr Tan has also asked how much of the $500 million comes from Singapore Pools. I wish to inform the House that $375 million, or 75% of the money, is donated by Singapore Pools.

Sir, Dr Teo Ho Pin and Mr Chew Heng Ching both asked about the redevelopment plans of the National Stadium. The Government has agreed, in principle, to replace the National Stadium with a multi-purpose sports hub, which is also a major recommendation of the Sporting Singapore blueprint. The present National Stadium at Kallang, which was built in 1973, is now inadequate for our objective of developing a sports industry. The sports stadia of today are no longer built just for sports alone. They are designed for multi-purpose use, with facilities such as retail outlets, restaurants, hotels, to attract customers to the stadium, on a daily basis. It is therefore important that we upgrade the National Stadium as it is a vital infrastructure to the development of our sports industry.

The development of a new sports hub will give Singapore the edge to compete with the world's best in attracting major sporting events. Besides being a world-class venue for sports and entertainment event, it will also be a unique lifestyle centre with sports as a major theme, and an icon in the landscape of Singapore. As Mr Chew has rightly pointed out, there is a new MRT station running nearby, that could be integrated in the plans.

My Ministry has engaged a team of consultants to conduct a feasibility study of this project. The study will look into issues such as the possible location of the sports hub. We still have to find out what is the best type of sports facilities to include, possible events we could stage, and the business models which we use to ensure its operational viability. Sir, we aim to submit our recommendations to the Government by the end of this year.

Sir, on the issue of water safety, Dr Teo has asked what are the water safety measures for the prevention of drowning. I remarked earlier that I do not swim, but I am also concerned about drowning because my two young children are also learning how to swim. The Singapore Sports Council operates 28 public swimming complexes in Singapore, and employs qualified lifeguards to ensure water safety for these pools. The SSC also trains lifeguards, conducts water safety related courses, and run "Learn to Swim" programmes for the general public. The total expenditure on all water safety related activities is approximately $6.1 million per annum. SSC has introduced a number of water safety measures including a "Learn to Swim" scheme to teach non-swimmers to swim. As of 31st December 2001, more than 222,000 people have participated in this programme. The SSC also started the National Survival Swimming Awards (NASSA) scheme in 1979, to promote water safety knowledge and survival swimming skills. To date, Sir, the scheme has produced more than 250,000 people who have undergone proficiency tests. The NASSA scheme is currently promoted through 55 test centres, with more than 400 testers and swimming instructors supporting the scheme. The NASSA syllabus was reviewed and revised last year.

Last month, SSC collaborated with the Ministry of Education who launched the NASSA Excellence Schools Performance Award (ESPA) and Water Safety Enrichment modules. This is to enable secondary school students to learn about water safety knowledge and survival swimming skills within the school curriculum hours. Dr Teo, as the Chairman of the NASSA Advisory Committee, has said recently in the press conference that there were plans to extend the NASSA Excellence Schools Performance Award to primary schools. Sir, we are supportive of this and glad that he is helping to raise the awareness of water survival skills amongst our students. The SSC is also working closely with the Singapore Life Saving Society (SLSS), to promote water safety through the NASSA scheme by producing publicity materials such as posters and brochures to educate members of the public. Sir, the SSC will continue to train and educate members of the public on water safety to prevent drowning incidents in Singapore. My Ministry will look into Dr Teo's suggestion of forming a committee to review the water safety measures in our pools and beaches.

Sir, I think I have answered most of the queries.

The Chairman: I propose to take the break now.

Thereupon Mr Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.

Mr Speaker: Order. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair again at 3.05 pm.

Sitting accordingly suspended at 2.44 pm until 3.05 pm Sitting resumed at 3.05 pm

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Debate in Committee of Supply resumed.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Head I (cont.) -

Encik Mohamad Maidin B P M: (In Malay): Sir, since MUIS was formed in 1968, it has played a meaningful role in meeting the aspirations of our Muslims. Now, the Muslims are entering an era with greater challenges. So, MUIS needs to make some refinements for the good of the community and the nation.

In this Internet age, there are groups that desire to extend their influence around the globe. Muslims here in Singapore are not exempted. But, what worries me are groups that try to abuse the religion for political and other purposes. They desire to spread extremism and militancy. This can be troublesome to all.

We do not want external elements to influence local Muslims by breeding extreme attitudes and stand that could tarnish the good name of our Muslims and affect the inter-racial and inter-religious harmony here. The arrest of the Jemaah Islamiyah members was a clear example. We need to take a firm stand so that such occurrence will not be repeated.

I believe MUIS should take appropriate steps to help the Muslims in this country to maintain the correct Islamic attitude and behaviour, which is to be moderate in all things. Extremism has no place in Islam, worse still, any activity involving terrorism. In fact, I believe that Muslims should be in the forefront in the fight against extremist activities, especially those that involve terrorism. The Muslim community should instead be a pillar in promoting all good values and in developing healthy relations among people, regardless of race or religion.

I am sure that local Muslims are very concerned because there are some external groups which are damaging the good name of Islam by using religion as a tool in their campaign of terror and militancy. They claim to be Muslims, yet their actions are all contrary to Islamic values and teachings.

I believe that if all Muslims in this country could strengthen their belief that Islam is all about moderation, and it teaches its followers moderation, it would not be easy for any outside group to sway them to the wrong path. As we equip ourselves based on the do's and don'ts of Islam, even if there are attempts by external elements, we would be able to reject extremism and deviations.

I am interested to know how MUIS can help our Muslims to stay on course with the correct Islamic teachings that promote peace and harmony. Can MUIS do more to ensure that wrong and deviationist teachings will not take root here?

Sir, under AMLA, it is known that there are provisions to appoint a Mufti in Singapore and also the establishment of a Fatwa Committee. This is because of the heavy responsibility of the Mufti and the Fatwa Committee to stress the stand on issues regarding Islamic regulations and laws in Singapore to be used as a guideline for Muslims here. This is a highly respected institution in the Muslim community. The views or decisions taken by the Mufti or Fatwa Committee are used in guiding the Muslim community. This has been a long tradition, maybe hundreds of years, in the Muslim community, and I see this system has proceeded smoothly. However, with this system, it does not mean that people who have differing views cannot give their opinions. It has been a tradition in the Muslim community whereby those who are learned and are scholars in the religious field should feel that it is their responsibility to give their views to the Mufti or the Fatwa Committee, if there are certain aspects that they find not very accurate and sufficient attention is not given to certain matters by the Fatwa Committee.

The Chairman: Mr Maidin, could you wind up your speech, please?

Encik Mohamad Maidin B P M: Yes, Sir.

(In Malay): This should be done in writing to the Mufti and not to the press that could lead to confusion and misunderstanding. This is especially so if there are too many groups giving their views on certain issues and I would like to ask the Minister if there are still opportunities for the religious scholars and teachers to give their views.

Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed: Sir, I wish there were more Members in the House because halal cuts can be just as sumptuous!

Cut on MUIS, Sir. Why cut now?

Sir, MUIS or the Islamic Religious Council's role in secular Singapore is unique. Singapore may be secular but even that brand of secularism is unique. I call it: secularism with a soul. The tudung issue notwithstanding, Singapore is not anti-religion. In fact, religion is allowed to play its role in forging a harmonious and cohesive society in our Singapore. After all, MUIS is a statutory board, appearing under the MCDS' care and budget.

Back to the cut, yes, the budget cut, I was surprised to see a 4% dip in Government grants to MUIS. I do realise that MUIS has for some time now been receiving a larger income from its own zakat collection (tithes), but even that tap is facing a decrease, because of the economic downturn. I also realise that there are quarters, though a minority, who feel that MUIS should not bother about funds from the Government, for fear of being controlled, but I think that is being myopic and to the detriment of the community's interest.

MUIS, identified by the PM as one of the key pillars for the Muslim community and which Minister Yaacob has also highlighted as a critical player to achieve his vision of the Community of Excellence, deserves all the help it can muster.

This is especially true, post September 11. The tasks ahead for MUIS are even more formidable, both in forging a clear world view for the Malay/Muslim community and to help it uplift, in the light of the new and changing world, and also in promoting better understanding with other Singaporeans. MUIS needs new tools and added resources. MUIS needs to groom scholars who studied not just in Al Azhar (in Cairo) and Makkah/Medina (in Saudi Arabia) but also from new centres of Islamic learning in other more plural and open societies like Jordan, Morocco, or even in the US and Europe. Studies in Islamic tenets and jurisprudence are basic, but equally important are studies of contemporary Islamic societies and issues, including how they meet the challenges of social change, modernisation and living in this plural world.

Sir, MUIS needs all the resources to tackle these challenges. It should also engage scholars and intellectuals from other parts of the Muslim world to work with our leaders to face these tasks. MUIS must also work closely with the community and religious leaders on issues affecting the community. 3.15 pm

Now is not the time for the community to be passive and self-defeating. Neither should the community be finger-pointing all the time. The community does itself a disservice by being insular. It is time to look out and be bold about the fresh changes that are taking place in this new and different world. The community must feel and act as an integrated part of society in Singapore and the bigger world. Being a Muslim does not make me less a Singaporean, as anybody else in this House. The community has to stand up and stand tall in being counted as moderates who believe in tolerance, working together as a team, whether to fight terrorism or to build a better future for our children and grandchildren.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman (Sembawang): (In Malay): Sir, the arrests of 13 operatives of Jemaah Islamiyah is a serious wake-up call to most Singaporeans. Not only did the news make Singaporeans realise how real the threat of terrorism is, it also highlighted the reality of how vulnerable we can be.

The fact that the leader of the 13 arrested is a self-proclaimed religious leader sets a new dimension and presents a critical challenge to Singapore. Religion has traditionally been a close and personal matter to every individual. However, events in the world have suggested strongly that it is no longer a personal matter. The situation is critical for a multi-religious society like Singapore.

Sir, every religion often presents its followers with a set of values and beliefs that they should embrace. These are then translated into behaviours. To some, religion is an abstract phenomenon that is difficult to understand. Followers look up to religious teachers for guidance and direction, especially when they are faced with difficult decisions to make.

Sir, like teachers in academic schools, religious teachers also have the moral and ethical responsibility to provide sound teachings. What is more critical, in my opinion, is that religious teachers must understand the context in which its followers are practising the religion. In Singapore, for example, I think it is the moral and ethical responsibility of every religious teacher to help their respective followers understand and practise their religions within the context of a multi-religious society. This implies the need to place higher value to the greater good of society than the interest of the individual. I am sure that every religion aspires to achieve greater good for society that its followers are living in.

There is sufficient evidence around the world that show the charisma of religious leaders can influence the behaviour of his or her followers. To this end, I would like to raise the issue of the qualification and registration of religious teachers in Singapore. We must set a mechanism in place to ensure that religious teachers who conduct classes in Singapore are qualified and have the necessary qualification. The recent incident of the JI operatives is an example of how the situation may be detrimental to the security of the country and how it can threaten social cohesion and religious harmony.

The leader of the group is a self-professed religious teacher whose qualification and credentials have not been established. We are fortunate that the group was arrested before any mishaps could happen. We cannot take any more chances. In this case, may I ask the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs if MUIS has any plans to register religious teachers who conduct classes for Muslims in Singapore. I understand that it will be an arduous task to do as there are many classes that are taking place in residential homes. The value, however, is that the register will enable Muslim Singaporeans to be certain that they are indeed getting religious guidance from qualified teachers. I feel that it is better if the public is informed on what measures that could be taken should they suspect a particular religious teacher of improper teachings.

I mentioned earlier the critical point that religious teachers should teach their respective religion within the context of our multi-racial and multi-religious society. In the case of the Muslim community, for example, we generally find that many of our religious teachers are trained in universities in countries where the Muslim community are the majority. Oftentimes, they learn the experience and practices of these communities. As the Muslim community here is a minority, situations and practices for the Muslims may be different here compared to countries where the Muslims are a majority. Indeed, there are minority Islamic communities of excellence in other parts of the world. In our effort at attaining the vision of a community of excellence, may I suggest that MUIS provide attachment programmes for these religious teachers to go to these countries and understand how Islam is practised by a minority community par excellence. They can then bring home the wealth of experience and teach the community more effectively.

Encik Mohamad Maidin B P M: (In Malay): One of MUIS' major successes has been in the implementation of the mosques building programme. With the community's contribution and the collection machinery of the CPF Board, the mosque building programme has been our meaningful achievement. Since the first generation Muhajirin mosque was built, we have witnessed increasing improvements in quality and architecture.

However, it seems that many of these new mosques had to expand the space for prayers by fixing awnings or by adding several floors to cater to various needs. This requires more funds. The result is that many of these mosques are continuously finding ways to raise funds. In fact, there have been occasions when several mosques compete to raise funds at the same time.

At the same time, many older mosques which are usually in a state of disrepair also need attention. Over the past years, several older mosques had been rebuilt or were given extensive upgrading. Each project requires millions of dollars.

In addition, there are some mosques that continue to organise fund raising projects even though their upgrading work had been completed. They felt a need to raise funds to sustain other activities. I wish to know if the building of new mosques will be an on-going programme or will it be completed within a certain timeframe. Can the Mosque Building Fund afford to build one new mosque within a year or 18 months? If not, will MUIS encourage those who can afford it, to increase their monthly contributions? As many Muslim workers have lost their jobs in this difficult time, it will have an impact on the collection of this fund.

If the building of new mosques can be completed within a certain timeframe, is there a possibility that the Mosque Building Fund that is collected through the Central Provident Fund Board be allocated for the upgrading or rebuilding of the old mosques? Aside from these, I understand that many mosques in fact have large surpluses or savings. Can we set aside, for instance, 10% of these funds, for the building of new mosques and the repair of the old ones? As our resources are limited, I think we need to explore new and effective means to meet the needs of both our new and old mosques. I hope the Minister could clarify.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: (In Malay): Sir, compulsory education will take effect in the year 2003. The Act recognises the importance of education and ensuring that every Singaporean child is given ample opportunities to education in our national schools. Sir, we also recognise that education is indeed the social leveller and for Singaporeans to be able to survive in the knowledge economy, they must possess a minimum level of education and a set of skills.

Students of full-time Islamic religious schools, or madrasahs, have been given an exception on condition that they also sit for the PSLE examination and obtain a minimum grade. I believe that madrasah students and their parents are aware of the need for them to also be prepared for the new economy. Whether they graduate and seek employment in the religious sector or other sectors, the knowledge and skills-set obtained will enhance their relevance and indeed employability in the new economy.

Sir, running a school is no easy matter. It requires resources and expertise. The focus of madrasahs has been religious education. The inclusion of Mathematics, English and Science in their curriculum will indeed create a challenge for the madrasahs. In this regard, I would like to ask the Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs the following questions:

(1) What is the level of PSLE result that the madrasah students must attain when compulsory education comes into effect?

(2) How are the madrasahs gearing up in meeting up this new expectation? Do the madrasahs have the needed resources and expertise to prepare their children for the PSLE examination?

(3) What is the role of MUIS in ensuring that the madrasahs stay focused on providing religious education and, at the same time, meeting the standards set?

(4) What is the role of MUIS in curriculum development in the madrasahs?

(5) Are there plans for the madrasahs to collaborate with the national schools in terms of sharing of resources, eg, use of science laboratories, etc?

In line with the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs' vision of a community of excellence, the madrasahs should aim to be an institution of excellence in the country and in the region. The madrasahs will continue to serve an important function for the Muslim community. They will produce generations of religious teachers and scholars for the community.

It is also recognised, however, that not all madrasah graduates will become religious scholars and teachers. Some may be bankers, teachers, administrators, and so on. I have seen graduates of madrasahs succeed in our local tertiary institutions. They are indeed role models for the others who have set their eyes on tertiary education. The Compulsory Education Act is a boost to these students as they acquire the requisite set of knowledge and skills. It sets a stage for madrasahs to succeed in attaining the vision of an institution of excellence. I would like to encourage MUIS to continue to play an active role in helping the madrasahs excel in its work. As the religious authority of the country, MUIS should set the directions for the madrasahs and assist the madrasahs secure the resources that they need to achieve their mission.

Sir, in taking the lead role on the development of the Muslim scholars in Singapore, MUIS should also guide madrasahs and its students on training opportunities abroad in universities in countries where the Islamic community is the minority community. This will provide greater relevance to the application of acquired knowledge when they return to Singapore as religious teachers and scholars. I encourage MUIS to take a more proactive role in guiding the madrasahs and their students in this regard.

Sir, as Singapore is undergoing major changes in its economic and social landscape, so do the other social and religious institutions. The Muslim community should continue to see these changes as key to our efforts at attaining the vision of a community of excellence.

Encik Mohamad Maidin B P M: Sir, many voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) are doing a good job in providing social and community services. However, I often wonder if our VWOs are getting adequate support from the Government. Many organisations seem to be in constant need to raise funds. Should these organisations be required to raise funds while they are also expected to provide a good service? And Singaporeans are constantly demanding even higher quality service, even though they are in a group who needs help.

Can the Ministry ensure that our VWOs need not spend too much time worrying about fund raising so that they could accord more time and energy to excel further in the services they provide? Can MCDS and the National Council of Social Service assist our VWOs in this respect?

Sir, may I also raise some of the issues of catering to the needs of people who do not speak good English. It is well known that some people can communicate best in their own language, be it Chinese, Malay or Tamil. Many of them speak broken English and I do not think we should expect them to explain clearly their problems in English, especially to welfare workers. Neither should we expect them to understand clearly all the advice and counselling if they are given only in English. 3.30 pm

Sir, may I know if MCDS is working to cater to the needs of these people? One example is those who are Malay-speaking. I have seen some of them who come to my MPS, and when I referred them to other agencies, they told me they have tried and it is very difficult to communicate.

I see that, in Singapore, many Malay families and youths are also facing social problems. Yet, I am not convinced that there are enough provisions made by social agencies to cater to them. I hope the Minister can enlighten me.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, I understand that the National Council of Social Service has developed a programme evaluation system to assess VWOs' programme output and outcome. This, I also understand, has resulted in some programmes of VWOs not being funded. I would like to know the objective of implementing such a system and how the system works. I would also like to know what are the criteria of the evaluations, and under what evaluation results would a particular programme not be funded. How many programmes have been disqualified so far after the evaluations and why are they disqualified?

There is also concern that such a system measures quantitative output of the service provided rather than the qualitative service. So I would like to request the Minister to clarify this.

Assoc. Prof. Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I would like to thank all the Members who have raised issues relating to MUIS and the Malay-Muslim community. Let me take those cuts first together, Sir.

Let me first respond to Mr Maidin's question on how MUIS, a very important institution, can help our Muslims to stay on course with the right Islamic values and beliefs and guard against deviant teachings. Sir, MUIS is committed to building an exemplary Muslim community as an integral part of the multi-racial and multi-religious Singapore society. There are a few important principles which MUIS subscribes to.

Firstly, the Singapore Muslim community's experience has shown that Islam is consistent with progress. Muslims can progress in tandem with other communities without losing their religious identity. Secondly, one can be a good Muslim and a good citizen, and these are not opposing aims. Thirdly, Muslims must reach out to other communities to build mutual understanding and trust, and vice versa. MUIS plays an important role in helping to strengthen bonds across communities and presenting the religion in the right perspective to both Muslims and non-Muslims, and MUIS leads the Muslim community in evolving the practice of the faith which is true to Islam and, more importantly, appropriate for multi-racial and multi-religious Singapore.

MUIS reaches out to Muslims in a number of ways. For example, through the weekly Friday sermons in the mosques, Muslims are guided on the right religious values and their responsibilities to forge a better future for themselves, the community and the nation. In another instance, as mentioned by Mr Maidin, fatwas or rulings which serve to clarify Islamic jurisprudence are important in guiding Muslims on the sound practice of the Islamic faith. Through fatwas, Muslims are guided in the practical application of Islam in response to emerging issues and developments in society. The Fatwa Committee is a very high-level committee which is in MUIS, and it is chaired, rightly so, by the Mufti and comprises Islamic scholars with sound judgement and who have extensive experience in Islamic jurisprudence. Fatwas are religious rulings and they are binding on the Muslim community.

Mr Maidin has asked whether there are opportunities for groups to express their opinions on the Fatwa Committee. I would like to inform the Member that the channels of communication are constantly open. Groups who may have opinions on certain matters that they would like to express are more than welcome to write to the office of the Mufti, or to express them through letters and use the MUIS website. So there are many opportunities which are open to the Muslim community who may want to express some of their views, and this is something which we welcome. In fact, MUIS, on its own part, has set out to meet the various stakeholders, both within the Muslim and the non-Muslim communities, to understand further some of their concerns, and these are inputs which will be fed back to the Fatwa Committee as and when an issue which is important to the Muslim community needs to be deliberated. I would like to assure the Member that the Fatwa Committee will not turn away any feedback or any information that may be useful for their deliberations.

Sir, on the matter of religious teachers, we know that many Muslims receive teaching and guidance from religious teachers. MUIS ensures that religious teachers are well qualified and able to guide Muslims appropriately in the context of multi-racial Singapore. MUIS, for example, conducts training and orientation programmes to mosques, imams or religious leaders on the positive roles that they can play in guiding the Muslim community towards growth and development. For example, the "Nadwah, Imam and Khatib" (NIK) programme is a platform for imams to discuss contemporary issues and their implications to the Muslim community. So there is a process of engaging between MUIS and the various religious leaders within the community to ensure that they receive timely information and understand some of the important concerns at the national level.

Sir, Dr Mohamad Maliki has raised the issue of registering religious teachers. MUIS maintains a list of qualified religious teachers. The list is being updated and the information will be made available on the MUIS website in July this year. This will enable the public to make informed decisions when engaging religious teachers. For parents who are keen to engage private religious teachers for their children, my advice, Sir, is to engage teachers who are on the MUIS list. MUIS ensures that all our mosques engage qualified religious teachers on its list. Other providers, such as Malay/Muslim organisations and private education centres, also provide religious classes to complement the efforts of the mosques. MUIS will look into the private service providers market to ensure that the standards are also maintained.

Sir, MUIS' public education effort this year will promote greater understanding about Islam among non-Muslims, as well as educating Muslims of the need for balance and moderation in practising their religious beliefs in multi-religious Singapore. MUIS and the mosques are engaging in goodwill visits, talks, joint activities with grassroots organisations, and organisations such as NTUC, schools and Chinese clan associations.

Sir, together with the partners, MUIS will continue to undertake its full slate of religious development and social programmes. I would like to assure Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed that there is no cause for concern that good programmes will be curtailed for lack of resources. Funding for the MUIS administration has increased steadily from 1998 to 2001. In 2002, because of the preceding year, where there was negative growth, the funding will be slightly adjusted downwards. But I do not think there is cause for concern.

Over and above the grant to cover MUIS administration, the Government has also, since 1999, provided MUIS with an annual matching grant of up to $1.3 million for programmes to strengthen Malay-Muslim families. MUIS has also seen an increase in zakat collections from $6 million in 1995 to $14 million in 2001, due to greater awareness among Muslims of their religious obligations.

As for full-time education conducted by madrasahs, I would like to assure both Mdm Halimah, who raised this question earlier, and Dr Maliki, that MUIS and the madrasahs are working closely on preparations for compulsory education. They are working hard to ensure that the first madrasah cohort to sit the PSLE in 2008 are adequately prepared and to reach the benchmark of 175 at the PSLE level. The madrasah curriculum is being reviewed to improve the teaching of Islamic subjects as well as the teaching of English, Mathematics, Science and the mother tongue. Curriculum time for English, Mathematics and Science subjects will be increased without diluting the teaching of religious subjects. The madrasahs have also hired more qualified English, Mathematics and Science teachers, and provided their teachers with training to improve their skills. MUIS provides financial assistance through the Madrasah Fund. The madrasahs can then use these funds to top the teachers' salaries or go for teachers' training. MUIS coordinates with MOE to ensure that the children who are unable to get a place in the madrasahs when CE takes place, can still register for the national schools. MUIS and the madrasahs are actively looking at programmes to enable their students to interact with students of other races and appreciate the national perspective.

Sir, on some specific suggestions by Mr Zainul Abidin about how we should continually engage new scholars or scholars from different parts of the world in order to develop a greater understanding of how Islam should be contextualised in the context of a multi-racial Singapore, I would like to assure the Member that we are constantly doing that. There may not be a formal programme, but there are efforts to reach out to various scholars who are out there in the Muslim world who have a better understanding of how Islam should develop in a multi-racial setting. Last year, MUIS led a delegation to the US to meet some of the scholars in America as there is some similarity between the context of the Muslim minority there and the Muslim minority in Singapore. I would like to assure the Member that we will constantly be on the look-out.

Yet, at the same time, I believe that the Member will agree with me that we should be finding ways to develop some indigenous capability within Singapore - scholars of our own who are able to guide the Muslim community in a context that is ever-changing.

Dr Maliki has also suggested some very good ideas about attachment programmes for our uztaz. I would certainly ask MUIS to study that. Personally, I think such exposure will help them in terms of understanding how Islam is contextualised in those areas which are similar to Singapore.

Dr Maliki has also asked what steps can Muslims take if they detect that there are teachers who are teaching Islam not in the correct manner. I would urge any Muslims in Singapore, if they come across such incidents, the first thing they should do is to refer to the office of the Mufti or the MUIS website and we will follow up with some investigations.

On the question of the Mosque Building Fund, Mr Maidin has raised some very interesting suggestions. First, let me give an update on the mosque building programme before I answer specifically some of the questions raised by Mr Maidin.

Nineteen mosques have been built under the Mosque Building Fund programme since its launch in 1975. The building programme for mosques is dovetailed with HDB's building programme. Two mosques are currently under construction - in Bukit Panjang and Sembawang respectively. Construction of a mosque in Bishan is expected to start in 2003. I am also pleased to announce that a mosque will be built in Sengkang new town.

In time to come, with the need for new mosques having been largely met through the mosque building programme, MUIS will focus more on working with mosques to upgrade their facilities.

The Mosque Building Fund is currently required to fund the building of new mosques. The current collection is about $3.5 million per year. But the cost of a new mosque is about $10 million and, therefore, it takes about three years of collection to build a new mosque. Mr Maidin's suggestion that the Mosque Building Fund be used for mosque maintenance and upgrading work can be considered when the mosque building programme is completed, which it must one day. The older mosques can be considered for upgrading first. MUIS can study this and work with the mosques on the phasing of the upgrading programmes for the various mosques. MUIS will also look into Mr Maidin's suggestion for mosque surpluses to be used to help fund building and upgrading of mosques.

Sir, on the matter of the role of MUIS with madrasah, a point raised by Dr Maliki, I would like to assure him that we are in constant contact with madrasah operators in Singapore. There is a committee that is looking into the curriculum development of the madrasah and, through this curriculum development, we hope to address the concerns raised by Mr Maidin that, in the teaching of Islam, we have to ensure that the teachings are contextualised to the context in which our students will grow up as Singaporeans. The development of the curriculum will take that line. We have commissioned a consultant to look into this. It will take a number of years to roll out but I am sure, with time, we will be able to develop a curriculum which is suited to our needs as a minority here in Singapore.

I will now touch on the issue raised by Mr Maidin on VWOs. Mr Maidin has expressed concern about Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) having to spend time raising funds. I agree with him that this is a valid concern, especially for smaller VWOs. That is why we set up the Community Chest. It is there, set up to relieve VWOs of fund-raising and to allow them to focus on the running of their services. VWOs that are running programmes which are relevant to the community can apply for funding from the Community Chest. However, there are VWOs which choose to raise funds on their own. I encourage them to partner one another and to share their resources. To minimise the fund-raising burden and avoid donor fatigue, VWOs should set reasonable fund-raising targets based on their needs.

As for Government support to VWOs, I have earlier highlighted a $7 million increase in annual recurrent funding to VWOs and, of course, the setting up of the VWO Capability Development Fund of $30 million over five years. The Government has also introduced double tax deductions for approved donations. So, I would like to assure the Member that my Ministry places the highest importance on ensuring that our services are able to cater to Singaporeans who need them regardless of language, race or religion. 3.45 pm

By and large, our social service agencies are resourceful and able to cater to clients with specific language requirements. I cited the example earlier of the Marine Parade FSC where well over 30% of the clients are Malays and Malay-speaking.

In the instances where the agency staff are not able to speak the client's language, the agency taps on the network of volunteers or partners, such as self-help groups, to help in the translation and working with the clients. The VWOs also send their staff for training which help them understand the specific needs of the different communities.

Over and above these social services that cater to all races, we recognise that there are specific needs of different ethnic communities that require special attention. Hence, Government matching grants are given to the self-help groups to look into programmes to help under-achievers and other niche areas. However, as the Prime Minister had indicated recently, self-help groups should not duplicate services provided by other organisations, but instead collaborate with or tap on the services of other providers. The partnership approach would prevent us from swinging unwittingly to an undesirable scenario, where more and more social services and programmes are organised along ethnic lines. At the end of the day, our approach is for the social service agencies to work together with partners who can provide the expertise. I am heartened by the experience of the various FSCs that I have visited and they are able to be resourceful and reach out to either the CDCs or the self-help groups to try and meet some of the demands which are unique to the different communities here in Singapore.

Sir, I have answered most of the questions. I will now ask my MOS, Mr Chan Soo Sen, to reply to Mr Low.

The Minister of State for Community Development and Sports (Mr Chan Soo Sen): Sir, Mr Low Thia Khiang has asked about the programme evaluation system applied to the VWOs.

The programme evaluation system is like management by objective as in staff evaluation. In the case of staff evaluation, the boss and the subordinate sit down together, agree on certain performance indicators, and then based on these performance indicators, the staff's performance is evaluated. With this, there is a good understanding as to what is supposed to be achieved, to what extent all these are being achieved.

The programme evaluation system is the same thing. The NCSS works together with the voluntary organisation concerned and they agree on a certain set of programme evaluation criteria. At the end of a certain number of months, or at the end of each year, they will sit down and evaluate. The programme evaluation system is not directly linked to funding in the sense that it will not be as obvious as saying that, "Look, you only achieve 75% of your indicators and therefore, I only give you 75% of the funding". It is not like that. Performance indicators provide a common currency to facilitate communication between the NCSS as well as the voluntary organisation being evaluated.

I do not know of any programme that was dropped because of the programme evaluation system as yet. Programme evaluation is still very new. I can understand some voluntary organisations may initially feel uncomfortable about the programme evaluation system, just like me when management by objective was first introduced in the civil service. I was a civil servant then. I also felt very uncomfortable. But as the years go by, I find that I have better communication with my boss on what I am supposed to do. At the end of it, I feel better; he feels better and misunderstanding is minimised. I am confident programme evaluation will likewise be well accepted.

Encik Mohamad Maidin B P M: May I seek a clarification from the Minister? In his reply about a register of religious teachers, I just wonder whether registration also involves accreditation. In other words, I wish to know how do we ensure that we have a means of checking that they are actually qualified to teach and can teach the right kind of materials in Islam.

Assoc. Prof. Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I do not have the details of how the system works. But I would assure the Member that if we have a list of registered qualified teachers, there must be a system for us to ascertain their qualification. If need be, I will find the details and pass it to the Member. I would like to assure the House that at the end of the day, we want to maintain the standards to ensure that people using that list will feel safe and satisfied that their children will not be misled through the teaching of religion.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: I would like to seek a clarification from the MOS. He said that the evaluation programme system is not linked to the funding. But I understand that the funding method to VWOs has been changed, from one which is from organisation to programme. So there is no link even with the evaluation system. Then how do you decide which programme to fund or not to fund?

Mr Chan Soo Sen: What I am saying is that the objective of the evaluation is meant to decide, say, given this project which we are willing to fund, how do we measure its achievement at the end of the year. In fact, I would say it is very good for the VWOs to have a list of performance indicators when it comes to fund-raising. If increasingly, we look to corporates for sponsorship, the corporates would want to know that when they donate a certain amount of money, what would their donation add to the achievement of the voluntary organisation. Also, what are the indicators that we can give them so that they can satisfy their shareholders that by donating that amount of money, they have got all those social services delivered. And have the performance indicators actually provided the voluntary organisations with a good currency to communicate with the potential donors, to win over their confidence and, therefore, win over their funding.

Mr Charles Chong: Sir, the People's Association was formed in 1960 under the Prime Minister's Office. Since then, it has been placed under various Ministries and then back to the Prime Minister's Office between 1980-1984. Since 1985, the Association has been placed under the Ministry of Community Development and Sports. As provided under the PA Act, the Prime Minister is traditionally the Chairman of the organisation.

Currently, the PA's Chairman is indeed the Prime Minister and the Deputy Chairman is the Minister for Home Affairs. At present, PA's Chief Executive Director is also the Prime Minister's Press Secretary. With due respect, could the Minister for Community Development and Sports tell us how much responsibility and jurisdiction does he or MCDS have over PA policies and the administration?

Some may find it difficult to imagine the Minister for Community Development and Sports directing and determining policies of an organisation headed by the Prime Minister and administered by his Press Secretary. Would the Minister not agree that the People's Association would be more appropriately placed under the Prime Minister's Office rather than MCDS?

Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed: Sir, I would like to touch on the question of digital divide which is highlighted under PA. I notice that PA has been alloted a budget to tackle this problem on digital divide.

For Singapore to become a truly e-inclusive society, it is imperative that people who at present cannot use IT tools, such as Internets effectively, need to be facilitated and encouraged to adopt IT. For this to happen, focus needs to shift from just providing easy and cheap access to Internet to promoting relevant IT competencies and effective use of ICT among these digital have-nots, eg, senior citizens, disabled folks and people in the low-income group. These are people quite close to the ground where PA has direct access.

Sir, relevant content and information knowledge need to be made available, and these skills will make our people more employable and encourage an independent way of life or lifestyle. To bridge the digital divide in Singapore, the following initiatives could go a long way:

(1) Specific needs and problems of the digital have-nots in using ICT should be researched. Here, agencies like IDA can help PA in playing a key role.

(2) Customise IT training tailored to the specific needs of these digital have-nots need to be made available at very low cost. Here, GROs and CDCs and organisations like the People Developer can take the lead. A focused campaign by PA on sensitising ICT player and how they can bridge the digital divide needs to be launched.

(3) Web contents should also be made disabled and elderly-friendly. Here, SPRING can help PA.

Finally, in today's knowledge-driven economy milieu, such steps will yield significant digital dividends. A digital-lead empowered e-inclusive society will enjoy escalated value creation in the economy by increasing the productivity of our human capital. This ensures a better quality of life, something close to PA's heart.

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong (Non-Constituency Member): Sir, the People's Association is a statutory board, a public body funded by the people through the State. As Mr Charles Chong has said, it has been passed between the Prime Minister's Office to the MCDS and now back and forth. Officially, its objective is to promote racial harmony, social cohesion and community bonding through its many CCs, CCCs and RCs. The People's Association is a public body and it should be politically neutral.

Yet, ever since its establishment in the mid-60s, the PA has played a very important role in rallying grassroots support for the PAP. This is not right, Sir. Can the Minister clarify if this is not an abuse of State funds? If the real objective of PA is to serve the people, then why did the PAP Government deny legally elected MPs from serving their wards by appointing PAP candidates who lost in the elections as grassroots advisors? It is so strange that all the grassroots advisors are all Members of Parliament, except in Potong Pasir and Hougang constituencies. Can the Minister justify why the PA is not appointing Mr Chiam, Member for Potong Pasir and Mr Low, Member for Hougang, as the official grassroots advisor respectively? Can the Minister explain why he allowed the PA to appoint the losers in the general election as grassroots advisors instead?

Mr Charles Chong: Sir, the CDCs have been doing a tremendous job in very many diverse activities and programmes since their formation in 1997. With all CDCs now having full-time Mayors, these organisations are well-placed to do even more for the community.

After more than five years since their inception, it may be timely to do an evaluation on the progress that has been made by CDCs so far. The Prime Minister, in his National Day Rally speech on 17th August 1996 said that CDCs are to rekindle the old community spirit of mutual help where the more able and successful should help the less able and less well-off as they used to do and were respected for doing. 4.00 pm

The community, especially those who receive help would naturally respect the successful who have looked after them, instead of resenting their success. Now more than five years later, on 5th January 2002, the Prime Minister, in a speech at the Mayor's swearing-in ceremony, reiterated the message. He said the CDCs should not be mistaken as welfare agencies. Elaborating, the Prime Minister said that in order to bond the community, CDCs would have to mobilise the more successful Singaporeans to look after those stuck at the lower rungs of the ladder. Could the Minister tell us how successful have CDCs been getting more able Singaporeans involved in helping the less able? Have we been able to establish appropriate performance indicators for our CDCs?

Sir, the budget for CDCs has also been increased from $19 million in 1997 to $153 million in 2001, and will rise further as they take on more programmes, like looking after the elderly and setting up branch offices. With more and more public funds being allocated to CDCs, would it not be timely then for CDCs to be regulated by its own Act rather than remain under the umbrella of the PA Act?

Each CDC should also be required to furnish an annual report of their income, expenditure, and their achievements, similar to that currently being done by the Town Councils.

Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed: Sir, I declare my interest as Mayor of North East CDC.

Recently Radio 93.8 started a series of programmes where they interviewed Mayors and staff of the CDCs, to explain and to talk about the CDCs. To my surprise, most of those who were interviewed by Radio 93.8 claimed that they were not aware of what CDC was all about, and that they did not even know who their Mayors were, despite the fact that we have carried out quite a number of activities. Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon said on the programme that South West CDC had 500 activities, and I am sure a lot other CDCs have equally impressive number of programmes to talk about.

I wonder whether the PA and the Minister-in-charge would explain the thinking behind the CDC. I know the Prime Minister himself has been a champion of CDC and has made quite a number of speeches explaining CDC's role. But, CDC is an evolving entity. In fact, a number of the Mayors were doing part-time before, and only last term we have MPs serving as full-time Mayors. So in the nature of it evolving, from a role which I think the Prime Minister explained as "to play a bonding role to provide social cohesion", it has over the last six months spent a lot of time and energy on "jobs, jobs, jobs". So I think in the light of this evolving profile and nature of CDC, I hope the PA and the Minister-in-charge will explain the profile and the thinking behind the role of CDC.

Mr Chan Soo Sen: Sir, Mr Charles Chong asked why PA should not be under the Prime Minister's Office, and he also mentioned that there were instances in the past when the PA was under other Ministries. In fact, this was so. Since 1960 till 1979, the People's Association was put under the charge of four different Ministries - from Ministry of Labour to Ministry of Social Affairs, to Ministry of Culture, then Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Interior and Defence and back to Ministry of Culture. It depended on which Minister the Prime Minister appointed as Deputy Chairman. That is why in 1995, in order to avoid this switching of Ministries, PA was put under the Prime Minister's Office. But, then when the role of the then Ministry of Social Affairs was reviewed, and Ministry of Community Development (MCD) was formed, the decision was that PA actually had synergy with the roles of the new MCD because MCD and PA were both promoting social cohesion, racial harmony, communication between the Government and the community. Hence PA was put under the new MCD.

So one way of looking at Mr Charles Chong's question is it really does not matter. Through all these years of moving, the People's Association continues to perform. It continues to come out with new programmes, it continues to move ahead, it continues to serve the community. Today, under the Ministry of Community Development and Sports (MCDS), PA and MCDS continue to benefit from their synergy. I feel MCDS is a good place to place PA.

Mr Charles Chong asked how much jurisdiction the Minister had over People's Association. PA has actually been quite autonomous in their work, as long as they stick to the charge given to them by the PA Act. This fact is more important than how much jurisdiction the Minister has over the People's Association. The People's Association's Chairman remains the Prime Minister. He usually appoints a Minister to be the Deputy Chairman, and at this particular point of time, my Minister and I are on the PA Board. But, based on history, even if we are not on the Board, PA will continue to perform what it is supposed to perform. So it actually does not matter.

Secondly, on the digital divide which Mr Zainul Abidin asked, I would say that that particular budget item under the People's Association is to highlight PA's role in the National IT Literacy Programme. I think the House will probably know that the Ministry of Manpower and Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) introduced the National IT Literacy Programme. The objective of the programme is to train 350,000 Singaporeans in computer and Internet basics, by April 2004. The People's Association has been given the role of training 90,000 people, out of these 350,000. So, we have been conducting IT courses in four official languages, targeting senior citizens, homemakers, grassroots leaders, those who have not been trained in IT before. We have about 20,000 residents who have undergone training at about 40 community centres as well as community clubs. We jointly organise these training courses with commercial training agencies, as well as various IT training centres. In addition, we also have two roving IT vans to bring IT classrooms to the community.

On working with IDA and other agencies, I want to assure Mr Zainul that we work very closely with IDA and many other agencies. In fact, we also work with voluntary organisations such as Retired Seniors Volunteer Programme (RSVP), the mosques, the Singapore Association for the Deaf, as well as the various self-help groups in realising what we are supposed to do in this IT masterplan.

Mr Steve Chia asked a question on PA that any Opposition Member would ask. He asked probably on behalf of Mr Chiam and Mr Low, but I think both have asked this question many, many times, and the answer is still the same. He got it right. The People's Association is a Government statutory board. It is not part of the PAP. The PAP MPs draw a very, very clear line between our PA activities, as well as our PAP branch activities. We do not hold our branch activities in the community centres. I can assure him of that. We are very professional about it. And since it is a Government statutory board, members of the public can come and use the facilities and take part in the programmes, regardless of political affiliation. But, when it comes to picking the people in charge, the Government, like picking people in charge of other Government agencies, will have to look for people who have the same vision, share the same objective, in order to do this job of leading the various grassroots organisations.

If we put the Opposition Members as the Advisors of the grassroots organisations, we can be sure that the grassroots organisations will be politicised. There will be no end of quarrels between the People's Association, who is supposed to be a Government body, and the ward which is with the Opposition. This will not serve the objective of achieving social cohesion. We owe it to the residents to ensure that politics stays out of our community centres. That is why PAP stays out of the community centres and we appoint people in charge to make sure that politics stays out of the community centres and the grassroots organisations.

Earlier, Sir, I think Mdm Halimah also asked about the issue of involving Malays, especially younger Malays, in the community centre activities. We have to acknowledge that we would like to have more participation by the Malays, as well as Indian Singaporeans, in our community centres. After all the objectives of our community centres are to achieve social cohesion, racial harmony, as well as better communication. We admit that we have quite a lot of work to do still. But, we are trying. We have a few schemes to deliberately try to encourage more Malay residents to join us.

The People's Association has adopted a policy to co-locate some of the community centres with voluntary organisations some of which are from the Malay/Muslim community. This is for greater synergy, and to encourage a wider network of Singaporeans to visit the community centres. For example, Telok Ayer-Hong Lim Green Community Centre/Pondok Glam - that is one of the co-locations; Kampong Ubi Community Club/Singapore Diki Barat Federation - that is another co-location; Singapore Hadra and Kampong Association, that is also in Kampong Ubi; Toa Payoh Central Community Building has got Majlis Pusat, and Pasir Ris East Community Building and the Association of Muslim Professionals. We hope that such co-locations will improve inter-ethnic interaction and cooperation.

Mdm Halimah may also be pleased to note that amongst the youth movement, we have what we call Project Prompt. Under Project Prompt, if the youth programme can involve more than 25% non-Chinese, PA will give them a small additional grant. So far, there are, I understand, more than 100 programmes being given such grants.

With the establishment of the IRCCs, as my Minister has explained in much details earlier, we believe that there will be even more opportunities for inter-ethnic interaction in our community centres.

I will now go over to the Community Development Councils. I think both Mr Zainul as well as Mr Charles Chong asked about the progress of the Community Development Councils. First of all, in the speech given by the Prime Minister in 1996, as well as in 2002, that Mr Charles Chong quoted, he sketched out the long-term vision of Singapore's community. There should be very good social cohesion, of kampong spirit, of the more successful willing to help the less successful, and as a result achieve a good feeling of rootedness. It is a very, very long-term vision, which we will all be striving for. CDCs were only established five years ago in 1997. So, of course, we still have a long way to go. However, I have to say that the Community Development Councils have made very good progress. It is becoming a local administration which is relevant to the lives of the residents. Since they were initiated in 1997, the CDCs have been building up their role as mobilisers of public, private and community resources, to bring about a more cohesive and harmonious society. They reach out to the more successful to help the less able, for example, through their many volunteers' programmes as well as joint programmes with the voluntary organisations. The CDCs also deliver community development programmes, ranging from arts appreciation to life-long learning to healthy lifestyle, to Racial Harmony Day, as well as Grandparents Day. So, they have a very, very wide range of social programmes as well as social service programmes. 4.15 pm

The CDCs have also tried to achieve a good balance of grassroots leaders, professionals as well as other talents in their ranks.

In 2001, which I believe is a very, very important year for the CDCs, the CDCs successfully took on a wide range of community and public services from the Ministries. This includes social assistance and social service schemes from the Ministry of Community Development and Sports (MCDS) since 1st April 2001, as well as the Primary Care and Partnership Scheme (PCPS) from the Ministry of Health. If Members recall, PCPS is actually a scheme where senior citizens from the lower income group, with a certain card, can go and see the participating GPs who are in private practice, so that they do not have to always go to the polyclinics.

The CDCs, together with grassroots organisations, help Singaporeans, who missed out on the CPF Top-up Scheme and senior citizens who did not participate in the MediShield Scheme for the elderly, to sign up for the schemes. The CDCs also work with the CPF Board and the Ministry of Finance to administer CPF top-ups as well as the New Singapore Shares.

I would say that CDCs have benefited from synergy on the ground, as well as with the Ministries, because of the participation of the CDCs. Because CDCs have been doing very well, in November 2001, we decided that it should aim even higher. That is why full-time Mayors were appointed, and the CDCs were consolidated from nine to become five, each with a population of roughly half a million or so. We believe that this is probably an optimal size.

Being closer to the people, the CDCs have been able to offer a more convenient and personalised service to the residents. I must say that even for those services that are delegated from the Ministries to the CDCs, the CDCs have been doing very well. The processing time, for example, for public assistance cases has improved, partly because CDCs are closer to the ground, so they know the residents better. And partly also because they are closer to the ground, they are subject to more pressure to settle cases early, so the CDCs work harder. All these are to the advantage of the residents.

During the current economic recession, like what Mr Zainul said, the CDCs have been very, very active in helping the retrenched workers, by augmenting interim short-term financial help with career counselling, job-matching and skills upgrading, retraining opportunities, and so on. In fact, I would say that all the Mayors come up with excellent ideas and they are all different. Maybe I will just list a few.

For example, Mayor Othman Haron Eusofe of South East CDC piloted a training and employment programme for child care and domestic help to increase the employment opportunities of its residents in the informal service sector. I think that is very innovative.

Mayor Teo Ho Pin has been actively introducing jobs from various companies, like Sembawang Shipyard and TIBS, to the residents of North West CDC, and, therefore, bringing the employers and the potential employees closer.

Mayor Yu-Foo Yee Shoon has launched the South West CDC community portal and e-job messaging system where job seekers are informed through SMS and/or e-mail of their success in job-matching facilitated by the CDC.

In addition to just looking for jobs, I think the CDCs have also supported the CCCs in forming Inter-racial Confidence Circles as well as working with other bodies such as schools, companies and voluntary welfare organisations to form Harmony Circles.

Mayor Zainul Abidin Rasheed of North East CDC introduced the home-stay programme aimed at promoting greater inter-racial understanding. And Mayor Othman initiated a South East CDC racial harmony youth ambassadors programme. Mayor Heng Chee How - I have not forgotten him - Central Singapore CDC, has harmony circles working with self-help groups and other community organisations, like the Hindu Endowments Board and Singapore Khalsa Association, to promote greater inter-racial harmony.

In short, the CDCs have done quite a bit. Of course, some of the residents still say that, "Look, I actually still do not know about the CDC." And I think Mayor Zainul has expressed a certain amount of disappointment there. But I would say, keep trying. After all, we are only five years down a very, very long journey, and we have already done so much. In fact, through the various programmes, we have already touched the life of many, many Singaporeans. If we can touch the lives of even more Singaporeans, everybody will recognise the CDC. So, I would say, do not be too disappointed. It is still early days yet. Looking at the progress that we have achieved so far, I think we have done quite well. Give us a little bit more time. I think life should be kind to the CDCs.

I think I have covered all the questions.

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong: Sir, I have three clarifications for the Minister of State. What vision and what objective are the Minister referring to? Has he tried any of the Opposition MPs to realise that their vision and objective are quite close to the PA?

Second clarification. Just because it is an Opposition MP, the grassroots organisations become politicised. It would not be politicised when the PAP candidates are appointed as grassroots advisers. Is that the case?

Third clarification. If the Minister wants politics to stay out, should not the elected MP stay in as the grassroots adviser instead?

Mr Chan Soo Sen: Sir, that is why the PAP MPs are the grassroots advisers, not the head of the grassroots organisation. We are only there to advise. So he got it right there.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: The MOS, in his answer, says the PA's objective is social and community bonding. CCCs, RCs, the community centres are non-political. And he said, "We draw a very clear line." I want to know from him how clear the line is, and how sure he is about what he says.

Mr Chan Soo Sen: Sir, I think I have not answered Mr Steve Chia's questions completely. So I shall answer his questions first.

I did not say that the Opposition Members do not share the objective of, for example, social cohesion. I am just saying that Opposition MPs, by their nature, would have to oppose some of the Government policies, and that would include some of PA's programmes and the methods of implementation, and so on. In doing so, bearing in mind the kind of passion that I hear when this subject was discussed in the Committee of Supply, we risk getting the grassroots organisations from opposition ward into political conflicts with the People's Association, rather than concentrating on helping the residents improve their lot. That basically is my point.

We, the PAP, are very clear about this point. Therefore, we draw a clear line. All Government programmes can be political to the extent that if we do a good job in any Government programme, for example, in education, or transport, we will get greater support in the next General Election. So if we do a very, very good job in achieving social cohesion, racial harmony, and we achieve better support in the next General Election, I would say that there is nothing wrong, Sir.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: The Minister of State seems to be confused with social cohesion, community cohesion and support for the nation to one that is ensuring bonding with the PAP. Would he clarify that?

Mr Chan Soo Sen: Since when did I say "bonding with the PAP"? I said anybody, regardless of political affiliation, could come and take part in PA's activities because PA is a statutory board and the community centres are public places. But when it comes to appointing people to lead these organisations, like all Government agencies, all Government statutory boards, Government will be responsible for those appointments, and Government has got the responsibility to ensure that the people appointed would have the ability to carry out the task that the agency is supposed to carry out.

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong: Sir, if I may clarify with the Minister. Are not elected MPs part of the Government service, as the elected MPs are elected by the people? We are here [Interruptions] not as Government, but as part of the body where we actually do this service to the people. Specifically, the Minister said that Opposition MPs are always opposing. Can the Minister give specific examples of what the Opposition MPs are opposing for the sake of opposing? Is it not the case that the PAP MPs nowadays are actually even more opposing than the Opposition MPs?

Mr Chan Soo Sen: So you are saying the Opposition MPs are now irrelevant?

The Chairman: Mr Charles Chong, could you withdraw your amendment?

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, can I have a clarification?

The Chairman: Mr Charles Chong, please.

Mr Charles Chong: Sir, I thank the Minister and the Minister of State for the responses and beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Mr Charles Chong: Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head I of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code IC 1500.

Sir, the People's Association recently amended the rules and regulations of the CCC and CCMC. Among other things, the amendment introduces a compulsory retirement age for key grassroots leaders in the CCC and CCMC. The key posts that are now subject to an age limit of 65 years include the Chairman, Secretary and the Treasurer. This rule does not take into consideration the number of years in office or the ability of potential office-holders and indicates ageism which stems from a negative view of ageing and old age. It also fails to realise that there are many people who after retirement from a full and rewarding career, at the age of 62 years or older, now have more time to be involved in community service, armed with a life-time of experience and knowledge.

Enforcing a prohibition based solely on the arbitrary age of 65 years, in favour of nurturing new and younger leaders to keep up with the changing expectations and aspirations of the residents they serve, reflects the preoccupation that we are still a youth-oriented society when, in reality, we are among the fastest ageing population in the world. Although the new rules appear to allow exceptions, provided specific approval has been obtained by the People's Association, it does not indicate under what circumstances would approval be granted. Could the Minister indicate what percentage of grassroots leaders in these key positions are aged 65 years and above, and tell us why this rule is even necessary, when it is well within the authority of the advisers of the grassroots organisations to appoint or replace non-performing or unsuitable grassroots leaders? 4.30 pm

Mr Chan Soo Sen: Sir, to look at this particular issue, we have to see things in context. We are only talking about the Chairman, the Secretary and Treasurer of the CCCs and the CCMCs. About 17% of the current incumbents of these key posts are above 65 years old. This policy of compulsory withdrawal was for leadership renewal. It is not because of ageism. We recognise that there are many grassroots leaders who are still able to contribute, even though they are 65 years old. But the key leadership positions of Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer required more attention, more commitment of energy.

Grassroots leaders have been asking why should we not have an upper limit on the number of terms that incumbents in key leadership positions should serve. In many of the associations, the Chairman cannot serve more than two terms, because they consider that it is important to have a dynamic leadership. PA had been considering the matter very carefully for quite some time before coming out with the decision of retirement age at 65 years old for the Chairman, the Secretary and the Treasurer. If we do not do that, some of the younger grassroots leaders would find that they have no chance, and would not want to come forward.

Of course, there are Chairmen, Secretaries and Treasurers who are still very vibrant and still very alert at 65 years. And there may be certain grassroots organisations where, if the Chairman steps down right now, there may be no one to take over. Under such circumstances, if the advisor puts up an appeal, the People's Association will look at it and will usually agree. But, of course, we will do the necessary to remind the advisors that, "Well, you should consider succession after this term." Even our national leadership talks about succession all the time. So why not grassroots organisations? If there is no succession, there is no new life, and the grassroots organisations will not be dynamic.

Sir, when these key grassroots leaders retire, there are still plenty of opportunities for them. There are many other grassroots organisation postings for them, if they still want to serve. And for the deserving ones, they can be appointed either as Patron, Honorary Chairman or Immediate Past Chairman. All these options are there because the People's Association values long serving grassroots leaders. We want to recognise them, we want them to continue to be associated with the grassroots movement, and we want them to come back to attend our functions with certain official position of importance, and they can still give advice to the newer grassroots leaders who may have taken over.

Sir, I would like to summarise by saying again this is not ageism. It is for leadership renewal which is very important for any organisation. It will be good for our grassroots movement and we implement it with flexibility. If the advisors have good reasons to want to have specific old grassroots leader to serve one more term, there is no problem. We will look at it and we will probably agree. And also, very importantly, we make sure that deserving grassroots leaders retire with dignity as well as with a good title that they deserve.

Mr Charles Chong: Sir, I would like to seek clarification from the Minister of State. The Minister of State, on two occasions, stated that the 65-year old age limit is for leadership renewal. But is he aware that the regulation prohibits not only the re-appointment but the appointment itself. This means that even before he is appointed, if he is 65 years old, he cannot be appointed.

Mr Chan Soo Sen: Sir, as I said, if there are specific good grassroots leaders that any of the advisors here would want to appoint for good reasons, please let me know. We will look at it. We are ultimately pragmatic people. The rules are to serve us. The rules are here to give us good grassroots movement. If an advisor can convince us that by appointing an individual as Chairman, it will be good for his grassroots movement, we will listen to him.

Mr Charles Chong: Sir, the Minister of State's response is not satisfactory. Anyway, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The Chairman: Amendment No. (3). May I remind Members that we have less than 10 minutes before "guillotine" time. Dr Warren Lee.

Dr Warren Lee (Sembawang): Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head I of the Development Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code IC 5200.

Sir, I applaud the move by the Finance Minister to encourage philanthropy among Singaporeans. In the present economic climate, there will be increasing demands on our VWOs for help. There will also be increasing competition for the charity dollar. The National Council of Social Service, through the Community Chest, raises approximately $42 million a year to serve 314,000 clients through 130 programmes. By contrast, according to its website, the National Kidney Foundation raises $59 million a year to provide for the 1,900 patients dialysing under the NKF programmes.

Both are fine organisations doing excellent work, but Members may agree with me that it appears that the ComChest seems to have less presence and less reach in the minds of the average Singaporean. This will have an inevitable effect on its ability to raise funds.

I would urge the Minister to consider helping to level the playing field for the Community Chest and its stable of funded agencies by assisting NCSS to revamp and strengthen its publicity and fund raising capability to match the juggernaut of the NKF. This is not to mention the needs of many other non-funded VWOs, who do not come under the NCSS funding umbrella but who have to raise their own funds. At the very least, I would like ComChest to be able to compete on an equal footing with the NKF in persuading schools, community organisations, Government agencies and private sector organisations that there are many other worthwhile charities in Singapore, and that they too deserve funding attention.

Mr Chan Soo Sen: Sir, very briefly, I am glad to report that the Chairman of ComChest, Ms Jennie Chua, recognises this problem. She told me one of the areas of weakness was that they did not have sufficient presence in Chinese community organisations, like the seventh moon groups and so on. The problem has been identified and she will come to work with us to see how to improve the funding of ComChest. There is always room for improvement when it comes to raising funds for charity.

Dr Warren Lee: Sir, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The Chairman: Amendment No. (4), Dr Maliki.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head I of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code ID 1500.

Sir, I will be very brief. I am concerned about the important role that systems in the environment of juvenile offenders play in their rehabilitation. There are three questions I would like to ask. One, is the role of the family. The Children and Young Persons Act was amended last year to allow the courts to mandate parents to be involved in the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders. I would like to ask the Minister, to-date, what is the extent of the parental involvement in the rehabilitation of these juvenile offenders, especially in relation to professional intervention, rather than just merely celebrating Mother's Day and Father's Day together. Second, is on the role of schools. Oftentimes, I have heard pleas by residential institutions that have difficulty placing these juvenile offenders back to school. May I know what is the current situation right now? Are the children facing any difficulties getting back to school? And, third, is community involvement. What is the level of community involvement in the rehabilitation of these offenders, especially in relation to the role that grassroots organisations can play in helping these juvenile offenders rehabilitate?

Mr Chan Soo Sen: Sir, time is running out. I will give Dr Maliki a more detailed explanation later. But I would say, very briefly, that it was only last year that the Children and Young Persons Act was amended to mandate, in certain cases, parents' involvement in the rehabilitation of children and young persons. So far, 20 parents of juvenile offenders in the Homes and 50 parents of probationers have been given such orders, and they have done their job. As I said, this is still early days. The Act was passed at the end of last year and it is hardly six months away. But we have already seen very good promises. Given a period of time, few years perhaps, we will be able to report good results. Involvement of the schools, self-help groups and the community is something that MCDS always tries to facilitate, and we will continue to do so.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Sir, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The Chairman: Amendment No. (5), Dr Lily Neo.

Dr Lily Neo (Jalan Besar): Sir, due to time constraint, could I be given the permission to skip amendment No. (5) and to go on to amendment No. (6) instead?

The Chairman: Yes, you can. Amendment No. (5) is not moved.

Dr Lily Neo: Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head I of the Development Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code IE 5200.

Elderly abuse makes up 2.9% of all cases of family violence. The problem of elderly abuse has not received the attention it deserves. Elderly abuse is seldom reported, and this is even more so in our Asian society where filial piety and respect for the elderly is traditional and highly regarded. Sir, it is to be noted that abused elderly are unlikely to report on their own families for fear of embarrassment and fear of losing whatever care and support they may have. The lack of awareness and support services here is a contributory factor to this situation.

The survey which was conducted from May 1994 to December 1997 on those who were 65 years or older who presented to the Emergency Department for non-accidental trauma or complaints of other acts of cruelty showed that in 58.8% of cases, the assailants were the daughters-in-law or sons. The average age of the elderly was 74.6 years old and a majority of them were ambulatory but had chronic medical illnesses.

Protection from persons causing hurt, continual harassment, threat, wrongful confinement is spelt out in Part VII of the Women's Charter (Chapter 353 of the 1997 Revised Edition). Under this Chapter, the victim can apply for a Protection Order. Elderly abuse is not a problem seen in isolation. It is an integral part of family violence. Successful intervention may indirectly help other victims caught in the same cycle of violence.

Elderly abuse can be classified into four types: (1) infliction of pain and injury; (2) debilitating mental anguish; (3) unreasonable confinement; and (4), willful deprivation by caretaker of services necessary to maintain mental and physical health. I believe that abuse of the elderly will increase in tandem with our fast ageing population.

Sir, I would like to urge MCDS to campaign for better awareness, targeting especially the relatives and friends of the victims to let them know that help can and should be sought for victims. There is an urgent need also for us to provide better support services. 4.45 pm

Mr Chan Soo Sen: Sir, we agree with everything that Dr Lily Neo says, except I would like to say the figures show a consistent downward trend. The number of cases reported: in 1997, it was 163; in 2001, it was only 92. Perhaps it is because we have been doing all that Dr Lily Neo has been telling us to do and, if we continue to do so, we are confident that the figures will continue to decline.

Dr Lily Neo rose ---

The Chairman: "Guillotine" time, Dr Lily Neo.

Dr Lily Neo: Sir, I did not mention the figures that the Minister of State has just mentioned. I do not know why he is telling me the numbers when I have not mentioned them. Sir, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $598,360,330 for Head I ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $118,332,000 for Head I ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

The Chairman: I shall now deal with the remaining heads of expenditure in respect of which no amendments stand on the Order Paper Supplement.

In respect of the Main Estimates, they are Heads B, D, E, G and Z.

I propose to take those heads of expenditure en bloc.

Question, "That the sums stated for those Heads of Expenditure which appear in the last column of the Schedule of estimated expenditure under the Main Estimates on page 24 of Paper Cmd. 3 of 2002 stand part of the Main Estimates," put and agreed to.

The Chairman: In respect of the Development Estimates, they are Heads B, D and E. I propose to take those heads en bloc.

Question, "That the sums stated for those Heads of Expenditure which appear in the last column of the Schedule of estimated expenditure under the Development Estimates on page 25 of Paper Cmd. 3 of 2002 stand part of the Development Estimates," put and agreed to.

Question, "That the sum of $36,685,882,080 shall be supplied to the Government under the Heads of Expenditure for the public services shown in the Main Estimates for the financial year 1st April, 2002 to 31st March, 2003, contained in Paper Cmd. 3 of 2002," put and agreed to.

Question, "That the sum of $19,641,738,900 shall be supplied to the Government under the Heads of Expenditure for the public services shown in the Development Estimates for the financial year 1st April, 2002 to 31st March 2003, contained in Paper Cmd. 3 of 2002," put and agreed to.

Resolutions to be reported.

Thereupon Mr Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (Mr Lee Hsien Loong): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply have come to certain resolutions.

First Resolution reported -

Question, "That the sum of $36,685,882,080 shall be supplied to the Government under the Heads of Expenditure for the public services shown in the Main Estimates for the financial year 1st April, 2002 to 31st March 2003, contained in Paper Cmd. 3 of 2002," put and agreed to.

Second Resolution reported -

Question, "That the sum of $19,641,738,900 shall be supplied to the Government under the Heads of Expenditure for the public services shown in the Development Estimates for the financial year 1st April, 2002 to 31st March 2003, contained in Paper Cmd. 3 of 2002," put and agreed to.

Mr Lee Hsien Loong: Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That Parliament doth agree with the Committee on the said resolutions."

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolutions accordingly agreed to.