1ST APRIL, 2003 TO 31ST MARCH, 2004 (Paper Cmd. 4 of 2003)

Order read for consideration in Committee of Supply [7th Allotted day].

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Head K (cont.) -

Resumption of Debate on Question (19th March, 2003),

"That the total sum to be allocated for Head K of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100." - [Dr Wang Kai Yuen].

Question again proposed.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education (Mr Hawazi Daipi): Sir, yesterday I finished replying to questions on the Trim and Fit programme. Let me continue with what Mr Ng Ser Miang had called the gifted sports classes. Mr Ng would be glad to know that besides Parkview Primary School, there are 11 other primary schools, including Fuchun, Admiralty and Evergreen Primary schools, involved in this pilot scheme sponsored by the Singapore Sports Council. Anglican High School and Temasek Junior College have also started their sports classes. MOE's approach is to allow schools the autonomy to decide niche areas, including sports, depending on their needs and resources. However, I would like to clarify that these are not gifted sports classes. The Sports School, which is scheduled to open in 2004, will be in a better position than mainstream schools to look after the sports and academic needs of gifted young sports talents. It is for this reason that MOE supports the establishment of the Sports School by the Ministry of Community Development and Sports, which determines, among others, the Sports School's entry requirement.

Let me now answer some specific queries from MPs. Dr Maliki suggested that the Ministry of Education conduct a study on the profile of the teenagers who had abortions and target our sexuality education at this group of teenagers. Our programme is targeted towards all pupils of different backgrounds and experience in sexuality matters. Our main focus is on education and character building. Our approach is directed at upstream measures and, hence, proactive in nature. We aim to impart to all pupils the necessary knowledge and inculcate a responsible attitude towards sexuality issues. MOE's Sexuality Education Programme was drawn up after studying successful programmes in both Western and Asian countries. This programme incorporates strategies to address the needs of teenagers who are at risk of engaging in sexual activities that might lead to teen pregnancies and abortions.

Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked if schools provide dedicated follow-up services to students suspended from school. As I mentioned yesterday, the school would only mete out disciplinary action like suspension, as a last resort, for the student to reflect on his misbehaviour. During the suspension, the pupil will be given school assignments to ensure that time is gainfully spent. Schools tap on professional MOE counsellors to work with pupils before and during the period of his suspension to deal with the root cause of his misbehaviour. Parents are also involved in this whole process to fully understand the purpose of suspension and to ensure proper supervision at home. When the pupil returns to school, a meeting would be held with him and the parents with the principal, to help the pupil integrate back into school life. The school would continue to provide counselling, when necessary.

Mr Gan Kim Yong asked if our National Education programmes are kept up-to-date on current developments in national and global issues, like terrorism and the impending Iraq war. Yes, definitely. Current affairs provide very useful opportunities to raise national education issues for discussion. Within the classroom, History, Social Studies and General Paper lessons are examples of where this may be done. Outside the classroom, dialogue sessions with senior civil servants, annual pre-university seminars and various National Education talks are the usual forum to do so.

Ms Braema Mathi expressed concern with the continued implementation of National Education and values education programmes when principals are rotated and changed. National Education and values education are key features of our education which are implemented in all schools. Furthermore, the system and processes for implementing these programmes are already in place in all our schools. Our principals and teachers will implement National Education and values programmes regardless of the schools that they are in.

Mr Zainudin Nordin (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Sir, even as a young boy, I sensed from my school environment that the arts subject is one which is least emphasised. It is the easiest to handle because faring well in it was really inconsequential, unless, of course, the student hopes to use the arts subject marks to pull up his or her cumulative results, then it becomes useful. On the other hand, parents are also not to be blamed. They respond to the environment and prepare their children to face the future where arts have little to contribute to. Perhaps this is what they feel. In times like this, my worry increases as support and resources for arts and culture are threatened. We have, however, demonstrated some commitments when funds are given to private arts schools like NAFA and LaSalle-SIA. However, the real issues remain: what is the position of arts in our local schools? Are qualified teachers teaching the subject, or has it been reduced to logistics and available manpower, ie, any teacher from any discipline that has an hour to spare will end up teaching the subject? Are we particular about standards? Is it still the first to be sacrificed each time the school is shorthanded?

Mr Gan Kim Yong (Holland-Bukit Panjang): Sir, I am pleased that the Ministry of Education has taken several initiatives over the last three years to improve the pre-school education here. In December 2000, MOE announced the minimum qualification of kindergarten principals. In October the following year, the minimum qualification and composition of kindergarten teachers were defined. Earlier this year, a framework of kindergarten curriculum has been introduced and, finally, the MOE announced recently that the new Kindergarten Education Bill will be introduced in Parliament shortly.

These are all aimed at ensuring quality pre-school education for our children. Some of us will remember the story of "Meng Mu San Chian". Meng Tze is a very famous Chinese scholar. His mother Meng Mu shifted house three times - not to upgrade from a 3-room flat to a 4-room flat, to a 5-room flat, and then to an Executive flat - but to give her son a better environment to study. This goes to show that the children's education is close to the hearts of parents. I therefore welcome the greater attention given to pre-school education here.

Sir, I would like to make three points with regard to pre-school education. With the introduction of the new criteria and the framework of curriculum, we must have a system to monitor the progress of compliance, even though the curriculum is not compulsory, and I agree that it should not be made compulsory. We must be able to know which kindergarten has adopted it and which has not. The parents must also know, so that when they enrol their children, they can make informed choices. Therefore, can we consider some kind of accreditation system to give recognition to those who have adopted the system?

Secondly, additional financial resources may need to be given to help the lower income families so that their children will not be denied pre-school education. Pre-school education is generally more expensive than formal education because there is limited Government funding. The lower income families may need help to keep their children in the kindergartens.

Thirdly, I hope the introduction of the Kindergarten Education Bill will not imply greater rigidity. We must continue to encourage creativity and diversity. I hope the Government will continue with its light touch policy on education, more help and guidance, rather than control and regulation.

Sir, although pre-school education is not compulsory, it has become very much a way of life for our younger families. With MOE placing greater emphasis on improving pre-school education, I have no doubt that our young ones will benefit from a better run pre-school system.

Mdm Halimah Yacob (Jurong): Sir, I would like to applaud the Ministry for introducing a comprehensive framework to improve pre-school education in Singapore. Currently, pre-school education is not regulated by any authority. Although it is part of the childcare services, it may be subject to MCDS rules. The structure of pre-school education that exists today is very much geared towards preparing children for primary one. There is a lot of focus on teaching children to read, write and count, but very little on how to help them to acquire the kind of skills and thinking capabilities that are needed to help them deal with the increased complexities, both in our school system, as well as in life. However, Sir, to achieve the outcomes that are desired under this new pre-school education framework, we must have teachers with the quality and capabilities to deliver these new standards. This is where the new pre-school education teacher training framework and accreditation of teachers are very important. Teacher training will be a big challenge as many of the existing non-profit kindergartens do not have enough qualified teachers based on the new framework.

Another challenge for most kindergartens would be how to provide kindergarten teachers with a challenging career path. If our teachers upgrade themselves, they will need better motivation and career path compared to what currently exists. Sir, with this revamp of the pre-school education system, there is clearly a need to look at the primary school syllabus as there is a linkage between the two. The Ministry has announced its intention to introduce single sessions and smaller classes for the lower primaries, and I also look forward to a revamp of the primary education syllabus so that there is a continuous flow from pre-school education to primary and to secondary schools.

Let me now touch on parent perception. The research that was started by the Ministry on the pilot group indicated that most of the parents are happy with the new pre-school education change. I would like to ask that the Ministry continue to focus on reaching out to parents on the new pre-school education syllabus. My own experience tells me that there are still many parents who like the old rote learning method. Recently, one parent complained to me that the PCF kindergarten did not give enough Chinese spelling to her child, compared to the private kindergarten that her child was previously attending. So, if parents are geared towards one mindset, and the MOE wants to put pre-school education on another track, there will be a mismatch. One suggestion that I would like to make is for MOE to encourage those parents covered under the survey and who had found that the new pre-school education is better to speak up. In this way, other parents will also be more confident and will support the changes better.

Sir, one other concern which parents may have is increased childcare fees. The improvements to teacher training and other teaching methodologies will increase the cost of childcare education. This may be passed on to parents. I hope that the Ministry can also address this point. The bottom 20-30% of households, for instance, is very sensitive to changes in prices of kindergarten education, and may pull out their children if prices go up. This would be detrimental to the very children whom we are trying to help.

Sir, I also hope that the requirement to license kindergartens and all costs related thereto will not translate into higher business cost. I do ask that the Ministry exercise some restraint in imposing licence fees or other costs on kindergarten operators, as again I fear that this will get transferred to parents.

Finally, Sir, I support the flexibility granted to kindergarten operators to develop their own curriculum based on the broad framework set by MOE. This is a step in the right direction and is in line with the need to provide greater diversity in pre-school education.

In conclusion, Sir, I hope that we will achieve the outcomes desired by the Senior Minister of State, Mr Tharman, when he described the kind of pre-school children he wants to see - eager to learn, confident of themselves and willing to persevere, able to communicate with teachers and classmates.

11.15 am

Mr Zainudin Nordin: Sir, our education reforms and training must create a globally competitive, creative, employable workforce. Our system must facilitate Singapore's transformation into a knowledge-based economy, and this system begins with the very young.

A growing body of research has identified the complex interplay between the brain and what a child learns from his environment. And that the young immature brain is very open to early experiences, good or bad. The fact is that from the time of conception to the age of five, a child's brain develops at a faster pace than at any other time in his life.

The National Association of Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in the USA believes that the children who have high-quality early childhood programmes "gain skills that are normally associated with greater brain development such as problem solving and language, mathematics and literacy skills." They also gain other competencies such as self-control, higher motivation for learning and social skills. Thus, it cannot be argued otherwise that pre-school education provides the foundation for learning throughout the child's life.

Naturally, Sir, I am happy to see new initiatives such as the PSC grants and plans to uplift the pre-school standard. They are positive steps. However, I believe more needs to be done. I would encourage the approach to be more holistic - things like preparation for school, character development, discipline, the child's initiative, inquisitiveness, creativity and so on. My message is that the same amount of emphasis and importance that we give to formal education must also be given to pre-school education in Singapore.

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan (Hong Kah): Sir, I am glad that since I last spoke on this topic in last year's Committee of Supply, the salary scales for teachers of special education (SPED) schools have been raised, although a gap still exists between mainstream and special education teachers. In fact, some special education teachers who teach children who are more difficult to handle are given monthly premium allowances. However, I understand that the whole issue of lack of career development and training opportunities of special education teachers still persists. In fact, there is a lack of trained special education teachers today.

I do understand that SPED teachers are under the purview of NCSS, and not MOE. However, I would like to urge MOE, as the Ministry in charge of education, to spearhead and coordinate the training of these teachers who perhaps need even much more help, as they are handling children with special needs.

In the case of secondment of mainstream teachers to SPED schools, I understand that MOE's policy is to limit the secondment to one or two terms of two years, so that these seconded teachers do not lose out in their career development as against their counterparts in the mainstream schools. This is indeed well intentioned but it, inadvertently, deprives SPED schools of a source of trained, dedicated teachers with a compassion for SPED students. Will it not be possible to accord such teachers equal opportunities to training and career development and advance, even as they are on secondment to the SPED schools?

Another avenue by which SPED schools can have more access to the services of well-trained teachers from mainstream schools is to have a roster of postings of available and willing mainstream teachers to special schools and give them hardship allowances during this posting. This will facilitate the transfer and exchange of skills and knowledge, which will also benefit mainstream schools as the teachers become more conversant and compassionate to children with learning disabilities in their midst.

Sir, I am also pleased to note that, in recent years, the inclusion of high functioning children with special needs into mainstream schools has received much higher understanding from MOE.

Since 1999, there has been one mainstream secondary school per cluster fitted with facilities to accommodate children with special needs. However, a recent study of inclusion of high functioning hearing-impaired students in mainstream schools shows that more has to be done at the operational level to alleviate some of the problems faced by the physically challenged students. For instance, in one case, a hearing-impaired student was punished at the school assembly for not doing what she was told. In fact, the real reason was that the teacher did not know that she could not hear the instructions clearly and thought she was acting up. A standard operating procedure could have been easily put in place to help ensure students with hearing impairment to hear the instructions, say, through a buddy system. More attention and thus resources are needed to improve the current structure and systems of integration for the special needs children.

Mr Gan Kim Yong: Sir, there are about 20 special education schools today run by VWOs with funding support from the Government. There are numerous other organisations running special education services without funding support. However, there is a need to do more for special education. Sir, I should disclose my interest at this point that I am a director of Care Corner Limited, which is operating a learning clinic for children.

I would like to request the Ministry to consider three areas: firstly, physical facilities for certain disabilities, eg, autism. There is a rather long waiting list for admission into special schools. I understand that the special school at Margaret Drive has a waiting list of about 200 and the average waiting time is about two years. We need to increase the capacity to meet the demand.

Secondly, teacher training. I agree with Dr Amy Khor that this is an area that we should look into. I believe that one of the constraining factors is the critical shortage of qualified teachers for special education. Therefore, the existing teachers are all burnt out and this has led to even higher attrition. Part of the problem is the low remuneration level and the lack of a career path. The Ministry could look into this and see how we can help train more teachers in special education and provide them with a career path within the mainstream, so that they do not lose out.

Thirdly, financial assistance. The real cost of providing education to children with special needs is very high, sometimes four to five times that for ordinary education. The actual cost varies depending on the type of disabilities. Some children may need individual specialists to help to cope with their learning difficulties. Few can afford this. The situation is compounded by the fact that it is quite common that one of the parents has to stop work to help take care of the child. Many of them are facing physical and emotional stress today. Sir, these parents need some help to cope with the situation. I hope that the Minister would consider providing additional assistance to the parents to help them keep their children in the special schools if needed.

Sir, children are our asset and our hope for the future. They are a source of joy to our family life. A small number of them, unfortunately, need some extra help. If help is unavailable, they may drop out eventually and become a burden to the family, society and the nation. But if we can offer adequate and timely help, most of them may be able to contribute meaningfully to the society, and some of them may even make it back to the mainstream.

Mrs Fang Ai Lian (Nominated Member): Sir, I too would like to join the chorus to ask for more support for special education. Not so long ago, we discussed about changes for upper secondary education to develop our best and brightest. So we also ought to discuss changes for special education in order to cater for the other end of the spectrum, which is the intellectually disabled including the autistic children.

I too note that the numbers have increased. Perhaps the statistician would say that this is due to growing awareness. But the fact remains, as has been said by Mr Gan, that there is a queue waiting to be admitted to special schools.

I think we have a wonderful education philosophy which is to accord free and compulsory education for all our young up to the age of 12. We should include these kids into this catchment as well. Already, quite a bit has been done. We have lowered the age of subsidy from 6 to 4, recognising the need to address this problem at an early age, so that these children can gain faster and fuller development. There is also a sum of $200,000 set aside to train special teachers, but it would take time. And that is the right philosophy. If we do not have the teachers, we cannot establish the schools as well.

Admittedly, there is also the cost. It costs a lot more, $12,000 as opposed to $3,000. But if we look at other countries like the US and Australia, they, in fact, have specialist teachers on a one-to-one basis. And we should also aim to achieve this benchmark as well. Because, in the past, our expectations were not there, but this has changed. In the past, we might be contented to leave these children at home and allow siblings to look after them. This is not acceptable any more because we feel that these kids too can be developed. They too can become self-reliant and contribute to society as well.

Sir, I urge that more should be done for special education.

Ms Braema Mathiaparanam (Nominated Member): Sir, thank you for allowing me to speak on this topic.

I support the views of Dr Khor, Mr Gan and I like what Mrs Fang Ai Lian has said that perhaps it is also time to step back, take a more macro view of the whole area of special education, as we have done for the JC curriculum, and look at it from all aspects to see what more can be done.

For today, I would like to raise my concerns where the teachers are concerned and argue for the Ministry of Education to take them on board as their own teachers, rather than le them be managed by the voluntary welfare organisations. Currently, the teachers attend either Certificate in Special Education or Diploma in Special Education courses at the National Institute of Education. The NIE training processes do come under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education through the Nanyang Technological University. The teachers, as already mentioned by Dr Khor, do not get salaries that are apple-for-apple comparisons with those in national schools. Teachers with Second Upper degrees earn about $500 less than those in MOE national schools. Those with 'A' level certificates earn about $300 less. While they may be teaching in smaller classes, the demands placed on these teachers are quite high. And many of these teachers are also burnt out, as has been mentioned, and the attrition rate is one in five.

In the year 2002, 400 teachers with special education training were teaching 4,200 pupils, in a 1:10 teacher pupil ratio. In the year 2000, there were 476 teachers for 3,800 pupils, on a better ratio of 1:8 . So we do have a problem here where attrition is concerned, where morale is concerned, and I found it rather interesting that the special education teachers come under the Singapore Mercantile and Manual Workers Union. I hope the union stands by the aspirations of these teachers in the same way that the Singapore Teachers Union stands by teachers in national schools.

As has been mentioned, upgrading for these teachers is very much dependent on the funds available with VWOs. VWOs, as we already know, do have a problem sometimes in raising sufficient funds. My question to the Ministry, barring historical reasons as to why these teachers do not come under the MOE is: is it possible to review this and bring them on board? After all, the primary objective is being fulfilled - that they are training our children and the training is based on pedagogical principles as directed by the Ministry of Education. This means that training programmes, career development, salaries, upgrading, promotions can all come under one body rather than, right now, be dispersed over many VWOs, which may have different systems.

The Chairman: Ms Braema, wind up your speech, please.

Ms Braema Mathiaparanam: Currently, the principals of these schools are not on any policy management studies programme. The teachers are not in the teachers' network, and I think these are great avenues for them to share information.

The Chairman: Mr Ong Kian Min, take your two cuts together, please.

Mr Ong Kian Min (Tampines): Sir, I recognise the need for schools to be upgraded. Many of our schools, designed and built in the previous era, cannot support the present demands. It is the amount of funds that schools have to raise that worries me. Among my own small circle of family and friends, I know of not less than four schools that are actively raising at least $3 million each through similar activities such as fun fairs, concerts and gala dinners.

MOE pays for 95% of the infrastructure upgrading cost. If principals of PRIME schools were to adhere strictly to the set of standard specifications, they need to fork out only the balance 5%. But that alone could work out to be $800,000, based on the usual upgrading cost of $15 million. However, nowadays, there are more and more young and dynamic principals at the helm of schools. They have, and we should motivate and empower them to have, greater expectations of how an enriched learning environment can impact the holistic education of our children. They require more than these standard features and specifications to creatively nurture and develop the students under their charge. For example, the notion that learning is not static gives rise to a desire to have desks and chairs of various sizes and shapes placed in different configurations for different activities. The traditional classrooms, with just a teacher's desk, with rows of tables and chairs and a whiteboard, are not tenable any more. There should be storage cupboards, shelves, notice boards and other "props" in the classroom. These are deemed as extras and are not within standard specifications laid down by MOE. When we look further at computer or science laboratories, the standard items laid down a few years ago are not even required or useful any more. All non-standard items or space are to be paid for in full by the schools concerned. 11.30 am

In these difficult economic times, to raise $3-$4 million takes tremendous efforts and resources, usually led by the principal and teachers and involving their students and their families. The teaching staff has to devote a disproportionate amount of staff and student resources, energy and time in these fund-raising efforts. While there are other sources of funding from the Government, such as cluster fund and innovation fund, these are limited and subject to other rationalisation. If sufficient funds are not raised by the schools, progress payments cannot be met and the contractors may stop work. If the upgrading programme is held up and moving to the upgraded school is delayed, the students' benefit and enjoyment of the new facilities will also be postponed. With the deadline to move out of the holding school coming up, there will be an increasing sense of urgency.

I would be grateful if the Ministry could, firstly, review, update and exercise some flexibility in administering the standard specifications which were first drawn up some years ago; secondly, provide more funds for schools under the PRIME programme; and, thirdly, help to finance the funding shortfall and allow the schools some leeway to tide over this difficult period.

Sir, I would like to move on to my cut on Edusave.

I have five school-going children and would like to ask that the Edusave scheme be extended to cover not just the first three children. I understand that the original reason for restricting Edusave to the first three children is to discourage those who cannot afford from having more children and that parents should not rely on the State to pay for the expenses of bringing up their children. Much has already been said in the media and Forum pages on this issue. Perhaps it is opportune to review this.

Every Singaporean counts. With only 40,000 live births last year, every child is important. Once a child is born, we should do our utmost especially in his or her education so that he or she can grow up to contribute meaningfully to society. If we want to disincentivise those who cannot afford from having more, I believe we should do this in other ways and not to deprive the children of funds for enrichment. If we want to use monetary disincentives, there are many other ways we can do so, such as not giving dental subsidy or student concession for public transport. So, why Edusave, where the money will be used for the direct benefit of the child by helping him to attend educational and enrichment courses?

If the Minister's answer to the above is still "no", and the policy remains, may I suggest that it is administratively easier for the school if every student has an Edusave account. For those students who are not entitled to the Government Edusave contribution, the parents should be allowed to voluntarily top up this account. As an added incentive to have more children, I would like to suggest that any contribution made into this account by the parents should qualify for double tax relief. After all, one gets double tax relief for the maid levy and, surely, Edusave is more important. The Edusave account is then treated like a bank account from which the school can deduct money to pay for the enrichment modules.

Therefore, at the class level, every student is treated the same way, which makes it administratively easier. Otherwise, there will be some students making payments by cash or cheque. From my experience, when my children brought cheques to their teachers to pay for their modules, the teachers had thought that they or their parents were mistaken, because cash payment was not necessary as the fees could be deducted from Edusave. The payment handling and administration system in the school may not be geared up to handle cash or cheque, as I am sure children without Edusave are far and few between.

Mdm Halimah Yacob: Sir, I would like to request that the Ministry consider some flexibility in three areas with regard to the use of the Edusave.

The first area I would like to ask is with regards to the use of Edusave for standard school and miscellaneous fees. Currently, this is not allowed. Parents cannot use the Edusave for payment of the standard and miscellaneous fees, although for fees above the basic they are allowed to do so. My argument for asking that some flexibility be allowed is because of the current economic downturn where a lot of parents face difficulties in paying for these standard and miscellaneous fees. We could, in fact, allow parents to use the Edusave for payment of these basic fees for a very short period. It may not be for a prolonged period.

I understand the rationale why they are not allowed to use the Edusave for the standard and miscellaneous fees. The rationale is that parents should bear part of the cost of financing the school fees and also there are other help schemes available. But I think a general policy which allows some flexibility in this area during a general economic downturn, which is pretty severe as compared to many years that we had in Singapore of good economic growth, would be really helpful to parents. In fact, we have allowed some flexibility in allowing fees above the basic to be used. That is already a compromise on the policy. So I do not see why we would not allow flexibility in terms of allowing basic fees to be used for a short period of time.

The second flexibility I would like to ask the Ministry is with regard to the portion of the unused Edusave when a person reaches 21 years of age. Currently, what happens is that that amount is transferred to the person's CPF. I would like to ask that this amount be transferred to a skill save fund kept in the CPF. His own CPF funds to be used for retirement, medical and housing would not be affected. But I am talking about the Edusave portion. The intention is the same - investment in developing human resources. So, transferring from the Edusave to the skills fund in CPF will be a perpetuation of that policy of encouraging lifelong learning as well as encouraging people to take personal responsibility and ownership for investment in their own development.

The third flexibility I would like to ask is the one which Mr Ong Kian Min had already argued earlier on, ie, to extend Edusave use beyond three children. I think sometimes the problem is that the Government tries to achieve too many objectives under one scheme - the objective of discouraging people who cannot afford not to have more children and the objective of investing in education. I would argue that the primary objective of Edusave is to invest in the education of the next generation, so that they are prepared for the knowledge economy. Does it really matter, in this case, that the child is a fourth or a fifth child? As in any event, this child will eventually enter the workforce. And if he is ill-equipped and he does not have the skills or the qualifications, the Government will have to pay for his retraining and skills upgrading costs.

So, even looking at it from a purely economic perspective, I think it is a rational ---

The Chairman: Mdm Halimah, could you start wrapping up your speech, please?

Mdm Halimah Yacob: Sir, I take note of your point. I think they need the stimulation, and I really would like to ask the Ministry to consider revising this policy.

Dr Ong Seh Hong (Aljunied): Sir, the role private institution plays in the education sector has grown significantly in the last few years. While it has brought diversity to the education landscape, there is an immediate need to come up with an accreditation system for the various programmes being offered.

Sir, the education landscape has changed significantly over the last few years. Today, aspiring students have a diverse choice of professional certificates, graduate or post-graduate programmes. This is in itself a good thing. However, my concern is that there are few checks on the private sector institutions to ensure that what is taught is actually of good quality and useful to their students. The education landscape is characterised by local companies that act as representatives of foreign institutions of higher learning. In some cases, I must say, these foreign entities are of high standards. However, this does not give the full picture. Many private institutions act as re-sellers with the goal of gaining as many enrolments as possible. I have heard that it is now possible to get an MBA in nine months through an accelerated post-graduate programme. Enough examples of this cause me to raise the concern that the quality, content and delivery are highly suspect. This, of course, does not speak well for the educational industry as a whole.

Sir, I, therefore, urge the Minister to give his Ministry the mandate to benchmark the courses offered by the private industry against established institutions of higher learning. This will ensure the reputation of Singapore as a centre for higher learning and, at the same time, prevent students from being shortchanged by private institutions driven purely by profit.

Mr Chandra Mohan K Nair (Nominated Member): Sir, for the long term survival of Singapore, we must learn to live in harmony with our neighbours, our other ASEAN countries and also globally. We must enhance our international links through various sectors, including through our educational institutions. Has the Ministry considered opening up more places in our schools and institutes of higher learning, and invite more students from Malaysia, Indonesia and other ASEAN countries and from as many countries as possible to study here? These foreign students should be encouraged, upon completion of their tertiary education, to return home so that they can be our friends and ambassadors, as they will have a soft spot for Singapore as long as they had good experiences and fond memories whilst they were studying in Singapore.

Could the Ministry tell us how many foreign students are studying in primary and secondary schools, junior colleges, polytechnics and universities, and the breakdown of students by countries? And how many of them leave Singapore and go back to their respective countries on completion of their studies?

Sir, how many of our Singaporeans are studying abroad at the equivalent of "A" and tertiary levels? And how many of them do come back to Singapore to work? Which countries do they go to study mainly? Is the Ministry looking into the possibility of utilising the Internet and teleconferencing amongst junior college students of Singapore and equivalent levels in other countries in some subjects for a start, so that there can be a productive exchange of views and comparison of educational standards? I believe this is, to some extent, being done at our university level. Does the Ministry also encourage exchange programmes between our students, especially junior college and tertiary levels, with other countries, especially our ASEAN neighbours? We could send some of our students, especially during school and university holidays, on a voluntary basis, to neighbouring ASEAN educational institutions, and vice versa. These programmes could enhance our students' perception of our standard of education and that of our ASEAN neighbours and promote friendship and care for each other.

Mrs Fang Ai Lian: Sir, I would like to speak on behalf of business, as has been shared many times over. Children's education ranks very highly in terms of concerns for all Singaporeans. In fact, children's education is factored into every family's decision-making. Some families have chosen to go away to seek easier education for their kids. But more disturbing are executives not taking on opportunities to go overseas because it would disrupt their children's education. Again, there are also executives who choose not to return because it is, again, about education - how to get their kids back into the system which they have grown accustomed to. In fact, I have a colleague's neighbour who was on his way from the US, and because he was unable to get the Ministry's assistance to get into international schools, he chose to take another posting to Hong Kong for many years until all his children's education was completed.

As we seek to regionalise and globalise, we have got to get rid of this education obstacle. A lot of MNC chiefs have also said that we have got wonderful Singaporeans, but the minute they are asked to take an overseas posting, they will say "no". This is a real waste of opportunities, and in terms of career advancement as well. We do need people to go overseas to get their exposure and to get their valuable experience and to return to Singapore to contribute. 11.45 am

Admittedly, the Ministry of Education, in the past year, has made quite a number of concessions to help facilitate their return to Singapore and to get admitted into international schools. Added to that is the second language problem and all this makes it difficult for parents to consider a posting and return to Singapore. The Ministry's assurance is on a case-by-case basis. This lacks certainty and, therefore, is a major obstacle which has to be overcome. So if you are serious about regionalisation, entrepreneurship and globalisation, we have got to be serious about getting rid of this problem too.

Mr Zainudin Nordin: On exporting education, it is known to all that the Singapore education system has become a brandname, one with real social and economic value. Its reputation precedes itself and it is precious. Currently, the education industry contributes about $3 billion to our economy, which is about 1.9% of our GDP.

For many years, we have been providing lots of training and technical assistance to our ASEAN neighbours and other third world countries. We have built our expertise and gained valuable experience. Hence, the respect that we now enjoy in the area of education and training is well earned. However, this reputation has yet to be fully exploited. The time has come for us to reap the benefits of our hard work by exporting our education as a business. It can be our new niche. Education service is big business. Public education is focused on providing education for Singaporeans and meeting our manpower and capability requirements.

Simultaneously, I strongly suggest that we systematically address the opportunities provided by the Singapore brand of education, and not just leave it at that. Additionally, we must also set up a quality assurance system for the private education industry to ensure that our brand, which is the Singapore brand of education, does not get tarnished. It is precious and must be preserved.

The Senior Minister of State for Education (Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam): Sir, a few Members, Mr Gan Kim Yong, Mdm Halimah and Mr Zainudin, have rightly commented on the importance of the pre-school education sector.

There are basically two thrusts in MOE's approach to uplift the quality of pre-school education. First, we have developed a pre-school curriculum framework, emphasising a holistic approach to development and enhanced interaction between teacher and pupil. The curriculum framework is not prescriptive in detail, and MOE does not intend to make it a formal requirement for all kindergartens. Kindergartens are, instead, encouraged to use it as a guide to design their programmes. This approach encourages diversity and experimentation as each kindergarten operator strives to shape practices to meet the needs of its pupils, and to make a mark.

The basic idea of the new curriculum framework is to develop and nurture the child in totality, including his ability to relate to others, to communicate and to develop an enthusiasm for learning. I am glad Mdm Halimah mentioned parents, and I agree with her fully on the need to reach out to them. Kindergartens should engage with parents and give them the confidence that the changes they are making are in the interest of the child. MOE will help where it can. Mdm Halimah's suggestion is a useful one, for wider publicity of the views and comments of parents who have found that their children are keen to learn and have benefited as a result of the new approach.

Parents are not wrong to be concerned about their children's future performance in primary school and to expect that pre-schools provide a good foundation for their children's schooling. Basic academic skills like reading, writing and numerical or mathematical skills are important in the pre-school years. They should not be overlooked. But we want to avoid premature or accelerated learning of the Primary 1 syllabus. It does not translate, by and large, into the children being able to learn better when they get to the upper primary years, let alone the secondary school years. More emphasis should be placed on development of broader communication skills, such as the ability to ask questions, to begin thinking for themselves, to explore, or to sort out puzzles.

We are moving towards a more interactive and child-centred pre-school environment with more room for children to explore and experiment. But we should never be purists in our approach to pre-school education. Good kindergarten teachers adopt more than one orientation, more than one method, and they mix and match as they see fit to meet the needs of their pupils. Not all drills are bad. After all, most kids learn songs and nursery rhymes that way, although we sometimes find our children singing away lustily but mispronouncing the words!

The second thrust is to uplift the quality of the teaching force in the pre-school sector. MOE has articulated standards of professional qualifications for all major providers of pre-school education to meet. To answer Mr Gan Kim Yong's question, good progress has been made in the number of teachers going for training. All the major kindergarten providers should be able to meet the target of having all their teachers certificate-trained, and one in four of their teachers diploma-trained. In 2002, 43% of kindergarten teachers were trained staff. By the end of this year, 74% of kindergarten teachers would have been trained.

Mr Gan, Mdm Halimah and Mr Zainudin have asked about financial assistance for families, besides the recurrent grants for kindergartens. Let me first clarify the purpose of the recurrent grant scheme. MOE provides recurrent grants to help eligible non-profit kindergartens to attract and retain better qualified principals and teachers in order to meet the new standards. The grants can also be used to provide better support for teachers, in terms of administrative and teaching resources. In short, the grants are aimed at helping eligible kindergartens to raise quality. In answer to Mr Zainudin, we expect to maintain the grants at this level, but any future adjustments would have to depend on the availability of resources.

Financial assistance for families is a separate matter from these grants to kindergartens. To assist low income fami- lies who send their children to kindergartens that provide programmes that meet the quality guidelines, the Government will provide financial assistance of $600 per annum per child to lower income families who are sending their children to qualifying non-profit kindergartens from 2004.

Mdm Halimah asked about the Kindergarten Education Bill. MOE is currently reviewing the legislation for the pre-school sector. The Kindergarten Education Bill will be introduced in Parliament within a few months. It will set out the licensing framework and emphasises the importance of having qualified teachers and a sound curriculum.

Mr Ong Kian Min raised the issue of funding for the upgrading of infrastructure in Government aided schools. To-date, the Government has spent about $1 billion on the PRIME programme to upgrade 146 schools to the latest specifications. Under PRIME, the Government funds 100% and 95% of the development cost of upgrading Government schools and aided schools, respectively, based on the cost of standard facilities. The Government's share of the development cost of Government aided schools has increased significantly over the years, from 50% in 1982 to 95% today. The Government also pays for 100% of their recurrent cost. It is necessary for Government aided schools to continue to raise funds to pay for part of the cost of development of the schools. This is to show that the Government aided schools are committed to the project and that they enjoy the support of their respective communities. If the Government were to pay for 100% of both the capital and recurrent costs of such schools, they would really be no different from any Government school. Aided schools which find it difficult to raise funds may wish to review and reprioritise their plans for non-standard facilities.

Mr Ong Kian Min and Mdm Halimah asked the Ministry to reconsider the existing restriction of Edusave accounts to the first three children. Families need to take into careful account the affordability and expenses when deciding to have more than three children. The allocation of Edusave accounts to the first three children remains sensible and is a workable approach. However, I do not want to appear blind to the feelings of Mr Ong's fourth and fifth children. In fact, my own fourth child has already communicated her views to me. So we are prepared to consider suggestions as to how we can better handle and manage feelings of children, in particular those in the higher order birth.

I should emphasise, however, that the Edusave account is only one way in which Singapore pupils benefit from the Edusave scheme. Each year, about half of the expenditure on the Edusave Endowment Fund goes to the Edusave accounts; one quarter to Edusave scholarships and awards, and another one quarter to the Edusave grants to schools. The Edusave scholarships and awards and Edusave grants to schools are available to all Singaporean children, regardless of their birth order. In 2002, $37 million was disbursed to 141,400 pupils in the form of scholarships and awards. And another $35 million was disbursed to schools in the form of Edusave grants to run enrichment programmes for all their pupils.

Mdm Halimah has asked MOE to allow greater flexibility in the use of funds in Edusave accounts. Currently, pupils can already use Edusave funds for the second tier miscellaneous fees. Families facing difficulties in paying fees can approach the school for financial assistance. Various forms of assistance are available through the MOE financial assistance schemes or other sources, such as financial assistance schemes administered by the School Advisory or Management Committees, and community organisations, such as the CDCs and voluntary welfare organisations. No child will be denied an education because of financial difficulties. Further, when the Edusave account holders reach 21 years of age, any unutilised balance is transferred to the CPF Ordinary Accounts and can be used for all CPF approved schemes.

Mr Chandra Mohan asked how we are building links with students from the ASEAN countries. There are many students from ASEAN countries studying in our schools and institutions. In addition, schools and institutions participate in student exchanges with other ASEAN countries. Between 2001 and 2002, close to 800 students from Singapore participated in exchanges and attachment programmes with post-secondary institutions in ASEAN countries. Our students have also actively participated in community involvement programmes in ASEAN countries, such as Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

Mrs Fang Ai Lian has suggested that we allow local students who have returned from overseas to attend foreign system schools in Singapore. As far as possible, we believe that all Singaporeans should be educated together in national schools. That way, they can be imbued with a common sense of identity and a certain commitment to each other that comes from having grown up, played and studied together. It is difficult to expect the same spirit of Singaporean-ness to be inculcated in a foreign system school which will have a majority of foreign students and follow a foreign curriculum. It does not work that way in practice. This is also why we decided that the opening up of the national school system to two to three privately funded schools would be conditional upon such schools having a minimum of 50% Singaporeans in the student population.

However, MOE does recognise the broad economic imperative of encouraging Singapore firms to internationalise and Singaporeans to venture abroad and gain experience. We have implemented a range of measures to meet the educational needs of Singaporean children returning from overseas. Parents can apply for leave of absence at their children's current school to reserve a place until the child returns to Singapore. We have also provided boarding awards to allow secondary school children to stay in local school-based hostels while their parents were overseas.

We appreciate that some children who have studied abroad for a significant period of time could face difficulties in adapting and fitting back to the education system. MOE is prepared to be flexible and would consider requests for admission into foreign system schools for such children on a case-by-case basis.

Mr Zainudin had asked how Singapore's education system brand could be used to economic advantage. Education is also one of the areas of high growth potential identified by the ERC. IE Singapore has taken on the role of helping our local education providers export their services overseas. However, the primary focus of the Ministry of Education must remain in the education of students in our national schools. Where our institutes of higher learning, or our independent schools, have developed the capability to export their services, they can do so, as long as they continue to provide high quality education in Singapore and do not divert Government resources meant for delivering education in Singapore.

Dr Ong Seh Hong asked about the registration of private schools in Singapore. I share his view that disreputable education providers will not help us develop Singapore as an education hub. However, MOE and the Government are not in a position to review the quality of such programmes. Private education providers offer a diverse range of education programmes, including academic, continuing and adult education and self-improvement programmes, and often in partnership with a wide array of overseas partners. The market is the best regulator of such providers. The range of programmes caters to a diversity of needs as students and employers will ultimately decide on what value they place on their programmes and qualifications. However, there may be some scope for some form of industry self-regulation so as to enhance the branding and image of the private education industry. I believe IE Singapore is currently helping to facilitate discussions among leading education suppliers in Singapore on matters relating to issues such as quality certification and control within the industry.

12.00 noon

The Minister of State for Education (Dr Ng Eng Hen): Sir, let me address Members' concerns about arts and special education.

Firstly, arts education. Mr Zainudin has asked what MOE's level of support and commitment to this is. He and other Members will be happy to know that the arts education environment promises to be more vibrant as a result of a number of recent initiatives. Firstly, for NAFA and LaSalle-SIA College of the Arts, MOE provides these two arts institutions with per capita funding that is equivalent to the per student subsidies received by polytechnics and ITE. MOE will also be providing funding of about $180 million for the development and land needed for their new permanent campuses, which should be ready by 2004 and 2006 respectively. Every time I pass the Central District, I get a sense of excitement. With the new SMU, NAFA and LaSalle-SIA College campuses coming up and the Arts Museum, I think the area will add vibrancy and a glowing buzz to the arts education milieu.

Secondly, with the recommendation for NTU to have a school of design, media and art will allow interested students a relevant route to the university.

Thirdly, Mr Zainudin has asked about teachers. MOE has recently launched a 4-year Art and Music Teacher Training Scheme, together with NIE and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. This scheme will supplement our existing recruitment avenues for these teachers. The structural and manpower provisions will strengthen arts education in Singapore. Arts education is provided for all students in our schools, through the general art programme and the general music programme. Students can also opt to offer art at "O" and "A" levels, and music at the "O" and "A" levels as elective subjects. These measures will complement the 12-cluster art centres serving 97 schools, and one centre for Chinese orchestra music serving east zone schools. We plan to add 10 more such cluster art centres.

Let me now address the queries by various Members on special education. I hear clearly and empathise greatly with the calls from Dr Amy Khor, Mr Gan Kim Yong, Mrs Fang Ai Lian and Ms Braema Mathiaparanam for compassion and for us to do more for these children. As part of my duties, I have to attend many functions as guest-of-honour hosted by these VWOs working in concert with other agencies to take care of our disabled children. If Members have attended any of these functions, Members will agree with me that the passion is palpable, often-times heart-wrenching. Your spirits are both lifted and saddened; lifted because of the individual stories and the bravery they showed to take care of their children, and sometimes saddened because of the inequalities of life.

But, through these functions, I have become more and more convinced that the many-helping-hands approach - the philosophical stance, if you like - that MOE takes in providing assistance to these VWOs is the correct one, because it engages the community and unleashes the passion without which we would have made our provision less than effective. This many-helping-hands approach that we adopted since 1989 was in response to a key recommendation of the Advisory Council of the Disabled, which involves the Government, family and community. However, the many-helping-hands approach must not mean less subsidy or support from MOE.

Mrs Fang Ai Lian and Mr Gan Kim Yong have both asked for more to be done in the area of special education. We will try our best. MOE, together with the National Council of Social Services, has increased the number of SPED schools run by VWOs from 11 to 19. Today, these 19 SPED schools provide education for about 4,004 pupils, double the figure in 1989. MOE has started a redevelopment programme to improve the facilities of these schools. Once redeveloped, these schools will be purpose-built with facilities customised to their specific needs. Within the last four years, we have completed the redevelopment of four of these 19 schools. MOE provides capital funding for 90% of the construction cost for this redevelopment programme at an estimated cost of about $100 million.

Some Members said that there was a queue for these schools. That is not quite correct. There is actually no queue for any child with special disability, except for autism. For autism, it is a world-wide phenomenon. From the medical point of view, we are not sure why there has been a sudden rise. Mrs Fang Ai Lian alluded to it. Perhaps it is more recognition. Other theories have been ascribed. We do not really know why. There has been a sudden ramp up and, as Mr Gan said, we should expand capacity for this particular group of children, and we have been trying. As a result of recent efforts by NCSS and MOE, the number of SPED schools providing programmes for autism has increased from a previous two to 11. In addition, as Mrs Fang Ai Lian alluded to, we have set up a special fund, together with the Autism Resource Centre, to develop teacher capability in the SPED schools to manage children with autism. It is not that we cannot build the buildings; the buildings are there, but we need teachers. As more teachers are trained, an additional 400 children with autism would be catered for in SPED schools by 2006.

Mr Gan said that the cost of education for children with special needs is very high. We recognise this and, therefore, SPED schools receive more funding per student from MOE and NCSS. Mrs Fang said indeed quite correctly, that they receive four times the subsidy of a pupil in a mainstream primary school. In other words, we use the child without disabilities in the mainstream school as a benchmark, and then we provide four times as much. That works out, as she said, to $12,000 versus $3,000 per year. Eligible pupils who attend these SPED schools also receive a yearly Edusave contribution of $160, like their counterparts in the primary schools, and receive as well an annual Edusave grant for enrichment programmes and purchase of equipment and resource materials. As for the fees charged, they are subject to the approval of NCSS, and the NCSS and the VWOs also oversee the welfare assistance for needy pupils.

A number of Members, including Mr Gan Kim Yong, Ms Braema Mathiaparanam and Dr Amy Khor, have touched on the teachers in these schools. They have asked why not subsume these teachers under MOE. First of all, the provision of care, while to a great degree is provided by our teachers, is not the only avenue of care. There need to be a number of elements which will provide for these children. There is a balance between subsuming responsibility and decreasing stakeholdership. As I have said, the many-helping-hands approach that engages and says to the community, "This is a problem that we have to collectively address and, therefore, we will have to signal to each other the level of commitment" is a correct one.

Therefore, teachers in the SPED schools are provided training at the NIE. As of February 2003, 73% or 410 of these teachers have received training, while another 23% or 131 are either currently undergoing or would be starting their training in the NIE soon. Every SPED school is also provided with funds for staff development. This amounts to about $1,080 per professional staff per year. They also have access to MOE programmes, when we run them, to facilitate courses and workshops for SPED school teachers.

Members have expressed that there is a lack of career path and that we should facilitate secondment from MOE. Yes, teachers from the MOE do undergo secondment and, if teachers want to teach in the SPED schools, we will facilitate it on a case-by-case basis. The lack of career path is due to a number of reasons. Many of these VWOs work as separate entities. There is nothing to stop them from coming together to derive economies of scale, and we will encourage them. But this is something that they would have to do. To take it over would also decrease the level of stakeholdership from these VWOs, something which we should not do, because it is to our detriment.

Dr Amy Khor asked about the assimilation of children from SPED schools back into the mainstream. I thank her for acknowledging that some of these efforts have borne fruit. Children with learning or physical disabilities who are able to follow the mainstream curricula are provided places in mainstream schools. That is our principle. Some mainstream schools, she rightly pointed out, already have full facilities to enable access for pupils with physical disabilities. MOE targets to have at least one such school per geographical cluster of 8-9 schools. Currently, there are 51 mainstream schools equipped with handicapped-friendly facilities. As for pupils with hearing or visual impairment, there are six designated schools where such pupils have access to additional resource teacher and assistive devices.

Dr Amy Khor recounted to this House the case of a hearing-impaired child who could not hear the instructions and who was subsequently penalised. I believe her, and I can well imagine that these things can happen. But I would think that the teachers do not do it because they are trying to victimise the child, but because they probably did not understand. I agree with her that a certain standard operating procedure should be adopted. If Members know of individual cases, they should relay them to MOE, and we will explain to the staff of the relevant schools what the problem is, and I am sure they will take remedial action.

Children with disabilities who do not attend mainstream schools are better served in SPED schools with specially trained teachers supported by paramedical personnel. At these specialised schools, these children can learn at their own pace through a curriculum and environment specially tailored to their needs. In fact, those who are able to - even though they study in these SPED schools - have an opportunity to prepare for the PSLE and to continue their education in mainstream secondary schools. In 2002, 39 pupils from SPED schools sat for the PSLE and, of these, 90% were placed in secondary schools.

Mrs Fang alluded to the fact that these children can also be independent in employment and, indeed, we should strive to. Through the SPED schools, those who are able to pick up functional literacy and numeracy, and the Vocational School for the Handicapped provides further training to children with hearing impairment and children with mild intellectual disability. ITE also takes in a number of special needs students who are able to follow the curriculum and function in a workshop environment without undue risks to themselves.

I agree with Mr Gan that the parents need support, and parental involvement is important. The SPED schools have put in place such programmes. MOE will continue to work closely with NCSS and the VWOs on the education of children with special needs. There can never be enough done for these children, but we should continually strive and do so. To sustain this tripartite partnership, there must be active involvement and support of the community and parents. There must be a passion and participation from the community, coupled with a strong spirit of giving and volunteerism among Singaporeans.

Dr Wang Kai Yuen (Bukit Timah): Sir, I thank the Minister, the two Ministers of State, and the Parliamentary Secretary for their comprehensive replies. I am grateful to the Minister for his decision on class sizes. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The Chairman: Amendment No. (2). Dr Tan Cheng Bock is not here. Amendment No. (3), Dr Ong Seh Hong.

Dr Ong Seh Hong (Aljunied): Sir, I beg to move,

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

(In Mandarin): Sir, last year, I told the story of the yellow wolf and the golden monkey, and many people were asking me what is happening to this yellow wolf which cannot speak its own language. Now I am going to go on to chapter two of this story of the golden monkey and the yellow wolf.

This yellow wolf, which has forgotten how to speak the wolf language, had a change of fortune. His ability to speak the monkey language and to communicate with the monkeys brought him a lot of benefits. Consequently, more and more yellow wolves began to learn and speak the monkey language. For survival sake, they could not be faulted for wanting to master another language. However, the situation became more and more serious. Some children and grandchildren of the yellow wolf forgot that they were wolves. They could not speak the wolf language, and some even despised the wolf language. Regrettably, some of these yellow wolves began to treat the monkey language as their own mother tongue. They were asked to learn the wolf language merely to appease the other yellow wolves. What hurts most is that those in the pack of yellow wolves who were oblivious of their origin were asking that the monkey language be used to help in the teaching of their own language to them. 12.15 pm

The declining standard of Chinese in Singapore is a fact beyond denial. Yet, the Ministry of Education chooses not to look at the matter squarely. In fact, what it has been doing is to keep lowering the requirement. Mother tongue has been downgraded to that of a second language, and then the lower standard syllabus 'B' was introduced just to help them pass the minimum standard. Now it is even resorting to using English to teach Chinese.

If it is a case of a westerner who has never been exposed to Chinese and who wants to learn just to say a few simple sentences in Chinese, I will not fault him for doing so. Even in the case of a young child who has just returned to Singapore, after living overseas for many years where Chinese is never in use, helping him to learn Chinese with the use of English is acceptable to me. I will support it. However, in Singapore, whether it is in the schools or in public places, the environment and opportunities for speaking Mandarin are readily available. So using the lack of a Chinese-speaking family environment as an excuse and it degenerates to such a stage that English has to be used to teach Chinese, I think it is absolutely groundless.

Where there is a will, there is a way. If you want to speak Mandarin in Singapore, there are opportunities aplenty here. A doctor friend of mine, both husband and wife were English-educated, sent their children to the neighbourhood kindergarten in order that their children have more opportunities to speak Mandarin.

Besides, we ban the airing of dialect programmes for fear that the use of dialects may affect the promotion and learning of Mandarin. So would not the use of English to teach Chinese create similar confusion to the students? I have another story to tell.

A gorgeously-dressed young lady went into a lift and smilingly, the young man who was inside the lift, said "gou yindang". On hearing it, the young lady was very angry. She protested, "Why are you accusing me of being luscious?", and gave the young man a big slap on his face. The young man was shocked. "Why did you hit me when I asked you: Going down?" The young lady thought he was being cheeky and saying that she was "gou yindang" (meaning "very lascivious"). You see, Sir, when English is confusingly mixed with Chinese, it can cause trouble.

Moreover, if we can give concessions to students in English-speaking families by using English to teach them Chinese, will MOE use the respective mother tongues to teach English to students coming from the Chinese, Malay and Tamil-speaking families?

I sincerely hope that MOE will reconsider its decision of using English to teach Chinese.

The Minister for Education (RAdm Teo Chee Hean): Sir, before I answer Dr Ong's question, I would like to thank Dr Wang and other Members of this House for all their useful contributions to the Education budget debate this year. I think we have had a very interesting and constructive debate and I hope to continue engaging them throughout the rest of the year.

Sir, yesterday, I addressed the issue of mother tongue and the dilemmas that parents in Singapore, the society at large and our schools face in trying to follow our policy of bilingualism - English and the mother tongue - to as high a level as possible for all our students. Therefore, MOE has had to respond to try and achieve this objective in the best way possible.

The piloting of the bilingualism approach in teaching Chinese is part of our continuing efforts to address the problems that some students have in learning Chinese in school. This is a reality. I do not think we can will it away or pretend that it does not exist. There are students who have difficulties learning the language and it is best for us to try and address this problem than to push it aside and pretend that it does not exist.

Those who come from non-Chinese speaking home backgrounds have poorer home support for the language than those who speak Chinese at home. Those with exceptional difficulties learning the language are like saplings, young trees, which have shallow roots. They do need additional support if they are to have a better chance to grow. And you can see this in Singapore. We build a frame around it, or we put a stick and tie the sapling there, and we encourage it to grow. If not, these saplings may never grow. But, with support, these saplings may well grow into big, tall trees one of these days.

We are trying to see if the use of English at appropriate occasions provides that extra support. Otherwise, some of these young children may well lose heart and develop the kind of attitude that Dr Ong speaks about.

Under the pilot programme, students are allowed to use some English to help express themselves more clearly when asking and answering questions, while teachers use English to help students to understand the text better and faster.

Chinese is still the main medium of instruction in these classes. Examination standards remain unchanged. The interim findings of the pilot have been very encouraging. The Ministry has received positive feedback from the teachers involved in the programme that their students are more confident in the learning of Chinese and have better rapport with them. The Ministry of Education will be conducting a more comprehensive review at the end of this year when the pilot has run for two years.

Dr Ong himself said that if there is a will, there is a way. So, we should keep an open mind about how we teach the Chinese language and be willing to experiment and find out what works best for our children - they are not all the same. Different methods may be suited to different groups of pupils. And by catering to these varying needs, we give the Chinese language the best chance of flourishing in Singapore.

Dr Ong Seh Hong: Sir, I thank the Minister for his reply. May I seek a clarification from the Minister? May I ask the Minister to assure us that using the bilingual approach to teach Chinese will not result in a further lowering of the standard of Chinese?

The Chairman: That is not a clarification. That is asking an assurance from the Minister.

RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Sir, as I said, the bilingual policy of the Government remains the same and unchanged. What we are doing is trying to find the best possible way in order to achieve the highest possible standard of mother tongue in Singapore.

Dr Ong Seh Hong: Sir, I thank the Minister for his reassurance. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $5,129,060,080 for Head K ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $1,414,373,100 for Head K ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

Head Q -

The Chairman: Head Q - Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts. Amendment No. (1), 160 minutes. Mr Seng Han Thong.

Mr Seng Han Thong (Ang Mo Kio): Sir, I beg to move,

That the total sum to be allocated for Head Q of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100.

Sir, the concept of cultural capital is a sound one. As MITA's vision is to develop a creative and connected Singapore, it should step up its marketing efforts to sell the idea of cultural capital to Singaporeans. In this way, we can ensure a collective national effort to develop Singapore into a creative and connected international city. And more and more ordinary Singaporeans now realise that the creative industry has the potential to become a key propeller of Singapore's creative economy.

During these hard times, it is heartening to note that jobs are created for both young and old in the creative industry. And with the opening of the Esplanade, we see cheerful young men and women, working as ushers and at the restaurants. With the opening of the Asian Civilisation Museum and the exhibitions held at other museums and heritage centres, we are also seeing jobs being created for the older fellow citizens too.

With the rise of a creative economy, may I ask what plans are in the pipeline to capitalise on Singapore's cultural scene for the arts to bloom and create jobs.

Mr Arthur Fong (West Coast): Sir, a vibrant, creative arts environment is integral to realising Singapore's dream to be the premier Asian cultural hub.

The Government has already invested $1 billion in building a world-class arts and culture infrastructure. Our investments are paying off. The creative arts sector had value-added of almost $5 billion in 2002 or about 3% of GDP. We seem to be on the right track for success. For instance, the creative cluster employs about 72,000 employees in Singapore, representing about 3.5% of the workforce.

Every year, an estimated 1,500 new creative arts cluster graduates who are trained in the performance arts and related management services will be available to the creative cluster. Granted, some may end up in jobs or even careers that may have little or nothing to do with their training. There would be those who will be looking towards being employed in their disciplines. Sir, we have a feeder of people who are trained in specific areas to support the arts cluster.

Sir, as we invest and increase in our cultural capital, I wonder if there are enough jobs for such graduates upon completion of their arts courses. Perhaps, some scrutiny may be timely, to see if courses are turning out too many for too few jobs. Perhaps, an inter-ministry unit can be set up between MITA and the institutions to oversee this. The unit can look at specific clusters that will require certain talents, work with institutions to design courses, have an industry player to sit in the unit to advise on such courses, to ensure that they are relevant and updated. This will also give a heads-up as to the employment of such people in the respective areas of the arts cluster.

The unit can also arrange for our graduates or undergraduates to be attached to work with the production crew of world-class performances that we are now able to attract to our stages. Then, our own creative cultural capital, in the form of these graduates, can learn from the best sound and stage managers, special effects directors, set designers, lighting managers as well as performers. I urge the Minister to consider these suggestions as this will not only increase the skills and exposure of our arts cluster students but also create employment opportunities when they complete their courses. I believe that the value added to this human capital will truly enhance the cultural capital that we are creating that will, in time, make Singapore the premier cultural hub, not only in the region but in the world.

Dr Tan Boon Wan (Ang Mo Kio): Sir, competition from other countries in the traditional economic activities is increasing. As our economy is rapidly changing, the services sector looks set to grow to become more important. If you look at Venice, Paris, London and New York, we see many visitors who come to enjoy the cultural and arts resources and activities. Such tourists are an important economic sector of these cities. I therefore join my GPC Chairman, Mr Seng Han Thong, and my fellow GPC member, Mr Arthur Fong, in asking the Government to pay more attention to the growth of this cultural sector.

Singapore should also develop our human capital and culture and the arts. Like in those cities, culture and arts tourists can be an important economic sector. To grow this sector, we have to develop our hardware and software in the culture and the arts. Our hardware are the Esplanade, our museums, Chinatown, Little India and our libraries. Our software are our artists, our performers, our people who manage our hardware and their skills and know-how. We have to develop and nurture them.

Another important component that we need to have are the customers, people who enjoy arts and the culture. In any country, culture and the arts need a core of local supporters to sustain and to grow them. When the sector becomes established, foreign visitors will come and enjoy our shows, museums, art galleries and libraries. Our culture and arts sector will then grow. We thus need to nurture and grow all three components.

Last year, the Minister revealed the intention of the Ministry to develop the culture and arts sector. I would thus like to ask the Minister for an update of our efforts to develop our cultural capital and the culture and arts sector into an important economic sector, in respect of the three components that I have just outlined. What are some of the future plans that the Ministry has to develop this sector? 12.30 pm

Mr Loh Meng See (Jalan Besar): Sir, for the creative industry, MITA has a desired outcome to have a vibrant and self-sustaining creative cluster, and it is basically the fusion of arts, culture, business and technology. I must say that it is a tall order, and it is a tremendous challenge for MITA to accomplish this. If they are successful, they will increase their contribution to our GDP and result in job creation and wealth to the country. But, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister what other conditions and an environment that we can create in Singapore to facilitate this success in the story of a creative industry. In a very stress-driven society, creativity can be a result of our backs being against the wall. But there must be conditions and environment where you need the calm, the reflection and meditation, for people to explore ideas. I would like to ask whether enough conditions and environment are provided.

Talent is a very severe constraint. We are successful in setting up schools for the arts, design and media right up to the university level. Are there plans to move such schools from the Ministry of Education to MITA? Is there a business case for a very special purpose school under MITA? How do we overcome the constraints of manpower and time?

Miss Penny Low (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Sir, in view of the time constraint and that this speech originally comprises two cuts, please allow me to ask a series of questions.

The Chairman: I will give you another 50%.

Miss Penny Low: Thank you very much. I appreciate that. Sir, the creative industry is universally acknowledged as an engine of growth in knowledge-based economies. In the UK, the annual value output of the creative industry reaches 50 billion, and is 16% of its GDP. In New England, four out of every 10 creative workers are self-employed, and in Portland, the mean wage for the creative services cluster in 1999 is about 60% above the regional average.

Against this backdrop, and Singapore's need to create high-value add goods and services, the arts and creative scene is now thrust into the limelight. Art is no longer for art's sake, but that there is a real economy within. We also call it cultural capital. The creative industry is now prized as a propellant of growth. However, what price creativity? Does it mean that now all artists should learn to produce commercially viable goods and learn to market their products, rather than deepen their experience in the arts so that creativity can come from experiments and expressions from within, or is there still room for art for art's sake? If so, how can we help the creative cluster to overcome funding, housing and exposure issues so that they will not look like the 1960s' image of a poor tuberculosis-stricken Chinese calligrapher who coughs blood and dies a pauper, or the pathetic blind, black sunglass erhu player who is accompanied by his young but, equally, pathetic-looking songstress singing the famous tune of "lok kai mo chin mai meen pow"?

In short, how does the Minister intend to strike a balance between the need to commercialise artistic productions vis-a-vis the need to encourage experimentations and expressions of art for art's sake? What are the specific plans to translate art and culture, which are raw materials and undoubtedly the cradle of creativity into successful commercial products or services, without compromising the artistic spirit and culture? Both UK and New England have a deep history in arts appreciation, which has become part and parcel of the society's psyche. It is, hence, not surprising to see a high rate of entrepreneurship in their creative industry. The situation is reverse in Singapore, as years of academic numbers have overwhelmed the development of the creative cradle. What are the specific plans to accelerate the growth of the creative sector given the lack of depth in arts appreciation here?

Let me move on to the issue on vision. Does the Minister have a specific vision of a cultural capital in Singapore? If so, does it look more like that of the London of the East, as Minister BG George Yeo has said in the case of MTI, or is it the Switzerland of the East, where artistic talents are evident in the production of almost all goods, from the famous watch industry to musical boxes to church organs? What are the steps that are taken to bring us closer to our vision, and are there any measurable indicators? Singapore has a rich cultural heritage, one that blends the East and West. We inherited the British legacy and are exposed to American cultural imperialism, yet we are very Asian at heart. With an open-door policy, cultures of the world congregate here to give us a unique blend and unique cultural experience and exposure. How can we take full advantage of this blend to create and put a premium on our goods and services? A good example would be that of Angsana Spa Resort in Australia, Queensland. It cleverly blends the refined eastern traditional decor with the Australian outback to make it one of the best resorts in the world.

Artistic talents are mobile. How do we then intend to first groom them and then keep them? Creativity also means thinking out of the box, which means out of the norms. How far are we willing to go to tolerate out-of-the-norms thinking and behaviour? What does this trans- late into in the area of censorship? How liberal are we prepared to be? After all, out-of-the-norm behaviour, once endorsed, becomes acceptable and gets proliferated over time to become a norm. Where do we draw the line?

Last, but not least, given that the creative industry is a multi-disciplinary industry, is there a supra agency overseeing the execution of the ERC's Services Sub-Committee's recommendation, in order to ensure its success? Given that the majority of the businesses in the arts and creative industry are mainly small and medium size, a national agency could render some help to design, package, market and, even export their products and services. Sir, ultimately, the creative industry is important to us not only as an economic engine of growth, but also enhancing our cultural environment. Hence, I would urge the Government to pump-prime the sector through an adequate framework comprising fiscal measures, employment and social security considerations, as well as the relevant legislation.

Ms Indranee Rajah (Tanjong Pagar): In the current economic climate and given the world as it is today, creativity is no longer an option. Creativity is the key to our survival in this very different world. For that reason, I would like to ask the Minister what we are doing to encourage creative arts in Singapore as well as creative designs. The way of the future is not Singaporeans sitting back and asking the Government what jobs there are available. The Government will play its part, I am sure, in providing jobs, but the key to surviving in this very challenging world is the ability to actually create or come out with things that might actually grow or encourage your own employment. One of these areas is creative design. Just take handphones, for example. The three popular designs in Singapore would be handphones by Motorola, Nokia, and Ericsson. The reason why they are so successful is because the way these handphones were designed - easy to hold, press and use. Design is actually the key for a lot of things that are going to be marketed in the future and the issue is how we can harness the talent that we have to create creative industry in Singapore.

I want to sound a very upbeat note on this because I do not think it is a situation where Singapore has a lack of talent. Most people, when they think of Singaporeans, think of us as technocrats, a little dull and boring, and I think that was what prompted Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon to talk about Singapore being a "wow" city.

I had the occasion, this week, to encounter what I consider to be very powerful talents in Singapore. This was an exhibition done by Henderson Secondary School. They have a project known as "Matchbox Project" done by their aesthetic club, and they have actually taken the art works and pottery done by the students and exhibited it in a gallery at South Bridge Road called Utterly Art. I was invited to come down and have a look at this exhibition. When I saw the works of art there, I was really blown away because the works of art that were hanging on the walls were done by 15-year old students. The kind of depth and sheer raw power that emanated from those paintings were illustrative of maturity far beyond 15-year olds. For anybody who has not seen that exhibition yet, I strongly encourage you to go and see it, including the Minister, because it is very, very good.

One of the paintings, for example, was done by a 15-year old girl. She had lost her dog. So, the painting was of a poodle suspended on the hands of a clock against the background of a clock. It was very Salvador Dali's. It was not a copy, but you could see elements of that, without the kind of darkness that you see in some Salvador Dali's paintings, but it had a certain lightheartedness about it that was just excellent. There were other paintings hanging up there which reflected the various thoughts and feelings of the pupils. There was one of HDB housing which I had strongly encouraged the principal to donate to the Ministry of National Development because I happened to think of the particularly good piece of work. So the point that I want to sound out here is that we have no lack of talent. We have an enormous depth of raw talent. It is just a question of how we harness it and I hope the Minister would be able to expand on how we can channel the energy that the young Singaporeans have.

Mr Chiam See Tong (Potong Pasir): Sir, there is money in movie making. The Hollywood movie "Titanic", a movie about the sinking of a British luxury liner, was reputed to be made with about US$252 million. But, it raked in world-wide a record sum of about US$520 million, more than double its outlay of capital. Our own Singapore movie, made by Jack Neo, entitled "I Not Stupid", is said to have made $1.6 million, and it was screened internationally, in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea, and was very well received in those countries. Jack Neo's latest movie does show that Singaporeans do have creative talent to make a movie and be accepted internationally and make money at the same time.

Sir, George Lucas of "Star Wars" fame, for the past 25 years in Hollywood, pioneered film-making with the use of computer technology and sound technology. Sir, I have been told that Singapore has such technology, especially sound technology as pioneered by Mr Sim Wong Hoo of Creative Technology. Sir, it would appear that Singapore do have creative and talented people, and expertise in computer and sound technology. We do have the people and the technology to make films that can be sold in the world market. Can the Minister comment on why, up till now, Singapore has not developed a vibrant movie industry of international standard?

The Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (Mr David T. E. Lim): Sir, may I first thank Mr Seng Han Thong and the other Members for their support and calls to develop our cultural capital and creative industries? They have raised many good suggestions and asked many searching questions. And, yes, certainly I will take up Ms Indranee's suggestion to take a look at the art exhibition, if nothing else, to find out why it has enthused her so much.

Sir, since you are in a good mood today ---

The Chairman: It is just that we have some time, that is all.

Mr David Lim: Since the Minister for Education has left me a little bit more time, I thought I would begin with a little story. It is a story about a principal and her problem. I call it my "Lipstick Story". This headmistress had a problem with her girls, and it was not because of the policy measures introduced yesterday by the Minister for Education. I think those are all very welcomed. Her problem was that every evening, the cleaner would discover that the mirror in the girls' bathroom would be full of lipstick prints. The girls had taken to this little prank and they would put lipstick on, all the different colours and shades, and they would kiss the mirror. Every night, the cleaner would spend the greater part of the night cleaning it up, and the next day it would all come back again.

So the principal decided to speak to her girls at the assembly. She told them what an irresponsible act this was. It did not help. The lipstick marks were still there. The next day, she tried a different speech. She told them about how hard a time the poor Ah Soh had cleaning the lipstick marks off the mirror. That did not help. She thought of calling the Ministry of the Environment, but she thought the better of it. So, she called the parents instead. But that only made things worse.

After a few days, she decided on a new course of action. One afternoon, she called a few of the girls, the ones that she suspected, but could not prove, were the ringleaders behind this. She called all of them down to that girl's bathroom and she said, "I'd like you to see something. I'd like you to meet someone." And in walked the cleaner. She is a typical cleaner, 50-something, got the job as a cleaner of the school from the Ministry of Manpower's Job Connect programme. She walked in with an old mop. One of the girls looked at her and taunted her. She said, "Old lady, where is your pail?" The cleaner looked at her and said, "Ai yah, I don't need a pail. You just watch." So she walked up to one of the toilet bowls, lifted the lid and said, "Ah neh la sam" - so dirty. So she pressed the flush and she looked at it again and said, "Still a bit dirty, but never mind." She took the mop and she stuck it into the toilet bowl, swirled it around, took it out, and started cleaning the mirror. The headmistress did not have a problem after that.

Sir, I tell this story, from time to time, when I talk about the creative industry, or when I talk about innovation. Because being creative is not always being high-tech. It is how we think. But the creative industry certainly will be an important part of our future economy. Unlike manufacturing, we cannot easily say what makes up this industry. It ranges from architecture to fashion, from artists to copywriters. But what we do know is that this industry creates a lot of value.

A few years back, American architect, Frank Gehry, designed the Guggenheim Museum at Bilbao in Spain. Your first impression of this museum is that it is a tangled mass of metal. There are no straight surfaces, no straight lines. Everything is curved and twisted. But it is an architectural marvel. That building, the Guggenheim Museum at Bilbao, transformed a stagnant steel town into a major tourist draw. The Museum cost about US$200 million to build, but I am told that the tourists' spending within two years more than made up for that amount.

Take another example. Japanese designer, Kitoshiyuki Kita, designs TV sets for Sharp. Sharp is a manufacturer of LCD TV screens, a very competitive market. And Sharp needed a more attractive product to gain market share. When Mr Kita's design hit the market, Sharp's sale of LCD TVs went up five-fold.

The global success stories are endless. What we want to do is to have more of them to be Singapore stories. The creative industry accounts for about 3% of our GDP today - and about 70,000 jobs. But in the UK and the US, they account for 5-8% of GDP. And this means that there is tremendous potential for creative industries to grow and to create tens of thousands of good new jobs. MrsYu-Foo would say this is definitely a "wow" industry.

The kinds of jobs we can create are wide-ranging. Mr Seng Han Thong and Mr Arthur Fong have both noted that the Esplanade generated new jobs. It created about 320, both full and part-time, and numerous more in all the shops and arcades that are located at the Esplanade, and for all the artists who perform there. But more than just jobs at the Esplanade, we can create high value jobs in design, media and other areas of arts and entertainment. Some jobs will be glamorous like fashion designers or movie stars. But there will also be other kinds of challenging work, like sound and stage engineers, graphic designers and animation artists.

Beyond jobs, the creative industry also has a powerful indirect impact on other industries by adding style, aesthetics and freshness to everything we do, resulting in more exciting products and services. This will add vibrancy to our companies and enhance competitiveness of our industries.

But being creative is not something we can order upon on a menu. Sometimes, as Mr Loh Meng See says, we need to be pressed to the wall. At other times, we need quiet and solitude. We are also, sometimes, stimulated by the buzz of a lively city to come up with original thoughts. And this is where cultural capital is so important. The richer our cultural capital, the more it nourishes us and it gives us that unexpected insight, that perspective or that sudden thought that allows us to break through and come up with winning ideas.

Cultural capital is hard to define, because it is in everything that we do. It includes our sense of aesthetics, beauty, identity, our imagination and emotions, how we communicate and relate to each other, how we deal with stress and respond to opportunities. But what we know is that the more we widen and deepen our cultural capital, the better equipped we will be to compete in the creative industry.

So this is why I fully support Mr Seng Han Thong, Dr Tan Boon Wan and the others who have called for us to develop our cultural capital. To do this, we need to give our people wider perspectives of life, through literature, history, the arts. This is a big and wide task, but we have the ingredients and the institutions in place to take off.

Yesterday and today, my colleagues in the Ministry of Education have talked themselves hoarse, talking about all the different things we will do in our schools, to create the space for our children to become more creative. MITA will also do its part. Through our heritage programmes, promotion of the arts and the development of library systems, I will recount briefly here the progress we have made in these areas. We are reaching out to more people through our heritage programmes and museums. Last week, for example, DPM Dr Tony Tan launched our third Heritage Festival and we expect about 200,000 people at these activities. Two weeks before that, the Prime Minister opened the Asian Civilisations Museum. And three years from now, the expanded Singapore History Museum will be completed. Taken together, our museums attract half a million visitors a year, a large part of them Singaporeans. We have more facilities and activities now than ever before for Singaporeans to explore and to discover their roots. In the arts, we had record performances last year and a record number of people attending them, despite the downturn in the economy.

The opening of the Esplanade has branded Singapore as a city with an ambition for the arts. The NAC will continue to work on that brand to turn ambition into reality by bringing our artists to international events and by continuing to increase the number and quality of art activities in Singapore.

Mr Loh Meng See and Miss Penny Low have raised various questions about the arts and arts school, and I will respond to them later in the debate.

For our libraries, last year, we saw more than 32,000 visits, an average of 10 visits for every Singaporean, and the numbers are still rising. But now that we have succeeded in making our libraries attractive, we will focus on how we can get borrowers to read more deeply and more widely, and to use our information services to excel in the knowledge economy.

These efforts we make to increase our cultural capital will take time to bear fruit. They have a cumulative effect. But, over time, more reading, more awareness of our roots, more exposure to the arts will change us in ways that we cannot exactly describe. And there will be more of us who, like Ms Indranee Rajah, will jump up and be enthused about the arts. If we keep at it, we will become a more gracious society - big hearted, imaginative and we will create such a vibrant and lively city that the creative industries cannot but grow and flourish here. This is our goal. But how do we achieve it?

Let me now turn to some immediate steps we can take towards that goal. MITA will take a focused approach and we will concentrate on just two key areas for a start - design and media, both areas where we have some strengths. We pick design because good designs can create a lot of value. I gave examples earlier on but let me cite just one more. Inter Brand, which studies companies' brand values reported in its 2002 survey that Samsung's brand value gained 30%, rising to US$8.3 billion, because it used bold designs to transform itself into a premium seller of consumer products.

Essentially, what a good design does is that it allows companies to differentiate their products and services, and to gain a competitive advantage. This allows them to work on the revenue side of the equation to increase revenues, and not just make profits by containing costs.

We aim to make Singapore one of Asia's leading hubs for design excellence. To do this, MITA will launch a multi-agency design Singapore initiative, promote design as a strategic capability in Singapore. Design Singapore will do three things in the coming year. Firstly, MITA will work closely with the economic and education and research institutions to develop new capability in design. NTU's recently announced plans to establish a School of Design and Media is one example of how the new capability we like to see develop. This will complement the architecture and industrial design offerings at NUS, polytechnics and arts colleges, like LaSalle-SIA and NAFA.

Secondly, MITA will work with EDB to attract and anchor leading industrial design companies from the region and the world to Singapore. Currently, we have MNCs, such as Philips, Motorola and Hewlett-Packard already designing some of their products in Singapore. We will work with them and also with other companies to increase the scope of such activities here and strengthen our position as a global design and manufacturing centre.

Thirdly, we will take a cluster approach to develop the design services in Singapore. This approach allows us to maximise our limited resources and to synergise our creative capabilities. MITA, working with MTI, will set up the Design Singapore Council to spearhead the development of this cluster. This Council will pool together the efforts of Government's institutions and, most importantly, industries to promote Singapore's design culture and design industry.

The Council will include many top executives from industry, because do we not only need creativity but we also need business and marketing skills to make the most of our creativity. Mr Edmund Cheng, MD of Wing Tai Holdings and Deputy Chairman of the Singapore Arts Council, will chair this Council. Mr Tham Kai Meng, Co-Chairman of Oglivy and Mather, Asia Pacific, and board member of the National Arts Council will be the Deputy Chairman. The Council will be set up shortly. 1.00 pm

Next, let me update Members on what we plan to do in the media industry.

I thank Mr Chiam See Tong for his support to develop the film industry in Singapore. Indeed, I agree with him that not only would this create jobs but, by making films that reflect our way of life, it can also contribute a cultural identity. As Mr Chiam has pointed out, the media industry is a huge global industry. In 2001, total worldwide spending in the media industry was US$1 trillion. We shall ride on this growth and work with studios to attract some parts of the value chain, such as digital animation and pre- and post-production work, to Singapore.

But let me sound a word of caution. I have said before that developing the film industry is a challenge for us because of our much smaller size. Whether one million or 100 million people watch the movie, the cost to make it is the same. Mr Chiam said it cost more than $250 million to make the Titanic. But if 100 million people pay $5 to watch the movie, then you can get $500 million of revenue. I do not know how much Jack Neo paid to make his movie "I Not Stupid". But then far fewer people paid to watch the movie, and that is why he made a little bit less than what the Titanic made.

We face two key challenges. First, we have fewer talents compared to the large countries, simply because of our small size and not because we do not have talented people. Secondly, we are smaller scale in terms of market. Notwithstanding these limitations, we have seen encouraging signs of success. Apart from Jack Neo's "I Not Stupid" movie that Mr Chiam mentioned, the Singapore-France co-production "Song of the Stork" and other movies have won recognition at foreign film festivals, and a few of them have succeeded at the box office in a modest way.

Our local production houses are now winning major overseas contracts. They are recognised for their quality and creative abilities. We have built up capabilities in animation, pre- and post-production facilities. Our arts scene is creating buzz, and that is attracting venture capitalists who sense that there are opportunities opening up. But, most of all, our strong IP regime in Singapore is attracting foreign content companies which want to finance, produce or trade their media contents and manage their intellectual properties here under the protection of our laws.

The Media Development Authority (MDA), newly formed to help develop the media industry, has outlined three thrusts to building on these promising trends. The first is to develop "Made-by-Singapore" content, not just "Made-in-Singapore". By this, we mean content that can be created either in Singapore or elsewhere, and not just by Singaporean companies but also through co-production or joint ventures with international partners. But to make content, we need money. Substantial upfront funds are needed to develop TV productions, films and animation projects. MDA is drawing up plans to set up a Content Development Fund that will be invested in media projects in co-funding arrangements with the industry. To seize the opportunities that are available today and so that we do not lose the momentum that we have built, MDA has set aside $20 million of its own funds to seed projects and to launch this new fund.

The second thrust is to develop Singapore into a media exchange - a marketplace for the distribution, trading and management of intellectual property, digital rights and other media products. Last year, it organised the Asia Media Festival which comprised six concurrent trade events. That attracted 2,200 industry professionals to Singapore to pitch their products, sell and distribute their creative content. MDA and EDB will work on making this event bigger each year.

Thirdly, MDA is collaborating with JTC to build a prototype environment called "Fusionpolis" in One-North. I launched this about a month ago. It will be for people in the media, infocomm and other creative companies to work, live, play and learn. It will be completed in three years' time and will have state-of-the-art art studios and production facilities that infocomm, media and arts companies can use to integrate or fuse their ideas together, to generate new products and new business propositions.

Sir, these are the first steps that MITA will take to develop the design and media industries.

The ERC has identified the creative industries as an important component of Singapore's future economy. Growing these industries is risky, because success depends strongly on whether we can develop and attract talents to work in the industry, and that, in turn, will depend on whether we can develop our cultural capital and make our city attractive, lively and stimulating.

Doing this will require new thinking. But we can take encouragement from what others say of us, what they see in our efforts to achieve our ambitions. Just a few weeks back, Motorola's top designer, Mr Iulius Lucaci, in an interview with Streats, said that Singapore has the potential to become a leading industrial design centre. Mr Lucaci should know. He was one of the two designers behind Motorola's revolutionary V70 handphone, whose sales exceeded $500,000 shortly after its launch. If I may quote Mr Lucaci, he said:

"Form is now as important as function. Technology has become a commodity, and it is the design that sets a product apart from competitors."

Sir, in the end, whether we fail or succeed depends not just on the completeness of our plans. It depends on our spirit and will to see this through. With Members' support and working closely with partners from relevant Government agencies and the private sector, MITA will endeavour to develop the design and media industries, and we will endeavour to make the creative industries a cornerstone of our economy.

Mr Seng Han Thong: Sir, the successful launch of the Esplanade with 1.03 million attendees and 1,300 artistes from 22 countries should be commended. It has become a centre of attention, as mentioned by the Minister. Our dreams of becoming a regional arts hub and a global art city with a good world-class performing art centre will come too sooner than expected. And I learned that from April to December last year, S$80 million in media advertising value was generated, with 1,200 media articles, of which one-third was overseas publications, including the New York Times, Washington Times, USA Today and South China Morning Post. The other key achievement is that the Esplanade staged 421 free performances and over-1,000 visual arts exhibitions for 1.5 million people.

In fact, there is another intangible achievement which the Minister may know. It is that even ordinary Singaporeans are cracking jokes on the Esplanade. I will also consider this as an achievement. That shows the Esplanade belongs to the ordinary Singaporeans. Since we have time and, Mr Speaker, you are in good mood ---

The Chairman: We are catching up quite fast.

Mr Seng Han Thong: Yes. I will give a very quick joke. One day, the Minister, Senior Minister of State, the Parliamentary Secretary, the Permanent Secretary and some senior officials were deciding on the name of this building. So they reviewed all the proposals - there were long names, short names - sexy names, sensitive names, and they went through them one by one. Some were too sensitive, eg, if you pronounce it in Hokkein or Cantonese, it may convey other meanings. So the Minister decided that they should call for coffee/tea to excite them to give more appropriate names. So coffee was served, and the Minister asked the three girls who served coffee, "Girls, we have problem in naming this building. Can you give us some ideas?" So one Malay girl said, "Explain, lah! Why you give this building a funny shape of a durian?" The Indian girl asked, "Explain, lah! Why you have this funny fly eyes?" The third girl asked, "Explain, lah! If we open this up, what will we see inside?" So when they left, the Minister said that since the Malay, the Chinese and the Indian girls all said, "Explain, lah!", let us decide on "Esplanade". I would say this is an achievement.

Sir, the durian scent to entice Singaporeans to taste this fruit has spread wide. In Chinese, it is called liu lian piao xiang, chu chu wen ( ). I would like to urge MITA to ensure that this "durian" can sustain its drive with adequate attention and budget.

The Chairman: Miss Penny Low. No more durian joke, please.

Miss Penny Low: Sir, I would like to continue this talk on the Esplanade.

In the Renaissance City Report 1, the stated aims were to make Singapore into a global arts city. The Esplanade opened with great fanfare last October, signalling that Singapore is geared up to the next sparkling star in the global arts scene. Much money and hopes are on the Esplanade. Hence, I would appreciate it if the Minister can provide some interim numbers on the following:

(1) What has been the box office income since opening, and the number of performances and audience it has attracted?

(2) The accounts for FY 2001/2002 show that there is a substantial Government grant of over $12 million, for which a total of $7 million was expended. There is therefore an excess of $5 million of Government grant. Could the Minister shed light on how the excess grant would be utilised?

I understand that to make it affordable, many of the shows in Esplanade are actually subsidised. What is the extent of this subsidy, and how much will it cost the Ministry on a yearly basis?

I also understand that many marketing initiatives have been planned for this year. Would the Minister please comment on what will be the expected results as a result of these activities, and how it will place the Esplanade as a sought-after performance venue vis-a-vis that of Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, and even Royal Albert Hall of London? In addition, what is the amount that has already been spent on the publicity of the Esplanade, and is there any measure of the return? I understand that the international press has actually picked up on the Esplanade quite a bit. Perhaps it is good to share the good news with the rest of Singaporeans.

Sir, could I also refer you to the table that I have just distributed, comparing Singapore's arts infrastructure and audience participation with bigger cities like London and New York, as well as similar size cities like that of Glasgow, Hong Kong and Melbourne. It is quite obvious from the figures that Singapore's arts scene lags far behind the cities listed, both in terms of infrastructure as well as software like arts companies and audience. What are the plans that will bring Singapore a step closer and, realistically, when can this objective be achieved?

Perhaps to accelerate the appreciation and participation in the arts among the local community, could the Minister consider more internship programmes for both school goers as well as members of the public; more educational backstage tours for locals and tourists; and perhaps to dedicate a week per year to show off local talents, ie, a local talent festival of sorts, in the Esplanade, as the Esplanade is seen as the prestigious performance venue and a great morale booster for all involved?

Last but not least, is there any plan to build smaller but good performance theatres, so there could be opportunities for good productions like the highly acclaimed local musicals, Siamese Twins, to have a permanent performing stage? This is, in fact, one of the critical success factors in grooming the performing arts scene like that in London, New York and even Las Vegas. We may not have the critical mass to sustain the shows, but this is also the case in the venues that are mentioned above. Most of them, in fact, depend on the tourist market and have been relatively successful.

Mr Zainudin Nordin: The National Arts Council's support for local arts professionals cannot be emphasised enough here. Its mission to nurture the arts and make it an integral part of the lives of the people of Singapore is clearly an important one. NAC's progress in the promotion of arts appreciation includes the arts grants and awards, arts in the heartland programme and a significant increase in the number of quality arts events and festivals. This has added colour to our arts scene. We are providing funds and building the infrastructure required. However, I believe that an equal importance to the arts professionals exposure is important too. A platform to be heard by crowds can also propel them forward. Hence, I support the call by Miss Penny Low to provide the opportunity for our local arts professionals and artists on the scale of the Esplanade, for example. 1.15 pm

Similarly, I have the following questions for the Ministry. What else are we doing to improve the exposure of local talents and artists? Do we give our local performers equal or better treatment compared to the foreign ones? How do we select recipients of grants and awards? Can the process be more transparent? To-date, how many and who are the recipients of these awards and grants? Do we monitor their progress? And where are they now?

Miss Penny Low: On buskers, Sir, the street theatre is perhaps the oldest form of entertainment and one that is vital in adding colour and vibrancy to any cosmopolitan city. It is commonly known as busking and it is an art form that dates back to the old days of court jesters and travelling minstrels. Unfortunately, colourful buskers are rather inconspicuous here, and I wonder if the Minister would do more to encourage it.

Sir, I surfed the website of the National Arts Council to see what it takes to be a busker in Singapore. There is a litany of do's and don'ts, conditions and indemnities and, of course, the omnipresent fine of $10,000 for breaching the Public Entertainment and Meetings Act. In order to perform in Singapore, first, a busker has to secure a letter of endorsement from NAC. With NAC's endorsement, the busker would then have to seek approval from property owners and then go back to keep NAC informed. Over and above this, any monies received are to be donated to an arts group or charity of their choice after offsetting their transport and other expenses. In other words, we do expect them to perform free.

Sir, if we want a vibrant, dynamic and entertaining busking scene in Singapore, we need to relook at some of the terms and conditions surrounding busking activities. Let me state that I am not against rules, but I am for simplifying them. It would make a lot of sense to have a one-stop registration for buskers, instead of two or three stops process. Or what about an online system to keep pace with the e-Government initiative? Some professional buskers are travellers who are in Singapore for just a few days and to devote a full day running around Government buildings is certainly not on their agenda. It would dissuade buskers to be.

Secondly, the rule on income. Buskers are not allowed to earn their keep. Is it because they are perceived as the traditional buay ko-yok men who in the Chinese movies are half-skilled, half-beggar or conmen? Perhaps, some are. But many modern buskers are serious artistes whose craft demands skills and experience, and I think we should respect that. They are actors and actresses in the theatre of life when no audience is guaranteed. Success depends on their skills to draw and keep a crowd. Obviously, outright soliciting of money should be frowned upon, but money given voluntarily in appreciation of the busker's art form should be perceived as their rightful reward.

Sir, we have had successful buskers festival every year since 1997 and have established ourselves as Asia's second largest busking festival attracting some 400,000 participants, both local residents and visitors to Singapore. We can do better. Let me just benchmark our buskers festival to some of the more successful festivals around the world. I present a table that I have just distributed for Members' reference. In the year 2002, Singapore River Buskers Festival saw an attendance of 400,000 and 17 international artistes. The duration of the festival was seven days. In Italy, there was a Ferrara Buskers Festival that attracted 800,000 attendance, but they had 669 international artistes.

The Chairman: Miss Low, you have got to end your busking soon.

Miss Penny Low: And, of course, in New Zealand too. I could refer you to the table. Sir, there is no guarantee that simplification of the rules itself will build numbers. I would like to suggest that perhaps even a corner be considered to be allocated to the buskers, as in the case of Centre Pompidou in Paris where the area serves as a meeting point for busker-wannabes and veterans, to learn and exchange tips and experience. This place has in fact become a tourist attraction as tourists flock to see a side of the real life in the city. This way, we can encourage both local and international buskers to do a second take on Singapore and, at the same time ---

The Chairman: Time is up, Miss Low.

Miss Penny Low: --- increase tourist visits and add to the vim, wild and WOW! to liven up Singapore.

Dr Teo Ho Pin: Sir, last year, the North West CDC set up five cultural focus points to provide monthly arts and cultural performances in the community. A total of 53 performances were organised attracting about 35,000 residents. The CDC has worked with partners, such as the National Arts Council, grassroots organisations, schools and various performing groups, to bring arts and culture to the community. The community outreach programme has enhanced the quality of life of our residents. Many residents have given positive feedback to these various performances.

Sir, I wish to thank the Ministry and the National Arts Council for the support they have given to the CDC in bringing these performances to the heartlands. We hope that more can be done to increase the collaboration between the CDC and the Ministry and the National Arts Council. May I ask the Minister two questions? What are the resources allocated by the Ministry for the community arts and culture outreach programme? And what public education efforts are in place to increase the level of appreciation of arts and culture among Singaporeans?

Miss Penny Low: Sir, in our effort to move towards a renaissance city and build a creative industry, one major prerequisite is the presence of a large talent pool to draw from, as well as the need to send a strong signal to cultivate and reward talents. One such signal can come in the form of a formal Arts School, where talents are identified and developed from a young age.

I advocate a model similar to the Sports School with a tight timeframe set. The Arts School could emphasise on the learning of techniques and exposure to the arts without sacrificing the basic 3R's of Arithmetic, Reading and Writing. In addition, subjects like arts, history and sociology could also be adequately taught so that artists and people in the creative industry could be up to par with the socio-economic developments. In short, the Arts School is a necessary institutional support and push for the artistically-inclined, not just to learn to build basic foundations in arts, but also to give greater exposure to the world and the world of arts, via different works, techniques, exchange programmes, etc.

Graduates of the Arts School should aim to be dynamic, be able to communicate with the global audience and improve their access to markets and career or business opportunities. Similarly, they should be capable of encapsulating society's development in arts and contribute to the creative goods and services cluster. A good example would be the designers behind the Benetton clothes and Swatch watch who are able to communicate their idea on a small canvas and market it across cultures and the globe with much success.

Are we able to produce such people? I think so. We have, as our national pride, Mr Tan Swie Hian, the Singapore Cultural Medallion winner, who has brought Singapore to the global stage recently by being the first Singaporean to be conferred the prestigious World Economic Forum's Crystal Award at Davos, Switzerland. He joins world-renowned artists, like Ravi Shankar and Sidney Poiter. We have many others like maestro Choo Huei, potter Iskandar Jalil and the late playwright, Kuo Pao Kun, who can bring glory to our country with the right system, infrastructure and incentives.

Sir, if only just 1%, or approximately 400, of each student cohort gets talent spotted and groomed in an Arts School, we would have created a critical mass and momentum for a snowball effect to boost our creative industry. Let us not be half hearted about it and get the hardware, which is the Arts School established, so that the software, which is our talents, can be installed, running and upgrading all the time, to help us face the challenges of the New Economy at broadband speed!

Mr Zainudin Nordin: Sir, I must say that we have done rather well lately in promoting the appreciation of arts. We have clearly demonstrated our support and aspiration to turn Singapore into an artistic and culturally rich society, rooted in our multi-cultural heritage.

We still have some way to go. But I am certain we can turn Singapore into a vibrant, global city for the arts with three key factors which are essential in enhancing the current situation. They are infrastructure and facilities; a pool of talents, artists and professionals; and arts education and training.

I am glad to hear the initiatives and efforts spelt out by Dr Ng Eng Hen earlier on the part of MOE on arts education. But for MITA, my concerns are as follows: What else are we doing to improve arts education and appreciation? Is Singapore going to have an Arts School? If yes, when and who are MITA's partners for this project? Is Government's support and funds for arts going to be reduced in this current economic climate? Are the Esplanade and NAC working closely with schools to expose our students to world-class quality arts and performances?

Mr David Lim: Sir, I should try to keep you in a good mood. But I think my mood has turned a bit. So no stories to begin with. I thank Mr Seng Han Thong for his joke and shall count it as a joke for this session.

The arts, as many Members have noted, plays an important part in increasing our cultural capital and growing our creative industries. That actually is good enough reason. However, we should continue to develop and to support the arts. Let me recount some of the progress and reply to Members' queries and suggestions.

Before I do so, I want, at the very outset, to address the point that Miss Penny Low has raised earlier, when we talked about creative industries, and that is whether or not we will continue to promote art for art's sake. Yes, we will. As I told this House last year, the arts plays three important roles in our society. Firstly, it is a foundation for our cultural heritage. Secondly, it is a source of aesthetic inspiration and intellectual stimulation. Thirdly, it is a resource for the creative industries. MITA values each and every one of these roles.

So, yes, we will continue to promote art for art's sake, but we will also try to eke as much economic value out of the arts as we can. Mr Seng Han Thong has noted that the opening of the Esplanade was one of the most significant events in the arts calendar last year. More than 1 million people turned up and, now, they are cracking jokes about it. Well, that is good. Even more significant is that the event has made headlines in international press and in arts magazines. Net of ticket sales, we spent about $7 million on the opening.

The question has been asked: was it worth the money? I think it was. And I think Mr Seng will agree with me, especially if I tell him that the Esplanade has estimated that the publicity that we gained from the articles, the editorials, the testimonials written up on the opening festivals were by themselves worth the equivalent of $18 million of paid advertising, and paid advertising does not have the same credibility as an editorial or a testimonial. The endorsements from world-class performers and international arts critics are immeasurable. And they have now placed the Esplanade and Singapore on a must visit, must see stop on their tours.

Benson Puah, the CEO of Esplanade, told me that, in the past, it was hard for Singapore to get world-class orchestras to play here, and even if they were willing to come, they would ask for very high fees. At the Esplanade's opening, not one but two world-class orchestras played - the London Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic - in addition to our own SSO. Now, Benson tells me, they get enquiries from top artists and troupes asking them when there is a slot available, when can they come and perform at the Esplanade. They still ask for somewhat high fees, but he has got a bargaining chip now and he can haggle with them.

The Esplanade has increased the value of Singapore's brand name and it can do for us what the famous Opera House has done for Sydney. This will be an enduring asset, and it will have a tremendous impact, not just on the arts community but on the whole economy. This, again, is reason why we must continue to maintain and support the Esplanade as a world-class facility.

But, significant and impactful as the opening of the Esplanade was, it was only one of the many things we have done to promote the arts in Singapore. Several Members have offered suggestions and asked questions as to what more we can do to promote the arts to support our local artists. Let me take Members back three years.

Three years ago, my predecessor, Mr Lee Yoke Suan, presented to this House the Renaissance City Project (RCP) to make Singapore a global city of the arts, and Parliament approved a budget of $50 million to be spent over five years to further promote what some Members have called the software and customer aspects of the arts.

Sir, I am glad to report that this project has yielded dividends. Although I will not have time to recount all the successes, I will mention some highlights. Last year, for the first time ever, the figure of ticketed attendance for performing arts crossed the $1 million mark. This was about 5-6% higher than the year before, and very creditable, given the economic conditions. I think it shows that Singaporeans are beginning to take an interest in the arts and beginning to see the value, because these are ticketed performances where they have to come up with hard cash in order to see the performances.

I think there are many reasons why there is this greater interest. For one, the NAC has worked very hard to create greater awareness and also to raise the quality and variety of programmes that are available at the different venues. So, there is now something to suit every taste. Another reason - and one that I would want to single out - is the rising quality and fame of our own artists. Our arts companies are making a name for themselves globally.

For example, the Singapore Dance Theatre performed to 8,000 people at the Cervantino International Festival in Mexico last year, the first time a Singapore arts group took part in that event. In 2001, two years ago, four of our young artists - Suzzan Victor, Matthew Ngui, Salleh Japar and Chen KeZhan - were invited, again, for the first time ever, to the Venice Biennale, which is the most important visual arts exhibition and show in the world. This year, three more artists, ie, Tan Swie Hian, Francis Ng and Heman Chong, had been invited to the Venice Biennale. I think the world has taken note that we do have some good artists. And, as Miss Penny Low pointed out, Tan Swie Hian was also awarded the prestigious Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum in January this year, the first Singaporean to receive this award. Ong Keng Sen was invited to curate at Berlin arts festival, In Transit, last year in Germany, and the plays of the late Kuo Pao Kun were performed to sell-out audiences at the Biennale Asian Arts Festival in Japan.

There are many, many more deserving artists and arts groups that I am unable to acknowledge, for lack of time. But, as Members can see, Singapore artists are making a name for themselves, and they are not the blind pathetic erhu players that Miss Low talked about.

MITA will continue to help source new opportunities for our artists to gain international exposure. One example of this is an MOU that we are working with China, which we hope to conclude this year, that will pave the way for our artists to perform there regularly every year.

I assure Miss Penny Low and Mr Zainudin that we are very mindful of helping our local artists to grow and excel. We have the talents and, if we continue to nurture them, recognise their talents, take pride in their work, attend their performances, I am sure we will have even more successes to report in the years ahead.

But, Sir, we are now entering the fourth year of the Renaissance City Project. Demand for RCP funding is strong because of the rapid growing interest in the arts, both by the public at large and also the private sector. So, we are now working on plans for a second RCP project. We should move quickly into this next phase and build on the momentum that the first RCP has created, because other countries in Asia are doing so. They have seen the importance and the benefits of the arts, and they are investing and implementing major arts projects. Hong Kong, for example, has embarked on a 40-hectare West Kowloon Reclamation Project that will house Hong Kong's new cultural belt.

Three major art shows have established themselves in Asia - Shanghai, Guangdong, and Kwangju in Korea. Practically overnight, these have become the most important art shows in Asia. Shanghai opened its Shanghai Grand Theatre five years ago and is now developing the Oriental Art Centre at Pudong, which will feature, like we have, a 2,000-seat hall and a 1,800-seat theatre. We must move quickly and with equal speed and confidence, if we are not to lose the standing and goodwill that we have earned from the Esplanade and our RCP programmes.

Let me now address some specific issues Members have raised. Dr Teo Ho Pin and Mr Zainudin wanted to know what we would do to promote community arts and culture. I agree with Dr Teo that we must do more to bring the arts to the people and the people to the arts. This way, all Singaporeans can enjoy the arts, not just the well-heeled. We have programmes to do so.

The Esplanade, for example, has made an on-going commitment to stage community arts performances that would appeal to a wide spectrum of people. I do not think we should just set aside one week a year to do this, but we should have programming all throughout the year that is accessible and open to the community at large. Last year, NAC sponsored some 90 community arts programmes, such as Concerts in the Park, and community arts groups, and many community arts groups took part, and we will continue to do so this year.

We will also encourage more corporations to follow the excellent example of the LTA to make more provisions for arts to be displayed in corporate buildings and premises.

Miss Penny Low suggested that we should simplify our rules for busking and allow buskers to keep more of their earnings. These ideas have also surfaced in the Remaking of Singapore discussions. I agree. Buskers add liveliness to our city and to our neighbourhoods, and I will ask my officials to work with the relevant agencies to make it easier for the buskers to busk, but without causing too much nuisance and disruption to the community.

Miss Penny Low also asked whether we have plans to build new performance theatres. I am glad to inform her that the new National Library at Victoria Street, which will be completed by the end of 2005, will house the new Drama Centre. This new centre will comprise a 642-seat theatre for mid-sized productions, and also a 120-seat black box theatre for experimental theatre. If we compare ourselves to other countries, we can say that there are other cities that have more facilities than we have. There are larger, older cities with a stronger tradition in the arts. But we are not short of facilities in Singapore and, as we make use of these facilities, ie, the hardware that we already have, and build up the software, I think we can consider and, at the right time, look to see what other new facilities we need to build.

But we have to do it as much as possible in as clever a way as we can to make full use of the limited funds that we have. By co-locating the new Drama Centre at the National Library, we not only make better use of that space - because the library can also use it - but we put it in a district where there are many other arts institutions and, hopefully, that would spark off more synergy. So, this is the approach that we want to take, to try to cluster these activities and groups together.

Mr Zainudin wanted to know whether funds would still be available for local arts groups, in view of the limited money we have in our budget. For the artists, money is always not enough. But I am glad to let Mr Zainudin know that MITA will maintain our existing arts schemes to support our local arts groups. But funding arrangements for the Esplanade - which is what some local arts groups have raised as a concern - will not draw on the funds that we have already set aside for these other programmes. But we are in the midst of difficult economic times, and I hope arts groups will understand if we have to tighten our belts a little.

We will continue to look for new sources of support. Our private companies have been very supportive of the arts, but our goal really is not just to look for charitable contributions. Our goal is to work with the private sector to get them to see where the arts can be of value to them to raise their image to impact their corporate activities and, in some way, to get more value out of the arts for the businesses, and then we will be able to ask the businesses to contribute more to the arts. Last year, private corporations gave $37.1 million to the arts, about the same amount as the year before and, given again the difficult conditions, I think that is good support.

Finally, Sir, Mr Loh Meng See, Miss Penny Low and Mr Zainuddin have asked about arts education in our schools, whether MITA intends to start an Arts School. I agree that we should have a stronger emphasis for the arts in our schools, and I am indeed glad to see the various measures that MOE has already taken today. In 2002, NAC's arts education programme, which we do with the support of the schools, reached out to 98% of our schools - practically everyone of them - and involved about 60% of our total student population. So, about 60% of our students had an opportunity to participate in or look at arts programmes. But as interest in the arts grows, it is timely that we look at the feasibility of setting up an Arts School or some other means to provide an enhanced curriculum in the arts, in tandem with an academic programme.

I am not sure that the Arts School will follow exactly the model of the Sports School. Our goal is not just to produce artists. Certainly, if we have such a school or arrangement, we would want to prepare some of the students to become professional artists or to take up an arts career. But, at the same time, I think we can also produce students who have a strong foundation in the area of the arts that they enjoy, and then go on to other careers. In this way, we can give our students, who have a bent for the arts, more career options while at the same time nurturing their artistic talents. MITA will set up a committee to look at this shortly and it will involve and work very closely with the Ministry of Education.

Sir, although we have made much progress in the arts, there is still much that needs to be done to grow and support the arts. I will ask NAC to look into the many suggestions that the other Members have raised.

Last year was a milestone year for us in the arts, but it was also a sad year with the demise of two of our most outstanding and well-loved artists, Brother Joseph McNally and Kuo Pao Kun. The arts community mourns their passing but, at the same time, we celebrate the foundation that they had laid, the legacy that they had left behind. They have built a very good foundation for many generations of artists to come.

On the foundation of all who have laboured to build the arts, and with the support of this House, MITA will endeavour to make Singapore a global city for the arts. I do not know if we will become the London of the East, or the Paris of the East or the New York of the East, because these are all great arts cities. But I think if we all contribute, and we can build up our cultural capital, create a more gracious society and contribute to a more vibrant economy, this will be a city that we will all want to live in.

Mr Seng Han Thong: Sir, since your mood has changed, I will not tell another joke.

The Censorship Review Committee's Report will be out soon. Could the Minister enlighten us on the possible recommendations it is likely to make? Will there be any major shifts in the censorship standards and approaches, and if there are, whether adequate consultations have been made by the Committee to ensure that the various sectors of our society are comfortable with such recommendations? While we allow for greater choice for individuals, along with a greater exercise of individual responsibility, we need to strike a balance between individual choice and community's preference. One lesson that we can learn from the last CRC's Report was that MITA had to modify the "R" rating to "R(A)" due to public outcry. 1.45 pm

Mr Loh Meng See: Sir, on censorship, obviously society has changed and we are seeing the rapid introduction of technology, so the mood is for greater liberalisation.

I just want to urge the Ministry to be very cautious in their response to opening up because I think there are fundamentals that we need to maintain. I am particularly concerned with regard to the young. We are seeing over the Internet young girls who innocently got themselves into trouble because of massacre raiding adults. Here, parents play a very important role and we have to teach our young to be independent, and not to succumb to peer pressure, and to be well-equipped to stand up against all temptations and situations that compromise themselves.

As we have seen in the case of smoking, because we take an easy attitude, we are finding now that more and more of our young ladies are taking up smoking. That is a form of censorship. That is a lesson that we can learn when we try to open up, especially in finding a balance with regard to how much to open up. I think we should be especially cautious when the media can reach our homes and the children can have access to them. For public performances, we have to make sure that there are not only the audiences involved but also the performing groups. It is important that we also uphold the integrity of all the performing arts groups.

Mdm Halimah Yacob: Sir, I would like to talk about TV programmes. Over the last few years, the quality of our TV programmes has, in fact, gone up. They are much better now. We see a lot of good documentaries on TV. We also see good Sitcoms like Phua Chu Kang and Under One Roof, which capture nuances and different flavours of life in Singapore and which are very interesting to watch. More of such programmes are definitely welcome.

However, Sir, in recent times, there has been a spate of TV programmes - I am specifically referring to reality TV programmes - which I am a little bit concerned about. Let me assure Members that these reality TV programmes are neither real nor realistic. In fact, the kind of values and lifestyles that they project as acceptable, glamorous and fun, are clearly not consistent with our own value system in society.

I would like to cite, in particular, two reality TV programmes and they are Temptation Island and The Bachelor. Temptation Island, if Members are not so familiar with the programme, refers to the show which captures a few young couples that are put together in one place and the real test of life for them is to show how loyal they are to their partners. For The Bachelor, the programme concerns a man who is look- ing for a woman of his dream and the dream women are supposed to live up to his standards. They have to do all kinds of things to try and attract his attention. If Members are interested in more details, they could watch the television programmes. I assure Members that I do not watch these programmes every night. On one of those days when I had a hard day in Parliament, I went back home to do some channel surfing and happened to chance across these programmes.

My point is that the media has a tremendous influence on the young. Recently, a parent told about her young kid who, after watching the news coverage on murders in Singapore, and we had a few these last few months, was wondering why people are killing each other all the time and whether that was the norm. Obviously, we know that is not the norm because people do not murder each other every day in Singapore. It is very unusual and rare. But children cannot distinguish between reality and fiction. So certain facts, which are constantly repeated, get distorted in their minds. Of course, we are also concerned about the values of our young people. We see a lot of babies being abandoned, we know of cases of abortions increasing and so on. The situation is very complex now because young people, unlike in the past, are now subject to all kinds of different ideas and messages. In those old days, the message that constantly gets reinforced in us is very clear - from parents, schools, the community. But now, it is very diffused. It is different kinds of values and messages that get transmitted.

In view of that, Sir, the questions that I would like to ask are: who is monitoring our media, particularly our television? Is there a cause for concern? What can be done to counter some of these negative values that are being portrayed in the national media, particularly television?

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong (Non-Constituency Member): Sir, I would like to speak up for the arts community concerning censorship laws.

Our censorship laws fall short of what our vibrant society deserves. In any case, the Internet has made censorship almost irrelevant because it allows almost unrestricted access to all materials.

Censorship should be replaced by regulation with a light touch. Arts requires a free environment to flourish and any set of rules which is too restrictive will undermine the renaissance city goal. The following three principles, as proposed by the arts community, in favour of rules, should be considered.

One, the rules should acknowledge the diversity of modern Singapore and, in fact, allow for the greatest possible expression of that diversity. That requires a climate of reciprocal tolerance, which means an acceptance of other's right to express and receive certain ideas and actions, and others accepting that we have the right not to be exposed against our will to one's expression of ideas and actions.

Two, classification by rating, supported by zoning and belting. Diversity requires tolerance. Tolerance enables choice. That exercise of choice is based on the principle of limited access and exposure, rather than total blanket bans or censors over any questionable material. A regulatory system which bans nothing, but allows everything, through regulating the distribution and access, should be set up. The model should be based on a system of rating, zoning and belting. Rating classifies works, like films, books, plays, magazines, etc, according to their content, and imposes age limit, like the current film ratings that we have. Under this system, no work is banned outright.

Zoning classifies geographical areas when works of certain ratings are restricted to certain parts of the city or certain areas within a bookshop, video shop or retail shop. Belting classifies time period, like on television or radio or types of media, such as newspapers or restrictive circulation like magazines, according to reach, imposing stricter limits on time period and media with greater reach according to the rating. So, for objectionable materials, like what Mdm Halimah has quoted earlier, it should be shown at a later time belt on TV.

Three, the principle of brown-bagging should be applied for printed works which fail the general rating test. It should be appropriately wrapped so that the material on the cover would not be inadvertently seen and brown-bagged. This protects those who do not wish to come across such material.

Sir, I hope that MITA will take these three principles into consideration in the censorship review process.

Mr Chandra Mohan K Nair: Sir, I wish to discuss on politics and the media. Politics in Singapore has been dominated and controlled very clearly and convincingly by the People's Action Party since our independence in 1965.

It can be argued, Sir, that the PAP, through the Government, has in many ways, been very successful in controlling or influencing the mass media, directly or directly, through legislation, rules and regulations, or appointments in senior positions, be it on radio, TV, newspapers and the relevant Ministries, including the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts.

Is the Ministry interested in the thinking of our people on politics in Singapore who may not be connected to the PAP or, for that matter, any political party in Singapore, eg, political scientists in the universities and think-tanks, like the Institute of Policy Studies, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore Institute of International Affairs, etc, the various non-governmental organisations and civic groups, the undergraduates and even commentaries and reports of local and international publications, and reports by the foreign press, TV and radio broadcasters, like the British Broadcasting Corporation? The perception is that there is still a very strong control from the political leadership and the OB markers, as far as politics and the media are concerned, seem to be one of less tolerance compared to the other activities in Singapore. As a result, the citi- zenry would remain passive when it comes to discussion on politics.

Could the Minister also confirm that our journalists, political news commentators on TV and publications are given freedom to write critically on political matters in Singapore? If the Ministry does not agree with this perception of control and if it is of the view that politics and the media in Singapore are as liberal as it can possibly be, may I invite the Ministry to seriously have a dialogue session with interested and concerned Singaporeans and stakeholders to revisit and analyse critically what needs to be done in terms of the pieces of legislation on politics and the media, including the Internet laws, the composition of senior officials in the mass media and the avenues available to the citizenry to be involved in politics and the media, not by politicians, but by the ordinary citizens.

As our citizens become more educated and assimilate ideas and freedom of the press in the western democratic countries, and with the easy access to information from the Internet and various publications, and the variety of newspapers available in the global arena, it may be advisable for us to be more liberal in order to create a more vibrant political spirit in Singapore. Would the Ministry, on the assumption that they are not directly involved, relay the message, indirectly through their great influence to the mass media, especially radio and TV, to foster greater political debate and discussions amongst Singaporeans and have more political programmes? 2.00 pm

Mr David Lim: Sir, I hope this will be my last speech, I hope, before the break. Sir, let me first address the issues that Mr Chandra Mohan has raised. In gist, he is asserting that the Government controls the media in such a way that it does not allow for political views to be heard. Sir, this is not true. You only have to open the newspapers and look at the Forum pages to see that there are all kinds of views expressed about Government policies. I think every conceivable argument on every relevant policy has been raised. And, every time a new issue comes out you get a flood of letters coming in. True, not every letter gets published because there is only so much space available.

But I think the editors make an effort to present a representative slate of views and opinions when they pick the letters. Sir, when editors or journalists decide what they are going to write, or articles to publish or what letters they will print in the media, they have to consider whether these articles and letters, will inflame emotions, whether they will harm our social fabric or compromise our national interests, or whether they will break or contravene the laws of the land. A responsible editor will therefore not publish a letter or an article if he thinks that it is potentially defamatory, seditious, likely to cause racial hatred, or otherwise break the law. For an editor to make such a decision, it is responsible journalism. It is not a matter of political censorship.

Sir, let me turn to the issue of censorship that the other Members have raised. We do have censorship in Singapore, as they do have in all countries. Is it still relevant, as Mr Steve Chia has asked? If censorship is not relevant because we can get all of these materials anyway on the Internet, then would Mr Chia expect any reaction at all tomorrow when we publish a photo of a nude person on the front page of the newspapers? I think he himself would not think that that was appropriate, even though these materials can be obtained on the Internet.

Mdm Halimah has expressed grave concerns that TV programmes such as Temptation Island or The Bachelor can instill the wrong values in our children and youth. I have seen half an episode of Temptation Island. Like you, on a busy day, at the end of the day when we switch on the TV at night for a moment of relaxation, and it comes on only late at night. I have not seen The Bachelor and so I cannot comment on it, but it does sound interesting and I will see if I can catch the next episode - the next time. But it is for the reason of your concern that we have devised a set of measures to guide our media on what can be shown, and at what times, and on which channels. Similarly, we have developed guidelines for the theatres and the arts to address Mr Loh Meng See's concern, that in the area of the arts we should also not have artistic licence degenerate into unacceptable expressions. But, at the same time, I am mindful of the early exhortation when we discussed arts and the creative industry, that we should allow for more freedom in our censorship rules. Miss Penny Low and Dr Tan Boon Wan have raised this. If you want to succeed in creating a livelier and more innovative society, they have argued that we have to be a bit loose and a bit more relaxed. How can we do this and yet address the concerns that Mdm Halimah and Mr Low have raised. And this is the challenge that we face in setting the rules.

Our censorship rules and policies have been drawn up, finessed over time, and they have served us well. Periodically, we do surveys and consistently they show a high level of acceptance and comfort with the current censorship norms. We will never have 100% of the people agreeing with us. But, if we can get 70-80% of the population saying, "Yes, we are quite comfortable. These are the right standards", I think we are not doing too badly. Because, for the 20-30%, half of them wants us to be more relaxed, and the other half wants us to be stricter. Having said that though, our society is not static and unchanging. We are not insulated from the rest of the world, quite the contrary. If we want to remake ourselves into a global city, we must become even more aware of what is happening elsewhere, what are the trends, what are the fashions, what are their cultures, what are their values, so that we can interact with the rest of the world and do business with. And, as we travel and become more widely exposed, our own people's interests and attitudes and values will also become more diverse.

This was why I decided last year to convene the Censorship Review Committee (CRC) to seek their views on what we should do to bring our censorship system up-to-date. Mr Seng Han Thong has asked about the progress of the CRC and its recommendations. The committee has almost completed its work. I will ask him to be patient and it would be out in a month or two. But over the past years, they have held 21 meetings. They have consulted extensively. They have had 15 focus group discussions and talked to more than 300 people and received many more representations from the public at large. They have also taken in the views expressed in articles and commentaries carried by the media, and commissioned a survey to obtain direct public feedback on key censorship issues.

Members have raised a number of specific changes to our censorship rules and I will pass these on to the CRC for consideration. But, allow me to briefly make some observations. Mr Steve Chia has raised the concept of rating, zoning and belting. This is not new. We do this now in terms of film classifications, as he has indicated, in terms of shifting certain programmes onto late night television or allowing certain types of programmes only on paid television and not free-to-air television, and so forth.

But he has hinted at the idea of brown-bagging materials. I am not quite sure what he means. But in America, where I lived for quite some time, brown bagging is only done for pornographic materials. I do not know if Mr Chia is suggesting that we should have pornographic materials on sale in Singapore and, if so, whether he truly believes that this will make Singapore a better society, or whether he is just arguing a choice for choice's sake. If we talk about such materials, the question is not a question of choice. It is a question of boundaries and where we want to draw the line. Most people, I think, could find pornography repulsive, debasing, unacceptable. Some may argue where exactly the line should be drawn between pornography and art for entertainment. Crossing this line would change the moral character of our society. So, in considering this point that Mr Chia advocates, we must ask ourselves this question whether, and to what extent, we want to shift the boundaries on pornography, and why? Or, we should not approach it as a choice for choice's sake.

Mr Loh Meng See mentioned that we should be careful about what we show over the media in the homes. I agree that we should be stricter in our free-to-air programmes because that is what our children have easy access to. But, here again, we have another dilemma. Parents may not always agree on whether a particular programme is suitable for children or not. In such instances, would it not be better to let parents decide where they want to draw the line for their children, and to take responsibility for their decision? This is different from the point that Mr Chia had raised because it is not a matter of shifting the boundaries but rather of providing choice within the broadly accepted moral markers of our society. But, if we move in this direction, then we must ensure that parents have practical tools to help control what their children watch. And, there are tools today. On subscription TV, for example, the remote control allows parents to switch off the programmes or the channels that they do not want their children to watch.

Sir, the CRC expects to publish its report in a month or two, and so any comments at this time by me would be inappropriate by way of pre-empting what the CRC may recommend. But I can say that the CRC is considering a wide range of issues including, inter alia, a review of a classification standard for film, video and subscription TV, the licensing and regulation of arts groups, and whether other media, such as publications should also be classified or rated. Whatever the recommendations and changes we decide to make, the challenge is how to meet the opposing demands of allowing for more choices, on the one hand, and protecting our young and our core values, on the other.

Sir, in responding to the CRC report, I will be guided by a number of basic considerations. Firstly, we must develop our own approach. We are a young society, raised on traditional values and seeking to fit into a global world. We are also multi-religious, multi-racial, multi-cultural. We therefore cannot simply follow foreign norms or import ideas from societies that are culturally different from us. It simply would not work. We must develop our own formula and base these on sound and clear principles.

Secondly, we must look at the issues from all sides. This is almost axiomatic. But if we do not see or try to see the concerns of others, there is no reason why they should see our concerns. And if any one insists on absolute freedom for himself, then he denies all others any freedom at all. So, if we hope to find workable ways to accommodate our different views and values, we must be prepared for some give and take, and to take progress one step at a time.

Thirdly, we should aim to move at a pace that the society, as a whole, can accommodate. We have not dramatically changed our approach to censorship over the last 10 years, and yet anyone who has lived during that period will recognise that we have eased up in many areas. Friends who have come to visit us after a long while feel that it is different now, and yet acceptance of our current censorship norms is still very high. This means that we have managed to find a workable balance, that is, the tension between being too inflexible and changing too quickly, and we should continue to work for such a balance.

Finally, Sir, we must recognise that decisions eventually have to be taken and then we have to move on. As the CRC process demonstrates, the views of the public are widely canvassed when developing censorship policies. Likewise, we have many advisory and review and appeal committees. The public inputs are obtained to guide the implementation of censorship rules. But in the final analysis, the Government, as elected leaders, must decide what the policies will be, and where the lines, for the time being, will be drawn.

Sir, I appreciate the Members' concerns over our censorship rules. MITA will study the CRC Report carefully when it comes out and we will look not only at whether some of the rules should be changed, but also how the process of administering these rules can be improved. I hope Members will continue to support us, give us the feedback, so that together, we can make a better society for our children.

Dr Tan Boon Wan: Sir, since the dot.com saga, and the problems of the telecommunication industry, the interest in the infocomm industry appears to have waned. This would be a great mistake. It is right to cool the euphoria of IT and telecommunication, but we must not lose sight of its relevance and importance to the new economy. Information and telecommunication technology underpins the new economy. We have irrevocably moved into a network and knowledge-based economy. Traditional economies will transit over to the new economy. There will be many opportunities for us in the infocomm industry. I would thus like to ask the Minister about the status of the infocomm industry. What progress has it achieved last year? In view of its continuing growing importance, what plans does IDA have to further develop the industry? In particular, I would like the Minister to provide an update on the status and development of e-commerce. What is the position of the Government on e-commerce?

Mr Loh Meng See: Sir, I share Dr Tan Boon Wan's concern that possibly the telecommunication industry is reaching the stage of stagnation as reflected even in the Budget Book. I am very sure that there are opportunities for us and maybe we would like the Minister to share with us what are the areas of opportunities and development, and whether the route is towards more infrastructure or the applications that could be developed.

Second, Sir, is with regard to penetration of home PC and on-line transactions. To my mind, security is actually a major obstacle to the use of on-line transactions and I would like to ask the Minister how we can persuade Singaporeans that our systems are secure and that we can go on-line without the concern that we will be overcharged. 2.15 pm

Third, I read with concern an interest of competition that other countries, like Mauritius, pose to us. In the setting up of the disaster recovery centre, we can actually have competition with countries like Mauritius. What are the steps that we can take to develop Singapore as a centre for disaster recovery?

Finally, Sir, on home grown competition amongst the domestic players of the infocomm sector, I know of the debate on having greater competition in this area. We have to watch domestic competition, but domestic competition is not really important. It is how we can compete against others in the region. It is still a very much regulated industry in the region. What steps can we take to allow for greater liberalisation in this particular sector, so that we can have greater opportunities in this sector?

The Chairman: Mr Zainudin Nordin is not moving. Dr Teo.

Dr Teo Ho Pin: Sir, the Infocomm Plan 21 aims to develop Singapore into a dynamic and vibrant global infocomm capital with a thriving and prosperous e-economy and an infocomm-savvy e-society. One of its six strategies is e-powering the people sector which entails improving accessibility of infocomm technology to all, bridging the digital divide and encouraging the adoption of e-lifestyle.

Sir, in support of the Infocomm Plan 21, North West CDC has set up 24 IT training centres with 24 schools in our district. Last year, we trained 300 students to be e-ambassadors to assist in our IT training programmes for residents. We have also trained 1,300 residents in the National IT Literacy course. I wish to thank the IDA for its support given to the CDC.

To further encourage e-lifestyle, we hope to organise more IT outreach programmes for our residents in the district. In this regard, I wish to ask the Minister whether the Ministry can provide more resources to support the CDC's efforts in e-powering our residents.

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

(a) What is the status of development of the Infocomm Plan 21?

(b) Are there specific programmes to support CDCs in e-powering our people?

(c) What are the plans to promote e-Government services to Singaporeans, especially the heartlanders?

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong: Sir, may I take the opportunity to clarify on what the Minister said earlier about pornography. With regard to pornography, I am actually asking about a light form of nudity where it could be allowed under brown bagging, and not the hardcore pornography, as what the Minister may think.

Sir, I will go on to my speech on e-mail spamming. As e-mail becomes more popular, many users are receiving an increasing amount of the unsolicited commercial mail known as spam. Not only does spam make it difficult to identify valid e-mails, some spams contain offensive message and images. While I understand the difficulty of regulating spammers and catching them, we should guard against their growth within our community. As I understand it, there are private individuals and Singapore registered companies that are collating e-mails ending with dot.sg and selling them for a profit. Such marketing of private individual e-mail addresses is equivalent to the selling of our private telephone and fax numbers to telemarketers who will call us up and try to sell some redundant products. We need to guard against this proliferation as it will cause great inefficiencies and a breakdown of our e-mail communication system. As a Straits Times forum reader puts it, "as a company with 10 e-mail addresses, imagine our daily frustration as our mail servers have to cope with the same junk e-mail multiplied 10 times."

In this rare instance, I am in favour of legislation banning the sale of private e-mail addresses. At the same time, IDA needs to seriously do something to stop the growth of the spamming industry. I look forward to the Ministry to come out with a creative solution to a difficult problem. Meantime, can the Ministry explain what course of action can victims of spamming take?

The Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts (Mr Khaw Boon Wan): Sir, let me first reply to the cuts on infocomm by Dr Tan Boon Wan, Mr Loh Meng See and Dr Teo Ho Pin. Their cuts reminded me of a speech I made just three weeks ago at the Singapore Computer Society's Gala Dinner. My key message to them that night was this: "Let's get sexy again!" Sir, this is not my solution to our low birth rates. But like Dr Tan Boon Wan and others, I sense a certain loss of confidence in the infocomm industry. I decided that I should give them a pep talk to point out the positives and urge them not to lose heart.

In infocomm, we have been sexy globally, and we can be sexy again. Just the other day, someone pointed me to a local website, a chat group. He said that there was some discussion about my speech after it was made. I remember reading this entry from, presumably, a lady. I think she wrote something like, "Actually, I rather get sexy with somebody like F4, one of the most popular boy bands now in Taiwan - tall, dark and handsome. But since that is not possible and Minister made the offer, okay lor, boh pian".

Fortunately, my serious speech and message were correctly received and understood by the ICT industry. I received this e-mail from Mr Saw Ken Wye, Chairman of Singapore IT Federation. He thanked me for my speech and the message which he agreed. And he wrote, "The final chapter for Singapore's IT industry has not been written yet and we have barely finished Chapter one. And the beauty about IT is that it is an industry that can continually reinvent and rejuvenate itself." I totally agree with him.

Let us look at some hard data. The infocomm industry is large. In Singapore, it made up 7.9% of our GDP. It is worth $28 billion and employs over 100,000 ICT professionals. Throughout the Asian crisis, from 1998 to 2000, it grew by an average of 5.6% per annum, higher than the overall economic growth rate.

Even now, the industry looks healthy. Where is the evidence? First, infocomm investments remain strong. Last year, it was the largest contributor of investment commitments in the services industry, with $870 million of business spending, that will create $1.9 billion of total value-add and 2,300 new jobs.

Second, infocomm salaries remain attractive. Last year, salary increments averaged 3.5%, higher than that for other economic sectors.

Third, our global ranking (in terms of networked readiness) by the World Economic Forum went up from No. 8 to No. 3.

In short, we can be optimistic about our growth prospects. As Mr Saw put it, the industry is resilient, being able to reinvent and rejuvenate itself.

Indeed, Members should read the current issue of the Economist, where there is a special section on what it called "Telecoms II". Its conclusion is that "new wireless technologies that render bandwidth irrelevant could kindle a revolution in communications bigger than the Internet".

Industry players are betting big money on this development. Just last week, Intel launched its latest chip, the Centrino. Intel already has its Pentium chips in almost all desk-top computers, and it is now betting on its Centrino chip to be in most laptop computers. It hopes that its "Intel inside" act I could be followed by a "Centrino inside" act II.

Intel believes Centrino's spread will trigger a wireless revolution akin to the 1960s transformation brought about by the transistor radio. That revolution, you may remember, gave us all the freedom to use the radio anytime, anywhere, any place. Intel hopes that its Centrino will now allow us to use our laptop computers anytime, anywhere, any place. Now, that is cool!

SUN Microsystem has its own vision of this future, of course, based on its Java solution. Scott McNealy was in town just a couple of days ago, and Members would have read about his plan in the newspapers. Microsoft and IBM are no less ambitious.

Singapore is well positioned to ride on these waves, because of our consistent efforts over many years in promoting infocomm, from Intelligent Island, through IT 2000 to Infocomm 21.

Dr Teo asked about Infocomm 21. We continue to make progress. In two years, our telecommunications bandwidth has expanded by 400 times. We now have 21 terabits of high-speed submarine cable bandwidth with direct connections to more than 100 countries. Full liberalisation, as Members know, has already brought telecommunication costs down sharply for both consumers and business.

Globally, we are now a leading e-Government and have won various international awards. Our courts of justice, our libraries, our electronic road pricing system are world-class showcases of e-Government efforts.

Today, one in three Singaporeans uses broadband to access on-line content from home, school or office. The number of broadband users will soon reach one million. There are now more than eight wireless Local Area Network (LAN) service providers and more than 240 wireless LAN hotspots throughout Singapore.

Just last month, I patronised a Japanese restaurant at the Esplanade. It is one of such wireless hotspots. Customers can access Internet on their laptops at high-speed. Waiters are armed with PDAs so that customer orders are captured immediately and electronically, and transmitted on-line to the kitchen, and, of course, to the cashier. With this infrastructure in place, I suppose the next step for them is to transfer the information to the suppliers real-time, so that raw fish can be replenished as and when needed!

Sir, I do not know if you plan to turn this House into a wireless hotspot. If you do, then some of us can follow the development in Iraq real-time without having to walk in and walk out, even as we debate the Budget.

Let me now reply to the specific queries by Members. Dr Tan asked about e-commerce. It has continued to gather momentum in Singapore. Last year, the total value of business-to-business (B2B) transactions remained above $100 billion, as in the previous year. Business-to-consumer (B2C) spending has grown by 20%, from $2.5 billion to $3 billion in 2002.

Mr Loh asked about security concerns as they may hinder the growth of on-line businesses. I agree with him that we need to maintain a trusted environment for e-commerce to flourish. That is why much effort is put to developing on-line security technologies and policies. Our approach is to adopt a combination of (a) legislation by the Government; (b) industry initiatives; (c) self-regulation by the industry; and (d) user education. Time, however, does not allow me to go into the details here.

Dr Teo asked about e-Government. As I said just now, we can be proud of our achievements here. Nine in 10 public services can now be accessed and transacted electronically, a total of over 1,500 public services. The e-citizen portal attracted nearly seven million hits every month.

Dr Teo also asked about the National IT Literacy Programme (NITLP). The purpose is to help bring basic IT skills to Singaporeans who missed out on IT education. The target was to equip 315,000 Singaporeans with basic computer and Internet skills over three years. Working through 28 training centres, the programme has so far benefited more than 113,000 people.

About six in 10 Singaporeans are now IT literate. One significant achievement is this mindset change. There are many anecdotes of Singaporeans taking to the convenience of e-Government, SMEs leveraging on the Internet for their business, and housewives logging onto the Internet for information and leisure. Singaporeans do not resist IT for fear of layoffs or displacement. This is a big achievement that many other countries are still working on.

Mr Loh Meng See talked about our telcos going regional and whether our FTAs will be one way to help them open up the market. Although our domestic telecoms market is still growing, our telcos know that they need to go regional to secure long-term double digit growth. The activities of SingTel and StarHub in the region and further afield have been well reported in the press.

The opportunities are there. First, growing middle class will increase the market size. Second, as countries open up their regime and lift the domestic protection, there are new businesses for our players to participate. Our various FTAs certainly help to speed up the process, as we persuade our FTA partners to give us better market access.

Mr Loh asked if the opportunities are more in applications development or infrastructure integration. I think it is both. But industry players will have to focus, as always, on their core competency and differentiate themselves from the competition.

Let me now reply to Mr Steve Chia's cut on the subject of junk e-mails, commonly called e-mail spamming. There are really two parts to this issue. First, can we prosecute e-mail spammers? Yes, we can. E-mail spammers can be prosecuted if the e-mail spam is serious enough as to cause a degradation of the computer system and resulting in disruption of service. Victims can report to the Police who can pursue it under the Computer Misuse Act. Members may remember - I think it was two years ago - there was such a case when someone was prosecuted for bombarding HDB's computer department with something like 7,500 junk mails over a period of 21/2 hours. But the act of sending unsolicited email is itself not illegal. When used appropriately, it is a very legitimate form of marketing.

The second aspect: is the unauthorised selling of email addresses illegal in Singapore? We do have sectoral legislation that contains provisions to protect an individual's personal information and that will include his or her email addresses. For example, under the Banking Act, banks are not allowed to sell the email addresses of their customers. Likewise, under the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act, it would be illegal for hospitals and clinics to pass on the email addresses of their patients to a third party.

However, if a company has collated email addresses from the Internet or from the Singapore Directory, repackage it and resell the information to interested marketers, the marketers are basically buying already public information, which they could otherwise obtain free of charge.

Just last week, Minister David Lim received an unsolicited email from a company promoting a software package which it claims can, and I quote, "harvest hundreds of thousands of email addresses within seconds", and the word used is "harvest". And this is the type of spider which the industry talks about.

Sir, email spamming is a global phenomenon. We are not alone. It can be a nuisance but overall the extent of spamming here is still relatively low. How do other countries respond to it? Is there any good model for us to follow? Unfortunately, the answer is no.

Is legislation effective? The US experience is that anti-spam laws are not effective. The US has state laws against spamming, some dating back several years. But despite the law, successful suits against spammers are rare and the extent of spamming has not gone down. In fact, it has gone up. Australia too has concluded, after a study in August last year, that legislation alone will not be effective in curbing spams.

One reason why spams are difficult to eradicate is that the majority of them originate from overseas. Anti-spam laws, even if enacted, do not have effective jurisdiction against spammers who are based overseas. We have just to adopt a practical approach, comprising (a) industry self-regulation; and (b) consumer education. This approach takes into account and balances the legitimate interests of businesses and consumers.

Under this approach, our Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have all adopted best practices to counter spams originating from their subscribers. Each ISP has a policy of suspending the email account of its own customers. Users should also take some personal responsibility to safeguard their email information, just as we all do for our other personal particulars, such as telephone numbers and residential addresses. Some simple tips I would offer include the following: do not freely disclose your email address; only disclose your email address to organisations or websites that practise personal data protection principles; and of course, install anti-virus software. As a parent, I constantly remind my daughters about these tips. And here, my worry goes beyond just the nuisance of spamming.

In short, Sir, we cannot eradicate spamming, just as we cannot avoid catching the flu occasionally. But we can reduce the nuisance. And IDA will step up its public education programmes on how email users can better protect themselves against spams.

The Chairman: Order. 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 3.00 pm.

Sitting accordingly suspended at 2.38 pm until 3.00 pm. Sitting resumed at 3.00 pm

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Debate in Committee of Supply resumed.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Head Q (cont.) -

The Chairman: Mr Loh Meng See.

Mr Loh Meng See: Sir, we are very proud of the National Library. I think it is one of the most innovative statutory boards that we have in Singapore, and it is a challenge to make it even better.

First, Sir, an area that I thought the Library can look into - in fact, I am surprised that they are doing right now in Shenton Way having that promotion - is to encourage as many adult readers, particularly the professionals, to make use of our public libraries. In fact, if we were to visit the library on a normal day, they are mainly made up of children, students and retirees making use of the facilities. So, I think it is of greater value and benefit, if more such adult readers make use of our facilities.

Second, Sir, is the organisation of our libraries. Though we have regional libraries, I am just wondering whether some means can be found to provide for niche libraries, in the sense that, either based on certain themes or interests, we can have a better collection in particular areas and locations, rather than having libraries where the collection would actually be few and far between.

Mr Zainudin Nordin: Sir, personally, I feel that the National Library Board (NLB) is one of the most progressive statutory boards, as mentioned by Mr Loh Meng See just now. It has done a highly commendable job, in terms of providing accessibility to resources, and it has also effectively utilised technology. However, the journey surely cannot end here. The library, as a knowledge centre, is still at its infant stage, and its potential for growth is immense.

As our economy slowly makes its way to become a full-fledged knowledge, I hope that the library will parallel this growth or, better still, pave the way and create space for lively debate and the sharing of knowledge. It can very well be our next icon and join the ranks of the libraries of the world.

My concerns are the following:

1. What are the future plans of the NLB towards making our libraries the community knowledge centres?

2. What is the progress of the library construction and development in Singapore, eg, the National Library and the Community Libraries?

3. Many have expressed regrets and sadness on the possible loss of our National Library. What are the plans of NLB for the new National Library? Would it be a library that many will treasure and be proud of, as with the past National Library?

4. Can NLB turn our new National Library into a future icon, and perhaps make it one of the great libraries of the world or, if not, at least of the region?

Dr Ong Seh Hong: (In Mandarin): Sir, Total Defence and NEWater exhibitions are great national events that we should be very happy with. Unfortunately and regrettably, these national events are conducted only in English.

Our civil servants must have forgotten that about 30% of Singaporeans do not know English. These are mostly elderly people. The editorial of Lianhe Zaobao on 5th March commented, "Though our civil servants are the elite in the frontline, they lack the basic understanding of our own residents in the rear. The result is that while the Government is busy building the "Ideal Home" for the next generation, many older folks are increasingly feeling as though they are strangers in their own homeland."

I would like to ask our civil servants whether they are unaware of the existence of the non-English speaking masses or do they just simply could not be bothered with them, to the extent that they become so insensitive and indifferent.

Large scale activities like the Total Defence and NEWater exhibitions are meant to reach out to the people. The Government has the duty to see to it that these messages are conveyed to each and every citizen in a simple and approachable manner. As such, I urge the Government to expressively stipulate that activities like these should provide explanatory notes in all the four official languages for the exhibits. Every citizen, irrespective of his race, language or religion, has the right to share the information. The Minister should set out clear orders that all public activities that involve the participation of the total citizenry should have instructions given in all the four official languages.

Mdm Ho Geok Choo (West Coast): Sir, the Media Advisory Panel has recommended for a lifting of the ban on dialect programmes. In 1979, the Speak Mandarin Campaign was launched by the then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. The slogan was "Speak more Mandarin and less dialect". This was subsequently followed by concerted efforts in eradicating dialect songs, talk shows and story-telling programmes, as well as dialect commercials on TV and radio.

The Programme Advisory Committee, in recommending the return of dialect programmes on TV, had argued that most young people are now effectively bilingual in Mandarin and English. Therefore, allowing dialect programmes would have no adverse impact on the Speak Mandarin policy. Other reasons given are that it is a good way to let young Singaporeans know something about dialect, as dialect is still part of our cultural heritage.

Literature has shown that many nations use language as a means to unify the country, eg, in China, the US, Europe and India. The different languages that were once spoken converge into one or two major ones.

This move by MITA is significant for Singapore. The unique geopolitical context of Singapore, with its unique multi-racial setting and immigrant origins would require young Singapore to be fundamentally strong in just two languages that will serve to unify its multi-racial character.

When our political leadership made the major decision more than 20 years ago to implement the bilingual policy, many good reasons were given. I have requested Speaker of the House to allow me to distribute some extracts of the reasons from our political leadership. I am also distributing a table that shows the proficiency that Chinese Singaporeans have made in English, Mandarin and Chinese dialects in the years between 1990 and 2000.

Sir, it took the Chinese Singaporeans 10 years to achieve a 15% in the number of Chinese Singaporeans embracing the language. In the same period, the use of Chinese dialects dropped from 50.3% to 30.7%, ie, a 19.6% drop. Yes, we are making progress in embracing Mandarin. But, contrary to what the Media Advisory Panel has alluded to, we are not proficient in the language yet.

From what I was told, students who have scored A1 for Chinese in their GCE "O" levels have said that all they had to do was to mug 3,000 Chinese characters and then remember them by heart. After that, they will just discard the use of the words. And these are our creme de la creme. In other words, the language has not been internalised in most of the students and it does not come as second nature to them.

Sir, the issues I would like to raise are as follows: will the lifting of the ban result in a slowdown of the good progress we have been making? How can we ensure that our progress rate, including embracing our bilingual policy, will not be affected?

Sir, we should be mindful of the fact that while we have succeeded in our bilingual policy, there are Singaporeans who are not able to effectively master either English or Mandarin. My next question therefore is: by allowing dialect to co-exist with Mandarin, even if they are on ad-hoc basis and limited in scale, will we expect some degree of deterioration in the proficiency of Mandarin? There is evidence that learning more than one language can lead to the learners making errors because of what linguists call "language interference".

On the third issue, the bilingual policy is a fundamental national policy. By allowing dialect programmes to be shown over national TV, what signals will we be sending to Singaporeans who have been brought up in a culture of bilingual policy?

There is also concern that such a move by MITA may lead to other racial groups also requesting for similar viewing of dialect shows, in which case, where do we draw the line?

Whilst the variety can be interesting and rich, will the viewing of such dialect shows lead to norming of dialect groups, which can extend into the way we live, where we work, as had happened in the past? We would recall that our bilingual policy has an impact on our housing, occupation and lifestyle.

Mr Khaw Boon Wan: Sir, let me first reply to the cuts on public libraries.

I agree with both Mr Loh Meng See and Mr Zainudin that public libraries have important roles to play. As Mr Zainudin put it, knowledge centres, to encourage reading and to promote continuous learning. That is why we were so concerned when visitorship to libraries declined and libraries were - this was some 11 years ago - at risk of becoming irrelevant. The then Minister for Information and the Arts, BG George Yeo, assembled a Library 2000 Taskforce to try to reverse the trend. I had the honour of being a member of that taskforce.

As the Cantonese say: ngow mng yam tsui, dim gam ngow tou dai, ie, if the cow does not want to drink, there is no way you can get it to bend its head to the trough. If Singaporeans do not come to the libraries, then either we bring the libraries to the people, or we make the libraries compelling for them to want to visit. We decided to do both. As a result, we have been quite successful in reversing the trend. I thank both Mr Loh and Mr Zainudin for the compliments.

Our libraries have now become so buzzy that I remember reading about some complaints against noise in the newspapers recently. Because libraries have been transformed, we now find visitors who had previously never stepped into any library. We can be proud of this transformation of our public libraries. The successful transformation of our libraries even became a Harvard case study. Some of the visitors that we now receive are fellow librarians from many other countries. They have read about our success, and they came here to see for themselves.

What can libraries do to promote adult reading? Getting more adults to visit the library regularly and frequently is one important step. I think this we have largely succeeded. So, the next step is to have them to read more. I think they do. I do not think they visit our libraries merely to look at the decor or to drink cafe latte. One evidence is the sharp increase in book loans. The number of loans from the adult collections has more than doubled from six million in 1995 to 13 million this year. But this is a continuous effort and we have to be creative in the promotion efforts. So, last month we launched the Library Ambassador programme to promote reading and learning. We have personalities, such as our national bowler, Remy Ong, and Channel NewsAsia presenter Suzanne Ho as our Ambassadors. They fan across our 24 libraries to take part in activities, such as story-telling, meet-the-star sessions, Celebrate your Festival Series. As Mr Loh pointed out, just this week, we launched another programme, the Library@Office campaign to promote to office workers, professionals, executives and businessmen on our varied services, resources and extensive distribution channels.

Mr Loh asked if all libraries should be general libraries or is it not better for some to specialise. He called it niche libraries. We agree with Mr Loh that not all libraries should be the same. Indeed, they are not. Wherever possible, we try to tailor the character of each library to reflect the targeted niche audience. In selected libraries, we set up special collections. For example, the Bedok Community Library has a Malay library service, and the Tampines Regional Library has a Chinese library service. I have just visited the newly upgraded Ang Mo Kio Community Library which is in my neighbourhood; a wonderful transformation. I notice it has an Indian library service there. And, of course, the library@esplanade is a great example of a niche library. It focuses on the four performing arts: dance, music, theatre and film. 3.15 pm

Singaporeans are responding to these niche libraries and niche services with great enthusiasm. They are saying that we are on the right track, and we will push on.

Mr Zainudin hopes that we can make our new National Library an international icon of learning and knowledge. We will try, but within the sensible limits of budget. We do not have the huge budget of the British Library, but we will stretch what we have been given, to create something different and of value to Singaporeans.

It is like our newly opened Asian Civilisation Museum at Empress Place. Our collections are modest, compared to what you can find in the museums in Delhi or Beijing. Ours is relatively small, in terms of quantity and perhaps even quality. However, through creative curatorship, I think we have created a product, quite world-class, and which we can all be proud of. This is the same approach we will be taking on the new National Library. So, stay tuned.

Let me now touch on Dr Ong Seh Hong's cut on the greater use of official languages in public exhibitions. Let me state MITA's own guideline for our own museums first.

Our museums provide all panel texts in English. But we do supplement with other languages, in two ways. First, we often provide panel texts in other languages, depending on the content, theme and target audience. Second, we have handouts and brochures in the relevant official languages for all our exhibitions. These handouts and brochures provide the synopses and explain the main themes of the exhibitions.

For example, the current "Exhibition on 20th Century Chinese Paintings" in the Singapore Art Museum contains panel texts in both English and Chinese. For the new Asian Civilisation Museum at Empress Place, panel texts are in English. But we have gallery guides in brochures in Chinese, Malay and Tamil.

This guideline also applies to our travelling exhibitions. The only exceptions are school exhibitions and temporary exhibitions of very short duration, where only the translation of the synopses in the official languages will be provided.

In short, I agree with Dr Ong that we should be sensitive to the non-English speaking Singaporeans and cater to their needs as far as possible. At the end of the day, the purpose of a public exhibition is to reach out. It would be quite silly not to use the other languages, unless we are quite certain that the targeted audience is already comfortable with English.

Finally, let me spend some time on this very important topic of dialect. I think Mdm Ho Geok Choo was a bit mistaken. She read in the newspapers the recommendations of the Programme Advisory Committee (PAC). MITA's policy is quite different. We have already announced it and replied to the newspaper. We stand firm on the current policy. I am glad that this particular MITA's policy, which we are standing firm, has the support of Mdm Ho. She understood the importance of Mandarin as a unifying language to bond the Chinese community. As she has pointed out, we should not inadvertently reverse the progress we have made in getting our people to use Mandarin, through a careless liberalisation of our dialect policy.

We do not ban dialects. Where practical, we allow some dialect programming to service the needs of some older Singaporeans and the arts community. But when we make such concessions, we do it carefully to ensure that the concessions do not undermine our Speak Mandarin Campaign. That is why some dialect programmes are available on radio, on the arts channel and on cable TV. For instance, Arts Central occasionally carries dialect operas and art-house movies in dialect. FM 95.8 broadcasts dialect news daily, and dialect programmes are available on cable TV's TVBJ channel.

We have, however, kept Channel 8 and Channel U free from dialect as these channels are watched by school children. We should not confuse them by, on the one hand, promoting Mandarin, and on the other hand, broadcasting dialect programmes on these channels.

Let me share my personal experience. I grew up in a Hokkien-speaking family. My parents could only speak Hokkien, although they could read and write in Chinese. I then entered a Chinese kampong primary school and gradually picked up Mandarin, English and Bahasa. But even then, the school environment was largely Hokkien-speaking. I recall that we did not take languages too seriously, except to pass school examinations. At that time, we did not have compulsory PSLE examinations.

Then I joined high school and because it took in students from all over, with varying language abilities, we were all put through an extra year, called "Remove" class, before we began formal secondary school education. "Remove" class was really an extra year for the students to brush up on their English as all other subjects, other than languages, were taught in English.

Then I entered university in Australia and had to pick up more languages: computer languages - Fortran, Basic and Cobol. I do not belong to that small minority of people like Mr Seng Han Thong, or our colleagues in the interpretation booths, who can handle several languages competently with ease. I am just your ordinary fellow, with an average brain capacity. So in my last 50 years, I found myself with competencies in different languages at different periods of my life. During my six years in primary school, I was fluent in Hokkien and Mandarin. During secondary school, I was strongest in English and Bahasa. I neglected my Mandarin somewhat. In university, I was most fluent in English and Fortran, a computer language. After graduation, I began to again spend time on Mandarin, but even then, it never quite reached the same competency as my English. My Hokkien and Bahasa are now probably at primary three level. My computer languages have become totally obsolete.

So, we face a constant struggle with limited time and limited brain capacity. We only have 24 hours each day. If we spend more time on X, we have less time for Y. It is as simple as that. We all want to be good at X, Y and Z, but it is often just humanly not possible.

That we have achieved some success in our Speak Mandarin Campaign is an outcome that is not irreversible. It was an uphill task, but we have managed to push that rock up the slope. Some of us can now take the hands off the rock and perhaps listen to shan ge in dialect. But if everyone does that, the rock will immediately roll down the slope. My advice to Chinese Singaporeans is san si - think thrice.

Sir, this House has heard the debate of Mandarin versus dialect many times. The arguments are well known to all, including the members of the Programme Advisory Committee (PAC). These are rational establishment people. So why did they suddenly argue for a relaxation of our dialect policy?

I was curious, so I sniffed around and I think I found out why. It is Jack Neo's "I Not Stupid". You see, "I Not Stupid" has been such a roaring success that Singaporeans want more of it. I myself have watched it two and a half times. Once, in the cinema; once, on VCD. The third time was when it was screened on Channel 8. I only saw part of it, because when "lim-peh" became "ni-lau-pa", something was missing. "I Not Stupid" became kind of stupid, and I switched it off.

There must be many like me in the Programme Advisory Committee who felt the same way. I am speculating, but I think this led to their call for some dialect programming on free-to-air TV.

One way to resolve the contradiction in this instance is to screen "I Not Stupid" in its original form on Arts Central, but not on Channel 8 or Channel U. This way, we uphold our Speak Mandarin Campaign and still get to enjoy Jack Neo's masterpiece free-to-air. MITA will consider this and other programmes from time to time. But we must always bear in mind that in exercising such flexibility, we do not dilute or harm our efforts to promote Mandarin to our young.

The Chairman: I would like to remind Members that we are behind time on this amendment. Dr Maliki.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman (Sembawang): Sir, it has been more than five years since the Singapore International Foundation started its operation. The fact that this cut comes under MITA suggests the focus of the SIF is to project a specific image of Singapore to the international community.

We know that SIF has several programmes, including the Singapore Volunteers Overseas Programme and Youth Expedition Programme and so on. Most of the programmes involved Singaporeans going overseas and performing community activities at work, certainly benefiting the people and the communities that they are serving. Sir, I am sure SIF will be able to give us a list of the many schools we have built, the many children we have helped immunised, and certainly the many lives we have touched.

Sir, while these are all well and good, I wonder how much has been spent so far in sending Singaporeans on these overseas community projects. The SIF annual report showed that for last year alone, we spent some $4.6 million on overseas programmes, plus another $2.9 million on staff cost. My concern relates to the old adage - that charity begins at home. In this current economic climate, we have heard so much about how Singaporeans are affected by the economic downturn. It may not make sense for Singaporeans that we are spending so much to help other people, when our own people may need equal, if not, more help. I would like to ask the Minister: how can we justify to Singaporeans that the amount of money that we are spending in making the lives of people of other countries better, when Singaporeans' lives may be worse off? Specific examples are those without electricity supply and water supply.

What are the desired outcomes of the SIF programmes? How do SIF programmes benefit Singapore and Singaporeans? In this regard, I would like to ask the Minister: what are some of the requirements that SIF has of Singaporeans who have served overseas and contributing back to Singapore?

Sir, in my interaction with young people, especially with those in tertiary institutions, my sense is that they have a very global perspective and many have aspirations to do community work overseas, with very little mention of doing community work in Singapore. Certainly, the SIF provides an excellent avenue and opportunities for them. But I am concerned how we can encourage and ensure that these young people continue to feel for their fellow Singaporeans so much as they feel for the people in other countries. I hope the Minister can also provide insights into the processes that SIF has put in place to achieve this end. Also, with these young minds, how can we ensure that we will continue to root them to Singapore? Being exposed to different levels and manifestation of poverty and different political and social systems, how can we allow them to process these differences and appreciate Singapore better?

We must ensure that Singaporeans understand why we need to help others because I am sure, in the process, we are helping ourselves to be a more mature and compassionate society. Even if charity does not begin at home, just make sure that it returns home. 3.30 pm

Assoc. Prof. Low Seow Chay (Chua Chu Kang): (In Mandarin): Some advertisements are misleading. In order to achieve the effects of advertising, some go to the extent of posting exaggerative and misleading information. People who are not careful and believe in the misleading advertisement may lead to disappointment, financial losses and, sometimes, lose their lives. Now let me cite some examples.

Hair growth advertisement: A friend of mine told me that the model she used for a hair-growing advertisement had well-groomed dark hair. A photograph was taken of him with dark, thick hair on his head. They then shaved off the major part of his beautiful hair, and had a photograph taken of the "Mediterranean Sea" on his head. The two photographs were then shown on the advertisement to depict the "before" and "after" the treatment which they were promoting. But the sequence was reversed to suggest that the bald head had turned into a head of thick and dark hair. This advertisement is misleading and, in fact, deceiving.

Water filter advertisement: There is also an advertisement on a water filtering machine. It claims that water that passes through the filtering machine comes out many times cleaner than the tap water supplied by PUB. In other words, it misleads the public to believe that PUB water is dirty and not fit for human consumption.

There is yet another one which appeared in Wanbao, which is even more absurd. It claims that by wearing the slimming shorts, blood circulation can be improved by as much as 30%. I think this is grossly exaggerated.

There are really too many advertisements which contain varying degrees of untruth in them. I would like to ask the Minister whether something should be done to stop such misleading advertisements from appearing in the media. The merchants who put up such advertisements should be taken to task.

Ms Braema Mathiaparanam (Nominated Member): I am here to ask the Ministry for clarity on its role in governing such advertisements as Assoc. Prof. Low has brought up, and in this case I am talking about slimming advertisements. Each day, there are at least two huge advertisements in the print media and many smaller ones in the other media. These advertisements prey on a woman's insecurities over her body and also reinforce notions that she is just there to be attractive to her husband. Let me recite some examples that appeared in today's paper: "Let your wellness radiates from within", "Become now a beautiful mother", "To be attractive to your husband", "She has gained back her beautiful body even after having two children". And then the lady goes on to say how she is grateful to her husband for encouraging her to go for this slimming course, whatever.

I am not here to dispute the claims made by these advertisements or the efficiency of the agencies that are running these courses to bring women back into shape. What I am here is to ask the Ministry - as I have just heard from Mr Yatiman that there are two representatives as constituent members of the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS) alongside with many other reputable representatives - how is the Singapore Code of Advertising practice being administered and governed by these representatives on ASAS. On top of that, I would also like to draw attention to this book which has got wonderful clauses in Appendix H relating primarily to slimming advertisements. When I compare the advertisements to 2.1.5, I do not really see a direct correlation. Is it time then to review these guidelines? Also, there is a chapter in this Code, primarily catering to how children are being used. I wonder why is there no such provision where women are concerned, because women are used all the time in so many advertisements for different purposes. Lastly, it took a while to find this Code and I thank the parliamentary librarians for tracking it down. It is not on the web, and I wonder why.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (Encik Yatiman Yusof): First of all, I would like to thank Dr Maliki for his comments on the Singapore International Foundation (SIF).

SIF is an NGO (non-governmental organisation), but it is funded in part by the Government as its mission is in line with the Government's aims and goals. For FY 2002, the SIF received $9 million of funding support from the Government through MITA, MFA and the National Youth Council.

The SIF was set up in 1991 with two core missions. First, to connect Singaporeans living overseas to Singapore, thus strengthening their sense of being Singaporean. Second, to help shape a positive image for Singapore internationally.

The SIF programmes are geared towards these two missions. Externally, they seek to generate goodwill between Singapore and other nations and peoples, thus supporting our efforts to grow an external economy. Domestically, SIF programmes help to develop civic society through fostering a spirit of volunteerism, compassion and active citizenry.

Over the years, the SIF has carried out a wide range of programmes. One key programme is its Overseas Singaporeans programme. SIF runs support activities for a global network of 91 clubs and 109 student associations to strengthen the Singapore identity and connectivity to Singapore.

Another is the Friends of Singapore programme. SIF has received more than 1,000 visitors from 17 countries in the past decade, as part of its efforts to forge strong networks of goodwill and friendship for Singapore.

Under its Singapore Volunteers Overseas programme, more than 500 Singaporeans have become volunteers in 14 countries. They work on many meaningful projects. Some help to bring basic healthcare to the poor in the rural areas. Some help to bring IT and Internet to those on the wrong side of the digital divide. We have some reports in the newspapers showing the success of the programmes carried out by the SIF, including going to the remote areas to help those having toothaches. So these are clear examples of how our volunteers are really going into remote areas, linking Singapore to people living in those places.

Sir, through its Youth Expedition Project, SIF has also trained over 2,000 young Singaporeans in leadership and life skills through overseas community services.

The Economic Review Committee envisages Singapore becoming a globalised, diversified and entrepreneurial economy. With its reach to Singaporeans overseas, SIF is well positioned to play an important role to draw Singaporeans everywhere to be a part of this expanded space that we operate in and to make their contributions. Through the SIF, and other outreach programmes like Contact Singapore and the Majulah Connection, we can help our overseas Singaporeans feel connected to Singapore, and be part of the Singaporean community worldwide. In turn, overseas Singaporeans can help us to enhance our image internationally of a globally oriented Singapore. Sir, this is a win-win approach for both Singapore and overseas Singaporeans, and this is why SIF is worth supporting.

Now let me go to the question of misleading advertisements raised by two speakers. Ms Braema Mathiaparanam and Assoc. Prof. Low Seow Chay talked about people who are losing their hair and those who are overweight falling victims to misleading advertisements. I share their concerns because at my age when people are also talking about losing their hair and gaining unwanted extras all over their bodies, I too and you too, Members from this Chamber, could be victims. The question is: is the existing regulatory framework for misleading advertisements sufficient, in light of the proliferation of weight-loss and other related advertisements in the newspapers and TV broadcasts?

There are two bodies that could address their concerns. First, the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS) and, second, the Media Development Authority (MDA). ASAS polices advertising standards for advertisements. ASAS is a local advertising industry self-regulating body comprising representatives from various entities including advertisers, advertising agencies, Government agencies and media owners. She is right when she said that MDA is represented in ASAS. It is an advisory council to the Consumers' Association of Singapore (CASE).

Sir, ASAS has a Code of Practice called the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice (SCAP), which sets standards on accuracy, authenticity and good taste. This Code was recently updated and re-issued in early 2003, and includes guidelines pertaining to slimming products and services, scalp products and environmental claims.

Whenever there are cases of misleading advertisements or complaints, ASAS would review and take action against the dubious advertisements that seek to exploit the consumers. These actions could include directing the advertiser or advertising agent to amend or totally withdraw the advertisements, or requesting the media to impose sanctions on the errant party.

Since local media owners and advertising agents support the ASAS Code, advertisers who do not amend or withdraw their misleading advertisements may find themselves denied access to space in both the print and broadcast media.

In addition, if there is any breach of our censorship guidelines, eg, Code for TV and Radio Advertising issued by MDA, Media Development Authority can also step in to investigate and take action against the advertisements.

However, although regulators can take care of misleading or objectionable advertisements, consumers should also play a role by using judgement and common sense when interpreting advertisements. New products and services are being offered all the time. Some are driven by real advances in technology, others may be repackaging of existing products and services. Hence, it is important that the public should always be alert to offers that are too good to be true, or miracle solutions that solve problems with little effort or cost.

On the question of the book that Ms Braema raised, we will look into whether the question of children used in advertisements could be extended to women too. MITA will take a proactive stand in it.

The Chairman: Mr Seng, are you withdrawing your amendment?

Mr Seng Han Thong: Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The Chairman: Amendment No. (2), Mr Seng.

Mr Seng Han Thong: Sir, I beg to move,

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

Sir, the war has started, which we cannot stop, but I would like to ask the Minister whether he can stop another war - the media war - with the Media Competition Code. The Media Competition Code is to ensure limited competition within Singapore's mass media market. I have four questions to ask the Minister. One, whether the anti-competitive practice will be effective enough to ensure fair competition or prevent vicious competition leading to a media war. Second, what are the guiding principles in setting the Government's standards? Third, how will the authorities monitor the Code and how will breaches be dealt with? Lastly, how will the public's interest be safeguarded by the Code?

Mr Khaw Boon Wan: Sir, competition in the media industry in Singapore has to be limited because our market is such a small one. I remember talking about this last week when replying to Mr Steve Chia's question on a second pay TV. But, whether it is limited or otherwise, anti-competitive practices cannot be condoned. The Media Market Conduct Code sets out the ground rules for fair competition and fair market conduct. Some of the anti-competitive practices that we frown upon are spelt out in the Code, eg, the Code prohibits predatory pricing. If a dominant player, with deep pockets, deliberately prices itself, for example, advertisement rates below its marginal cost, with the view to make life difficult for a new player or small player, this is predatory pricing. Regulators will frown on such practices.

The Code imposes special obligations on dominant players. The purpose is to prevent them from abusing their dominant position to stifle the development of new players. For example, mandatory bundling services are also frowned upon. If a dominant player, let us say, who owns several newspapers, insists that all advertisers must advertise in all its newspapers, he will find the regulator knocking at his door. The Code has comprehensive enforcement procedures to check on errant players. The regulator can either initiate enforcement actions or act upon complaints. There are prescribed procedures in the Code to investigate anti-competitive conduct. Enforcement measures will range from simple warnings, knocking at the knuckles to severe financial penalties of up to $1 million per contravention. In this way the Code serves the wider public interest by facilitating fair and effective competition in the mass media market. By spelling out the ground rules for fair play, new entrants to the market will have a fair chance to establish themselves. This will, in turn, foster further investments in and development of the mass media market. Their success, in turn, will add to the range of quality media services available to Singaporeans, thus, giving them more choices. 3.45 pm

Mr Seng Han Thong: Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The Chairman: Amendment No. (3), Mr Seng.

Mr Seng Han Thong: Sir, I beg to move,

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

Sir, this topic is on heritage centres and museums. I must commend the National Heritage Board's decision to open our museums every day, a marketing drive to attract Singaporeans to visit the museums free during public holidays. This is one of the effective ways to cultivate the museum-going culture. The NHB's heritage bus launched earlier this year is another move targeted at the community. May I ask what is the NHB's overall plan in developing museums and heritage centres and fostering the museum-going culture?

Miss Penny Low: Sir, first and foremost, I would like to extend my congratulations to the National Heritage Board for a job well done and also the recent opening of the Asian Civilisations Museum. We are now one step closer to realising the goals set out in the Renaissance City Report. Over the years, millions of dollars have been dedicated to retain our heritage and thus giving us a sense of identity and historical roots. We can now say that we have world-class museums showcasing Singapore's history and rich heritage. In order to promote the arts and get our population to have a greater appreciation of our roots, would the Minister consider, first, engaging our schools to adopt the heritage centres and museums and, in the process, train our students to be guides or ambassadors of the museums? The students can be engaged on special school tours, school holidays or during foreign student exchange visits. The advantage of such a scheme is that it will broaden the scope of understanding of their subjects, which are social studies and history of Singapore. This is one way we can groom our young to have a deeper appreciation of both the arts and the history of Singapore. Perhaps the Minister could explore this idea with the Ministry of Education.

Sir, we, currently, have a total of 18 museums and galleries. In the Renaissance City Report, MITA has also stated that it would work with the Singapore Tourism Board to promote arts and cultural tourism "capitalising on opportunities in conferences, conventions and exhibitions." Sir, may I suggest that an all-in-one day pass or season pass be offered to cater to the diverse interest of tourists, which I am sure our 18 museums can accommodate. This type of day pass is not unusual in cities like Paris or London where visitors can choose from a range of museums and art galleries.

The Chairman: Miss Low, we have two other amendments to deal with.

Miss Penny Low: Another spin-off from the all-in-one type of pass is that of riding on bigger attractions, and it would help build attendance for smaller museums.

Encik Yatiman Yusof: Sir, I thank Mr Seng Han Thong and Miss Penny Low for their encouraging remarks and suggestions for our museums. The National Heritage Board (NHB) is currently working on a number of marketing strategies to promote a museum-going culture by forging stronger partnerships with the public, private and people sectors. Let me elaborate quickly.

Our museums are positioned as lifestyle centres. Mr Seng and Miss Penny Low may be happy to know that many of the suggestions raised have been incorporated into the NHB's operations. Lifestyle elements, such as food and drinks, retail shops, arts and cultural activities, are integrated to enhance the visitor's total experience. For example, art appreciation workshops and Lindy Hop dance classes are regular features in our museums. Our arts and heritage facilities, such as the Singapore Tyler Print Institute and Reflections@Bukit Chandu are available for corporate functions as well as arts-related events, such as poetry-reading, public talks, location filming and staging of plays. Like the newly-launched Asian Civilisations Museum at Empress Place, the Singapore History Museum will have a variety of retail spaces and function rooms for public bookings when it reopens in 2006.

Mr Seng and Miss Low suggested that we issue pass cards to encourage museum visitorship. I am glad to inform them that the NHB offers an annual pass with unlimited entry to all three national museums, namely, the Singapore History Museum, Asian Civilisations Museum and Singapore Art Museum, and the Singapore Philatelic Museum. NHB also works closely with partners, such as the STB and its network of tour operators, hotels, community organisations and NTUC, for joint promotions.

NHB is currently working with STB on a day pass with attractive benefits for tourists, as requested by Miss Low. Day passes catering to different niche groups, such as families, youths and the elderly are also being considered. NHB will study the feasibility of extending some of these passes to other smaller museums in the near future.

Miss Low also suggested that we should collaborate closely with schools. I am glad to say that this is already being done. For many years, NHB has been actively reaching out to students and getting them involved in our museums. About 70% of the schools in Singapore are members of the NHB's School Membership Scheme. On average, member schools visit our museum at least twice a year as part of their school curriculum. Together with the Ministry of Education, NHB has been involving students as museum guides and facilitators in its volunteer programmes, as well as in museums documentation and research work. Chong Fu Primary School, for example, has adopted the Singapore History Museum. The School has been working closely with the museum to provide museum guide services and performances for special occasions. We welcome more schools to take part in these programmes.

Miss Low also suggested that our museums encourage long-term loans or donations from private collections, and we are looking into it.

The Chairman: Mr Seng, would you like to withdraw your amendment?

Mr Seng Han Thong: Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The Chairman: Amendment No. (4), Mr Tan Soo Khoon. You have three minutes.

Mr Tan Soo Khoon (East Coast): Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head Q of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code QM 3100.

Sir, I am disappointed with IDA's decision to continue the practice of receivers of mobile phone calls paying for half the cost of mobile calls. This means there is no free incoming calls. I raised this subject sometime last year, and I was quite hopeful that the present system, whereby the receiver of a call, in fact, subsidises by half the cost to the caller, would be scrapped.

Sir, the latest decision fails to recognise fundamental flaws in the current system. Why should the consumer pay for something he did not initiate? This means consumers have no control over their final billings. Why should the consumer pay for something he has no control, such as paying for wrong calls made to his number or unsolicited calls from people like telemarketers? Does this not mean that those who make calls do not realise the full cost of making a call? In asserting that changing the format may not mean lower cost to consumers, IDA has not provided us with any evidence to back up its claim. On the contrary, I have read a lot of studies that have shown that the calling-party-pay system encourages more use of the handphone.

The Chairman: Mr Tan, there is one minute left for this cut.

Mr Tan Soo Khoon: On the contrary, the smallest telco, Starhub, is providing free incoming local calls till March next year, and there is a possibility of extending it further. One may say, "Why not switch telco?" But there again, we run into other problems. If a person is a subscriber of SingTel or M1 and he wants to switch to Starhub, he cannot retain his phone number unless he pays a monthly charge. So he either bears the inconvenience of a new number or he bears the burden of additional charges. If we realise that SingTel has a 49% market share and M1 has a 33% market share, we can see that Starhub is disadvantaged, and such a decision of IDA does not encourage the type of competition that we would like to see and which I thought IDA is supposed to promote.

The Chairman: Mr Khaw, you have 30 seconds to reply.

Mr Khaw Boon Wan: I agree with Mr Tan Soo Khoon that it is logical to make the calling party pay for the call he or she initiates. It is like postal service. You pay for the stamp when you want to send a letter. If we were to start afresh and introduce mobile telephony today, then we would most likely have adopted the calling-party-pay system. But having gone for the mobile-party-pay system, we would now need to evaluate the cost of switching mid-stream versus the benefits of the switch. Switching is not cost free.

But, first, let me explain why the regulator opted for the mobile-party-pay system.

The Chairman: You do not have time to explain. Order. It is "guillotine" time. Mr Tan, do you wish to withdraw your amendment?

Mr Tan Soo Khoon: Sir, from the little answer I got, it appears that switching is one of the problems. But I just want to point out to the Minister that many countries in Europe started with the other system, and they had switched to calling-party-pay system.

Sir, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $271,321,180 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $258,095,000 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

Head I -

The Chairman: Head I - Ministry of Community Development and Sports. Mr Charles Chong. We have 465 minutes for the whole Head.

Mr Charles Chong (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Sir, I beg to move,

That the total sum to be allocated for Head I of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100.

Sir, a lot has been said about the need to maintain and strengthen social cohesion in these rather challenging times, especially in a multi-racial and a multi-religious country such as Singapore. The Minister had previously mentioned two areas of concern: first, the communal divide; and, second, the material divide.

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Chew Heng Ching) in the Chair]

3.56 pm

Mr Charles Chong (Pasir Ris-Punggol): On the communal divide, many activities and programmes have been organised by various organisations, such as the CDCs, People's Association, IRCCs and other community and grassroots organisations. However, the emphasis has mainly been targeted at understanding and tolerating our racial and religious differences, rather than increasing our common areas and building upon our common objectives.

Visiting each other's places of worship and having a better understanding of each other's differences, different cultures, different religious practices are not enough to bond us as a cohesive society. We must go beyond just being aware of our differences and insisting on having our own way all the time, but we must also be willing to accommodate one another for the common good.

Strong social cohesion can only be achieved by establishing more people-to-people links based on common interest and common values. In troubled times, people are more likely to stand up and defend those whom they know personally as friends, as team mates and as neighbours whose homes they have visited.

Sir, could the Minister tell us what measures are being introduced to promote better engagement among Singaporeans? Measures such as promotion of community sports and mutual self-help groups that cut across ethnic lines would be some of the measures that should be considered.

On the material divide, the income gap is widening in Singapore. The average household income ratio at the bottom 10% has increased from 14.1 times in 1998 to 18 times in the year 2000, and the gap is expected to widen even further in the years ahead.

Social stratification may result if measures are not taken now to ameliorate the effects of the widening income gap. One such measure is for the promotion of philanthropy and a culture where the more able feel an obligation to help the needy and the less successful. However, the rate of philanthropy and volunteerism in Singapore is still very low. Could the Minister tell us what measures and initiatives are being taken by his Ministry to address these concerns and issues? Has there been a significant progress made in social cohesion amongst Singaporeans?

A survey on social attitudes was commissioned by MCDS in early 2001. The survey results show the glowing state of race relations and social cohesion among Singaporeans. In fact, nine out of 10 Singaporeans were generally satisfied with race relations in Singapore, and also 89% of Singaporeans considered their neighbours helpful and friendly and could be depended upon for help in times of need.

Sir, I understand that a more recent survey has been done by MCDS. Could the Minister comment on the findings of this latest survey?

Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed (Aljunied): Sir, my cut is on a cohesive and resilient society. This mission of MCDS will get more complex. It is already very challenging by itself because of the nature of our very own multi-racial and multi-religious society. It would be made even more sensitive and potentially divisive when external developments and forces come into play. The war with Iraq and the continuing fight against terrorism, with its Muslims and perceived Islamic connection, will make MCDS' task more onerous and formidable.

Sir, allow me to touch briefly on the Iraq crisis and its immediate impact on our cohesion. Although till early this morning, I was still praying, like many other Muslims and non-Muslims all over the world, for peace and no war, we know that in fact it was inevitable. The US has already fired its first salvo. And the prayer notwithstanding, Sir, we have to deal with the realities of war and peace.

Muslim Singaporeans do not want to be in the spotlight again. Even among Muslims generally, there is no love lost for President Saddam Hussein but they are, nonetheless, disturbed like many millions of other non-Muslims, as they worry for the innocent Iraqis who are also victims of the situation. We pray and hope that they will be spared a prolonged disaster. And we, as a country and a people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, I trust we rally to the call to provide humanitarian aid to the Iraqi people.

Sir, back to MCDS, how are MCDS' efforts for better integration taking shape, especially through IRCCs, GROs and VWOs? Does the Ministry see the momentum picking up, and are more ordinary citizens participating in Harmony Circles?

Grassroots harmony journeys to mosques, temples and churches are important and must continue, but we should see more substantive programmes organised that would promote better understanding and integration. The better mixing and meeting of hearts and minds at the HDB heartlands should be one success criterion. There is room for more bridging among Singaporeans to bring about greater comfort level among neighbours, in particular, through Harmony Circles. And I hope the Minister will share with us what is being done in that direction.

Mr Heng Chee How (Jalan Besar): Sir, the war in Iraq has started. Its ramifications will be seen and felt around the world in the coming days. Singapore may also be affected. We certainly hope that the conflict will be short and the suffering minimised through humanitarian efforts.

For Singapore, what should our priorities be in this situation? Clearly, we have to concentrate on tackling matters that are within our influence because our goals must be to act in our national interest. Economically, we have to watch carefully the impact of the war and potential disruption to trade and production. The bottom line is the impact on our ability to attract investments, export our goods and services so that there will be jobs for Singaporeans. On security, we have to up our antenna, guard against potential terrorism and sabotage, take decisive action to forestall and neutralise any such threat so that all who live in, work in and visit Singapore will continue to have confidence to do this. Because this again is crucial to our livelihood.

On the social front, Sir, we must step up all efforts that promote and strengthen our racial and religious harmony. For multi-racial and multi-religious Singapore, racial and religious harmony is not a nice-to-have quality. It is the very glue that holds the various parts together, allowing for not only tolerance and give and take, but also mutual respect and mutual support. Under no circumstances must we let our racial harmony be undermined or strained, or else all Singaporeans will pay a heavy price for it.

Sir, this is the time for Singaporeans of all races and religions, especially for leaders of all groups that represent them, to stand together and clearly articulate the message of unity above all. This pro-Singapore, pro-Singaporean message is a crucial reminder to help focus the attention and understanding of our people on our national interest and on the common interest of all Singaporeans.

Sir, there is a saying that if life throws you a lemon, then make lemonade with it. Singapore did not wish for this war to happen, but it has. And I hope that we can therefore make use of the circumstances nevertheless to strengthen our unity and resilience. Beyond the current circumstances, I urge MCDS to consider joint leadership seminars for the leaders of the various racial groups because this will provide more opportunities in a structured form for the leaders of the different races to meet, to learn from one another, especially to get to know one another better. The strengthened personal ties will go a long way towards enhancing unity and problem solving.

Sir, I urge MCDS to therefore ensure that, in these increasingly volatile times, sufficient emphasis and resources continue to be given to the strengthening of racial and religious harmony.

The Chairman: Mr Iswaran is not here. Mr Chandra Mohan.

Mr Chandra Mohan K Nair: Sir, with your permission, may I take the two cuts together.

The Chairman: Yes.

Mr Chandra Mohan K Nair: Sir, Singapore is a multi-racial and multi-religious society consisting mainly of Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians, and most of them are either Buddhists, Taoists, Christians, Muslims or Hindus. Fortunately, Singapore has experienced a great deal of racial and religious harmony in the last 30 years, or so. So are the programmes in place for racial and religious harmony amongst our people? As for students, I trust schools and other educational institutions have in place such programmes. If so, could the Ministry tell us about these programmes? As for adults and citizens in the workforce, could the Ministry tell us of the programmes available, if any?

Has the Ministry conducted research and studies on racial and religious harmony being improved in the following cases: (a) through inter-racial marriages; (b) through inter-religious marriages; (c) through inter-racial and inter-religious adoption of children, if any; and (d) do the offsprings of these marriages, as compared to children from one-race couple, show that they are more tolerant of different races? Do we have any precedent or studies done in other countries from which we can learn our lessons? If there are indications of children and other citizens being more Singaporean through inter-racial and/or inter-religious marriages and their offsprings being likewise, should the Ministry promote such marriages? If so, and if it is a necessary enticement, should our Government consider, as examples, granting of tax incentives for inter-racial and inter-religious marriages and also priorities for entry to primary schools, as has been done in other situations? If such measures can promote a better multi-racial and multi-religious society, which Singapore always boasts of, let us test it seriously, unless of course the leadership feels that race should not be mixed for whatever reasons. Are there statistics on the number of inter-racial and/or inter-religious marriages for, say, the last 10 years?

The Chairman: Dr Wang Kai Yuen is not here. Mr Sin Boon Ann.

Mr Sin Boon Ann (Tampines): Sir, in this House, there are many of us who see jobless residents every week. Sadly, some of these residents have been coming to our meet-the-people sessions for more than a year. I can safely say that, for them, it is not for want of trying that they cannot find jobs.

We are faced with the prospect of prolonged weakness in our economy. Many Singaporeans who helped to build this country and carry the economy on their backs are now without jobs; and not employable because China and India have stolen their lunches. We have always told our people that we are not a welfare state and that public handouts can be a crutch, which removes the dignity of labour.

Yes, our people bought that argument then because there was full employment in the economy, it would be easy to frown upon those who do not work for a living. However, where unemployment runs at 4.8% of the population and rising, it would ring hollow really to tell these people to go for training and retraining, as if there are plenty of jobs waiting for them.

Some have said that there are more than 600,000 jobs taken up by foreigners against about 80,000 who are unemployed in Singapore. We can make these jobs available and the unemployment in Singapore would be solved. This is not a realistic suggestion as many of these jobs are in the unskilled sector with wages that cannot realistically be expected to sustain a full family with school-going children in Singapore. We have seen how a weak economy translates into empty stomachs and angry minds in a few neighbouring countries. Now more than ever, we need to ensure that our social cohesion is not undermined by our state of the economy.

As the economy weakens and to preserve our social unity and bond, we must be prepared to cast our safety nets wider and be prepared to provide more assistance for the poor and needy. We must be prepared to recognise that what was previously a luxury 10 years ago may well be a necessity today. We may not be a welfare state, but certainly we are not a heartless society either. We must not be seen to be niggardly in extending our assistance to those who are deprived. If we did that, we will surely alienate our people. We have told our people to sing "Count on Me Singapore", we should send a clear signal to tell our people that they too can count on us fully in such difficult times.

Mr Chandra Mohan K Nair: Sir, my topic is on promoting a caring and compassionate society. Whilst we have progressed to be a first world nation, it may be timely to ask whether, as Singaporeans, we are a caring and compassionate society. We have anecdotal evidence that Singaporeans generally care more for themselves and seldom assist or bother with other people's problems and predicament. There are, of course, exceptions to this.

Would the Ministry have programmes to enhance our citizens' response to the call for a more caring and compassionate society? A caring nation is one that shows compassion and goodwill towards the lesser fortunate citizens and also to animals. I trust the Ministry will spare no efforts in promoting, amongst our people, the need to be compassionate and caring to our poor, our sick, our less educated and less successful. I hope the Ministry, together with the Ministry of Education, will do their utmost best to promote and enhance voluntary work by students and adults and joining the hundreds of voluntary organisations and contribute their time and energy, besides monetary contributions, to worthwhile causes, including charitable organisations, homes for the poor and elderly, animal care and groups of such nature. Perhaps, the Ministry could elaborate on the schemes that they have in place, or propose to have, so that the citizens would know more about it and could participate actively in such efforts so that, as a nation, we grow to be a more caring nation.

Miss Penny Low: Sir, some two weeks ago, I was deeply moved when I read the article written by our journalist, Ms Chua Mui Hoong, on her fight with breast cancer. Yesterday, another ST interviewer, Ms Elisabeth Gwee, interviewed a Mrs Katherine Chionh on her struggle with her skin disorder, vitiligo, also caught my attention. Recently, a young friend of mine, aged 22, also contracted breast cancer. All of a sudden, her world went into a spin and so did her families. Words like confusion, anger, fear and disbelief are understatements. Their fight is a long and arduous one and perhaps one which can sometimes get so bad and lonely that thoughts of giving up all hopes may surface.

I salute these three women warriors who have since conquered their illnesses and surfaced stronger than before. However, I would also want to recognise those who were behind them and who gave them strong support when they were down so that they can live a life again. We have caring Singaporeans too. All three women could surface today only because they have found a strong support group who, in the words of Ms Chua, shared information, thus empowering patients and their caregivers.

Sir, in the last 15 years, we have unbridled growth and a very rapid pace of change, and the stress level is high. At various points in time, people did help to cope and move on. The retrenched need help, the sandwich generation needs help, the physically disabled or unwell need help, the alcoholic or smokers need help, and the list goes on. As a responsible Government, we must reach out to this group of people by providing some assistance, both financially and infrastructure-wise, to help them move on with the predicament. We can reach out to this group of people, so they know that they are not alone in the darkest moments of their lives. Support groups can act as self-help and mutual help groups. These are pressure-release valves, a stabiliser for the despondent, and the light of hope.

It is often said that it is in these darkest hours that a listening ear, a helping hand, and an understanding smile are the balms that soothe the pain. Perhaps, MCDS can tangibly assist these mutual and self-help groups by:

(1) providing trained facilitators and social workers;

(2) publicising the existence and easy accessibility to such a group, perhaps a form of a guide could be published to facilitate better access to these groups;

(3) providing some very basic start-up funds or meeting venues in different parts of Singapore to facilitate their meeting; and

(4) taking a proactive stand to encourage the formation of suitable support groups for both the client and the patient, and the caregivers.

On the last case, I read that Mrs Catherine Cheong is keen to start a support group for vitiligo sufferers. Perhaps, MCDS could consider reaching out to her and give her a hand to form maybe the first vitiligo support group in Singapore. 4.15 pm

The Acting Minister for Community Development and Sports (Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim): Sir, as we negotiate the economic restructuring and show concern for those who need help, as war begins in Iraq and the world faces greater uncertainty, the need for us here in Singapore to continue to re-affirm our way of life as a cohesive, harmonious society is ever more pressing. I appeal to all Singaporeans to stand united and weather this temporary storm together. We had done so in the past and, each time, we had emerged stronger as a nation.

This afternoon, while we focus on our domestic issues, let us not lose sight of the turmoil in the international arena. We must not take safe harbour for granted, and must continuously work towards maintaining national peace and harmony.

Hence, I thank Mr Charles Chong and other Members for raising their concerns about social cohesion, racial harmony and our society in general.

Sir, I would like to also acknowledge the 98 cuts that MCDS received - the most among all the Ministries. Nevertheless, MOS Chan Soo Sen and I will endeavour to answer all the queries to the best of our abilities and, hopefully, to the satisfaction of all Members who have taken a keen interest in the work of our Ministry.

Sir, MCDS' vision is for Singapore to be a cohesive and resilient society. However, unlike Ministries that directly deliver the end outcomes, such as a good education or health system, MCDS primarily plays the role of facilitator, enabler and catalyst. We encourage and enable the individual to show resilience, the family to show care and support, and the community to show inter-group understanding and interaction. We may be the cheerleaders, and sometimes even the coach or the physiotherapist, but we are not the players. The players are each and every Singaporean.

A cohesive society is one that displays unity in diversity. We want to ensure we have strong social networks amongst Singaporeans.

Players matter most. That is why they are valued more than coaches or physiotherapists. A soccer team cannot perform at its best on the pitch, if the players do not get along off-pitch, whether because they let their different backgrounds come in the way, or because of other reasons, such as stolen girlfriends or flying boots. In the same way, Singapore's ability to cope with tough times would also be affected, if Singaporeans from various segments of society are not united.

Our society has also been likened to a dish of rojak - many different pieces, each with its own distinctive feel and flavour, with the prawn paste binding them together and enhancing their taste. The test of a good rojak is in the paste. A cohesive society is like a good dish of rojak, with thick prawn paste being the inter-group understanding, the interaction and cooperation, as well as the shared values and aspirations that bind the various ethnic groups together. Our challenge is to ensure that we have the right paste, or the appropriate connectors that can only be developed through enlarging our common space.

Social cohesion is about building social capital. Social capital refers to the social trust, norms and networks that people can draw upon for mutual benefit. In other words, people getting together and growing comfortable with one another, eg, through dialogues and networking, as well as working and interacting on common projects. In this manner, we build social capital and not allow social exclusion to take place. If any group feels that it does not belong, and feels excluded, then our rich social tapestry is at risk.

But, as Mr Charles Chong has said, social cohesion must go beyond racial and religious harmony, and includes collaboration between various groups, eg, between religious and secular groups, between the rich and the poor, between the young and the old, and between citizens and foreigners. We want to create opportunities for such groups to interact in all aspects of life, such as through the arts, culture, sports and recreational activities.

A cohesive society should also go beyond mere talk to action. Volunteerism, philanthropy and mutual self-help groups can enable people to connect, cooperate and build bridges across social divides. These activities enable social groups to interact and affirm common values, such as helping the less fortunate. Common values that all groups can uphold are a vital dimension of the common space. We also want more of the support groups that Miss Penny Low talked about.

Sir, it is widely believed that one test for social cohesion in Singapore is the war on Iraq, which started this morning. Both Mayor Zainul and Mayor Heng have touched upon this. As reported in the newspapers, there is some feeling against the war, and this feeling cuts across racial and religious groups, even though there is strong support for the Government's stand as rational and in Singapore's interest. Such variations in views are inevitable. They are found even in the US. Whatever our personal views, I am confident that we will maintain our shared perspectives as Singaporeans. We have passed previous tests, and I am confident we will pass this one.

Whilst a cohesive society is one that displays unity in diversity, a resilient society is one that shows unity in adversity. Singapore has had a relatively smooth ride, although a carefully managed one, in the past 25 years. But now we are entering into a much more competitive, volatile and uncertain environment, both economically as well as geo-politically. The ability to recover quickly from setbacks, whether from the loss of a job, of loved ones, or from something like the shock of the Jemaah Islamiyah arrests, these are tests of our resilience.

We must be able to bounce back from misfortune and cope positively with challenges. In fact, we must tackle challenges head-on. To enable this, MCDS promotes individual resilience, family resilience and community resilience.

At the individual level, MCDS promotes personal responsibility and self-reliance. We provide a basic social safety net to look after the well-being of the socially disadvantaged. This net will help them build up their self-esteem, so that they can get back on their feet as much as possible. A good example of individual resilience is the story of Elim Chew, highlighted in the newspapers last week. She left school early, but continued her education in the school of hard knocks, and turned out as an extremely successful streetwear retailer. A firm believer in an attitude of gratitude, she even gives half her income to community causes.

At the family level, we help create a social environment that is conducive to having children and raising families. We help facilitate programmes that strengthen families, so that they can continue to be the first line of care and support for the individual. The State can provide financial support to needy individuals, but it can never replace the emotional care and social support that only family members can give. A good example of family resilience is the story of Kenny Goh. His company, Ken-Air, may have collapsed, but his family ties have strengthened.

At the community level, we promote the principle of "Many Helping Hands" and enable communities to solve their problems together. The haves should help bridge the social divide by helping the have-nots. More than that, there should be more collaboration between and within groups. Community activities nurture human bonds, mutual support and social networks, which neither the State nor the market can provide. A good example of community resilience is the Seniors Befrienders programme run by the Lions Befrienders Service Association. Quite a number of the befrienders, who provide meal delivery and errand running, among other things, are elderly themselves. In fact, 23 befrienders are 80 years old or older.

Sir, I agree with Mr Charles Chong, Mr Zainul Abidin and other Members that we must continue to forge racial and religious harmony. Last year, I reported findings from a benchmark Survey on the Social Attitudes of Singaporeans conducted by MCDS in 2001. The findings were very positive. Nine out of 10 Singaporeans were satisfied with race and religious group relations in Singapore. However, the 2001 survey was conducted before the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US and the arrest of JI members in Singapore in January 2002. Hence, I said that my Ministry would be conducting another survey in 2002, to see if the views have changed.

Mr Charles Chong has asked for an update on the second survey. I am very happy to report that, despite the two key events in the one-year interval, there have been no significant changes in satisfaction with the current state of racial and religious group relations. Nine out of 10 Singaporeans continue to be satisfied with race relations, but with small differences, if the data is analysed by race: Chinese community, 88%, Malays 91%, and Indians 93%.

The second survey also found that almost all Singaporeans, 99%, were comfortable with the idea of allowing their children to play with children of other races. 96% of Singaporeans also thought that it was good to have people of different races living in the same neighbourhood. There were no significant differences between the races in this regard.

At the more personal level, we found that the proportion of Singaporeans who had close friends of a different race rose significantly, from 70% in 2001 to 76% in 2002. In fact, a much higher proportion of Malays indicated that they have close friends of another race, from 71% in 2001 to 86% in 2002.

Sir, these findings speak well of the current racial and religious group relations. It suggests that there is a certain amount of social resilience among Singaporeans in general, a social resilience that provides a sound foundation for safeguarding and enhancing racial and religious group relations in Singapore, despite shocks, such as terrorism.

However, one note of concern is that, unlike 2001, in 2002 we found that only six out of 10 Singaporeans with tertiary education were satisfied with current race and religious group relations. This might be due to a greater sensitivity to the global terrorist threat, as well as perhaps increasing expectations of what constitute good racial and religious group relations.

Sir, one of the basic characteristics of Singaporean life is the presence of, and the continued need to enhance our common space. Our common space reflects what makes us uniquely Singaporean, while embracing the diverse cultures and faiths that we come from.

The presence of the common space allows for the diversity to flourish primarily because what brings a diverse people to the common space are the values and aspirations that define us all as Singaporeans. Without this shared aspiration and the common values that define us, there will be no Singapore. But how the common space grows depends largely on how the different communities see the value in preserving a uniquely Singaporean identity. Hence, we need to continuously encourage the building of ties across all groups, in order to demonstrate this value to all Singaporeans.

Most of us would have experienced the idea of being in a common space one way or the other as part of living in Singapore and being Singaporean at heart. Let me cite some everyday examples.

Sports is a universal activity and passion for Singaporeans, regardless of age, gender, race and religion. During the last World Cup finals, big screens were set up at a few public areas, and even hospitals, for people to enjoy the match together. You could even find crowds sitting or standing outside shops selling television sets, watching soccer together. And every time a goal was scored, they would cheer together, and every time the referee made a bad call, they would jeer him together.

There are also not many countries where you can find temples, mosques and churches peacefully co-existing next to one another. Just look at our Chinatown, Little India or Geylang East. We know of several places of worship in Singapore built with generous donations from all Singaporeans, regardless of race or religion. For example, Dr Theyvendran, who oversaw the renovation of the Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple in Ceylon Road, told me that the temple received donations from Muslims, and involved Chinese architects in its design. 4.30 pm

Sir, we respect diversity within the common space, so that all can be comfortable and feel at home in it. Diversity goes beyond race and religion. The common space includes diverse groups, with different interests and needs. Examples include environmentalists, arts groups and sports enthusiasts. In other words, it is a space that all Singaporeans have a stake in, no matter what we are and what our interests are. Common space is underpinned by our shared values, such as our belief in nurturing strong families, meritocracy, multi-racialism and a corrupt-free Government.

Sir, some are concerned that by enlarging the common space, our private values and ways of life will be threatened. It is not a zero-sum game. While we have our private needs and preferences, we can accommodate and appreciate others who are different within the common space. What we do in our private space should not make it harder to mingle and understand others outside of our belief systems. Cultural and religious values, when practised in the spirit intended, should help to enrich and enlarge the common space.

Sir, as Mr Charles Chong and Mr Zainul Abidin have pointed out, as a society, we need to find ways to meaningfully engage one another, negotiate our differences and move forward. The Grassroots Organisations (GROs), Inter-Racial Confidence Circles (IRCCs) and Harmony Circles are some of these platforms.

IRCCs and Harmony Circles are avenues to expand the common space. The IRCCs are in a good position to help Singaporeans make sense of events that affect their lives. The IRCCs comprise a diverse group of national leaders from the local community. Currently, the members comprise 23% Malays and 16% are Indians. Half are people from outside the grassroots network, including community, school and religious leaders.

Through the IRCCs, community and religious leaders form friendships and better understand one another. Armed with a good understanding of other communities as well as their own communities, the IRCC members are in a better position to help their own communities and followers navigate through sensitive or difficult issues.

The friendships and understanding built up will also help manage the ground reactions during times of crisis. While some people doubt the value of visiting religious places of worship, IRCC members told me that this is like visiting someone in his own home. It really breaks the ice among the members.

IRCCs also add value to grassroots organisations by giving suggestions on how their activities can be more inclusive. For example, avoiding evening activities on Thursday nights, as Muslims tend to congregate in mosques at those times for extended prayers. And this culminates with the Friday afternoon prayer session. Many Hindus, for example, visit the temple on Friday evenings, just as many Christians go to church on Sunday mornings. Besides playing this advisory role, IRCCs also reach out to promote cross-cultural activities that attract all races and religions and engage in public education.

For example, the Bishan-Toa Payoh North IRCC, together with five religious groups and the Inter-Religious Organisation, reached many residents in a public education effort called "Celebrating New Year through Community Bonding". Some 35,000 participants turned up at the Carnival last weekend on 15th and 16th March.

In November last year, Fengshan IRCC had a Community Quiz targeted at young people from primary and secondary schools, and the voluntary sector. The quiz promoted greater awareness and understanding of ethnic cultures among school students. The feedback from the schools was very positive. Fengshan IRCC, together with South East CDC, is now thinking of developing a puzzle book for younger children in the South East District.

In the next phase, IRCCs will expand their efforts to get their members more actively engaged. The National Steering Committee on IRCCs will be putting together a resource guide for IRCC members to help them do their work. The Committee is also planning more training for IRCC members.

To further support such bottom-up community initiatives, my Ministry will give more than $80,000 for four community projects under the pilot phase for the Community Harmony Grants Scheme. Let me give two examples of the approved projects.

The Inter-Religious Organisation will develop an inter-faith manual to guide community and grassroots groups who wish to organise more inclusive community events and activities that would cater to the needs of Singaporeans of various faiths.

The Joint Social Service Centre in Central Singapore CDC will be starting a course for frontline staff, such as nurses and social workers, to enable them to better appreciate ethnic differences and serve their clients of different races more effectively.

These are just two examples. We would, of course, be very happy to hear new ideas from any Member of Parliament or member of the public on activities that can bring about better inter-group understanding.

Apart from facilitating inter-racial and inter-religious activities, the Government has also worked with religious groups to reaffirm Singapore's commitment to fundamental principles that have held Singapore together as a multi-religious society.

The Minister of State for Community Development and Sports, Mr Chan Soo Sen, has been leading this effort. His working committee has held many dialogues with main religious groups and achieved a consensus on the Declaration on Religious Harmony. He will be ready to share about the Declaration soon.

Sir, one concrete way of strengthening ties and bonds in our society and bridging social divides is to promote volunteerism and philanthropy. Philanthropy refers to the giving of money and resources for charitable purposes. It comes from the Greek word for "love for mankind". This sense of giving back to the community cuts across all boundaries, be it class, age, gender, race or religion.

Sir, we have a strong charitable culture in Singapore. Foundations, clan associations and religious and community groups, work tirelessly to raise funds for various causes. Most people would expect charitable giving to fall in bad times. But the numbers show that even in bad times, the haves are doing more to help the have-nots. Donations to Institutions of Public Character rose every year from $157 million in 1995 to $381 million in 2001, despite the financial crisis in 1997 and the economic downturn in 2001. Similarly, our national volunteerism rate increased from 9.3% in 2000 to 14.9% last year.

We do not have the 2002 figures yet, but recent fund-raisers such as the President's Challenge and the Ren Ci Hospital Charity Show have received overwhelming public support. The donations to the President's Challenge increased 50% from $4.1 million in 2001 to $6.3 million in 2002. The Community Chest, which raised $37 million in FY 2001, expects to meet its fund-raising target of $40 million in FY 2002. All this shows that we are indeed a caring, cohesive and compassionate society.

Philanthropic activities in Singapore are not new. But we need more modern-day versions of Lee Kong Chian, Govindasamy Pillai, CJP Paglar and Mohammed Eunos Bin Abdullah - people who had a passion and did good for the community. We should preserve the spirit of philanthropy and broaden its base. Philanthropy is about "giving back" to society. It provides an important channel for the more successful to help others and to better our society. It is an important bridge, nurturing people in a world of increasing income inequality. Besides bringing people together, philanthropic activities are critical in complementing the Government in providing financial support for social causes. There is room for more philanthropists in Singapore. So I fully agree with Mr Charles Chong that more needs to be done to promote philanthropy in Singapore as a way of bridging the income divide.

An excellent example of a modern-day philanthropic organisation in Singapore is the Tsao Foundation. It is guided by the vision of their founder, Mrs Tsao Ng Yu Shun, who was 86 years young when it was first chartered in 1993. She wanted to do something about the challenges of growing old. Tsao Foundation became one of the few philanthropic organisations in Asia that provides services rather than grants. The Foundation carries out a wide range of programmes, including a community-based healthcare programme, which runs a domiciliary medical clinic service, and a community care management service.

Hence, my Ministry will provide more resources to the National Volunteer Centre to promote philanthropy. The National Volunteer Centre currently promotes volunteerism as a way of life. Promoting philanthropy has good synergy with volunteerism, as both call on Singaporeans to give of their time, talent and resources, to make a difference to the community.

Sir, as I mentioned earlier, Singaporeans donate generously. They do so as they trust and are confident that the charities will do the right thing. We should not take this trust for granted. Charities should be prepared to show that the donations are spent wisely, and go towards programmes that make a difference.

The challenges we face go beyond encouraging charity and keeping faith with the donors. Philanthropy has to be increasingly strategic, and directed at emerging social needs. Money raised should be invested for good results. Some social problems need to be tackled via the root causes. For those who can be helped to help themselves, we should empower them, rather than provide a crutch. For those who need lifelong support, there must be a safety net to protect them. We need to channel our passion and resources strategically to tackle the social challenges that we face.

In developed countries, donors, especially rich philanthropists and foundations, are moving towards a model of social investment. They want to be involved in enterprising, outcome-driven programmes. They donate funds, share expertise with non-profit agencies, and take an interest in the programmes. For example, the Robin Hood Foundation was set up by an investment banker to raise funds and partner organisations to fight poverty in New York. Programmes are regularly reviewed for results, and the foundation also sources for expertise to help programmes do better.

We need to find new ways of getting the best social value from the charity dollar. We need to find ways of encouraging new philanthropists, who expect and want greater involvement for the funds they donate, to come to the fore. Our infrastructure has to support the growth of more foundations and philanthropists, and enable our charities to run the distance. Corporations can add value by partnering non-profit organisations in their programmes, and exercise social responsibility. They will also infuse corporate expertise into the non-profit sector.

Sir, another concrete example of community self-help is social entrepreneurship. Social entrepreneurship is about bringing business practices or innovation to solve social problems.

One example is the recently-established Food from the Heart programme, which delivers unsold bread from bakeries across the island to charity homes. It was initiated by a couple, who used their logistics expertise and implemented a mobile tracking system. The system, accessed by handphones, coordinates the times and routes volunteers take to transport bread and pastries to some 35 homes. A social enterprise is essentially a business with a social mission, not merely commercial objectives.

Many Voluntary Welfare Organisations like MINDS, Teen Challenge and the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped also have humble commercial activities or what may be termed as social enterprises.

Social enterprises are becoming more sophisticated. One example is the Industrial Services and Cooperative Society, commonly known as ISCOS, set up in 1989, to help discharged inmates re-integrate into society through work rehabilitation. It promotes self-esteem and economic independence by developing businesses to provide employment opportunities. ISCOS is financially self-sufficient, and profitable with healthy revenue. Another example is the Development of Economy for Women Credit Cooperative Ltd, or DEW, which has assisted 1,500 women since 1981 to save together regularly and lend to one another from the savings at a reasonable rate of interest. DEW members assist one another through mutual cooperation. To foster and support emerging social enterprises, MCDS will, as a start, establish a $2 million Social Enterprise Fund in FY03. The fund will provide some capital to social entrepreneurs seeking to invest in start-up projects or to scale-up fledgling social enterprises. 4.45 pm

Sir, Mr Sin Boon Ann made some comments on social assistance but I will address them later when other Members speaking on the same topic have made their points.

Miss Penny Low spoke about encouraging the formation of support groups. I agree with her and I am glad to see support groups springing up in Singapore. Members of such groups give one another emotional support, information and other resources. Many are run by volunteers. They exemplify the spirit of active citizenry and self-help. There are many such groups that we may not know about. Allow me to highlight a few.

Cancer Story.com was founded by Lee Soh Hong to share her experience in dealing with cancer and help patients and their families face the battle against cancer. Another example is the Amputees Caring Together (ACT) Club at the Alexandra Hospital which was started last year. The Club brings together people who have lost their limbs and are struggling to cope with the loss. The Club is an initiative of the Hospital's Rehabilitation Department and its key organiser, Ng Hwee Hian, is a physiotherapist. A support group was formed to help the amputees talk through their fears, and help them and their families cope so that they can live normal lives.

The National Volunteer Centre supports such support groups as well as volunteer hosting organisations by providing start-up grants of up to $50,000 on a co-funding basis. The Centre provides information which people sector groups find useful, for example, on how to start an organisation or go about getting fund-raising permits. It also gives advice and training on volunteer recruitment and management and facilitates volunteer recruitment through its website, and through its partners such as companies. The National Volunteer Centre currently has a list of volunteer hosting organisations on its website, including support groups. It intends to expand the listing so that it is more comprehensive. I also urge more established VWOs and people sector organisations to take such support groups under their wings, to use their premises and so on, in the spirit of people sector partnership. So to the lady that Miss Penny Low has mentioned, I would encourage her to approach the NVC and I am sure we can do something to help her start a new support group.

But ultimately, Singaporeans must want to be in such groups. As mentioned by Miss Penny Low, Straits Times journalist, Ms Chua Mui Hoong, who recently shared the story of her battle with cancer, recounted in her article how she found comfort in support groups in the US but felt that those with cancer in Singapore tended to keep to themselves. Singaporeans need to learn to come together. This is what social capital is about: building networks of trust for mutual benefit.

Sir, Mr Chandra Mohan has also raised the point about whether or not we want to encourage inter-racial marriages and the adoption of children from different racial groups. Sir, this is a personal decision. We support marriages. MCDS is pro-marriage and pro-family, but ultimately groups will have to decide what is the best outcome for themselves. Currently, there are no studies that we know of to show that marriages between two people of different races would promote greater understanding. I can speak from my own personal experience for my wife is not a Malay. I think it is difficult to say whether or not my son will be more tolerant, or more integrative, because it would depend upon the values of the parents and not their racial backgrounds. At the same time, I would like to assure Mr Mohan that we are serious about integration and about the need to promote a more caring society. But that seriousness need not be reflected in our willingness to encourage such inter-racial unions. This is ultimately up to each individual to decide who should their partner be.

Mr Chandra Mohan also has said that we should promote more schemes to promote compassionate feelings towards the poor and the needy among our school children. As I understand it, MOE has a programme to promote such activities within the schools and I will not touch upon that. But, at the more general level, I have given some examples on some of the things that we have done to achieve their objectives. A lot is being done by MCDS and its partners. I will be most happy to provide Mr Mohan with some of the details of these programmes.

Sir, finally, I have outlined MCDS' programmes that will help to build our cohesiveness as a society. But ultimately, the choice is ours. If every Singaporean sees the value in persevering and continuing this experiment called Singapore, then our efforts will not be in vain. Sir, I am optimistic about Singapore's future as a nation. Under all that bellyaching and complaints that we hear at our meet-the-people sessions and other meetings, lies a strong spirit of wanting to see through these difficult times together as a nation.

It warms my heart to see one of my staff, a Chinese Singaporean, stopping her car at the top of the hill, where MCDS is located, in order to give a ride to an elderly Malay Singaporean man down the hill. The basic human instinct to help a fellow man is alive in Singapore. My feeling is that even those who criticise do so because they care.

Hence, Mr Speaker, I am confident that the choice that the Old Guard made in 1965, in taking the leap of faith to be on our own, with a vision of a peaceful and progressive nation that offers opportunities to all, regardless of race, language or religion, will continue to be supported and built upon further by generations to come.

I have addressed most of the questions, Sir.

Mr Charles Chong: Sir, many of our disabled are capable of making valuable contributions to society should they be given the opportunity to achieve their full potential and assistance to live and function independently. Could the Minister tell us what support programmes and new initiatives his Ministry will be providing to disabled Singaporeans, especially to children with special needs? Sir, it is the stated objective of the Government that mainstream public transportation system be made progressively more accessible to the disabled. Could the Minister tell us how successful his Ministry has been in getting the Ministry of Transport and public transport companies to make public transportation, especially the buses, more disabled-friendly?

Another group that should not be overlooked is our disabled sportsmen and sportswomen. Could the Minister tell us how much support his Ministry will be providing through the Singapore Sports Council to the disabled and whether he would consider implementing an incentive and reward scheme for disabled sportsmen and sportswomen who win medals at international competitions similar to the scheme for our able-bodied athletes?

Ms Braema Mathiaparanam: Thank you, Sir, for allowing me to speak on this topic. Like Mr Charles Chong and many others, under various Ministries we have already raised this issue on the disabled. Today, I am here to again talk about the disabled and children with special needs, but I am parking this right now under the Ministry of Community Development and Sports because it is my hope that the ownership to look at the whole issue in an integrated manner will be taken on by the Ministry so that we can have a more integrated approach to issues of the disabled, and this includes Ministry of Manpower for job opportunities, Ministry of Transport for better equipped buses, and accessibility to buildings where the Ministry of National Development is concerned. I think there is an opportunity here as the IMC on Ageing has filed its report and, with much less work and fewer resources, one can piggy-back ride on that report to look at the issues related to people with disabilities in Singapore. For far too long they have fallen between the cracks, caught up in the bureaucracy, or in silo minds. This is quite similar to the crow situation that Dr Teo Ho Pin mentioned yesterday, depending on where the crow lands, that is, the Ministry that picks up the issue where the disabled are concerned.

Testimony to how this mindset has played out on the ground is evident, if I can give an example. Imagine a disabled person in a wheel-chair coming out of the MRT - it has to be the North East Line because that is the only one right now with disabled-friendly features - and getting to the bus-stop but got stuck because there is no bus. A friendly taxi driver picks him up and sends him to a shopping complex, but this is a shopping complex where the BCA guidelines are not mandatory and perhaps it does not have a ramp for the person to get in. So we are stuck again.

I think this has gone on for far too long and it is my appeal that the Ministry will take the ownership to get representatives from different Ministries to get together to look at this issue from the beginning to the end. Even a simple thing like finding a Braille greeting card is tough in Singapore. So we have small issues and large issues and hopefully we will not have to come to a stage where we spend $78 million later to retrofit all the MRT stations. It is my hope that this will come true and it can begin with a demographic profile study of the people with disabilities in Singapore.

Assoc. Prof. Ngiam Tee Liang (Nominated Member): Sir, I would like to add to what the two hon. Members have just mentioned regarding the issue of transport needs. I feel very strongly, Sir, that this issue should rightly be a transport issue and not a welfare issue. What is my context for saying so? We heard earlier today in this House how MOE is providing funding and other support for special education. MOH is also helping nursing homes managed by VWOs meet their financial requirements besides other forms of assistance. In other words, the educational needs of children with disabilities and the nursing care of older adults are not seen as welfare concerns and, therefore, the responsibility of MCDS alone.

Similarly, the public transport needs of people with disabilities should not be so regarded. However, Sir, since my cut was diverted from the MOT line to the MCDS line I shall now flag my question to the Minister on the same lines as my colleagues earlier on. So, apart from the measures by MOT and LTA to make MRT and LRT stations and trains disabled-friendly, what other steps have been and will be taken to maximise opportunities for people with disabilities to utilise public transport, including taxis, for schooling, employment, social and recreational purposes? Sir, in resolving the disabilities' transport issue between the relevant authorities, I earnestly request that the gap between goodwill and political will be bridged - since the Minister has mentioned bridge a number of times - to avoid any sense of ill-will from emerging later on.

Mr Chandra Mohan K Nair: Sir, one of the most dreaded diseases is mental illness. Mental diseases cause loss of enthusiasm to live and affect the self-esteem of persons affected. Human beings are generally reluctant to associate themselves with mental institutions and mentally handicapped people. There is a phobia of sorts, and unless you have a family member or close friend or relative hospitalised there, you try and avoid such institutions. There is generally, wittingly or unwittingly, stigmatisation of mentally handicapped people in our society. This must be looked at seriously and remedial measures taken. What can the Ministry and all of us do to try and de-stigmatise mental illness and take care of the mentally handicapped? Our Government does care for this, but can do more, I believe.

Since Dr Siegmund Freud's day, one may argue that scientific advances made in psychiatry, mental disorder and mentally handicapped research have not been so far-reaching that we now understand fully how the mind really works, how mental problems arise and what the cures are for mental illnesses, be it manic depression, schizophrenia or any other mental illness. The various psychiatric medicines available today, for example, Lithium, Proziac, Respadol, etc, and ECT doses, ie, electrical doses to the brains, have reduced the problem of psychiatry compared to the 1950s. Equally important would be the care and concern shown by the psychiatric patient's family members, relatives and friends and the community as a whole. What are the measures taken, Sir, by the Ministry to educate our people on psychiatry and the mentally handicapped and how do we adopt programmes to help society to be more knowledgeable about psychiatric illness and bring about de-stigmatisation of mental illness in our society? We should try and institutionalise psychiatric and mentally handicapped support groups, have websites and promote organisations, either voluntary or Government-sponsored, and I hope our Singaporeans would go the extra mile to do more for the mentally handicapped.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I agree with Mr Charles Chong, Ms Braema Mathi and Mr Chandra Mohan that what we do to help people with disabilities is an important marker for our maturity as a caring society. So I am pleased to announce that my Ministry will strengthen our disability programmes. Over the next five years, we will spend $60 million more on programmes for the disabled. 5.00 pm

Going forward, our programmes will focus on early intervention to give children with disabilities the best chance to lead life as independently as possible. With early intervention, we can improve the number of disabled children who can benefit from mainstream schooling. Specialists at KKH and NUH estimate that with appropriate early intervention, up to 80% of children with developmental problems would be able to attend normal schools and subsequently lead independent adult lives compared to about a third today. Those who cannot benefit from mainstream schooling will have Special Education.

More than 300 children aged 0-6 years are already benefiting from early intervention programmes for infants and children. Take the example of Matthew (not his real name), who suffers from ataxia, a degenerative nervous tissue condition, and delayed gross motor development. Under the Asian Women Welfare Association's Special School's early intervention programme, he had weekly therapy and progressed well enough to attend a kindergarten class at the PAP Community Foundation Education Centre. Now 7 years old, he is in Primary One in a mainstream school.

From April this year, my Ministry will co-fund these programmes with NCSS to reach more children like Matthew. There are currently three centres funded by MOE to provide early intervention for infants and children. We will now fund these, and plan to set up three more centres, catering to at least another 150 children.

In addition to this, my Ministry is working with childcare centres to take in children with disabilities under the integrated childcare programme. This developmental programme enables these children to attend the same childcare centres as non-disabled children and interact with them.

Let me give you the example of a girl named Lisa (not her real name), a child who had mild developmental disabilities and attended the Presbyterian Community Services integrated childcare programme. Lisa responded well to the integrated childcare programme and made great improvements in communicating with other children and her teachers. She has since gone on to Primary One, in a mainstream school, and can now speak both in English and Mandarin. With greater funding support, we hope to see more children like Lisa succeed in getting a mainstream education because of early intervention. Six centres will provide places for 60 disabled children this year. We plan to expand this to provide places for 250 disabled children over the next five years. More places can be considered if there is demand.

Like any other person, a disabled person wants to be gainfully employed, self-reliant and a part of mainstream life. To this end, we will work with partners to identify more jobs and training needs of persons with disabilities. We want to see more employers coming forward and giving the disabled a chance to prove themselves. A company like Trusted Hub, for example, which deals in high end digital data storage solutions for office documents, makes the effort to hire disabled persons. They now make up more than 70% of its workforce. We will step up efforts to raise public awareness and correct negative attitudes towards persons with disabilities.

Assistive Technology (AT) can improve the productivity of persons with disabilities and facilitate their learning and employment. The use of Assistive Technology is still sporadic today as much of the equipment is imported and costly, and so out of reach to many of those who could benefit from it. To ensure that disabled persons can afford and access appropriate enabling technology, we will set up an Assistive Technology Fund to provide grants to needy individuals to co-pay for assistive technology that could enable them to learn or gain employment.

Let me just give you one example, Sir. The fund will help more Singaporeans with disabilities to manage their tasks expected in the school or the workplace. Take Ms Lim Lin Li, as an example. A graduate of Nanyang Polytechnic in 2001 with a Diploma in Accountancy and Taxation, she is confined to a wheelchair due to a weakening of muscles in her limbs. She is now working as an accounts assistant with the Salvation Army - thanks to the special keyboard and numeric pad for PC work provided by the Society for the Physically Disabled. So, by the use of AT, she is able to work like any other individual.

Getting the technology alone is not enough. We need partners in the private and people sectors to come forward and help users get the most of this scheme. Today, a number of VWOs are already providing assistive technology support to their clients. They will be engaged to help assess their clients' needs, acquire the equipment, train and provide the necessary support to the users. My Ministry is still working out the details of the scheme which will be released in due course.

Sir, my Ministry has not neglected caregivers of the disabled. We are working with NCSS to set up a one-stop information and referral centre to help caregivers of the disabled find the right information, advice and services. We will also set up Special Student Care Centres for children with disabilities while their parents are at work.

Sir, I agree with Ms Braema that we need to give the disabled a helping hand to be part of the mainstream. The measures I have just outlined will help achieve this. The IMC on the Ageing Population already has its hands full dealing with the issues on the elderly, and we should let it focus on these efforts. However, some of the initiatives for the elderly also benefit the disabled, eg, the work on barrier-free access. Over time, we will see improvements in the situation for both the elderly and the disabled.

Mr Charles Chong, Ms Braema and Prof. Ngiam have all raised important issues on the transport needs for the disabled. The problem of an accessible transportation system for persons with disabilities is not new. The NCSS has a Transport Financial Assistance Scheme to help needy people with disabilities attending approved programmes with MRT, bus and taxi subsidies. Taxi subsidies are meant for those who cannot take public transport.

The voluntary welfare organisations have put two other schemes in place to help those who cannot take public transport: there is the contract bus service for the ambulant but who need a helper, eg, the intellectually disabled and those with neuro-muscular disabilities. The Adapted Vehicle Transport Service (AVTS) is for those with severe ambulatory problems, mostly the wheelchair bound.

The NCSS spends a total of $1.9 million each year on these transport schemes for the disabled. Concerned with the high cost of AVTS and the long-term sustainability of the Transport Fund, the NCSS formed a Work Group with representatives from MCDS, MOT and LTA in 2000 to review transport options for disabled persons. The Work Group has studied various systems overseas and considered various models. It has recommended a centralised and dedicated transport service for the wheelchair bound, including people with disabilities and the elderly. My Ministry will review this proposal with the Ministry of Transport. As the Work Group's proposal implies considerable cost, there is a need to further study how the objectives can be more efficiently and effectively implemented.

Sir, we recognise that the responsibility for transportation for the disabled cannot lie with the NCSS alone. The schemes by the VWOs target their clients and not the general disabled or elderly population. Furthermore, the NCSS has no expertise to develop sustainable transport solutions for the elderly and people with disabilities.

There will be more disabled and elderly persons who are ambulant or semi-ambulant, and who could take public transport on their own or with a companion, only if the public transport system is disabled-friendly and elder-friendly. A person with poor or very low vision, for example, needs voice or tactile aids to find his way around. I am glad that the MRT stations, for one, have been progressively made more accessible.

I agree with Members that transport needs and solutions for the disabled and the elderly should be addressed. They depend on mass transport services to get around, to work, to socialise, and to study, just like other Singaporeans. My Ministry will continue to work closely with MOT, LTA and the NCSS to look into the transport needs of the various segments of our population.

Mr Charles Chong has also expressed concern for the support given to disabled sportsmen. I will cover this under the help for sportsmen in Singapore.

Sir, on the point raised by Ms Braema on the need for a demographic study, I would agree with her that an integrated approach is needed and we need to better understand where the needs are, and where our disabled are located. We are, at this point in time, working together with the various Government agencies to arrive at an integrated approach, as the example given in meeting the transport needs of the disabled. At the same time, we are also doing a study on the profile of disabled persons, and this will help us better in devising new policies and programmes to help our disabled better integrate into society.

Finally, the care and concern for the disabled, as I mentioned, is not just the responsibility of MCDS or the NCSS. The needs of the disabled are best met when all relevant agencies and partners play their part. My Ministry, as I said earlier, will work with relevant partners in the public, private and people sectors to strengthen services for the disabled and to create an environment for the disabled to participate in the social mainstream.

Dr Tan Boon Wan: Sir, more people have come for help during this difficult period. Over time, some of these cases will become "hard". These are people who are unable to find jobs over a prolonged period, and their financial situations have deteriorated rapidly and deeply. After a prolonged period of unemployment, the chance of finding work has become even less. It is more difficult for them to get back to work. More help is needed for these people. We need a more focused or targeted approach so that assistance can be rendered to the deserving parties in a timely manner before the cases become "hard".

Sir, it is right that we should help those who are prepared to help themselves. But even if they do not want to put in the efforts to get themselves out of their predicament, we still need to assist their family members, especially the old and the young. The young must be helped with their education. Without education, the young will go through the same sad path that their parents took. We will then have a group of chronic poor. Some people want to help themselves, but they do not know how to help themselves. What are really their problems and how deep are their problems? We need people who can counsel them, especially with regard to their financial positions and options. If they do not understand their problems or how deep are their problems, they are less able to find a way out. It is very frustrating to provide help on a piecemeal basis. They come in with their utilities supply problem one evening, the service and conservancy charges next, and you think you have helped them solve their problems. And they come back with their school fees problem, and then they ask for jobs. Then this problem cycle starts again from the very beginning. It is very sad and frustrating.

I therefore would like to ask the Minister to review the help that is now available to help people who are genuinely in need. Is the help provided adequate? Are the resources available adequate? Can we also provide financial counselling to those in need of help, so that they can have a holistic picture of their problems?

Mdm Cynthia Phua (Aljunied): Sir, with the Iraq war on now and due to Singapore's open economy, many more people may be affected by the economic situation, either due to reduced income or loss of job. I would like to commend MCDS for the many financial and social assistance schemes that they introduced to help the lower income families and families that are affected by the downturn of the economy.

I have two concerns on disabled children. However, this has been answered by the Minister.

I share Mr Chandra Mohan's concern on the mentally disabled. In view of this downturn in the economy, many are very stressed with their financial and employment situation. Many may have some kind of mental illness but they are, however, not serious enough to be warded in the hospital, and they do not have the necessary family support. I have just one question. Is MCDS considering setting up step-down facilities and daily care service which would be of great help for such families, especially when the breadwinner is affected and the spouse needs to find alternative employment to supplement the family income? 5.15 pm

In view of the many social and financial assistance schemes initiated by MCDS and CDCs, would the Ministry consider streamlining all these schemes and ensure that they are better coordinated with CDCs as a one-stop help centre? This is in line with Dr Tan's appeal. Just to give Members an example. A family in need of financial help to send their children to childcare and student care centres will need to understand at least five financial schemes before she can apply - the Flexi Childcare Scheme, the Government childcare subsidy, the Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme, the Baby Bonus Scheme where they can use the money to pay even for the childcare service, and Student Care Fee Assistance Scheme. Most of these schemes have very minor differences. So could the Ministry please look into that?

Dr Warren Lee (Sembawang): Sir, with the downturn in the economy, there are two groups of children whom I would be very much concerned about. The first group would be the children from poor families who have been previously poor. Many of these families are large, they have had low incomes and they have been in the cycle of poverty with very little support. MCDS has done much for this group, but much more needs to be done.

The other group really would be the ones who might be newly poor, or newly in need, because the parents previously having been able to look after the family are now in financial difficulties, as a result of the economic downturn. Some of these children and their families have been unwilling to come forward for help because of embarrassment. Others are in great need but are still in the process of making their relevant adjustments to their family lifestyle. Some of these children actually are in the kindergarten age group where, I believe, there is a list of help available, in terms of being unable to pay for children's kindergarten fees. But the long-term impact on the kindergartens - although it is not compulsory education - would be very important, in terms of giving these children a head-start in the education system.

What plan does MCDS have to address this problem? These children are our future. I hope that MCDS would be able to come up with some schemes, maybe for the next few years at least, to address their needs. In particular, I want to bring forth the plight of those children who come from families who have actually heeded the nation's call "to have three or more, if you can afford it"; and sometimes, there is a fourth child. Some of these children will not enjoy many of the subsidies available to the first and the second child. Families may have actually thought that they could afford looking after these children, two or five years ago. But because of the downturn, they may be in trouble. Can we find ways to help them?

Ms Braema Mathiaparanam: Sir, the National Council of Social Service has compiled a very comprehensive list of all the assistance schemes that are available under this assistance programme, and they update it monthly. Looking at all the schemes that are on the website, just as an example, under financial assistance, there are already 33 schemes; help to pay bills, etc, there are 12 schemes; assistance for training opportunities, there are 29; on education, there are 49; childcare, there are 6. The point that I am driving at is that there are plenty of schemes out there, and I share Mdm Cynthia Phua's and Dr Tan's viewpoints too, that it is difficult for a lay person to understand the schemes. The schemes are difficult to administer where form filling, checking of document, etc, are concerned.

And the other point which I am concerned about is the criteria schemes that are used under the various assistance programmes. For example, the CCC short-term financial aid programme gives money ranging from $50 to $300 for families in distress. Under the PA, it is $230 to $670 for different criteria schemes. So, at the end of it all, we have just one example, ie, from April 2001 to March 2002, $6 million has been given out to 5,300 people under the public assistance scheme. When much money is going out to many different people who are in need, we need to ride by them. When we have this complex structure of different schemes, it is also important that, like what Mdm Cynthia Phua has said, we should streamline them, and relook the criteria schemes that we are using under various schemes. Maybe the means testing will be a solution here.

Lastly, there is also too much of hopping where recipients are concerned, and that can be a problem because we might overlook someone who is really in need, because there is usually a quota too on how much aid one can give. Therefore, I ask for a review.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I thank Mr Sin Boon Ann and Dr Tan Boon Wan for raising concerns about the poor and needy families who may have fallen into financial difficulties due to economic restructuring. I believe Dr Warren Lee and Mdm Cynthia Phua have also raised the same concern.

Indeed, our CDCs have seen more applications for short-term assistance in the past year. For example, the number of applications for the Interim Financial Assistance Scheme (IFAS) doubled from 5,501 in 2001 to 11,291 in 2002 over the same nine-month period (April-December) in 2001.

Sir, my Ministry is committed to helping those most in need. We will work with the community and other partners to ensure that the social safety net meets the needs of the poor and the under-educated, those most vulnerable to economic restructuring. Every case for assistance will thus be assessed on its merits and needs. Social assistance officers have the flexibility to help cases at the margins. The help will be given holistically. Poorer families with school-going children, for example, may be referred to the School Pocket Money Fund for help or to the schools for school fee assistance. My Ministry also provides financial assistance for student care services.

But social assistance is only a temporary relief. Work is still the best form of welfare. It is not good for a person to remain unemployed for too long. He will find it harder to get back to work and lose self-esteem and respect. Thus, apart from financial assistance, we help best if we can help the individual get quickly back to work.

Last year, Sir, I announced that we would link short-term financial assistance to training, re-skilling, and job placement schemes. My Ministry is working closely with the Ministry of Manpower and CDCs to ensure that each client is able to get back to work as quickly as possible by linking the Interim Financial Assistance Scheme (IFAS) recipients to job assistance services under the Distributed Career Link Network for the unemployed. The principle of self-help is an important one. Those able to work will be given the IFAS grants for three months initially, but will be required to show job search efforts or go for training. Those who are really unable to find a job after three months, despite sincere effort, will be given IFAS grants for another three months, so six months in all. During this time, the CDCs will do their best to help the person find a job. The assistance is not indefinite, so those on the IFAS-job link need to make use of the opportunity to land a job during the time they are on the scheme. Many older, less skilled and low educated workers who have lost their jobs will need more help making a switch to jobs different from what they have been used to. They will be given job counselling to help them face the new realities and find new jobs.

Sir, I am glad to report that the work ethic is alive and well. Yes, needy Singaporeans are coming forward for help, but they do want to get back to work as soon as they can and not depend indefinitely on Government handouts. According to CDCs, from April to December 2002, 97% of IFAS cases were on assistance for six months or less. 88% were on IFAS for three months or less. Most of the cases who were taken off IFAS were able to find work and regain their financial independence.

Let me give Members an example of someone who was on social assistance, but has adjusted his job expectations and is now self-reliant. He deserves our respect, because he had the will to accept a new job, albeit a lower paying one, and get back on his own feet. He has displayed the kind of resilience that I spoke on earlier. This is a case of a 51-year-old man who was jobless for seven months. He has three school-going children. He used to have a white-collar job as a storekeeper. As he suffered from poor vision and could not spend long hours in front of his computer, he had to leave his job. The family made adjustments. His wife worked as a babysitter to support the family. The CDC helped him with grants on the Interim Financial Assistance Scheme for six months while assisting him with job matching. He was also given one-off assistance of $150 to buy school uniforms and books for his children. When CDC offered him a cleaner position, he accepted the job even though it meant a major job switch and lower pay. This is clearly an example of someone who faced reality and was willing to adjust his job expectations because he saw the need to get back into the game. The family took hard knocks, but they are on their own feet again.

Sir, I would like to assure Mr Sin Boon Ann and Dr Tan that my Ministry will continue to review the social safety net with partners, such as the Ministry of Manpower and CDCs, so that the genuinely needy get the help they need. The Government's social assistance schemes have not shrunk; in fact, the schemes are revised regularly and in the past few years, these reviews were brought forward to respond to the fast-changing environment and circumstances on the ground. For example, my Ministry enhanced the Interim Financial Assistance Scheme at the end of 2001 to help families in purchased flats with difficulties paying their utilities bills. In January this year, the Public Assistance rates were revised between 13% and 23%.

These schemes are augmented by other programmes and schemes run by the community. Families in need, for example, can seek help from their Family Service Centres (FSCs) for counselling, including help with budget planning.

Sir, my Ministry shares the concern raised by Dr Warren Lee concerning children from low-income families, and I take the point also surfaced by Mdm Cynthia Phua. Let me just elaborate on the programme that we have started in order to help low-income families to give them a headstart in school. Last year, we introduced an early intervention programme called "Healthy Start" for babies and young children from families `at risk'. Five FSCs now deliver this programme for families-at-risk with newborn children. Another two are in the middle of a pilot programme that reaches out to older children from 2-6 years old.

For children from families earning $1,500 or less, the Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme tops up the Government childcare subsidies. The rates were raised in January this year so that for the very low income, the Government co-pays some 95% of the average childcare fee at a VWO-run centre. There were 1,234 children on the Scheme at the end of last year. Children from Public Assistance and Special Grant families receive free childcare and we will ensure that cases on the Healthy Start, RUAS (which is the Rent and Utilities Assistance Scheme) and the Small Families Improvement Scheme can afford to make their co-payment quantum.

Apart from these, as mentioned earlier, the Student Care Fee Assistance Scheme supports children in non-profit Student Care Centres with subsidies up to $150. Families earning below $2,500 are eligible but orphans and children from families in difficulties, such as a parent being imprisoned, or having mental incapacity will also be considered. The CDCs and VWOs may also consider helping families more with their co-payment when this is warranted. 5.30 pm

Sir, I can empathise with families that had coped well before and who may now feel awkward tapping the schemes. Some may prefer to withdraw their children from childcare or student care because they can no longer afford the fees. They should apply for help. May I assure Members that the VWOs and the CDCs will preserve the confidentiality of all applications for such assistance schemes.

Many people who need the schemes we offer may need to know about their benefits. My Ministry will give wider publicity to our schemes. We will also partner with VWOs and self-help groups, who know their clients well, to draw up suitable Family Life Education packages to help low-income families acquire coping skills.

Sir, Ms Braema Mathiaparanam, Mdm Cynthia Phua and even Dr Warren Lee have raised some concerns about the multitude and plethora of schemes which are available. I am not sure about the number of schemes that Ms Braema has mentioned that is available on the NCSS website, but I am sure these schemes are there to inform. I would assure Members that we would look into all our schemes to ensure that some form of streamlining takes place. At the same time, Sir, I would like to assure Members that any one who needs any help can go down to the Family Service Centres or the CDCs, and there will be people there to assist them to navigate and guide them through the various schemes which are available, those schemes which they are entitled to, and how they could apply.

Thus far, Sir, we have not received any major complaints from our partners in implementing some of these schemes. But, I would like to assure Members that we would look into some of the difficulties that Members may have come across, and we would study how these could be remedied.

Sir, the final point I want to make, which Ms Braema has raised, is the problem of hopping or shopping by various client groups. This is an inevitable fact, because it is very difficult for us to ensure that we have one global system. But let me assure the hon. Member that if the family enters the FSC, there is a system that is in place where we can help the family to navigate all the possible options and ensure that the family is helped. As in the example I have given earlier, ie, the IFAS scheme, we not only help the breadwinner to gain employment, but we also help the family in terms of school needs and the payment of utilities, and whatever assistance that they need. In that manner, we can ensure that there is a holistic approach towards helping those who are in need.

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

Mr Charles Chong: Sir, in order to upgrade the social service sector, MCDS, in July 2002, increased the recurrent funding of programmes run by voluntary welfare organisations by about $7 million each year. VWOs also depend on public support, donors and well-wishers for support. They need to be accountable to their partners and supporters, and must use their resources effectively.

Could the Minister tell us how are VWOs being assisted to meet the expectations of their partners and stakeholders?

Dr Warren Lee: Sir, in view of the aging population and the changes in the demographics that we are facing in the future, there is going to be a need for workers who are specialised in the areas relevant to the needs of an aging population. No matter how much we think the needs are, when it actually comes to absolute numbers, these numbers are relatively small, and training may be a little bit difficult to fund locally.

Does MCDS have schemes in place for working towards greater numbers of people who have specialised skills for the management of the elderly? At the same time, I am heartened by the various schemes that have been put forward regarding the retraining of older workers as healthcare workers, and as just aides to help with the mobility and feeding of the elderly. I think schemes like these are very good, but I would also like to see whether there is actually provision for specialised manpower.

Ms Braema Mathiaparanam: Sir, just a clarification on the earlier cut. I am very happy that NCSS has put all these on the website, because it makes it so much easier. It is just that the criteria scheme is a maze.

Sir, Singapore is right now regarded as an advanced society and I think our needs are getting more complex. We have, on the one hand, people who still need financial aid on a daily or monthly basis so that they can get on with their lives; and on the other extreme, we also have people who need help dealing with burn-outs, eg, relationships in the office, home, school, and a multitude of services have cropped up in recent years to try to help Singaporeans deal with both spectrums and those who are caught in between.

What I am raising here is that, as already mentioned by the Minister, a lot of services have cropped up. This is wonderful because people are taking the ownership and different organisations are coming into the scene to build up services for the people in Singapore. However, I would like to ask the Ministry on its role when it comes to the following areas, so that what is given has got a certain kind of consistency with it:

(1) The quality of training with which these people who are dealing in direct services have. I have raised that before.

(2) The duplication of services - when cooperative models might work better, where economies of scale are also concerned, who governs, who sets up what services, and in what areas, etc?

(3) In the whole concept, which the Minister has already mentioned, ie, social entrepreneurship, how do we excite an organisation to go further perhaps with its project, such that we can have sustenance as well as independent programmes coming through their initiatives?

(4) The very delicate positioning between VWOs and CDCs is such that the ownership of VWOs does not get subsumed under CDC activities, so that the cooperative model can take place and both parties work in happy tandem; and

(5) The different demands placed on the charity dollar by different organisations. I wonder how this is governed.

Assoc. Prof. Ngiam Tee Liang: Sir, for this cut and the others under Head I, I would like to declare my interest as a NUS social work educator and a resource person of the MCDS Committee on the Family.

In line with the restructuring of the economy and the positioning of Singapore as a services hub, what developments are in place for our country to have a Social Services Manpower Master Plan for the 21st century?

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Sir, I would also like to declare my interest as a social work educator and a practitioner in social services.

Sir, the social service sector has seen a rise in the demand for professional manpower. There may be various reasons that can explain this rise in demand. In a career talk on the social service sector that I conducted not too long ago, I was impressed by the number of people who are looking for second careers. Some are lawyers and businessmen, and one a banker. People are more aware of the range of services available as well as the growing diversity of needs, and also their interest. This is hardly surprising, as the social service sector provides very many intangible benefits and significant rewarding experiences to its members as they help others to enrich their lives.

Sir, commensurate with this growing interest in the social services, there seems to be a proliferation of training courses run by different organisations. This certainly provides opportunities for people to get into this sector. Their duration ranges from a couple of days to a couple of years, some using the same title though, eg, counselling, family therapy, psychotherapy, etc. Many who are graduates of these courses happily and proudly identify themselves as counsellors, family therapists, and some as psychotherapists. They offer their services to people who meet them, and the demand is rising, given the very stressful lives that we lead.

Sir, dealing with human lives and emotions is not a simple matter. It is complex and requires, among others, the person's proficiency, maturity and, of course, competency in the area of practice. Thus, it is imperative that certification of such courses is checked and accredited. Who is responsible for such accreditation processes? Who is ensuring the standards? As the sector is so diverse, what are MCDS' plans to ensure the standards and the supply of professionals into the different sectors? Who is to determine what qualifications allow one to practise in what aspects?

Sir, apart from ensuring that the proper mechanisms are in place to ensure the close monitoring and control over the sector, we should also ensure that Singaporeans are given adequate information and knowledge to discern between the qualified and the non-qualified practitioners. To many, a counsellor is a counsellor. As long as you have a good heart, you can listen to my problems, you call yourself a counsellor, you have a paper that hangs on your wall to support it, I am okay. Is there any avenue for Singaporeans to check the authenticity of such qualifications?

Sir, I would also like to ask the Minister what proportion of our social service sector personnel are Employment Pass holders? In this regard, who ensures and monitors that the qualifications that they bring in are accredited accordingly? This is important, as they may come from cultures that are different from ours, and their intervention may cause more harm than good to their service users.

Sir, many people have said that there is an inverse relationship between the economic downturn and the growth of the social service sector, as more people need those services. Let us ensure that the numbers do not increase because of incompetent practitioners who enter when we are not keeping watch on the gate.

Assoc. Prof. Ngiam Tee Liang: Sir, our population is getting more educated and the people are having higher expectations about the quality of services that they receive. For the social services, how does the Ministry ensure that the professional service standards in the social services are keeping pace with the higher expectations and changes in the world over professional standards?

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I fully agree with Mr Charles Chong that VWOs need to be accountable to the well-wishers and supporters of their programmes. To deliver good programmes and use their resources effectively, VWOs must practise effective governance and management. The National Council of Social Service (NCSS) has conducted workshops on board governance for over 200 VWO Board members, and has also provided consultancy to several VWOs. VWOs can also apply for training and consultancy grants from the $30 million VWO Capability Fund to upgrade their internal management capabilities. To expand on current efforts, NCSS intends to roll out a Code of Governance for the VWOs in June this year.

The Code covers important areas, such as resource management and evaluation of outcomes, conflict of interest, financial management and fund-raising, to achieve high standards of transparency and accountability. The NCSS is in the process of consulting the VWOs to improve the Code. So far, feedback on the Code has been generally positive.

Several Members - Dr Maliki, Dr Warren Lee, Prof. Ngiam and even Ms Braema Mathiaparanam - have spoken about manpower planning and development of the social service sector. My Ministry and the National Council of Social Service have developed a Social Services Manpower Masterplan to ensure enough trained manpower and to enhance professional standards in the social service sector.

The key strategies under the masterplan are as follows:

(1) Creating more opportunities for school leavers as well as mid-career entrants to join the sector. So, I am glad that Dr Maliki has been giving talks to bankers, lawyers and engineers.

(2) Putting in place a comprehensive training framework.

(3) Addressing issues of attraction and retention of personnel in the sector.

Sir, allow me to elaborate on these three strategies. We have created opportunities for Singaporeans to take up jobs in the social service sector. The recently introduced Strategic Manpower Conversion Programme now makes it possible for Singaporeans to make a career switch into the sector by being trained as social workers or social work assistants. By 2006, we expect some 150 graduands through this programme; some 90 will be trained as social work assistants via a Specialist Diploma in Human Services, and about 60 will qualify as fully trained social workers via the Graduate Diploma in Social Work. This will relieve the shortage of trained social workers, given that only about half of the 120 NUS graduates in social work actually enter the field every year. Other than social workers and assistants, we will systematically bring other critical social service jobs under the ambit of the Manpower Conversion Programme, so that mid-career people can be trained for jobs in social services. 5.45 pm

Sir, we started another scheme, "Training for Employment in the Social Services" (or TESS) in December last year aimed at workers with secondary education and below, particularly older Singaporeans who may face structural unemployment. Generous subsidies now make it attractive for VWOs to recruit and send older and less educated Singaporeans for training. The training currently covers therapy aides, nursing aides and healthcare attendants. The first batch of 32 people has been trained and will be starting work in the VWOs. We hope to have trained at least 450 persons by 2006, under the six certificate programmes.

I am pleased to announce that with MCDS support, the National Council of Social Service will set up a Social Service Training Institute in April 2003. This is a major milestone in the development of the social service sector.

The Institute will ensure that the training needs of all personnel in the social service sector, from social workers, management staff, therapists, counsellors, special education teachers, social work assistants to social service volunteers are systematically addressed. Such training will help upgrade the quality of services and personnel in the social service sector, as well as allow mid-career people to be trained to take up jobs in the sector.

The Social Service Training Institute will run a total of 119 courses in its first year of operation, enabling some 768 staff from the sector to undergo professional training. So the concern of Dr Maliki about the quality of social workers or people in the social service sector could be addressed if they undergo the training programme. Leadership and management training for executive directors and senior managers of voluntary welfare organisations will be another key training area that the Institute will be driving together with accredited institutions of higher learning, such as the Singapore Management University. Course fees will be affordable. VWOs will also be able to tap on the VWO Capability Fund which will subsidise up to 70% of the course fee.

As highlighted by Ms Braema Mathiaparanam, there is a need to develop specialists in the sector. The Institute will organise specialist training in areas such as elderly, youth and family services. My Ministry and the National Council of Social Service also offer specialist scholarships ranging from Social Work to Gerontology Counselling and Disability Studies.

Dr Maliki asked about the accreditation process and who would ensure the standards of training provided to social service professionals. As Dr Maliki already knows, professionals in the social service sector, such as social workers, psychologists and therapists, are generally required to have a minimum undergraduate degree in their respective field. The Ministry is of the view that it is for the industry or professional associations to regulate themselves.

The Social Service Training Institute, in consultation with the relevant professional institutions and the industry, will, however, look into the standards of training for all levels of jobs in the social service sector. It will also ensure that courses run by the Institute's partners adequately equip trainees for the job. For example, nursing aides, health attendants and therapy aides currently undergo a formal full-time training programme ranging from one to six months. The training providers and the Institute will jointly certify these courses.

There is a large group of personnel in the social service sector today, who did not have the opportunity or lack the necessary qualifications to undergo formal training. My Ministry will reach out to them with "bite-size" practical training at the workplace through the National Skills Recognition System. The eldercare sector will be the first in the community-based social service sector where such modular training programmes will be developed and certified.

In the case of Government-funded services, my Ministry is working on specifying the relevant professional competencies which must be met by the service providers. For example, counsellors at Family Service Centres who provide counselling services are expected to possess a Diploma in Counselling in addition to a Bachelor Degree in Social Work.

A perennial issue facing VWOs is how to attract and retain good staff. Our efforts to professionalise the sector through formal and accredited training will help attract Singaporeans to make a career in this sector. It is also necessary to have adequate remuneration. My Ministry, together with NCSS, recently reviewed VWO funding and we intend to conduct regular reviews, so that VWOs can pay appropriate remuneration to their staff. Members may recall that in July last year, my Ministry increased funding to the VWOs by an average of 17%, or $7 million per year. My Ministry is also working with NCSS to find ways to reduce attrition in the sector due to factors such as burn-out. To this end, the VWO leadership and management staff are being educated on good HR practices and work-life strategies.

Sir, last but not least, my Ministry will be launching a public education programme to introduce the social service sector and career opportunities to students and people contemplating a mid-career change. This would help Singaporeans better understand the sector and the various rewarding careers in the social services. We also want to correct the wrong impression that social workers are volunteers.

Prof. Ngiam has also asked how my Ministry plans to ensure professional service standards of social services in the light of higher expectations in the community. And I believe Ms Braema has also raised the same issue with respect to the quality of training.

Sir, a key factor is the competence and professionalism of the staff. I have already talked about the efforts of MCDS and NCSS and the role of the Social Service Training Institute in ensuring competent manpower.

Over and above these efforts, we will be requiring VWOs, which deliver services funded by MCDS and NCSS, to meet specified requirements, including relevant professional standards. MCDS and NCSS have also put in place a Programme Evaluation System (PES) that all funded VWOs have to comply with and report on. This helps us ensure that social service programmes are relevant and effective, carried out appropriately and meet the required professional standards.

In the case of services provided by various community and religious groups with their own funds, the Ministry encourages them to use programme evaluation to ascertain whether they are meeting their own objectives and to use consultancy services offered by the NCSS, to upgrade their standards. Ultimately, their funders and stakeholders would have to be satisfied that they are doing a good job.

Sir, the NCSS has also issued the Best Practice Guidelines which cover areas such as good management and service delivery processes, for example, in the areas of human resource, financial management, fund raising, and case management.

Sir, let me address some of issues raised by Ms Braema first. She spoke about the duplication of services and who is supposed to determine to set up what service. I would like to assure her that there is close coordination between MCDS, NCSS and the CDCs where we basically do an overall planning in some of the services which are key to the community, to ensure that there is minimal duplication to services like Student Care Centres and Family Service Centres. But I can understand that as emerging needs are coming up, there will always be a need for us to review these on a regular basis, and this is something that is being done constantly between MCDS, NCSS and CDCs.

I agree with her that we should excite the VWOs to engage in social entrepreneurship. I will be most happy to listen to any ideas that she may have on how we can encourage more of the VWOs to find, for the lack of better words, "new revenue streams" from within their own services.

Sir, on the question of balance between the VWOs and CDCs, I would like to assure her that the CDCs do not provide services. The services are provided through the VWOs. For example, Family Service Centres are run by VWOs, but they are linked up with the CDCs for the purposes of referral and, in a sense, case management, to ensure that holistic help is being given to the family in need. I would like to assure her that there is no attempt on the part of the CDCs to take over the role of the VWOs. But if there is an instance that she has come across, we will be most happy to address that, together with the Mayors involved to see if there is any form of overlapping between the CDCs and the VWOs.

Finally, Sir, on her point about the different demands on the charity dollar, I think this is something that we have to address on a continuous basis. I spoke earlier about trying to promote more philanthropy so that we have more people who can come forward. Yet, at the same time, as I have said earlier, we need to be more strategic in the way we address this issue. To bring in new philanthropists into the system, we have to be able to give them a stake in the programme, as in the example that I have given on the Robin Hood Foundation. I am sure we can find some creative means to bring a lot more people into the sector by engaging them, not just only as donors, but also as partners in the programme.

Dr Maliki has raised a particular question about the number of employment pass holders who are on the social service sector. I do not have the numbers but I will be most happy to provide. I would like to assure him that the FSCs and the VWOs are constantly ensuring that the standards of their social workers and people working in the VWOs are indeed met, because this is important for their clients. But, nonetheless, I will endeavour to get the numbers for him.

Mr Charles Chong: Sir, the marriage rate among Singaporeans has shown a steady decline over the years. This is in spite of the efforts of the SDU and other matchmaking agencies and, more recently, the efforts of the Romancing Singapore Committee.

Sir, is it timely that we review the effectiveness of the programmes and the policies of the Government's match-making agencies with a view to improving their success rates?

Sir, our total fertility rate has shown a decline over the years, from approximately 1.8 in 1990 to about 1.1 in 2002. With the replacement rate at 2.1, Singaporeans are steadily and very surely headed for extinction, unless something is done to increase our fertility rate.

In 2000, the Prime Minister appointed a Ministerial Committee to look into the issue of the falling fertility rate in Singapore. Supporting this Committee was the Working Committee on Marriage and Procreation. The Ministerial Committee recommended the introduction of the Baby Bonus, the Third Child Paid Maternity Leave Scheme and additional childcare benefits. These incentives were mainly monetary in nature, and were to encourage Singaporeans to have three or more children, if they could afford it. But if they could already afford it, would monetary benefit alone be a strong incentive for them to have more children? Surely, there must be other non-monetary motivational factors that could make it more conducive for Singaporeans to have more babies.

In view of our impending extinction, would the Minister recommend the formation of an Inter-Ministerial Committee, perhaps named as the Making Singaporeans Committee, that will review all family policies and formulate new initiatives to raise our fertility rate before it is too late? 6.00 pm

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon (Jurong): (In Mandarin): Sir, I wish to comment on the family planning policies of the Government. In this uncertain world economic situation, the family is the most important foundation of our country. It is the best safety net for us. It gives us stability, warmth and solace. The MCDS has set up a Public Education Committee two years ago. The Committee published a book entitled: Looking After the Family, and had made some 70 recommendations in 2001. Some of these recommendations were incorporated into some of our national events such as Romancing Singapore. May I ask the Minister whether any of the other recommendations have been implemented?

Mr Charles Chong asked whether we need to set up another Inter-Ministerial Committee as we already have a Committee on Marriages and Procreation. What has this Committee achieved since its inception? We may have to take into consideration the changing environment in Singapore, and make adjustments to some of the present arrangements. For example, shall we not outsource our match-making activities, instead of confining them to Government agencies such as the Social Development Unit, etc.?

I am of the view that the question of marriages and procreation is not something which can be settled by MCDS alone. Collective efforts from all quarters are required. This matter has a very wide-ranging implication. In MOM, we have lifelong learning; in MOE, we have sex education, and so on. Many Ministries have to be consulted, and whatever policy we implement, it must be consistent. So, I would urge the MCDS to combine efforts with other Ministries and agencies to promote marriage and procreation.

Many people consider this question of marriage and procreation to be taboo, but I feel we should not avoid discussing it. Something has to be done about it. Although the efforts we put in may not yield immediate tangible effects, I am sure, in the long run, they will bear fruits and benefit our future generations. In the meantime, we should encourage our young people to get married and have children while they are still young. Miss the boat, and you will regret for life!

Dr Jennifer Lee (Nominated Member): Mr Charles Chong has mentioned incentives like Baby Bonus Scheme and the Inter-Ministerial Committee. Mrs Yu-Foo has just talked about the promotional part, the PEC on the family. There are many other efforts that MCDS is making, including a very good Work-Life Unit that does tremendous work in supporting and promoting good work-life practices. We have now maternity leave for the third child, and in the civil service, sick child care leave has been extended to fathers as well. For all of these efforts, our fertility rate has not budged one bit. In fact, it has budged, but has gone in the wrong direction. My question now is: what do we do next? Simple enhancements - like further developing child- minding services and home-help services to be delivered at community level, beyond CDC level down to Residents' Committees, and even block level, trying to replicate the old informal neighbour-type networks, and being more targeted with the different messages to different groups, like the higher educated women may have more flexibility in their choices, whereas for those from the lower economic strata for whom dropping out of the workforce is not an option, and they cannot totally decide on that - may not actually make any impact at all.

There are three big categories of determinants of fertility rates, and that is, economic, social, cultural and institutional. And all of them interplay and all three of them are important in a couple's decision to start a family. Across the board, are we truly doing all that we can to address all the issues in all the three areas? It is impossible to try to cover all of the grounds in a 2-minute cut. So, at this point in time, what I do want to raise for Government's consideration is whether or not we should be looking for examples, like the European experiences, to see what lessons we can learn from them.

In the traditional and conservative South European countries of Italy and Spain, the fertility rate has gone south, so to speak, all the way to 1.2. In the Northern European countries, the Scandinavian countries of Norway and Finland, where the Government has pulled out all the stops to support family formations, in terms of very high subsidy for childcare, like over 80%, providing very generous paternal leave, and aggressively promoting fathers' involvement, the rate is at the level of 1.8. So, are we willing to pull out all the stops and go to this extent? If we are unable to persuade more young Singaporeans to get married and to have children, maybe to have one or two, or more children, the only other alternative is to grow our population entirely through incoming migration. Do we throw in the towel and settle for this option?

Can the Minister share with us what might be the thoughts of the leadership on this very important issue, upon which hangs our continued long term existence? Indeed, Mr Charles Chong did talk about extinction. It is an issue as important, if not more so, than our cost competitiveness, which is getting so much attention now, and the quality of our workforce, as it addresses, in fact, whether we will have a workforce at all.

Assoc. Prof. Ngiam Tee Liang: Sir, like the hon. Member, Dr Jennifer Lee, the issues regarding the family are actually very far-reaching, wide and complex. Whilst we are still grappling with various schemes, measures and policies, I would like to zoom in on two main areas that have to do with changing the mindsets of couples intending to get married, and couples who are already married, in the hope that this might encourage more couples to go in for responsible marriages, and then to work at their marriages with the level of commitment that is required. I am referring specifically to marriage preparation courses and marriage enrichment courses. I understand that the Government is not ready to make marriage preparation courses mandatory for ROM marriages. If such is the case, what steps are taken to enhance the role of religious organisations, for example, mosques and churches, VWOs and the GROs in organising such courses? We understand that with a materialistic lifestyle and with the onslaught of globalisation, the whole institution of marriage and having responsible parents and families is probably in danger of erosion here. So we need to take active steps. Maybe such courses could be even eligible for not just subsidies for the service providers, but also tax-breaks or subsidies under Continuing Education and Training programme. We have to take this very seriously now, and not just leave it to individuals to figure out the value systems, the roles and responsibilities on an ad hoc basis.

The Chairman: Mr Iswaran is not here. Dr Mohamad Maliki.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Sir, yesterday I spoke about stress and sex education. Sir, allow me to mediate when we are talking about romance. Last month, MCDS ran a campaign to entice Singaporeans to do the little things that will increase the feelings of love towards their loved ones. Some critics are very quick to highlight that this is the epitome of the sad state of our society - not only do we need to be taught on the social etiquette in public toilets, now we need to be taught or encourage to show or express our love. Sir, real or not, another perception of the Romancing Singapore campaign is to address the issue of low marriage rates and the perennial problem of our fertility rate, which have been mentioned by many of the other Members.

Sir, I understand that some $400,000 was spent on Romancing Singapore. I wonder what was MCDS's desired outcome when embarking on such a one-month campaign? Also, since we are talking about encouraging Singaporeans to get married, I would like to discuss the role and performance of SDU and SDS. SDU was established in 1984. Next year, it will be celebrating its 20th anniversary. Sir, this is almost one generation. We are probably now courting the children of our pioneer SDU couples to get married soon. Two decades, and we are still needing to spend money to encourage people to get married and have children.

In this regard, I would like to ask the following questions: How much is spent every year on SDU and its related programmes that aim at encouraging family formation? How successful have these programmes been? We saw the number of marriages is coming down - 2% decrease last year. The proportion of single people over-35 years has jumped from 18.7% to 30.3% in just one decade. Could these figures have been worse without these programmes and efforts? I would like to ask if the Ministry has done a thorough review of these programmes to see if they are meeting the needs of the changing profiles of Singaporeans.

Sir, this is crucial, as 20 years is a long time and the recent MCDS survey and many other surveys have indicated changing profiles, attitudes and needs of Singaporeans towards marriage and family life. Sir, the Census 2000 also showed the other "problem" with regard to family formation. The highly educated women and the lowly educated men are not marrying. My undergraduates have no qualms in raising their hands when I ask how many of them do not plan to get married. It is quite worrying. What is being done in this regard, and has there been any improvement in our efforts in the last two years since Census 2000?

Sir, part of romancing, and I must declare that I am not an expert in it, is about appreciation and respect for one's partner. It is about understanding each other's expectations. It is about being ready for a commitment. It is about living lives together within the same environment. And it is about sharing a vision. Affairs of the heart are really hard to understand, but understand they must. One of the issues, I think, is for men to understand the changing expectations of women - not just about romancing - but about being husbands and fathers. I encourage the Ministry to focus more efforts on the men to understand these changes and reciprocate with appropriate actions as they continue to romance into the hearts of their womenfolk. Perhaps we need to initiate a men's movement to catch up with the women's movement that had started some 30 years ago. Indeed, many of them are leaving their men behind, and my message to my fellow men - run after them. Maybe we can give the men some steroids to stimulate their chase.

The Chairman: Mdm Ho Geok Choo is not here. Dr Maliki again.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: After the men have chased them, let us talk about the babies. Hopefully, that works out. Much has been said about declining fertility. The rate is reportedly very low. We talked about the possible extinction of Singaporeans. And we introduced the Baby Bonus Scheme about two years back. What was the target when it started? How far are we from the target? How many people have benefited from the scheme so far? And I would also like to ask how much has been spent on the Baby Bonus Scheme. We all know the critical situation for Singapore. Have we attempted to understand more why Singaporeans are still reluctant to have children? Are there plans to improve the package to motivate more people? Studies have shown that other factors are important in the decision to have babies, one of them being the rising medical cost. Perhaps one aspect of the bonus would be to help them purchase health insurance for their babies, if this is really one of their concerns. Some have told me that it is the nitty-gritty, even buying diapers and baby formulas could be an issue to them. Certainly, we do not want the Government to be surrogate parents to their children. But I wonder how the Ministry has taken all these into consideration, especially those that have been mentioned by Dr Jennifer Lee.

Sir, another related issue is that we are assuming Singaporeans would at least want to have one child and thus the bonus is only for the 2nd and 3rd child. Perhaps, if the situation is desperate enough, we may want to consider extending it for the 1st child and thereby motivate having the 2nd and 3rd, if not more.

Previously we heard that 12,000 abortions take place every year, on the average. Every unborn child is a loss to our country. I recognise the need for us to understand the reasons behind these abortions. Are there examples in other countries on programmes where the States work with these mothers and motivate them to carry their babies to full term, and then perhaps put the babies up for adoption? Perhaps we can give them bonuses. Such informal schemes are already happening in the adoption sector, where the adopting family offers the mother an ang pow in giving up the baby for adoption. We may want to consider that.

Sir, many people are saying that money is not the only thing that motivates the people to have children. While, in most circumstances, money talks, in this case, perhaps, we need to understand what else makes baby talk.

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong (Tampines): Sir, young married couples often worry about who will take care of their babies when they go to work. This is one major reason why they put off having more babies. They cannot afford to live on a single income. So both husband and wife need to go back to work, and not all of them have mothers or mothers-in-law to turn to for baby-sitting help. 6.15 pm

This has led to the present situation where infants are being fostered out to strangers untrained in baby-sitting, and with some babies being brought home only on weekends, or being cared for by foreign maids. This is less than ideal. We should provide couples with affordable and quality infant care centres in the neighbourhood that offer full-day care, so that working parents can take their infants home and spend time with them after work. I believe this is important for parent-child bonding and for the development of the child. At the same time, working parents would have their minds at ease during the day, as their infants would be cared for by professionally-trained and caring nannies.

Recently, I did a survey in my constituency to check the demand for infant care, and I found that there is a need for such an infant care centre. There is now a dearth of infant care facilities, and the very few infant care centres available charge very high rates. Some of such centres had previously closed down, because they were losing money.

Infant care, for babies aged two months to 18 months, requires a higher staff-child ratio as well as special facilities. And to provide good quality care to infants, we need to provide a ratio of at least one well-trained babysitter to about three to four babies, to make sure that each infant gets the close attention that he or she needs.

Contrast this to the childcare centres for children above 18 months, where the ratio is one teacher to about eight children. It costs mothers about $400 a month to put a child into a childcare centre.

Sir, in my constituency, we did our sums and found that it would be expensive to set up an infant care centre. To be viable, the minimum charge to care for a baby would have to be at least $700 a month. This would be too much to bear for most couples who need infant care services for their babies.

Presently, the Government provides childcare subsidy of $150 for working mothers and $75 for non-working mothers. It does not differentiate between infant care and childcare.

Sir, I would urge the Minister to consider giving grants to help community-based organisations to provide infant care facilities and to provide higher subsidies to mothers for infant care.

Mdm Halimah Yacob: Sir, I would like to argue for more support for the Singapore family, as many others in this House before me had done so, particularly in the workplace. I would argue that it is in the national interest to do so if the family is not to end up as an extinct species. It also makes good economic sense, as a look at many Fortune 500 companies show that many of these companies could attract and retain the best talents, because they adopt family-friendly practices.

Sir, I worry that the lack of employment policies to accommodate working parents is forcing individuals to make painful choices between job security and parenting. In Singapore's case, we have seen the impact due to the nature of the roles of men and women in our society, the primary responsibility for family care-taking often falls on women. As a result, more women have remained unmarried or, if married, delay having children. Despite all the financial incentives, we now have the lowest fertility rate in 14 years.

I am aware of the tripartite initiatives that are currently in place to promote work-life balance, but progress is still slow. Such initiatives are laudable and should continue, but I fear that they may not be enough. Dr Jennifer Lee had said that what is needed may be more than just incremental changes. To me, any change would be better than no change at all. So I do ask the Minister whether he will consider introducing legislation on family care leave. Such a legislation would allow an employee, both female and male, to take leave so as to take care of a child, parent or spouse with serious health conditions. Because, now, the issue is not just one of taking care of an infant or a young child, but because of the ageing population, there is an increased burden on families to take care of sick and elderly parents as well as sick and elderly siblings. We do not have that kind of a support in our society right now. If the argument against legislation is that it would create rigidity, an argument which I am well aware of and I am also equally concerned, coming from the trade union, or that it would increase cost, then I would argue that it is equally costly for employers to lose trained staff and to incur additional cost to recruit new staff and train them.

Also, the use of such leave can be subject to conditions, such as minimum employment period and the leave can be limited to one week, for instance. At the end of the day, I think that society must strike a balance. We want economic progress but we must also understand that without social progress, there cannot be economic progress. So society must provide enough support to the family, so that the family can nurture and develop talents, so that our economy can grow and our society can progress even further. Sir, instances of such leave are common in other countries, including the US, which is the bastion of free trade and free market, and it has the Family and Medical Leave Act which was passed in 1993.

The Chairman: Mdm Cynthia Phua is not here. Dr Lily Neo.

Dr Lily Neo: Sir, our young parents have to juggle their time between their careers and the demands of parenthood as most of them are dual income families out of necessity. They really do not have many options, apart from leaving their children at childcare centres or with maids. We may want to note that, increasingly, raising grandchildren is not part of the retirement plans of many grandparents.

MCDS can play a vital role to facilitate the availability of affordable and professionally run infant care and toddler care services. This would give the quality assurance and would help ensure the safety and well-being of infants and toddlers.

Sir, how many childcare centres that cater to children below 18 months of age are available? What kind of fees are these centres charging? Would MCDS support the setting up of 24-hour care centres? The ideal caregivers of infants are, of course, the parents themselves. But such centres may be of use, especially during emergency, for short periods when there is disruption of the usual care arrangements.

Childcare centres at the workplace are convenient for many parents. This calls for more assistance from the Government to encourage employers to consider providing childcare centres at the workplace. Have we achieved better progress in this area?

Sir, studies have shown that very young children fare better with family-based childcare. Would MCDS subsidise such family-based childcare in lieu of care at childcare centres? Granting subsidy here may encourage suitable housewives and retirees to work and to have income whilst staying home. These caregivers can be accredited or monitored and registered under MCDS' supervision.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Sir, I just want to focus on childcare issues in relation to low income families. One of the things that I find quite a lot in my work is that many low income families have many children. And one of the problems that they face is really the choice of whether the mother wants to go out to work or not, and that is dependent on the number of children that they have, because childcare fees sometimes are pretty high.

I know that we have the Centre-based Financial Assistance for Childcare scheme of MCDS, and I think this is a very good programme. I am happy to note that a lot more families are participating in this programme. But, sometimes, it also depends on the fees that are charged by the childcare centres to enable a family to send a child to the childcare centre. I just want to make the point that childcare will benefit low income families because it will not only provide stimulation for the children in their social and intellectual development, it also increases the sense of self-esteem of the mother when she is able to work and be independent.

Sir, I have several questions in relation to the Centre-based Financial Assistance for Childcare (CFAC) scheme. First, how many people have applied for CFAC but not successful? What were the reasons for them being unsuccessful? Are there plans to review the scheme in the light of these unsuccessful applications? Also, in that light, are there sufficient affordable places in childcare centres for these CFAC applicants to make use of? Because, sometimes, it really depends on the location of the childcare centres, and I am not sure the extent to which such affordable childcare centres are located sufficiently in different parts of Singapore. At the end of the day, if the cash outlay required of the family is high, it will demotivate them from sending their children to childcare centres.

The other issue is that of childcare operators. I have heard that sometimes the childcare operators choose not to be processed under the CFAC scheme, because they find it cumbersome. I wonder whether the claim procedures are indeed tedious and cumbersome, which make the childcare operators not actually encouraging the potentially low income families from benefiting from childcare.

Sir, I hope the Minister can address these issues.

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong: Sir, so far, eight babies have been found abandoned here since February last year, and two were found dead. In Singapore, it is a crime to abandon a baby. The parents can be jailed up to seven years, fined or both. I know that, in Singapore, the Government has been quite flexible and has not prosecuted some mothers who have abandoned their babies safely. But, obviously, the fear of breaking the law has caused many to abandon their babies unsafely. This opens the baby to the risk of death.

Sir, we should consider adopting the safe haven baby abandonment laws found in many states in the US and several parts of the developed world, which allow a parent to anonymously drop off an unharmed infant at certain identified places - no questions asked. Such safe drop-off points are identified clearly in the laws, and they can include places like hospitals, fire stations, police stations and child welfare agencies.

One reservation that some of us may have is whether such laws might promote irresponsible parenting. I would argue that the intent of these laws is to save the lives of the babies. The important issues of teaching responsibility and good values should be dealt separately with other programmes. In any case, consider how we legalise and even facilitate abortions. We do not go into a moral tizzy and say, "Oh, we should not make it easy to abort so that we don't send the wrong message about irresponsible parenting." But when we try to save the lives of abandoned babies and making it easier, this concern arises.

Another reason why our authorities seem uneasy with the "no questions asked" rule is their obsession with getting the medical history and biological heritage of the abandoned baby. To get that, they need the details of the mother and the need to interview her. But if we have to choose between a dead baby dumped in the open and to being abandoned safely with no medical records, the choice seems obvious to me.

In some states in the US, any information provided by the parent is on a voluntary basis. She does not have to give her name or answer any questions, but medical forms will be offered to her. She may fill them up at the safe haven or she may take them home and return them by mail. All information will be kept confidential.

Mothers who abandon babies are typically young, unmarried and pregnant for the first time. They are often afraid that others will find out about their pregnancies and they want utmost secrecy. Often, mothers may see abandoning their child as an alternative to abortion.

In Singapore, we may have a complication if the mother abandoning the newborn is a foreign maid. Then we have to decide which is more important to us - saving the life of a baby or punishing the maid for her foolishness and deporting her. If a foreign maid knows she will be punished, she will not come forward to leave her baby in safe hands. For me, the choice will be to save the life of the baby.

Sir, teenage births have risen from 704 in 1997 to about 850 last year. We need to step up our social programmes aimed at pregnancy prevention, pre-natal care and counselling for at-risk girls. We must also reach out to the boys, perhaps more so to the boys. We must teach the boys the consequences of their actions and the need to take responsibility for them. Girls will not get pregnant if the boys are responsible.

Sir, I know a case of a teenager who gave birth alone in the toilet and stuffed her baby down a pail. The baby died and it became a Coroner's case in 1987. I covered that case when I was a court reporter for the Straits Times, and I learnt that her boyfriend left her when she told him about her pregnancy and he did not help her. She hid her pregnancy from her mother by wearing baggy clothes. And when her mother found her in a pool of blood in the toilet, the teenage girl called out her boyfriend's name and asked her mother to take revenge.

Sir, we need to act now to make sure that our system can address the multi-faceted problem of babies being abandoned and left to die.

The Chairman: Order. It is 6.30 pm.

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

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 2003/2004, and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.

Mr Deputy Speaker: So be it.