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Mr Fadli Fawzi asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment why NEA cannot provide 12-hour, 24-hour or 48-hour PM2.5 forecasts, similar to US National Weather Service smoke forecasts, to help Singaporeans plan daily activities during haze.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the Haze Task Force has assessed the adequacy of indoor air filtration in preschools, malls, healthcare and community care facilities; and (b) what measures are in place to support and protect personnel, including manpower deployment and flexible work arrangements, while ensuring continuity of essential services during prolonged haze.

Ms Lee Hui Ying asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what is the latest N95 mask collection rate among eligible vulnerable groups; (b) whether the Government will consider extending distribution to all residents if the haze persists or worsens; and (c) if so, what thresholds will trigger this.

Ms Lee Hui Ying asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) how the National Environment Agency derives differentiated PSI forecast readings across the five regions based on town areas; (b) whether these forecasts adequately capture localised variations in air quality; and (c) what guidance is provided to residents, schools and employers when forecasts differ between regions.

The Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien): Mr Speaker, may I address Question Nos 49 to 52 and written Question Nos 40, 41, 44 and 45 on today's Order Paper?

Mr Speaker: Please proceed.

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: The response to this question also addresses related Parliamentary Questions filed by Members Mr Lee Hong Chuang and Dr Hamid Razak1 for a Sitting on and after 4 November 2026.

I thank Members for their questions related to protecting our residents from the impact of haze. I will address them in three parts: first, the provision of air quality information; second, the targeted distribution of N95 or equivalent masks; and third, measures to maintain indoor air quality.

First, on air quality readings and forecasts. Providing timely and reliable information is an important part of our public health response. The National Environment Agency (NEA) provides a daily Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) forecast to help the public plan activities for the following day. The forecast takes into account the prevailing air quality, local and regional weather conditions, and the regional hotspot and haze situation assessed through satellite imagery.

NEA also provides the latest one-hour PM2.5 readings by regions, based on the readings from its 23 air quality monitoring stations installed across the country. Residents, schools and employers should use the PSI forecast and corresponding health advisory to plan for next day outdoor activities and refer to the latest one-hour local PM2.5 readings when deciding on immediate outdoor activities.

The use of forecast 24-hour PSI for planning and hourly PM2.5 for taking decisions has worked well. We do not think there is a need to include 12-hour, 24-hour or 48-hour PM2.5 forecasts, as having too many indicators may complicate our public messages. NEA will continue to review how its forecasting and public information services can be enhanced to provide more useful guidance.

I will next address Members' questions on masks. N95 or equivalent masks are generally not required when a person is indoors or outdoors for short periods, such as commuting. The more important first response is to reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor activity, in line with the prevailing health advisory. At certain haze levels, individuals who are more vulnerable to the health effects of haze, or need to spend prolonged periods outdoors, may consider wearing masks to reduce exposure.

The Government prioritises Singaporeans who are more vulnerable to the health effects of haze, or who may have limited means in distributing our free N95 masks. This includes seniors, pregnant women, children, individuals with specified medical conditions, holders of Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) Orange and Blue card, those with Medical Fee Exemption Card and those who are on ComCare. This ensures that assistance reaches those who need more support.

We conducted two rounds of mask distribution this year as haze conditions worsened, in line with our plans.

For the second round, which commenced on 23 October 2026, we expanded eligibility to all Singaporeans aged 60 and above, lowering the age threshold for seniors from 67, in response to feedback from the public, after ensuring that the more needy people have gotten their masks in the first round. Close to one-third of Singaporeans are eligible under the expanded criteria.

As at 29 October 2026, close to 30% of eligible Singaporeans had collected their masks.

The Government considers the severity and expected duration of the haze, the prevailing public-health risk, as well as the needs of vulnerable groups, when deciding on the activation of mask distribution to eligible groups. In the case of haze, there is no risk of people-to people transmission which would have required all Singaporeans to be masked up as soon as possible. We will continue to review the scale and eligibility of distribution as conditions evolve, and are prepared to expand support if necessary.

On this note, I would like to place on record my gratitude towards many groups of people that have made the distribution of masks effective. They are the staff of People's Association, they are our grassroots volunteers, many volunteers in the community, whether it is a grassroots organisations or others, have stepped up and joined in in our care for the vulnerable.

There are also our contractors that have been responsible for the logistical movements of the mask, our Ministry of Health colleagues and also the retailers and pharmacies who have participated fully in ensuring that the stocks of masks are available; particularly FairPrice, which have, throughout the episode, ensured that the shelves are stocked at all times.

Let me now turn to indoor air quality. Ensuring good indoor air quality is important during haze periods, particularly in facilities serving vulnerable groups.

Indoor air quality is managed through standards, guidelines and advisories, together with sector-specific measures implemented by the relevant premises owners and agencies. For larger air-conditioned buildings, Singapore Standard SS 554:2026, the Code of Practice for Indoor Air Quality for Air-Conditioned Buildings, provides recommended indoor air quality parameters and measures. These include enhanced air filtration during haze episodes.

Schools, preschools, healthcare institutions and community care providers also have sector-specific haze response measures. These can include closing windows, deploying air purifiers where needed, adjusting outdoor activities and monitoring vulnerable individuals. This approach allows the relevant agencies and facility operators to deploy proportionate measures suited to the needs of their users.

For personnel supporting essential services, the relevant employers and sectoral agencies implement business continuity and workplace measures according to the operational needs and the severity of the haze.

For households, Climate Vouchers can already be used to purchase eligible direct current fans with air purifying functions. These products can provide households with an additional means of improving air circulation and filtration.

Mr Speaker: No supplementary questions? Mr Fadli Fawzi.

Mr Fadli Fawzi (Aljunied): Thank you, Speaker. I have a few supplementary questions. Firstly, if NEA is unwilling to consider providing the exact PM2.5 forecast for the next 12, 24 or 48 hours, would NEA consider introducing qualitative trend indicators? For example, expected to worsen over the next six hours or favourable winds expected, to help parents and outdoor workers plan ahead.

Secondly, can I first confirm with the Minister whether NEA has also the technical capability to provide PM2.5 forecasts? She appeared to suggest this in a reply just now. The PM2.5 reading accounts for finer particles and immediate pollution from waves of haze. If we do have the technical capability to provide PM2.5 forecast, it can help Singaporeans make more informed decisions and plan for future outdoor activities. So, why do we not just provide it?

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: I think there are several supplementary questions, but they are related to the issue of providing forecast on PM2.5. I think what I would like to iterate is that the current system of allowing us to have in forecast of 24-hour PSI is the right one, because we are looking at exposure in the longer term. The forecast actually allows our people to plan. I would say that if you have paid some attention on the NEA forecasts, we do give qualitative explanations and we do point. In fact, NEA releases fortnightly forecasts, into the future.

But as with all forecasts, the longer the horizon, the less accurate it becomes. That basically points me to why the PM2.5 one-hour forecast is probably still required for planning immediate activities, because that is the shortest possible forecast and it is probably most accurate in giving us a sense of the air quality when we are about to conduct the activity.

I am very minded that there were confusions on the ground on how we operate that, even with just these two indicators. Because there are sectoral decisions and sometimes Singaporeans may compare one sector over the other. So, I am very minded that the more that our forecasts and advisories are clean, succinct, giving people an easy handle to manage their activities, the more effective the advisories would be.

Mr Speaker: Ms Lee Hui Ying.

Ms Lee Hui Ying (Nee Soon): Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I thank the Minister as well as all the different ground agencies and volunteers for making the ground distributions much more effective. But we also are reminded that the last serious haze episode was more than 10 years ago. So, naturally there were ground concerns, frustration and confusion on understanding the readings and also the collection of masks.

I have a few supplementary questions. I wanted to ask whether the Ministry for Sustainable and the Environment (MSE) will consider publishing clear objective criteria, such as PSI readings, duration of elevated readings, health indicators when deciding the distribution?

Second, on public communications, will there be more regular updates on collection rates, stock levels and the basis for its distribution decisions, so that residents can plan accordingly and not rush to buy additional masks because of certain considerations?

And last, I think, on the monitoring of air quality, are there plans to expand or upgrade the existing monitoring network of air quality monitoring stations installed or perhaps consider publishing maybe one single national PSI headline reading to facilitate more consistent national coordination and communications work, while retaining the differentiated regional readings to reflect the local air quality conditions? Because some residents in the north might be wondering why we have a lower reading as compared to residents in the west.

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Mr Speaker, I think that the point is taken that we need to give clear advice on both readings as well as masks collection.

Let me deal with the reading first. What the Member has described is exactly what we are doing. There is a national level forecast of PSI 24-hours, and it is coupled and complemented by regional PM2.5 reading. This is to allow us to better tailor our activities according to local conditions. I think Singaporeans need to understand that, although we are a small country, we do have different readings when it comes to air quality, depending on how the wind direction has carried the haze, and so on and so forth.

So, it is already that, as what Member has described – a national forecast, 24 hours to plan the next day's or the next two days' activities, depending on which forecast you have gotten. But the next hour's activity, the immediate activity, will be available and you can actually use the regional PM2.5 reading as a gauge.

On masks, we have been giving out notices. I have made several, also public announcements about when the mask distribution will start. I did mention that when it reaches unhealthy levels of 200, that vulnerable people, both those that are physically vulnerable or those that financially vulnerable, can collect. But until the distribution was activated, maybe it received less attention or maybe we should do more to get that message through.

Having said that, for the stocks level, we would try as much as possible to get all the shelves of designated pharmacies, to be stocked all the time. There were some initial hiccups. We will do better in the future. But the decision of giving the masks to the vulnerable, so that they do not have to travel far distances to get them and also, they do not need to pay if they are financially vulnerable, I think that is still a right one. We will continue to adopt that posture going forward. Because the more we are able to customise our assistance to the vulnerable and to the targeted groups, they are better served. If we had allowed everyone to collect from the machines, the machines would have to be stocked up much faster. The replenishment rate would have been a lot higher. But allowing only the vulnerable groups to get from the machines or get from the Community Centres, and the able-bodied ones to get from a retailers, I think that is a good complementary system.

And going back to the reason why we are doing this is because the mask here is not mandatory, neither is it the first response. Our advice is to perhaps reduce your outdoor and strenuous activities as the first response; and only when necessary, that we will put on an N95 mask. Ultimately, N95 masks are very important for the Ministry of Health and healthcare professionals for the prevention of communicable diseases – and that is something for which we must hold our stockpiles ready. It is actually important to conserve our stockpile for the right people at the right time.

Mr Speaker: Last supplementary question, Ms Nadia Samdin.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin (Ang Mo Kio): Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I would also like to thank the Minister and the entire MSE team, as well as all the other agencies for their hard work in tackling the haze.

I have two supplementary questions and this one is on indoor air quality standards. The first, I note that many of these standards, from my understanding, are voluntary, especially within malls. In fact, there are also preschools within malls, for example. Does the Government intend to step up monitoring internally to ensure that the malls, for example, are complying with these standards? That is the first question.

The second question is a more practical one, especially when it comes to preschools, which typically rely on open air ventilation. While there are guidelines on what preschools should do in the event of haze, has there been any assessment whether practically all preschools are able to comply, for example, with sufficient indoor air-conditioning and so on?

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Mr Speaker, I think they relate to air quality for various segments of the population. I would like to defer that decision to the sectoral leads that are monitoring the measures for their respective groups of vulnerable population.

Note(s) to Question No(s) 49-52:

1 Question subsequently withdrawn: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Government will consider (i) allowing Climate Vouchers to be used for energy-efficient air purifiers or (ii) providing other targeted support to lower-income households with elderly or medically vulnerable members to obtain air purifiers, during prolonged haze episodes.