MPs file questions on Sports Hub takeover, inflation and food security for July 4 Parliament sitting

SINGAPORE — Members of Parliament (MP) have filed 20 questions on the Government's takeover of the Singapore Sports Hub for the upcoming sitting of Parliament next Monday (July 4). 

Out of the 194 questions filed for written and oral response, 20 are related to the takeover of Sports Hub, based on the parliamentary order paper released on Friday. Other questions revolve around issues such as inflation and food security. 

On the Sports Hub, the questions raised by MPs range from the plans for the facility after the takeover in December this year, the main reasons behind the breakdown in the public-private partnership and if there are guidelines put in place to ensure that future partnerships of this nature will work. 

This comes after national sports authority Sport Singapore (SportSG) announced on June 10 that it and SportsHub Pte Ltd (SHPL) have mutually agreed to terminate the agreement on the integrated sports, entertainment and lifestyle hub. 

SportSG chairman Kon Yin Tong said that there had been a "confluence of factors for the decision" but ultimately, it wants to unlock the Sports Hub's full potential for Singapore. 

Mr Seah Kian Peng, MP for Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC), has asked Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, on what the learning points from the public-private partnership model adopted by the Sports Hub are and the total amount spent in financing the development. 

Sembawang GRC MP Poh Li San asked how the facilities in the Kallang sporting and entertainment hub will be made accessible and affordable for the public.

Workers' Party MP Sylvia Lim of Aljunied GRC asked whether SportSG has the expertise needed to manage the Sports Hub, as well as the objectives and performance criteria set for SportSG when it takes over. 

Several MPs also filed questions on inflation and the Government's plans for dealing with heightened inflationary risks. 

Tampines GRC MP Cheng Li Hui asked Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Trade and Industry, on whether the Government forecasts a stagflation happening in the next few years and what are some of the measures considered to manage its impact. 

Other MPs filed questions about food security, following Malaysia's ban on live chicken exports on June 1. The ban has since been partially lifted. 

Mr Desmond Choo, an MP for Tampines GRC who is also the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) assistant secretary-general, asked Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, about the impact that the ban has had on businesses and consumers here. 

He also wanted to know how the ministry plans to protect consumers from similar supply shocks involving other products. 

There is an adjournment motion in Parliament on public housing, filed by Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Nadia Ahmad Samdin.

This came after four housing block units on Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 were chosen for the Housing and Development Board's Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers), with some residents saying that they have to top up money to get a similar-sized replacement flat. 

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, she wrote that she will be sharing feedback and concerns raised by residents about Sers. 

She wrote: "As more flats grow older, I know that many have concerns and seek equitable solutions." 

Other questions filed pertained to the Government's latest S$1.5 billion support package announced last week to help citizens cope with rising costs, as well as on the upcoming Goods and the Services Tax (GST) increase.

GST will go up from 7 to 8 per cent in 2023 and further increase to 9 per cent in 2024. 

Ms Foo Mee Har, MP for West Coast GRC, asked Finance Minister Lawrence Wong if the Government will consider temporarily enhancing the GST offset package for lower- and middle-income groups if inflation remains high coupled with the impending GST hikes. 

Mr Saktiandi Supaat, MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, asked if the recently announced S$1.5 billion support package and the Assurance Package will continue to offset the five to 10 years of extra GST expenses for Singaporean households.  

Mr Wong introduced a S$640 million enhancement to the package during this year's Budget, which is worth S$6.6 billion. It was first introduced in 2020 to cushion the impact of the GST hike.