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Parliament in brief: 4 things you should know

SINGAPORE — The median monthly salary of Employment Pass holders in Singapore has almost doubled over the past decade to S$9,000 as of December 2021 from S$4,700 in December 2011.

Parliament in session on Sept 12, 2022.

Parliament in session on Sept 12, 2022.

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  • Employment Pass holders' median monthly salary has almost doubled over the past decade from S$4,700 to S$9,000
  • About 47 per cent of all NS55 credits, given to mark 55 years of National Service, have been spent 
  • Singapore Armed Forces personnel who have consumed illegal drugs can choose to confess without being punished under an amnesty scheme
  • Between 2010 and 2021, the Housing and Development Board acted against a total of 730 cases of unauthorised flat rentals

SINGAPORE — The median monthly salary of Employment Pass holders in Singapore has almost doubled over the past decade to S$9,000 as of December 2021 from S$4,700 in December 2011.

Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said this in a written reply to a question filed for a parliamentary session on Monday (Sept 12) that asked about Employment Pass holders’ average monthly salary over the years.

Other questions that Members of Parliament (MPs) filed included the usage of vouchers given out to national servicemen to mark 55 years of National Service, the approach taken by the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) towards drug use among servicemen as well as the number of Housing and Development Board (HDB) homeowners caught unlawfully subletting their flats.

The following are some extracts of the written answers for these questions.

1. Average monthly salary drawn by Employment Pass holders

Questions by Mr Louis Chua, MP for Sengkang Group Representation Constituency (GRC)

  • What is the average monthly salary drawn by Employment Pass holders, by deciles, for each year over the last 10 years?
  • What is the number of Employment Pass holders within each income decile for each year over the last 10 years?

Reply by Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng

The Ministry of Manpower regularly reviews the qualifying salary for Employment Pass applicants to keep pace with the wages of professionals, managers, executives and technicians who are Singapore residents.

This ensures that Employment Pass holders are of good calibre and are not hired simply because they are cheaper than resident workers. 

Consequently, the monthly salaries of Employment Pass holders at every decile have increased over the last 10 years. 

From December 2011 to December 2021, the median monthly salary of these pass holders jumped from S$4,700 to S$9,000. 

The number of Employment Pass holders per decile increased from 17,500 in December 2011 to 19,200 in December 2016 and then dropped to 16,200 in December 2021, in part due to disruptions caused by Covid-19. 

The table below summarises the key data for December 2011, 2016 and 2021, which broadly shows the trends in median salaries and numbers over the 10-year period. 

Data on Employment Pass or EP holders, as recorded by the Parliament of Singapore.

2. NS55 Recognition Package

Questions by Dr Wan Rizal, MP for Jalan Besar GRC

  • What is the number of national servicemen who are not eligible to receive the NS55 Recognition Package?
  • How many complaints were received about difficulties in claiming the credits?
  • What measures have been taken to address the respective problems? 

Reply by Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen

More than one million national servicemen, past and present, were awarded the NS55 credits.

NS55 credits are part of the NS55 Recognition Package to commemorate 55 years of National Service in Singapore.

Only about 1 per cent of all national servicemen were not eligible for the NS55 Recognition Package, primarily due to serious offences and disciplinary issues. 

All eligible recipients have received their credits by end-July and as of end-August, more than half of the recipients have used some or all of their credits. 

About 47 per cent of all credits issued have already been spent, which is much higher than the figure over the same period for the NS50 package in 2017, when hardcopy vouchers were distributed. 

The NS55 credit redemption service on the LifeSG mobile application had an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars. 

From July 1 to Aug 31 this year, the call centres and email hotlines of Mindef and the Ministry of Home Affairs had responded to about 8,000 calls and emails from national servicemen who needed help to redeem the credits or asked for hardcopy vouchers. These servicemen constitute about 0.8 per cent of all NS55 credit recipients. 

Digital ambassadors, who are deployed at accessible locations such as selected community centres and public libraries, as well as Safra and HomeTeamNS clubhouses, have also served about 16,000 walk-ins from members of the public, whose queries ranged from asking how to download the LifeSG app and navigate the credit redemption service, to what the NS55 Recognition Package entails and what the LifeSG app does. 

National servicemen who still prefer to convert their digital credits to hardcopy vouchers despite the various modes of assistance available will generally receive such vouchers within one month of their request. To date, there have been about 4,000 of such servicemen — or less than 0.4 per cent of those eligible for the NS55 credits. 

These are primarily servicemen who do not have access to smartphones or are not comfortable with making digital payments.

The data above suggests that most recipients have generally found the digital credit disbursement and redemption process efficient and convenient. 

3. Detecting and preventing drug abuse in military installations

Last month, Singapore’s Olympian Joseph Schooling admitted to taking cannabis overseas. He is serving National Service at the moment and received a warning from Mindef. He has also been put on a urine test regime for six months.

Question by Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC

  • What are the steps taken to detect and prevent the abuse of controlled substances or drugs in military installations or during training here and overseas, particularly among full-time national servicemen and operationally ready national servicemen?

Reply by Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) maintains a policy that is aligned to the country’s national policy of zero tolerance against drug abuse. 

The key planks of implementation are prevention and strict enforcement against drug abusers through testing, appropriate punishment and rehabilitation. 

Both planks are necessary to ensure a drug-free culture within SAF. 

Prevention of drug abuse is achieved through education and encouraging those who have consumed illegal drugs to seek help to stop or treat their addiction. 

All recruits attend talks conducted by the SAF Counselling Centre during their Basic Military Training on the harmful effects of drugs. 

After Basic Military Training, anti-drug talks are conducted periodically by the SAF Counselling Centre and Central Narcotics Bureau at SAF camps and units. 

Before overseas exercises or postings, SAF personnel are briefed on and sternly reminded of the consequences of taking drugs overseas. 

To avoid the harsh penalties of drug abuse, those who have consumed illegal drugs can choose to confess without being punished under the SAF Amnesty Scheme. 

These personnel will then receive counselling and rehabilitation support to help them kick their habit and undergo regular testing. 

This scheme is only available to SAF soldiers once, after which penalties will apply for drug offences. 

To monitor drug abuse, urine tests are conducted across SAF extensively. 

All enlistees undergo these urine tests during their Basic Military Training. 

Urine tests are also done without advance notice in units, overseas bases and training locations, as well as on returning service personnel. 

The SAF Military Police also carry out routine spot checks to ensure that illegal products, including controlled drugs, are not brought into SAF premises. 

Any servicemen or women who test positive during urine screening will be charged. 

They are typically sentenced by the military courts to a minimum of eight to nine months detention in the SAF Detention Barracks. 

Known or suspected drug abusers who have self-confessed or had recent drug convictions will be put on a urine test regime and drug counselling sessions, during which they will be screened up to three times a week for a period of up to six months. 

If they test positive during this period, they will be investigated for drug offences and potentially charged in court martial. 

This serves as both a deterrence and a form of rehabilitation to help them stay away from drugs. 

4. Number of undisclosed HDB flat subletting cases

Questions by Ms Cheryl Chan, MP for East Coast GRC

  • Between 2010 and 2021, what is the number of undisclosed HDB flat subletting cases found? 
  • What are the penalties meted to the homeowners in these cases?
  • How can HDB improve its enforcement of the rules on undisclosed HDB flat subletting?

Reply by Minister for National Development Desmond Lee

HDB takes a serious view of unauthorised leasing of flats and will take action against errant flat owners. 

Depending on the severity and circumstances of the infringement, HDB may issue a written warning, impose a fine of up to S$50,000, or acquire the flats compulsorily from the owners. 

Between 2010 and 2021, HDB acted against a total of 730 cases where flats were rented without authorisation, including around 70 that were compulsorily acquired. 

To uncover any unauthorised rental, HDB conducts routine planned inspections and investigates all feedback from members of the public on suspected cases. 

Besides operating a dedicated phone line for the public to report suspected infringements, HDB also organises community programmes such as Heartland Talks, a regular event discussing topics such as getting a flat for first-time buyers, and publicises cases of action taken against flat owners to deter other owners from breaking the rental rules.

Related topics

Employment Pass MOM NS55 Recognition Package drugs HDB Parliament National Service

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