Parliament in brief: 5 things you should know

SINGAPORE — Questions were raised on a wide range of topics in Parliament on Monday (May 6), with Members of Parliament (MPs) asking about how much the Integrated Resorts would have to pay for extra land they purchased, steps to control the number of food poisoning cases, as well as the number of Singaporeans earning less than S$1,300 and S$2,000 per month from full-time work.

Here are some extracts of what went on at the Parliament sitting:

1. Integrated Resorts to pay fair market value for any extra land purchased

The two Integrated Resorts (IRs) will pay “fair market value” for the extra land they will be purchasing if they intend to exercise their option for additional gaming area, said Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Chee Hong Tat.

The land cost will be determined by the Chief Valuer based on prevailing market conditions when the option is exercised, he added.

He was responding to a question by Mr Gan Thiam Poh, MP for Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency (GRC), who asked how land costs for Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) would be determined as no public tender was called.

Mr Chee said that MBS will be expanding its site by 3.3 hectares at a cost of S$1.3 billion, while RWS has set aside a S$1 billion budget to purchase 1 hectare of new land and intensify the use of its existing land.

This comes after it was announced in early April that the two IRs would be a committing a combined S$9 billion of non-gaming investments to build tourism, facilities and attractions.

In return, the Government has given them “business certainty” by ensuring that no casinos will be built here until end-2030.

Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo also said that S$1.3 billion in casino entry fees have been collected since 2010, when the two IRs first opened.

The proceeds were channelled to the Tote Board, which funds social programmes that benefit the public, she added.

2. Over 200 trees uprooted by strong winds last year

Strong winds and heavy rainfall caused 217 trees to uproot and fall in public spaces last year, said Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong.

He was responding to a written question by Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, MP for Potong Pasir, on the number of trees that have been uprooted and fallen in public spaces last year and the ministry’s plans to reduce such incidents.

Mr Wong said that the National Parks Board (NParks) has two million trees in urban areas under its care and conducts regular inspections of the trees every one to two years. NParks also conducts additional annual in-depth inspections for larger trees.

Other measures include replacing trees that are vulnerable to storms with species that are hardier. Trees are also pruned regularly and technology is used to improve the inspection process.

Mr Wong added that NParks is working with Town Councils and the Housing and Development Board (HDB) to set up a nation-wide tree registry system to manage a further one million trees located in public housing estates and managed by Town Councils.

The tree registry system will map out trees in public housing estates and allow Town Councils to develop suitable tree care regimes and tree replacement programmes.

3. 61 per cent of first-time buyers of HDB flats received subsidies from January 2014 to December 2018

First timer households that received housing grants when booking a new flat between this period paid as low as S$3,700 for a 2-room Flexi flat.

This was reported by Mr Wong in his written response to Mr Gan’s query on the number of HDB Built-to-Order (BTO) applicants who have obtained housing grants and the lowest price for that type of flat for successful grant applicants.

The lowest flat prices for the various house types after subsidies were:

• 2-room Flexi: S$3,700

• 3-room: S$70,600

• 4-room: S$151,000

• 5-room: S$264,200

• > 5-room: S$413,000

Households buying a flat from HDB for the first time may receive up to S$80,000 in housing grants in the form of Additional CPF Housing Grant and Special CPF Housing Grant.

Among first-timer households that booked a flat between this period, 61 per cent (about 48,600)  had obtained at least one of the grants.

4. Poor food handling practices, lack of cleanliness led to recent food poisoning incidents

The Government is paying close attention to mass gastroenteritis incidents reported from November 2018 to March this year.

The incidents were a result of poor food handling practices, lack of cleanliness in food preparation and in common areas, as well as poor personal hygiene standards, said Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli.

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) had conducted over 95,000 inspections of food operators from January 2018 to March this year to ensure their compliance with food hygiene and safety. More than 3,700 checks were conducted on food caterers, which are more prone to food safety risks.

Mr Masagos said that SFA had also taken enforcement action for lapses found and stepped up surveillance and engagement of all food operators, particularly for food caterers supplying food to pre-schools and during festive seasons.

Advisories are also issued periodically to remind food operators to ensure that their food handlers observe good food hygiene and safety practices.

Food handlers and Food Hygiene Officers who work at premises that have been suspended for food hygiene and safety lapses are also required to undergo retraining and be recertified for hygiene courses.

To strengthen the regulatory regime for food hygiene and safety, heavier penalties will be imposed on food operators involved in significant food poisoning incidents. Total composition amounts will be increased and food operators who commit serious food hygiene and safety offences will be prosecuted in court.

5. Rise in real wages for bottom 20th percentile

The real income of the lowest 20th percentile grew 4.2 per cent annually over the last five years, more than at the median.

As a result, the proportion of full-time employed Singapore Residents earning less than S$1,300 in gross monthly income from work fell to about 5 per cent, said Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo in her written response to Non-Constituency MP Daniel Goh.

About 282,000 or 15 per cent of residents also earned less than S$2000, a decline of about 30 per cent over the last five years.

Mrs Teo added that the Government would continue to top up the salaries of low wage workers and their Central Provident Fund savings through the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) Scheme, which benefits more than 400,000 workers each year and boosted their incomes by up to 30 per cent.

The total payout for WIS in 2017 amounted to S$650 million.