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https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/parliament-sets-out-duties-and-privileges-of-leader-of-the-opposition-pritam-singh?utm_source=STSmartphone&utm_medium=share&utm_term=2020-07-28+17%3A07%3A04 Parliament sets out duties and privileges of Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh SINGAPORE - As the official Leader of the Opposition (LO), Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh will be given certain parliamentary privileges like the right of first response among MPs. He will also have the right to ask the lead question to ministers on policies, Bills and motions, subject to existing speaking conventions, the offices of the Speaker of Parliament and the Leader of the House said in a joint statement on Tuesday (July 28). The statement set out the duties of the new role, as well as the parliamentary privileges and resources accorded to Mr Singh, who is an MP for Aljunied GRC. He will receive confidential briefings by the Government on "select matters of national security and external relations, and in the event of a national crisis or emergency", the statement said. As the LO, Mr Singh will also have more time for his speeches, equivalent to that given to political office-holders. According to the Standing Orders of Parliament, all MPs are allowed to speak for 20 minutes in response to questions raised, and can address a committee of the whole of Parliament for up to 10 minutes. Ministers and parliamentary secretaries are entitled to speak for up to 40 minutes. In terms of additional resources, Mr Singh will receive an allowance that is double that of an elected MP, or $385,000 a year, the statement said. As for staff support, he will receive additional allowance to hire up to three additional legislative assistants, on top of the allowance that all MPs receive to hire one legislative assistant and a secretarial assistant. He will also be provided a secretary to support him administratively with parliamentary business. Mr Singh will have an office and the use of a meeting room in Parliament House.

Since no one start new topic on parliment debate. I decide to start new topic. So we could consolidate all the parliament debate in parliament here and for discussion.

Leong Mun Wai Says It’s ‘Pitiful’ To See Strong Singaporeans Collecting Food For Delivery Singapore continues to push for the transformation of our construction sector to become less reliant on migrant workers. During the parliamentary debate on 11 May, Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) Leong Mun Wai said more could be done to attract locals to join the construction sector. He then made a rather novel statement suggesting that “strong, able-bodied Singaporeans” who work as food delivery riders could be construction workers instead. Suggests ‘strong’ delivery riders to enter construction Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday (11 May), Progress Singapore Party’s Leong Mun Wai said he was happy to hear the progress made on attracting Singaporeans to the construction industry, including taking on scholarships. He then suggested that raising the wages of workers will attract more locals to join the construction sector. Elaborating on this, Mr Leong said, I always find it very uncomfortable and pitiful to see very strong Singaporeans queueing up at the F&B outlet to collect food for delivery. He always wondered why ‘strong, able-bodied Singaporeans’ weren’t doing other types of work. Leader of the House Indranee Rajah later clarified if he meant all Singaporean delivery riders should become construction workers. Mr Leong replied, “Yes”, citing that while there are 100,000 gig workers in the country, some Singaporeans are currently unemployed. Given this Covid environment now, if you raised the wages high enough, there’s a threshold that I think Singaporeans will come in even as a general construction worker. Desmond Lee says government has a different approach In reply to Mr Leong, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said Singapore’s approach is different, as the issue isn’t just as simple as increasing the way. He said the government recognises that they will need to significantly enhance job processes to create a good job for Singaporeans. A job that commands the level of productivity and skills that warrants the kind of pay [Mr Leong] is talking about. The increased pay, he believes, is what Mr Leong is referring to, where it will reach a threshold that will pull Singaporeans towards entering the industry. Minister Lee then said that besides architects, engineers and consultants, locals are already working in the industry as builders, and doing jobs like pre-fabrication and casting works. However, he said these are “very different” jobs than what Mr Leong envisions Singaporeans to be doing. Migrant workers still needed However, Minister Lee stressed that even as Singapore automates and increases productivity, there will still be a need for some migrant workers, and raising their skills is a goal. We hope they’ll be more skilled, to keep them in our sector, keep them here to supplement the core of Singaporeans that we want to build for this sector. According to The Straits Times (ST), this is in line with the Construction Industry Transformation Map, which Minister Lee also brought up. Up-skilling migrant workers is part of the plan. Singapore will continue to transform construction industry It’s quite an unorthodox idea to consider a future where Singaporean food delivery riders will switch to work in the construction industry if the wages are high enough. But ultimately, both Mr Leong and Minister Lee come from the same point where they hope to see the sector filled with more Singaporeans. Are you a food delivery rider? What are your thoughts on the issue? Let us know in the comments below. source: https://mustsharenews.com/construction-delivery-riders/

Parliament: COE, road tax and other costs will continue to apply to private cars, says Khaw Boon Wan source: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/parliament-coe-road-tax-and-other-costs-will-continue-to-apply-to-private-cars?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=STFB&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR0QtgIRetgfnmZqhIKANAaYw7HrQNZS7AaQGH62T7PWULgPW34vta9qku4#Echobox=1588691487 SINGAPORE - Private car owners will have to continue paying for Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) and their road tax plus vehicle licensing fees during the circuit breaker period, said Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Tuesday (May 5), The reason is they can still drive on the road for essential work or personal activities like buying groceries, he pointed out. He said in a written parliamentary reply to Nominated MP Walter Theseira that his ministry has received requests to extend the validity period of COE, road tax and other relevant motor vehicle licences. Associate Professor Theseira had raised the issue too when he asked whether such relief could be given to mitigate motor vehicle depreciation costs in view of the impact of Covid-19 measures on motor vehicle usage. But, Mr Khaw noted, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has already made adjustments to land transport services and charges. He pointed to the LTA extending the inspection deadline for private car owners who were originally scheduled to have their cars inspected during the circuit breaker period. It also extended the deadline for vocational drivers to submit their medical reports when renewing their vocational licenses. "In both cases, the motorists can continue using their vehicles as long as they have valid insurance coverage and road tax," he said. In a separate written parliamentary reply, Mr Khaw said that post-pandemic, the current financing model for public transport would have to be updated should the impact of Covid-19 be "drastic". But as it is too early to determine the post-pandemic world, it would be "premature to assess its long-term impact to public transport financials", he added. "Suffice to say that the pandemic will reshape our economy, our way of life and how we move about." The minister was replying to Prof Theseira, an economist with the Singapore University of Social Sciences, who had asked how social distancing measures had affected demand for public transport services, among other things. Mr Khaw said public transport companies are racking up additional costs as they clean and protect their vehicles and drivers, and house Malaysian bus drivers. These Malaysian drivers are affected by their country's Movement Control Order that requires them to be quarantined for 14 days when they cross the border into Johore. "These costs would eventually have to be borne by operators and taxpayers, as they are not adequately covered by current fares. "Our transport operators are therefore under significant financial stress, especially as their rail operations were already making losses prior to Covid-19," he added. Current ridership has plummeted by 75 per cent for buses and 84 per cent for trains compared with pre-Covid-19 levels. At the same time, fare revenues have plunged by about 80 per cent. For now, the impact on the operators is "partly cushioned" by relief measures such as the Job Support Scheme, property tax rebates, waiver of the foreign worker levy and temporary suspension of Electronic Road Pricing, he noted. Operating costs could have declined further if public transport supply was reduced to match the dwindling demand, but operators have largely preserved service capacity to ensure commuters could maintain social distancing, Mr Khaw said. "Post-pandemic, we will see how public transport evolves," he added.

http://politicalwritings.wordpress.com/201...-stay-clueless/ PAP: Stay Arrogant, Stay Clueless Posted on 21/10/2011 by politicalwritings The recent

Congratulations to fellow Singaporeans to vote PAP back in power!

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what's the purpose of debating over the budget when the govt has announced and is going to implement it. isn't it a waste of the MP's time? the budget should be debated, view and opinions asked, and then implemented.