Update on Plan for Live-streaming Parliamentary Sittings

Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for Communications and Information whether he can provide an update on the plan for live-streaming of Parliament proceedings and how this can be implemented in a way that mitigates concerns about its potential impact on the quality and tone of debates.

Mr Speaker, Sir, may I begin by wishing you and all Members of this House a happy and healthy new year.

Sir, the live-streaming of Parliamentary proceedings commences today. As we speak, this Sitting is being streamed real-time on MCI’s YouTube channel, which is accessible to all. There will be two live-streams: one with English interpretation of speeches made in vernacular languages, and one without. As with current practice, the full video of each live-stream will remain on MCI’s YouTube channel for a period of six months after the end of the Sitting.

All currently available avenues to access Parliamentary proceedings remain. These includes attendance in-person from the Strangers’ Gallery, online video clips uploaded within hours of the Sitting and the written records of the Hansard which are also available online.

These arrangements already give us the full benefits of transparency, accountability and accessibility. With live-streaming, members of the public will now also be able to watch proceedings in real time, without having to be physically present in Parliament. As I explained in September last year, the Government has agreed to this in view of the global and technological trends which have made online streaming more feasible and enabled legislatures around the world to live-stream their proceedings.

Even as we seek deeper engagement of our citizens through the live-streaming of Parliamentary proceedings, we must preserve the integrity and dignity of Parliament as a forum for serious debate on national issues.

The Member has asked how concerns over the potential impact of live-streaming on the quality and tone of parliamentary debates can be mitigated. Ultimately, it rests with all Members of this House, present and future, who must uphold the highest standards of conduct and decorum, as we engage in the cut and thrust of parliamentary debate.

Thank you, Sir. Just one supplementary question. Could I just check whether there will be sign language available for the live-stream, as well?

Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for his question. At this point, we do not have the provisions for sign language. However, the English stream on YouTube will have auto-captioning available. In other words, that which has the translations of the vernacular as well. So, that will be our starting position in terms of how we make it more accessible for those who may be hearing impaired.