Additional Support Measures in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

Mr Speaker, Sir, it is probably not an exaggeration to say that with more than 200 countries affected, probably close to four billion people now on lockdown, the COVID-19 crisis is possibly the worst catastrophe the world has faced since the Second World War.

Besides tackling the medical crisis, governments around the world are rolling out emergency stimulus and support packages to keep their economies afloat. These packages range from less than 1% of their GDPs to as high as 32%, for example, in the case of Germany.

At 12% of our GDP and close to $60 billion, our Supplementary Budgets – the Resilience and now the Solidarity Budgets – lies probably in the middle ground. Still, it is by any measure an enormous package and quite unprecedented for us.

On one hand, this massive injection of funds helps to boost confidence and goes some way in tackling the current and near-term economic challenges. And as we enter today into the first day of this circuit breaker measure, our fight against COVID-19 here in Singapore enters a critical phase.

It is reassuring to hear from Deputy Prime Minister Heng that the Government is able to and prepared to do even more in the future should the crisis drag on, as seen in the further measures just announced under the Solidarity Budget.

However, on the other hand, we all know that our reserves are not unlimited and some had urged caution about dipping too deep into our national savings, although virtually all the people I have spoken to or I have interacted with over the past weeks have expressed appreciation for the various assistance schemes. The worry is that no one knows how long this crisis will last and that we might need more funds further down the road.

In the meantime, we must, of course, all do our part to minimise further spread of the disease and continue contributing to our community and economy in a socially responsible manner.

For many of us, one of our biggest monthly expenditures is mortgage repayments on our homes and MAS has announced that homeowners may apply to defer repayments for their residential property loans until the end of the year. This is of course good news to owners under financial pressure due to the impact from COVID-19. They can choose to defer just the principal amount or both the principal and interest payments. No interest will be charged on the deferred interest payments. However, they must take note that interest will continue to accrue on the deferred principal amounts. I understand that it may be difficult for the banks and finance companies to consider waiving interest on the principal amounts. Nonetheless, I hope MAS and the Government will consider persuading them to implement a reduced interest rate over this deferment period on those deferred amounts, or at least not to charge interest on the deferred principal amounts. This is probably in line with the fact that lending rates across the board are slowly reducing over the next few months.

This special deferment arrangement also, to my knowledge, does not currently extend to individuals with commercial or industrial property loans. While owners are encouraged to discuss debt restructuring with their lenders, some guidelines for relief measures for this group would be helpful; and this way, the owners may, in turn, be able to extend arrangements for relief to their beleaguered tenants as well.

Next, I would also like to appeal for a little bit more assistance under the Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme. I know that some new measures have just been announced under the Solidarity Budget. But I would like consideration, perhaps, to be made for further help for SEPs who have more dependants. Of course, currently, we now know that under this scheme, SEPs will receive $1,000 a month for a total of nine months. Would MOM consider taking into account the number of dependants supported by the SEPs? SEPs supporting young children, elderly or disabled family members would probably require additional financial assistance during this difficult time. For SEPs who are also not auto-enrolled in the SIRS, I hope that the application and appeals process will be as expedient and as inclusive as possible.

Next, I would like to also bring up the special plight of private hire drivers. In the early days of the COVID crisis, there had been some calls in some quarters for those who had seen reduced employment, or been furloughed, to consider supplementing their income with private hire driving. With this recent drastic reductions in social interaction and travel, many private hire drivers, along with regular taxi drivers, are facing severe constraints on their daily income. Whilst taxi companies have announced rental rebates and waivers for their drivers, many private hire drivers are still bound to their rental agreements, and some who have taken private leases on their vehicles are also finding it difficult to service these loans. I think for the latter, the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Bill, which was just introduced, should address some of these concerns. But I hope that he relevant agencies can work together to address these areas of urgent concern.

As to my final area of worry, with the anticipated reductions in disposable incomes, I would also like to ask if more help can be extended to lessen out-of-pocket expenses for essential medical services.

Despite very generous Government subsidies, many Singaporeans still need to pay a portion of their medical expenses. During this trying period, more families’ finances will be stretched. Hence, could I ask whether the Government would consider a temporary, extended liberalisation of MediSave for both outpatient and inpatient essential medical treatments, and also for ILTC expenses? Now, this would not entail any immediate further expenditures for the Government. MediSave has also been looked upon as every citizen’s individual reserves for medical care, and surely the current economic climate provides a mandate to dip into this personal cash reserve for necessary medical use?

Next, for the Medication Assistance Fund – both the MAF and MAF Plus – would the Government or MOH consider increasing the level of subsidy for more costly medications, up from the current band of between 50% and 85%? While these subsidies are generous, again, due to the high costs of certain drugs, the balance costs borne by patients and their families can still be fairly significant.

I would also like to seek clarifications regarding MediShield Life premiums. Insurance policyholders can now apply to defer premium payments for up to six months while maintaining insurance coverage. May I assume that MediShield Life and integrated plan policies could be included as well?

In addition, would MOM consider allowing SEPs to defer their MediSave instalment payments during the current climate of economic difficulties?

Last but not least, I hope that the eligibility criteria for MediFund will be loosened temporarily during this contagion period to assist patients who may not qualify during more regular periods.

Finally, I would like to end by again thanking the Deputy Prime Minister, all the Ministers, civil servants, frontline workers for all their commitment and the hard work during this especially trying time for the nation. All of us are behind you and thank you for your hard work.

Regarding our battle against SARS in the early 2000s, I recall a quote from the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew who said that: "We were united as one people", this was during SARS, "to protect the health and safety of everyone. The experience bonded us as one people regardless of race, language and religion". This COVID-19 crisis, terrible as it is, offers us another chance to emerge stronger as one nation and one people, and stronger we will be. SGUnited, SG Together. And I would like to conclude with my support for this Budget.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to start by thanking Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and his team at MOF for working relentlessly and tirelessly on successive packages in response to the rapidly escalating COVID-19 pandemic. From the Unity, to Resilience, to Solidarity Budgets, it is clear that the Government is listening hard and responding with great competence, boldness and heart.

The resources needed to fight this escalating crisis seem unending. More than 3.9 billion people or half the world's population have been asked to remain in their homes to combat COVID-19. After battling the virus for over two months, with successive restrictions, Singapore too, joined those confined to their homes, in an effort to slow the worrying growth rate of unlinked local cases.

Whilst I fully support these enhanced new measures, designed to be circuit breaker to arrest the escalating infections, such restrictions will incur significant economic costs in addition to imposing a severely constrained way of living on everyone. The Solidarity Budget proposes that another $5.1 billion be spent to save jobs, support businesses and families during these extraordinary four weeks, with $4 billion of that coming from our Reserves.

No one is sure how widely the COVID-19 pandemic will spread and when it will peak. Containment may take longer than currently projected and no country has seen a clear path to recovery. Even China, which has seen its reported infections dwindle, has urged their citizens to avoid non-essential outings and has continued to discourage foreigners from entering, in order to prevent a resurgence of infections. Without widespread availability of a viable vaccine, the removal of restrictions on economic activity is likely to be painfully slow. The longer the duration of lock-down, the more complicated the resumption of economic activity will be.

I would like to ask Deputy Prime Minister what he plans to do if our efforts to contain COVID-19 is not successful and circuit breaker measures need to be extended or even tightened? Would he extend a similar set of support measures?

It is at times like this when we feel grateful of the privileged financial position Singapore is in, endowed as it is with the wherewithal to weather this storm. Our reserves have enabled Deputy Prime Minister to act decisively when the nation faces such extraordinary circumstances.

The lion share of Resilience and Solidarity Budgets will go towards the Job Support Scheme in order to save jobs and protect people's livelihoods. I am pleased that the Government chose to bear the full costs of savings jobs with wage support, instead of cutting CPF. After the previous CPF rate cut in 2003, it took eight years for the employer contribution rate to be restored to 16%. I hope we can continue to safeguard CPF for our workers in this crisis.

Despite the strong efforts on Job Support Scheme, less than half of the Singaporeans polled by The Straits Times believe that the measures would be enough to rescue jobs. In the US, the COVID-19 "freeze" is expected to cost 47 million jobs and send the unemployment rate past 32%, according to St Louis Fed projections. With such grave outcomes being predicted in other parts of the world, I would like to ask Deputy Prime Minister about his outlook on Singapore's unemployment – both the base case as well as worst case scenarios? Even as we work relentlessly to mitigate the scale of retrenchment and rise in unemployment, I would like to ask Deputy Prime Minister whether he has in mind a limit to which the reserves should be tapped?

There is no historical precedent of the type of economic dislocations that we are experiencing. More are drawing parallels with the trauma wrought by World War II or the Great Depression. I would like to ask Deputy Prime Minister for his view on the nature of this crisis – how different it is from past crises and the challenges that he believes Singaporeans and the enterprises will need to face.

Mr Speaker, Sir, many of the support schemes in the Resilience and Solidarity Budgets are broad-based to provide for cash flow during this time of crisis. I note that some countries, such as Australia, eligibility for wage support only kicks in if business turnover drops by 30% due to the pandemic – so there is an eligibility criteria. And for larger companies with turnover of more than A$1 billion, their drop in turnover must be at least 50% before they are eligible.

Whilst I agree with the broad-based approach Singapore is taking, it is incumbent on companies who enjoy disproportionately greater benefits to “do the right thing”, and share these benefits with their business partners, employees and the wider eco-system, in the spirit of solidarity.

Sir, let me share one example. Food delivery platforms such as Grab and Deliveroo typically charge 30%-35% in commission fees. This means food outlets need to pay an exorbitant one-third of customer receipts, in fees to delivery platforms, as commissions for delivery. Judging by the compensation that delivery platforms pay their riders and charges they impose on consumers for delivery, I think this seems excessive.

Owners of food outlets have told me that the high commissions are barely tolerable during "peacetime". However, with the onset of COVID-19, deliveries have now become the dominant portion of their business – indeed, the only mode of business from today, for at least a month. Under these circumstances, payment of such commissions renders the sustainability of food establishments untenable.

Some relief is provided by the recently launched Enterprise Singapore’s package to support F&B players by funding 5% of the commission cost. I urge, and I really urge, GrabFood, Food Panda and Deliveroo to do their part – review their commission model and foster more equitable sharing of costs and benefits with food outlets owners, riders and consumers.

I believe it is in the delivery companies’ interests to adjust their commission rates, so that food outlets may have a fighting chance to survive. As for delivery riders who "brave" the deliveries to ferry our favourites to us at home, we as consumers can also play our part by giving them a little extra. Should those of us who can afford it not consider tipping our delivery riders 5%-10% of food receipts as a discretionary "service fee"? We can all do our part to keep Singapore’s treasured, unique and colourful food culture alive.

In the coming days, more relationships between parties will need to evolve and creative new models that benefit all stakeholders must emerge. I hope such solutions will be developed by businesses themselves, without depending on the heavy hand of the Government or the law. It is regrettable that we have to enact new laws to compel landlords to pass on property tax rebates to tenants.

Sir, I commend the coordinated efforts of MAS and the financial industry to roll out probably the biggest restructuring of household and corporate debt in Singapore’s history, providing individuals and businesses relief in cash flows. The relief package offered by banks and insurers, to defer repayment of loans as well as insurance premiums until the end of the year, will be a lifeline for many impacted. It will also help financial institutions reduce risks of delinquencies and bankruptcies, by sharing the burden of debt with individuals and SMEs.

However, I was surprised to hear from Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat during a Parliamentary Question yesterday, that the SME Working Capital Loan Programme has so far helped only 662 enterprises and the Temporary Bridging Loan interest rate is as much as 5% despite the Government’s risk-sharing at 80%. This contrasts poorly with Switzerland’s crisis loan scheme to SMEs, where over 76,000 small businesses availed themselves of more than SFr 15 billion in the first week of launch, at zero interest.

I thank the Deputy Prime Minister for announcing risk share to 90% and that banks and finance companies may also apply for low-cost funding through a new MAS Singapore Dollar facility. With these strong Government interventions, I would like to ask if MAS can prescribed a much lower interest rate chargeable such that there is more take up, and boost SMEs chances of surviving this storm and ease their recovery with less debt burden.

Finally, Sir, the impact of coronavirus hits everyone. Many of our PRs are part of Singaporean families and have contributed socially and economically. They are hurting too. In solidarity, could the Deputy Prime Minister consider giving them some help, even if not the full $600, means tested on a case by case basis, and applicants can be asked to show that they are part of Singaporean families. Also there are many Long-Term Visit Pass holders who are spouses of Singaporeans. Many of these families are not well-off. They would certainly appreciate this, even if it is just a fraction of $600.

Mr Speaker, Sir, it is clear that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt for quite a while. The Unity, Resilience and Solidarity Budgets provide comprehensive measures for individuals and companies to build capabilities for the eventual recovery at all levels. Despite our best efforts, some companies and jobs will disappear, but new ones will emerge. Those who stay resilient in the face of hardship and adversity will be rewarded, when a new dawn breaks.

As we face the mighty storm together, for days, months or even years, our shared sense of identity and solidarity will be our greatest strength. Every generation of Singaporeans has been defined by its own crisis; each has come through stronger and more united than before – this challenge is ours to face down, as one united people. Together, I am confident Singapore will prevail. Sir, I support the Budget.

Mr Speaker, the livelihoods of many Singaporeans in the arts, culture and sports sectors have been badly affected by COVID-19. Arts and sporting events, and CCAs, were cancelled or postponed even before the new circuit breaker measures that take effect today, 7 April. To deal with this unprecedented crisis, the government has introduced additional measures to protect livelihoods, help businesses overcome immediate challenges and strengthen economic and social resilience. Fifty-five million dollars has been set aside for an Arts and Culture Resilience Package (ACRP) as part of the Resilience Budget. We will: (a) protect livelihoods and careers in the arts, culture and sports eco-systems; (b) invest in capabilities that will position ourselves well for the post-COVID recovery; and (c) digitalise these sectors to create new markets, provide new job opportunities and ensure that Singaporeans can continue to benefit from the arts, culture and sports.

We must first protect the livelihoods of our arts, culture and sports practitioners. They have been badly affected. Individual professionals, such as freelancers, may tap on broad-based relief schemes like the Temporary Relief Fund and SEP Income Relief Scheme or SIRS, and defer their income tax payments and mortgage instalments. Depending on individual circumstances, an eligible arts or sports freelancer may potentially receive $12,000 from May to October 2020 from SIRS and the Enhanced Workfare Special Payment among the broad-based measures in the Resilience and Solidarity Budgets, even before factoring other schemes.

For companies, the Deputy Prime Minister announced that the Government will co-fund 25% of the wages of every local employee under the enhanced Jobs Support Scheme or JSS, which will last till end 2020, and 75% for the month of April, in view of the heightened measures. This will support all eligible companies and employees in the arts and culture and sports sectors. MCCY will announce additional support for major companies, as well as leading arts and culture groups, shortly at a later date.

To help companies and businesses further defray costs, all eligible tenants in MCCY-owned properties – be they in the arts and culture, youth, or sports – will benefit from the two months of rental waiver announced by the Deputy Prime Minister. This will benefit more than 300 tenants. These measures will provide some immediate relief for our arts and culture companies and allow them to use this period – when they are working from home – to plan for the future with greater assurance and certainty.

To further support employment in the sports sector, as part of the SGUnited Jobs Initiative, we have identified more than 500 temporary job opportunities for various roles in the sports sector to support our national sports associations (NSAs), sports centres, academy and clubs as well as to support digital and exercise-science related capabilities. While many of these jobs will not be available while circuit breaker measures are in place, we are preparing them now so that we can start hiring as soon as these measures are relaxed.

Beyond relief support, we will invest in retaining and upskilling the arts, culture and sports professionals. We want to protect and sustain the breadth and depth of skillsets and talents in the eco-systems as much as possible. Practitioners in these sectors will already benefit from the $500 to $1,000 SkillsFuture Credit top-up, and the SEP Training Support Scheme. I encourage our practitioners to hone their professional skills, and explore new complementary skills through the many online courses that are available from home.

For the sports sector, we have been working with partners to build up the range of Continuing Coach Education or CCE courses to upskill our coaches and instructors. When the situation allows, coaches and instructors can avail themselves of more than 3,000 training opportunities by end-2020. This is in addition to the more than 2,000 ActiveSG SkillsFuture training opportunities currently available to coaches and instructors. These courses are either free or well covered by training grants from SkillsFuture. We will progressively make more training programmes available to individuals in the sports sector. We will also set aside $100,000 for the Coach Development Grant, up from $30,000 in previous years, to cover coaches’ registration and course fees when they sign up for CCE courses.

Arts and culture freelancers, as well as those in the wider creative sector who provide important complementary expertise such as sound and lighting professionals, hold essential capabilities for our arts and culture eco-system. The Arts Resource Hub or ARH under the National Arts Council or NAC, has been set up to promote employability and sustainability of freelancers’ careers by providing resources and services. The ARH has been engaging and surveying a wide range of cultural and creative freelancers over the past months to better understand their profiles and the impact of COVID-19 on them. It helps us refine our range of shared resources and services, and provide reliable and relevant information to help them tide over this difficult period. Freelancers who have experienced contract cancellations can also seek advice from the ARH.

I strongly encourage all cultural and creative freelancers to sign up online with the ARH, at no cost, to enjoy the convenience of a centralised point-of-contact.

This is the time for companies to invest in their employees. The Enhanced Training Support scheme announced by the Deputy Prime Minister provides absentee payroll to employers who send their employees for training in SkillsFuture courses and is open to companies in the arts, culture and sports sectors. In addition, arts and culture organisations can apply for further support under the expanded Capability Development Scheme for the Arts or CDSA administered by NAC, to send their employees for professional-led training courses, beyond those endorsed by SkillsFuture. In the coming months, NAC will list more online courses which are eligible for CDSA support. We have enhanced the CDSA so that Major Companies can now receive up to $20,000 for training, while other arts groups can receive up to $6,000. Up to 200 companies will benefit from this.

In addition to organisations and their employees, we will also support the training of up to 6,000 freelancers through the CDSA. These freelancers can apply for the CDSA to participate in a variety of courses, including local and international online courses. These include masterclasses in graphic communication skills in outreach with digital media, courses in creative writing, music production and studio recording. NAC will invite suggestions on training programmes and welcome courses by our own major arts companies and established professionals who are keen to offer their skills and experience in their areas of expertise. Our freelancers can receive up to $1,000 for their training, which can cover both course fee subsidies and a training allowance of $10 per hour. Just like companies and their employees, freelancers can also use this time to apply for the CDSA and use it to take online courses, or for future training.

Arts, culture and sports lift our spirits in these difficult times, and sustain our emotional and physical well-being. To ensure Singaporeans continue to have access to the arts, culture and sports during the next few months, our culture and sports agencies will be releasing digital content to engage Singaporeans even as we stay at home, provide enjoyment for the entire family, and encourage them to keep fit. Interested audiences can view available offerings at NAC’s A-List website, an integrated platform featuring cultural offerings from our cultural institutions, arts groups and artists to offer greater access and connectivity for audiences. A-List is already available with many exciting programmes. I urge Members to check it out.

We also want to step up on-going digitalisation efforts to enhance capabilities of the arts and culture, and sports sector, create new experiences for audiences and participants, and expand economic opportunities. Beyond bringing their products online, we see that it is a good time for the sector to acquire technical skills in data analytics, audience sensing, online marketing and more.

For the arts and culture sector, we have established a Digitalisation Fund to support arts and culture groups and practitioners, cultural institutions, and cultural festival organisers to go digital with their arts and culture content. NAC will offer a new Digital Presentation Grant for the arts of up to $20,000 per project, to ramp up efforts in digitalisation of arts and culture content and delivery. This will be open to all arts and culture groups and practitioners, including freelancers. Artists and arts groups offering student-facing programmes including NAC Arts Education Programme (AEP) providers are encouraged to apply to NAC for this support to create digital content that can be offered for online use by schools. While some ideas may only be possible to execute after the circuit breaker measures, I encourage arts and culture groups and practitioners to prepare and submit their grant proposals now, so that they can bring their best work to Singaporeans once the situation improves. NAC also welcomes proposals which include creative means to develop digital projects while fully working from home.

The Digitalisation Fund will support large-scale digitalisation of existing festivals and projects. We are committed to continuing with our annual large-scale festivals through digital means. As far as possible, we will hold digital editions of Singapore Heritage Festival in June, Singapore Writers Festival and Arts in Your Neighbourhood in November, followed by Singapore Art Week in January 2021. They will involve virtual arts and culture presentations, workshops, and tours. NAC and Arts House Limited will work with local arts groups involved in the Singapore International Festival of the Arts 2020 to explore how they can offer innovative arts and culture experiences digitally later in the year.

The Digitalisation Fund will also support the digitalisation of our museum exhibitions and collections. The National Heritage Board (NHB) will progressively make available virtual exhibitions of the galleries at our national museums and heritage institutions, so that Singaporeans and international visitors alike can experience and learn about heritage without leaving their homes. NHB will also be working with Museum Roundtable members to support similar projects, and assist them in building up their digitalisation capabilities.

We hope to roll out digital offerings by our arts groups in the coming months through multiple platforms and festivals. We aim to generate demand for the arts and culture sector, support over 200 new digital projects, and create more than 1,000 opportunities for our cultural and related practitioners once the circuit breaker measures are relaxed.

SportSG will leverage technology to continue to engage Singaporeans in sports events and activities in this period. It will set up the ActiveSG Circle, a virtual sports centre in the form of an online platform. This will enable citizens to stay connected and active with an expansive offering, a wide offering of content such as exercise videos, programmes, talks, workshops and even races through a virtual space. For this year’s Get Active! Singapore, we will also offer a new $2 million grant to support more than 50 projects for sports SEPs and businesses to develop initiatives that create digital and virtual content and provide innovative ways to deliver sports for Singaporeans to stay active and fit in the lead-up from now to National Day in August.

Mr Speaker, allow me to say a few words in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In this challenging period, MCCY will strive to help our arts, culture and sports sector overcome the impact brought about by COVID-19. We will introduce a $55 million Arts and Culture Resilience Package (ACRP) to help protect jobs and maintain livelihoods. First, Deputy Prime Minister had earlier announced that the Government will co-fund 25% of the wages of every local employee under the enhanced Jobs Support Scheme (JSS) till end of this year, and 75% for the month of April when "circuit breaker" measures are in place. This will benefit all eligible companies and employees in the arts, culture and sports, sector. MCCY will also provide additional support for major companies, as well as leading arts and culture groups. More details will be announced at a later date.

Next, all eligible tenants in MCCY-owned properties will benefit from the two months of rental waiver, to help lower their costs. Also, we want to quicken the pace of digitalisation efforts of the arts and cultural sector via the new Digitalisation Fund. Finally, we also want to encourage arts organisations and practitioners to upgrade their skills, and be ready to bounce back stronger than before during this period. As such, we will enhance the National Arts Council’s (NAC's) one-time Capability Development Scheme for the Arts (CDSA) to benefit more arts and culture organisations and practitioners, including freelancers, up to end of 2020. The Arts Resource Hub (ARH) under NAC will continue to promote sustainability of freelancers' careers by providing shared resources and services, including advising them on various support schemes by the government, to tide them over this difficult period.

(In English): Mr Speaker, if I may summarise. The relief packages announced by Deputy Prime Minister provide financial support to the individuals affected, sustain the eco-systems of these sectors by minimising the loss of capabilities, and raise the capabilities of the sectors in the physical and digital spaces. Individuals can benefit from financial reliefs, such as the Temporary Relief Fund, SIRS for freelancers and the COVID-19 Support Grant; training subsidies and grants in the Capability Development Scheme for the Arts to build their long-term capabilities. They will also benefit from the temporary jobs SportSG will be making available.

Companies can benefit from wage support measures such as the enhanced JSS, and the Enhanced Training Support scheme and the CDSA. Our push to digitalise these sectors will provide economic opportunities to both individuals and companies, and allow them to continue bringing arts and sports experiences to Singaporeans. These schemes will be relevant even when circuit breaker measures are applicable, and will help us emerge stronger.

Everyone has a part to play to overcome the situation we face. We are in this together, and the arts, culture, and sports communities must work together, work with the public, to protect the safety of our patrons, students and audiences. I urge larger and more established groups with deeper capabilities to help the smaller ones and individual practitioners, and ask that corporations, foundations and members of the public continue supporting the arts and culture and sports. All of us should take this time to prepare, with agility and resourcefulness, to welcome our audiences and students again with better creations, better works, greater competencies and broader outreach.

Our arts, culture and sports sectors have proven their resilience time and again. I am confident that they will be ready with our best shows, most creative content, and highest quality classes once Singapore is ready for us, so that arts, culture and sports will be an even more important part of people’s lives. COVID-19 is a test and we will rise to the occasion.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The COVID-19 pandemic, with the effects of lockdown or stay-at-home orders, has brought a standstill to businesses all over the world and Singapore has not been spared, too. Beyond aviation, tourism and F&B, most industries and sectors in Singapore have been affected, some earlier than others. The effect on economies worldwide will be an unprecedented one, possibly worse than any global economic downturns we have ever seen since the Great Depression. The economic fall-outs may go on for quite a while after the COVID-19 pandemic has been tamed.

I declare my interest as an SME owner. As the businesses of our SMEs are affected, many Singaporeans they employ are in turn affected. Under the Resilience Budget, the Jobs Support Scheme extended greater assistance to specified sectors, such as aviation and tourism and F&B sectors, giving 75% and 50% support for wages up to the first $4,600 of each of their staff wages for these respective sectors for nine months. The remaining businesses only received a flat 25% of their staff wages up to the first $4,600. While the aviation, tourism and F&B sectors may be badly affected, the vast majority of our SMEs outside of the aviation, tourism and F&B sectors lament they will get much less than the 75% or 50% wage support received by the priority sectors. Who is to say that businesses in other sectors are not as badly affected or will not be as badly affected?

While the wage support for the Jobs Support Scheme under the Solidarity Budget has been boosted to 75% for all businesses for the solitary month of April and will be welcomed by all, for many businesses, it may only mitigate part of the losses expected from the enforced month-long closure of workplaces starting today.

Since the Resilience Budget has been proposed on 26 March, has any study been done to assess the grave effect the pandemic has or is about to have on all business sectors?

Let me share one example of a troubled sector here.

On 24 March 2020, the Government announced that all centre-based tuition and enrichment centres will be suspended. The reason given is the need to reduce the intermingling of students from different schools and enhance the safety of our students. This brings to a stop the daily bustling activities that take place in our tuition and enrichment centres during both weekdays and weekends.

While some of the tuition centres may have resorted to online learning, yet online learning has not been able to completely replace many of the pre-existing programmes in the tuition centres and enrichment centres. Some programmes may not be suitable for online learning. Some tutors, are for various reasons, not able to convert their face-to-face programmes to online modules. Some parents are also, for various reasons, not keen to convert existing programmes to online learning or even via Zoom, when offered. Many parents prefer traditional methods of personal teaching.

Habits and mindsets will always take time to change, but that is scant comfort to businesses suffering the sudden shock to their businesses brought about by the abrupt ban. For centres who may not have locked in their students' subscriptions for a longer time, having chosen to collect fees on a monthly basis, they face abrupt loss of revenue as some parents have not continued to pay the fees.

Learning service providers to MOE schools and to pre-schools are another group of SMEs in the education industry which have been affected from an even earlier time, with all outdoor programmes and all large-attendance programmes being cancelled in early February and co-curricular activities (CCAs) in March. Given the requirements in pre-schools that trainers cannot teach in other schools concurrently and students of different classes cannot share the same enrichment classes, many enrichment classes had to be cancelled from February onwards, with many left without any revenue.

Besides a significant loss in revenue, these SME businesses still face the pressures of premise rental and staff salary. The Government's offer to pay 25% of the salary of their staff up to the first $4,600 under the JSS – which is just a few percentage points above the amount of employer's CPF contributions the employers will have to pay for each staff per month anyway – may assist to a certain extent, but it may not be significant enough to save jobs – the reason stated by Deputy Prime Minister Heng for the Resilience Budget. How will the Government provide greater assistance to these businesses?

At this point, let me touch on one further aspect of the Jobs Support Scheme or JSS, again. The JSS is not applicable to one category of employees – employees who are shareholders, partners or sole proprietors of businesses even though they may take a salary as an employee of the business.

I understand that in the private education business, there are many people in such a position – sole proprietors, partners or company shareholders of their businesses – who are at the same time registered employees of their business. Those such persons can be regarded as self-employed in some ways. The Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme is not applicable to them as the scheme stipulates that there should not be any employee income.

I believe that this situation is not unique to the private education business. There are many in our micro-SMEs in other industries or sectors who are in the same situation. On Sunday, I met one of our residents, who runs a phone repair business and who is in this exact position. How would the Government help these affected Singaporeans?

Yesterday, it was announced that all pre-school operators are to provide 50% refund of net school fees for non-attendance during the circuit breaker period. Parents will no doubt welcome this announcement. For parents who send their children to MOE Kindergartens and pre-schools run by anchor and partner operators, including those run by PAP Community Foundation (PCF) and NTUC, they are already entitled to various subsidies. But for other SME operators, where Singaporean parents only get the standard subsidies, or for faith-based kindergartens, where there are zero subsidies, the net refund that these operators must cough up is relatively much higher as the net fees payable are higher compared to MOE Kindergartens and those run by anchor and partner operators.

In some cases, the total refunds will likely be higher than the 75% wage support received by way of the JSS. Furthermore, many operators had to incur extra costs recently to have additional manpower to cover for those on Leave of Absence (LOA) or five-day medical leave, and for extra cleaning works.

I have dealt in some detail on the private education industry. However, it is but one example out of many businesses which have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. With the circuit breaker announcements, things will get worse for many businesses in the coming month or longer, especially the many businesses that do not thrive on working remotely.

The property tax rebate, together with the savings by way of the rental rebate, will be helpful in some ways to alleviate the sharp pain, and so will the Jobs Support Scheme. But will it be enough to ensure the survival of the business and to save jobs?

Retrenchment has already started in different industries. Just last week, one of our residents, who is a chartered accountant in his 30s, shared with me that he has just been retrenched from a mid-sized accounting firm and is struggling to find employment in his industry.

Indeed, if business is down, businesses will struggle to pay all their business expenses until a certain level of business has resumed – especially many SMEs, who may have precious little to sustain their business expenses, including rent and income beyond a few months. This economic crisis is likely to hang over the world for quite some time. Beyond the Resilience and Solidarity Budgets, how will the Government assist businesses and Singaporeans to stay afloat in the coming months and beyond?

Before I move away from businesses, I would like to seek some clarifications regarding arts businesses.

With the cancellation of entertainment, our flourishing arts professionals have to cancel their plays, musicals, concerts and other performances, and shows, which may go on until the end of the year. When performances are cancelled, there are no ticket sales and corporate sponsorships are often cancelled – not to mention that in these difficult times, it is challenging to expect support from many corporate sponsors. Many of these arts businesses are registered charities. May I clarify whether such arts businesses, i.e. those registered as charities, will be entitled to the same wage support under the Jobs Support Scheme as available to other businesses? If not, what is the corresponding assistance being given to this group of arts businesses?

Mr Speaker, Sir, I move on to certain aspects of the Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme (SIRS). May I ask how did the Government arrive at this figure of 100,000 self-employed persons?

In MOM's paper titled "Labour Force in Singapore 2019", it was mentioned that in the year ending June 2019, and I quote from paragraph 1.1.9, "211,000 residents were engaged in own account work as some form of employment" and own account workers were defined in the same paper as, and I quote from paragraph 1.17, "individuals who operate their own business or trade without employing any paid employees".

The Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme will be open to those who earn a net trade income of no more than $100,000, live in a property with an annual value of no more than $13,000 originally and do not own two or more properties. While it is good that the $13,000 annual value limit has since been raised to $21,000 yesterday. In principle, the concern with setting a figure – a limit – at all, on this is that we are talking about a special economic crisis situation caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, which has developed suddenly. These self-employed people see their livelihoods being adversely affected in a short time and require quick and immediate assistance from the Government, regardless the nature of their residences.

The property that they live in or own or co-own may not be relevant to their current income and earning capacity as well as most relevantly, their present position of suffering from sudden financial problems due to the COVID-19 crisis. If they own such property, is the Government expecting such self-employed people to sell their property quickly? If so, is it really fair or realistic to expect such persons to sell their homes immediately in such a market condition? This is different from the usual situation of people applying for financial assistance due to longer term employment and so on.

May I also clarify whether this relief is open to those who live in such property above $21,000 annual value but do not own such property?

Next, I move on to help for our taxi and private hire drivers.

It is already a well-known fact that our taxi drivers and private hire drivers are suffering from a huge drop in business. I would like to seek some clarifications regarding the Point-to-Point Support Package for taxi drivers and private car hire drivers.

I would like to know whether it is true that the Special Relief Fund under the Point-to-Point Support Package is only available to taxi drivers who work under the auspices of a taxi company or for private car hire drivers who work with Grab or GoJek?

A resident who has a private car hire licence and serves his own source of customers had checked and was told that he did not qualify. If it is true, may I know the rationale behind this?

A private hire car driver also shared with us at our Meet-the-People Session in Hougang last week that the incentives that come together with the Special Relief Fund may come with conditions imposed by his company that are impossible to fulfill in this economic climate. He asked whether the Special Relief Fund can be paid directly to all registered private hire drivers instead. I urge the Government to look into this.

On the issue of landlords passing on savings from the property tax rebate and rental waivers granted under the Unity and Resilience Budgets, I am glad that the measures are being taken to ensure landlords' cooperation. However, I would like to ask what measures are being taken to ensure that tenants will share any property tax rebate or rental waiver savings they obtain from landlords with their sub-tenants, including the newly announced increase in rental waivers for Government-owned properties?

Now, be they tenants or sub-tenants of Government-owned, private, commercial, industrial or office properties, what can sub-tenants do to ensure that they get to enjoy any rental rebate passed on to the tenants by the landlords? Are coffeeshop store-holders in this position as well?

Finally, I would like to ask the Government to look at how we can extend better protection to many elderly Singaporeans working in hawker centres and coffeeshops as well as those elderly working as cleaners against the risk of the COVID-19 virus as I believe that they are the most vulnerable group – the elderly. For example, could the Government look into whether they could take more measures to ensure that these elderly hawkers and workers will have better protective equipment and safer working environment?

Mr Speaker, Sir, in closing, the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic fallout resulting from it are likely to be here for quite some time. I look forward to the Government rendering more assistance to more of our affected Singaporeans and SMEs.

Mr Speaker, Sir, in my last speech in this House, I talked about seeing the opportunities in this crisis. What a difference a month makes. I will not talk about opportunities this time. The focus should be on getting through this to the other side – a post-COVID world. Other things should not distract Singaporeans from this mission right now. Before I begin, I declare my interest as a CEO and a shareholder in a company providing research and consulting.

Sir, many of us feel fear right now. I would argue that what we should fight is not fear. Rather, we should fight the twin evils of indifference, complacency and unscientific views, on the one hand, and unbridled panic, on the other. A little fear may actually be helpful, keeping us on our toes and mitigating the risk that bad habits will return at the first sign of good news. But it should be a little fear for everyone and not only a little fear for ourselves. That should come from trust in the scientific view that if most people get sick, no one will be safe as individuals and families.

As the famous scientist, Neil deGrasse Tyson, recently said, this COVID-19 crisis will put to the test a key question: does society listen to scientists? We all have a role to play in answering that question as a country. All of us react differently to an event like this based on our personalities, medical profiles, socio-economic circumstances and many things besides.

It is easier for some of us to work from home than others, for example. Recognising these differences means accepting that there will be questions, there will be discussions, there will be debate, trade-offs and, yes, course correction. It is unity that will ultimately breed success in this effort but it is understanding that will beget unity. It is openness and accountability that will get us to understanding and it is our democratic society enshrined in our pledge that will beget openness and accountability.

On social media, there are many chat threads openly saying that authoritarianism has worked, democracy has failed. Look at China versus Italy and the USA. Yet some of the countries that have done well through this crisis thus far, like Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, have open democratic systems. We would do well not to draw the wrong conclusions about democracy as many who lived through the Great Depression of the 1930s did, with disastrous results for the world.

Sir, the Resilience Budget is to be welcomed. This is what the reserves principal has been saved to do. The Workers' Party supports the idea of not touching the reserves principal except in times of crisis, as I said in Parliament last month. On that note, I would like to ask the Finance Minister of the $48 billion Supplementary Budget and the $4 billion of enhancements. Firstly, how much was obtained from drawing down past reserves. I believe that was $21 billion, which begs the next question. How much was obtained from drawing on the surplus from this term of government? Thirdly, has the surplus been drawn upon fully with this Supplementary Budget? And fourthly, how much was obtained from other sources and what are those sources?

Next, I will speak about a few issues and potential gaps.

First, Sir, on the most vulnerable in our society. For those who are homeless I know that wonderful not-for-profit organisations (NPOs) like Homeless Hearts of Singapore, New Home Community Services and many others are stepping efforts to help this vulnerable group. What are the outreach efforts being put in place by MSF and other arms of the Government? And what support has been given to NPOs to ensure that these extremely vulnerable people can access medical and economic support at this time.

Secondly, on those staying in HDB rental flats. Over the past four years has been my privilege to work with our volunteers to deliver assistance of various kinds to those living in rental flats in Serangoon and Bedok. Some of our beneficiary families have done all right. Two of our beneficiary families recently had children who qualified for entry to an Autonomous University. I cannot tell you how gladdened I was and how that cheered our volunteers. Yet, others are not doing so well, and face multiple issues that hinder them and their children in the pursuit of flourishing life. For those on ComCare awarded for a period of a few months, renewals are often an extremely stressful experience. The Government has said that their eligibility for ComCare will be eased during COVID-19. My Parliamentary colleague Mr Faisal Manap has also spoken on this issue and made a few suggestions, with which I agree. I would like to ask will the Government confirm that it will defer HDB rent hikes, allow HDB rent payment deferment and extend the current ComCare arrangements wherever needed, at least for a decent runway amidst this crisis, say six months. Now would be the time to be pragmatic and not ideological about such questions.

Next, on our SMEs and micro-businesses. We need to get by until the economy comes back with pent-up demand. During this time, we should do everything practicable to keep viable SMEs and micro-businesses alive. If they are wound up, those entrepreneurs may not return, hurting employment and long-term economic growth potentially which needs entrepreneurship to balance other sources of innovation and investment.

The Supplementary Budget has a host of measures for government risk-sharing in loans to SMEs. What if the loans do not get to our SMEs, in spite of risk-sharing. What if our banks simply do not lend. Our business eco-system does not have the deep historic ties between regional banks and SMEs seen in countries like Japan, Germany and Switzerland that are useful at times like this. Would the Government consider a scheme like what has been introduced in the UK – the Term Funding Scheme – under which participating banks that lend to SMEs get to access lower wholesale funding costs from the central bank. Of course, banks could still choose not to lend but at least this would tilt the balance towards our SMEs.

Of course, many SMEs do not want to take on loans due to pessimism about their ability to repay after the crisis. And this is where job support and rental deferment play a role in preventing businesses from closing down, perhaps never to return. In cases where deferred rent cannot be paid back, will the Government provide clear assurances that it will consider providing very much extended deferment where there is evidence of the company's viability. Extended deferment could be made conditional on the company paying back at state, if and when it returns to decent sustained profitability.

Next, on masks. Reusable masks are to be self-collected at RCs and CCs. Anecdotal and social media feedback suggests that some people are reluctant to collect these masks for various reasons including inertia and fears about potential exposure. Some wonder why self-collection was used when all are told to stay at home unless absolutely necessary.

When I asked Minister Lawrence Wong about this in the context of distributing surgical masks in February, he said self-collection was used to minimise wastage. Our healthcare professionals do not need reusable masks, or do not need them as much as they need surgical masks; and hence, one assumes there are fewer pressures on that stock. Moreover, not that many masks are needed per household since they are reusable. If the Government does not want to mail these masks out, can we at least arrange to mail reusable masks to those who prefer to receive them by mail. Those who click on an online site or an app using SingPass, for example, or calling a hotline.

Next, Mr Speaker, Sir, I should focus about the lessons we can learn from this crisis to better prepare for the next one, whenever that may happen. Governments around the world are asking companies to shift R&D and production resources to make masks and ventilators. What powers does the Government have to compel domestic firms here to do the same? Even if legal powers are not deployed, is the government using its powers of persuasion and purchase to nudge domestic manufacturers to produce more of such critically needed items which may raise healthcare system capacity and scalability? Now might be a good time to test our ability to get such things done for when the next crisis hits. Of course, there are companies that are voluntarily doing this. It is commendable of these firms to be doing so.

Next, there is also news of other countries calling back retired healthcare professionals to serve, to address the kinds of potential manpower shortages that Minister Gan spoke about in February. Is this being explored here?

Next, what long-term lessons can we draw in dealing with future pandemics? How does our number of ICU beds per capita compare with other countries? Can we use this crisis to formulate plans to expand ICU beds at short notice at acute care facilities with plans to work with the private sector and retired professionals to augment the supply of equipment and personnel in a time of crisis?

And lastly, Mr Speaker, Sir. I would like to return to a theme I spoke about in February – slowing the slope of reserves growth. A letter appeared in The Straits Times Forum on 28 March. Let me read out a part of that letter. The full letter is available online; and I quote "The reason why robust fiscal measures such as the Resilience Budget are possible is due to financial discipline and prudence and growing Singapore's reserves at a the strong rate all this time. Had we for whatever reasons rested on our laurels and grown our reserves at a slower rate as was suggested before and" and in brackets, it says "grow reserves at a slower rate to invest in Singaporeans, Leon Perera, 28 February". "The Resilience Budget would not be possible and we would now be in economic dire straits due to the COVID-19 pandemic."

I sent a reply to this letter on the same day, which The Straits Times Forum has not published to the best of my knowledge. Please allow me to read out a part of that reply.

"In 2008, the Government introduced the Net Investment Returns Framework where half of the long-term expected real returns on relevant reserves asset classes can be used for Budget spending. In 2015, Temasek was added to this framework. Both of these changes effectively slowed down the reserves growth rate, but surely few of us today would argue that these changes were irresponsible because they slowed reserves growth. The funds released have been put to constructive use in the Budget. Our reserves have been estimated at over a trillion dollars. The best policies to govern reserves growth versus releasing more Budget funds should thus be different today from what they were in the past. To use an analogy from the business world, a start-up company may need to conserve cash to manage cash flow. But when it has grown to the point where there is tens of billions in cash, corporate leaders should think about how the cash should be invested for better long-term growth and to benefit stakeholders rather than growing the cash pile at the same rate as when the company was at the start-up stage.

In fact, the Government introducing the current resource framework in 2008, and adding Temasek in 2015, implicitly recognised this point. There can be over saving just as there can be under saving. Moreover, releasing more Budget funds can mean investing more in our people and our companies in ways that if successful would enhance the long-term potential growth rate of GDP, productivity and innovation. If this happens, tax revenue would rise in tandem with GDP thus reducing the need to draw on the reserves and reserves returns.

Singaporeans should have fact-based rational conversations on the right rate of reserves growth versus releasing more Budget funds. Such conversations need to address deep strategic and philosophic questions, like what the additional funds could be invested to do, balanced against what possible future emergencies could necessitate drawing down a massive percentage of those reserves. It is time to recognise that there can be reasonable viewpoints on both sides of this question.

And in relation to the letter writer's last point, what we will have as a nation to weather the storm the next time a crisis hits, is not only our reserves but more importantly, the solidarity, the resolve and the ingenuity of our people."

And this is where I end the quote from that reply and I believe Assoc Prof Theseira actually made a similar point on the last point that I just mentioned. I am sharing this now because to me such debate and disagreement is really how we get to real unity and real consensus formation.

Let us look at the question of wearing masks out of doors. It now seems that the minority of naysayers who had called for that from an early stage onwards at a valid point – like the four doctors who signed an open letter to that effect in February. In noting this, I do not blame anyone. There is no playbook for a crisis like this. Many of us were wrong-footed on this question including the World Health Organization, but that points to the continuing value of openness, transparency, debate and accountability even in times of crisis. Let us debate big questions openly, rationally, sensibly, on the basis of transparency to define an agreed set of relevant facts.

Let us accept that there can be different goals and strategies that are consistent with the same facts, not labelling those with different views about those goals and strategies. And if we can get to that we would be one United people who have built a democratic society and one built to last.

Sir, I thank the Government for providing a Resilience and Solidarity Budget that provides increased assistance to many Singaporeans in this time of great need.

Many residents have shared how appreciative they are and thanked the Government for this. Sir, I have four points to raise in relation to the Budget.

My first point is about those on unpaid leave and reduced working hours. The Resilience and Solidarity Budget provides much support to Singaporeans who have lost their jobs and for the self-employed. But we need to do more for those who remain in employment but have nonetheless taken a big hit in their incomes. Such workers can either be workers forced to take pay cuts or go on unpaid leave, or hourly workers who have lost shifts and hours.

I recently received an email from my resident, whose employer cut her hours from full-time to part-time. Overnight she lost 50% of her income. Another resident has been put on unpaid leave for at least three months. Overnight she lost 100% of her income. These are not isolated cases and I am sure all Members in this House have received similar calls for help. The only new scheme applicable to this group of workers in this Budget is the Temporary Relief Fund. But it only provides one-off cash grant of $500.

Can the Government provide more financial support for those who have lost income but remain in employment?

For a start, we can expand the COVID-19 Support Grant to supplement the monthly income of these workers up to a cap of $800 and up to three months or when they are back to full employment. This is especially important for those put on unpaid leave. After all, those on unpaid leave essentially become unemployed for the months they are on unpaid leave. The reply might be that we are helping employers retain workers through the Jobs Support Scheme but to save at least 25% of salary costs, there might still be employers who will prefer to put workers on unpaid leave.

Sir, it is not likely that the damage to our economy will be over any time soon. We should provide some level of wage stability for those lucky enough to find themselves still employed but with zero or significantly reduced income.

My second point is about childcare leave. Parents working in essential services and key economic sectors perform a duty for our nation as they continue going into their workplaces in this time of global pandemic. However, there is a big, unanswered question of what happens when the children of these parents are required to stay at home due to COVID-related health symptoms, school closures, Leaves of Absences or Stay-Home Notices.

These parents do not have the option to work from home, yet they may have a young child at home during working hours. Some will be lucky enough to have alternative care-giving and caring employers. But what about those who do not?

We should remember that the legal entitlement of childcare leave is already insufficient during a regular year. As I mentioned in my speech on the Budget debate, parents exhaust it during mandatory pre-school closures and during their children's sickness. Now, in this most irregular year, school closures and stay-home requirements last for weeks. How can they possibly have enough childcare leave to take? The only option left for them is unpaid leave. Many parents have told me this is indeed what they are taking, but in this business climate, they worry they will lose their jobs if they take too much unpaid leave.

To help such parents, I hope we can introduce a Government-paid childcare leave for parents who are working in essential services or key economic sectors and whose children are affected by COVID-related stay-home requirements. There are currently no protections for them, and we need to bear in mind that many have no alternatives and do not have the money to hire additional help. They desperately need this COVID-related childcare leave so they can keep their jobs and be there for their children.

Sir, we cannot leave it to employers and employees to work out amicable arrangements to balance the business needs with employees' childcare needs in this difficult time. In this difficult time, the Government has to step in.

My third point is a short and simple one. As part of our Care and Support Package, we are giving $300 in cash to every adult Singaporean who has a Singaporean child aged 20 years old and below. Many single unwed parents have written to me asking if they qualify for this. Can the Government confirm that single unwed parents qualify? I think we can all agree that these dark days are not a time for discrimination, and all parents deserve the care and support regardless of their marital status.

Single unwed parents are in an especially tight spot. Their households are single-income. They do not have an additional pair of helping hands. Also, because the median income of single unwed mothers under 35 years old was already $600, they will lack job security and are likely to face losses in wages. They need this cash assistance. They, and many other Singaporeans, will also benefit from all the other measures I mentioned before: more financial support for those on unpaid leave and reduced working hours, increased telecommuting and a COVID-related childcare leave.

My final point is about our migrant friends, workers who have left their homes to come and build and clean ours. News has emerged that two migrant worker dormitories, S11 @ Punggol and Westlite in Toh Guan have been gazetted as isolation areas. Many Singaporeans have contacted me to share their concerns for the safety and well-being of these workers.

I must first thank Minister Josephine Teo for her comprehensive Facebook post on the measures taken to prevent transmissions and to ensure that the basic needs of migrant workers are met including food, necessities, salary and medical care. Migrant worker dormitories are very densely packed and the workers live in very close proximity. I understand that measures have been taken to implement safe distancing measures and to thin out the dormitories.

However, even with these measures, the risk of transmission is very high. The issue is the conditions the workers live in.

Last night, I received photos from migrant workers living in one of these dorms and the conditions are still far from optimal. We have to do more, much more to improve the current living conditions. This is vital to stop the outbreak in these dormitories. Beyond the measure we are taking now, I also sincerely hope MOM will do a complete review and ensure that our migrant workers' living conditions are improved significantly. I am glad Minister Josephine agrees with this and has given her word that action will be taken.

Next, many workers are also afraid that they have been infected with COVID-19. To supplement the measures already taken, can we consider proactively testing the workers in dormitories with infected workers, starting with those who lived in closer proximity to the infected workers? This would assist in definitively identifying those infected and quickly isolating them to prevent a further outbreak. I understand there are limitations for doing this nationwide. Can we do more extensive testing on a limited scale for this high-risk population? This would help to keep Singaporeans safe too and help calm the workers who are extremely worried.

Lastly, as with Singaporeans, the workers are also worried about their livelihoods. Minister Josephine has said that MOM will work with employers to ensure that quarantined workers continue to be paid and that their period of absence from work is treated as paid hospitalisation leave, as part of the workers' statutory leave eligibility. This has provided a lot of assurance to the workers and they are very thankful. I hope MOM will follow up and ensure that every worker is paid.

Deputy Prime Minister Heng also announced yesterday that we will waive the monthly Foreign Worker Levy due in April and also provide employers with a Foreign Worker Levy Rebate of $750 for each work permit or S Pass holder. This will help employers pay and take care of the upkeep of their workers, and prepare their workforce to restart when the circuit breaker is lifted. Can I ask whether we will be ensuring that these rebates are passed down to the workers and how will we ensure that the workers are paid their salaries and not put on unpaid leave?

Sir, I stand in support of this Budgets. My speech was actually much longer, but a lot of the points I was going to raise were addressed by the Government in the announcements made last week and yesterday. I thank all the Ministries and Statutory Boards and all of our frontline and essential workers for working so hard to keep all of us safe. I thank them for responding so quickly to concerns raised by the public and introducing measures that will make a huge difference in the lives of fellow Singaporeans and workers in Singapore.

As we march forward with this Supplementary Budget that targets aid at specific groups, we must make sure that no one slip through the cracks. Let us make sure that everyone make it through this crisis together. Together, we will beat this virus.

Mr Speaker, Sir, Minister Teo has spoken about protecting livelihoods and helping businesses stay viable. Indeed, we will do all we can to preserve jobs and businesses, and support our workforce. Let me now share more about how we are helping companies adopt more flexible work arrangements (FWAs) that let them continue operations amid the uncertainty or to resume their businesses after this circuit breaker period.

Last Friday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced stringent measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. From today, all workplaces, with the exception of those in essential services or key economic sectors, are closed. This is to minimise physical interactions and break the circuit of virus transmission. Despite the closure, firms that can continue operations with their workers on telecommuting arrangements, should continue to do so.

We understand that companies that had implemented FWAs and telecommuting prior to the enhanced measures, in fact, prior to the COVID-19 crisis, for their staff were better able to operationalise business continuity plans (BCP) quickly.

Singtel is an example. Half of Singtel's 12,000 employees are already been working from home prior to today. The majority of them are used to working offsite and they have the infrastructure to do so. Those who need to be at their workplaces work on staggered work times and also staggered lunch periods. Some employees start work as early as 7.00 am because that suits them and some as late as 10.00 am. Of course, those working at 7.00 am, they get to go back home earlier. The company's operations continue to run as seamlessly as possible and customers are well-supported.

Another example is legal services firm Allen & Gledhill. Their lawyers and staff work from home with the support of a robust and secure IT infrastructure that allows them to meet and collaborate remotely. Ms Jessica Tan, in her many speeches advocated that, it is possible to meet and collaborate with colleagues even as we telecommute or work from home.

Chairman and Senior Partner of Allen & Gledhill said this, Ms Christina Ong said, and I quote: "Our focus on embracing technology has meant that when we had to, we could. For certain types of work, some of our lawyers now even say that they accomplish even more from home. Furthermore, working from home has allowed parents to deal with school issues and gives many of us leeway in handling other disruptions."

Today, companies can already benefit from MOM's Work-Life Grant (WLG) and receive $2,000 for every worker who adopts an FWA. As we move into a period of stricter social distancing, we will make it easier for employers to get support in implementing telecommuting and staggered hours. MOM will enhance the WLG parameters by reducing the requirement for firms to have their workers telecommute and be on staggered hours – from a minimum period of six months to just one month. The enhanced WLG parameters will apply after the mandatory circuit breaker period comes to an end and the grant will be open for application on 20 April 2020.

We strongly encourage more companies to apply for the WLG which can be used for the purchase of laptops, software and related equipment for telecommuting. In the immediate term, adopting FWAs will help companies overcome the present challenges posed by COVID-19.

In the long run, FWAs will help companies ride the wave of changing workplace norms, become a more inclusive, caring, and also attractive employer and thereby attracting better talent. FWAs have helped companies like Cycle and Carriage become a choice employer, as their staff appreciate the extra time they have with their family, the ability to attend to personal matters and greater flexibility in childcare arrangements. Mr Speaker, Sir, please allow me to say a few words in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Speaker, Sir, our enterprises are currently already benefiting from MOM's Work-Life Grant. Employers are able to receive $2,000 for every worker on a flexible work arrangement. Because of the effects of COVID-19, especially during this circuit breaker period, we want to observe safe distancing, so, we need people to work at home or we have staggered working hours. Therefore, in order to help our employers to provide such flexible working arrangements so that more people will be able to work from home, MOM will make it easier for employers to benefit from this grant.

At the moment, enterprises have to certify that they have been having this arrangement for six months before they can apply. Now, we have shortened this period to one month. In other words, the application criteria have been shortened from six months to one month. So, these relaxed arrangements will apply after the circuit breaker period. We will open for application from 20 April 2020 and we encourage companies to apply for the Work-Life Grant which provides flexibility for example, using devices such as portable computers and so on. In the short run , the Work-Life Grant can help companies overcome the challenges brought by COVID-19.

In the long run, successfully implementing flexible work arrangements will not only help our companies to keep on improving productivity, it would actually help them become more inclusive workplaces so as to attract and retain more talented people, hence, it serves many purposes.

(In English): Companies that are positioning themselves for the upturn should plan ahead to ensure that they equip their workers with relevant skillsets after the temporary closure of workplace comes to an end. Firms can tap on the enhanced support for redeployment programmes under the Adapt and Grow initiative to reskill their existing workers.

MOM has extended the funding period and introduced new redeployment programmes for the tourism, aviation, retail and food services sectors. More than 100 firms have already applied, with more than 2,600 workers expected to benefit from this move.

For instance, SITA World Travel (SITA) equipped their staff through various courses with skills like data analytics and event management. Two employees are on the new Digital Marketing Place-and-Train Programme and they will be redeployed to support SITA’s online platform with their newly acquired skills.

Another example is Orchard Hotel. This hotel is also tapping on MOM’s enhanced measures to retrain close to 50 of their employees through the Job Redesign Place-and-Train programme for the hotel industry. Their 50 staff will acquire deeper capabilities in hotel operations, with the aim of taking on an expanded job scope.

We wish to commend SITA and Orchard Hotel. Despite the cost pressures, both companies decided to take a longer term perspective by holding onto their workers and helping the workers acquire new skills. Employers who look after their staff are well placed to gain from their workers’ loyalty in the long run, especially when the upturn comes.

Mr Speaker, Sir, there will be no let-up in MOM's push to preserve jobs and support our workforce. We are in this together. We call upon employers to help, to support and to care for their employees in this critical time. We also call upon our employees to also do their part by understanding their employer’s situation. None of us is alone in this COVID-19 fight.

MOM will continue to do our best to support employers and employees throughout this challenging period. Despite the unprecedented situation we face, we are confident that we can ride out the storm together.

In just seven weeks, we saw and we heard from Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, he delivered three Budgets – the Unity Budget, the Resilience Budget and yesterday the Solidarity Budget. So, let us stay united, let us show our resilience and also stand in solidarity with one another because we Singaporeans, we are a tough lot. We will not give up and we will prevail in this COVID-19 fight.

Mr Speaker, Minister for Manpower used the word "surreal" as she described this Chamber. Seeing us all spaced out, a reflection of the times that we are facing – to overcome a crisis that will define this generation, our generation.

Having spent the last few weeks engaging employers, workers and ordinary citizens, we can see the anxiety shows. For those whom I have met whose livelihoods have been affected, I thank them for their calm and their willingness to work with us to get through this crisis.

Many hope for the best, some plan for the worst. With three Budgets in the space of two months – the Unity, the Resilience and the Solidarity Budgets – the leadership, care and concern of this Government shows as it prepares Singapore for the best, the worst and everything else that comes in between.

For the Ministry of Manpower, our priorities are clear – to Save Jobs, to Protect Our Workers and to Support Their Livelihoods. In these difficult times, we are especially concerned for those who are more vulnerable – our low-wage workers, the self-employed persons (SEPs) and our foreign workers.

I will first address our efforts for self-employed persons. Many SEPs have seen their livelihoods badly affected amidst this COVID-19 situation. To help Singaporean SEPs with less means and family support tide through this period of extraordinary economic uncertainty, we introduced the SEP Income Relief Scheme (SIRS) as part of the Resilience Budget and enhanced it in the Solidarity Budget.

All eligible Singaporean SEPs will receive direct cash assistance through three quarterly cash payouts of $3,000 each or $9,000 in total. SIRS will provide cash assistance to SEPs most in need quickly. We want the cash assistance to reach our SEPs fast. So, we used the Workfare criteria as a starting point, and further expanded the criteria to cover almost double the number of SEPs as Workfare. Hence, there is no need for most eligible SEPs to apply. Eligible SEPs aged 37 and above who declared a positive net trade income to IRAS or CPFB for 2018 will be automatically notified via letter and SMS in end May 2020. They will receive the first payout automatically in end May, followed by July and October this year.

We know that some SEPs who do not qualify automatically are worried. They hope to be considered. For example, SEPs who are aged 21 to 36 in 2020, but otherwise meet the criteria; and SEPs whose spouses earn a high income but have many people at home to support. My colleagues and I will try our best to consider the applications of those who did not qualify automatically, particularly those aged 21 to 36 in 2020 but otherwise meet the criteria. We will also seriously consider the appeals of those who narrowly missed the eligibility criteria.

I am also glad that NTUC Secretary-General has offered to front the application and appeals of SIRS. MOM will work with NTUC to provide details on how to apply, and how those who do not meet the SIRS criteria can appeal very soon. We seek your patience and understanding.

During this downturn, we want SEPs who have spare capacity to train and upskill themselves for the coming upturn. To support them, we announced a new SEP Training Support Scheme (STSS) during COS last month. SEPs who take up any SkillsFuture Series courses and other selected training programmes can receive an hourly training allowance of $7.50 that will help defray their daily expenses. This was for a period of three months, and is on top of the substantial course fees subsidies of up to 90%.

The Government has now extended the STSS till the end of the year. We will also increase the hourly training allowance from $7.50 to $10, with effect from 1 May 2020. There is no cap to how much training SEPs can sign up for. For example, a self-employed private hire car or bus driver who spends 10 full days of training in a month can receive $800 of training allowance that month.

The STSS is administered by NTUC’s e2i. Applications have already started since 1 April 2020. SEPs can refer to NTUC’s website for more details. We encourage all SEPs to tap on this training support.

Mr Speaker, during these difficult times, it is also important for us to pay special attention to another vulnerable group – our low-wage workers. Many, such as our cleaners and security officers, are critical to the provision of essential services during this COVID-19 pandemic.

At Budget 2020, we announced that low-wage workers on Workfare will receive a Workfare Special Payment (WSP). They would receive an additional 20% of their Workfare payout for work done in 2019, with a minimum payment of $100. This was to be paid in November.

We will enhance WSP to step up support for our low-wage workers, including SEPs, earning up to $2,000 per month in 2019. They will receive an enhanced WSP of $3,000 each, fully in cash. CPF Board will pay eligible Workfare recipients two payouts of $1,500 earlier, in July and October this year. There is no need to apply. Eligible recipients will be notified and paid automatically by the CPF Board.

Lower wage workers will continue to receive additional support through the enhanced Workfare Income Supplement (WIS). The qualifying income ceiling and maximum annual payouts have both gone up since January 2020. More workers can benefit from greater Workfare support of up to $4,000 a year.

In his speech yesterday, Member Pritam Singh spoke about adopting "living wage". In times like these, no "minimum wage" or "living wage" system can help low-wage workers. When there is no work, there is no salary, there is no minimum wage to talk about when firms are unable to pay for their low-wage workers.

So, Workfare is the reason why the Government can calibrate the 20% additional wage top-up and the $3,000 special payment, or any other wage support needed for later, for our low-wage workers who are vulnerable and who need our support. This, on top of Jobs Support Scheme that we are providing to companies. So, we complement the approach with the Progressive Wage Model for our cleaners, our security officers and landscape workers. Unlike minimum wage or living wage, we take a multi-layered approach to support our low-wage workers, and which is effective especially in these times of need.

As the impact on our economy deepens, more firms may close. The Short-Term Relief Fund today provides financial help to low-wage workers whose employers are unable to pay them wages due to financial difficulties or business failure. Since 1 April this year, we have increased the support from the fund, from up to one month’s salary, capped at $1,000 today, to up to two months’ salary, capped at $4,600, depending on the worker’s income. To help more workers, we have extended the coverage of the fund beyond the low-wage workers to cover half of the workforce.

While we look out for our local workers, it is just as important that we take good care of our foreign workers. Some Members highlighted the media coverage that conditions in the S11 Dormitory @ Punggol were poor. MOM last inspected the dormitory on 4 March 2020 and found that the dormitory was clean and the conditions were found to be satisfactory.

As Members would all know now, as a result of the evolving COVID-19 situation, the Ministry of Health gazetted the S11 Dormitory @ Punggol and Westlite Toh Guan Dormitory as isolation areas two days ago.

We acknowledge the challenges at the start to prepare the living areas for isolation while quarantine was going on. Mr Speaker, these are not normal times, and while not ideal, the dorm conditions, admittedly, could have been upkept better during this transition. We appreciate the workers’ patience and cooperation, and will continue to improve the conditions for the residents of the dormitories. I would like to assure Singaporeans that MOM is coordinating efforts to ensure that the needs and well-being of our foreign workers residing at both dormitories are well taken care of.

Workers that had close contact with the confirmed cases have already been separately quarantined. MOH has also set up medical posts on-site to assess and treat workers who are unwell. They will be relocated and housed separately from their usual room-mates.

This is an unprecedented incident that the Government is managing, and MOM officers and our partner NGO, the Migrant Workers' Centre, have been working round-the-clock with the dormitory operators and our partners to prioritise the well-being of workers who remain healthy. This includes ensuring the timely supply of food and stepping up hygiene management, as a result of extended hours of stay by the workers in the dormitories.

Minister Iswaran, Member of Parliament Murali and I visited Westlite Papan dormitory last weekend to assure our foreign workers that these heightened measures of safe distancing are to protect everyone and that we will do our best to work with employers to take care of their welfare.

I had also visited Sungei Tengah Lodge dormitory on the same evening as MOH announced that a COVID-19 cluster was found in the dormitory. Understandably, they were anxious to know what arrangements would be made to protect them. Top of their concerns was whether they would continue to get paid. Second, what measures will the dorms put in place to ensure their safety and protection. They too have families at home who depend on their salaries here.

With Deputy Prime Minister Heng’s announcement of the foreign worker levy waiver and rebate measures, we can now give our foreign workers greater assurance that their employers should be able to continue to pay for their salaries, provide accommodation and food. I strongly urge employers to pass the Budget support to their workers and help us to keep them cared for and motivated during this period.

Our self-employed persons, lower-wage workers and foreign workers play an important role in our economy and in building our nation. In this uncertain period, it is important that we provide them with greater certainty and support. The MOM will help them overcome this difficult period so that we can all emerge stronger after this crisis.

Mr Speaker, allow me to share how we will support workers and employers in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Last Friday, the Prime Minister spoke on the COVID-19 situation in Singapore. We had to make the difficult decision to implement additional safe distancing measures for one month to act as a "circuit breaker”.

The temporary closure of most workplaces, except for essential services and key economic sectors, takes effect today. It will impact our workers and businesses.

We stand in solidarity with businesses and workers and will get through this together. Our top priority is to protect the livelihoods of our workers. The enhanced Jobs Support Scheme (JSS) will help businesses retain and pay their workers.

With the assurance of the enhanced JSS, we urge businesses to communicate clearly to their employees on their work and pay arrangements for the next few weeks.

As I shared in my English speech earlier, we will ensure that all vulnerable worker segments, such as self-employed persons (SEPs) and lower-wage workers, receive extensive support to tide through this period.

The SEP Income Relief Scheme (SIRS) will provide direct cash assistance to SEPs with less means and lack family support.

Eligible Singaporean SEPs will receive quarterly cash payouts of $3,000 each, or $9,000 in total. We expect SIRS to automatically benefit about 100,000 SEPs. SIRS will go to those SEPs most in need and there is no need for most SEPs to apply. We will also support SEPs in their training efforts. The new SEP Training Support Scheme (STSS) provides a training allowance for SEPs who take up SkillsFuture courses and other selected training programmes.

This will help defray SEPs' daily expenses. The STSS has been extended till the end of the year, and the hourly training allowance increased from $7.50 to $10 per hour, with effect from 1 May 2020. There is no cap to how much training SEPs can sign up for. So, an SEP like freelancers, taxi drivers or private hire car drivers, who joins a full-time course, which is 8 hours for 10 days for instance, will receive an allowance of $800 per month. The advantage is that the SEP can enhance his skills while getting an allowance, during the downtime in this current economic climate.

We will also help our lower wage workers as well. They will receive a Workfare Special Payment of $3,000, fully in cash over two tranches. The Workfare Income Supplement has also been enhanced, with increases in qualifying income ceiling and maximum annual payouts since January 2020.

We have also strengthened relief for those whose employers cannot pay their salaries because of financial difficulties or business failure.

Together with immediate financial assistance from the Temporary Relief Fund, COVID-19 Support Grant, as well as other support from the enhanced Care and Support Package such as grocery vouchers, service and conservancy charges rebates (S&CC), we will support our SEPs and lower wage workers through this crisis together. There are those amongst us who may have difficulties getting a job in this challenging job market due to the COVID-19 situation.

The Government understands their situation and help will be provided for those looking for employment in this difficult job market. The Government will actively facilitate the matching of jobseekers to firms who have immediate vacancies during this period, be it for a new job, or a second job to supplement income.

The SGUnited Jobs Initiative will create about 10,000 jobs over the next one year that will come from both the public and private sectors. In these unusual times when safe distancing is key, job fairs would have to take on different forms too – through the use of virtual technology.

The first SGUnited Virtual Career Fair is currently ongoing. As at 2 April, there are about 3,900 vacancies available, and more than 5,400 jobseekers have applied for SGUnited Jobs. We have gotten good interest from employers and will keep building up the pool of jobs with jobs that are immediately available.

The M3 network is also playing its part. Through two virtual career fairs hosted last March and April, MENDAKI SENSE has already received over 700 job applications and are further facilitating job placements.

They also recently launched a dedicated helpline to help those who require assistance in navigating the online portal. MENDAKI SENSE will also help job-seekers find employment through the CariKerja app and will continue to share information on available jobs identified through multiple channels and various initiatives, including those under the SGUnited Jobs initiative.

MENDAKI SENSE and other self-help groups are also working with government agencies, such as EDB and ESG to link job-seekers up with companies looking to fill vacancies. Among our jobseekers, we are particularly concerned about our graduating cohorts from ITE, our polytechnics and universities. It is a tough time to enter the job market.

The SGUnited Traineeships programme will provide employers with support to offer traineeships instead for fresh graduates. These traineeships will help our ITE, polytechnic and university graduates – they are all first-time jobseekers – to further develop their skills professionally and further boost their employability.

To better help our workers, we will need to support companies to overcome the immediate challenges. Apart from very significant support through the JSS, the Government will also help with other business costs and ease cash flow.

For example, MOM will waive the foreign worker levies in April, and will also provide a one-off rebate of levies paid. SMEs will be given three additional months to make foreign worker levy payments. Lastly, the Government will help businesses with access to credit.

Partners such as our trade associations and chambers, also play critical roles in helping our Malay businesses. For example, the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SMCCI) has set up a task force to explore how its members can better leverage on measures from the Unity, Resilience and Solidarity Budgets.

They have set up an emergency hotline for members seeking targeted assistance and will organize engagement sessions to gain a better understanding on members’ concerns and to see how best SMCCI can help its members. SMCCI will also support its members in their engagements with stakeholders and landlords.

Mr Speaker, in this difficult time, we are helping Singaporeans to stay employed. We will continue to pay particular attention to our SEPs as well as lower wage workers. For those looking for employment, we will help facilitate their efforts in seeking employment. Businesses and workers alike can take this time to adapt – businesses to transform and Singaporeans to further improve our skills.

We carry a heavy burden, but we will all bear them together, and emerge stronger from this experience.

Mr Speaker, not long after the SARS crisis, I was posted to the Ministry of Health as a legal officer. One of the things we worked on with colleagues was pandemic preparation. Among other things, we helped prepare and vet agreements for public health stockpiling efforts. And in 2008, we worked with then Minister for Health Khaw Boon Wan on amendments to the Infectious Diseases Act to ensure we had the tools to implement important public health measures to protect people and save lives.

One of these measures was safe distancing. It is a very extensive and wide-ranging provision, requiring people to stay home, closing places, restricting movement, prohibiting events and gatherings, to stem the transmission of disease.

Minister Khaw said in Parliament in 2008 that, "invoking such a provision has serious implications as it will cause major disruptions to the businesses and the daily lives of Singaporeans. Such a decision will not be taken lightly."

He also said very clearly to the House that public health measures are not the role of just the Government but really involve every person and the entire community.

I remember discussing with my colleagues then, as we were working on the drafts, that if we ever had to implement extensive safe distancing, it would be at a very critical juncture, and that it would only work if everyone understood the gravity of the measure and played his or her part.

These are measures we prepare for but wish we would never need to use. But here we are today, drawing on many of these measures as part of a major circuit breaker to keep Singaporeans safe and to save lives. So let us all play our part.

Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, we have seen the severe impact it has had on ordinary people's lives. Public health measures to "flatten the curve" are necessary, but they impose a huge toll on people – loss of jobs and livelihoods, uncertainty, social isolation, fear, psychological distress.

This is the public health fight of our lifetime and my colleagues at MSF, ECDA, NCSS and in the social sector have stepped up to play our part in this wide-ranging battle. These included tapping on existing schemes such as ComCare and the Courage Fund. But we have also had to quickly roll out new support schemes. The Temporary Relief Fund for April started last Wednesday and the COVID-19 Support Grant will start from May.

We are making adjustments along the way in response to feedback as well as operational and situational constraints. We seek your patience and understanding as my colleagues at the frontline are doing the best they can to help Singaporeans and residents in need.

I also thank all who have stepped forward to volunteer and donate. In this exceptional time, we are encouraged by your generosity, spirit and support.

For example, visiting our Social Service Offices (SSOs) and Community Centres (CCs), I have come across colleagues and volunteers who have been personally hard-hit by this crisis but who continue to soldier on to serve others who need help.

I received a message last night from a couple. They are self-employed persons. They described how all their jobs and assignments had been abruptly cancelled and have had no income for some time. But their only ask is, "Since we will have no work for the foreseeable future, we would like to see how we can take this time to do something meaningful using the skills that we have to connect people, helping them to ease their fear and loneliness. We want to help but don't know how we can go about doing it."

There are many others who have stepped forward – silent heroes who are making a positive difference during this crisis.

Let me give an update on some of the things that we have done and what more we will do on the social sector. The economic impact of COVID-19 is wide-ranging, affecting many beyond the low-income. Ten days ago, the Deputy Prime Minister launched the Resilience Budget. Under this Budget, MSF has put up two new schemes to help lower and middle income households, who have lost their jobs or a significant proportion of their incomes because of the crisis.

Last Wednesday, MSF rolled out the Temporary Relief Fund (TRF) for those who need immediate assistance in April. This is a one-off cash disbursement of $500. We have received more than 100,000 applications so far. We are doing our best to process them quickly, accurately, and responsibly. With the latest circuit breaker measures, we anticipate that more will need help. We will also need to implement greater safe distancing measures, at our SSOs and CCs.

Yesterday, thanks to our partnership with GovTech, we launched an online application system. Applicants only need to fill up a short form, and attach some form of proof of income or job loss, such as a letter of retrenchment or payslips. Those who have absolutely no documentation, can make a legal declaration on the form. We received 27,000 online applications yesterday. Applicants can also download application forms from the website, fill them at home and drop it off later at any SSO or CC without having to queue.

Those who have lost their jobs due to retrenchment or have had their employment contract terminated as a result of this crisis, will be supported by the COVID-19 Support Grant (CSG), which has a longer runway. It will provide a grant of $800 per month, for three months, while applicants participate in a job search or retraining programme.

Those who had applied for TRF earlier and had given us their consent to be assessed for the COVID-19 Support Grant, do not need to put in a separate application. They do not need to visit the SSO again and the SSO will contact them if they require further information.

For self-employed persons, MOM will also be implementing the Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme (SIRS) from May.

In parallel, we are also adjusting existing schemes and processes to accommodate the dynamic situation. We have simplified our ComCare processes for lower income households who qualify. They can submit supporting documents even via email.

Longer ComCare support is also provided for new cases – typically around six months.

SSO officers work with grassroots volunteers to provide practical support, for example, to elderly residents who are quarantined and need help to purchase groceries.

The Silver Generation Office has arranged for meal deliveries for seniors who live alone and have mobility issues and communicated COVID-19 precautionary measures to help keep them safe.

For Singaporeans who are homeless or rough sleeping, our Partners Engaging and Empowering Rough Sleepers (PEERS) network continues its work. With 28 partner organisations, Government departments, religious and secular organisations and uniform groups, they have been reaching out regularly and stepped up measures during this process.

During the crisis, some of our Safe Sound Sleeping Places have gone 24/7 to enable homeless persons and rough sleepers who need help to stay in shelter during the circuit breaker.

We have seen an outpouring of support from companies, unions, volunteer groups, grassroots and religious groups. Many have also stepped forward in their personal capacity. The Community Chest has received more than $8 million of donations to The Courage Fund, to support our healthcare and frontline workers, and lower income families affected by COVID-19. We have disbursed grants to a frontline worker who contracted the disease. We have also reached out to family members of the others who passed on due to the virus and will be disbursing the support to some of them by this week.

As a community, we also want to enhance our support to our social service agencies. Many have been working hard to help vulnerable persons, but their donations and fund-raising efforts have been significantly diminished, at a time when they really need to find new ways and bring in new technologies to continue to reach out, to assure and to support vulnerable people in these difficult times.

So, the National Council for Social Service or NCSS, will be setting up a new fund, The Invictus Fund, which will be built up from private donations. This Fund will channel private donations to Social Service Agencies or SSAs, that deliver critical services to vulnerable groups in our community. The additional support will help our SSAs maintain their operations, make technology investments to better serve their users, and emerge stronger through this period. MSF and NCSS will share more details on this fund soon.

In addition to financial support, NCSS is also working closely with our SSAs to help them with business continuity and technology adoption, so that those providing critical services can continue to do so remotely during this time.

Under the Solidarity Budget that Deputy Prime Minister announced yesterday, adult Singaporeans will receive $600 of cash support in April. For those who are better off, individuals and families who do not need this cash payment from the Solidarity Budget, and are considering donating them, you can do so to families that you know who are in need or to one of these funds or to donate it to charities through Giving.sg.

Mr Speaker, COVID-19 is a test of our resilience on many fronts – economic, social, health and psychological. Younger Singaporeans may not have encountered a crisis of this magnitude, while older Singaporeans are reminded of tough times early on in our history. Our daily routines have been sharply curtailed and many have had their livelihoods threatened. Such stressors and tensions, if prolonged, can have wider repercussions on relationships, marriages, families and communities. Hence, beyond financial and material support, we must shore up our own emotional and psychological well-being and enmesh this sense of community, that we are all in this together.

We will set up a National CARE Hotline to offer emotional support to anyone who faces stress, are anxious, or simply need someone to talk to. This hotline will be manned by Government psychologists, counsellors and other trained personnel. But we would like to make a call for more support. If you are a registered professional – a psychologist or counsellor or trained to provide counselling on marital and family issues, please join us.

Some SSAs have already come forward, stepped forward to offer their professional resources, to come under this National CARE hotline umbrella, and we are grateful to them for stepping forward. Already this crisis has taught us invaluable lessons – shown us areas that we will continue to work on, long after COVID-19 is over. We will take a hard look at these areas and also position ourselves to seize opportunities when the thunderstorm starts to clear. How we organise ourselves and support one another, use technology to stay connected, stay healthy, keep isolated if needed, but not lonely.

I am encouraged by many who have gone beyond the call of duty, and looked beyond their own interests and difficulties to help others: colleagues in our pre-schools and social service agencies, and volunteers who, at short notice, helped us to roll out new schemes on the ground to help large numbers of people.

This is our strength as a society and people, and we will get through this together. This test will be our legacy to the generations after us.

Mr Speaker, in my speech in the Budget 2020 debate on 27 February 2020, I concluded by saying "a hallmark of Singapore's Budgets is that in good times, we are prudent and sensible. In tough times, we demonstrate our mettle and sensitivity." The Unity, Resilience and Solidarity Budgets are apt testimonials of that truth.

The past few weeks have been a time of deep reflection for me. As one of the relatively younger members of this House, I was in my early teens during the SARS outbreak. When H1N1 came to the fore, I was serving my National Service. Despite the anxiety, life did not grind to a halt in those days. We did not have aeroplanes parked on runways, lives disrupted and humanity coming to a standstill as we are seeing today around the world.

I believe I speak for my generation when I say that COVID-19 has been a sobering experience and a reality check. The fragile nature of life has been made manifest once again. Seismic shifts labelled mildly as "new norms", are being charted. I believe it is not going to be "business as usual" when "normal service resumes". Frankly, it can no longer be business as usual and this shall form the crux of what I am about to say.

Mr Speaker, my speech will revolve around three themes: gratitude, fear and hope. Allow me to begin by highlighting three groups of people who, I believe, deserve our nation's gratitude.

First, like all Members in this House, I express my deepest appreciation to our front-line workers. These are our doctors and nurses who work tirelessly round the clock to treat our people. These are our civil servants, policemen and soldiers who do contact tracing, manning our borders and to ensure the smooth delivery of services in these trying times. These are our overworked and unsung heroes.

Next, I ask this House to remember the foreign workers in Singapore. During this difficult time, these heroes have chosen to be away from their families in order to fulfil our critical manpower needs. When Malaysia instituted the MCO, they came on such short notice that they had barely had time to pack and say goodbye to their loved ones. This group of workers are often invisible. Three weeks ago, I met a lady who shared with me that she was working as a cleaner in Singapore and she left her four-month-old infant with her sister to come to Singapore overnight and to be here. And they are our cleaners and construction workers, delivery riders, security guards and people who provide essential services. Without them, our city would quite literally grind to a halt.

Lastly, I extend my appreciation to the citizens who have stepped up to assist in times of crisis – from the individuals who help to ensure that our workers have shelter to our drivers who are committed to transport our healthcare staff to and from their workplace. Sir, these individuals have come together in this national effort to contribute what little they have.

Indeed, one encouraging trend is individuals mobilising to express their appreciation for the people around them. Just yesterday, I am aware that the students in SMU Law School as well as other student groups sent care packages to our frontliners.

Our nation has set the “gold standard” not only in how we have dealt with this crisis, but also in how we have treated our people. This effort is only possible because of the dedicated service, immense sacrifice and the resolute single-mindedness of our people. Sir, we salute them all.

Next, I would like to focus on my second theme of fear, which I sense is an undercurrent permeating our society. In these tumultuous times, our fellow Singaporeans are going through tremendous stress. Let me raise three concerns in particular.

First, our workers are understandably concerned about their livelihood. With the partial lockdown or circuit breaker measures in place, the drastic reduction in demand worldwide, many businesses will have little to no revenue in the coming months. While this Budget promises a maximum of over $3,000 per worker in wage subsidies, my question is simply how do we ensure that these subsidies are passed along to the workers? Does the Government intend to credit subsidies directly to our workers? Will we be passing a Bill mandating that employers pass these subsidies along? This is a key concern.

Next, I will speak about the fears expressed by our VWOs and their beneficiaries. Our VWOs are an important component of our social safety net. They ensure that our fellow Singaporeans who have fallen on hard times are clothed, fed and generally able to begin rebuilding their lives. Other VWOs make it a point to befriend our elderly, bring them for their medical appointments and generally care for their needs.

Sir, one thing which all our VWOs have in common is their reliance on donations and volunteers. With the current economic downturn, many have expressed their worry at not being able to continue servicing their beneficiaries. I wish to ask this House how do we intend to ensure that this crucial component of our social safety net does not disappear simply because of this pandemic. While this sickness will eventually pass, I worry that a massive loss of capacity in this sector would leave us with yet another crisis on our hands. Could we also explore – in addition to the Invictus Fund that Minister Desmond Lee announced earlier – increasing the 250% tax deduction for qualifying donations made to IPCs to encourage more donations?

Lastly – this is a very personal concern for me – I fear for that the mental health of our fellow Singaporeans in these difficult times. AWARE has reported a massive increase in the number of individuals seeking assistance from their domestic violence helpline. May I suggest that we commit to increasing the scope of support and monitoring for our at-risk households? People silently suffering in abusive households, struggling with unemployment or financial distress are the hardest hit in these trying times. We are in this fight against COVID-19 for the long haul and building up the mental well-being of our society is critical in enabling us to respond with resilience. I wonder if more can be done to ensure no one suffers in silence, to ensure that it is not just the vocal minority that are heard, but the silent majority as well.

Ultimately, fear is a natural human emotion. If properly managed, I believe that we will emerge stronger as a nation. Sir, we have two options with fear the word F-E-A-R. We can either “Forget Everything And Run” or “Face Everything And Rise”. The Singapore DNA is all about the latter. This leads me to my final point on Hope.

Mr Speaker, perspective is always an important thing. Here, I am hopeful because COVID-19 is not just a challenge. The circumstances today offer a perfect opportunity to consider what a future Singapore will look like. Here, I speak of Hope.

Firstly, I am hopeful that this period will be a period of reflection that will allow us to see the importance of environmental sustainability. I am sure Members of this House are no doubt aware of the impact which the global shutting of businesses has had on the world. In China, pollution dropped by over a third. In India, the smog which used to cover the cities has disappeared. While the extent of Singapore’s pollution is not as severe, these examples highlight the destructive impact on our environment.

COVID-19 presents us an opportunity to re-imagine our nation. More than simply relying on our obligations under the Paris Climate Agreement, I urge this House to envision a carbon neutral economy. I urge this House to consider the potential of an economy which will not harm our grandchildren. Sir, my first hope, is a proper consideration of a sustainable future.

Secondly, I hope that our House will consider the future of work. As I speak, over 75% of our nation is working from home. The old norms of doing business have quite literally disappeared overnight. Telecommuting and flexi-work arrangements are no longer exclusive to fancy tech companies. Instead, they are a necessity in this climate. I hope that this House will consider how we will institutionalise this practice when we reignite our economy. Sir, the future of work could quite literally be in our hands right now.

Additionally, I hope that we will consider the way we value each other. I began my speech by thanking our healthcare heros. However, I wish to make clear that simple platitudes, or even clapping at 8.00 pm, is not enough. I feel that the current system should be re-balanced to raise the salaries of workers in sectors absolutely critical to Singapore. To highlight, some of our nurses average only $3,000 a month despite several years of experience. Sir, we must look into this.

Ultimately, I hope that this crisis reminds all of us how important steward leadership is. From our Prime Minister, to the Multi-Ministry Task Force, to fellow Singaporeans have shown us the brand of leadership that Singapore can deliver and truly deserves. To steal a line from the Officer’s Creed: I hope that we will always serve with such honour and integrity.

This fight is far from over and each of us must act responsibly and stand resolute in overcoming COVID-19. Mr Speaker I support all three Budgets.