Avenues for Public to Report Profiteering from Sale of N95 Masks by Retailers and Individuals

Ms Lee Li Lian asked the Minister for Trade and Industry what avenues are there for the public to report profiteering by retailers or individuals from the sale of N95 masks and what action will the Government take against retailers or individuals who are profiteering from such sales.

The Government has various channels for the public to provide feedback on issues and concerns. The Retail Price Watch Group, or RPWG, keeps a watch-out for excessive price increases of daily essential goods and anti-competitive behaviour. The RPWG website (www.retailpricewatch.sg) was set up as an information and feedback platform to reach out to the public. RPWG members are from both the private and public sectors, and include Mayors, business leaders from the retail sector, as well as officials from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) and Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE).

Consumers who come across unfair trading practices can report them to CASE. Any substantiated reports of anti-competitive practice that come to Government's attention will also be referred to CCS for investigation.