Debated in Parliament on 8 May 2023.
Ms Mariam Jaafar asked the Minister for Transport for the 457 Category D temporary motorcycle Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) which had expired between January and March 2023 (a) whether these COEs are concentrated among a few dealers and, if so, who are the top dealers; and (b) whether the Government will consider even more stringent action on motorcycle dealers who may be engaging in speculative bidding, beyond increasing the bid deposit and reducing the validity period of the temporary COEs to include barring such dealers from participating in the bidding.
Ms Mariam Jaafar asked the Minister for Transport in light of the record high COE prices (a) whether the Government has a view on the optimal number of private hire cars on the roads; and (b) whether the Government will consider more decisive measures to prevent private hire companies from dominating and driving up COE prices.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for Transport (a) what other steps are being considered to moderate COE prices; (b) whether the trend of rising COE prices is triggered by extraneous factors, such as influx of foreign residents into Singapore; and (c) how many cars are there in the bonded warehouse waiting to be put onto the market since January this year.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Transport (a) what are the key factors driving the recent surge in COE prices; and (b) whether there are plans to help those who rely on driving for their livelihoods but have been priced out due to the record high COE prices.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Transport for each month in the past 12 months, what is the total number of new cars which have been registered by (i) ride hailing or private hire companies and (ii) car leasing companies, as a percentage of the total number of new cars registered.
Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Ministry has done any analysis of its data to ascertain the key causes for the recent spike in COE prices; (b) whether the Government plans to impose a cap on the number of Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs) that a PHV operator can own in their fleet, similar to the cap imposed on taxi companies, to reduce COE prices; and (c) what additional measures is the Government considering to rein in the costs of COEs.
Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether the high COE prices will further fuel costs increases within the economy; and (b) whether there are plans to review the system to better allocate COEs.
Deputy Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission for the Minister for Transport to take Question Nos 1 to 7 in the Ministerial Statement later in the Sitting?
Yes, I give my consent.
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