Arts, culture & sports — Topics

3 Oct 2017

Terms for Extension of Formula One Singapore Grand Prix

Miss Cheng Li Hui inquired about the terms of the four-year extension for the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix and whether the benefits were evaluated against inconveniences to drivers and retailers.
Minister S Iswaran stated that the exact terms are confidential, but the extension from 2018 to 2021 was decided after weighing national benefits and costs, including over 450,000 international visitors and $1.4 billion in tourism receipts.
The race has generated local business opportunities, with 90% of works subcontracted to Singapore companies, and boosted Singapore's global image, though the government aims to reduce organizing costs to $135 million annually.
Inconveniences to drivers and retailers are acknowledged, with measures like halving road closure days and launching the Grand Prix Season Singapore to mitigate impacts and enhance the event experience.
The government will continue working with stakeholders to balance the race's benefits with public inconveniences during the extension period.

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2 Oct 2017

Passing Rate for National Physical Fitness Award/Assessment Scheme in 2007 and 2016

Miss Cheryl Chan asked for the NAPFA passing rates in 2007 and 2016, how schools prepare students, and how they assist students struggling with the 2.4km run-walk.
The Ministry of Education reframed NAPFA in 2014 as an educational tool, reducing test frequency to alternate years and integrating fitness training into the PE curriculum.
Schools teach students to train for the 2.4km run-walk progressively and set personal targets focused on self-improvement rather than passing, with no national comparison of passing rates over time.

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2 Oct 2017

Progress of Study on Archaeology in Singapore

The National Heritage Board (NHB) is reviewing its legal powers on archaeology and met with stakeholders in 2016 to gather feedback on proposed amendments to the NHB Act and related strategies.
Based on feedback, NHB identified the need to clarify artefact ownership, establish regulations for excavations, require reporting of finds, integrate archaeology with development works, and protect maritime archaeological sites.
NHB is exploring legislative changes and will hold another stakeholder session in October 2017, followed by public consultation in early 2018 as part of the broader Heritage Plan.
The final strategies and initiatives regarding archaeology will be announced next year at the launch of the Heritage Plan for Singapore.

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2 Oct 2017

Books Bought by NLB and Costs Incurred

Miss Cheng Li Hui asked for NLB's five-year book purchase numbers, total costs, number of books condemned, current collection size, and an update on the National Reading Movement launched a year ago.
Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim reported that the National Reading Movement exceeded targets with over 120,000 participants and has initiatives like Read@Work, reading corners for seniors, bulk loans to preschools, and expanded mother tongue programmes.
NLB spends about $14 million annually to maintain over 6.6 million books, purchases over 800,000 new books each year, and removes a similar number of damaged or outdated books, many donated to charities.
NLB’s digital and physical libraries have seen increased usage, with the NLB App providing access to 600,000 e-books and reopened libraries showing significant growth in loans and visitorship.

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2 Oct 2017

Promoting Competitive Cycling

Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Ministry for Culture, Community and Youth for more support for competitive cycling and the outcome of the 2014 velodrome feasibility study, following the cycling team's good showing at the 2017 SEA Games.
Grace Fu Hai Yien congratulated Singapore's cycling athletes for their medals at the SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games, including historic firsts for women's track cycling and APG cycling.
Sport Singapore (SportSG) collaborates with the Singapore Cycling Federation, providing funding for staff, coaches, facilities, overseas training, and campaign support, plus sports medicine and science assistance through the Singapore Sports Institute.
SportSG's feasibility study on a velodrome is ongoing, with careful assessment required due to significant investment and competing sports infrastructure needs.

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2 Oct 2017

Preserving Green Spaces and Heritage in Jalan Kayu Constituency

Intan Azura Mokhtar proposed preserving Kampong Lorong Buangkok, Singapore's last mainland kampung, as a heritage education site to integrate it with planned schools rather than displacing residents for a highway and school construction.
She also suggested converting a planned highway strip near Gerald Drive into a linear nature park with cycling and footpaths to preserve green space and address residents' concerns about traffic and environmental impact.
The Second Minister for National Development responded that the kampung's development plans are not immediate and will involve stakeholder engagement in the future, while the highway is needed to support upcoming housing and traffic demands, though alternative green spaces exist.

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2 Oct 2017

Statistics on Success of Direct School Admission (Sports) Programme and Singapore Sports School

Mr Ganesh Rajaram requested statistics on the success of the Direct School Admission (Sports) programme and the Singapore Sports School, and the number of students from these programmes who later represented Singapore in their chosen sports.
The Minister for Education (Schools) provided that since 2004, the Singapore Sports School has produced eight Olympians, 10 World Champions, 65 Asian Games competitors, and about 400 students and alumni have represented Singapore internationally.
The Ministry does not track whether students admitted via Direct School Admission (Sports) to mainstream schools later represent Singapore in their chosen sporting fields after graduation.

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2 Oct 2017

Encouraging Production Companies to Use Facilities at Mediapolis@one-north

The Senior Minister of State outlined that Mediapolis@one-north is a vibrant media cluster with privately owned facilities like Infinite Studios, which have been used for major local and Hollywood productions, and IMDA's PIXEL Studios provides shared facilities and incubation for digital content creators and game startups.
IMDA offers free access to PIXEL Studios' facilities for independent creators, resulting in positive industry response with dozens of productions, and organizes over 150 events attended by more than 4,200 participants to support skill development and networking.
The Singapore Film Commission has established a Filming Friendly Zone in one-north, easing location filming permissions for small productions through agreements with building owners to facilitate easier access to filming sites.

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11 Sep 2017

Plans for Preservation of Ellison Building Affected by Construction of North-South Expressway

Mr Kok Heng Leun asked the Minister for National Development for an update on alternative plans to preserve the Ellison Building during the construction of the North-South Expressway.
Lawrence Wong stated that the Land Transport Authority and conservation specialists are studying options to minimize impact on the affected shophouse unit, with ongoing assessments of risks to both the building and the expressway.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority and Land Transport Authority will engage heritage groups again before making a final decision.

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11 Sep 2017

Disallowing Athletes from Promoting Non-official Event Sponsors during Major Sporting Events

Dennis Tan raised concerns about athletes potentially losing or compromising their sponsorships due to rules prohibiting promotion of non-official sponsors during major sporting events.
Grace Fu explained that such rules are set by international sporting bodies and are established practices that sponsors already account for when structuring athlete sponsorship deals.
The government does not interfere with these international rules but provides support to athletes through the High Performance Sports system, including financial grants and training opportunities.
Team Singapore athletes also receive campaign funding to help them prepare for major games, especially those who are not spexScholars.

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11 Sep 2017

Assistance to Arts Groups to Cope with Rising Rental and Maintenance Cost

The National Arts Council offers two main schemes—the Arts Housing Scheme and the Framework for Arts Spaces—that provide significant rental subsidies, with tenants paying only 10–20% of already reduced rates set by the Singapore Land Authority.
Maintenance costs are kept low through subsidised service charges and sinking fund contributions that have remained unchanged for years, with the council providing top-ups when needed to cover upkeep.
To address high demand exceeding supply, NAC works with community partners to free up alternative spaces, such as housing arts groups at Our Tampines Hub, while ensuring fair access for all artists and groups.

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11 Sep 2017

Gaming Arcade Operators Obligated to Identify Patrons who Appear Addicted

Murali Pillai proposed that gaming arcade operators be required to identify patrons potentially suffering from gaming addiction and implement supportive measures.
K Shanmugam stated that gaming arcades are regulated as amusement centres under the Public Entertainments Act, focusing on law and order, and are not required to identify addicted patrons like gambling venues are.
He noted that current regulations prohibit admitting students in uniform or individuals under 16 on school days before 6:30 PM as a safeguard for youth.
K Shanmugam highlighted efforts by the Media Literacy Council to raise awareness about gaming addiction and provide resources for families and individuals.
He emphasized that families and friends should monitor loved ones and seek help from social service centres or the National Addictions Management Service for those with severe addiction.

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11 Sep 2017

Withdrawal of National Arts Council Grant for "State of Emergency" Book

Dennis Tan asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth to explain how the contents of the book "State of Emergency" deviated from the original proposal, leading to the withdrawal of the National Arts Council grant.
Grace Fu stated that the final manuscript received by the National Arts Council bore little resemblance to the original proposal, which was for a historical novel set mainly in 1965 to explore Singapore's search for a new identity.
The proposed title was "MacDonald House," but the final manuscript significantly deviated in plotline, with most of the novel not set in 1965 or the years surrounding Singapore's independence.
Due to non-compliance with the funding agreement terms, the National Arts Council discontinued the grant the following year in 2011.
The debate highlights concerns about artistic freedom versus funding accountability, with implications for how grants are evaluated and enforced.

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1 Aug 2017

Joint Effort between SportSG and Football Association of Singapore to Promote Local Football

Ganesh Rajaram inquired about how SportSG could collaborate with the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) to enhance local football quality, boost S League attendance, and address Singapore's declining FIFA World Ranking.
Grace Fu Hai Yien outlined that SportSG partners with FAS by providing facilities, technical expertise, grassroots networks, and funding, including new funding channels via the Tote Board from this year.
The response emphasized that FAS must submit multi-year strategic plans to SportSG for review and agreement, covering youth development, community outreach, and football excellence, including S League improvements.
SportSG and FAS are actively collaborating, exemplified by the merger of the FAS Cubs programme with the ActiveSG Football Academy to increase youth participation and improve national team performance.

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1 Aug 2017

Breakdown of Programmes that Received Public Service Broadcast Funds

Mr Ganesh Rajaram asked for a breakdown of Public Service Broadcast (PSB) funds given to Mediacorp by programme title and genre for the last financial year, regardless of production source.
The Minister responded that PSB funding in FY16 was about $250 million, supporting around 3,000 hours of locally produced PSB TV programmes.
Approximately 60% of PSB programme funding went to current affairs, info-educational programmes, and documentaries, while 40% funded entertainment programmes like local dramas and variety shows.
PSB funds also supported digital content on platforms like Toggle, such as "Yes Mdm" and "Run Rachael Run," to meet growing online consumption.

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1 Aug 2017

Feasibility of Public-private Partnership for Sports Hub

Ganesh Rajaram questioned the continued viability of the Sports Hub public-private partnership given past operational and management issues, and asked if SportSG has sufficiently experienced officers to oversee the consortium.
Grace Fu Hai Yien acknowledged initial challenges in the first three years of operations but highlighted the Sports Hub’s delivery of major facilities and its role in hosting significant national and international events.
She noted that SportSG maintains constant communication with the Sports Hub management and has a dedicated, experienced team monitoring performance, with leadership boasting extensive public sector experience.
The government believes the public-private partnership remains beneficial as it leverages the private sector’s international expertise in marketing, operations, and financing.

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1 Aug 2017

Withdrawal of NAC Funding to Author of "State of Emergency"

Dennis Tan Lip Fong questioned why the National Arts Council withdrew funding for the book "State of Emergency," whether the author failed to meet deliverables, and if the book did not comply with NAC requirements.
Grace Fu Hai Yien explained that the author received a 2010 Creation Grant but the project did not meet mutually agreed funding requirements because the book's content deviated from the original proposal.
She noted that NAC disburses grants in stages based on milestones and clearances, and may only partially support projects if artists fail to meet deliverables, secure copyright, or adhere to funding requirements.
The book was published and is available in Singapore bookstores, and NAC may still support artists in other areas even if a specific project is not funded.

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3 Jul 2017

Petition

The Nominated Member Kok Heng Leun presented a petition signed by 792 people urging the government to relocate Sungei Road Market, which they describe as an irreplaceable part of Singapore's heritage and a vital livelihood for elderly vendors.
The petitioners requested the designation of an alternative site, empathetic dialogue with vendors, and referral of the issue to a Select Committee for public consultation.
The Speaker referred the petition to the Public Petitions Committee as per parliamentary procedure.

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8 May 2017

Maintenance and Safety Inspection of Sports Equipment and Facilities in Schools

Schools conduct risk assessments and inspections for all physical activities to identify and mitigate safety risks, examining factors like facilities, equipment, and participant readiness.
Sports facilities and equipment are maintained based on manufacturer schedules or regular school inspections if no recommendations exist.
Students are taught personal responsibility for safety through the PE curriculum, including proper equipment handling and adherence to safety briefings before activities.

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8 May 2017

Government Oversight on Use of Monies by Official Sporting Bodies

The Ministry exercises oversight through Sport Singapore (SportSG), which provides grants to National Sports Associations (NSAs) that must meet strict governance and financial criteria, including registration as societies and charities, compliance with laws, and alignment with SportSG’s Vision 2030 plans.
Criteria for fair use include multi-year plans with key performance indicators, annual assessments of funding based on performance, governance capabilities, and diverse revenue sources; funding levels are adjusted yearly based on these factors.
To prevent and rectify misallocation, SportSG requires audited financial statements, allows audits of accounting records, and can suspend, terminate, or recover grants for non-compliance, while serious cases like misappropriation are referred to the Police.

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