Family & gender

Tan Wu Meng questioned the Ministry of Social and Family Development about the insufficiency of preschools in certain precincts, despite earlier plans for them during HDB BTO construction, and how the government is assisting parents in these situations. Masagos Zulkifli explained that the Early Childhood Development Agency plans for preschool places based on demographic trends and has increased full-day preschool places by 25%, resulting in over 200,000 available spots. However, local demand can sometimes exceed supply due to varying parent preferences in a few districts. To address this, the ECDA collaborates with HDB and operators to utilize available spaces for additional preschools and encourages parents to consider options in nearby areas. ECDA has also launched a new preschool search feature on LifeSG to help parents find centers with vacancies.

• From January 2021 to December 2023, HDB received 18 appeals from applicants with shared care and control who were unable to obtain their ex-spouse's consent to buy an HDB flat, with 11 approved.
• In the same period, HDB approved eight cases for renting an HDB flat from such applicants who could not get their ex-spouse's consent.
• HDB does not reject rental applications solely because an applicant cannot obtain their ex-spouse's consent.

• Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Social and Family Development for the number of Care and Protection Orders in each of the past five years where parents or guardians were ordered to undergo counselling, psychotherapy, or other treatment.
• Over the past five years, an average of 160 Care and Protection Orders annually included such orders for parents or guardians.
• This figure represents about 97% of the annual average number of Care and Protection Orders made in the past five years.

• Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin suggested incorporating menstrual health into the school sexuality education curriculum to address low awareness of how symptoms may affect future fertility.
• The Minister for Education, Chan Chun Sing, stated that menstrual health is already covered in Primary 5 sexuality education, Lower Secondary Science, and Upper Secondary Biology.
• The debate highlighted existing curriculum content on menstruation and reproductive health across different educational stages.
• The focus was on ensuring students understand physiological changes during puberty and their long-term implications.
• The discussion emphasized the importance of education in addressing potential fertility issues early.

• Ms Ng Ling Ling asked the Minister for Home Affairs about the criteria for granting permanent residency or Singapore citizenship to foreign wives on Long-Term Visit Passes after divorce or the death of their Singaporean spouse, to ensure stability for their Singaporean children.
• The Minister for Home Affairs stated that the policy generally allows divorced or widowed foreign spouses with custody of Singaporean children to remain in Singapore to care for their children.
• The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority typically renews their Long-Term Visit Pass and they are considered more favorably for Permanent Residency compared to those without family ties to Singaporeans.

• Ms. Carrie Tan asked for the annual number of marriages involving parties under 18 in the past five years and whether the Ministry will consider disallowing such marriages under the Women's Charter.
• The Ministry stated that such marriages are void unless authorized by a Special Marriage Licence, with no such marriages occurring in the last two years.
• The Ministry has no plans to remove the Special Marriage Licence option but will scrutinize applications closely and approve only meritorious cases.

• Ms Ng Ling Ling asked if the Ministry of Health will use findings from the Integrated Women's Health Programme (IWHP) study to develop Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) for managing perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms, and how long it would take to develop such guidelines.
• Minister Ong Ye Kung explained that the IWHP is a cohort study on menopause-related health issues like osteoporosis and sleep disturbances, with follow-up studies planned to cover management of these conditions.
• The Minister noted that new clinical guidelines are prioritised based on disease burden and evidence availability, and that an existing guideline for osteoporosis already addresses a key condition in menopausal women.
• He added that the full IWHP findings will later inform whether separate guidelines for menopausal symptoms are needed, but did not specify a timeline for development.

• Carrie Tan asked if the Ministry will provide professional liability insurance for childminders in the pilot childminding service for infants up to 18 months old to protect their interests.
• Masagos Zulkifli explained that the Early Childhood Development Agency will appoint operators who engage childminders, and the Ministry is consulting these operators on managing business risks, including considering insurance where appropriate.
• The debate focused on ensuring childminders' protection through insurance as part of the pilot childminding service trial.

• Mr. Louis Ng highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by breastfeeding mothers at work, such as inadequate lactation rooms and discriminatory remarks, and proposed amending the Code on Accessibility to require one lactation room per 2,500 square meters and mandating essential facilities in these rooms.
• The Government, represented by Minister Indranee Rajah, acknowledged the need for better workplace support for breastfeeding mothers and confirmed that a review of the Code is underway, with plans to consider lower GFA thresholds and more mandatory facilities, while also promoting flexible solutions like lactation pods.
• During the debate, there was a call to increase the co-funding under the Accessibility Fund to 80% immediately to assist building owners, with the Minister noting that the funding level would be assessed after the Code review but emphasizing the availability of current support for lactation pods.

• Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Home Affairs for the number of babies born to mothers in three age groups (below 14, 14 to below 16, and 16 to below 20) for each of the past five years.
• K Shanmugam provided the data for 2018 to 2022 in a table, noting that figures for 2023 are not yet available.
• The response directly addressed the request for statistics on births by maternal age groups over the specified period.
• No further discussion or additional questions were raised in this exchange.

• The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Social and Family Development track enrolment in school-based and community-based Student Care Centres (SCCs), with 33,000 students in school-based centres and 8,300 in community-based centres across 182 and 190 centres respectively.
• School-based SCCs are required to provide weekly outdoor programmes and enrichment activities to develop values and competencies, while community-based SCCs must meet standards for structured daily programmes with flexibility for additional activities.
• The government will continue to review SCC programmes to align with holistic development goals and incorporate enrichment activities beyond grades, partnering with organisations like the National Library Board and RSVP Singapore.
• Current demand for SCCs is monitored closely, with most centres not having long waitlists, indicating availability to meet student needs.

• As of 31 December 2023, there were 3,400 children under five years old with active CPF Special Accounts.
• The median sum in these accounts was around $1,000.
• About eight out of ten givers who topped up these accounts lived in HDB flats, but the CPF Board does not track whether top-ups came specifically from parents.

• Don Wee asked if PayNow can be added alongside NETS for Child Development Account payments to approved institutions.
• The Ministry of Social and Family Development said it will review alternative payment modes as part of regular CDA scheme reviews.
• Any new mode must be convenient for parents and trustees while ensuring safeguards against unauthorized use.
• The Ministry emphasized that CDA funds are strictly for specified expenditures and require proper protection.
• The response indicates consideration of PayNow but no commitment to immediate implementation.

• The Minister for Home Affairs stated that arrested women drug abusers share similar trends with men, primarily being Malays aged 20-39, and commonly abusing methamphetamine, heroin, and cannabis.
• The Singapore Prison Service uses a gender-responsive, trauma-informed approach in rehabilitation, focusing on relationships, emotion regulation, and tailored psychological programmes for women.
• Upstream interventions are provided for incarcerated mothers with children under 18, including family assessments and referrals to community resources through partnerships with organizations like New Life Stories and Women In Recovery Association.
• Additional programmes aim to strengthen women’s pro-social identities as mothers, offering parenting skills and support groups to aid reintegration and reduce re-offending.
• The approach combines general interventions like family and education programmes with specialized support to address the unique needs of women and young mothers in substance abuse rehabilitation.

• Shawn Huang asked the Government about its strategies and policies to address Singapore's low fertility rate and how these initiatives will support families and encourage higher birth rates.
• Indranee Rajah, speaking for the Prime Minister, acknowledged that low fertility is a global trend driven by shifting individual priorities and societal norms.
• The Government plans to continue collaborating with stakeholders to create a supportive environment for Singaporeans in their marriage and parenthood journeys.
• Indranee directed the Member to reference the Prime Minister's Office Committee of Supply Debate on 28 February 2024 for detailed strategies, as outlined in the Official Report.

• Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked about plans to increase capacity of assisted reproductive treatment centres at public hospitals, including timelines and expected increases.
• The National University Hospital renovated its IVF laboratory in 2022 to boost ART treatment capacity.
• There are upcoming plans to increase ART capacity at KK Women's and Children's Hospital and Singapore General Hospital over the next few years.
• When completed, ART capacity at these public hospitals is expected to rise by about 20%.

• Louis Ng asked for data on building owners who applied for grants from the Accessibility Fund for lactation rooms or pods over the past five years and, if unavailable, whether the Ministry would start collecting it.
• Desmond Lee stated that the Code on Accessibility since 2013 mandates lactation rooms in certain new and retrofitted buildings, with pre-2013 private buildings eligible for up to 60% co-funding via the Accessibility Fund.
• Since 2019, two building owners have applied for the fund to retrofit lactation rooms, and the Ministry encourages more owners and tenants to use the fund to enhance inclusivity.

• Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked the Minister for Home Affairs about the number of domestic disputes involving knives or other weapons in the past three years and how many involved a child or minor.
• The Minister, K Shanmugam, responded that the Police do not track such specific figures.
• The debate highlighted a lack of data on domestic disputes involving weapons and minors.
• It underscored the need for more detailed tracking of such incidents to inform policy and safety measures.

• Mr. Louis Ng asked how many companies have offered the extra two weeks of Government-paid paternity leave announced in Budget 2023, and if the data is unavailable, whether the Government would collect it.
• The Minister responded that the voluntary leave provision took effect on 1 January 2024, with fathers having up to one year to use it and employers three months after that to submit claims, making the data currently unavailable.
• The Government is monitoring the utilisation of the leave and will collate the data when it becomes available.

• The Minister noted that Singapore's gender pay gap has narrowed from 16.3% in 2018 to 14.3% in 2023, with an adjusted gap of 6.0% when comparing similar characteristics, and highlighted occupational differences, parenthood responsibilities, and workplace discrimination as key causes.
• The government is taking a multi-pronged approach, including encouraging women to enter and stay in higher-paying STEM sectors, promoting equal sharing of caregiving duties through enhanced paternity leave and introducing flexible work arrangement guidelines.
• Workplace fairness legislation to combat discrimination based on sex, marital status, and caregiving responsibilities will be introduced later this year.
• The Minister expressed caution about pay transparency guidelines, suggesting they may not address underlying causes and could be counter-productive, but indicated support for employer-led initiatives similar to the existing Alliance for Action on Work Life Harmony.