Governance & integrity

693 debates and bills about governance & integrity

16 Oct 2012

Criteria for Singapore's Global Investor Programme

Mrs Lina Chiam urged the government to tighten the assessment criteria for the Global Investor Programme to prevent criminals from being admitted, to which the Minister responded that checks are already rigorous, involving notarized documents, references, and inter-agency screening.
Mrs Chiam asked if independent audits of the programme's assessment criteria and systems could be conducted and made public, with the Minister emphasizing the need for robust, dynamic verification processes.
Nominated Member Tan Su Shan suggested leveraging the banking sector's stringent KYC and AML checks to strengthen applicant vetting, and the Minister agreed to consider closer collaboration with different sectors.

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15 Oct 2012

Mr Patrick Tay questioned whether the review of public sector procurement policies would affect the Best Sourcing initiative by possibly moving away from awarding tenders to the lowest bidder.
Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam assured that the review will not detract from the Best Sourcing initiative, which evaluates bids on both quality and price for value for money.
The government procurement system is based on transparency, open competition, and prudence, with all procurements subject to checks and balances.

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11 Sep 2012

Pritam Singh asked the government to consider institutionalizing whistleblower protection laws to prevent future government tender manipulation, citing the Brompton bicycle episode.
Teo Chee Hean, representing the Prime Minister, responded that multiple existing channels for reporting wrongdoing by public officers are already available and institutionalized, including to department heads, Permanent Secretaries, Ministers, the Head of Civil Service, the Public Service Commission, and the CPIB for corruption cases.
He emphasized that both public officers and members of the public can use these channels, with assurances of confidentiality and provisions for protection against retaliation, and noted that independent bodies like the PSC, Auditor-General’s Office, and CPIB are involved in maintaining integrity.
Teo stated that reporting wrongdoing is integral to Singapore's system for public service integrity, supported by strict rules, procedures, and a culture that does not tolerate corruption, with recent cases demonstrating these measures at work.
The government affirmed its determination to maintain integrity and act against wrongdoing wherever discovered, while acknowledging that no system can entirely eradicate misconduct due to human failings.

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10 Sep 2012

Asst Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene asked for the total partnership fees paid by Singapore universities to overseas institutions for collaborations with Wharton, MIT/Zhejiang, and Yale.
Minister Heng Swee Keat explained that collaboration fees vary by partnership model and phase, covering activities like curriculum development and research, and decrease after the start-up period.
The Minister stated that MOE cannot disclose specific fees due to confidentiality agreements but ensures funding is scrutinized to provide quality education and future readiness for Singaporeans.

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10 Sep 2012

Ellen Lee asked if the Ministry of Education would appoint an independent vendor to conduct the annual Graduate Employment Survey and require disclosure of response rates and sample sizes per institution instead of overall figures.
Heng Swee Keat responded that Autonomous Universities and Polytechnics already use rigorous methodologies with reputable independent survey companies, with a single company commissioned for AUs since 2012.
He stated that MOE mandates a minimum 70% response rate for each institution to ensure robust findings, aligning with industry norms for both polytechnics and universities.

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10 Sep 2012

The Parliamentary Pensions (Abolition) Bill was introduced to implement the White Paper's recommendation to remove pensions for new office holders and Members of Parliament (MPs), freezing pensions for eligible incumbents, aligning their retirement scheme with the Central Provident Fund (CPF) and strengthening the principle of a clean wage.
The Bill amends the Parliamentary Pensions Act to retrospectively remove pension provisions from 21 May 2011, preventing new office holders and MPs from accruing pensionable service and freezing existing entitlements at their 20 May 2011 value, with the Act to be repealed once all pre-2011 eligible individuals have received their frozen pensions.
The death gratuity provision will be retained and transferred to the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act, ensuring no office holder or MP is better off, while other obsolete pension clauses are removed and a zero-tolerance approach to corruption is maintained.
Parliament endorsed the Bill after a consultative process outlined in the White Paper, with members supporting it as a responsible step to balance competitive compensation with the ethos of public service, and the Bill was passed without amendment after debate.

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10 Sep 2012

NParks conducted an open tender for foldable bicycles via the GeBIZ system, receiving two offers from one bidder and awarding the contract to Brompton at $2,200 per unit, within the approved budget.
The Minister noted that while procurement rules were followed, the single-bid outcome raised concerns, leading to an internal audit that found discrepancies suggesting possible bias, prompting a referral to CPIB for further investigation.
In response, MND tightened procurement controls by extending the minimum tender period to seven working days and requiring senior approval for single-bid awards, while also updating internal guidelines to enhance oversight.

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