Parliamentary business — Topics

2 Apr 2024

Adjournment of Debate

Minister Alvin Tan moved to adjourn the debate, which was formally resolved upon.
The Speaker inquired about the resumption date, to which Mr Tan responded that it would be tomorrow.
The Speaker confirmed the adjournment and addressed the Leader, concluding the exchange.

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2 Apr 2024

Membership in House Committee and Public Petition Committee

The Speaker announced the nomination of Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin to fill a vacancy in the House Committee.
The Speaker announced the nomination of Mr Murali Pillai to fill a vacancy in the Public Petitions Committee.
The nominations took effect from 19 March 2024 under Standing Order No 102.
The Speaker moved to Questions for Oral Answer after stating the nominations.

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7 Mar 2024

Adjournment

The Leader of the House, Ms Indranee Rajah, moved a motion for Parliament to adjourn to a date to be fixed.
The motion was resolved and passed by Parliament.
Parliament was adjourned at 4.45 pm.

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7 Mar 2024

Rearrangement of Business

The Leader of the House moved to introduce the Law Enforcement and Other Matters Bill under Standing Order 10(2).
The motion addressed an earlier issue where the Bill was not laid on the table as required.
The Leader had previously obtained consent to dispense with laying the Bill, but now moved to comply fully with Standing Orders.
The motion was put to question and agreed to by the House.
The House resolved to proceed with the Bill's introduction as per the motion.

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7 Mar 2024

Suspension of Standing Orders

The Leader of the House requested an exemption from Standing Order No. 48(3) to allow Senior Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam to speak more than once.
The Speaker consented and sought general assent from Members, who indicated their agreement.
The motion was put to a vote and passed, resolving to exempt the proceedings for item No. 5 from the standing order restriction.

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7 Mar 2024

Acknowledgement to the Chair

The Leader of the House praised the Speaker for efficiently managing the nine-day Budget and Committee of Supply debates, highlighting key measures in Budget 2024 such as the Assurance Package, support for AI strategy, SkillsFuture initiatives, and support for families and seniors.
The Speaker noted the debate's firsts, including the first Budget under her tenure as Speaker, a decline in the number of Parliamentary cuts, and explicit cross-party support for the Budget, while commending the quality of speeches and the Parliament staff.
Both speakers emphasized that Budget 2024 addresses challenges like cost of living, geopolitical risks, and climate change, and fosters a resilient, inclusive Singapore through measures like the Future Energy Fund and social mobility initiatives.
The debate concluded with appreciation for the Parliament staff and a call for crisp, impactful contributions over quantity, reinforcing Singapore's commitment to unity and progress amid a messy, unpredictable world.

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7 Mar 2024

Supply Bill

The Second Minister for Finance moved the second reading of the Supply Bill to authorize government spending for the financial year from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, as required by the Constitution.
The Bill provides legislative approval for appropriations from the Consolidated Fund and Development Fund for specified heads of expenditure, which were previously approved in the Main and Development Estimates.
The Minister explained that the Bill, once passed, will empower the Minister to issue warrants authorizing expenditure up to the amounts detailed in the Schedule of the Bill.
Following the debate, the question for the second reading was put and agreed to, and the Bill was read a second time.
Subsequently, the Bill was read a third time and passed without further discussion.

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7 Mar 2024

Committee of Supply – Total Sums for Main Estimates, Development Estimates and Resolutions

The Committee of Supply approved the allocation of $128.89 billion for the Main Estimates and $37.55 billion for the Development Estimates for the financial year 2024/2025.
The Second Minister for Finance, Ms Indranee Rajah, reported the Committee's resolutions to Parliament and moved for their agreement.
Parliament formally agreed to the resolutions, and the sums were authorized for government expenditure under the specified Heads of Expenditure.

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7 Mar 2024

Committee of Supply – Heads B, C, D, E, G and Z

The Chairman proposed to take the Main Estimates for Heads B, C, D, E, G and Z en bloc and the motion was agreed to.
The Chairman also proposed to take the Development Estimates for Heads B, C, D and E en bloc and the motion was agreed to.
The debate involved procedural approvals for these expenditure heads without any amendments on the Order Paper Supplement.

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7 Mar 2024

Committee of Supply – Head F (Parliament)

He Ting Ru called for strengthening Parliament’s independence and transparency, advocating for the Speaker’s impartiality, more open debates, and proper scrutiny of government policies rather than reliance on Ministerial Statements.
Gerald Giam proposed establishing standing Select Committees for each Ministry to improve oversight, while Indranee Rajah countered that existing systems already ensure accountability and argued such committees would be resource-intensive and unnecessary.
Raj Joshua Thomas warned against overly high expectations and politicisation of private lives, stressing the need to protect MPs’ families from scrutiny and cautioning that asset declarations could deter talented individuals from entering politics.
The Leader of the House reaffirmed the effectiveness of Singapore’s parliamentary processes, defended the use of ad hoc Select Committees for specific issues, and highlighted the role of Government Parliamentary Committees in supporting policy work.
The debate concluded with He Ting Ru withdrawing her motion to reduce funding for Parliament after acknowledging ongoing efforts to maintain a robust and accessible legislative institution.

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7 Mar 2024

Suspension of Standing Orders

The Leader of the House proposed a motion to suspend Standing Order 20(3) to allow six Parliamentary Questions (PQs) filed by NCMP Ms Hazel Poa in February 2024, which were omitted from the Order Papers due to an IT system error, to be listed on the next available Sitting's Order Paper on or after 13 March 2024, exceeding her usual quota of five questions for that day.
The motion was agreed upon with the consent of the Speaker and general assent from Members, ensuring Ms Poa's allocation of PQs is not affected and clarifying that the usual five-question limit would apply for subsequent Sittings.
The Parliament Secretariat acknowledged the error, issued notices for the omitted PQs, and implemented steps to tighten the IT system and strengthen processes for receiving questions to prevent recurrence.

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7 Mar 2024

Law Enforcement and Other Matters Bill

The Minister of State for Home Affairs introduced the Law Enforcement and Other Matters Bill to amend several acts, including the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act 1906, to update law enforcement procedures and insert new offences.
The Speaker corrected the minister’s initial reference to another bill, directing attention to the correct legislation on the Order Paper.
The second reading of the bill was scheduled for the next available sitting on or after 1 April 2024.
The Leader of the House requested a brief delay to present the physical copy of the bill, which the Speaker approved.
The minister concluded the introduction and moved to address the second bill as instructed.

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7 Mar 2024

Point of Order

Leong Mun Wai requested the Speaker to extend Question Time to one and a half hours to allow more parliamentary questions on the Israeli-Hamas content in CCE lessons to be answered, citing public concern.
The Speaker declined the request, stating that Question Time was allocated 30 minutes from the start of the COS debate and that changing the timing would disrupt the schedule for other debates.
Leong Mun Wai urged the Speaker to ensure the related questions are prioritized in the next Sitting if not addressed today, referencing the Minister for Education's earlier assurance.
The Speaker reiterated that the questions had been discussed during the MOE COS debate, emphasized keeping responses and clarifications short to cover more questions, and affirmed adherence to standing orders for future sittings.
The exchange highlighted tensions over parliamentary time allocation and the handling of public interest issues within the debate schedule.

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6 Mar 2024

Adjournment

The motion to adjourn Parliament was proposed by Ms Indranee Rajah.
The debate on the adjournment motion was formally concluded.
Parliament was adjourned at 7.29 pm.

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6 Mar 2024

Committee of Supply Reporting Progress

The Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth sought consent to report progress and request leave to sit again the following day.
The Chairman consented, and a resolution was passed accordingly, with the Deputy Speaker resuming the chair.
The Minister of State formally reported that the Committee of Supply had made progress on the 2024/2025 Estimates and asked for leave to sit again tomorrow.
The Deputy Speaker acknowledged the report and addressed the Leader of the House.

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6 Mar 2024

Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill

The Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill was introduced to amend the Mental Capacity Act 2008 and was presented by Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua on behalf of the Minister for Social and Family Development.
The bill received its first reading and was scheduled for a second reading at the next parliamentary sitting, with instructions for it to be printed.
The Speaker of Parliament formally ordered the Clerk to proceed with reading the Orders of the Day following the bill's introduction.

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5 Mar 2024

Adjournment

The motion to adjourn Parliament was proposed by Ms Indranee Rajah.
The motion was formally resolved and accepted by the House.
Parliament was adjourned at 7:44 pm.

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5 Mar 2024

Committee of Supply Reporting Progress

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health moved that progress be reported and leave be sought to sit again tomorrow.
The Chairman consented, and the Committee resolved accordingly, transitioning from the Committee to the House.
Rahayu Mahzam formally reported that the Committee of Supply had made progress on the 2024/2025 Estimates and requested leave to reconvene the next day.
The Speaker approved the request and recognized the Leader.

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4 Mar 2024

Adjournment

The motion to adjourn Parliament was proposed by Mr Zaqy Mohamad.
The debate concluded with a formal resolution to adjourn.
Parliament was adjourned at 8:21 pm following the motion.

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4 Mar 2024

Committee of Supply Reporting Progress

The Deputy Leader of the House, Mr Zaqy Mohamad, sought and received the Chairman’s consent to report progress and adjourn the sitting to the next day.
A resolution was passed to report progress on the Committee of Supply’s review of the 2024/2025 Estimates of Expenditure and to reconvene the following day.
Mr Speaker resumed the Chair of the House, and Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad formally reported the Committee’s progress and requested leave to sit again tomorrow.
The Speaker accepted the report and granted the request for adjournment.

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