Parliamentary business

1,193 debates and bills about parliamentary business

7 Apr 2020

Ministers to Speak More Than Once

The Leader of the House, Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien, sought and received consent to exempt certain ministers from the rule limiting speeches.
This exemption was specifically for Ministers Gan Kim Yong and Lawrence Wong, and Senior Minister of State Edwin Tong.
The motion was approved by the Speaker and general assent from Members present.
The resolution formally exempted these ministers from Standing Order No 48(3) for the current discussion item.
The exemption was necessary to allow the mentioned ministers to speak more than once during the debate.

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7 Apr 2020

Time Limit for Minister's Speech

Ms Grace Fu sought consent to exempt Minister Shanmugam's speech from the time limit under Standing Order 48(8).
The Speaker consented and Members present indicated assent, leading to the motion being put and agreed to.
The House resolved to exempt the proceedings on the item from the time limit for Minister Shanmugam's speech.
The exemption was formally recorded with Ms Grace Fu listed as the mover of the motion.

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7 Apr 2020

Revised Supplementary Supply (FY 2020) Bill

The Revised Supplementary Supply (FY 2020) Bill was passed in a single Parliamentary sitting to urgently implement support measures announced in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
The Bill, certified by the President as urgent under Standing Order 86, allows for its three readings to be conducted in one sitting to expedite financial aid to workers, enterprises, and households.
The measures, approved in the Committee of Supply, aim to provide swift assistance amidst heightened safe distancing measures affecting all Singaporeans.

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7 Apr 2020

Revised Supplementary Supply (FY 2020) Bill

The Second Minister for Finance introduced the Revised Supplementary Supply (FY 2020) Bill with a Certificate of Urgency signed by the President.
The Bill was read for the first time to provide supplementary funding for additional expenditure in the financial year 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021.
The Minister proceeded directly to the Second Reading after distributing copies of the Bill to Members.

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7 Apr 2020

Supplementary Supply (FY 2020) Bill

The Second Minister for Finance moved to discharge and withdraw the Supplementary Supply Bill (FY 2020) as Parliament had already approved funds for COVID-19 pandemic response through Committee of Supply resolutions.
The original Bill introduced on 26 March 2020 needed to be withdrawn to allow for a revised version incorporating all approved sums.
The motion to withdraw the Bill was agreed to by Parliament, clearing the way for a Revised Supplementary Supply Bill to be introduced for approval.

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7 Apr 2020

Amendments to Supplementary Estimates of Expenditure for FY20/21

The Leader of the House moved a Motion to amend the Supplementary Estimates for FY2020/2021 to increase funds for Heads S, V and Z, citing the need for additional COVID-19 support measures explained by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance.
The Speaker consented and sought general assent from Members, who indicated agreement, leading to the Motion being put and agreed to.
The House resolved to take the amendments in the Committee of Supply for the respective heads of expenditure, despite Standing Orders, to vote on the additional funds required.

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7 Apr 2020

Time Limit for Deputy Prime Minister's Speech

The Leader of the House moved to exempt the Deputy Prime Minister's speech from the time limit under Standing Order 48(8).
The Speaker consented and sought the general assent of the Members present, which was indicated.
The motion was put to a vote and agreed to, resolving to exempt the proceedings for the Deputy Prime Minister's speech from the time limit.

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7 Apr 2020

Proceedings on Supply Business and Rearrangement of Business

The Leader of the House, Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien, proposed a Motion to immediately debate the Deputy Prime Minister's Ministerial Statement on additional COVID-19 measures, ensuring Parliament concludes its consideration before voting on the Supplementary Estimates and Bill for FY20/21.
Parliament approved the Motion, with Members indicating general assent, allowing the debate on the Ministerial Statement to proceed without delay as per the Standing Orders.
The debate centers on the multi-Ministry programmes outlined in the Ministerial Statement, which require Parliament's approval and are reflected in the Supplementary Estimates and Bill for necessary funding.

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6 Apr 2020

Adjournment

Parliament resolved to adjourn its proceedings to 10:00 am the following day.
The motion was proposed by Mr. Desmond Lee.
The session was officially adjourned at 8:27 pm.

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6 Apr 2020

Adjournment of Debate

The Deputy Leader, Mr Desmond Lee, moved to adjourn the parliamentary debate and submitted the resolution.
The Deputy Speaker inquired about the resumption of the debate, and Mr Lee proposed resuming it the following day.
The Deputy Speaker approved the adjournment and the proposed resumption time.

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6 Apr 2020

Exempted Business

Mr Desmond Lee moved to exempt the business on today's Order Paper from Standing Order No. 2 for the current sitting.
The motion aims to allow the day's scheduled proceedings to proceed without the usual restrictions imposed by the standing order.
No opposition or alternative arguments were presented in the provided debate excerpt.

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6 Apr 2020

Extended COVID-19 Measures in Parliament

The Speaker highlighted Singapore's history of resilience through past hardships and framed COVID-19 as a defining challenge for the nation's generation, urging unity and proactive contribution.
Parliament must continue meeting during extraordinary times to robustly debate and pass laws and funds needed to protect Singaporeans, balancing physical distancing with national solidarity.
The Speaker emphasized that current choices and actions will shape Singapore's future, calling for collective effort to overcome the crisis and emerge stronger.
The debate transitions to Questions for Oral Answer, starting with Assoc Prof Walter Theseira.

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26 Mar 2020

Adjournment

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien proposed a motion for Parliament to adjourn until Monday, 6 April 2020, at 12:00 noon.
The motion was formally put forward as the item to be debated at the sitting's rising.
The debate centered solely on the procedural adjournment, with no substantive policy issues raised.

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26 Mar 2020

Rearrangement of Business

The Leader of the House, Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien, sought the House's agreement to take a Message from the President, related to a Deputy Prime Minister's Ministerial Statement, immediately.
The request was made under Standing Order 10(2), and the House resolved to proceed with taking the Message as proposed.
The debate focused on the procedural rearrangement of business to accommodate the President's Message, aligning it with the related ministerial statement.

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25 Mar 2020

Second Reading of Bills

The Leader of the House proposed to debate the Second Reading of three Bills on 25 March 2020, despite the original deferral to a date on or after 1 April 2020.
The motion sought to override standard parliamentary procedures to allow an earlier debate on the Economic Expansion Incentives, Merchant Shipping, and Hindu Endowments Amendment Bills.
The motion was put to a question and agreed to by Parliament, enabling the Second Reading of the Bills to proceed on the specified date.

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25 Mar 2020

Measures in Parliament to Reduce Risk of Further Spread of COVID-19

Parliament has implemented strict safe distancing measures for all sittings, including spaced seating across two floors and separate refreshment groups, to protect the well-being of members, staff, and visitors while continuing legislative functions.
Additional precautions such as temperature screening, travel history declarations, and contact tracing for all entering Parliament House have been in place since February, with staff divided into teams working separately to maintain business continuity.
The measures align with national guidelines from the Multi-Ministry Task Force, and Parliament will continuously monitor the situation to implement further precautions as needed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

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6 Mar 2020

Adjournment

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien moved for Parliament to adjourn to a date to be fixed.
The motion was resolved and agreed upon.
Parliament was adjourned at 4.08 pm.

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5 Mar 2020

Adjournment

The motion to adjourn Parliament to 10:00 am the following day was moved by Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien.
The motion was formally put to the House and passed.
Parliament was subsequently adjourned at 7:59 pm.

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5 Mar 2020

Committee of Supply Reporting Progress

The Leader of the House moved to report progress and adjourn the session until the next day.
The Chairman consented to the motion, and the formal resolution was passed to report progress and seek leave to sit again.
The Leader of Supply reported that the Committee of Supply had made progress on the 2020/2021 Estimates and requested to resume the next day.
The Speaker approved the report and the adjournment.

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5 Mar 2020

Extension of a Sitting

Speaker proposed extending the sitting by up to 30 minutes under Standing Order No 91(3)(d).
The debate centered solely on procedural extension with no substantive policy discussion.
The motion reflects a routine parliamentary procedure to accommodate legislative business.

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