Parliamentary business

1,193 debates and bills about parliamentary business

19 Mar 2018

Time Limit for Senior Minister of State's Speech

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien sought consent to exempt Senior Minister of State Indranee Rajah's speech from the time limit under Standing Order 48(8).
The Speaker approved the request and confirmed assent from the Members.
The motion was passed, removing the time limit for the speech.

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8 Mar 2018

Adjournment

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien proposed that Parliament adjourn until 10:00 am on Monday, 19 March 2018.
The motion was resolved, and Parliament was adjourned accordingly.
The adjournment took place at 2:57 pm.

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8 Mar 2018

Response to Leader's Statement on 6 March 2018

Sylvia Lim defended her suspicion that the government might raise the GST before 2021, citing public statements and speculation leading up to the 2018 Budget, and stated she would not retract her remarks or apologize.
The Leader of the House accused Lim of making unfounded allegations that tarnished ministers' reputations, urged her to retract and apologize, and warned of referring the matter to the Committee of Privileges.
Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat asserted that the government’s plans were clear and consistent, and called on Lim to withdraw her statements after reviewing the facts, which she declined to do.

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7 Mar 2018

Adjournment

Parliament resolved to adjourn, as moved by Mr Chan Chun Sing.
The adjournment was carried out at 7.20 pm.
No further business was discussed before the session ended.

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7 Mar 2018

Committee of Supply Reporting Progress

The Minister for Health sought consent to report progress and adjourn the sitting, which the Chairman granted.
The Committee of Supply resolved to report progress and ask leave to sit again the next day.
The Deputy Speaker took over the Chair of the House following the Committee’s resolution.
The Minister formally reported that the Committee had made further progress on the 2018/2019 Estimates and requested leave to sit again tomorrow.

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6 Mar 2018

Adjournment

The Parliament debated a motion to adjourn, submitted by Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien.
The motion was put forward under the adjournment procedure, allowing for the session to end.
The debate concluded with the Parliament approving the adjournment at 7.45 pm.
No further business or substantive discussion occurred beyond the adjournment motion.
The session formally ended following the resolution to adjourn.

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6 Mar 2018

Committee of Supply Reporting Progress

The Minister for Transport moved to report progress and adjourn the Committee of Supply debate to the next sitting.
The Chairman put the question to the House, which was resolved in the affirmative.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan formally reported that the Committee had made further progress on the 2018/2019 Estimates.
The Deputy Speaker accepted the report and confirmed the adjournment.

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6 Mar 2018

Statement from Leader of the House

The Leader of the House accused Ms Sylvia Lim of making untruthful allegations that the Government floated "test balloons" for an immediate GST hike, citing consistent statements from the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tharman since 2013 about planning for a tax increase between 2021 and 2025.
The Government clarified that while it has sufficient funds until the end of the decade, it has consistently stated that structural deficits would arise without revenue increases in the next decade, particularly for healthcare spending.
Ms Lim admitted her claims were based on "suspicion" and not facts, and the Leader of the House demanded she withdraw her allegations and apologize to Parliament, as Parliamentary privilege does not protect unsubstantiated accusations.

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6 Mar 2018

Suspension of Standing Order 91

The Leader of the House requested and received general assent to make a Statement before resuming the Committee of Supply.
A motion was moved to suspend Standing Order 91 to allow the Statement and response to be taken before the Committee of Supply.
The motion was put to a vote and agreed to, resolving the suspension of the Standing Order for the specified purpose.

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5 Mar 2018

Adjournment

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien moved that Parliament adjourn the session.
The motion was put before the House for consideration.
The House approved the adjournment motion.
The session concluded at 7.23 pm.

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5 Mar 2018

Committee of Supply Reporting Progress

The Minister for Communications and Information moved to report progress and adjourn the session to the next day.
The Chairman consented to the motion, and the Committee of Supply resolved to report progress.
The Minister formally reported progress on the Estimates of Expenditure for the 2018/2019 financial year and requested leave to sit again.
The Deputy Speaker approved the request, concluding the session with the progress report.

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2 Mar 2018

Adjournment

Mr. Chan Chun Sing moved the motion to adjourn Parliament until Monday, 5 March 2018.
The motion was put to a vote and passed.
The sitting concluded at 8:22 pm following the adjournment.
No other business was discussed prior to the adjournment.

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2 Mar 2018

Committee of Supply Reporting Progress

The Government Whip moved to report progress and adjourn the session, which the Chairman approved.
The committee formally resolved to report progress and reconvene on Monday, 5 March 2018.
The Deputy Speaker assumed the Chair of the House following the committee's decision.
The Government Whip reported that the Committee of Supply made progress on the 2018/2019 Estimates and requested leave to sit again on the agreed date.

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2 Mar 2018

Extension of a Sitting

The Chairman invoked Standing Order No 2(5)(d) to propose extending the day's Committee Sitting by up to 30 minutes.
Dr Koh was then invited to proceed with the proceedings following the extension proposal.
The debate focused on the procedural motion to extend the sitting time without substantive policy discussion.

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1 Mar 2018

Adjournment

The motion to adjourn Parliament was moved by Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien.
The motion was resolved without recorded debate or objections.
Parliament was adjourned at 7.58 pm.

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1 Mar 2018

Committee of Supply Reporting Progress

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien moved to report progress and ask for leave to sit again tomorrow.
The Chairman consented to the motion.
The Committee of Supply resolved accordingly.
The Deputy Speaker left the Committee Chair and took the Chair of the House.

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1 Mar 2018

Estimates of Expenditure for the Financial Year 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019

The Chairman outlined the procedures and time limits for the debate on Singapore's expenditure estimates for the financial year 2018–2019, noting 530 amendments and strict adherence to speaking times.
The debate commenced with Head U – Prime Minister's Office, and Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef was called to speak, marking the start of discussions on specific expenditure heads.
The session was conducted under the Committee of Supply with guillotine times applied to manage the lengthy agenda, including adjustments for earlier sittings and reduced question time.

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28 Feb 2018

Adjournment

Parliament debated and resolved to adjourn proceedings until 10.00 am the next day.
The motion to adjourn was formally moved and agreed upon without debate.
The sitting was officially adjourned at 5.31 pm following the resolution.

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28 Feb 2018

Adjournment of Debate

The Leader of the House, Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien, moved to adjourn the debate, which was granted by the Deputy Speaker.
The motion to adjourn was formally resolved, with the adjournment set to take effect immediately.
The Deputy Speaker asked for the resumption date, and Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien specified that the debate would resume tomorrow.
The Deputy Speaker confirmed the arrangement, concluding the brief adjournment procedure.

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28 Feb 2018

Clarification by Government Whip

The Government Whip, Mr Chan Chun Sing, clarified the procedures for sequencing speakers in Parliament, explaining that MPs must indicate their intent to speak and check the daily published list, as the pace of debate can change and affect their slot.
He noted that if an MP cannot speak at their assigned time, they should inform him promptly so their name can be reinserted later, using the example of Ms Sylvia Lim and Mr Png Eng Huat to illustrate the process.
Ms Sylvia Lim acknowledged the Whip’s clarification and accepted that she should have communicated her desire to speak earlier, while Mr Chan reiterated that he tries to accommodate preferences but cannot guarantee specific timeslots due to the variable pace of proceedings.

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