Parliamentary business

The proceedings for the day's business were resolved to be exempt from the provisions of Standing Order No 2. Ms. Indranee Rajah put forth this resolution.

A resolution was proposed to exempt the proceedings for the day from the provisions of Standing Order No 2. The motion was put forth by Ms. Indranee Rajah.

The Second Minister for Finance, Indranee Rajah, moved for the Bill to be read a Second time. There were no further queries or comments from the members. The Bill was subsequently read a Second time and committed to the Committee of the whole House. The Committee reviewed the Bill and reported it without amendments, after which it was read a Third time and passed.

• The Second Minister for Finance moved to adjourn the debate.
• The Speaker asked when the debate should resume.
• The Minister proposed resumption for the following day.
• The Speaker agreed to the proposed schedule.

• The Second Minister for Finance introduced the Insurance (Amendment) Bill, accompanied by a Certificate of Urgency signed by the President.
• The Deputy Speaker confirmed the Certificate was in order and permitted the distribution of the Bill to Members.
• The Bill was read for the First Time, with its Second Reading scheduled for the next available Sitting on Wednesday, 16 October 2024.

Parliament has resolved to adjourn today, with the next date to be determined later. Ms. Indranee Rajah made this motion.

Ms. Indranee Rajah proposed a resolution to exempt today's proceedings from the provisions of Standing Order No 2. The motion was formally presented for discussion.

• Dr Koh Poh Koon moved to adjourn the debate, which was resolved.
• The Speaker asked for the resumption date, and Dr Koh specified it would be tomorrow.
• The Speaker confirmed the adjournment and addressed the Leader.

• The Leader of the House moved a motion to exempt the day's scheduled business from the provisions of Standing Order No 2.
• The motion was made to allow the proceedings on the Order Paper for that day's sitting to proceed without standard time restrictions.
• The motion was formally resolved and adopted by the Parliament.

• The Leader of the House sought consent to exempt the proceedings from the time limit for Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon's speech.
• The Deputy Speaker granted consent and confirmed the general assent of Members present.
• The motion was put to the question and agreed to, resolving to exempt the proceedings from the time limit.

• Hazel Poa corrected a previous statement by clarifying that the statistic on food insecurity in Singapore came from a Lien Centre for Social Innovation and Food Bank Singapore report, not the National Population Health Survey.
• She apologized for the error, thanked the Ministry of Health for alerting her, and acknowledged the Speaker for allowing the rectification.
• The Speaker concluded the personal explanations and proceeded to introduce Government Bills, as indicated in the debate sequence.

The Leader of the House, Ms. Indranee Rajah, moved for Parliament to adjourn to a date to be fixed. He Ting Ru sought clarification regarding an earlier statement but was advised to wait for the adjournment procedure to complete. The Speaker suggested that clarifications could be made subsequently or at the next sitting, allowing the adjournment to proceed. The motion to adjourn was resolved.

• Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang moved to adjourn the debate, which was resolved.
• The Speaker asked when the debate should resume, and Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang proposed tomorrow.
• The Speaker agreed to the resumption date and addressed the Leader.

• Mr Zaqy Mohamad moved a motion for Parliament to stand adjourned to a date to be fixed after rising today.
• The motion signifies the formal conclusion of the current sitting without setting a specific date for the next.
• There were no objections or further debate on this adjournment motion.

• The Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill was introduced with amendments explained in a prior speech on the Corporate Services Providers Bill, indicating a coordinated legislative approach.
• The Second Minister for Finance moved for the Bill's Second Reading, which was agreed to by the House without debate on the content.
• The Bill was immediately committed to a Committee of the whole House, considered, reported without amendment, and passed in the same sitting.
• The amendments focus on miscellaneous changes to corporate and partnership laws, though specific details were not elaborated in this particular debate segment.
• The passage of the Bill highlights an efficient parliamentary process where related bills are debated concurrently and swiftly approved.

• The Speaker raised concerns over a podcast comment by NCMP Leong Mun Wai, who said he was "one of the last to be called" to ask questions, which the Speaker stated was untrue based on parliamentary records and misrepresented proceedings.
• Mr. Leong clarified that his remark was a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek comment made to lighten the mood during the interview and not intended to cast aspersions on the Speaker's impartiality.
• After several exchanges, Mr. Leong retracted his statement and confirmed he had not been treated unfairly, with the Speaker accepting the clarification and closing the matter.
• The Speaker emphasized that such remarks, even in jest, can reflect on parliamentary conduct and warned all members to uphold the rules and dignity of Parliament.

The Leader of the House noted that this Parliament Sitting is Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's last as Prime Minister. The People's Action Party lady MPs arranged a cake to celebrate this occasion and invited all Members to join. Ms. Indranee Rajah moved to adjourn Parliament, which was agreed upon. The Sitting officially adjourned at 4:21 pm.

The Speaker announced the nomination of Ms. Sylvia Lim to fill a vacancy in the Special Select Committee on Nominations for Appointment as Nominated Members of Parliament, effective from 4 April. The announcement transitions to the session for Questions for Oral Answer.

• The motion to adjourn Parliament to a date to be fixed was proposed by Ms Indranee Rajah.
• The motion was formally accepted and passed without debate or objection.
• Parliament was adjourned at 4:24 pm as a procedural closure.

• Hazel Poa asked about the retention period of livestreams of parliamentary sittings on MCI's YouTube channel and whether they could be permanently archived.
• Mrs Josephine Teo responded that the full livestream videos remain on MCI's YouTube channel for six months after each sitting, as previously stated in January 2021.
• The primary purpose of livestreaming is to allow real-time public viewing, with permanent records maintained through the accessible online Hansard.