SINGAPORE - A debate on advancing mental health spilled over into a second day, with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong saying the topic is a key priority on the national agenda.
MPs on both sides of the House also debated the use of Singapore’s past reserves for close to seven hours, following a motion which called on the Government to review its current budget and reserve accumulation policies to help Singaporeans reduce their financial burdens today.
Here are key takeaways:
1. Mental health is a national priority
Mental health and well-being is a key priority on the national agenda, said Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
Among the planned targets is to increase the number of public-sector psychiatrists and psychologists by about 30 per cent and 40 per cent respectively by 2030 or earlier. DPM Wong was speaking in a debate on a motion raised by five People’s Action Party (PAP) backbench MPs on advancing mental health in Singapore.
Mental health services will also be introduced to all polyclinics and 900 more general practitioner clinics, while an additional 28,000 front-line personnel and volunteers will help identify those struggling with mental health.
Improving mental health is not just about hiring more psychiatrists or building more capacity at the Institute of Mental Health, but also strengthening capabilities elsewhere such as at polyclinics, GPs, schools, workplaces and in the community, said DPM Wong.
Why it matters
On Feb 6 and 7, 26 MPs raised concerns about mental health needs. These included long waiting times and difficulties obtaining appointments at public-sector institutions for mental health issues; as well as the limited awareness and understanding of various mental health conditions.
The prevalence of mental health stressors among the youth and elderly was also raised.
DPM Wong, who is also Finance Minister, spoke first among five political office-holders on the motion. His speech reiterates that the issue of mental health here has grown in importance on a national level.
2. Taxi drivers to be compensated for time taken to install ERP 2.0 OBUs
Cabbies will be given rental rebates to compensate them for the downtime they will need to incur in order to install new on-board units (OBUs) in their vehicles for the satellite-based Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system.
Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor said the authorities have been engaging taxi operators and the National Taxi Association on this. All four taxi firms have since agreed to compensate their drivers when they send their vehicles to the workshop for OBU installation.
Private-hire cars will be scheduled for the installation later and the Land Transport Authority will engage relevant parties, such as ride-hailing operators and the driver association, Dr Khor added.
Why it matters
Nearly one million vehicles on the road today will need to be fitted with new OBUs that will enable the authorities to make the switch to the next-generation ERP system, or ERP 2.0.
Taxis are among the first vehicles scheduled for the new OBU installation and every hour of downtime for taxi drivers means they lose an hour of earnings. This is the same for private-hire car drivers.
Dr Khor said some taxi operators plan to combine the installation of the new OBUs with regular maintenance and servicing schedules, while others plan to recall taxis on days when workshops are free. The time taken to install the new OBU will vary depending on the vehicle type and make, but she did not provide a range or more specific details.
3. National reserves are a nest egg for future generations to be used on ‘rainy day’
Singaporeans have benefited from the nest egg of past reserves built up by their forefathers, and should see themselves as stewards and trustees of this money for future generations, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
He stressed the importance of guarding against political pressure to spend these reserves, adding that the funds should be used only in times of exceptional need or crises, with special permission from the president.
PM Lee was speaking on a motion tabled by Progress Singapore Party (PSP) Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai, who had questioned the Government’s reserve accumulation policies and called on it to spend more from the reserves.
Why it matters
Singapore can never say for sure how big a nest egg is enough, because it does not know what kind of crises it will face or how its investments will fare, PM Lee said. Currently, the reserves framework allows the Government to spend up to 50 per cent of the net investment returns managed by Singapore’s investment entities, and to reinvest the rest.
The PAP is convinced this is the right approach, and political parties that disagree should bring the issue to the ballot box in the next general election. If they get a mandate from voters to form the Government, they can change the Constitution and the spending ratio, PM Lee said.
PM Lee’s speech came near the end of a seven-hour debate on Singapore’s national reserves and how they should be managed.
Both PSP and the Workers’ Party (WP) have on several previous occasions disagreed with the PAP’s stance on this topic, calling on the Government to be more transparent about the full sum in the reserves, spend more from the reserves and slow down the growth of reserves, among other things.
READ MORE HERE: S’poreans are both beneficiaries and stewards of the reserves: PM Lee
If you have a few more minutes:
HDB regulates rent for its coffee shops, but market is free to operate for private-sector rentals
Over the last five years, the Housing Board did not increase rents for 97 per cent of its rental coffee shops at renewal.
However, HDB does not regulate stall rentals for privately owned coffee shops, as these transactions are private commercial agreements between coffee shop owners and stall operators, said Senior Minister of State for National Development Sim Ann.
As HDB is not directly in the business of cooked food provision, the Government needs to allow room for coffee shop operators and stallholders to abide by market principles and operate, she said.
Standardising food expiry date labels could result in extra costs
Standardising “use by” and “best before” date labels for food could mean extra costs and compliance burdens for food manufacturers, said Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Koh Poh Koon.
He was responding to a question from WP MP He Ting Ru (Sengkang GRC) on whether his ministry would consider updating and standardising these labels to reduce confusion over whether food needs to be disposed of and reduce potential food waste.
Since Singapore’s market is small and it imports over 90 per cent of food, manufacturers may choose not to change their packaging to meet requirements, and this could reduce food import sources for the country, said Dr Koh.
He said consumers should take both labels to mean that food is unlikely to be fit for consumption after the dates indicated on the labels.
