Louis asked the Minister for Finance what is the rationale behind the payment of tax by national servicemen on the NS Excellence Award which they obtain for good performance during in-camp training.

Mr Heng Swee Keat: The NS Excellence Award, or NSEA, is accorded to Operationally Ready National Servicemen who have performed in the top 30% of their cohort in In-Camp Training and courses during their Operationally Ready National Service. As it is an incentive to reward good performance during National Service, the NSEA, like other income from an individual's good performance, is taxable.

However, where it is a gift from the Government to show appreciation to NSmen in general and is not a reward for good performance, the gift will not be taxable. An example is the NS50 Recognition Package.

To support and in recognition of their service to the nation, NSmen are eligible for a tax relief of between $1,500 and $5,000.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

(Supplementary Question) Louis: I would like to ask the Minister whether we could use some technology to prevent future accidents which means that we can put in some sensors so when the gun barrel detects an obstruction, it would just automatically stop.

Dr Ng Eng Hen: That indeed is the thinking and I thank the Member for that. It is equivalent to house-proofing when a new baby arrives. But the big difference is, remember that our equipment must function in war or in battle. If you build enough automatic stop systems, when we have to push the button and go, we have to push many buttons to start deactivating things that we have put into place. Can you do it for the training equipment? Yes. And you would remember that when we spoke about the Bionix incident, that indeed is what we have done. We have got buttons that somebody can stop. And we have only done it for training equipment.

We know the cost of the SAF, not only in terms of resources and in money, but in persons. We take it seriously and we will design our systems to design away flaws as much as we can, always with the eye that it must not render us operationally incapable or put us at a disadvantage.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Louis asked the Minister for Defence (a) whether there are any COVID-19 safe management measures in place for full-time national servicemen (NSFs) who book out but are required to return back to camp before the end of the same day; (b) if so, what are they; and (c) whether there has been an increase in COVID-19 infections in camps brought in by these NSFs.

Mr Heng Chee How (for the Minister for Defence): Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Member for the question. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has measures to protect its personnel, including Full-Time National Servicemen (NSFs) against COVID-19 and to prevent large outbreaks. These include vaccination, testing and safe management measures, as well as rapid containment in the event of cases.

More than 99.7% of SAF personnel have received two vaccination shots and close to 87% have received booster shots. To detect COVID-19 infections early and to minimise its spread, the SAF has also instituted regular testing and safe management measures (SMMs) such as smaller group sizes and mask-on policy where possible. Service personnel, including NSFs, who booked out of camps are reminded to adhere strictly to SMMs even when they are outside and to monitor their health closely. Those who fall ill, who are sick, are only allowed to return to camp when they have recovered. Those who test positive for COVID-19 are to adhere to the national protocols.

Even with these measures, our weekly infection numbers has increased by about 17% from the previous week, along with the surge in community cases due to the Omicron variant. Most of these cases were brought in from the community and detected through our routine tests.

While there has been limited onward transmission within our camps and bases, and the vast majority of SAF personnel who contracted the virus have exhibited either mild or no symptoms so far, we are not taking things for granted. Infections have the potential to spread. We are tracking the numbers closely and remain ready to adjust our measures if necessary.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Louis asked the Minister for Defence (a) what are the details of SAF's COVID-19 rapid containment plans at military camps; and (b) how effective has this measure been in containing COVID-19 outbreaks in camps.

Dr Ng Eng Hen (MINDEF): The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) deploys a combination of COVID-19 measures including vaccination, testing, safe management and quick containment in the event of cases. The measures are broadly aligned with national COVID-19 guidelines, and are reviewed as the COVID-19 situation evolves.

On vaccination, as of 2 March 2022, 99.7 per cent of MINDEF/SAF personnel have been vaccinated, and 91 per cent have received their booster shot. To detect COVID-19 infections early and minimise its spread, the SAF has instituted regular testing and Safe Management Measures (SMM) such as training in smaller group sizes and mask-on policy where possible. As for containment, when service personnel in camp are tested positive, they are immediately sent home. Those who are sick or who are tested positive outside are only allowed to return to camp when they have recovered. Close contacts of positive cases, including those identified by the Ministry of Health's (MOH) contact tracing mechanism, are required to adhere to MOH's Health Risk Notice protocol.

In recent weeks, the SAF's infection numbers have trended generally in line with the community cases, with most of our cases brought in from the community. While there has been limited onward transmission within our camps, and the vast majority of SAF personnel who contracted the virus have exhibited either mild or no symptoms thus far, we are not taking things for granted. Infections have the potential to spread. We are tracking the numbers closely and remain ready to adjust our measures if necessary so as to maintain our operational readiness while keeping our people safe.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)