14th Parliament Sittings
#7: 16 Feb-8 Mar 2021
#Heartware4Teachers
On the Budget on Annual Debate Speech, Louis introduced 4 proposals to tweak and refine the appraisal system for teachers:
Standardised—formalise appraisal criteria across all schools;
Transparent—Provide explanation on performance grading;
Fair—Remove grade quota; and
Formative—Remove punitive measures for C- grade.
More info here: Facebook Post (1) & (2)
Read the full speech here
#Heartware4MigrantWorkers
In the Committee of Supply budget cut, Louis asked the Ministry of Manpower whether we can study the possibility of establishing direct recruitment channels through MOM’s licensed Overseas Testing Centres to cut out the middlemen; and increase penalties for companies who are found to collect such kickbacks from migrant workers?
#Heartware4Environment
In a Committee of Supply budget cut, Louis asked the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) will MSE strengthen the Green Plan, shore up climate resilience, green our water treatment processes, increase water efficiency, work towards a zero waste nation, raise public health standards, transform our environmental services industry, and sustain the hawker industry?
Watch the opening speech here
Watch the closing speech here
Read the full speech here
#Heartware4Environment
In the Committee of Supply budget cut, Louis asked the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) will the Government consider requiring Sustainability Managers to publicly report annually how well their Ministries have fared in achieving targets set for their Ministries? What are the Public Service's own plans on environmental sustainability and how does it intend to decarbonise?
#Heartware4Teachers
Louis asked the Minister for Education: 1) What are the median age of teachers and the median number of years of service of teachers who obtained a C-grade, D-grade and E-grade respectively; 2) Whether a 360-degree feedback mechanism linked to performance grade can be used in the performance management system of stack ranking for teachers and key personnel; and 3) Whether a teacher who receives a C-performance grade will not be considered for promotion for three years and will also not qualify for professional development leave.
More info here: Facebook Post (1) & (2)
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
#Heartware4Environment
In a Committee of Supply budget cut, Louis proposed to the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) to publish a ranking of the top emitters without sharing their exact emissions level, to allow the public to make more informed consumption decisions without compromising the business confidentiality of our businesses.
#Heartware4Environment
In a Committee of Supply budget cut, Louis asked the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) whether we are on track to meet the target of implementing the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework by July 2021. Louis also asked MSE to share its plans on how it will raise awareness on the EPR and make recycling e-waste convenient for all.
#Heartware4Environment
In a Committee of Supply budget cut, Louis asked whether the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) the public service will take the lead by committing to end the use of all disposables at all public service events. Louis also asked the MSE to share more details on the progress on the Deposit Refund Scheme for beverage containers.
#Heartware4Environment
In a Committee of Supply budget cut, Louis asked the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE), when mandatory food waste segregation requirements for large commercial and industrial premises are introduced, whether MSE will consider requiring companies that have to segregate food waste for treatment to also report the amount of food waste segregated.
#Heartware4Family
In a Committee of Supply budget cut, Louis asked the Ministry of Health (MOH) whether we can allow couples to use their MediSave, which they are allowed to use for IVF and subject to the current withdrawal limits, for TCM treatments associated with IVF.
#Heartware4Family
In a Committee of Supply budget cut, Louis asked the Ministry of Health (MOH) whether MOH will allow co-funding leftover from the first six subsidised IVF cycles to be rolled over into the seventh and eighth cycle. Louis also asked if MOH will allow any co-funding leftover from the three subsidised fresh cycles to be used for the subsidised frozen cycles.
#Heartware4Family
Louis asked the Minister for Health whether couples who have pre-implantation genetically screened embryos stored overseas can have their embryos shipped to Singapore given current travel restrictions during the pandemic.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
Louis also asked the Minister for Health what is the number of couples undergoing IVF treatments for each year in the past five years.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
#Heartware4Family
Louis asked the Minister for Health under what specific conditions are patients allowed to exceed the MediSave withdrawal limits for IVF-related procedures.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
Louis also asked the Minister for Health whether the Ministry can extend the Assisted Reproduction Technology co-funding scheme to couples where the wife is 40 years or older at the point of marriage.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
#Heartware4Family
Louis asked the Minister for Health what is the average cost for participating in the pilot for Pre-Implantation Genetic Screening (PGS) and whether the Ministry can consider completely subsidising these costs so as to increase the number of patients enrolled under the pilot study.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
Louis also asked the Minister for Health whether the Ministry can consider extending the pilot for the PGS to private clinics so as to increase the number of patients enrolled under the pilot study.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
#Heartware4Family
Louis asked the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider requiring doctors to provide medical certificates to husbands accompanying their wives for IVF treatments at public hospitals.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
Louis also asked the Minister for Health what is the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile of cycles required for successful pregnancy for those who undergo IVF.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
#Heartware4Animals
In a Committee of Supply budget cut, Louis asked the Ministry of National Development (MND) whether we can change our policy to reflect what we already accept in reality – that HDB residents are allowed to keep cats, which can be removed if they are found to cause disamenities in the community.
#Heartware4Inclusivity
#Heartware4Family
Louis asked the Minister for Social and Family Development: 1) what data has the collected in its study on the demand and need for more night-time childcare services; 2) what are the Ministry’s findings from the study; and 3) when will the study be concluded if it has not already been concluded.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
Louis also asked the Minister for Finance: 1) whether the exclusion of single unwed parents from receiving the Parenthood Tax Rebates and the Working Mother’s Child Relief has had a measurable impact on reducing the rate of single unwed parenthood; and 2) if so, what are the findings on the reduction rate of single unwed parenthood.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
#Heartware4Family
Louis asked the Minister for Home Affairs: 1) what progress the Ministry has made on collecting data on the number of drug users whose parents were themselves drug users; and 2) whether the Government will use this information in reviewing its policies to address drug abuse.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
#Heartware4Environment
Louis asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Government will look into deploying smaller and more discreet surveillance cameras for capturing high-rise littering so as to avoid alerting potential offenders to the deployment of these cameras.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
Louis also asked the Minister for National Development whether environmental baseline studies or environmental impact assessments are currently done for all industrial developments.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
Louis also asked the Minister for Transport whether, for the Cross Island MRT Line, the Ministry will consider moving work site A1W1 further into the Singapore Island Country Club to reduce the impact on a group of langurs which rely on the forest where the current work site A1W1 is located.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
#Heartware4MigrantWorkers
Louis asked the Minister for Manpower: 1) whether there is any update on the pilot Household Services Scheme (HSS) that allows foreign workers to provide domestic services to households; 2) whether the pilot HSS has been considered a success; and 3) whether the Ministry will consider formalising and expanding the HSS.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
Louis also asked the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will require employers of foreign domestic workers (FDWs) to obtain documented consent from their FDWs each time they are being deployed to a different address.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
#Heartware4MigrantWorkers
Louis asked the Minister for Manpower whether MOM would review the requirement for Letter of Guarantees so that the migrant workers can get access to medical treatment as quickly as possible.
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
Louis also asked the Minister for Finance: 1) whether there is an update on whether all migrant workers living in dormitories are now being paid their salaries electronically; 2) if not, what is the timeline for ensuring that all migrant workers living in dormitories are paid salaries electronically; and 3) whether the requirement for electronic payment will be extended to work permit holders not living in dormitories.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
#Heartware4Environment
Louis asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment: 1) how many advisories the Ministry has issued to residents, telling them "not to smoke near the windows or at the balconies, as a way to minimise the amount of cigarette smoke emitted from their premises"; 2) and what percentage of advisories resulted in the issue of second-hand smoke being resolved.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
Louis also asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Ministry will consider imposing a ban on smoking while walking.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
Louis also asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment: 1) whether the designation of the Orchard Road precinct as a "No Smoking Zone" (NSZ) has been considered as a success; and 2) whether the Ministry is considering designating other areas as NSZs.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
#Heartware4Animals
Louis asked the Minister for National Development: 1) whether the Ministry has reviewed the possibility of requiring dog farms and pet shops to provide information on the cause of death of licensed dogs; 2) if so, what are the results of the review; and 3) if not, when does the Ministry plan to do so.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
Louis also asked the Minister of National Development whether the Ministry will consider imposing a moratorium on declawing cats and debarking dogs and monitor whether pet euthanasia rates change during this moratorium to study the relationship between such practices and pet euthanasia.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
#Heartware4Animals
Louis asked the Minister for National Development: 1) whether there is an update on the Ministry's review on the regulatory approach for the pet industry and pet boarding businesses; and 2) whether the Ministry will be introducing a licensing requirement for pet boarding businesses in addition to the standards and best practices listed in the Code of Animal Welfare (for Pet Industry).
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
Louis also asked the Minister for National Development whether there is a further update on the Ministry's investigations into alleged animal welfare-related offences by the operator of the pet boarding facility Platinium Dogs Club.
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
#Heartware4Animals
Louis asked the Minister for National Development: 1) whether NParks will be taking any follow-up actions following an NParks-funded study titled “Restricted human activities shift the foraging strategies of feral pigeons (Columba livia) and three other commensal bird species”; and 2) if so, what are these actions.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
Louis also asked the Minister for National Development: 1) whether the Ministry has conducted its study on the possibility of introducing a mandatory labelling scheme for all shark products specifying the species of the shark; 2) if so, what are the results of this study; and 3) if the study has not been conducted, what is the Ministry's timeline for conducting the study.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
#Heartware4Inclusivity
Louis asked the Minister for Health what are the standard operating protocols in place to ensure that all patients suffering from eligible chronic diseases are informed about the option of applying for the Chronic Disease Management Programme.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
#Heartware4Family
Louis asked the Minister for Health: 1) whether public hospitals are now collecting public health data on the number of children injured in motor accidents as a result of not being secured in child car seats; 2) if not, why not; and 3) if so, whether the Government will use the data in the review of its policies on child car seats in taxis.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
Louis also asked the Minister for Transport: 1) whether the Minister can provide an update on the six-month pilot programme by SMRT Taxis to progressively equip its fleet of 2,800 taxis with booster seats for young children; and 2) whether the pilot will be extended to all taxis companies.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
#Heartware4Inclusivity
Louis asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether there is an update on the Ministry's review on requiring frontline officers with the Singapore Police Force to undergo psychological first-aid training to improve the quality of response to attempted suicides.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
Louis also asked the Minister for Home Affairs: 1) whether the Singapore Police Force's Crisis Negotiation Unit (CNU) currently includes social workers trained in suicide interventions; and 2) if not, whether the Ministry will consider including social workers in the CNU when responding to suicide attempts.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
#Heartware4Workers
Louis asked the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will scale up existing tripartite guidelines addressing workplace sexual harassment by providing a clear definition of workplace sexual harassment including examples of such acts, to alert companies to what constitutes sexual harassment.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
Louis also asked the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry is going to review the penalties for discrimination based on gender and family responsibility under the tripartite guidelines.
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here
#Heartware4Inclusivity
Louis asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether Singapore will consider sending another consignment of humanitarian aid to the Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, since the efforts to repatriate the Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar have stalled.
More info here: Facebook Post
Read the full Parliamentary Question and Response here