Parliament to discuss haze, proposed COE changes and public healthcare disruptions

SINGAPORE: The transboundary haze and efforts to hold companies accountable for forest fires in Indonesia will be in focus when parliament sits on Tuesday (Nov 3).

Members of Parliament have filed more than 50 questions on the haze, including whether Singapore's laws are effective in tackling the recurring problem and why investigations into four companies over the 2015 haze remain unresolved after 11 years.

MPs also filed questions on proposed changes to the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) system, the hours-long system disruption across public healthcare clusters and the safeguards against child abuse following the death of an eight-month-old baby. 

According to the order paper released on Monday, MPs are seeking answers on the enforcement of the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA), the economic and health impact of the haze, as well as measures to protect students and outdoor workers.

Singapore's air quality has been affected by transboundary haze since September, prompting the authorities to step up efforts to tackle the pollution and strengthen enforcement.

These include setting up a joint task force with Indonesia to investigate firms linked to forest fires, issuing notices to Singapore-based firms for the first time under the THPA, and considering amendments to existing legislation and new laws where necessary.

MP Tin Pei Ling (PAP-Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC) asked what actions have been taken to hold companies directly and indirectly responsible for the fires in Indonesia accountable, and what Singapore is doing at the bilateral and regional levels to address the haze.

MP Sylvia Lim (WP-Aljunied GRC) sought an update on investigations launched in 2015 into four companies for possible THPA violations, and the specific obstacles that have prevented the cases from being resolved after 11 years.

MP Sharael Taha (PAP-Pasir Ris-Changi GRC) asked whether the government would establish a coordinated framework involving the relevant agencies to investigate companies linked to transboundary haze, trace their ultimate owners and financial relationships, and pursue accountability.

MP Jamus Lim (WP-Sengkang GRC) asked how many Early Childhood Development Agency-licensed preschools lack air-conditioned indoor spaces and how the agency verifies their readiness to deal with the haze.

Parliament will also hear an adjournment motion, filed by MP He Ting Ru (WP-Sengkang GRC), on strengthening Singapore's role in tackling transboundary haze.

PROPOSED COE CHANGES

MPs also sought clarification on proposed changes to the COE system, including their impact on car affordability and whether rebates would benefit buyers.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) last month proposed merging categories A and B COEs for cars into a single category, alongside a system of surcharges and rebates pegged to a vehicle's open market value.

MP Yip Hon Weng (PAP-Yio Chu Kang SMC) asked what market distortion the proposed change is intended to correct, and how the government would assess whether it restores meaningful differentiation between mass-market and higher-value cars.

MP Jessica Tan (PAP-East Coast GRC) asked whether the COE review would assess affordability for families and small and medium-sized enterprises that rely on cars or commercial vehicles.

She also wanted to know whether measures would be considered to support those priced out of car ownership by market-driven COE prices.

MP Edward Chia (PAP-Holland-Bukit Timah GRC) asked whether LTA has set the proposed fee-and-rebate as a percentage of the COE price instead of fixed amounts, and what safeguards will ensure that rebates reach buyers and are not absorbed into dealers’ selling prices.

PUBLIC HEALTHCARE DISRUPTIONS

Several MPs filed questions about the nine-hour disruption to services across all three public healthcare clusters on Oct 13.

The disruption, caused by a technical issue affecting network connectivity, affected multiple healthcare services. National health technology agency Synapxe said there was no indication that it was a cyber incident.

NMP Haresh Singaraju wanted to know if the IT system shared by all three healthcare clusters has an independent fallback, what maximum restoration time applies to such a system and whether it has been met.

MP Joan Pereira (PAP-Tanjong Pagar GRC) asked how many patients were affected, whether backup infrastructure was in place and, if so, why it failed to prevent the disruption.

MP Cassandra Lee (PAP-West Coast-Jurong West GRC) asked whether investigations into the disruption have been completed and whether measures to mitigate future disruptions to digital services are being considered. 

CHILD ABUSE CASE

Three MPs also asked about safeguards and enhanced measures for child-protection cases following the fatal abuse of an eight-month-old baby.

The infant, who died in September 2024, had been repeatedly abused by his parents. Both were sentenced to jail on Oct 21.

NMP Kenneth Poon asked how suspected abuse involving children aged three and below who are not known to social services is identified and escalated.

He also wanted to know how the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) determines whether warning signs observed separately by caregivers and professionals are linked, so that intervention can take place in time.

NMP Neo Kok Beng asked whether Sensemaking Alerts for Frontline Engagement and Response (SAFER) would have been able to detect such cases, and what measures would be introduced if it could not.

MP Choo Pei Ling (PAP-Chua Chu Kang GRC) asked whether MSF would consider incorporating information from healthcare encounters involving young children into SAFER’s cross-agency assessment of child-protection risks.

She also wanted to know what safeguards were in place to ensure that repeated medical visits or suspected non-accidental injuries were properly assessed and followed up.