Category: Singapuraku

HDB Officers May Get Investigative Powers To Enter Flats In Case of Lease Infringment, Under Proposed Law

Housing and Development Board (HDB) officers will have increased investigative powers to enter flats in cases of lease infringement, under a proposed law tabled by the National Development Ministry today (March 12).

In a press release, the HDB said one of the challenges its officers face is the refusal by flat owners, occupiers or subtenants to cooperate. For instance, they may turn down the HDB’s requests to enter the flats or refuse to provide written statements or provide particulars. “Such lack of cooperation hinders the HDB’s investigation work and enforcement action against those who commit lease infringements,” said the HDB.

It added that the new law will allow it to do more to help residents and better administer its rules and regulations, creating “a safer and more pleasant living environment”. About a quarter of the feedback the HDB receives are related to ceiling leaks in flats.

Under the Housing and Development (Amendment) Bill, HDB officers will get enhanced powers of investigation such as being able to enter premises with a warrant, take written statements, obtain photographs, audio or video recordings of the flat if necessary, and require people to provide information or documents that are relevant to the investigation.

The HDB can enter a flat to carry out investigation and urgent repairs in two ways: It can obtain a court warrant, which gives it the right of forced entry if the owners ignore a 24-hour notice period and do not allow its officers to enter the flat. The HDB can also enter a flat without a court warrant when there is imminent danger affecting public safety or public health — for example, hacking of structural beams.

National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan first mentioned in December that the Government is looking to amend laws to empower HDB officers to access flats. He said about 30 per cent of ceiling leak cases, or 2,800 cases, take more than three months to resolve each year because of uncooperative neighbours.

Other proposed amendments include increasing the maximum court fine against errant HDB Registered Renovation Contractors (RRCs), non-RRCs and lessees from S$5,000 to S$20,000 and/or a jail term of up to one year. The Bill will also allow the HDB to impose a maximum financial penalty of S$10,000 on the lessee and RRCs.

Currently, in cases of lease infringement, such as unauthorised subletting and the misuse of flats for non-residential purposes, the HDB may acquire the flat or impose a penalty on flat owners. The Bill seeks to allow it to vary the quantum of the penalty to match the severity of the infringement, up to a maximum of S$50,000.

Source: www.todayonline.com

March 13, 2015
Emerging Tobacco Products Facing Possible Ban In Singapore

To curb more young people from picking up smoking, the Government is looking at banning emerging tobacco products, such as electronic cigarettes and smokeless tobacco intended for oral use, later this year.

Noting that these products are targeted at the youth, Parliamentary Secretary (Health) Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said: “We are concerned about the health risks of such products and have been studying ways to address this growing trend.”

The Ministry of Health is also considering imposing standardised packaging of tobacco products to make them less visually attractive and make health warnings more visible. For instance, tobacco products in Australia come in green boxes with brand names printed in a uniform typeface. Graphic health warnings take up most of the space on the packaging.

A public consultation on a similar move in Singapore will be conducted towards the end of the year.

Dr Faishal also said the display of tobacco products near cashiers will soon be prohibited, after laws are changed by the end of the year. Retailers will have 12 months to comply.

Meanwhile, Dr Faishal said information technology is increasingly being used to bolster the healthcare system. For instance, HealthHub, a one-stop digital platform to help people make informed choices about their health, will be rolled out in the second half of this year. Users will be able to access their personalised healthcare information, hospital fees, health financing schemes and eventually, waiting times at accident and emergency departments.

Smartphone users can also download the Health Living @ SG app, which tracks physical activity as well as locates nearby exercise locations and healthier dining outlets.

The Government is also piloting tele-rehabilitation services to aid post-stroke patients in recovering at home. Also, a new Community Hospital Common System, which links up the IT systems of all community hospitals with partnering public healthcare institutions, will be launched by the end of this year, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong announced today (March 12).

Source: www.todayonline.com

March 13, 2015
Singapore Offers Highest Salaries In Asia

Now professionals have another strong reason for shifting to Singapore to work.

Besides being the best place to live in Asia, the island nation also offers the highest amounts of income in the region, according to a new report from Towers Watson.

The 2014/2015 Global 50 Remuneration Planning Report found base salaries at senior and top management level in the country are around 10% higher than those of their counterparts in Hong Kong.

Executives right at the top of the hierarchy in Singapore were found to have an average base pay of around US$586,000 a year, compared to around US$445,000 a year in Hong Kong – a differential that narrowed fractionally from last year.

“Base salaries are, on the face of it, considerably higher in Singapore than Hong Kong, especially at a top management level, but the tax rates at those levels vary considerably and that has a bearing on take-home pay,” said Sambhav Rakyan, data services practice leader, Asia Pacific at Towers Watson.

“That said, we do see signs of regional HQs moving from Singapore to other lower cost locations, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, to reduce staffing costs, subject to availability of talent.

While base salaries in Singapore remained on top of the table, those in Hong Kong stayed comfortably higher across the board than in Greater China. For production and manual work, base salaries in Hong Kong were found to be around three times those of China, a gap that narrows to around twice entering the junior management and professional grades.

“At the support levels wage pressures reflect the growing pressure for low-cost skilled staff to work in manufacturing and services,” said Rakyan.

“It’s worth noting that the income tax environment in Hong Kong is more favorable than that of China, adding to take-home pay and therefore making Hong Kong more attractive in that sense. To an extent, however, we’re seeing some local Chinese companies responding by introducing a higher percentage of variable pay and equity incentives that are creating challenges for MNCs looking to hire and retain talent in China.”

Elsewhere in Greater China, base salaries in Taiwan continued to lag. Compared to mainland China, base salaries in Taiwan were around 30% higher for support levels. At the junior management and professional grades, however, base salaries in China overtook those in Taiwan.

Overall, salary increases in Greater China and in many parts of the region were very modest, largely a reflection on the low levels of inflation in the region.

Source: www.humanresourcesonline.net

March 13, 2015
More Mosques To Be Built In Singapore

We are happy to report that many mosques are being upgraded and new mosques being built to meet the needs of the community.

Five more mosques are being upgraded this year. They include En-Naeem, Sultan, Sallim Mattar, Al-Khair and Al-Falah Mosques. Al-Ansar Mosque in Bedok is due to be re-opened in April.

Al-Islah Mosque in Punggol is scheduled for completion before Ramadan this year. Yusof Ishak Mosque in Woodlands and Maarof Mosque in Jurong West should be completed in 2016.

As Tampines expands, a new mosque will be built in Tampines North in the next few years to serve new residents there and neighbouring Pasir Ris, as well as industrial estates in both areas. We will also upgrade Darul Ghufran Mosque in 2016 to provide 1,000 more prayer spaces and expanded Islamic learning facilities.

Source: MUIS

March 13, 2015
Madrasah Students Need Not Pay National Examination Fees Effective This Year

Madrasah students will not need to pay national examination fees starting this year, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim said today.

His announcement comes after Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam announced in his Budget speech last month that the Education Ministry would waive fees for national examinations for Singapore citizens studying in Government-funded schools.

The six full-time madrasahs, or Islamic religious schools, are largely funded by the Muslim community, and are not covered by this waiver.

But Dr Yaacob said on Thursday that the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth would assist the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) so that madrasah students will not need to pay these fees too.

Besides full-time madrasahs, Muis is also working to strengthen part-time Islamic education and make it available to more people in the Muslim community.

A home-schooling programme, Kids aLive (Learning Islamic Values Everyday) Home Edition, for parents to teach their children about Islam at home was launched in 2014.

And more than 16,000 students were enrolled in its aLive programme, for children between seven and 16 years old, in mosques last year. This year, Muis plans to start extra sessions on weekdays and weekends, and extend the operating hours for these centres, aiming for a 12 per cent increase in spaces within the next year.

Meanwhile, to meet rising demand for its Adult Islamic Learning (Adil) classes, Muis has also increased the number of participating mosques to 13, and will develop eight more modules later this year.

Self-help group Mendaki, too, is stepping up its education outreach efforts to benefit more in the Malay/Muslim community, including having more space in its tuition and homework supervision programmes and giving more guidance to parents of children aged six and below.

It will be expanding its flagship programme, the Mendaki Tuition Scheme (MTS), which has benefited over 180,000 students since it started in 1982.

Last year, about 10,000 students enrolled in its 50 centres islandwide. This year, it will set up MTS centres in six more mosques here to make the programme more accessible, among them Al-Ansar Mosque in Bedok, Al-Iman Mosque in Bukit Panjang and Al-Mawaddah Mosque in Sengkang.

Mendaki will also pilot a mentoring scheme at four of its MTS centres to counsel lower secondary students and help them plan their future, said Dr Yaacob, and aims to have 15 Mendaki Homework Cafes up and running this year – up from two in 2013.

It also recognises the need to lay a strong foundation for children in their early learning years, and will provide greater support for parents with children aged six and below.

It will, for instance, develop a toolkit and a curriculum to help parents develop their child’s learning capabilities during the early years.

Adults will not be left behind. Mendaki’s training arm, Mendaki Sense, will design programmes that tap on schemes under the SkillsFuture initiative, which helps people master skills throughout their career.

Mendaki is also looking to boost financial literacy among families by working with national financial education programme MoneySense.

Dr Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade GRC) also asked for an update on mosque kindergartens. Dr Yaacob said there are 18 such kindergartens, with about 2,600 pupils enrolled. This year, Muis and Mendaki will study ways to further strengthen these kindergartens.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

March 13, 2015