Clarification by Minister of State for Transport
Ministry of TransportSpeakers
Summary
This clarification concerns a factual correction made by Minister of State Murali Pillai regarding his previous response to a supplementary question on maritime incident response and oil spills. Minister of State Murali Pillai stated that following every incident, a study is conducted to identify lessons and improve existing contingency plans and stakeholder engagement. This process involves cooperating with all relevant parties to ensure that mitigation strategies are refined and effectively implemented to minimize future risks. The statement formally amends the Minister of State Murali Pillai’s verbal reply while reaffirming the government's commitment to systematic post-incident evaluation. By doing so, the Ministry aims to strengthen its response mechanisms and ensure the continued adequacy of maritime safety measures.
Transcript
The following statement was made by Minister of State for Transport (Mr Murali Pillai) in the reply to a supplementary question for Question Nos 7 to 8 at the Sitting of 11 November 2024:
The Minister of State for Transport (Mr Murali Pillai): Mr Speaker, Sir, to the question that Miss Cheryl Chan posed, the answer is yes. After every oil spill, every incident, there will be a study to see what are the lessons that can be drawn and then we look to see how we can improve our plans that are in place as well and also engage the respective stakeholders. And through the cooperation of all the stakeholders, we aim to ensure that we minimise the risk of oil spills. [Please refer to "Adequacy and Effectiveness of Oil Sighting and Alert Mechanisms, and Maritime Incident Response and Mitigation Strategies", Official Report, 11 November 2024, Vol 95, Issue 145, Oral Answers to Questions section.]
Written statement by Mr Murali Pillai circulated with leave of the Speaker in accordance with Standing Order No 29(5):
I wish to make the following factual correction to my reply given during the Sitting of 11 November 2024. My statement should read as follows:
The Minister of State for Transport (Mr Murali Pillai): Mr Speaker, Sir, to the question that Miss Cheryl Chan posed, after every oil spill, every incident, there will be a study to see what are the lessons that can be drawn and then we look to see how we can improve our plans that are in place as well and also engage the respective stakeholders. And through the cooperation of all the stakeholders, we aim to ensure that we minimise the risk of oil spills.