Committee of Supply – Head Q (Ministry of Communications and Information)

The Chairman: Head Q, Ministry of Communications and Information. Ms Tin Pei Ling.

Balancing Competing Considerations

Ms Tin Pei Ling (MacPherson) : Mr Chairman, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head Q of the Estimates by reduced by $100."

Singapore is progressing surely and steadily in our digital transformation. With this comes several competing considerations that we need to balance.

On the one hand, for survival and to keep relevant, Singapore has to continually invest in next bound infrastructure and our people. When others look at 5G, we must look at 6G and when others look at Web 3.0, we must imagine Web 4.0. Our people must have the skills and versatility to take advantage of the new opportunities.

Yet, to preserve social cohesion and inclusive growth, Singapore also must ensure that the less digitally savvy amongst us are not inadvertently left behind or excluded from participating and benefiting from digitalisation, which could widen the gap between those who know and know‐not.

There are other considerations as well – how to leverage digital solutions on a larger scale to solve real problems yet guarding against cyberattacks, how to incentivise businesses to go digital and, in doing so, how to ensure accountability without making the process so cumbersome that businesses "lose steam".

These are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but they require careful balancing and calibration.

Take my elderly resident as an example. She wanted to apply for CareShield Life. But the only mode of application was through the e‐service and thus requires Singpass. For the digitally‐savvy, this would be fuss free and save time. But she has no mobile phone or Singpass.

Eventually, her daughter managed to apply for Singpass and linked it to her daughter's phone. What if my elderly resident was a single elderly?

I would like to ask how will the Government uphold economic vibrancy and Singapore's competitiveness while preserving social cohesion. How will the Government ensure that the public and private sectors will go digital with empowerment and inclusion as prerequisites? What will the Government do to protect our people, young and old, and businesses – small and big, from new threats that emerge from this fast-evolving space?

A related point is about digital regulations. As technology advances rapidly and new solutions with new use cases emerge, existing regulations need to evolve, or new ones have to be formulated. But timeliness and finding the sweet spot seem to be challenging.

Consider cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). These are high‐risk and speculative and often seen as a tool for illicit activities. Hence, sufficient research and deliberation are needed before formal regulations and policies can be introduced. But meanwhile, will we risk becoming too slow and lose potential opportunities?

With metaverse fast becoming a thing, will our policies and regulations be fast enough to capitalise on its development while addressing transactions, personal data and user interaction issues?

In encouraging enterprises or individuals to digitalise or upskill through monetary incentives, might the process be so tedious such that they decide to remain in their comfort zones and stick to just being good enough and avoid digital transformation altogether?

Hence, I would like to ask how will the Government ensure regulatory changes keep pace with tech advancement. How do we ensure that we provide sufficient guardrails, yet not suffocate innovation? Chairman, do I continue with my next cut?

The Chairman: You can carry on with your second cut.

Protection against Online Harm

Ms Tin Pei Ling: Sir, what happens online can have spillover effects in the real world. Reports of precious lives lost to "bullycides" and life savings lost to online scams are aplenty. While nobody is immune, children, youths, women and elderly are especially vulnerable to online harms.

Years ago, my resident's fiancée was a victim of "revenge porn". Her ex‐boyfriend uploaded intimate material onto websites such as Revenge Porn, attracting unsavoury comments from people she knew and did not know. Thankfully, the then-IMDA blocked it. But the damage was done.

In general, women and girls tend to be victims of body shaming and hyper-sexualisation online.

In 2020, an elderly resident fell prey to an online investment scam. He was misled to believe that the scheme was endorsed by Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, which is, of course, not true. Due to his lack of knowledge, he gave his one-time password (OTP) away and racked up a huge credit card debt that he could not afford.

While adults having gone through a few hard knocks in life can arguably cope better, youths and children are still in their innocence and need a lot more protection. The inaugural 2020 Child Online Safety Index report found that almost 60% of children aged between eight and 12 in 30 countries were exposed to at least one form of cyber risk, of which 45% were affected by cyberbullying.

Online harms cause distress and have long-term adverse consequences in real life. We must protect our people from such harms, so that they can live freely and fulfill their potential. What are the support measures and resources available to raise awareness, prevent and intervene to reduce online harm?

Question proposed.

The Chairman: Mr Alex Yam. Not here. Mr Don Wee.

Protect our People from Online Harm

Mr Don Wee (Chua Chu Kang): Chairman, the onslaught of online scams, the prevalence of fake websites and the ubiquity of misinformation on social media are having a severe detrimental impact on our society. The loss of hard-earned money, loss of trust in official and traditional sources of information and the confusion and harm caused by false information interferes with how a nation can function and operate normally and damages our social fabric.

The digital universe has no border and invaders can potentially enter from anywhere if we do not put up our defences. It is not easy for the man in the street to keep abreast of the latest online scams and newly-evolved digital deceptions.

What measures does MCI have in place to help protect our people from online harm?

Protecting our People from Online Harms

Dr Wan Rizal (Jalan Besar): Chairman, Singaporeans are now spending more time online, which means they are more open to online content – and some content may hold extreme or even extremist views – online gaming and possible gambling as well as engaging in social media that may not be able to regulate all of its contents.

Different segments of the community may be exposed to varied levels of online harms. The youths, for example, are most susceptible to negative influences like cyberbullying, hate comments or even online shaming. The elderly, too, are not spared from being cyber victims.

I welcome the Alliance for Action to tackle online harms, especially those targeted at women and girls.

What are some targeted measures that MCI will put in place to protect the different segments of Singaporeans from varied forms of online harm?

Protection from Online Harms

Dr Shahira Abdullah (Nominated Member): Mr Chairman, digitalisation is a priority for many countries, Singapore included. However, as mentioned, with increased digitalisation comes exposure to online harms. All segments of the community are vulnerable to online harms. We all know the recent OCBC phishing scam where 790 customers lost $13.7 billion. That is one type of online harm.

Another type relates to content found online, for example, online sexual grooming, doxing, cyberbullying, online harassment or stalking and the sharing of misinformation or unlawful content.

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As we know, platforms, such as OnlyFans, have been used to show unlawful content. On the metaverse, there have been reports of avatars being bullied and verbally and sexually harassed virtually. I must commend the Ministry for doing much in educating the public on how to navigate the Internet safely.

However, what can we do to always make sure that we keep ahead of all the online changes and can we do more in terms of regulations? I watch with interest the developments of the Online Safety Bill in the UK which would determine how online platforms should deal with content and how to prevent the propagation of illegal content. Australia also recently promulgated its e-safety legislation. Would the Ministry consider introducing legislation to regulate online content here as well?

The Chairman: Mr Gan Thiam Poh. Not here. Mr Christopher de Souza, you can take both your cuts.

Digitalisation in the Business World

Mr Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah): Mr Chairman, Sir, for SMEs, in particular, while the reality of digitalisation as the future is acknowledged, there is much practical difficulty in terms of initial costs, lack of technical expertise and assisting employees in making that transition, particularly senior employees who have worked for years within the existing system. The launch by IMDA of schemes, such as Better Data-Driven Business (BDDB), the Digital Leaders Programme (DLP) and the Chief Technology Officer (CTO)-as-a-Service, have created platforms to help many brick-and-mortar businesses pivot towards hybrid online-offline models and are, certainly, welcomed. How will MCI continue supporting businesses to build or enhance their digital capabilities, so as to take advantage of the post-COVID-19 phase of economic recovery?

Digitalisation and Singapore's Resilience

As we prepare for a post-pandemic future, technology can revolutionise and reinvent much of the way business is done. With hyperscale cloud providers dominating the cloud infrastructure and more industry clouds appearing, cloud computing has transformed in a way that has changed digitalisation. Other technologies, such as quantum computing, the metaverse and digital currencies, are continuing to take over the landscape and seemingly unlock more potential. How can the Government take advantage of the potential of new digital technologies and invest into it, while at the same time, watching against any potential pitfalls? This then, can enhance Singapore's competitiveness and resilience.

Interest of Consumers and Small Business

Mr Sharael Taha (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Mr Chairman, for Singapore to pioneer the model for a globally competitive digital metropolis, the digital space must be economically vibrant, socially stable and digitally secure for all. Larger businesses tend to have the resources to protect their interests in this digital space. How will MCI ensure that the interests of consumers and small businesses continue to be protected in this digital age?

The Chairman: Ms Hany Soh. You can take both cuts together.

Radio: Vernacular News Broadcast

Ms Hany Soh (Marsiling-Yew Tee): Chairman, in Mandarin, please.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] During the pre-COVID-19 days, I used to visit Mediacorp once a month to give law awareness radio talk shows on Capital 95.8FM. During the intervals, I would sit at a corner and listen to the senior radio news presenter presenting dialect news, like in Hokkien or Cantonese. These presenters are usually over 50 years old; occasionally, they would stay behind to wait for me to finish my talk show to have a chat with me in Mandarin or Hokkien, sometimes about getting some legal advice on estate planning.

I have always enjoyed these sessions as they bring back childhood memories of chatting with my Ah Ma. Like her, most of the seniors only know how to communicate with people in dialects and rely on the vernacular radio news broadcasts to stay updated on current affairs.

Recently, in my catch-up with one of the DJs, I came to understand that due to the COVID-19 situation, these dialect news presenters are now required to record their radio news broadcasts from home. It has been a challenging time; some of them have sadly passed away, while some have chosen to retire as they found themselves unable to keep up with technology.

How will the Ministry ensure that radio stations continue to train and retain talents in this aspect in order to continue on with this feature? In my capacity as the Advisor to Singapore Union of Broadcasting Employees (SUBE), I also hope that more welfare support can be given to taking care of these dialect news radio presenters.

Green Living Initiative Mascot

(In English): My next cut is on whether a collaboration with Mediacorp will be explored to introduce a cartoon series using rhythmic content akin to Baby Shark or CoComelon YouTube channel songs involving mascots like Captain Green, Water Wally to attract and educate young audiences to become our young budding green champions.

SPH Media Trust

Mr Leong Mun Wai (Non-Constituency Member): Mr Chairman, I was surprised to learn at the February Sitting that taxpayers may have to pay up to $900 million over five years to support Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Media Trust, the Government-owned publisher of most of Singapore's mainstream newspapers. Since we are raising a lot of taxes in this Budget, we should be careful about such a new and big outflow of taxpayers' money.

Firstly, where is the plan to recoup the $900 million over time? Do we have an exit plan, or will we keep funding SPH Media Trust for many more years beyond the first five years?

Secondly, why did the Government not ask for more money from SPH, the listed parent, before it agreed to taking the loss-making business out of SPH? SPH assets have grown over the years, thanks to the hefty profits of the near-monopoly media business it previously enjoyed. Although in recent years the print business has become a loss-making business due to the Internet, SPH has maintained overall profitability because of its huge property portfolio.

Thus, it is reasonable to expect SPH to continue to fund the transformation of the media business. Hence, the Government's arrangement with SPH is evidently a bad deal as taxpayers have to foot the bill of SPH Media Trust at least for the next five years while the property assets of SPH, which are worth at least $3.9 billion and expected to generate an annual cash flow of $300 million, according to one broker's estimate, are likely to be sold to Cuscaden Peak, a company owned by our local property magnate Ong Beng Seng, for the benefit of existing and future shareholders. Can the Minister explain what is the rationale behind the Government's acceptance of such a deal?

Resilience against Digital Risks

Mr Xie Yao Quan (Jurong): Chairman, as we move towards a digitally-inclusive society, we will not only need to focus on promoting digital literacy and skills, but also on supporting all businesses, especially small and medium‐sized enterprises, and all individuals to guard against both cyber and data threats. This will strengthen our collective defences and resilience against bad actors and preserve overall confidence in our digital future. In this regard, what plans does MCI have to support our businesses and citizens?

Cyber and Data Threats

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong (Jurong): Advanced digital infrastructure and cybersecurity technologies are important, but we also need to enhance our fundamentals. To get a Data Protection Trust Mark (DPTM), there are five assessment bodies with IMDA which can assess an organisation. Today, an organisation can take up to one year to get the certification, with a queue to start assessment. The certification is demanding and rightfully so. As of 2 March 2022, there is a total of 81 organisations which have attained DPTM certification. ACRA records state that we have about half a million registered entities.

In practice, we do not need every organisation to be certified. But, in parallel, we must enhance our understanding of basic data protection law and emphasise the importance of critical data protection requirements. Three questions.

How are data protection consultancies regulated in Singapore today? How do we ensure that our data protection ecosystem has the competencies and subject matter experts required to be secure? How can we better build and accelerate our efforts to build trusted, secure and resilient digital infrastructure and technologies? How can we better support businesses and individuals to guard against cyber and data threats?

The Chairman: Ms He Ting Ru. Not here. Ms Hany Soh.

Combating Cyber and Data Threats

Ms Hany Soh: With the growing cyber and data threats, how will MCI better protect individuals and businesses and guard against these risks, helping to ensure that they remain confident enough to continue thriving in the digital realm? Are there any grants that can be provided to encourage companies to adopt approved cybersecurity solutions that can help these businesses?

Strengthen Digital Access and Literacy

Mr Baey Yam Keng (Tampines): Mr Chairman, our society and lives are being transformed. We use digital technologies every day, whether in a lived, work or play environment. We spend so much more time in the online space.

However, not everyone has digital access. When the online mandatory theory test for PMD and Power Assisted Bicycle riders was first launched, it was only available via a laptop. Ironically, more people nowadays have a smart phone but not a laptop. Hence, we recommended those without a laptop to use the facilities in our national libraries.

In the past, people go to the libraries to borrow books or to read newspapers and magazines. In today's world, reading or acquiring knowledge and information is no longer restricted to the physical print version. Sadly, the falling rate of reading is a global trend.

In this respect, the role of our libraries needs to evolve. They could play an indispensable role in supporting Singaporeans to navigate this digital world while cultivating a spirit of lifelong learning and bringing the community together.

In the past, library users must first be able to read. Otherwise, the library collection is useless to them. Today, digital literacy is as important as knowing our ABCs. So, how will MCI ensure that the benefits of digitalisation extend to all segments of our society? What measures are in place to bridge skills and knowledge gaps and ensure that individuals have the know-how, confidence and motivation to use digital technology?

In the late 1990s, our libraries were transformed from functional spaces with rows of bookshelves to vibrant community nodes, where the young and old explore wonders of the written word. How are our libraries being refreshed to meet the changing needs and interests of Singaporeans and continue to nurture a love of reading, learning and discovery?

I see SG Digital Office ambassadors in the neighbourhood teaching our seniors how to use their smart phones and encouraging heartland shops to come on board and accept digital CDC Vouchers. The deployment of resources on the ground has been effective, but how sustainable is it? How can we tap on the diversity, insights and capabilities of the wider community and empower ground-up efforts?

Sir, we need to do more to advance digital inclusion. Let us do more to welcome more immigrants to the digital world and integrate them well to be truly digital citizens.

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Digitisation and Digital Economy

Mr Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade): Mr Chairman, with digitalisation becoming more pervasive and an integral part of our society, how is the Ministry working with the private and people sectors to bring digital to life for Singaporeans and prepare them for the digital future?

Today there is a growing need to pay attention to the livelihood aspect of the digital economy which offers some of the most exciting and high-quality jobs across the different sectors.

Under the Smart Nation strategy, we have outlined our ambitions to build a digital economy, a digital Government and a digital society. Can the Minister let us know the progress of this initiative, especially in terms of the whole-of-nation digitalisation effort?

Second, Singapore had outlined funding and aims to develop high-tech digital solutions for industry, including being a lab for deploying new technology solutions. Can the Minister let us know how we are doing in terms of translating novel technologies into commercial products and services?

Last, part of Singapore's advantage has always been our ability to work across disciplines. Such innovative inter-disciplinary technology solutions give us the power to address complex challenges. It also allows us a special position as a trusted digital innovation hub.

Can the Minister give us an idea how Singapore is doing in terms of its ambition to become as honest agent in digital trust? Finally, how will MCI equip Singaporeans with the necessary skills to access the emerging opportunities in the digital economy?

Digital Inclusion

Mr Sharael Taha: Chairman, in the last two years, we see the accelerated adoption of digital practices in our society. Businesses and individuals have transformed quickly to adopt digital solutions. PayNow mobile users grew to 3.07 million people in 2021, 4.4 million people use Singpass, 118,000 people have been trained under TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) and 74% of firms have adopted at least one digital solution in 2020.

However, there are still some Singaporeans and businesses that have not been able to adopt digital solutions. How is MCI supporting Singaporeans who are less digitally savvy and have not embraced digital and benefit from its use in their daily lives?

In particular, the seniors and Hawkers Go Digital programme have been running for the past two years. However, there are still seniors and hawkers who are apprehensive about going digital. What more can we do to bring them onboard?

For our youths, how do we ensure that the gap between the digital "haves" and the digital "have-nots" do not widen? What more can we do to support our less privileged youths? How can we ensure all youths have access to digital devices, connectivity and the required skillsets so that they are better prepared for the digital economy?

Challenges Facing Digital-native Generations

Mr Eric Chua (Tanjong Pagar): Sir, Singaporeans are one of the most digitally connected people in the world and we start young. According to a survey in 2019, Singaporean children get their first Internet-enabled device at the tender age of eight. That is two years younger than the global average and is amongst the youngest worldwide.

And we seem to love our devices. On average, Singaporeans own 3.3 connected devices per person. Amongst us, 91% own a smartphone, sometimes two, and our broadband Internet speed is amongst the highest in Asia.

Couple these trends that have been gathering pace since the 1990s with changes in our lifestyle due to the pandemic in the past two years – work-from-home, home-based learning arrangements, safe management measures, all those have meant that the human connection that each of us yearn for could often only be achieved through technology-mediated means. Simply put, we cannot live without being digitally connected today.

Technology can either be a boon or a bane through social networking sites, people all over the world can reconnect with long-lost friends, share tips on niche hobbies and rally like-minded individuals passionate about various social causes.

In the same vein, however, these platforms have also allowed terrorist cells from remote corners of the world to link up. Much, therefore, depends on factors, such as the purpose that technologies are harnessed for and the motivations of individual tech users, amongst others.

While most people use the Internet and social networking sites for gainful posted purposes, for work, learning and leisure, some, inadvertently fall prey to ills that lurk in our online spaces.

First, sexually explicit materials. WE CARE Community Services, a community-based addiction recovery centre reported an increase in the number of people seeking help for compulsive sexual behaviour, including excessive online pornography consumption. From 50 cases in 2019, WE CARE handled 100 cases in 2020. That is a 100% increase. Seventy cases were new and many were youths in their 20s.

In many cases, first encounters with sexually explicit materials online start off quite innocuously as a curious conversation between peers or a chance encounter with a sexually explicit site due to random pop-up advertisements. But in Asian societies like ours, where parents tend to avoid awkward conversations on such sensitive topics, young impressionable minds are often left on their own to make sense of the material that they come into contact with. While many do not find themselves mired in addiction, the fact remains, some do. Especially when the consumption of sexually explicit material serves as a stress management mechanism. The question then is: do we know this often invisible issue well enough to design appropriate interventions?

Second, gaming. Gaming itself is not necessarily a bad activity. It can be a good source of entertainment, stress relief or even character building. But things can go south with a small group of gamers when excessive online gaming interferes with one's routines. Relationships with family and friends can become strained and when gaming becomes a compulsion, one becomes restless and irritable when access to gaming is curbed.

We all reeled in shock here in Singapore when we learnt that a teenager with a gaming addiction killed his father, partly because the father had limited his access to his games. The related issue is that of in-game loot boxes or "virtual goodie bags with random rewards" as The Straits Times called it. The odds for some of these loot boxes are sometimes as low as 0.00005% – and that is four zeros behind the decimal point, for the record. Of course, this means that prizes are extremely coveted.

But what is concerning is how addictive loot boxes can become. Experts have warned that the allure of these loot boxes lie exactly in the excitement of not knowing what one is going to get, much like what Forrest Gump says in the box of chocolates. This stimulates the production of dopamine, a mood-lifting biochemical typically produced when we exercise, get sufficient sleep or meditate. But this keeps the gamer coming back for more.

I have talked about my concerns on sexually explicit materials and gaming. But there remain many other issues that needs working through – cyberbullying, misinformation and disinformation, extremism – amongst many others. I stress again for the record here that I am not making a case against the Internet or gaming or any online platforms.

But, while I had scratched the surface in terms of these online deals we need to tackle, what is the Ministry's strategy in mobilising resources, channelling societies attention to developing issues? And what are the conversations we need to have as a society? What roles can families and parents play? How can we all do our part to make the online world – which actually can be a constructive space for networking, knowledge sharing and content creation – one that is safer for everyone?

Protect Vulnerable from Online Harm

Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman (Marine Parade): Sir, last year, MCI launched the Singapore Together Alliances for Action (AfA) to tackle online harms, especially those targeted at women and girls. The launch of AfA came after 300 stakeholders from diverse backgrounds were consulted. Essentially, the launch of AfA is underpinned by the desire to combat online harms, especially those targeted at women and girls.

Importantly, MCI underscores that the AfA would focus on closing the digital safety gap and on taking actions to enhance the freedom and safety of our women and girls in the digital future.

According to MCI, the AfA will start with 48 members across the people, public and private sectors to address the issue of online harms in five key work streams as suggested by participants from the earlier conversations. Namely, they include public education, research, victim support, youth engagement and volunteerism clusters. As such, the AfA will adopt a whole-of-nation approach to close the digital safety gaps.

I am encouraged by the launch of the AfA as it signifies our commitment to addressing online harms in an increasingly lethal society. I would thus like to ask the Minister for Communication and Information if she could share any updates on the progress of the AfA since its launch last year. Additionally, could MCI also elaborate on the number of stakeholders it has managed to get on board the AfA since its launch? Finally, can MCI also delineate some of the AfA's implemented and upcoming initiatives to address online harms, especially those targeted at women and girls?

The Chairman: Ms Hany Soh, you can take both cuts together.

Digital Opportunities

Ms Hany Soh: How does MCI bridge the digital skills and knowledge gap among Singaporeans and encourage them to seek out digital opportunities to pursue lifelong learning and enrich their lives? Apart from the assistance provided by our digital ambassadors, can we consider providing more support to IHLs for the latter to conduct more digital technology training courses for the public? It can either be run in a manner similar to SkillsFuture courses or a collaboration with the People's Association whereby IHLs' lecturers and students reach out to vulnerable groups in the community through the residents' community centres, senior activity centres, in order to run these courses.

Library

During this pandemic period, many of our little ones seek comfort in reading, keeping themselves occupied while their parents are busy with online zoom conferences. Besides being a healthy form of entertainment, it can also be a form of bonding as it helps the children to return to their roots by learning traditional stories and rhymes.

What are the ongoing and upcoming efforts to increase the availability and variety of books and e-resources in Chinese, Malay and Tamil so as to encourage our young readers to master their mother tongue languages?

Mr Speaker: Ms Jessica Tan. You can take both cuts together.

Libraries of the Future

Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo (East Coast): Mr Chairman, libraries play a special role in igniting the joy of reading and nurturing curiosity and enquiring minds. The ability to read is fundamental to enable access to information and encouraging lifelong learning in the young and old. Reading helps develop imagination, creativity, speaking and communication skills. My residents, young and old, shared with me their fondness and desire for a library in our estate.

With the pervasiveness of digitalisation, digital literacy is as important as reading for access to information and lifelong learning. Our network of public libraries has continued to innovate and transform to stay relevant, including offering digital services.

How is MCI leveraging our libraries to encourage a self-directed learning culture and spark curiosity among the public to improve their proficiency in digital skills and literacy?

While digital access allows access to content and programmes, beyond that, the physical libraries do provide community and social spaces for people to come together to learn. A highlight of National Library Board's (NLB) LAB25 are installations called Nodes, to serve as new entry points into NLB's wide array of content. Will NLB consider the installation of Nodes in estates like Simei that do not have a library? Actually, given the important role that libraries play, it would be even better to have a library in Simei.

Building Business Digital Capability

To help our SMEs stay competitive, innovate and seize opportunities in the digital economy, there are a host of initiatives and resources to make going digital simple and easy for all.

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These include schemes like: (a) the Industry Digital Plans (IDP), which are industry-specific, step-by-step guides to digitalisation; (b) InvoiceNow, which enables businesses to digitalise the way they transact; (c) Better Data Driven Business (BDDB) or Business Intelligence (BI) tools, help SMEs gain deeper insights by converting business data into visual dashboards for easier data analysis; and (d) the Singapore Trade Data Exchange (SGTraDex) – which is an open digital infrastructure that facilitates trusted sharing of data between supply chain ecosystem partners. Can we have an update of how many businesses have participated and utilised these initiatives?

As part of Budget 2022, an additional $200 million will be allocated to enhance schemes that build digital capabilities in businesses and workers. What are these new initiatives? And how will they build on and complement the current initiatives?

Apart from these initiatives, I urge MCI and related agencies to consider nurturing "communities of learning and practice" for digital and tech talent. I believe that this will catalyse an ecosystem for tech talent to share perspectives, experiences and to learn from each other and this will build the vibrancy of the tech community here in Singapore.

MNCs and Local Large Enterprises (LLEs) can play a bigger role in developing digital and tech talent in Singapore. How can we encourage these companies to incubate smaller companies and workers to develop digital/tech talent? These companies have the talent development programme as well as expertise to provide learning and the business environment to build and to scale digital capabilities and I believe that these companies can play a very big role in building a bigger pool of talent base than they need and they should play that role.

SME Digital Skills

Ms Mariam Jaafar (Sembawang): Sir, I would like to declare my interest as the Managing Director of a consultant firm that does work in the area of skills development.

The Government has made available a wide range of programmes available to help SMEs to go digital, such as the Productivity Solutions Grant and CTO as a Service. Many SMEs have taken advantage of these grants. Yet, there are still many SMEs which have not started down the digitalisation path in a meaningful way. But for a digital transformation to be sustainable, it is not enough to adopt some digital solutions. To ensure sustained performance, the employees need to go digital, be reskilled and upskilled, and, importantly, must have the opportunity to use these digital skills in their daily work.

Yet, we often hear that Singaporeans who work in SMEs find that they have fewer opportunities to acquire these new digital skills, compared to their peers working in LLEs and MNCs. This will impact their future career options. While the expansion of SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit eligibility will help more companies provide these employees, there is a lot of room to increase the take-up amongst those already eligible.

What more can the Government do to encourage the long tail of SMEs to reskill and upskill their employees now in order to capture opportunities in the digital economy in a sustainable way? How can this reskilling be done at scale? How can larger enterprises and TACs support the SME base? And how can we encourage and ensure that employees, in particular, who do not invest in such reskilling can go after those opportunities on their own, given that they have more limited resources to do this on their own and may not get the opportunity to put these skills to work in their day jobs?

Vibrant Tech Talent Ecosystem

Ms Tin Pei Ling: Sir, in my interactions with tech companies and tech leaders in Singapore, regardless of the company size and local or otherwise, the one common feedback I receive is skills shortage in Singapore.

Some shared that they need technical expertise, so that they can conduct research and product development here. Others shared that they set up their International or Regional Headquarters in Singapore. For these firms, they need not only technical talents but also market expertise. For instance, a large software service firm told me that they need talents well-versed in Vietnam and Indonesia to serve the markets there from here. These are large markets for them. The concern is that if firms like this cannot hire or access these talents in Singapore, then they may be compelled to move certain departments or wholly out of Singapore and leave Singaporeans and Singapore for the worse. Our people will lose jobs and opportunities to learn from some of the best around the world.

As such, I would like to ask for an update on the tech and innovation manpower situation in Singapore now. What are the skills and manpower gaps? Over the next three to five years, will we have enough Singaporeans to fill those gaps? What else will be done to address the gaps so that good tech firms remain invested in Singapore and continue investing in our people?

To this end, I would like to share some thoughts, observations and suggestions.

First, continue building up our local talents from young. Many Singaporeans recognise the value and potential of having tech skills, with parents sending their children to coding and robotics classes and mainstream schools offering coding as an "enrichment" for all upper Primary students. This is a good start, but we should build on the momentum and consider introducing computer language as, perhaps, a second language in schools, as well as introducing key concepts and uses of new technology in class. The idea is not so much to train everyone to become coding experts, but to inculcate an intuitive understanding of the logic and applications.

We also need to enhance the global quotient of our young. Expand existing in‐market programmes, such as the Singapore‐China Youth Interns Exchange Scheme (YES) and Asia-Ready Exposure Programme (AEP), and actively push our students to take full advantage of these programmes.

The second is on ecosystem of talents. We need to ensure steady growth of a skilled and versatile Singaporean Core. I am aware that there are efforts to encourage our young to choose STEM courses and majors; this helps to increase supply to meet the talent demand.

At the same time, we need to recognise that not all tech firms or tech‐related jobs need hard tech skills. A local tech leader told me that she met a Polytechnic graduate who studied tech but decided to become a barista because she did not like coding. While there is nothing wrong in choosing a different career, the tech leader wondered if the outcome would have been different if the young barista realised that there was a wide range of options for a career in tech.

While the public and private sectors could do more to increase awareness on the wide range of career options and groom local talents, the Government could also identify specific skills in demand but lacking in Singapore and co‐sponsor scholarships with companies to train local talents from young.

Some of the more progressive tech firms are shifting from pure competition or working solo to partnerships. Could we, therefore, put in place a support system for skilled gig workers who are trained and well-versed in different operating systems and software, so that they form a formidable talent pool for companies here to tap on? In a way, these are "interoperable" talents.

And we also need to continue to be open to good global talents who can and want to contribute. They fill manpower gaps, but are also good people to exchange knowledge, skills and ideas with so that we can grow together.

And the third point is on having more role models. Healthy diversity is beneficial to boosting talent supply and business outcomes. Therefore, we must continue to promote girls and women in tech. Having enough women in tech can shape how girls think of a career in tech – that it is not just for the boys – and give them confidence to give it a shot. Hence, what is the female representation in tech jobs and tech leadership positions in Singapore? What is the female representation in STEM‐related courses in IHLs in 2021 and across IMDA's talent programmes? Is the figure stable, decreasing or increasing?

Similarly, we need more stories of successful Singaporean tech leaders who could be role models to inspire more to join their ranks. Could the Government share whether it actively keeps a record of Singaporeans in tech leadership positions in Singapore and overseas? Could the Government share their stories and invite them to provide mentorship through the likes of the Singapore Global Executive Programme?

Digital Capabilities and Innovation

Mr Xie Yao Quan: Chairman, the digital economy allows us to transcend our geographical constraints and create value for the world. Our digital capabilities must become a strategic competitive advantage for us. We cannot stop, for competition will not stop. And, indeed, we have to go even faster and further, as competition will only accelerate. In this regard, what are MCI's strategies to build up an ICT workforce in Singapore with deep expertise and with ever more and exciting opportunities for Singaporeans?

More broadly, what are MCI's plans to nurture a digitally-enabled workforce at large that can access opportunities brought about by digital technologies across the economy?

At the ecosystem level, how is MCI driving investments in new technologies and their translation into applications to enhance Singapore's long‐term competitive advantage?

The Chairman: Ms Jessica Tan, you can take both cuts.

Workforce Digital Capability

Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo: In my Budget debate speech, I spoke about the fact that, beyond specialised tech roles, the broader workforce will need to be equipped with the knowledge and ability to use technologies in the workplace as an increasing number of jobs in non-ICT sectors are disrupted, digitalised and require the use of technologies.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, workplaces were starting to transform to leverage technology to enable virtual work arrangements. If implemented effectively, digital workplaces, including a hybrid of physical and virtual work arrangements, can benefit from increased productivity and improved business results.

But to realise the opportunities and benefits of the digital workplace, it will require the workforce to be proficient with new skills. This is not about developing deep tech skills but rather how to use with confidence new and ever-changing technologies to be able to do their work. The ability of the workforce to effectively use virtual and cloud technology, analytics and social and augmented reality tools will enable workers to do their work more effectively, faster and enable them to better communicate their ideas.

How will MCI support the uplifting of the broader workforce's digital capabilities?

Digital Infrastructure Resilience

With the pace of digitalisation, how we work, live and play is increasingly digital. Hence, trusted, secure and resilient digital architecture and technologies are essential for Singapore and Singaporeans. Digital connectivity plays a critical role. As we invest in future technologies for increased access and speed, we need to also invest to strengthen our digital infrastructures to address unexpected surges in demand against cyber security risks, as well as threats to the resilience of our digital infrastructures. Cyber security risks will compromise data security and threaten access and availability of services.

To sustain our digital economy and way of life, how can Singapore ensure safe and reliable use of such infrastructures and technologies? How are our digital infrastructures able to minimise the impact of disruptions to enable businesses to continue to operate and with more digital transactions and operations, business critical information and personal information are exchanged? How are we strengthening the security of our digital infrastructures in Singapore to protect our data?

The Chairman: Ms Tin Pei Ling, take both cuts.

Next Bound Development

Ms Tin Pei Ling: Chairman, Singapore ranks among the top countries for technology infrastructure and adoption. We have the highest average Internet connection speed in Asia and the number of 4G subscriptions in Singapore is almost one and a half times that of our population. Our Government continues to invest heavily and our 5G network deployment is well underway. But even as we do so, other countries are not idling. The current S‐curve is saturated and we need to get onto the next.

Hence, to build and sustain a vibrant Digital Economy, what are the next‐bound digital infrastructure developments that Singapore can expect?

International Cooperation

Given the borderless nature of the digital space and digital threats, it is not enough to rely on domestic levers and programmes to protect Singapore's cyberspace.

Moreover, as critical infrastructures are very much interlinked and, as countries and markets become increasingly connected digitally, we have become highly vulnerable to disruptions and exploitations by malicious cyber activities. An attack in one area can have widespread ramifications.

Therefore, what is MCI doing in the international arena to address these challenges?

The Chairman: Mr Alex Yam. Not here. Minister Josephine Teo.

The Minister for Communications and Information (Mrs Josephine Teo): Mr Chairman, I thank Members for their questions and interest.

Earlier in the Committee of Supply (COS) debate, I updated Members about the progress of our Smart Nation initiative. Digital technologies are very much a part of our daily lives. They have brought day-to-day conveniences, new and improved jobs for our people, and growth opportunities for our businesses.

But a digital future can be daunting as well. Enterprises struggle to get the right technologies and talents. Workers worry about being replaced. Seniors may feel left out. Parents are concerned about the impact on their children.

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MCI understands all these concerns. Our mission is to ensure our people can reap the benefits and rewards of technology, while safeguarding our safety and security. Our vision of Singapore's digital future is one that is economically vibrant, socially stable and cyber-secure.

MCI's theme for this year's Committee of Supply is "Building a Vibrant and Secure Digital Future Together".

The economic opportunities of the digital domain have brought about tremendous transformation and growth in Singapore. Since 2016, the Information and Communications Sector has grown by an average of 9.4%, well above the GDP growth rate. Across the economy, the number of ICT professionals has risen from around 180,000 in 2016 to 216,000 in 2020. The positive impact on the wider economy is evident. Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary and Minister of State Tan Kiat How will say more about these later.

This dynamism is equally evident in our society. Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam will provide an update on our efforts to promote digital empowerment and wellness.

To harness the full potential of the digital domain, I will focus on two aspects of growing importance.

First, how we will enhance regulations in the digital domain to better protect ourselves and our loved ones, and to strengthen digital security and resilience. Second, how we will sustain and deepen engagement of every Singaporean in the digital era, to preserve and enhance social cohesion.

According to surveys carried out by MCI, 76% of Singaporeans said they feel comfortable using digital technologies, but only 40% have installed cybersecurity apps on their mobile phones. Among seniors aged 60 and above, 67% use instant messaging and over half search for information online. But only 40% could recognise and avoid phishing attempts.

Clearly, using technology alone is not enough; it is only half the story. We also need to better protect ourselves and our loved ones from its risks and threats.

MCI has three priorities to govern and secure our digital spaces.

The first is to better protect Singaporeans from harmful online content, especially the young and vulnerable. A recent Straits Times survey found that among children aged seven to nine, two-thirds use a smartphone daily, and, yet, a third of the parents do not know who their children interact with on social media.

Last year, a National Youth Council poll found that two-thirds of youths had experienced online harms, such as harassment and unwanted advances. Many developed distrust towards others and experienced stress and anxiety. Last year, a 10-year-old Italian girl lost her life while participating in an online "Hanging Challenge". Users were encouraged to choke themselves until they passed out while live-streaming on TikTok.

Harm can be caused not only to children. In 2019, social media companies struggled to remove reshares of the video showing a gunman firing on Muslims in a New Zealand mosque. In 2021, rioters who stormed Capitol Hill in the US used social media to organise and amplify their messages.

Governments worldwide have responded to online harms with new laws.

In 2017, Germany enacted its Network Enforcement Act, which requires platforms to act on unlawful content reported by users. Last July, Australia enacted an Online Safety Act, which introduces basic safety expectations for online service providers. The UK's draft Online Safety Bill will create a duty of care for online platforms towards their users, including requirements to take action against harmful content.

Dr Shahira Abdullah, Ms Tin Pei Ling, Dr Wan Rizal and Mr Don Wee are right to ask what more can be done in Singapore. Some measures are already in place.

Internet content providers must comply with the Internet Code of Practice. IMDA has powers to take down content that goes against "public interest, public morality, public order and national harmony". IMDA can also direct Internet Service Providers to block access to prohibited websites.

To manage children's access to websites and online services, IMDA requires Internet Service Providers to offer filtering services for parents to subscribe to.

To reduce exposure to age-inappropriate entertainment content, over-the-top and video-on-demand streaming services with content rated NC16 or higher must provide parental controls.

In a 2020 study of online safety for children in 30 countries, international think-tank DQ Institute ranked Singapore fourth. This gives us some comfort. But with the growing risks of online harms, we must step up efforts to keep online spaces safe, especially for our children.

Online platforms accessible by users in Singapore can and must take greater responsibility for user safety. They should endeavour to keep online spaces free from harmful content, including age-inappropriate content, such as violent and graphic content, and content that promotes sexual violence.

To raise the baseline standard for online safety, we plan to introduce Codes of Practice in three new areas.

The first area is child safety. It will require platforms to have robust systems in place to minimise exposure of children and young persons to harmful content. These include content filters for child accounts and mechanisms for parents to supervise and guide their children online.

The second area is user reporting. Last year, MCI formed the Sunlight Alliance for Action to tackle online harms. Members of the Alliance want Internet platforms to be diligent in assessing flagged content and remove harmful content without delay. But many social media platforms tell us that they cannot be fully aware of all the content that needs moderation. Much of it is user-generated and the quantity, voluminous.

User reporting is, therefore, an important way to close the awareness gap and promote prompt follow-up action. It will require platforms to set up easy-to-access mechanisms for users to report harmful content, to be responsive in evaluating and acting on these reports and to apprise their users in a timely manner of the actions taken. This will empower users to highlight harmful content they come across and prevent further spread.

The third area is platform accountability. It will require platforms to provide information on what they are doing to keep users safe. This includes the prevalence of harmful online content on their platforms, the user reports they have received and acted upon, and the systems and processes they have in place to address harmful online content. Users can then compare the approaches taken by platforms and make informed decisions about which to engage or disengage.

Similar to existing Codes of Practice administered by IMDA, these new Codes will have the force of law. They will require relevant online platforms to take more actions to create a safer online environment. We will study how the Codes can be effectively enforced, including through appropriate legislative updates.

We are also working with MHA to provide Singaporeans with more protection from illegal activities carried out online. This includes strengthening our levers to tackle online scams, as well as a broader suite of criminal activities taking place online, such as child pornography, terrorism and content that incites violence.

MCI has frequent engagements with our international and industry partners on issues relating to user safety. We will continue to consult extensively as we develop these new Codes.

But the evolving nature of the digital domain will always test the way we design our regulations, as pointed out by Ms Tin Pei Ling. We need to be clear and unambiguous to uphold security and trust, while not being overly prescriptive or stifling innovation. The scope of coverage must be wide enough without being excessively expansive. Simplicity must not be achieved at the expense of effectiveness.

In many ways, our regulatory approach for the digital domain will be similar to how technology services are launched these days, as Minimum Viable Products that will be improved iteratively. Put another way, perfect must not become the enemy of good. Instead, we must be prepared to regularly update these Codes, introduce new ones or streamline outdated ones, to deal with emerging issues and new technologies. Only by doing so can we harness the rich potential of exciting new technologies while guarding against their attendant risks.

Mr Chairman, another important priority of MCI is to strengthen our cybersecurity.

Mr Shawn Huang, Ms Hany Soh and Mr Xie Yao Quan asked what more we are doing to guard against cyber threats.

Since 2018, the Cybersecurity Act has provided a legal framework for CSA to oversee and maintain our national cybersecurity. The Act is currently focused on securing and protecting our Critical Information Infrastructure. These computer systems deliver essential services in the physical world, such as water and power.

Given the unfolding situation in Ukraine, we must be alive to the heightened risks. Singapore is gravely concerned over the cyberattacks against Ukraine's government websites and national banks. It illustrates how essential services can be disrupted remotely and quite easily. Singapore may be geographically distant from the theatre of action. But we cannot disregard the potential knock-on effects arriving on our shores. This is why, earlier this week, we advised local organisations to beef up their cybersecurity posture.

But even before the current situation in Ukraine, cyber threats have become more prevalent. Between 2020 and 2021, Singapore observed a 73% increase in reported data breach and ransomware incidents. As our digital realm expands, so, too, the threat surface.

The scale and impact of such attacks elsewhere have also become more serious. Attacks on systems that run physical infrastructure, such as energy grids and fuel pipelines, have real, tangible impact. The ransomware attack on US Colonial Pipeline last year, for example, caused fuel shortages across the US East Coast.

CSA has been reviewing the Cybersecurity Act. To strengthen our defences, we need to address three key questions.

First, how do we raise our situational awareness over Singapore's cyberspace?

Attackers are constantly on the lookout for serious vulnerabilities, like burglars looking for faulty locks and open windows. CSA must, in some way, do the same, but for a very different reason – so that we can advise people to fix their faulty locks and close their windows quickly. In cyberspace, this means to patch known software vulnerabilities, before malicious actors compromise our systems and steal our data.

Second, what should be considered as Critical Information Infrastructure, or CII? The Act currently recognises physical networks and systems as CII. With the shift to virtualisation, we must be able to recognise virtual assets as CII, too, such as systems hosted on the cloud. We need to ensure these virtual assets are properly protected, too, including those that may not be hosted in Singapore.

Third, how do we secure important digital infrastructure and services beyond CIIs?

Digital infrastructure and services are the backbone of our connectivity, computing and data storage needs. If disrupted or compromised, there could be serious knock-on effects. Imagine the chaos of not having access to emails, websites and apps.

We will consider how to apply a risk-based approach to protect these infrastructure and services and for them to recover quickly when attacked. We intend to complete this review by 2023, factoring in stakeholder and public consultations. The Act will be updated thereafter.

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Mr Chairman, Mr Sharael Taha asked how we could enable businesses to innovate and grow while safeguarding consumers and their personal data. This is also a priority. Data is a critical resource for the digital economy.

In 2012, we enacted the Personal Data Protection Act, or PDPA. It strikes a careful balance between allowing organisations to harness data for innovation and growth and ensuring proper safeguards and accountability. In 2020, to adapt to the evolving digital landscape, we amended the PDPA. Among several amendments, we explicitly recognised business improvement as a legitimate use of data.

Early results from ongoing surveys are encouraging. Close to 90% of businesses agreed that the PDPA helped them prepare for the digital economy. More than 80% of consumers said that the PDPA helped them trust that their personal data is protected from misuse by organisations.

To uphold this trust, organisations must continue to take ownership and be held accountable, especially those that hold sizeable volumes of personal data. This is why the PDPA amendments in 2020 raised the maximum financial penalty for data breaches to $1 million, or 10% of local annual turnover, for organisations whose turnover exceeds $10 million, whichever is higher.

As a result of the pandemic-induced economic uncertainty, the implementation of the new penalties was temporarily held back. With sufficient lead time given to businesses, the penalties will now take effect from 1 October 2022.

We will also strengthen safeguards in other areas.

Currently, consumers and small businesses try to resolve contractual disputes with their telco, or media service providers, directly or through existing dispute resolution options. These can be costly and less consumer-friendly.

To supplement these options, IMDA will launch an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Scheme which is designed to be affordable and effective. When a case is brought to the ADR, it will be mandatory for the service providers to participate in the resolution process.

From April, this will provide a new helpful channel to resolve such disputes.

Mr Chairman, the three priorities I have described to govern and secure our digital spaces will form the building blocks of a vibrant and secure digital future.

But, Sir, technology has also changed the way we interact with one another, our communities and the world. The global media and information landscape have become more diffused, with competing narratives and echo chambers, and more news sources than anyone can keep up with.

Mr Don Wee rightly pointed out the need for trusted information sources and genuine engagement and a holistic approach to target the spread of misinformation. Indeed, these have been critical in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. We could not have handled a public health crisis if the public did not trust the health authorities or did not believe the information they were receiving. That is precisely why, from the very outset, we resolved to keep the public informed as fully and expeditiously as possible. We were determined to tell it as it is, never fudge or sugarcoat, never hide.

As the Prime Minister observed recently, if we had been a low-trust society, people would not have understood the need for safe management measures (SMMs) or abided by them. Our infection rates would be higher, far fewer people would be vaccinated, and many more people would have died. To preserve this trust, we must also have appropriate laws. For example, POFMA allowed us to take swift action on 20 occasions to curb COVID-19-related misinformation and prevent falsehoods from taking root.

[Deputy Speaker (Mr Christopher de Souza) in the Chair]

The COVID-19 pandemic has, therefore, underlined the crucial importance of retaining public trust and maintaining trusted sources of information.

MCI has done this by expanding and refreshing our communications channels and launching targeted campaigns like VacciNationSG to support our vaccination drive. Gov.sg's 10 platforms have close to two million more subscribers, compared to before the pandemic. We commissioned e-getai shows for seniors that received over 7.5 million views and catchy music videos with over nine million views online.

To better engage Singaporeans from all walks of life and understand their concerns, REACH expanded its digital outreach through e-Listening Points and virtual dialogues. In 2021, more than 70,000 Singaporeans contributed feedback to REACH, up from 59,000 in 2020.

Through these concerted efforts, polls show that three in four members of the public think that the Government has provided sufficient information on COVID-19 in recent months. Over 86% agreed that these messages helped in their decision to get vaccinated.

It is critical that we maintain these high levels of trust as we strive to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic and see through future crises as Singapore Together.

Our local media companies play an important role in this mission to inform and engage our citizens. They help to keep Singaporeans united by providing a Singapore lens through which citizens can make sense of global events; presenting an authoritative source of information that cuts through the noise of an online space chock-full of clickbait content and misinformation; and producing content in our official languages that celebrates our diverse culture and creates shared experiences for all Singaporeans.

Clearly, our local media companies serve a broader mission beyond commercial success. This is why the Government put our support behind SPH Media Trust. We have explained the background extensively during the Parliament Sittings in May 2021 and February 2022, but I will reiterate two key points.

First, our local media, like media outlets across the world, have seen their advertising and subscription revenue drastically reduced, buffeted by the rise of digital content platforms and new avenues for free content.

Second, while our local media enjoys good reach – today, Mediacorp and SPH Media reach 96% of Singaporeans – there are no easy answers on how they monetise this reach. We hope they can become self-sustaining, but it remains to be seen whether or when this can happen.

Mr Leong Mun Wai said SPH is Government-owned. That is incorrect. If it was, there would be no question today of public funding. He then asked if the SPH listed company could be made to contribute more to the new SPH Media Trust. The shareholders voted and agreed to an initial injection of $80 million in cash and $30 million worth of shares for SPH Media Trust.

If the restructuring proposal involved an even higher contribution, the shareholders could have walked away. The Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) might not have been formed and the SPH media business could have remained on its trajectory of decline with scant hope for revival. In time to come, there would be nothing worthwhile to preserve.

Parliament has been fully briefed on the need for the restructuring and accepted that our local mainstream media is worthy of public funding.

When compared to the investments seen elsewhere in the world, the amount of funding to support our local media's transformation must be meaningful, in order for their efforts to have a chance to succeed. We cannot be half-hearted about it. I have also explained in detail how the Government will keep them accountable.

Let us now direct our attention on charting the way forward, such as those highlighted by Ms Hany Soh on how the media can better meet the needs of different demographics.

For example, Mediacorp is working with their news broadcasters, as well as clan associations to identify new talent to sustain dialect radio news broadcasts. Mediacorp produces an animation series on sustainability and environmental awareness, so that parents and their children know why this is important and how they can contribute to this national priority.

Left to the free market, such programmes are unlikely to be viable. I, therefore, urge Members to give our local media and journalists the fullest support, because they deserve it.

As the media industry adapts to the rise of digital, exciting new opportunities have also emerged. The global market for content is set to grow to more than $500 billion by 2025, half of which is in the Asia Pacific. Singapore is well-positioned to benefit because of our robust intellectual property and legal frameworks and our role as a connector between markets and cultures.

Global names like Walt Disney, iQIYI, WarnerMedia and Netflix already have a presence here, alongside homegrown players like Beach House Pictures, one of Asia's largest independent production companies.

We will continue to support these companies and our talents by: (a) exploring new partnerships with creator networks like Titan Digital Media, platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Twitch and online creators; (b) and partnering industry to improve content quality and better understand viewer preferences through data, artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual production.

These efforts will position us as a hub for content that is both "Made in Singapore" and "Made with Singapore". Mr Chairman, in Mandarin, please.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] For many Singaporeans, Internet access has become a basic necessity, just like water and electricity.

In today's world, building a vibrant and secure digital future is critical for a country's survival and prosperity.

Singapore will continue to face unknown challenges, but we will not give up.

The Government is committed to helping every Singaporean succeed in the digital age through various measures.

SMEs at all stages of the digital journey will have the opportunity to progress and open up new frontiers, even as they face various pressures.

Workers in various sectors will have the opportunity to deepen their skills. Everyone will receive support to level up their digital skills and improve their livelihoods.

Seniors will have the opportunity to embrace lifelong learning, so that they master technology and maintain social ties.

Children will be better protected from undesirable content and online harms.

We are also working hard to strengthen the security of our digital infrastructure to boost our people's and businesses' confidence in the digital future.

With the concerted efforts of the Government, industry and Singaporeans, I am confident that Singapore will be able to build a secure and vibrant digital future; and that the Little Red Dot that we all love will continue to shine brightly on the international stage!

(In English): Mr Chairman, I have outlined MCI's priorities to govern and secure our digital space and to engage Singaporeans in a digitalised world. These are critical building blocks for Singapore's continued survival and success.

We look forward to partnering all Singaporeans to build a vibrant and secure digital future together! [Applause.]

The Chairman: Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications and Information (Ms Rahayu Mahzam): Mr Chairman, let me first start by thanking Members for their questions and interest in MCI's work. I will elaborate on MCI's plans to build a society which continues to be inclusive, relevant and prepared for a digital future.

As Minister Josephine Teo mentioned, digital technologies are very much a part of our daily lives. Going digital has opened numerous possibilities – from facilitating daily interactions with family and friends to engendering new conveniences in many aspects of our lives. This is why digital access and meaningful engagement with technologies have become key to our quality of life today.

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MCI will continue strengthening digital literacy and wellness, by working closely with community partners and volunteers to achieve three key goals. First, digital access and digital adoption for all; next, learning and mastery of digital skills, for all to seize new opportunities in the digital economy; and equally important, for our people to be equipped to recognise and respond to dangers online.

To ensure that Singaporeans, regardless of age, background or skill level are empowered to take charge of their own digital future, our first goal of digital access and adoption is a basic good that everyone should have, comprising Internet connectivity, tech devices and the ability to make use of them. I recognise that this is an issue close to the hearts of many Members, including Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng, Mr Seah Kian Peng, Mr Sharael Taha and Ms Hany Soh.

Our broadband connectivity and basic devices are important to our people. Singapore is a highly-connected society – 98% of households have access to broadband and 99% of households with children under 15 have access to computers. Still, we recognise that every Singaporean must have this access.

Today, we have digital access programmes, such as NEU PC Plus and Home Access. Since 2020, these initiatives have assisted more than 34,000 low-income households with their digital access needs. Almost double the number, as compared to those assisted before the pandemic.

Moving forward, we are looking to enhance our digital access programmes to reach more low-income households and help them more conveniently receive affordable digital access. This will include working with MSF and social service organisations to engage and assist low-income households in their applications.

Having ensured that our people have access to the digital realm, we also look at addressing the needs of particular segments of individuals and businesses so that they can adopt – that is, to use and benefit from – digital.

Mr Sharael Taha highlighted that there may be some in the community who are less familiar with the digital space, including seniors and some hawkers.

At the height of the pandemic, the SG Digital Office (SDO) was set up to engage precisely these groups that may need additional and tailored support. Since 2020, SDO's digital ambassadors have trained more than 130,000 seniors to adopt basic digital skills like using smartphones and empowered 11,000 hawkers to adopt e-payment solutions.

Working together with community partners, the SDO will continue to keep its curriculum aligned with the digital landscape and remain a key touchpoint for Singaporeans needing digital assistance.

One good example is the SDO's collaboration with the Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF). Today, RLAF partners 20 mosques to organise training sessions that equip seniors with applicable digital skills, such as staying connected through Facebook, WhatsApp and Zoom. The participants I spoke with at one of the sessions greatly appreciated the hands-on learning environment, in a safe space amongst friends. The Foundation intends to expand their outreach to more mosques and deepen learning for seniors who have already picked up basic smartphone skills.

RLAF also plans to work with other community partners, like Roses of Peace, to scale their efforts by supplementing volunteers, curating curriculum and launching a certification system to reward the seniors for their learning.

Many other partners have stepped forward to support our seniors. The combined efforts of SDO and our partners have resulted in 84% of seniors reporting that they own and use a smartphone in their daily lives.

Moving on to the second goal. MCI will continue to bridge digital knowledge and skills gaps, to help citizens keep pace with digitalisation. The digital landscape is continually changing, with new technologies and new apps.

We aim to imbue in Singaporeans, a sense of confidence to continue to adapt to this changing space, to actively participate in the digital domain and confidently take on new digital opportunities.

We plan to achieve this in two ways.

First, by harnessing the community's reach, energy and resources through the Digital for Life movement. Last year, the Digital for Life Fund was established to provide funding assistance for ground-up digital inclusion initiatives. Since then, 22 projects have been supported under the fund and are expected to benefit over 100,000 individuals across society.

One example is Byte.SG, which runs the "Void Deck Technology Labs Initiative". Through building skills and familiarity in science and technology topics, Byte.SG aims to bring technology awareness to children living in rental flats.

At one of Byte.SG's recent sessions, I saw how the team used augmented reality (AR) and interactive online tools to bring the underwater world to life. Not only were the children excited by this, I was also fascinated by the demonstration!

Supported by the Digital for Life Fund, Byte.SG will scale their initiative to locations, such as Nanyang, Bedok, Tanjong Pagar and Tampines, to help more children build digital confidence in a fun, empowering manner.

With our 3P partners, we will build on the Digital for Life movement and continue mobilising efforts on the ground by organising a series of events and activities in the coming months. This will culminate in a Digital for Life Festival, which will take place in the middle of the year.

Second, MCI is helping our people deepen digital skills through our libraries. Our libraries and archives are important learning marketplaces to pique Singaporeans' curiosity and inspire discovery, at every stage of our lives.

Despite pandemic-related restrictions, NLB's steady loan numbers and growing digital reach exemplify the key role that they play, with at least 64% of Singapore's residents visiting a library or accessing NLB's online content last year and over 98,000 individuals benefiting from NLB's digital readiness programmes so far.

In the face of digitalisation, our libraries must keep up with the times, to continue bringing citizens a wide array of learning opportunities, as pointed out by Ms Jessica Tan. To this end, our libraries will be refreshed under the Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025, or LAB25.

Many Members have visited NLB's LAB25 showcase in the main lobby and I encourage the rest to drop by if you have not done so.

The showcase brings to life LAB25's four focus areas: building a learning marketplace, nurturing an informed citizenry, inspiring Singapore storytellers and being an equaliser in society.

To realise the LAB25 vision, NLB will launch "ExperienceIT", in collaboration with leaders in innovation and technology, such as Amazon Web Services, to drive interest and confidence in more in-depth learning about emerging technology and partner the community to bring more Singapore stories to NLB's network of libraries and make more collections accessible to the public.

A new Singapore Alcove showcasing Singapore stories and literature will be part of the Central Public Library after its revamp. It will be a "home" for the Singapore collection with regular programming by local authors, featuring immersive and experiential exhibits.

The opening of Punggol Regional Library later this year marks another step towards enabling, empowering and equalising digital access.

Building on NLB's ongoing efforts to ensure accessibility of its physical spaces, NLB will do more through a comprehensive suite of accessibility services for persons with disabilities, starting at Punggol Regional Library. This includes accessible collections comprising sensory and Braille books, sign language with text, and books that are useful for caregivers on social and life skills and assistive technologies, such as "Immersive Readers" to cater to Singaporeans with different language needs.

At the same time, NLB is continually working to improve the physical spaces in our libraries. The Central Public Library and Marine Parade Public Library will be revamped later this year.

To encourage Singaporeans to actively take charge of their learning, NLB will make more resources and content available to wider audiences.

Ms Jessica Tan will be pleased to note that NLB will roll out Nodes in everyday spaces, such as offices, food and beverage outlets and parks around Singapore to provide new entry points for citizens to access digital resources. As extensions of physical libraries, these Nodes will showcase NLB's digital collections, to interest Singaporeans to read and learn wherever they can.

Ms Hany Soh asked about our efforts to encourage young readers to master their mother tongue languages. NLB continues to source for, select and identify new avenues to grow their mother tongue language content. Over the past three years, NLB's mother tongue language collections for children have increased by 11%. Recently, NLB has begun offering award-winning English children's books translated into the vernacular. NLB also proactively encourages local publishers to publish their mother tongue language titles in both print and electronic formats to help widen access. Mr Chairman, allow me to deliver the next segment of my speech in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Digitalisation has impacted our lives in many ways and it has brought many opportunities and possibilities.

As digitalisation becomes more prevalent, it is also important that the Government scale up efforts to empower the community in terms of their digital capabilities and well-being.

Together with the 3P partners, the Government will provide digital access and enhance digital readiness, promote the learning and mastery of digital skills through our libraries, and equip our people, especially the vulnerable, to identify and deal with online risks and threats.

As we step up efforts to empower the community, I am heartened to see that many Singaporeans have taken the bold step to learn new digital skills and contribute to this development. One example is a network comprising more than 300 individuals. They share career opportunities and workshops that are available in the technology sector.

In fact, some individuals in this network came from non-technology sectors. For example, one is from the healthcare administration sector and has now become a technology developer of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). This transition took place after they witnessed how the pandemic had affected hands-on learning conducted physically and they began to realise the value of applying digital technology.

I had the opportunity to speak to one of the network members, Mr Mohd Afiq. He is the founder of Playtours, an online tool that allows users to create unique and meaningful virtual experiences. These include "escape room" games and real-time multi-player games.

Developing a product from scratch is certainly not an easy task. However, Afiq is confident of the value that "Playtours" will bring to today's digital world and this has encouraged him to persevere and carry on in order to develop his business.

It is clear that individuals like Afiq serve as an inspiration to all of us. Let us be inspired as well, so that we can, together, seize the digitalisation opportunities that await us.

(In English): Mr Chairman, the third key goal that MCI is working towards is to ensure that our people are equipped to recognise and respond to dangers online.

The digital way of life often remains challenging, novel and unfamiliar to many of us. Recent events, such as phishing scams, may have also caused us to be wary of going digital. But we cannot let these fears hold us back from unlocking new opportunities. Rather, we must actively equip ourselves with the relevant knowledge and skills to embrace technological advancements, with the ability to recognise and respond to the risks in the digital domain.

I agree with Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua, Dr Shahira Abdullah, Ms Tin Pei Ling, Dr Wan Rizal and Mr Don Wee that it is ever more important to ensure online safety for our people.

Indeed, as more of our interactions and activities shift online, individuals and businesses will inevitably be exposed to digital risks, online harms and potentially unhealthy addictions. Parents today are concerned that easy access to Internet among our youths has made widespread dissemination of harmful and inappropriate content, such as pornography, quick and effortless.

In her speech, Minister Josephine Teo shared that MCI will be introducing new Codes of Practice to enhance online user safety. Legislation provides a critical safety net. But we all have a role to play, too. Beyond being digitally "book smart", we must also build "street smarts" to identify and avoid new risks in the online world.

To gain more in-depth understanding of our citizens' digital readiness, MCI is refining metrics and indicators to be tracked in the Digital Readiness Survey.

In addition to existing measurements of digital adoption and usage, we intend to better understand the extent to which Singaporeans are able to perform essential digital tasks. We are also looking to understand citizens' digital habits and gaps between attitudes and behaviours. This will inform the development of more targeted interventions to improve digital adoption and address the needs of vulnerable segments.

New online harms are growing increasingly complex. Finding solutions to help users protect themselves from harmful online content requires the expertise of diverse stakeholders, such as legal professionals, tech specialists, regulators, educators and community partners.

MCI is, therefore, working closely with our community partners to promote safe, responsible and positive use of technology.

In conjunction with Safer Internet Day on 8 February, the Media Literacy Council (MLC) partnered Apple Singapore to organise a cyber wellness webinar for Primary school teachers and launched a fun and relatable video-making challenge for students to encourage the sharing of cyber wellness messages.

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Beyond this webinar, MLC has also produced resources to help individuals avoid falling victim to technology-facilitated harms, such as scams, sexual grooming, pornography and online harassment. The council also promotes digital literacy resources to educate the public on being more discerning and empathetic online to create a safer, smarter and kinder Internet for all.

In September last year, TOUCH Cyber Wellness launched a programme entitled "e-Conversations for the Family", with a toolkit to guide parents in having conversations with their children about pornography and its dangers.

MCI also launched Sunlight AfA, which I co-chair with Senior Minister of State Sim Ann. The AfA aims to raise awareness of online sexual harassment and empower victims to address and deal with such incidents.

I thank Mr Fahmi Aliman for recognising the positive impact of Sunlight AfA. Since its launch, the AfA has been studying the incidence of online harms in Singapore and how they impact individuals, especially women and girls. Key insights will be released in due course. The AfA has also partnered other stakeholders for greater outreach. This includes a collaboration with DBS and the Singapore Judiciary on a community hackathon to generate solutions on creating safer and kinder online spaces, and the recently concluded Youth Action Challenge, where the AfA supported the mental well-being track. We also marked Safer Internet Day with a webinar, where a panel of professionals discussed how parents and families can help our children and young stay safe online.

Moving ahead, the AfA will continue engaging and equipping parents and youths to support those who may be experiencing online harm. This includes a second online harms webinar which will take place in the coming months, as well as a website containing updates on the AfA's events and resources to address online dangers and risks.

We are especially grateful for the support of our 48 Alliance members, some of whom are keen to run initiatives to tackle online harms in the longer term. MCI will continue to work with these partners to tackle online harms. We welcome more stakeholders to join us in ensuring that all users are empowered to navigate the digital future with confidence.

Just as we have built one of the world's safest, cleanest and most liveable cities, all of us have a role to play in shaping Singapore's online space. We must preserve positive and enriching digital experiences for those around us by being respectful users online.

In closing, I would like to put these various efforts in context. According to MCI's 2021 Digital Readiness Survey, 76% of Singaporeans feel comfortable using digital technologies, while 80% of Singaporeans acknowledge that digital technologies have made their lives easier. This is encouraging, but we can and will do more.

We stand ready to work with individuals, companies and partners in the people sector to realise the vision of a digitally-ready and inclusive society. This will allow all Singaporeans to partake in exciting opportunities with a spirit of discovery and growth in our shared digital future.

The Chairman: Minister of State Tan Kiat How.

The Minister of State for Communications and Information (Mr Tan Kiat How): Mr Chairman, Ms Tin Pei Ling and Ms Jessica Tan spoke about the opportunities in our Digital Economy. Indeed, we saw the benefits of digitalisation, particularly over the last couple of years where firms and our workforce had to deal with COVID-19.

I am heartened that many firms are embracing digital technology. IMDA's Digital Acceleration Index, an annual survey of more than 2,000 firms across 23 sectors, showed that digitalisation is picking up pace across our economy. More than 80,000 firms have benefited from the SMEs Go Digital programme since 2017, including a quarter of them coming on board in 2021 alone. Three in four firms now adopt at least one digital solution.

And as we emerge from COVID-19, we will sustain this momentum in two ways. First, providing businesses, particularly our Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), with the tools and support to transform digitally. Second, by nurturing a future-ready workforce with the qualifications and skills to get into good jobs in the tech sector and progress well in their careers.

Let me elaborate on the first prong.

Our firms want to adopt digital and transform. This is the consistent feedback when we engage industry associations and firms, as well as from various surveys that we conduct. However, as Mr Christopher de Souza pointed out, SMEs face practical issues in raising their digital game. SMEs share with us their difficulty in building up their in-house IT team with the right experience and expertise; in helping them select solutions and vendors that meet their needs, while putting in place system and processes to protect their clients and operations from cyber threats and data breaches. I empathise with these sentiments.

We must harness network effects to fully benefit from opportunities in the digital economy. SMEs, which comprise more than nine in 10 of our enterprises, account for almost half of our GDP and hires seven in 10 of our local workforce, are an important constituent in our national digital push.

Our approach is threefold. First, enabling secure and seamless digital transactions across the economy. Second, supporting digital transformation of our industry sectors; and third, equipping firms with resources and tools to facilitate digitalisation.

First, on economy-wide digital enablers, or digital utilities. Just like water or electricity in the analogue world, we can envisage a foundational set of systems or standards to facilitate seamless and secure transactions in the Digital Economy. E-invoicing and e-payment are two examples. To Ms Jessica Tan's question, more than 50,000 businesses have adopted InvoiceNow since it was launched in 2019, and more than 90% of our businesses have adopted PayNow. We will continue to put in place such digital utilities to support our businesses as they shift their operations and transactions online.

Second, we will support the transformation of our industry sectors, building on these digital utilities. We recognise that each sector faces unique challenges and operating contexts. We have launched Industry Digital Plans (IDP) and these IDPs provide firms with a step-by-step guide on digital solutions and skills training curated for each stage of their growth, tailored to their sector. Since 2017, we have launched 20 IDPs to guide digitalisation across sectors as diverse as accountancy, logistics and security. We will expand the coverage of the IDPs, and the next IDP to be launched will be for the legal industry. We will continue to refresh these IDPs to incorporate new digital utilities, relevant technological advances and best practices.

Let me next touch on how individual SMEs can benefit.

Last year, we announced two schemes – CTO-as-a-Service and the Digital Leaders' Programme – to empower businesses on their digitalisation journeys. This year, our enhancements will help SMEs raise their digital maturity, reach markets abroad and retain trust in the digital marketplace.

On digital maturity, we will raise SMEs' digital maturity with advanced technological capabilities that are curated to meet their sectors' needs.

Launched in 2020, the Advanced Digital Solutions, or ADS scheme, helps SMEs access advanced technology and integrated digital solutions, such as robotics and aggregated data analysis. We will grow our list of 30 solutions, with an emphasis on AI-enabled and cloud-based solutions.

We will also expand our Grow Digital scheme. Through the Grow Digital programme, we have worked with Enterprise Singapore to curate a group of e-commerce platforms that can help our firms reach international markets. Since launching in 2020, Grow Digital has helped more than 2,500 firms access markets in 10 countries, while building capabilities in digital marketing, business matching and door-to-door fulfilment. This year, Grow Digital will bring more firms to global markets through a broader group of e-commerce platforms.

Ms Hany Soh, Mr Xie Yao Quan and Mr Shawn Huang spoke about helping businesses protect themselves against cyberattacks and data breaches. We will launch the Cyber Trustmark and Cyber Essentials mark, and the Data Protection Essentials Programme. Obtaining the trustmarks would give businesses and their customers the confidence that certain cybersecurity and data protection standards have been met. I encourage businesses to view these trustmarks as investments and a competitive advantage.

Our Digital Economy efforts are powered by the Infocomm sector. Last year, the sector contributed $28.4 billion to the economy, accounting for 5.6% of our GDP and grew by 12.2%, far outpacing other sectors.

Ms Tin Pei Ling and Mr Seah Kian Peng spoke about helping our people seize opportunities in this digital economy. Indeed, the growing and vibrant tech sector creates many good jobs and opens up many exciting opportunities for Singaporeans. Our Digital Economy employs around 216,000 ICT professionals, with half of them in the ICT sector and the other half supporting digital transformation in non-ICT sectors like finance, manufacturing and retail.

Around 10,000 more ICT professionals have been added each year in recent years. Yet, 19,000 tech roles remain unfilled across the economy, particularly in roles like software engineering and development, but also across the entire tech value chain, from deep technical skills like AI and cybersecurity, to innovation-oriented roles in product development, and applied business roles like cloud migration and data analytics. Our priority is to nurture a strong pipeline of local tech talent, including fresh graduates and mid-career workers, while ensuring our tech workforce remains relevant and competitive in this fast-changing digital space. In the next three years, around 23,000 local students will graduate from our IHLs in Information and Digital Technologies, or IDT, courses.

In this regard, let me outline two important moves we are making.

First, we will strengthen our pipeline of ICT graduates from our Universities. The number of local IDT degree places has risen four-fold from 800 in 2010, to 3,300 in 2021. As a proportion of all degree places, the number of IDT places increased from 7% in 2010 to 18% in 2021, close to one in five. We will also establish new programmes and specialisations to support emerging tech needs in different sectors. An example is the new Bachelor of Science in Applied Computing, with specialisation in fintech that will be launched this year by the Singapore Institute of Technology, in partnership with IMDA and MAS, and supported by financial institutions, including AIA and Standard Chartered Bank. We look forward to working with other sector leads on different training modalities for specific skills needs for their sectors.

Second, we will help our Polytechnic and ITE graduates enter tech roles through more structured pathways. Some Polytechnics and ITE IDT graduates shared with us that they cannot find suitable entry-level roles in their areas of study, while others encountered employers who preferred University graduates, even though our Polytechnic and ITE graduates are capable of doing these jobs.

Structured support and clearly defined scaffolding in their career pathways can make a world of difference. I recently met Mr Muhammad Syurhan Bin Ja'afar, who graduated from our Work-Study Diploma programme in Data Centre Infrastructure & Operation. Syurhan graduated from ITE with a Nitec in ICT (Cloud Computing) and gained first-hand experience of the tech sector through his internship at NCS. However, his family's financial situation meant that he had to forgo his plans to take up a diploma. It was only later, with the encouragement of his Class Advisor, that he applied for the Work-Study programme and gained a place with the sponsorship of Racks Central Data Centre. Syurhan shared with me that his company's support and a structured career pathway gave him the confidence to complete the course.

To help others like Syurhan pursue their passion and realise their ambitions, we will put in place a structured end-to-end approach to better support our Polytechnic and ITE students, starting with 1,000 places over the next three years. We will establish a TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) for ITE and Polytechnics (TIP) Alliance, comprising leading global tech companies, leading companies here and major hirers to galvanise industry support for this effort.

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We will enhance the quality of internship opportunities for Polytechnic and ITE students, to apply their knowledge outside the classroom. After graduation, they will be able to take up apprenticeships at participating companies under place-and-train programmes, to learn the ropes of the ICT roles. Participating companies will also establish skills-oriented training plans and pathways for tech roles for these graduates, including certifications and specialist training. These graduates interested in further studies will be supported through Work-Study Diploma or Degree programmes, spanning growth areas like AI, Cloud and cybersecurity.

I am heartened that companies like Accenture, GovTech, IBM, NCS and PSA Corporation have made significant commitments to provide internship, apprenticeship or placement opportunities and I urge more industry leaders to join this meaningful effort.

In addition to fresh graduates, many enter the industry as mid-career workers, such as through the TeSA initiative. Many joining the sector aim to progress in their careers, taking on higher value roles, such as product managers, software engineers or solution architects. We want to support these aspirations of our tech professionals.

We will partner industry leaders like Google, Microsoft and Grab, as well as large end-user companies like DBS, to groom product engineering talents for these roles. Those on this specialist track will be trained in advanced technical skillsets like software and application development, data analytics, AI and Cloud, through both instructor-led and hands-on programmes. These tech professionals can look forward to taking on senior technical roles in their companies over time.

IMDA will also launch the ICT Jobs Transformation Map (JTM) later this year, to help employers and employees across the ICT sector identify areas of high impact and the relevant reskilling or upskilling opportunities and training as needed.

Mr Chairman, in closing, our moves to help businesses thrive in a digital economy and nurture a future-ready digital workforce will help us ensure that the digital wave is one that lifts all boats. I look forward to your continued support as we journey towards our shared digital future.

The Chairman: Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary.

The Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information (Dr Janil Puthucheary): Sir, I thank the various Members for their cuts and questions and hope to address several of them in my response. My colleagues have shared different facets of MCI's efforts to ready our ecosystems, businesses and people for a digital future.

Minister Josephine Teo spoke about how MCI will enhance digital regulations for digital safety, security and resilience; and deepen engagement with Singaporeans to strengthen social cohesion. Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam shared about our continuing work to build a digitally-ready and inclusive society, such as through NLB's Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025, which is showcased at the main lobby of Parliament. Minister of State Tan Kiat How spoke about our efforts to equip our workforce and enterprises with capabilities to seize opportunities in a digital and post-COVID-19 economy.

I will focus on three areas where we are investing for the future, to mark Singapore's place in the digital world. First, building digital infrastructure to meet our future needs. Second, pushing technological boundaries with leading edge innovation and research. And third, fostering international partnerships to advance the digital economy and strengthen digital security beyond our shores.

Mr Shawn Huang and Ms Tin Pei Ling asked about MCI's plans to ready our infrastructure for the next wave of digitalisation. The volume and complexity of digital traffic continue to grow very, very quickly. We will increasingly rely on data and data-powered services, especially as cloud services and the Internet of Things (IoT) become more commonplace. By 2025, the estimated amount of data generated globally is about 463 exabytes. That means 463 billion gigabytes, which is equivalent roughly 60 hours of Netflix movies per person per day. How will we upgrade our digital infrastructure for a data age, so that it is fit-for-purpose and continues to support our needs?

To begin with, we must pay attention to our domestic telecommunications infrastructure. These form our connectivity backbone. Wireless and wired network components, such as base stations and fibre optic cables, allow Internet traffic to flow seamlessly in large volumes, providing a high-speed service to every corner of Singapore.

We have continued to upgrade our local telecommunications capability, for example, through the shift to 5G. 5G technology enables unprecedented speeds and reduces the latency. So, more data can be transferred at higher speeds. 5G networks are also more responsive and better able to cope with surges in data traffic.

Here in Singapore, we continue to be at the forefront of 5G deployment. Our telcos have stated that they have achieved 50% nationwide outdoor coverage at the start of 2022, ahead of their end-2022 target. And we are on track for nationwide 5G coverage in Singapore by 2025.

The characteristics and advantages of 5G allow for new use cases, such as in advanced manufacturing. The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has been partnering IBM, Samsung and M1 in Singapore's first 5G Industry 4.0 trial. The trial developed a 5G-enabled augmented reality (AR) solution in the form of AI-powered "Smart Glasses". These "Smart Glasses" assist factory operators in assembly and inspection, and also improve training efficiency for new hires by 50%. They will be deployed across IBM's global manufacturing sites from the second half of this year.

Traditionally, the factory operators manually detect defects. This is a time-consuming process. It relies on the human eye and it is subject to fatigue. This 5G-enabled solution mitigates this. It overlays images and text onto physical objects, allowing inspectors to identify defects in real time, augmented by this technological solution. It also allows the operator to take photos and use deep learning algorithms that identify images to quickly detect factory defects.

Apart from these wireless networks, we will also upgrade our wired networks. Already, today, according to Internet metrics company Ookla, Singapore has one of the fastest broadband speeds in the world and we can look forward to more.

As mentioned by Minister Lawrence Wong in the Budget speech, we will invest in developing infrastructure to deliver broadband speeds around 10 times faster, compared to today, unlocking new possibilities for digital experiences and tools.

The second category of infrastructure connects us to the world. This includes satellites and subsea cables. These provide critical connectivity with international partners and allow us to be part of international data flows and digital trade.

Singapore is already a digital connectivity hub and a preferred landing site for global submarine cable operators, due to our stable governance and advanced economy. This connectivity enables the development of many different products and services and supports many businesses that choose to locate important operations here in Singapore.

It also allows our thriving research community to access computing resources from around the world and for our data centres and supercomputers to serve international partners. We will continue to secure new landings to strengthen our international connectivity. For example, Singapore-based maritime company, BW Group, plans to develop a new submarine cable pathway connecting Singapore to the US via Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.

The third category of infrastructure are data centres. These are vital nodes in the flow of digital traffic. Data centres power many applications and services for businesses and everyday life, from complex data management to e-commerce transactions. However, the data centres are intensive users of water and electricity. Given our resource constraints, we need to manage the development of data centres sustainably.

IMDA and the Economic Development Board (EDB) will pilot a Call for Application to facilitate the calibrated growth of data centres that possess the best-in-class techniques, technologies and practices for energy efficiency and decarbonisation. Singapore is committed to fulfilling our environmental obligations under the 2015 Paris Agreement. Greener data centres will allow us to do so while, at the same time, supporting the growing needs of our digital economy. This Call for Application will be launched by the second quarter of 2022.

This comprehensive digital infrastructure, the various components that I have described, makes possible the provision of digital utilities. These are the services that ride atop the connectivity layers that have become essential and commonplace, allowing people and businesses to use digital services and transact seamlessly and safely. Minister of State Tan Kiat How shared examples earlier, such as PayNow and InvoiceNow. Other examples include the National Digital Identity, Singpass and TradeTrust. We will continue to invest in other essential digital tools and services and develop them as digital utilities.

Another digital utility is the Singapore Trade Data Exchange (SGTraDex). Today, data is fragmented across the global supply chain ecosystem. With SGTraDex, supply chain ecosystem partners, such as shippers and logistics providers, are able to share trade data in a seamless and secure manner. Ms Jessica Tan asked about SGTraDex's progress. It has been good with many companies across various sectors coming on board. The Government and the Alliance for Action (AfA) for supply chain digitalisation are working with these companies on a Minimum Viable Product to allow more extensive data sharing and alive business environment, which will be launched later this year.

Our advanced infrastructure and highly used digital utilities can be vulnerable to attacks or risks of failure. I agree wholeheartedly with Ms Jessica Tan that we should ensure that our infrastructure is secure and resilient to address evolving threats and risks.

Minister Josephine Teo had earlier shared on MCI's efforts to secure important digital infrastructure and services through our Cybersecurity Act. MCI also adopts design principles to embed security features and operational practices within the system architecture, rather than to add these at a later stage.

Sir, Mr Christopher de Souza, Mr Seah Kian Peng and Mr Xie Yao Quan asked about the Government's investments in new digital technologies. As part of the $25 billion Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 Plan, our plans for the Smart Nation and Digital Economy (SNDE) domain build on past investments to drive research in digital technologies with transformative potential.

One such technology is quantum communication, which promises to revolutionise the security of our information and infrastructure. Today's encryption methods are mathematics-based. Hackers leverage sophisticated techniques and powerful computing hardware to "crack the code". As quantum computers mature, we can expect that adversaries will eventually be able to decrypt data and penetrate systems secured with today's technology simply by applying more and more computing power.

Quantum communication is secured by physics-based methods, such as quantum key distribution (QKD). Potentially, this could help future-proof the security of our databases, critical systems and communications. This technique allows the creation of paired secret cryptographic keys, which are only held by the sender and the authorised receiver, anyone trying to intercept or copy the keys in between would introduce a detectable anomaly and this signals that the keys have been tampered with and then knowing that we can retransmit a new secure key in real time.

If effective, this technique means that no amount of computational power would be able to break quantum-secured communications. It sounds a bit like science fiction, but quantum technologies have been developed in Singapore for over a decade. Since the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) was established at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2007, its researchers have contributed to 5,000 scientific papers, participated in projects supported by about $100 million in external grants and established several startups here.

The Government continues to work closely with CQT to deploy quantum technologies in real-world applications. Two weeks ago, the National Quantum-Safe Network was announced. It is a public-private consortium that will deploy QKD-enabled wireless networks across Singapore.

One of the spin-offs from CQT, SpeQtral, is commercialising a satellite that will allow for secure communication based on QKD technology, with support from EDB. When the satellite is launched and deployed into orbit, SpeQtral will be one of the first companies in the world to demonstrate a full commercial-scale solution.

I met the CEO, Lum Chune Yang, and his team last month and was very impressed by how they have followed through from their pioneering research and experiments, and together with the many commercial partners they have already lined up, such as Toshiba, to then bring this to life and come up with a commercially deployable solution.

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Quantum technology is just one area of future communications which we are developing. IMDA and the National Research Foundation are investing $70 million in our first national Future Communications Research and Development Programme (FCP). This programme will accelerate the next bound of communications and connectivity research, such as in 6G.

The international research community recognises Singapore's strong innovation capabilities. As part of FCP, we signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with 6G Flagship in July last year. This is the world's first and leading 6G research and development programme funded by the Academy of Finland. Through this, parties will deepen research and development collaboration on 6G, such as through organising workshops, and conducting joint research and educational projects between the researchers of both institutes.

And just two months ago, we signed another MOU with the Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences in the Republic of Korea.

Other than investing in research, we are also strengthening the translation of research, so that companies and citizens can reap tangible benefits from these technologies today.

The Cybersecurity Industry Call for Innovation by the Cybersecurity Agency of Singapore (CSA) enables companies to solve cybersecurity problem statements with innovative solutions.

Under this call, a local cybersecurity company, Flexxon, developed X-PHY in 2021. It is the world's first solid state drive (SSD) enabled with an AI cybersecurity defence. The drive is powered by an AI co-processor and a special firmware that provides real-time data protection against software-based attacks, such as malware, ransomware and viruses, and physical attacks, such as unauthorised cloning.

The X-PHY SSD continuously monitors itself without reading the stored files. When the drive detects tampering, it locks itself and alerts the owner. This user-friendly solution does not require complex configuration or constant updating. Lenovo has already teamed up with Flexxon to use these SSDs in some of its laptops.

Sir, I have elaborated on Singapore's investment in future-ready digital infrastructure and how we are breaking new ground with innovation. Let me turn now to how we are building on these efforts, together with international partners, for a secure and vibrant digital economy connected to the world.

Ms Tin Pei Ling and Mr Alex Yam were interested in the new global opportunities as well as challenges and risks in the digital domain. Issues such as cybersecurity, data protection and AI ethics, are complex issues that transcend geographical borders. We cannot solve these problems alone.

We need to build an international consensus on rules, norms and standards, so that the digital ecosystem is sustainable, interoperable and protected against both accidental and intended harms.

Members would be familiar with our Digital Economy Agreements (DEAs) that exemplify this approach. Singapore has signed DEAs with four countries, most recently, with the UK last month. We have also substantially concluded a DEA with the Republic of Korea in December 2021.

Mr Seah Kian Peng will be glad to know that Singapore's work with international stakeholders has been impactful and builds our global brand to be a trusted digital hub.

Internationally, we have made significant contributions to the cybersecurity community as well. We have been able to do so by drawing on our operational capabilities, technical expertise and innovation in cybersecurity and bringing these together with balanced policy and regulatory perspectives.

Critical to these efforts are the skilled and experienced cybersecurity personnel that represent us at many international discussions. Cybersecurity standards are one area where we are pushing ahead.

CSA launched the Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme (CLS) for consumer IoT devices in October 2020, the first of its kind in the Asia Pacific at that time. It has garnered interest amongst international partners, leading to an MOU with Finland for mutual recognition of cybersecurity labels.

CSA and the Singapore Standards Council have also launched the first national standard, the Technical Reference (TR) 91, on Cybersecurity Labelling for consumer IoT. This can be adopted across the board by manufacturers, developers, testing bodies and suppliers of consumer IoT devices.

Since December 2021, Singapore has assumed the chairmanship of the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on Security of and in the Use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). This is the main international platform charged with international cybersecurity policy discussions. We are facilitating discussions to achieve consensus on norms, rules and principles to advance a secure and interoperable cyberspace and encourage responsible state behaviour. Such efforts are all the more crucial, given the circumstances around the world.

Sir, I beg your indulgence as I move towards the close of my speech.

The Chairman: We are ahead of time; so, you can have the time.

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Thank you, Sir. Singapore has also made strong efforts to develop the interconnected data and AI ecosystems, striking a balance between data protection, data security and data innovation.

We took the lead to develop the ASEAN Model Contractual Clauses for Cross Border Data Flows (MCCs) to enable enterprises to transfer personal data for business transactions across borders with regulatory certainty. We are pushing to expand the recognition of these clauses in jurisdictions outside of ASEAN.

In parallel, we are working to advance responsible AI deployment globally. Building on Singapore's Model AI Governance Framework, we are partnering countries, such as the US and the UK to learn from international best practices and align AI governance principles.

We are also working with ASEAN member states to coordinate the development of an ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics. This will provide practical and implementable guidance to deploy AI responsibly and foster consumer confidence to use AI-enabled services in the region more widely.

Sir, I would like to conclude by emphasising the Government's commitment to building a digital future for Singapore that is economically vibrant, socially stable, safe and secure.

Harnessing opportunities in the digital space while managing the risks will be critical to our success and our survival. The Government and, through our partnerships, is putting in place various building blocks, with stakeholders, including digital capabilities, infrastructure, regulations, security and investments, for the future.

At the heart of our efforts lies our people, their potential and well-being. We have to aim for all Singaporeans to be empowered and to find fulfilment through their participation in the digital domain. And, together, we will build a vibrant and secure digital future. [Applause.]

The Chairman: We have some time for clarifications. Ms Tin Pei Ling.

Ms Tin Pei Ling: I have three clarifications. First, I would like to ask what are the types of harms to children that the new code of practice will be addressing. Second, will views from parents and the community be sought so that the types of harms that children are exposed to can also be addressed in the new code? And third, an update on girls and women in technology, their progress and representation from schools, within the industry and even within the IMDA programmes. Can there be an update on how we have progressed and how we have fared so far?

Mrs Josephine Teo: Mr Chairman, I thank Ms Tin Pei Ling for her three questions. I will take the first two questions, not because the third one is unimportant – it is very close to my heart. But today, for the purposes of the Committee of Supply debate, we would like to discuss the question of women in tech, together with how we are developing tech talent in general. So, Minister of State Tan Kiat How will address that.

On the question of what kinds of harm we are seeking to include in the codes, our aim is to ensure that our children can enjoy physical safety and emotional well-being. And so, the question is, online – what harms them? Or what could lead to them to be harmed, physically and emotionally? And parents have told us it is cyberbullying, sexual harassment, sexual grooming and exposure to inappropriate content – and there are three main categories: sex, violence and self-harm or other dangerous acts.

These harms are quite universal. Parents all around the world will agree that they do not wish their children to be exposed to them. So, I think they could be and should be included in the codes that we are planning.

But there are also differences that depend on societal norms as well as family norms. For example, below what age are certain types of content considered to be inappropriate? This would vary. Then there is, for example, the question of drug use. Some societies will find this more acceptable than others and we will have to cater for that.

Because of these differences, in particular, I see great value in us involving parents as well as the broader community in developing and designing the codes in the first instance and, in future, in updating the codes so that they stay relevant.

MCI has some experience in dealing with this and we can take, broadly, the same approach that we take with other advisory councils that we have consulted on a regular basis for films, for publications.

At the same time, we will continue to provide support to parents to help them protect their children online. This would be through the programmes that the Media Literacy Council, as well as the NLB, put forward and these were described by Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam earlier.

The Chairman: Minister of State Tan Kiat How.

Mr Tan Kiat How: Mr Chairman, I thank Ms Tin Pei Ling for a very important question, about women and girls in the tech sector.

Just to share some statistics and some updates, close to three in 10 of our students in our IDT courses, which I mentioned earlier, in our IHLs are female. And according to a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study, four in 10 of our tech professionals are women. This is well above the global average and we are very proud of it.

The SG Women in Tech movement, which was mentioned by Ms Tin Pei Ling, was started and driven by IMDA in 2019. It is supported by the community and, importantly, our industry partners. Over the last few years, they have made very good progress in terms of raising the awareness that diversity and inclusion are better for business. They have done many programmes to raise awareness and try and develop more girls and women in technology and established Singapore as a global leader in creating a supportive environment for women in tech.

Just to share some statistics with Ms Tin, since its launch in October 2019, the programme has reached out to more than 120,000 people through its initiatives and connecting over 115,000 girls in schools with female tech leaders through a series of Students Ask videos. It brought together over 600 women in the tech workforce for networking and mentoring events and, having received over 1,400 nominations for the Singapore 100 Women in Tech List in 2020 and 2021, they have identified the women leaders in our technology space who are role models and mentors.

To a point that Ms Tin asked earlier in her cut, which I did not manage to reply to fully, I will just provide updates on Mentor Connect, which is a cross-company mentorship programme in which women professionals and leaders in those companies mentor students and other girls and women who are interested in a career in technology. In fact, they have done well and reached out to many more schools. Many more companies are coming on board. I encourage women tech leaders and companies to join us in this effort.

3.30 pm

Mr Sharael Taha: Chairman, I thank Minister Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary, Minister of State Tan Kiat How and Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam for their replies. AI is an area with great transformative potential, fundamentally changing how our economy and society function, including jobs. What are the Government's plans to enable businesses and individuals to tap on the opportunities brought about by AI? And as AI deployment becomes more pervasive, how will the Government ensure responsible deployment of AI without stifling innovation?

Mrs Josephine Teo: Mr Chairman, Mr Sharael Taha has asked a really important question on AI and, for a topic of this nature, we can actually have a full seminar on it and we would not run out of things to talk about. But in the time that we have, perhaps let me just share with him some of the thinking that we have in the Government.

The Government recognises the rich potential of emerging technologies, like AI, to generate economic gains as well as to improve the lives of our people. This is why, in 2019, we launched the National AI Strategy and articulated the vision for Singapore to be a leader in developing and deploying scalable, impactful AI solutions in key sectors that are of high value and relevance to our businesses and our people. So, this vision was articulated.

Under the Prime Minister's Office, the National Artificial Intelligence Office (NAIO) launched an initial tranche of five national AI programmes. These covered the areas of logistics, smart estates, education, healthcare and border control. In November last year, the Deputy Prime Minister added two more. These are the National AI programmes for Government and for the finance sector.

How have we done thus far? Here, I want to caveat, we are not just talking about efforts in the last three years. We will be talking about efforts that preceded that.

In terms of research capabilities, we are making headway. If we base it on Field-weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) – it is an indicator that is commonly used to assess research capabilities – Singapore is actually first in the world, ranks number one. And if we look at the kind of research collaborations that tech companies have with our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) as well as the corporate labs that they have set up together, this attests to our research capabilities.

But in terms of the deployment into industries and businesses, I would say that it is quite uneven and also, I should add, there can be different types of AI being put to use. In the financial services sector, for example, machine learning is quite common today. You would find it particularly amongst the fintech companies. In the transport sector, we are beginning to see more and more deployment of autonomous systems. Of course, some using computer vision technologies. So, that is another area.

I would say that within each sector, the beauty of it is that it is not always the case – in fact, it is often not the case – that the bigger companies are better at it. New entrants are frequently more likely to experiment with new solutions provided by AI, because they are likely to be unencumbered by legacy systems and business processes.

Mr Sharael Taha had a second part of his question which is very important and that has got to do with the governance of it. It is a big topic but I should say that IMDA not just has programmes to promote AI adoption, it also seeks to ensure that AI is used in Singapore with a degree of security as well as accountability.

And how are we seeking to do so? In quick summary, quite early on, in fact, probably being one of the earliest countries to put out a Model AI Governance Framework, which has since been contextualised for different sectors in order to bring out the principles and practices and translate them into real actionable items in the sector.

We are also developing an AI Governance Testing Framework and a corresponding testing tool kit to help AI systems owners and developers become more transparent about how their AI works.

So, I would say that we are making all of these efforts in the hope that, truly, our businesses and our people can benefit from the rich potential of AI.

The Chairman: Our guillotine time is 3.55 pm. I think we have time for two or three more clarifications. I will call on Ms Jessica Tan first and then Mr Leong Mun Wai; and if there is any further clarification and we have time, then a third clarification. Ms Jessica Tan.

Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo: I thank the Minister of State for sharing about the formal programmes to develop talent and tech talent and also to bring institutions as well as companies together. What I did suggest in my cut – and I did appeal – was for MCI and related agencies to look at communities of learning and communities of practice of tech talent coming together. You can say that they can come together today on their own. But I think that if MCI can play a key role in facilitating that and supporting those, it would allow for a lot of learning amongst a very rich base of tech talent and digital talent that already exists in Singapore. I hope that I can get some response to that.

The Chairman: Minister of State Tan Kiat How.

Mr Tan Kiat How: Mr Chairman, I thank Ms Jessica Tan for her suggestion and idea. Behind the suggestion was really about having tech talent, basically tech professionals, coming together to share best practices, update one another on technological advances in this space, especially in this digital space which is evolving so quickly. New threats appear every day, cybersecurity data breaches as well as new practices in terms of how we apply technology, the kind of technical advances and innovation coming out from all over the world as well as Singapore. And I think the spirit of that, is something that we will consider and look at.

More importantly, I think it is working together with our industry associations, both the ICT companies and industry associations, SGTech, as well as the tech professionals' association, Singapore Computer Society, or SCS. Today, we already work together with them to mount many training and upskilling courses for our tech professionals, bringing tech professionals together to discuss issues. For example, is Web 3.0 reality or hype, whether NFTs are something that will be mainstream, what is the future for cryptocurrency, how we are thinking about cyber-attacks and cyber protection? These are topics and issues that we work very closely on with our industry partners, our industry association partners, SGTech and SCS, on many of these causes. So, certainly, we will take Ms Jessica Tan's suggestion and continue to expand on these areas.

The Chairman: Mr Leong Mun Wai.

Mr Leong Mun Wai: Chairman, I have two clarifications for the Minister.

But before that, I would like to clarify that I did not say SPH is a Government-owned company. I say SPH Media Trust. So, I hope the Minister will acknowledge that.

My first question is while SPH is not a Government-owned company, but the Government has considerable influence over SPH, the listed company, over the years. SPH has accumulated a huge amount of property assets from the profits generated from the near-monopoly print business in the past. So, the decision that the Government has made, means that the Government is okay to allow the shareholders to take away all the assets and leave behind a $900 million baby for the taxpayer to be burdened with. That is the first point.

The second clarification is when Minister S Iswaran presented this deal or this structure in Parliament some time ago, he also said that SPH Media Trust is going to have private donors. So, may I ask the Minister what is the progress in getting these private donors to also fund SPH Media Trust? Are the current shareholders and the future shareholders of SPH, the listed company, in a position to enjoy huge windfall profits going to some of those donors, that will help us out in the funding of SPH Media Trust?

The Chairman: Minister Josephine Teo.

Mrs Josephine Teo: Mr Speaker, what Mr Leong said or did not say is a matter of Parliamentary record, I do not think we need to speculate on that. A quick check would confirm whether he said it was SPH or whether it was SPH Media Trust. And if I heard wrongly, I apologise to him.

But, in any case, his questions are quite strange because, if he insists that SPH Media Trust is Government-owned, why would funding even be an issue? It is not something that we would have to come to Parliament and explain to Members about. It would be part of how other arms of the Government are funded and you would basically plan for it within the Ministry's block budget and be done with it.

But the fact that we are here explaining to Members the need to provide public funding to SPH Media Trust is precisely because it is not Government-owned. It is a company limited by guarantee (CLG). The Government does not own this company limited by guarantee and it did not own SPH, the listed entity. And so, the decisions of SPH, as a listed entity, must depend on its board and must, ultimately, depend on its shareholders.

So, Mr Leong suggests, or he seems to think, that it was an option for the media business to continue as part of the listed entity. I think the evidence speaks for itself. We have explained on several occasions by now – in May 2021, in February this year and, indeed, just an hour or so ago – why the economics of the media business have changed so much that it is no longer tenable for them to remain in the previous structure, part of a listed entity, with other businesses because the investments that are going to be needed for the media part of the business to transform are going to be quite involved. And a listed entity could not have invested the same kind of resources to keep it a viable, trusted institution that it is today.

3.45 pm

And so, we have basically two choices to make. If I could seek Members' indulgence to articulate them again.

One choice is to take our chances. Accept that this media business existing within a listed entity could decline and we live with the consequences. Alternatively, we mount a serious effort, do everything we can to help it to transform so that SPH Media Trust can remain a trusted institution serving the public good.

If we reject the former and we say it is the latter, then we have to just look at the kind of investments that are being made elsewhere in the world because we are not the only country in the world where the media business has been disrupted. And the funding that we are talking about, I recognise it is not a small amount, and that is why there has been full accountability to Parliament. But it is just into the ballpark that we see elsewhere in the world. These are not figures that are out of whack when we look at other countries' investments, the kind of media businesses having to make the investments.

So, it would appear to me that the fundamental difference is that Mr Leong, or the PSP, simply does not value our local mainstream media as much as the Government. Because, is up to $180 million a year to support trusted local media an excessive amount given the size of our economy – for our people and our businesses to be able to see the world through our own unique lens, for our voice to be projected without impediment, for our cultures and our traditions to be expressed in the way we want it to be expressed? So, I hope I am wrong but if Mr Leong or the PSP does not agree with supporting our local media, then I would really urge him to reconsider the position, whether it is wise for Singapore to do so. I would just stop right there.

The Chairman: Ms Hany Soh.

Ms Hany Soh: Chairman, I have a clarification in relation to the library. Currently, the National Library Board (NLB) has an app titled "Libby" which enables users to locate and borrow books and e-materials.

I just want to clarify or enquire whether the app can be further improved with more interactive and user-friendly features. For example, NLB can consider working with relevant agencies like Families for Life or NEA to create special thematic filters. The categories of readers can be further segregated to wider groups to recommend books to suit different stages in life, for example, expecting mothers and children of different age groups.

The Chairman: Ms Rahayu Mahzam.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam: I thank the Member for the clarification question. Indeed, it is a very meaningful suggestion. The libraries are already working with various partners because this effort of curating and encouraging, piquing people's interest is something we need to tap on the community to provide that whole array and buffet of interesting content for library goers. So, that is already something that is being done. And as far as the technology is concerned, we have been working with different partners to develop and use the different platforms for different demographics. We are also working with people in the community to create learning communities within the library. So, the Member's suggestion is definitely something that can be taken in and something that we can consider.

But I would like to just make a pitch, if you have not already, to go to the showcase and explore what are some of the other opportunities and we can work with partners on this.

The Chairman: Ms Mariam Jaafar. I think if you can make that clarification a quick one because I just saw Mr Pritam Singh's hand. So, if we have the time, I will give the time to Mr Pritam Singh.

Ms Mariam Jaafar: A quick clarification because I did not hear much about SME reskilling. Just to make sure that they have opportunities too.

The Chairman: Minister of State Tan Kiat How.

Mr Tan Kiat How: Chairman, Ms Mariam Jaafar asked about helping our SMEs reskill their staff and workforce in terms of digital skills when they transform digitally.

Indeed, this is an important area. If Members recall, last year, in December, if I recall correctly, SkillsFuture Singapore came up with the Future of Skills for the digital economy. And the number one skill that is in demand in the digital economy is really around technological application, that is, how to apply the skills to use the technology tool that an SME or a firm has put in place in its organisation. Having a tool is important, but to be able to use it effectively to achieve business outcomes is something that is really an important return on investment (ROI) that the SMEs need to think about.

In this regard, we have worked together with other agencies on a few areas. First, as part of our SMEs Go Digital, our industry digital plan, which I spoke about earlier, they are designed to account for these skills needs in the digital plan. Because the skill needs for different tools – applied in different sectors and different firms at different levels of digital maturity – will vary. These skills plan and training roadmap will have to be customised for that archetype of firms. And that will be as part of the industry digital plans.

So, when SMEs go through a process, develop digital plans, implement them, select the tools, select the solutions, that is a corresponding set of skills training that they can consider sending their employees to. It is linked up with the different skills frameworks, if available, across the different sectors.

Looking ahead, we will continue to expand the Continuing Education Training (CET) efforts with other Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to provide training for smaller firms across the economy as smaller firms like SMEs may face resource constraints in sending their employees for this sort of skills training. This will be coordinated under the overall effort under SMEs Go Digital.

We are also working together very closely with our counterparts, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), in thinking about how to meet the skill gaps in the digital economy, aligned with the SkillsFuture Report that they came up with around the digital economy. We work together with our tech sector industry association, SG Tech, tech professional association, Singapore Computer Society (SCS) which I mentioned earlier, so that, together, alongside their industry counterparts, SCS, SG Tech with their counterparts in other sectors, like industry associations, to work with them to identify and promote suitable digital upskilling opportunities for each sector.

As Ms Janet Ang suggested yesterday, we are adopting an industry supporting industry approach, an industry training industry approach with TACs playing an important role. Just to assure Ms Mariam Jaafar that it is something we are working on. More details will be shared at MOE's Committee of Supply.

The Chairman: Final clarification. Mr Pritam Singh.

Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied): Mr Chairman, just a point of clarification. I understand from Notice Paper B003 of 2022 the revised "guillotine" time for today is listed as 4.15 pm and not 3.55 pm.

The Chairman: It was revised to 3.55 pm as I have been advised by the Clerks.

Mr Pritam Singh: I just went out of the Chamber about five to 10 minutes ago to check and it is still listed as 4.15 pm. But I note the Chairman's point.

The Chairman: This is the result of the tea break which has not been factored in. So, the cut-off is 3.55 pm.

Mr Pritam Singh: I see.

The Chairman: It would have been what you had suggested if I had taken a tea break before. Are you suggesting you want a tea break now?

Mr Pritam Singh: If it means we have 20 more minutes?

The Chairman: Or would you rather have the final clarification?

Mr Pritam Singh: I do not think that is much of a choice, Mr Chairman.

The Chairman: Either way, just go ahead.

Mr Pritam Singh: Either way, it does not extend our time. So, I will just put my question.

The Chairman: Please.

Mr Pritam Singh: Thank you, first, to the Minister for clarifying the question. I seek some clarity on the question on SPH Media Trust.

When Minister S Iswaran spoke of this arrangement because of the changing nature of the media landscape, the Minister said that SPH will, first, form a new subsidiary and transfer the media-related businesses, properties and some cash and SPH shares and REIT units to the subsidiary. And then, subsequently, if the shareholders give their approval, the subsidiary will be transferred to the CLG.

I think the substance of what Mr Leong is getting at is about the privatisation of profits and the socialisation of costs to the taxpayer.

So, my question or clarification is: when SPH's proposal was considered by the Government, how far did the Government go to require SPH to transfer segments of its business which would allow the CLG to be self-funded as far as possible in view of the range of assets owned by the SPH group? And what was the nature of those discussions and how much did the Government push, so as to limit the burden on the taxpayer?

The Chairman: Minister Josephine Teo.

Mrs Josephine Teo: Mr Chairman, I will be brief. I have covered the amounts that the shareholders voted and agreed to when the restructuring was tabled to the Extraordinary General Meeting. The shareholders voted and agreed to an initial injection of $80 million cash and $30 million worth of shares for SPH Media Trust. And in the detailed proposal, they also outlined all of the physical assets that would be transferred.

I think it is not a case of how much the Government pushes the shareholders. Ultimately, SPH Media Trust is a restructuring of a media business that existed within a listed company. And so, as things go, it is the proposal that is made by the management to the shareholders that must pass muster. And this was the proposal that passed muster. It is a matter of speculation whether the restructuring proposal could have gone through with an even higher contribution. And if it had not gone through, then this whole restructuring exercise would not have been able to proceed. In which case, then, I think we are stuck with an even bigger problem. So, I just wanted to put that in context.

The Chairman: Ms Tin Pei Ling, would you like to withdraw your amendment.

Ms Tin Pei Ling: Thank you, Minister, Senior Minister of State, Minister of State and Parliamentary Secretary for a very comprehensive reply. I think it is quite clear that the future holds many possibilities, much needs to be built, a lot of balancing to do. And a big thanks to all the officers from MCI, all the Statutory Boards, as well as SNDGG. With that, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $1,549,888,000 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $60,645,700 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

The Chairman: Order. I propose to take a break now.

Thereupon Mr Deputy Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair at 4.15 pm.

Sitting accordingly suspended

at 4.00 pm until 4.15 pm.

Sitting resumed at 4.15 pm.

[Deputy Speaker (Mr Christopher de Souza) in the Chair]