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

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

Building and Protecting Singapore

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

Singapore has great ambitions to achieve a thriving digital economy and smart nation. In past Parliamentary debates, I argued that talent and data are, in my opinion, the most basic yet most important success factors. We need data to innovate and we need people to get things done. This remains true.

But along with new capabilities come new opportunities and challenges. For example, vast amounts of data could be used to train Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve productivity and reduce human errors but it could perpetuate biases if we are not careful with the quality of data used. Scale and speed of how information can get transmitted online help to share knowledge and impart new skills regardless of where the parties are and when, and perhaps even rally people to raise resources to help strangers or foreign countries in crisis. But if misused, it can also propagate, extend and magnify harm to the innocent.

Therefore, legislation becomes a powerful tool to protect the vulnerable from harm online. It can provide clarity to what is considered harmful, what recourse does a victim have and who should be responsible for what actions needed. And on responsibility, it is increasingly clear that protecting users is no longer just the responsibility of the Government or the individuals, but platforms too have gained the expertise and perspective over time to join the fight against online harms.

With this understanding, the Online Safety Bill was passed in this House last year. Could the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) provide an update on the implementation progress thus far? What are MCI's next steps in ensuring the safety of Singapore users beyond social media services? For example, during the debate last year, I raised my concerns about having adequate protection in the Metaverse and the need for legislation and protection mechanisms to catch up with technological development.

We must protect our people online just as we do in the real world. But in doing so, we also need to calibrate carefully so that we do not inadvertently suffocate innovation or over-burden well-meaning businesses wanting to scale and thrive. This is also aligned to the spirit of Government's efforts in encouraging businesses to go digital in Singapore. Hence, it is important for regulations and compliance to be clear in its objectives, streamline processes and paperwork so that whatever is needed to be done addresses the objectives on point, not more than what is needed. Otherwise, we risk hampering smaller enterprises' digitalisation journey and lose out further, because large enterprises are typically better resourced to meet these requirements.

For example, how do we balance data protection and data for innovation? I will talk more about this in my other cut. And in encouraging enterprises or individuals to digitalise and upskill through monetary incentives, we need to ask might the application or accountability process be so tedious such that they end up remaining in their comfort zones and stick to just being "good enough" and avoid digital transformation altogether? Could the MCI share more about its efforts in removing barriers and encouraging Singaporeans and enterprises to go digital?

Government interventions can also shape market development. Schemes such as Tech Pass, TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA), Professional Conversion Programme (PCP) help to boost tech talent supply. Government expounding on the need for more tech talents and highlighting the specific profiles in demand serve to inform and influence students' decisions in what to major or specialise in. Such "intervention" is useful as it helps to connect the industry and education and align the demand and supply.

Sir, the digital future is upon us. The challenges and opportunities presented will require a wise and competent Government that can harness the power of technology to build Singapore while putting in place guardrails to protect our people. How then will the Government ensure a good balance between protection and facilitation?

Question proposed.

Cyber Addiction

Ms Hany Soh (Marsiling-Yew Tee): In a Straits Times article published in October 2014, it was revealed that an online survey conducted across 9,417 respondents in countries like India, Singapore, UK, USA, Germany and France found Singaporeans to be the second-most Internet addicted people in the world. Since then, I reckon the numbers of cyber addictions are likely on the rise, as Singaporeans in general have experienced longer screen time, having been cooped up at home during the circuit breaker, coupled with more home-based learning through laptops and tablets which are being introduced to our children and with more companies now being more supportive of telecommuting and flexible work arrangements for its employees.

I wish to ask, have any recent studies been done if the numbers are indeed on the rise and do we know which age groups are more prone to cyber addictions? What are the measures taken by our Government in countering cyber addictions, especially for youths and young children? How can MCI play a part in equipping schools, parents and the community at large in raising awareness on the risks of cyber addictions and the methods of prevention?

Digitalisation for Seniors

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied): Sir, digitalisation has taken off in a big way in Singapore. Unfortunately, this has also left many elderly and less tech-savvy citizens behind. What takes digital natives a few seconds to complete can be painfully difficult for some seniors. Many struggle to come up with strong passwords and have difficulty typing them. Tapping a phone screen or double clicking a mouse poses dexterity challenges.

The solution, however, is not to run manual and digital services in parallel forever. That would negate the productivity benefits brought about by digitalisation. Instead, firms and Government agencies should provide in-person assistance to seniors to navigate their digital services.

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I am aware that ServiceSG centres have been set up to assist seniors with Government digital services. However, there are only six such centres, which may not be within easy reach of all residents. Can more ServiceSG centres be set up in every neighbourhood? More importantly, how is the Government raising awareness among residents of their availability? Are private sector organisations like banks expected to provide such services for their less digitally savvy customers?

Many seniors are already wary of using technology. The threat of scams amplifies their fears. While seniors are not the only victims of scams, they tend to feel much more vulnerable. Their adult children, Government advertisements and the media are constantly sounding warnings to them. That message has sunk in to such an extent that many of them avoid using digital services like Internet banking altogether, for fear of being scammed. However, without Internet banking accounts, they will encounter many roadblocks in an increasingly cashless society.

How is the Government tackling the challenge of getting seniors to embrace digital technology while also ensuring they are informed about basic precautions to avoid falling victim to scams?

Online Safety

Mr Baey Yam Keng (Tampines): Vulnerable groups are disproportionately affected by harmful online content which can include hate speech, cyberbullying, online harassment, disinformation, scams and fraud, and predatory behaviour.

We tend to assume that the vulnerable are the elderly who are digital dinosaurs. However, according to recent data released by the Singapore Police Force, young adults aged 20 to 39 made up 53.5% of all scam victims who were cheated of $660.7 million in 2022.

Young people may be familiar with technology, using it every day but they may lack the maturity, life experiences and alertness to protect themselves. The frequent exposure will also increase the opportunities for those with malicious intent.

For example, children are at risk of being exposed to inappropriate content, such as violence, pornography, and extremist propaganda. We just learnt of the 15-year-old self-radicalised student who wanted to carry out knife attacks and behead non-Muslims in Singapore, as well as becoming a suicide bomber.

Women can also be targeted with online harassment and abuse, including threats of violence, sexual harassment and revenge porn.

People with disabilities may be targeted with online abuse and hate speech. They may also face barriers in accessing online content and services due to inaccessible web design and digital platforms.

LGBTQ+ individuals are also at risk of being targeted with hate speech and discrimination online. This can lead to feelings of isolation and distress and can contribute to mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression.

In 2020, I did an IG live chat with Keegan, a 19-year-old resident of mine who was undergoing hormone replacement therapy. Keegan was brave enough to want to share his journey in gender transition and how his family had supported him. While there were many voices of encouragement for him, I understand that unfortunately, Keegan also experienced online hate speech and attacks.

Overall, harmful online content can have a significant impact on vulnerable groups. The groups span a wide spectrum and their challenges and needs could be very specific. The Government should raise general awareness of these issues and take steps to protect vulnerable individuals from online harm. It is also important to work with the respective communities and organisations which are familiar with the subject matter. May I ask the Ministry for its strategies and plans in this area?

Archives for Legislative Use

Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied): Thank you, Chairman. Sir, in the second half of last year, I wrote to the National Archives in Singapore to request two Government files, the challenge of attracting international talent and the evolution of the work pass framework. Both these documents were referred to by a writer in the bibliography of his book, "The History of the People's Action Party", which is now on public sale. The National Archives said that they did not have the documents but that they were in the hands of the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

I wrote to MOM. However, MOM replied to say that it does not, as a general policy, grant public access to Government files that have not been made public through the National Archives. It also said that Members of Parliament similarly do not have access to Government files and can seek information from the Government through a Parliamentary Question. It also shared that for the book in question, the Ministry granted special permission to cite relevant information in some Government files, subject to conditions to do research in the writing of the book.

I find it incongruent that such information on important national policies can be extended to a researcher but not to legislators for whom the background to policy can be critical. Would the Government be prepared to loosen its criteria for request to such file, which have already been made conditionally public to others for research purposes to all sitting Members of Parliament?

The Chairman: Ms He Ting Ru, take your two cuts together, please.

Declassifying National Archives

Ms He Ting Ru (Sengkang): Thank you, Sir. When we talk about building resilience as a nation, we should also avoid hindering the public's ability to scrutinise and deeply learn about our history so that we and our children may develop a more precise understanding and draw insights from it to formulate better decisions for the future.

I would like to ask the Minister for an update on the number and proportion of Government documents that are at least 25 years old and are part of the public archives contained in a publicly accessible National Archives online.

First, if declassification continues to be slow, is the Government using or working on one day using new tech, like, AI, to accelerate the process? Secondly, I understand that request on National Archives online take up to 12 weeks. Why are these documents not automatically visible since they are already declassified? This lowers the barriers for research and will foster a broader ecosystem on the study of our history.

The Leader of the Opposition earlier spoke what the difficulties he faced when making requests to access certain Government files, despite the documents being made available to researchers previously. Could we thus refine the request process to make clearer the mechanisms available to individuals who wish to appeal against rejections of their requests, by allowing an independent process by which the appeal is adjudicated? This process can also take into account concerns about other decisions surrounding declassification issues.

When former Member for Aljunied GRC, Mr Low Thia Khiang, filed a cut on this topic in 2014, he noted that the 30-year rule was adopted by many countries, including the United Kingdom and Israel. Since then, the UK has completed the transition to a 20-year rule and Israel has moved to a 15-year declassification regime for most of its non-security-related foreign policy documents, while remaining sensitive to its current security situation. As Mr Low mentioned, we surely are in a better position than Israel.

Thus, it is that we repeat our call for such documents to be declassified, 25 years from the date of record and to make them freely accessible to all.

Government Advertising KPIs

Mr Chairman, in today's interconnected world, state agencies, like other public facing entities and corporations need to conduct outreach. This is understandable. Singaporeans need and deserve timely accurate and useful information about public services, and also about the work that our Public Service does.

What Singaporeans are less informed about is the effectiveness of public relations, outreach and advertising campaigns, run by state agencies. Campaigns and actions run on public money should be accountable to the public, not just in terms of whether there is wrongdoing. There is little indication that this is the case, but it is also about how the money is spent and how effective that expenditure is.

Responding to a Parliamentary Question posed last year, the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) estimated that Government spend $150 million to $175 million in advertising in FY2019, with increases of between 30% and 50% in FY2020 and FY 2021. MCI estimated then, for the first half of FY 2022, were between $50 million and $75 million.

Recently, Singaporeans have also noticed prominent advertising campaigns relating to Ministry of National Development (MND)'s efforts to keep public housing affordable. While public awareness and education efforts are necessary, these are still large sums of money. Additionally, the reply to the same Parliamentary Question above also notes that MCI does not track clicks and impressions as each Ministry is responsible for its own advertising budget and effectiveness.

It appears to be a missed opportunity here. MCI should assess the effectiveness of the various different campaigns and outreach programmes across Ministries into which Singapore puts our funds. This will give a better holistic view on how these programmes and campaigns are evaluated and thus adjusted to improve effects or, if necessary, cut for under performance. What are the obstacles in either tracking the effectiveness of these campaigns or publishing reports of KPIs? How else could we address the concerns above? After all, fiscal prudence also means that we need to be able to maximise the bang for our buck, when it comes to spending public funds.

The Chairman: Mr Leon Perera, both cuts, please.

Government Advertising

Mr Leon Perera (Aljunied): Mr Chairman, extrapolating from a Parliamentary Question reply, the Government's total spending on advertising in 2022 may have been well over $100 million. I will make two points.

Firstly, there has been concern expressed about an SGAG Instagram post that was only labelled "#sp". The Instagram function to show that an IG post is sponsored was not used in that particular instance.

For transparency, would the Government agree to have clear labels on all advertisements indicating the responsible agency? After all, political ads are required to have labels issued by the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation (POFMA) Office.

Secondly, I agree that there is a legitimate public interest served in Government advertising that serves to nudge citizens to do beneficial things, like take up healthy habits or apply for a useful scheme, for example.

But some advertising seems to not embody a nudging intent. Some ads seem to be aimed more at fostering "feel good" vibes towards an agency, and some even seem aimed at persuading the public to see the Government in a good light, with no clear public interest served in terms of ultimately nudging positive behaviours.

I only have time for one example. This is an advertisement on the housing programme. This ad, referred to by the hon members Mr Leong Mun Wai and Ms Hazel Poa earlier in this House, is aimed at persuading the public that, "We are committed to keeping HDB flats affordable and accessible for Singaporeans" and presents various factoids about Build-To-Order (BTO) launches and prices.

But what is the public interest served here? To raise awareness so people apply for BTOs? But is this necessary? The application rates for BTOs are already very high and rising. Is there a need to raise awareness? So, what behaviour exactly are we nudging with this ad?

Moreover, the ad seems more aimed at persuading people that the Government is doing a good job, keeping housing affordable and accessible, which is an opinion about public policy and one might say, politics.

If the reply is that such advertising raises public confidence and trust in the agency or Government and hence, conduces more public participation in schemes, surely, the best way to establish trust is good service delivery and surely that trust cannot be bought with advertising.

So, as to free up more revenue for the Budget, I would suggest that ads be run only where there is a measurable behavioural trade-off. A return on investment test should be applied. Revenue should not be spent on ads that generate "feel good" vibes or which aim to persuade people that the Government is doing a good job. The latter is more akin to political advertising and should not be funded with public money.

Advertising Standards

Mr Chairman, the practice of making false environmentally-friendly claims in advertising is dubbed greenwashing. In Singapore, it would seem that action is very rarely taken against advertisers who make dubious claims with the intent to deceive consumers that their products are "environmentally-friendly", "carbon neutral" and so on.

Some countries have legislated on this issue. For example, France's Climate Law prohibits companies from advertising that their products are carbon neutral, unless they can provide public information to back that up. South Korea's government is simplifying its process to fine companies that make false claims about environmental impact. The UK government has created a Green Claims Code and done some enforcement around that.

While what counts as greenwashing is not always clear, I would like to propose some solutions here.

First, our Singapore Code of Advertising Practice should explicitly cover greenwashing, with the Government developing legislation to bring clarity on what constitutes greenwashing in advertising. Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) and industry bodies can support this, with the Government playing an arbiter role and also taking reference from definitions found in laws overseas while adapting them locally.

When ready, we can develop relevant legislation, which could include the mandatory provision of supporting documents for companies that choose to make green claims.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is an early adopter of initiatives to tackle greenwashing, which could provide lessons. In 2022, MAS announced that funds that are sold to retail investors in Singapore under the label of meeting environmental, social, governance (ESG) standards will now have to back up their claims with new disclosure and reporting guidelines.

Aside from legislating and enforcing against false advertising under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act and sector-specific laws like the Estate Agents Act and the Medicines Act, much more also needs to be done on engaging the public to remind them that spotting and reporting potential offences is a public good and will benefit society.

Engagement will also better help us understand what the key on-the-ground issues with greenwashing are, even as we eventually aim to legislate and enforce against greenwashing.

Trusted Content

Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo (East Coast): Mr Chairman, the advancement in technology has given rise to people accessing news online both from mainstream media as well as other sources.

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Based on a survey conducted in Singapore from the end of January to February in 2022, 83% of respondents indicated that they get their news online, including through social media.

Public funding is being provided to our local media organisations to enable them to better service audiences in a digital age. There is increasing competition for eyeballs online.

What are our local media organsations doing to capture the attention of news readers online to retain and grow share?

With the potential of harmful influences online, how are our local media organisations building and strengthening their capabilities to engage audiences online and to maintain trust, especially amongst younger demographics?

Digitally-inclusive Singapore

Ms Tin Pei Ling: Sir, the digital future is certain. But we must not inadvertently create a new inequality or widen the existing gap, between those who can access and exploit the new digital technologies, and those who cannot.

Our digitalisation efforts today are for the youths today and seniors tomorrow. But we still have a generation of senior Singaporeans who struggle to keep up with the pace of digitalisation, despite everyone's best efforts. Some are fearful of being left out or left behind totally.

Hence, as we digitalise, we must continue to help the more vulnerable or less privileged amongst us to: one, maintain access to critical services and information online/offliine; two be empowered with data connection and devices if they wished to go digital; three, be equipped with the right skills; and four, build up confidence in the digital world.

The Government must continue to make available support and schemes that address these four areas. Therefore, I would like to ask:

How has the Government progressed in ensuring Singaporeans have access and have the know-how to harness the benefits of going digital?

What are the "wins" and opportunities for improvement?

Therefore, the Government should also design and proliferate solutions that connect seniors to the wider community, and design it in a way that is easy for them to use and not daunting. In the MacPherson constituency, we tried doing this with the MacPherson Care app. It has not easy, but we will continue to persevere. But we should also encourage such efforts across the nation too.

Therefore, I would like to ask: how will the Government encourage similar ground-up community initiatives to solve real life problems?

Information Literacy

As we continue on our journey towards digitalisation, information literacy is increasingly important. Legislations such as the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) has accorded the Government the ability to respond to egregious falsehoods that are against the public interest. However, fake news, malicious falsehoods and scams continue to sprout, 就好像打不死的蟑螂.

A whole-of-society effort is needed to combat misinformation. Educating the public on how to discern fake news and falsehoods such that it becomes a natural intuition is the best way to inoculate our population against the poison of falsehoods.

Currently, there are lessons in school to raise awareness on online falsehoods and scams, but there is room to dive deeper and encourage greater critical thinking through quizzes and project work as students mature and advance. That being said, adults are just as vulnerable – it is not easy to discern which information source is credible. The Government has several good initiatives such as the "Fight Fake News" website and the Source, Understand, Research and Evaluate (S.U.R.E) steps in four languages.

What else is the Government doing to raise awareness of the importance of information literacy and educating the public to be discerning readers?

Inclusive Digitalisation

Mr Baey Yam Keng: Sir, I had my first mobile phone in 1995 when I started working. At that time, it was technically a portable wireless telephone that people used for making calls and sending short messages (SMSes). Today, the mobile phone is a lot more than that. In fact, I do not think many people use their mobile phones just to make a call or send an SMS today. We use it to check our social media, do our shopping, make our bank transfers, play games, take photos, among the many things that we multitask in modern day life. The handheld device connects us to a whole digital world.

The spaces we can reach through digital means have become larger, as we perform almost all transactions, connect with anyone anywhere in the world, through a small screen at a fingertip.

However, there are individuals in Singapore who find difficulty navigating a small screen. To them, their world has become smaller.

Recently, I attended a session conducted by Infocomm Media Development Agency's (IMDA) digital ambassadors at Brahm Centre in Tampines. A mock-up grocery store was set up for senior residents to make purchases via e-payment. The ambassadors were very patient and provided one-on-one service to show the seniors step by step. I know my residents found it useful. But I just hope that they will have the confidence to do e-payments in real life. However, I also noticed that some residents were still hesitant.

I remember years ago, when automated teller machines (ATMs) became available, it also took me a while to trust that the machine would dispense the right amount of money and update my bank account accordingly. And I was a young man then. Imagine the apprehension of a much older person facing the digital world today.

Hence, I was heartened that Minister Josephine Teo spoke about the "Digital first, but not Digital-only" approach as a kinder and more appropriate position to take. I fully applaud that. While we should go as far as what the digital world could take us, the Government should lead by example to still make essential services available through non-digital means. The Government will have to allocate some manpower resources to offer counter services, a hotline manned by a real person, process cheque payment and so on.

I would like to ask the Minister to elaborate how we are preparing Singaporeans in a "Digital first, but not Digital-only" approach.

The Chairman: Mr Alex Yam. Not here. Ms Hany Soh.

Enhance Seniors' Digital Literacy

Ms Hany Soh: Chairman, in Mandarin, please.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Digital services are becoming increasingly common in our society. However, many seniors are still reluctant towards digital living. They are afraid of falling into online scam traps from inadvertently pressing a wrong button. While digital services carry certain risks, they also bring many conveniences.

With a smartphone, we are able to know what is happening in the world and learn new knowledge without going out.

What plans does the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) have to further improve the digital know-how and skills of the seniors?

In Woodgrove, I am very grateful to the team of digital ambassadors at the SG Digital Community Hub. Prior to the upgrading of the Fuchun Community Club, they worked from 10 am to 6 pm daily to help our seniors, guiding seniors on a one-to-one basis to help them move towards digital living. During this period of time when our Community Club is under renovation, they continue to work closely with Citizens' Consultative Committee to go outdoors and set up digital assistance booths at a series of activities organised by the Woodgrove community, to encourage senior citizens to embark on a digital Journey. Take for example the recent Community Emergency Preparedness Day held at 888 Plaza jointly organised with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). The digital ambassadors present on that day encouraged our residents to download the SCDF's My Responder app which offers many benefits such as the location of the closest AED when someone needs CPR urgently.

The Chairman: Mr Christopher de Souza, take your two cuts together.

Assisting Seniors with Digitalisation

Mr Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah): Sir, as we seek to future-proof our economy and build digital infrastructure to be the bedrock of a secure and resilient digital economy, we must journey alongside seniors in the digitalisation process to ensure that the process is safe and secure for each individual especially with the advent of fake news and the prevalence of online scams we need to protect the most vulnerable population against a blind venture into the digital unknown.

In the process of allowing seniors to go digital, may I ask if the SG Digital Office and IMDA will continue to connect at a human level to ease and smoothen the digital transformation for our seniors.

Assistance Needed for Digitalisation

Sir, as our city state transitions to adapt to the fast-evolving digital space, we must build a robust digital infrastructure that incorporates every facet of society and ensure that no one gets left behind. The initiative by the SG Digital Office to allow hawkers to go digital is an important aspect of this.

Would MCI and IMDA consider how this can apply to a larger number of shops and small businesses in the heartlands? The process must be paced to allow SMEs to understand how the transition will operate within the context of their business. Assisting SMEs and heartland operators in this regard is key.

Digital for Life

Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo: Mr Chairman, the Digital for Life movement was set up to promote digital inclusion, encourage and support Singaporeans from all walks of life to embrace digital technologies to participate in the digital world and enrich their lives. An important aspect that the Digital for Life movement is to promote good digital habits which includes cyber safety, media literacy and how to manage risks and handle online harms.

I have been fortunate to engage with the Digital for Life partners and I am heartened to see the Digital for Life's vibrant and diverse ecosystem of partners from the people, and the private and public sectors.

But as digitalisation becomes increasingly embedded in our lives, how is the Government enhancing partnerships with the people, and the private and public sectors to enhance the Digital for Life movement to scale digital inclusion to enable the less digitally-savvy to participate digitally in their daily lives and to allow them to take advantage of the opportunities presented?

Digital Empowerment

Ms Rahayu Mahzam (Jurong): Mr Chairman, I have had the good fortune of working with the teams at MCI and IMDA in the past as they developed the Digital for Life efforts, including the DfL Festival. I can attest to the creativity and dedication of the teams in creating various meaningful platforms and opportunities for learning and collaboration, as we work to enhance digital literacy and capabilities within the community.

One of the beautiful things about the DfL effort is the community of partners that have been rallied to support digital empowerment. I brought my grassroots leaders to the DfL Festival at Heartbeat@Bedok last year and they were inspired by the array of programmes available for the community. They made friends with a few DfL partners and have since brought back ideas to Bukit Batok East (BBE) and worked with some partners.

I had received a kind donation of laptops from Tian Kong and Kancanarama Buddhist Temple and we worked with Byte, a DfL partner, to organise a Byte Void-Deck Technology Lab (VDTL) Coding Programme for young children at Bukit Batok East (BBE). My grassroot leaders also organised an Inclusive Family Carnival and brought in IMDA so that seniors and those in the special needs community could get access to mobile data plans as part of the Data for All initiative. I must also mention that the digital ambassadors had joined us for many community programmes, creating awareness and providing support in digital empowerment for my residents at Bukit Batok East (BBE).

In observing the engagements, I note that there is a need to use different modalities for different demographics and to tier the empowerment strategies to fit the various levels of capabilities. There is also value in thinking about good and thoughtful design of digital changes that allows for meaningful transition in a way that does not overwhelm those who are not digitally savvy.

Former Nominated Member of Parliament, Prof Lim Sun Sun, shared her views in an article in The Straits Times last year about the lessons we could take from the design of the CDC vouchers. She mentioned the principle of skeuomorphism, where functions or objects in digital interfaces resemble their physical counterparts. This makes the digital interfaces more familiar to users, and to some extent more intuitive. She lauded the design of the denominations of the vouchers and the consideration for the digitally less adept. In fact, she said the thoughtful design may also help ease later adopters into accepting more advanced modes of digital payment.

Indeed, the roll-out of the CDC vouchers was an opportunity for me to engage many of the elderly residents as well as the heartland shop owners on digital capability. Some of my elderly Bukit Batok East (BBE) residents would come to my community club office to get the print-out of the CDC vouchers but there were also some who sought to learn how to download the vouchers and use their phones to pay for their purchases

We will continue to slowly build capability at different levels so that people do not feel left out and can also grow in this digitalisation process.

This journey needs to continue, not just for Bukit Batok East (BBE) but also the whole nation. There is a lot more that we can do to ensure efforts are inclusive to address different needs and different capabilities. The Digital for Life movement is a great effort and platform that can bring Singaporeans from all ages and all walks of life to embrace digital learning as a lifelong pursuit.

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I would therefore like to ask about the progress of the DfL movement so far. What is next and what can we look forward to in doing more so that no one is left behind?

The Chairman: Mr Sharael Taha, your three cuts, please.

Bridging the Digital Divide

Mr Sharael Taha (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Thank you, Chairman. The new NEU PC Plus Programme and Home Access programme ensure that children from lower-income families are not disadvantaged and have access to digital hardware and home broadband.

With increased digitalisation and the future of work changing, our school-going children must acquire digital competencies that will ensure that they are ready for the future workplace.

How do we ensure that our school-going children not only have access to hardware but are also digitally proficient? In particular, how do we bridge the digital divide and ensure that children from lower-income families are not disadvantaged and will have the opportunity to develop their digital proficiency?

Digitalisation – Reducing Business Cost

Through the efforts of MCI to grow the Information and Communications (I&C) sector and drive digital maturity, many firms have adopted digital technology. MCI has been developing the digital ecosystem and advancing digital utilities such as PayNow and Singpass and also providing support for broad-based enterprise digitalisation.

Beyond just adopting digital technology, how can we ensure that digitalisation enables Singapore to remain globally competitive even as businesses face rising costs. Many businesses cite costs of implementation as a barrier to adopt digital technology. How do you assist companies to bring about cost savings from their digital investments?

For companies that have embraced digitalisation and want to further enhance their capabilities, how are we supporting them to do so?

Retaining Tech Talent

In January, globally, Microsoft cut 10,000 jobs. Google parent, Alphabet, removed 12,000 of its employees. Amazon shed 18,000 jobs and Salesforce axed 10% of its workforce.

According to a Straits Times news report, technology firms laid off 1,270 resident Singaporean workers between July and mid-November 2022. Many of the layoffs were due to economical uncertainty and aggressive overhiring during the tech boom years.

Given the volatility of the labour market as tech companies rationalise their operations, how are we ensuring that our tech workforce stays resilient, especially with the rapid evolution of technology?

Connecting Citizens to Opportunities

Mr Eric Chua (Tanjong Pagar): Chairman, we live in an era of technological disruptions. These disruptions are changing the way we live, work and interact with each other.

At the workplace, the adoption of artificial intelligence, robotics and machine learning technologies will unfortunately translate into structural unemployment for segments of our economy as jobs that have been around for generations get relegated to the history books.

The way business has been conventionally conducted in industries such as retail and media are also being ruthlessly upended. Technological disruptions often exacerbate the digital divide, thereby further deepening the rifts between the young versus the old, the haves versus the have nots. Even in non-IT sectors, employers increasingly expect employees to possess adequate IT competencies.

For instance, it is not a stretch for organisations to expect employees to exhibit basic mastery in areas such as cybersecurity.

For example, an organisation's cyber defence is only as strong as its weakest link. An employee that succumbs to phishing emails, unintentionally introduces malware into a company's network, thereby opening the doors for corporate espionage or sabotage activities, would likely not be viewed upon favourably by his or her supervisors.

Increasingly, a good command of IT skills is fast becoming a core skill employers look out for.

Employees may be expected to leverage technology in enhancing collaboration across teams at the workplace. Employers may increasingly expect employees to be proficient in using collaboration tools and platforms to work closely with their colleagues and business partners. Employers may also expect employees to harness technology to innovate business processes, improve customer service experiences and enhance overall productivity.

How can we help Singaporeans grow relevant digital competencies such that they can keep up and stay ahead of the curve in a world of continuing technological disruptions?

How do we make "learning and adapting to ever-changing technologies" a way of life amongst our working population? How do we help more senior members of our workforce manage the stresses of adapting to new technologies and tools?

After all, it is only human for one to be anxious about the unknown and to fear making mistakes. This is particularly so in work environments such as in the healthcare industry, where any mistakes in the use of technology can result in grave consequences.

The Chairman: Mr Abdul Samad. Not here. Ms Janet Ang.

Trust and Talent in Digital Economy

Ms Janet Ang (Nominated Member): Mr Chairman, digital transformation is a strategic imperative for all businesses in the new economy.

Over the past several years, the Government has partnered industry to drive "SMEs Go Digital" with pre-approved solutions, business grants as well as consultancy support. Yet, only 19% of our companies in the National Business Survey have listed "Digital Transformation" as one of their top five priorities.

How well have our SMEs adopted digitalisation and what else is MCI and IMDA doing in 2023 to further drive digital transformation, especially amongst our SMEs?

E-payment with PayNow was a lifesaver for businesses during the pandemic. Can MCI update us on the progress of e-payment adoption as well as e-invoicing and e-signature?

In the most recent Singapore Business Federation (SBF) survey, businesses have called out that the lack of talent and know-how are barriers for SMEs to digitalise and transform. Can the Minister update us on how the implementation of CTO-as-a-Service has supported the SMEs with regards to digital leadership and know-how?

TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) and Career Conversion Programmes have focused on developing and reskilling local talent to meet the demands for information and communications technology (ICT) skills. How successful have we been developing the required skills to meet our needs?

At the same time, how successful have we been in attracting strategic global tech talent with the ONE Pass programme?

MCI is the Government's communications agency. I have heard positive feedback on the efforts made to make Budget 2023 simple to understand for the ordinary Singaporean and businesses.

That said, what measures are in place to ensure that Government agencies do not spend on advertising on what can be perceived as self-promotion of the Government or to show it in a positive light? How does MCI measure the effectiveness of its spending?

Partnering Industries for the Future

Ms Tin Pei Ling: Sir, 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. Last year, Senior Minister of State Janil reported at the COS that we are on track for nationwide 5G coverage in Singapore by 2025. Could we get an update on the implementation of 5G coverage and if it could be expedited so that Singapore can capture the value created with 5G sooner?

As coverage expands, how stable has 5G been and how will the Government help citizens and businesses to utilise and maximise the benefits that 5G can offer? How will the Government partner the industries to create more use cases that will further propel our economy forward?

Data is fundamental to innovations. As articulated in my cut to PMO last week, adequate data protection is most certainly necessary. But there is apprehension and perhaps confusion around the use of data and companies would understandably also be wary of sharing data stemming from competition concerns.

Thus, how can we avail and share data in a secure environment that allows experiments and product testing without compromising data privacy and security? Could the Government play a greater role in working with industry players to facilitate this?

Given the rapid advancement of technology such as blockchain and cryptography, might there be scope for more curated Government data to be accessed in a safe, controlled and anonymous manner?

As we look at 5G and the likes of Web 3.0 now, we must continue to look ahead and think of 6G, Web 4.0 and beyond. These require industry engagements, jointly imagining the future and charting out what infrastructure or building blocks are needed to enable that future. How will the Government partner the industries to co-imagine the future and build the digital infrastructure needed that is secure, versatile and green?

The Chairman: Ms Jessica Tan, both cuts, please.

Digital Infrastructure and Investment

Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo: Thank you, Mr Chairman. Sir, the fibre-based Nationwide Broadband Network (NBN) has provided the foundation for Singapore to become an intelligent and Smart Nation. It has made possible the high broadband penetration to households and businesses in Singapore and enables access to services.

The pandemic has demonstrated the value of investing in the broadband infrastructure as the NBN has been instrumental in providing the connectivity for Singaporeans to work, learn and access services from their homes.

With the acceleration and speed of digitalisation in Singapore and our Smart Nation ambition, the demand, volume and complexity of our infrastructure will grow exponentially. What are our next steps and investments for the next generation of NBN to build capacity and high-speed connectivity for future needs, to realise potential opportunities and to be prepared for unexpected challenges?

Beyond capacity and speed of connectivity, security risks, privacy and environmental sustainability will also have to be key considerations as we plan for our future NBN.

Digitalisation of Businesses

Mr Chairman, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many businesses and demonstrated the importance of digital technology to enable businesses to continue to operate.

While businesses do understand the importance of transformation and digitalisation of their business, current economic conditions and rising business costs faced by businesses, especially SMEs, do pose challenges. What is the progress of the digitalisation of businesses in Singapore, especially amongst SMEs?

There are a slew of initiatives and programmes to support businesses to digitalise, just to name a few – CTO-as-a-Service, Digital Leaders' Programme, Industry Digital Plans (IDP) and Advanced Digital Solutions (ADS). How have these programmes enabled businesses to digitalise, to seize opportunities and to raise their competitiveness? How is MCI supporting businesses to digitalise?

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

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

Mr Speaker: Order. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair at 3.50 pm.

Sitting accordingly suspended

at 3.26 pm until 3.50 pm.

Sitting resumed at 3.50 pm.

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

Debate in the Committee of Supply resumed.

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

Head Q (cont) –

The Chairman: Minister Josephine Teo.

3.51 pm

The Minister for Communications and Information (Mrs Josephine Teo): Mr Chairman, earlier in the debate, I outlined the lessons learnt from our Smart Nation journey as we strengthen our digital social compact. MCI plays a key role in overseeing this compact, ensuring that it remains robust amid technological disruption and that it benefits all Singaporeans.

Our theme for Committee of Supply this year is therefore "Empowering Singaporeans to thrive in our digital future". To do so, we must sustain the two aspects of our digital social compact: the aspirational and the protective.

Our aspiration is for all Singaporeans to seize the opportunities created through digital developments. To achieve this, we must build the foundational infrastructure to support our digital economy and society.

Sound infrastructure planning has been a cornerstone of Singapore's success. For example, the shape of our city for the next 50 years has been mapped in URA's Long Term Plan. The Land Transport Master Plan 2040 outlines our transport ambitions for the next two decades. Few countries think this far ahead, much less organise themselves to realise such plans.

To succeed in our digital future, we need an equally thoughtful and committed approach to digital infrastructure.

To this end, MCI will develop a Digital Connectivity Blueprint, which may be a world first, if not one of very few. This blueprint will lay out the full scope of our long-term infrastructural ambitions, cutting across broadband, mobile and Wi-Fi networks, as well as our undersea cables. It will lay the groundwork for us to transcend our resource constraints and create economic opportunities for all Singaporeans.

Given the fast-changing nature of digital, it would be unwise for Government to attempt this exercise on our own.

I have therefore asked Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary to co-chair an advisory panel comprising business and industry leaders, to bring them on board early and to make sure that our blueprint incorporates their needs. I expect this phase of our work to take six to nine months. Senior Minister of State Janil will outline the specifics of our plan.

Of course, it is not just infrastructure that must be primed for the future. Our people and businesses must be ready too.

The importance of digitalisation is not lost on our businesses. Ninety-three percent Singapore firms have adopted at least one digital technology and the demand for tech talent across the economy is strong. But there are still areas where businesses face hurdles, especially as the global baseline of digital adoption rises and competition heats up.

To strengthen support for businesses, we will develop a Digital Enterprise Blueprint. This will comprehensively lay out how we are promoting and supercharging digital transformation at the national, sectoral and firm levels. Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How will share more about our plans.

In pursuing our digital ambitions, we must not neglect the equally important protective dimension of our digital social compact: the dimension of trust and safety. Without this, confidence in digital will erode. There are three issues of concern.

The first has to do with inclusion. The path of digital development must be wide enough to accommodate as many as possible. Those who fall off this path will find it hard to support and participate in digital developments, much less embrace its benefits.

The second is about keeping digital technologies safe for Singaporeans. The digital realm has created opportunities for malicious actors to manipulate, deceive and coerce. Compromise of our digital infrastructure and services could severely disrupt our economy and our lives. Such occurrences breed a sense of danger and distrust.

The third concerns how we keep our society united and resilient. We recognise the risk of digital technologies being exploited to undermine social cohesion through this misinformation. Left unaddressed, this can deepen fault lines, polarise societies and fuel intolerance as well as hatred.

Today, I will explain what MCI is doing to address these issues.

First, on inclusion, which Ms Tin Pei Ling and Mr Sharael Taha have asked about. In terms of connectivity, 92% of our households have access to a computer and 98% have broadband. This is far more than many countries can say. However, MCI believes we can reach a higher bar in terms of access as well as inclusion.

One group we remain concerned about are lower-income households. For most households, digital connectivity has become as essential as water and electricity. But for some, connectivity can still feel costly.

Since 2020, we have helped over 46,000 households stay connected through the NEU PC Plus and Home Access schemes. We will streamline these schemes into one, ease the application process and provide more affordable digital access for those who need it most.

To that end, we will introduce a new DigitalAccess@Home scheme from April this year. It will provide subsidised broadband and digital devices to eligible low-income Singaporean households. The Government has set aside about $80 million over the next four years to fund this scheme, which will be able to support 60,000 households.

Under this scheme, the cost of broadband will be reduced to as low as $5 per month for eligible households living in HDB rental flats under the Public Rental scheme. Those living in 1- to 3-room flats will pay $10, while those in 4-room or larger flats will pay $15 monthly. For another $5 monthly, they can double their bandwidth from 500 Mbps to 1 Gbps.

In addition, households which include ComCare Assistance beneficiaries will automatically qualify for the highest level of subsidy and pay the least. Households with students on MOE's Financial Assistance Schemes may also enjoy the highest level of subsidy depending on income. We will work with these agencies to auto-qualify these schemes' beneficiaries.

To achieve digital inclusion, broadband access must be accompanied by device access. This is often a bigger barrier as the costs are higher and harder to spread out.

Under the DigitalAccess@Home scheme, beneficiaries can enjoy subsidies of between 25% and 75%. This will reduce out-of-pocket costs for devices. Depending on the level of support, beneficiaries will pay between $75 and $250 for a tablet, and between $220 and $710 for a laptop.

For larger households with school-going children, we are partnering the people sector, through organisations like Engineering Good and SGBono, to provide up to 1,000 refurbished laptops per year to support them. From the demand seen in existing programmes, this number should be sufficient to meet current needs.

Mr Chairman, allow me to describe the gist of our updated policy in Mandarin and how we should think about our seniors in our digital future. I will also outline what it means to be "digital first, but not digital only", which Mr Baey Yam Keng and Ms Janet Ang have asked about.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Singapore has achieved very high levels of digital access amongst our households, to the envy of many nations.

However, the Government believes that we can do more. Therefore, we will allocate about $80 million over the next four years to introduce the new Digital Access@Home programme to better support low-income households with access to broadband and digital devices. That said, digital access alone does not equate to digital inclusion. For example, there are many seniors around us who own the latest handphone model but do not know how to use many of its functions.

Hence, the Government is advocating for a "Digital First" and not "Digital Only" approach for now. This means that we will continue to provide non-digital options for essential services. Many people have told me that this message was very reassuring, helping to ease their anxieties. However, some have also asked me if it means that our seniors no longer need to learn digital skills.

As a matter of fact, the latest survey shows that the digital skills of seniors have improved over the past two years. The percentage of seniors in their sixties who have basic or higher digital proficiencies has risen from 28% to 44% – an increase of 16%. More seniors in their seventies or older are developing their digital proficiency, with the percentage rising from 7% to 29% -- an increase of 22%. The data shows that our seniors understand that the digital future is materialising, and they should – and they can – adapt, just as they have successfully adapted to many aspects of Singapore’s modernisation in the past.

These figures, and the various ForwardSG citizen consultations, also show that we should not rush that process. In imparting digital skills to our seniors, the learning process should consider their ability to absorb information and make good use of peers to support their learning. The content should be in line with the practical needs of the seniors, such as teaching them e-payment. The design of digital technologies should incorporate their perspectives and be intuitive for their use.

In other words, we should not underestimate the learning spirit or ability of our seniors. What they need is time, opportunity, encouragement, and empathy.

Therefore, be it the Government, businesses, or community groups, let us help our seniors to pick up digital skills and be with them on this journey every step of the way.

4.00 pm

(In English) Mr Chairman, let me emphasise this. While some seniors need help with digital skills, we should not dismiss their ability to be part of our digital future. What they need are time, opportunity and empathy.

Take Mr Richard Yip, a 72-year-old grandfather of three who discovered NLB's MakeIT programme through NLB's app. Members may recall that the MakeIT programme allows residents to experiment with fabrication technologies at libraries around Singapore. Mr Yip was intrigued by the 3D printing technology on offer at Jurong Regional Library. He started using it to print small solid pieces such as insects and dinosaurs, which his grandchildren loved and which made him incredibly popular with them. Over time, Mr Yip progressed to using coding and robotic microcontrollers to create moveable toys for his grandchildren, making him even more popular. He is now an advocate for 3D printing, describing it as a "dream come true" for seniors like him.

To questions by Ms Hany Soh, Mr Christopher de Souza, Mr Seah Kian Peng and Mr Yip Hon Weng, IMDA's SG Digital Office (SDO) was established at the start of the pandemic to provide digital training to seniors in areas like digital services, e-payment and cybersecurity. Much of this involves one-on-one coaching or small group learning in community spaces where seniors are comfortable.

To date, SDO's Digital Ambassadors have trained more than 210,000 seniors to use smartphones for basic tasks and daily needs. By now, many seniors in the heartlands recognise our Digital Ambassadors as "the friendly people in purple shirts".

Since this January, SDO has also worked with the PA's Active Ageing Council to create digital support groups promoting peer learning among our seniors.

To Mr Gerald Giam's question, the Government will be planning for more ServiceSG touchpoints in tandem with demand. In the meantime, the SDOs, our community centres (CCs) as well as libraries do provide basic support.

Mr Yip's example also shows how our libraries are equipping Singaporeans with digital skills. Under NLB's Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025 (LAB25), libraries will work more closely with leading tech companies to do so.

At the inaugural ExperienceIT showcase at the full opening of the Punggol Regional Library later this year, Amazon Web Services will help put together an experiential exhibit introducing visitors to machine learning and artificial intelligence. This collaborative approach is a consistent thread in our efforts to uplift digital skills.

For example, since 2020, MOE and IMDA have made Code For Fun, an enrichment programme on Computational Thinking available to all upper primary students. This is an important social leveller that reached 50,000 students in 2022.

Ms Jessica Tan and Ms Rahayu Mahzam have asked how we are enhancing the Digital for Life movement (DfL).

Since the movement was launched in 2021 to mobilise ground-up efforts, more than 130 partners have pledged support and kickstarted around 140 initiatives. More than 270,000 have benefited from these initiatives.

There is now growing momentum among DfL partners to introduce new programmes. For example, Microsoft will offer classes to expose children from low-income families to topics such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Mixed Reality.

As the DfL movement gathers pace, MCI is conducting a series of Forward SG engagements with people, private and public (3P) sector partners to target specific areas of need. In the next phase of engagements, we will focus on topics such as parenting in a digital age and enhancing user experience in digital Government services.

Mr Chairman, let me now turn to safety and security.

According to Microsoft's 2023 Global Online Safety Survey, 77% of Singaporeans have experienced at least one online risk in the past year.

At the Committee of Supply (COS) debate for the Ministry for Home Affairs (MHA), I shared plans to introduce an Online Criminal Harms Act. This builds on the Online Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, which was passed in Parliament last November and came into force recently.

At last year's debate, I explained that the change in law was to enable the introduction of a code of practice for social media services. IMDA has been engaging industry partners to finalise this code and expects it to be implemented by the second half of the year.

In debating the Bill, I also indicated that we would look beyond social media services to other widely used online communications services.

To Ms Tin Pei Ling's and Ms Janet Ang's questions, we will take another step to strengthen online safety through a new Code of Practice for App Stores. App stores may carry apps with harmful content, especially for children. This could include content depicting explicit sexual activities or inciting violence. As with social media services, app stores should be expected to have systems and processes in place to deal with harmful content. The new code will take time to be developed and involve industry engagement. We will work out the details and update Members in due course.

In the debate on the Bill, there was also strong interest from members for MCI to look into online games.

When the new Code for App Stores is introduced, the risks of exposure to harmful content through games on these stores will be curtailed. Apps with egregious content may also become unavailable for download. But games may also be accessed through platforms other than app stores. We will have to study how to deal with this.

A possible measure is to introduce a classification scheme for online games, much as we already do for video games. This will clarify the age-appropriateness of games and help parents exercise better supervision over their children's online gaming. We will work towards these moves over the next 12 to 18 months.

We have also started a detailed landscape survey on online gaming to assess if more can be done, for example, to reduce the risk of cyber addiction, which Ms Hany Soh was very concerned about.

This survey is necessary because there is no international consensus on the nature of the problem or the effectiveness of measures. The concerns in Singapore are also not fully understood.

A survey covering both parents and children will allow us to better understand the issues and shape our response. This may include working with the people sector to support the vulnerable groups which Mr Baey Yam Keng had identified. The survey will examine exposure of children to unwanted interactions and inappropriate content on gaming platforms. It will also examine the social and psychological impacts of gaming, extending beyond problematic content. This requires extensive work and we will do our best to be timely.

Next, I will briefly discuss cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity has become a crucial aspect of national security, especially for a country as digitally connected as Singapore.

During last year's debate, I announced that the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) was reviewing the Cybersecurity Act, which only came into effect in 2018. Since then, CSA has held discussions with its stakeholders, including owners of Critical Information Infrastructure (CII). We have also engaged trade associations and key industry players. We have made good progress and will start formal industry consultations next month.

One area under review is how we will adapt our regulatory framework to allow the safe and secure use of virtualised systems beyond CII. Specifically, CSA has identified cloud services and data centres as foundational digital infrastructure we need to better protect. As this is a new area, our discussions with the industry will be important in ensuring that our regulations remain effective.

With increasing industry digitalisation, demand for cybersecurity services has been growing domestically and overseas. CSA is hence examining how we can develop our entire cybersecurity ecosystem, ranging from nurturing talent to promoting innovation and capability development.

We will provide updates on this as well as the Cybersecurity Act review later this year.

Let me briefly discuss our approach to emerging technologies, which Ms Tin had asked about.

By now, Members are all aware of seminal developments in AI, including tools like ChatGPT. While AI brings many benefits, it also brings risks we must mitigate. This is important because AI is increasingly commonplace.

Members will recall that in 2019, Singapore launched a Model AI Governance Framework. Last year, we also launched AI Verify, the world's first AI Governance Testing Framework and Toolkit. We will build on these initiatives to strengthen the guardrails that ensure responsible AI development and deployment.

Let me mention two Advisory Guidelines that will be published by the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) later this year.

The first is on the use of personal data in AI systems.

This will encourage AI users to abide by standards of transparency and explainability so that customers will know when and how AI is being used to process their personal data. It will also contain best practices on how industry can use personal data to train, test and monitor AI systems.

The second is on children's personal data.

This will set out clear actionable standards for social media services and companies whose products interface with children. For instance, they must obtain parental consent before collecting data from children under the age of 13 and implement protective defaults such as making sure that children's profiles are not made public.

There are many more questions about AI that deserve our attention.

Members will recall that Open Government Products (OGP) has integrated ChatGPT into Microsoft Word and plans to trial its use among some civil servants. As more use cases are developed, we will monitor developments to support AI innovation whilst protecting our people.

Emergent technologies that are immersive, decentralised and anonymous, including the metaverse and Web 3.0, could also introduce new types of online risks. We will continue to review our measures to keep in step with technological trends.

I will now turn to the third theme of my speech – promoting trust to build social resilience.

To withstand online misinformation, Singaporeans must have trusted and easily accessible sources of information. In their absence, we cannot assume that our society will hold together. A citizenry that is informed and information-literate helps to strengthen social resilience. This is a key reason for supporting our Public Service media.

To Ms Jessica Tan's question, our local media's digital capabilities have strengthened considerably in the last few years. To grow online outreach, especially to the young, they have used digital technologies to tell stories in innovative ways.

For example, Mediacorp has used augmented reality in its coverage of the Russian-Ukraine war. The Straits Times has used interactive graphics to report on how our HDB flats have changed over the decades and the impact of rising sea levels on our shoreline. Some of these efforts have won international acclaim.

4.15 pm

Our vernacular media are also making efforts to go where audiences are. For example, Mediacorp has launched a digital-first Chinese-language debate programme, “Frontline Connects” or《前线开讲》 that caters primarily to younger audiences online. Berita Harian has produced podcasts discussing social and geopolitical issues, and Tamil Murasu is on track to launch its mobile app this year.

These efforts have paid off especially with younger viewers. An MCI survey showed that 82% of 15- to 24-year-olds regularly consumed local mainstream news via online platforms in 2021, a jump of around 30-percentage points since 2018.

That said, our media has lots more to do. As Singaporeans’ news consumption habits continue to evolve, both SPH Media Trust (SMT) and Mediacorp will have to continue demonstrating progress. True transformation will not come just through new technologies but from mindset changes. Journalists will need to develop new skills and have the support of management in this process. The road ahead is long and difficult, and we should not underestimate the effort required.

When it comes to promoting information literacy, the National Library Board (NLB) also plays a critical role. To questions by Ms Tin Pei Ling, since 2013, NLB’s flagship information literacy programme, SURE, has been helping citizens navigate our dense information landscape.

Complementing these efforts, NLB launched the “Read to be SURE” campaign in November 2021 to further promote critical thinking. The campaign helps Singaporeans hear from different voices on topical issues such as cryptocurrency or gender equality. Since inception, it has garnered over 220,000 engagements.

Mr Chairman, let me conclude by touching on the international significance of our efforts in digital. Today, Singapore is considered one of the leading countries in digital developments, at the frontier of digital infrastructure and regulation. This has brought real economic pay-offs.

In addition, by positioning ourselves as a thought leader, we are better able to partner like-minded countries and shape new international norms in digital. Promising developments include our chairmanship of the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group on ICT Security, the Digital Economy Agreements with Australia, the UK and South Korea, or the US-Singapore Partnership for Growth and Innovation, the Smart City Initiative with Shenzhen, the ASEAN Data Management Framework which we initiated and the Digital Forum of Small States (Digital FOSS) which we championed.

These initiatives are opportunities for our voice to be heard and our economic space to expand. There are no guarantees that we will succeed in every project, nor can we be sure that global developments will always be favourable. But our foundations are strong, and our investments will bear fruit. Working with our partners at home and abroad, I am confident we can empower Singaporeans to thrive in our digital future.

The Chairman: Senior Minister of State Dr Janil Puthucheary.

The Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information (Dr Janil Puthucheary): Chairman, MCI wants to empower every Singaporean to thrive in our digital future. In my speech, I will explain two ways in which we are laying the foundations to do so.

One, by investing in the underlying digital infrastructure to connect all of us and power the digital services and products we use; and two, by building up strong research and innovation capabilities to create new value from emerging technologies. These are long-standing priorities for MCI.

Infrastructure and innovation form the basis for our continued access to quality digital services and content. For businesses, these allow them to connect to more customers, raise productivity and generate new business value. Our work in these areas is therefore never quite done. We need to build on our progress, adapt and invest in the future as technology and the world around us and our people’s needs change.

With this in mind, we continue to enhance Singapore’s digital infrastructure to not only meet current demands for speed, capacity and reliability, but to cater for anticipated needs and reap future benefits as technology and the use cases evolve.

Understanding future demand will help us make calculated bets as we invest in Singapore’s digital infrastructure. It is not always straightforward as technology advances in disruptive and non-linear ways. We have had to carefully assess technological developments, actively consult the industry and boldly imagine the use cases that consumers and industry would participate in and want to experience here.

The development of our nationwide fibre broadband network (NBN) is a good example of such a calculated, future-oriented bet to build digital infrastructure. When we made the decision to develop the NBN back in the mid-2000s, most people were comfortable with the 30 megabits per second speed that our copper-based infrastructure already provided. It was more than sufficient for browsing the web, checking your emails. Holding virtual conferences and lessons over platforms like Zoom or streaming media content over services like Netflix were not common as they are today, almost 20 years since we began our NBN journey.

But without knowing the specific details of what would happen over the next 20 years, we envisaged that services like online collaboration, e-learning and high-definition entertainment would transform the way we live, work and play. The Government therefore invested in the NBN to provide the high-speed connectivity required to support these services for the betterment of Singaporeans’ lives.

We began rolling out the NBN in 2008 and provided nationwide fibre coverage to homes by 2013. Today, one gigabit per second plans are the standard among households and 98% are on broadband. The NBN’s value was all the more apparent during COVID-19. Its buffer capacity enabled us to cater for increased network traffic from the surge in digital interactions, with the vast majority of us working or learning virtually from home at one point or another. This allowed us to maintain some continuity in the economic and social activity.

It took nearly 20 years for us to realise the full potential of NBN. That same forward-looking perspective we adopted for the NBN underscored our more recent decision to build 5G standalone mobile networks. We foresee many possibilities in 5G for businesses, workers and consumers as a result of faster speed, lower latency and higher device connection density compared to 4G. We facilitated the early roll-out of 5G standalone networks by allocating spectrum for our telcos to build them while setting clear performance, coverage, security and resilience requirements.

To Ms Tin Pei Ling’s question on the progress of the 5G roll-out and development of use cases, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) had recently measured to confirm that we have reached 95% nationwide outdoor coverage on Singapore’s first two 5G standalone networks.

With the roll-out progressing well ahead of schedule, our focus is currently on supporting the industry to tap on 5G’s capabilities to enhance their operations and service offerings. For example, IMDA has awarded new and innovative projects under its 5G Innovation Programme.

One such project is the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre in Singapore. Unlike the fixed production lines in traditional manufacturing, Hyundai Motor Group’s upcoming facility will have over 100 mobile robots deployed across the factory floor to simultaneously transport material required for vehicle manufacturing. 5G is what enables seamless real-time data transmission between the back-end automated control system and the robots.

5G makes possible new manufacturing processes that will both enhance productivity and quality control. For workers, it reduces labour-intensive activity and minimises the safety risks they bear in manually transporting heavy material. It also creates opportunities for them to take on higher value roles. Hyundai Motor Group intends to hire robotics engineers, data analysts and process engineers for the ‘intelligent’ manufacturing facility.

For consumers, the more agile manufacturing process allows for hyper-customisation of ‘built-to-order’ vehicles to cater to different needs and preferences. This is Hyundai Motor Group’s first such facility in the world. They have shared with us that beyond Singapore’s position as a manufacturing and logistics hub, the Government’s support for innovation and cutting-edge digital infrastructure make us an attractive investment location. I look forward to the facility’s launch and the benefits that it will bring to Singaporeans.

Another newly-awarded project is Weston Robot’s electric Unmanned Surface Vessel for autonomous river cleaning. 5G enables the video analytics and high data throughput necessary for the vessel to detect and clean rubbish outside of its pre-programmed path, and to respond to emergency situations such as oncoming boats. Much like the vehicle manufacturing example, this project will help to reduce manual labour by enabling operators to pilot multiple vessels from a command centre and thereby also allowing cleaning services companies to manage manpower constraints in the sector.

These use cases represent the initial fruits of our early investments in 5G. Just as the full value of our investments in the NBN was realised over time, we can expect more applications of 5G in the coming years as the rollout is completed, the ecosystem matures and demand shifts.

Today, we find ourselves having to consider similar bets to those we made for NBN and 5G, to ensure that our digital infrastructure stack is poised to power Singapore’s next bound of growth. This infrastructure stack includes wired and wireless networks which together provide connectivity within Singapore, subsea cables that connect us to the rest of the world, data centres that store and compute data which enable digital services, digital utilities which are foundational digital services such as digital identity, e-payment and e-invoicing, document attestation and data exchanges, all of which enable citizens and businesses to transact seamlessly and securely in the digital economy and "physical-digital" infrastructure such as Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices that enable the exchange of data between physical objects and digital networks.

It is important that we continue planning for all these components in a holistic way. For example, for IoT deployment to grow, there must be security and sufficient capacity in our broadband and mobile networks. For users to experience seamless connectivity at home or on-the-go, the Wi-Fi and mobile speeds must be comparable. When it comes to digital infrastructure, the whole can be greater than the sum of the parts, provided we plan well and coordinate properly. We need to make the different layers and different components of the infrastructure stack work well together to sing together as a chorus to maximise our investments in each component.

The Digital Connectivity Blueprint that Minister Josephine Teo briefly mentioned is being developed with this idea as well as future needs in mind. The blueprint will outline what is next for Singapore’s connectivity infrastructure, including the broadband, mobile and Wi-Fi networks that power our domestic connectivity and subsea cables that provide international connectivity.

The blueprint will also identify interconnections with other digital infrastructure components that complement this connectivity layer such as data centres and digital utilities. These interconnections are vital to maximising the value of the infrastructure stack.

As Ms Tin Pei Ling noted, it is important that we partner with industry to chart this path. Shaping the Digital Connectivity Blueprint alongside the Government is a newly set up Advisory Panel on Digital Infrastructure that I co-chair with Mr Irving Tan who has rich experience in the tech sector.

The panel brings together industry and business leaders who will help us to understand and account for the wide range of perspectives in the evolving digital arena. Collectively, the members bring to the table insights on technical and business viability, international competitiveness, as well as potential business and consumer demand.

Both Ms Jessica Tan and Ms Tin Pei Ling spoke about the importance of considering security and environmental sustainability as we plan for our future digital infrastructure. This is in line with the approach that the Government will and has been taking. The panel’s deliberations will be guided not just by economic imperatives but security, resilience, inclusion and sustainability too.

Our partnership with industry goes beyond the panel. Also informing the blueprint are MCI’s engagements with the wider industry, including on the NBN. Ms Jessica Tan asked about our next steps to enhance the NBN. As announced last year, we will be embarking on a full-scale upgrade to deliver speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second, which is 10 times faster than today.

The decision to upgrade the NBN was prompted by trends toward more content generation by end-users and immersive interactions between users in the digital space. These have the potential to transform sectors such as education and entertainment. We want to ensure that our infrastructure can support such bandwidth-intensive activities.

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This is a significant endeavour on a nationwide scale. It is important that we undertake it efficiently and in close partnership with the industry. Industry players generally recognise these trends, the bandwidth requirements they bring and the importance of planning ahead for our NBN infrastructure. MCI and the advisory panel will continue to engage the wider industry on the upgrade approach and consider their feedback as we chart our way forward.

Sir, in keeping with our forward-looking approach, the Government has been making investments to build up a vibrant research and innovation ecosystem, to explore how emerging technologies can position our people, businesses and nation well for the future.

While we roll out our 5G networks, we are already embarking on research into the next generation of communications technologies like 6G. We want to understand how they can enhance Singapore's digital connectivity and generate economic and social benefits for us in the future, just as 5G is beginning to do so today. Such upstream investments include the Future Communications Connectivity Lab, a testbed which IMDA partnered the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) to launch in Singapore last year.

A more familiar tech area to many would be Artificial Intelligence, or AI, especially with the AI-driven chatbot, ChatGPT, gaining attention for its ability to generate content from law essays to code. When employed effectively, AI brings benefits for businesses and individuals, such as increased efficiency through the automation of tasks and better decision-making through the provision of data-driven insights and predictions.

The Government has been steadily investing in AI research and innovation and Singapore today is ranked among the top 10 countries based on publications at AI conferences and our researchers are internationally recognised. These research capabilities have yielded useful applications. For example, the researchers at AI Singapore's Speech Lab have significantly improved the accuracy of transcribing our Singaporean colloquial speech to English text, taking into account our unique accents, terms and mix of languages used. The solution has been adopted by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) for their hotline services, improving back-end case management.

Under the Government's Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 plans, we will strengthen our research and innovation ecosystem in three areas: first, by expanding our base of research talent. We will continue to support our public research institutions in attracting and nurturing talent to drive innovation across the value chain. For example, the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office is partnering the National Research Foundation to launch a call for AI Investigatorships in the coming months. These Investigatorships are targeted at top-tier AI researchers who, in the course of their research, can also mentor and groom other promising talent.

Two, enhancing the links between our research institutions and businesses, so that we can translate the fruits of our research into competitive advantages for businesses. Our grant calls under the Future Communications R&D Programme support translational research. The aim is for these demand-led projects to generate products for the industry. And lastly, we are boosting cooperation with international partners to help sharpen our research and innovation efforts. In December last year, Singapore and South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on AI, facilitating bilateral AI research and information exchange.

As Minister Josephine Teo has emphasised, there must be safety and trust in the digital space for our businesses and people to feel confident tapping on new technologies. We are, therefore, also supporting the industry to pursue research and innovation in cybersecurity. An avenue through which the Cybersecurity Agency of Singapore does this is the Cybersecurity Industry Call for Innovation, or CyberCall. One company that benefitted from CyberCall is MicroSec, which found a new way to secure low-powered IoT devices. Their solution has been deployed to improve the cybersecurity of 16,000 home devices, such as smart sockets in the HDB Punggol Northshore Project.

Building the trust and safety necessary for innovation to thrive goes beyond cybersecurity. Users must be assured that businesses are employing technologies, such as AI, responsibly. The Minister has outlined in her speech how MCI is supporting businesses in providing such an assurance to customers.

In addition to research into emerging technologies, there is research that contributes to knowledge and appreciation of our history and heritage, to inform who we are as a nation and a society. Government records are a key part of such research. Mr Pritam Singh asked if the Government is prepared to release classified information that has already been extended for research purposes, to all sitting Members of Parliament. This is with reference to his request to an agency where the information sought had yet to be transferred to the National Archives of Singapore (NAS) for preservation.

To be clear, the file in question is not available for public access and remains classified. This is distinct from public archives that are public records, that have been transferred to NAS and can be requested for inspection by any person, for the purpose of reference or research as set out in section 18(2) of the National Library Board Act.

For records that remain classified and are not part of the public archives, agencies may grant access to specific information for specific purposes, such as to write a book, and subject to conditions, such as complying with the Official Secrets Act, and submitting the information to be quoted for vetting prior to release.

In this particular instance, the agency had allowed the researcher access to relevant information from the records, with the understanding that the researcher would only publish and cite specific information with the agency's permission. As a matter of policy, the Government does provide researchers access to information for legitimate research purposes.

But doing so, does not mean that the entire record has been declassified, nor that it is generally available to the public. If someone has a specific reason to access closed records, a request can be made, and the request will be assessed by the Government on its merits. If Mr Singh would like more information on the background, thinking or the rationale behind a Government policy, there are several routes he can take. One way is to approach the relevant Ministry to provide further details and a clarification.

In addition, Mr Singh and Members of this House also have the option to file a Parliamentary Question, and receive a formal reply from the Government. There is a separate process where Ministries and agencies transfer their classified records to the NAS for long-term preservation and declassification when it is in the public interest to do so.

This is pertinent to the question Ms He Ting Ru asked about making archival material more accessible. The NAS has been working with Government agencies to declassify and make available more Government records. The metadata of around 780,000 records are publicly accessible on Archives Online; and this has been increasing over the years.

In addition, since 2016, Government agencies have reviewed more than 7,000 Government records that were not yet declassified. This was in response to 2,130 requests by members of the public. Eighty-three percent of these records have been approved for access. In total, some 68,000 file records have been declassified and made accessible to the public.

In one example, the Government had agreed to declassify and release documents in Dr Goh Keng Swee's famous "Albatross File". This is a file that Dr Goh Keng Swee kept in the run-up to Singapore's separation from Malaysia.

The process of declassification began some time ago, and took some time, given the complexity of the material. A subset of the material was part of a public exhibition, and a larger set of declassified "Albatross" documents will be released in a book on Separation, to be published later this year. They will include cabinet papers and Dr Goh's notes of his conversations with Malaysian leaders. We are committed to ensuring greater access to Government records, so that they can be a reference for the public to research and obtain information on Singapore.

Sir, let me sum up. Building our digital infrastructure and research and innovation capabilities are foundational to a vibrant digital future for Singapore. With these strong foundations, our businesses and people have the ingredients to generate new opportunities and enhance their competitive edge, which Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How will speak more about. I want to end by reiterating that our efforts to shape a bright digital future are premised on a very human objective, to improve the lives of Singaporeans.

And with an eye to the future and close collaboration among all of us, I have every confidence that we can and will create a bright digital future for generations of Singaporeans to come.

Mr Deputy Chairman: Senior Minister of State Mr Tan Kiat How.

The Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information (Mr Tan Kiat How): Mr Chairman, the Digital Economy has generated strong growth for Singapore, in particular, the Information and Communications, or I&C, sector has grown by 13.4% and 8.6% in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Going digital is no longer a "good to have" for our firms and workforce. To stay ahead of competition and meet the needs of their customers, our firms must go digital or risk being left behind.

But we are doing so from a position of strength. Ninety-three percent of our firms have adopted at least one digital solution. Firms have improved their overall digital maturity over the years. However, given the uncertain economic outlook and near-term cost pressures, firms – especially our SMEs – may be tempted to press the "pause button" on their digitalisation plans. I urge these firms to reconsider.

Firms may find it difficult to catch up later. In fact, I encourage firms to press "fast forward", to deepen digital capabilities and sharpen their competitiveness during this period. The Government will support you wherever possible.

Ms Jessica Tan, Ms Janet Ang and Mr Sharael Taha asked how we are helping our businesses. We will do so in two ways. First, putting in place an enabling digital ecosystem. Second, assisting our firms in staying cybersafe, even as they use digital solutions more intensively. Let me elaborate on the first prong. We are putting in place enablers at the national, sectoral and firm levels.

At the national level, we are scaling up the adoption of digital utilities, like PayNow and InvoiceNow, which are foundational services that support core business functions of our firms. Since its launch in 2019, 55,000 businesses have adopted InvoiceNow, which saves an average of $8 for each error-prone and time-consuming invoice replaced. We launched the InvoiceNow Transaction Bonus last November. Firms which have sent 10 or more e-invoices using InvoiceNow, will receive a cash grant of $200. I encourage more firms to make full use of this bonus.

At the sectoral level, we launched 20 Industry Digital Plans, or IDPs, since 2017. Eighty-five percent of SMEs told us that they registered time savings and 75% of them reduced their dependence on manual labour. We are refreshing the IDPs. I launched the refreshed Food Services IDP in November last year. This year, we will refresh the Retail IDP, the Security IDP and launch the Legal sector IDP.

Mr Eric Chua and Mr Abdul Samad asked about helping the broader workforce keep up with technological changes. I am glad to share that the refreshed IDPs contain an updated Digital Training Roadmap that will guide our SMEs to upskill their workers, to allow them to make full use of the digital solutions that they adopt.

At the firm level, we are helping SMEs with different levels of digital maturity, as noted by Mr Christopher de Souza. Since 2017, Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)'s SMEs Go Digital programme has supported more than 88,000 SMEs.

Since the Chief Technology Officer-as-a-Service, or CTO-as-a-Service, platform was launched last year, we have steadily expanded the platform as a single touch-point for digitalisation. Today, CTO-as-a-Service provides SMEs with access to a wide range of pre-approved digital solutions, alongside IMDA's digital consultants and additional support by partners, such as SGTech, which was mentioned by Minister of State Low Yen Ling earlier.

In total, more than 21,000 users have accessed CTO-as-a-Service to find appropriate resources to meet their needs. More than 900 firms have taken the next step to engage consultants to develop their digital roadmap. More than nine in 10 expressed satisfaction with the service.

Let me speak on the second prong: to keep our firms safe. Cyber threats have increased and risk wiping out years of hard work in seconds.

I am pleased to announce that we will help our SMEs to develop their cybersecurity health plans to safeguard against digital risks. This is the cybersecurity equivalent of staying healthy. Prevention is better than cure. Taking proactive steps to be "healthy", such as designing solutions to minimise the risks of cyber threats. Ensuring regular check-ups or monitoring across a firm’s digital systems so that early actions can be taken.

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Through the CTO-as-a-Service platform, SMEs can now engage cybersecurity consultants as "Chief Information Security Officers" (CISOs). These CISOs will work with the SMEs to develop tailored cybersecurity health plans based on the firm's risk profile and risk appetite. Eligible SMEs will receive up to 70% funding support.

Building on this foundation, MCI will develop the Digital Enterprise Blueprint to bring these efforts together in a comprehensive roadmap which will chart the next bound effort for our Digital Economy. We will be consulting industry leaders, associations, companies, unions and other stakeholders across different sectors. Their continued support and partnership will be crucial.

Mr Chairman, let me speak in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] During COVID-19, many bosses of SMEs have experienced the benefits of digitalisation.

Government will continue to work with our SMEs in their digitalisation journey, especially through schemes such as the SME Go Digital and Hawkers Go Digital.

However, I have heard that due to uncertain economic outlook and rising costs, some bosses are thinking of slowing down the pace of digitalisation transformation. While I understand their concerns, I urge them to think twice. This is because digitalisation is like going against the flow. If you do not move forward, you will be left behind. As businesses all around the world are digitalised rapidly, if we stop for a while, we risk being overtaken by our competitors and even replaced.

The Government will continue to guide and support SMEs in the next bound of the journey through the refreshed IDPs and the Digital Enterprise Blueprint, while helping safeguard your businesses against digital risks with the upcoming Cybersecurity Health Plans.

(In English): We are committed to helping Singaporeans access exciting opportunities in the digital economy. Before I elaborate on our plans, let me address the points raised by Mr Sharael Taha on the recent tech lay-offs.

As a major tech hub, Singapore has been impacted too. But we have fared better than many parts of the world. Southeast Asia continues to be an important market for tech companies. These firms have long-term plans to scale up their presence here. Singapore has done well to capture this growth, anchoring these companies and their higher value tech development and corporate functions here in Singapore. These roles are often considered core to the companies' business and are more resilient to broad-based headcount rationalisation.

For example, the average rate of re-entry into employment of retrenched residents for the I&C sector was higher than the overall economy. Seven in 10 of retrenched locals in the I&C sector were able to find another job within six months. Indeed, the I&C sector is one of our fastest growing sectors in our economy. The sector's workforce has grown 36%, from 130,000 professionals in 2017, to around 177,000 in 2022. Our local workforce, in particular, has increased by 42% within these past five years.

In the first three quarters of 2022, total employment in the sector grew by 13,700, with thousands of vacancies still available. The increasing digitalisation across the economy has also contributed to healthy demand for tech manpower.

Locals account for more than 70% of overall tech jobs in Singapore, both the tech sectors as well as non-tech sectors.Today, locals in tech jobs earn 65% above the national median wage with good wage growth. The Ministry of Education (MOE)'s recent survey showed that Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) graduates from ICT courses have higher starting median pay compared to their peers. We believe the long-term prospects for our tech workforce remains strong and we will continue to support Singaporeans in accessing these opportunities.

But the tech space is a fast moving one and there are many competitors to Singapore's tech hub status. We need to help our tech workforce stay competitive and relevant for the needs of tomorrow.

I would like to speak on two aspects. First, how we are working closely with industry partners to identify jobs that may be disrupted or emerging new tech roles. Secondly, we are pushing for a mindset shift within the industry towards skills-based hiring and development, rather than being overly focused on academic qualifications.

On the first aspect, the I&C Jobs Transformation Map launched last year identifies the impact of emerging technological trends on the I&C workforce. Employers are guided to redesign jobs, and upskill or reskill their tech workforce, to access these emerging job roles.

On our part, IMDA will appoint training partners to develop reskilling programmes for these areas. One example is 5G mobile technology. IMDA appointed the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore Polytechnic (SP) to set up the 5G Academy together with telcos and other companies. Since 2020, the 5G Academy has trained around 10,000 professionals, exceeding the initial target of 5,000.

Mr Mohamed Najib is a good example. He is a product executive who joined Singtel in 2015. Through the 5G Academy, he was able to gain relevant 5G and cyber security skills to future proof his career. He now leverages his skills to enhance the security and performance of Singtel's products.

We all need to shift our mindset to support Singaporeans like Mr Najib to fully realise the potential. But tech employers still prefer university graduates. One study found that 38% of hirers expected applicants to have a Bachelor's Degree for an entry-level position. Firms are missing out a good pool of capable tech talent at a time when there is a global shortage. Furthermore, success involves more than just academic qualifications, but it is the hard and soft skills, like technical skills, attitude at the workplace and the ability to work in teams. This is also aligned with our effort to strengthen the social compact. We want to give every Singaporean the best chance to succeed.

The TechSkills Accelerator for ITE and Polytechnics, or TIP Alliance, in short, brings together IHLs and industry partners to look beyond academic qualifications and focus on skills-based hiring. In just six months, leading employers have committed 500 good opportunities for our ITE and polytechnic graduates.

Mr Ihsan Nursaqif is one such beneficiary. He initially studied information technology (IT) at ITE and then, later on cyber and digital security at Temasek Polytechnic. He is now doing a work-study degree in Applied Computing at the Singapore Institute of Technology. At every step, he is supported by his employer, NCS, as part of its Fusion programme. The TIP Alliance will continue to create more pathways for others like Mr Ihsan, through internships, apprenticeships and other programmes.

Let me now turn to questions by Mr Leon Perera who asked about greenwashing. It can take many forms, but most commonly refers to the act of making misleading claims that products are more environmentally sound than they are. This is fundamentally an issue of false and misleading claim by a firm on its product, for example, how effective the product or how safe the product is. This is an area that the Government is concerned as well.

These issues are taken under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act or CPFTA in short. The relevant authorities and Ministries will study these. But let me speak from MCI's perspective since Mr Perera filed the cut with MCI.

From MCI's perspective, we work very closely with the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS) which is an industry body that guides how advertising of products should be conducted through the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice (SCAP). For example, the Children's Code for Advertising F&B products guides advertisers to avoid promoting unhealthy consumption habits or irresponsibly pressuring children to buy. So, the Code sets out how the advertising should be conducted but false claims or misleading claims of the product will be dealt with under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act

Next, let me turn to the questions by Ms Janet Ang, Mr Leon Perera and Ms He Ting Ru who asked about Government advertising.

The Government is not unique in spending on advertising to promote awareness to the public. Many companies advertise to ensure that their brands reach their intended audiences. However, unlike private companies which can choose their target segments for marketing, the Government has to ensure that our messages reach out to all Singaporeans. The Singapore public also expects the Government to do its utmost to reach them via the channels and languages which they are comfortable with, such as vernacular languages, including dialects. Many Singaporeans, like our parents' and grandparents' generation, do not speak English but they are just as Singaporeans as all of us. And we want to make sure that they fully benefit from all the Government programmes and initiatives that we roll out.

But the Government does this prudently. We use established industry metrics, including impressions, click-through rate, cost-per-click, and number of views for digital media advertising. For print, radio and Free-to-Air television advertising, surveys are conducted to measure metrics like message recall.

Last year, the Government spent between $175 million and $200 million or around 0.2% of total Government expenditure on advertising. Government's advertising spend increased during COVID-19. This was necessary to keep the public informed on the pandemic crisis as it unfolded and the Government's responses. Members may recall the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, like "Get your shot, Steady Pom Pi Pi" featuring Phua Chu Kang and "Pak Jiam Buay" by our getai celebrities. We expect Government's spending on advertising to come down after COVID-19.

Respective Ministries are better placed to assess their advertising approach based on the outcomes that they seek to achieve. Ministries have to rigorously evaluate their advertising budgets and be accountable for their programmes.

In response to Ms He Ting Ru's point, advertising is typically part of a broader programme and effort by the Ministry and its outcomes should also be evaluated against whether those programmes and initiatives have met the needs or desired outcomes. That is how we should see the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, not just looking at the specific advertising programmes.

In October 2018, MCI introduced a whole-of-Government demand aggregation contract for media buying for advertisement. This enhances value-for-money for the Government as a whole. At the end of the day, Government's advertising spend is to ensure that all Singaporeans can make full use of the Government's many schemes and programmes.

Mr Perera referred to the Ministry of National Development (MND)'s print advertisement on accessible and affordable BTOs. Ms He Ting Ru also asked whether such ads are necessary and are they evaluated for effectiveness.

First, let me say that we appreciate that during this period, coming out of COVID-19, that Singaporeans are feeling anxious about the availability and affordability of BTOs. I fully empathise with these Singaporeans. There is a reason why MND proactively puts out facts and figures, including BTO launches, the median prices of BTO flats, so that all Singaporeans, especially young Singaporeans, know about the pipeline of BTO flats coming up and make the best decision that they can, based on available information.

These ads show factually, for example, the median price of a 4-room BTO flat in a non-mature estate is about $347,000 before grants. This information helps our Singaporeans make the best decision that they can and will reassure them that public housing is available and affordable. This is in the public interest.

There is no point made in the MND infographic to get Singaporeans to feel good about the Government. But it is the first time that I am being told that you feel good after looking at our MND infographic and I thank Mr Perera for feeling that way. I am sure my MND colleagues and HDB colleagues who are working very hard to make sure that they build BTO flats, clear the backlog, I think they appreciate it. So, thank you very much for feeling good about it.

Mr Perera referred to SGAG. SGAG ads show paid partnership. This is already being done.

Ministries currently track the industry performance metrics to evaluate their campaigns. Additionally, MCI also requires Ministries to evaluate the effectiveness of their campaigns. MCI does this for MCI-led advertisements, but MCI does not yet have a system to enable centralised tracking and we are exploring the best way to achieve it.

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Mr Chairman, could I seek your indulgence for a few more minutes, please?

The Chairman: If you can keep it short, please, because there will be clarifications. Perhaps under five minutes.

Mr Tan Kiat How: I will. Thank you, Mr Chairman, for your indulgence. COVID-19 has taught us that public communication is crucial to maintaining high public trust in the Government. These made a difference to Singaporeans and we take this public trust seriously.

I would like to emphasise that Government Ministries' spending or advertising is guided by impartiality. Campaigns by Government agencies are for the purpose of informing, or educating the public, Government Ministries are mindful that their advertising must not be towards a political end in Singapore and we take this seriously.

Let me conclude. Mr Chairman, creating a bright digital future for Singapore is at the heart of MCI's work. Minister Josephine Teo spoke about building a more inclusive and safer digital space for all. Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary covered the next bound of our digital infrastructure, and research and innovation. I touched on empowering our businesses and workforce to seize opportunities in the growing Digital Economy.

These efforts help us build a digital Singapore, where opportunities are open to all; where everyone can access basic needs and lead fulfilling and dignified lives – a home that we and our future generations can be proud of. Together, I am confident that our efforts will enable Singaporeans to thrive in a digital future and take Singapore forward.

The Chairman: Ms Tin Pei Ling.

Ms Tin Pei Ling: I thank the Minister and the two Senior Minister of State for the replies. I have two supplementary questions.

The first one is related to human capital development. The scheme, such as Digital Home Access at Home, as well as the Three P events such as the DFL will go a long way in raising awareness and helping to propel population better for the digital future.

But I would like to ask: what are some of the more proactive measures or programmes that may be put in place to help upskill our school-going children so that they can keep up with the rapid technological advancement and be ready for that digital future that we speak of?

The second question, since we are talking about vernaculars, so allow me to speak in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I would like to ask the Minister this question: How does the Government ensure that spending on advertising and engaging influencers is meaningful, which will benefit the public, and is not for the purpose of self-commendation? Are there any KPIs to ensure that the fund has achieved their intended purpose?

Mr Tan Kiat How: Let me address the second question by Ms Tin. I will speak in Mandarin since she spoke in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The Government uses various online and offline channels to disseminate information to different groups of audience, and about half of the advertising budget is used on digital platforms such as Mothership, SGAG, and other small-scale social media platforms.

Many Government agencies will also engage KOLs, or influencers to advertise. Take Michelle Chong for example. Her online persona Ah Lian is very popular among the young. Ah Lian’s friendly image has helped many government agencies to reach out to people who were hard to reach, reminding them to be vigilant against online scams.

Local netizens are very sharp. If they feel that the influencers are purely advocating for the Government, they would not be interested.

The Chairman: Minister Josephine Teo.

Mrs Josephine Teo: Thank you, Mr Chairman. I thought that I will respond briefly to Ms Tin's question of what we are doing to help school-going children to acquire the digital skills.

Firstly, I think it is a very pertinent question because we have said on multiple occasions that digital access is one thing. If people are not able to acquire the skills that allow them to maximise the benefits of digital engagement, then it still does not go far enough.

We have spent quite a lot of time talking about seniors. With school-going children, there are two separate tracks of efforts that are proceeding in parallel. One group is in collaboration, of course, with the Ministry of Education, through the school system. I mentioned earlier in my speech that there is a very specific enrichment programme that has been implemented for some years now. We are constantly looking at how its contents can be refreshed and made even more relevant, as well as broadening its coverage.

The other track of effort has to do with providing additional support for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. For this purpose, we are very fortunate to have the support of our partners – through the DfL movement. Not only do these companies bring together their knowledge and understanding of how technology is changing our lives, they are usually also able to mobilise volunteers. Quite frequently, these volunteers are drawn from within their staff strength.

So, these are two broad strands of efforts that are ongoing, and we will certainly continue to look at ways to strengthen them further.

The Chairman: Mr Leon Perera.

Mr Leon Perera: Thank you, Mr Chairman, and I thank the Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How for his reply. I have a few clarifications. Before that I also want to clarify that I did not feel good about —

The Chairman: I am sorry, Mr Perera, I cannot hear you.

Mr Leon Perera: I wanted to clarify that the ad did not necessarily make me feel good. In fact, I felt a little bit concerned for the reasons I shared in my speech.

But my clarification is really going back to advertising that is driving behaviours amongst citizens versus advertising that is driving a belief or conviction. If you look at the ad that I showed earlier, the main aim seems to be to convince people that the Government is making housing affordable and accessible.

My question is: what is the problem statement that the ad is responding to? Is it that not enough people are applying for Build-To-Order (BTO) HDB flats? That cannot be, right? The BTO-flat application multiple has been rising, and it is very, very high. It seems to be more aimed at driving people to change their opinion of the Government. So, should there not be guardrails between advertising that drives towards changing people's opinion of the Government versus changing certain behaviours on the part of consumers? For example, if you have advertising to say, "Hey, you know" —

The Chairman: Mr Perera, if I could ask you to ask your clarification question concisely, please?

Mr Leon Perera: I think I will leave it at that.

The Chairman: Thank you.

Mr Leon Perera: Thank you, Mr Chairman.

Mr Tan Kiat How: Mr Chairman, let me just look at some of the ads and campaigns we have done during the COVID-19 pandemic – getting our seniors to go for their vaccination, telling people about the safe management protocols and so on. Even some of our campaigns which some Singaporeans may think are a little bit cheesy, for example, being kind to one another, making sure that you prevent dengue by preventing mosquito breeding in our homes.

These are for making sure that Singaporeans understand the facts and make sure that we encourage good behaviour among Singaporeans. So, it benefits our community. I am not sure how Mr Perera thinks that it is not a good idea in getting more people to be kinder to another, to be more courteous to one another, to take care about the cleanliness and hygiene in our homes, to benefit our neighbours.

On the MND's ads, it is about telling facts to Singaporeans about the BTO flats launches that are coming up, and some have worked examples of how they can apply the CPF grant; how they can use proximity grants when living near the parents – giving them information to make the best decision that they can.

I really do not quite understand where Mr Perera is coming from. These are just facts to help Singaporeans make the best decision for themselves. And I am sure Singaporeans can do so.

The Chairman: Ms Jessica Tan.

Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo: I thank the Senior Minister of State for sharing about the cybersecurity health plan. It will go some ways to encouraging SMEs to understand their cybersecurity risks because it will develop. There will be a health plan for the SMEs.

But just like all health plans, the real benefit is when you do something about it after you get your health plan.

So, can I ask the Senior Minister of State what more can we do to shift the mindset of SMEs who need to focus on some of the business challenges to also give that right emphasis to be looking at cybersecurity and making their companies safe so that they can be competitive?

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Mr Tan Kiat How: Mr Chairman, I thank the Member for asking a very pertinent question. Even as we support the digitalisation efforts of our SMEs, getting them to stay safe online is important consideration and priority. Cybersecurity is not just about individual firms. You may not be the target. You might be a consequence of an attack. Vulnerabilities exploited in one firm could affect many in the supply chain and many of their customer segments.

The cybersecurity health plan will go a long way in encouraging SMEs to strengthen the cybersecurity posture.

In addition to the cybersecurity health plan which I spoke about just now in my speech, the CSA has been working with industry associations and companies, on various efforts. For example, it launched the Cyber Essentials and the Cyber Trust marks last year to recognise enterprises which have adopted good cybersecurity measures that correspond to their risk profiles.

These are visible indicators for enterprises to demonstrate to their suppliers, to their customers, that they have a certain level of cybersecurity measures in place, which in turn gives their business partners and customers the confidence and trust to transact with them. This enables enterprises to better differentiate themselves from other firms, their competitors and offering a competitive advantage ahead of their peers.

This is an important point that I hope SMEs and firms can also consider. It is also how you signal to your business partners and your customers that you are differentiated from the rest.

The Chairman: Mr Pritam Singh.

Mr Pritam Singh: Thank you, Chairman. Just three quick clarifications: one for Minister Josephine Teo and two for Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary.

For Minister Teo, I note the upgraded Digital Access at Home scheme that she spoke of, and I think the auto-qualifying aspect of it is certainly excellent. I may have missed what the Minister said about the eligibility criteria. Can I just confirm that the criteria is still the same as the previous rendition of this scheme, which was, I believe, total gross household income of $1,900 and per capita income of $650? Does that remain, or has that also changed? That is my clarification question for the Minister.

I have two clarification questions for Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary.

First, thank you for responding to my cut. I understand what the Senior Minister of State said with regard to the two files not being in the possession of the NAS, but they are in the possession of the Ministry.

My first clarification pertains to a file which is in the possession of the NAS when a member of the public, even a sitting Member of Parliament, for example, puts in a request for that file. Would the NAS have to then seek permission from the originating Ministry, or is it at liberty to release that file provided the reasons are legitimate? That is my first clarification.

The second clarification question is more of a comment actually in response to what Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary said about the Albatross Files. I think I have to give credit where credit is due. The release of these documents, legacy historical documents, are important for the nation as part of the nation-building process. Particularly in the case of the Albatross Files, I think they will show, as I understand, that separation was negotiated over a number of months and it was not a case of Singapore being kicked out. At least, that is what one commentator shared on National Day last year in an article in TODAY newspaper.

I think the fundamental point is I think more of the release of such information is something that the good people at the National Archives should be acknowledged for.

5.15 pm

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Sir, when a request is made for the declassification, the National Archives of Singapore works together with the relevant Ministry and agency officers to examine the matter and takes into account issues to do with national security and defence, but also concerns to do with personal privacy, commercial information and sensitivities around protecting the process of how that material was derived.

Mr Pritam Singh will appreciate that whether something is in the public interest for general release, does not only relate to the content of the document. It can also relates to the personnel that were involved in writing that document, managing the information, how that document relates to other material that is in the Archives or in other parts of the document store, as well as the process of that happening.

So, there are a number of considerations. There is not a single template or algorithm to decide for all documents and it is done in conjunction with the Ministries and agencies.

Mrs Josephine Teo: Mr Chairman, I thank Mr Pritam Singh and also appreciate his comments that the scheme is to be welcomed.

The income criteria that is applicable, I think it is not directly comparable because it is a merger of two schemes. In any case, the eligibility criteria is gross household income of less than or equal $1,900 per month. But if a household has school-going children or a person with disability, we actually bump it up to $3,400. This is to recognise the greater needs of such families.

Ms Hany Soh: I want to thank the Minister and our two Senior Ministers of State. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the whole of MCI team.

I hope that you are not affected by the comments made by certain Members, just now, at the COS. Let us not forget the fact that during the COVID-19 period, the MCI team worked very hard around the clock to make sure that the correct and most accurate information is spread across the entire Singapore, uniting all Singaporeans to be together.

Following up with two questions to MCI. I understand that in relation to the topic of scams, this was largely discussed during the MHA COS, but I also want to know how is MCI securing our communications channels to shield citizens from scams?

The next question is given how technologies, which include the rise of online platforms, have disrupted the media industry worldwide, how is MCI helping our homegrown film and media companies to transform as well as to seize more new opportunities?

Mrs Josephine Teo: Mr Chairman, firstly, I would like to thank Ms Hany Soh for her acknowledgement of my colleagues' efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. I think not only are they gratified, more importantly, they appreciate the fact that they were able to make a contribution to help Singapore through a very difficult period.

To your question on scams, you are right. Minister of State Sun Xueling had covered it in fairly great detail during the COS debate for MHA yesterday. One of the things that she described was the multilayered approach that we take in fighting scams. There are interventions at the level of the individual. There are also interventions at the level of financial services – the banks, primarily. Another very important layer that you described is intervention within the telco infrastructure.

Some of the things that we have done include blocking scam calls as well as SMSes. We have progressively implemented default blocking of overseas calls that are spoofing local numbers – this has been in place since last July – as well as the in-network scanning of SMS content for malicious URLs – links that could be carried within these SMS messages. This has been in place since last October.

Just to give you a sense of the scale of the impact of these measures, just during the time that I took to deliver my COS speech – I believe it was something like 28 minutes – during that time, we would have blocked about 40,000 malicious calls. Just in that time, 40,000.

What that means is that each month, we are getting 57 million fewer spoof calls. They have been blocked.

Since this January, we have, of course, mandated the SMS Sender ID Registry for those that use alphanumeric headers for their SMSes. So, that is something that has been worked on.

As was also mentioned in the media today, we are looking at whether an option can be made available to subscribers to decide that they do not want to be on the receiving end of overseas calls at all because the vast majority of scam calls originated from abroad.

In some instances, people know very well that they do not have an overseas network. They have no reason to be receiving an overseas call. In order to prevent themselves from falling victim, they would rather not receive these calls. That is an option that we are studying together with the telcos. We hope to be able to update you soon.

The Chairman: Ms He Ting Ru.

Ms He Ting Ru: Thank you, Sir. Just one clarification for Senior Minister of State Tan.

I think he mentioned earlier that Government advertising schemes have to target everyone. It appears to me that this is a bit of a missed opportunity to be a bit more targeted and efficient in the spending that we do on our advertising.

I think nobody here disagrees that for COVID-19, for example, we have to target the whole of nation and not just Singaporeans, but also people who live in our communities regardless of their citizenship status. The point that I was making is whether we can get better outcomes with the money that we spend.

So, would MCI, for example, consider having more targeted advertisement – or rather not just MCI but all the Ministries in general – would they consider having more targeted advertising campaigns rather than take a very broad-stroke approach to ensure that we are just spending more wisely?

Mr Tan Kiat How: Mr Chairman, I thank Ms He for her question and her suggestion. Actually, we are on the same page on this. For us, we do want to get the maximum return on investment (ROI) on the marketing spend and the advertising spend – not just on advertising and marketing, but in general, from all Government expenditure.

Maybe just allow me to just elaborate on a couple of points that may be useful for Ms He. First, I spoke about the Government spending about 0.2% of our total expenditure on advertising and marketing. This is probably much lower than many private sector companies. It would probably be above 5% of their total sales, for big companies.

This is just a benchmark. We are not trying to be like the big MNCs or private sector companies, but it is a sanity check for us to say that we are not overspending.

Secondly, I mentioned earlier that every Ministry, as part of its programme budget – for example, Healthier SG, getting people to sign up and pre-enrol to have a general practitioner (GP) or in terms of encouraging people to have Mozzie Wipeouts to safeguard the neighbourhoods from dengue – every Ministry has its own set of outcomes they want to achieve for the programmes.

Advertising is part of that overall budget. They will have to justify rigorously, evaluate the various options and justify those budgets internally. And they use a number of measures. I mentioned some just now for the digital media space, including impressions, clickthrough rates, cost per click, number of views and so on to measure how well those campaigns are doing.

So, first and foremost, we are on the same page on this. That is something we will continue doing and I thank Ms He for her suggestion. On whether MCI ought to look at this centrally and holistically, I mentioned in my earlier reply that we are indeed exploring ways to do so and we will consider how to do so effectively.

The second is about more targeted advertising. That is something that we also try to do, targeting our campaign so that the messages reach the intended audience. It is not just about a more efficient use of the advertising money, but also it is more important to reach out to segments of Singaporeans to inform them of specific set of considerations that they need to have or need to think about for that specific programme.

For example, I go back to COVID-19 vaccination. How do we target to reach seniors, especially those who may not speak English, may not even speak Mandarin or the vernacular languages but in dialects? How do you reach out to them? Targeted advertising in a way that resonates with them – this is something we were looking at.

But at the same time, we also have to balance between being very personal and targeted, with personal privacy. I am sure Ms He and her colleagues have also due consideration of personal privacy and data protection.

We try to be targeted and personalised but at same time protecting the privacy of the person. So, it is a balance but I agree with Ms He that this is something that we are looking at.

The Chairman: Ms Tin Pei Ling, would you like to withdraw the amendment. Yes, Minister?

Mrs Josephine Teo: Was there one more question that was not answered?

Ms Hany Soh: Yes, there was one question that was not answered. This is in relation to the support for local companies. I can repeat the question.

Mr Tan Kiat How: Do you mind repeating? I am sorry.

Ms Hany Soh: Given how technology, which includes the rise of online platforms, has disrupted the media industry worldwide, how is MCI helping our homegrown film and media companies transform and seize more new opportunities?

Mr Tan Kiat How: Firstly, I apologise for missing that question. In response to the question by the Member, indeed, we are supporting the global ambitions of our homegrown media companies, especially our homegrown media studios, by strengthening capabilities through close partnerships between them and the larger players in the industry like the MNCs and by encouraging them to adopt the latest technologies.

One good example is the Capability Partnership Programme (CPP), which was launched in 2018 to facilitate collaboration between our local companies and reputable international media companies to bring "Made with Singapore" content to the world. I think we are very proud of many of our "Made with Singapore" content, for example, the recent "Ajoomma".

The CPP has since benefited around 120 local media firms and over 830 media talents. As a next step, we will continue to strengthen this partnership between our media firms with global media studios.

We also supporting our media firms in adopting technologies to raise production capabilities. I announced the $5 million Virtual Production Innovation Fund last year to encourage innovation and adoption. We will support virtual production produced short-form content. As part of the call for proposals, we received over 40 ideas in the recent call for proposal (CFP). We are evaluating them and IMDA will announce the results soon.

We will also be launching a virtual production challenge, partnering with Epic Games. Shortlisted participants will undergo Epic Games training with funds supporting production of narrative-based content using their real-time 3D content tool engine, the Unreal Engine.

We are working very closely with the media industry to create local intellectual property (IP) – "Made with Singapore" content that can travel to the rest of the world, helping our firms to use technology to produce content more efficiently and meet the more sophisticated needs of consumers around the world.

The Chairman: Ms Tin, if you can withdraw your amendment?

Ms Tin Pei Ling: I would like to thank the Minister and the two Senior Ministers of State for the very comprehensive replies to all our questions and of course, a big thank you to the entire MCI team as well.

I think, despite all the questions that have been asked, respect goes to all of you for being on the ground, in the trenches, facing off the challenges that you have to face and making that inclusive digital future a reality. With that, I would like to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $1,844,175,000 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $44,628,100 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.