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

The Chairman: Mr Zaqy Mohamad, you have two cuts. Please take them together.

ICT Talent and Manpower Development

Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Chua Chu Kang): Mdm Chair, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head Q of the Estimates be reduced by $100."

Today, technology is all around us, influencing new business models, disrupting old ones, creating new jobs and business opportunities as the world around us embraces the digital revolution.

Singapore's next phase of development towards a Smart Nation has opened up many exciting developments in terms of jobs and business opportunities. I recall the times in this Chamber when Members, such as Ms Jessica Tan, Er Dr Lee Bee Wah and I, spoke about how the engineering and technology fields have become less attractive professions in recent years.

But times are changing. According to TechSG, technology services represent the fastest growing startup sector in Singapore, almost tripling, from 1,539 in 2004 to 4,380 in 2014. Over the last five years, the number of tech services start-ups grew at 16% per annum, compared to average growth of 9% in other sectors.

Also, the tech services sector saw the highest employment growth of 11% per annum compared to an average growth of 3% per annum for startups in other sectors. In 2014, the number of technology talents in tech startups was about 33,000. Overall, the Government has indicated that 30,000 information and communication technology (ICT) jobs are expected to be filled over the next five years up to 2020. This bodes well for the technology sector.

Therefore, it is important that the Government develops a clear manpower strategy to maximise our local talent pool who are keen to develop a career in ICT. It is important to develop our manpower both in depth, for them to specialise and get certified in new exciting fields, and balance their development with a breadth of soft skills in areas of leadership, business management, functional design, creativity as well as sales and marketing, to differentiate our educated workforce from those of other low-cost countries. Otherwise, we are only competing on costs, which depresses salaries.

At the top end, it is also important that we produce ICT and business leaders who can compete on the international stage, given competition from other tech powerhouses here in Asia, such as Korea, China, India and Japan.

It is important that we build a world-renowned brand for our ICT workforce as innovators and being able to apply quickly the latest technology can offer. As a small nation, we may not always be at the forefront of invention, but it is important that we are able to be creative in the application of the best technologies from the world over and be able to leverage Singapore as a testbed to implement new ideas and market them effectively all over the world.

The war for talent is here. Over the next few years, I hope that the Ministry will do its utmost to attract more Singaporean students and workers into the ICT profession to ride on its growth for the years to come.

The challenged economy today presents an opportunity for the ICT sector to attract those outside the ICT profession with an aptitude for technology, especially many middle-aged professionals, who may find themselves displaced as the economy restructures to fuel this growth. As we embark on the Smart Nation, we must move quickly to ensure that our Singaporean workforce is ready with the skillsets and mindset to exploit the opportunities to come.

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Mdm Chair, earlier this year, Changi Business Park, which housed many back-office functions, including information technology (IT) data centres and support units, came under scrutiny and was dubbed infamously as "Changalore", because of the higher-than-average foreign workforce that are employed there. This puts many other industrial and tech parks under the spotlight too.

Understandably, one may question whether we should retain such sectors if few Singaporeans are keen to take on jobs there. Understandably, these roles usually support the region, or even the world. Therefore, their working hours may be shift-based and because of its back-office nature, the salaries may be at the lower end of the scale.

But before we judge which jobs should be retained or moved out, we must recognise that it is not just about high-value jobs or jobs that Singaporeans want. The whole ICT ecosystem must be aligned for us to continue to attract leading technology firms to set up here.

If we swing too much to the extreme and move these perceived low-value operations, such as data centres, support operations, out of Singapore – we risk losing many high-value jobs too because the whole ecosystem is inter-dependent.

Given the enabling nature of ICT, companies across various industries are also dependent on these operations, particularly companies that serve the region or the world, including banks, logistics and manufacturing firms.

The revenue stream for many local and international ICT firms, including the leading brands, also rely on the international hubs here for business. Therefore, if these firms lose clients because of fewer ICT infrastructure and operations being based here, we lose a strong justification to retain the headquarters of these firms here. If this happens, we could lose more high-value jobs in the ICT sector.

So, I would like to hear from the Ministry on how it plans to balance our dependency on foreign manpower, while channelling our local manpower towards building a strong Singapore Core in ICT firms, and ICT professions that support our businesses and Government.

Enhancing our Cyber-security Legislation

As Singapore becomes more and more digitally connected and moves towards the age of sensors and the Internet of Things, securing our cyber space, devices and personal data becomes ever more important. How does the Ministry rate the awareness of cyber security among individuals and businesses here in Singapore as well as the steps they are taking to keep the data secure?

Today, cybersecurity is not just about reputational risk. The risk to operations, even denial of access to public services, is possible if hackers take control of our critical infrastructure, not to mention, the mischief and safety risks that could be caused to our transport, defence systems and confidential Government information. Imagine if a hacker is able to take control of our train system, air traffic control or even poison our water by changing the chlorine composition of our water tanks.

To protect our national interests, does the Ministry have in place regulations that enforce a required standard of cybersecurity measures or cyber risk management framework that critical infrastructure providers, such as telecommunications, transport, energy and utility providers, as well as institutions dealing with financial transactions, to safeguard our people and businesses here?

I mentioned in my Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) cut that we need to be ready for "hybrid warfare", where our businesses and critical infrastructure may be targeted by cyberattacks to cripple our economy and business confidence in Singapore. How does the Ministry ensure that boards and senior executives of such firms, and even our Government agencies recognise the risks involved and are committed to invest to protect the interests of their firm and organisations for the interest of customers and the nation?

To complement the technology and risk initiatives, we must also have strong legal frameworks to tackle different forms of cyberattacks. Today, we have the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act. Are there additional pieces of legislation that the Ministry is considering to strengthen our laws? Are our cyber laws sufficient to handle cyber terrorism, and emerging platforms, such as blockchains?

Attacks may also come from foreign state and non-state entities. How does the Government handle concerted attacks either by foreign governments or groups originating from foreign countries?

Question proposed.

The Chairman: Ms Sun Xueling, you have two cuts. Please take them together.

Developing ICT Manpower

Ms Sun Xueling (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Mdm Chair, I was in a discussion forum recently on manpower needs for the cyber security industry. It was well-attended by students, employers and mid-career professionals.

Students wanted to know if they could continue upgrading their skills in ICT after they leave IHLs, given the constant developments in the ICT industry, and if they could aspire to C-suite level jobs, given their technical backgrounds. Employers shared their immediate needs and requirement for industry-ready talent. Mid-career professionals from adjacent industries to ICT wanted to cross over in the quickest and most painless fashion.

Given the need to develop local talent so as to enable the healthy and sustainable development of the Smart Nation initiative as well as deal with cybersecurity concerns, how would the Ministry address local manpower development to address the concerns of the various groups I mentioned? Are we doing this in the most resource-efficient and timely manner?

Secondly, 70% of our ICT manpower is made up of male professionals. Even though female representation in our ICT workforce is higher than that, say, in the United States (US), how are we making ICT education attractive to female students given the rising importance of the industry and the availability of good jobs? There are good role models like Jenny Lee of GGV Capital who has made a name for herself as an ICT venture capitalist with a Midas touch. Can we leverage more on the positive influence of such female thought leaders?

Lastly, while company-led training programmes and internships are the best way to ensure skills fit to job requirements, not all companies may have the resources to devote time and manpower to training. Given the expected number of specialists required by 2017, are there sufficient company-led training and effective conversion programmes for mid-career professionals, so that we have a decent shot at meeting our manpower needs by 2017?

Cyber-security

In December last year, the Ukrainian power supply was shut down by a cyberattack for six hours and, more than two months after the cyberattack, the power grid's central control is still not fully operational. Separately, in February this year, hackers attempted to steal almost $1 billion from the Central Bank of Bangladesh. State and trade secrets have been the target of hacking and cyberattacks in recent years. The perpetrators, whether state-sponsored or criminal groups, aimed to cause disruption to key systems for strategic reasons, ransom, theft and to make political points.

According to FireEye, a global cybersecurity company, cyberattacks are being increasingly mounted on Southeast Asian countries, due to interest in the region's growing industry sectors, such as energy, telecommunications, high-tech, transportation and finance. Territorial disputes in the South China Sea are also driving cyber espionage activities.

As we move towards greater connectivity via our Smart Nation programme, different sectors with various expertise in cybersecurity will be plugged into the system – Government, power, land transport, maritime, civil aviation, water, security emergency, health, banking and finance. Not all sectors have networks built in with security in mind. In fact, many sectors may not have designed security into their networks as they were built.

How does the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) intend to work with all the different sectors in Singapore to ensure that they are resilient against cyberattacks and, as such, ensure the resiliency of the nation? How are we doing this by design as we progress the Smart Nation initiative?

Lastly, given the international aspects of cybersecurity, with attacks either mounted or routed through other countries, how is CSA promoting cooperation with other international bodies, so that there is an aligned and concerted effort to guide against cyber threats?

Mr Vikram Nair (Sembawang): Mdm Chair, cyber threats are on the rise and are worrying because of their scale.

I had spoken about the hacking of the Bank of Bangladesh's accounts in New York during the Ministry of Defence's (MINDEF) Committee of Supply (COS) debate. Attempts were made to squirrel out almost $1 billion. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York managed to prevent about $850 million from being moved but more than $100 million was still transferred out. If hackers can target bank accounts in New York, they will likely have the capability to target banks and other IT infrastructure in other parts of the world, including Singapore.

I understand that the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) has been set up to build up capabilities and to respond to cyber threats. CSA brings together Government agencies as well major players in critical sectors such as energy, banking, and financial sectors, and other critical parts of our infrastructure. How does CSA ensure that these critical sectors are prepared for cyber threats?

Minister Yaacob Ibrahim also announced in January this year that new legislation was intended to provide CSA with new and wider powers. What does the proposed legislation add to the existing law, which is covered by the Computer Misuse and Cyber Security Act?

The Chairman: Ms Jessica Tan; not here. Mr Saktiandi Supaat.

Infocomm Media Manpower

Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Mdm Chairman, as our economy restructures, we will likely be seeing more growth in the infocomm sector, and this expansion will require skilled and multidisciplinary manpower to facilitate. There are mid-career professionals who may be willing to explore the possibility of switching careers and joining other sectors and some may even be from the retrenched group.

I would like to know whether the Ministry is doing anything to attract some of these mid-career professionals with relevant Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and also those with non-STEM backgrounds to join this sector. If possible, can the Minister also share his plans to prepare our young for the pre-infocomm sector and make it even more enticing?

The Chairman: Assoc Prof Randolph Tan; not here. Mr Darryl David.

Improving the Quality of Media Content

Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio): Madam, I would like to focus on improving the quality of media content. Mdm Speaker, legendary film director Alfred Hitchcock once said: "To make a great film you need three things – the script, the script and the script."

At the heart of every successful film, video or television (TV) programme is a top-notch script. Go further beyond that and you could argue that at the heart of every successful script is an engaging and well-told story.

I recall the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) previously announcing that it would develop a Creators' Space to nurture the digital film and video sub-sectors. Could the Ministry provide an update on this Creators' Space and also what is being done to enhance the quality of idea generation, storytelling and scriptwriting in the media industry?

Public Service Broadcast (PSB) and Industry Development

Mr Ganesh Rajaram (Nominated Member): Thank you, Mdm Chair, for allowing me the privilege to speak in this Committee of Supply (COS) Debate. Let me declare my interest as a Board Member of the Media Development Authority (MDA).

Much has been said by the Members of this House about readying our economy and people for the future and about encouraging a spirit of partnership, care and resilience. I would like to add to the debate as a media practitioner and one who has spent his entire career in the media industry. They centre on the themes of "partnership" and "transformation".

The single most important issue facing the media sector today in Singapore and the world, is convergence. Convergence is the merging of media like print, television, radio with the Internet and with portable and interactive technology, and this has transformed the way information is created, distributed and consumed globally.

This throws up many opportunities as well as challenges for Singapore. The 2016 Budget, in my opinion, addresses many of the issues brought on by convergence and I am heartened by the Government's foresight and support. But areas of concern remain.

Many of us know that countries, such as China and India, are spearheading the growth of the infocomm sector globally, both in technology and talent. They bring new technologies to market faster, and many talented individuals from overseas are now in Singapore running and working in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as large companies. This is not a bad thing, as we can, indeed learn, and improve by working with top talent.

The Government has done much to manage this sensitive area while ensuring a global business-friendly ecosystem. But it is still far too common for us in the media industry to see companies flying in individuals from overseas to take on lead roles in big projects and initiatives, when these positions could have been filled by capable, homegrown talent.

I strongly urge the Government to consider further fine-tuning its approach to the accessibility of Singapore jobs to talent from overseas. Where local and highly capable talent already exist in that particular sector, then Singaporeans should be given first priority. We must encourage a talent ecosystem where local and international companies which prioritise Singaporean talent see the benefits of being our partners for growth, and transform, over time, into commercial pillars for the local community. While the Government must take the lead in setting this tone, those in positions of leadership and influence must themselves make a conscious effort to mentor homegrown executives.

Singaporeans are not just highly efficient in functional roles. Singaporeans today can be truly exceptional in leadership and management roles. For if we do not make hiring our own people a priority in Singapore-funded projects, then who will?

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Mdm Chair, I run the Asian business for a multinational corporation (MNC), and I am very proud to say that my entire team is Singaporean. It can be done. It must be done.

Mdm Chair, I also had the privilege of serving on the Convergence Review Committee in 2012. A key recommendation by the committee then was to strengthen and enhance local vibrancy of original content.

The Government has increased the quantum of Public Service Broadcast (PSB) funding and, in 2015, announced $250 million a year in funding from financial year (FY) 2015 to FY2019 to be disbursed. The impact is beginning to show.

Viewing patterns on local TV have stabilised, with Suria, Vasantham and Channel NewsAsia growing their viewership. Programmes like "Wild City" and "Food Empire", just to name two, on Channel NewsAsia, are getting rave reviews here and overseas.

The increase in funding and the use of specialised foreign expertise have resulted in strong local TV productions. "Tanglin", a daily drama series on Channel 5, is my personal favourite. Beyond the steady TV ratings, the online viewership has been very extremely encouraging. Average weekly views on Toggle are about 135,000 and reached 194,000 in the last week of March. So far, since the launch of "Tanglin" in June 2015, 5.5 million people have watched the show on Toggle. I urge Members to watch "Tanglin". Its local stories, multiracial cast, fresh talent and good production values make the stories very watchable. So, kudos to Mediacorp, well done!

Mediacorp today outsources 40% of PSB-funded projects to production houses; there are about 80 to 90 SMEs in this sector. Cable broadcaster StarHub has also recently joined the fray and is also commissioning projects to independent production companies as a result of the contestable funding initiative.

These funds are absolutely crucial to the survival and growth of our independent production community and will be a lifeline in a period of slowing economic growth. Feedback from the production community has been for more transparency with regard to budgets and quotas. Perhaps the Government could consider making public the projects that are commissioned under the PSB framework, from Mediacorp as well as from the independent production companies, including details like durations and production budgets. This will create greater transparency in the marketplace. It will also create more goodwill and trust between the broadcasters and the production community.

Can we survive just on local audiences? I think not, Mdm Chair. Just five years ago, South Korean platforms used to buy most of the available American and overseas content, be it drama or lifestyle shows. Today, South Korean companies invest almost totally in local, original content, mainly drama and K-pop, that have become highly popular at home and, increasingly, around the world.

At a global television market in Cannes, France, last week, the South Koreans were trying to sell distributors, such as myself, content and formats for distribution in the American and European markets. It is a reversal and, indeed, a transformation of the industry.

Convergence has resulted in greater variety and, with it, greater expectations of high-quality content. We must, as an industry, become better at mentoring our homegrown talent, particularly in the areas of production and commissioning. We must also become better at facilitating the transition of our SME production companies from local set-ups to international players.

In recent years, we are seeing fewer and fewer Singaporean production companies venturing beyond our shores. The Media Development Authority (MDA) was one of the pioneer Government agencies in the region that embarked on industry development initiatives. Today, homegrown outfits, like The Moving Visuals Company and Beach House Pictures, are regional and global players, doing work for broadcasters like Discovery and National Geographic.

More can be done to encourage the spirit of adventure among our local SMEs. Mentorship programmes too can be tweaked to better match experienced international mentors with local talent. For example, a young, quirky Singaporean producer I met recently was matched with a mentor from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). While this could conceptually result in something interesting, a lot could also be lost in translation between genres and generations. She would have been better suited for a mentor from a younger skewing channel, perhaps like Channel 4.

Mdm Chair, the Government has also invested millions into industry development schemes as well as infrastructure. Mediapolis@one-north is Singapore's first digital media hub, where emerging media technologies, content, services and applications are being developed, produced, financed and distributed to the world. It is not yet complete, but is already facing rising competition from our neighbours and beyond.

A major part of this ecosystem is Infinite Studios which houses Singapore's largest sound stages. But, today, Iskandar in Johor has overtaken much of the production and post-production services in the region. The jewel in that crown is Pinewood Studios. It has world-class facilities designed for major productions.

The most important attraction of Iskandar, however, is the financial incentive. Spend RM5 million in production expense and you immediately get a 30% rebate! And this has effectively meant that Singapore has become the No 2 port of call in this sector.

Mdm Chair, what we need are viable solutions. Mediapolis in Singapore boasts world-class facilities as well. More effort should be made in raising the profile of Mediapolis and celebrating its advantages and successes. Perhaps, local companies could also be incentivised to use the facilities more regularly. In the last few years, I have also noticed that Singapore has a more muted presence in international conventions —

The Chairman: Mr Rajaram, your time is up. You have to conclude your speech.

Mr Ganesh Rajaram: In summary, Mdm Chair, challenges notwithstanding, I laud and support the Government's efforts and provisions in the Budget that will help the media sector transform itself for future challenges.

The Chairman: Assoc Prof Randolph Tan, take your two cuts together.

Impact of Manpower Situation

Assoc Prof Randolph Tan (Nominated Member): Thank you, Madam. Between 2001 and 2014, total revenue of the local and export market for the overall infocomm sector grew at a compound annual rate of 14%. The hardware market segment grew fastest during this period, at 19.4%. The second fastest growing market segment was that for software/IT services, growing less than half as fast, at just under 9%. This was followed by telecommunications, which grew at 6.5% and, finally, content activities, which grew slowest at 5.6%.

In recent years, the hardware segment has been expanding the proportion of its contribution to overall revenue, from 54% in 2008 to 69% in 2014. The proportions of revenue contributed by the remaining segments have all either remained flat or shrunk.

Although good performance in the hardware segment is a good thing, the question I have is whether and to what extent the software and infocomm services segments are being affected by the lack of required manpower.

Although employment in infocomm has not grown as quickly as in some other sectors, the compound annual growth rate of 4.9% between 2001 and 2014 has been very healthy. At end-2014, infocomm accounted for 3.3% of overall employment. This was almost unchanged from 2011, when the proportion stood at 3%.

In 2015, infocomms was the third fastest growing sector in the economy. Its expansion of 4.2% was more than twice that of the overall economy. Although its contribution of 0.2 percentage points to overall economic growth appeared small, this was important in achieving the overall two percentage point growth that we had last year. However, the proportion of infocomm output in overall gross domestic product (GDP) shrank from 4.2% to 3.8% between 2001 and 2014.

The manpower crunch appears to have been casting a long shadow over the future prospects of growth in our economy. If the problem lies with the preference of Singaporean workers, it may be possible to make the jobs more attractive. However, many jobs in the ICT sector should not be considered unattractive by virtue of their standing in the technological hierarchy. If the reason for their lack of appeal is because they are technically demanding, then we must have a serious and deep-seated problem. Is the problem also to do with limits in the supply of local manpower? In the meantime, what can be done to prevent the manpower shortage from permanently diminishing the potential for the ICT sector?

Internet Potential

Madam, Singapore has the fastest peak Internet speeds in the world and our average Internet speeds have been climbing in global rankings. This is a good sign of the progress of the Smart Nation initiative. We have clearly achieved an Internet infrastructure whose quality is up to the demands of a Smart Nation. But are we exploiting this infrastructure mainly just for consumption? How much of the capacity of this world-class infrastructure is actually being employed to drive our technological development? What is being done to encourage software and content development to ride on our magnificent Internet infrastructure?

The relatively weak performance in the infocomm industry of the software and services segments compared to the hardware segment appears to suggest that the excellent infrastructure that has been built for Internet connectivity is not being exploited to its fullest.

To contrast what I had said earlier about the expanding contributions of the hardware segments, in more recent years, from 2008 to 2014, the contribution of revenue from content services has remained flat at 2%, while that for software shrank from 18% to 12%.

Can more be done to motivate our population to move beyond mere consumption of content towards making a greater impact as developers in areas, such as Internet gaming, marketing platforms and content provision?

The Chairman: Minister Yaacob Ibrahim.

The Minister for Communications and Information (Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim): Madam, I thank Members for their thoughtful comments and suggestions.

Madam, with your permission, I would like to show a short video on the efforts of my Ministry to connect people to opportunities, community and the Government, with the help and support of trustworthy infrastructure and technology.

The Chairman: Yes. [A video was shown to Members.]

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Thank you, Madam. Madam, last month, I spoke about the manpower situation in the infocomm sector, that the current rate of demand for infocomm professionals has outpaced the rate of supply.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Ms Sun Xueling and Assoc Prof Randolph Tan also observed this, and they asked how we can prevent ICT manpower shortages and in particular, reduce our reliance on foreign manpower in certain ICT sub-sectors.

Mdm Chair, the ICT sector is, indeed, expected to see good growth, and with that, increased demand for infocomm professionals. Together with our Smart Nation initiatives, we expect an additional demand of 30,000 infocomm jobs to be filled by 2020. As demand far outstrips current supply and because the landscape is changing so rapidly, it is difficult to meet company needs for skilled manpower without non-Singaporeans entirely. But we must do our best to support our Singaporeans to be highly skilled so that they can compete with global talent.

Hence, today, I will talk about how we will do more to accelerate infocomm capability development and build a strong Singapore Core for infocomm media. Madam, the Clerk has distributed a flyer and I hope Members can make reference to this in the latter part of my speech.

Madam, it is not enough to ensure that we have sufficient computing science or IT places in our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs). We must also ensure that our students have work-ready skills and our current workers in the sector can easily renew their skills. We will focus our efforts in high demand areas such as software development, data analytics, cyber security, and network and infrastructure. We will, hence, set aside $120 million to support training efforts in developing infocomm manpower capabilities to address immediate and future manpower needs.

To build the future pipeline of infocomm professionals, we must start young. Hence, we launched the Code@SG movement in 2014 to nurture interest in technology among our young. We will continue to develop coding and computational thinking as a national capability.

Next, Madam, we will focus on the 6,000 or so students from each cohort, who are already in infocomm disciplines.

Today, our estimates indicate that a significant proportion of them do not enter the sector upon graduation. This is indeed a missed opportunity. The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) has studied this together with the stakeholders and one reason is that employers are looking for applicants with strong experience, even prior to graduation.

So, we will launch an Industry Preparation for Pre-Graduates Programme (iPREP). IDA will work with IHLs to select students and place them on this structured internship and mentorship programme, so that they can build their portfolios and gain sufficient entry-level skills and experience even before they graduate. Over three years, we hope to increase the supply of professionals by 2,400.

This will help more young Singaporeans like Tan Kai Heng, an NTU Computer Science alumnus. During his internship at Gametize, he worked with a dynamic team and even co-led to develop an Android app from scratch. The internship helped him become a confident software developer and he was subsequently offered a job with Gametize upon graduation. He has been with them for almost four years now.

We will do more to support our working ICT professionals. We currently co-fund company-led training (CLT) programmes with industry partners. For example, Google has partnered IDA to roll out the Squared Data Analytics Programme.

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Let me share two examples, Madam. Vicnan Pannirselvam, a graduate in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, wanted to pursue a data-related career. After the training, he was deployed to TBWA, an international advertising agency. There, he gained practical experience in integrating data with advertising. He did so well that he was offered a job as a Data Strategist. Celestine Goh found that the programme helped to open doors for trainees like her to access a large community of like-minded individuals and mentors. She also developed her skills and gained valuable experience there. She is now a Data and Analytics Specialist at Maxus.

In fact, every single participant in Google's programme found a job after the programme. Hence, we will expand our CLT programmes to help more than a thousand professionals each year, compared to 160 today. Mid-level professionals will now also benefit from the local and overseas training and attachments to build expertise and competencies for jobs in demand, especially in emerging areas like cybersecurity and analytics.

We will also help experienced professionals deepen their skills or convert to new infocomm disciplines. IDA's Critical Infocomm Technology Resource Programme (CITREP) helps approximately 3,000 mid-level professionals take up professional short courses and certifications every year. Moving forward, we will expand the CITREP+ programme and also help entry level professionals to start acquiring ICT skills and professional certifications early in their careers.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked about our efforts to help non-infocomm mid-career professionals make a career switch and join the infocomm sector. Mdm Chair, last year, IDA partnered a company called General Assembly to offer boot camps that provide short but immersive training for people with no background or industry experience in tech, but who have interest in a tech career. Participants are taught through industry projects by industry practitioners, receive career support and have job placement opportunities with potential employers.

We will ramp up the capacity for such accelerated Tech Immersion and Placement programmes, to support more than 1,000 Singaporean trainees over the next three years, especially those with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) backgrounds.

Mdm Chair, in his Budget Speech, the Minister for Finance announced the setting up of the Technology Skills Accelerator. We will work very closely with industry to grow this into our flagship platform where all Singapore ICT professionals can receive training and career advice.

The infocomm industry associations – Singapore IT Federation, Singapore Computer Society and the IT Management Association – have already played a huge role in the past to develop the National Infocomm Competency Framework. These associations, Madam, will continue to define new competencies under the TechSkills Accelerator, and support our shift towards greater recognition of skills mastery.

To this end, we have already partnered Proxor, a Carnegie Mellon University spinoff, to introduce their skills validation platform, so that employers can use it to test potential employees' skills in solving realistic problems, rather than referring only to academic qualifications. We will also provide funding support to Singaporeans who use the platform to validate their skills

A new feature of the TechSkills Accelerator is that the partnership will be anchored by major employers in the sector. This is important because employers must also themselves want to develop a strong Singapore Core and offer competitive remuneration to recognise skills achievement and not just paper qualifications. I am happy to confirm that several anchor employers, including the new Government Technology Agency, SingTel, Mediacorp, ST Electronics, Integrated Health Information Systems, Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) and United Overseas Bank (UOB), have already committed to be part of the TechSkills Accelerator. I encourage more companies to come on board and to put more emphasis in talent development, so that we can together build a strong Singapore core for infocomm.

Madam, Mr Ganesh Rajaram asked about the media sector and how we can encourage media companies to be independently competitive. Assoc Prof Randolph Tan asked about how we can encourage more Singaporeans, especially our young, to create more content. I am pleased to share that, this year, MDA will expand on its efforts to help enhance the capacity of the media sector to create new content for new platforms, so that we can transform the media sector to be future-ready.

I previously announced that we would launch a Creators' Space at Pixel Building in one-north. It is on track to start operations by the end of this year. Key partners, such as Adobe, digital creative brand NewMedia, online video platform Dailymotion and Disney's Maker Studios, the global leader in online short-form videos, have been confirmed.

We will take it one step further, by running other initiatives related to content development at Creators' Space. In this way, we will enable synergies between professionals in the various media sub-sectors and create a truly vibrant space for learning, experimentation and collaboration.

One of the initiatives that will leverage the Creators' Space is Story Lab. Mr Darryl David asked how we can improve the quality of film, video and TV, especially in the area of idea generation and content creation. Our Story Lab initiative helps to enhance the creative capacity of our media industry to develop compelling story ideas and innovative ways to tell these stories across various media platforms. Just last month, we ran a "Game Writing versus Narrative Design Masterclass", in partnership with the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the National Book Development Council (NBDC). About 40 media and literary professionals came together to learn about game writing techniques and tools to develop game stories. We will launch more programmes later this year, such as the WritersLab, to hone scriptwriting for television.

For the film sector, programmes such as the Chinese scriptwriting with local film producer mm2 Entertainment has indeed been very successful. They brought in notable Hong Kong and Taiwan writers as mentors. This programme will help our promising local screenwriters develop deeper script writing skills, to better serve the Mandarin-speaking market in the region.

Madam, another of our initiatives that we will co-locate with the Creators' Space is the Games Solution Centre (GSC). The games sub-sector is one of the fastest growing media sectors in Singapore. GSC offers budding game developers mentorship programmes, support for them to take their business and ideas overseas as well as business networking and access to financing opportunities. In fact, in just five years, GSC has benefited close to 50 Singaporean game companies, of which, three-quarters have successfully completed games or game demonstrations with more than 20 commercial game releases. In addition, more than five of them have gone on to secure seed funding from about $100,000 to $2 million.

Many of our game developers have made their mark, both locally and internationally. For instance, Rotten Mage's Spacejacked won the Best Linux Game award at Intel's Level Up 2015 game developer contest. Another game, Autumn Dynasty Warlords by Touch Dimensions, was among the top grossing strategy games on iTunes Store in several countries. These two games are among many that grew out of GSC.

The co-location of the Story Lab and GSC with Creators' Space will be a significant step to help our Singapore media companies become even more independently competitive. It will help facilitate collaboration between various media sub-sectors to bring about richer consumer experiences. For example, game developers today use data to better understand their consumers. This capability can be shared more widely to other media professionals, so that they can develop more innovative ways to commercialise their content. I am confident, Madam, that when the Creators' Space opens later this year, we will inspire more Singaporeans to create original content for consumers not only in Singapore, but around the world.

Finally, Madam, to encourage early to mid-career Singaporeans to take ownership of their own skills upgrading, we will give out more than 300 SkillsFuture Study Awards by this time next year to support Singaporeans' aspirations in the infocomm media and design sectors. Recipients will receive a monetary award of $5,000 which can be used to defray out-of-pocket expenses associated with the course that they will take.

Mdm Chair, we are making significant efforts to attract Singaporeans, both male and female, to careers in infocomm, media and design. We believe these sectors offer good careers. We also believe that it is essential that these sectors develop a strong Singapore Core of talent. We will succeed, if we can attract more Singaporeans with a passion for their craft.

People like Fadli bin Sidek, whom I met earlier this year at a SGfuture dialogue. Fadli developed an interest in cybersecurity very early in his teens. He tried to enrol in an IT course at a polytechnic but was unsuccessful. Undeterred, he pursued private courses in IT and infocomm security. He worked various jobs to pay off his study loans and to gain experience. Eventually, he managed to graduate with a degree in cyber forensics, information security management and business information systems. Today, he is Lead Intelligence Analyst at a cyber threat intelligence company.

Young Singaporeans like Fadli exemplify the spirit of SkillsFuture, and the new Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) will do all we can to help them. The Cyber Security Agency (CSA) will also help to nurture Singaporeans' interest and awareness of cybersecurity. I will now talk more about our cybersecurity efforts.

Some hon Members have raised questions about cybersecurity. We established the CSA last year, as the national agency overseeing cybersecurity strategy, education and outreach and industry development. I am pleased to report that since its formation, we have made good progress.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad asked how we can ensure executives of firms in critical sectors and important industries are committed to cyber security. While bigger companies are better-equipped against cyber threats, cyber security is seldom a top priority. Businesses need to come around to the fact that cyber threats can hurt bottom lines. I am glad to share that CSA is working on an awareness programme to educate and sensitise the C-suite to potential cyber threats to their firms.

The hon Member also asked how cybersecurity awareness among individuals and businesses in Singapore is measured. Madam, IDA surveys companies and individuals annually on the infocomm security measures they adopt. In 2014, 94% of companies used virus-checking or protection software, while 81% of home Internet users had anti-virus software installed on their computers. These figures are encouraging, but there is always room for improvement, especially as the threats grow more complex.

CSA advocates a multifaceted approach to cybersecurity, including risk-based mitigation, early detection and robust response. Cross-sector responses are coordinated between CSA and other sectors to mitigate widespread cyberattacks. Ms Sun Xueling and Mr Vikram Nair asked about how CSA has worked with critical sectors to ensure resilience against cyberattacks.

CSA works closely with critical sectors to assess the critical infrastructure for vulnerabilities, taking a cybersecurity-by-design approach. This ensures, Madam, that security capabilities and measures are in place to detect, respond to and recover from cyber threats. To strengthen cyber resilience, CSA also conducts cybersecurity exercises with critical sectors.

Recently, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and I were present at CSA's multisector exercise, codenamed Exercise Cyber Star. This exercise gave us the opportunity to evaluate the capabilities of CSA, the banking and finance, Government, energy and infocomm sectors in incident management as well as their operational processes and coordination functions in a simulated cyberattack. I was pleased to observe that all parties worked well together. The exercise also saw a good demonstration of CSA's ability to mobilise resources and experts from across multiple sectors to address a crisis.

The successful conclusion of Cyber Star marked CSA's achievement of initial operational capability. CSA will continue its close collaboration with various partners, including Government agencies, to better respond to cyberattacks and proceed with its plans to further build up its capabilities.

However, as Members have pointed out, cyber threats are borderless. There are many international efforts that Singapore is involved in to strengthen cybersecurity cooperation, such as the ASEAN Computer Emergency Response Team Incident Drill and the ASEAN Regional Forum Seminar on operationalising cyber confidence-building measures. Last year, CSA also signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with the UK, France and India to strengthen international cyber security cooperation.

Apart from building up the CSA's capabilities, we also intend to review the policy and legislative framework for cybersecurity. This is especially important as we move towards building Singapore as a Smart Nation and I thank the Members of the House who have asked about the proposed cybersecurity legislation.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad and Mr Vikram Nair also asked how the legislation will complement the powers in the existing Computer Misuse and Cyber Security Act (CMCA). Mdm Chair, CMCA grants powers for law enforcement agencies to investigate and apprehend individuals or entities behind cybercrime. However, cyberattacks have increased in sophistication and attackers have become faster and bolder. It is inevitable that Singapore's critical information infrastructure will, at some point, be targets. The interconnectivity in our networks also means that the effects of cyberattacks can be contagious.

Globally, governments have been strengthening their cybersecurity legislation. In Germany, a law was passed last year to enforce minimum cybersecurity standards for critical infrastructure operators. It also mandates the reporting of significant cybersecurity incidents. Last December, the US government approved the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, to facilitate the sharing of cyber threat information. The law also protects information sources from being sued.

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We need to likewise strengthen Singapore's cybersecurity legislation. We will commence work on developing a standalone Cyber Security Act that provides for stronger and more proactive powers

Mr Christopher de Souza, during the Budget debate, asked for an update on the timeline. Madam, CSA will consult stakeholders on the scope of this new Bill. Broadly speaking, the Bill will ensure that operators take proactive steps to secure our critical information infrastructure and report incidents. It will also empower CSA to manage cyber incidents and raise the standards of cybersecurity providers in Singapore. We look forward to Members supporting the Bill when it is tabled in Parliament in 2017.

Madam, to sum up, we are stepping up our efforts to enhance our cybersecurity and also the resilience of our infrastructure. This is the necessary foundation for a successful digital economy. We are also ramping up our efforts to grow a strong Singapore Core in the infocomm, media and design sectors, sectors that offer good jobs for Singaporeans, and also play an important role in helping to transform the rest of the economy towards an innovation-led growth.

The Chairman: Mr Zaqy Mohamad.

Enhancing Wireless@SG

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Mdm Chair, as Singapore embarks on our Smart Nation initiative, it is imperative that we must have public wi-fi that is more pervasive and faster. Many developed cities, such as New York, Seoul and Tokyo, are also investing in their public wi-fi infrastructure.

I would like to ask the Ministry to consider enhancing our Wireless@SG network to improve connectivity for our people in our push for a Smart Nation. Today's Wireless@SG speeds are slower in performance than what our 4G mobile networks provide.

Given our high penetration of smartphones among the population, this is also an opportunity to connect citizens with real-time data and sensor networks that will benefit them in areas such as transport and retail. An enhanced wireless infrastructure will also boost our workforce engaged in entrepreneurial or freelance opportunities.

Withdrawal of 2G Phone Services

Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied): Mdm Chairperson, the withdrawal of second-generation (2G) phone services by April 2017 will affect up to 250,000 individuals, in particular the elderly who seek a basic device for their use and foreign workers who rely on the cheapest handsets. Customers are also likely to pay more when they transit from 2G pre-paid plans after April 2017. It is known that seven out of 10 of the 250,000 affected individuals are on pre-paid plans.

Can the Minister share how many elderly Singaporeans are represented in this group? Can I enquire if IDA will consider working with the three telecoms companies (telcos) to consider a special upgrade or rebate voucher for elderly Singaporeans on pre-paid plans who would likely see higher bills after April 2017? What is the anticipated percentage of the rise in their bills after the withdrawal of this service? Can the Minister also explain how the Silver Infocomm Initiative has been rolled out and implemented to assist elderly Singaporeans who would be affected by this transition?

In addition, are the outreach efforts available in Chinese dialects and the vernacular languages, such as Malay and Tamil, as well since our elderly comprise a very diverse group?

Smart Nation

Ms Chia Yong Yong (Nominated Member): Madam, technology is a powerful enabler. Despite medical advancements, the number of persons with functional disabilities, whether congenital or acquired, will increase.

As Singapore ramps up its drive to be a Smart Nation, it is critical that we integrate considerations of the needs of persons with functional disabilities in the planning process. Beyond infrastructural cost savings and business efficiency, Smart Nation can play a critical role in homecare and healthcare support and disability intervention and mitigation right from our homes, offices and community spaces, as well as mainstream integration of persons with functional disabilities and limitations.

In this connection, can the Government give an update of the integration on such considerations? More than Smart Nation, let it be an instrument for One Nation.

The Chairman: Mr Saktiandi Supaat, you have three cuts, please take them together.

ICT Infrastructure

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: Thank you, Mdm Chair. I start, first, with ICT infrastrcuture. Having a pervasive public wi-fi network is becoming expected of smart cities. Many cities like Taipei, Helsinki and New York are investing heavily in free public wi-fi. Link New York City (LinkNYC), an infrastructure project designed to create a network to cover NYC with free wi-fi service, was rolled out at the end of last year. It has been lauded for its gigabit speed Internet that will be available from 7,500 hotspots all over the city. Singapore could do well to benefit from an extensive and high-quality wi-fi network in our push to become a smart nation.

As wi-fi becomes increasingly important to tourists, public wi-fi capabilities would also be a point of attraction in our endeavours to boost our tourism sector. Currently, Wireless@SG network is available for free until 31 March 2017. Will this deadline be extended? How does the Government or MCI intend to enhance our Wireless@SG network?

Future Economy

Services and Digital Economy

Madam, I shall take the second and third cuts together. Innovation and technology are increasingly crucial for productivity in all sectors and in enhancing the quality of life. We are now in the era that celebrates digital innovation and automated services.

The Government has made a sound investment with its commitment of $19 billion to a five-year plan for research and development (R&D). How does the Ministry intend to tap on this fund to develop Singapore's digital innovation capabilities in the Services and Digital Economy (SDE) domain?

The Committee on the Future Economy was launched earlier this year, and corporate capabilities and innovation are among the key areas it will explore. Given that technology will undeniably be one of the key drivers of the future, how does the Ministry envision technology shaping Singapore's future economy? How will businesses be affected and how are they expected to adapt?

The Chairman: Minister of State Janil Puthucheary.

The Minister of State for Communications and Information (Dr Janil Puthucheary): Mdm Chair, digital technology is changing and at the same time driving change at an astounding pace. Many view these developments with anxiety: will a machine take over my work? Will social media divide society? Will I be left behind as technology progresses? Is cyberspace safe?

We cannot ignore such concerns. We cannot pretend that as a small, open country, we can shield ourselves from these forces. The only way ahead is to prepare for the threats and opportunities and to try to be the disruptor rather than the disrupted.

This is what being a Smart Nation is about: we have a national plan. We will develop, deploy and exploit digital technology. We will secure the future of our jobs and drive the transformation of our quality of life. We will maintain the cohesiveness of our society, and our relevance to the rest of the world. To succeed, everyone needs to come together: citizens, companies and the Government.

What can the Government do to enable this vision of a Smart Nation? Three things: first, we must build a first-class infrastructure for pervasive, seamless and high-speed connectivity to benefit citizens and businesses. Second, the Government must lead in the use of technology for our daily business: to serve people, make policy, plan ahead. Finally, we need to nurture research and innovation to build new solutions, create and capture value.

First, let me speak on connectivity. I thank Assoc Prof Randolph Tan, Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Mr Zaqy Mohamad for their questions about Wireless@SG. It is already faster than most public wi-fi services around the world. But demand is increasing and so we will increase its speed from the current two megabits per second (Mbps) to five Mbps This is faster than existing 3G speeds. It will be more than enough to surf the web and stream high-definition videos. Also, we will double the number of Wireless@SG hotspots from 10,000 to 20,000 across Singapore by 2018.

In doing so, we will focus on public places, such as community clubs, hospitals, polyclinics, Government service centres, Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations, hawker centres, voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs), retail and tourist spaces. This will increase the penetration and pervasiveness of Wireless@SG. Already today, our hotspots-to-population ratio is second only to Tokyo. Our efforts and investments will help Singaporeans stay more connected. We will continue to support this programme for as long as necessary because we need the wireless ecosystem to develop into one that is vibrant and self-sustaining.

It is not the connectivity that makes us smart; it is what we do with it. We need businesses to ride on our network to build and deploy new products and services, as alluded to by Assoc Prof Randolph Tan. There are already new players in the market taking advantage of the open access mandate in broadband infrastructure. They provide a new range of products and services, such as real-time surveillance and time-critical financial data. Operators can also use Wireless@SG to offer improved services, such as cashless payment and location-based analytics. All these benefit consumers, businesses, and productivity.

We are forming the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) to drive transformation in the Government and to use digital technology to serve citizens better and improve our processes.

One of the immediate responsibilities for GovTech is to roll out the Smart Nation Platform. Today, each Government agency collects their own data, deploys their own sensors and develops their own applications. This slows innovation and increases costs. The Smart Nation Platform will provide a shared sensor communication platform for the whole-of-Government to allow collection, sharing and analysis of different types of data to benefit all.

The first phase of Smart Nation Platform development and deployment is already under way, covering high traffic areas in the city and Yuhua. The first priorities for using the data will be transport and security. Working with the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA), we will be using the Smart Nation Platform video sensors and analytics to enable incident detection, vehicle count, speed analysis and crowd sensing. We want to use the data to reduce crowdedness, improve bus waiting times and improve comfort.

This citizen-centric impact is what we want to achieve, and the Smart Nation Platform is not just a bunch of devices but a way for different agencies to come together, and put citizens at the centre, build and share innovations that will serve people better. This is what GovTech is all about and I am confident that we can achieve this vision, with the support of all agencies.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked how we intend to develop Singapore's digital innovation capabilities under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2020. Out of the $19-billion fund announced by Prime Minister Lee earlier this year, $400 million will go to support the Services and Digital Economy (SDE) domain to drive research and innovation for our Smart Nation.

A new Smart Systems Strategic Research Programme (SS SRP) will be launched this month. This is a collaboration among MCI, the Smart Nation Programme Office (SNPO) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) and will have two strategic imperatives: first, to support the development of digital technology in areas that affect citizens the most, such as transport, health and service productivity; and second, to build capabilities in platform technologies to open up possibilities for innovation in many different fields. Examples are sensor communications, 3D geospatial science and cybersecurity.

Globally, digital services were projected to have generated approximately US$1 trillion in revenues last year. We want Singapore business to share in this, to be part of this and to drive this. With these investments and plans, we can make sure that we give our businesses every opportunity to be part of the global action.

For example, leveraging on Singapore's access to Asian languages, Dr Li Haizhou from A*STAR's Institute for Infocomm Research is leading an international effort with over 27 countries to develop a multi-lingual speech translation service over the Internet. This will enable 95% of the world's population to communicate with one another. This is an example of our competitive advantage as a result of the people that we have, the place that we occupy in the world, and the opportunities available to individuals, enterprises and academia here in Singapore.

The public sector can be the enabler and catalyst, but it is the private sector that needs to lead in innovation, to bring ideas from the research lab to the market, to deal with the disruption and be disruptors themselves. I am working together with representatives from the technology sector, such as Mr Caesar Sengupta, who is the Vice President of Google located here in Singapore, together with a group under the Committee on the Future Economy, to examine the impact of disruptive technologies on our economy and to come up with some recommendations for the Government, private enterprises and individual citizens.

We will look at how technology presents opportunities to re-engineer our business processes for better outcomes, leveraging on Singapore's competitive advantages, for example, our high level of connectivity, very high rate of literacy, as well as technological literacy and the high level of trust that exists in the Singapore brand name.

At the same time, we must anticipate risks from new technologies, such as the threats to traditional businesses and jobs from automation. We must find ways to ease the transition for our people into new jobs and allow them to thrive in future work environments.

We have a vibrant startup ecosystem but, to seize the opportunities out there, this ecosystem needs to grow. Last year, Infocomm Investments Pte Ltd (IIPL) set up a startup space called BASH, which stands for Build Amazing Startups Here. And we did. BASH has built 65 amazing start-ups in the one year that it has been operating. Across the whole of Singapore, IIPL has accelerated about 230 startups, including the 65 from BASH.

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We have found that our strategies also increase the survival rate of our startups. Lots of startup ideas exist and there is a lot of initial excitement, but a key part of the process is the ability of the startup to get past the initial stage and attract further follow-on funding and investment. The survival rate, under our strategy, has increased significantly from 10% to more than 60%. Most have chosen to be based in Singapore, and, in turn, create jobs for Singaporeans.

This achievement would not be possible without a growing number of Singaporeans who are offering their time and expertise to help other aspiring entrepreneurs. One example is Teik Guan. He was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of DS3, a Singapore-based company, before he moved on to Gemalto, a digital security MNC. He decided to make a mid-career change this year and became a full-time mentor at BASH. With his rich experience, he has been an extremely valuable resource for promising young entrepreneurs. He is advising several startups on issues like optimising shareholding, identifying good business channels and improving their business strategies.

Thanks to such efforts, the quality of our startups is improving. More and more homegrown startups are developing products that could potentially transform their sectors. I would like to highlight one example. It is a programme called Jaga-Me. A graduate of IIPL's pre-acceleration programme, Jaga-Me is a local startup that connects patients and their families with quality home nursing services on-demand. In doing so, it helps families to manage the stress of caregiving.

The success of our Smart Nation will ultimately depend on the choices that we all make. For BASH, their secret is experienced mentors like Teik Guan who wants to nurture the next batch of entrepreneurs. The Government also needs people with the technical skills and the passion to serve. So, IDA has launched the Smart Nation Fellowship Programme last month. This programme invites experienced Singaporean tech professionals to come into the Government and deliver meaningful digital and data solutions for citizens. In the first three days alone, we received about 100 applications, many of them working in top software firms, an overwhelming response.

IDA has also pioneered a Technology Associates Programme to build a pipeline of technology leaders and experts for the Government through training and mentorship. Over 350 applications were received for 15 spots under this programme. Technology Associates have worked on projects such as the Business Grants portal announced by Minister Heng Swee Keat in the Budget and the online Student Learning Space being developed by the Ministry of Education (MOE). I am glad to see Singaporeans responding enthusiastically, not just to the Nerf Guns but also to our call to action to come and build our Smart Nation together.

Even if you choose not to join the Government or work at BASH, there is a lot to do. If you like to play with data or programme an app, visit our open data portal. The url link is data.gov.sg. We revamped it last year to make our data clearer and more meaningful. It is also machine-readable and, so, easier for anyone to use it to develop their own ideas and products.

Here is a map from data.gov.sg that allows you to make a comparison among the telecom operators by region. [A slide was shown to hon Members.] If you click on the different hexagons or type in the address, you will be able to compare the speeds of the different operators at the places that you are interested in. We want to make data open, accessible and easy to use. We want to encourage all the innovators out there to create something useful on top of our data, maximise its value for the public or do something just for the fun of it.

This is what the digital platform must do: bring us together as a people, each contributing our knowledge and experience in small and big ways and to be of service to one another.

This is also why it is important that we take an inclusive approach as we take on the challenges and opportunities of the digital revolution and help one another adapt to the inevitable change.

Some disruptions are easier to manage, such as the cessation of 2G mobile services that Mr Pritam Singh highlighted. This is not expected to affect many people, as 2G subscriptions comprise less than 3% of the total mobile subscriptions in Singapore today. The bulk of them are not senior citizens, but rather foreigners living in Singapore, corporate users and prepaid users. IDA is working with mobile operators to help them migrate smoothly to 3G and 4G networks. I would like to reassure Mr Singh, and I hope he will help me reassure them, that they can continue with their existing 2G subscriptions at current prices on the 3G network, until they choose to change or upgrade their plans.

Other issues need more deliberate action, like bridging the digital divide. We must ensure that no segment of the community is excluded from computer and Internet connectivity, especially low-income households, the elderly and people with special needs. We have, to date, connected more than 29,000 low-income households since 2006. Internet usage by our seniors aged 50 and above has also increased significantly from 33% in 2012 to 51% in 2014.

I would like to assure Mr Pritam Singh again, for our Silver Infocomm Programme, our digital inclusion programme, they are available in vernacular languages. I attended a very nice multigenerational boot camp in Punggol East together with Mr Charles Chong and there were 10-year-old Primary 4 students training the people of their grandparents' age on how to access the various programmes on Toggle, how to do their online banking, and they were doing so in a mixture of English, Malay, Mandarin and Hokkien. It was really a very interesting experience.

Getting people online is only the start. Serving them online is just as important. Today, Government websites are held to standards by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) for use by people with disabilities. But we are not satisfied to stop here and are looking at how e-Government services can be designed to better serve all Singaporeans, especially the elderly and people with special needs.

We also use technology in other ways. For example, the recent Budget 2016 speech had "live" captioning to enable the hearing-impaired and the deaf community to have direct access to the Budget speech.

Ms Chia Yong Yong mentioned the Enabling Village. This helps people with disabilities live and work independently using infocomm and assistive technology. This is Nur Madiah Hidayah Lim. [A slide was shown to hon Members.] She is 34 years old and born without limbs. She has benefited from some of the technology-driven programmes and devices we have put in place, and through SG Enable's Programme at Tech Able, she is now working as part of our digital economy. She has benefited from Tech Able and is now an active contributor to our digital economy, having found a job in SingTel as a Call Centre Operator.

Mdm Chair, in conclusion, the world faces an uncertain and anxious time ahead, but it is also a time full of surprises, potential and opportunity. Smart Nation is a rallying call to the Government, industry and all our citizens, and all of us need to work hand in hand and seize these possibilities. We will need to take risks and be prepared for change and keep a look out for one another. Smart Nation is not about building technology. It is about us and the relationships we build with one another, as one people.

The Chairman: Mr Vikram Nair.

Public Service Broadcasting

Mr Vikram Nair: The Ministry's support for public sector broadcasting has played an important role in keeping local content alive on television in Singapore.

Local content has faced increasing competition. First, in cable channels. Now, the media landscape is set to change again; Netflix appears to be coming on the scene. This is likely to provide even more competition to our local content. Our local content has survived the challenge of cable TV; the question remains whether or not it is going to survive the challenge of Netflix. I would be interested to know if the Ministry has any ideas on how we might help local PSB content remain relevant and interesting to Singaporeans to keep up with these new entrants.

In this regard, I would also be interested to know the details about the Ministry's review of Okto and Channel U. Besides the reviews to these channels, what improvements can be made to public service broadcasting (PSB) content on the vernacular channels?

Mr Darryl David: Mdm Chair, to say that the TV landscape has changed in the past couple of years is an understatement. Indeed, there is an increasing number of viewers who no longer even use an actual TV set to consume their content. Mobile phones, tablets, laptops, personal computer (PC) monitors, these are the screens that are becoming more popular. There are also new players entering the market, new genres of programmes and new production models as well. Anyone who understands the references to "House of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black" will know what I am talking about.

Yet, in this landscape, I agree with my Parliamentary colleague, Mr Vikram Nair, that we cannot ignore the need for public service broadcasting (PSB). Like Mr Nair, I would like to ask what the Ministry is doing to ensure that PSB remains relevant and continues to capture Singapore viewers, in particular, the young.

I also have another question for the Ministry whether they would consider extending PSB funding to more media organisations and companies if they meet the PSB criteria?

PSB

Mr Png Eng Huat (Hougang): Mdm Chair, the arrival of digital broadcasting in Singapore and the adoption of the Digital Video Broadcasting – Second Generation Terrestrial (DVB-T2) broadcast standard, which boasts higher efficiency, robustness and flexibility, will free up some valuable spectrum when the analogue broadcast is finally switched off.

I call upon the regulatory authority to relocate some of this spectrum to support the schools and the arts community under the Public Service Broadcast (PSB) framework. The programming for this dedicated free-to-air channel should be supported and managed by the respective stakeholders.

The local theatre and performing arts scene could use a fully funded free-to-air arts channel to help artistes and performers promote their work and labour of love beyond the limited coverage given by the state-owned media.

The National Arts Council (NAC) said on its website that it celebrates excellence in the arts, and it will work to make it accessible to all. DVB-T2 will allow the vision to become a reality because everyone can have access to free-to-air channels using the mobile device in his or her hand.

Madam, how many times have we seen sports events in our school covered in our free-to-air channels in the course of an academic year? The sports scene in our school will certainly breathe a new lease of life and excitement if such competitive events are covered and broadcast on free-to-air PSB channels. Such programmes can be produced and directed by the many arts and communications students in our polytechnics and universities as part of their curriculum and training. I believe our students would love to take on the challenge to produce such programmes and have their production carried on free-to-air channels. The experience these students acquire in the course of doing that is immeasurable.

The arrival of digital broadcasting in Singapore presents a wonderful opportunity for regulators and policymakers to deepen the skillsets of our own talents and broaden the scope of our expertise to become a media hub in the region. It also presents an opportunity for regulators to widen the PSB Framework to include areas which were not given much attention in the past.

Next Generation PSB

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Madam, the entry of new players in recent years such as Netflix and Spotify into our media landscape has provided citizens with more options in entertainment. Today, our media content producers and broadcasters, predominantly Mediacorp and StarHub, provide public service broadcasting to Singaporeans. Can the Ministry elaborate on its plans to ensure that the public service broadcast (PSB) will continue to reach out to Singaporeans in this new digital landscape?

As our public service broadcasters face greater competition, what are the Ministry's strategies to ensure that they remain competitive and continue to provide local content to compete more effectively against more sophisticated media players that have global reach and economies of scale?

I agree with hon Member Darryl David, and also Alfred Hitchcock as well, that the good movies and good TV programmes start with the script, the script and the script. So, can the Ministry consider a special scheme to have our PSB operators bring in good scriptwriters or screenwriters to mentor our local content providers as well as, in the short term, uplift the quality of local content? Is the Ministry considering adding more local players such as Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) or SingTel, or others who meet the requirements, to further develop the PSB options for Singaporeans? What are the Ministry's plans to enhance the use of social and digital media as channels for PSB?

Today, our public service broadcasters also provide avenues for developing local talent. PSB providers, therefore, become a platform to grow local talent, strengthen our production capabilities and, hopefully, some may become world beaters. Therefore, I hope that through PSB, the Government will also place a strong emphasis on investing in our local talent pool and ensure that the sector continues to provide good jobs and opportunities for all.

Public Broadcasting for the Underserved

Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin (Nominated Member): I declare my interest as a co-founder of a media production agency. I never thought much about Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) until I thought about how we can use it to help disrupt the poverty cycle here. In the 1980s, two psychologists investigated why Head Start, America's programme for uplifting poor children, was having limited success. They discovered that richer parents spend more time reading and talking with their children than poorer parents do. That means that by the time both the poor kid and the rich kid hit four years old, there is a 32-million-word gap that exists between them. And the gap is not just in number, but tone, complexity and type of words as well. I do not have the Singapore statistics, but I am betting we will see similar patterns.

Research shows that many children in our poorest households stay at home because going out costs their parents too much money and inconvenience. These kids attend preschool inconsistently and cannot go for enrichment classes like their richer peers. So, they spend their time watching Youtube and TV at home. Our PSB funding can be so much more deliberate in what social good it can achieve.

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Growing income and educational inequality is a real problem here. What if we carved out some of our PSB funds to create programmes for TV and Youtube that focused on closing this 32-million word gap? Could the funds encourage producers to collaborate with educators and researchers to deliver innovative children's programmes guided by educational curriculum? What if we also asked for a cast that reflected racial and socioeconomic diversity and a show that promotes empathy and even very basic bilingualism?

If you think that sounds way too idealistic or boring, it has actually been done before to tremendous effect. It is called Sesame Street. Sesame Street was born in 1969 as an experiment designed to prepare poor pre-schoolers for school. It was the first time a children's TV show was not just co-created with educators, but simultaneously monitored by researchers. Its producers developed the Children's Television Workshop (CTW) model, a system of TV show planning, production and evaluation based on collaborations among producers, writers, educators, and researchers. Its positive impact on education of kids in America and all around the world has been well documented. It is regarded by some as the most cost-effective and impactful early childhood education intervention ever implemented in the US, and it was essentially the first massive open online course freely available for children.

The world has not seen another Sesame Street. But maybe now is the time for one to rise in Asia, and I think Singapore is a perfect place to give it a go. Let it be a gift, not just for the poor in our own country, but to Asia and the world.

Bringing Government Closer to the People

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Public expectations of Government communications have heightened, with increased scrutiny on how the Government postures and positions policies. In our diverse society, the Government needs to customise its approach in communicating policies and handling crises, especially to its intended target segments.

The Pioneer Generation Package campaign was a good example of how the Government showed much flexibility in its communications across channels, be it on TV, video and publicity material on the ground, customising the approaches to engage different races and age groups, even selling its messages in dialect.

There are many schemes covered in this Budget, and how each citizen will benefit from it will vary. How can the Government leverage its experience with the Pioneer Generation Package and extend it to simplify the communications on more complex policies such as MediShield Life, CPF LIFE and the many different housing schemes being rolled out? How about Budget 2016?

We must make simplifying our complex policies a habit in our communications, so that the ordinary citizen can easily "get it" and be clear on the benefits, rationale and trade-offs in each of our policies.

Commercial service providers today and also applications are increasingly moving towards personalisation, targeted outreach and being able to push recommendations in how their products are being marketed. Will the Government go the same way to reach each Singaporean in his or her mode of communications, be it email, short message service (SMS), mailers, booths or even adverts on the street? Ultimately, can the Ministry share how it plans to further strengthen public communications to reach different groups of Singaporeans more effectively?

Public Communications Initiatives

Mr Ong Teng Koon (Marsiling-Yew Tee): Mdm Chair, we live in the era of mass communications where broadcasting has been democratised and every individual can now have his or her voice heard online.

The old channels of television, radio and newspapers face unprecedented competition and are struggling to maintain their audience. This proliferation of media has made Government communications more and more challenging. Whereas in the past, there were only a few channels that were consumed by the vast majority, we now instead have an intricate tapestry of different media, each targeting a different audience.

At the same time, the audience has become more and more discerning and demanding. No longer forced to accept whatever was delivered to them, they now pick and choose what they watch or listen to.

In our diverse society, it is clear that a one-size-fits-all approach to communications no longer works. A successful communications strategy must tailor both message and medium for the intended audience. The days of one message being broadcast on one or two channels are gone, and winning in the future will require the ability to tailor "narrowcasts" for specific audiences, when necessary

Recognising these challenges, the Government has already rolled out several communications initiatives, including the Pioneer Generation Package (PGP) campaign. This cleverly use different forms of communications that were designed to gain the attention of the elderly, for example, by using Teochew opera.

Can the Ministry share how it plans to further strengthen public communications to reach different groups of Singaporeans more effectively?

Singapore is a multi-lingual society. Combined with an ageing population, the need for quality translations is more crucial than ever. Can the Ministry provide an update on the work of the National Translation Committee (NTC) to meet this need in the long term?

Tamil Translation

Mr Vikram Nair: Mdm Chair, in Tamil.

(In Tamil): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The National Translation Committee (NTC) was set up in 2014 to improve the quality of translations across the whole of Government. However, the Tamil community is one of the smallest and we often get feedback on issues with Tamil translations. I suspect this also has to do with resource constraints. Are there any plans to improve the quality of Tamil translations services?

Design 2015

Dr Teo Ho Pin (Bukit Panjang): Madam, quality design will increase the functional lifespan, customers' satisfaction and the competitiveness of products, systems and services of firms. Quality design can also be a strategic tool to help firms to expand their businesses globally and develop a Singapore brand.

Madam, Singapore is known to the world for being a "clean and green" garden city. Our city, town and community planning have won many accolades. Over the years, we have planned and developed Singapore into a liveable and lovable city where our people enjoy a good quality of life.

Madam, I support the five strategic thrusts of the Design 2025 Masterplan namely: (a) infuse design into our national skillset; (b) expand role of design in businesses and Government; (c) strengthen the competitiveness of design firms; (d) bring design into the community; and (e) develop the Singapore Design brand.

Madam, I wish to ask the Ministry the following questions. One, what are the desired outcomes and key performance indicators of the Design 2025 Masterplan? Two, what is the role of design in fulfilling the aspirations of Singapore to be a Smart Nation? Three, what plans are in place to expand Singapore Design Mark (SG-Mark) globally?

The Chairman: Mr Darryl David, you have two cuts. Please take them together.

Design Singapore 2025 Masterplan

Mr Darryl David: Thank you, Madam. Madam, before I begin, I would like to declare that I am part of the Management at the School of Design in Temasek Polytechnic.

Madam, Singapore has increasingly recognised the significance of design and the creative industries as an important growth factor. We have continued to grow the Singapore design brand globally, culminating in 2015 when Singapore was designated a UNESCO Creative City of Design.

Today, more and more businesses, even in traditionally non-design fields, are utilising design strategies and design thinking toolkits in planning better customer experiences and product innovations. My own experience as an educator and part of the team at the School of Design in Temasek Polytechnic has reinforced how critical it is to embed design awareness and appreciation into young people as a whole.

My Parliamentary colleague, Dr Teo Ho Pin already mentioned the Design 2025 Masterplan, which is the way forward for the design and creative industries and has mapped out several strategic thrusts and focus areas. I would like to pay attention to the recommendation to infuse and build a greater sense of aesthetics and design awareness in the young. While this is commendable and desirable, I hope that the Ministry could share their plans on how they intend to move this forward.

Given the already highly packed school curriculum geared towards high-stakes exams, design studies and design appreciation should not be tagged on as an afterthought, or be perceived as an unnecessary addition to the already heavy load our young students bear. In fact, I believe it should be integrated as seamlessly as possible, through lively discussions and exposure to arts, popular culture, photography, film, fashion, architecture and so on. The dialogue with design begins at the primary school level at least and should continue into the later years.

I believe this is important as this exposure to design and design thinking should be for all students and not just for those who want to pursue a career in the creative industries. Having such an early foundation produces curious and innovative thinkers who are analytical, bold, experimental and expressive, skillsets that would serve them well in this 21st century world. This would perhaps lead to the creativity and innovation of our society that my Parliamentary colleague, Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin, was talking about in her earlier Budget debate speech.

Finally, to raise the bar for design professionals entering the industry, we should take a closer look at design education in our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) as it is now, and to boldly seek ways to approach this differently and creatively.

Madam, my experience in design education has taught me that design should be taught differently from other courses in business, engineering, ICT and so on. There should not be a one-size-fits-all approach to design education and greater autonomy should be given to design schools to shape their own pedagogy, for example, the formation of smaller class sizes. I know we talked about class sizes in the COS debate when the Minister for Education spoke. I do not want to go into this now, but suffice to say that, coming from the ground, it does make a difference when you teach subjects like design to have smaller class sizes – admission based more on aptitude, passion and interest than aggregate at the various entry points; and the recruitment of design lecturers from the pool of design practitioners based on skill sets and experience, rather than educational and academic qualifications. I sincerely hope that MCI will engage MOE and various other stakeholders in a deeper discussion to make all these aspects of design education realistically possible.

The next area to consider, then, is accreditation. With the many design courses in the market and so many education providers, professional accreditation and benchmarking are important to maintain standards in the industry. For example, right now, anyone with a bit of aesthetic-sense can call themselves an interior designer. I understand that the Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects (SILA) has taken a step forward towards accreditation for landscape architects. Can the Ministry provide an update on the plans for possible design accreditation for other sectors in the design industry?

Promoting a Reading Culture

Madam, I will next focus on promoting a reading culture in our society. Copious amounts of research have shown that reading is critical to children's neural, intellectual and even socio-cultural development. Reading also introduces children to magical worlds of adventure and fantasy that allows them to develop creatively.

I would just like to ask the Ministry if we can do more to nurture a love for reading, not just among the young in our schools, but also for young adults, adults and even seniors, and possibly across different languages as well.

Libraries and Reading

Ms Sun Xueling: Mdm Chair, in a recent survey by the National Arts Council, less than half of the Singaporeans surveyed had read a literary book between March 2014 and March 2015, and a large proportion of the people surveyed preferred online pursuits to reading books. In fact, tiny bursts of information in the form of short Facebook posts, Instagram pictures and Twitter, have dominated the communication of ideas, and reading a book almost seems to run counter to the trend in the age of instantaneous gratification and information.

But reading has a part to play in our drive for creativity and innovation. In the bestseller "Natural History of Innovation", the author, Steven Johnson, discusses the role serendipity plays in innovation and identifies reading as one of the best ways to cultivate serendipity. He suggests that the accidental combination of ideas that powers serendipity requires an abundance of ideas and for them to reside in one's memory waiting for an instance to associate with one another.

Reading plays a key role in transmitting ideas to the reader and, where there is opportunity to read a variety of books over a compressed period of time, creates possibilities of serendipitous collisions among the ideas of different book authors. It is interesting that the founder of Facebook and promoter of bite-sized information bits, Mark Zuckerberg, has set up a Facebook book club and, to quote him: "My challenge for 2015 is to read a new book every other week, with an emphasis on learning about different cultures, beliefs, histories and technologies".

Given the importance of reading, can we kick-start a reading movement and have role models share the impact that reading has on their lives? Further, to increase the marketing of reading, I would like to enquire if there can be pockets of smaller libraries so as to capture mindshare. I understand that the Ministry has a current planning parameter for a library to every 150,000 residents.

But for new estates like Punggol, which has many residents with young children, proximity to libraries is important. Further, young residents would greatly benefit from earlier access to libraries.

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Can the Ministry consider supporting community children's libraries or building interim container libraries, such as the one in Sengkang, so that young residents can have earlier access to books?

History and Heritage

Mr Ong Teng Koon: Mdm Chair, we celebrated SG50 last year and have seen how important it is to have a good understanding of our own history and nation-building efforts. One can only truly value how far we have come by understanding where we came from and how we did so. At the same time, the rapid changes in Singapore's urban landscape can create the impression that everything is new and temporary and that our heritage has been sacrificed in the name of progress. How are we riding the wave of increased interest in Singapore's history brought about by the SG50 celebrations?

Since 2011, the Singapore Memory Project movement has helped to generate significant public interest in our history as a people. I am sure the National Library Board (NLB) can accomplish much more with the help of the community. How could we build upon this momentum and encourage more Singaporeans to contribute and enrich NLB's collections of our history and heritage?

In this digital age, the preservation of our heritage, be it pictures, videos, oral recordings or text, becomes easier, but also, in some ways, less tangible. Since there often is no physical object that the user can interact with in a tactile way, we need to combine technology with physical records, and this suggests a role for libraries and archives. What plans does the Ministry have for libraries and archives in nation-building?

The other challenge for nation-building efforts is the need to compete with all the other sources of information and entertainment out there. Most Singaporeans probably know more about other countries from watching travel documentaries than they do about the rich history of their home. For example, most Singaporeans are quite unaware that the National Archives holds a rich historical collection. We should help them discover this hidden treasure and enrich their understanding of the Singapore story. How would the National Archives improve public access to its heritage materials?

The Chairman: Minister of State Chee Hong Tat.

The Minister of State for Communications and Information (Mr Chee Hong Tat): Mdm Chair, I thank Members for their thoughtful suggestions. I will speak about MCI's priorities in three areas: strengthening Public Service Broadcasting (PSB), enhancing Government communications and translation, and expanding the role of design in our lives.

PSB is an important part of our lives. PSB programmes not only entertain and educate Singaporeans, they also reflect our societal values, celebrate our local heritage and help shape the Singapore identity. News and current affairs programmes keep Singaporeans well-informed about the world around us and unite Singaporeans with shared experiences. For instance, we mourned as one during the National Mourning week last year when our founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew passed away. And we cheered with one heart during our SG50 National Day Parade.

Only locally produced PSB programmes can have such effects. Foreign programmes will not reflect our local values and culture. Through PSB programmes, our media industry players can tell the Singapore story from a Singaporean perspective and with a Singaporean heart.

That is why the Government has long supported PSB and, indeed, increased our funding for PSB in recent years. Like many other countries – Britain with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Japan with the Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK) – we recognise the importance of PSB.

In the last financial year, we provided $250 million of PSB funding, almost double the amount three years earlier. As Mr Ganesh Rajaram observed, this sustained investment has enabled Singaporeans to enjoy many more quality programmes over free-to-air TV and radio, as well as through online platforms like Toggle.

Let me share some examples. Channel 8's "118", which addresses social topics in a light-hearted way, reaches more than one million viewers every week. Channel 5's "Tanglin" is watched by more than 300,000 viewers. Suria and Vasantham have grown their viewership significantly in the last few years. I visited them recently and was impressed by how they have built strong relationships with their audiences, organising community roadshows so that the public can meet the stars in person.

Mr Darryl David asked if PSB funds support media organisations other than Mediacorp. The answer is yes. While most PSB programmes are produced by Mediacorp, a significant proportion is outsourced to independent production companies and will continue to be the case.

Since 2013, we have also set aside some PSB funding for independent producers. For instance, this has enabled companies, like WaWa Pictures, to produce shows like Crescendo, or 起飞. The show included a live xinyao concert for the public that was featured in the series' finale. Through this show, Singaporeans learnt about the development of xinyao and the Chinese music scene here.

I am encouraged by the progress that Mediacorp and our media companies have made. But the operating environment for our media companies is getting more challenging. Our viewers are consuming content from a variety of sources such as Netflix, iTunes, Spotify and many others. A few Members have spoken about this. Mr Ganesh Rajaram spoke about convergence. Indeed, we are facing that challenge. Free-to-air TV has to jostle to keep the attention of viewers.

Several other Members, including Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Mr Vikram Nair and Mr Darryl David, have also asked what we are doing to strengthen PSB in a digital age. We will strengthen PSB by focusing on three "C"s: content, channels and capabilities.

First, content. I have spoken about how additional investments in PSB have improved the quality of PSB content. We will not be able to match the budgets of blockbuster American productions like Game of Thrones, or Korean drama Descendants of the Sun. But we can find other innovative ways to attract viewers by producing quality local content by focusing on our cultural heritage and featuring interesting aspects of Singapore society.

We have had several of such well-received programmes. Mediacorp dramas like "The Little Nyonya" in the past and, more recently, excellent documentaries commissioned by Mediacorp like "Wild City – Islands" and "All Access Changi". These were produced by Beach House Pictures, an independent production company founded by Mr Donovan Chan and Ms Jocelyn Little in 2005.

This brings me to my second point – building strong capabilities. Media is a talent-driven and knowledge-based industry. PSB funding plays a useful role to support Mediacorp and local media companies to attract, train and retain their Singaporean talent.

Besides funding, we want to create opportunities for learning and collaboration. In May last year, we launched Fox Format Labs, a partnership between MDA and Fox International channels. Fox worked with five Singapore production companies to produce content for National Geographic Channel. Through the collaboration, our companies could screen their shows to an international audience.

Last December, MDA and HBO Asia announced a two-year collaboration to raise local capabilities in drama production. I am pleased that the industry has responded positively to our initiatives. Mr William Lim from Xtreme Media said this was "exactly what local producers need".

We must also continue to raise our capabilities in storytelling, set design and videography. When I visited the set of "Tanglin"¸ I met its group of talented scriptwriters. They work in a team, constantly learning from one another and also challenging one another to think of fresh ideas. Mediacorp also brought in Ms Kathleen Beedles as a consultant. She is a UK producer who has worked on several successful dramas like the long-running Emmerdale, which has been on the air in the UK since 1972. Working with somebody like Ms Beedles gave our local production team and our young talents opportunities to learn from experts in their field.

Third, we must proactively embrace new channels to reach audiences who are consuming news and entertainment through different media. Many Singaporeans today, especially the young, spend a lot of time online. So, PSB must extend its reach online to engage and connect with our audiences.

Mediacorp launched Toggle in 2013. Within three years, Toggle's viewership has grown eight times. The increase in viewership was especially significant after its relaunch in April 2015. I met the Toggle team during my visit to Mediacorp and congratulated them on their success. I also urged them to continue to look for innovative ways to increase Toggle's reach.

Toggle is a great platform to experiment with new concepts. Over the next two years, Toggle will release a slate of 11 original programmes aimed at younger viewers. The first, "A Selfie's Tale" by Oak3 Films, has done well so far with 600,000 views. PSB funds have also supported "Pursuit of Champions", a documentary about young Singaporean athletes, produced by The Moving Visuals. This programme is currently available on StarHub Go. Singapore Airlines also acquired the programme for its inflight entertainment, bringing local content to an international audience.

We must ensure that our channels remain relevant and can meet viewers' preferences. Mr Vikram Nair asked about Mediacorp's review of Okto and Channel U. Mediacorp is exploring the idea of positioning Okto as a channel focusing on children and young adults, as well as sports. We have been discussing with Mediacorp on the idea of including coverage for school sports. I think there is value to supporting quality PSB programmes for children, as Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin has suggested. We have a good local children's programme called "Mat Yoyo". It is now available in English.

As for Channel U, Mediacorp is examining ways to further enhance its Chinese content, which is currently delivered through Channel 8 and Channel U. Over the years, our vernacular channels have contributed significantly to the development of bilingualism here. They allow Singaporeans to stay connected to our language, culture and communities. Besides Chinese programming, we will also ensure that Suria and Vasantham have adequate resources to continue producing quality programmes to serve our different ethnic communities.

The successful transformation of PSB will require persistence and hard work. Our industry players like Mediacorp need to have a steadiness to ride through business cycles, and not allow short-term commercial ups and downs to affect the longer-term goals of producing good quality content, building strong capabilities and developing effective channels.

But the external environment is challenging. Public broadcasters in many countries face difficulties due to increased competition from online media and falling advertising revenue. Even BBC is not spared. It moved its youth-focused TV channel, BBC Three, entirely online. It also plans to overhaul its organisational structure in response to these challenges. Besides BBC, other public broadcasters like RTHK in Hong Kong and NOS in the Netherlands, also regularly review their structure, strategy and funding models.

This is why Mediacorp and its shareholder Temasek Holdings have decided to review Mediacorp's operations to better position the company for the future. The Government is fully supportive of this review and we will work closely with Mediacorp and Temasek Holdings in this effort. We want to help Mediacorp to further strengthen the three "C"s – content, capabilities and channels – so that the company can continue to do well as Singapore's national broadcaster and produce good quality local programmes for Singaporeans to enjoy for years to come.

Mdm Chair, I will now touch on the ongoing efforts to enhance Government communications and translation.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad and Mr Ong Teng Koon asked about further strengthening Government communications for different groups of Singaporeans. This is a priority for the Government. We believe communications is an integral part of policy formulation and implementation. We have built up stronger communication capabilities over the past few years. Looking ahead, we will continue to focus on three areas: content, platforms and languages.

First, we need to create engaging content that can connect with Singaporeans. The most powerful and effective messages are simple to understand and contain a strong emotional element that people can relate to. MCI worked with Mr Jeff Cheong and his team from Tribal to pilot a new approach for our recent MediShield Life video, "Love of a Lifetime". Some of you may have watched it. It had one simple message – just as the love between a husband and wife is lifelong, so, too, is the lifelong coverage of MediShield Life. The video has garnered more than 4.5 million views on social media and was much talked about during Chinese New Year when it was launched.

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Next, MCI will use multiple platforms and channels to reach different segments of the population. Last year, we revamped Gov.sg and optimised it for mobile devices because that is what more people are using these days. We are now looking at Instagram and Telegram to supplement our communications.

At the same time, we recognise that online platforms are not for everyone. Face-to-face interactions will continue to be a key part of Government communications. The human touch is important. A good example is how Pioneer Generation (PG) Ambassadors communicate with the elderly. This has been very effective. In 2015, awareness of the PG Package among Pioneers reached 96%.

We want to help our seniors to understand how they can benefit from different Government policies and measures. We can build on the PG Ambassadors network and expand it to reach more seniors beyond Pioneers and to explain a range of Government policies beyond the Pioneer Generation Package and MediShield Life.

Let me now touch on the importance of raising translation standards. I agree with Mr Ong Teng Koon that this is important to strengthen Government communication in Chinese, Malay and Tamil.

The National Translation Committee (NTC) has rolled out various initiatives in the past two years to strengthen translation capabilities in Singapore. For example, we started the Information Service (Translation) Scholarship to groom more translation talents for the future.

It is important to nurture passion from young and help our students to see the relevance of translation in their daily lives. We will work with schools and community partners to reach out to more young Singaporeans.

Mdm Chair, please allow me to now say a few words in Mandarin about the "Community in Translation" initiative.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Early this year, we launched the Community in Translation initiatives. Through this platform, we hope to plan and organise various activities together with the community to raise awareness and interest in translation among our young. Our ultimate goal is to groom more translation talents and raise our translation standards in Singapore.

This February, we held an English-to-Chinese translation workshop with the Ministry of Education (MOE). More than 100 secondary school students participated. More than 80% of the participants found the workshop useful, informative and fun. They felt that they acquired useful knowledge related to translation. We are delighted to know that some students indicated that they would continue to learn translation. We also plan to hold similar workshops and other translation-related activities in Malay and Tamil later this year.

Another community partnership event is the National Chinese Language Challenge 2016. So far, this programme has attracted more than 1,000 students. This event is currently ongoing and will conclude in April. As with the translation workshop, we are looking to expand this to Malay and Tamil and use creative methods to increase the interest in translation among our young.

(In English): Mr Vikram Nair asked what we can do to improve Tamil translations. Indeed, this topic was raised at a recent NTC meeting, as we had observed a number of Tamil translation errors in recent months. These were avoidable errors, and they should not have been made in the first place.

I have reminded all Government agencies that it is important to get their translations done properly, including Tamil translations. I have also asked NTC and its Tamil Resource Panel to conduct a systemic review and recommend areas for improvement. The review will be led by Parliament Interpreter Mr A Palaniappan, who is heading the Tamil Resource Panel. It will also involve other community leaders with expertise and passion in Tamil language and translation.

To our friends from the Tamil community, I would like to say: (In Tamil) Correct translation is our commitment! (சரியான மொழிபெயர்ப்பே, நமது கடப்பாடு!)

(In English): We are committed to doing better and getting our translations done correctly.

Let me conclude with my last topic on expanding the role of design in our lives. Dr Teo Ho Pin and Mr Darryl David asked about the Design 2025 Masterplan. Singapore's design firms have done well. Through the Masterplan, we want to support them further, so that they can grow and thrive beyond our shores.

One initiative is Design Accreditation. Since the launch of our accreditation programme for landscape architects last October, 120 have been accredited. About 80% of firms have at least one accredited Landscape Architect. Among them is Mr Franklin Po of Tierra Design, winner of the President's Design Award in 2015. Franklin is a Singaporean designer who used to work in the US before he returned to start Tierra Design. He is now developing other young designers in Singapore and giving them opportunities to work on different interesting projects.

We hope to have another 40 accredited landscape architects by the end of 2016. We also plan to expand the programme to include other design sectors, starting with interior designers, and urban designers and planners.

Another initiative is the Singapore Good Design Mark (SG Mark). This recognises exceptionally designed products and services that are developed in Singapore. In the last three years, SG Mark has gained considerable traction with our trade partners. We will work with the Design Business Chamber of Singapore to further establish SG Mark as a regional standard for good design.

As a major consumer of design services, the Government, too, can play a part by providing opportunities to design firms of all sizes to take part in Government projects. This way, promising local firms will get the chance to demonstrate their capabilities and build up their track records. When I met some of the local designers, they told me that such opportunities are more important and more valuable for them than Government grants.

We also want to involve our citizens and communities in the design process to co-create conducive spaces to live, work and play. In Yuhua, for example, the DesignSingapore Council is working with the Citizens' Consultative Committee to organise co-creation sessions for residents and community leaders. During these sessions, participants get to redesign and co-create programmes to engage their communities and enhance the experiences of residents.

This user-centric approach is key not only in design, but also in our journey towards a Smart Nation, as noted by Dr Teo Ho Pin. Design humanises technology and makes it smarter and more user-friendly.

Mr Darryl David mentioned that design is not only for designers. I agree with him. It is something that can benefit everyone and across different sectors. To infuse design into our national skill set, DesignSingapore will work with six secondary schools to pilot enrichment workshops in design thinking. Students can pick up design thinking skills and apply these in their projects. They may or may not become designers in the future, but we believe design thinking can benefit them and different aspects of their life. We will consider the suggestions from Mr Darryl David to further enhance our efforts to nurture a nation of creative thinkers from young.

Mdm Chair, I have covered three areas in my speech: the need to strengthen PSB; continuing to enhance Government communications and translation; and expanding the role of design in our lives.

To achieve these goals, the Government needs to work closely with our industry and community partners, so that together, we can create a better future for ourselves, our children and generations to come.

The Chairman: Minister Yaacob Ibrahim.

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Madam, several Members have asked about the work of our libraries. I would now like to talk about our efforts to further inculcate the habit of reading and its impact on how we will continue developing and growing as a nation.

Madam, one of the most indispensable tools for learning in a knowledge economy is reading. We can read to learn, to broaden our minds and perspectives of the world around us, or simply for leisure and enjoyment. It can also be a means to open new doors and opportunities.

Last month, I attended an NLB SGFuture engagement session at the library@orchard and spoke with many participants there about reading. They shared very passionately about why they thought reading is important and how we can encourage more to read. One of the young adults at the session, in particular, had this to say, and I quote: "I grew up very poor and books were my only escape. When I was a child, my mother and father split and they both remarried, and somehow the first ‘set' of children got lost in that whole mess… But in books you find an escape without going very far. Reading really saved me."

Madam, a recent survey conducted by NLB revealed that the library has reached one in two Singapore residents through its programmes and services. This is a good number. The people I met at SGFuture make me believe that NLB can do even more, by making reading convenient, enjoyable and interesting for everyone. This is why we will begin the next lap of our journey as a society by redoubling our awareness and emphasis on reading.

Madam, NLB will launch a National Reading Movement this year to galvanise Singaporeans into Reading More, Reading Widely and Reading Together, so as to create a vibrant reading culture in Singapore.

To meet these objectives, NLB will focus on three priorities for the Reading Movement as a start. Firstly, we will reach out to new audience segments; secondly, we will put more focus on reading in mother tongue languages; and thirdly, expand our network of partners to work together on this initiative.

Mr Darryl David asked about how we could promote reading not just among the young but to all members of society. Indeed, Madam, we have done very well in helping children read, through our kidsRead and Read@School programmes. We will now turn our attention to services for adults. While many adults visit our libraries, we often see them borrowing books for their children, more so than for themselves. So, we want to help adults rediscover the joy of reading for themselves so as to be a role model for their children.

Madam, we understand that the challenges of work often make it difficult for our working adult population to read consistently. Hence, to make it easy and convenient for us to find interesting reads, NLB will bring books to people, instead of merely encouraging people to come to the books. We will bring good content and services to working adults in the office and when they are on the move.

We will do this by curating and pushing out short reads and articles to commuters, which they can read on their mobile devices during a train ride or while waiting at the bus stop. Later this year, NLB and LTA will also launch a special library-themed MRT train, a train which will not only take you to the libraries but also function as a library. Anyone with a mobile device can scan a QR code to download recommended e-books via the NLB mobile app or access other content like short essays during their train journey. NLB will also run a Spot-A-Reader campaign on social media to recognise and encourage readers on board this train.

Madam, in addition, NLB will partner organisations in a new Read@Work initiative, a programme that will be tailored to the businesses of the companies involved. For example, NLB will curate reads on common management topics, industry trends that are useful for work or even a good piece of short fiction for leisure reading. Some partners which NLB has already started working with are DBS and the National Trades Union Congress’ U Associate.

Next, Madam, we target our seniors. Through reading, they will be able to keep their minds healthy and alert, as they stay abreast of current affairs and learn new things. Therefore, NLB will expand the range of reading programmes that cater to the many interests and needs of our seniors. These programmes include do-it-yourself craft groups and also writing workshops where seniors can discuss autobiographies and perhaps even pen down their own memoirs.

We will also bring books to the elderly if they are unable to visit the library. NLB has plans to start book clubs and set up more reading corners in community-owned centres, doubling outreach to Senior Activity Centres by 2020. Earlier this month, I visited the Thye Hwa Kwan Senior Services Centre at Taman Jurong. The centre has over 1,000 members and was the first Senior Activity Centre to partner NLB in 2012. Today, it runs programmes to promote reading and learning among the elderly through hands-on activities like origami workshops. It also has a reading corner set up by NLB with fiction and non-fiction books that are refreshed on a quarterly basis.

Madam, I would like to respond to Ms Sun Xueling's comment about making libraries more accessible, especially in newer estates. If there is interest among residents to set up and lead in running an "interim" library in a new estate without an existing library, NLB will facilitate residents' efforts in doing so. We can provide a seed collection and equip volunteers with sufficient know-how to run this interim library independently. As Ms Sun has pointed out, this is already being done in Sengkang, where volunteers have set up a community library in a container with books from NLB because the Sengkang Public Library is temporarily closed due to renovations at Compass Point.

By being innovative about how we approach the reading endeavour, and by focusing our attention on adults and seniors, we hope to make reading a convenient, relevant and accessible part of everyone's lives. We hope to help people read more.

The second priority of the National Reading Movement is to place greater emphasis on reading in our mother tongue languages. Reading is a gateway to culture and reading in one's mother tongue cultivates an understanding of languages, culture and history. Reading widely in more than one language also helps build a strong foundation for bilingual literacy in our children, as stories are a fun way to ignite children's love for the language.

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NLB has encouraged reading in Chinese, Malay and Tamil in many different ways – through exhibitions, publications, book displays, reading clubs for adults and children and week-long Mother Tongue Language Festivals. These, Madam, have been very well-received by the public.

To further advance this effort, NLB will double the number of mother tongue language reading clubs in all languages, from the current five to a total of 10 by this year. These reading clubs have ignited interest in reading and helped to improve participants' language skills.

One such participant is eight-year-old Dhiya Durrani Ashraf Adri, a Primary 2 student from Junyuan Primary who is a regular at the club Kelab Wira Pintar, or the Smart Heroes Reading Club, at the Tampines Regional Library. His mother noticed that, since his participation in this club, Dhiya's Malay vocabulary has improved.

We also want to encourage adults to read in their mother tongue languages. I am pleased to announce that NLB has partnered with Lianhe Zaobao and Lianhe Wanbao in a collaboration to encourage more adults to read in Mandarin. The first project is a news and current affairs interest group led by Zaobao and Wanbao journalists at the Toa Payoh Public Library. This group, which just started in March, will meet regularly at the library to discuss news articles and issues of the day. NLB is also working with other media organisations to promote reading in other mother tongue languages.

Apart from newspapers and books at our public libraries, our National Library also puts on exhibitions of very intriguing multilingual books from their collections. Among the items displayed in the ongoing exhibition "From the Stacks" are early dictionaries, like the Hokkien-Malay dictionary which was published in the 1880s and used by the Hokkien-speaking Chinese population to help them in their conversations with their Malay neighbours. This dictionary transposes the phonetic sounds of Malay words into Chinese characters. For example, the Chinese character for "9" or 九 is presented with three other accompanying Chinese characters below it. These characters, when read in Hokkien, sound like "sem-bi-lan", the Malay word for "9". Creative, right?

Books like this not only give us a glimpse of the context and culture of their time, but also show us how important such bilingual books are in bridging the natural language divides of the various races in Singapore. This then leads to a deeper understanding of one another's culture, resulting in stronger community ties.

To complement these activities and exhibitions and to meet the changing needs and interests of the various communities, NLB will also further enhance the libraries' mother tongue language collections. We will do so by setting up groups of Reading Advisors this year to provide expert recommendations on the libraries' Chinese, Malay and Tamil collections and reading programmes.

Madam, a National Reading Movement naturally encompasses the entire community. To create a vibrant reading culture, NLB will work with partners from all sectors – individuals, businesses, Government agencies and others. In fact, the NTUC, Zaobao, Wanbao and LTA partnerships that I mentioned earlier are but the start of many more collaborations that NLB is embarking on to encourage reading.

To kickstart the entire Reading Movement, NLB will launch a two-month campaign in June and July this year to get as many people as possible to "Pledge to Read"; that is, "to Read More, to Read Widely, and to Read Together". Organisations and educational institutions will also be invited to take part in the pledging to get their staff and students to read. I am happy to announce that DBS, Temasek Polytechnic, SIM University (UniSIM) and the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME) are four organisations which have already given us their support to be part of this campaign. I hope Singapore Parliament will join soon, Madam.

The pledging campaign will end with an inaugural National Reading Day on 30 July. Please block your diary. On that day, we hope to see everyone reading, be it in groups or otherwise. We hope to focus the nation's attention on reading and to encourage busy Singaporeans to set aside time to read by creating opportunities for people to Read Together. The National Reading Day will, of course, be organised with the help of the community, public and private sectors.

By reaching out to new audience segments, putting a renewed focus on reading in mother tongue, and expanding our partnerships and networks, we hope to galvanise all Singaporeans into adopting reading as a lifestyle.

Mdm Chair, our libraries must be a key resource and partner in the lives of Singaporeans. To ascertain how best they can play this role, NLB will be conducting a nationwide survey on Singaporeans' reading habits this year. The insights gathered will help us to finetune our long-term plans for how the library can help promote reading and learning, be it through the National Reading Movement, physical libraries or other library resources.

While we put all these initiatives in place, we must also remember that reading goes far beyond what the libraries can do; it extends to each and every one of us. The SGFuture sessions that NLB has organised so far – one in English and the other in Mandarin – have given us many good ideas on how to encourage more to read, such as books-on-the-go, "gamifying" reading, and having Reading Ambassadors for mother tongue languages. Some of these ideas are already being taken up by NLB. We will have another two SGFuture sessions coming up soon, in Malay and Tamil, and I look forward to hearing even more ideas from the public so that we can co-create solutions together. It is only with the community's help that the Reading Movement can be a truly national one.

Mdm Chair, Mr Ong Teng Koon has spoken about how NLB's initiatives and resources can play a part in community-building and nation-building. I agree with him that there is great potential for the community to play an active part. Since 2011, the "Singapore Memory Project" has been a good platform for Singaporeans to share their memories and stories of Singapore. This has helped in understanding who we are and where we came from, and this will help to strengthen our national identity. Our National Archives' Citizen Archivist Project which was launched last year also lets people go online to transcribe handwritten documents or tag old photos. To date, more than 280 contributors have described more than 1,600 photographs and transcribed about 9,000 pages of documents. Our historical records are enriched by these contributors offering both their time and knowledge.

In the ensuing years, we will continue to enhance outreach efforts, introduce more programmes, provide greater access to archival records and encourage more Singaporeans to partner us in uncovering our history. We will also improve physical access through revamps of our gallery spaces so that our heritage and past can resonate even better with Singaporeans.

Mdm Chair, in conclusion, around the world today, countries are grappling with the need to be future-ready in a landscape of ever-changing demands, values and technologies which are set to disrupt the paradigm in which we have been used to operating. The push to become Smart, that is, connected, knowledgeable and engaged, is a global endeavour that our country is very much a part of.

Everything that my Ministry has set out to do is about connecting Singaporeans with the community, the Government and opportunity, with the help of trustworthy infrastructure and cutting-edge technology.

This is why we have seized the opportunities afforded by the convergence of infocommunications and media. We will work closely with industry to build a strong Singaporean Core in these sectors by developing future skills. To be ready for the future also means being innovative and enterprising. So, we will invest in research and launch programmes which will apply emerging technologies to improve productivity.

Our digital economy will only be as good as our infrastructure is resilient. So, we will also invest in strengthening the resilience of all our critical info infrastructure and enhance Singapore's connectivity.

At the same time, we will build up the Government's design and engineering capabilities so as to provide better digital Government services for all Singaporeans.

Ultimately, our singular aim is to improve the quality of life for all Singaporeans. I hope the initiatives that we have shared today will lay the groundwork for Singapore to thrive in our next lap of development and maturity.

The Chairman: We have a bit of time. Any clarifications? Mr Pritam Singh.

Mr Pritam Singh: Thank you, Mdm Chairperson. My question is directed to the Minister of State on the cessation of 2G services. How many elderly Singaporeans are affected by the cessation of these services and how many of them are on prepaid plans?

Secondly, for those on prepaid plans, they would likely see a rise in their bills when they re-contract, as 2G services are the cheapest, and they would have no choice but to get on 3G or 4G plan when they re-contract. Would the Ministry consider a voucher or rebate scheme in conjunction with the telecommunications companies to assist these elderly Singaporeans?

Dr Janil Puthucheary: I thank the Member for his question. I do not have the exact number of the prepaid as opposed to post-paid plans. The overall number is likely to be low. The total number of 2G users is less than 200,000. By some estimates, the number of elderly is probably less than a third of that. But it is actually hard to be sure when the registrant is not always the user. It is small. I would like to reassure the Member that the agency is now working to reach out to these customers, the consumers, the operators to help the migration.

The migration from 2G to 3G is necessary because the 2G radio spectrum is to be freed up for many of our ongoing plans for improving connectivity. We do want to find a way to ensure that these elderly stay in touch. This is an important part of the connectivity. My understanding is that if the customer has a 2G service and retains their plan, even if the device comes with a 3G SIM card, their current plan will continue. I need to go and look into this specific question that the Member has brought up and I will do so.

Whether a rebate scheme is necessary, my understanding is that their current 2G subscription plans will continue even if the device has to be changed to a 3G device in order for them to access this spectrum. But the intent we all have is the same as what the Member has raised. We do want to ensure that the elderly who are currently using mobile devices will have every opportunity to continue to do so.

The Chairman: Mr Ganesh Rajaram.

Mr Ganesh Rajaram: Mdm Chair, my question is directed to the Minister of State. With regard to PSB content, with 40% being actually farmed out by Mediacorp to independent production companies, would the Ministry think about actually making the contract as well as the projects and the amounts public so that there is more transparency between the independent production community and the platforms? The second question is: given what is happening in Iskandar and the rise of Pinewood Studios, how are we trying to encourage companies within the Mediapolis to step up and fare better with the competition?

Mr Chee Hong Tat: Mdm Chair, I thank the Member for his questions. On the first question, indeed, a significant proportion, up to 40% of PSB through Mediacorp, can be outsourced and Mediacorp has been doing that to support local media companies. The process in which they do that is that they would call for proposals and, in addition to what Mediacorp does, we also have a contestable funding that we do, separate of Mediacorp, that could go to a range of different companies as well.

So, strengthening of PSB, it is important, and we do look for different opportunities, whether through Mediacorp, that means produced in-house by Mediacorp, or through Mediacorp to outsource to independent producers, or directly from the contestable funds to support independent producers.

As to Mr Rajaram's second question on Iskandar, I think that is why we cannot stand still in this industry. It is fast-moving, and convergence is one challenge. I see it also as an opportunity for some breakthrough and innovation. So, it is both a challenge as well as an opportunity for breakthrough.

What we need in the end, because it is such a talent-driven industry, is that building capabilities would be a very key part of any strategy. Whether there is Iskandar or not, I think we do need to build up capabilities, strengthen the production of local content, strengthen capabilities and develop effective channels because the competition is not just physically next door. It can come from as far as from Northeast Asia, across the Pacific from America. Because in today's day and age, the competition can come from anywhere in the world.

The Chairman: Mr Png Eng Huat.

Mr Png Eng Huat: Mdm Chair, I would just like to seek a clarification from the Minister of State Mr Chee Hong Tat. He talked about the effectiveness of the outreach for PG. I want to ask if the use of dialects in those promotional videos is a contributing factor, as well as what is the Ministry's stand on the use of dialects in our broadcast in view of reaching out to the elderly in a more effective and engaging manner.

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Mr Chee Hong Tat: Mdm Chair, I thank Mr Png for his questions. The use of dialect videos for the PG Package has, indeed, been an effective communication tool. This has been used as part of the overall communication strategy in addition to the broadcast media, in addition to, very importantly, face-to-face interaction between our PG Ambassadors and the Pioneers. That is what we want to try and do, which is to use a range of different channels and platforms and to customise the messages in a way which is simple to understand, is able to connect and use these platforms and these effective communication messages to reach out to different target audiences, whether it is the elderly, working adults, or the young. That is something which I covered in my speech earlier. We want to enhance the content, make it engaging, look for different platforms and use different languages.

The Chairman: Mr Zaqy Mohamad.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: I have a question for the Minister of State. In my speech earlier, I spoke about the possibility of expanding PSB to include other new players. I want to ask whether the Ministry is considering that or is in dialogue with any new players and whether it is considering bringing in new players. Would independent broadcasters or providers also be included if they meet certain requirements?

Next, I noticed that when it comes to Government public communications, the translation for materials and publicity for the Malay and Tamil languages always come later. So, I would assume that in doing translation, there would be separate teams and probably with different capacities. So, do we have a capacity issue that some of these translations for the Malay and Tamil language materials come much later and whether the Government has sufficient talent and resources to upkeep the standards of Malay and Tamil translations for Government materials?

Mr Chee Hong Tat: Mdm Chair, I thank Mr Zaqy Mohamad for his questions. The first question on PSB, as I mentioned in my speech and also in my response to Mr Ganesh Rajaram, PSB is used to support our media industry, both Mediacorp as well as other local media companies. And we want to do this because, in the end, it is about being able to produce good quality Singapore content, tell the Singapore story and engage our audiences. This can be done by Mediacorp but it can also be done by other players, whether it is directly through contestable funding or through Mediacorp.

One important point I want to stress is this. Mediacorp plays a very critical role as our national broadcaster. While we want to support the independent producers and grow many of these local media companies, create good jobs for Singaporeans, it is also important that while we do that, we must provide the necessary support and resources to help Mediacorp to succeed because, as a national broadcaster, there are certain important roles that they play to shape the Singapore identity, spread Singapore values, heritage and culture. We should work not as a zero-sum game but on how we can strengthen Mediacorp and the local media industry together.

As to Mr Zaqy Mohamad's second point about translation, this is a challenge for all languages. It is an area which we are trying to build up. We do need more resources and capabilities in all three languages − Chinese, Malay and Tamil. And, in fact, our friends from the media will sometimes tell us that when we send out information, it is very often done in English and, for the Chinese papers, the Malay papers, the Tamil papers, they have to spend quite a lot of time to do the translation. Within the Government, this is an area which we are trying to build up and we do want to, whether it is through scholarships or other schemes, reach out to more young Singaporeans and get them to have an interest in translation.

I am quite realistic. Translation is a specialised niche area. It is difficult for us to have large numbers but we do not need large numbers. We need good, quality translators. I am confident that with the support of our community, media friends, resource panels and language experts, we can do it.

The Chairman: Ms Sun Xueling.

Ms Sun Xueling: I applaud what Minister of State Janil Puthucheary shared, regarding the promotion of ICT startups. Smart Nation serves as the lead user of technology and creates demand for local solutions. But for a startup to scale up, they need to solve big problems such as those of international markets. How is MCI supporting our ICT startups to internationalise and provide solutions for international markets?

My second clarification: I note that company-led training will train 3,750 professionals. Given that company-led training is, perhaps, the most direct way to ensure skills fit to jobs, how do we encourage more companies to provide on-the-job training?

Dr Janil Puthucheary: I thank Ms Sun Xueling for the question. Indeed, it is an important part of how a start-up has to deal with the brutal realities of both the technological space as well as our small market. Very early on in the development of a technologically based start-up, they do need to consider an internationalisation strategy. And there are some components to this.

The mentors that we are bringing in through IIPL and BASH and several other mechanisms, a guide is that enthusiastic young people driving the startups have to think about internationalisation strategies. The young people themselves need to have some opportunity to expose themselves to what happens outside of our own market. That means that the companies that are operating either in the region or internationally need to be located here to provide these opportunities. So, there are multiple things that we need to do. But it comes down to connecting the businesses here with opportunities in the region, connecting the people here with businesses that operate outside of Singapore and educating them as they develop their business, as they develop their startups think about the internationalisation strategy very, very early on in the process. There are a number of things that we need to do at MCI, and its partners are very much focused on this. I thank the Member for the question.

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Madam, on CLT, I agree entirely with the Member that this is a very good initiative. Overlaying the initiatives for the professionals is the Tech Skills Accelerator which we hope, as mentioned in my reply, to work with major employers, to work together with them, so that they can determine what sort of skills sets are needed for the emerging technologies.

We manage to get a few companies to come and be involved in the Tech Skills Accelerator. The programmes below this can be part of it, but the Tech Skills Accelerator will also define new skill sets. I think we need to go out and reach out to the companies. The initial response has been very good. In my response on the Google programme, all of the professionals who undergo the programme have been employed. Therefore, it is a very, very good programme. I agree with the Member that this is something which we should encourage more companies to do and IDA will continue to get more companies on board.

Madam, with your permission, if I can just add to Mr Zaqy Mohamad's question on Government communications on translations. Apart from written translation, you and I know that if we have a programme which is a video, for example, PG in Mandarin or in English, to translate that into Malay you cannot do a direct translation. Obviously, the nuances are different, the cultural backgrounds are different and, therefore, you need talent, you need companies that can do that within the cultural context.

Currently, there may not be many companies which are able to do so but our staff have been working very hard to be able to roll out the PG Package in different languages. It shows that we can do it with a lot of effort where we built a lot of capability, and we hope we can also energise the private sector to step forward and think about what they can do to help us in the upcoming Government communications of the new policies.

The Chairman: Mr Zaqy Mohamad, please keep it short.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: My question is on Smart Nation. There is always a perception that the application of technologies is for the young and the savvy. However, it is great to know that many applications being piloted under Smart Nation, are also for the elderly and seniors. In terms of deployment of assistive technologies and how we can make applications more inclusive for seniors, what are IDA's plans to make this so?

Dr Janil Puthucheary: I thank the Member for the question. It is, again, something that is not based on a single strategy. There are a number of things that we have to think about.

It comes in right at the beginning of the design stage, whatever the strategy or whatever the platform, whatever the issue to bring in that thinking about making sure that people who either have a physical impairment or do not have the technological literacy to be able to access the programme can do so. The ability for people to pick up these skills is really quite significant. The multigenerational boot camps that I referred to, all the participants − the seniors − this was the first time they were able to go online and stream the videos and check the bank accounts and so on and so forth, and they were being taught by Primary 4 students.

I mean, what has become cutting-edge in a couple of years has become very normal and, in that transition, we have to make sure that there are no groups left behind in terms of accessing what has become essential services. There is not one strategy; the idea of this digital inclusion and access is pervasive throughout many of our Smart Nation programmes.

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Madam, if I can add, as mentioned by Minister of State Janil, one of the programmes that IDA rolled out is the Silver Infocomm Junction. It is an event basically to engage our seniors. I hope maybe one day we can invite Mr Zaqy to attend one of these sessions to see how we have been able to enthuse the elderly generation to become comfortable with technology.

They have learnt how to use Skype, they have learnt how to use email and they even learned how to do online banking, just from their mobile devices. This is a good start to make sure that no group is left behind.

Ultimately, this cannot just be the effort of IDA. The community has to come in and, as mentioned by Minister of State Janil, that boot camp was an inter-generational effort. Recently, the People’s Association has launched a whole series of courses available at many, many community centres to encourage the elderly to pick up IT skills. We will roll out programmes but we also need partners to work together with IDA to make sure that this becomes a reality.

The Chairman: Mr Png, keep it short, please.

Mr Png Eng Huat: Just a question for the Minister. Would the Minister be open to expand the PSB framework to include the promotion of sports in schools and the local arts scene, using dedicated free-to-air channels and using students' productions, just to encourage our students to start early in the production of quality programmes?

Mr Chee Hong Tat: Mdm Chair, I will take the question by Mr Png. I mentioned in my speech earlier, Mr Png, that we are discussing with Mediacorp on sports coverage, and we will discuss with them the possibility of looking at schools' sports coverage. Likewise, Mr Png may be aware that Okto today shows arts programmes and local productions. It is something which we are also happy to discuss with Mediacorp and other players to see whether we can use the channels to be able to give opportunities to our young people to showcase their talent.

Importantly, we have to think beyond free-to-air TV because there are many possible channels to encourage arts and sports, whether it is through community events or online platforms like Toggle, which I think will appeal to our younger viewers. These are different possibilities that we will explore and discuss.

The Chairman: Mr Zaqy Mohamad, do you wish to withdraw your amendment?

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Thank you, Mdm Chair. Throughout history, great nations were able to make their mark because of the mastery of technology of their day to further economic, defence and social objectives. At the same time, what stands out are the culture and knowledge expressed by societies through design and creative arts and collecting the knowledge of the day through libraries and other platforms to fulfil the thirst for knowledge and broaden the minds of their people.

I see parallels in the role that MCI plays through its agencies in promoting the adoption of technology and managing its impact on society, also in making knowledge accessible through our libraries and national digital infrastructure, making communication and information more accessible to people through PSB and translations and also making our mark in the areas of design and innovation.

I would like to thank Minister Yaacob as well as Minister of State Janil Puthucheary and Minister of State Chee Hong Tat as well as Permanent Secretary Aubeck Kam and the various Chief Executives and public officers involved in the COS for putting in their hard work in the Budget together. And special thanks to the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPCs) as well as all Members who put in their cuts today for making this a lively discussion. So, on behalf of the GPC, I wish the Ministry all the best in the execution of the Budget and may this further our nation to its next phase of development and transformation. So, Mdm Chair, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

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The Chairman: Thank you for the speech, Mr Zaqy Mohamad.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $974,546,800 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $200,238,900 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.