Response by SPS Rahayu Mahzam at the Committee of Supply Debate 2024

01 MAR 2024

1 Mar 2024 Posted in Parliamentary speeches and responses

  1. Mr Chairman, the last key thrust of MinLaw’s work relates to State assets.

I. OPTIMISING STATE ASSETS TO BENEFIT OUR PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES

  1. The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) plays a key role as custodian of State land and property, optimising land resources for our economic and social development. We continue to plan for the long term, to optimise our limited land and invest in our shared tomorrow.
  1. Mr Patrick Tay asked how SLA optimises State assets to meet market needs. SLA remains continually attuned to market needs through extensive engagements, in order to unlock the value of State land and properties.
  1. A few examples of SLA’s innovations and curation of new uses include:

(a) The former St Andrew’s Mission Hospital in Tanjong Pagar which will be transformed into a creative lifestyle space.

(b) SLA has also made available State properties such as 79 to 95 Hindoo Road and 26 Evans Road to meet the emergent demand for co-living spaces.

  1. We also recognise that spaces play an important role in forging social cohesion and promoting social good in our community.
  1. SLA has been repurposing spaces to serve the community.
  1. One example is The Foundry at 11 Prinsep Link, which was the former Elections Department office building. This space will be a collective impact hub that houses social purpose organisations. The Foundry was set up in partnership with The Majurity Trust, Tote Board and the recently launched Singapore Government Partnerships Office, and will facilitate the gathering of non-profit startups and social sector partners. Bringing these partners together in a common space will create strong synergies to encourage civic participation. It will act as a base for non-profit organisations and social sector enablers to come together to incubate ideas, drive impactful innovation, and build communities.
  1. Another new site is the former Kampong Chai Chee community centre. We have launched a tender to create a new space for social activities and interaction among diverse communities. We are seeking innovative ideas for facilities and programming that will appeal to residents.
  1. On Ms Usha Chandradas’ comment relating to use by arts groups. SLA works with our partner agencies to identify suitable properties for arts uses. In general, SLA will consider factors such as market demand for the specific use, as well as feedback from community and stakeholders, including partner agencies. The rental of State properties to arts tenants will be based on the assessed market rate for such arts-related uses.
  1. Mr Leong Mun Wai asked about SLA’s management of State land and properties, in particular heritage bungalows. Mr Leong and Mr Patrick Tay also asked about the occupancy rates of State properties.
  1. Many of the points raised by Mr Leong were already addressed in Parliament last year. The occupancy rates for residential heritage bungalows from January 2017 to January 2023 were shared publicly last year. In addition, the overall occupancy rate for usable State properties is published annually. In Financial Year 2022, the occupancy rate for all usable State properties was 99%. This is publicly available information published in Ministry of Finance’s Budget Book. So, the Member’s statements relate to the remaining 1%.
  1. Let me recap some of the points that were shared previously.
  1. Occupancy rates of State properties generally move in tandem with changes in market conditions.

(a) When market conditions are weak and the demand for leasing is low, occupancy rates will generally be lower, as was the case for the Ridout Road estate in 2018, when a number of bungalows in that and other estates were vacant.

(b) In addition, for heritage bungalows in particular, the pool of potential tenants is limited, because tenants often have to put in considerable additional work to install modern amenities to make the property more liveable.

  1. SLA’s approach is to make basic additions to ensure that the properties are in a reasonably good condition so that tenants are able to reside in these properties safely. The incoming tenant will also retrofit and enhance the property based on their preferences. Since the tenant will have to spend a fair bit of money, that reduces the pool of tenants further.
  1. SLA will install modern amenities and facilities for selected properties, where the overall circumstances make it advantageous to do so.

(a) We have and will continue to rejuvenate properties, with an external private sector partner where possible to place-make the area.

(b) It would, however, not be the best use of public resources to always renovate properties to a high standard before a tenant is found.

(c) This is because the condition of the property will deteriorate if there is no take-up such as in a poor market. Taxpayers’ money would have to be used again, to redo some works and carry out additional works, when a tenant is found.

(d) It is also wasteful and inefficient if we retrofit a property in a particular way only for the tenant to redo it in a different way.

  1. It was also explained in detail that SLA deploys State properties to a variety of different uses. Likewise, the surrounding State land is used in a variety of ways, having regard to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) Master Plan.

(a) While we continue to retain heritage bungalows for their original residential use on the market, some have been demolished as a cluster to make way for newer developments. Others have been re-purposed for different uses, such as commercial and retail. These are subject to URA Master Plans.

(b) If the heritage bungalows are located amidst or amongst an area zoned for landed properties, removing the properties or redeveloping them and the land around them would not change the area much. The cleared land can only be similarly used for low intensity development.

(c) It should be kept in mind that SLA’s portfolio of State properties cannot be directly compared to that of a typical private commercial landlord, as SLA manages a number of heritage bungalows which are conserved or marked for study for conservation.

(d) SLA has carefully broadened the usage and deployment of its properties to meet the evolving needs of Singapore over time. A judicious balance continues to be needed, between protecting heritage properties in Singapore and redeveloping them altogether.

  1. SLA diversifies the management of its portfolio to include private sector managing agents as they are professional organisations, experienced in managing properties in the public and private markets.
  1. Today, overall, the total revenue collected by SLA from State properties significantly exceeds the total maintenance cost incurred.

II. LEVERAGING GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGY

  1. Sir, turning to geospatial technology, this is a crucial tool to optimise land use, enhance productivity and advance new ways of working and living.
  1. On the issue of building local capability in geospatial data, SLA will be launching the refreshed Singapore Geospatial Master Plan in March this year.
  1. Building on the first Geospatial Master Plan, this will guide our national geospatial initiatives over the next decade.
  1. The Master Plan has three priority areas.

(a) First, to mainstream geospatial information and technology to benefit Singaporeans in their daily lives. One initiative is the introduction of barrier-free routes in OneMap. These routes have been piloted with more than 100 wheelchair users, covering about 1,100km across nine planning areas, including Gardens by the Bay and the Orchard Road precinct. This will help make Singapore a more inclusive society for persons with disabilities.

(b) Second, to deepen Singapore’s geospatial capabilities to support national needs. SLA will conduct the third national aerial mapping exercise to capture and update Singapore in 3D in March this year. This supports strategic use cases, such as urban planning, national security, coastal protection and flood mitigation. To address Ms Nadia Samdin’s query on harnessing AI, SLA launched the OneMap GPT Challenge with IMDA in October 2023. This explored the usage of Generative AI technology to enhance OneMap’s usefulness and relevance to the daily lives of Singaporeans.

(c) Third, to project Singapore’s leadership in geospatial development globally. Since 2022, SLA has been co-chairing the UN Expert Group on Land Administration and Management. This is a strong recognition of Singapore’s achievements in maintaining a robust framework and mapping technology for land registration and ownership management. We have been sharing our experience and contributing to the global shift towards using geospatial information and technologies to address climate change challenges, such as coastal protection and flood mitigation.

III. STRENGTHENING CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

  1. I turn now to speak about strengthening our criminal justice system, a point which Mr Patrick Tay had asked about.
  1. Earlier this month, Parliament passed the Criminal Procedure Code (Miscellaneous Amendment) Bill.
  1. The amendments were significant and focused on:

(a) Protecting the public by strengthening our levers to tackle crime, including serious sexual crime; and

(b) Enhancing transparency, fairness and coherence in our criminal court processes.

  1. Key amendments included:

(a) Setting out a clear legislative framework on the conduct of forensic medical examinations; (b) The introduction of a new sentence for enhanced public protection to better protect the public from dangerous offenders; and (c) The introduction of new provisions on criminal disclosure to provide greater clarity, certainty and coherence.

  1. Together, these amendments will facilitate more effective criminal investigations, enhance public protection and result in greater transparency and fairness in criminal proceedings.
  1. Separately, the inter-agency Sentencing Advisory Panel, which MinLaw is represented on, alongside stakeholders such as the Courts, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Public Defender’s Office (PDO) and the Defence Bar, issued its first Guidelines on Reduction in Sentences for Guilty Pleas in August last year.
  1. The Guidelines provide more clarity, consistency and transparency to existing sentencing practice. They are intended to encourage accused persons who wish to plead guilty to do so earlier. This has significant benefits, especially for victims, as they can find closure sooner and are spared the need to testify in court.

IV. SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY THE MOST VULNERABLE, THROUGH THE CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAW SYSTEMS

  1. Sir, I will now elaborate on our efforts in ensuring access to justice, and build on what Minister Shanmugam mentioned earlier.

A. Updating means test thresholds

  1. First, for our civil legal aid scheme and criminal defence aid scheme, we will be revising the quantum of eligibility thresholds for Per Capita Household Income (PCHI) and Annual Value (AV). This is in light of the increase in household income and property value in recent years.

(a) The PCHI thresholds will be increased,

(i) for civil legal aid from $950 to $1,050, and

(ii) for criminal defence aid from $1,500 to $1,650.

(b) The AV threshold for both types of aid will also be increased from $13,000 to $21,000, in line with MOF’s revision of the AV threshold for social assistance schemes. This will cover all Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats.

  1. We are working towards implementing these changes by the second quarter of this year.
  1. On a related note, Mr Derrick Goh had asked whether exceptions are being considered for those who do not meet the means test criteria. We will continue to exercise flexibility for deserving cases. For instance, a Means Test Panel appointed by the Minister can consider and recommend that aid be granted to applicants who cannot afford basic legal services due to extenuating circumstances.

B. eBantu

  1. Next, we are simplifying the application process for divorce matters in the Syariah Court. In November 2023, LAB launched eBantu. Applicants can use eBantu to get an estimate of the nafkah iddah and mutaah claimable. eBantu also uses a series of guided questions to help the applicant fill in originating documents. This can help applicants minimise form-filling errors, and be better informed of their rights and entitlements. We are looking to translate the tool into the Malay language in the next phase of development.
  1. This is related to the point that our services need to be accessible to non-English speakers, which was also mentioned by Ms Sylvia Lim. When an applicant approaches MinLaw for services, we will try to find officers who speak the applicant’s preferred language to assist the applicant. If this is not possible, we will find other ways to get translation done. MinLaw also has non-English versions of brochures relating to some of our services.

C. Civil Law reforms

  1. In addition, MinLaw is also looking at making it easier for litigants to enforce their judgments, as said by Mr Vikram Nair and Mr Patrick Tay.
  1. We have received feedback that sometimes, the time and costs spent to enforce judgments may be disproportionate to the outcome. It may simply not be worth the effort to seek enforcement of lower-value judgments.
  1. One of the issues is that the current civil enforcement process is overly reliant on the compliance and cooperation of the judgment debtors.

(a) Under the Rules of Court, the current process to locate and identify a judgment debtor’s assets is for the judgment debtor to be examined in Court on his or her assets.

(b) However, the effectiveness of this procedure is dependent on the truthfulness and cooperation of the judgment debtor.

(c) An uncooperative judgement debtor could provide selective or insufficient information, or wear down the judgment creditor by failing to turn up for hearings or bring the required documents.

(d) We are thus studying potential enhancements, such as giving the Court greater powers to identify the assets and means of judgment debtors, to help the judgment creditor decide whether and how to enforce the judgement.

(e) We are also looking to introduce new powers to deter and punish non-compliance with court orders and to streamline further the process of civil enforcement.

(f) Mr Vikram Nair had asked about the status of these proposed reforms. MinLaw has made good progress on refining its proposals, having sought inputs from various stakeholders in the past year. We target to introduce the Bill later this year and will provide details in due course.

  1. Another area which MinLaw and the Family Justice Courts (FJC) have been working on is probate and intestacy matters.

(a) The FJC launched its Probate e-Service in 2023 for straightforward probate applications where the estate is not more than $2 million. In response to Mr Murali Pillai on the potential expansion of its scope, the FJC will monitor its use first, as the e-Service was only introduced recently.

(b) Separately, the FJC also intends to roll out its revamped Family Justice Rules later this year, which will simplify and streamline the rules on family proceedings, including probate and intestacy proceedings.

  1. On other possible areas for law reforms, I thank Mr Murali Pillai for his suggestions. Given the full slate of work outlined earlier, which MinLaw is committed to delivering, some of these reviews will have a longer tail.

V. CONCLUSION

  1. To round off the MinLaw COS, let me highlight the key thrusts of our work. We will in 2024 strive to:

(a) Increase access to justice for more in the community, especially the most vulnerable;

(b) Strengthen Singapore’s position as a leading international legal services hub and seize new opportunities; and

(c) Finally, optimise our State assets and leverage geospatial technology to support the economy and serve the community.

Last updated on 01 March 2024