Parliamentary Questions I filed for July 2026

Subtitle: 10 questions this sitting - 6 oral, 4 written.

Defence (MINDEF)

To ask the Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence (a) whether the Ministry will extend driver training and civilian licensing to national servicemen in vocations with periods of low operational activity; (b) how many national servicemen obtain civilian driving licences through NS annually; and (c) whether those who pass the SAF driving test may convert their qualification on the same probationary terms as new civilian drivers, in place of the mileage requirement.

Digital Development and Information (MDDI)

To ask the Minister for Digital Development and Information following the US order barring foreign access to Anthropic’s Fable and Mythos models (a) whether the Government assesses that Singapore needs continued frontier AI access; (b) if so, what is the Government’s strategy to secure such access against further US restrictions; and (c) if not, what alternatives will maintain sufficient capability, and what is the acceptable lag behind the frontier.

To ask the Minister for Digital Development and Information (a) whether the Ministry will abolish the guideline that Chinese films for general release be in Mandarin and allow dialect films on general release in their original dialect with subtitles; and (b) whether the Speak Mandarin Campaign rationale for the guideline still applies, given that dialect use at home has fallen below 12%.

Education (MOE)

To ask the Minister for Education (a) how many secondary students currently take a Southeast Asian language as a third language; (b) what share of total third-language enrolment they form; (c) whether such languages can be offered within mainstream schools rather than only at the central language centre; and (d) whether access to Southeast Asian languages such as Vietnamese, Bahasa Indonesia, and Thai will be expanded and made more accessible.

Foreign Affairs (MFA)

To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether the Government will engage Malaysia to establish an affordable long-stay or retirement-residency pathway for Singaporeans who wish to age in Malaysia and access more affordable eldercare there, in view that the revised Malaysia My Second Home scheme now targets investors rather than retirees through high fixed deposits and property purchase.

Health (MOH)

To ask the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) whether the Health Sciences Authority’s (HSA) expedited and abridged registration routes apply to medicines approved by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and not by any of HSA’s six drug regulatory reference agencies; (b) given that those agencies were justified as receiving first-wave filings, how will HSA ensure timely access to innovative therapies approved in China; and (c) whether NMPA will be assessed for recognition as a reference agency.

National Development (MND)

To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether HDB has assessed the four-storey mixed-use Serangoon North Village, comprising Blocks 151 to 154 on Serangoon North Avenue 1, for redevelopment given its adjacency to the future Cross Island Line station; (b) what weight new MRT connectivity and surrounding new development carry in prioritising sites for redevelopment; and (c) whether en bloc redevelopment will be considered.

Sustainability and the Environment (MSE)

To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) of the average of about 4,500 cases of feedback received per year by NEA for improper disposal of bulky waste, how many are in private estates; (b) whether the Ministry has reviewed the adequacy of affordable bulky-waste disposal options for private estate households; and (c) whether NEA will pilot (i) designated disposal points or (ii) periodic free collection for private estates.

Trade and Industry (MTI)

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the precise land boundary of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ); (b) in view of Malaysia’s revised New Incentive Framework effective 1 March 2026, what incentives do Singapore companies investing in the JS-SEZ receive over and above this federal framework; and (c) whether the JS-SEZ retains distinct value for Singapore firms.

Transport (MOT)

To ask the Minister for Transport regarding Johor’s elevated Autonomous Rapid Transit (e-ART) feeder network for passenger dispersal from Bukit Chagar Rapid Transit System (RTS) terminus (a) what is the Government’s strategy for the dispersal of up to 10,000 RTS passengers per hour in each direction; and (b) whether Singapore will seek meaningful participation in transit-oriented development plans at the e-ART stations, to promote usage of the RTS and its wider transit networks.