Parliament snippets
CPF ACT TO BE AMENDED
The Ministry of Manpower is amending the CPF Act to allow more Singaporeans to make transfers to their parents and grandparents.
Currently, CPF members need to set aside the Full Retirement Sum (FRS) with their CPF savings before they can transfer Ordinary Account savings to their parents and grandparents.
With the changes, the FRS threshold will be halved to the Basic Retirement Sum - but only if the CPF member has enough CPF savings, inclusive of property pledge or charge, to meet at least the FRS.
According to the ministry, these changes provide CPF members more flexibility to help themselves and their family members plan for retirement.
SHIPS WERE NOT THREATS
The ships involved in the two separate fatal collisions in Singapore waters had been identified by maritime sensors but were not flagged as potential threats to the country, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen.
This meant that the Republic of Singapore Navy's Maritime Security Task Force did not need to closely monitor them.
Only vessels found to have "malignant intent" need to be monitored, explained Mr Ng, who was responding to MP Vikram Nair (Sembawang GRC).
"If we had, for example, pre-emptive information that a particular ship was carrying either illegal cargo or had malignant intent towards Singapore, it could amount to boarding the ship or keeping it under close surveillance," he said.
400 SSP STUDENTS REPRESENTED SINGAPORE
Some 400 students from the Singapore Sports School (SSP) have represented the country since 2004.
Minister for Education (Schools) Ng Chee Meng said that they included eight Olympians, 10 world champions and 65 Asian Games competitors.
He was responding to Nominated MP Ganesh Rajaram, who asked how many SSP students and alumni who had been accepted under the Direct School Admission (DSA) had gone on to represent Singapore.
Mr Ng added that the Government does not track if students admitted to mainstream schools via DSA go on to represent Singapore in their sporting field after they graduate.
1,800 FOREIGN STUDENTS REJECTED BY MOE
Last year, 1,800 applications from international students to enter Primary 1 were rejected by the Ministry of Education (MOE).
Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Ministry of Education and Ministry of Trade and Industry) Low Yen Ling said that while MOE values the diversity that international students bring to schools here, its priority is still to serve the education needs of Singaporeans.
Ms Low was responding to a question about school applications by MP Ong Teng Koon (Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC).
She said: "While MOE continues to make available places in our mainstream schools for international students, we will not be able to meet the demand entirely."
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