预算辩论 · 2022-03-04 · 第 14 届国会

数字转型与包容性平衡

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

AI 治理与监管AI 经济与产业AI 与国家安全AI 基础设施与研究 争议度 3 · 实质辩论

议员质询政府如何在推动数字基础设施和技术创新（如6G、Web 4.0）的同时，保障弱势群体数字包容，防止数字鸿沟扩大。关注数字监管的及时性与适度性，尤其是加密货币和元宇宙等新兴领域的风险与机遇。政府需在经济活力与社会凝聚力之间寻求平衡，确保全民赋能与安全防护。

关键要点

  • • 数字基础设施领先布局
  • • 数字包容防止边缘化
  • • 数字监管需及时适度
政府立场

推动技术创新与包容发展并重

政策信号

强化数字包容与监管创新

"Singapore has to continually invest in next bound infrastructure and our people."

参与人员（21）

完整译文（中文）

Hansard 英文原文译文 · 翻译日期：2026-05-02

主席：通讯及资讯部Q项。田佩玲女士。

平衡多重考量

田佩玲女士（麦波申选区）：主席先生，我请求动议：“将估算案中通讯及资讯部Q项的总拨款减少100元。”

新加坡在数字化转型方面稳步前进。随之而来的是我们需要平衡的多重考量。

一方面，为了生存并保持相关性，新加坡必须持续投资于下一代基础设施和人才。当别人关注5G时，我们必须着眼6G；当别人关注Web 3.0时，我们必须设想Web 4.0。我们的人民必须具备技能和多样性，以抓住新机遇。

然而，为了维护社会凝聚力和包容性增长，新加坡也必须确保数字技能较弱的人群不会被无意间落下或排除在数字化的参与和受益之外，否则这可能加大知情者与不知情者之间的差距。

还有其他考量——如何在更大范围内利用数字解决方案解决实际问题，同时防范网络攻击；如何激励企业数字化，并在此过程中确保问责制，而又不使流程繁琐到令企业“失去动力”。

这些考量不一定互相排斥，但需要谨慎平衡和调整。

以我的一位长者居民为例。她想申请CareShield Life，但唯一的申请方式是通过电子服务，需要Singpass。对数字熟练者来说，这无疑省时省力。但她没有手机，也没有Singpass。

最终，她的女儿帮她申请了Singpass，并将其绑定到女儿的手机上。如果我的这位长者是独居老人呢？

我想问政府如何在维护经济活力和新加坡竞争力的同时，保持社会凝聚力。政府如何确保公私部门在数字化过程中以赋权和包容为前提？政府将如何保护我们的人民——无论老少，以及企业——无论大小，免受这一快速发展领域中新威胁的影响？

相关问题是数字监管。随着技术快速发展，新的解决方案和用例不断涌现，现有法规需要演进，或需制定新法规。但时效性和找到最佳平衡点似乎颇具挑战。

以加密货币和非同质化代币（NFT）为例。这些属于高风险和投机性资产，且常被视为非法活动工具。因此，在正式出台法规和政策前，需要充分研究和审议。但与此同时，我们是否会因行动迟缓而错失潜在机会？

随着元宇宙迅速兴起，我们的政策和法规是否能足够快速，以利用其发展机遇，同时解决交易、个人数据和用户互动等问题？

在通过货币激励鼓励企业或个人数字化或提升技能时，流程是否可能繁琐到令他们选择停留在舒适区，仅满足于“够用”，从而完全避免数字化转型？

因此，我想问政府如何确保监管变革跟上技术进步步伐。我们如何确保提供足够的护栏，同时不扼杀创新？主席，我可以继续提出下一项削减吗？

主席：你可以继续提出第二项削减。

防范网络伤害

田佩玲女士：主席，网络上的事情会对现实世界产生溢出效应。关于因“欺凌自杀”失去宝贵生命的报道和因网络诈骗失去积蓄的案例屡见不鲜。虽然无人能完全免疫，但儿童、青少年、妇女和长者尤其容易受到网络伤害。

多年前，我一位居民的未婚夫成为“报复色情”受害者。她的前男友将亲密材料上传至“报复色情”等网站，引来认识和不认识的人的恶意评论。幸好，当时资讯通信媒体发展局（IMDA）封锁了这些内容，但伤害已造成。

一般而言，女性和女孩往往成为网络身体羞辱和过度性化的受害者。

2020年，一位长者居民陷入网络投资诈骗。他被误导相信该计划得到了资深部长沈丹桂的认可，当然这不属实。由于缺乏知识，他泄露了一次性密码（OTP），导致信用卡债务巨大，无法偿还。

虽然经历过生活磨难的成年人可能应对能力较强，但青少年和儿童仍处于纯真阶段，需要更多保护。2020年首份儿童网络安全指数报告显示，在30个国家中，近60%的8至12岁儿童至少遭遇一种网络风险，其中45%受到网络欺凌影响。

网络伤害带来痛苦，并在现实生活中产生长期不良后果。我们必须保护人民免受此类伤害，使他们能够自由生活并发挥潜能。政府有哪些支持措施和资源，用以提高意识、防范和干预，减少网络伤害？

[（程序文本）提案提出。（程序文本）]

主席：亚历克斯·严先生。不在场。魏先生。

保护人民免受网络伤害

魏先生（蔡厝港选区）：主席，网络诈骗猖獗、假网站泛滥以及社交媒体上虚假信息无处不在，严重影响社会。辛苦赚来的钱财损失、对官方和传统信息来源的信任丧失，以及虚假信息带来的混乱和伤害，干扰国家正常运作，破坏社会结构。

数字世界无国界，入侵者可能从任何地方进入，若我们不筑起防线，普通民众难以跟上最新网络诈骗和新型数字欺骗手法。

通讯及资讯部采取了哪些措施保护人民免受网络伤害？

保护人民免受网络伤害

万立骏博士（惹兰勿刹选区）：主席，新加坡人现在花更多时间上网，这意味着他们更容易接触到网络内容——其中一些内容可能包含极端甚至极端主义观点——网络游戏和可能的赌博，以及参与无法完全监管内容的社交媒体。

社区不同群体可能面临不同程度的网络伤害。例如，青少年最易受网络欺凌、仇恨言论甚至网络羞辱等负面影响。长者也未能幸免，成为网络受害者。

我欢迎针对女性和女孩的网络伤害成立的行动联盟。

通讯及资讯部将采取哪些针对性措施，保护新加坡不同群体免受多样化网络伤害？

防范网络伤害

沙希拉·阿卜杜拉博士（提名议员）：主席，数字化是许多国家的优先事项，新加坡亦然。然而，正如所述，数字化增加了网络伤害的风险。社区所有群体都易受网络伤害。我们都知道最近华侨银行（OCBC）钓鱼诈骗事件，790名客户损失了137亿新元。这是一种网络伤害。

另一种是网络内容相关的伤害，例如网络性诱导、个人信息曝光、网络欺凌、网络骚扰或跟踪，以及错误信息或非法内容的传播。

下午1时15分

众所周知，OnlyFans等平台被用于展示非法内容。在元宇宙中，也有报告称虚拟化身遭受欺凌及言语和性骚扰。我必须赞扬部委在教育公众如何安全上网方面所做的努力。

然而，我们如何确保始终领先于所有网络变化？我们能否在法规方面做得更多？我关注英国《网络安全法案》的发展，该法案将决定网络平台如何处理内容及防止非法内容传播。澳大利亚也最近颁布了电子安全立法。部委是否考虑在本地引入法规以监管网络内容？

主席：颜添宝先生。不在场。德·苏扎先生，你可以合并提出两个削减。

商业领域的数字化

德·苏扎先生（荷兰-武吉知马选区）：主席先生，尤其是中小企业，虽然承认数字化是未来趋势，但在初期成本、技术专长缺乏以及帮助员工，特别是长期在现有系统工作的资深员工转型方面存在诸多实际困难。资讯通信媒体发展局推出的“更佳数据驱动业务”（BDDB）、“数字领袖计划”（DLP）和“首席技术官即服务”（CTO-as-a-Service）等计划，为许多实体店铺转向线上线下混合模式提供了平台，深受欢迎。通讯及资讯部将如何继续支持企业建设或提升数字能力，以利用后疫情经济复苏阶段的机遇？

数字化与新加坡韧性

随着我们为后疫情时代做准备，技术可以彻底变革和重塑商业运作方式。随着超大规模云服务提供商主导云基础设施，更多行业云出现，云计算已发生变革，改变了数字化进程。量子计算、元宇宙和数字货币等技术持续涌现，似乎释放更多潜力。政府如何利用新数字技术的潜力并进行投资，同时防范潜在风险？这将提升新加坡的竞争力和韧性。

消费者和小企业利益

沙拉尔·塔哈先生（巴西立-榜鹅选区）：主席，为使新加坡成为全球竞争力数字大都会的先驱，数字空间必须对所有人经济活跃、社会稳定且数字安全。大型企业通常拥有资源保护其在数字空间的利益。通讯及资讯部如何确保消费者和小企业的利益在数字时代持续受到保护？

主席：苏慧玲女士。你可以合并提出两个削减。

广播：方言新闻播报

苏慧玲女士（马西岭-裕廊西选区）：主席，请允许我用普通话发言。

（普通话）：[请参阅方言发言。] 在疫情前，我每月会去一次新传媒，主持Capital 95.8FM的法律意识广播节目。节目间隙，我会坐在一角，听年长的新闻播音员用福建话或广东话播报新闻。这些播音员通常年过五十；有时他们会等我节目结束后，用普通话或福建话与我聊天，有时还会咨询遗产规划的法律建议。

我一直很喜欢这些时光，因为它让我想起小时候与阿嬷聊天的回忆。像她们一样，大多数长者只会用方言交流，依赖方言新闻广播了解时事。

最近，我与一位DJ聊天时了解到，由于疫情，这些方言新闻播音员现在必须在家录制新闻广播。这段时间很艰难；有些人不幸去世，有些人因跟不上技术选择退休。

部委将如何确保广播电台继续培训和留住这方面的人才，以延续这一特色？作为新加坡广播员工工会（SUBE）顾问，我也希望能给予这些方言新闻播音员更多福利支持。

绿色生活倡议吉祥物

（英文）：我的下一项削减是关于是否会与新传媒合作，推出类似“Baby Shark”或“CoComelon”YouTube频道歌曲的节奏内容动画系列，利用“绿色队长”、“水娃娃”等吉祥物，吸引并教育年轻观众成为绿色小冠军。

新加坡报业控股媒体信托

梁文韬先生（非选区议员）：主席，我在二月议会会议上惊讶地得知，纳税人未来五年可能需支付高达9亿新元支持新加坡报业控股（SPH）媒体信托——政府拥有的大多数主流报纸出版机构。鉴于本预算中税收大幅增加，我们应谨慎对待如此大额的新纳税人资金流出。

首先，有无计划逐步收回这9亿资金？是否有退出计划，还是会在五年后继续资助SPH媒体信托多年？

其次，政府为何未在同意将亏损业务剥离SPH前，向上市母公司SPH索取更多资金？多年来，SPH资产因其几乎垄断的媒体业务而增长。尽管近年来印刷业务因互联网而亏损，SPH依靠庞大地产组合保持整体盈利。

因此，合理预期SPH应继续资助媒体业务转型。政府与SPH的安排显然是糟糕交易，纳税人至少未来五年要承担SPH媒体信托的费用，而SPH价值至少39亿新元、据一经纪估计年现金流达3亿的新加坡地产资产，可能被卖给本地地产大亨王永成拥有的Cuscaden Peak公司，惠及现有及未来股东。部长能否解释政府接受此交易的理由？

抵御数字风险

谢耀权先生（裕廊选区）：主席，随着迈向数字包容社会，我们不仅需促进数字素养和技能，还需支持所有企业，尤其是中小企业，以及所有个人防范网络和数据威胁。这将增强我们对恶意行为者的集体防御和韧性，维护对数字未来的整体信心。对此，通讯及资讯部有何计划支持企业和市民？

网络和数据威胁

黄伟中先生（裕廊选区）：先进的数字基础设施和网络安全技术固然重要，但我们也需加强基础工作。要获得数据保护信托标志（DPTM），IMDA有五个评估机构可对组织进行评估。目前，组织可能需排队等待，整个认证过程最长达一年。认证要求严格，理应如此。截至2022年3月2日，共有81个组织获得DPTM认证。ACRA记录显示，我们约有50万个注册实体。

实际上，我们不需要所有组织都获得认证。但同时，我们必须提升对基本数据保护法律的理解，强调关键数据保护要求的重要性。三个问题：

目前新加坡的数据保护咨询机构如何监管？我们如何确保数据保护生态系统具备必要的能力和专家？我们如何更好地建设和加速可信、安全和韧性数字基础设施及技术？如何更好地支持企业和个人防范网络和数据威胁？

主席：何亭如女士。不在场。苏慧玲女士。

应对网络和数据威胁

苏慧玲女士：随着网络和数据威胁日益增长，通讯及资讯部将如何更好地保护个人和企业，防范这些风险，帮助他们保持信心，继续在数字领域蓬勃发展？是否有补助鼓励企业采用经批准的网络安全解决方案？

加强数字接入和素养

梅业成先生（淡滨尼选区）：主席，我们的社会和生活正在被数字技术转变。无论生活、工作还是娱乐环境，我们每天都在使用数字技术。我们在网络空间花费的时间越来越多。

然而，并非人人都能接入数字资源。首次推出的个人移动设备（PMD）和助力自行车骑士的在线强制理论测试仅能通过笔记本电脑完成。讽刺的是，如今更多人拥有智能手机而非笔记本电脑。因此，我们建议没有笔记本电脑的人使用国家图书馆的设施。

过去，人们去图书馆借书或阅读报纸和杂志。如今，阅读或获取知识信息不再局限于实体印刷版本。遗憾的是，阅读率下降已成全球趋势。

在这方面，我们的图书馆角色需要演变。它们可以在支持新加坡人导航数字世界、培养终身学习精神和凝聚社区方面发挥不可或缺的作用。

过去，图书馆的使用者必须首先具备阅读能力，否则图书馆的藏书对他们来说毫无用处。如今，数字素养与识字能力同等重要。那么，信息通信媒体发展部（MCI）将如何确保数字化的益处惠及社会各阶层？有哪些措施来弥合技能和知识差距，确保个人具备使用数字技术的知识、信心和动力？

上世纪90年代末，我们的图书馆从功能性空间、排列整齐的书架，转变为充满活力的社区节点，年轻人和老人们在这里探索文字的奇妙。我们的图书馆如何进行更新，以满足新加坡人不断变化的需求和兴趣，并继续培养他们对阅读、学习和探索的热爱？

我看到新加坡数字办公室（SG Digital Office）的志愿者在社区教导长者如何使用智能手机，并鼓励社区商店接受数字社区发展理事会（CDC）代金券。地面资源的部署效果显著，但这种做法的可持续性如何？我们如何利用更广泛社区的多样性、洞察力和能力，赋能自下而上的努力？

先生，我们需要做更多工作以推动数字包容。让我们多做些工作，欢迎更多移民进入数字世界，并帮助他们融入，成为真正的数字公民。

下午1时30分

数字化与数字经济

谢健鹏议员（海洋坊）：主席先生，随着数字化日益普及并成为社会不可分割的一部分，部委如何与私营部门和民间团体合作，让数字技术惠及新加坡人，并为他们准备数字未来？

如今，数字经济在各行业提供了一些最令人兴奋和高质量的就业机会，因此我们越来越需要关注数字经济的生计方面。

在智慧国战略下，我们已明确建设数字经济、数字政府和数字社会的目标。部长能否介绍该计划的进展，特别是全国范围的数字化努力？

其次，新加坡已规划资金和目标，开发面向产业的高科技数字解决方案，包括作为新技术解决方案的试验场。部长能否介绍我们在将新技术转化为商业产品和服务方面的表现？

最后，新加坡的优势之一一直是跨学科合作的能力。这种创新的跨学科技术解决方案使我们能够应对复杂挑战，也使我们成为值得信赖的数字创新中心。

部长能否介绍新加坡在成为数字信任的诚实代理方面的进展？最后，MCI将如何装备新加坡人，赋予他们必要技能，以抓住数字经济中涌现的机会？

数字包容

沙拉尔·塔哈议员：主席，过去两年，我们看到数字实践在社会中的加速采用。企业和个人迅速转向数字解决方案。2021年，PayNow移动用户增长至307万人，440万人使用Singpass，TechSkills Accelerator（TeSA）培训了11.8万人，2020年74%的企业至少采用了一项数字解决方案。

然而，仍有部分新加坡人和企业未能采用数字解决方案。MCI如何支持那些数字技能较弱、尚未拥抱数字化并从中受益的群体？

特别是“长者数字化”和“摊贩数字化”计划已运行两年，但仍有长者和摊贩对数字化持谨慎态度。我们还能做些什么来让他们加入？

对于青年，我们如何确保数字“有”和“无”之间的差距不扩大？我们还能做些什么支持较弱势的青年？如何确保所有青年都能获得数字设备、连接和必要技能，从而更好地为数字经济做好准备？

数字原生代面临的挑战

蔡艾立议员（丹戎巴葛）：先生，新加坡人是全球数字连接最紧密的人群之一，而且从小开始。2019年一项调查显示，新加坡儿童首次拥有联网设备的平均年龄为8岁，比全球平均早两年，是全球最年轻的群体之一。

我们似乎非常喜爱设备。平均每人拥有3.3台联网设备，91%的人拥有智能手机，有时甚至两部，且我们的宽带网速位居亚洲前列。

自1990年代以来，这些趋势不断加速，再加上过去两年疫情带来的生活方式变化——居家办公、居家学习、安全管理措施——意味着我们渴望的人际连接往往只能通过技术媒介实现。简言之，今天我们无法离开数字连接生活。

技术既可为福，也可为祸。通过社交网络，人们可重新联系失散多年的朋友，分享小众爱好的技巧，聚集志同道合、热衷社会事业的人。

但同样，这些平台也让世界偏远角落的恐怖组织得以联络。因此，技术的用途和用户动机等因素决定了其影响。

大多数人使用互联网和社交网络是为了工作、学习和娱乐等正当目的，但也有人无意中陷入网络空间的弊端。

首先是色情内容。社区戒瘾中心WE CARE报告，寻求强迫性性行为帮助的人数增加，包括过度观看网络色情。2019年有50例，2020年增至100例，增长100%。其中70例为新病例，许多是20多岁的青年。

许多情况下，首次接触色情内容往往是同龄人间好奇的对话，或因随机弹窗广告偶然进入色情网站。但在我们这样的亚洲社会，家长往往回避尴尬的敏感话题，年轻易受影响的心灵常常独自消化接触到的内容。虽然多数人未陷入成瘾，但事实是部分人确实如此，尤其当色情内容成为压力管理手段时。问题是：我们是否足够了解这一常被忽视的问题，以设计适当干预？

其次是游戏。游戏本身不一定是坏事，它可提供娱乐、减压甚至塑造品格。但部分玩家过度沉迷，影响日常生活，家庭和朋友关系紧张，游戏成瘾时，限制游戏会导致焦躁易怒。

当我们得知一名因游戏成瘾而杀父的青少年时，感到震惊，部分原因是父亲限制了他的游戏时间。相关问题还有游戏内的“战利品箱”或《海峡时报》称之为“随机奖励的虚拟礼包”。某些战利品箱中奖概率低至0.00005%——小数点后有四个零，极其罕见，因此奖品极具吸引力。

令人担忧的是战利品箱的成瘾性。专家警告，这些箱子的魅力在于未知奖励的刺激，就像《阿甘正传》中巧克力盒的比喻。这会刺激多巴胺的产生，多巴胺是一种提升情绪的生化物质，通常在运动、充足睡眠或冥想时产生，但这也让玩家不断回归游戏。

我谈及了对色情内容和游戏的担忧，但还有许多其他问题需要解决——网络欺凌、错误信息和虚假信息、极端主义等。我再次强调，我并非反对互联网、游戏或任何在线平台。

虽然我只是触及了我们需要应对的网络问题的表面，部委在动员资源、引导社会关注新兴问题方面的策略是什么？我们作为社会需要开展哪些对话？家庭和家长能发挥什么作用？我们如何共同努力，使网络世界——实际上可以成为建设性的人际网络、知识共享和内容创作空间——对所有人更安全？

保护弱势群体免受网络伤害

莫哈末·法米·阿里曼议员（海洋坊）：先生，去年，MCI启动了“新加坡共同行动联盟”（Singapore Together Alliances for Action，AfA），以应对网络伤害，特别是针对女性和女孩的伤害。AfA的启动是在咨询了300名来自不同背景的利益相关者后进行的。其核心目标是打击网络伤害，尤其是针对女性和女孩的。

重要的是，MCI强调AfA将聚焦于缩小数字安全差距，采取行动提升女性和女孩在数字未来中的自由与安全。

据MCI介绍，AfA将从人民、公共和私营部门的48名成员开始，围绕参与者建议的五个关键工作领域开展工作，即公众教育、研究、受害者支持、青年参与和志愿服务群组。因此，AfA将采取全国一体化的方法，弥合数字安全差距。

我对AfA的启动感到鼓舞，这表明我们致力于应对日益严峻的网络伤害问题。因此，我想请通信及资讯部长分享自去年启动以来AfA的进展情况。此外，MCI能否说明自启动以来已吸纳了多少利益相关者加入AfA？最后，MCI能否介绍AfA已实施和即将推出的针对网络伤害，尤其是针对女性和女孩的举措？

主席：苏涵妮女士，您可以一并回答这两个问题。

数字机遇

苏涵妮女士：MCI如何弥合新加坡人之间的数字技能和知识差距，鼓励他们寻求数字机遇，追求终身学习，丰富生活？除了数字大使提供的帮助外，我们是否考虑为高等院校（IHLs）提供更多支持，使其能为公众开设更多数字技术培训课程？这些课程可以类似于SkillsFuture课程，或与人民协会合作，由高等院校的讲师和学生通过居民社区中心、长者活动中心等接触社区弱势群体，开展培训。

图书馆

疫情期间，许多小朋友通过阅读寻求安慰，在父母忙于线上会议时自我娱乐。阅读不仅是一种健康的娱乐方式，也有助于亲子关系，因为它帮助孩子们回归根源，学习传统故事和童谣。

有哪些正在进行和即将开展的努力，以增加中文、马来文和泰米尔文书籍及电子资源的数量和种类，鼓励年轻读者掌握母语？

议长：陈洁仪女士，您可以一并回答这两个问题。

未来图书馆

陈洁仪女士（东海岸）：主席先生，图书馆在激发阅读乐趣、培养好奇心和探究精神方面扮演特殊角色。阅读能力是获取信息和鼓励年轻人及长者终身学习的基础。阅读有助于发展想象力、创造力、口语和沟通能力。我的居民，无论老少，都表达了对社区图书馆的喜爱和需求。

随着数字化普及，数字素养与阅读同样重要，以便获取信息和终身学习。我们的公共图书馆网络持续创新和转型，保持相关性，包括提供数字服务。

MCI如何利用图书馆鼓励公众自我导向学习文化，激发好奇心，提高数字技能和素养？

数字访问虽能提供内容和项目，但实体图书馆提供社区和社交空间，供人们聚集学习。国家图书馆局（NLB）的LAB25项目亮点之一是“节点”装置，作为进入NLB丰富内容的新入口。NLB是否考虑在如四美（Simei）等无图书馆的社区安装“节点”？鉴于图书馆的重要作用，四美若能建馆更佳。

提升企业数字能力

为帮助中小企业（SMEs）保持竞争力、创新并抓住数字经济机遇，政府推出多项举措和资源，使数字化变得简单易行。

下午1时45分

这些包括：（a）行业数字计划（IDP），为各行业提供逐步数字化指南；（b）InvoiceNow，帮助企业数字化交易方式；（c）更佳数据驱动业务（BDDB）或商业智能（BI）工具，帮助中小企业通过可视化仪表盘深入分析业务数据；（d）新加坡贸易数据交换平台（SGTraDex），开放数字基础设施，促进供应链生态伙伴间可信数据共享。请问这些计划已有多少企业参与和利用？

作为2022年预算的一部分，将额外拨款2亿新元，强化企业和员工数字能力建设计划。有哪些新举措？它们如何在现有计划基础上发挥作用？

此外，我建议MCI及相关机构考虑培育数字和科技人才的“学习与实践社区”，以促进技术人才分享观点、经验和相互学习，增强新加坡科技社区活力。

跨国公司（MNCs）和本地大型企业（LLEs）可在培养数字和科技人才方面发挥更大作用。我们如何鼓励这些公司孵化小型企业和员工，发展数字/科技人才？这些公司拥有人才培养计划和专业知识，能提供学习和商业环境，助力数字能力建设和扩展，我相信它们能在人才库建设中发挥重要作用。

中小企业数字技能

玛丽亚姆·贾法尔女士（实里达望）：先生，我声明本人为一家从事技能发展领域咨询公司的董事总经理。

政府提供了多种计划帮助中小企业数字化，如生产力解决方案补助金和首席技术官（CTO）即服务。许多中小企业已利用这些补助金，但仍有不少企业尚未真正开始数字化转型。数字化转型要可持续，不仅要采用数字解决方案，员工也需数字化，重新培训和提升技能，且必须有机会在日常工作中应用这些技能。

然而，我们常听说在中小企业工作的新加坡人相比大型企业和跨国公司的同事，获得新数字技能的机会较少，这将影响他们未来的职业选择。虽然扩大SkillsFuture企业信贷资格将帮助更多公司支持员工，但已有资格的企业中，参与率仍有很大提升空间。

政府还能做些什么，鼓励更多中小企业为员工提供再培训和技能提升，以可持续方式抓住数字经济机遇？如何实现大规模再培训？大型企业和行业协会（TACs）如何支持中小企业？如何鼓励并确保员工，尤其是那些未参与再培训的员工，能自主抓住机会，考虑到他们资源有限且可能无法在工作中应用这些技能？

充满活力的科技人才生态

陈佩玲女士：先生，在我与新加坡科技公司和科技领导者的交流中，无论公司规模和本地或外资，普遍反馈是新加坡存在技能短缺问题。

一些人表示他们需要技术专长，以便能够在本地进行研究和产品开发。另一些人则表示他们在新加坡设立了国际或区域总部。对于这些公司来说，他们不仅需要技术人才，还需要市场专才。例如，一家大型软件服务公司告诉我，他们需要熟悉越南和印度尼西亚市场的人才，从这里服务这些市场。这些对他们来说是巨大的市场。担忧在于，如果像这样的公司无法在新加坡招聘或获得这些人才，那么他们可能被迫将某些部门或全部业务迁出新加坡，这将对新加坡人和新加坡造成不利影响。我们的人民将失去工作和向世界顶尖人才学习的机会。

因此，我想了解一下新加坡当前的科技与创新人力状况。存在哪些技能和人力缺口？在未来三到五年内，我们是否有足够的新加坡人填补这些缺口？还将采取哪些措施来弥补这些缺口，以确保优秀的科技公司继续投资新加坡并持续培养我们的人才？

为此，我想分享一些想法、观察和建议。

首先，从年轻时开始继续培养本地人才。许多新加坡人认识到拥有科技技能的价值和潜力，家长送孩子参加编程和机器人课程，主流学校为所有高年级小学生提供编程作为“拓展课程”。这是一个良好的开端，但我们应当借势而上，考虑在学校引入计算机语言，或许作为第二语言，以及在课堂上介绍新技术的关键概念和应用。目的不是让每个人都成为编程专家，而是培养对逻辑和应用的直观理解。

我们还需要提升年轻人的全球视野。扩大现有的市场内项目，如新加坡-中国青年实习交流计划（YES）和亚洲准备体验计划（AEP），并积极推动我们的学生充分利用这些项目。

第二是关于人才生态系统。我们需要确保新加坡核心人才的稳步增长。我知道已有鼓励年轻人选择STEM课程和专业的努力；这有助于增加人才供应以满足需求。

同时，我们需要认识到，并非所有科技公司或科技相关工作都需要硬科技技能。一位本地科技领袖告诉我，她遇到一位理工学院毕业生，学的是科技专业，但因为不喜欢编程，决定成为一名咖啡师。选择不同职业本无可厚非，但这位科技领袖想知道，如果这位年轻咖啡师意识到科技职业有广泛的选择，结果是否会不同。

虽然公共和私营部门可以做更多工作来提高对科技职业多样性的认识并培养本地人才，政府也可以识别新加坡需求但缺乏的具体技能，并与企业共同资助奖学金，从年轻时开始培养本地人才。

一些更具前瞻性的科技公司正从纯竞争或单打独斗转向合作伙伴关系。因此，我们是否可以建立一个支持系统，为受过培训且熟悉不同操作系统和软件的技能型零工工作者提供支持，使他们成为本地企业可利用的强大人才库？从某种意义上说，这些是“互操作性”人才。

我们还需要继续对能够且愿意贡献的优秀全球人才保持开放态度。他们填补人力缺口，同时也是交流知识、技能和理念的良好伙伴，助力共同成长。

第三点是关于树立更多榜样。健康的多样性有利于提升人才供应和商业成果。因此，我们必须继续推动女孩和女性参与科技领域。足够数量的女性从业者可以影响女孩对科技职业的看法——这不仅仅是男孩的领域——并给予她们信心去尝试。那么，新加坡科技岗位和科技领导职位中的女性比例是多少？2021年高等教育机构STEM相关课程中的女性比例以及IMDA人才项目中的女性比例是多少？这些数字是稳定、下降还是上升？

同样，我们需要更多成功的新加坡科技领袖故事，作为榜样激励更多人加入他们的行列。政府是否积极记录新加坡及海外的科技领导人才？能否分享他们的故事，并邀请他们通过新加坡全球高管项目等方式提供指导？

数字能力与创新

谢耀权先生：主席，数字经济让我们超越地理限制，为世界创造价值。我们的数字能力必须成为战略竞争优势。我们不能停步，因为竞争不会停止。实际上，我们必须走得更快更远，因为竞争只会加速。在这方面，MCI有哪些策略来打造一支具备深厚专业知识且为新加坡人提供更多激动人心机会的ICT劳动力？

更广泛地说，MCI有哪些计划培养一支数字化能力强大的劳动力，使其能够抓住数字技术带来的经济机会？

在生态系统层面，MCI如何推动新技术投资及其应用转化，以增强新加坡的长期竞争优势？

主席：Jessica Tan女士，你可以回答这两个问题。

劳动力数字能力

Jessica Tan Soon Neo女士：在我的预算辩论发言中，我提到，除了专业的科技岗位外，更广泛的劳动力需要具备使用技术的知识和能力，因为越来越多非ICT行业的工作受到数字化冲击，需要使用技术。

早在新冠疫情之前，工作场所就开始利用技术实现虚拟工作安排。如果有效实施，数字化工作场所，包括实体与虚拟工作的混合模式，可以提高生产力和业务成果。

但要实现数字工作场所的机遇和益处，劳动力需要掌握新技能。这不是培养深厚的技术技能，而是能够自信地使用不断变化的新技术完成工作。劳动力有效使用虚拟和云技术、分析工具以及社交和增强现实工具的能力，将使他们更高效、更快速地完成工作，并更好地表达想法。

MCI将如何支持提升更广泛劳动力的数字能力？

数字基础设施韧性

随着数字化步伐加快，我们的工作、生活和娱乐日益数字化。因此，值得信赖、安全且韧性的数字架构和技术对新加坡及其人民至关重要。数字连接发挥关键作用。随着我们投资未来技术以提升访问和速度，也需加强数字基础设施建设，应对需求激增、网络安全风险及数字基础设施韧性威胁。网络安全风险会危及数据安全，威胁服务的访问和可用性。

为了维持我们的数字经济和生活方式，新加坡如何确保这些基础设施和技术的安全可靠使用？我们的数字基础设施如何最大限度减少中断影响，使企业持续运营？随着数字交易和运营增多，关键业务信息和个人信息频繁交换，我们如何加强数字基础设施安全以保护数据？

主席：Tin Pei Ling女士，请你回答这两个问题。

下一阶段发展

Tin Pei Ling女士：主席，新加坡在技术基础设施和采用方面位居前列。我们拥有亚洲最高的平均互联网连接速度，4G订阅数几乎是人口的1.5倍。政府持续大量投资，5G网络部署正在顺利推进。但即便如此，其他国家也在积极行动。当前的S曲线已趋饱和，我们需要迈向下一阶段。

因此，为建设和维持充满活力的数字经济，新加坡可以期待哪些下一阶段的数字基础设施发展？

国际合作

鉴于数字空间和数字威胁的无国界特性，仅依赖国内杠杆和项目保护新加坡网络空间是不够的。

此外，关键基础设施高度互联，随着国家和市场数字化连接日益紧密，我们变得极易受到恶意网络活动的干扰和利用。一处攻击可能产生广泛影响。

因此，MCI在国际舞台上采取了哪些措施应对这些挑战？

主席：Alex Yam先生。不在场。通信及资讯部长Josephine Teo女士。

通信及资讯部长（Josephine Teo女士）：主席，感谢议员们的提问和关注。

在早前的供应委员会辩论中，我向议员们汇报了智慧国计划的进展。数字技术已深刻融入我们的日常生活，带来了便利，为人民创造了新型和更好的就业机会，也为企业带来了增长机遇。

但数字未来也可能令人畏惧。企业难以获得合适的技术和人才。员工担心被取代。长者可能感到被排除。家长担忧对孩子的影响。

下午2点

MCI理解这些担忧。我们的使命是确保人民能够享受技术带来的利益，同时保障安全。我们对新加坡数字未来的愿景是经济充满活力、社会稳定且网络安全。

今年供应委员会的主题是“携手共建充满活力且安全的数字未来”。

数字领域的经济机遇带来了新加坡的巨大转型和增长。自2016年以来，信息与通信行业年均增长9.4%，远高于GDP增长率。全经济范围内，ICT专业人员数量从2016年的约18万人增加到2020年的21.6万人。对更广泛经济的积极影响显而易见。高级国务部长Janil Puthucheary和国务部长Tan Kiat How稍后将详细介绍。

这种活力在社会中同样明显。国会议员Rahayu Mahzam将更新我们在推动数字赋能和健康方面的努力。

为了充分发挥数字领域潜力，我将重点谈两个日益重要的方面。

首先，我们将如何加强数字领域的监管，更好地保护自己和亲人，强化数字安全和韧性。其次，我们将如何持续并深化每位新加坡人在数字时代的参与，维护和增强社会凝聚力。

根据MCI的调查，76%的新加坡人表示他们使用数字技术感到舒适，但只有40%安装了网络安全应用。在60岁及以上的长者中，67%使用即时通讯，超过一半在线搜索信息，但只有40%能识别并避免网络钓鱼。

显然，仅使用技术是不够的；这只是故事的一半。我们还需更好地保护自己和亲人免受风险和威胁。

MCI有三大优先事项来管理和保障我们的数字空间。

第一，更好地保护新加坡人免受有害网络内容，尤其是年轻人和弱势群体。近期《海峡时报》调查发现，7至9岁儿童中有三分之二每天使用智能手机，但三分之一家长不知道孩子在社交媒体上与谁互动。

去年，国家青年理事会调查发现，三分之二的青少年经历过网络伤害，如骚扰和不受欢迎的接触。许多人因此产生不信任感，经历压力和焦虑。去年，一名10岁意大利女孩在参与TikTok直播的“悬挂挑战”时不幸身亡。用户被鼓励在直播时勒紧自己直至昏厥。

伤害不仅限于儿童。2019年，社交媒体公司难以删除新西兰清真寺枪击案视频的转发。2021年，美国国会山暴乱者利用社交媒体组织和扩大信息传播。

全球各国政府已通过新法律应对网络伤害。

2017年，德国颁布《网络执行法》，要求平台对用户举报的非法内容采取行动。去年7月，澳大利亚颁布《网络安全法》，为在线服务提供商设定基本安全期望。英国的《网络安全法案》草案将为在线平台设立用户照护义务，包括对有害内容采取行动的要求。

Shahira Abdullah博士、Tin Pei Ling女士、Wan Rizal博士和Don Wee先生提出的新加坡还能做什么的问题非常正确。一些措施已在实施。

互联网内容提供者必须遵守互联网行为准则。IMDA有权删除违反“公共利益、公共道德、公共秩序和国家和谐”的内容。IMDA还可指示互联网服务提供商屏蔽禁止访问的网站。

为管理儿童访问网站和在线服务，IMDA要求互联网服务提供商提供家长可订阅的过滤服务。

为减少接触不适龄娱乐内容，提供NC16及以上评级内容的OTT和视频点播服务必须提供家长控制功能。

在2020年针对30个国家儿童网络安全的研究中，国际智库DQ Institute将新加坡排名第四。这让我们感到些许安慰。但随着网络伤害风险增加，我们必须加大力度，尤其是为儿童营造安全的网络空间。

新加坡可访问的在线平台必须承担更大责任保障用户安全。它们应努力保持网络空间无有害内容，包括暴力、血腥及宣扬性暴力的内容。

为提升网络安全基线标准，我们计划在三个新领域引入行为准则。

第一个领域是儿童安全。要求平台建立健全系统，最大限度减少儿童和青少年接触有害内容，包括为儿童账户设置内容过滤和为家长提供监督指导机制。

第二个领域是用户举报。去年，MCI成立了阳光联盟，致力于应对网络伤害。联盟成员希望互联网平台认真评估举报内容，及时删除有害内容。但许多社交媒体平台表示无法全面掌握所有需审核的内容，因其多为用户生成且数量庞大。

因此，用户举报是弥补认知差距、促进及时跟进的重要方式。准则将要求平台设立便捷举报机制，及时响应并告知用户处理结果，赋予用户权力举报有害内容，防止其扩散。

第三个领域是平台问责。要求平台公开其保障用户安全的措施，包括平台上有害内容的普遍程度、收到并处理的用户举报数量，以及应对有害内容的系统和流程。用户可据此比较平台做法，做出明智的参与或退出决定。

与IMDA现行行为准则类似，这些新准则将具有法律效力，要求相关在线平台采取更多措施营造更安全的网络环境。我们将研究如何有效执行这些准则，包括适当的立法更新。

我们还与内政部合作，为新加坡人提供更多保护，打击网络诈骗及其他网络犯罪，如儿童色情、恐怖主义和煽动暴力内容。

MCI与国际及行业伙伴就用户安全问题保持频繁交流。我们将继续广泛咨询，制定这些新准则。

但正如Tin Pei Ling女士指出，数字领域的不断演变将持续考验我们设计监管的方式。我们需明确且无歧义地维护安全与信任，同时避免过度规定或扼杀创新。覆盖范围需足够广泛但不过度扩张。简洁不能以牺牲有效性为代价。

在许多方面，我们对数字领域的监管方法将类似于当今技术服务的推出方式，即作为最小可行产品（Minimum Viable Products），通过迭代不断改进。换句话说，完美不应成为良好的敌人。相反，我们必须准备定期更新这些守则，推出新的守则或简化过时的守则，以应对新出现的问题和新技术。只有这样，我们才能利用令人兴奋的新技术的丰富潜力，同时防范其伴随的风险。

主席先生，信息通信媒体部（MCI）的另一个重要优先事项是加强我们的网络安全。

黄少恩先生、苏翰妮女士和谢耀权先生询问我们为防范网络威胁还做了哪些工作。

自2018年以来，《网络安全法》为网络安全局（CSA）监督和维护我国国家网络安全提供了法律框架。该法目前重点保障和保护我们的关键基础信息设施。这些计算机系统为现实世界提供重要服务，如供水和供电。

鉴于乌克兰局势的发展，我们必须警觉风险的加剧。新加坡对针对乌克兰政府网站和国家银行的网络攻击深感关切。这说明重要服务可以被远程且相当容易地中断。新加坡地理位置虽远离冲突现场，但我们不能忽视潜在的连锁反应可能波及本地。这就是为什么本周早些时候，我们建议本地机构加强网络安全防护。

但即使在乌克兰当前局势之前，网络威胁已日益普遍。2020年至2021年间，新加坡报告的数据泄露和勒索软件事件增长了73%。随着我们的数字领域扩展，威胁面也随之扩大。

其他地方此类攻击的规模和影响也变得更为严重。针对运行物理基础设施的系统的攻击，如能源电网和燃油管道，具有真实且具体的影响。例如，去年美国殖民地管道遭受的勒索软件攻击，导致美国东海岸燃料短缺。

网络安全局一直在审查《网络安全法》。为了加强防御，我们需要解决三个关键问题。

第一，我们如何提升对新加坡网络空间的态势感知？

攻击者不断寻找严重漏洞，就像窃贼寻找损坏的锁和敞开的窗户。网络安全局必须以某种方式做同样的事情，但出于完全不同的原因——以便我们能及时建议相关人员修复漏洞和关闭窗户。在网络空间，这意味着在恶意行为者入侵系统并窃取数据之前，修补已知的软件漏洞。

第二，什么应被视为关键基础信息设施（CII）？该法目前认可物理网络和系统为CII。随着向虚拟化的转变，我们也必须能够识别虚拟资产为CII，例如托管在云端的系统。我们需要确保这些虚拟资产也得到妥善保护，包括那些可能不在新加坡托管的资产。

第三，我们如何保障关键数字基础设施和服务，超出CII范畴？

数字基础设施和服务是我们连接、计算和数据存储需求的支柱。如果被中断或受损，可能产生严重的连锁反应。想象一下无法访问电子邮件、网站和应用程序的混乱场景。

我们将考虑如何采用基于风险的方法保护这些基础设施和服务，并确保它们在遭受攻击时能迅速恢复。我们计划在2023年前完成此项审查，期间将考虑利益相关者和公众的意见。随后将更新该法。

下午2时15分

主席先生，沙拉尔·塔哈先生询问我们如何在保障消费者及其个人数据的同时，促进企业创新和发展。这也是一项优先事项。数据是数字经济的关键资源。

2012年，我们颁布了《个人数据保护法》（PDPA）。该法在允许组织利用数据进行创新和增长与确保适当保障和问责之间取得了谨慎平衡。2020年，为适应不断变化的数字环境，我们修订了PDPA。在多项修订中，我们明确承认业务改进是数据的合法用途。

正在进行的调查初步结果令人鼓舞。近90%的企业认为PDPA帮助他们为数字经济做好准备。超过80%的消费者表示PDPA帮助他们相信个人数据受到组织的保护，不被滥用。

为了维护这种信任，组织必须继续承担责任并被追究责任，尤其是那些持有大量个人数据的组织。这就是为什么2020年PDPA修订将数据泄露的最高罚款提高至100万新元，或本地年营业额的10%，以较高者为准，适用于营业额超过1000万新元的组织。

由于疫情引发的经济不确定性，新罚款的实施曾被暂缓。给予企业充足的准备时间后，罚款将于2022年10月1日起生效。

我们还将在其他领域加强保障措施。

目前，消费者和小企业尝试直接或通过现有争议解决选项与其电信或媒体服务提供商解决合同纠纷。这些方式可能成本高且对消费者不够友好。

为补充这些选项，信息通信媒体发展局（IMDA）将推出一项替代争议解决（ADR）计划，旨在提供经济实惠且有效的解决途径。当案件提交至ADR时，服务提供商必须参与解决过程。

从4月起，这将为解决此类纠纷提供一个新的有益渠道。

主席先生，我刚才描述的治理和保障我们数字空间的三项优先事项，将构成充满活力且安全的数字未来的基石。

但，先生，技术也改变了我们彼此、社区和世界的互动方式。全球媒体和信息环境变得更加分散，存在竞争叙事和回声室，新闻来源多得令人难以跟上。

黄俊贤先生正确指出需要可信的信息来源、真诚的互动以及整体方法来遏制错误信息的传播。事实上，这些在抗击新冠疫情中至关重要。如果公众不信任卫生当局或不相信所接收的信息，我们无法应对公共卫生危机。这正是为什么从一开始，我们就决心尽可能全面和迅速地向公众通报情况。我们决心实事求是，绝不掩饰或粉饰，绝不隐瞒。

正如总理最近所观察，如果我们是一个低信任社会，人们不会理解安全管理措施（SMMs）的必要性，也不会遵守。我们的感染率会更高，接种疫苗的人会少得多，死亡人数会更多。为了维护这种信任，我们还必须有适当的法律。例如，《防止网络虚假信息和操纵法》（POFMA）使我们能够迅速采取行动，20次遏制与新冠相关的错误信息，防止谣言扎根。

[副议长（Christopher de Souza先生）主持]

因此，新冠疫情凸显了保持公众信任和维护可信信息来源的重要性。

信息通信媒体部通过扩展和更新我们的传播渠道，推出针对性活动如VacciNationSG支持疫苗接种。Gov.sg的10个平台订阅者比疫情前增加了近200万。我们委托制作的长者电子歌台节目观看次数超过750万，网络上流行的音乐视频观看次数超过900万。

为了更好地与各行各业的新加坡人互动并了解他们的关切，REACH通过电子倾听点和虚拟对话扩大了数字触达。2021年，超过7万新加坡人向REACH提供反馈，高于2020年的5.9万。

通过这些共同努力，民调显示四分之三的公众认为政府在最近几个月提供了足够的新冠信息。超过86%的人同意这些信息帮助他们决定接种疫苗。

在我们努力从新冠疫情中恢复并共同应对未来危机的过程中，保持这种高度信任至关重要。

我们的本地媒体公司在这一使命中发挥重要作用，帮助新加坡人团结一致，通过新加坡视角理解全球事件；提供权威信息来源，穿透充斥点击诱饵和错误信息的网络空间噪音；用官方语言制作内容，庆祝多元文化，创造所有新加坡人共享的体验。

显然，我们的本地媒体公司承担着超越商业成功的更广泛使命。这就是政府支持SPH传媒信托的原因。我们已在2021年5月和2022年2月的议会会议中详细说明背景，但我将重申两点。

第一，我们的本地媒体，像世界各地的媒体一样，广告和订阅收入大幅减少，受到数字内容平台和免费内容新渠道的冲击。

第二，虽然我们的本地媒体覆盖面良好——如今，Mediacorp和SPH传媒覆盖了96%的新加坡人——但如何将这种覆盖转化为收入没有简单答案。我们希望他们能实现自给自足，但是否以及何时能实现尚未可知。

梁文韬先生说SPH是政府拥有的。这不正确。如果是，就不会有今天公共资金的问题。他随后问上市的SPH公司是否可以向新的SPH传媒信托贡献更多资金。股东投票同意了向SPH传媒信托注入8000万现金和价值3000万的股份。

如果重组方案要求更高的贡献，股东可能会退出。担保有限公司（CLG）可能不会成立，SPH媒体业务可能会继续走下坡路，几乎没有复兴希望。届时将无可挽留的价值。

议会已充分了解重组的必要性，并接受我们的本地主流媒体值得公共资金支持。

与世界其他地方的投资相比，支持本地媒体转型的资金必须有意义，才能让他们的努力有成功的机会。我们不能半心半意。我也详细说明了政府如何保持他们的问责。

现在让我们关注未来的方向，比如苏翰妮女士提出的媒体如何更好地满足不同群体需求。

例如，Mediacorp正与其新闻广播员及宗亲会合作，发掘新人才以维持方言广播。Mediacorp制作了关于可持续发展和环境意识的动画系列，让家长和孩子了解其重要性及如何为国家优先事项做贡献。

如果完全依赖自由市场，这类节目不太可能有生存空间。因此，我呼吁议员们给予本地媒体和记者最大支持，因为他们值得。

随着媒体行业适应数字化兴起，也出现了令人兴奋的新机遇。全球内容市场预计到2025年将增长至超过5000亿美元，其中一半来自亚太地区。新加坡凭借稳健的知识产权和法律框架，以及作为市场和文化连接者的角色，处于有利位置。

全球知名企业如华特迪士尼、爱奇艺、华纳传媒和Netflix已在此设有业务，伴随本土企业如亚洲最大独立制作公司之一的Beach House Pictures。

我们将继续支持这些公司和人才：(a) 探索与创作者网络如Titan Digital Media、平台如YouTube、TikTok和Twitch及网络创作者的新合作；(b) 与业界合作，通过数据、人工智能（AI）和虚拟制作提升内容质量，更好理解观众偏好。

这些努力将使我们成为“新加坡制造”和“与新加坡共创”内容的枢纽。主席先生，请用中文。

（中文）：[请参阅方言发言。] 对许多新加坡人来说，互联网接入已成为基本生活必需品，就像水和电一样。

在当今世界，建设充满活力且安全的数字未来对一个国家的生存和繁荣至关重要。

新加坡将继续面临未知挑战，但我们不会放弃。

政府致力于通过多项措施帮助每位新加坡人在数字时代取得成功。

处于数字旅程各阶段的中小企业将有机会进步并开拓新领域，尽管面临各种压力。

各行业的工人将有机会深化技能。每个人都将获得支持，提升数字技能，改善生活水平。

长者将有机会拥抱终身学习，掌握技术，保持社交联系。

儿童将得到更好的保护，免受不良内容和网络伤害。

我们也在努力加强数字基础设施的安全，提升人民和企业对数字未来的信心。

在政府、业界和新加坡人共同努力下，我相信新加坡能够建设一个安全且充满活力的数字未来；我们深爱的小红点将在国际舞台上继续闪耀光芒！

（英文）：主席先生，我已概述信息通信媒体部治理和保障数字空间、以及在数字化世界中与新加坡人互动的优先事项。这些是新加坡持续生存和成功的关键基石。

我们期待与所有新加坡人携手，共建充满活力且安全的数字未来！[掌声]

主席：通讯及资讯部长助理拉哈尤·马哈赞。

通讯及资讯部长助理（拉哈尤·马哈赞女士）：主席先生，首先感谢各位议员提出的问题和对信息通信媒体部工作的关注。我将详细说明信息通信媒体部建设一个持续包容、相关且为数字未来做好准备的社会的计划。

正如张玉娟部长所言，数字技术已深深融入我们的日常生活。数字化开启了无数可能——从促进与家人朋友的日常互动，到在生活各方面带来新的便利。这就是为什么数字接入和有意义的技术参与已成为我们今天生活质量的关键。

下午2时30分

信息通信媒体部将继续加强数字素养和健康，紧密与社区伙伴和志愿者合作，实现三大目标。首先，确保人人享有数字接入和数字采纳；其次，人人学习并掌握数字技能，抓住数字经济中的新机遇；同样重要的是，使我们的人民具备识别和应对网络危险的能力。

为确保新加坡人无论年龄、背景或技能水平，都能掌控自己的数字未来，我们的首要目标是数字接入和采纳，这是每个人应享有的基本权益，包括互联网连接、技术设备及使用能力。我知道这是许多议员关心的问题，包括资深议员贝润庆、谢健鹏、沙拉尔·塔哈和苏翰妮。

我们的宽带连接和基本设备对人民至关重要。新加坡是高度互联的社会——98%的家庭拥有宽带接入，99%有15岁以下儿童的家庭拥有电脑。但我们认识到，每位新加坡人都必须拥有这种接入。

目前，我们有数字接入项目，如NEU PC Plus和Home Access。自2020年以来，这些项目已帮助超过3.4万个低收入家庭满足数字接入需求，几乎是疫情前受助人数的两倍。

未来，我们计划加强数字接入项目，覆盖更多低收入家庭，帮助他们更便捷地获得负担得起的数字接入。这将包括与社会及家庭发展部（MSF）和社会服务组织合作，接触并协助低收入家庭申请。

确保人民拥有数字领域接入后，我们还关注特定个人和企业群体的需求，帮助他们采纳——即使用并从数字中受益。

沙拉尔·塔哈先生指出，社区中可能有些人对数字领域不熟悉，包括长者和部分小贩。

疫情高峰期，SG数字办公室（SDO）成立，专门接触这些可能需要额外和定制支持的群体。自2020年以来，SDO的数字大使已培训超过13万名长者掌握基本数字技能，如使用智能手机，并赋能1.1万名小贩采纳电子支付解决方案。

新加坡数字办公室（SDO）将继续与社区合作伙伴携手合作，保持其课程内容与数字环境同步，继续成为新加坡人寻求数字帮助的重要接触点。

一个很好的例子是SDO与Rahmatan Lil Alamin基金会（RLAF）的合作。如今，RLAF与20个清真寺合作，组织培训课程，教授老年人实用的数字技能，例如通过Facebook、WhatsApp和Zoom保持联系。我在其中一场培训中与参与者交谈，他们非常欣赏这种在朋友之间安全空间内的实践学习环境。该基金会计划扩大其覆盖范围，进入更多清真寺，并深化已经掌握基础智能手机技能的老年人的学习。

RLAF还计划与其他社区合作伙伴合作，如和平之玫瑰（Roses of Peace），通过补充志愿者力量、策划课程和推出认证体系，扩大其工作规模，以奖励老年人的学习成果。

许多其他合作伙伴也积极支持我们的老年人。SDO与合作伙伴的共同努力使84%的老年人报告称他们拥有并在日常生活中使用智能手机。

接下来谈第二个目标。信息通信媒体部（MCI）将继续弥合数字知识和技能差距，帮助公民跟上数字化的步伐。数字环境不断变化，伴随着新技术和新应用的出现。

我们的目标是让新加坡人树立信心，持续适应这一变化的环境，积极参与数字领域，并自信地抓住新的数字机遇。

我们计划通过两种方式实现这一目标。

首先，通过数字生活运动（Digital for Life movement）利用社区的影响力、活力和资源。去年，数字生活基金（Digital for Life Fund）成立，为基层数字包容计划提供资金支持。自那时起，该基金已支持22个项目，预计将惠及社会上超过10万人。

其中一个例子是Byte.SG，该组织开展“空地科技实验室计划”（Void Deck Technology Labs Initiative）。通过培养儿童在科学和技术领域的技能和熟悉度，Byte.SG旨在提高租赁组屋儿童的科技意识。

在Byte.SG最近的一次活动中，我看到团队如何利用增强现实（AR）和互动在线工具让水下世界栩栩如生。孩子们对此非常兴奋，我本人也被演示深深吸引！

在数字生活基金的支持下，Byte.SG将把该计划推广到南洋、勿洛、丹戎巴葛和淡滨尼等地，帮助更多儿童以有趣且赋能的方式建立数字自信。

我们将与3P合作伙伴共同推动数字生活运动，继续在基层动员力量，未来几个月将组织一系列活动，最终在年中举办数字生活节。

其次，MCI通过图书馆帮助民众深化数字技能。我们的图书馆和档案馆是重要的学习市场，激发新加坡人在各个生命阶段的好奇心和探索欲望。

尽管受到疫情相关限制，国家图书馆局（NLB）的借阅量稳定，数字覆盖面不断扩大，体现了其关键作用。去年，至少64%的新加坡居民访问了图书馆或使用了NLB的在线内容，迄今已有超过98,000人受益于NLB的数字准备计划。

面对数字化，我们的图书馆必须与时俱进，继续为公民提供丰富多样的学习机会，正如谭洁辛女士所指出的。为此，我们将根据《图书馆与档案蓝图2025》（LAB25）对图书馆进行更新。

许多议员已参观了NLB在主大厅的LAB25展示，我鼓励尚未参观的议员前往一看。

该展示生动展现了LAB25的四个重点领域：打造学习市场、培养知情公民、激励新加坡故事讲述者以及成为社会平等的推动者。

为实现LAB25愿景，NLB将推出“ExperienceIT”，与创新和技术领域的领导者合作，如亚马逊网络服务（Amazon Web Services），以激发对新兴技术更深入学习的兴趣和信心，并与社区合作，将更多新加坡故事带入NLB的图书馆网络，使更多藏书向公众开放。

经过改造后，中央公共图书馆将设立一个新的新加坡角，展示新加坡故事和文学。这将成为新加坡藏书的“家”，定期举办本地作家的活动，配备沉浸式和体验式展览。

今年晚些时候，榜鹅区域图书馆的开幕标志着在促进、赋能和平等数字访问方面迈出新步伐。

基于NLB持续确保其实体空间的无障碍性，NLB将在榜鹅区域图书馆启动一套全面的无障碍服务，专为残障人士设计。这包括感官和盲文书籍的无障碍藏书、带文字的手语，以及对照顾者有用的社会和生活技能书籍及辅助技术，如“沉浸式阅读器”，以满足新加坡人不同语言需求。

同时，NLB持续改善图书馆的物理空间。中央公共图书馆和海滨公园公共图书馆将在今年晚些时候进行改造。

为了鼓励新加坡人积极掌控自己的学习，NLB将向更广泛的受众提供更多资源和内容。

谭洁辛女士会高兴地知道，NLB将在办公场所、餐饮场所和新加坡各地公园等日常空间推出“节点”，为公民提供新的数字资源入口。作为实体图书馆的延伸，这些节点将展示NLB的数字藏书，激发新加坡人在任何地方阅读和学习的兴趣。

苏翰妮女士询问我们如何鼓励年轻读者掌握母语。NLB持续寻找、甄选并开拓新的渠道以丰富母语内容。过去三年，NLB儿童母语藏书增长了11%。最近，NLB开始提供获奖的英文儿童书籍的母语翻译版本。NLB还积极鼓励本地出版社以印刷和电子格式出版母语书籍，以扩大获取渠道。主席先生，请允许我用马来语继续我的发言。

（马来语）：[请参见母语发言。]数字化以多种方式影响了我们的生活，带来了许多机遇和可能性。

随着数字化日益普及，政府也必须加大力度，提升社区的数字能力和福祉。

政府将与3P合作伙伴共同提供数字接入，提升数字准备度，通过图书馆促进数字技能的学习和掌握，并装备民众，尤其是弱势群体，识别和应对网络风险和威胁。

在加强赋能社区的努力中，我欣慰地看到许多新加坡人勇敢学习新数字技能并为此贡献力量。一个例子是一个由300多人组成的网络，他们分享科技行业的职业机会和工作坊。

事实上，该网络中一些成员来自非科技行业。例如，有人来自医疗行政领域，现在成为增强现实（AR）和虚拟现实（VR）技术开发者。这一转变源于他们目睹疫情如何影响线下实践学习，开始意识到数字技术应用的价值。

我有机会与该网络成员Mohd Afiq先生交谈。他是Playtours的创始人，这是一款在线工具，允许用户创建独特且有意义的虚拟体验，包括“密室逃脱”游戏和实时多人游戏。

从零开发产品绝非易事，但Afiq对“Playtours”在当今数字世界的价值充满信心，这激励他坚持不懈，继续发展业务。

显然，像Afiq这样的人激励着我们所有人。让我们也受到启发，共同抓住数字化带来的机遇。

（英语）：主席先生，MCI正在努力实现的第三个关键目标是确保我们的民众具备识别和应对网络危险的能力。

数字生活方式对许多人来说仍然充满挑战、新颖且陌生。近期的网络钓鱼诈骗事件可能让我们对数字化心存戒备。但我们不能让恐惧阻碍我们开启新机遇。相反，我们必须积极装备相关知识和技能，拥抱技术进步，具备识别和应对数字领域风险的能力。

我赞同议员蔡恩铭、莎希拉·阿卜杜拉博士、陈佩玲女士、万瑞扎尔博士和黄俊伟先生的看法，确保民众网络安全尤为重要。

事实上，随着更多互动和活动转移到线上，个人和企业不可避免地面临数字风险、网络伤害和潜在的不健康成瘾。如今，家长们担忧青少年轻松上网导致有害和不当内容（如色情）的广泛传播。

张玉娟部长在发言中提到，MCI将推出新的行为准则以提升网络用户安全。立法提供了关键的安全保障，但我们每个人也有责任。除了具备数字“书本智慧”，我们还必须培养“街头智慧”，识别并避免网络世界的新风险。

为了更深入了解公民的数字准备度，MCI正在完善数字准备调查中的指标和测量标准。

除了现有的数字采用和使用测量外，我们还希望更好地了解新加坡人执行基本数字任务的能力，了解公民的数字习惯及态度与行为之间的差距。这将为制定更有针对性的干预措施提供依据，以提升数字采用率并满足弱势群体的需求。

新的网络伤害日益复杂。帮助用户保护自己免受有害网络内容侵害的解决方案需要法律专业人士、技术专家、监管者、教育者和社区合作伙伴等多方专家的参与。

因此，MCI正与社区合作伙伴紧密合作，促进安全、负责任和积极的技术使用。

配合2月8日的安全上网日，媒体素养理事会（MLC）与苹果新加坡合作，为小学教师举办网络健康网络研讨会，并发起有趣且贴近生活的视频制作挑战，鼓励学生分享网络健康信息。

下午2时45分

除了该网络研讨会，MLC还制作了资源，帮助个人避免成为技术促成的诈骗、性诱导、色情和网络骚扰等伤害的受害者。理事会还推广数字素养资源，教育公众在网络上更加明辨是非和富有同理心，共同营造一个更安全、更智能、更友善的互联网环境。

去年9月，TOUCH网络健康推出了“家庭电子对话”项目，配备工具包指导家长与孩子谈论色情及其危害。

MCI还推出了Sunlight AfA项目，我与高级国务部长沈颖共同担任联合主席。该项目旨在提高对网络性骚扰的认识，赋能受害者应对和处理此类事件。

感谢Fahmi Aliman先生认可Sunlight AfA的积极影响。自启动以来，AfA一直研究新加坡网络伤害的发生情况及其对个人，尤其是女性和女孩的影响。相关关键见解将适时发布。AfA还与其他利益相关者合作扩大影响力，包括与星展银行和新加坡司法机构合作举办社区黑客马拉松，寻找创造更安全、更友善网络空间的解决方案，以及最近结束的青年行动挑战赛，AfA支持了心理健康赛道。我们还通过网络研讨会纪念安全上网日，专业小组讨论家长和家庭如何帮助儿童和青少年安全上网。

未来，AfA将继续与家长和青少年互动，支持可能遭受网络伤害的人士。这包括未来几个月举办的第二场网络伤害网络研讨会，以及一个包含AfA活动更新和应对网络危险资源的网站。

我们特别感谢48个联盟成员的支持，其中一些成员热衷于长期开展应对网络伤害的项目。MCI将继续与这些合作伙伴携手应对网络伤害。我们欢迎更多利益相关者加入，共同确保所有用户都能自信地驾驭数字未来。

正如我们建设了世界上最安全、最清洁、最宜居的城市之一，我们每个人都有责任塑造新加坡的网络空间。我们必须通过尊重他人，维护周围人的积极和充实的数字体验。

最后，我想将这些努力置于背景中。根据MCI 2021年数字准备调查，76%的新加坡人对使用数字技术感到舒适，80%的新加坡人承认数字技术让他们的生活更便捷。这令人鼓舞，但我们可以做得更多，也将继续努力。

我们准备与个人、企业及人民部门的合作伙伴携手，实现数字准备和包容社会的愿景，让所有新加坡人都能以探索和成长的精神，共享激动人心的数字未来机遇。

主席：通讯及资讯部国务部长陈杰辉。

通讯及资讯部国务部长（陈杰辉先生）：主席，陈佩玲女士和谭洁辛女士谈到了数字经济中的机遇。确实，我们见证了数字化的益处，尤其是在过去几年中，企业和劳动力应对新冠疫情的过程中。

我欣慰地看到许多企业正在拥抱数字技术。信息通信媒体发展局（IMDA）的数字加速指数（Digital Acceleration Index）是一项涵盖23个行业、超过2000家企业的年度调查，显示数字化正在加速渗透我们的经济。自2017年以来，超过8万家企业受益于“中小企业数字化计划”（SMEs Go Digital），其中仅2021年就有四分之一的新企业加入。现在，四分之三的企业至少采用了一项数字解决方案。

随着我们走出疫情，我们将通过两种方式保持这一势头。首先，为企业，特别是中小企业，提供数字转型的工具和支持。其次，培养具备资格和技能、能够进入科技行业并在职业生涯中取得进步的未来准备型劳动力。

让我详细说明第一方面。

我们的企业希望采用数字技术并实现转型。这是我们与行业协会和企业交流时的一致反馈，也是我们进行的各种调查的结果。然而，正如Christopher de Souza先生指出的，中小企业在提升数字水平时面临实际问题。中小企业向我们反映，他们难以组建具备经验和专业知识的内部IT团队；难以选择符合需求的解决方案和供应商；同时需要建立系统和流程，保护客户和运营免受网络威胁和数据泄露。我对此深表同情。

我们必须利用网络效应，充分利用数字经济中的机遇。中小企业占企业总数的九成以上，贡献了近半数GDP，雇佣了七成本地劳动力，是国家数字推动的重要组成部分。

我们的策略有三方面。第一，推动全经济范围内安全无缝的数字交易。第二，支持各行业的数字转型。第三，为企业提供资源和工具，促进数字化。

首先，关于全经济数字基础设施或数字公用设施。就像模拟世界中的水和电一样，我们可以设想一套基础系统或标准，促进数字经济中无缝且安全的交易。电子发票和电子支付就是两个例子。回应谭洁辛女士的问题，自2019年推出InvoiceNow以来，已有超过5万家企业采用，超过90%的企业采用了PayNow。我们将继续建立此类数字公用设施，支持企业将运营和交易转移到线上。

第二，我们将支持各行业部门的转型，建立在这些数字公用事业的基础上。我们认识到每个行业面临独特的挑战和运营环境。我们已推出行业数字化计划（IDP），这些IDP为企业提供了针对其成长各阶段、量身定制的数字解决方案和技能培训的分步指南，适合其所属行业。自2017年以来，我们已推出20个IDP，指导会计、物流和安保等多样化行业的数字化。我们将扩大IDP的覆盖范围，下一个推出的IDP将针对法律行业。我们将持续更新这些IDP，纳入新的数字公用事业、相关技术进步和最佳实践。

接下来让我谈谈个别中小企业如何受益。

去年，我们宣布了两个计划——首席技术官即服务（CTO-as-a-Service）和数字领袖计划（Digital Leaders' Programme）——以赋能企业的数字化旅程。今年，我们的改进将帮助中小企业提升数字成熟度，开拓海外市场，并在数字市场中保持信任。

在数字成熟度方面，我们将通过针对行业需求精心策划的先进技术能力提升中小企业的数字成熟度。

2020年启动的先进数字解决方案（ADS）计划，帮助中小企业获取先进技术和集成数字解决方案，如机器人技术和聚合数据分析。我们将扩大30个解决方案的列表，重点是人工智能驱动和云端解决方案。

我们还将扩展“成长数字”计划。通过“成长数字”项目，我们与新加坡企业发展局合作，策划了一批电子商务平台，帮助企业开拓国际市场。自2020年启动以来，“成长数字”已帮助超过2500家企业进入10个国家市场，同时提升数字营销、业务匹配和门到门履约能力。今年，“成长数字”将通过更广泛的电子商务平台群，带领更多企业进入全球市场。

苏翰妮女士、谢耀权先生和黄翔先生谈到了帮助企业防范网络攻击和数据泄露。我们将推出网络信任标志（Cyber Trustmark）和网络基础标志（Cyber Essentials mark），以及数据保护基础项目（Data Protection Essentials Programme）。获得这些信任标志将使企业及其客户有信心，表明已达到一定的网络安全和数据保护标准。我鼓励企业将这些信任标志视为投资和竞争优势。

我们的数字经济由信息通信行业驱动。去年，该行业为经济贡献了284亿新元，占GDP的5.6%，增长率为12.2%，远超其他行业。

田佩玲女士和谢健鹏先生谈到了帮助我们的人民抓住数字经济中的机遇。确实，日益增长且充满活力的科技行业创造了许多优质工作岗位，为新加坡人开启了许多激动人心的机会。我们的数字经济雇佣了约216,000名信息通信技术（ICT）专业人士，其中一半在ICT行业，另一半支持金融、制造和零售等非ICT行业的数字转型。

近年来，每年新增约10,000名ICT专业人士。然而，整个经济中仍有19,000个科技职位空缺，尤其是软件工程和开发岗位，同时涵盖整个科技价值链，从深度技术技能如人工智能和网络安全，到面向创新的产品开发岗位，以及云迁移和数据分析等应用业务岗位。我们的优先任务是培养强大的本地科技人才储备，包括应届毕业生和中途转职者，同时确保我们的科技劳动力在这个快速变化的数字领域保持相关性和竞争力。未来三年，约有23,000名本地学生将从我们的高等院校毕业，主修信息与数字技术（IDT）课程。

在这方面，请允许我概述我们正在采取的两项重要举措。

首先，我们将加强大学ICT毕业生的培养管道。2010年至2021年，本地IDT学位名额从800个增加到3,300个，增长了四倍。作为所有学位名额的比例，IDT名额从2010年的7%增至2021年的18%，接近五分之一。我们还将设立新课程和专业方向，以支持不同行业的新兴技术需求。例如，新加坡理工学院今年将推出应用计算理学士学位，专注于金融科技，合作伙伴包括信息通信媒体发展局（IMDA）和金融管理局（MAS），并得到包括友邦保险和渣打银行在内的金融机构支持。我们期待与其他行业领导合作，针对其行业的特定技能需求开发不同的培训模式。

其次，我们将通过更有结构的路径，帮助理工学院和工艺教育学院（ITE）毕业生进入科技岗位。一些理工学院和ITE的IDT毕业生向我们反映，他们难以找到与所学专业相符的入门级岗位，另一些则遇到雇主偏好大学毕业生的情况，尽管理工学院和ITE毕业生完全有能力胜任这些工作。

结构化支持和明确的职业路径框架可以带来巨大不同。我最近会见了穆罕默德·舒尔汉·宾·贾法尔先生，他毕业于我们的数据中心基础设施与运营工作学习文凭课程。舒尔汉在ITE获得了信息通信技术（云计算）Nitec证书，并通过在NCS的实习获得了科技行业的第一手经验。然而，由于家庭经济状况，他不得不放弃攻读文凭的计划。后来，在班主任的鼓励下，他申请了工作学习项目，并获得了Racks Central数据中心的赞助。舒尔汉告诉我，公司支持和结构化的职业路径让他有信心完成课程。

为了帮助像舒尔汉一样的人追求热情，实现抱负，我们将建立一个结构化的端到端支持体系，更好地支持理工学院和ITE学生，未来三年内提供1,000个名额。我们将成立理工学院和ITE科技技能加速器（TeSA）联盟，汇聚全球领先科技公司、本地领先企业和主要雇主，凝聚行业支持。

下午3点

我们将提升理工学院和ITE学生的实习机会质量，使他们能在课堂外应用所学知识。毕业后，他们可在参与企业参加“安置与培训”计划，担任学徒，学习ICT岗位技能。参与企业还将为这些毕业生设立以技能为导向的培训计划和职业路径，包括认证和专业培训。有意继续深造的毕业生将获得工作学习文凭或学位课程支持，涵盖人工智能、云计算和网络安全等增长领域。

我很欣慰，埃森哲、GovTech、IBM、NCS和PSA集团等公司已作出重大承诺，提供实习、学徒或安置机会，我呼吁更多行业领导者加入这一有意义的努力。

除了应届毕业生，许多中途转职者也进入该行业，如通过TeSA计划。许多新加入者希望在职业生涯中晋升，承担更高价值的岗位，如产品经理、软件工程师或解决方案架构师。我们希望支持科技专业人士的这些职业抱负。

我们将与谷歌、微软和Grab等行业领导者，以及大型终端用户公司如星展银行合作，培养产品工程人才。参与专业轨道者将接受软件和应用开发、数据分析、人工智能和云计算等高级技术技能培训，采用讲师授课和实践相结合的方式。这些科技专业人士未来可望在公司担任高级技术岗位。

信息通信媒体发展局（IMDA）今年晚些时候还将推出ICT职位转型图谱（JTM），帮助ICT行业的雇主和员工识别高影响领域及相关的再培训或提升技能机会和培训需求。

主席先生，最后，我们帮助企业在数字经济中蓬勃发展，培养未来准备好的数字劳动力的举措，将确保数字浪潮惠及所有人。我期待您继续支持我们，共同迈向共享的数字未来。

主席：通讯及资讯高级国务部长贾尼尔·普图切里。

通讯及资讯高级国务部长（贾尼尔·普图切里博士）：先生，感谢各位议员的发言和提问，希望在我的回应中解答其中若干问题。我的同事们已分享了通讯及资讯部（MCI）为准备我们的生态系统、企业和人民迎接数字未来所做的不同努力。

张玉娟部长谈到了MCI将如何加强数字法规，保障数字安全、安保和韧性；并深化与新加坡人的互动，增强社会凝聚力。国会秘书拉哈尤·马哈赞分享了我们持续建设数字准备和包容性社会的工作，例如通过国家图书馆局（NLB）的图书馆与档案蓝图2025，该蓝图在国会主大厅展出。国务部长陈杰豪谈到了我们为装备劳动力和企业以抓住数字及后疫情经济机遇所做的努力。

我将重点介绍我们为未来投资的三个领域，以确立新加坡在数字世界中的地位。第一，建设满足未来需求的数字基础设施。第二，通过领先的创新和研究推动技术边界。第三，促进国际合作，推动数字经济发展，加强数字安全，超越国界。

黄翔先生和田佩玲女士询问了MCI为迎接下一波数字化浪潮准备基础设施的计划。数字流量的数量和复杂性持续快速增长。我们将越来越依赖数据和数据驱动的服务，尤其是随着云服务和物联网（IoT）日益普及。预计到2025年，全球产生的数据量约为463艾字节，即4630亿千兆字节，约等于每人每天观看60小时Netflix电影。我们将如何升级数字基础设施以适应数据时代，确保其适用且持续满足需求？

首先，我们必须关注国内电信基础设施。这些构成我们的连接骨干。无线和有线网络组件，如基站和光纤电缆，使互联网流量能够大规模无缝流动，为新加坡每个角落提供高速服务。

我们持续升级本地电信能力，例如向5G的转型。5G技术实现了前所未有的速度并降低了延迟，因此更多数据可以以更高速度传输。5G网络响应更快，更能应对数据流量激增。

在新加坡，我们继续处于5G部署的前沿。我们的电信公司表示，2022年初已实现全国户外覆盖率50%，提前完成2022年底目标。我们有望在2025年前实现全国5G覆盖。

5G的特性和优势支持新用例，如先进制造业。信息通信媒体发展局（IMDA）与IBM、三星和M1合作，开展新加坡首个5G工业4.0试验。该试验开发了5G增强现实（AR）解决方案，即人工智能驱动的“智能眼镜”。这些“智能眼镜”协助工厂操作员进行装配和检验，并提高新员工培训效率50%。今年下半年将部署于IBM全球制造基地。

传统上，工厂操作员需手动检测缺陷，过程耗时，依赖人眼且易疲劳。该5G解决方案通过叠加图像和文本于实物上，辅助检查员实时识别缺陷，增强检测效果。操作员还可拍照并利用深度学习算法快速识别工厂缺陷。

除了无线网络，我们还将升级有线网络。根据互联网测评公司Ookla的数据，新加坡目前拥有全球最快的宽带速度之一，未来还将更快。

正如黄循财部长在预算演讲中提到的，我们将投资建设基础设施，实现比现有速度快约10倍的宽带速度，开启数字体验和工具的新可能。

第二类基础设施连接我们与世界。这包括卫星和海底光缆，提供与国际合作伙伴的关键连接，使我们参与国际数据流和数字贸易。

新加坡已是数字连接枢纽和全球海底光缆运营商的首选登陆点，得益于我们的稳定治理和先进经济。这种连接促进了多种产品和服务的发展，支持众多企业选择在新加坡设立重要运营。

它还使我们蓬勃发展的研究社区能够访问全球计算资源，使我们的数据中心和超级计算机服务国际合作伙伴。我们将继续争取新的登陆点，强化国际连接。例如，新加坡海事公司BW集团计划开发一条连接新加坡至美国，经印尼、澳大利亚和新西兰的新海底光缆通道。

第三类基础设施是数据中心。这些是数字流量流动的重要节点。数据中心为企业和日常生活提供多种应用和服务，从复杂数据管理到电子商务交易。然而，数据中心是水和电的高强度使用者。鉴于资源限制，我们需要可持续管理数据中心的发展。

IMDA和经济发展局（EDB）将试点申请征集，促进具备最佳节能和脱碳技术、工艺和实践的数据中心的有序增长。新加坡承诺履行2015年《巴黎协定》下的环境义务。更绿色的数据中心将使我们在支持数字经济增长的同时，实现环保目标。该申请征集将于2022年第二季度启动。

我所描述的这些综合数字基础设施及其各组成部分，使数字公用事业的提供成为可能。数字公用事业是建立在连接层之上的服务，已成为必需且普遍，使人们和企业能够无缝且安全地使用数字服务和进行交易。陈杰豪国务部长之前分享了如PayNow和InvoiceNow等例子。其他例子包括国家数字身份、Singpass和TradeTrust。我们将继续投资其他关键数字工具和服务，并将其发展为数字公用事业。

另一数字公用事业是新加坡贸易数据交换平台（SGTraDex）。目前，全球供应链生态系统中的数据分散。通过SGTraDex，供应链生态系统伙伴，如托运人和物流提供商，能够无缝且安全地共享贸易数据。Jessica Tan女士询问了SGTraDex的进展。进展良好，许多来自各行业的公司已加入。政府和供应链数字化行动联盟（AfA）正与这些公司合作开发最小可行产品（MVP），以实现更广泛的数据共享和活跃的商业环境，预计今年晚些时候推出。

我们先进的基础设施和高度使用的数字公用事业可能面临攻击或故障风险。我完全同意Jessica Tan女士的观点，我们应确保基础设施安全且具韧性，以应对不断演变的威胁和风险。

张玉娟部长早前分享了MCI通过《网络安全法》保障重要数字基础设施和服务的努力。MCI还采用设计原则，将安全特性和运营实践嵌入系统架构，而非事后添加。

先生，Christopher de Souza先生、谢健鹏先生和谢耀权先生询问了政府在新数字技术上的投资。作为250亿新元研究、创新与企业（RIE）2025计划的一部分，我们的智慧国与数字经济（SNDE）领域计划基于过去投资，推动具有变革潜力的数字技术研究。

其中一项技术是量子通信，承诺革新我们信息和基础设施的安全。现有加密方法基于数学。黑客利用复杂技术和强大计算硬件“破解密码”。随着量子计算机的发展，预计对手最终将能够通过不断增强计算能力，解密数据并突破现有技术保护的系统。

量子通信通过基于物理的方法来保障安全，例如量子密钥分发（QKD）。这有可能帮助未来保障我们的数据库、关键系统和通信的安全。这项技术允许创建成对的秘密加密密钥，这些密钥仅由发送方和授权接收方持有，任何试图在中间截取或复制密钥的行为都会引入可检测的异常，这表明密钥已被篡改，知道这一点后我们可以实时重新传输新的安全密钥。

如果有效，这项技术意味着无论计算能力多强，都无法破解量子安全通信。听起来有点像科幻，但新加坡的量子技术已经发展了十多年。自2007年新加坡国立大学（NUS）成立量子技术中心（CQT）以来，其研究人员已发表了5000篇科学论文，参与了约1亿新元外部资助的项目，并在本地创立了多家初创企业。

政府继续与CQT紧密合作，将量子技术应用于现实世界。两周前，国家量子安全网络宣布成立。这是一个公私合营的联盟，将在新加坡部署支持QKD的无线网络。

CQT的衍生公司SpeQtral正在商业化一颗基于QKD技术实现安全通信的卫星，获得经济发展局（EDB）的支持。当卫星发射并进入轨道后，SpeQtral将成为全球首批展示完整商业规模解决方案的公司之一。

我上个月会见了首席执行官林俊扬及其团队，对他们如何从开创性的研究和实验出发，联合已合作的众多商业伙伴，如东芝，将技术转化为可商业部署的解决方案印象深刻。

下午3时15分

量子技术只是我们正在开发的未来通信领域之一。信息通信媒体发展局（IMDA）和国家研究基金会投资7000万新元，启动首个国家未来通信研发计划（FCP）。该计划将加速下一代通信和连接技术的研究，例如6G。

国际研究界认可新加坡强大的创新能力。作为FCP的一部分，我们于去年7月与芬兰科学院资助的全球首个领先6G研发项目——6G旗舰计划签署了谅解备忘录（MOU）。双方将深化6G研发合作，如举办研讨会、开展联合研究和教育项目。

就在两个月前，我们又与韩国通信信息科学研究院签署了另一份谅解备忘录。

除了投资研究，我们还加强研究成果的转化，使企业和公众今天就能从这些技术中获得切实利益。

新加坡网络安全局（CSA）发起的网络安全创新征集活动，鼓励企业用创新方案解决网络安全问题。

在此征集下，本地网络安全公司Flexxon于2021年开发了X-PHY，这是全球首款搭载人工智能网络安全防御的固态硬盘（SSD）。该硬盘由AI协处理器和专用固件驱动，能实时防护软件攻击（如恶意软件、勒索软件和病毒）及物理攻击（如未经授权的克隆）。

X-PHY SSD在不读取存储文件的情况下持续自我监控。一旦检测到篡改，硬盘会自动锁定并提醒用户。该用户友好方案无需复杂配置或频繁更新。联想已与Flexxon合作，在部分笔记本电脑中采用该SSD。

先生，我已详细说明了新加坡在未来数字基础设施上的投资及创新突破。现在让我谈谈我们如何与国际伙伴共同努力，建设一个安全且充满活力的数字经济，连接全球。

陈佩玲女士和任伟林先生关注数字领域的新全球机遇及挑战风险。网络安全、数据保护和人工智能伦理等问题复杂且跨越地理边界，我们无法单独解决。

我们需要建立国际共识，制定规则、规范和标准，确保数字生态系统可持续、互操作且免受意外和故意的伤害。

各位议员应熟悉我们的数字经济协议（DEA），这体现了我们的做法。新加坡已与四国签署DEA，最近一次是上个月与英国签署。我们还于2021年12月基本完成与韩国的DEA。

谢健鹏先生会高兴知道，新加坡与国际利益相关者的合作成效显著，提升了我们作为可信数字枢纽的全球品牌。

在国际上，我们也为网络安全社区做出了重要贡献。我们依托运营能力、技术专长和网络安全创新，结合平衡的政策和监管视角，实现了这些成果。

关键在于代表我们参与多项国际讨论的技术娴熟且经验丰富的网络安全人员。网络安全标准是我们积极推进的领域之一。

CSA于2020年10月推出了亚太地区首个消费物联网设备网络安全标签计划（CLS），引起国际伙伴关注，促成与芬兰签署网络安全标签互认谅解备忘录。

CSA与新加坡标准理事会还发布了首个国家标准——消费物联网网络安全标签技术参考（TR 91），供制造商、开发者、测试机构和供应商广泛采用。

自2021年12月起，新加坡担任联合国信息通信技术（ICT）安全开放式工作组（OEWG）主席国。该工作组是国际网络安全政策讨论的主要平台。我们推动达成规范、规则和原则的共识，促进安全互操作的网络空间，鼓励负责任的国家行为。鉴于全球形势，这些努力尤为重要。

先生，请允许我接近发言结束。

主席：我们时间充裕，请继续。

郑俊烈博士：谢谢主席。新加坡也在积极发展互联数据和人工智能生态系统，平衡数据保护、安全与创新。

我们牵头制定了东盟跨境数据流模型合同条款（MCCs），帮助企业在监管确定性下跨境传输个人数据。我们正推动在东盟以外地区扩大该条款的认可。

同时，我们推动全球负责任的人工智能部署。基于新加坡的人工智能治理模型框架，我们与美国、英国等国合作，借鉴国际最佳实践，协调人工智能治理原则。

我们还与东盟成员国合作，协调制定《东盟人工智能治理与伦理指南》，为负责任部署人工智能提供实用指导，增强消费者信心，促进区域内人工智能服务的广泛应用。

先生，我想总结强调政府致力于建设一个经济充满活力、社会稳定、安全可靠的新加坡数字未来。

把握数字领域机遇，同时管理风险，是我们成功和生存的关键。政府通过合作伙伴关系，与利益相关者共同构建数字能力、基础设施、法规、安全和投资等多项基础，为未来奠定基石。

我们努力的核心是人民，他们的潜力和福祉。我们目标是让所有新加坡人都能在数字领域获得赋能和满足感。我们将携手共建一个充满活力且安全的数字未来。[掌声]

主席：我们还有时间进行澄清。陈佩玲女士。

陈佩玲女士：我有三个澄清问题。第一，新的行为准则将针对儿童面临的哪些伤害类型？第二，是否会征求家长和社区的意见，以便在新准则中涵盖儿童可能遭受的伤害类型？第三，关于女性和女孩在科技领域的进展和代表性，包括学校、行业及IMDA项目中，能否提供最新情况？我们迄今取得了哪些进展？

张玉娟女士：主席先生，感谢陈佩玲女士的三个问题。我将回答前两个问题，不是因为第三个不重要——它对我非常重要。但今天为了拨款委员会辩论的目的，我们希望将女性在科技领域的问题与整体科技人才发展一起讨论。因此，国务部长陈杰豪将回答第三个问题。

关于我们希望纳入准则的伤害类型，我们的目标是确保儿童享有身体安全和情感健康。那么，在线上，什么会伤害他们？或者什么可能导致他们受到身体和情感上的伤害？家长告诉我们，是网络欺凌、性骚扰、性诱导和接触不当内容，主要分为三类：性、暴力和自残或其他危险行为。

这些伤害具有普遍性，全球家长都不希望孩子接触这些内容。因此，我认为这些内容可以且应该纳入我们计划制定的准则中。

但也存在因社会规范和家庭规范不同而产生的差异。例如，某些类型内容在什么年龄以下被视为不适当，这会有所不同。还有毒品使用问题，有些社会对此更宽容，我们也需考虑这些差异。

正因如此，我认为让家长和更广泛的社区参与准则的制定和设计非常有价值，未来也应参与准则的更新，以保持其相关性。

信息通信媒体发展部（MCI）在这方面有一定经验，我们可以借鉴其在电影和出版物咨询中采用的类似方法。

同时，我们将继续支持家长保护孩子的线上安全，这将通过媒体素养理事会和国家图书馆局（NLB）推出的项目实现，正如议员马哈占早前所述。

主席：国务部长陈杰豪。

陈杰豪先生：主席先生，感谢陈佩玲女士提出关于女性和女孩在科技领域的重要问题。

分享一些统计数据和最新情况，我们IDT课程中约有三成学生为女性。根据波士顿咨询集团（BCG）研究，四成科技专业人士为女性，远高于全球平均水平，我们对此感到自豪。

“新加坡女性科技运动”由IMDA于2019年发起，获得社区和行业伙伴支持。近年来，他们在提升多元包容意识方面取得显著进展，开展多项项目培养更多女性科技人才，确立新加坡作为支持女性科技人才的全球领导者地位。

自2019年10月启动以来，该计划通过多项活动接触超过12万人，借助“学生提问”系列视频连接超过11.5万名学校女生与女性科技领袖，举办了600多场女性科技人才的网络和导师活动，并在2020和2021年收到超过1400份“新加坡100女性科技榜”提名，识别出科技领域的女性领袖和榜样。

针对陈女士早前提及的“导师连接”项目，这是一个跨公司导师计划，女性专业人士和领导者指导有志于科技职业的学生和女性。该项目表现良好，覆盖更多学校，吸引更多公司参与。我鼓励女性科技领袖和企业加入我们的行列。

下午3时30分

沙拉尔·塔哈先生：主席，感谢张玉娟部长、高级国务部长郑俊烈、国务部长陈杰豪和议员马哈占的回复。人工智能具有巨大变革潜力，根本改变经济和社会运作，包括就业。政府有何计划帮助企业和个人抓住人工智能带来的机遇？随着人工智能部署日益普及，政府如何确保负责任地部署人工智能，同时不抑制创新？

张玉娟女士：主席先生，沙拉尔·塔哈提出了关于人工智能的重要问题。此话题内容丰富，完全可以开设专题研讨会，但在有限时间内，我分享政府的一些思考。

政府认识到人工智能等新兴技术带来的经济利益和改善民生的潜力。因此，2019年我们发布了国家人工智能战略，明确新加坡愿景：成为开发和部署可扩展、具影响力的人工智能解决方案的领导者，重点覆盖对企业和民众高度相关的关键领域。

在总理办公室下，国家人工智能办公室（NAIO）启动了首批五个国家人工智能项目，涵盖物流、智能地产、教育、医疗和边境管控。去年11月，副总理又新增政府和金融领域的国家人工智能项目。

迄今为止，我们取得了哪些进展？这里需说明，我们谈论的努力不仅限于过去三年，也包括之前的工作。

在研究能力方面，我们取得了进展。以领域加权引用影响力（FWCI）为指标——这是评估研究能力的常用指标——新加坡排名世界第一。科技公司与高等院校及其联合设立的企业实验室的合作，也证明了我们的研究实力。

但在行业和企业的应用方面，情况较为不均衡，且不同类型的人工智能应用也存在差异。例如，金融服务业中，机器学习应用较为普遍，尤其在金融科技公司中。交通领域则开始更多部署自动驾驶系统，部分采用计算机视觉技术。

值得一提的是，在各行业中，通常不是大公司更擅长应用人工智能，反而新进入者更愿意尝试新方案，因为他们不受传统系统和业务流程束缚。

沙拉尔·塔哈的第二个问题非常重要，涉及治理。话题庞大，但我应说明，IMDA不仅推动人工智能采用，还致力于确保人工智能在新加坡的安全和问责。

我们如何实现？简要来说，我们较早发布了人工智能治理模型框架，可能是全球最早之一，随后针对不同领域进行本地化，明确原则和实践，转化为具体可行的措施。

我们还在开发人工智能治理测试框架及相应工具包，帮助人工智能系统所有者和开发者提高透明度，说明其人工智能的工作原理。

所以，我想说，我们正在做所有这些努力，希望我们的企业和人民能够真正受益于人工智能的巨大潜力。

主席：我们的截止时间是下午3点55分。我想我们还有时间进行两到三个澄清。我先请谭洁西卡女士发言，然后梁文伟先生；如果还有进一步的澄清且时间允许，再进行第三个澄清。谭洁西卡女士。

谭洁西卡·顺妮娥女士：感谢国务部长分享关于培养人才和科技人才的正式项目，以及将机构和公司聚集在一起的做法。我在发言中提出并呼吁，文化、社区及青年部（MCI）及相关机构应考虑建立学习社区和实践社区，让科技人才聚集在一起。你可以说他们今天可以自行聚集，但我认为如果MCI能在促进和支持这些方面发挥关键作用，将有助于新加坡现有丰富的科技和数字人才基础之间的广泛学习。我希望能得到一些回应。

主席：国务部长谭杰豪。

谭杰豪先生：主席，感谢谭洁西卡女士的建议和想法。她的建议实质上是让科技人才，基本上是科技专业人士，聚集在一起分享最佳实践，互相更新该领域的技术进展，尤其是在快速发展的数字领域。每天都会出现新的威胁，如网络安全数据泄露，以及我们如何应用技术的新做法，来自全球及新加坡的技术进步和创新。我认为这种精神是我们会考虑和研究的。

更重要的是，我们与行业协会合作，包括信息通信技术（ICT）公司和行业协会SGTech，以及科技专业人士协会——新加坡计算机学会（SCS）。今天，我们已经与他们合作举办许多培训和技能提升课程，聚集科技专业人士讨论问题。例如，Web 3.0是真实还是炒作？NFT是否会成为主流？加密货币的未来如何？我们如何看待网络攻击和网络防护？这些都是我们与行业合作伙伴、行业协会SGTech和SCS密切合作的议题。因此，我们肯定会采纳谭洁西卡女士的建议，继续在这些领域扩展。

主席：梁文伟先生。

梁文伟先生：主席，我有两个澄清问题要问部长。

但在此之前，我想澄清我没有说新加坡报业控股（SPH）是政府拥有的公司，我说的是SPH媒体信托（SPH Media Trust）。希望部长能承认这一点。

我的第一个问题是，虽然SPH不是政府拥有的公司，但政府多年来对这家上市公司有相当大的影响力。SPH从过去几乎垄断的印刷业务中积累了大量房地产资产。因此，政府做出的决定意味着政府同意让股东带走所有资产，留下9亿新元的负担给纳税人承担。这是第一个观点。

第二个澄清是，当石耀华部长在国会介绍这笔交易或结构时，他也说SPH媒体信托将会有私人捐助者。因此，我想问部长，吸引这些私人捐助者为SPH媒体信托提供资金的进展如何？目前的股东和未来的SPH上市公司股东是否有可能享受巨额暴利，而这些利润将流向一些捐助者，帮助我们资助SPH媒体信托？

主席：张玉娟部长。

张玉娟女士：议长，梁文伟先生说了什么或没说什么是议会记录的事，我认为我们不必对此进行猜测。简单核查即可确认他是说SPH还是SPH媒体信托。如果我听错了，我向他道歉。

但无论如何，他的问题相当奇怪，因为如果他坚持认为SPH媒体信托是政府拥有的，为什么资金会成为问题？这不需要我们来国会向议员解释。这将是政府其他部门的资金安排，基本上会在部门预算中规划好。

但我们今天向议员解释需要为SPH媒体信托提供公共资金，正是因为它不是政府拥有的。它是一家保证有限公司（CLG）。政府不拥有这家保证有限公司，也不拥有SPH这家上市实体。因此，SPH作为上市实体的决策必须依赖其董事会，最终取决于股东。

所以，梁文伟先生暗示，或者他似乎认为，媒体业务可以继续作为上市实体的一部分。我认为事实说明了一切。我们已经多次解释——2021年5月、今年2月，甚至就在一两个小时前——为什么媒体业务的经济状况发生了巨大变化，已不再适合继续作为上市实体的一部分，与其他业务共存，因为媒体业务转型所需的投资相当庞大，而上市实体无法投入同样资源，维持其作为一个可信赖机构的地位。

下午3点45分

因此，我们基本上有两个选择。如果可以，请允许我再阐述一次。

一个选择是冒险，接受媒体业务继续存在于上市实体中可能会衰退，并承担后果。另一种选择是全力以赴，帮助其转型，使SPH媒体信托能够继续作为一个服务公共利益的可信机构。

如果我们拒绝前者，选择后者，那么我们必须看看世界其他地方的投资情况，因为我们不是唯一一个媒体业务被颠覆的国家。我们谈论的资金，我承认数额不小，这也是为什么要向国会全面问责。但这与其他国家的投资规模相当，这些国家的媒体业务也必须进行类似投资。

所以，在我看来，根本的分歧在于梁文伟先生或人民行动党（PSP）并不如政府那样重视我们的本地主流媒体。因为每年高达1.8亿新元支持可信赖的本地媒体，对于我们经济规模而言，这是否过高？为了让我们的人民和企业能够通过我们独特的视角看世界，让我们的声音不受阻碍地传播，让我们的文化和传统以我们希望的方式表达，这样的投入是否合理？我希望我错了，但如果梁文伟先生或PSP不同意支持本地媒体，我真诚地劝他重新考虑这一立场，是否符合新加坡的利益。我就说到这里。

主席：苏涵妮女士。

苏涵妮女士：主席，我有一个关于图书馆的澄清。目前，国家图书馆局（NLB）有一个名为“Libby”的应用程序，用户可以通过它查找和借阅书籍及电子资料。

我想澄清或询问该应用程序是否可以进一步改进，增加更多互动和用户友好功能。例如，NLB可以考虑与相关机构如“家庭为生活”（Families for Life）或国家环境局（NEA）合作，创建特殊主题过滤器。读者类别可以进一步细分为更广泛的群体，以推荐适合不同人生阶段的书籍，例如孕妇和不同年龄段的儿童。

主席：拉哈尤·马哈赞女士。

拉哈尤·马哈赞女士：感谢议员的澄清问题。这确实是一个非常有意义的建议。图书馆已经与各种合作伙伴合作，因为策划和激发人们兴趣的工作需要依靠社区提供丰富多样的有趣内容，供图书馆访客选择。这项工作已经在进行中。至于技术方面，我们也与不同合作伙伴合作，开发和使用针对不同人群的平台。我们还与社区人士合作，在图书馆内创建学习社区。因此，议员的建议绝对值得采纳和考虑。

但我想建议，如果您还没有去过，欢迎去展示区看看，还有哪些其他机会，我们可以与合作伙伴一起开展。

主席：玛丽亚姆·贾法尔女士。我想如果您能简短澄清，因为我刚看到普里塔姆·辛格先生举手。如果时间允许，我会给普里塔姆·辛格先生发言时间。

玛丽亚姆·贾法尔女士：简短澄清，因为我没听到太多关于中小企业（SME）再培训的内容。只是想确认他们也有机会。

主席：国务部长谭杰豪。

谭杰豪先生：主席，玛丽亚姆·贾法尔女士问到帮助我们的中小企业在数字化转型时为员工和劳动力进行数字技能再培训。

这确实是一个重要领域。如果议员们还记得，去年12月，技能未来新加坡（SkillsFuture Singapore）发布了数字经济技能未来报告。数字经济中需求最高的技能是技术应用，即如何应用技能使用中小企业或公司在组织中部署的技术工具。拥有工具很重要，但能有效使用以实现业务成果，才是中小企业需要考虑的重要投资回报（ROI）。

在这方面，我们与其他机构合作了几个领域。首先，作为“中小企业数字化”（SMEs Go Digital）计划的一部分，我们之前提到的行业数字计划，设计时考虑了这些技能需求。因为不同工具在不同部门和不同数字成熟度的公司中，所需技能会有所不同。这些技能计划和培训路线图将针对不同类型的公司定制，作为行业数字计划的一部分。

因此，当中小企业制定数字计划、实施计划、选择工具和解决方案时，会有相应的技能培训供他们考虑派员工参加。这与不同部门的技能框架（如果有）相衔接。

展望未来，我们将继续扩大与其他高等院校（IHLs）的继续教育培训（CET）合作，为经济中较小的企业提供培训，因为中小企业可能在派员工参加此类技能培训时面临资源限制。这将纳入“中小企业数字化”整体努力中协调推进。

我们还与技能未来新加坡（SSG）密切合作，思考如何弥补数字经济中的技能差距，配合他们发布的数字经济技能未来报告。我们与科技行业协会SGTech、科技专业人士协会新加坡计算机学会（SCS）合作，正如我之前提到的，联合他们与其他行业协会合作，识别并推广适合各行业的数字技能提升机会。

正如简妮特·昂女士昨天建议的，我们采用行业支持行业、行业培训行业的方法，培训咨询委员会（TACs）发挥重要作用。请向玛丽亚姆·贾法尔女士保证，我们正在努力推进此事。更多细节将在教育部供应委员会会议上分享。

主席：最后一个澄清。普里塔姆·辛格先生。

普里塔姆·辛格先生（阿裕尼）：主席，我有一点澄清。我从2022年通知单B003了解到，今天的修订“截止”时间是下午4点15分，而不是下午3点55分。

主席：根据书记员的通知，截止时间已修订为下午3点55分。

普里塔姆·辛格先生：我大约五到十分钟前离开议事厅去查看，仍显示为下午4点15分。但我注意到主席的说法。

主席：这是因为茶歇时间未计入，所以截止时间是下午3点55分。

普里塔姆·辛格先生：明白了。

主席：如果我之前休了茶歇，截止时间会是你建议的。你现在建议休茶歇吗？

普里塔姆·辛格先生：如果意味着我们多20分钟时间？

主席：还是你想直接进行最后澄清？

普里塔姆·辛格先生：我觉得没什么选择，主席先生。

主席：无论如何，请继续。

普里塔姆·辛格先生：无论如何，这不会延长我们的时间。我就提问。

主席：请讲。

普里塔姆·辛格先生：首先感谢部长澄清问题。我想就SPH媒体信托的问题寻求一些明确。

当石耀华部长谈到此安排时，因媒体环境变化，他说SPH将首先成立新子公司，将媒体相关业务、物业、部分现金、SPH股份和房地产投资信托单位转移至该子公司。随后，如果股东批准，子公司将转移至保证有限公司（CLG）。

我认为梁文伟先生关注的实质是利润私有化，成本社会化给纳税人承担。

所以，我的问题或澄清是：当政府审议SPH的提案时，政府在多大程度上要求SPH转移其业务部分，使CLG尽可能实现自我融资？考虑到SPH集团拥有的资产范围，相关讨论的性质如何？政府在多大程度上推动此事，以限制纳税人的负担？

主席：张玉娟部长。

张玉娟女士：议长，我简短回答。我已说明股东在重组方案提交特别股东大会时投票同意的金额。股东投票同意向SPH媒体信托注入8000万新元现金和价值3000万新元的股份。详细方案中也列出了将转移的所有实物资产。

我认为这不是政府推动股东多少的问题。毕竟，SPH媒体信托是上市公司内媒体业务的重组。因此，管理层向股东提出的方案必须获得通过。这就是通过的方案。是否可以通过更高出资的方案纯属猜测。如果未通过，整个重组就无法进行，届时我们将面临更大问题。我只是想说明这一背景。

主席：陈佩玲女士，您是否愿意撤回您的修正案？

陈佩玲女士：感谢部长、高级国务部长、国务部长和议会秘书的全面答复。我认为很清楚未来充满可能性，需要建设很多，也需要平衡很多。非常感谢文化、社区及青年部所有官员、所有法定机构以及国家数字政府局。基于此，我请求撤回我的修正案。

[(程序文本) 修正案，经许可，撤回。 (程序文本)]

[(程序文本) 头Q项下1,549,888,000新元列入主要预算。 (程序文本)]

[(程序文本) 头Q项下60,645,700新元列入发展预算。 (程序文本)]

主席：秩序。我建议现在休息。

[(程序文本) 副议长离开委员会主席席，转而主持议会。 (程序文本)]

副议长：秩序。我宣布休会，下午4点15分继续主持。

会议休会

下午4点至4点15分。

会议于下午4点15分恢复。

[副议长（克里斯托弗·德索萨先生）主持]

英文原文

SPRS Hansard 原始记录 · 抓取日期：2026-05-02

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

Balancing Competing Considerations

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

Singapore is progressing surely and steadily in our digital transformation. With this comes several competing considerations that we need to balance.

On the one hand, for survival and to keep relevant, Singapore has to continually invest in next bound infrastructure and our people. When others look at 5G, we must look at 6G and when others look at Web 3.0, we must imagine Web 4.0. Our people must have the skills and versatility to take advantage of the new opportunities.

Yet, to preserve social cohesion and inclusive growth, Singapore also must ensure that the less digitally savvy amongst us are not inadvertently left behind or excluded from participating and benefiting from digitalisation, which could widen the gap between those who know and know‐not.

There are other considerations as well – how to leverage digital solutions on a larger scale to solve real problems yet guarding against cyberattacks, how to incentivise businesses to go digital and, in doing so, how to ensure accountability without making the process so cumbersome that businesses "lose steam".

These are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but they require careful balancing and calibration.

Take my elderly resident as an example. She wanted to apply for CareShield Life. But the only mode of application was through the e‐service and thus requires Singpass. For the digitally‐savvy, this would be fuss free and save time. But she has no mobile phone or Singpass.

Eventually, her daughter managed to apply for Singpass and linked it to her daughter's phone. What if my elderly resident was a single elderly?

I would like to ask how will the Government uphold economic vibrancy and Singapore's competitiveness while preserving social cohesion. How will the Government ensure that the public and private sectors will go digital with empowerment and inclusion as prerequisites? What will the Government do to protect our people, young and old, and businesses – small and big, from new threats that emerge from this fast-evolving space?

A related point is about digital regulations. As technology advances rapidly and new solutions with new use cases emerge, existing regulations need to evolve, or new ones have to be formulated. But timeliness and finding the sweet spot seem to be challenging.

Consider cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). These are high‐risk and speculative and often seen as a tool for illicit activities. Hence, sufficient research and deliberation are needed before formal regulations and policies can be introduced. But meanwhile, will we risk becoming too slow and lose potential opportunities?

With metaverse fast becoming a thing, will our policies and regulations be fast enough to capitalise on its development while addressing transactions, personal data and user interaction issues?

In encouraging enterprises or individuals to digitalise or upskill through monetary incentives, might the process be so tedious such that they decide to remain in their comfort zones and stick to just being good enough and avoid digital transformation altogether?

Hence, I would like to ask how will the Government ensure regulatory changes keep pace with tech advancement. How do we ensure that we provide sufficient guardrails, yet not suffocate innovation? Chairman, do I continue with my next cut?

The Chairman : You can carry on with your second cut.

Protection against Online Harm

Ms Tin Pei Ling : Sir, what happens online can have spillover effects in the real world. Reports of precious lives lost to "bullycides" and life savings lost to online scams are aplenty. While nobody is immune, children, youths, women and elderly are especially vulnerable to online harms.

Years ago, my resident's fiancée was a victim of "revenge porn". Her ex‐boyfriend uploaded intimate material onto websites such as Revenge Porn, attracting unsavoury comments from people she knew and did not know. Thankfully, the then-IMDA blocked it. But the damage was done.

In general, women and girls tend to be victims of body shaming and hyper-sexualisation online.

In 2020, an elderly resident fell prey to an online investment scam. He was misled to believe that the scheme was endorsed by Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, which is, of course, not true. Due to his lack of knowledge, he gave his one-time password (OTP) away and racked up a huge credit card debt that he could not afford.

While adults having gone through a few hard knocks in life can arguably cope better, youths and children are still in their innocence and need a lot more protection. The inaugural 2020 Child Online Safety Index report found that almost 60% of children aged between eight and 12 in 30 countries were exposed to at least one form of cyber risk, of which 45% were affected by cyberbullying.

Online harms cause distress and have long-term adverse consequences in real life. We must protect our people from such harms, so that they can live freely and fulfill their potential. What are the support measures and resources available to raise awareness, prevent and intervene to reduce online harm?

[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]

The Chairman : Mr Alex Yam. Not here. Mr Don Wee.

Protect our People from Online Harm

Mr Don Wee (Chua Chu Kang) : Chairman, the onslaught of online scams, the prevalence of fake websites and the ubiquity of misinformation on social media are having a severe detrimental impact on our society. The loss of hard-earned money, loss of trust in official and traditional sources of information and the confusion and harm caused by false information interferes with how a nation can function and operate normally and damages our social fabric.

The digital universe has no border and invaders can potentially enter from anywhere if we do not put up our defences. It is not easy for the man in the street to keep abreast of the latest online scams and newly-evolved digital deceptions.

What measures does MCI have in place to help protect our people from online harm?

Protecting our People from Online Harms

Dr Wan Rizal (Jalan Besar) : Chairman, Singaporeans are now spending more time online, which means they are more open to online content – and some content may hold extreme or even extremist views – online gaming and possible gambling as well as engaging in social media that may not be able to regulate all of its contents.

Different segments of the community may be exposed to varied levels of online harms. The youths, for example, are most susceptible to negative influences like cyberbullying, hate comments or even online shaming. The elderly, too, are not spared from being cyber victims.

I welcome the Alliance for Action to tackle online harms, especially those targeted at women and girls.

What are some targeted measures that MCI will put in place to protect the different segments of Singaporeans from varied forms of online harm?

Protection from Online Harms

Dr Shahira Abdullah (Nominated Member) : Mr Chairman, digitalisation is a priority for many countries, Singapore included. However, as mentioned, with increased digitalisation comes exposure to online harms. All segments of the community are vulnerable to online harms. We all know the recent OCBC phishing scam where 790 customers lost $13.7 billion. That is one type of online harm.

Another type relates to content found online, for example, online sexual grooming, doxing, cyberbullying, online harassment or stalking and the sharing of misinformation or unlawful content.

1.15 pm

As we know, platforms, such as OnlyFans, have been used to show unlawful content. On the metaverse, there have been reports of avatars being bullied and verbally and sexually harassed virtually. I must commend the Ministry for doing much in educating the public on how to navigate the Internet safely.

However, what can we do to always make sure that we keep ahead of all the online changes and can we do more in terms of regulations? I watch with interest the developments of the Online Safety Bill in the UK which would determine how online platforms should deal with content and how to prevent the propagation of illegal content. Australia also recently promulgated its e-safety legislation. Would the Ministry consider introducing legislation to regulate online content here as well?

The Chairman : Mr Gan Thiam Poh. Not here. Mr Christopher de Souza, you can take both your cuts.

Digitalisation in the Business World

Mr Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah) : Mr Chairman, Sir, for SMEs, in particular, while the reality of digitalisation as the future is acknowledged, there is much practical difficulty in terms of initial costs, lack of technical expertise and assisting employees in making that transition, particularly senior employees who have worked for years within the existing system. The launch by IMDA of schemes, such as Better Data-Driven Business (BDDB), the Digital Leaders Programme (DLP) and the Chief Technology Officer (CTO)-as-a-Service, have created platforms to help many brick-and-mortar businesses pivot towards hybrid online-offline models and are, certainly, welcomed. How will MCI continue supporting businesses to build or enhance their digital capabilities, so as to take advantage of the post-COVID-19 phase of economic recovery?

Digitalisation and Singapore's Resilience

As we prepare for a post-pandemic future, technology can revolutionise and reinvent much of the way business is done. With hyperscale cloud providers dominating the cloud infrastructure and more industry clouds appearing, cloud computing has transformed in a way that has changed digitalisation. Other technologies, such as quantum computing, the metaverse and digital currencies, are continuing to take over the landscape and seemingly unlock more potential. How can the Government take advantage of the potential of new digital technologies and invest into it, while at the same time, watching against any potential pitfalls? This then, can enhance Singapore's competitiveness and resilience.

Interest of Consumers and Small Business

Mr Sharael Taha (Pasir Ris-Punggol) : Mr Chairman, for Singapore to pioneer the model for a globally competitive digital metropolis, the digital space must be economically vibrant, socially stable and digitally secure for all. Larger businesses tend to have the resources to protect their interests in this digital space. How will MCI ensure that the interests of consumers and small businesses continue to be protected in this digital age?

The Chairman : Ms Hany Soh. You can take both cuts together.

Radio: Vernacular News Broadcast

Ms Hany Soh (Marsiling-Yew Tee) : Chairman, in Mandarin, please.

( In Mandarin ) : [ Please refer to Vernacular Speech .] During the pre-COVID-19 days, I used to visit Mediacorp once a month to give law awareness radio talk shows on Capital 95.8FM. During the intervals, I would sit at a corner and listen to the senior radio news presenter presenting dialect news, like in Hokkien or Cantonese. These presenters are usually over 50 years old; occasionally, they would stay behind to wait for me to finish my talk show to have a chat with me in Mandarin or Hokkien, sometimes about getting some legal advice on estate planning.

I have always enjoyed these sessions as they bring back childhood memories of chatting with my Ah Ma. Like her, most of the seniors only know how to communicate with people in dialects and rely on the vernacular radio news broadcasts to stay updated on current affairs.

Recently, in my catch-up with one of the DJs, I came to understand that due to the COVID-19 situation, these dialect news presenters are now required to record their radio news broadcasts from home. It has been a challenging time; some of them have sadly passed away, while some have chosen to retire as they found themselves unable to keep up with technology.

How will the Ministry ensure that radio stations continue to train and retain talents in this aspect in order to continue on with this feature? In my capacity as the Advisor to Singapore Union of Broadcasting Employees (SUBE), I also hope that more welfare support can be given to taking care of these dialect news radio presenters.

Green Living Initiative Mascot

(In English): My next cut is on whether a collaboration with Mediacorp will be explored to introduce a cartoon series using rhythmic content akin to Baby Shark or CoComelon YouTube channel songs involving mascots like Captain Green, Water Wally to attract and educate young audiences to become our young budding green champions.

SPH Media Trust

Mr Leong Mun Wai (Non-Constituency Member) : Mr Chairman, I was surprised to learn at the February Sitting that taxpayers may have to pay up to $900 million over five years to support Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Media Trust, the Government-owned publisher of most of Singapore's mainstream newspapers. Since we are raising a lot of taxes in this Budget, we should be careful about such a new and big outflow of taxpayers' money.

Firstly, where is the plan to recoup the $900 million over time? Do we have an exit plan, or will we keep funding SPH Media Trust for many more years beyond the first five years?

Secondly, why did the Government not ask for more money from SPH, the listed parent, before it agreed to taking the loss-making business out of SPH? SPH assets have grown over the years, thanks to the hefty profits of the near-monopoly media business it previously enjoyed. Although in recent years the print business has become a loss-making business due to the Internet, SPH has maintained overall profitability because of its huge property portfolio.

Thus, it is reasonable to expect SPH to continue to fund the transformation of the media business. Hence, the Government's arrangement with SPH is evidently a bad deal as taxpayers have to foot the bill of SPH Media Trust at least for the next five years while the property assets of SPH, which are worth at least $3.9 billion and expected to generate an annual cash flow of $300 million, according to one broker's estimate, are likely to be sold to Cuscaden Peak, a company owned by our local property magnate Ong Beng Seng, for the benefit of existing and future shareholders. Can the Minister explain what is the rationale behind the Government's acceptance of such a deal?

Resilience against Digital Risks

Mr Xie Yao Quan (Jurong) : Chairman, as we move towards a digitally-inclusive society, we will not only need to focus on promoting digital literacy and skills, but also on supporting all businesses, especially small and medium‐sized enterprises, and all individuals to guard against both cyber and data threats. This will strengthen our collective defences and resilience against bad actors and preserve overall confidence in our digital future. In this regard, what plans does MCI have to support our businesses and citizens?

Cyber and Data Threats

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong (Jurong) : Advanced digital infrastructure and cybersecurity technologies are important, but we also need to enhance our fundamentals. To get a Data Protection Trust Mark (DPTM), there are five assessment bodies with IMDA which can assess an organisation. Today, an organisation can take up to one year to get the certification, with a queue to start assessment. The certification is demanding and rightfully so. As of 2 March 2022, there is a total of 81 organisations which have attained DPTM certification. ACRA records state that we have about half a million registered entities.

In practice, we do not need every organisation to be certified. But, in parallel, we must enhance our understanding of basic data protection law and emphasise the importance of critical data protection requirements. Three questions.

How are data protection consultancies regulated in Singapore today? How do we ensure that our data protection ecosystem has the competencies and subject matter experts required to be secure? How can we better build and accelerate our efforts to build trusted, secure and resilient digital infrastructure and technologies? How can we better support businesses and individuals to guard against cyber and data threats?

The Chairman : Ms He Ting Ru. Not here. Ms Hany Soh.

Combating Cyber and Data Threats

Ms Hany Soh : With the growing cyber and data threats, how will MCI better protect individuals and businesses and guard against these risks, helping to ensure that they remain confident enough to continue thriving in the digital realm? Are there any grants that can be provided to encourage companies to adopt approved cybersecurity solutions that can help these businesses?

Strengthen Digital Access and Literacy

Mr Baey Yam Keng (Tampines) : Mr Chairman, our society and lives are being transformed. We use digital technologies every day, whether in a lived, work or play environment. We spend so much more time in the online space.

However, not everyone has digital access. When the online mandatory theory test for PMD and Power Assisted Bicycle riders was first launched, it was only available via a laptop. Ironically, more people nowadays have a smart phone but not a laptop. Hence, we recommended those without a laptop to use the facilities in our national libraries.

In the past, people go to the libraries to borrow books or to read newspapers and magazines. In today's world, reading or acquiring knowledge and information is no longer restricted to the physical print version. Sadly, the falling rate of reading is a global trend.

In this respect, the role of our libraries needs to evolve. They could play an indispensable role in supporting Singaporeans to navigate this digital world while cultivating a spirit of lifelong learning and bringing the community together.

In the past, library users must first be able to read. Otherwise, the library collection is useless to them. Today, digital literacy is as important as knowing our ABCs. So, how will MCI ensure that the benefits of digitalisation extend to all segments of our society? What measures are in place to bridge skills and knowledge gaps and ensure that individuals have the know-how, confidence and motivation to use digital technology?

In the late 1990s, our libraries were transformed from functional spaces with rows of bookshelves to vibrant community nodes, where the young and old explore wonders of the written word. How are our libraries being refreshed to meet the changing needs and interests of Singaporeans and continue to nurture a love of reading, learning and discovery?

I see SG Digital Office ambassadors in the neighbourhood teaching our seniors how to use their smart phones and encouraging heartland shops to come on board and accept digital CDC Vouchers. The deployment of resources on the ground has been effective, but how sustainable is it? How can we tap on the diversity, insights and capabilities of the wider community and empower ground-up efforts?

Sir, we need to do more to advance digital inclusion. Let us do more to welcome more immigrants to the digital world and integrate them well to be truly digital citizens.

1.30 pm

Digitisation and Digital Economy

Mr Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade) : Mr Chairman, with digitalisation becoming more pervasive and an integral part of our society, how is the Ministry working with the private and people sectors to bring digital to life for Singaporeans and prepare them for the digital future?

Today there is a growing need to pay attention to the livelihood aspect of the digital economy which offers some of the most exciting and high-quality jobs across the different sectors.

Under the Smart Nation strategy, we have outlined our ambitions to build a digital economy, a digital Government and a digital society. Can the Minister let us know the progress of this initiative, especially in terms of the whole-of-nation digitalisation effort?

Second, Singapore had outlined funding and aims to develop high-tech digital solutions for industry, including being a lab for deploying new technology solutions. Can the Minister let us know how we are doing in terms of translating novel technologies into commercial products and services?

Last, part of Singapore's advantage has always been our ability to work across disciplines. Such innovative inter-disciplinary technology solutions give us the power to address complex challenges. It also allows us a special position as a trusted digital innovation hub.

Can the Minister give us an idea how Singapore is doing in terms of its ambition to become as honest agent in digital trust? Finally, how will MCI equip Singaporeans with the necessary skills to access the emerging opportunities in the digital economy?

Digital Inclusion

Mr Sharael Taha : Chairman, in the last two years, we see the accelerated adoption of digital practices in our society. Businesses and individuals have transformed quickly to adopt digital solutions. PayNow mobile users grew to 3.07 million people in 2021, 4.4 million people use Singpass, 118,000 people have been trained under TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) and 74% of firms have adopted at least one digital solution in 2020.

However, there are still some Singaporeans and businesses that have not been able to adopt digital solutions. How is MCI supporting Singaporeans who are less digitally savvy and have not embraced digital and benefit from its use in their daily lives?

In particular, the seniors and Hawkers Go Digital programme have been running for the past two years. However, there are still seniors and hawkers who are apprehensive about going digital. What more can we do to bring them onboard?

For our youths, how do we ensure that the gap between the digital "haves" and the digital "have-nots" do not widen? What more can we do to support our less privileged youths? How can we ensure all youths have access to digital devices, connectivity and the required skillsets so that they are better prepared for the digital economy?

Challenges Facing Digital-native Generations

Mr Eric Chua (Tanjong Pagar) : Sir, Singaporeans are one of the most digitally connected people in the world and we start young. According to a survey in 2019, Singaporean children get their first Internet-enabled device at the tender age of eight. That is two years younger than the global average and is amongst the youngest worldwide.

And we seem to love our devices. On average, Singaporeans own 3.3 connected devices per person. Amongst us, 91% own a smartphone, sometimes two, and our broadband Internet speed is amongst the highest in Asia.

Couple these trends that have been gathering pace since the 1990s with changes in our lifestyle due to the pandemic in the past two years – work-from-home, home-based learning arrangements, safe management measures, all those have meant that the human connection that each of us yearn for could often only be achieved through technology-mediated means. Simply put, we cannot live without being digitally connected today.

Technology can either be a boon or a bane through social networking sites, people all over the world can reconnect with long-lost friends, share tips on niche hobbies and rally like-minded individuals passionate about various social causes.

In the same vein, however, these platforms have also allowed terrorist cells from remote corners of the world to link up. Much, therefore, depends on factors, such as the purpose that technologies are harnessed for and the motivations of individual tech users, amongst others.

While most people use the Internet and social networking sites for gainful posted purposes, for work, learning and leisure, some, inadvertently fall prey to ills that lurk in our online spaces.

First, sexually explicit materials. WE CARE Community Services, a community-based addiction recovery centre reported an increase in the number of people seeking help for compulsive sexual behaviour, including excessive online pornography consumption. From 50 cases in 2019, WE CARE handled 100 cases in 2020. That is a 100% increase. Seventy cases were new and many were youths in their 20s.

In many cases, first encounters with sexually explicit materials online start off quite innocuously as a curious conversation between peers or a chance encounter with a sexually explicit site due to random pop-up advertisements. But in Asian societies like ours, where parents tend to avoid awkward conversations on such sensitive topics, young impressionable minds are often left on their own to make sense of the material that they come into contact with. While many do not find themselves mired in addiction, the fact remains, some do. Especially when the consumption of sexually explicit material serves as a stress management mechanism. The question then is: do we know this often invisible issue well enough to design appropriate interventions?

Second, gaming. Gaming itself is not necessarily a bad activity. It can be a good source of entertainment, stress relief or even character building. But things can go south with a small group of gamers when excessive online gaming interferes with one's routines. Relationships with family and friends can become strained and when gaming becomes a compulsion, one becomes restless and irritable when access to gaming is curbed.

We all reeled in shock here in Singapore when we learnt that a teenager with a gaming addiction killed his father, partly because the father had limited his access to his games. The related issue is that of in-game loot boxes or "virtual goodie bags with random rewards" as The Straits Times called it. The odds for some of these loot boxes are sometimes as low as 0.00005% – and that is four zeros behind the decimal point, for the record. Of course, this means that prizes are extremely coveted.

But what is concerning is how addictive loot boxes can become. Experts have warned that the allure of these loot boxes lie exactly in the excitement of not knowing what one is going to get, much like what Forrest Gump says in the box of chocolates. This stimulates the production of dopamine, a mood-lifting biochemical typically produced when we exercise, get sufficient sleep or meditate. But this keeps the gamer coming back for more.

I have talked about my concerns on sexually explicit materials and gaming. But there remain many other issues that needs working through – cyberbullying, misinformation and disinformation, extremism – amongst many others. I stress again for the record here that I am not making a case against the Internet or gaming or any online platforms.

But, while I had scratched the surface in terms of these online deals we need to tackle, what is the Ministry's strategy in mobilising resources, channelling societies attention to developing issues? And what are the conversations we need to have as a society? What roles can families and parents play? How can we all do our part to make the online world – which actually can be a constructive space for networking, knowledge sharing and content creation – one that is safer for everyone?

Protect Vulnerable from Online Harm

Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman (Marine Parade) : Sir, last year, MCI launched the Singapore Together Alliances for Action (AfA) to tackle online harms, especially those targeted at women and girls. The launch of AfA came after 300 stakeholders from diverse backgrounds were consulted. Essentially, the launch of AfA is underpinned by the desire to combat online harms, especially those targeted at women and girls.

Importantly, MCI underscores that the AfA would focus on closing the digital safety gap and on taking actions to enhance the freedom and safety of our women and girls in the digital future.

According to MCI, the AfA will start with 48 members across the people, public and private sectors to address the issue of online harms in five key work streams as suggested by participants from the earlier conversations. Namely, they include public education, research, victim support, youth engagement and volunteerism clusters. As such, the AfA will adopt a whole-of-nation approach to close the digital safety gaps.

I am encouraged by the launch of the AfA as it signifies our commitment to addressing online harms in an increasingly lethal society. I would thus like to ask the Minister for Communication and Information if she could share any updates on the progress of the AfA since its launch last year. Additionally, could MCI also elaborate on the number of stakeholders it has managed to get on board the AfA since its launch? Finally, can MCI also delineate some of the AfA's implemented and upcoming initiatives to address online harms, especially those targeted at women and girls?

The Chairman : Ms Hany Soh, you can take both cuts together.

Digital Opportunities

Ms Hany Soh : How does MCI bridge the digital skills and knowledge gap among Singaporeans and encourage them to seek out digital opportunities to pursue lifelong learning and enrich their lives? Apart from the assistance provided by our digital ambassadors, can we consider providing more support to IHLs for the latter to conduct more digital technology training courses for the public? It can either be run in a manner similar to SkillsFuture courses or a collaboration with the People's Association whereby IHLs' lecturers and students reach out to vulnerable groups in the community through the residents' community centres, senior activity centres, in order to run these courses.

Library

During this pandemic period, many of our little ones seek comfort in reading, keeping themselves occupied while their parents are busy with online zoom conferences. Besides being a healthy form of entertainment, it can also be a form of bonding as it helps the children to return to their roots by learning traditional stories and rhymes.

What are the ongoing and upcoming efforts to increase the availability and variety of books and e-resources in Chinese, Malay and Tamil so as to encourage our young readers to master their mother tongue languages?

Mr Speaker : Ms Jessica Tan. You can take both cuts together.

Libraries of the Future

Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo (East Coast) : Mr Chairman, libraries play a special role in igniting the joy of reading and nurturing curiosity and enquiring minds. The ability to read is fundamental to enable access to information and encouraging lifelong learning in the young and old. Reading helps develop imagination, creativity, speaking and communication skills. My residents, young and old, shared with me their fondness and desire for a library in our estate.

With the pervasiveness of digitalisation, digital literacy is as important as reading for access to information and lifelong learning. Our network of public libraries has continued to innovate and transform to stay relevant, including offering digital services.

How is MCI leveraging our libraries to encourage a self-directed learning culture and spark curiosity among the public to improve their proficiency in digital skills and literacy?

While digital access allows access to content and programmes, beyond that, the physical libraries do provide community and social spaces for people to come together to learn. A highlight of National Library Board's (NLB) LAB25 are installations called Nodes, to serve as new entry points into NLB's wide array of content. Will NLB consider the installation of Nodes in estates like Simei that do not have a library? Actually, given the important role that libraries play, it would be even better to have a library in Simei.

Building Business Digital Capability

To help our SMEs stay competitive, innovate and seize opportunities in the digital economy, there are a host of initiatives and resources to make going digital simple and easy for all.

1.45 pm

These include schemes like: (a) the Industry Digital Plans (IDP), which are industry-specific, step-by-step guides to digitalisation; (b) InvoiceNow, which enables businesses to digitalise the way they transact; (c) Better Data Driven Business (BDDB) or Business Intelligence (BI) tools, help SMEs gain deeper insights by converting business data into visual dashboards for easier data analysis; and (d) the Singapore Trade Data Exchange (SGTraDex) – which is an open digital infrastructure that facilitates trusted sharing of data between supply chain ecosystem partners. Can we have an update of how many businesses have participated and utilised these initiatives?

As part of Budget 2022, an additional $200 million will be allocated to enhance schemes that build digital capabilities in businesses and workers. What are these new initiatives? And how will they build on and complement the current initiatives?

Apart from these initiatives, I urge MCI and related agencies to consider nurturing "communities of learning and practice" for digital and tech talent. I believe that this will catalyse an ecosystem for tech talent to share perspectives, experiences and to learn from each other and this will build the vibrancy of the tech community here in Singapore.

MNCs and Local Large Enterprises (LLEs) can play a bigger role in developing digital and tech talent in Singapore. How can we encourage these companies to incubate smaller companies and workers to develop digital/tech talent? These companies have the talent development programme as well as expertise to provide learning and the business environment to build and to scale digital capabilities and I believe that these companies can play a very big role in building a bigger pool of talent base than they need and they should play that role.

SME Digital Skills

Ms Mariam Jaafar (Sembawang) : Sir, I would like to declare my interest as the Managing Director of a consultant firm that does work in the area of skills development.

The Government has made available a wide range of programmes available to help SMEs to go digital, such as the Productivity Solutions Grant and CTO as a Service. Many SMEs have taken advantage of these grants. Yet, there are still many SMEs which have not started down the digitalisation path in a meaningful way. But for a digital transformation to be sustainable, it is not enough to adopt some digital solutions. To ensure sustained performance, the employees need to go digital, be reskilled and upskilled, and, importantly, must have the opportunity to use these digital skills in their daily work.

Yet, we often hear that Singaporeans who work in SMEs find that they have fewer opportunities to acquire these new digital skills, compared to their peers working in LLEs and MNCs. This will impact their future career options. While the expansion of SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit eligibility will help more companies provide these employees, there is a lot of room to increase the take-up amongst those already eligible.

What more can the Government do to encourage the long tail of SMEs to reskill and upskill their employees now in order to capture opportunities in the digital economy in a sustainable way? How can this reskilling be done at scale? How can larger enterprises and TACs support the SME base? And how can we encourage and ensure that employees, in particular, who do not invest in such reskilling can go after those opportunities on their own, given that they have more limited resources to do this on their own and may not get the opportunity to put these skills to work in their day jobs?

Vibrant Tech Talent Ecosystem

Ms Tin Pei Ling : Sir, in my interactions with tech companies and tech leaders in Singapore, regardless of the company size and local or otherwise, the one common feedback I receive is skills shortage in Singapore.

Some shared that they need technical expertise, so that they can conduct research and product development here. Others shared that they set up their International or Regional Headquarters in Singapore. For these firms, they need not only technical talents but also market expertise. For instance, a large software service firm told me that they need talents well-versed in Vietnam and Indonesia to serve the markets there from here. These are large markets for them. The concern is that if firms like this cannot hire or access these talents in Singapore, then they may be compelled to move certain departments or wholly out of Singapore and leave Singaporeans and Singapore for the worse. Our people will lose jobs and opportunities to learn from some of the best around the world.

As such, I would like to ask for an update on the tech and innovation manpower situation in Singapore now. What are the skills and manpower gaps? Over the next three to five years, will we have enough Singaporeans to fill those gaps? What else will be done to address the gaps so that good tech firms remain invested in Singapore and continue investing in our people?

To this end, I would like to share some thoughts, observations and suggestions.

First, continue building up our local talents from young. Many Singaporeans recognise the value and potential of having tech skills, with parents sending their children to coding and robotics classes and mainstream schools offering coding as an "enrichment" for all upper Primary students. This is a good start, but we should build on the momentum and consider introducing computer language as, perhaps, a second language in schools, as well as introducing key concepts and uses of new technology in class. The idea is not so much to train everyone to become coding experts, but to inculcate an intuitive understanding of the logic and applications.

We also need to enhance the global quotient of our young. Expand existing in‐market programmes, such as the Singapore‐China Youth Interns Exchange Scheme (YES) and Asia-Ready Exposure Programme (AEP), and actively push our students to take full advantage of these programmes.

The second is on ecosystem of talents. We need to ensure steady growth of a skilled and versatile Singaporean Core. I am aware that there are efforts to encourage our young to choose STEM courses and majors; this helps to increase supply to meet the talent demand.

At the same time, we need to recognise that not all tech firms or tech‐related jobs need hard tech skills. A local tech leader told me that she met a Polytechnic graduate who studied tech but decided to become a barista because she did not like coding. While there is nothing wrong in choosing a different career, the tech leader wondered if the outcome would have been different if the young barista realised that there was a wide range of options for a career in tech.

While the public and private sectors could do more to increase awareness on the wide range of career options and groom local talents, the Government could also identify specific skills in demand but lacking in Singapore and co‐sponsor scholarships with companies to train local talents from young.

Some of the more progressive tech firms are shifting from pure competition or working solo to partnerships. Could we, therefore, put in place a support system for skilled gig workers who are trained and well-versed in different operating systems and software, so that they form a formidable talent pool for companies here to tap on? In a way, these are "interoperable" talents.

And we also need to continue to be open to good global talents who can and want to contribute. They fill manpower gaps, but are also good people to exchange knowledge, skills and ideas with so that we can grow together.

And the third point is on having more role models. Healthy diversity is beneficial to boosting talent supply and business outcomes. Therefore, we must continue to promote girls and women in tech. Having enough women in tech can shape how girls think of a career in tech – that it is not just for the boys – and give them confidence to give it a shot. Hence, what is the female representation in tech jobs and tech leadership positions in Singapore? What is the female representation in STEM‐related courses in IHLs in 2021 and across IMDA's talent programmes? Is the figure stable, decreasing or increasing?

Similarly, we need more stories of successful Singaporean tech leaders who could be role models to inspire more to join their ranks. Could the Government share whether it actively keeps a record of Singaporeans in tech leadership positions in Singapore and overseas? Could the Government share their stories and invite them to provide mentorship through the likes of the Singapore Global Executive Programme?

Digital Capabilities and Innovation

Mr Xie Yao Quan : Chairman, the digital economy allows us to transcend our geographical constraints and create value for the world. Our digital capabilities must become a strategic competitive advantage for us. We cannot stop, for competition will not stop. And, indeed, we have to go even faster and further, as competition will only accelerate. In this regard, what are MCI's strategies to build up an ICT workforce in Singapore with deep expertise and with ever more and exciting opportunities for Singaporeans?

More broadly, what are MCI's plans to nurture a digitally-enabled workforce at large that can access opportunities brought about by digital technologies across the economy?

At the ecosystem level, how is MCI driving investments in new technologies and their translation into applications to enhance Singapore's long‐term competitive advantage?

The Chairman : Ms Jessica Tan, you can take both cuts.

Workforce Digital Capability

Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo : In my Budget debate speech, I spoke about the fact that, beyond specialised tech roles, the broader workforce will need to be equipped with the knowledge and ability to use technologies in the workplace as an increasing number of jobs in non-ICT sectors are disrupted, digitalised and require the use of technologies.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, workplaces were starting to transform to leverage technology to enable virtual work arrangements. If implemented effectively, digital workplaces, including a hybrid of physical and virtual work arrangements, can benefit from increased productivity and improved business results.

But to realise the opportunities and benefits of the digital workplace, it will require the workforce to be proficient with new skills. This is not about developing deep tech skills but rather how to use with confidence new and ever-changing technologies to be able to do their work. The ability of the workforce to effectively use virtual and cloud technology, analytics and social and augmented reality tools will enable workers to do their work more effectively, faster and enable them to better communicate their ideas.

How will MCI support the uplifting of the broader workforce's digital capabilities?

Digital Infrastructure Resilience

With the pace of digitalisation, how we work, live and play is increasingly digital. Hence, trusted, secure and resilient digital architecture and technologies are essential for Singapore and Singaporeans. Digital connectivity plays a critical role. As we invest in future technologies for increased access and speed, we need to also invest to strengthen our digital infrastructures to address unexpected surges in demand against cyber security risks, as well as threats to the resilience of our digital infrastructures. Cyber security risks will compromise data security and threaten access and availability of services.

To sustain our digital economy and way of life, how can Singapore ensure safe and reliable use of such infrastructures and technologies? How are our digital infrastructures able to minimise the impact of disruptions to enable businesses to continue to operate and with more digital transactions and operations, business critical information and personal information are exchanged? How are we strengthening the security of our digital infrastructures in Singapore to protect our data?

The Chairman : Ms Tin Pei Ling, take both cuts.

Next Bound Development

Ms Tin Pei Ling : Chairman, Singapore ranks among the top countries for technology infrastructure and adoption. We have the highest average Internet connection speed in Asia and the number of 4G subscriptions in Singapore is almost one and a half times that of our population. Our Government continues to invest heavily and our 5G network deployment is well underway. But even as we do so, other countries are not idling. The current S‐curve is saturated and we need to get onto the next.

Hence, to build and sustain a vibrant Digital Economy, what are the next‐bound digital infrastructure developments that Singapore can expect?

International Cooperation

Given the borderless nature of the digital space and digital threats, it is not enough to rely on domestic levers and programmes to protect Singapore's cyberspace.

Moreover, as critical infrastructures are very much interlinked and, as countries and markets become increasingly connected digitally, we have become highly vulnerable to disruptions and exploitations by malicious cyber activities. An attack in one area can have widespread ramifications.

Therefore, what is MCI doing in the international arena to address these challenges?

The Chairman : Mr Alex Yam. Not here. Minister Josephine Teo.

The Minister for Communications and Information (Mrs Josephine Teo) : Mr Chairman, I thank Members for their questions and interest.

Earlier in the Committee of Supply (COS) debate, I updated Members about the progress of our Smart Nation initiative. Digital technologies are very much a part of our daily lives. They have brought day-to-day conveniences, new and improved jobs for our people, and growth opportunities for our businesses.

But a digital future can be daunting as well. Enterprises struggle to get the right technologies and talents. Workers worry about being replaced. Seniors may feel left out. Parents are concerned about the impact on their children.

2.00 pm

MCI understands all these concerns. Our mission is to ensure our people can reap the benefits and rewards of technology, while safeguarding our safety and security. Our vision of Singapore's digital future is one that is economically vibrant, socially stable and cyber-secure.

MCI's theme for this year's Committee of Supply is "Building a Vibrant and Secure Digital Future Together".

The economic opportunities of the digital domain have brought about tremendous transformation and growth in Singapore. Since 2016, the Information and Communications Sector has grown by an average of 9.4%, well above the GDP growth rate. Across the economy, the number of ICT professionals has risen from around 180,000 in 2016 to 216,000 in 2020. The positive impact on the wider economy is evident. Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary and Minister of State Tan Kiat How will say more about these later.

This dynamism is equally evident in our society. Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam will provide an update on our efforts to promote digital empowerment and wellness.

To harness the full potential of the digital domain, I will focus on two aspects of growing importance.

First, how we will enhance regulations in the digital domain to better protect ourselves and our loved ones, and to strengthen digital security and resilience. Second, how we will sustain and deepen engagement of every Singaporean in the digital era, to preserve and enhance social cohesion.

According to surveys carried out by MCI, 76% of Singaporeans said they feel comfortable using digital technologies, but only 40% have installed cybersecurity apps on their mobile phones. Among seniors aged 60 and above, 67% use instant messaging and over half search for information online. But only 40% could recognise and avoid phishing attempts.

Clearly, using technology alone is not enough; it is only half the story. We also need to better protect ourselves and our loved ones from its risks and threats.

MCI has three priorities to govern and secure our digital spaces.

The first is to better protect Singaporeans from harmful online content, especially the young and vulnerable. A recent Straits Times survey found that among children aged seven to nine, two-thirds use a smartphone daily, and, yet, a third of the parents do not know who their children interact with on social media.

Last year, a National Youth Council poll found that two-thirds of youths had experienced online harms, such as harassment and unwanted advances. Many developed distrust towards others and experienced stress and anxiety. Last year, a 10-year-old Italian girl lost her life while participating in an online "Hanging Challenge". Users were encouraged to choke themselves until they passed out while live-streaming on TikTok.

Harm can be caused not only to children. In 2019, social media companies struggled to remove reshares of the video showing a gunman firing on Muslims in a New Zealand mosque. In 2021, rioters who stormed Capitol Hill in the US used social media to organise and amplify their messages.

Governments worldwide have responded to online harms with new laws.

In 2017, Germany enacted its Network Enforcement Act, which requires platforms to act on unlawful content reported by users. Last July, Australia enacted an Online Safety Act, which introduces basic safety expectations for online service providers. The UK's draft Online Safety Bill will create a duty of care for online platforms towards their users, including requirements to take action against harmful content.

Dr Shahira Abdullah, Ms Tin Pei Ling, Dr Wan Rizal and Mr Don Wee are right to ask what more can be done in Singapore. Some measures are already in place.

Internet content providers must comply with the Internet Code of Practice. IMDA has powers to take down content that goes against "public interest, public morality, public order and national harmony". IMDA can also direct Internet Service Providers to block access to prohibited websites.

To manage children's access to websites and online services, IMDA requires Internet Service Providers to offer filtering services for parents to subscribe to.

To reduce exposure to age-inappropriate entertainment content, over-the-top and video-on-demand streaming services with content rated NC16 or higher must provide parental controls.

In a 2020 study of online safety for children in 30 countries, international think-tank DQ Institute ranked Singapore fourth. This gives us some comfort. But with the growing risks of online harms, we must step up efforts to keep online spaces safe, especially for our children.

Online platforms accessible by users in Singapore can and must take greater responsibility for user safety. They should endeavour to keep online spaces free from harmful content, including age-inappropriate content, such as violent and graphic content, and content that promotes sexual violence.

To raise the baseline standard for online safety, we plan to introduce Codes of Practice in three new areas.

The first area is child safety. It will require platforms to have robust systems in place to minimise exposure of children and young persons to harmful content. These include content filters for child accounts and mechanisms for parents to supervise and guide their children online.

The second area is user reporting. Last year, MCI formed the Sunlight Alliance for Action to tackle online harms. Members of the Alliance want Internet platforms to be diligent in assessing flagged content and remove harmful content without delay. But many social media platforms tell us that they cannot be fully aware of all the content that needs moderation. Much of it is user-generated and the quantity, voluminous.

User reporting is, therefore, an important way to close the awareness gap and promote prompt follow-up action. It will require platforms to set up easy-to-access mechanisms for users to report harmful content, to be responsive in evaluating and acting on these reports and to apprise their users in a timely manner of the actions taken. This will empower users to highlight harmful content they come across and prevent further spread.

The third area is platform accountability. It will require platforms to provide information on what they are doing to keep users safe. This includes the prevalence of harmful online content on their platforms, the user reports they have received and acted upon, and the systems and processes they have in place to address harmful online content. Users can then compare the approaches taken by platforms and make informed decisions about which to engage or disengage.

Similar to existing Codes of Practice administered by IMDA, these new Codes will have the force of law. They will require relevant online platforms to take more actions to create a safer online environment. We will study how the Codes can be effectively enforced, including through appropriate legislative updates.

We are also working with MHA to provide Singaporeans with more protection from illegal activities carried out online. This includes strengthening our levers to tackle online scams, as well as a broader suite of criminal activities taking place online, such as child pornography, terrorism and content that incites violence.

MCI has frequent engagements with our international and industry partners on issues relating to user safety. We will continue to consult extensively as we develop these new Codes.

But the evolving nature of the digital domain will always test the way we design our regulations, as pointed out by Ms Tin Pei Ling. We need to be clear and unambiguous to uphold security and trust, while not being overly prescriptive or stifling innovation. The scope of coverage must be wide enough without being excessively expansive. Simplicity must not be achieved at the expense of effectiveness.

In many ways, our regulatory approach for the digital domain will be similar to how technology services are launched these days, as Minimum Viable Products that will be improved iteratively. Put another way, perfect must not become the enemy of good. Instead, we must be prepared to regularly update these Codes, introduce new ones or streamline outdated ones, to deal with emerging issues and new technologies. Only by doing so can we harness the rich potential of exciting new technologies while guarding against their attendant risks.

Mr Chairman, another important priority of MCI is to strengthen our cybersecurity.

Mr Shawn Huang, Ms Hany Soh and Mr Xie Yao Quan asked what more we are doing to guard against cyber threats.

Since 2018, the Cybersecurity Act has provided a legal framework for CSA to oversee and maintain our national cybersecurity. The Act is currently focused on securing and protecting our Critical Information Infrastructure. These computer systems deliver essential services in the physical world, such as water and power.

Given the unfolding situation in Ukraine, we must be alive to the heightened risks. Singapore is gravely concerned over the cyberattacks against Ukraine's government websites and national banks. It illustrates how essential services can be disrupted remotely and quite easily. Singapore may be geographically distant from the theatre of action. But we cannot disregard the potential knock-on effects arriving on our shores. This is why, earlier this week, we advised local organisations to beef up their cybersecurity posture.

But even before the current situation in Ukraine, cyber threats have become more prevalent. Between 2020 and 2021, Singapore observed a 73% increase in reported data breach and ransomware incidents. As our digital realm expands, so, too, the threat surface.

The scale and impact of such attacks elsewhere have also become more serious. Attacks on systems that run physical infrastructure, such as energy grids and fuel pipelines, have real, tangible impact. The ransomware attack on US Colonial Pipeline last year, for example, caused fuel shortages across the US East Coast.

CSA has been reviewing the Cybersecurity Act. To strengthen our defences, we need to address three key questions.

First, how do we raise our situational awareness over Singapore's cyberspace?

Attackers are constantly on the lookout for serious vulnerabilities, like burglars looking for faulty locks and open windows. CSA must, in some way, do the same, but for a very different reason – so that we can advise people to fix their faulty locks and close their windows quickly. In cyberspace, this means to patch known software vulnerabilities, before malicious actors compromise our systems and steal our data.

Second, what should be considered as Critical Information Infrastructure, or CII? The Act currently recognises physical networks and systems as CII. With the shift to virtualisation, we must be able to recognise virtual assets as CII, too, such as systems hosted on the cloud. We need to ensure these virtual assets are properly protected, too, including those that may not be hosted in Singapore.

Third, how do we secure important digital infrastructure and services beyond CIIs?

Digital infrastructure and services are the backbone of our connectivity, computing and data storage needs. If disrupted or compromised, there could be serious knock-on effects. Imagine the chaos of not having access to emails, websites and apps.

We will consider how to apply a risk-based approach to protect these infrastructure and services and for them to recover quickly when attacked. We intend to complete this review by 2023, factoring in stakeholder and public consultations. The Act will be updated thereafter.

2.15 pm

Mr Chairman, Mr Sharael Taha asked how we could enable businesses to innovate and grow while safeguarding consumers and their personal data. This is also a priority. Data is a critical resource for the digital economy.

In 2012, we enacted the Personal Data Protection Act, or PDPA. It strikes a careful balance between allowing organisations to harness data for innovation and growth and ensuring proper safeguards and accountability. In 2020, to adapt to the evolving digital landscape, we amended the PDPA. Among several amendments, we explicitly recognised business improvement as a legitimate use of data.

Early results from ongoing surveys are encouraging. Close to 90% of businesses agreed that the PDPA helped them prepare for the digital economy. More than 80% of consumers said that the PDPA helped them trust that their personal data is protected from misuse by organisations.

To uphold this trust, organisations must continue to take ownership and be held accountable, especially those that hold sizeable volumes of personal data. This is why the PDPA amendments in 2020 raised the maximum financial penalty for data breaches to $1 million, or 10% of local annual turnover, for organisations whose turnover exceeds $10 million, whichever is higher.

As a result of the pandemic-induced economic uncertainty, the implementation of the new penalties was temporarily held back. With sufficient lead time given to businesses, the penalties will now take effect from 1 October 2022.

We will also strengthen safeguards in other areas.

Currently, consumers and small businesses try to resolve contractual disputes with their telco, or media service providers, directly or through existing dispute resolution options. These can be costly and less consumer-friendly.

To supplement these options, IMDA will launch an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Scheme which is designed to be affordable and effective. When a case is brought to the ADR, it will be mandatory for the service providers to participate in the resolution process.

From April, this will provide a new helpful channel to resolve such disputes.

Mr Chairman, the three priorities I have described to govern and secure our digital spaces will form the building blocks of a vibrant and secure digital future.

But, Sir, technology has also changed the way we interact with one another, our communities and the world. The global media and information landscape have become more diffused, with competing narratives and echo chambers, and more news sources than anyone can keep up with.

Mr Don Wee rightly pointed out the need for trusted information sources and genuine engagement and a holistic approach to target the spread of misinformation. Indeed, these have been critical in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. We could not have handled a public health crisis if the public did not trust the health authorities or did not believe the information they were receiving. That is precisely why, from the very outset, we resolved to keep the public informed as fully and expeditiously as possible. We were determined to tell it as it is, never fudge or sugarcoat, never hide.

As the Prime Minister observed recently, if we had been a low-trust society, people would not have understood the need for safe management measures (SMMs) or abided by them. Our infection rates would be higher, far fewer people would be vaccinated, and many more people would have died. To preserve this trust, we must also have appropriate laws. For example, POFMA allowed us to take swift action on 20 occasions to curb COVID-19-related misinformation and prevent falsehoods from taking root.

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

The COVID-19 pandemic has, therefore, underlined the crucial importance of retaining public trust and maintaining trusted sources of information.

MCI has done this by expanding and refreshing our communications channels and launching targeted campaigns like VacciNationSG to support our vaccination drive. Gov.sg's 10 platforms have close to two million more subscribers, compared to before the pandemic. We commissioned e-getai shows for seniors that received over 7.5 million views and catchy music videos with over nine million views online.

To better engage Singaporeans from all walks of life and understand their concerns, REACH expanded its digital outreach through e-Listening Points and virtual dialogues. In 2021, more than 70,000 Singaporeans contributed feedback to REACH, up from 59,000 in 2020.

Through these concerted efforts, polls show that three in four members of the public think that the Government has provided sufficient information on COVID-19 in recent months. Over 86% agreed that these messages helped in their decision to get vaccinated.

It is critical that we maintain these high levels of trust as we strive to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic and see through future crises as Singapore Together.

Our local media companies play an important role in this mission to inform and engage our citizens. They help to keep Singaporeans united by providing a Singapore lens through which citizens can make sense of global events; presenting an authoritative source of information that cuts through the noise of an online space chock-full of clickbait content and misinformation; and producing content in our official languages that celebrates our diverse culture and creates shared experiences for all Singaporeans.

Clearly, our local media companies serve a broader mission beyond commercial success. This is why the Government put our support behind SPH Media Trust. We have explained the background extensively during the Parliament Sittings in May 2021 and February 2022, but I will reiterate two key points.

First, our local media, like media outlets across the world, have seen their advertising and subscription revenue drastically reduced, buffeted by the rise of digital content platforms and new avenues for free content.

Second, while our local media enjoys good reach – today, Mediacorp and SPH Media reach 96% of Singaporeans – there are no easy answers on how they monetise this reach. We hope they can become self-sustaining, but it remains to be seen whether or when this can happen.

Mr Leong Mun Wai said SPH is Government-owned. That is incorrect. If it was, there would be no question today of public funding. He then asked if the SPH listed company could be made to contribute more to the new SPH Media Trust. The shareholders voted and agreed to an initial injection of $80 million in cash and $30 million worth of shares for SPH Media Trust.

If the restructuring proposal involved an even higher contribution, the shareholders could have walked away. The Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) might not have been formed and the SPH media business could have remained on its trajectory of decline with scant hope for revival. In time to come, there would be nothing worthwhile to preserve.

Parliament has been fully briefed on the need for the restructuring and accepted that our local mainstream media is worthy of public funding.

When compared to the investments seen elsewhere in the world, the amount of funding to support our local media's transformation must be meaningful, in order for their efforts to have a chance to succeed. We cannot be half-hearted about it. I have also explained in detail how the Government will keep them accountable.

Let us now direct our attention on charting the way forward, such as those highlighted by Ms Hany Soh on how the media can better meet the needs of different demographics.

For example, Mediacorp is working with their news broadcasters, as well as clan associations to identify new talent to sustain dialect radio news broadcasts. Mediacorp produces an animation series on sustainability and environmental awareness, so that parents and their children know why this is important and how they can contribute to this national priority.

Left to the free market, such programmes are unlikely to be viable. I, therefore, urge Members to give our local media and journalists the fullest support, because they deserve it.

As the media industry adapts to the rise of digital, exciting new opportunities have also emerged. The global market for content is set to grow to more than $500 billion by 2025, half of which is in the Asia Pacific. Singapore is well-positioned to benefit because of our robust intellectual property and legal frameworks and our role as a connector between markets and cultures.

Global names like Walt Disney, iQIYI, WarnerMedia and Netflix already have a presence here, alongside homegrown players like Beach House Pictures, one of Asia's largest independent production companies.

We will continue to support these companies and our talents by: (a) exploring new partnerships with creator networks like Titan Digital Media, platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Twitch and online creators; (b) and partnering industry to improve content quality and better understand viewer preferences through data, artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual production.

These efforts will position us as a hub for content that is both "Made in Singapore" and "Made with Singapore". Mr Chairman, in Mandarin, please.

( In Mandarin ) : [ Please refer to Vernacular Speech .] For many Singaporeans, Internet access has become a basic necessity, just like water and electricity.

In today's world, building a vibrant and secure digital future is critical for a country's survival and prosperity.

Singapore will continue to face unknown challenges, but we will not give up.

The Government is committed to helping every Singaporean succeed in the digital age through various measures.

SMEs at all stages of the digital journey will have the opportunity to progress and open up new frontiers, even as they face various pressures.

Workers in various sectors will have the opportunity to deepen their skills. Everyone will receive support to level up their digital skills and improve their livelihoods.

Seniors will have the opportunity to embrace lifelong learning, so that they master technology and maintain social ties.

Children will be better protected from undesirable content and online harms.

We are also working hard to strengthen the security of our digital infrastructure to boost our people's and businesses' confidence in the digital future.

With the concerted efforts of the Government, industry and Singaporeans, I am confident that Singapore will be able to build a secure and vibrant digital future; and that the Little Red Dot that we all love will continue to shine brightly on the international stage!

(In English): Mr Chairman, I have outlined MCI's priorities to govern and secure our digital space and to engage Singaporeans in a digitalised world. These are critical building blocks for Singapore's continued survival and success.

We look forward to partnering all Singaporeans to build a vibrant and secure digital future together! [ Applause. ]

The Chairman : Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications and Information (Ms Rahayu Mahzam) : Mr Chairman, let me first start by thanking Members for their questions and interest in MCI's work. I will elaborate on MCI's plans to build a society which continues to be inclusive, relevant and prepared for a digital future.

As Minister Josephine Teo mentioned, digital technologies are very much a part of our daily lives. Going digital has opened numerous possibilities – from facilitating daily interactions with family and friends to engendering new conveniences in many aspects of our lives. This is why digital access and meaningful engagement with technologies have become key to our quality of life today.

2.30 pm

MCI will continue strengthening digital literacy and wellness, by working closely with community partners and volunteers to achieve three key goals. First, digital access and digital adoption for all; next, learning and mastery of digital skills, for all to seize new opportunities in the digital economy; and equally important, for our people to be equipped to recognise and respond to dangers online.

To ensure that Singaporeans, regardless of age, background or skill level are empowered to take charge of their own digital future, our first goal of digital access and adoption is a basic good that everyone should have, comprising Internet connectivity, tech devices and the ability to make use of them. I recognise that this is an issue close to the hearts of many Members, including Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng, Mr Seah Kian Peng, Mr Sharael Taha and Ms Hany Soh.

Our broadband connectivity and basic devices are important to our people. Singapore is a highly-connected society – 98% of households have access to broadband and 99% of households with children under 15 have access to computers. Still, we recognise that every Singaporean must have this access.

Today, we have digital access programmes, such as NEU PC Plus and Home Access. Since 2020, these initiatives have assisted more than 34,000 low-income households with their digital access needs. Almost double the number, as compared to those assisted before the pandemic.

Moving forward, we are looking to enhance our digital access programmes to reach more low-income households and help them more conveniently receive affordable digital access. This will include working with MSF and social service organisations to engage and assist low-income households in their applications.

Having ensured that our people have access to the digital realm, we also look at addressing the needs of particular segments of individuals and businesses so that they can adopt – that is, to use and benefit from – digital.

Mr Sharael Taha highlighted that there may be some in the community who are less familiar with the digital space, including seniors and some hawkers.

At the height of the pandemic, the SG Digital Office (SDO) was set up to engage precisely these groups that may need additional and tailored support. Since 2020, SDO's digital ambassadors have trained more than 130,000 seniors to adopt basic digital skills like using smartphones and empowered 11,000 hawkers to adopt e-payment solutions.

Working together with community partners, the SDO will continue to keep its curriculum aligned with the digital landscape and remain a key touchpoint for Singaporeans needing digital assistance.

One good example is the SDO's collaboration with the Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF). Today, RLAF partners 20 mosques to organise training sessions that equip seniors with applicable digital skills, such as staying connected through Facebook, WhatsApp and Zoom. The participants I spoke with at one of the sessions greatly appreciated the hands-on learning environment, in a safe space amongst friends. The Foundation intends to expand their outreach to more mosques and deepen learning for seniors who have already picked up basic smartphone skills.

RLAF also plans to work with other community partners, like Roses of Peace, to scale their efforts by supplementing volunteers, curating curriculum and launching a certification system to reward the seniors for their learning.

Many other partners have stepped forward to support our seniors. The combined efforts of SDO and our partners have resulted in 84% of seniors reporting that they own and use a smartphone in their daily lives.

Moving on to the second goal. MCI will continue to bridge digital knowledge and skills gaps, to help citizens keep pace with digitalisation. The digital landscape is continually changing, with new technologies and new apps.

We aim to imbue in Singaporeans, a sense of confidence to continue to adapt to this changing space, to actively participate in the digital domain and confidently take on new digital opportunities.

We plan to achieve this in two ways.

First, by harnessing the community's reach, energy and resources through the Digital for Life movement. Last year, the Digital for Life Fund was established to provide funding assistance for ground-up digital inclusion initiatives. Since then, 22 projects have been supported under the fund and are expected to benefit over 100,000 individuals across society.

One example is Byte.SG, which runs the "Void Deck Technology Labs Initiative". Through building skills and familiarity in science and technology topics, Byte.SG aims to bring technology awareness to children living in rental flats.

At one of Byte.SG's recent sessions, I saw how the team used augmented reality (AR) and interactive online tools to bring the underwater world to life. Not only were the children excited by this, I was also fascinated by the demonstration!

Supported by the Digital for Life Fund, Byte.SG will scale their initiative to locations, such as Nanyang, Bedok, Tanjong Pagar and Tampines, to help more children build digital confidence in a fun, empowering manner.

With our 3P partners, we will build on the Digital for Life movement and continue mobilising efforts on the ground by organising a series of events and activities in the coming months. This will culminate in a Digital for Life Festival, which will take place in the middle of the year.

Second, MCI is helping our people deepen digital skills through our libraries. Our libraries and archives are important learning marketplaces to pique Singaporeans' curiosity and inspire discovery, at every stage of our lives.

Despite pandemic-related restrictions, NLB's steady loan numbers and growing digital reach exemplify the key role that they play, with at least 64% of Singapore's residents visiting a library or accessing NLB's online content last year and over 98,000 individuals benefiting from NLB's digital readiness programmes so far.

In the face of digitalisation, our libraries must keep up with the times, to continue bringing citizens a wide array of learning opportunities, as pointed out by Ms Jessica Tan. To this end, our libraries will be refreshed under the Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025, or LAB25.

Many Members have visited NLB's LAB25 showcase in the main lobby and I encourage the rest to drop by if you have not done so.

The showcase brings to life LAB25's four focus areas: building a learning marketplace, nurturing an informed citizenry, inspiring Singapore storytellers and being an equaliser in society.

To realise the LAB25 vision, NLB will launch "ExperienceIT", in collaboration with leaders in innovation and technology, such as Amazon Web Services, to drive interest and confidence in more in-depth learning about emerging technology and partner the community to bring more Singapore stories to NLB's network of libraries and make more collections accessible to the public.

A new Singapore Alcove showcasing Singapore stories and literature will be part of the Central Public Library after its revamp. It will be a "home" for the Singapore collection with regular programming by local authors, featuring immersive and experiential exhibits.

The opening of Punggol Regional Library later this year marks another step towards enabling, empowering and equalising digital access.

Building on NLB's ongoing efforts to ensure accessibility of its physical spaces, NLB will do more through a comprehensive suite of accessibility services for persons with disabilities, starting at Punggol Regional Library. This includes accessible collections comprising sensory and Braille books, sign language with text, and books that are useful for caregivers on social and life skills and assistive technologies, such as "Immersive Readers" to cater to Singaporeans with different language needs.

At the same time, NLB is continually working to improve the physical spaces in our libraries. The Central Public Library and Marine Parade Public Library will be revamped later this year.

To encourage Singaporeans to actively take charge of their learning, NLB will make more resources and content available to wider audiences.

Ms Jessica Tan will be pleased to note that NLB will roll out Nodes in everyday spaces, such as offices, food and beverage outlets and parks around Singapore to provide new entry points for citizens to access digital resources. As extensions of physical libraries, these Nodes will showcase NLB's digital collections, to interest Singaporeans to read and learn wherever they can.

Ms Hany Soh asked about our efforts to encourage young readers to master their mother tongue languages. NLB continues to source for, select and identify new avenues to grow their mother tongue language content. Over the past three years, NLB's mother tongue language collections for children have increased by 11%. Recently, NLB has begun offering award-winning English children's books translated into the vernacular. NLB also proactively encourages local publishers to publish their mother tongue language titles in both print and electronic formats to help widen access. Mr Chairman, allow me to deliver the next segment of my speech in Malay, please.

( In Malay ) : [ Please refer to Vernacular Speech .] Digitalisation has impacted our lives in many ways and it has brought many opportunities and possibilities.

As digitalisation becomes more prevalent, it is also important that the Government scale up efforts to empower the community in terms of their digital capabilities and well-being.

Together with the 3P partners, the Government will provide digital access and enhance digital readiness, promote the learning and mastery of digital skills through our libraries, and equip our people, especially the vulnerable, to identify and deal with online risks and threats.

As we step up efforts to empower the community, I am heartened to see that many Singaporeans have taken the bold step to learn new digital skills and contribute to this development. One example is a network comprising more than 300 individuals. They share career opportunities and workshops that are available in the technology sector.

In fact, some individuals in this network came from non-technology sectors. For example, one is from the healthcare administration sector and has now become a technology developer of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). This transition took place after they witnessed how the pandemic had affected hands-on learning conducted physically and they began to realise the value of applying digital technology.

I had the opportunity to speak to one of the network members, Mr Mohd Afiq. He is the founder of Playtours, an online tool that allows users to create unique and meaningful virtual experiences. These include "escape room" games and real-time multi-player games.

Developing a product from scratch is certainly not an easy task. However, Afiq is confident of the value that "Playtours" will bring to today's digital world and this has encouraged him to persevere and carry on in order to develop his business.

It is clear that individuals like Afiq serve as an inspiration to all of us. Let us be inspired as well, so that we can, together, seize the digitalisation opportunities that await us.

(In English): Mr Chairman, the third key goal that MCI is working towards is to ensure that our people are equipped to recognise and respond to dangers online.

The digital way of life often remains challenging, novel and unfamiliar to many of us. Recent events, such as phishing scams, may have also caused us to be wary of going digital. But we cannot let these fears hold us back from unlocking new opportunities. Rather, we must actively equip ourselves with the relevant knowledge and skills to embrace technological advancements, with the ability to recognise and respond to the risks in the digital domain.

I agree with Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua, Dr Shahira Abdullah, Ms Tin Pei Ling, Dr Wan Rizal and Mr Don Wee that it is ever more important to ensure online safety for our people.

Indeed, as more of our interactions and activities shift online, individuals and businesses will inevitably be exposed to digital risks, online harms and potentially unhealthy addictions. Parents today are concerned that easy access to Internet among our youths has made widespread dissemination of harmful and inappropriate content, such as pornography, quick and effortless.

In her speech, Minister Josephine Teo shared that MCI will be introducing new Codes of Practice to enhance online user safety. Legislation provides a critical safety net. But we all have a role to play, too. Beyond being digitally "book smart", we must also build "street smarts" to identify and avoid new risks in the online world.

To gain more in-depth understanding of our citizens' digital readiness, MCI is refining metrics and indicators to be tracked in the Digital Readiness Survey.

In addition to existing measurements of digital adoption and usage, we intend to better understand the extent to which Singaporeans are able to perform essential digital tasks. We are also looking to understand citizens' digital habits and gaps between attitudes and behaviours. This will inform the development of more targeted interventions to improve digital adoption and address the needs of vulnerable segments.

New online harms are growing increasingly complex. Finding solutions to help users protect themselves from harmful online content requires the expertise of diverse stakeholders, such as legal professionals, tech specialists, regulators, educators and community partners.

MCI is, therefore, working closely with our community partners to promote safe, responsible and positive use of technology.

In conjunction with Safer Internet Day on 8 February, the Media Literacy Council (MLC) partnered Apple Singapore to organise a cyber wellness webinar for Primary school teachers and launched a fun and relatable video-making challenge for students to encourage the sharing of cyber wellness messages.

2.45 pm

Beyond this webinar, MLC has also produced resources to help individuals avoid falling victim to technology-facilitated harms, such as scams, sexual grooming, pornography and online harassment. The council also promotes digital literacy resources to educate the public on being more discerning and empathetic online to create a safer, smarter and kinder Internet for all.

In September last year, TOUCH Cyber Wellness launched a programme entitled "e-Conversations for the Family", with a toolkit to guide parents in having conversations with their children about pornography and its dangers.

MCI also launched Sunlight AfA, which I co-chair with Senior Minister of State Sim Ann. The AfA aims to raise awareness of online sexual harassment and empower victims to address and deal with such incidents.

I thank Mr Fahmi Aliman for recognising the positive impact of Sunlight AfA. Since its launch, the AfA has been studying the incidence of online harms in Singapore and how they impact individuals, especially women and girls. Key insights will be released in due course. The AfA has also partnered other stakeholders for greater outreach. This includes a collaboration with DBS and the Singapore Judiciary on a community hackathon to generate solutions on creating safer and kinder online spaces, and the recently concluded Youth Action Challenge, where the AfA supported the mental well-being track. We also marked Safer Internet Day with a webinar, where a panel of professionals discussed how parents and families can help our children and young stay safe online.

Moving ahead, the AfA will continue engaging and equipping parents and youths to support those who may be experiencing online harm. This includes a second online harms webinar which will take place in the coming months, as well as a website containing updates on the AfA's events and resources to address online dangers and risks.

We are especially grateful for the support of our 48 Alliance members, some of whom are keen to run initiatives to tackle online harms in the longer term. MCI will continue to work with these partners to tackle online harms. We welcome more stakeholders to join us in ensuring that all users are empowered to navigate the digital future with confidence.

Just as we have built one of the world's safest, cleanest and most liveable cities, all of us have a role to play in shaping Singapore's online space. We must preserve positive and enriching digital experiences for those around us by being respectful users online.

In closing, I would like to put these various efforts in context. According to MCI's 2021 Digital Readiness Survey, 76% of Singaporeans feel comfortable using digital technologies, while 80% of Singaporeans acknowledge that digital technologies have made their lives easier. This is encouraging, but we can and will do more.

We stand ready to work with individuals, companies and partners in the people sector to realise the vision of a digitally-ready and inclusive society. This will allow all Singaporeans to partake in exciting opportunities with a spirit of discovery and growth in our shared digital future.

The Chairman : Minister of State Tan Kiat How.

The Minister of State for Communications and Information (Mr Tan Kiat How) : Mr Chairman, Ms Tin Pei Ling and Ms Jessica Tan spoke about the opportunities in our Digital Economy. Indeed, we saw the benefits of digitalisation, particularly over the last couple of years where firms and our workforce had to deal with COVID-19.

I am heartened that many firms are embracing digital technology. IMDA's Digital Acceleration Index, an annual survey of more than 2,000 firms across 23 sectors, showed that digitalisation is picking up pace across our economy. More than 80,000 firms have benefited from the SMEs Go Digital programme since 2017, including a quarter of them coming on board in 2021 alone. Three in four firms now adopt at least one digital solution.

And as we emerge from COVID-19, we will sustain this momentum in two ways. First, providing businesses, particularly our Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), with the tools and support to transform digitally. Second, by nurturing a future-ready workforce with the qualifications and skills to get into good jobs in the tech sector and progress well in their careers.

Let me elaborate on the first prong.

Our firms want to adopt digital and transform. This is the consistent feedback when we engage industry associations and firms, as well as from various surveys that we conduct. However, as Mr Christopher de Souza pointed out, SMEs face practical issues in raising their digital game. SMEs share with us their difficulty in building up their in-house IT team with the right experience and expertise; in helping them select solutions and vendors that meet their needs, while putting in place system and processes to protect their clients and operations from cyber threats and data breaches. I empathise with these sentiments.

We must harness network effects to fully benefit from opportunities in the digital economy. SMEs, which comprise more than nine in 10 of our enterprises, account for almost half of our GDP and hires seven in 10 of our local workforce, are an important constituent in our national digital push.

Our approach is threefold. First, enabling secure and seamless digital transactions across the economy. Second, supporting digital transformation of our industry sectors; and third, equipping firms with resources and tools to facilitate digitalisation.

First, on economy-wide digital enablers, or digital utilities. Just like water or electricity in the analogue world, we can envisage a foundational set of systems or standards to facilitate seamless and secure transactions in the Digital Economy. E-invoicing and e-payment are two examples. To Ms Jessica Tan's question, more than 50,000 businesses have adopted InvoiceNow since it was launched in 2019, and more than 90% of our businesses have adopted PayNow. We will continue to put in place such digital utilities to support our businesses as they shift their operations and transactions online.

Second, we will support the transformation of our industry sectors, building on these digital utilities. We recognise that each sector faces unique challenges and operating contexts. We have launched Industry Digital Plans (IDP) and these IDPs provide firms with a step-by-step guide on digital solutions and skills training curated for each stage of their growth, tailored to their sector. Since 2017, we have launched 20 IDPs to guide digitalisation across sectors as diverse as accountancy, logistics and security. We will expand the coverage of the IDPs, and the next IDP to be launched will be for the legal industry. We will continue to refresh these IDPs to incorporate new digital utilities, relevant technological advances and best practices.

Let me next touch on how individual SMEs can benefit.

Last year, we announced two schemes – CTO-as-a-Service and the Digital Leaders' Programme – to empower businesses on their digitalisation journeys. This year, our enhancements will help SMEs raise their digital maturity, reach markets abroad and retain trust in the digital marketplace.

On digital maturity, we will raise SMEs' digital maturity with advanced technological capabilities that are curated to meet their sectors' needs.

Launched in 2020, the Advanced Digital Solutions, or ADS scheme, helps SMEs access advanced technology and integrated digital solutions, such as robotics and aggregated data analysis. We will grow our list of 30 solutions, with an emphasis on AI-enabled and cloud-based solutions.

We will also expand our Grow Digital scheme. Through the Grow Digital programme, we have worked with Enterprise Singapore to curate a group of e-commerce platforms that can help our firms reach international markets. Since launching in 2020, Grow Digital has helped more than 2,500 firms access markets in 10 countries, while building capabilities in digital marketing, business matching and door-to-door fulfilment. This year, Grow Digital will bring more firms to global markets through a broader group of e-commerce platforms.

Ms Hany Soh, Mr Xie Yao Quan and Mr Shawn Huang spoke about helping businesses protect themselves against cyberattacks and data breaches. We will launch the Cyber Trustmark and Cyber Essentials mark, and the Data Protection Essentials Programme. Obtaining the trustmarks would give businesses and their customers the confidence that certain cybersecurity and data protection standards have been met. I encourage businesses to view these trustmarks as investments and a competitive advantage.

Our Digital Economy efforts are powered by the Infocomm sector. Last year, the sector contributed $28.4 billion to the economy, accounting for 5.6% of our GDP and grew by 12.2%, far outpacing other sectors.

Ms Tin Pei Ling and Mr Seah Kian Peng spoke about helping our people seize opportunities in this digital economy. Indeed, the growing and vibrant tech sector creates many good jobs and opens up many exciting opportunities for Singaporeans. Our Digital Economy employs around 216,000 ICT professionals, with half of them in the ICT sector and the other half supporting digital transformation in non-ICT sectors like finance, manufacturing and retail.

Around 10,000 more ICT professionals have been added each year in recent years. Yet, 19,000 tech roles remain unfilled across the economy, particularly in roles like software engineering and development, but also across the entire tech value chain, from deep technical skills like AI and cybersecurity, to innovation-oriented roles in product development, and applied business roles like cloud migration and data analytics. Our priority is to nurture a strong pipeline of local tech talent, including fresh graduates and mid-career workers, while ensuring our tech workforce remains relevant and competitive in this fast-changing digital space. In the next three years, around 23,000 local students will graduate from our IHLs in Information and Digital Technologies, or IDT, courses.

In this regard, let me outline two important moves we are making.

First, we will strengthen our pipeline of ICT graduates from our Universities. The number of local IDT degree places has risen four-fold from 800 in 2010, to 3,300 in 2021. As a proportion of all degree places, the number of IDT places increased from 7% in 2010 to 18% in 2021, close to one in five. We will also establish new programmes and specialisations to support emerging tech needs in different sectors. An example is the new Bachelor of Science in Applied Computing, with specialisation in fintech that will be launched this year by the Singapore Institute of Technology, in partnership with IMDA and MAS, and supported by financial institutions, including AIA and Standard Chartered Bank. We look forward to working with other sector leads on different training modalities for specific skills needs for their sectors.

Second, we will help our Polytechnic and ITE graduates enter tech roles through more structured pathways. Some Polytechnics and ITE IDT graduates shared with us that they cannot find suitable entry-level roles in their areas of study, while others encountered employers who preferred University graduates, even though our Polytechnic and ITE graduates are capable of doing these jobs.

Structured support and clearly defined scaffolding in their career pathways can make a world of difference. I recently met Mr Muhammad Syurhan Bin Ja'afar, who graduated from our Work-Study Diploma programme in Data Centre Infrastructure & Operation. Syurhan graduated from ITE with a Nitec in ICT (Cloud Computing) and gained first-hand experience of the tech sector through his internship at NCS. However, his family's financial situation meant that he had to forgo his plans to take up a diploma. It was only later, with the encouragement of his Class Advisor, that he applied for the Work-Study programme and gained a place with the sponsorship of Racks Central Data Centre. Syurhan shared with me that his company's support and a structured career pathway gave him the confidence to complete the course.

To help others like Syurhan pursue their passion and realise their ambitions, we will put in place a structured end-to-end approach to better support our Polytechnic and ITE students, starting with 1,000 places over the next three years. We will establish a TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) for ITE and Polytechnics (TIP) Alliance, comprising leading global tech companies, leading companies here and major hirers to galvanise industry support for this effort.

3.00 pm

We will enhance the quality of internship opportunities for Polytechnic and ITE students, to apply their knowledge outside the classroom. After graduation, they will be able to take up apprenticeships at participating companies under place-and-train programmes, to learn the ropes of the ICT roles. Participating companies will also establish skills-oriented training plans and pathways for tech roles for these graduates, including certifications and specialist training. These graduates interested in further studies will be supported through Work-Study Diploma or Degree programmes, spanning growth areas like AI, Cloud and cybersecurity.

I am heartened that companies like Accenture, GovTech, IBM, NCS and PSA Corporation have made significant commitments to provide internship, apprenticeship or placement opportunities and I urge more industry leaders to join this meaningful effort.

In addition to fresh graduates, many enter the industry as mid-career workers, such as through the TeSA initiative. Many joining the sector aim to progress in their careers, taking on higher value roles, such as product managers, software engineers or solution architects. We want to support these aspirations of our tech professionals.

We will partner industry leaders like Google, Microsoft and Grab, as well as large end-user companies like DBS, to groom product engineering talents for these roles. Those on this specialist track will be trained in advanced technical skillsets like software and application development, data analytics, AI and Cloud, through both instructor-led and hands-on programmes. These tech professionals can look forward to taking on senior technical roles in their companies over time.

IMDA will also launch the ICT Jobs Transformation Map (JTM) later this year, to help employers and employees across the ICT sector identify areas of high impact and the relevant reskilling or upskilling opportunities and training as needed.

Mr Chairman, in closing, our moves to help businesses thrive in a digital economy and nurture a future-ready digital workforce will help us ensure that the digital wave is one that lifts all boats. I look forward to your continued support as we journey towards our shared digital future.

The Chairman : Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary.

The Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information (Dr Janil Puthucheary) : Sir, I thank the various Members for their cuts and questions and hope to address several of them in my response. My colleagues have shared different facets of MCI's efforts to ready our ecosystems, businesses and people for a digital future.

Minister Josephine Teo spoke about how MCI will enhance digital regulations for digital safety, security and resilience; and deepen engagement with Singaporeans to strengthen social cohesion. Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam shared about our continuing work to build a digitally-ready and inclusive society, such as through NLB's Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025, which is showcased at the main lobby of Parliament. Minister of State Tan Kiat How spoke about our efforts to equip our workforce and enterprises with capabilities to seize opportunities in a digital and post-COVID-19 economy.

I will focus on three areas where we are investing for the future, to mark Singapore's place in the digital world. First, building digital infrastructure to meet our future needs. Second, pushing technological boundaries with leading edge innovation and research. And third, fostering international partnerships to advance the digital economy and strengthen digital security beyond our shores.

Mr Shawn Huang and Ms Tin Pei Ling asked about MCI's plans to ready our infrastructure for the next wave of digitalisation. The volume and complexity of digital traffic continue to grow very, very quickly. We will increasingly rely on data and data-powered services, especially as cloud services and the Internet of Things (IoT) become more commonplace. By 2025, the estimated amount of data generated globally is about 463 exabytes. That means 463 billion gigabytes, which is equivalent roughly 60 hours of Netflix movies per person per day. How will we upgrade our digital infrastructure for a data age, so that it is fit-for-purpose and continues to support our needs?

To begin with, we must pay attention to our domestic telecommunications infrastructure. These form our connectivity backbone. Wireless and wired network components, such as base stations and fibre optic cables, allow Internet traffic to flow seamlessly in large volumes, providing a high-speed service to every corner of Singapore.

We have continued to upgrade our local telecommunications capability, for example, through the shift to 5G. 5G technology enables unprecedented speeds and reduces the latency. So, more data can be transferred at higher speeds. 5G networks are also more responsive and better able to cope with surges in data traffic.

Here in Singapore, we continue to be at the forefront of 5G deployment. Our telcos have stated that they have achieved 50% nationwide outdoor coverage at the start of 2022, ahead of their end-2022 target. And we are on track for nationwide 5G coverage in Singapore by 2025.

The characteristics and advantages of 5G allow for new use cases, such as in advanced manufacturing. The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has been partnering IBM, Samsung and M1 in Singapore's first 5G Industry 4.0 trial. The trial developed a 5G-enabled augmented reality (AR) solution in the form of AI-powered "Smart Glasses". These "Smart Glasses" assist factory operators in assembly and inspection, and also improve training efficiency for new hires by 50%. They will be deployed across IBM's global manufacturing sites from the second half of this year.

Traditionally, the factory operators manually detect defects. This is a time-consuming process. It relies on the human eye and it is subject to fatigue. This 5G-enabled solution mitigates this. It overlays images and text onto physical objects, allowing inspectors to identify defects in real time, augmented by this technological solution. It also allows the operator to take photos and use deep learning algorithms that identify images to quickly detect factory defects.

Apart from these wireless networks, we will also upgrade our wired networks. Already, today, according to Internet metrics company Ookla, Singapore has one of the fastest broadband speeds in the world and we can look forward to more.

As mentioned by Minister Lawrence Wong in the Budget speech, we will invest in developing infrastructure to deliver broadband speeds around 10 times faster, compared to today, unlocking new possibilities for digital experiences and tools.

The second category of infrastructure connects us to the world. This includes satellites and subsea cables. These provide critical connectivity with international partners and allow us to be part of international data flows and digital trade.

Singapore is already a digital connectivity hub and a preferred landing site for global submarine cable operators, due to our stable governance and advanced economy. This connectivity enables the development of many different products and services and supports many businesses that choose to locate important operations here in Singapore.

It also allows our thriving research community to access computing resources from around the world and for our data centres and supercomputers to serve international partners. We will continue to secure new landings to strengthen our international connectivity. For example, Singapore-based maritime company, BW Group, plans to develop a new submarine cable pathway connecting Singapore to the US via Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.

The third category of infrastructure are data centres. These are vital nodes in the flow of digital traffic. Data centres power many applications and services for businesses and everyday life, from complex data management to e-commerce transactions. However, the data centres are intensive users of water and electricity. Given our resource constraints, we need to manage the development of data centres sustainably.

IMDA and the Economic Development Board (EDB) will pilot a Call for Application to facilitate the calibrated growth of data centres that possess the best-in-class techniques, technologies and practices for energy efficiency and decarbonisation. Singapore is committed to fulfilling our environmental obligations under the 2015 Paris Agreement. Greener data centres will allow us to do so while, at the same time, supporting the growing needs of our digital economy. This Call for Application will be launched by the second quarter of 2022.

This comprehensive digital infrastructure, the various components that I have described, makes possible the provision of digital utilities. These are the services that ride atop the connectivity layers that have become essential and commonplace, allowing people and businesses to use digital services and transact seamlessly and safely. Minister of State Tan Kiat How shared examples earlier, such as PayNow and InvoiceNow. Other examples include the National Digital Identity, Singpass and TradeTrust. We will continue to invest in other essential digital tools and services and develop them as digital utilities.

Another digital utility is the Singapore Trade Data Exchange (SGTraDex). Today, data is fragmented across the global supply chain ecosystem. With SGTraDex, supply chain ecosystem partners, such as shippers and logistics providers, are able to share trade data in a seamless and secure manner. Ms Jessica Tan asked about SGTraDex's progress. It has been good with many companies across various sectors coming on board. The Government and the Alliance for Action (AfA) for supply chain digitalisation are working with these companies on a Minimum Viable Product to allow more extensive data sharing and alive business environment, which will be launched later this year.

Our advanced infrastructure and highly used digital utilities can be vulnerable to attacks or risks of failure. I agree wholeheartedly with Ms Jessica Tan that we should ensure that our infrastructure is secure and resilient to address evolving threats and risks.

Minister Josephine Teo had earlier shared on MCI's efforts to secure important digital infrastructure and services through our Cybersecurity Act. MCI also adopts design principles to embed security features and operational practices within the system architecture, rather than to add these at a later stage.

Sir, Mr Christopher de Souza, Mr Seah Kian Peng and Mr Xie Yao Quan asked about the Government's investments in new digital technologies. As part of the $25 billion Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 Plan, our plans for the Smart Nation and Digital Economy (SNDE) domain build on past investments to drive research in digital technologies with transformative potential.

One such technology is quantum communication, which promises to revolutionise the security of our information and infrastructure. Today's encryption methods are mathematics-based. Hackers leverage sophisticated techniques and powerful computing hardware to "crack the code". As quantum computers mature, we can expect that adversaries will eventually be able to decrypt data and penetrate systems secured with today's technology simply by applying more and more computing power.

Quantum communication is secured by physics-based methods, such as quantum key distribution (QKD). Potentially, this could help future-proof the security of our databases, critical systems and communications. This technique allows the creation of paired secret cryptographic keys, which are only held by the sender and the authorised receiver, anyone trying to intercept or copy the keys in between would introduce a detectable anomaly and this signals that the keys have been tampered with and then knowing that we can retransmit a new secure key in real time.

If effective, this technique means that no amount of computational power would be able to break quantum-secured communications. It sounds a bit like science fiction, but quantum technologies have been developed in Singapore for over a decade. Since the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) was established at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2007, its researchers have contributed to 5,000 scientific papers, participated in projects supported by about $100 million in external grants and established several startups here.

The Government continues to work closely with CQT to deploy quantum technologies in real-world applications. Two weeks ago, the National Quantum-Safe Network was announced. It is a public-private consortium that will deploy QKD-enabled wireless networks across Singapore.

One of the spin-offs from CQT, SpeQtral, is commercialising a satellite that will allow for secure communication based on QKD technology, with support from EDB. When the satellite is launched and deployed into orbit, SpeQtral will be one of the first companies in the world to demonstrate a full commercial-scale solution.

I met the CEO, Lum Chune Yang, and his team last month and was very impressed by how they have followed through from their pioneering research and experiments, and together with the many commercial partners they have already lined up, such as Toshiba, to then bring this to life and come up with a commercially deployable solution.

3.15 pm

Quantum technology is just one area of future communications which we are developing. IMDA and the National Research Foundation are investing $70 million in our first national Future Communications Research and Development Programme (FCP). This programme will accelerate the next bound of communications and connectivity research, such as in 6G.

The international research community recognises Singapore's strong innovation capabilities. As part of FCP, we signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with 6G Flagship in July last year. This is the world's first and leading 6G research and development programme funded by the Academy of Finland. Through this, parties will deepen research and development collaboration on 6G, such as through organising workshops, and conducting joint research and educational projects between the researchers of both institutes.

And just two months ago, we signed another MOU with the Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences in the Republic of Korea.

Other than investing in research, we are also strengthening the translation of research, so that companies and citizens can reap tangible benefits from these technologies today.

The Cybersecurity Industry Call for Innovation by the Cybersecurity Agency of Singapore (CSA) enables companies to solve cybersecurity problem statements with innovative solutions.

Under this call, a local cybersecurity company, Flexxon, developed X-PHY in 2021. It is the world's first solid state drive (SSD) enabled with an AI cybersecurity defence. The drive is powered by an AI co-processor and a special firmware that provides real-time data protection against software-based attacks, such as malware, ransomware and viruses, and physical attacks, such as unauthorised cloning.

The X-PHY SSD continuously monitors itself without reading the stored files. When the drive detects tampering, it locks itself and alerts the owner. This user-friendly solution does not require complex configuration or constant updating. Lenovo has already teamed up with Flexxon to use these SSDs in some of its laptops.

Sir, I have elaborated on Singapore's investment in future-ready digital infrastructure and how we are breaking new ground with innovation. Let me turn now to how we are building on these efforts, together with international partners, for a secure and vibrant digital economy connected to the world.

Ms Tin Pei Ling and Mr Alex Yam were interested in the new global opportunities as well as challenges and risks in the digital domain. Issues such as cybersecurity, data protection and AI ethics, are complex issues that transcend geographical borders. We cannot solve these problems alone.

We need to build an international consensus on rules, norms and standards, so that the digital ecosystem is sustainable, interoperable and protected against both accidental and intended harms.

Members would be familiar with our Digital Economy Agreements (DEAs) that exemplify this approach. Singapore has signed DEAs with four countries, most recently, with the UK last month. We have also substantially concluded a DEA with the Republic of Korea in December 2021.

Mr Seah Kian Peng will be glad to know that Singapore's work with international stakeholders has been impactful and builds our global brand to be a trusted digital hub.

Internationally, we have made significant contributions to the cybersecurity community as well. We have been able to do so by drawing on our operational capabilities, technical expertise and innovation in cybersecurity and bringing these together with balanced policy and regulatory perspectives.

Critical to these efforts are the skilled and experienced cybersecurity personnel that represent us at many international discussions. Cybersecurity standards are one area where we are pushing ahead.

CSA launched the Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme (CLS) for consumer IoT devices in October 2020, the first of its kind in the Asia Pacific at that time. It has garnered interest amongst international partners, leading to an MOU with Finland for mutual recognition of cybersecurity labels.

CSA and the Singapore Standards Council have also launched the first national standard, the Technical Reference (TR) 91, on Cybersecurity Labelling for consumer IoT. This can be adopted across the board by manufacturers, developers, testing bodies and suppliers of consumer IoT devices.

Since December 2021, Singapore has assumed the chairmanship of the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on Security of and in the Use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). This is the main international platform charged with international cybersecurity policy discussions. We are facilitating discussions to achieve consensus on norms, rules and principles to advance a secure and interoperable cyberspace and encourage responsible state behaviour. Such efforts are all the more crucial, given the circumstances around the world.

Sir, I beg your indulgence as I move towards the close of my speech.

The Chairman : We are ahead of time; so, you can have the time.

Dr Janil Puthucheary : Thank you, Sir. Singapore has also made strong efforts to develop the interconnected data and AI ecosystems, striking a balance between data protection, data security and data innovation.

We took the lead to develop the ASEAN Model Contractual Clauses for Cross Border Data Flows (MCCs) to enable enterprises to transfer personal data for business transactions across borders with regulatory certainty. We are pushing to expand the recognition of these clauses in jurisdictions outside of ASEAN.

In parallel, we are working to advance responsible AI deployment globally. Building on Singapore's Model AI Governance Framework, we are partnering countries, such as the US and the UK to learn from international best practices and align AI governance principles.

We are also working with ASEAN member states to coordinate the development of an ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics. This will provide practical and implementable guidance to deploy AI responsibly and foster consumer confidence to use AI-enabled services in the region more widely.

Sir, I would like to conclude by emphasising the Government's commitment to building a digital future for Singapore that is economically vibrant, socially stable, safe and secure.

Harnessing opportunities in the digital space while managing the risks will be critical to our success and our survival. The Government and, through our partnerships, is putting in place various building blocks, with stakeholders, including digital capabilities, infrastructure, regulations, security and investments, for the future.

At the heart of our efforts lies our people, their potential and well-being. We have to aim for all Singaporeans to be empowered and to find fulfilment through their participation in the digital domain. And, together, we will build a vibrant and secure digital future. [ Applause. ]

The Chairman : We have some time for clarifications. Ms Tin Pei Ling.

Ms Tin Pei Ling : I have three clarifications. First, I would like to ask what are the types of harms to children that the new code of practice will be addressing. Second, will views from parents and the community be sought so that the types of harms that children are exposed to can also be addressed in the new code? And third, an update on girls and women in technology, their progress and representation from schools, within the industry and even within the IMDA programmes. Can there be an update on how we have progressed and how we have fared so far?

Mrs Josephine Teo : Mr Chairman, I thank Ms Tin Pei Ling for her three questions. I will take the first two questions, not because the third one is unimportant – it is very close to my heart. But today, for the purposes of the Committee of Supply debate, we would like to discuss the question of women in tech, together with how we are developing tech talent in general. So, Minister of State Tan Kiat How will address that.

On the question of what kinds of harm we are seeking to include in the codes, our aim is to ensure that our children can enjoy physical safety and emotional well-being. And so, the question is, online – what harms them? Or what could lead to them to be harmed, physically and emotionally? And parents have told us it is cyberbullying, sexual harassment, sexual grooming and exposure to inappropriate content – and there are three main categories: sex, violence and self-harm or other dangerous acts.

These harms are quite universal. Parents all around the world will agree that they do not wish their children to be exposed to them. So, I think they could be and should be included in the codes that we are planning.

But there are also differences that depend on societal norms as well as family norms. For example, below what age are certain types of content considered to be inappropriate? This would vary. Then there is, for example, the question of drug use. Some societies will find this more acceptable than others and we will have to cater for that.

Because of these differences, in particular, I see great value in us involving parents as well as the broader community in developing and designing the codes in the first instance and, in future, in updating the codes so that they stay relevant.

MCI has some experience in dealing with this and we can take, broadly, the same approach that we take with other advisory councils that we have consulted on a regular basis for films, for publications.

At the same time, we will continue to provide support to parents to help them protect their children online. This would be through the programmes that the Media Literacy Council, as well as the NLB, put forward and these were described by Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam earlier.

The Chairman : Minister of State Tan Kiat How.

Mr Tan Kiat How : Mr Chairman, I thank Ms Tin Pei Ling for a very important question, about women and girls in the tech sector.

Just to share some statistics and some updates, close to three in 10 of our students in our IDT courses, which I mentioned earlier, in our IHLs are female. And according to a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study, four in 10 of our tech professionals are women. This is well above the global average and we are very proud of it.

The SG Women in Tech movement, which was mentioned by Ms Tin Pei Ling, was started and driven by IMDA in 2019. It is supported by the community and, importantly, our industry partners. Over the last few years, they have made very good progress in terms of raising the awareness that diversity and inclusion are better for business. They have done many programmes to raise awareness and try and develop more girls and women in technology and established Singapore as a global leader in creating a supportive environment for women in tech.

Just to share some statistics with Ms Tin, since its launch in October 2019, the programme has reached out to more than 120,000 people through its initiatives and connecting over 115,000 girls in schools with female tech leaders through a series of Students Ask videos. It brought together over 600 women in the tech workforce for networking and mentoring events and, having received over 1,400 nominations for the Singapore 100 Women in Tech List in 2020 and 2021, they have identified the women leaders in our technology space who are role models and mentors.

To a point that Ms Tin asked earlier in her cut, which I did not manage to reply to fully, I will just provide updates on Mentor Connect, which is a cross-company mentorship programme in which women professionals and leaders in those companies mentor students and other girls and women who are interested in a career in technology. In fact, they have done well and reached out to many more schools. Many more companies are coming on board. I encourage women tech leaders and companies to join us in this effort.

3.30 pm

Mr Sharael Taha : Chairman, I thank Minister Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary, Minister of State Tan Kiat How and Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam for their replies. AI is an area with great transformative potential, fundamentally changing how our economy and society function, including jobs. What are the Government's plans to enable businesses and individuals to tap on the opportunities brought about by AI? And as AI deployment becomes more pervasive, how will the Government ensure responsible deployment of AI without stifling innovation?

Mrs Josephine Teo : Mr Chairman, Mr Sharael Taha has asked a really important question on AI and, for a topic of this nature, we can actually have a full seminar on it and we would not run out of things to talk about. But in the time that we have, perhaps let me just share with him some of the thinking that we have in the Government.

The Government recognises the rich potential of emerging technologies, like AI, to generate economic gains as well as to improve the lives of our people. This is why, in 2019, we launched the National AI Strategy and articulated the vision for Singapore to be a leader in developing and deploying scalable, impactful AI solutions in key sectors that are of high value and relevance to our businesses and our people. So, this vision was articulated.

Under the Prime Minister's Office, the National Artificial Intelligence Office (NAIO) launched an initial tranche of five national AI programmes. These covered the areas of logistics, smart estates, education, healthcare and border control. In November last year, the Deputy Prime Minister added two more. These are the National AI programmes for Government and for the finance sector.

How have we done thus far? Here, I want to caveat, we are not just talking about efforts in the last three years. We will be talking about efforts that preceded that.

In terms of research capabilities, we are making headway. If we base it on Field-weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) – it is an indicator that is commonly used to assess research capabilities – Singapore is actually first in the world, ranks number one. And if we look at the kind of research collaborations that tech companies have with our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) as well as the corporate labs that they have set up together, this attests to our research capabilities.

But in terms of the deployment into industries and businesses, I would say that it is quite uneven and also, I should add, there can be different types of AI being put to use. In the financial services sector, for example, machine learning is quite common today. You would find it particularly amongst the fintech companies. In the transport sector, we are beginning to see more and more deployment of autonomous systems. Of course, some using computer vision technologies. So, that is another area.

I would say that within each sector, the beauty of it is that it is not always the case – in fact, it is often not the case – that the bigger companies are better at it. New entrants are frequently more likely to experiment with new solutions provided by AI, because they are likely to be unencumbered by legacy systems and business processes.

Mr Sharael Taha had a second part of his question which is very important and that has got to do with the governance of it. It is a big topic but I should say that IMDA not just has programmes to promote AI adoption, it also seeks to ensure that AI is used in Singapore with a degree of security as well as accountability.

And how are we seeking to do so? In quick summary, quite early on, in fact, probably being one of the earliest countries to put out a Model AI Governance Framework, which has since been contextualised for different sectors in order to bring out the principles and practices and translate them into real actionable items in the sector.

We are also developing an AI Governance Testing Framework and a corresponding testing tool kit to help AI systems owners and developers become more transparent about how their AI works.

So, I would say that we are making all of these efforts in the hope that, truly, our businesses and our people can benefit from the rich potential of AI.

The Chairman : Our guillotine time is 3.55 pm. I think we have time for two or three more clarifications. I will call on Ms Jessica Tan first and then Mr Leong Mun Wai; and if there is any further clarification and we have time, then a third clarification. Ms Jessica Tan.

Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo : I thank the Minister of State for sharing about the formal programmes to develop talent and tech talent and also to bring institutions as well as companies together. What I did suggest in my cut – and I did appeal – was for MCI and related agencies to look at communities of learning and communities of practice of tech talent coming together. You can say that they can come together today on their own. But I think that if MCI can play a key role in facilitating that and supporting those, it would allow for a lot of learning amongst a very rich base of tech talent and digital talent that already exists in Singapore. I hope that I can get some response to that.

The Chairman : Minister of State Tan Kiat How.

Mr Tan Kiat How : Mr Chairman, I thank Ms Jessica Tan for her suggestion and idea. Behind the suggestion was really about having tech talent, basically tech professionals, coming together to share best practices, update one another on technological advances in this space, especially in this digital space which is evolving so quickly. New threats appear every day, cybersecurity data breaches as well as new practices in terms of how we apply technology, the kind of technical advances and innovation coming out from all over the world as well as Singapore. And I think the spirit of that, is something that we will consider and look at.

More importantly, I think it is working together with our industry associations, both the ICT companies and industry associations, SGTech, as well as the tech professionals' association, Singapore Computer Society, or SCS. Today, we already work together with them to mount many training and upskilling courses for our tech professionals, bringing tech professionals together to discuss issues. For example, is Web 3.0 reality or hype, whether NFTs are something that will be mainstream, what is the future for cryptocurrency, how we are thinking about cyber-attacks and cyber protection? These are topics and issues that we work very closely on with our industry partners, our industry association partners, SGTech and SCS, on many of these causes. So, certainly, we will take Ms Jessica Tan's suggestion and continue to expand on these areas.

The Chairman : Mr Leong Mun Wai.

Mr Leong Mun Wai : Chairman, I have two clarifications for the Minister.

But before that, I would like to clarify that I did not say SPH is a Government-owned company. I say SPH Media Trust. So, I hope the Minister will acknowledge that.

My first question is while SPH is not a Government-owned company, but the Government has considerable influence over SPH, the listed company, over the years. SPH has accumulated a huge amount of property assets from the profits generated from the near-monopoly print business in the past. So, the decision that the Government has made, means that the Government is okay to allow the shareholders to take away all the assets and leave behind a $900 million baby for the taxpayer to be burdened with. That is the first point.

The second clarification is when Minister S Iswaran presented this deal or this structure in Parliament some time ago, he also said that SPH Media Trust is going to have private donors. So, may I ask the Minister what is the progress in getting these private donors to also fund SPH Media Trust? Are the current shareholders and the future shareholders of SPH, the listed company, in a position to enjoy huge windfall profits going to some of those donors, that will help us out in the funding of SPH Media Trust?

The Chairman : Minister Josephine Teo.

Mrs Josephine Teo : Mr Speaker, what Mr Leong said or did not say is a matter of Parliamentary record, I do not think we need to speculate on that. A quick check would confirm whether he said it was SPH or whether it was SPH Media Trust. And if I heard wrongly, I apologise to him.

But, in any case, his questions are quite strange because, if he insists that SPH Media Trust is Government-owned, why would funding even be an issue? It is not something that we would have to come to Parliament and explain to Members about. It would be part of how other arms of the Government are funded and you would basically plan for it within the Ministry's block budget and be done with it.

But the fact that we are here explaining to Members the need to provide public funding to SPH Media Trust is precisely because it is not Government-owned. It is a company limited by guarantee (CLG). The Government does not own this company limited by guarantee and it did not own SPH, the listed entity. And so, the decisions of SPH, as a listed entity, must depend on its board and must, ultimately, depend on its shareholders.

So, Mr Leong suggests, or he seems to think, that it was an option for the media business to continue as part of the listed entity. I think the evidence speaks for itself. We have explained on several occasions by now – in May 2021, in February this year and, indeed, just an hour or so ago – why the economics of the media business have changed so much that it is no longer tenable for them to remain in the previous structure, part of a listed entity, with other businesses because the investments that are going to be needed for the media part of the business to transform are going to be quite involved. And a listed entity could not have invested the same kind of resources to keep it a viable, trusted institution that it is today.

3.45 pm

And so, we have basically two choices to make. If I could seek Members' indulgence to articulate them again.

One choice is to take our chances. Accept that this media business existing within a listed entity could decline and we live with the consequences. Alternatively, we mount a serious effort, do everything we can to help it to transform so that SPH Media Trust can remain a trusted institution serving the public good.

If we reject the former and we say it is the latter, then we have to just look at the kind of investments that are being made elsewhere in the world because we are not the only country in the world where the media business has been disrupted. And the funding that we are talking about, I recognise it is not a small amount, and that is why there has been full accountability to Parliament. But it is just into the ballpark that we see elsewhere in the world. These are not figures that are out of whack when we look at other countries' investments, the kind of media businesses having to make the investments.

So, it would appear to me that the fundamental difference is that Mr Leong, or the PSP, simply does not value our local mainstream media as much as the Government. Because, is up to $180 million a year to support trusted local media an excessive amount given the size of our economy – for our people and our businesses to be able to see the world through our own unique lens, for our voice to be projected without impediment, for our cultures and our traditions to be expressed in the way we want it to be expressed? So, I hope I am wrong but if Mr Leong or the PSP does not agree with supporting our local media, then I would really urge him to reconsider the position, whether it is wise for Singapore to do so. I would just stop right there.

The Chairman : Ms Hany Soh.

Ms Hany Soh : Chairman, I have a clarification in relation to the library. Currently, the National Library Board (NLB) has an app titled "Libby" which enables users to locate and borrow books and e-materials.

I just want to clarify or enquire whether the app can be further improved with more interactive and user-friendly features. For example, NLB can consider working with relevant agencies like Families for Life or NEA to create special thematic filters. The categories of readers can be further segregated to wider groups to recommend books to suit different stages in life, for example, expecting mothers and children of different age groups.

The Chairman : Ms Rahayu Mahzam.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam : I thank the Member for the clarification question. Indeed, it is a very meaningful suggestion. The libraries are already working with various partners because this effort of curating and encouraging, piquing people's interest is something we need to tap on the community to provide that whole array and buffet of interesting content for library goers. So, that is already something that is being done. And as far as the technology is concerned, we have been working with different partners to develop and use the different platforms for different demographics. We are also working with people in the community to create learning communities within the library. So, the Member's suggestion is definitely something that can be taken in and something that we can consider.

But I would like to just make a pitch, if you have not already, to go to the showcase and explore what are some of the other opportunities and we can work with partners on this.

The Chairman : Ms Mariam Jaafar. I think if you can make that clarification a quick one because I just saw Mr Pritam Singh's hand. So, if we have the time, I will give the time to Mr Pritam Singh.

Ms Mariam Jaafar : A quick clarification because I did not hear much about SME reskilling. Just to make sure that they have opportunities too.

The Chairman : Minister of State Tan Kiat How.

Mr Tan Kiat How : Chairman, Ms Mariam Jaafar asked about helping our SMEs reskill their staff and workforce in terms of digital skills when they transform digitally.

Indeed, this is an important area. If Members recall, last year, in December, if I recall correctly, SkillsFuture Singapore came up with the Future of Skills for the digital economy. And the number one skill that is in demand in the digital economy is really around technological application, that is, how to apply the skills to use the technology tool that an SME or a firm has put in place in its organisation. Having a tool is important, but to be able to use it effectively to achieve business outcomes is something that is really an important return on investment (ROI) that the SMEs need to think about.

In this regard, we have worked together with other agencies on a few areas. First, as part of our SMEs Go Digital, our industry digital plan, which I spoke about earlier, they are designed to account for these skills needs in the digital plan. Because the skill needs for different tools – applied in different sectors and different firms at different levels of digital maturity – will vary. These skills plan and training roadmap will have to be customised for that archetype of firms. And that will be as part of the industry digital plans.

So, when SMEs go through a process, develop digital plans, implement them, select the tools, select the solutions, that is a corresponding set of skills training that they can consider sending their employees to. It is linked up with the different skills frameworks, if available, across the different sectors.

Looking ahead, we will continue to expand the Continuing Education Training (CET) efforts with other Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to provide training for smaller firms across the economy as smaller firms like SMEs may face resource constraints in sending their employees for this sort of skills training. This will be coordinated under the overall effort under SMEs Go Digital.

We are also working together very closely with our counterparts, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), in thinking about how to meet the skill gaps in the digital economy, aligned with the SkillsFuture Report that they came up with around the digital economy. We work together with our tech sector industry association, SG Tech, tech professional association, Singapore Computer Society (SCS) which I mentioned earlier, so that, together, alongside their industry counterparts, SCS, SG Tech with their counterparts in other sectors, like industry associations, to work with them to identify and promote suitable digital upskilling opportunities for each sector.

As Ms Janet Ang suggested yesterday, we are adopting an industry supporting industry approach, an industry training industry approach with TACs playing an important role. Just to assure Ms Mariam Jaafar that it is something we are working on. More details will be shared at MOE's Committee of Supply.

The Chairman : Final clarification. Mr Pritam Singh.

Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied) : Mr Chairman, just a point of clarification. I understand from Notice Paper B003 of 2022 the revised "guillotine" time for today is listed as 4.15 pm and not 3.55 pm.

The Chairman : It was revised to 3.55 pm as I have been advised by the Clerks.

Mr Pritam Singh : I just went out of the Chamber about five to 10 minutes ago to check and it is still listed as 4.15 pm. But I note the Chairman's point.

The Chairman : This is the result of the tea break which has not been factored in. So, the cut-off is 3.55 pm.

Mr Pritam Singh : I see.

The Chairman : It would have been what you had suggested if I had taken a tea break before. Are you suggesting you want a tea break now?

Mr Pritam Singh : If it means we have 20 more minutes?

The Chairman : Or would you rather have the final clarification?

Mr Pritam Singh : I do not think that is much of a choice, Mr Chairman.

The Chairman : Either way, just go ahead.

Mr Pritam Singh : Either way, it does not extend our time. So, I will just put my question.

The Chairman : Please.

Mr Pritam Singh : Thank you, first, to the Minister for clarifying the question. I seek some clarity on the question on SPH Media Trust.

When Minister S Iswaran spoke of this arrangement because of the changing nature of the media landscape, the Minister said that SPH will, first, form a new subsidiary and transfer the media-related businesses, properties and some cash and SPH shares and REIT units to the subsidiary. And then, subsequently, if the shareholders give their approval, the subsidiary will be transferred to the CLG.

I think the substance of what Mr Leong is getting at is about the privatisation of profits and the socialisation of costs to the taxpayer.

So, my question or clarification is: when SPH's proposal was considered by the Government, how far did the Government go to require SPH to transfer segments of its business which would allow the CLG to be self-funded as far as possible in view of the range of assets owned by the SPH group? And what was the nature of those discussions and how much did the Government push, so as to limit the burden on the taxpayer?

The Chairman : Minister Josephine Teo.

Mrs Josephine Teo : Mr Chairman, I will be brief. I have covered the amounts that the shareholders voted and agreed to when the restructuring was tabled to the Extraordinary General Meeting. The shareholders voted and agreed to an initial injection of $80 million cash and $30 million worth of shares for SPH Media Trust. And in the detailed proposal, they also outlined all of the physical assets that would be transferred.

I think it is not a case of how much the Government pushes the shareholders. Ultimately, SPH Media Trust is a restructuring of a media business that existed within a listed company. And so, as things go, it is the proposal that is made by the management to the shareholders that must pass muster. And this was the proposal that passed muster. It is a matter of speculation whether the restructuring proposal could have gone through with an even higher contribution. And if it had not gone through, then this whole restructuring exercise would not have been able to proceed. In which case, then, I think we are stuck with an even bigger problem. So, I just wanted to put that in context.

The Chairman : Ms Tin Pei Ling, would you like to withdraw your amendment.

Ms Tin Pei Ling : Thank you, Minister, Senior Minister of State, Minister of State and Parliamentary Secretary for a very comprehensive reply. I think it is quite clear that the future holds many possibilities, much needs to be built, a lot of balancing to do. And a big thanks to all the officers from MCI, all the Statutory Boards, as well as SNDGG. With that, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

[(proc text) Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. (proc text)]

[(proc text) The sum of $1,549,888,000 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. (proc text)]

[(proc text) The sum of $60,645,700 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. (proc text)]

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

[(proc text) Thereupon Mr Deputy Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House. (proc text)]

Mr Deputy Speaker : Order. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair at 4.15 pm.

Sitting accordingly suspended

at 4.00 pm until 4.15 pm.

Sitting resumed at 4.15 pm.

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

Hansard 原始记录