Parliament to discuss haze, proposed COE changes and scam penalties

The haze and ways to hold companies accountable for the transboundary pollution dominate the agenda when Parliament sits at noon on Tuesday (Nov 3).

MPs have filed more than 50 questions, with several questions focused on investigative and regulatory actions against companies linked to fires that caused haze to affect the region.

Some MPs also asked questions relating to haze and the impact on outdoor workers, school-going children and vulnerable members of the community.

Workers' Party MP Sylvia Lim asked about the status of investigations initiated into four companies back in 2015 for possible violations under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014.

Yio Chu Kang MP Yip Hon Weng asked for the Government's assessment of potential links between transnational criminal activity, including organised or financial crime, and haze-causing activities such as illicit land clearing.

He also asked if the Government will consider making it mandatory for enhanced due diligence and scrutiny measures to be applied proactively to businesses with a nexus or suspected nexus to haze-causing activities.

Meanwhile, labour MP Melvin Yong asked how workers can confidentially report inadequate protection or unsafe work without retaliation when PM2.5 enters the high and very high bands.

There are also several questions on the proposed changes to the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) scheme , hours-long disruption to digital healthcare services across public healthcare institutions on Oct 13.

Two questions have also been filed on the death of an eight-month-old baby , who died at the hands of his parents.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs is introducing the Sentencing (Scams) Bill for first reading on Tuesday to ensure that young offenders are deterred from being enticed by the prospect of quick financial gains to commit offences.

This follows a parliamentary reply by Senior Minister K Shanmugam in Parliament on Oct 6.

He highlighted that the approach in the recent rounds of legislative amendments to scams-related law has been to send a strong message that every offender, regardless of age, will be seriously dealt with.

Shanmugam noted that while the legislation and sentencing guidelines have been clear, the High Court has expressed a different view.

"We respect the Court’s views."

Meanwhile, to ensure and reinforce that the policy position expressed is clear, he revealed that his ministry will table legislation in Parliament soon.

"We will reinforce through the law the approach of imposing deterrent sentences on all scammers and those who facilitate scams, including those who are young."

These, he said, are intended to ensure that criminal syndicates cannot exploit the combination of inexperience, financial temptation and digital exposure in young people.

周二（11 月 3 日）中午，议会开会时，雾霾问题以及如何追究企业对跨境污染的责任将成为主要议题。

议员们提出了 50 多个问题，其中一些问题集中在对与造成该地区雾霾的火灾有关的公司采取调查和监管行动上。

一些议员还提出了与雾霾及其对户外工作者、学龄儿童和社区弱势群体的影响有关的问题。

工人党议员林瑞莲询问了2015年对四家公司展开的调查进展情况，这些公司涉嫌违反了2014年《跨境烟霾污染法》。

义顺区国会议员叶汉荣要求政府评估跨国犯罪活动（包括有组织犯罪或金融犯罪）与非法开垦土地等造成雾霾的活动之间可能存在的联系。

他还询问政府是否会考虑强制要求对与造成雾霾的活动有关联或疑似有关联的企业主动采取更严格的尽职调查和审查措施。

与此同时，工党议员杨明杰质问道，当 PM2.5 浓度达到高和非常高水平时，工人如何才能在不遭到报复的情况下，秘密举报防护不足或不安全的工作。

此外，还有几个关于拟议的权利证书（COE）计划变更的问题，以及10月13日公共医疗机构数字医疗服务中断数小时的情况。

另有两起案件涉及一名八个月大的婴儿的死亡，该婴儿死于其父母之手。

与此同时，内政部将于周二提交《量刑（诈骗）法案》进行一读，以确保阻止年轻罪犯被快速获得经济利益的前景所诱惑而犯罪。

此前，高级部长尚穆根于10月6日在国会作出答复。

他强调，最近几轮针对诈骗相关法律的立法修正案都旨在发出一个强烈的信号：无论年龄大小，所有违法者都将受到严肃处理。

尚穆根指出，虽然立法和量刑指南已经很明确，但高等法院却表达了不同的观点。

“我们尊重法院的意见。”

与此同时，为了确保和强化所表达的政策立场，他透露，他的部门将很快向国会提交立法文件。

“我们将通过法律强化对所有诈骗犯和诈骗协助者（包括未成年人）处以威慑性刑罚的做法。”

他说，这些措施旨在确保犯罪集团无法利用年轻人缺乏经验、受金钱诱惑以及接触数字技术等因素的综合作用。