[h=2]The Workers' Party[/h]
Parliamentary Questions for 29 January 2015 Sitting
In the second Parliamentary Sitting this January, WP MPs raise questions on commercial companies operating in land zoned for religious use, cases of government agencies applying to revoke patents belonging to local IP owners, the cost of the new natural grass turf solution for the National Stadium, the number of non-graduate teachers hired per year, and requirements for pre-flight briefings for pilots.
QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER*
*3. Ms Lee Li Lian: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how many commercial companies are operating in land zoned for religious use; and (b) what are the considerations used by the Ministry to award such land to commercial entities.
*8. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether other countries share their terrorism watch lists and no-fly lists with the Singapore Government; (b) whether individuals who are on other countries' watch lists are all denied entry into Singapore at our checkpoints; and (c) whether Singapore maintains its own terrorism watch list and no-fly list and shares it with other friendly countries to enhance security cooperation.
*9. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Law since 2001 (a) how many times have our Ministries, agencies and statutory boards, or government-linked companies (GLCs) applied to the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) for revocation of patents, registered trademarks or registered designs belonging to local intellectual property (IP) owners; (b) how many revocations have been granted; (c) what are the main reasons for revocation; and (d) how many complaints has the Government received from local IP owners about our Ministries, agencies and statutory boards, or GLCs infringing their IP rights.
*13. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) what will be (i) the one-time cost of implementing and (ii) the annual cost of maintaining the newly proposed "lay-and-play" natural grass turf solution in the National Stadium, over and above the $860,000 spent on the existing hybrid turf system and the $1.5 million spent on buying "growth lights"; (b) why this new turf solution has been chosen over an artificial grass pitch solution which can be more durable and cost effective to maintain; and (c) how the Government will ensure that Sports Hub Pte Ltd (SHPL) does not pass these additional costs to its tenants and end customers.
*15. Mr Yee Jenn Jong: To ask the Minister for Education how many new non-graduates join the Ministry as General Education Officers each year from 2012 to 2014 and what percentage do these new teachers form as a percentage of all new teachers hired in those years.
QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
1. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs as at 31 December 2014, how many foreign spouses of Singapore citizens have (i) social visit passes; (ii) Long Term Visit Passes (LTVP); and (iii) an immigration status which makes them ineligible to work in Singapore.
3. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) requires pilots of all commercial flights departing from Singapore to undergo pre-flight briefings; (b) if so, who conducts these briefings and what are the contents of these briefings; and (c) whether the conduct and contents of pre-flight briefings are left to the discretion of individual airlines or flight operators.
