Speech by SMS Tan Kiat How at the Committee of Supply Debate
Mar 5, 2025
Nurturing Well-Being and Strengthening Partnerships
Since independence, the Government has been working hard to ensure Singaporeans enjoy a pleasant and green living environment.
Greening Singapore: Transforming into a City in Nature
We have come far since our Garden City days and are now transforming Singapore into a City in Nature.
Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin has asked for progress updates.
We are continuing to expand our green spaces and bring them closer to every resident.
First, we have achieved our 2021 target of developing 130 hectares of new parks by 2026.
Second, to make green spaces even more accessible for Singaporeans, as of end 2024, we have established 391km of park connectors. This is equivalent to crossing Singapore’s length from East to West almost eight times. We are making good progress towards achieving our target of 500km of park connectors by 2030.
NParks will continue expanding its network of parks and park connectors. With 8 parks and 13km of park connectors added to our pipeline of green spaces, we target to develop more than 25 new parks and over 50km of park connectors, which Singaporeans can look forward to over the next five years.
We are also progressively carrying out concept studies on over 100ha of potential park development area in the coming years, with a view to bring more green spaces closer to all Singaporeans.
These complement our plans to enhance 13 southwestern parks, including transforming three of the parks into Destination Parks, and the rejuvenation and greening of Orchard Road.
We are also expanding our blue spaces. Last year, we announced plans to designate a second marine park at Lazarus South and Kusu Reef.
To answer Ms Nadia’s query, we are working with the nature community, experts, and other agencies on detailed site studies, to inform the designation of the second marine park. We will share more details when ready.
Enabling Inclusivity: Green Spaces and Our Estates
Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin and Ms Cheryl Chan asked about accessibility and inclusivity of our green and common spaces, and how we can cater spaces for active living.
We have made a concerted effort to make our green spaces more accessible and inclusive.
Our network of green spaces with therapeutic landscapes and pro-health features enriches our interactions with nature.
Mdm Auo Siew Kheng and Mdm Tan Sew Leng are residents who visit the therapeutic garden at HortPark. They are both wheelchair dependent in their golden years, and Mdm Auo is also living with dementia. At the therapeutic garden, they enjoy hands-on gardening activities amidst nature, and explore sensory plants, like pandan, which evokes memories of local culinary delights.
We now have 17 therapeutic gardens within our parks island-wide, which is more than halfway to our target of having 30 by 2030.
As we expand our network of parks in the coming years, we will incorporate more therapeutic gardens, landscapes and pro-health features where feasible, such as the upcoming Teachers’ Estate Park and the park at Spottiswoode.
We are also ensuring our parks and gardens are accessible for a diverse range of users, including seniors, children with special needs, and wheelchair users, so that they can interact with nature, and encourage them to do more active living.
For example, in East Coast Park, the KPMG Wellness Garden incorporates barrier-free paths, and features a wheelchair-friendly trampoline and accessible lookout platforms.
For our Nature Parks, Rifle Range Nature Park also features a wheelchair-friendly boardwalk.
Last year, we reopened Sisters’ Islands Marine Park, which offers barrier-free amenities, including a floating boardwalk, which doubles as a coral habitat and research site. Residents can also look forward to a wheelchair-accessible jetty at Pulau Ubin, which will commence work this year.
Mr Ang Wei Neng, Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap, and Mr Dennis Tan asked about the lift provision in our HDB estates and improving accessibility for residents facing mobility challenges.
I fully appreciate the points raised by Members and can empathise with the difficulties that mobility-challenged residents face.
Today, around 99% of all HDB blocks were either built with direct lift access or has benefitted from the Lift Upgrading Programme, or LUP.
Since January 2023, we have offered LUP to 28 HDB blocks that do not have direct lift access.
HDB is constantly studying how to make our blocks more accessible and inclusive. It keeps abreast of technological development and trials potential solutions to determine their feasibility and cost-effectiveness.
Over the years, HDB has explored mechanical solutions such as chairlifts and stair climbers. However, these were not implemented due to safety concerns. HDB will continue to explore new ways to bring direct lift access to the remaining blocks, such as working with research institutes to better leverage technology.
As HDB does so, it has put in place measures to support households that face mobility challenges. For example, these households can tap on the Lift access Housing Grant (LHG), which can support successful applicants with up to $30,000 to buy new and resale HDB flats that have direct lift access.
This grant is intended to assist households that require direct lift access due to mobility challenges in securing homes that are more accessible and convenient for them.
I encourage households with pressing accessibility needs to approach HDB for assistance. Members can also direct these households that require such assistance to HDB colleagues. HDB will seek to understand the circumstances of the household and provide the necessary support.
In response to Mr Faisal’s query on the LUP for the three blocks, the current lift configurations were decided in consultation with residents and their representatives. They meet the objective of achieving direct lift access for every resident, and were also successfully polled by the residents of the block.
Strengthening Partnerships: Enlivening Our Public and Green Spaces
Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin, Ms Ng Ling Ling and Mr Henry Kwek asked about how we can empower more people to be involved in our City in Nature journey.
We work closely with the community, industry partners, and stakeholders to realise our City in Nature vision and are grateful for their support.
For example, since the Nature Kakis Network was launched in 2023, we have established 23 Chapters island-wide with over 250 Nature Kaki stewards.
NParks also works with community members on the OneMillionTrees Movement, which has planted more than 760,000 trees, including forest and mangrove trees, since 2020.
We encourage interested residents to step forward and work alongside us in stewarding our City in Nature.
When we embark on new park projects, we also involve residents in designing features that will cater to their needs, and will continue to do so.
Interested residents can also be involved in safeguarding biodiversity, such as through the 100k Corals Initiative, which Ms Nadia has also asked about.
Launched last December, it aims to scale up our coral restoration efforts over the next 10 years and beyond, with focus on the recovery of rarer species, like the Staghorn coral.
We have begun working with experts to develop a coral reef restoration plan, which will guide future restoration efforts, and plan to involve the wider community in our efforts. We will share more details when ready.
We are also very encouraged to see residents initiating green efforts to enliven shared spaces, as Ms Carrie Tan has mentioned. Through the Lively Places Fund, or LPF, we have supported ground-up efforts, including allotment or community gardens.
To make it easier for communities to set up gardens in their estates, we have simplified the LPF application process.
Going forward, communities will be able to submit proposals for gardening initiatives, including on top decks of underutilised HDB multi-storey carparks, via a centralised application portal.
Applications will open every six months. More details will be shared by HDB.
Besides gardening, the LPF supports community-driven projects that transform public spaces into active, vibrant spaces that bring communities together, and we welcome such applications via the same portal.
Strengthening Partnerships: Safeguarding Animal Health and Welfare, and Managing Wildlife
The community also plays a key role in safeguarding animal health and welfare.
In light of the cases of animal cruelty and neglect we have encountered in the past year, we have been hearing greater calls to review our penalties.
Mr Henry Kwek asked for an update on our ongoing review of the Animals and Birds Act (ABA).
The ABA provides us with the powers to detect, prevent, and control the spread of animal diseases, and to safeguard animal welfare in Singapore.
We are reviewing the regulatory framework for the prevention and control of animal diseases and veterinary health products. This includes measures to stem animal smuggling, and ensure the quality of veterinary health products.
We are also reviewing enforcement powers and regulatory levers for animal welfare and management. For example, we are reviewing the licensing regime for regulated pet sector activities and penalties for animal cruelty offences, including the disqualification order.
NParks has been conducting small group discussions with the relevant stakeholders and incorporating their inputs. We intend to share more details later this year and will conduct consultations with the broader set of stakeholders to get feedback.
Last year, we launched the Cat Management Framework to enhance the welfare and traceability of cats, which includes the licensing of pet cats.
Mr Louis Ng asked about the sterilisation of pet cats.
Last month, I gave a more comprehensive update on the progress of the Framework. We are encouraged to see that 97% of pet cats licensed to HDB flats to date have already been sterilised.
We have just started implementing the Cat Management Framework which requires extensive effort on the ground. For now, we will monitor the situation and work closely with our partners to raise awareness on the benefits of sterilisation.
Ms Nadia, Mr Chong Kee Hiong, Mr Xie Yao Quan, and Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked about our wildlife management approach, including our pest bird management efforts.
To ensure public health and safety, we will continue to work closely with relevant agencies and stakeholders on our science and community-based approach to manage wildlife populations, and strengthen awareness on managing human-wildlife encounters.
We have stepped up efforts to manage our pest bird populations.
In an effort to stem the growth of the crow population and reduce the risk to public safety, NParks has since last year progressively taken on the function of removing crow nests in trees within areas managed by Town Councils.
To address the bird feeding situation, we partnered Town Councils and agencies last year to deploy more CCTV cameras and enforcement personnel at identified feeding hotspots. Last year, we took action against 258 incidents for feeding pigeons illegally.
For feeders with mental health needs, NParks works with agencies to understand their motivations, address misconceptions, and discourage them from feeding birds.
We continue to collaborate with Active Ageing Centres to raise awareness among the elderly on the negative impacts of bird feeding.
To complement these efforts, we have also ramped up education and outreach on bird feeding and food waste management at food and bin centres, in collaboration with NEA and SFA. Everyone plays a part in keeping our estates clean.
We also launched a pigeon management pilot last year, which included a customised plan for participating Town Councils and guidelines for direct population control.
The preliminary results from the pilot are encouraging. The number of pigeon-related feedback across the three Town Councils under the pilot – Bishan-Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio, and Tanjong Pagar – has decreased between July to December 2024.
We are evaluating the pilot’s outcomes further and plan to expand the initiative to other Town Councils.
Mandarin Section
Chairman, please allow me to say a few words in Mandarin.
我们一直在努力让我们的绿化空间更具包容性。
目前，我们已在全岛各地的公园建设17 座康疗花园，朝着我们 在2030 年前达到30 座的目标已迈进过半。
这些花园经过精心设计，可满足不同群体的需求，包括年长者、特殊需要儿童及轮椅使用者等，让他们更方便地亲近大自然、提升身心健康，并鼓励更积极的生活方式。
国人可以期待更多融合康疗景观和促进健康设施的绿化空间，例如在我们即将建造的教师庄公园, 以及将位于史波蒂斯兀的公园。
Conclusion
Please let me conclude. As Singapore continues to develop, we will ensure that all Singaporeans feel fulfilled, included, and empowered in their communities and homes.
We are heartened to see community stewardship for our estates, animals, and nature, and we will keep working closely with our residents as we push forward with our efforts.
Together, we can nurture a Singapore that is vibrant and inclusive, for many generations to come.