home parliament 쐽 THE STRAITS TIMES WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21 2009 PAGE B7
Panel coordinating
all efforts for elderly
BY NUR DIANAH SUHAIMI
MINISTER Lim Boon Heng, who is
in charge of ageing issues, does not
see the need for a new body to
coordinate the efforts of various
government ministries.
The Ministerial Committee on
Ageing, which he heads, is already
doing it, he said, adding: “This ar-
rangement has served us well so
far.”
He gave this reply in writing to
Nominated MP Laurence Wee’s ques-
tion for Monday’s Parliament sitting
on whether there will be an apex
body to coordinate efforts among
the various ministries in tackling
ageing issues.
As for Mr Wee’s question on
the long-term plans to promote
active living among old people,
Mr Lim dwelt at length on the vari-
ous steps being taken.
One of them is the Council for
Third Age, set up two years ago to
champion active ageing.
Other initiatives include Com-
Care, CPF Life and the 3Ms
framework, which will all help
the elderly finance their
long-term needs.
“Our aim is to enable our eld-
erly to remain active, independ-
ent, financially secure and pro-
ductively engaged with the wider
community,” he said.
And at the heart of it is the princi-
ple of self-reliance. “Our aim is to
minimise the number of elderly who
become vulnerable and needy,” said
Mr Lim.
In a separate answer on the same
issue, Minister for Community Devel-
opment, Youth and Sports Vivian
Balakrishnan said that around
30,000 elderly are at risk of social
isolation, especially those living
alone, divorced, widowed or in poor
health.
However, there are counsellors
and befrienders who reach out to
them, he added.
Long-term initiatives for the needs of the
elderly include ComCare, CPF Life and the
3Ms framework. ST PHOTO: JOYCE FANG
INBRIEF
Cross-cultural marriages
THE Government is looking at introducing
programmes tailored for marriages between
Singaporeans and foreigners.
These programmes would involve counsellors
and educators trained to address cross-cultural
issues.
Minister for Community Development,
Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan disclosed
this in a written reply yesterday to a question
from Monday’s Parliament sitting from
Nominated MP Paulin Straughan. She had
asked how resilient the marriages of couples
brought together by agencies that match
Singaporean men with foreign brides were.
There are no figures of such match-made
couples, but marriages between Singaporean
men and foreign women are on the rise, said Dr
Balakrishnan.
Last year, there were 6,360 marriages
between Singaporean men and foreign brides,
up from 5,414 in 2004.
But their divorce rate was not significantly
different from that of other marriages, he said.
For instance, 4 per cent of these 2004
marriages ended five years later while the
divorce rate for all marriages in the same period
was 6 per cent.
JEREMY AU YONG
Land for recycling industry
THE Sarimbun Recycling Park, a piece of land
in Lim Chu Kang set aside for recycling
activities, has been fully leased out.
It is occupied by 13 companies recycling
items from wood waste to used tyres, said
Minister for the Environment and Water
Resources Yaacob Ibrahim.
He was responding to nominated MP Teo
Siong Seng, who had asked if the Government
had set aside enough land for the recycling
industry, and whether there are sufficient
incentives to encourage such businesses to
upgrade themselves.
Apart from the recycling park, companies
can also apply for industrial land to set up
recycling facilities, said Dr Yaacob in a written
reply. Currently, recycling companies are
located in areas such as Tuas, Jurong and
Kranji.
The National Environment Agency, he
added, also has funding schemes to encourage
recycling businesses to develop new
technologies.
They include the Environment Technology
Research Programme, the Innovation for
Environment Sustainability Fund and the 3R
Fund.
NUR DIANAH SUHAIMI