During a Workers’ Party motion on the future of economy Singapore in Parliament, Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash said trade unions and employers will be consulted on retrenchment benefits before any decision is taken on making it into law.

“We have considered it in the past. It wasn’t very appropriate then,” said Mr Dinesh. He added that the idea was studied periodically, but circumstances have changed now.

In a written reply to a question from Dr Neo Kok Beng on the number and effectiveness of associations that aim to help integrate immigrants, Minister for Culture, Community, and Youth David Neo named organisations like the Singapore Malayalee Association as one that has supported the integration of immigrants.

Mr Neo specifically cited government support for ground-up initiatives such as the SG60 Onam Village festival organised by the association, which helped introduce Malayalee culture to immigrants and non-Indians.

A total of 432 O-level English oral examination candidates reported discrepancies between the prompt shown during preparation and the one read aloud by examiners. However, investigations by the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) found no evidence of system malfunction.

Digital logs confirmed that candidates and examiners accessed the same approved prompt. “There was only one source that all candidates’ and examiners’ accounts accessed,” Senior Minister of State for Education Janil Puthucheary told Parliament. Students experiencing significant distress may apply...

Migrant workers will soon have clinics within 2km from where they live when the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) enhances their Primary Care Plan from April 1, 2027. Migrant workers pay $5 per consultation.

MOM will also be lowering the fixed, annual payment rates employers pay for each worker. The plan is meant for migrant workers who live in dormitories or work in the construction, marine shipyard and process sectors. It does not cover migrant domestic workers.

On Aug 4 in Parliament, the House unanimously approved pay raises for parliamentary staff, proposed by Leader of the House Indranee Rajah. Parliamentary clerks are to get retention payments due higher staff turnover as workload grew more complex. The broader pool of parliamentary staff as a whole will see a rise between two to nine per cent.

The increases aim to align with other public service workers who saw pay increases in February.