Politics

Parliament Briefs: Govt response to virus falsehoods


Govt response to virus falsehoods

The authorities have responded to more than 60 cases of coronavirus-related speculation, rumours, scams and falsehoods in the past year, said Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran yesterday.

The Government is actively looking out for vaccine-related misinformation, and will not hesitate to use “the full force of the law” where there is cause for action, he added.

He was responding to Workers’ Party MP He Ting Ru (Sengkang GRC), who had asked if the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Office was taking measures to deal with misinformation relating to Covid-19.

Women who quit work to be caregivers

About nine in 10 residents who stop working to become caregivers are women, Minister of State for Manpower Gan Siow Huang said in response to Ms Carrie Tan (Nee Soon GRC).

In 2019, about 133,500 residents cited caregiving responsibilities as the main reason for not working, with 39 per cent caring for their own children, said Ms Gan.

This was slightly lower than in 2018, which had 144,100, or 4.3 per cent, of residents not working to become caregivers. About 38 per cent were caring for their own children.

Ms Gan added that on average, those who cited caregiving for their own children had stopped working about four to five years ago, while those taking care of their family members or relatives last held a job about eight years ago, on average.

Overall, the female employment rate here is “high and rising”, she said. In 2019, it was at 73.3 per cent for women aged 25 to 64 – higher than the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development average of 66.3 per cent, and the 2014 figure of 70.5 per cent.

Housing for those with disabilities

The Government is studying housing options for people with disabilities who may want to live independently, said Minister for National Development Desmond Lee yesterday.

Ms Denise Phua (Jalan Besar GRC) had asked if the Government would work with disability groups to scale up the new community care apartment model. The pilot batch of community care apartments in Bukit Batok is targeted at seniors aged 65 and above who want to live independently yet enjoy some care and support.

There are plans to expand the model if take-up rate and public response for the Bukit Batok pilot are good, Mr Lee said.





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