SINGAPORE, Oct 1 — Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat will deliver a ministerial statement in Parliament next Monday (October 5) at 1.30pm to provide an “overview” of the progress of Singapore’s fight against Covid-19, the nation’s fiscal position, and strategies for the country to emerge stronger from this crisis as an economy and as a society, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday.
Heng, who is also Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, said in a Facebook post yesterday that the Singapore government will be tabling a Supplementary Supply Bill to reallocate resources for the measures he had announced in his earlier ministerial statement in August.
Then, he had announced that the Jobs Support Scheme — which helps companies affected by the pandemic subsidise employees’ wages — has been extended until March 2021.
He added in August that an extra S$187 million will be injected into the coronavirus-hit aviation industry, while S$320 million will be set aside for domestic tourism vouchers for Singaporeans.
“Parliament will debate the Bill and these measures,” said Heng in the Facebook post.
“To provide context for the debate, I will deliver a ministerial statement to provide an overview of the progress of our fight against Covid-19, our fiscal position, and our strategies for us to emerge stronger from this crisis as an economy and as a society.”
On top of the “further round” of support in August, Heng said that the Singapore government had also put together four Budgets since the start of the pandemic.
“We have committed close to S$100 billion to support our businesses, workers and households,” he said, noting that the “collective efforts as a nation have paid off so far”.
And while the nation is seeing low community transmission, he warned that residents “must remain vigilant”.
“We are progressively reopening our economy, in a safe manner,” he added. “But there is much uncertainty ahead, and many people are understandably anxious about their jobs.”
“In the face of the profound uncertainty ahead, we will continue to adapt and chart a steady course forward,” he added. — TODAY
