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SINGAPORE \u2013 MPs intend to ask the Government to flesh out the guardrails around its push towards artificial intelligence as the House sits to debate <\/p>\n Budget 2026<\/p>\n <\/a>.<\/p>\n PAP lawmakers told The Straits Times they have questions on how the Government will deal with the ethics surrounding the technology, as well as manage the impact of its adoption on inequality here. <\/p>\n On Feb 24, Parliament will begin its annual debate on the Budget statement that was delivered by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong on Feb 12, when he outlined government spending for the coming year.<\/p>\n The $154.7 billion record Budget will fund <\/p>\n a national push to tap the potential of AI<\/p>\n <\/a>, as well as pump more into schemes supporting businesses and lower-income families. <\/p>\n Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio GRC), who chairs the government parliamentary committee (GPC) on education, said he will ask how the Government plans to train working adults and students, as well as educators themselves, in its AI push. <\/p>\n Mr David said he wants more specifics on how the Government plans to introduce AI in curricula. \u201cIt\u2019s not just the technical parts of it; it\u2019s also the ethical questions surrounding AI. These are also important for students to know about.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang), GPC chairman for defence and foreign affairs, said embedding AI into public and private systems in Singapore may increase the country\u2019s exposure to cyberthreats.<\/p>\n He cited <\/p>\n recent attacks by the China-linked espionage group UNC3886 on telcos<\/p>\n <\/a> here, and said: \u201cIf digital services power our economy and our AI ambitions, then cyberdefence must scale just as quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n Domestically, AI is the most immediate structural shift, Mr Yip noted.<\/p>\n \u201cThe risk is not sudden mass unemployment, but the erosion of entry-level pathways and compression of mid-career roles. Productivity can rise while individuals feel displaced.\u201d<\/p>\n If AI adoption is to be a national transformation, its \u201cscorecard\u201d must be national and human, he said.<\/p>\n Singapore should measure success not just by pilots launched, but jobs redesigned and wages uplifted, he added. <\/p>\n The Budget statement also showed that Singapore has retained its ability to manoeuvre at a time when many economies face fiscal strain, Mr Yip said. <\/p>\n PM Wong revealed during his Budget speech that Singapore will<\/p>\n end the 2025 financial year with a $15.1 billion surplus<\/p>\n <\/a>, more than twice the initially projected $6.4 billion. Economists later said this failure to estimate the surplus accurately was likely due to <\/p>\n global economic volatility.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n This is the second year in a row that Singapore has posted a larger-than-expected fiscal surplus. <\/p>\n Mr Yip noted that volatility-driven surpluses are not permanent revenue streams. <\/p>\n \u201cPrudence must guide deployment. At the same time, given the current surplus position and without reopening past debates, we can consider possibly signalling stability by avoiding further tax increases in the near term.\u201d<\/p>\n That would reinforce confidence while allowing Singapore to focus on strengthening social mobility and easing cost pressures in a targeted and responsible way, he said.<\/p>\n MPs will also focus on how the Budget delivers to workers real outcomes, including stronger productivity and better jobs. <\/p>\n Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) said his GPC for finance, trade and industry will focus on stepping up support for businesses and households to proactively navigate transitions.<\/p>\n The opposition Workers\u2019 Party declined to comment. <\/p>\n The debate is set to run for the next two weeks, from Feb 24 to March 6. MPs will first discuss the Budget statement, and PM Wong is expected to address their questions later in the week. <\/p>\n Each day\u2019s sitting will start with questions from MPs before the debate proper begins. According to the order paper published on Feb 23, the Feb 24 sitting will start with questions from MPs on health, support for those in professional, managerial, executive or technical (PMET) jobs, and protection for Singapore\u2019s critical infrastructure. <\/p>\n Four MPs, including Nominated MPs Mark Lee and Neo Kok Beng, have asked about the Government\u2019s plans to expand the space industry here. The Government had said earlier in February that it will set up a <\/p>\n new National Space Agency of Singapore<\/p>\n <\/a> (NSAS) on April 1 to seize opportunities in the expanding space economy and develop its space capabilities.<\/p>\n Mr Victor Lye (Ang Mo Kio GRC) has asked what strategic role Singapore intends to play in the global space economy beyond domestic launch capability and how it will leverage the country\u2019s comparative advantages. He has also asked about the talent pipeline for the space sector and how Singapore will position itself in terms of regional space cooperation. <\/p>\n After the Budget debate, Parliament will debate each ministry\u2019s spending plans, when MPs will raise questions on sector-specific issues. <\/p>\n Mr David said he will ask the Government for an update on<\/p>\n its revamp of the Gifted Education Programme<\/p>\n <\/a> (GEP), which was announced in 2024. <\/p>\n Starting with the 2024 Primary 1 cohort, more pupils will have access to higher-ability programmes in primary school, and will no longer need to transfer to specific schools to join a centralised GEP. <\/p>\n He also plans to ask the Government to extend to primary schools the policy of giving each student personal learning devices. Such devices are already available to all secondary school students. <\/p>\n Mr Henry Kwek (Kebun Baru) said his GPC for national development intends to ask the Government about how to make housing more affordable and accessible to more segments of Singaporeans. <\/p>\n The segments are singles, seniors, sandwiched-class families, who have decent incomes but face loan eligibility challenges, and those seeking greater diversity in housing types beyond the standard Build-To-Order flat.<\/p>\n He added that his GPC members will also look further ahead at how to renew and reimagine Singapore\u2019s ageing estates, how the coming <\/p>\n Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme (VERS)<\/p>\n <\/a> can be implemented fairly and with clarity, and re-imagining home ownership for Singaporeans at different life stages.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cBeyond housing, we will speak to Singapore\u2019s broader liveability \u2013 deepening our vision as a City in Nature, creating vibrant third spaces within our communities, where residents can gather and connect, and how the Ministry of National Development can foster a more productive and pro-enterprise built sector.\u201d<\/p>\n Ultimately, this Budget must position Singapore for two structural shifts: geopolitical fragmentation and technological acceleration, Mr Yip said. <\/p>\n The world is entering a more volatile era, and in such an environment, fiscal strength is not just about healthy balance sheets \u2013 it is strategic capacity, he added.<\/p>\n \u201cSingapore\u2019s surplus reflects credibility in an uncertain world. Capital flows towards stability, predictability and the rule of law. But cyclical gains are not structural guarantees.<\/p>\n \u201cFiscal strength is national strength, and the real test is whether we convert today\u2019s buffers into tomorrow\u2019s security and opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n