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SINGAPORE – Singapore\u2019s response to the haze will be high on the agenda when Parliament sits this week, with questions on the Republic\u2019s legal and regulatory levers at the fore.<\/p>\n
More than 30 MPs have filed over 50 questions on how Singapore is tackling the haze, which escalated here in early September<\/span><\/a> in the most severe bout in more than a decade.<\/p>\n They come as the Government has said it would introduce changes to the current haze law<\/span><\/a> in Parliament this week to give it more teeth in dealing with companies responsible for the widespread burning in Indonesia.<\/p>\n The majority of questions on the haze zoom in on the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA), a law passed in 2014 to target those responsible for causing or condoning fires.<\/p>\n The law can be triggered when the haze causes the Pollutant Standards Index air quality measure to stay in the unhealthy range in any part of Singapore for 24 hours or more.<\/p>\n There have been no fines or convictions under the law even though it has been wielded twice, with preventive measure notices issued to multiple firms in 2015 and 2026. Of the six cases from 2015, two were eventually closed while four are still open.<\/p>\n MPs from both sides of the House asked about the status of these cases and the challenges authorities face in concluding them, and if the Government was considering legislative amendments to address enforcement gaps. They also asked how Singapore can better identify and take action against companies linked to the haze<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n PAP\u2019s Charlene Chen (Tampines GRC) asked if the authorities have assessed whether changes to existing laws are needed to address gaps in determining liability when entities responsible for haze-causing fires operate through complex corporate ownership structures.<\/p>\n Workers\u2019 Party MP Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC) asked what information was sought from and provided by the Indonesian authorities and the four firms with pending cases from 2015, as well as what evidence is needed to bring charges or close those cases.<\/p>\n Senior Minister K. Shanmugam on Oct 28 gave some details on changes to come to the THPA, including requirements for firms to give appointed investigators full access to information, corporate documents and business premises.<\/p>\n He had also said previously that changes to the law could be introduced on an urgent basis. This typically means introducing a Bill with a Certificate of Urgency signed by the President, which allows for the changes to also be debated and voted on in the same sitting.<\/p>\n The changes to the THPA were not tabled for the sitting on Nov 3 based on the order paper, which indicates it could be brought up on Nov 4.<\/p>\n MPs also asked about the haze\u2019s impact on outdoor workers, students and people with pre-existing medical conditions.<\/p>\n Nadia Ahmad Samdin (Ang Mo Kio GRC) asked whether the haze task force had assessed the adequacy of indoor air filtration in pre-schools, malls, and healthcare and community care facilities, while WP\u2019s Fadli Fawzi asked for longer-interval PM2.5 forecasts to help Singaporeans plan daily activities when there is haze.<\/p>\n