Parliament to discuss haze, proposed COE changes and scam penalties
Parliament is scheduled to meet on Tuesday at noon to address several key issues. A major focus of the session is the haze and how to hold companies accountable for transboundary pollution. Members of Parliament have submitted over 50 questions regarding regulatory and investigative actions against companies linked to regional fires. Some questions center on how the haze affects outdoor workers, children in school, and vulnerable people. One member of parliament specifically inquired about investigations from 2015 involving four companies and potential violations of a pollution act.
The haze and ways to hold companies accountable for the transboundary pollution dominate the agenda when Parliament sits at noon on Tuesday (Nov 3).MPs have filed more than 50 questions, with several questions focused on investigative and regulatory actions against companies linked to fires that caused haze to affect the region.Some MPs also asked questions relating to haze and the impact on outdoor workers, school-going children and vulnerable members of the community.Workers' Party MP Sylvia Lim asked about the status of investigations initiated into four companies back in 2015 for possible violations under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014.Yio Chu Kang MP Yip Hon Weng asked for the Government's assessment of potential links between transnational criminal activity, including organised or financial crime, and haze-causing activities such as illicit land clearing. He also asked if the Government will consider making it mandatory for enhanced due diligence and scrutiny measures to be applied proactively to businesses with a nexus or suspected nexus to haze-causing activities.