Yip Hon Weng on Child Development Co-Savings (Amendment) Bill

The take-up and efficacy of increased paid paternity leave will have to be tracked, to ensure the success of the measure in the long run. Mr Yip Hon Weng was one of several MPs to emphasise this point in Parliament on Monday (Sep 18). He asked how the Government can ensure that fathers who make full use of paternity leave do not face consequences in performance evaluation and career advancement. He also asked why a “more assertive stance” is not being taken to make increased paternity leave mandatory rather than voluntary. Mr Yip said robust measures will be needed to ensure the authenticity of claims for paternity leave and benefits. He wanted to know how funds that have been wrongly disbursed will be recovered and what responsibility will be borne by employers, as well as whether there is a dedicated unit in the Ministry of Social and Family Development to handle such disputes. Mr Yip said Singapore will have to strike a balance between supporting families and recognising the operational challenges that businesses might face. In particular, SMEs may have fewer staff to share the load of those on paternity leave. Also, singles may end up having to shoulder more responsibilities simply because of their marital status. Finally, it is worth considering the consolidation of various leave schemes, he said. For example, a family care leave scheme could be introduced to give different types of caregivers, including parents, more flexibility.