MEMBER of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC - Dr Lim Wee Kiak - has clarified, apologised and withdrawn his recent remarks on ministerial pay with a note on his Facebook page.In a post titled 'Clarification, apology and withdrawal of my quote', Dr Lim wrote the following (carried exactly as is posted online): 'Minister's pay is a sensitive issue and is one that many are concerned about. I would like to clarify my comments made to Lianhe Zaobao and also reproduced in LianheWanBao.

MEMBER of Parliament for Marine Parade GRC - Tin Pei Ling - addressed the issue of income ceilings for housing on her Facebook page on Friday, in a post entitled 'Short note on housing 1: Income Ceiling - a 'ceiling' that stifles? Likely.'She justified the need for the income ceiling and suggested ways to determine and set the ceiling.

HOW much political leaders deserve to be paid should depend partly on how much the man in the street earns.

This was the consensus of most economists and human resource experts The Straits Times spoke to.

TWO days into his job, new Education Minister Heng Swee Keat has already pledged to listen to and engage principals, teachers and students ahead of policy changes.

Hitting the ground running on Monday, his first day, he e-mailed principals, asking them for feedback, and has received some responses. Parents, teachers and students have also begun e-mailing him and leaving comments on his Facebook fan page on topics ranging from preschool education and the stressful nature of the system to special-needs students.

THE task of ensuring social mobility so that students can progress beyond their economic backgrounds needs a holistic approach, said new Education Minister Heng Swee Keat on Monday.

It should go beyond education to also look at the structure of the economy, he said on his first day on the job.

NEW salaries for political appointment holders will take effect from May 21 - the date the new government took office. This was decided by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office on Sunday.In addition, the President has informed Mr Lee that he will also adopt the new salary on May 21, although the salary for the President will in-principle commence from the President's new term.

FORMER deputy prime minister Wong Kan Seng first thought of retiring from the Cabinet in 2001, he revealed on Saturday.

At that point, he had served for 17 years and told then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong that he was prepared to be let go 'any time' so he could pursue other interests.