Debate on ministries' budgets

Policies In Brief : 450 extra buses

450 extra buses

An extra 450 buses will be deployed on existing routes along stretches of the MRT network being upgraded, said Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan. He said the move was brought forward to facilitate the renewal of rail assets.


More priority queues

Priority queues will feature at all MRT stations next year and at all bus interchanges and integrated transport hubs by 2021.

The queues, which let the elderly and those with special needs board trains and buses first, are in place at 17 MRT stations, seven bus interchanges and two integrated transport hubs.


$100m boost

Shipping companies can expect more government support as Singapore ramps up efforts to improve the maritime sector amid growing global competition.

A fund to support business development plans, productivity measures and training requirements will get a $100 million boost, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.

The top-up will take the total amount set aside for the programme since 2007 to $285 million.


Dementia support

In the next three years, the Health Ministry will roll out the Dementia Friendly Communities scheme to more parts of Singapore.

The aim is to have another 15, up from the current six. By 2021, one in two polyclinics will have mental health or dementia services, or both.


Innovative care

The Health Ministry is to set up a Licence Experimentation and Adaptation Programme that will "allow new services to be piloted in a controlled environment", said Senior Minister of State for Health Lam Pin Min.

This "regulatory sandbox" will let healthcare providers experiment with new care models in which certain regulatory requirements may be relaxed without compromising patient safety.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 08, 2018, with the headline Policies In Brief : 450 extra buses. Subscribe