SINGAPORE: Members of Parliament will discuss last month Singtel landline outage at the next meeting on Monday (November 11), as well as recent oil spill incidents.

There were also questions about telemedicine services following an investigation into the provider Clinic MaNaDrand the new study to assess whether 38 Oxley Road it is worth preserving.

According to the order published on Friday, the MPs asked about what could have caused the landline outage on October 8, how such an incident could be prevented in the future and whether action would be taken against Singtel.

The hours-long landline outage, which the telco called an “isolated incident”, disrupted calls to emergency services, medical facilities, banks and businesses.

MP Tan Wu Meng (PAP-Jurong) asked the Ministry of Digital Development and Information what were the main causes of the disruption and whether the existing business continuity requirements are adequate for cases where a telco accepts essential phone lines.

Dr Tan also asked the Home Affairs Ministry about the back-up for essential landlines such as 995 and 999 in the event of a breakdown by the phone companies.

NCMP Hazel Poa (PSP) asked for the estimated number of 995 and 999 calls that were affected by the outage and what penalties, if any, were imposed on Singtel.

MP Yip Hon Weng (PAP-Yio Chu Kang) asked about the lessons learned from the outage and whether there would be an independent investigation to identify vulnerabilities and prevent future incidents.

MP Lim Wee Kiak (PAP-Sembawang) asked the Ministry of Health how many patients experienced delays in accessing medical services due to the disruption, whether there were adverse outcomes for patients due to the delays and what assistance was provided to them.

OIL SPILLS

Lawmakers also tabled questions about last month’s oil spills, which included a incident near Changi during bunkering operations and a Shell oil pipeline leak.

Ms Cheryl Chan (PAP-East Coast) asked the Ministry of Transport whether a review of the oil watch and alert mechanisms was necessary, given Singapore’s status as a global bunkering hub and the costs and workload borne by agencies involved to handle each incident. treated.

MP Poh Li San (PAP-Sembawang) asked about the spill’s impact on seawater quality and the marine ecosystem in Singapore, and measures to mitigate future incidents.

NCMP Hazel Poa (PSP) wanted to know whether the government will check the structural integrity of all oil pipelines in Singapore waters and whether penalties will be imposed on Shell.

TELEMEDICINE STANDARDS

Questions were also raised about the regulatory framework for telemedicine providers.

MP Wan Rizal (PAP-Jalan Besar) asked the Ministry of Health (MoH) about measures in place to ensure telehealth providers consistently meet patient care standards and whether additional regulatory frameworks will be developed.

MP Hany Soh (PAP-Marsiling-Yew Yee) asked how the public would be assured that teleconsultation services met the appropriate standards and whether the Ministry of Health had received feedback on potentially rogue medical clinics.

OXLEY ROAD

MPs also asked about National Heritage Board (NHB) study of the Oxley Road site to assess whether it is worthy of being preserved as a national monument.

NCMP Leong Mun Wai (PSP) asked the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth why another study was needed, given that the 38 Oxley Road Ministerial Committee assessed the property as having architectural, heritage and historical significance in 2018.

MP Louis Chua (WP-Sengkang) wanted to know the terms of reference for the NHB study and how the present study differs from the terms of reference of the Ministerial Committee at 38 Oxley Road.

Six bills are to be introduced, including the Protection Against Scams Act.

Seven other bills are also scheduled for second reading, among them The Community Dispute Resolution (Amendment) Bill..