GPCs for Singapore's 13th Parliament formed

A TOTAL of 12 government parliamentary committees (GPCs) for the 13th Parliament of Singapore have been formed ahead of the opening session in January.

This was announced by the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) in a statement on Friday. What's different this time is the fact that two separate GPCs have been created for the Ministry of National Development (MND) and the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, instead of a combined committee for the two ministries previously.

First mooted by then-deputy prime minister Goh Chok Tong back in 1987, the GPCs are established by the PAP to scrutinise the legislation and programmes of the various ministries. They also serve as an additional channel of feedback on government policies.

Each GPC has at least one newly elected member of parliament in its ranks, with three of the fresh faces appointed as deputy chairpersons. They are Chong Kee Hiong (National Development), Amrin Amin (Defence and Foreign Affairs) and Sun Xueling (Communications and Information).