Mr Terence Ho Wee San:

To ask the Minister for Defence (a) in view of the recent training accidents, whether the SAF deems the current assistance and compensation as sufficient to the affected family; and (b) how will the army-wide safety timeout on training ensure the prevention of such accidents from happening again.

Dr Ng Eng Hen:

MINDEF's compensation framework tracks the amounts prescribed by the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA) but would be generally higher in recognition of the risks borne by our servicemen during military training and operations. For deaths that result from military training or operations, the compensation amount is doubled that of WICA. On top of this, additional compensation may be granted if there are exceptional circumstances or when the serviceman had rendered service beyond the call of duty. Overall, the total compensation amounts disbursed for incidents arising from training and operations are generally two to four times that of amounts provided under the national compensation framework.

The SAF also provides welfare support through grants disbursed from the SAF Benevolent Fund. These grants are used to meet the immediate needs of the families of servicemen who have passed away as well as provide financial assistance to help the serviceman's family, depending on the family's circumstances.

Over and above the existing compensation and welfare provisions, MINDEF provides our servicemen with $150,000 of Group Term Life (GTL) and $150,000 of Group Personal Accident (GPA) insurance under the MINDEF/SAF Group Insurance Core Scheme. The premiums for these insurance are paid by MINDEF, in recognition of our servicemen's contribution to national defence and security, and to strengthen our care for them.

The Member has also asked how SAF intends to prevent further training accidents. This will be addressed in our reply to similar questions raised by MPs in this sitting.