Mr Thomas Chua Kee Seng: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether he will provide an update on (i) the $30 million that was set aside for the Local Enterprise and Association Development-Plus (LEAD+) programme introduced in 2016 to improve the capabilities of Trade Associations and Chambers (TACS) and (ii) the LEAD+ feature to second up to 20 public officers to TACs to forge closer partnerships between the Government and industry and to better the public officers' understanding of the needs of enterprises.

Written reply:

1. Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs) have an in-depth understanding of industry needs and growth opportunities, and are connected to extensive business networks. They are able to complement efforts by government agencies to support and reach out to a wide pool of enterprises. Our TACs play important roles to help companies transform their operations, enhance their competitiveness and capture new growth opportunities in domestic and overseas markets. As we move into a new phase of economic development, we must continue to evolve and strengthen the partnership between the Government and TACs.
2. Many TACs have stepped up to work closely with government agencies to catalyse enterprise and industry transformation. For instance, the Singapore Food Manufacturers’ Association and the Singapore Manufacturing Federation worked with JTC to jointly conceptualise the development of JTC Food Hub @Senoko, which lowers business costs for food companies through features such as a shared cold room and warehouse facility. The Singapore Business Federation has also been working with MTI and Enterprise Singapore to organise training workshops for our companies, so that they know what the benefits are under the Free Trade Agreements which we have signed with other economies. In the area of sector-specific training, the Singapore Precision Engineering and Technology Association and the Logistics Alliance have also worked with SSG to curate a list of SkillsFuture Series courses for their respective industries. These are some of the important roles which we want our TACs to focus on.
3. The Local Enterprise and Association Development-Plus (LEAD+) programme was introduced at Budget 2016 to encourage TACs to raise their internal competencies to be more effective champions of industry transformation. At COS 2018 this year, MTI announced the consolidation of several grant programmes for TAC initiatives, including LEAD+, into a single enhanced LEAD programme to drive comprehensive industry upgrading and internationalisation efforts. The combined LEAD programme budget for 2016-2020 is about $115 million.
4. TACs can now tap on the enhanced LEAD scheme to strengthen their leadership and secretariat teams, improve organisational processes, and deliver new and value-added services to their members. As of June 2018, Enterprise Singapore has provided almost $10 million to 9 TACs to upgrade their internal capabilities. We expect more TACs to come on board over the next few years.
5. The enhanced LEAD programme covers all areas that were previously supported under LEAD+, including the secondment of public officers. Efforts to second public officers to TACs are not new. Prior to Budget 2016, then-SPRING had seconded over 10 public officers to TACs to drive the implementation of key programmes such as the SME Talent Programme and SME Centres.
6. Since Budget 2016, three more officers have been seconded to the TACs. We will facilitate more secondment arrangements for TACs which are keen to play a constructive role, and can organise themselves to work with the Government to transform their sectors and upgrade the capabilities of their members.