2024年4月3日，新加坡贸工部兼文化、社区及青年部政务部长陈圣辉回答拉丁马士区议员杨益财以及义顺集选区议员陈浍敏，有关合作社资产管理和运营的问题。
以下内容为新加坡眼根据国会英文资料翻译整理：
新加坡政府国会社会及家庭发展委员会主席杨益财（拉丁马士选区议员）：
谢谢议长先生，我有一个问题请教政务部长。
我们都知道，新加坡的合作社规模、问责和管理标准不尽相同。根据2023年新加坡合作社注册局（RCS）发布的年度报告，合作社目前持有高达194亿的总资产。
在2018年，我曾向部长建议对信用合作社实施年度评级或评分系统。该评估系统帮助我们明确哪些合作社管理较好，哪些合作社财务状况较弱？需要保持必要的检查。
这样的系统有利于促进合作社的管理水平，提升履行责任的能力。鉴于本法案的拟议变更，我想知道，部长是否会对所有合作社实施评级或评分系统？
新加坡贸工部兼文化、社区及青年部政务部长陈圣辉：
谢谢杨益财先生提出的问题和他对合作社的贡献。我先前回答了杨益财先生关于第13条原则，（合作社支付股息）上限10%的问题，在这里我想重申，10%的上限对于合作社来说是足够的，它体现了为合作社成员提供合理回报和维护合作社日常运营发展所需的储备资金二者之间的平衡。
杨益财先生提到评估合作社以区分管理良好的合作社和运营较弱的合作社，后者需要开展更多检查这一提议。我早前提到过，基于合作社的优势、规模和能力的不同，目前没有对合作社开展公开排名。因为合作社是会员制组织，这些会员可以通过审核后的财务报表等途径了解合作社的财务状况及其他事项。
这些信息还会在年度报告以及会员大会进行披露。在有疑问时，会员可以联系合作社管理委员会（COM）寻求解释。事实上，合作社注册局有监控机制来监督合作社，并采用差异化的监管方式。例如，合作社会定期对信用合作社进行专项审计，审查合作社的财务报表和年度报告，以评估其财务状况和运营情况。
如果合作社注册局发现某些合作社运营管理较弱，合作社注册局会参与进来，提供帮助来改善财务状况和经营管理。我之前和今天都提到，治理以及提高合作社的管理能力是非常重要的。因此，我想向杨益财先生保证，合作社注册局、国家合作社联合会（SNCF）及其他相关机构和文化、社区及青年部（MCCY）将继续提升合作社的管理水准。
陈浍敏（义顺集选区议员）：
感谢政务部长，同时我想说国家合作社联合会联办的新型领导者计划令人鼓舞。
鉴于合作社拥有这么多资产，在应对新加坡社会复杂的需求方面发挥了相当大的变革作用，我想知道，文化、社区及青年部（MCCY）是否有计划让对社会企业和合作社运作感兴趣的年轻人有机会从其他地区经济体中学习？例如在“新兴领导者计划”下？这些经济体往往发展更成熟或处于更先进的发展阶段，其中包含了合作社和合作社所在国家的发展和进步方式。
陈圣辉：感谢陈美瑛女士的补充问题。一言以蔽之，是的。
除了“新兴领导者计划”之外，还有许多年轻人参与了我们的合作社。通过与国家合作社联合会的互动以及多次合作社聚会，我认识了许多合作社的年轻人。年轻人可以通过多个项目提供的机会来提高领导力，提升管理标准，增加审计、财务等方面的能力。同时帮忙研究新兴领域，如网络安全、可持续发展等。
事实上，通过与合作社的年轻人交谈，合作社的主要吸引力之一是年轻人可以探索一些新兴问题和发现新的机遇。因此，回答是肯定的，新加坡合作社的年轻人之间确实有互动学习。同时，我们也会探索向新加坡以外的人学习的机会。
以下是英文质询内容：
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye (Radin Mas): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have a clarification for the Minister of State. According to the 2023 annual report published by the Registry of Co-operative Societies, co-ops in Singapore currently hold a staggering $19.4 billion worth of total assets. However, as we all know, the co-ops vary in sizes and correspondingly, also vary in standards of governance.
In 2018, I had proposed to the Ministry to consider implementing an annual ranking or annual grading system for credit co-ops. Such a system would promote better governance and better accountability. With the proposed changes in this Bill, I would like to ask if the Ministry would implement an annual ranking or grading system to be applied to all co-ops?
Through such a system, we can recognise co-ops that are better governed while maintaining the necessary checks on co-ops with weaker financial positions.
Mr Alvin Tan: Sir, I thank Mr Melvin Yong for his supplementary question and also his contributions to the co-op sector. I have addressed Mr Yong's first query regarding the Rule 13, which is the review of the 10% cap, just earlier on. Just to reiterate – we think the 10% cap is generally sufficient for co-ops as it reflects the balance in providing decent returns to members and also safeguarding reserves for co-ops operations and growth.
On Mr Yong's suggestion for an annual ranking to identify co-ops that are better governed, as well as those that are weaker and which require more checks, earlier I mentioned that there is a spectrum of different strengths, sizes and capabilities and governance for co-ops. There is currently no public ranking of co-ops, given that co-ops are membership-based organisations and these members are also privy to the co-op's financial positions and other matters which are surfaced in the audited financial statements, which I mentioned earlier on.
They are also surfaced in annual reports as well as their general meetings. But when in doubt, members can and should also reach out to the co-ops' COM to seek clarification. The RCS does, in fact, have monitoring mechanisms in place to monitor co-ops and adopts a differentiated regulatory approach for co-ops. To give you an example, the Registry conducts periodic special audits on credit co-ops and reviews the co-op's financial statements and annual reports to assess their financial health and their governance.
For those, if RCS identifies weaker co-ops, for example, the Registry will engage these co-ops to provide assistance to improve their financial health and governance. I mentioned earlier on, yesterday and today as well, that governance as well as improving the ability of the co-ops to manage these are critically important. So, I would like to assure Mr Melvin Yong that the Registry, SNCF and others, and MCCY will continue to raise governance standards of co-ops.
Ms Carrie Tan (Nee Soon): Thank you, Speaker. I would like to thank Minister of State Tan and express that I am especially encouraged by the Emerging Leaders Programme that is jointly organised by SNCF.
I would like to ask, given that the co-op community holds so much assets and that it can play a pretty transformative role in terms of helping Singapore to cater to some of the more complex social needs: does MCCY have any plans to provide opportunities, for example, under the Emerging Leaders Programme for youths and young people interested in the social enterprise and co-op operations, to gain experience and learning from other regional economies – who may have a more matured development or who are at a more advanced stage of their development in their social economy – including co-operatives and the way that they have advanced and developed in their own countries?
Mr Alvin Tan: Sir, I thank Ms Carrie Tan for her supplementary question. The short answer is yes.
In addition to the Emerging Leaders Programme, there are many young youths who are involved with our co-operative sector. I have met many of co-op through my interactions with SNCF and through the many co-operatives get-together. In addition to the Emerging Leaders Programme, there are many other programmes that co-ops can use through the grants that are provided to them, to increase leadership; to increase governance standards; to increase capabilities about things like audit, finance; and also to help look at emerging areas, such as cybersecurity, sustainability and the likes.
In fact, when I speak to youths in the co-operative sector, one of the main attractiveness of the co-operative sector is to allow them to explore some of these emerging issues as well as emerging opportunities. So, the short answer is yes, there is interaction between the youths within this co-operative sector in Singapore and then also, if we do not already have, to explore learning from others outside of Singapore as well.
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