2024年5月8日，新加坡通讯及新闻部高级政务部长普立杰医生代表通讯及新闻部在国会口头答复议员杨益财先生和潘丽萍女士关于“数字化优先但不唯数字化”的问题。
以下内容为新加坡眼根据国会英文资料翻译整理：
12 杨益财先生询问通讯及新闻部部长，鉴于“数字化优先但不唯数字”的方针：
(a) 通讯及新闻部是否定期审核各部委和法定委员会提供的服务流程，以评估其数字化包容性？
(b) 通讯及新闻部在过去五年中是否收到任何关于改善特定政府机构数字化包容性的反馈？
(c) 如果有，是否已根据此类反馈采取行动？
13 潘丽萍女士询问通讯及新闻部部长，如何才能在所有部委和政府相关机构更好地执行“并非数字化唯一”的政策，以更好地支持无法数字化的居民。
普立杰（通讯及新闻部高级政务部长，代表通讯及新闻部部长）：议长先生，请允许我同时回答第 12 和第 13 个问题吗？
议长先生：可以。
普立杰医生：议长先生，“数字优先但不唯数字”有三个方面。首先，各机构努力使数字服务易于使用，并以数字服务标准 (DSS) 为指导。各机构设计和开发的数字服务应：(a) 可访问且包容性；(b) 可用性；(c) 相关性。为补充各机构自身的可用性测试，政府科技局 (GovTech) 帮助确定常用服务的改进领域。GovTech 还为机构提供中央诊断工具，以检测可用性和可访问性等问题。各机构在更新其数字产品和服务时，会将这些问题以及公众的反馈考虑在内。
其次，我们有意识地努力为无法自行实现数字化的公众提供非数字替代方案。例如，中央公积金局 (CPF) 和建屋发展局 (HDB) 提供现场和联络中心服务，以帮助那些在网上交易有困难的人。除了这些特定机构的服务中心外，新加坡各地还有七个实体 ServiceSG 中心。这些 ServiceSG 中心将多种服务集中在一个屋檐下，简化和提升了公民的体验，并更好地实施了非数字化方法。ServiceSG 将继续扩大中心网络，优先考虑需求较高和公民（尤其是老年人）集中的地区。到2024年底，还将在兀兰民事中心和红山中中心增设两个中心，以扩大对市民的服务范围。
第三，我们坚持不懈，继续帮助人民掌握数字技能，并跟上新的发展。例如，资媒局于2024年1月推出了“数码技能益终身”框架（Digital Skills for Life，简称DSL），让新加坡人掌握必要的知识、技能和态度，以便在数码空间中游刃有余地开展日常工作，并确保上网安全。为了更好地支持老年人等弱势群体学习基本的数字技能，新加坡政府数字办公室还推出了 "老年人走向数字化 "（the Seniors Go Digital programme）计划等举措。
这些努力旨在让所有新加坡人都能分享数字发展带来的好处。
以下是英文质询内容：
12 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Communications and Information in view of the “digital first but not digital only” approach (a) whether the Ministry regularly audits the service journeys provided by various Ministries and statutory boards to assess their digital inclusion; (b) whether the Ministry has received any feedback in the past five years about improving digital inclusion for specific Government agencies; and (c) if so, whether such feedback has been acted upon.
13 Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng asked the Minister for Communications and Information how can the policy of “not digital only” be better enforced in all Ministries and Government-linked agencies to better support residents who are not digitally able.
The Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information (Dr Janil Puthucheary) (for the Minister for Communications and Information): Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to answer Question Nos 12 and 13 together?
Mr Speaker: Yes, you do.
Dr Janil Puthucheary: Sir, there are three aspects to being "digital first but not digital only". First, agencies strive to make digital services easy to use, guided by the Digital Service Standards (DSS). Agencies design and develop digital services that are: (a) accessible and inclusive; (b) usable; and (c) relevant. To supplement agencies' own usability tests, the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) helps to identify areas of improvement for frequently used services. GovTech also provides central diagnostic tools for agencies to detect usability and accessibility issues. These, together with feedback from the public, are taken into consideration when agencies update their digital products and services.
Second, there is a conscious effort to make non-digital alternatives available to members of the public who are unable to go digital by themselves. For example, the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board and the Housing and Development Board (HDB) provide in-person and contact centre services to assist those who have difficulty transacting online. These agency-specific service centres are complemented by seven physical ServiceSG Centres across Singapore. By housing multiple services under one roof, these ServiceSG Centres simplify and enhance citizens' experience and better implement the not-digital-only approach. ServiceSG will continue to expand the network of centres to prioritise areas with higher demand and concentrations of citizens, especially seniors. Two more centres will be established at Woodlands Civic Centre and Bukit Merah Town Central by the end of 2024 to achieve a wider outreach to citizens.
Third, we persist and continue in helping our people to pick up digital skills and keep abreast of new developments. For example, the Infocomm Media Development Authority launched the Digital Skills for Life framework in January 2024 to equip Singaporeans with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to navigate the digital space, carry out daily tasks and stay safe online. To better support vulnerable groups, such as seniors, to learn basic digital skills, the SG Digital Office has also introduced initiatives, such as the Seniors Go Digital programme.
These efforts seek to enable all Singaporeans to share in the benefits of digital developments.
Mr Speaker: Mr Melvin Yong.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye (Radin Mas): Sir, I thank the Senior Minister of State for his reply. Radin Mas is home to many seniors and I have often received feedback about how difficult it is for them to keep up with the new digital way of life. In fact, to our most elderly, even simple things like renewing their telephone contracts can be a frustrating experience, often having to jump through multiple digital loops and even coming to see their Member of Parliament.
I would like to ask how the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) intends to help seniors feel more included in our digital society beyond the Seniors Go Digital programme. At the same time, how can we also better protect our seniors as more and more of them come online, especially against scams and malware? Are there any plans to cultivate and deploy what I call "senior influencers" to better reach out to their peers, in particular, those who are still apprehensive about coming on board? In our push for digitalisation and productivity, we must ensure that our Pioneers do not feel left behind.
Dr Janil Puthucheary: Sir, I thank Mr Yong for his three supplementary questions. The short answer to all three is yes. We do want to make sure that our seniors benefit from the various efforts that we are making around digitalisation and for them to then have the opportunity to go online.
We have a number of training programmes that we have explained in this House and outside. We have the Silver Digital Ambassadors as well that we train. They are peer influencers along the lines that Mr Yong spoke about. And we have spent some time and effort trying to educate all members of the public, including seniors, about how to better protect themselves as they transact online. Maintaining that trust in online transaction is important.
