2024年4月3日，新加坡貿工部兼文化、社區及青年部政務部長陳聖輝回答拉丁馬士區議員楊益財以及義順集選區議員陳澮敏，有關合作社資產管理和運營的問題。
以下內容為新加坡眼根據國會英文資料翻譯整理：
新加坡政府國會社會及家庭發展委員會主席楊益財（拉丁馬士選區議員）：
謝謝議長先生，我有一個問題請教政務部長。
我們都知道，新加坡的合作社規模、問責和管理標準不盡相同。根據2023年新加坡合作社註冊局（RCS）發布的年度報告，合作社目前持有高達194億的總資產。
在2018年，我曾向部長建議對信用合作社實施年度評級或評分系統。該評估系統幫助我們明確哪些合作社管理較好，哪些合作社財務狀況較弱？需要保持必要的檢查。
這樣的系統有利於促進合作社的管理水平，提升履行責任的能力。鑒於本法案的擬議變更，我想知道，部長是否會對所有合作社實施評級或評分系統？
新加坡貿工部兼文化、社區及青年部政務部長陳聖輝：
謝謝楊益財先生提出的問題和他對合作社的貢獻。我先前回答了楊益財先生關於第13條原則，（合作社支付股息）上限10%的問題，在這裡我想重申，10%的上限對於合作社來說是足夠的，它體現了為合作社成員提供合理回報和維護合作社日常運營發展所需的儲備資金二者之間的平衡。
楊益財先生提到評估合作社以區分管理良好的合作社和運營較弱的合作社，後者需要開展更多檢查這一提議。我早前提到過，基於合作社的優勢、規模和能力的不同，目前沒有對合作社開展公開排名。因為合作社是會員制組織，這些會員可以通過審核後的財務報表等途徑了解合作社的財務狀況及其他事項。
這些信息還會在年度報告以及會員大會進行披露。在有疑問時，會員可以聯繫合作社管理委員會（COM）尋求解釋。事實上，合作社註冊局有監控機制來監督合作社，並採用差異化的監管方式。例如，合作社會定期對信用合作社進行專項審計，審查合作社的財務報表和年度報告，以評估其財務狀況和運營情況。
如果合作社註冊局發現某些合作社運營管理較弱，合作社註冊局會參與進來，提供幫助來改善財務狀況和經營管理。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，我想向楊益財先生保證，合作社註冊局、國家合作社聯合會（SNCF）及其他相關機構和文化、社區及青年部（MCCY）將繼續提升合作社的管理水準。
陳澮敏（義順集選區議員）：
感謝政務部長，同時我想說國家合作社聯合會聯辦的新型領導者計劃令人鼓舞。
鑒於合作社擁有這麼多資產，在應對新加坡社會複雜的需求方面發揮了相當大的變革作用，我想知道，文化、社區及青年部（MCCY）是否有計劃讓對社會企業和合作社運作感興趣的年輕人有機會從其他地區經濟體中學習？例如在「新興領導者計劃」下？這些經濟體往往發展更成熟或處於更先進的發展階段，其中包含了合作社和合作社所在國家的發展和進步方式。
陳聖輝：感謝陳美瑛女士的補充問題。一言以蔽之，是的。
除了「新興領導者計劃」之外，還有許多年輕人參與了我們的合作社。通過與國家合作社聯合會的互動以及多次合作社聚會，我認識了許多合作社的年輕人。年輕人可以通過多個項目提供的機會來提高領導力，提升管理標準，增加審計、財務等方面的能力。同時幫忙研究新興領域，如網絡安全、可持續發展等。
事實上，通過與合作社的年輕人交談，合作社的主要吸引力之一是年輕人可以探索一些新興問題和發現新的機遇。因此，回答是肯定的，新加坡合作社的年輕人之間確實有互動學習。同時，我們也會探索向新加坡以外的人學習的機會。
以下是英文質詢內容：
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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