Mr Speaker, I declare my interest as the General Secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees, and I rise on behalf of our brothers and sisters in the Amalgamated Union of Statutory Board Employees, who will represent the officers transferred to the Health Sciences Authority.
The Health Sciences Authority already carries a substantial mandate, and this Bill broadens it. It will bring new regulatory functions and administrative support for our regulatory bodies for the healthcare profession under one Authority. The overarching intent is clear: to strengthen and uplift our national capability in public health and safety, so that the whole is more coherent, more responsive to emerging needs, and more effective than its parts.
Mr Speaker, there is a certain fittingness to this Bill. The Health Sciences Authority was itself born of a consolidation. In 2001, five departments of the Ministry of Health were brought together to form one single Authority. The reasoning then was clear: to harness technical synergies, build a larger and stronger core of expertise, and to keep pace with a rapidly-changing field.
And Mr Speaker, there is a second continuity that deserves mentioning. When HSA was formed in 2001, the law provided that every officer transferred from those five departments would be absorbed on terms no less favourable than they had previously enjoyed. Today, Clause 36C of this Bill extends the same assurance to a new generation of officers. The principle is simple: when we reorganise for the public good, we must not do so at the expense of our workers.
Behind every function being transferred are people. Officers who administer these regulatory regimes. They process applications, inspect the laboratories, and maintain the registers on which the integrity of our system depends. They are not merely names or positions on an organisation chart. They are public officers who have built up deep expertise over many years. Understandably, some may ask what this reorganisation will mean for their jobs, their employment terms and their future.
Mr Speaker, I am therefore glad that the Bill provides them with clear statutory protection.
Let me first welcome Clause 36C. It provides that, on the transfer date, every transferring employee moves to the service of the Authority — and I quote, “on terms no less favourable than those enjoyed by the employee on the eve of the first transfer date." This is an important assurance. It makes clear that transfer will not break the continuity of the officer’s service. It will not amount to retrenchment or a redundancy. Nor will it deprive officers of the benefits and entitlements they may have already earned. This is the right principle, and I am heartened to see it stated plainly in the law.
I also welcome Clause 36D, which provides for the general preservation of employment terms. This clause protects matters that are important to every affected officer and their family: their accrued leave, their length of service, the continuity of employment, and the employment rights accumulated over the course of their service. These may appear technical when expressed in legislation. But to an officer who has devoted many years of public service, they are deeply personal.
Mr Speaker, I would like to focus on subsection (3) of Clause 36D. It provides that, until the Authority draws up the new terms and conditions of employment for a transferred employee, that employee will continue on the same terms and conditions as before. This is a fair and necessary transitional safeguard. But it also points to an important next step: and here I would like to highlight, to HSA as it develops the new terms and conditions that will apply to the transferred officers, I hope that it will take into consideration, work closely with AUSBE so that they make sure that they can come up with a comprehensive, fair and equitable set of terms and conditions for the officers that are transferred.
I also seek that it consults, and work closely with, their union, the Amalgamated Union of Statutory Board Employees, as it develops these new terms and manages the transfer. Engaging AUSBE early can help surface issues and build trust in the transition. And this is also how the tripartite workforce can manage the change successfully, and to ensure that every officer transferred, their voice is present, and the decisions taken, make sense and are important to them.
Mr Speaker, just want to add two more hopes.
First, I am confident that the HSA and the Ministry will communicate directly and early with each affected member.
And second, I hope that preserving existing terms will be treated as the floor, and not the ceiling. These officers are bringing valuable institutional knowledge and specialised expertise into an Authority that will depend on their expertise for years to come. The transition should therefore also be an opportunity to invest in their development, recognise their expertise, and provide them with clear pathways to learn, contribute and progress with HSA.
Mr Speaker, this Bill will strengthen the institution entrusted with safeguarding our health sciences. But institutional strength does not come from organisational structure alone. It also comes from the people who carry the work, uphold professional standards and preserve public confidence in our regulatory system.
A stronger Authority is our common objective. A well-protected workforce must be our commitment. And close engagement with the union will be one of the best ways we can make sure every affected officer forward with confidence.
As we strengthen the institution, let us also strengthen the people within it. Mr Speaker, I support the Bill. Thank you.
