Three new ministries to focus on important areas of work; improve synergies: PM Lee

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Singapore is in a new phase of development. 

Social and community issues are increasingly important in our shared home. 

In a statement to the media, Mr Lee said first we need to strengthen our families and enhance our social safety nets to help those in need. 

Second, we must foster the arts and sports, and build social capital through volunteerism, while engaging our youth to shape our future together. 

Third, we have to improve public communications and engagement, so as to reach out more effectively to our increasingly diverse society in the age of social media and rapid technological progress. 

Mr Lee said the above priorities are currently overseen by MCYS and MICA. 

The current portfolios of MCYS and MICA will be re-distributed to the three new ministries to focus more sharply on these increasingly important areas of work, and to improve synergies across related issues. 

The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) will focus on building a cohesive and vibrant society, and deepening the sense of identity and belonging to the nation. 

It will assume MCYS' current roles in strengthening community bonds, promoting volunteerism and philanthropy, engaging youth, and developing the sports. It will also assume MICA's arts, heritage and national resilience functions. 

MCYS will be renamed the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). It will focus on building strong families, developing our social services and looking after those in need of social support. There is synergy between these portfolios as the family unit is, and should rightfully remain, the fundamental building block of our society. 

MICA will be renamed the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI). 

It will oversee the development of the infocomm technology, media and design sectors, the national and public libraries as well as Government's information and public communications policies. REACH will be transferred from the current MCYS to MCI. 

The re-organisation will enable the Government to focus more sharply on communication and information. 

The above changes will take effect from 1 November 2012.