Budget 2026 debate: Ministries to publish clearer data on major spending initiatives, PM Wong says

SINGAPORE: Ministries will publish clearer information on major spending initiatives and their outcomes, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday (Feb 26), responding to calls for greater fiscal accountability amid a record surplus.

Speaking in parliament at the close of the three-day Budget debate, Mr Wong acknowledged calls made by Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh (WP-Aljunied), as well as MP Yip Hon Weng (PAP-Yio Chu Kang) and Nominated MP Haresh Singaraju, for greater public disclosure on how government funds are spent.

“I will ask all ministries to provide clearer and more accessible information on major initiatives so that Singaporeans can better understand how public resources are used and what results they achieve,” said Mr Wong.

He pointed to the Singapore Public Sector Outcomes Review, published biennially since 2010, as an existing framework that tracks key outcome indicators across major policy areas.

“We will continue to review the indicators in the report and ensure they are relevant and useful,” he said. “Ministries on their own also conduct detailed reviews of major spending programmes to assess effectiveness and outcomes.”

RIE FUNDING

Mr Singh raised the issue at the start of the Budget debate on Tuesday, saying "significant" public interest surrounds how the government deploys its surpluses. Singapore recorded a surplus of S$15 billion (US$11.8 billion) for the 2025 financial year.

He pointed to the S$40 billion Forward Singapore package announced during Budget 2024, and the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2030 plan, for which funding has increased to S$37 billion, saying there has been insufficient public accounting of how the money has been spent or what outcomes have been achieved.

Also on Tuesday, Mr Yip asked whether the government's artificial intelligence missions to drive transformation across key sectors would come with “measurable labour outcomes”.

On Wednesday, Dr Haresh said policy outcomes should be tracked across domains to enable proper assessment, generate insights and support planning.

Reiterating his concerns after Mr Wong's speech on Thursday, Mr Singh said the public would want to know how the S$37 billion RIE 2030 funding would be expanded, how it would enhance job prospects for Singaporeans and what opportunities it would create.

“I think there's quite a lot of work to be done there,” he said. “And I hope in this term of government, we see a new approach from the PAP government.”

Mr Wong said he saw the value in ministries sharing more about how public resources are being used and what results they have delivered.

"We are getting ministries to do more," he said, adding that greater transparency could encourage Singaporeans to engage with the information and develop a clearer understanding of what has been achieved.

“Hopefully with more information, we can have a more holistic appreciation of the various outcomes we have achieved, and we are not complacent. We are always looking at ways to do better, we acknowledge that,” he said.

“Having the information to provide (for) more informed debate is always something we would encourage.”