No plans for govt to regulate secondhand smoke at home, says Janil Puthucheary

Janil Puthucheary says NEA not tracking if 600 cases of secondhand smoke complaints at home were resolved amicably

Senior Minister of State (SMS) Janil Puthucheary said in Parliament on 6 May that the government is not currently planning on regulating secondhand smoke at home.

Secondhand smoke from neighbouring homes resulted in about 600 cases of feedback from residents.

However, Dr Puthucheary cited the challenges in introducing rules that intrude into the privacy of homes.

NEA received 600 complaints about secondhand smoke from neighbours in 2025

Member of Parliament (MP) Liang Eng Hwa had asked how many complaints the National Environment Agency (NEA) received about secondhand smoke from neighbouring homes.

Dr Puthucheary, SMS for Sustainability and the Environment, replied that NEA received about 600 such feedback cases in 2025.

Around 30% of these cases came from repeat feedback providers.

NEA then works with other government agencies or the relevant Town Council to issue advisories to surrounding units.

These advisories urge the residents to be considerate neighbours.

He stated that NEA does not track whether cases are “amicably resolved”, but most feedback cases do not recur after NEA’s actions.

“If the issue remains unresolved, the relevant agency or Town Council may engage residents in person.”

Liang Eng Hwa asks if government can classify secondhand smoke as public nuisance

Mr Liang subsequently alleged that the issue of secondhand smoke from neighbouring units has been a longstanding concern for his residents.

“The government’s holding position has always been that the government has no business intruding into or regulating the behaviour in private homes,” he said.

After years of concern about secondhand smoke, Mr Liang wondered whether the government is ready to take steps to address the issue.

He queried Dr Puthucheary on whether secondhand smoke affecting neighbours could be classified as a public nuisance, given the known health hazards.

Secondly, Mr Liang asked whether the government could take a firmer stance in public messaging.

He stated that smoking at windows and balconies was poor neighbourly behaviour.

Government faces challenge of enforcing measures inside homes

Dr Puthucheary said the government can discuss and explore measures to reduce smoking and secondhand smoke exposure.

However, he emphasised that the challenge would be enforcing any of these measures within residents’ homes.

How far do we want to intrude into the privacy of one’s own home, and the behaviours one can engage with there? That I think is the key issue we’re facing.

The SMS attributed the rise in complaints of secondhand smoke from neighbours to the increased prohibition of smoking in public spaces across Singapore.

Regarding Mr Liang’s second question, Dr Puthucheary said they could work with the Health Promotion Board (HPB). They could step up public health messages against smoking.

Additionally, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment could collaborate with HDB. The agencies could frame messaging that secondhand smoke is inconsiderate neighbourly behaviour.

Also read: ‘Stop victim blaming!’: Sengkang residents argue about smoking in HDB flats with passive-aggressive signs

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Featured image adapted from MDDI Singapore on YouTube and Juan Moyano on Canva, for illustration purposes only.