Government changes Permanent Secretary appointments

Mr Benny Lim, Permanent Secretary (Home Affairs) and Permanent Secretary (Prime Minister’s Office), will be appointed Permanent Secretary (National Development) and Permanent Secretary (National Security and Intelligence Coordination).

Concurrently he will continue as Permanent Secretary (Prime Minister’s Office).

Joining the Singapore Police Force in 1975, Mr Lim rose to the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police and held various appointments including Director, Internal Security Department.

He was eventually appointed Second Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs in 2004 and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs. Mr Lim, who holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in English from the National University of Singapore and a Masters of Science degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science, was appointed concurrently as Permanent Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office on 1 September 2011.

Meanwhile Mr Tan Tee How, Permanent Secretary (National Development), will be appointed as Permanent Secretary (Home Affairs).

He joined the Administrative Service in 1983 and held various appointments in the early part of his career. He was appointed Director (Administration), Ministry of Home Affairs in 1990, Controller of Immigration in 1994 and Deputy Secretary (Services) in the Ministry of Information and the Arts in 1995. He was appointed Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister in 1997.

From May 2000 to December 2003, Mr Tan was the Chief Executive Officer of National Healthcare Group. In 2004, he was appointed Permanent Secretary, Ministry of National Development.

Mr Tan holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) degree from the National University of Singapore under a Local Merit Scholarship. He also holds a Masters in Public Administration degree from Harvard University, USA.

The said appointments will take effect from 1 November 2011.

Mr Peter Ong, on the other hand, will relinquish his appointment as Permanent Secretary (National Security and Intelligence Coordination). He will remain as Head of Civil Service, Permanent Secretary (Special Duties) in the Prime Minister’s Office and Permanent Secretary (Finance).