Senior Ministers of State Josephine Teo and Desmond Lee have been promoted to full ministers.

In a statement issued on Thursday (Apr 27) on changes to the Cabinet and other appointments, the Prime Minister’s Office said Teo will be appointed Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, and Second Minister in the Ministry of Manpower.

Teo will be the second woman Minister in the cabinet, after Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu. She will continue in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Second Minister and also continue to oversee population matters, assisting Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.

She will relinquish her appointment in the Ministry of Transport.

Meanwhile, Lee will be appointed Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, and will be Second Minister in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development, his present ministries.

The promotions are part of leadership renewal and will take effect on May 1, 2017.

From backbenchers to Ministers

Teo, 48, is currently Senior Minister of State at the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Ministry of Transport, has been a Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC Member of Parliament since 2006.

She was a backbencher representing the labour movement during her first term in politics. In May 2011, she was appointed as Minister of State at the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Finance. In September 2013, she was promoted to Senior Minister of State. In October 2015, she was rotated to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister's office, while keeping her portfolio at Ministry of Transport.

She oversees the the National Population and Talent Division, and had been in the news last October for her remarks "you do not need much space to have sex", when commenting on young Singaporeans' aspiration of getting their flats before having children.

Son of former cabinet Minister

Lee, 40, currently the Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of National Development, is also known as the son of former cabinet Minister Lee Yock Suan.

He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) representing Jurong GRC since 2011, starting out as a backbencher before being appointed as Minister of State, Ministry of National Development in September 2013. He was promoted to Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development in October 2015.

Other appointments

In terms of other political appointments, Minister of State at the Ministry of Health Lam Pin Min, Minister of State at the Ministry of Communications and Information and Ministry of Education Janil Puthucheary, Minister of State at the Ministry of National Development & Ministry of Trade and Industry Koh Poh Koon, and Minister of State at the Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of Health Chee Hong Tat will all be promoted to Senior Ministers of State.

Lam will also be appointed as Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Transport.

Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Education & Ministry of Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling and Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Education & Ministry of Social and Family Development Associate Muhammad Faishal bin Ibrahim will be promoted to Senior Parliamentary Secretaries. They will continue in their current ministries.

Sam Tan Chin Siong will be appointed as Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He will continue as Minister of State in the Ministry of Manpower and in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Amrin Amin will be appointed as Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Health. He will continue as Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Retirement of Teo Ser Luck

Teo Ser Luck will relinquish his appointment as Minister of State for Manpower on 30 June 2017 after requesting to step down from public office to return to the private sector.

According to the PMO statement, "The Prime Minister has accepted Teo’s request."

He will also relinquish his appointment as Mayor of North East CDC when his current term ends on 26 May 2017.

New leadership team

This is the third round of changes in appointments that PM Lee Hsien Loong has made to this Cabinet after the General Election in 2015.

The first changes in August 2016 saw Lawrence Wong appointed as Second Minister for Finance, and Sim Ann appointed as Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and relinquishing her appointment in the Ministry of Finance.

In October 2016, two core members of the fourth generation leadership - Ong Ye Kung and Ng Chee Meng were promoted to full ministers.

After May 1, there will be 22 full Ministers in the Cabinet, overseeing 16 Ministries.

In September 2015 when he unveiled his new cabinet, PM Lee Hsien Loong had said he will "do a mid-term review and make further changes" and "structure an effective Government and aggressively prepare a new team to take Singapore forward."

He also described the lineup as "a transition team, so it is bigger than usual."

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