By Francis Chan

CASES of Influenza A (H1N1) have been few and far between here, but small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) need to have plans to ensure they are not caught out if an outbreak occurs.

Minister of State for Trade and Industry Lee Yi Shyan said the emergence of the H1N1 virus is a reminder of the importance of business continuity planning.

'Local enterprises should ensure that they have plans in place to minimise risks to their operations. This will not only ensure the safety of our workforce, but also assure foreign investors of stability amid the crisis.'

Mr Lee was speaking on the sidelines of Monday's ground- breaking ceremony for local supermarket chain Sheng Siong's new corporate headquarters and distribution centre at Mandai Link.

He urged more businesses to step up their business continuity management (BCM) efforts and tap various assistance schemes on offer.

'As the National Business Continuity Management Centre, the Singapore Business Federation or SBF is reaching out to businesses to help them with their business continuity planning,' he said.

SBF aims to help about 4,000 SMEs and 300 companies over the next five years in BCM.

Mr Lee - who is also Minister of State for Manpower - said the Government will support up to 70 per cent of qualifying costs.

SMEs can apply for support to help defray part of the cost to become 'BCM ready'.

Funding support covers salary or training of staff involved in the BCM certification project and consultancy services, among other things.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.