Ahmad Mattar
Singapore
“Sir, I would like to urge the Minister, the newly appointed panel chaired by Mr Hsuan Owyang, and certainly the people in charge of Channel 12 Pte Ltd, to look into the quality of Malay programmes on Channel 12. There is not much point in increasing the number of hours of Malay programmes on Channel 12 if quality is not there.”
“Because if SBC conducts those surveys or SBC administers the people meter, what other conclusions can we get? Finally, Sir, I would like to urge the Minister, and certainly the General Manager of SBC, to re-look into SBC's programmes.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, Encik Ibrahim Othman has asked a number of questions on Muslim divorces. On the actual number of Muslim divorces registered in 1992, the answer is 1,002.”
“45 pm Sir, on wakaf properties, the House may want to know that the first development project comprising four units of terrace houses at Duku Road has been completed. This year, two more projects at Lorong L and Lorong G, Telok Kurau, will be launched.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am aware of that circular. Unfortunately, my Public Health Officers have reported that despite the circular there has not been any improvement to the littering problem. Even till this morning, Sir, when we inspected Potong Pasir, littering was still evident.”
“Sir, the question has been answered and the photographs have also been labelled with the time they were taken. My point is that if the Member claims that his constituency does not have a littering problem, then there should not be any litter at any time of the day, 5.30 am regardless.”
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“Mr Chairman, Sir, first, on the subject of wet markets. Let me first deal with Government's rationale of reversing the original policy of not building new wet markets. Sir, the Government stopped building wet markets in HDB housing estates in 1982 because the wet markets then were messy and the pollution caused, especially by poultry slaughtering, was unacceptable. Since then, dry markets were built instead in HDB town centres. However, Sir, with the successful phasing out of poultry slaughtering in wet markets, the wet markets can now be operated with less pollution problems. For this reason, and also for the fact that residents prefer wet markets to dry markets, Government has decided that wet markets will be built in new HDB town centres. Sir, my Ministry is currently working out the design criteria for the future wet markets. All I can say is that future wet markets will be tastefully designed with sufficient stall space for the stallholders to operate in and bigger circulation area for their customers to walk about, and more stringent anti-pollution measures will also be incorporated into the design. Good ventilation, good lighting will also be looked into. Sir, the Government also plans to upgrade existing wet markets which will serve the needs of residents. All redundant vacant stalls will be removed and the remaining stalls re-grouped to improve on the layout as well as the circulation. Sir, the upgrading will be carried out in stages and it will not result in any displacement of stallholders, as every stallholder will be given the opportunity to return to the renovated wet markets. Let me now move on to the subject of poultry slaughtering in wet markets raised by Encik Ibrahim Othman and Mr Teo Chong Tee.”
“The question of incentives will be considered. But the more important thing is to inculcate public awareness through public education, which I think Dr John Chen has agreed. And he is expecting the Ministry to mount more public education programmes to inculcate awareness on the Green Plan.”
“And it is for this reason, Sir, that my Ministry is constantly seeking creative and innovative ways to educate the public. For example, we have used SBC's "Kidstext" to highlight to children the global environmental concerns, resource conservation and also waste minimization. This programme has been very well received. We will produce teaching aids for schools in the form of slides, videotapes and also computer games. ENV will also be organising a jamboree in November this year for school environmental clubs. With regard to grassroots participation in the Green Plan, as I mentioned earlier on, we have received inputs from the two public forums that the Ministry organised and also from letters written to us giving their views on the Green Plan. Some of the views will be incorporated in the final version of the Green Plan which we will publish in June this year.”
“You see, Sir, the city that we envision is one which would not only be a city with a very high standard of public health and quality environment, but also a city with people who are actively concerned for their environment. In other words, characteristics that the world has learned to associate with the word "green". Therefore, his suggestion of changing "Environment City" to "Green City" is not a bad idea at all, and I am prepared to consider. On the subject of green labelling, the objective of course is to help consumers identify environment-friendly products. The scheme is voluntary and companies are at liberty to choose whether or not to participate in the scheme. Initially, the scheme will cover products that can be recycled and reused, eg, recycled paper. Of course, in the long term, we will extend the scheme to cover other products to promote energy efficiency, to promote the use of biodegradable materials and so on. The criteria for awarding a green label will be drawn up by an advisory committee comprising experts from agencies like SISIR, CASE, Singapore Manufacturers' Association, just to name a few. These are people with the expert knowledge on the manufacture, distribution, usage and disposal of products. With regard to pricing, we in the Ministry of the Environment do not expect green label products to be significantly more expensive than the ordinary products. True, Sir, fees have got to be levied, but these fees will be deliberately kept low in order to encourage participation. The fees will only be enough to cover the scheme's operating cost. The fee will be in the form of an application fee and an annual fee for the right to carry the green label. As Encik Ibrahim Othman has pointed out, public education is an important element of the Green Plan.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I would like to thank the two hon. Members of the GPC for Environment for speaking on Singapore's Green Plan and for their support for the Plan. Sir, for the information of this House, the final version of the Green Plan will be published by June this year. This version will incorporate some of the views and suggestions that we received from grassroots organisations and from members of the public. My Ministry will be forming a Steering Committee with representatives from the various Ministries to oversee the formulation of the detailed action plan, and this work is expected to be completed by the middle of 1993. The implementation of some aspects of the Green Plan, however, is already under way and these include, amongst other things, the phasing out of the use of ozone depleting substances, the upgrading of control of odour from our sewage treatment works, developing facilities to cope with an ever increasing amount of solid waste generated and the minimising of waste generation. Sir, the total cost of implementing the Green Plan cannot be quantified at this point of time until all the action plans have been formulated. But suffice for me to say at this stage that the major cost of the Plan will be in infrastructural developments relating to the upgrading of our sewerage system, our solid waste management system and, of course, the development of aesthetic water bodies. And all these will cost about $3 billion. Sir, I agree fully with Dr John Chen that the term "Environment City", as used in the Green Plan, may not entirely convey the meaning intended.”
“Sir, besides Aedes mosquitoes, the other most common specie of mosquito found in Singapore is the Culex. But unlike the Aedes mosquito, the Culex mosquito only breeds in polluted waters, such as in choked drains and ground puddles. For the benefit of the Member for Aljunied GRC, Culex mosquitoes can transmit filariasis, a disease that causes fever, cough, asthmatic attacks and swelling of the limbs. But unlike dengue fever, Sir, filariasis is not fatal. This I have been told by doctors in my Ministry. Therefore, Culex is termed a nuisance mosquito because of the itch and irritation it causes when it bites. ACCESSIBILITY TO BASIC HEALTH AND LIMITING NUMBER OF DOCTORS 4. Dr Wong Kwei Cheong asked the Minister for Health how the Government can ensure that basic health is accessible to all if it is the Government's policy to limit the number of doctors by maintaining the intake of medical students at the National University of Singapore at 150 a year.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, many houses in Singapore are still breeding the Aedes mosquitoes despite intensive public health education and widespread publicity on the dangers of the Aedes mosquitoes and the deadly disease that these mosquitoes can transmit. The Aedes mosquito breeds in homes, in clean stagnant water under shade. Unless everyone makes an effort to prevent breedings in his or her home, it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to bring down the number of dengue fever cases in Singapore. In 1991, Sir, a total of 7,273 breedings were detected in houses and other buildings. My Ministry will continue to use public education as its main strategy to overcome the problem. Public Health Inspectors will step up home visits to check and advise occupants on the measures they should take to prevent breedings. Those who continue to breed mosquitoes in their homes will be given summonses.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, with the enactment of the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Act (Cap. 310) in 1970, public buses on scheduled routes and several public places were specified as places where smoking was prohibited. The prohibition protects non-smokers who are the majority population against the health hazards of environmental tobacco smoke and passive smoking. Under the Bill which seeks to repeal and reenact the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Act, the Minister may prohibit smoking in all public service vehicles such as taxis and buses, hired or chartered to transport school children and office or factory workers. It will also be an offence if a manager of a specified building or an operator of a specified vehicle fails to ask a person found smoking within the specified premises or vehicle to stop smoking immediately, or to ask that person to leave if the person continues to smoke. The manager or operator is also duty bound to seek the assistance of a police officer or a public health officer if the smoker refuses to leave the premises or vehicle. The maximum penalty for an offence under the Act will be raised from $500 to $1,000. Sir, the Bill presented before Parliament seeks to enable the Government to provide further protection to non-smokers. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed.”
“It is not allowed. It is illegal, as I said. PREPARATORY YEAR COURSES IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS (Objective of pilot project) 4. Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for Education what was the objectives behind his Ministry's pilot project of Preparatory Year courses in primary schools; what was the result of the project; and how much was spent in total.”
“I agree with Mr Chiam that it is illegal to sublet or sell the licence to another party. That is why we are very firm with them.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, it can be safely assumed that any employee of a hawker stall will know the tactics employed by the employer, in this case, the licensee. Therefore, if he continues to work for the stall and be party to the malpractices, then he should face the consequences.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I did not say that these hawkers have been permanently banned. They are banned only insofar as Government and statutory board hawker centres are concerned. My answer to Dr Wong Kwei Cheong is sufficient to answer Mr Chin's concern. With regard to counselling, Sir, my Ministry did have several dialogue sessions with the Newton Hawkers' Association to discuss the problem of touting and overcharging by some hawkers in the Centre. The Association agreed with the Ministry's view that action by some errant hawkers may bring disrepute to the Centre concerned. Counselling sessions have also been held, either individually or collectively. During these sessions the hawkers were told to refrain from unscrupulous practices. They were also told in no uncertain terms that if these malpractices persisted, then their licences would be revoked.”
“If there are private outlets willing to employ them, then I say good luck to them. Mr Chin Harn Tong (Aljunied GRC): Why is it necessary for the Ministry to ban or blacklist those hawkers permanently? Is there no other way of getting those hawkers to improve their behaviour such as by counselling or re-education?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, any stallholder who repeatedly harasses or overcharges customers will have his licence revoked. After the revocation, the stallholder will not be allowed to operate in any hawker centre owned by Government and statutory boards. His assistants will also be banned from working in these places. These rules apply only to Government and statutory board hawker centres. My Ministry has a duty to ensure that customers, both locals and tourists, are not harassed or overcharged by unscrupulous hawkers.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, under the Food Regulations, it is an offence to give food unfit for consumption as a prize or as a reward or for the purpose of advertisement. But we cannot prosecute a company for giving away expired food items as an outright gift. Charitable organisations are therefore advised not to receive food that carries an expired date-mark. If they are in doubt, consult my Ministry. My Ministry is also reviewing the Food Regulations to prevent companies from giving expired food items to charitable organisations. With regard to Mr Chin's second question, Sir, in practice, the retailers return the expired food items, if any, to the suppliers who would in turn arrange for them to be destroyed at our dumping grounds. BILL INTRODUCED INFECTIOUS DISEASES (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Infectious Diseases Act (Chapter 137 of the 1985 Revised Edition)", presented by the Minister for Health (Mr Yeo Cheow Tong); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS Debate on the Address (Fourth Allotted Day) Order read for Resumption of Debate on Question [13th January, 1992], 'That the following Address in reply to the Speech of the President be agreed to:- "We, the Parliament of the Republic of Singapore, express our thanks to the President for the Speech which he delivered on behalf of the Government at the Opening of the First Session of this Parliament.".' - [Dr John Chen Seow Phun]. Question again proposed. 12.40 pm”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, not all canned, bottled or packaged food are required to display their expiry dates. The Sale of Food Act now requires 16 groups of food products to have date-marks. These are food products which either have short shelf-lives or can easily deteriorate in quality. They include all infants' food, milk, milk products, fruit and vegetable juices. My Ministry regularly examines the need of date-marking for other food products. Some manufacturers also display the expiry dates of other food products even though this is not a requirement. Though my Ministry does not impose the date-marking requirement on these products because they have longer shelf-lives and do not spoil easily, we welcome such voluntary date-marking. Retail outlets are regularly inspected to ensure that the 16 food products properly display their expiry dates. Our inspectors also look out for all food products that carry expired dates. In 1991, Sir, there were 12 convictions against failures to display date-marks and 129 convictions against sale of expired food. The fines ranged between $300 and $2,000.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, all the schemes that I have outlined just now are flood alleviation schemes and, as the name suggests, they can only alleviate but not eliminate floods. Sir, if I may explain to the Member. Incidence of flooding in any catchment depends on several factors, chief of which are (1) heavy rainfall and, worse still, if it is continuous heavy rainfall for days on end, like the ones we experienced in December last year; (2) tidal influence; (3) the limited conveyance capacity of the drainage system of the catchment and, in some cases, on the low-lying nature of localised areas in a particular catchment. Of all these factors, unpredictability of weather is something quite beyond my control. The drainage system of a particular catchment is designed for storms of a certain magnitude and once this capacity is exceeded, the system overflows and flooding occurs. So no drainage system can eliminate flood in a flood prone area. It can only alleviate flood in the area. FOOD PRODUCTS (Display of expiry dates) 2. Mr Chin Harn Tong asked the Minister for the Environment (a) whether all canned, bottled or packaged foodstuffs sold for consumption are required to show clearly and correctly their expiry dates and (b) where this requirement applies, what are the steps taken by his Ministry to enforce this requirement and penalise offenders.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I cannot give that assurance. Mr Chin Harn Tong: Why can't the Minister do it?”
“Flooding at these areas can be alleviated only when the ground levels are raised through redevelopment.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, flooding is no longer a serious problem in Singapore. It is now less frequent and less extensive. The flood prone area in Sin- gapore has been reduced from some 3,200 hectares in the 1970s to 354 hectares now. Fifteen hectares in the Bukit Timah area are still flood prone, compared with 142 hectares before the completion of the Phase IIA Diversion Canal in 1990. Bukit Timah Road and Dunearn Road are no longer flooded now. The areas in Bukit Timah that experienced flooding in last December are Adam Road, Eng Neo Avenue, Queens Road, Balmoral Road and Steven Road. The drains at these areas, except that at Adam Road, are now being widened and deepened after the Diversion Canal was completed. Drainage improvement at Adam Road will be carried out after the Public Works Department has finalised the design details of the Adam Road Interchange Project. This is because the configuration of this project will affect the alignment of the drain. Improvements to the drains at the other areas in Bukit Timah began after the diversion project and will be completed by the end of this year. Besides Bukit Timah, Sir, other areas that experienced flooding recently are Braddell Road, Newton Circus, Outram Road, Poh Huat Road, Farrer Park and Neo Tiew Road. Flood alleviation measures for these areas will be taken during the current year. These measures include the widening and deepening of Sungei Kallang to receive the drain outflows from Braddell Road and the construction of new outlet drains in the other areas. Flood alleviation measures will be carried out in 28 other areas over the next five years. By then, the flood prone area in Singapore will reduce to 260 hectares scattered in 21 low-lying areas.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Kim Chuan and Jurong Sewage Treatment Works are sited in industrial areas and we do not foresee any change in land use in the future. Therefore, priority has been given to the four sewage treatment works which I have mentioned in my answer. TAMPINES WOODS ESTATE (Return of residential properties to original owners) 10. Dr Lee Siew-Choh asked the Minister for Law whether the Government will return to the original owners the residential properties in Tampines Woods Estate which it acquired in October 1970 for the expansion scheme of the Paya Lebar Airport, now that the scheme has apparently been shelved.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, Singapore has a comprehensive system to collect, treat and dispose of sewage. To minimise odour nuisance, each of the six sewage treatment works has a 1 kilometre buffer zone within which residential and commercial development is not allowed. This practice, however, sterilises scarce land. My Ministry has formulated a long-term plan to reduce odour nuisance and to free up land for residential and commercial developments. All sewage treatment works will be progressively upgraded with a new compact and covered design. The upgrading will be done as and when existing treatment units are due for replacement. The buffer zone will then be reduced from 1 km to 200 metres. In the interim, the existing treatment units at Ulu Pandan, Bedok, Kranji and Seletar that are not due for replacement will be covered and odour control facilities provided to contain and treat foul air. Covering up at these first three works will be completed by 1996, and at Seletar by the year 2000 at a total cost of $166 million. In addition, a capital expenditure of $148 million will be required to incorporate odour containment measures for new treatment units with the compact and covered design. Consequently, a total of 1,276 hectares of land (roughly three times the size of Clementi New Town) will be released for residential and commercial developments. When the entire programme is completed, a total of 2,774 hectares of land will be freed up.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Singapore delegation did raise the issue on the availability of unleaded petrol in Malaysia. In particular, we have requested our Malaysian counterpart to look into getting more petrol stations, especially those along the highway, to sell unleaded petrol. This will ensure that cars travelling in Malaysia can top up with unleaded petrol. SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS (Measures to reduce odour nuisance) 9. Mr Chin Harn Tong asked the Minister for the Environment, even though the existing sewage treatment works are sited at a distance from residential and commercial areas to minimise the odour nuisance, what long-term measures his Ministry will take to further reduce such nuisance.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, unleaded petrol now makes up 45% of the petrol sale compared with 30% before the introduction of the tax measures. As 10% of the cars cannot run on unleaded petrol, roughly half of the motorists, who have a choice, are using unleaded petrol now. While we have made good progress in promoting unleaded petrol, I would like to encourage motorists who are still using leaded petrol to make the switch. It makes health as well as economic sense to do so. Some motorists are using leaded petrol because they believe that unleaded petrol can affect engine performance or even damage the engines. The experience of using unleaded petrol so far has proved that such a belief is unfounded. Sir, public education to promote unleaded petrol will continue. I am hopeful that more motorists will use unleaded petrol as they realise its advantages. Our car replacement policies should also help to lower consumption of leaded petrol. Currently, new cars that run on leaded petrol only cannot be brought into Singapore. This will reduce the number of cars that cannot run on unleaded petrol. By 1st July 1992, all new cars imported will have fuel tanks which can only receive the smaller diameter unleaded petrol dispensers at the petrol stations. This will further increase the use of unleaded petrol as older cars are replaced by new ones. Mr Speaker, Sir, if necessary, Government can widen the price differential in favour of the unleaded petrol, although we do not see any present need to do so.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, between now and 1996, some 20 markets and food centres will be phased out to make way for various redevelopment projects. CERTIFICATES OF ENTITLEMENT (Amount of money collected) The following Question stood in the name of Mr Chiam See Tong - 6. To ask the Minister for Communications what was the total amount of money collected from 1st May 1990 to 28th February 1991 in respect of Certificates of Entitlement issued to (i) new motor vehicles and (ii) used motor vehicles.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, stalls are being kept vacant for offer to stallholders in existing markets and food centres that are affected by redevelopment projects. We will consider tendering out some of these vacant stalls when we are more certain of demand for such resettlement purposes.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, the decision to discontinue with the policy of allocating stalls in Government and statutory board hawker centres to hardship cases was taken early last year when it became clear that approved hardship cases were not interested in accepting stalls offered to them. They may have their reasons for not accepting these offers, but many indicated that they would like to have stalls in the more popular hawker centres like Newton or the Esplanade, for example, and were prepared to wait. Whatever the reasons may be, it was felt that it made no sense to allow the list of hardship cases to grow and at the same time reserve a list of vacant stalls for them. My Ministry held a press briefing in February last year and the same issue was discussed here in this House on 19th March when the hon. Members debated the Main and Development Estimates of my Ministry. Sir, I would like to inform the Member for Jalan Besar GRC that since then we have not issued hawker licences to hardship cases, or to anyone for that matter, for stalls in Government and statutory board hawker centres. I am sorry to inform him that we have no plans to revert the decision.”
“Should any illness or accident befall the breadwinner, the entire family would have lost its source of financial support and immediately face financial difficulties. Therefore, the best solution for these families is not the welfare assistance of $200-$300 per month, but to ensure that there is a means for them to earn a living so that they can be self-reliant. But it is common knowledge that such misfortune usually occurs to the husband who is the breadwinner and whose wife is just a housewife. Most of the time the housewife would possess cooking skill. So if we allot her a hawker or market stall, it will provide her with a tool to make a living. Therefore, I urge the Ministry of the Environment to consider reserving a portion of hawker stalls for these needy families to apply and do not let all the hawker stalls be rented out by the tender exercise. Of course, the Ministry would have to conduct thorough investigation to justify and approve the allocation of the stalls to these needy families. If we want to prevent the perpetual succession of these stalls from generation to generation so that it will not become a welfare subsidy to them, these stalls may be made non-transferable, not even to the children of the hawkers. In this way, it will avoid any future abuse and ensure that the hawkers do not encourage their children who can be gainfully employed elsewhere to continue in their parent's trade of hawking.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, Encik Ibrahim Othman has asked for the unit cost. I do not have the figures with me, but I believe the figures were made available when we announced the increase in the fees. With regard to his proposal that perhaps landed residential premises be allowed to set up common refuse collection points, my Ministry is prepared to consider this proposal on a case-by-case basis. But the more important thing is that this common bin point will have to meet my Ministry's public health requirements and it must be used by all residents living in the same estate. It does not make economic sense if some residents in the same estate still require the direct house-to-house refuse collection. Mr Peh Chin Hua (Jalan Besar GRC)( In Mandarin): Mr Chairman, Sir, since last year the Ministry of the Environment has ceased to give priority in allotting hawker stalls to applicants from needy families, causing the needy families to feel that the Government does not care for their welfare. By allotting hawker stalls and market stalls through the tender exercise, the Ministry has deprived the needy families from a means to earn a living. Perhaps the Ministry of the Environment feels that it is easy for hawkers to make big money, because there are some hawkers who drive big cars, live in bungalows and therefore they should not be enjoying subsidies for their stalls. In reality, although there are some hawkers who are making tons of money, the majority of hawkers earn barely enough to make their ends meet and to support their families. Today, there are still families which depend on one sole breadwinner for financial support in our society.”
“Furthermore, Sir, since mid-1990, managements of public toilets have been asked to fit sensor-operated flush valves and a programme has been initiated to install sensor-operated flush valves in Government offices over the next three years. Sir, I would like to stress that my Ministry will not hesitate to take enforcement action against managements who fail to keep their public toilets clean. And I personally feel that enforcement plus adverse publicity will serve as effective deterrents. All said and done, I think overall there have been some improvements, but there is certainly room for more. My Ministry will continue to work hard on this. Keeping our public toilets clean will be part of our overall effort to keep our environment clean. 1.45 pm”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, Mr Teo Chong Tee has raised a number of points on public toilets. For example, he feels that toilets in many shopping centres and those in HDB markets and food centres are still quite deplorable. He cited the experience of having to rush out for toilet paper because such toilet paper is not available. He wants the onus of keeping the toilets clean to rest on the shoulders of the operators because he thinks that they are charging fees and therefore they should be made more responsible than the users. He also wants public toilets to be fitted with automatic sensor flush valves, starting with Government departments, statutory boards and schools. Sir, on the subject of public toilets, my Ministry's approach is to use campaigns, technical innovation and enforcement in order to bring about improvements in the cleanliness of public toilets. Sir, a number of campaigns have been held to inculcate and reinforce good toilet habits among the users. There will be a similar campaign later this year and in this campaign we will involve the managements and operators of public toilets. They will, in turn, appeal to members of the public to help them keep the public toilets clean. Sir, if we are to have clean public toilets, it will require the joint effort of both the management of these toilets and also members of the public. On technical innovation, Sir, my Ministry has since 1985 made it compulsory for new public toilets and those that have been upgraded to be fitted with flush valves in place of water cistern. This will enable the toilets to be flushed repeatedly without having to wait for the cistern to fill up, a problem which Mr Teo has so eloquently described.”
“The stallholders did not express concern on the cost of providing refrigerators at their stalls. On the contrary, Sir, some of them even asked whether they could provide refrigerators of their own at the markets. They have all been assured that they could do so as there is space and adequate electrical power supply available. Next, Mr Teo seems to imply that freshly slaughtered poultry will no longer be available when the policy is implemented, and that poultry slaughtered at the service abattoirs are not as wholesome as those slaughtered at the wet markets. Again, Sir, I want to assure Mr Teo that poultry obtained from service abattoirs are fresh, safe and wholesome. In fact, consumers can be assured of better quality poultry when poultry slaughtering in wet markets is phased out because poultry slaughtering at the service abattoirs will be carried out under clean and hygienic conditions. Therefore, Mr Teo's suggestion of designating a few wet markets outside catchment areas where consumers can go for freshly slaughtered birds does not arise. In fact, to do so, Sir, would be most unfair to the rest of the stallholders who have to stop slaughtering poultry at the stalls. On the question of the price of poultry slaughtered in service abattoirs, my Ministry will certainly monitor this in order to make sure that consumers are not exploited.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I am glad that, as declared by Mr Teo, he is not objecting to the policy to phase out poultry slaughtering in wet markets. His main concern is the pace with which the policy will be implemented. Sir, the policy to phase out poultry slaughtering in wet markets was announced sometime in July last year to give the private sector sufficient time lead to start up poultry service abattoirs. Now that a number of poultry slaughtering houses are prepared to operate as poultry service abattoirs and, with a few more in the pipeline, this policy will be implemented with the first group of 11 wet markets within the river catchments on 1st April 1991. This programme will be extended gradually to include the remaining groups of wet markets in the river catchments before it is extended to wet markets in the water catchments and finally to markets outside the catchment. I would like to assure Mr Teo that the programme will be gradual and well-paced in order to ensure that the supply and demand situation for dressed poultry is adequately met. Sir, the Hawkers Department of my Ministry held dialogue sessions with the stallholders of the 11 wet markets where poultry slaughtering will have to cease with effect from 1st April. The purpose of the dialogue sessions was to explain to the poultry stallholders the phasing out programme and to obtain feedback and suggestions, if any, from them. I am glad to say that there were no adverse reactions from the stallholders. Their main concern was whether the service abattoirs have the capacity to meet their demand and whether the service abattoirs will also be slaughtering poultry according to Muslim rights. And they have all been assured that the service abattoirs could meet both requirements.”
“They should be more cooperative with our PHIs whenever the latter visit their homes and allow them to spray insecticides whenever necessary. Mr Teo Chong Tee mentioned just now that some of my PHIs were not cooperative when residents asked them to spray their upstairs. The easiest way, I would suggest, is that whenever members of the public come across such Public Health Inspectors, just contact the Ministry of the Environment, and we will deal with such Inspectors. Sir, Mr Teo Chong Tee also wants to know whether insecticide used to swingfog homes is a health hazard. The answer obviously is no. The dosage used is safe and will not cause harm or injury to humans. With regard to Mr Teo Chong Tee's question whether my Ministry would only respond when reported DHF cases are confirmed by the virology lab of SGH, the answer again is no. Public Health Inspectors are making visits every day in selected areas where the Aedes mosquito population is known to be high, regardless of whether DHF cases are found in these areas. However, when a case of DHF is confirmed, another team will make a special visit to that area even if it had been visited previously. 1.30 pm”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, dengue or dengue haemorrhagic fever is transmitted, as we all know, by Aedes mosquitoes. These mosquitoes breed in clean water and under shade. They do not breed in choked drains or on vacant lands. This specie usually breeds within homes or in their compounds. Sir, the foremost objective of my Ministry is to keep the population protected against disease like DHF. However, in achieving this objective, we have created a paradoxical situation. I think doctors in this House will bear me out in that the herd immunity of the human population continues to decline, and consequently they have now become more susceptible to the disease. Sir, the current outbreak in Singapore is precipitated by a localised build-up of Aedes mosquito population, particularly in the eastern sector of Singapore. Public Health Inspectors of my Ministry have been carrying out intensive vector control operations, visiting homes, checking out for mosquito-breeding grounds and applying insecticides wherever and whenever necessary. Just for the information of this House, Sir, last year alone, nearly 900,000 homes were visited by my Public Health Inspectors and some of these homes were re-visited several times. Over the last two months of this year, another 150,000 homes were visited. A total of 100 Public Health Inspectors of my Ministry have been deployed full time on this operation. Sir, the spread of the disease can easily be curtailed or put to an end if every effort is made to prevent the Aedes mosquitoes from breeding. And here my Ministry requires the fullest cooperation of every household. Every household must conscientiously and routinely look out for stagnant water in their homes and remove it.”
“The problem may resurface unless we continue to be vigilant. And here I would like to urge members of the public to inform my Ministry of any illegal food factory that they know of, and we will certainly take action on such factories. I would also like to stress, Sir, that all food retailing outlets in Singapore are required to obtain their supply from licensed food manufacturers. This will ensure that there will be no market for food manufactured illegally. These food outlets, if found to obtain supplies from illegal sources, will be prosecuted under the law and their licences suspended or even revoked. For example, in 1990, 62 persons were prosecuted for selling food that did not comply with food safety regulations and two for selling food obtained from unlicensed sources. In fact, Sir, the licence of one stallholder at a food centre was revoked when it was found that she had obtained food unfit for human consumption from an illegal source. Sir, on Mr Chin's suggestion that perhaps my Ministry should introduce laws which would require the offenders to pay compensation to the affected customers, my Ministry is of the view that such claims for damages are best dealt with through civil action. In this way, the extent of liability and the appropriate quantum of compensation for the aggrieved parties could be properly addressed. Sir, I would like to assure this House that my Ministry recognises the importance and need to safeguard and provide maximum protection to our population against unsafe and contaminated food and will not hesitate to increase the penalties, including mandatory jail sentence, if the need arises.”
“Sir, both Mr Goh Chee Wee and Mr Chin Harn Tong have spoken on a subject which is of great concern to all of us - food hygiene. Let me first begin with the sale of food. Sir, the importation, manufacture and sale of food are closely monitored by my Ministry. Any importer, manufacturer or supplier who infringes the law will be severely dealt with. Sir, under existing laws, anyone importing, manufacturing or supplying contaminated food intended for sale to the public can be imprisoned up to three months or fined up to $5,000 even for a first offence. In addition, Sir, all food found to be unsafe or not complying with food safety regulations will be confiscated and destroyed. Sir, last year, three importers, 25 manufacturers and seven suppliers were prosecuted in court for having food intended for sale which was spoilt, contaminated or containing unpermitted additives. The fines by the Court ranged from $200 to $2,500, and a total of about 800 tonnes of food were confiscated and destroyed. Let me now deal with the subject raised by Mr Goh Chee Wee, ie, illegal food factories. Sir, to the best of my Ministry's knowledge, there are no illegal food factories in Singapore today. They have all been stamped out. Sir, a nation-wide massive operation which started in 1989 had successfully ferreted out these illegal food factories. A total of 86 illegal food factories were found and closed down. And, in fact, two offenders were imprisoned for four weeks each for operating illegal food factories and preparing food unfit for human consumption. Having said that, Sir, I would like to stress that despite the successes achieved by my Ministry in stamping out illegal food factories, that does not mean we have totally eradicated the problem.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, my Ministry's plans are really to focus on public education and enforcement. We will reach out to the students through the schools and to the general community through grassroots organisations. But in the long term, Sir, my Ministry hopes that citizens will refrain from littering because of a greater sense of social responsibility and environmental consciousness. However, Sir, enforcement against those who litter will still continue. In this respect, my Ministry welcomes any help it can get. Sir, for the information of this House, to-date five Town Councils, namely, Jurong East, Potong Pasir, Tiong Bahru, Brickworks and Toa Payoh, have volunteered to help by getting their Town Council members, their staff and management agents to be empowered under the Environmental Public Health Act to take enforcement actions against littering and other offences. I am also pleased to report that members of the public are now giving feedback to my Ministry whenever they come across motorists who litter. Many of these members of the public have indicated that they will testify in court when called upon to do so. I applaud their civic consciousness and hope that there will be more like them. Therefore, at this point of time, I do not see the need for my Ministry to form organised volunteer groups, as suggested by Mr Goh Chee Wee, to enforce against littering. With regard to the recommendation by Dr Koh Lam Son that perhaps my Ministry could consider using other uniformed groups to help us carry out the enforcement action, we will certainly look into the recommendation. But I would appeal to Town Councils to follow the examples of the five I have mentioned just now and get themselves empowered under the Environmental Public Health Act.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I think it is most unfortunate for Mr Chiam to patronise that particular hawker centre. What I am talking about are the general private hawker centres in Singapore. We have done our survey and found that many of them are charging only marginally higher than those run by the statutory boards or by the Environment Ministry.”
“Batam Island, on the other hand, is physically further away. And at this point of time, only light industries are allowed to be set up there. By and large, these light industries are clean and therefore their impact on the environment here in Singapore would not be significant. It is also gratifying to note that the Indonesian authorities are also keen to control and minimise pollution from these industries to safeguard the tourism potential of Batam Island. The subject of the Joint Committee on the Environment between Batam and Singapore has not been raised by my counterpart in Jakarta. Should he raise it, I am more than willing to consider.”
“At that meeting, environmental issues of current concerns to both Singapore and Malaysia were discussed and these included motor vehicular emissions, unleaded petrol and industrial emissions. The Joint Committee agreed on regular exchange of information and experience on environmental management and control. They have also agreed on stepping up and coordinating enforcement actions against black smoke emissions from vehicles. A Working Group comprising officers from both countries has been formed to look into the development of procedures to coordinate and to deal with environmental issues such as oil spills in the Straits of Johore, transboundary movement of hazardous chemicals and industrial pollution. Encik Ibrahim Othman wants to know the progress made by this Joint Committee. Of the list of topics discussed at the first meeting held in Johore on 5th February, the one that has been implemented is the topic on Motor Vehicle Emission. Currently, both Singapore and Malaysia adopt the same testing methods and equipment as well as enforcement standard for smoke emission from diesel vehicles. Both countries have agreed to coordinate and step up enforcement against smoky diesel vehicles. The results of the stricter enforcement action will be monitored for three months and information on repeat offenders will be exchanged between the two countries for follow up action. The Working Group which I mentioned just now is looking into the implementation of the other topics and will be making its recommendations to the Joint Committee when it next meets in July. The setting up of the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment has been very timely, Sir. The two countries are physically very close to each other and share common problems along the Straits of Johore.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I fully agree with the views expressed by Dr Koh Lam Son on the subject of privatisation of food centres. In any policy or proposal affecting stallholders in food centres, careful consideration will be given to minimise their displacement - and where possible, every opportunity will be given for them to continue their trade. Sir, at this point of time, my Ministry has not finalised the policy on privatisation, as the matter requires very, very careful consideration before a firm decision is taken. In the meantime, my Ministry is looking into the feasibility of renovating selected hawker centres, as Dr Koh Lam Son has suggested earlier on. The renovated centres will have bigger stalls, bigger circulation and refreshment areas. They will also have modern facilities such as automatic washing machines and also central fume exhaust systems. Mr Chiam See Tong has said that when hawker centres are privatised, the cost of food sold at these centres may go up as high as 20-25%. And as workers usually depend on these hawker centres, the increase in food prices will certainly affect these workers. Sir, I do not think I could agree with what Mr Chiam has said, because food prices charged by existing private food centres which pay higher rentals and have high overheads, according to our investigations, are only marginally higher than those by hawker centres run by the Ministry of the Environment or by statutory boards. In any case, as I mentioned earlier, my Ministry has not finalised its decision on the privatisation of hawker centres. I now turn to the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment which was raised by Encik Ibrahim Othman. The first meeting of the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment was held on 5th February this year.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Main and Development Estimates for the financial year 1991/1992, and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, the House may recall that Singapore acceded to the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and the 1985 Vienna Convention on the protection of the ozone layer in January 1989. To implement the Montreal Protocol and the Geneva Convention, the Trade Development Board (TDB) has, since October 1989, introduced a Tender and Quota System to control the consumption of the controlled CFCs in Singapore. Under this system, all industrial end users and distributors who have registered themselves with the TDB will be eligible for quota allocation. 50% of the quota quantity will be allocated by public tender, and the remaining 50% will be allocated to those who have tendered, based on their pro-rated consumption in the previous year. This scheme ensures that the current users will have some CFCs to continue their operation. Our consumption of the controlled CFCs in 1986 was about 4,000 tonnes. By 1990, the consumption has been reduced to about 3,500 tonnes or about 86% of our 1986 level of consumption. The Montreal Protocol requires us to freeze in 1989 our consumption at 1986 level and to hold it at that level till December 1994. So you can see, Sir, that we are very much ahead of the schedule set by the Montreal Protocol. In our effort to cut down the use of controlled CFCs, my Ministry has, with effect from 5th February this year, imposed a ban on the import and manufacture of non-pharmaceutical aerosols containing the controlled CFCs and also polystyrene sheets and products made using the controlled CFCs. We are working in consultation with industries to phase out the use of the controlled CFCs by the year 2000 in accordance with the Montreal Protocol.”
“Sir, Mr Teo Chong Tee has correctly pointed out that since we are into waste recycling, should we now advise hawkers not to use disposable crockery and cutlery including disposable chopsticks. Sir, first of all, the introduction of disposable crockery in hawker centres was primarily for the sake of hygiene, as pointed out by Mr Teo. Because of the manner in which food is served and the fact that many of these hawker centres do not have facilities for central collection and washing, the use of disposable crockery circumvents the problem of the slow clearing of soiled crockery from tables and improperly washed crockery. Sir, eating establishments with facilities for central collection and central washing would certainly be encouraged not to use disposable crockery.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, the three-month pilot project on waste recycling, carried out in a Town Council housing estate, a private condominium and a housing estate with landed properties, was well supported by the residents in general. For the information of this House, Sir, a total of about 18 tonnes of wastepaper, 2 tonnes of waste plastics and 4,200 spent batteries were collected and sold for about $3,500. In the case of Telok Blangah, a constituency under the Redhill Town Council where the pilot project was held, the MP, Dr Koh Lam Son, has decided to award bursaries of $400 each to three needy students in his constituency and donating the balance of the money he raised to charity. Sir, my Ministry will, in the years ahead, actively promote waste recycling in homes, offices and industries. Sir, waste recycling is a sound environmental policy. The more we reuse and recycle, the less we need to get from our earth's resources. Waste recycling also means waste minimization. The more we recycle, the less we need to dispose and our dumping grounds will have a longer lease of life and demand on our incineration capacity will also decrease. Sir, today there are 11 condominiums practising waste recycling and besides Redhill Town Council, which is continuing from the pilot project, two other Town Councils, namely, Cheng San and Jurong East Town Councils, have shown interest and are working very closely with my Ministry to start waste recycling in their estates. And many schools and offices have also started recycling waste paper. Sir, my Ministry will set up a Waste Recycling Unit to coordinate and promote waste recycling in all sectors of our community. This Unit will also study and propose incentives and legislation to encourage waste recycling.”
“Sir, I am very pleased with the good response from our younger generation. They have sincerely demonstrated that they care for the environment and want to play a role as well. My Ministry will soon be planning the 1991 CGW and we will certainly take cognizance of Mr Goh's as well as Mr Chin Harn Tong's suggestion of concentrating on one or two issues to achieve sharper focus. My Ministry hopes to see even greater involvement of the various sectors of the population in this year's CGW activities. Sir, Mr Teo Chong Tee in his speech has touched on subjects like maintenance of trees, planting of trees along highways and MRT lines as noise-reduction barriers, and even the invasion of his offshore islands by elephants. I certainly will pass on his suggestions to my colleague, the Minister for National Development.”
“As in last year's CGW, Sir, we will seek a strong commitment and participation of the business community, the mass media, and private sector groups to help promote environmental responsibility across our society. Sir, Encik Ibrahim Othman wants to know whether my Ministry would organise activities between annual CGWs to sustain interest. One of the objectives of the CGW campaign is to serve as a catalyst to spur on interest and enthusiasm of the general public and, in particular, our students and youths, in promoting a sense of environmental consciousness and responsibility. Following the successful launching of the first CGW last year, my Ministry set up a CGW Promotional Committee to assist members of the public, schools, organisations, to plan and organise talks, seminars and exhibitions in promoting a clean and green environment. Sir, for the information of this House, the CGW Promotional Committee has to-date received 145 requests from schools and other organisations for assistance in organising environment related projects. 380 schools have also appointed teachers known as Environment Education Advisors (EEAs) to liaise with my Ministry on environment related matters. These EEAs will coordinate and promote environmental consciousness in their respective schools. Sir, the National Council on the Environment (NCE) was also formed with its Board of Directors comprising CEOs and senior managers of major corporations, as well as Members of Parliament and senior officials of my Ministry. In fact, Encik Ibrahim himself, together with Mr Chng Hee Kok, Member for Tiong Bahru GRC, are on the NCE. The NCE will also actively pursue the promotion of environmental awareness through the business community and other channels.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, first of all, I would like to thank Mr Goh Chee Wee and Members of his GPC for the Environment for their support, cooperation and suggestions made to my Ministry in the course of our work during financial year 90. Now let me deal with the points raised by hon. Members. Sir, Mr Goh Chee Wee specially wants to know whether my Ministry has assessed the effectiveness of the Clean and Green Week (CGW) held in November last year. The answer is yes, Sir, we assessed the effectiveness of the CGW 90. According to results of a post-campaign survey conducted by an independent agency, the level of awareness of the campaign was very high indeed. The campaign itself generated a lot of interest and enthusiasm amongst the public. The survey also disclosed that the majority of those interviewed agreed that it was important to protect the environment and recognised that protecting the environment should be everyone's responsibility, and not something to be left to the Government alone to do. Sir, I am very pleased to say that Singaporeans, by and large, are pro-environment. Mr Goh also wants to know whether my Ministry has plans for future educational campaigns to promote environmental consciousness and, indeed, Mr Teo Chong Tee firmly believes that on-going education to complement annual campaigns is needed before Singaporeans can be expected to have proper understanding of environmental issues. Sir, my Ministry will continue to educate the public and instil in every Singaporean a national commitment to protect and preserve the environment. My Ministry will work very closely with schools to reach out to the students and with grassroots organisations to reach out to the general community.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, a question has been asked and my answer is to put at ease the minds of the car owners whose cars cannot use unleaded petrol. In fact, the question has been asked earlier by Mr Chin Harn Tong whether the sale of leaded petrol will still be made available and the answer is yes. Subsequent to that, Mr Chng Hee Kok has asked what will happen to the old cars when leaded petrol is no longer available. My answer is: as long as there are cars which need leaded petrol, leaded petrol will be made available. I am not speaking on behalf of any oil company.”