Ang Kok Peng
Singapore
“Sir, earlier this morning, the House was informed that HDB has an ongoing project to detect urine in lifts by installing urine sensors inside the lifts. Will the Minister inform us whether the purpose is to expedite the cleansing of the lifts after somebody has urinated or is it to catch culprits urinating?”
“Sir, I believe there are regulations under the Destruction of Disease-Bearing Insects Act which require building contractors to take adequate measures to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes at construction sites.”
“Sir, may I ask the Minister how many statutory boards are retaining the services of their low income employees aged over 60 years? And would the Minister agree that the information I am seeking now should be given fair publicity so that the private sector employers could be encouraged to follow suit.”
“Sir, I have two questions for the Minister. How many blocks of flats along Avenue 8 Ang Mo Kio are really having a higher dose of noise because of the MRT system? What other areas near the MRT system will experience a higher noise level in future when more MRT lines become operational?”
“Sir, I have two supplementary questions for the Senior Parliamentary Secretary. First, has the Ministry conducted any survey to find out whether the disposable ware used by food hawkers and vendors in Singapore are of a quality that meets the safety specifications adopted by advanced countries such as the USA or UK?”
“Sir, I would like to seek some clarification from the Minister. Clause 34 which replaces section 42 of the Environmental Public Health Act being repealed provides for the licensing of itinerant hawkers. Today, apart from the ice-cream vendors who are mobile, all hawkers are now operating from stationary stalls.”
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Every one of 198 lines we hold for Ang Kok Peng, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 1 of 4.
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister what measures is his Ministry taking to monitor and prevent the illegal dumping of toxic waste in Singapore, and what is the penalty for a toxic waste dumping offence?”
“The punishment may leave behind in these young minds an indelible mark that could lead to a life-time of mental aberration with undesirable consequences for society. While I admit that we must have adequate punishment for offenders, I think we need to exert greater efforts at prevention of crime through education in schools and by the mass media. Punishment alone is not the answer. We have adequate punishment for littering, illegal parking, dangerous driving, unhygienic food handling by vendors, etc, and yet these irresponsible and anti-social acts are still prevalent. Perhaps the problem lies in some of our people who play the game of cat and mouse with the law. They will commit an offence if they think they can get away with it. This they regard as fair game. These people have yet to be taught that every citizen is duty bound to observe the law for the proper functioning of society. How do we go about inculcating in these people that no breach of the law should take place even when nobody is around to arrest offenders? I leave this question for the Hon. Minister to ponder. While supporting the Bill, I would want the Hon. Minister to bear in mind my comments.”
“Sir, I rise to support the Amendment Bill. We all know the damages that have been caused by careless, irresponsible and mischievous acts of discharging fireworks. This has been well publicized by the mass media and recapitulated by the Hon. Minister just now. I am alarmed that the number of offences against the law relating to the possession and discharge of fireworks rose sharply in the early months of this year. It would seem that the existing legislation and the penalty provided therein are inadequate to deter people from flouting the law. It is therefore understandable that the Hon. Minister feels compelled to introduce this Amendment Bill which contains a new section 3(A) prohibiting the sale, transport, delivery, distribution or import of fireworks and the penalty for its contravention, and also a new section 5 to replace the original section 5 in order to increase the penalty for an offence under section 3(1)(b). Section 5(2) of the Bill provides the penalty for the offence of discharging dangerous fireworks. For the first offence, the penalty is a fine varying from a minimum of $2,000 to a maximum of $10,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or both fine and imprisonment. And for a repeat offence, the penalty is a mandatory imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and caning of six strokes. I would like the Hon. Minister to reconsider this section. To me it seems to be too harsh. I am thinking of juveniles and young persons below 16 years old who may not fully appreciate the seriousness of the offence, and may unwittingly commit the offence when they mistakenly consider their acts as no more than mere childish pranks. To punish these minors so severely may create psychological problems.”
“Point of clarification, Sir. If I remember correctly, the Minister of State said that the sensor would also trigger off the mechanism should some liquid other than urine be spilled in the lift. Would that not trap innocent people?”
“Sir, earlier this morning, the House was informed that HDB has an ongoing project to detect urine in lifts by installing urine sensors inside the lifts. Will the Minister inform us whether the purpose is to expedite the cleansing of the lifts after somebody has urinated or is it to catch culprits urinating? If it is to expedite the cleansing, I think this is a most welcome thing. But if it is to catch culprits, I wonder how the device can enable the HDB to do so.”
“Sir, may I ask the Minister what is the damage to health caused by ingesting vegetables contaminated with Methamidophos pesticide?”
“Sir, may I ask the Minister how many statutory boards are retaining the services of their low income employees aged over 60 years? And would the Minister agree that the information I am seeking now should be given fair publicity so that the private sector employers could be encouraged to follow suit.”
“Sir, I believe there are regulations under the Destruction of Disease-Bearing Insects Act which require building contractors to take adequate measures to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes at construction sites. May I ask the Minister whether these regulations are being strictly enforced, and what are the penalties for contractors who contravene these regulations?”
“Sir, I have two questions for the Minister. How many blocks of flats along Avenue 8 Ang Mo Kio are really having a higher dose of noise because of the MRT system? What other areas near the MRT system will experience a higher noise level in future when more MRT lines become operational?”
“May I refer to the Annex provided just now? At , under Age of Member, line 2, you have 55-60, and line 3, 60-65. Is there not an error?”
“Sir, I have two supplementary questions for the Senior Parliamentary Secretary. First, has the Ministry conducted any survey to find out whether the disposable ware used by food hawkers and vendors in Singapore are of a quality that meets the safety specifications adopted by advanced countries such as the USA or UK? Secondly, some food hawkers are reusing these disposable wares which are not meant to be washed and reused. Does the Ministry contemplate taking any action against them?”
“Sir, I would like to seek some clarification from the Minister. Clause 34 which replaces section 42 of the Environmental Public Health Act being repealed provides for the licensing of itinerant hawkers. Today, apart from the ice-cream vendors who are mobile, all hawkers are now operating from stationary stalls. In connection with the retention of this provision, may I ask the Minister whether it is now the intention of his Ministry to re-introduce itinerant hawkers into the Singapore scene. Part VI of the Bill deals specifically with noise control and clause 47, in particular, deals with the control of noise on construction sites. As we all know, Sir, many construction companies in Singapore are still using the noisy diesel piling hammers in their piling works. With the enactment of this Bill, will the Minister or his Ministry take immediate action against those using noisy diesel piling hammers or allow them a reasonable grace period?”
“Training and Health Education (19) That the sum to be allocated for Head P be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead PE-05-1210 of the Main Estimates. Dr Ho Tat Kin:”
“However, we have some clinics that are using proprietary or code names often known only to themselves, in labelling these medicines dispensed by them. I presume this is to keep the identity of these medicines to themselves. If this is so, then it defeats the purpose of labelling medicines. In this connection, I would like to raise two points. Would the Ministry ensure that either only proper generic names are used or, if proprietary names are used, full details of composition be deposited with the Ministry of Health? Two, should not these proprietary medicines which are exclusive to a clinic be subjected to product licensing under the Drug Registration Scheme?”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman, for letting me join in the debate. First, I wish to commend the Ministry of Health for having done an excellent job in improving the dental health of our population, in particular the young, through the Dental Health Education programme. I am, therefore, confident that the Ministry can also achieve similar success in other areas of health education. I would like to refer, in particular, to health care in our primary schools. In most primary schools, there is a dental nurse in the school to cater to the dental needs of school children. I would suggest that the Ministry provide primary schools with health nurses. These nurses could deal with some aspects of total health care, for example, they could be put in charge of sick bays, provide first-aid in schools, monitor the general health of the children and maintain a close watch on the progress of children with special health problems, such as epileptic children and diabetic children. They could also teach children how to cope with stress and how to achieve a balanced diet. There is another aspect of health care education which requires greater attention, and that is, eye care education. It seems to me that in terms of people wearing power lenses per capita of population, we must rank as one of the highest in the world. Poor eyesight is therefore a problem for us. I would urge the Minister to consider putting in more efforts in eye care education in our schools and other institutions. Another matter of interest to me, Sir, is the labelling of medicine. The practice of labelling medicines dispensed to patients is now widely practised by doctors and pharmacies. This is good as it will enable subsequent identification of the dispensed medicines should the need arise.”
“Sir, when the MRT is in operation, the Ministry will be monitoring the noise level. What I want to know is what will the Ministry be monitoring - the traffic noise index or the noise pollution level, or what?”
“Yes. Under the Minimum Sum Scheme, a CPF member leaves behind a sum of $30,000 in the CPF or an approved institution. If he leaves it with the CPF, he will receive a monthly tax-free income of $230 per month. This sum is enough for living at subsistence level only. Since we are striving towards a nation of excellence, should we not encourage our people to plan for a standard of living higher than that of subsistence level? Would the Minister consider allowing a member to leave a bigger sum in the CPF so that a higher tax-free monthly income can be available to him to enable him to enjoy a standard of living above the subsistence level?”
“Mr Chairman, I would like to touch on the CPF.”
“Land Transport Enforcement (5) That the sum to be allocated for Head I be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead IC-04-1210 of the Main Estimates.”
“Water Pollution Control (15) That the sum to be allocated for Head M be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead MF-01-1210 of the Main Estimates.”
“But I would suggest to the Ministry to issue a little pamphlet to provide a guideline on the usage of such disposable ware because research work in America has shown that one has to be careful about the proper usage of such ware.”
“Mr Chairman, I would like to take the opportunity to commend the Ministry of the Environment for the excellent job in cleaning up the Singapore rivers. I understand that the task would be completed by September this year. But my concern is how are we going to ensure that the good work of the Ministry will not be undone by irresponsible people dumping refuse and industrial wastes into these rivers. Could the Minister let the House know of his plans to keep our rivers clean and beautify the surrounding areas and, where space permits, to develop such areas into recreational areas. Another matter I wish to touch on is our hawker centres. Like my two colleagues who advocated the upgrading of the centres, I am all in favour for it and would lend my support to this idea. In fact, our hawker centres, if my memory serves me right, looked presentable 15 years ago. Indeed at that time we were rather proud of them. In today's context, many of them are below standard in terms of comfort to the customers, and in some cases the standard of hygiene practised by the food handlers leaves much to be desired. Apart from upgrading these hawker centres, I wonder whether the Minister would consider the privatization or devolution of the management of these hawker centres because now it is fashionable with respect to the governance of Singapore to privatize Government companies or devolute authorites and I hope that we can do something along this line with regard to our hawker centres. Concerning the disposable ware, I think we should try to promote as wide a usage of the disposable ware as possible.”
“Sir, if my memory serves me right, we have had campaigns to promote the proper use and maintenance of public toilets. Would the Minister agree that these campaigns did some good and would he consider having another campaign?”
“Sir, although it is exciting to know the cost of the various items, what I am interested to know is, by using these disposable wares, does it really cost the hawker more than the present system?”
“Sir, has the Ministry done any costing of the two methods of hawking food?”
“Supplementary question, Sir. Could the Minister inform the House on the success of other flood alleviation schemes implemented by his Ministry?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am satisfied with the safeguards provided and pleased that the Bill will be committed to a Select Committee and referred to the House again. I hope that the Select Committee will not take too much time to deliberate on the matter and will make its report expeditiously, as patients are dying for lack of kidneys for transplant.”
“Clause 12, in dealing with the priority of the recipients, considers those who have not registered their objection, those who have registered their objection, those who have subsequently withdrawn their registered objection, and those referred to in clause 5(2)(g). But the clause seems to be silent on persons referred to under clause 5(2) (d), ie, persons under 21 years of age who require the consent of parents or guardians before they could participate in the scheme. May I seek clarification on this point from the Minister of State? Mr Speaker, Sir, it would be ideal indeed if legislation can be avoided and our people can be persuaded through education and public campaigns to respond adequately to the crying needs of patients for another lease of life. We have tried for 14 years to persuade people to pledge to donate their kidneys on death. So far, about 27,000 pledges have been made but this represents about 3% of our need and to-date not a single kidney has been available from these pledges for transplantation. This scheme has not worked at all and is not likely to work in the foreseeable future. An alternative must be found and hence the present Bill. Under this contracting-out legislation, we may be able to salvage 80-90 kidneys from fatal accident victims each year for saving the lives of kidney patients. In order to make the scheme acceptable by as many people and as soon as possible, the Ministry could do well by soliciting the assistance of religious bodies and other organizations to persuade people to overcome their apprehension or reluctance to donate kidneys especially because of superstition which, as hon. Members know, is not based on rational thinking and is therefore difficult to dispel.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the House will recall that during the Budget debate in March this year, the hon. Members for Toa Payoh and Ulu Pandan eloquently expressed their concern for the sufferings of patients with chronic renal failure and suggested to the Ministry of Health to consider introducing legislation for the automatic donation of kidneys for transplant purpose by persons who die in accidents with the proviso that a person can elect not to be a donor if he so wishes. About six months later, the Human Organ Transplant Bill was tabled in the House. Today, we have the opportunity to debate on this Bill. I am very glad that the Bill will be committed to a Select Committee so that the public representation can be considered. This is as it should be. There are persons who are not in favour of this Bill for various reasons, personal, religious or cultural. The Bill recognizes this point. Clause 5(2) makes such a provision respecting the wishes of persons who do not want to participate in the scheme. A person can register his objection at any time before and even after the relevant law comes into force. There is therefore in essence no infringement of an individual's right. Mr Speaker, Sir, certain quarters have expressed their fears that kidneys would be removed before a potential donor is really dead. Clause 5(3) of the Bill should allay such a fear as the death has to be certified by two medical practitioners who are neither involved in the transplant nor in the treatment of the proposed recipient and must also possess appropriate post-graduate medical qualification. A further safeguard is that the removal and transplant are only allowed in Government or gazetted hospitals.”
“Thank you, Sir. Over the years, there has been greater flexibility in the use of money from the Skills Development Fund for the purpose of upgrading skills. This is a good sign. However, as far as I know, and I stand to be corrected, no money has been spent on providing training for workers who have become handicapped as a result of industrial accidents and are no longer able to continue with their particular occupation. For them, the question of upgrading their original skills is irrelevant. Humane employers would retain these persons in their establishments and deploy them to less demanding jobs, which though helping them financially can no longer provide a meaningful life. These persons, especially the younger ones, should be trained in other skills with career prospects so that they can once again look forward to a meaningful life in our society. If the SDF is prepared to finance such training, then some publicity should be given to it so that it will be generally known among employers and employees. If under existing guidelines SDF is unable to do so, would the Minister consider changing the guidelines to allow SDF to do so?”
“Could we have a bit more example of such waste?”
“May I seek some clarification from the Minister. I would like to ask the Minister what measures does his Ministry have for dealing with hazardous waste that could not be disposed of locally.”
“Sir, in the past, the legislation dealing with hazardous substances was administered by various ministries. In April last year, the Ministry of the Environment was given the responsibility for administering the legislation dealing with the control of hazardous substances in Singapore. Could the Minister inform the House what his Ministry has done so far, and what are the roles played by the other ministries now in exercising control over hazardous substances? What aspects of the control have been identified for further improvement, and which of them have actually been implemented since April 1985?”
“This means that the less able students are at a disadvantage compared to their better counterparts in terms of physical facilities when they, in fact, are the ones in greater need of such facilities. Could something be done to remedy this deficiency, especially now that the Government intends to invest a sum of $3 billion on education over 10 years, in addition to the yearly budget provision.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I join the debate now and not move my amendment. I wish to seek a clarification regarding the Gifted Programme and make a request for upgrading the facilities of the Pre-U Centres. I wonder whether designating a pupil as "gifted" has induced any aberration in the behaviour pattern of the pupil. Has any study been made on the behaviour of this group of pupils and, if so, what are the findings? According to a press report last December, pupils under this programme had to be prepared for the PSLE with measures such as being given plenty of exercises to tackle typical PSLE questions, and in the case of some boys being forced to finish their Mathematics worksheets. The report also stated that if the pupils did well, they would automatically move up to the Gifted Programme for secondary pupils. What is meant by "well", I wonder? If the report is correct, it seems strange that our very best pupils still need to be prepared for such a simple examination where the pass rate of ordinary pupils is normally over 80%. Why is it necessary for these pupils to sit for the same PSLE examination? Would not a separate exami- nation be more appropriate? After all, these are very special students. Furthermore, these children in later life need not have to depend on the PSLE certificate to look for a job. They do not really need to sit for the same examination. Would the Minister care to comment? The second matter I would like to raise is that at the moment some students spend two years at the junior colleges and others three years at the Pre-U Centres preparing for the same GCE 'A' level examination. It is generally known that the physical facilities at the junior colleges are far better than those at the Pre-U Centres.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether the 2,000 applicants from the rental flats have indicated that the prices of the flats that they intend to buy are beyond their means?”
“In the last Budget Statement, the Minister for Finance announced a reduction of estate duty and a simplication of its method of assessment. The reduction was generous and the computation has been made easy and straightforward. My purpose of referring to this item of revenue is to ask the Minister to seriously consider abolishing it altogether. The estimated revenue from this item for FY 86 is $12 million, a paltry sum representing about 0.08% of the estimated total revenue for 1986. In fact, the estate duty collection has been decreasing steadily in recent years and, if the trend persists, the estimated amount for FY 87 will be even less. To collect the estimated amount of $12 million for FY 86, we have to maintain a machinery for its collection with the estimated manpower expenditure alone of almost $1 million, which does not appear to be as cost effective as the other revenue collection units in the Ministry. For most people, the estate duty payable is small and bearable. But what is undesirable is that the legal process involved in settling the estate duty is time-consuming, not to mention the inconvenience and frustration it causes the beneficiary or beneficiaries. I would therefore suggest to the Minister that, in keeping with our national policy of encouraging people to work hard and save, this item of taxation be abolished. Having made these comments, I must add that the proposed Budget before the House is as good as any that we can expect at a trying time like this. I therefore support the Budget Statement. 4.10 pm”
“What are the standard and equitable procedures available to ensure that local workers, in both the public and private sectors, are the first to be employed and foreign workers the first to be retrenched? These procedures will make our citizens feel that their interests are fully protected and the social problems arising from unemployment can be mitigated and the social cost minimized. In the budget allocation for the Ministry of Health there is a provision of $58.67 million for development expenditure, which is a decrease of 24.5% from the revised FY 85 provision. I am surprised at this, as I think there is a case for a larger provision. I say this because the physical facilities of our older hospitals are grossly inadequate. Just to name an example, take the Toa Payoh Hospital. The place is cramped and the physical facilities need upgrading. There are not enough Class B1 and B2 wards to cater for public demand. So is the case for the unsubsidized Class A ward, which lacks quality. The same situation exists in other hospitals. While we are striving to become a centre of excellence in medical services, I am perturbed that such a state of affairs still persists in our hospitals. Perhaps the Minister for Finance, being at the same time the Minister for Health, has been over-cautious in his allocation to the Ministry of Health lest he be seen to be liberally taking money with his right hand and giving it to his left. But I can assure him that he will have the support of the House for a more generous allocation to improve the physical facilities of our hospitals for the benefit of our people. Another point I wish to touch on is Estate Duty.”
“This is related to my next query which is: should deficit budgetting be necessary for the next few years, how deeply would servicing and repaying public debt eat into our foreign reserves? The revised FY 85 estimate shows a decrease of 12.1% from its original value. I hope that the FY 86 budget is more accurate in its prediction. It is important to have accurate estimate so that the private sector can forecast and plan more fruitfully knowing the provisions the Government has made for development and recurrent expenditure. In the Budget Analysis and Review it is stated that: 'The under-expenditure in the Ministries and Organs of State is mainly because the contingency provision for NWC wage increases is not required in view of the wage restraint policy.' In this connection, may I seek clarification on the following points: a) What is the quantum of the contingency provision for NWC wage increase which is not required; and b) Is the under-expenditure on Ministries and Organs of State a recurring feature? If so, are the original estimates overstated because of inadequate controls in the budgetting system? There will be a reduction in the total authorized staff complement of the Minis- tries and Organs of State by 870 posts in FY 86 and according to the Budget Statement, the reduction of authorized staff will continue for another few years with the objective of reducing the permanent staff complement by 10% during 1986-90 period. This prompts me to ask whether such reduction would exacerbate the unemployment situation in Singapore significantly in the next few years. And in view of the worsening unemployment situation, what measures will the Government take to ensure that school leavers and other new entrants into the employment market will be gainfully employed?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, for over two decades Singapore has enjoyed high economic growth notwithstanding two oil crises, stagnation of world economy and growing protectionism in world trade. Averaging a growth rate of 10% per annum, our GDP fell by 1.8% for the first time in 1985. Alas, recession has hit us squarely on the face. Tough is the time now, but undaunted we would strive to overcome this travail. The measures proposed in the Budget together with those adopted at the recent debate on the Presidential Address will go a long way to create the environment for checking the slide in our economy and hopefully bringing it back onto a course of growth in two years' time. It is now up to the people to adjust to the prevailing situation, act cohesively and work hard to overcome the recession. Year after year, for over a decade, Parliament has been presented with a surplus budget so much so that we have come to regard it as a norm. Because of the current recession, Parliament is now being presented with a deficit budget. Does this signal a change of a trend into deficit budgetting and a warning to us to be more vigilant on our housekeeping? The Budget shows a deficit of $3,217,803,440 which is to be met by borrowing and drawdown of the Development Fund. Of this sum, how much is to be from borrowing and how much from a drawdown on the Development Fund? Perhaps the Minister may wish to enlighten the House on this. I note also that there is an estimated amount of $2,506,083,090 for public debt servicing. I am interested to know how much of it would involve an outflow of money from Singapore in foreign currencies.”
“Would the Minister of State inform us how is the patient going to make up for the deficit?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, would the Minister of State consider making the necessary arrangement with the Acting Minister for Labour to allow a CPF contributor to use the fund in his Ordinary account to replenish his Medisave account should it be depleted? Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: There is no need for this procedure to be considered because patients going into the Class C wards and B2 wards can overdraw on their Medisave account.”
“Sir, will the proposed medical insurance scheme be an optional scheme or a compulsory scheme?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in view of the explanations, some of them are rather simplistic, may I have you permission to withdraw the amendment? Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $233,872,170 for Head M ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $347,998,600 for Head M ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head I -”
“Sir, before I continue from where I stopped yesterday, let me first make it clear that I fully appreciate the excellent job done by the Ministry in housing the former street hawkers in hawker centres. The point I wish to make is that there should be some latitude in implementing the policy of resiting hawkers. Yesterday I cited the example of the kachang puteh man. Other examples that may bring nostalgia to hon. Members of the House are the tikar rombong, the tingting man and the pediars of bamboo ware. As long as they observe certain conditions, such as (1) the hawkers must be medically examined and found free of communicable diseases, for example, tuberculosis; (2) no re-usable utensils are used to serve the items of sale; (3) the items should not be cooked items which are likely to go bad after a short while, and any other conditions which the Ministry may impose, why not allow them to peddle their ware? After all, we still allow ice-cream pedlars to operate. I hope the Parliamentary Secretary will give due consideration to my comments.”
“Sir, why should we so blindly implement the policy of housing all our street hawkers into hawker centres? In fact, Mr Deputy Speaker, the word "hawker" means somebody who peddles his goods and travels from place to place. We are really immobilizing them. I am not saying that we should go backwards and start sending them out into the streets. But the point that I want to make is that street hawkers are part of our street life and part of the charm of a society. As long as street hawkers do not pose a health or litter or traffic problem, or some other hazards, we should allow them. For example, we cannot expect a kachang puteh man to operate a market stall.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to thank the Minister for his very clear reply and I am fully satisfied. May I have your permission to withdraw the amendment?”
“Sir, the Minister has not answered the third part, and this concerns the measures taken to ensure that the pipes and containers for conveying and storing of poisonous and corrosive gases.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I would like to remind the Minister that he has not answered my third point. 4.00pm”
“According to an article in the Straits Times of 23rd March, 1985, some residents in Wilkie Road, near Mount Emily Park, suffered from dizziness, nausea and coughing induced by gas which had leaked out of a pipe or water tank. The gas was presumably chlorine. This incidence prompted me to ask the Minister whether pipes and containers for conveying, and storage tanks for storing, poisonous and corrosive gases are being regularly inspected to ensure that they are being maintained in good order and have not deteriorated through wear and tear to the state where leakage can occur. 3.45 pm”