Eugene Yap Giau Cheng
Singapore
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to know from the Minister whether he would like to put up a fence to prevent trespassing. Mr Lim Hng Kiang: We also do not want to put up a fence because when the land is being built, we have got to tear down the fence. That would be a waste of public resources. We control our expenditure very tightly.”
“Sir, I am making this amendment to stress to the Minister that the ethnic integration policy introduced in 1989 has in some way affected the quality of life of my constituents. I believe this probably has also an effect in old estates such as Queenstown and Bukit Ho Swee.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head S be reduced by $10 in respect of Code SA 1500 of the Main Estimates. Sir, not so long ago, in the New Paper, there was a report on a man who was supposed to be the executor of the estate of the deceased brother and he was trying very hard to withdraw the CPF money of his deceased…”
“It means "We are poor people. We do not have CPF. How can we buy our own homes?" Sir, I think we ought to do something for them. When they first moved into these homes, they had no trouble because they were young, the children were young, no space constraints, but today the children have grown up, they become adults - four, five or six of…”
“Sir, I would like the Minister to reconsider the policy of not allowing Singaporeans to rent 3-room flats. This policy is already 10 years old, introduced in 1982, and I recall that when it was introduced it was meant to encourage Singaporeans to own their own homes.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can I ask the Minister to clarify a point which he made in his long speech? If indeed the purpose is to subject motorists to some inconvenience by not expanding or building more roads in the city area, then why was there an announcement in the press recently to expand the PIE?”
The complete record
Every one of 386 lines we hold for Eugene Yap Giau Cheng, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 5 of 8.
“I do not have the exact figures of itinerant hawkers with me, but there are very, very few left. Most of them have been resited in hawker centres and markets and sundry stalls. With regard to the age limit, the proposal is an interesting one. But the important thing really is how fit the person is medically. So if the Member for Delta has any case where he feels that a person of 60 years or more wishes to apply for a hawker licence, we will consider him if he can pass the medical test.”
“I did not. Mr Jeyaretnam: Oh I see. I am sorry. Not you. I beg your pardon. Let us carry on. An hon. Member: Member for Clementi.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can the Member please clarify what I said? I did not say anything of that sort.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am afraid the answer has to be no. To simply give a retrenched worker a stall because he has been retrenched or because he is unemployed is really not the only way to help this retrenched worker. There are many other more suitable and better ways to help retrenched workers. Having said that, if a worker is retrenched and finds himself in serious financial hardship, then he may together with all the other hardship cases, apply for consideration by the Hawkers Department. What we normally do is to consider his application according to his age, financial position, total family income, the number of dependants he has, and so on. If he qualifies, then we will consider him for a stall, but he has to wait for it. REDUCTION OF ROAD TAX (Consideration) 5. Dr Arthur Beng Kian Lam asked the Minister for Communications and Information, as the target that car growth should not exceed the rate of increase in road capacity has been attained, and taking into consideration the fact that there are fewer vehicles on our roads today than a year ago, whether the Minister will consider a reduction in road tax at this time of economic recession.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as the Minister is not here at the present moment, I suggest that he raise it when the Minister is around.”
“I come from the Ministry of Labour. Send your unemployed people to me, and I will make sure that I fix them with a job. If he rejects, then you try to fix him.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in case the public misunderstands, there are still plenty of jobs around. My friend, the Member for Whampoa, has already stated very clearly. If you are willing to work a little harder, to soil your hands and get relatively less salary, then there are always jobs around and no one should suffer.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, just let the case rest then. We should encourage all workers to work hard so that their firms can carry on doing well and we need not have to retrench or get rid of anybody.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, then shall I just suggest that the case should rest. Mr Speaker, Sir, he has the virtue of giving way.”
“That is the implication I get. Therefore, I am asking him now. If his firm is about to close, or at least if he is doing well, and he has got two workers, one good and one bad, which will he keep first before his firm closes down, say, a year later.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, if he would just be patient. He and the Member for Anson are both employers. Both of them have workers. Take just a simple case of two workers in his firm. One is a relatively bad worker, one is a relatively good worker. Which worker will he keep?”
“There is only one thing I admire about the Member for Potong Pasir, ie, at least he gives way relatively readily in comparison with the Member for Anson, and allows me to clarify certain points. Mr Speaker, Sir, I hope he will not lose that virtue. Now if I may just ask him a question.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, will the Member give way? I want to verify something. Mr Chiam See Tong resumed his seat.”
“He did not agree with the Member for Changkat that the prices of HDB flats are cheap. And then he said, "You go and tell your constituents and you will lose your election." Mr Speaker, Sir, his logic for that, if I can recall, is that he said, "You cannot compare private sector prices with public sector prices." I presume he still maintains that. If he maintains that, then, Mr Speaker, can you see a little loophole in his argument later on and I propose to show it. Because he said in his speech somewhere, if I can recall, when he proposed that rule of thumb, he said something like, "You should know that in Western countries the cost of a private dwelling house should not be more than three times the gross income of a worker for three years." He is proposing that the Government use this rule of thumb which is meant to be for a private dwelling in Western countries to public sector housing in Singapore. I cannot see the rationale. And therefore I propose, Mr Speaker, that all that he has said yesterday, all his allegations against the Government are totally untrue. 11.23 am”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Potong Pasir made some allegations against Government yesterday which have been very ably rebutted by my colleagues on the other side. He also raised some interesting points, Mr Speaker, and I propose to see if I can develop these points. Sir, I took the Member's ideas back home. I thought over them. I mulled over them. I could not sleep. And I must admit that I came to, not one, but a few cul-de-sacs, to use the Member's term. I refer to his rule of thumb, Mr Speaker, wherein he said that the cost of a dwelling house should only be about three times the gross income of a worker for three years. That is a rule of thumb, I presume. But I also presume that rules of thumb work. Let us take his example, for instance. He said: '$1,000 a month for three years. It is $36,000. Therefore, a flat should not cost the person $36,000. It should be $36,000 or less.' As long as the Member for Potong Pasir does not elaborate on that point, then I submit, Mr Speaker, that his rule of thumb is not reliable. It does not work. I tried to make it work but it could not work. Therefore, what he says is unreliable. Does he propose, for instance, to apply this $36,000 to take his example to a 2-room flat, a 3-room flat, a 4-room flat, a 5-room executive flat or an HUDC flat? I am not sure. He did not say so. But I make a point and the point is you cannot decide on how much to sell a flat basing on a person's salary. It should be properly costed out, on materials, on manpower and so on. I submit also, Mr Speaker, Sir, that his allegation on the HDB prices is also not true. Members will recall that he did not agree with the Member for Changkat. I think he said something like that.”
“So I think that, in future, the public ought to be more aware of what the Member for Potong Pasir says. Some hon. Members: He agrees.”
“There is another point which, I think, is of great public significance, and we have to state it. There are some members of the public who may be misled by it, and that is: a lie repeated often enough gets believed.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I think we can recall that some months ago he was confused with his arithmetic of the CPF. Now he is confused with his arithmetic of compensation. So if he has no ability to handle figures, then I think this bigger figure of HDB making profit is even more untrustworthy. I also suggest that ---”
“No. $181 million. The Member for Potong Pasir just now quoted a figure of total land acquired: 5 million sq ft. You said, "land acquired is 5 million sq ft". You claimed just now that the Government is paying $240 or $160 per sq ft. How do you arrive at that figure?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can I just seek a clarification from the Member for Potong Pasir? It is usually not my habit to speak but, since this matter is of great public significance, I just want him to explain. First, I believe that the Minister for National Development this morning quoted the acquisition cost of land in Potong Pasir as, very roughly, $181 million. Have you got my figure?”
“They may then want to opt out and give others a chance to try the lion's mouth the next time around. Mr Speaker, Sir, we are all aware that we are a small island. Our system of government cannot be a plain, simple photostat of the British parliamentary system or the American system, the Thai system or even the Philippine system. We have to evolve our own system. Parliament must not be looked upon as merely a boxing ring for people's entertainment. An Opposition in Parliament does not simply mean taking pot-shots at the PAP, for this is just fumbling and cheating the people who sent them here. Neither is it a place for adversarial politics. Alternative and constructive ways of doing things must be the answer not just opposition and spurious accusations. We are limited in manpower and, therefore, we must evolve a system that will allow people who have been missed out or who do not want to be counted as PAP to surface and help us think of the best and most practical way of running the country. Only then will the system that we have be near-perfect. But if starry-eyed politicians think that Opposition is simply taking a long, long shot at Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, then they have not grown up. They are still thumb-sucking. They don't measure up to standard and for them to participate in any way at all in running the country, great things are at stake. Resolved, "That the debate be now adjourned." - [Mr S. Dhanabalan].”
“So if they cannot, how can they even dare to run the government or to run this country? To send these people into Parliament is like sending any Tom, Dick or Harry to. steer a plane from one point to another. It may not reach its destination. It may just blow up. Therefore, in the absence of a parallel system for the Opposition, this provision will allow leader-s of the various parties to come in as non-constituency MPs and perform. Singaporeans will then be able to tell whether these people will make worthwhile leaders. Whether they can match the intelligence, the abilities and the honesty of the PAP MPs is a very important test. This is one way we can evolve a credible Opposition in Parliament which is, at least, better than appointed MPs whom people will be tempted to think have to be restrained in speech because they have been appointed by the PAP. Mr Speaker, Sir, this concept can also be looked upon from another angle. Given that the mode of selection of candidates to stand on the PAP ticket is rigorous and exhaustive, one would expect that very, very few, perhaps none, would be left behind that is good enough and missed out by the PAP. Those that are good, not selected - politically inclined, but not wishing to identify with the PAP because they want to express their views freely, can take advantage of this concept. It would give them an opportunity to imbibe the spirit of Parliament - learn the Stand- ing Orders, think before they speak, face the realities, develop debating skills and pitch themselves against the heavyweights. Aspiring politicians of this class though, must be prepared to put their heads into the lion's mouth and come out in one piece. If not, the ideals they espouse really cannot stand close scrutiny or stand up to the demands of practicality.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, this is, as I have said, a very serious Bill and I do not want any interruption, at least for the time being. Seen in this context, Sir, I thoroughly support clause 3(b) of the Bill. Singaporeans can assess, Singaporeans can examine these hopefuls. If they are good enough, then Singaporeans may want to vote them in the next time. But in the case of the Member for Anson, I am sorry I have to refer to him because that is the only example I know that exists today, but in the case of the Member for Anson, he has already proven his worth. It is, therefore, really not necessary for him to become a non-constituency MP should he lose his next election. Others may want to take their turn. However, for this concept to work and for it to take off the ground, I certainly hope it will not be abused by thieves, by Hollywood-style punching cowboys, by jugglers and by other delinquents. But why only a handful of seats? Is it enough? Personally I think it is enough because it allows us to test the leader of each Opposition party first, that is, assuming of course that they would garner more votes than their followers. If the leader can stand up to PAP MPs, then we can say at least he is worth his salt. For where is there a better way to try them than by assuming the roles of non-constituency MPs. PAP MPs go through rigorous tests before they are presented as candidates for selection. Again, when they are elected as MPs, they have to be subjected to a continuing self-renewal process in order to put the system in order. Now, the question is: Can the Opposition parties do likewise? The answer: No, they cannot afford because if they try they will end up with no one to stand for election, except their various Secretary-Generals.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not want to be interrupted. We are all gentlemen. We allowed him to interrupt us. He himself doesn't want to be interrupted. Maybe I can just clarify to him that I am trying to prove or to demonstrate a point, a point that ---”
“What will happen to all our CPF savings? What will happen to all our savings in the bank, the infrastructure that we have built up? Will all that go? These are the serious, sober questions which I am sure Singaporeans would like to address themselves. Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to look upon this particular amendment as a means for Singaporeans to test the Opposition; to find out whether what they say at the hustings can really hold water here in Parliament. Faced with facts, faced with figures, faced with logic, how will they stand the pressures of logic here in this Parliament? We have seen an Opposition performing here in Parliament for three years. What has he contributed so far that we can call constructive? Let us examine what he has said. This is an answer he gave to one of his constituent's questions, "Suppose we saw the Russian Navy in full steam ahead, saying across its bows, 'Singapore, here we come.'" The question: what can we do against Russia? His answer: "One has to be realistic. You try and be friendly; develop friendly relations." My advice to him: "You live in hope, you'll die in despair." Let us assume for one moment that he forms the government. Then we have to ask; "How can we trust our future to such people? How can we rely on such people to take us through ---”
“Performance at the hustings and performance at Parliament can indeed be very different and I must thank the Member for Anson, not on my own behalf, but on behalf of his Opposition colleagues and on behalf of other aspiring politicians who hope to come here and oppose for the sake of opposition, to learn this particular lesson from him. He has also demonstrated to the public at large the futility of Opposition for the sake of opposition, meaning he has not been a credible or for that matter creditable opposition. He tried to persuade the public that they could have utopia. I believe he has not succeeded. At the hustings, it is easy enough for anyone, long, short or tall, to get away with various weak, unfounded allegations. They can cast aspersions on Government without batting an eyelid, without having to prove conclusively those aspersions. If their salesmanship is good enough, if they are skilful at wheeling and dealing, then they might be able to peddle their way into Parliament. This raises several important questions. Can there be a situation where Singaporeans who are generally known to be hardworking and thinking people discover that there are among themselves some who may sometimes be prone to submit to the pressures of wheeling and dealing, the more ductile ones that is, and inadvertently send clowns to Parliament, eventually just to suffer a letdown? More important, are we not wasting public funds through baseless and futile debates and even more important, are we not risking all that we have built up by having a group of charlatans here? It would not take long for peddlers of unreliable wares to fritter our hard-earned savings and, when this happens, can we afford to sell Singapore? That is the crucial question. What will happen to all our HDB flats?”
“If this is correct, then we have to guard against following everything that is British. The Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment) Bill that is before us is more than just a facelift amendment to Article 39 of the Constitution of which I am referring to. It provides for a thermostat, a thermostat which will be triggered off the moment the PAP makes a clean sweep of all but two of the parliamentary seats in order to complete the process of Opposition which PAP Backbenchers have been providing well. Debates in Parliament cannot be simply looked upon as a mere boxing match between two parties, especially in our context. Even if it has to be a boxing match - a contest of will and abilities in ruling a country, rivals should be equally matched. From the present state of affairs, watching how an Opposition has performed so far, it is like a featherweight irresistibly choosing to get himself chased around the ring by heavyweights and in the process of course getting his jaw knocked off - especially with one particular heavyweight. I would have thought that a man who stood in a parliamentary by-election in Anson in 1981 and who gave the people of Anson the impression that he can take on PAP MPs should be able to perform according to the expectations of his electorate. He did not. He got himself reduced from a self-proclaimed heavyweight at the hustings to a featherweight here in Parliament. This raises a question: Could he have gained entry into this Parliament by sheer chance? And this brings me to a point.”
“Assuming that the media have reported the Opposition parties correctly on their views on non-constituency MPs, then I must say that the quality of leadership in the Opposition parties has not improved and is a far cry from what is generally regarded as sound. For instance, when Chiam See Tong was asked for his views, he talked about people of Singapore wanting genuine stuff. What is this genuine stuff or bluff stuff? Let us take him seriously and analyse the implications of what he has said. He lost in Potong Pasir in the 1980 general elections. Therefore, according to him, he is bluff stuff. There is a rather grave implication in this thinking of his. According to him, even if given the opportunity to come to Parliament to represent those who voted him, he would not. He does not realize that, but for Singapore's situation where a great majority wants the PAP to represent them, it is possible in other countries for a man to get into Parliament with a mere 34% as in the case of a three-cornered contest. This man with 34%, is he real stuff or bluff stuff Fortunately, this is not the question that we have to answer. The question we have to answer is: Is the present parliamentary elections process good enough? Good enough for the views of the majority as well as the minority to be heard in this House? This change must therefore be seen as part of a parliamentary evolution process here in Singapore. Mr Speaker, Sir, now I would like to turn to the few Singaporeans who have given their views on non-constituency MPs. Their reaction can be looked upon as a natural outcome, the so-called gut reaction which can be rather misleading. Perhaps some of our people may unconsciously be comparing this idea with the British parliamentary system.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment) Bill in its entirety. I would like to comment on the proposal to have non-constituency MPs. I am not surprised that the various Opposition parties in Singapore have rejected this move. However, I am indeed astonished to learn that some Singaporeans have chosen to look at non-constituency MPs as second-class and prefer to believe that the Opposition should gain entry into this Chamber under their own steam rather than being given seats. I would like to deal with some of the views of the Opposition parties first. As I said, I am not surprised that they should reject this concept: By rejecting this concept, they are proving a point which many have said over and over again that they are here in Parliament to oppose for the sake of opposition. If they want to show the people of Singapore that they do not oppose for the sake of opposition, then of course this Bill is a great opportunity for them to come forward and give this idea a try. That they have point-blank rejected the idea also brings out another point against them, and that is, they have openly professed that they are not interested in representing the views of the 15 or even more percent of the electorate who, of course during any election, have decided for one reason or the other that they cannot go with the PAP. I certainly hope that, by not wanting to represent this minority of people, they are not giving themselves away; not disappointing those who expect them to speak up on their behalf.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am replying on behalf of my Minister. First, I would like to thank the Member for Boon Lay for raising the question of the need to revise the compensation ceiling of $390 per month for a worker who has sustained a tempor- ary injury. Before I give the reply, I would like to take this opportunity to clarify the Ministry's stand on the award of compensation for temporary injury sustained by workers. The quantum of compensation must be such that it is not too high so that it promotes malingering neither should it to be too low that the worker and his family suffer undue hardship. It is therefore not a question of whether it is fair or unfair but it is a question of whether it is reasonable or not reasonable compensation. Having said that, I can now agree with the Member for Boon Lay that it is reasonable that we have another look at the compensation ceiling because the cost of living has gone up.”
“Sir, it would be about 87% to 88%. FIRE AT NO. 130 ANSON ROAD 7. Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam asked the Minister for Home Affairs if he will say whether the Police or the Singapore Fire Service have discovered who or what was responsible for the fire that occurred at No. 130 Anson Road on 20th May, 1983.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission to reply on behalf of the Minister? First, I would like to thank the Member for Clementi for raising some very relevant points regarding the employment of skilled workers in the light of the easing off of the labour market. The unemployment rate of 3.9%, as has been mentioned in the 1981 Economic Survey report, was estimated by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. The Survey did not provide any indication of whether the rise in unemployment was in the skilled or the unskilled area. However, the data from the Ministry of Labour Force Survey conducted in 1981 will be available soon. My Ministry will be pleased to provide the Member for Clementi with the information on the unemployment figures which will be of interest to him. 3.45 p.m. On the question of whether our training programmes can produce sufficient skilled workers to meet the demand, the hon. Member may wish to know that our training facilities have been expanded over the years. I would like to assure the hon. Member that the Government will spare no effort in providing facilities for the training and the retraining of workers. I understand from my colleague, the Minister of State of Education, that firms are sending employees to the VITB for further training under the NTC2 apprenticeship scheme. This scheme is supported up to 70% of the employee's salary by the Skills Development Fund. Some of these people are sent for upgrading. Others for retraining to new skills. I must also thank the Member for Clementi for his suggestion regarding dependence on some higher skilled foreign workers. The Ministry is working out a comprehensive long-term policy on foreign workers in Singapore. We will certainly bear his suggestion in mind.”
“If the Member for Kebun Baru looks at the First Schedule, he will find that it lists out the rates for loss of earning capacity. There have been some variations in awards made by doctors where the injury sustained results in a partial dysfunction of the limbs. The Ministry has issued guidelines for assessment to ensure that the awards given by doctors are fair and uniform.”
“Sir, first, I must profess that I am no medical practitioner. I am no expert in this field. Suffice it to say that I have received some advice from the medical doctors from the Industrial Health Unit. The Member for Kebun Baru might like to know that, in the case of asbestosis, this industrial disease develops out of an exposure to working in the asbestos industry. There are two serious issues here. One is asbestosis and the other is cancer, as he quite correctly said. I am advised that in the case of cancer, it is very difficult in the end to say what is the cause of it because it is widely known that lung cancer is due to cigarette smoking. So when a worker develops cancer in the end, it is very difficult to tell whether he has got cancer out of exposure to asbestos or whether he has been smoking cigarettes. But I think the occupational cancer prevention programme is a more effective programme in the sense that it emphasizes prevention rather than cure. I agree that one can develop asbestosis, say, this year and it can only be detected six months later. But I think it is still best to have early detection rather than wait for it to develop fully. Anyway I do not propose to go into a full discussion with the hon. Member for Kebun Baru on this particular topic. We have got the Industrial Health Unit. If he wants to have more details, we would be most obliged to enlighten him. Where the award is concerned, all this boils down to whether the medical practitioner has sufficient guidelines to make a fair award when assessing injury for workmen's compensation. The existing Workmen's Compensation Act has sufficient guidelines for awarding permanent loss.”
“The programme consists of the following: (a) Inspection of plans before new factories are registered to ensure that there are no environmental health hazards and sufficient precautionary measures are taken. This is carried out by our Industrial Health Unit. (b) Regular inspection of factories which pose high health risks through periodical surveys and studies and investigation into complaints. Besides this programme, the National Productivity Board also has an advisory committee on occupational safety and health with representatives from employers, the NTUC and professionals in the private sector and the Labour Ministry. This committee may make recommendations to the Ministry from time to time on occupational health measures. In view of these measures, we feel that setting up another advisory committee would not be really necessary. Nevertheless I would like to thank the hon. Member for his suggestion. As regards the Member's proposal that provision be made in the Workmen's Compensation Act to cover injuries sustained by a workman representing the company in organized games after working hours, I would like to point out that the underlying principle of the Workmen's Compensation Act is to compensate the injured workman or his dependants for all work-related injuries. Participation in organized games cannot be deemed to be strictly work related. Besides they are organized as part of the welfare benefits for the recreation of workers. In most cases participation is voluntary. Therefore, the employers should not be made liable for injuries sustained in such recreational activities. However, with our move towards company welfarism, the Member may like to take the suggestion to the National Productivity Board for their consideration.”
“Again, this is the result of representation of hon. Members of this House. Some of the trickiest problems in workmen's compensation are medical rather than legal. The medical aspect, therefore, is an important part of the administration in workmen's compensation procedures. It is the physician who can determine that the disability is the direct result of an injury sustained in the course of employment and whether treatment is necessary or not. The cases involving serious injuries, for example, crushed limbs, cannot be assessed until the injuries have healed. The physician is the competent person to determine whether the disablement is temporary or permanent. This is one factor which is outside the control of the Ministry and the delay involved is unavoidable. However, the Ministry will certainly carry on looking at ways and means to see if any action can be taken to reduce the waiting period. 3.00 p.m. The Member for Pasir Panjang also raised the question of the need to review the list of occupational diseases in the light of changing trends in employment, as a result of newer techniques introduced into our industries. I share his sentiments. I would like to assure him that the list is certainly not exhausted, neither is the list static. For example, noise-induced deafness and industrial dermatitis were two occupational diseases which were added to the list in 1975. Other occupational diseases will be added to the list as and when they pose hazards to our workers. We appreciate the hon. Member's suggestion that the Ministry of Labour set up an advisory committee to look into the areas of occupational health hazards. However, the hon. Member may wish to know that the Ministry already has a programme to identify new industrial health hazards.”
“Member also raised the question of slowness in the disbursement of compensation to an injured worker or to the dependants of a deceased worker. The complete process of securing compensation for an injured worker starts with registration, followed by assessing the quantum of compensation, filing the claim and concluded by securing payment of compensation to the injured worker or to the dependants of a deceased worker. The Ministry has done all it can to facilitate and to hasten payment of compensation to workers. For instance, the Workmen's Compensation Act of 1975 again was passed as a result of representation by hon. Members of this House to eradicate certain time-consuming procedures. Dependency is no longer a bone of contention under this Act. Unlike the 1971 Act under which full compensation was payable only if there had been full dependency, the 1975 Act assumes the full amount of assessed compensation will be paid regardless of whether dependency is full or partial. Under the 1975 amendment, the Commissioner is also empowered to hear disputes and hand down an order accordingly. Previously, such cases were referred to the arbitrator for a decision which took a long time. Insurance coverage for employers liability was unsatisfactory under the 1971 Act. Often we found that insurance companies repudiated liabilities on the ground that there was a breach of insurance policy. In this respect, the 1975 Act provides a provision to attach the insurer as if he were the employer. Interest at the rate of 1 1/2% per month was also imposed for late payments. To make employers and the insurance companies pay compensation on time, interest for late payment was increased in the 1980 amendment at the rate of 1 1/2% per month for the first six months and 3% thereafter.”
“Member that this is designed to protect the interest of the injured worker or the dependants in the case of a deceased worker. The hon. Member must be referring to the POSB workmen's compensation savings scheme for injured workers and their families. This was started in June 1977. Under this scheme, the beneficiaries who are in receipt of a substantial sum of compensation usually above $10,000 are not given the full lump sum. They are paid an initial lump sum of $5,000 and the balance deposited with the POSB savings account and it is opened in their name. The POSB workmen's compensation savings account operates like any other ordinary POSB savings account except that the account holder is only allowed once a month withdrawal, the sum being determined by the Commissioner for Labour. For dependants of a deceased workman, the monthly sum that can be withdrawn is equivalent to the last monthly earnings of the deceased workman at the time of the accident. For account holders who are injured they are allowed to withdraw a monthly sum equivalent to twice their monthly earnings as at the time of the accident during the first year and then a sum equivalent to their monthly earnings for subsequent years. The purpose of this scheme is to ensure that beneficiaries do not squander their compensation money and thus possibly end up seeking public assistance within a few months after receiving compensation. Another reason is to avoid the possibility that beneficiaries could be victimized or the payments dissipated if they were paid a single lump sum. Finally, the continuing needs of the disabled workman and his dependants or his surviving dependants would be better met if the benefits were of periodic payments which was based on the workman's earnings instead of a lump sum. The hon.”
“However, the maximum compensation will be reviewed from time to time and adjusted every few years to take into account the effects of rising wages and inflation. With regard to the Member's query regarding how our workmen's compensation quantum compares with those of the more advanced countries, I would like to say that it compares very favourably. However, bearing in mind that the cost of living is higher in these countries, it is not correct to make a straight comparison of quantum of compensation. One has therefore to look at the various schemes and make the comparison in terms of the following: (1) the rates of payment against workers' earnings; (2) when payments are made, for example, in Singapore, they are made during the period the worker is receiving treatment and is incapacitated from work. In developed countries such as Germany, the payment commences only from the seventh week of incapacity. This is for temporary incapacity. In the case of a fatal accident in Singapore, compensation for death is computed as a lump sum payment and paid to the dependants of the deceased immediately. However, in the case of some advanced countries like Canada, Germany and Sweden, if the surviving spouse happens to be a man, then he is only entitled to a pension if he is an invalid and depended on his late wife for support at the time of her death. Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not propose to go through the list of comparisons between our workmen's compensation and those of the advanced countries. But if the Member for West Coast would like it, we would be too pleased to send him the complete set of our research study for his perusal. The Member for Pasir Panjang raised the question of disbursement of compensation in instalments. I would like to assure the hon.”
“Members of this House may like to know from the 1980 Labour Force Survey results that this quantum of $1,250 per month covers 994,696 manual as well as non-manual workers. This constitutes 93.05% of the total workforce. Those earning above $1,250 per month constitutes only 6.95% of the total workforce. Many in this income bracket are holding managerial, executive and confidential positions, Our work accident statistics show that non-manual workers are less subject to work accidents when compared to manual workers. It is likely that nonmanual workers in the income bracket of above $1,250 per month are even less likely to suffer from work accidents. Such workers in this bracket who are likely to meet with work injuries are those in the technical field holding professional qualifications, for example, technicians and engineers. These are the people usually covered by personal accident insurance schemes under their contracts of employment. As for the quantum of compensation, the present rates were revised at the end of 1980 as a result of repeated representations by hon. Members of this House. They represented an increase of 30% when compared to the pre-1980 rates. The increase took into account changes in the cost of living and median monthly incomes during the period 1975 to 1979. Today, the maximum compensation of $45,000 for death is equivalent to 108 months of the present median monthly income of workers. For injury resulting in permanent total incapacity, the maximum compensation of $60,000 is equivalent to 12 years' loss of earnings of the injured workman. Therefore, the present quantum of compensation is considered sufficient.”
“Thus a vast majority of the cases would be detected during their employment and not after. I hope that the hon. Member would agree with me that this move to have an early detection programme in order to prevent further complications is better than to allow the disease to develop and only be detected later on. By then it would also be rather difficult to assist the worker in his disease and cure him. Another important point here also is that a worker must have had a number of years working in the asbestos industry in order to run the risk. But during the number of years that he was in employment, he would have had his annual chest X-rays and, therefore, the chances of detecting the disease at its early stages are that much greater. The 36 months' period for making a claim after a worker has left the employment is just an additional precaution. This is to enable workers with the disease to make the claim. To extend this period may have some technical difficulties, especially as factories are privately insured and may even change their insurers from year to year. However, as all workers exposed to silica or asbestos hazard are required to undergo yearly chest X-rays, it may not be really necessary to extend this period forever. I will, however, assure the hon. Member that the Ministry will look further into his suggestion. 2.45 p.m. The Member for West Coast wants to know the rationale as to how the Ministry arrived at the ceiling of $1,250 per month for non-manual workers. In the derivation of this quantum, the Ministry took into account rising wages and inflation. However, even if we do not make a distinction between manual and non-manual workers, hon.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I answer on behalf of the Minister? I would like to thank the hon. Members for Kebun Baru, West Coast and Pasir Panjang for the various points they have raised regarding workmen's compensation and their concern for the workers' health. May I just deal with the points raised by the Member for Kebun Baru first? The hon. Member is concerned with the short period of 36 months after leaving employment after which a worker who has developed certain industrial diseases, such as, asbestosis, cannot claim compensation. The Second Schedule to the Workmen's Compensation Act gives a list of occupaional diseases which are compensable. Section 4 of the Act provides for a workman to claim compensation for any one of these diseases if he is employed in any occupation which is prescribed in the Second Schedule in relation to such diseases or if he has been in such occupation within 12 months prior to his making the claim. However, in the case of silicosis and asbestosis, this period was extended from 12 months to 36 months in 1976. This was because both these diseases may be developed over a period of years and in the early stages may be asymptomatic. Thus, the longer period allows for a workman with silicosis or asbestosis to make a claim of up to three years after he has left the employment which gave rise to his disease. However, an important point to note here is that workers who are exposed to silica hazard in granite quarries and those exposed to asbestos are required by law under the Sand and Granite Quarries Act and the Factories (Asbestos) Regulations to undergo yearly chest X-rays to be paid for by the employer. With such yearly chest X-rays, it is less likely for a workman to contract the diseases and not be detected.”
“Sir, I am speaking plain simple English. If the Member is confused, I will repeat my question. Can I ask the Member for Anson to describe or to give us his concept of what the police post was like before and also to describe the policeman he saw before, the uniform, the beret and so on?”
“Sir, can I ask the Member for Anson to describe to the House his concept of the police post that he knew of before, including the policemen?”
“Sir, can I just ask a question, if you will permit me?”
“Sir, as I have said, right now it is too early to give indexes, etc., but maybe an example will bring to light or it will at least explain the query of the Member for Buona Vista. I am thinking in terms of the Work Permit Division again. Lately, due to the exit controls imposed by the Immigration Department, many illegal workers have surfaced. They have to apply for work permits. With only a 20% increase in staff to cope with the increase, work output increased by about 300%. SAFRA CLUBHOUSES IN NEW TOWNS (Construction) 8.”
“Sir, the Committee consists of staff from within the Ministry who are engineers, and they know the Ministry much better. It is much better to leave the identification of areas for improvement to this Committee. Of course, if we do require the services of the Management Services Department, we will not hesitate to call upon them.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I must advise the hon, Member for Alexandra that the Team is only about two or three months old. Nevertheless, they have identified a couple of areas for improvement which is encouraging. The Team is now in the Work Permit Division. As hon. Members know, the Work Permit Division has numerous applications of diverse kinds. This has caused a multiplicity of activities and has created problems in cataloguing, registration of applications and information retrieval. It has also created many kinds of forms that have to be used. I am glad to inform the hon. Member for Alexandra that, by the end of the year, the Division will be computerized, and that will take care of its information retrieval so that it can process applications much faster. The Team has also reviewed the counter layout in the Division, because they have to work within a very small space. I believe that with a re-arrangement of the counters, it should also increase the productivity of the staff.”
“Mindef agreed to attach 48 of these non-combat fit servicemen to the Ministry as English-medium teachers on a short-term basis. The servicemen concerned were selected on the basis of their academic qualifications, interest and aptitude in teaching. Their participation is voluntary. As for the possible use of national servicemen in construction work, Mindef and the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is in charge of civil defence, have identified a need for servicemen with skills in the construction trades in the national civil defence programme. These skills are essential for excavation, damage containment, repairs, reconstruction and other related activities. Training national servicemen in the construction trades would, therefore, have direct relevance, in the overall defence of the nation. As the feasibility of such a scheme is currently under study, it would be premature to discuss it at this time. Details of the proposed scheme will be released when the study is completed.”
“Sir, I must thank the hon. Member for his concern, but may I just enlighten him on the latest survey results that we have received. In fact, this survey was done by the Ministry of Labour. In 1980, for instance, administrative and managerial workers totalled 717, out of which there were only two job vacancies. So the problem really is not that serious. There will be a few vacancies in each industry once in a while. NATIONAL SERVICEMEN ON NON-MILITARY DUTIES (Effects) 6. Dr Tan Cheng Bock asked the Minister of Defence whether the deployment of national servicemen to do non-military duties like teaching and possibly construction work will have any effect on the mentality of the people towards national service; whether this move will dilute the fervour for national service which was so difficult to build initially; and whether this will ultimately affect the morale of national servicemen who may feel exploited at being asked to do a duty which is not related to the defence of the country. The Minister of State of Defence (Dr Yeo Ning Hong) (for the Minister of Defence): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have been asked by my Minister to reply. It has been the practice of the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) to deploy national servicemen, who are not physically fit for strenuous combat duties, in non-combat supportive and administrative services in the Singapore Armed Forces. From time to time, Mindef receives requests from other Ministries for manpower assistance to carry out urgent assignments that are in the national interest. One such example is the recent request from the Ministry of Education for English-medium teachers to help the Ministry in alleviating its present shortage of English-medium teachers in primary schools.”