E.W. Barker
Singapore
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." This is a simple Bill which seeks to amend section 33 of the Land Acquisition Act on the amount of compensation payable to owners of land compulsorily acquired under the Act.”
“For the five-year period from 1st July, 1981 to 30th June, 1986, the HDB demolished a total of 8,098 units. As the HDB's new accounting system was only implemented from 1st April, 1985, the Board does not have ready information on the value of flats demolished prior to 1st April, 1985. RELOCATION OF CREMATORIUMS 4.”
“The HDB did not allocate any MP's office to the previous PAP MPs for Anson and Potong Pasir constituencies. NUMBER OF H.D.B. UNITS DEMOLISHED 3.”
“I would not know. Why don't you ask them? I don't know. Sir, to put things in a nutshell, it is the legal profession amongst all the professions that help in the administration of Singapore. Doctors help to cure you of diseases.”
“I am not saying it's wrong. I am not telling you stories. I am relating. So they decided to take us on. When we went into Select Committee, the first day and the later part of the second day, there was confrontation between the Committee and the lawyers.”
“As the Member for Anson would know, the Minister for Law is not in charge of prosecutions or the conduct of any criminal proceedings in court, nor does he give any directives on these matters.”
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“Sir, to the Member for Sembawang, I was merely pulling his leg. I think he understood that. He said that we should do something. We are doing something. Hence, these five-acre lots which we have offered, and which he has criticised. We are not against the poor farmers, in spite of what the Member for Jurong says. We can still have pigs near the catchment area provided the streams are not polluted, which means that the pig farms have to be moved. If there is available land, they can move there. When Seletar Reservoir was constructed, it was Government that built the cesspits. The Member should have raised his question with the Minister for the Environment. His inspectors go round and check on pollution, not mine. But we are doing our best not to eliminate the poor farmers, but in the process I think the backyard farmer will be pushed out. He is not really a farmer. He lives there with a few fruit trees, rears a few chickens and keeps a few pigs for Chinese New Year.”
“Sir, if I am to take all 15 Members at once, I must at least combine the subject, otherwise they will not get a satisfactory reply. And if all 35 Members opposite are going to range over the whole Budget, then I will not give them satisfactory answers. So let us confine ourselves to the subject on which we are discussing. If any Member wants to speak in clarification or for further information, by all means do so.”
“Sir, if I were to ask the Housing Board to relax that rule, the whole of Toa Payoh will be turned into one big slum. The answer is no, unless the Member wants over-crowded flats. 3.30 p.m.”
“We are not the knife. We are supposed to provide housing as quickly as possible because pressure is put on us by the Ministry of Defence, who are in a hurry to get in, and by the MP, who is in a hurry to get houses for his constituents. All I can say is: be patient. We are doing our best. It is not easy to build Housing Board flats. It is not like producing motor cars, chickens or eggs. We are increasing the number of flats and there are so many demands spread throughout the island. So it is not fair to allege that the number of those entitled to priority is increasing to such a great extent that no one else will have a chance. The number does not exceed ten per cent, whether it includes the Army, the Police or some civil servants. But I assure the Member that about 90 per cent goes to the general public, including the resettlement cases. Sir, I do not know whether I have dealt with all the queries. There have been so many. But if I have not, I am prepared to be reminded of what I have omitted.”
“Perhaps it would be fair to allow those earning, say, between $1,500 and $2,500 or $3,000 to purchase these new middle income houses. Of course, they must be Singapore citizens and, further, they must not own any other property. If they already own a house, then they will be prohibited from buying any of these new flats. The Member for Serangoon Gardens also wants an answer from me about the use of Central Provident Fund savings for middle income housing. The CPF does not come under my Ministry, and whether or not it is desirable to allow intending purchasers of middle income housing to draw their CPF monies is a matter over which I have no jurisdiction and on which I have no comments. The Member for Telok Blangah alleges that planning has gone haywire in my Ministry. If it has, God help Telok Blangah. He compares the exercise in Pulau Brani with that of a surgeon who does not prepare at all but goes in with a blunt scalpel. The "surgeon" in Pulau Brani is not the Housing Board or the Ministry of National Development. It is the Ministry of Defence and the Port of Singapore Authority. They have gone to the island to develop it and my Ministry has been left to pick up the parts. We do not want Pulau Brani, and we never pushed the Member's constituents out. Others did it. But we are supposed to provide public housing.”
“But the Member can rest assured that I have already directed and the Land Collectors are doing their best to expedite the issue of awards. The Member also talks of appeals, saying that appeals are no good because they cost money and who wants to appeal against the Government. Well, some people do. Is the Member suggesting that I amend the Land Acquisition Act to get rid of appeals? The Members for Kim Keat and Serangoon Gardens want to know more details about middle income housing. I only hope some other Members opposite do not accuse them of not being for the poor people. The Housing and Development Board and the Urban Redevelopment Authority will jointly be constructing about 1,500 to 2,000 residential flats per year for sale to the middle income group, that is to say, those who are not eligible for HDB housing. Six sites have been selected to provide about 3,200 units of flats in the first few years. The first lot of flats is expected to be ready in 1976 and more details will be announced shortly. The six sites proposed for these houses are at Tanjong Rhu, on the reclaimed land in front of the Singapore Swimming Club, about 760 units; Upper Thomson Road about 240 units; Farrer Road about 600 units; East Coast reclaimed land about 900 units; Mount Pleasant about 320 units; and Braddell Road, near Braddell Rise, about 400 units. A joint company, the Housing and Urban Company (Proprietary) Limited, has been incorporated to undertake the construction and sale. Obviously there must be limits to the incomes of those wanting to purchase these flats. At the moment, if a person's income exceeds $1,500 a month, he cannot purchase a Housing Board flat.”
“I would suggest to the Member that he advises his constituents who have sublet their flats to regularise the position because it is no longer illegal to sublet Housing Board flats. And they can go further; they can even sublet Housing Board flats to non-citizens. The Member for Kim Keat wanted to know when legislation will be ready in respect of the Government statement made last September about foreigners owning land, and whether the delay is deliberate. I can assure him that it is not. What is the point of delaying this legislation? The Government gets no benefit from this. It is not simple legislation and we have had several drafts drawn up by the Attorney-General. The Member will be happy to know that a final draft is now before Government, and the Bill will be introduced at our next meeting of Parliament, after the Budget session. Meanwhile, the Registrar of Titles has received quite a few applications from foreigners to purchase land. These applications are being processed by a committee and replies will be given soon. Anyone who does not know whom to apply to, should apply to the Registrar of Titles. The Member for Bras Basah grumbled about land acquisition. He made some good points. One is on delays in issuing awards. There have been some delays of up to four years, which I agree is unfair. But I had on several occasions in the year before last directed those in charge to issue their awards as soon as possible and at the latest within a period of six months. But there are difficulties in cases where a large piece of land has been acquired and there are thousands of people on the land, and in cases where there are several owners. A survey of those present on the land takes some time.”
“I am also surprised that the Primary Production Department is blamed for evicting small farmers from the catchment areas. The Members should have taken this point up when the Ministry of the Environment was being discussed in this House. It is the Ministry of the Environment that is in charge of pollution, and it is the Public Utilities Board that is building the reservoir in Kranji. The question is whether they want enough fresh water or enough pigs. So where the pig farms pollute some of the streams, we move them away from the streams. Hence, this pig farming project. But they have got to decide what they want. And sometimes the Government decides this for them. The Member for Toa Payoh grumbled about the increases in prices of Housing Board flats. I would not go into the details as to the reasons why the prices have gone up. He just wants to know why we did not spread this over a period of eight years so that the blow would not be so heavy. It is not easy to spread it over eight years. Because I do not know what will happen in eight years time! Perhaps the prices will have to go up again at the end of this year or next; I do not know, but I hope not. But to plan for so long and spread it over eight years is not a practical solution to the problem of rising prices. 3.15 p.m. The Member then said that because of the shortage of flats, unauthorised subletting should not be interfered with. The Member will remember that sometime last year or early this year, the Housing and Development Board announced that sublettings would be allowed. A three-room flat could be sublet, so could a four-room or five-room flat provided there are not many occupants already in the flat.”
“Sir, may I first deal with the question of commercial pig farming which has been referred to by three Members of Parliament? First, the Member for Bukit Panjang has given some details about the proposals, which were quite right. There are eight 5-acre lots of land located off Bah Soon Pah Road which were recently offered for commercial pig farming. Members may be interested to know that of the lots offered there have been seven tenders, some wanting more than one lot. The whole object of this exercise, which is a pilot scheme, is to increase the supply of pigs for the market. The Members have suggested that the Government should build these multi-storey structures and rent them out to the smaller farmers. The Member for Sembawang went further to say that the Primary Production Department should buy the feed in bulk and sell them to the farmers. Next, he will suggest that the Primary Production Department should rear the pigs for them! I think all these three Members know, if they are active in their constituencies, that the work done by the Primary Production Department over the years has been to help small farmers. I do not propose to go into the details. But to allege that we are only helping the rich farmers and that it is not in accordance with the policies of our own Party, is not fair. They have also grumbled about the silly mistakes made by the Primary Production Department, one of which was to let out these lots of land. Only time will tell whether this is a silly mistake. Assuming the project is successful, we may then go on to smaller projects. But for the moment, in order to be successful we think that the project ought to be a substantial one.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, may I seek your consent, and the general assent of hon. Members, to move that the adjournment be taken on the completion of the consideration of Head KC, Fire Brigade, or at 8.00 p.m, tonight, whichever is earlier? There is just a possibility that we might finish this item before 8.00 p.m.”
“Sir, after that long speech by the Member, I do not get what the question is. If it is a question of expediting the processing of applications, this can be done. But the number of flats are limited and the number of applications are many. As for the Member's own estate, particularly Old Kallang Airport estate and the Guillemard Road estate, I have details of outstanding applications for transfer. The number of families consisting of 5-7 persons in these estates who waited for more than four years are about 33; families of 8-10 persons who waited for more than four years number only two; and the number of families consisting of 11 or more persons who had to wait for more than a year does not exist. In fact, only two families of such a number have waited for less than a year. Most of the flats vacated existing tenants in the two estates that I have referred to have been allocated, in fact, to transfer-applicants from these estates. Of the 46 units vacated in 1973, 34 units were allocated to transfer cases in respect of residents from these two estates. Only two flats were allocated to resettlement cases and the remaining flats to public applicants and fire victims from elsewhere. In fact, I do not know what the Member of Parliament is grumbling about. MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1974 TO 31ST MARCH, 1975 Order read for resumed consideration in Committee of Supply [4th Allotted Day]. Resumption of Debate on Question (20th March, 1974), "That the sum to be allocated for Head JA be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 1004.". - [Mr Teong Eng Siong]. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] 2.35 p.m. Head JA - Question again proposed.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the information requested for by the Member for Mountbatten is as follows: Waiting Period of No, of families consisting of Transfer of Flats 5-7 8-10 11 or more Persons Persons Persons (a)Less than 1 year 358 137 20 (b)Between 1 to 2 years 365 46 3 (c)Between 2 to 3 years 187 8 30 (d)Between 3 to 4 years 371 75 7 (e)More than 4 years 390 178 60 473 of the 628 applications which are in the 4-years or more waiting period have been offered alternative accommodation at least once, while some have been offered flats more than once. The remaining cases have not been considered because of their lower priority, such as requests for transfer to a similar type of flats or because of unsuitable locality or trouble with neighbours.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, a cooked food and hawker centre has been incorporated in the redevelopment plan for the Bras Basah Constituency, and this plan will be implemented by the Housing and Development Board. It is sited near the junction of Beach Road, Middle Road and North Bridge Road. INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SPECIALITIES (Particulars) 6. Mr J. F. Conceicao asked the Minister for Health and Home Affairs, in respect of the Institute of Medical Specialities project, (a) how much money stands to the credit of the fund related to the project; (b) how much of the total donated was to be used for purposes specified by donor, and to what extent have such specified schemes been implemented; (c) how much interest has accrued out of the moneys collected for the Institute of Medical Specialities, and to what use has the interest been put; and (d) how far have plans for the implementation of the Institute of Medical Specialities project been carried through, and what is the intention of his Ministry with regard to the future of this project.”
“With your permission, Sir, can I ask another question? Is it not easier and cheaper to rent, surely, than to buy especially if, as the Member said, he is a "poor fellow"?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, every case will, of course, be treated on its merits. But in the case cited by the Member for Bras Basah, perhaps I should ask him a question. Why did his constituent not rent a shophouse, instead of buying it?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, a tenant of a Housing Board flat who buys private property will have his Tenancy Agreement terminated and be evicted by the Housing and Development Board. An owner of a Housing Board flat is not at the moment prohibited from purchasing private property. This is because when the Home Ownership Scheme was first started, very few people desired to buy Housing Board flats and the Board wanted to encourage our citizens to do so. However, the situation has now completely changed. With the introduction of the Central Provident Fund Financing Scheme, more and more contributors to the Fund have taken advantage of the Scheme and registered to purchase HDB flats. As a consequence, there are now more than 80,000 applicants registered to purchase flats. In addition, of course, there are others who want to rent fiats, and most of them will have to wait for some time before being allotted a flat. It is, therefore, considered unfair to allow any Housing Board flat owner to retain his flat if he purchases private property. By "private property," of course, I mean private landed property. The Board is, therefore, now considering introducing legislation to provide that any HDB flat owner who purchases private landed property must resell his flat to the Board, subject to perhaps certain exceptions, e.g, those owners who inherit property jointly with other beneficiaries.”
“I could have really. But if I were to repeat all these figures in metric, it will take up much more time. As it is, I have already taken up about five minutes reading out all these particulars in square yards and dollars. Perhaps if the Member were to ask the Minister for Science and Technology questions of this nature, he would get his answers in square metres. HOUSING BOARD FLAT TENANTS AND OWNERS (Ownership of private property) 4. Mr Ho See Beng asked the Minister for Law and National Development whether a person, who is already a tenant or owner of a Housing and Development Board flat, may own property.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I seek your consent, and the general assent of hon. Members, to move a motion for the rising of Parliament before 8 p.m. today? I propose to move that the adjournment be taken on completion of the consideration of Head FA today. Mr Speaker: I give my consent. Do 1 have the general assent of Members for the motion, as indicated by the Minister, to be moved and the Question thereon proposed? Hon. Members indicated assent. Resolved, "That, notwithstanding the Standing Orders, the House do rise today immediately after the conclusion of the consideration of Head FA in the Committee of Supply."-[Mr E. W. Barker]. MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1974 TO 31ST MARCH, 1975 Debate in Committee of Supply resumed. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] 5.17 p.m. Head FA --”
“Where, however, the reports are mainly statistical information, which in many cases are already reproduced in the Statistical Year Book, or where the report of a department or Ministry is already in the Year Book, then the printing, publication and tabling in Parliament of such reports is not done, as it would mean unnecessary duplication and waste of public funds for they really serve no useful purpose. Where the report of a department or Ministry is of a confidential nature, of course, the report is not published. I refer to the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Perhaps this is the reason why they are not asked so many questions in Parliament! I assure Members that annual reports of departments and Ministries hitherto published will continue to be published, but every attempt must be made to have them printed soon after the close of the year covered by the report. In the past we have reports filed in three years after the year in which it was due, and I myself have had to take up this question with many departments in my Ministry -- that it is pointless publishing last year's report in 1979! May I conclude by telling the Member that if he wishes a particular department's report at present not published for general information, he can raise the matter with the Minister concerned.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I first deal with the Member's remarks on the press? All I can say is that whatever a Member says here is properly and accurately reported in Hansard. They can make their corrections before publication. As for the press, we do not control them. As for annual reports, the position is this: in the case of statutory boards, the requirement to publish annual reports and to table them in Parliament is provided for in the statute setting up the statutory board itself. In the case of reports of Government Ministries and departments, this has been customarily handled administratively. The decision whether to publish and table such reports in Parliament lies at the discretion of the Permanent Secretary, who no doubt consults his Minister when in doubt. I propose to read an extract from the Manual of Administrative Procedure XV, paragraph 18: `The order of the Permanent Secretary will be obtained in case of a department annual report on whether the report is to be printed and published and whether it is to be tabled before Parliament.' The Member wants all reports to come to Parliament. This means a considerable effort on the part of Ministries and departments to write up reports and leave copies in the Parliament Library. The question is whether this is worthwhile. I doubt it. Where it is considered that the contents of a departmental report are of a general public interest, the practice is to print, publish and table.”
“The breakdown figures are:- 10,260 in Government hospitals; and 535 in approved institutions; 10,237 were married women; and 558 were unmarried women. The percentage of unmarried women who had abortions therefore works out to only about 5 per cent. (b) For the four-year period from 1970 to 1973, a total of 21,728 sterilizations were performed on males and females.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, priority allocation of Housing and Development Board flats is granted to all statutory hoard employees and Government servants who are provided with quarters and are required to vacate them when they retire front service. This priority is not accorded to employees of the institutes of higher learning nor is it intended to extend this privilege to them. Apart from the University of Singapore, institutes of higher learning also include the Nanyang University, Ngee Ann Technical College and the Singapore Polytechnic. It would not be advisable to extend this priority scheme too widely in view of the large number of applicants. In fact, more than 75,000 applicants who have registered to purchase Housing Board flats are still on the waiting list. ABORTION AND STERILIZATION (Particulars) 8. Mr P. Govindaswamy asked the Minister for Health and Home Affairs, since the operation of the Abortion Act and the Voluntary Sterilization Act, (a) how many treatments to terminate pregnancy were carried out (i) in Government hospitals; and (ii) in approved institutions; and how many cases were in respect of (i) married women; and (ii) unmarried women; and (b) how many persons have undergone treatment for sterilization. The Minister for Health and Home Affairs (Mr Chua Sian Chin): Mr Speaker, Sir (a) For the four-year period from 20th March, 1970 (when the law came into effect) to 30th June, 1973 (when the most up-to-date figures are available), a total of 10,795 abortions were performed. This represents almost 7 per cent of total births. It is less than the original estimates of 10 per cent of births envisaged at the time the Act was passed.”
“That is certainly a matter that will be considered at least by the Housing and Development Board; I do not know about the Jurong Town Corporation. But at the moment the Housing and Development Board itself is providing termini for buses, and it pays for them. This suggestion is only taking the matter a step further. HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD (Priority allocation of flats) 7. Mr Ch'ng Jit Koon asked the Minister for Law and National Development if he will ascertain from the Housing and Development Board (a) how many statutory boards there are whose employees, who are provided with quarters, are given priority of allocation of the Board's flats on their retirement; and (b) whether this priority is also accorded to employees of the institutes of higher learning or if the Board will consider extending it to them.”
“Sir, I can assure the Member that more and more bus shelters and bus bays will be built. As I have pointed out, in the last seven or eight years more than $2 million have been spent on them. More will be spent this year and in the coming years. But as the Member realises, there are priorities for other projects, and if he can impress on the Minister for Finance that more money should be provided for this purpose, I will be happy to build more bus shelters and bus bays.”
“Yes, but in their own premises and for their own equipment. However, these bus shelters are not necessarily used only by persons who board the buses. There is nothing to prevent any of the Members here taking shelter at a bus shelter. But, of course, if anyone parks at a bus bay, then he will be in trouble.”
“I do not think so, unless the Member himself thinks so. It is not only the buses that use the roads but also other vehicles like taxis, private vehicles and lorries. As for bus bays, if there were none, there will be more traffic jams, and passengers waiting to board the bus, particularly school children, are in fact better protected when there is a bus bay. And as for bus shelters, surely the Member for Kallang does not want his constituents or my constituents to be exposed to the sun and rain? If the suggestion is that we should charge the bus company the cost of bus bays and bus shelters, this might get them into further trouble and, as it were, perhaps lead to their bankruptcy. But it has not been the policy of Government to charge the bus company. There is a little history behind it because there were so many bus companies before, but now there is one. In the same way, we do not charge taxis for parking at a taxi stand.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the total cost of the construction of bus shelters and bus bays for the seven years from 1967 to 1973 was $2,312,000. I am afraid that records prior to 1967 are not available. The current values of lands vary considerably between urban, sub-urban and rural areas, and also from site to site. It is, therefore, not easy to calculate the land values for the 420 bus bays and 1,480 bus shelters which now exist. Bus bays are provided to prevent the traffic flow from being disrupted by buses waiting at bus stops, whilst bus shelters are constructed for the convenience and protection of bus commuters. These are services which Government will continue to provide. Encik Abdul Aziz: Mr Speaker, Sir, does the Hon. Minister for Law and National Development consider such expenditure of public funds as a subsidy?”
“The Authority is also considering the reclamation of about 24 acres of the foreshore at Punggol as shown coloured orange on the plan and the construction of a bridge (shown coloured green on the plan) to link the enlarged Coney Island with the mainland. These proposals are being studied in the context of a comprehensive scheme for the development of the Punggol area. On completion of the reclamation, the reclaimed land will be proclaimed as State land and alienated to the Port of Singapore Authority on terms and conditions to be agreed with the Land Office. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Resolved, That this Parliament in accordance with section 4 of the Foreshores Act (Chapter 270), approves the reclamation by Government of that portion of the foreshore and seabed off Pulau Serangoon containing an area of approximately 122 acres as shown coloured pink and edged in black on the plan marked "LAND OFFICE RECLAMAXTION PLAN NO. 9/73" which is deposited in the Land Office, Singapore. ADJOURNMENT Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn."-[Mr E. W. Barker]. Adjourned accordingly at Seventeen minutes to Four o'clock p.m. WRITTEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS STAFF TRAINING INSTITUTE 1. Mr J. F. Conceicao asked the Minister for Finance if he will give the different categories of officers who received instruction or training in the Staff Training Institute in 1973 and the number of man-hours of instruction or training in respect of each category.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the motion* standing in my name as it appears on the Order Paper. * The motion reads as follows: That this Parliament in accordance with section 4 of the Foreshores Act (Chapter 270), approves the reclamation by Government of that portion of the foreshore and seabed off Pulau Serangoon containing an area of approximately 122 acres as shown coloured pink and edged in black on the plan marked "LAND OFFICE RECLAMATION PLAN NO. 9/73" which is deposited in the Land Office, Singapore. Sir, Honourable Members will recall that at its sitting on 30th November, 1973, this House was informed of the proposal of the Port of Singapore Authority to carry out development of seaward recreational facilities covering, for a start, Pulau Hantu (Besar and Kechil), Pulau Subar Laut and Subar Darat (Sisters Islands) and Coney Island. As the development involves reclamation of land, approval under the Foreshores Act was then given "by this House for the reclamation of about 32.3 acres of the foreshores at these islands. Work on this reclamation will commence soon. The Port of Singapore Authority now proposes to reclaim about 122 acres of the foreshores around Coney Island as shown coloured pink and edged in `black on the plan marked as "LAND OFFICE RECLAMATION PLAN NO. 9/73", a copy of which is displayed in the Library of this House for the information of hon. Members. The reclamation is estimated to cost $20 million and the fill required will be obtained from dredging the nearby, navigation channels and from excess materials left over from other reclamation projects.”
“The Commission did not, however, recommend any change with regard to the post of Clerk, (Grade E) as it is satisfied that the salary attached to the post is sufficiently attractive. Sir, I beg to move, Question put, and agreed to. Resolved, That this Parliament, noting the Report of the Commission on Parliament Staff as contained in Paper Misc. 1 of 1974, accepts the recommendations of the Commission as contained in paragraph 16 thereof and resolves in accordance with such recommendations. CIVIL LIST 3.15 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the motion* standing in my name as it appears on the Order Paper. * The motion reads as follows: That this Parliament, noting the Report of the Commission on Parliament Staff as contained in Paper Misc. 1 of 1974, accepts the recommendations of the Commission as contained in paragraph 16 thereof and resolves in accordance with such recommendations. Honourable Members may be aware from the Report, which was presented to this House as Paper Misc. 1 of 1974, that a Commission consisting of you, Mr Speaker, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, the Minister for Finance, the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, and myself, was appointed to study the terms of service of the staff of this House. The Commission has met and has made certain recommendations as contained in the Report. To attract and to continue to attract good officers to the Parliamentary service, and also in the interest of the present staff of this House, the Commission has considered it necessary to revise the terms of service of the senior posts such as will appropriately equate them, in terms of salary and status, to the rest of the civil service. The Commission recommended that the three senior posts of the Parliamentary service be restructured as recommended in paragraph 13 of the Report. It is the view of the Commission that, with the restructuring of the two existing promotional posts of Clerk Assistant and Second Clerk Assistant, there will be a wider basis in that serving officers in the Administrative or the Legal Service may be attracted to the Parliamentary service either on secondment or even on substantive appointment.”
“Sir, apart from the Building Control Act which I have mentioned, action has also been taken to ensure the proper maintenance of lifts in private buildings under the Buildings and Common Property (Maintenance and Management) Rules which I have mentioned. The Commissioner of Buildings will be responsible to ensure that owners keep their lifts in clean and proper working condition at all times and have them serviced monthly and inspected annually at least. It is not practicable to make it compulsory for all lifts to be operated by lift attendants, as too large a number of attendants will be needed and it will be difficult to recruit or retain such persons. The Housing and Development Board would then require about 3,375 lift attendants to man the 1,350 lifts now in operation. The presence of a lift attendant may ensure that the lift is clean, but not necessarily safe. The Robinson fire is an example. Legislation is being drafted to ensure that stand-by generators are installed in all public lifts so that they can be brought down to a safe floor in the event of fire or a power failure. There will also be provision for all public lifts to be provided with a communication system, whereby if the hon. Member for Sembawang is trapped in a lift, he can always call for help from outside. CIVIL SERVANTS SPORTING LONG HAIR (Action against) 4. Mr Teong Eng Siong asked the Minister for Health and Home Affairs if he is aware that, though action has been initiated against Government servants having long hair, there are certain Government employees still sporting long hair, and what action he intends to take against such persons.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as at the 31st of January this year, there were 1,350 lifts in Housing Board estates and another 117 in Government buildings. There are no statistics available for private buildings at the moment. But with the introduction of the Buildings and Common Property (Maintenance and Management) Rules sometime this year, statistics of lifts in such buildings will become available. The lifts in Housing Board flats are installed in accordance with the Board's specifications and under the supervision of the Board's electrical engineers. The lifts are tested for a period of two weeks before use. They are cleaned regularly and serviced and oiled fortnightly. The Board also maintains a 24-hour Lift Emergency Unit to deal with breakdowns. Lifts in Government buildings are checked and approved before and after installations by the electrical branch of the Public Works Department which is also responsible for their maintenance. Regular cleaning is carried out by the user department. Lifts in private buildings were previously subject to the 1931 Lift by-laws which required owners of buildings to engage and authorise lift contractors to carry out regular maintenance and to ensure safe operation. As this piece of legislation is not adequate to cope with the high-rise developments, the Building Control Division has been given the responsibility for the control and installation of lifts and escalators by the Building Control Act of this year. The Division proposes to introduce regulations that will require lifts to be installed and maintained by a professional engineer in accordance with the code of practice for installation, operation, and maintenance of lifts. The code is being finalised in conjunction with the Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial Research.”
“Mr Hwang Soo Jin asked the Minister for Health and Home Affairs if he will state the number of road accidents which occurred along Yio Chu Kang Road and the number of persons injured and killed in those accidents in each of the years 1971 and 1972 and from 1st January, 1973, up to the latest convenient date.”
“On completion of works, the reclaimed land will be proclaimed as State land and alienated to the Corporation on terms and conditions to be agreed with the Commissioner of Lands. The reclamation proposal at Pulau Seraya, however, necessitates the acquisition of approximately 33 acres of the private land therein. Compulsory acquisition proceedings are being taken. Clearance of those affected will be undertaken by the Resettlement Department in accordance with its present policy. The 350 inhabitants, including 34 Temporary Occupation Licence holders required to be cleared from the island, will be resettled by the Jurong Town Corporation in the Corporation's flats. The Corporation will also arrange for the clearance of the mosque which is on a Temporary Occupation Licence, the Government primary school and the community centre on the island. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Resolved, That this Parliament in accordance with section 4 of the Foreshores Act (Chapter 270) approves the reclamation by Government of those portions of the foreshore and seabed around Pulau Seraya, Pulau Seburus Luar and Pulau Seburus Dalam containing a total area of approximately 386 acres as shown coloured green on the plan marked "LAND OFFICE RECLAMATION PLAN NO. 11/73", which is deposited in the Land Office, Singapore. ADJOURNMENT Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn to a date to be fixed."-[Mr E. W. Barker]. Adjourned accordingly at Three minutes to Four o'clock p.m. to a date to be fixed. WRITTEN ANSWER TO QUESTION ROAD ACCIDENTS (YIO CHU KANG ROAD) 1.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the motion* standing in my name as it appears on the Order Paper. * The motion read as follows: `That this Parliament in accordance with section 4 of the Foreshores Act (Chapter 270) approves the reclamation by Government of those portions of the foreshore and seabed around Pulau Seraya, Pulau Seburus Luar and Pulau Seburus Dalam containing a total area of approximately 386 acres as shown coloured green on the plan marked "LAND OFFICE RECLAMATION PLAN NO. 11173", which is deposited in the Land Office, Singapore.' Sir, it is proposed to reclaim the foreshore around Pulau Seraya, Pulau Seburus Luar and Pulau Seburus Dalam, thereby amalgamating these three small islands with deep water frontage, into one large island to provide sites in the most economic manner for petrochemical companies wishing to set up operations in Singapore. The development will not only create a comprehensive oil refining and petro-chemical complex in the Southern Islands but will also provide the Jurong Town Corporation and the Port of Singapore Authority with a suitable dumping ground for surplus dredged materials from the Corporation's port extension projects as well as the Port of Singapore Authority's projects, including dredging of nearby navigation channels. The proposed reclamation will cover an area of approximately 386 acres of the foreshore, as shown coloured green on the plan marked as "LAND OFFICE RECLAMATION PLAN NO. 11/73", a copy of which is displayed in the Library of this House for the information of Members. The reclamation cost of $26 million will be borne by the Jurong Town Corporation which will undertake the development as agents of the Government.”
“Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. TIMBER INDUSTRY BOARD (INCORPORATION) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 3.33 p.m.”
“Clause 8 of the Bill amends section 34 of the Act to provide that the Board in assessing compensation shall disregard the following matters: - (a) Oral or documentary evidence of any conveyance, assignment, transfer or other disposition affecting the acquired land, unless the instrument has been duly stamped and registered in the Registry of Land Titles and Deeds and filed with the Chief Assessor of Property Tax prior to the date of publication of the declaration under section 5 of the Act. The Appeals Board must be satisfied that the conveyance, assignment, transfer or other disposition affecting the acquired land is made bona fide and not for the purpose of increasing the value of such property artificially and the onus of proving that the instrument was made bona fide is placed on the appellant. (b) Evidence of sales of comparable properties, unless the Board is satisfied that the sales are made bona fide and not for speculative purposes and the onus of proving that the transactions are made bona fide shall lie with the appellant. These provisions are designed to discourage speculative transactions and to prevent persons from making claims for higher compensation of acquired land by making use of bogus land transactions. Clause 9 enables the Collector of Land Revenue to serve any notice under the Act on any agent authorised to receive service on behalf of the person named in the notice. Clause 10 redrafts the section empowering the Government to withdraw from the acquisition of any land or part thereof, of which possession has not been taken. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. -[Mr Barker].”
“A notification made under section 3 of the Act (which is a notification that land is "likely to be acquired" for a public purpose) will lapse after a period of one year if not followed by the publication of a declaration of acquisition under section 5 of the Act. Clause 4 provides for a new Collector of Land Revenue to continue to hold an inquiry which was previously held by another Collector, and enables the new Collector to lodge the grounds of the award on behalf of another Collector who has ceased to hold office. This amendment is administratively desirable as it would obviate the need for inquiries to be held afresh consequent on transfers of officers. Clause 6 provides for the cost of an appeal to be paid by the appellant if the appeal is withdrawn without any agreement being made by the parties thereto as to costs. Clause 7 repeals and re-enacts section 33 of the Act which provides for the matters to be considered by the Appeals Board in determining compensation to be awarded for the land acquired under the Act. In addition to the basic changes I mentioned earlier of freezing land values and of disregarding potential value, the following changes are also made: - (a) the actual earnings of a person affected by acquisition of his land, shall be disregarded by the Board in assessing compensation for the land acquired; (b) the Board shall take into account any fees for costs relating to any survey, issue and re-registration of title, stamp duty and other costs.”
“In future, such arguments based on the hypothetical consideration that a future change of zoning or use will be granted by the Planning Department will not be taken into consideration in determining the compensation payable upon acquisition. Thus, land zoned "Agriculture", "Rural", "Green Belt" or "Unclassified" at the time of acquisition, will be valued as such. (c) In the acquisition of land used as burial grounds, for the purpose of compensation, consideration in cash or kind already received by the owner of the acquired land by the sale of grave plots, will be taken into account. Again, any potential value of such land on the basis that it could be put to more intensive use will be disregarded. (d) Other amendments tighten existing provisions to discourage speculation and fictitious transactions aimed at securing a higher value for such land, or are redrafts of existing provisions to make intentions more explicit. Sir, clause 2 of the Bill amends the definition of "person interested" to provide that a statutory tenant, under the Control of Rent Act, of any acquired land cannot claim any compensation on account of acquisition of land. Attempts have been made before Collectors of Land Revenue to draw a distinction between a "statutory tenant" and a tenant from month to month who, under the existing provision, is not entitled to compensation. Re-defining the section to specifically exclude rent-controlled tenants would make it abundantly clear that such persons are not entitled to compensation, and would therefore reduce the number of claims made to the Collector of Land Revenue. Clause 3 provides for a hiatus in the law.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, various measures need to be taken to curb speculation in land and to keep prices of houses for our citizens within reasonable limits. Quite apart from the continuing need to acquire more land for housing as well as for other public projects, it will also be necessary to acquire properties left undeveloped by owners who are obviously speculating in land - land which the public interest dictates should be better utilized. Sir, the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill before this House provides specifically for the following basic changes in the existing law relating to the compulsory acquisition of land: - (a) It freezes prices payable on acquisition of land under the Act to the base of market value as at 30th November, 1973, or at the dates of the appropriate Gazette notification under the Land Acquisition Act, whichever is the least. (b) The market value of acquired land shall be deemed not to exceed the price which a bona fide purchaser may reasonably be expected to pay for the land on the basis of its existing use and in anticipation of the continued use for the purpose designated in the Master Plan. Zoning, density requirements and other restrictions imposed under the Planning Act as well as any restrictive covenant in the title of the acquired land shall be taken into account in determining market value, but no account will be taken of any potential value of the land for any other more intensive use. This will obviate the argument that is sometimes made where land has been zoned for a restrictive use, as for example, "public open space", that the land has got considerable potential for development for residential or other purposes.”
“In practice, importers who have paid duty on existing stocks and do not face immediate competition from other importers may not be willing to reduce prices immediately. I would expect importers, however, in their own enlightened self-interest, to reduce prices on new stocks which are no longer subject to duty. The Department of Trade is keeping a close watch on the prices of goods on which duties have been lifted, and if the prices are not reduced the importers will be required to explain why. Importers, who are competing against local manufacturers and have not been importing in the past because of the duty, may need some time to establish fresh links with overseas suppliers. When such links have been established, the Government expects that prices in Singapore will at least be comparable to international prices. It is heartening to note that prices of some of the imported items which are no more subject to import duties have gone down by 10 to 30 per cent, but in other cases the prices have remained high or even increased because of the world wide shortage and increasing cost of production. RESTRICTIONS ON THE SUPPLY, DISTRIBUTION AND USE OF PETROLEUM AND ELECTRICITY BILL First Reading 2.55 p.m.”
“I can put the Member's suggestion to the Board. But many people require the use of cars or vehicles - some for business and some to go to work. So where do we go from there. It is a question of priority. If someone uses his mini-bus or lorry for business, is he entitled to priority? If he says "yes", another Member says, "Throw the lorry out." LIFTING OF IMPORT DUTY (Particulars) 4. Mr Teong Eng Siong asked the Minister for Finance (a) if be is aware that after the lifting of import duty on certain goods, those goods are still being sold at high prices, and if he intends to look into the matter; and (b) on how many kinds of goods has import duty been lifted since 1st January, 1973; what has been the loss in revenue; and what has been the benefit to consumers. The Minister for Finance (Mr Hon Sui Sen): Mr Speaker, Sir, I propose to answer the Member's questions in reverse order. Since January this year, the import duties on 151 items have been lifted. These are mainly food items, building and construction materials, household goods and other consumer products. The Government will lose approximately $19.6 million annually in revenue. The consumers, on the other hand, should benefit both in terms of lower prices in some of the imported commodities and a greater variety and regularity of supplies. In other cases, where the duties have been mainly protective in nature, the prices of goods of local manufacture could also, because of possible competition from imports, be significantly lowered to the benefit of consumers. In theory, the prices of imported goods should be cheaper at least to the extent of the duties which have been removed.”
“Again, the answer is not a question of bad planning in the past. There has never been any bad planning. If the planning is such that every Housing Board flat owner deserves a car park, then I say it is bad planning. But the planning has not gone that way. Due to rising affluence, the Board is trying its best to provide more car parks, as suggested by the Member for Bras Basah. Obviously, the Board cannot build one car park for every occupier of a flat, whether owner or tenant.”
“If what the Member means is that the Housing Board must supply or build a car park for every car owner, then I say he has got his priorities wrong. The job of the Housing Board is really to build houses for the people. It cannot at the same time build one car park for every house it builds. That is the short answer. The houses take priority. Some people say that "if you live in a Housing Board flat, you should not own a motor car!" Mr Ho See Beng: Sir, this over-spilling is really a hindsight wisdom! But my question is: will the Housing Board in future take into consideration the provision of sufficient car parking space for the Housing Board tenants?”
“By that, does the Member mean that if a person owns a car he is entitled to a Housing Board flat?”
“Consideration will certainly be given to the suggestion of the Member for Toa Payoh. But I think I have to repeat what I said earlier on, and that is basically the car ownership population has increased considerably and the Board cannot cater for the parking needs of every car owner.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in recent years, the car ownership population in existing Housing Board estates has increased due to increasing affluence. However, it is not feasible for the Housing and Development Board to cater for the parking needs of every car owner who lives in a Housing Board flat. To alleviate the situation, paid parking of cars has been introduced progressively in Housing Board estates. This should ensure more orderly and systematic parking of cars and prevent misuse of the car parks. The parking fees in Toa Payoh New Town at 20 cents per hour, or for season tickets at $15 per month day-and-night, are reasonable and not beyond the means of car owners. Car parking will not be allowed to overspill on to public roads. Car ownership may eventually require proof of a car parking space either in a parking lot or private garage. Meanwhile the Housing and Development Board, in conjunction with the Traffic Police, is looking into the problem of overspilling and to get these cars off the public roads on to parking lots.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, a piece of State land at Bah Soon Pah Road to the north of the Primary Production Department's Sembawang Field Experimental Station has been set aside for pig farming. The land has been sub-divided into eight lots of about five acres each. These lots will be let out to interested pig farmers on a 30-year lease at an annual rent of about $1,600 per acre, which amounts to about six per cent of the freehold value of the land at about 60 cents per square foot. It will be a condition of the lease that the development of the land must be completed within two years from the date of possession of the site. Lessees are expected to employ modern intensive farming techniques, and preference will be given to those who make use of multi-storey structures and efficient methods of waste disposal. The Primary Production Department will soon be inviting applications, and further details will then be supplied to interested applicants. HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD ESTATES (Overcrowding of Cars) 3. Mr Ong Teng Cheong asked the Minister for Law and National Development how the Housing and Development Board intends to solve the overcrowding problem of car population in the existing housing estates of the Board and, in particular, the problem of the current overspill of car parking on to public roads caused by the Board's recent introduction of the paid-parking system in Toa Payoh New Town.”
“Resolved, That this Parliament, in accordance with section 4 of the Foreshores Act (Chapter 270), approves:- (a) the dredging of the seabed off Sentosa Island for the creation of the Swimming Lagoon as shown coloured blue on the plan marked "LAND OFFICE RECLAMATION PLAN NO. 14/73", which is deposited in the Land Office, Singapore; (b) the reclamation of approximately 27.7 acres of the foreshore at Sentosa Island for the formation of the berms enclosing the Swimming Lagoon as shown coloured yellow on the said plan; (c) the construction of five timber bridges linking the five openings on the berms of the Swimming Lagoon and the timber bridge linking Sentosa to the Golf Course Island as shown coloured blue on the said plan; and (d) the reclamation of approximately 6.7 acres of the Kuching Creek estuary at Sentosa Island as shown coloured green on the said plan. ADJOURNMENT Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn to Tuesday, 18th December, 1973."-[Mr Barker]. Adjourned accordingly at Twenty-nine minutes past Five o'clock p.m. to Tuesday, 18th December, 1973.”