Hon Sui Sen
Singapore
“Sir, I must inform the Member for Rochore that the companies are run on the basis of private sector companies, i.e. their budgets are drawn up by their boards of directors. I do not know to what extent their budgets follow Government budgets but they are certainly not regulated in the sense that Government budgets are rigidly enforced.”
“Perhaps the Member is referring to PIE's operations with respect to the Armed Forces. PIE provides some of the supplies for feeding our army and other armed forces. If the private sector is equally viable, equally able to supply foodstuffs, I see no reason why they should not also compete with the PIE.”
“Jeyaretnam asked the Minister for the Environment and Minister for Communications if he will request the Port of Singapore Authority to consider providing transport alternatively paying a transport allowance to all employees of the PSA who have been moved out of the PSA Staff quarters in Blair Plain and as a result of which have been put…”
“INTRACO is a company in which the Government has some equity. I believe the proportion is somewhere around 20%. So in a sense it is not exactly a Government controlled company, although 20%, of course, is a fairly considerable share. In the case of PIE, the answer is yes, it is a Government company.”
“The dividend yields for the three holding companies were nil, The yields for the operating companies were nil for 34 companies (including eight which have yet to commence operations), 1% to 10% for five companies, more than 10% but less than 20% for 10 companies, and at least 20% for nine companies.”
“Sir, the simple answer to that is no, for the purpose of this Bill. This Bill merely enacts legislation to implement the 1982 Budget concessions.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,492 lines we hold for Hon Sui Sen, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 30.
“In 1981, the value of manufacturing investments committed was $1,929 million, made up of $1,330 million foreign and $599 million local investments. In the first 10 months of 1982, the value of manufacturing investments committed was $1,515 million made up of $1,035 million foreign and $480 million local investments. The bulk of foreign investment commitments in 1981 were for projects in the petroleum sector, oilfield equipment, electronics and machinery/machine components industries. Commitments by local companies in the same year were largely for upgrading and expansion projects in the shipbuilding and printing/publishing industries. The investment climate in 1982 has become more difficult because of the continuing world economic recession. Apart from petroleum projects, the investments committed in the first 10 months of the year were mainly for sectors which are still facing booming market conditions despite the recession. Examples are computers and computer peripherals, and fabricated metal projects (for the local construction industry). The commitments in 1981 and 1982 are expected to create a total of 28,400 jobs over a period of seven years. Nearly 80% of the jobs will be generated between 1981 and 1984 as follows: 4,000 in 1981, 6,400 in 1982, 7,800 in 1983 and 4,100 in 1984. The figures will increase if the Economic Development Board succeeds in securing additional investments in the next few years. It is not possible to specify in detail the job types and their salary. However, the range of jobs created can be expected to be broadly typical of an average manufacturing establishment. In view of the higher technological content and capital-intensive nature of the new projects, a large proportion of the jobs will require technicians, skilled and trained workers.”
“Encik Mansor Haji Sukaimi asked the Minister for Trade and Industry what types and value of local and foreign investments have been secured or committed; and what is the estimated number of jobs which will be created by these investments, indicating the job-types, salary range and when these jobs will be available.”
“The foreign consultants, engaged by the Jurong Town Corporation, are here to provide advice on specialised dry bulk cargo handling equipment and not on the general upgrading of JTC's port facilities. To explain why these experts are necessary, let me describe briefly the operations of Jurong port. Jurong port specialises in the handling of dry bulk cargo like cement clinker, raw sugar, industrial chemicals, grain and scrap iron. These raw materials are used by industries located in the Jurong industrial estate. The volume of such dry bulk cargo which passes through Jurong port has increased from 50,000 tonnes in 1968 to 3.6 million tonnes in 1981 and is expected to grow further. Jurong port at present has ten large bulk cargo unloaders connected to a system of conveyor belts. Most of the existing equipment at the port were installed more than 12 years ago. JTC is now upgrading some of the equipment and also purchasing new equipment to expand the handling capacity of Jurong port. The foreign consultants engaged by JTC are specialists in their field and have been responsible for the planning of some of the world's largest dry bulk cargo handling ports. Their advice will help Jurong port to maintain a high level of efficiency in the handling of its dry bulk cargo operations. In the operations of Jurong Port and in planning for its expansion, JTC works closely with the Port of Singapore Authority and it is only when local expertise in a particular field is not available, that JTC has to resort to engaging foreign expertise. LOCAL AND FOREIGN INVESTMENTS (Jobs created) 20.”
“Payroll tax collections commenced in the Financial Year 1965, and up to the end of Financial Year 1981 have totalled $819.1 million. Like all revenues not collected for specific purposes, the monies collected by the Comptroller of Income Tax were paid into the Consolidated Fund. The Fund is administered by the Treasury, and is used for all the purposes authorised by the Constitution or by written law. Accounts of the payroll tax monies collected as of other general revenues are published in the Accountant-General's Annual Financial Statement. MR HO JUAN THAI 2. Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether he will now give an assurance that Mr Ho Juan Thai will be allowed to return to Singapore if he so wishes and that he will not be arrested on his arrival for interrogation by I.S.D. officers and subsequently detained under the Internal Security Act.”
“For example, the Minister's power, which of course he does not like but which the Minister still possesses, for taxing imports and exports can be exercised without coming to Parliament. I would suggest that in the case of a levy by the Trade Development Board, which is a levy on its own members (and which no doubt Members strenuously resisted), it will be fully considered by the Trade Development Board members, who are also manufacturers and traders, and therefore there is no need really for the matter to come up to Parliament. If, in fact, it does pass through the Trade Development Board, I doubt there would be very extravagant levies by the Board on its own members. I would assume that, if anything, the Minister will be asked to provide more moneys from the Government budget than we can expect to get from levies on the exporters or traders. The final question he asked was whether, in the transfer of the Trade Department's employees to the Trade Development Board, they will be protected. The answer to this is that the procedure for transfer of staff to statutory boards is very well-known. They are usually given an option to transfer to the Board and on terms no less favourable than they enjoy in the civil service. If they do not consider these terms to be really as favourable, if their views differ from that of the Board, then they are at liberty not to transfer to the Board. They can be re-absorbed to other Government positions. 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 Hon Sui Sen]. Bill considered in Committee. 7.33 p.m. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] Clauses 1 to 5 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 6 -”
“Such activity may perhaps be necessary when the Board operates its activities of expansion in overseas markets. For example, at a trade exhibition and so on, it may be that an exhibitor may want to show his goods in conjunction with other manufacturers and would want to authorize the Trade Development Board's repre- sentative there to sell his goods for him if there was any demand. In such cases the Board's representative will have to engage in some commercial activity. So I would assume that there should be some enabling power to allow him to do this. Whether there is a need to form a company or enter into a joint venture is a matter which should be considered in each particular case, and I think a reference to Parliament would be inappropriate because it is really cumbersome. There is a need for flexibility in the operation of the Board, and the purpose of forming the Board is to make it more flexible than a Government department. So I feel that if there is a need to refer to Parliament, as he has suggested, then it might be better not to have a Trade Development Board and allow the Trade Department to carry on its activities. He also asked the question whether Parliament should be asked before moneys are provided. The normal procedure is for grants and other provision to be made in the Budget every year, and since there is a debate during the Budget session which will touch upon whether the contribution or grant to the Trade Development Board will be appropriate, I feel there is no need for a specific application to be made. If there is a need for supplementary votes, that will also come up to Parliament. The other question which he touched on is that since a levy is a tax, should it not also come to Parliament? Not all taxes come to Parliament.”
“I hope that it will not be long before there is a restoration of the economic principles of comparative advantage and international division of labour. The Member for Anson has got quite a number of questions. He objected, first of all, to the Minister's powers. This is part of the general philosophy, I think, which is evident in all our statutory organizations. The Minister in charge of the Act is endowed with powers which are common to all these Acts. I think it would not be possible for changes to be made to this without going against the whole philosophy which has guided us in the drafting of the other Acts. This is perhaps in standard form. So I would suggest that this particular objection cannot be agreed to in this particular Bill without our having to consider its effect also on other statutory boards. So far as I am concerned, the Ministers have exercised their discretion under the various Acts which have constituted the statutory boards and they have performed their duties satisfactorily, and therefore I see no reason why we should make any change. Then on the appointment of members which is made by the Minister, he asked whether the Chambers of Commerce will be consulted. I have explained in my Second Reading speech that the Board was, in fact, formed at the instigation of manufacturers and traders, and I certainly think that their interests will be considered. They will be very heavily represented among the nine members, or even among the three, the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer. The purpose of the Board really is to ensure that it is effective, and I think we can make use of all available expertise in Singapore. The Member for Anson has also touched on the commercial activity, under clause 6 (c).”
“Sir, I think there are quite a number of questions for me to answer. First of all, the Member for Toa Payoh asked whether there will be any undue advantage or unfair competition in the question of commercial activity that is contemplated. I can really assure him that as the Trade Development Board has been set up at the instigation of manufacturers and traders, there will be no such undue advantage or unfair competition. I think the intention is that traders, manufacturers, shippers and so on, will be among those who will be appointed to the Board. There will be between five and nine members appointed by the Minister. So I think they will be heavily represented on the Board. I think we can be sure that they will not set up any commercial activity which will compete with the private trading companies which are already in existence. A lot of the revenue which the Trade Development Board expects will come, I hope, from levies imposed on industries or exporters. For example, the Timber Industry Board is going to cease to exist and the levy which is now being imposed under the Timber Industry Board Act will, in future, be levied by the Trade Development Board. Therefore, I think those who are paying the levy will also, I am sure, insist upon the Trade Development Board not providing unfair competition to themselves. The Member for Alexandra has a very long discourse on trade protectionism, and I enjoyed his very able speech on this. The Trade Development Board will have to ace the difficulties which international. protectionistic tendencies pose, and I hope hey will be successful in doing so. No doubt they will display more initiative and imagination than perhaps Government servants.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as at 30th September 1982, 10,299 applications for training grants have been received, 8,377 or 81.3% were approved, 1,385 or 13.5% were rejected, and the remaining 537 or 5.2% were being processed. A total of 74,013 workers have benefitted from these training grants. Of the 74,013 workers, 22,931 or 31.0% were given training in technical skills, 16,673 or 22.5% in computer-related skills and 15,199 or 20.5% in supervisory and management skills. The rest are for specific skills required in the retail, hotel and catering, financial and other services. GOLD AND COMMODITY TRADING (Complaints) 5. Mr Yeo Choo Kok asked the Minister for Home Affairs, from 1st January, 1981 to the latest convenient date, (a) how many complaints of gold and commodity trading wrongdoings have been received by the Police; (b) how many of such cases have been brought to court; and (c) how many trading wrongdoers have absconded with their clients' money and left the country.”
“The latter amendments are to give effect to the accelerated depreciation allowance scheme for capital expenditure on computer and approved energy-saving machinery and equipment incurred by non-industrial enterprises. These were incentives presented in previous Budget Statements. 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 Hon Sui Sen]. Bill considered in committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. RECLAMATION (Pulau Busing) 7.42 p.m.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The upgrading of the construction industry is one of the tasks that we have set ourselves in this decade. The industry relies heavily on labour and lags seriously behind the other sectors of the economy in mechanizing its operations. Considering the slow growth in indigenous labour supply and our policy to reduce reliance on unskilled foreign labour, the industry must move quickly towards mechanized methods of construction, if we are to keep down the costs of public housing and other construction work. To accelerate the pace of mechanization in the industry, an investment allowance incentive scheme for construction companies was introduced in the 1982 Budget Statement. Under the scheme, capital expenditure incurred by construction companies with more than 50% local share ownership may qualify for investment allowances of up to 50% of the expenditure incurred. The present Bill seeks to give effect to this investment allowance incentive for the construction industry. The Bill amends Part VIA of the Economic Expansion Incentives (Relief from Income Tax) Act, specifically sections 46A, 46B and 46C. In the present Act, an investment allowance is granted only to companies which carry out projects for the manufacture or increased manufacture of any product; or for the provision of specialized engineering or technical services, or for research and development. The present Bill will extend the scope of the investment allowance incentive scheme to companies carrying out projects for construction operations. The opportunity is also taken in the Bill to make slight consequential amendments to the principal Act in conjunction with the amendments to be made to section 19A of the Income Tax Act.”
“Sir, I have been listening very patiently to the Member for Anson what he has been speaking on this Bill. May I remind him that this is a Parliamentary Pensions (Amendment) Bill and not the budget. I thank him for his advice on how to run a surplus in the budget. But let me assure him that I am able to find from the budget enough money to pay for the parliamentary pensions that are proposed in this particular Bill. I am also able to find the money to pay the Judges, whatever is considered proper to them. Civil servants who have had revisions of their salaries need not fear that there will be no money in the budget to pay whatever it is that have been awarded to them. My own feeling is that civil servants are worthy of their hire and that they should be paid whatever is due to them. That also goes for the Prime Minister, the First Deputy Prime Minister, the Second Deputy Prime Minister, and so on. As I said, these are matters which are irrelevant. In this particular case, all I am asking is that persons who have served Parliament for at least eight years as office holders should be paid parliamentary pensions and which would be due to them if they retire, as he has suggested. I do not think I want to answer any point on what salaries are being paid in other jurisdictions to Ministers or Prime Ministers. They are totally irrelevant to this Bill.”
“They are able to enjoy their pensions in addition to what they are paid in their new jobs. But several office-holding Members are needed by the Prime Minister to serve beyond 18 years. They should not be penalized for continuing to discharge their public office. Therefore, a more positive solution, to achieve equity, is to remove the financial disincentives for staying on. In the case of Government pensioners re-employed by Government, their pensions do not cease to be paid during their re-employment. There is no valid reason why Parliamentary pensions for office-holding Members should not also continue to be paid to such re-employed Members. The Bill before this House seeks to remedy this by enabling an office-hold-ing Member to draw a pension when he has a total of eight years' reckonable service as an office-holding Member and attained the age of 55 years even though he is still holding office. When he ceases to hold office, his pension will be recomputed taking into account his further period of reckonable. service. This Bill also provides for a former office-holding Member who is drawing a pension to continue drawing the pension should he serve again as an office-holding Member if he has attained the age of 55 years. If he has not attained that age when he serves again, then he will continue to draw pension upon reaching that age. In short, this Bill will place those office-hold-ing Members who have qualified for the grant of an office-holding Member's pension in a position similar to that of Administrative Officers who are re-employed after their retirement at 55 years of age. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Under section 4 of the Parliamentary Pensions Act, 1978, an office-holding Member must satisfy the following conditions to qualify for the grant of a pension: (a) he must have a minimum period of eight years' reckonable service as an office-holding Member; (b) he must have attained the age of fifty years; and (c) he must have ceased to hold office. However, subsection (3) of this same section says that the pension shall not be payable in respect of any period during which he is again an office-holding Member. At the end of that period, the pension shall again be payable and shall be recomputed with the addition of that further period to the period of his former reckonable service as an office-holding Member. These provisions have the unintended effect of penalising the longer serving office-holding Members. Maximum pension of two-thirds of the office-holding Member's highest annual salary is earned when he has given a total of 18 years of service. Service beyond the period of 18 years does not earn more pension despite the provision for recomputation. In fact, as he continues to serve, his expectation of life decreases and the value of his pension benefits which are suspended falls progressively. Should he die in harness, the value of his pension benefits decreases to zero. I hope this will never happen but unfortunately it is more than a possibility for the older office-holding Members. One remedy is for office-holding Members to retire after they have qualified for pension and take up if they want, non-Parliamentary or private jobs. Several former Ministers like Dr Toh Chin Chye, Mr Lim Kim San, Mr Jek Yeun Thong and Encik Othman Wok have done this.”
“I notice that while clause 10 mentions that the Commissioner -has the power to exchange information with various Government departments, it has singled out the Department of Inland Revenue. Perhaps this is due to the fact that supervision and control of charitable organizations and work have a lot to do with the checking of accounts, donations, and their distribution. In order to avoid too much red tape and to increase efficiency, I would suggest to the Minister that a certain senior officer of the Inland Revenue Department be appointed Commissioner of Charities, in addition to his own post in the Department. Finally, the Minister may wish to clarify why this Bill has been withheld until now. Some people might want to claim credit for themselves, saying the Bill is finally introduced by the PAP Government because of their representations and arguments for it.”
“However, religious and ethical concepts and considerations about the term "charity" are rather abstract and general. They may not be applicable in the legal field. Clause 6, subclause (2) empowers the Commissioner of Charities to decide whether or not an organization is a charity and to be registered as such. If there is dissatisfaction with his decision, sub-clause (3) provides an appeal to the High Court. But it would be far better for the Commissioner to formulate guidelines on these terms after consulting some charity organizations rather than leaving it to disputation in court. When talking about charities, it reminds me of the Spyros tragedy that occurred on 12th October, 1978. Many members of the public voluntarily came forward generously to donate towards the aid of the victims and their families. The two major Chinese newspapers, Nanyang Siang Pau and Sin Chew Jit Poh, within one month collected $3 million which was transmitted to the Ministry of Labour. The two newspapers are cultural organizations and they are also registered companies. I wonder whether this Charities Bill will be applicable to them in similar cases in the future or whether they need to get the written permission of the Commissioner of Charities before they are allowed to collect by proxy such donations. Many an ordinary man in the street has a soft spot in his heart, sympathy and compassion. Whenever necessary, he will come forward with donations and make contributions to show his care for the society, unlike certain opportunistic politicians who can only shout empty slogans. I would like to ask whether the Minister is willing to formulate certain regulations for the guidance of such non-charitable organizations to help them continue participating in charitable acts.”
“Because of the power vested in him, the Commissioner can more effectively carry out his functions, and also more effectively enable donations and funds collected by charities to be distributed and applied more efficiently and equitably. At the same time, the Commissioner will also be able to collect relevant statistics and information on the charities and their activities and report to the Minister and Parliament. Other than the advantages of administration and the collection of information, clauses 7, 8 and 9 of the Bill also empower the Commissioner of Charities to investigate accounts, to institute inquiries and to call for documents and to search records relating to any charity. In this way the Bill will prevent any undesirable elements from claiming to be a charity under false pretences and so deceive members of the public for their ulterior motives. Indirectly, the Bill also protects the reputation of genuine charities from being soiled or damaged by the fishy activities of such undesirable elements. I hope the Commissioner will, in his yearly report, include items on any incidents of any abuse of charities and the results of investigation. The second point I wish to raise relates to the definition of "charity". Clause 2 defines "charitable purposes" as purposes which are exclusively charitable according to Singapore law, and "charity" as any organization established for charitable purposes. We all know that charity is a virtue. According to the international Encyclopaedia of Social Sciences, St. Augustine regarded charity as a virtue which unites us with God. Thomas Aquinas also regarded charity as the foundation or the root of all virtues, while "ren", namely, humanity or kindness, the supreme concept of virtue of Confucian thought, also connotes charity.”
“It also prevents a charitable company from changing its memorandum and articles to enable it to attach new trusts to property, other than subscribed or guaranteed capital, acquired before the change. Charity trustees are required under clause 20 to keep proper books of account regarding the affairs of the charity and to preserve them for at least seven years. Clause 21 specifies how notices of charity meetings are to be given, and clauses 22 and 23 deal with the orders of the Commissioner and their enforcement. Clause 24 provides for rules of court to be made regulating appeals against orders or decisions of the Commissioner to the High Court. Clause 25 empowers the Minister for Finance to make regulations under the Charities Act. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed. 4.30 p.m. Dr Ow Chin Hock (Leng Kee)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Charities Bill introduced by the Minister for Finance. As pointed out by the Minister, the control and supervision of charitable organizations and their activities have all along been shared by various Government departments. We cannot therefore correctly and fully assess the extent of activities of all our charitable organizations - the amount of donations collected by them every year, and how these sums are distributed or used. This Bill seeks to provide for the registration of all charitable organizations other than exempt charities such as educational and religious institutions and hospitals established by an Act of Parliament or any institution as may be declared by the Minister. This Bill also provides for the appointment of a Commissioner of Charities with considerable power to supervise and control charitable organizations and their activities.”
“The same clause also empowers the Commissioner to have the affairs and accounts of any charity investigated and audited and to charge the expenses of such investigation to the charity. Clauses 11 and 12 incorporate the cypr6s doctrine and specify the circumstances under which the doctrine of cypr6s can be applied so that an intention to benefit charity which cannot be literally fulfilled will be effectuated in a manner nearest to that indicated by the benefactor. Clause 13 provides for the vesting of charity property in the Public Trustee by order of the High Court and for its subsequent discharge. The property may be vested in the Public Trustees with or without powers of management. Clause 14 gives the Commissioner concurrent jurisdiction with the High Court for the purposes of establishing a scheme for the administration of a charity; appointing, discharging or removing charity trustees, or removing officers or servants; and vesting or transferring property. However, such a jurisdiction can only be exercised with the consent of the Attorney-General. Clause 15 empowers the Commissioner to act for the protection of charities. He may remove or suspend a trustee in cases of misconduct or mismanagement and prevent the operation of a bank account. Clause 18 specifies the persons who can institute legal proceedings in relation to a charity. All proceedings in the High Court must have the approval of the Commissioner, except those taken by the Attorney-General. Clause 19 allows the Attorney-General, under certain circumstances, to apply for the winding up of a charitable company.”
“His main function is to promote the effective use of charitable resources by encouraging the development of better methods of administration, by giving charity trustees information on matters affecting the charity, and by investigating and checking abuses. However, he is not empowered to act in the administration of a charity. The Commissioner is required under clause 5 to establish and maintain a register of charities. Every charity is required to be registered with the Commissioner, unless it is an 'exempt' charity or is otherwise excepted from registration by regulations. An exempt charity is one which is exempt from the supervision and control of the Commissioner. It is incumbent upon the charity trustees to register the charity, if it is not exempt or excepted from registration. A fine not exceeding $2,000 will be imposed on any trustee of a registrable charity who fails to register with the Commissioner. Clause 6 allows persons who are or may be affected by the registration of an institution as a charity to object to such registration. Appeals against the Commissioner's decision to enter or not to enter an institution in the register of charities are to be made to the High Court. The Commissioner is empowered under clause 7 to institute inquiries into charities other than exempt charities. Such inquiries can be made either for general or specific purposes and may be conducted either by the Commissioner himself or a person appointed by him. The Commissioner can also under clause 8 call for documents and search the records of any charity. Charity trustees are required under clause 9 to submit annual statements of accounts of their charity to the Commissioner. This does not apply to exempt charities and those which are excepted from this requirement by regulations.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Charities in Singapore are normally registered as companies limited by guarantee or trusts or societies. They are under the supervision and control, when necessary, of several authorities, namely, the Attorney-General, the Commissioner of Inland Revenue, the Public Trustee, the Registrar of Companies, the Registrar of Societies and the Ministry of Social Affairs, each with limited scope and powers. There is no single supervisory authority to ensure the effective use of charitable resources. There is also no uniform policy or set of rules to govern the setting up of charities or to regulate their activities. It is important that the activities of charities are in consonance with their declared objectives because charities receive indirect Government subsidies through income tax and estate duty exemptions. Many charities also receive annual grants from the Government or contributions from the public. The Charities Bill, 1982, seeks to make provision for the registration and the better administration of charities. It establishes the office of the Commissioner of Charities and confers upon him a wide range of powers over charities. It is based essentially on the United Kingdom Charities Act, 1960, with modifications to suit circumstances in Singapore. Clause 3 of the Bill provides for the appointment of the Commissioner of Charities and other officers to assist him in the discharge of his functions, while clause 4 specifies the general functions of the Commissioner.”
“Something is obviously wrong. What is happening now is that we are consolidating this figure, which the Member for Anson quoted, plus the National Wages Council increases which altogether come to $18,767 per month for the Chief Justice, and we are rounding this up, as I have shown. So we are already paying the National Wages Council increases over the years. What we are doing is to consolidate this figure and then add on a certain small sum to round up the figure to $18,800 a month. I hope this explanation is satisfactory.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not quite clear where the figures come from, which the Member has quoted. The figure in clause 2 is the annual salary of $225,600 for the Chief Justice. As I have stated in my Second Reading speech, that is $18,800 a month, which means he has an increase of $33 a month, from $18,767. And in the case of the other Judges, the increase has been from $13,526 to $13,600 which is an increase of $74 a month per Judge. I do not know how many Judges there are, but if you add them all up, you will find that the figure is correct.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." It was announced in Parliament in March 1982 that officers in the Administrative and Professional Services would have their salaries revised from 1st April 1982 and that the gross salaries of Superscale officers in the Civil Service would be rounded up, It is the practice at the time of such revisions for the salaries of the Chief Justice and the other Judges also to be revised on the same basis as for the Super-scale officers. However, salary changes for the Chief Justice and the Judges of the Supreme Court require to be formally effected through amendment of the Judges' Remuneration Act (Chapter 7 of the Revised Edition). This Bill is now being introduced into Parliament for these salary adjustments for the Chief Justice and the other Judges. The additional cost of these adjustments will come to about $5,730 a year with rounding up of the gross salaries of the Chief Justice from $18,767 to $18,800 per month and of the other Judges from $13,526 to $13,600 per month following consolidation of the National Wages Council awards for 1978 to 1981 into their salaries. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed.”
“of Officers Division IV grades 13,935 Daily Rated grades 10,532 Senior Police Officers 534 Sub-total 25,001 1st May 1982 No. of officers Education Service 19,139 CPIB Senior Officers 31 Narcotics Senior Officers 14 Sub-total 19,184 1st June 1982 All other services and grades in Divisions I, II and III 28,123 Sub-total 28,123 TOTAL: 72,308 It will be seen from this that both the Division IV and Daily Rated grades shared the same implementation date of 1st April 1982 as the Administrative and Professional Services and there was no discrimination, intended or otherwise, between the upper and lower divisions as the Member for Anson attempts to make out. TAXI DRIVERS' VOCATIONAL LICENCES (Oral Test) 2. Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam asked the Minister for Communications and Minister for Labour why the Ministry of Communications is insisting on Chinese applicants for taxi drivers' vocational licences passing an oral test in two languages when Malay and Indian applicants, are only required to pass the test in one language.”
“The Member for Anson's question is deliberately misleading. It was not, to quote the Member, "found necessary to differentiate in the implementation date" for the "Professional and Upper Divisions of the Civil Service and those in the lower Divisions." The Professional Services Review Committee was set up to specifically look at the salaries and terms and conditions of service for the Administrative and Professional Services. The Committee came out with its recommendations which were accepted by Government and announced in this House on 3rd March 1982. In accordance with the long established practice adopted by the Finance Ministry and accepted by the various civil service unions, implementation was with effect from 1st April 1982 which is the first of the month following the official acceptance and announcement of the recommendations. It was also announced in this House at the same time that the revisions for the Administrative and Professional Services were announced, that all the other services would be reviewed by the Finance Ministry which expected to be able to complete the whole task by the end of June 1982. I am happy to say the Finance Ministry was able to keep to this target despite a very tight schedule and having to negotiate its proposals with several civil service unions. In accordance with the established practice, the implementation dates for all these were the first of the month following official acceptance and announcement of the proposals, or agreement with the unions concerned where negotiations with the unions where necessary. The dates of implementation for services other than the Administrative and Professional and excluding the SAF are as follows: 1st April 1982 No.”
“Mr Lim Boon Heng asked the Minister for Communications and Minister for Labour, in view of the high population density along the proposed north-south line of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, and the existing traffic congestion in this sector, whether top priority can be given to the construction of the north-south line so that the commuting problems of workers in Yishun, Ang Mo Kio and Toa Payoh can be solved.”
“Sir, we have gone into this particular question many times before and I see no particular advantage in going over the same ground again. LEVY ON HAWKER STALL HOLDERS IN HDB ESTATES 3. Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam asked the Minister for the Environment on what basis his Ministry decided to impose a levy of $10 on each hawker stall holder in Housing and Development Board estates irrespective of the business or trade of the stall holder and if he realizes that the rental paid by the stall holder to the HDB includes service and conservancy charges. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment (Mr Chor Yeok Eng) (for the Minister for the Environment)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, all hawkers, including those in Housing and Development Board premises, have so far been exempted from payment of a refuse removal fee under the Environmental Public Health (Public Cleansing) Notification of 1970. Owing to the rising cost of refuse removal and disposal, hawkers will now have to bear part of the cost. We are aware that some hawkers generate less refuse than others because of their different business or trade. However, the $10 per month levy is very much lower than the $20 per month minimum charge on non-domestic premises for the daily refuse removal and disposal. There are two stages in the collection of refuse from HDB Hawker Centres for disposal. First, the HDB collects and removes the refuse to a bin centre. The service and conservancy charges imposed by the HDB is partly to pay for this service and these charges will remain unchanged. Thereafter, the Ministry of the Environment collects the refuse from the bin centre for ultimate disposal. MASS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM (Priority for north-south line) 4.”
“Sir, I have no information at present as to this particular practice but I will inquire into the reasons which have made 30th December the date rather than the 31st December or 1st January. And if the Member likes, I will send him a written explanation of the reasons forth is.”
“Sir, this practice arose before our annual wage supplement was implemented. It is not a practice which is intended to deprive the officer of his non-pensionable annual wage supplement. If the birth date is uncertain, it would be possible, for the Government to assume that it could be the earliest day of the year which would be 1st January, in which case of course the officer would have even less service. I suppose that is one other method by which we could resolve the question of the uncertainty. We take 30th December because that is presumably the longest service in the year.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, an officer's employment is extended beyond his retirement age if his services are needed. The extension is normally for five years. Permanent Secretaries and heads of departments may, however, extend the services of an officer for shorter periods. To extend the services to 31st December of the year of retirement merely to enable officers to qualify for the annual wage supplement is not to be encouraged. I cannot be expected to support it.”
“RETIRING CIVIL SERVANTS (Continuation of service to year-end for Annual Wage Supplement) 2. Mr Eric Cheong Yuen Chee asked the Minister for Finance whether he will consider allowing civil servants, who reach retirement age during the course of a year and whose services are not extended, to continue in service till 31st December of that year to enable them to become eligible to receive the Annual Wage Supplement.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since March 1981, when the Member for Toa Payoh raised the same question during the Parliamentary sitting, the Liquors Licensing Board has reviewed and revised certain procedures for the issue of liquor licences. Previously, the practice was to publish in the Government Gazette notice of the meetings of the Liquors Licensing Board which are held once in three months. The law requires that applications for liquor licences be submitted to the Board not less than 30 days before the date of the meeting of the Board. This was because it would take about that length of time for the licence applications to be processed. The applications have to be cleared with other Government authorities, such as the Police and the Environmental Health Department. Now, the practice of publishing notices of the quarterly meetings of the Board in the Government Gazette has been discontinued. The applicant can submit his application for a licence at any time, and if his application can be processed in time, it will be considered at the Board's next meeting. Another procedure which has been revised concerns the requirement previously for all applicants for wholesalers' and retailers' liquor licences to complete renewal application forms. Applicants need not now complete such forms as the renewals are automatic unless objections against the licensees have been lodged with the Board during the preceding year. However, the Board considers it necessary to require new applicants to continue to advertise their applications in two daily newspapers so as to give the public a chance to object to the applications. As I have stated previously, if the Member has any suggestions to make regarding ways in which the procedures can be further improved, I shall be glad to consider them.”
“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, pursuant to subsection (4) of section 3 of the Audit Act (Chapter 60), resolves that the personal salary of the holder of the office of Auditor-General, with effect from 1st April, 1982, be $9,500 per month, instead of $7,500 per month which is the salary attached to that office. In line with the salary adjustments for the Superscale Officers in the Civil Service, I am proposing that the salary of the present holder of the post of Auditor-General, who is now drawing a basic salary of $6,490 per month personal to himself, be adjusted to $9,500 per month. This salary of $9,500 per month takes into account his basic salary of $6,490 and the NWC wage supplements for the years 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981, amounting to $2,879.92. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Resolved, That this Parliament, pursuant to subsection (4) of section 3 of the Audit Act (Chapter 60), resolves that the personal salary of the holder of the office of Auditor-General, with effect from 1st April, 1982, be $9,500 per month, instead of $7,500 per month which is the salary attached to that office. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO THE CHAIR”
“I assume that, like many departments, the 132 staff have been redeployed to the other Divisions of. the Customs and Excise Department.”
“Sir, the reduction in Customs' staff was the result of reorganization and rationalization and streamlining of Customs procedures. With effect from 1st April 1981 the seven branches have been reduced to three main branches. The Lim Chu Kang Checkpoint and the Jurong Customs Station have been closed down. The Department's selective checking of passengers and cargoes at the various entry checkpoints has resulted in the deletion of 122 posts. The Department simplified its procedure in the collection of entertainment duties and this has resulted in a substantial reduction in workload and manpower. The 180 offences under the Preventive Branch and 296 offences under the Docks Division quoted by the Member for Punggol were either under-declaration, incorrect declaration or non-declaration of duty. Most of these cases were settled out of court, with fines collected and duty recovered on the spot. I want to assure the Member for Punggol that since the reduction in staff was mainly due to the reorganization and streamlining of procedures it should not affect the efficiency and smooth operation of the Department. On the contrary, it should achieve greater efficiency. Mr Ng Kah Ting: Sir, may I ask the Hon. Minister what has happened to the 132 staff? Have they been redeployed?”
“Sir, my Ministry is always ready to consider proposals for tax changes, especially when they are presented as a simplification of our present legislation. The Member for Bukit Batok will forgive me if I do not respond immediately by an acceptance of his proposal. I think matters of this kind had best be put forward and considered at some leisure. That is why I think the Minister for Trade and Industry invited representations from member bodies and then, at some time before the Budget Statement, considered whether any of the proposals could be implemented. The reason for this is that income tax law is extremely complicated and any changes must have repercussions. Under our present taxation system the tax paid by companies is deemed to have been paid by the recipient of a dividend, and if his tax rate is less than 40% he is entitled to claim a refund. Charities and approved provident and pension funds are entitled to a full refund. 7.45 p.m. There are people who have under double taxation agreement with Malaysia also the right to claim refunds from Malaysia. Any changes in the tax law could have some implications as far as this double taxation agreement with Malaysia is concerned. Our corporate tax law has been designed to fit into our trading and economic system. I would like time to study seriously the implications of the Member for Bukit Batok's proposal before I respond to it.”
“Sir, I very gladly give the Member the assurance that this philosophy which we initiated will be pursued, whether or not the exercise is economically justifiable.”
“Information on the income of taxi-drivers has been forwarded to the Inland Revenue Department for action. Maybe there can be another progress report sometime later on.”
“The first exercise was directed at hawkers because of much adverse publicity on this group of self-employed. In 1978 the Department issued questionnaires to 30,000 hawkers registered with the HDB, the JTC and the Ministry of the Environment. Of the 30,000 questionnaires issued, it was found that approximately 3,000 were already taxpayers, 2,000 had already given up their licences, 3,000 were cases where licensees could not be traced, 2,000 cases were cases where replies were outstanding as at September 1981, and 9,000 were near the taxable threshold. The 11,000 remaining cases did not submit any accounts and declared themselves as not taxable. Forms were sent to them in 1980 advising them to keep proper records of their businesses. A random sample on 1,000 of these cases were selected for study, and I think an analysis showed that there were 275 cases returned as taxable and 392 cases were thought to be worth assessing presumptively. So the 392 cases were assessed as a pilot project. For the Year of Assessment 1981, the individuals were assessed to have an estimated annual income of $7,200. The results of this are summarized below: 26 were not assessed presumptively upon receipt of fresh information. 150 raised objections. Of these, 90 made payments, 19 did not, and 41 assessments were subsequently amended and were not taxable. 216 did not raise objections. Of these, 173 made payments, 34 did not and nine could claim reliefs exceeding the assessable income. Total tax raised amounted to $29,804, of which $22,820 was paid. The revenue was insignificant as the exercise had taken up a considerable amount of Inland Revenue resources. Nevertheless we are persisting in this kind of exercise.”
“Sir, some Members may recall that I had in May 1979 replied to a similar question by the Member for Telok Blangah on the taxation of the self-employed. I informed the House then on the measures taken to bring more of the self-employed into the tax net. Briefly, it was estimated that roughly 56% of those self-employed persons who have taxable incomes were not paying tax. Measures were being taken beginning with hawkers, taxi-drivers and car owners. It may not be entirely prudent for me to publicly discuss all the further measures taken to bring into the tax net those who are not already in. A lot of action has been taken. As at December, 1981, there were 573,781 taxpayers, which is an increase of 92,526 taxpayers. Not all assessments for the year 1981 have been completed. However, our income-tax records show that for the Year of Assessment 1979, there were 76,400 self-employed taxpayers and for the Year of Assessment 1981, there were 105,500. This is an increase of 29,100 self-employed taxpayers. As far as possible, the Inland Revenue Department would prefer not to raise presumptive assessments. This is the reason why the Department continually educates the self-employed on how to keep proper accounts so that their tax liabilities can be accurately determined. However, when the self-employed persists in not maintaining proper records, the department will perforce have to estimate their income as provided for under the Income Tax Act, and this has been done for the Year of Assessment 1981. My advice to those who still do not keep proper records is that they must begin to do so if they wish to be fairly assessed. 7.30 p.m. The Inland Revenue Department has begun presumptive assessment on individuals who do not keep accounts.”
“I do not think it is the performance appraisal or the assessment forms which are at fault. Whenever staff appraisal involves a large number of supervisors and the vast variety of jobs, there will inevitably be varying standards of assessment, no matter how sound the system may appear on paper. The Ministry was aware of this problem and guidelines for filling the appraisal forms were provided to minimize inconsistencies in assessment and award. The Ministry advised Permanent Secretaries to form committees to scrutinize and moderate the assessment of supervisors in their Ministries and departments. Permanent Secretaries were allowed to modify the appraisal forms issued by this Ministry or to design their own forms to meet the specific needs of their departments. If the Member has any suggestions in this respect, I would be very happy to forward them to any Permanent Secretary. Thereafter it is up to the Permanent Secretary in each Ministry to ensure that the assessments are fair and consistent and that unhappiness amongst staff is reduced to the minimum. I do not think it can be altogether eradicated. As to salary revision for services other than the Administrative and Professional services, these as I have explained will be going on. As to being generous, I think Government can be relied upon to be fair and just in the proposals which they are making. They want to be good employers and they want their staff to be contented and happy.”
“Where the course is not of direct value to the Ministry but may be of value to other Ministries, he may be granted no-pay study leave. Taking time off to attend classes or courses would cause disruption to work and be unfair to other officers, unless it is for short duration or, as in the case of language study like Mandarin classes, it helps the officer in discharging his duties. Training awards given to in-service officers have always been geared towards the officers' jobs rather than to their individual needs. According to the Public Service Commission, training awards have been given to senior officers as well as officers at the executive level. These include officers in the closed services who are sent to attend specialized courses relevant to their work. The Public Service Commission, however, does not keep separate records for Division I and 11 officers sent for such training. Scholarships leading to the degree of Master of Business Administration are available to both Division I and II officers, including those in the Executive Service. Such scholarships are tenable at the National University of Singapore. The Budget Division has also recently, with the concurrence of the Public Service Commission, introduced a sponsorship scheme for both Division I and 11 officers to attend a part-time diploma course run by the Singapore Institute of Management and the National Productivity Board. These courses are run in the evenings and lead to diplomas in management studies, personnel management and business administration. Successful applicants to these courses are eligible for the sponsorship which includes courses and other fees. The Member also made some comments on the performance appraisal for the second tier NWC payments.”
“Sir, the Ministry has no plans to build any new flats exclusively for civil servants in the same way as those in Neptune Court and Lagoon View. If they want flats in these areas, they must wait for the occasional empty ones returned by civil servants who leave the Civil Service. The reason is that we do not want too many of such enclaves, or some may say ghettoes, for public officers. It is not desirable for social reasons to have public officers divorced from living among people in other walks of life. However, Government assistance to public officers in solving their housing needs could help attract and retain talent in the public service. Hence, arrangements were made with the HUDC to set aside a number of flats in regular housing HUDC estates for a special housing scheme for public officers, which was introduced last year, to help professional and administrative officers, many of whom are ineligible for Housing and Development Board flats, to own HUDC-type flats. The special housing scheme thus ensures that a limited number of HUDC flats under each phase of development is made available for allocation to public officers. The scheme also obviates the need for statutory authorities to introduce independent housing schemes of their own and compete for the limited building resources with the two public housing authorities. 7.15 p.m. The Member for Geylang Serai has also asked about educational and training opportunities for junior officers. An officer who wishes to pursue a course of study, which is of direct value to his work and which is recognized by the Government, may be given half-pay study leave based on his completed past service.”
“Sir, at the moment, the answer is no. That is as far as we will go at present. It may be that there are certain hardship cases. But, of course, if necessary, he may be entitled to get into Class C of the General Hospital which, I think by present standards is not too uncomfortable. If, of course, he wants better classification for the kind of treatment he can get, it would be better if he works for it. If he is an invalid or there are certain circumstances, maybe our new welfare schemes which we want to set up with money from the Central Provident Fund can take that into consideration.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Telok Blangah should be satisfied, as far as the pensioners are concerned, that we have listened to what he had said and had done something about it. I would not put his contribution as 100%. I think he has helped us in making a decision. I think one out of two is not too bad. As regards all the other concessions which he suggested we should reconsider, I am afraid that the feeling is still that perhaps it is not yet time for us to consider that married women should also be the recipients of Government benefits for their spouse and children. Of course, as he has said, we have moved somewhat in the case of the rights of married women. We have allowed them tax relief from the unearned income from investments which were derived from earned income and, maybe at some suitable date, it may be possible to consider whether medical benefits should accrue to the children. I think I would be very much against benefits being given to the spouse of a married woman. I feel that, as a man, he should at least be able to provide for himself, if not for his children. Even for the children, it should be his duty and responsibility to see that his own children are all taken care of. We do not want to encourage a situation where the spouse of the married woman becomes a house-husband and that there is a fall in the male participation rate in our working class.”
“The Member for Clementi has also suggested that sales of computer hardware should be accompanied by training and supply of personnel. I think we can leave it to the computer hardware firms to use these methods to persuade people to buy their computers.”
“The projected output of these training schemes and that from other services would total 4,646 trained computer personnel and the total number of computer personnel available in Singapore by 1990 with the present stock of 1,200 will amount to 5,846 as against the projected demand of 5,800. I quote these figures with some precision although these are estimates, but of course the projected demand was made in 1980. The National Computer Board will review the position from time to time. The Board is planning to undertake a survey of the computer industry to obtain up-to-date statistics of the stock of computer pro- fessionals and future requirements. The Computer Board will monitor the supply and demand situation closely and will take steps to make adjustments to the enrolment of various training institutions when necessary. The Member for Clementi has suggested that the shortage of trained computer personnel could be reduced in various ways. One way of course is, as he suggests, by employing experts from overseas on a temporary basis. The National Computer Board has recently mounted recruitment exercises overseas for senior computer personnel from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. In response to feedbacks from the computer software industry, the Board has worked out plans to provide incentives to encourage the inflow of overseas computer professionals. The incentives would cover housing accommodation, funding of computer training with Skills Development Fund support, collate local training as well as sponsorship for overseas training in the computer field, extending of development consultancy scheme and assistance in the evaluation and selection of software packages.”
“Sir, the National Computer Board has estimated that at present there are about 1,200 trained computer personnel in Singapore against an estimated demand of 1,500. Measures therefore have to be taken to solve not only the present shortage of 300 but also that of subsequent years if the computer software industry is to be promoted with a view to making Singapore a computer services centre. The National Computer Board has to-date initiated the following designs to increase the supply of trained computer personnel: 1. Intake of computer science students at the National University of Singapore has been increased by over 50% since 1980. 2. The establishment of the Institute of Systems Science in December 1981 with the first enrolment of 32 graduates to be trained as systems analysts. 3. The establishment of the Japan-Singapore Institute of Software Technology with the first intake of 50 'A' programmer trainees in February 1982. 4. The establishment of the Computer Systems Advisors Training Centre with its first intake of 20 at the end of 1981 with the support of the Skills Development Fund. 5. The establishment of the Systems Education Centre as the in-house training arm of the National Computer Board with the support of the Skills Development Fund. The Centre will open its facilities to other statutory bodies and public organizations. In addition to the above training schemes, the National Computer Board together with the Singapore Polytechnic and the Ngee Ann Technical College are presently studying the possibilities of establishing a Centre for Computer Studies to train 'O' and 'A' level school leavers to be programmers.”
“He has also made some comments on the effect of this revision upon the private sector, and he expects that the private sector (and he is probably quite right) will take the revision of Government salaries to be the basis for their own further consideration if they want to attract personnel from the public sector. But if we have regard to this and fail to do anything to improve the salaries of the senior civil servants, I am afraid that we are merely confessing to failure and despair in our personnel policy. So I think that, as far as this revision is concerned, it is quite clearly necessary and Treasury has agreed not too reluctantly to this costly revision. 6.45 p.m. On the provision for the lower civil servants, I think we would all like this to end expeditiously so that there will be satisfaction in the whole civil service. The Member for Boon Lay asked whether, in fact, financial rewards affected some of the members of the civil service to join the private sector. This is not the only reason why there has been a brain drain from the civil service. In practice, it would be impossible to suggest that other motivational factors would offset a vast gap between what is paid in the private sector and what is paid in the civil service. In the case of the professional services, like the medical and legal services, the disparity is very wide and I think many of the officers who resigned did set up or join presumably more lucrative private practice. But I take the Member's point that there are other factors which could motivate many civil servants to stay on and this is why we still have a very efficient and dedicated civil service. I hope that the Member's words will be taken to heart by the civil service and that there will be fewer resignations in the future.”