Lee Boon Yang
Singapore
“6 The other guidelines are that there must be a post office sited within 5 km of every private residential estate and within 1 km of any commercial or industrial estate. MAID LEVY CONCESSION (Applications by the disabled) 32.”
“Madam, can I quickly respond to the point on assistive technology? Certainly this is an area of interest. We cannot say that we have the capability at this juncture but we will certainly look into what is possible and work with our ICT sector.”
“Nevertheless, if the spouse of the homemaker is working, he will be eligible for WIS if he satisfies the criteria. Husbands of homemakers are further eligible for tax relief.”
“Sir, I do not think it is quite correct to say that we always expect our own artists to perform for free or do public service. There are, of course, occasions where we do seek Singapore artists and arts companies to contribute to the national causes. For instance, when we went international for Singapore Season in China.”
“Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for National Development (a) what checks does the Ministry or the National Environment Agency have in place to prevent mistaken payments to hawkers who cease operations due to upgrading works at hawker centers; (b) how did the mistaken payment of $18,000 to Mdm Lee Ah Muey come about; and (c) what will the…”
“While it was also true that initially the reaction or the response of the licensing authority was that foreigners should not participate in such an event at the Speakers' Corner - because there is already an existing prohibition against any foreigners taking part in any activities at the Speakers' Corner - subsequent assessment resulted i…”
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“Without a rigorous foreign worker policy, the pace of upgrading and skills development will certainly slow down and we will be the worse for it. It is only natural, Sir, for employers to turn to low-cost foreign workers to meet their immediate needs because it is more costly and more difficult initially to invest in new machinery or to automate production processes. But this is necessary if we want to enhance the productivity of Singaporean workers. We need more skills training and upgrading, not more unskilled foreign workers. The policy to reduce our dependence on foreign workers will undoubtedly inconvenience and unsettle some companies, particularly those which are already over-dependent on foreign workers. Such companies, however, must search for alternatives, be it to retrain their workers, upgrade their operations or even to move part of their labour intensive operations to where labour is readily available, such as in the Growth Triangle. Indeed, some have already made the move quite successfully. Sir, a recent SMA survey showed that two out of five manufacturers have either moved or intended to relocate part of their business to neighbouring countries. Sir, this is part of economic rationalisation and restructuring. It may be at times a painful process, but it will in the long run ensure that the Singapore economy remains competitive against other NIEs. Moreover, Sir, if we do not control and regulate the influx of foreign workers, the lower wages of the foreign workers will certainly drive down and depress the wages of our own Singaporean workers. The earning power and standard of living of ordinary Singaporeans will then be adversely affected. The interests of Singaporeans must always come first.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to join in the debate. My Ministry announced on 18th February a $50 increase in the foreign maid levy and changes in the foreign worker policy for the construction and marine sectors. Several Members of this House yesterday have questioned the need to increase the foreign maid levy. Some have asked whether Government can make foreign maids affordable to the lower-income women so that they can continue to work and have children. Mr Chiam claimed that the increase in foreign worker levy has led to higher business costs. A moment ago, my colleague, Mr Yatiman Yusof, has stoutly defended the need for a strict and firm foreign worker policy. Sir, let me now take a few moments to reiterate why we need to control the foreign worker population before I address the "how". The Government's foreign worker policy is to allow a limited pool of foreign workers in Singapore. This is to complement as well as to act as a buffer for the local workforce. This will allow the economy to grow beyond the natural growth of our population and our own productivity growth. It will also allow us to reduce the foreign workforce in times of economic slowdown, such as during 1985 and 1986. Sir, now that we have more than 200,000 foreign workers, including more than 65,000 foreign maids in Singapore, we cannot allow the pool of foreign workers to continue to grow unchecked and unregulated. The future of our economic survival and prosperity does not lie in trying to achieve more growth on the back of an increasing number of imported unskilled workers. What will ensure competitiveness and success are our efforts to upgrade the level of technology of our industries and to move our workforce to a higher level of skills.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we will monitor the demand after 1st April and see whether the drop has been substantial before we review the situation. ANNUAL BUDGET STATEMENT Order read for Resumption of Debate on Question [28th February, 1992], "That Parliament approves the financial policy of the Government for the financial year 1st April, 1992 to 31st March, 1993." -[Minister for Finance]. Question again proposed. 12.56 pm”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the increase in the levy for foreign maid will be effective from 1st April. From past experience, after each revision of the levy the demand for foreign maids drops. Demand will stay low. It drops from the previous high for a period of time, after which it may pick up again. The fact that it does pick up again later on is a reflection more of the economic growth achieved by the country, rather than the inefficiency of the foreign maid levy as a means of regulating the demand. What happens is that over time, with economic growth, people's income rises. Therefore, the previous revision of the levy becomes more affordable and more people will then apply for their maids.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on other measures to control the demand for foreign maids, my Ministry will always consider any useful suggestions that the Member or any other Member including members of the public have to make to us. At the moment, we feel that the levy is an effective mechanism and is one that should be used unless a better alternative is found. For the Member's information, my Ministry has over the years received more than 20 suggestions on how to control foreign maids other than using the levy as a mechanism. In the course of the budget debate, with your permission, Mr Speaker, I will have time to elaborate on some of these measures that have been proposed by members of the public and also to give my Ministry's response to why they would not be workable in most cases. On the other supplementary question of whether my Ministry will impose a higher levy for those who are employing a second maid, my Ministry has responded, both in the media and on other occasions, that the number of employers with second maids, in other words, households with more than one maid, is very small. In fact, less than 3% of the 65,000-odd employers of foreign maids actually employ more than one maid. Hence, a second tier levy for those who employ more than one maid is not likely to curb the demand for more maids. And last year's increase of more than 20% in demand for foreign maids did not come from people who were applying for a second maid. The demand largely came from people who were just applying for their first maid. Hence a higher levy is not likely to solve the problem. But I would not rule out a higher levy if, in the future, the number of people employing a second maid should increase at an unacceptable rate.”
“I would agree with the Member that employment of domestic maids does improve the quality of life. But that does not mean that the Government should not regulate the influx of foreign maids into Singapore. If we are talking of improving the quality of life purely from the point of employing maids, then I would like to remind the Member that there are more than 600,000 households in Singapore. And if that is his only answer for improving the quality of life for these 600,000-odd households, then I fear that Singapore will have an overwhelming number of foreign maids in the future.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on Mrs Yu-Foo's Question, the main objective of the foreign maid levy is to moderate the demand for foreign maids. The levy must be the same regardless of who the employer is or what the maid is to be employed for. The Government is not in a position to determine the needs of various households and impose different levels of levy according to household needs. Sir, presently, as an incentive for people to look after their aged parents, a tax relief of $3,500 for each dependent parent staying in the same household is granted to taxpayers. The savings from this tax relief will offset part of the cost of looking after aged parents. Mr Speaker, Sir, on Mr Teo Chong Tee's Question, I sympathise with working widowers and male divorcees who have to look after young children. However, the objective of the double tax relief for foreign maid levy is to encourage married women to join the workforce and at the same time have children. It is not meant to help all employers of foreign maids. The double tax relief scheme is only two years old. We should make changes after we have sufficient experience to assess its impact on the demand for foreign maids.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, Questions 5 and 6 are somewhat related. May I have your permission to take both the Questions at the same time?”
“Sir, in response to Mr Maidin's comments, let me assure Members of this House that although the scheme is structured as a CPF check-off scheme, it is not a mandatory scheme. It is up to the Indian Muslim worker to decide for himself who and how much he wants to contribute. An Indian Muslim is fully welcomed to contribute both to Mendaki and to SINDA at the same time. But if he is earning such a small salary and is unable to make contributions to both organisations at the same time, he is also entirely free to just submit a form to his employer saying, "I am not making a contribution to SINDA or, for that matter, to MENDAKI". That is his choice. So Indian members of the community are free to decide which organisation they should donate to. So there is no compulsion. The opting-out scheme is structured purely for the convenience of the donors and the employers and SINDA. Clauses 1 and 2 ordered to stand part of the Bill. Bill reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. AMENDMENT OF STANDING ORDERS”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as I have mentioned earlier on, in the implementation of the MENDAKI check-off system, both MENDAKI and the CPF Board have not encountered any such difficulties. As I said, although the responsibility is placed on the employer to make the deduction, if there is any doubt he can always check with his employees. And if his employee should feel that he is not a member of the Indian community and does not want to contribute, there are forms that will be made readily available for such employees to just fill up, and the forms can be returned both to the employer and SINDA.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I think the problem can be very easily resolved. If the employer is not sure whether or not his particular employee belongs to the Indian community, he can just ask the employee, "Are you a member of the Indian community and do you wish to contribute?"”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on Dr Ker's question of whether the amendment before us will apply in the case of the Chinese Development Assistance Council's desire to set up a similar fund to develop programmes in support of the lower-income Chinese, since the objective of the CDAC is very similar to what has been discussed here, I would support CDAC's application to avail itself of the CPF check-off system to raise funds from among the Chinese community. I want to thank Dr Vasoo for his support and I also agree with him that at this juncture it is imperative that the Indian community, particularly all the community organisations, get together to give their full support to SINDA.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank Mr Sinnakaruppan, Member for Kampong Glam GRC, for supporting the Bill. I certainly agree with Mr Sinnakaruppan that in a multi-racial Singapore, the under-performance of any one community is most undesirable. And we should always try to help any community which is not performing up to the national standard. With this amendment, I believe that SINDA would be able to reach out to the whole of the Indian community to get its support. SINDA has estimated that it would be able to raise $2 1/2 million per annum with this CPF check-off system, and I would urge all Indian Singaporeans to support this scheme. I also want to take this opportunity to point out that SINDA is not just depending on the CPF check-off scheme to raise funds in support of its activities. SINDA has also set up, as a long-term target, an effort to raise an endowment fund of $30 million from among the more well-to-do Indians in Singapore. And I would again urge that the more successful Indian Singaporeans to also support SINDA's effort to build up an endowment fund. Sir, on the question raised by Mr Chng Hee Kok, in the implementation of the CPF check-off system for MENDAKI, both the CPF Board and the employers have not encountered any difficulties in deciding whether a person belongs to a particular community. I do not envisage that such a problem will arise following this amendment to the CPF Act to enable the Indian community to make their contribution through a check-off system. But I would like to remind Mr Chng that should there be any doubt, the employee is always entitled to notify his employer that he does not want to make the contribution. So there is a full protection for the employee in this instance.”
“The Indian organisations wholeheartedly suppported this suggestion. Acceding to the request of the Action Committee, the Government has come forward to extend this scheme, which is currently implemented only for the Malays, for the educational, social and economic advancement of any community in Singapore. This gesture by the Government is indeed very laudable. The Central Provident Fund (Amendment) Bill provides for employers to deduct from their employee's monthly take-home pay, a prescribed amount, according to their level of income, to a fund, approved by the Government, for the advancement of any community living in Singapore. In a multi-racial Singapore, the under-performance of any one community would inevitably affect the progress of Singapore as a whole. The Indian community has made an important contribution to the development of Singapore from the early years. For it to continue to exist as an important community, all Indian Singaporeans must contribute their share towards this end. There are 68,000 Indians who are CPF contributors. I am confident that Indian Singaporeans would come forward to contribute, according to their means, for the advancement of the Indian Community. I wish to urge the professionals to contribute more than the prescribed amount to the fund. Sir, I support the amendment Bill.”
“Sinnakaruppan (Kampong Glam GRC)( In Tamil): Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to speak in support of the Central Provident Fund (Amendment) Bill. Last year, the Action Committee on Indian Education, headed by Mr J.Y. Pillay, reviewed the statistics relating to the educational performance of Indian students who were under-performing at all levels. It released a 20-year programme to correct the educational under-performance of the Indian students. Funds are essential for the successful implementation of the educational programme. The Action Committee has estimated that for the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) to fully implement its educational programme, it will require $3.75 million annually. From this sum, the expenses for various projects such as tuition classes, parent counselling sessions, bursaries for students from lower income background, administrative costs of SINDA and the costs of publicity shall be met. Although a sizable sum may be obtained from tuition fees, the remaining $2 1/2 million can only be sourced through fund raising activities. It will take many years for SINDA to achieve its long-term goals in education. It would be difficult to embark and implement new and innovative fund raising activities each year. If fund raising methods are too erratic or inadequate, then there may be a situation, in some years, of not being able to implement the planned programmes. Therefore, in order to achieve the long-term objective of SINDA, a stable form of fund raising mechanism is necessary. For these reasons, the Action Committee on Indian Education had recommended that the Government gives approval for all Indian Singaporeans who are members of CPF to contribute monthly to the SINDA fund under an "opting out" scheme.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, the Action Committee on Indian Education has recently proposed establishing a fund to assist needy Indian Singaporeans to upgrade the educational attainment of their children and to improve their economic and social conditions. Contributions by the Indian community to the fund will be through an opting-out scheme, similar to that for MENDAKI. The fund will be administered by the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA). To assist SINDA in collecting these contributions, my Ministry has agreed to the proposal for the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board to act as the collecting agent. This will allow employers of Indian Singaporeans to deduct contributions from the wages of their Indian employees and pay them to SINDA through the CPF Board. In the case of contributions to MENDAKI from Muslim Singaporeans, the opting-out scheme was effected through amendments to the Administration of the Muslim Law Act. However, there is no parallel legislation for the Indian community. Hence, the scheme for SINDA has to be effected through amendments to the CPF Act. Sir, the amendments are to be made to section 76 of the Act. A new subsection (2) will empower an employer to deduct the specified amount from the monthly wages of an employee who belongs to a particular community and contribute it to an approved fund set up for the educational, social and economic advancement of that community. An employee who does not wish to contribute can opt out by notifying his employer in writing. Subsection (3) will empower the CPF Board to make the necessary rules for the collection of the contributions. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed. Mr R.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have to thank the Chairman of the GPC on Labour for his support of the Bill and since he did not raise any further query, I do not think I need to respond. 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. - [Dr Lee Boon Yang]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. CENTRAL PROVIDENT FUND (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 3.43 pm”
“With the increase in membership and prudent management of the trade union funds, many unions are now financially strong. Most of them have invested their surplus funds in interest-earning deposits, in banks and in union co-operatives. Some have invested in trustee shares. With rapid economic and social development, our workers now expect more varied and better social and recreational facilities for themselves and their families. In response to this, the Singapore Labour Foundation has launched a number of projects to meet the social and recreational needs of workers. One of these is the Pasir Ris Resort which has been a resounding success since it opened its doors several years ago. Other projects in the pipeline are the holiday chalets at Sentosa, the Orchid Country Club and further improvements and extensions to the Pasir Ris Resort. Sir, to support the efforts of the SLF and to encourage unions to invest their surplus funds in worthwhile projects, section 49 of the Trade Unions Act has to be amended. Clause 3 of the Bill is to widen the scope of investment of union funds by allowing trade unions to invest in projects developed by the SLF or its related companies, subject to the approval of the Minister. A cautious approach is taken to confine such additional investments to approved SLF projects which will benefit workers and their families. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, the objects of the Bill are, firstly, to lower the minimum age for membership of a trade union and, secondly, to allow trade unions to invest their surplus funds in projects undertaken for the benefit of workers by the Singapore Labour Foundation (SLF) or its related companies. Sir, under section 28 of the Trade Unions Act, the minimum age for joining a trade union is 18 years. This restriction was necessary in the earlier years when trade unions were often manipulated by undesirable elements to further their own objectives and young workers were, particularly, susceptible to such manipulation. Sir, the situation has improved significantly. Besides safeguarding the interests of workers through collective bargaining, trade unions are providing a wide range of facilities and activities to meet the social, recreational and welfare needs of their members. With trade unions now playing a more constructive role in achieving higher productivity and economic growth, it is timely to allow younger workers to join the trade unions so that they can also enjoy similar benefits and protection of older workers. Sir, in the Employment Act, a person who has attained the age of 16 years can be employed in any commercial or industrial undertaking without any restriction. Clause 2 of the Bill amends section 28 of the Trade Unions Act to lower the minimum age for union membership from 18 years to 16 years. Sir, under section 49 of the Trade Unions Act, the funds of a trade union can only be invested in investments authorised by law for the investment of trust money, in interest-earning deposits, in banks or finance companies, or in the shares of co-operative societies established by any registered trade union.”
“In this way, they are helping to ensure peace for Singapore and their standard of living can continue to go up, and they are also helping to build up a better future for their families. Sir, it is simply not possible to have a national service defence force without causing some degree of inconvenience to Singaporeans. In the case of reservist duty, it is essential to carry out periodic training, such as in-camp training, to maintain a high level of operational readiness, which Mr Chiam seems not to agree, even if such training results in some disruption to the civilian life. If reserve service is not carried out thoroughly and effectively, then I have no doubt that SAF's ability to defend Singapore will certainly suffer.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, Mr Chiam has, as usual, wielded a very poorly guided and indiscriminate brush to paint a dark and distorted picture of the position of a reservist who has to perform in-camp training in the SAF. He has misrepresented the SAF as an unreasonable and inflexible organisation. Sir, this could not be further from the truth and, in the course of the next few minutes, I will set the record straight. First, let me address the specific example that Mr Chiam has brought up of the student who was sitting for his external law examination, appealing to be deferred from in-camp training because it coincided with a local intermediate examination. I think Mr Chiam forgot to inform this House that the local examination was, in fact, a mock examination conducted by a local private law school to prepare their students for the formal examination. Being a mock examination, it could always be re-scheduled or could always be re-arranged in some way to accommodate the student's in-camp training. Nonetheless, after appeal by the hon. Member of Parliament who represented this student, and the hon. Member is not Mr Chiam, MINDEF had decided, in this particular case, notwithstanding the fact that it was only a mock examination, to allow him time-off to take the examination. So this is, in fact, a case in point showing that MINDEF does consider each case on its own merits. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me now state a fundamental principle. National service, whether it is full-time national service or part-time national service in the form of reservist duty, entails a certain degree of inconvenience and disruption to civilian routine. This is a sacrifice which all male Singaporeans have to make for the security and survival of Singapore.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the present validity of reservists' passports is two years. But I thank the Member for bringing up this point about the inconvenience faced by some reservists at foreign immigration check- points. I will ask MINDEF to consult the Immigration Department on the possibility of inserting a clear explanation in the passports of reservists. For instance, we could insert a statement to say that the holder of the passport is a national service reservist and the passport of the reservist is limited to two years' validity only. This should allay his fear that reservists travelling abroad will be viewed with suspicion by foreign immigration official. PAP EDUCATION CENTRES (Particulars) The following Question stood in the name of Mr Chiam See Tong - 2. To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how many PAP education centres are there in Housing and Development Board estates; (b) what is the total area of floor space occupied by them; (c) what is the total number of children attending the kindergarten classes in these centres; and (d) what are these education centres allowed to be used for other than holding kindergarten classes.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am aware that if they travel out of Singapore for less than six months they do not need an Exit Permit but they have to inform their units. Nonetheless, MINDEF still feels that at this point of time the two-year validity is required in order to maintain the operational readiness.”
“Sir, I fail to see the substance of the question. What has the point about diplomatic immunity got to do with the question here? Dr Lee Siew-Choh: The point, Sir, is that all these are connected and I have brought it up to find out what the Minister has to say.”
“Now, Sir. I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Third time." Question proposed.”
“Sir, it must depend on the nature of the programme and the kind of support that he is seeking. If it is an outright grant, then we will have to look at it and see whether there is a vehicle under which such grants can be made, or whether it would be better for him to apply through the existing channel which is, as I have mentioned earlier, the CIPC grants. These are available and the Town Councils could seek such support. 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. - [Dr Lee Boon Yang]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment. Third Reading”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to thank all the Members who have spoken up in such strong support for the amendments to the Town Councils Act. I would like to now address some of the questions which have been asked by Members and also some reservations which have been expressed. The Chairman for the GPC on National Development and Housing has asked whether delegation of powers or enforcement under the Housing and Development Act will continue. This is the present arrangement. Town Councils are at present carrying out enforcement work against abuse on the use of the common property or in some other areas, for instance, littering and spitting, which are delegated to them by both the HDB and the Ministry of the Environment. This arrangement was arrived at because the Town Councils Act did not provide for Town Councils to carry out enforcement actions against non-residents. Once the Bill is passed by this House, Town Councils would be able to carry out enforcement of all its by-laws against residents and non-residents alike. In which case there is less need for Town Councils to carry out enforcement through the medium of delegated authority, whether it is under the Housing and Development Act from HDB or the Environmental Public Health Act from the Ministry of the Environment. The intention here, Sir, is to provide Town Councils with the legislative basis upon which it could make by-laws to manage its common property and to see that the common properties are not abused in any way. It is the long term intention that Town Councils should avail itself of these powers under the amended Town Councils Act, make the necessary by-laws and carry out enforcement on its own, rather than depend on the delegated authority from HDB or the Ministry of the Environment.”
“In the absence of the Chairman or if the office of the Chairman is vacant, any one of the two Vice-Chairmen can perform the duties of the Chairman. Town Councils are authorised to collect charges for the use of any facility or service that they provide. This is spelt out in section 19(c) of the Act. What is not clearly stated is that this includes making charges for the use of any part of the common property, eg, part of the open space between blocks. Clause 7 in this Amendment Bill will make it clear that Town Councils can levy charges for use of any part of the common property, as was originally intended. Under clause 11, employees of managing agents are deemed to be public servants for the purposes of the Penal Code. Since employees of managing agents are carrying out the instructions of Town Councils, they should be given the same protection provided to public servants under the Penal Code. Clauses 3, 5, 6 and 9 are consequential amendments. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed. 2.30 pm”
“To enable Town Councils to identify offenders, clause 10 empowers members and employees of a Town Council to request a person, who is suspected of having committed an offence, to furnish his particulars. Failure to furnish particulars will be an offence and upon conviction, a fine not exceeding $1,000 could be imposed. This provision also allows Town Councils to delegate the power to request for particulars to certain employees of the managing agents for the Town Council. To facilitate enforcement against parking offences, the owner of a vehicle shall be deemed to be guilty of the parking offence as if he was the actual offender unless he proves otherwise. This provision is necessary for the Town Councils to carry out effective enforcement action against motorists who park their vehicles indiscriminately in the void decks or on any part of the common property. This provision is similar to that in the Parking Places Act. Another new provision in clause 10 empowers Town Councils to compound offences committed under the Act or their by-laws. At present, Town Councils have to prosecute offenders through civil suit as there is no provision for compounding the offences committed. Such civil suits are costly and time-consuming. Enabling Town Councils to compound offences will reduce the need for prosecution in Court. Finally, there are some minor amendments to the Town Councils Act. Clause 2 of the Bill makes it clear that it is not the responsibility of the Town Councils to maintain gas installations. Gas installations will continue to be maintained by the Public Utilities Board. Clause 4 of the Bill will enable a Town Council to appoint two Vice-Chairmen.”
“These provisions will deter owners and tenants from late payments. The administrative fees and penalties will make it less attractive for people to delay payments to Town Councils and ensure that Town Councils do not incur higher costs unnecessarily. Clause 8 also allows Town Councils to make regulations to prohibit the illegal parking of vehicles on common property. This is a common violation which has caused much nuisance to residents. With this amendment, Sir, Town Councils' by-laws will now be applicable to residents and non-residents alike. It has to be so because visitors to a town ought to comply with the particular Town's regulations. Clause 10 introduces new sections to the Act which will enable Town Councils to recover arrears expeditiously. Under section 43(1) of the Town Councils Act, a legal charge is constituted if the owner or tenant still owes service and conservancy charges after the expiry of 90 days from the issue of a notice of demand from the Town Council. However, there are cases where a flat may be sold, surrendered to HDB, or re-possessed by HDB before the charge becomes legally constituted. In such cases, the Board requires the consent of the owner or tenant to deduct the service and conservancy arrears from compensation monies and rental deposits held by the Board. Clause 10 will enable Town Councils to request HDB to deduct service and conservancy arrears, including interest and penalty, from any compensation and deposits held by the Board. Clause 10 also allows Town Councils to retain fines imposed under the Town Councils Act or the by-laws made by a Town Council. The retention of such payments will help to defray a Town Council's costs incurred in taking enforcement and prosecution actions against offenders.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The Town Councils Act came into operation on 5th August 1988. Since then, 27 Town Councils have been formed. 18 Town Councils have taken over the management of the common property within their towns. The other nine Town Councils are in various stages of taking over the management of their common properties. Although the Town Councils Act is a relatively new piece of legislation, my Ministry has in the course of establishing Town Councils actively reviewed the provisions of the Act. Several Town Councils have also proposed amendments to the Act to deal with problems which they have encountered. My Ministry has carefully considered these proposals and concluded that changes are necessary if Town Councils are to carry out their statutory functions effectively. One issue which every Town Council has to grapple with is the accumulation of arrears in service and conservancy charges. Arrears deprive Town Councils of funds to carry out estate maintenance work. People who chalk up arrears are in effect passing the cost to fair-minded residents who pay their bills promptly. A second difficulty encountered by Town Councils is that of deterring abuse of the common properties, for instance, abuse by owners of motorcycles, and dealing with such offenders. To deal with these two issues, clauses 8 and 10 have been introduced in the Amendment Bill. Clause 8 empowers Town Councils to make by-laws to impose administrative fees and penalties for late payment of service and conservancy charges and other charges payable to Town Councils. Town Councils will also be empowered to collect deposits for service and conservancy charges from owners and tenants.”
“For those who subsequently lose their IC and have to apply for a replacement, there will be a surcharge levied on them which will increase each time they report a loss and a replacement is necessary. The reason is that we want people to take greater care of their ICs and not to treat this very important identification document casually so that they would be reminded by way of a heavier charge when they have to replace their lost ICs on more than one occasion. Finally, Mr Heng's question on extra expenditure. Let me assure Mr Heng that it will cost the Government quite a large sum to embark on this exercise but the amount has already been budgeted for. As I indicated in my speech, the contract has already been signed in August of this year. So all the financial provisions for the conversion to the new credit card-size ICs have already been budgeted for. 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. - [Dr Lee Boon Yang]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. CENTRAL PROVIDENT FUND (AMENDMENT NO. 2) BILL Order for Second Reading read.”
“Sir, first of all, I would like to thank both Members for supporting this Bill which will give effect to the proposed change of NRIC. On the question raised by Mr Zulkifli on the details that would be made available to the public to guide them on the conversion, let me assure Members of the House that we will make every relevant detail public so that people who need to change their ICs will know exactly when and what to do. They should not in any way be inconvenienced through a lack of information. Mr Zulkifli also asked what provisions will be made for those who are away from Singapore during the re-registration exercise. For those who are not in Singapore and are away, then on their return to Singapore, they can proceed to the National Registration Office and provide documents to show that they have been away either on work or study or they have been residing abroad during the period of the re-registration exercise. With this evidence, the NRO will carry out a conversion for them at any time when they have returned to Singapore. So people who are abroad need not worry that they would be running foul of the law by not being able to register when the conversion exercise is being carried out in their constituency. They will be given the opportunity to do so on their return. Sir, the final question raised by Mr Zulkifli is: what are the charges for those who have to apply for a replacement IC should they lose the existing IC? With the new plastic credit card size ICs, those who apply for a replacement will have to pay a higher cost as compared to the present. The new cost will be $20 for a replacement IC.”
“Sir, the Bill will also make certain offences, such as failure to report change of address or submit returns, compoundable up to a maximum sum of $200. New offences, such as mutilation or destruction of NRICs and refusal to surrender NRICs, are created. In the latter case, ie, the refusal to surrender NRICs, it will apply to people whose NRICs have been cancelled. They will be required to surrender their ICs to the Commissioner. Presently, this is a loophole as persons who had ceased to be citizens or permanent residents can continue to use their ICs to claim privileges for which they are no longer entitled. These new offences are subject to the same penalties of $5,000 fine or 5 years' imprisonment or both as for existing offences. Penalties in force since 1966 for certain serious offences will be enhanced to deter persons from committing these offences. Hence, penalties for forging, tampering and unlawful issue or sale of NRICs will be enhanced to $10,000 fine or 10 years' imprisonment or both. Sir, finally, a minor amendment to the National Registration Act is at clause 6. This is to extend the period allowed for people to report their change of address from 14 days to 28 days. This should make it more convenient for people who have to report a change of address. Question proposed.”
“Sir, it has taken my Ministry several years to find a suitable replacement for the existing ICs. The search and evaluation of an alternative identification document system took some time because we want a reliable technology which can offer a more secure and durable IC. The search is now over and my Ministry has, in August this year, contracted for the supply of a new IC system which will meet all our requirements. Members will also recall that in the Addendum to the President's Address at the Opening of the Second Session of the Seventh Parliament on 7th June this year, the Minister for Home Affairs informed the House that new ICs will be introduced this year. To do so, we need to amend certain provisions of the National Registration Act. Sir, I will now highlight some of these amendments. Sir, clause 4 of the Bill is to enable the conversion exercise to begin at a specified date which will be announced later this year. This conversion exercise is expected to take three to five years. During the exercise, holders of existing ICs will be required to convert their old ICs to the new ICs. We will mount a public information campaign to prepare and inform the public on how to convert their ICs. To make it convenient for people, NRIC holders will be able to replace their existing ICs at community centres within their constituencies. School children due for registration will be issued with new ICs at their schools. More details on the conversion exercise will be released by my Ministry at a later date. Sir, clause 10 of the Bill also empowers the Minister to make regulations to provide for a new re-registration age at 30 years. As I explained earlier, this will enable IC holders to have a more accurate photograph on their ICs.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, in February 1988, the Minister for Home Affairs announced that new identity cards (ICs) will be issued to replace existing ICs which were first introduced more than 20 years ago. This new identity card will have several superior features compared to existing ICs. Sir, as announced previously, the new IC will be of credit card size. This will overcome the difficulty experienced by many IC holders when trying to fit ICs into their wallets. Some people are known to bend or, worse, trim the existing IC to fit their wallet. The new IC will have the holder's photograph, thumbprint and personal particulars engraved on the card through a high-tech laser engraving process. This will prevent tampering of the IC by substituting the photograph, an offence which has been detected with existing ICs. The new IC will be made of a more durable plastic material. Unlike existing ICs, it will not become water-stained or discoloured after prolonged use. Furthermore, the new IC will be machine-readable, thus reducing paper work when the card holder approaches certain Government departments for services. Sir, we also announced in February 1988 that a new re-registration age will be introduced. At present, IC holders have their first IC issued at the age of 12 and replaced at age 17. The photograph taken at age 17 remains in the IC as long as the holder does not replace the IC. However, people's facial features do change significantly after the age of 17. The Ministry of Health has advised my Ministry that a person's facial features will stabilise at about the age of 30. Hence, the new re-registration age will be at 30 years.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, tenants in HDB rental flats who are in arrears are also served with notices and are given ample time to pay up the arrears. If they find themselves in financial difficulties, we will be prepared to consider any appeal for instalment payment plan for the arrears. The following Question stood in the name of Mr Chiam See Tong - ENVIRONMENT ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS (Rude and abrasive behaviour) 5. To ask the Minister for the Environment whether he is aware that enforcement officers of his Ministry, in the course of their duty, have acted in a very rude and abrasive manner towards hawkers and coffee shop operators and whether his Ministry will correct their behaviour.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the tenancy for this eating house commenced on 16th May 1985. The tenant began to owe HDB rent and service and conservancy charges arrears in August 1988. HDB served him a Notice to Quit in October 1988, two months after the tenant fell into arrears. Following that was a series of legal action and appeals which culminated in the recovery of the eating house on 10th August 1990.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the eating house, Chye Heng Cafeteria, in Block 401 Hougang Avenue 10, was recovered by HDB because the owner owed HDB arrears in rent and service and conservancy charges. As this is the normal action taken in cases of arrears, there is no need to issue a statement.”
“MUIS has lodged a report against the company with the Commercial Crimes Division and the case is under investigation.”
“Sir, I believe the Member is referring to those whom HDB has allowed to live in rental flats as a casual boarder. In this case, we cannot really treat a casual boarder on a better level than we treat those permitted occupiers. If the casual boarder needs rental housing, I think he should apply on his own and qualify accordingly. HAJ PILGRIMAGE 5. Mr Chiam See Tong asked the Minister for the Environment and Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs whether he will make a statement concerning 242 Singaporean Muslims who recently nearly missed their Haj pilgrimage although all of them had paid fully for their trips. The Minister for the Environment and the Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs (Dr Ahmad Mattar): Mr Speaker, Sir, every year, before the start of the haj season, MUIS appoints pilgrim brokers after carefully screening their credentials. Pilgrim brokers help intending pilgrims to register with MUIS for the haj, provide training on haj rituals and look after their welfare in Saudi Arabia. MUIS also selects General Sales Agents (GSAs) who provide haj packages at competitive prices. The haj packages include board, lodging and internal travel in Saudi Arabia. Only those GSAs who are able to satisfy the conditions imposed by MUIS are selected. For this year's haj, MUIS selected 13 pilgrim brokers and seven GSAs. When their appointments were announced, MUIS advised intending pilgrims to deal only with these authorized pilgrim brokers and GSAs. The pilgrims referred to by Mr Chiam were those who went against MUIS' advice and paid money to a travel agent who was not selected by MUIS as a GSA. This travel agent was unable to fulfil his obligations to the pilgrims.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am afraid I have not got the point of the question. If they have given an undertaking that they do not wish to take up the flat, then that is the end of the matter.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, under the existing policy, tenancy of a rental flat can be transferred to the original permitted occupiers or "sitting tenants" under the following three situations: (a) Death of the registered tenant. (b) Separation or divorce from the registered tenant. (c) Registered tenant moving out due to other reasons. In cases of demise or separation or divorce from the registered tenant, HDB has recently relaxed its rules to allow the remaining single occupier to retain the rental flat, provided he or she meets the normal conditions, such as citizenship. The condition of a family nucleus will be waived. Where the registered tenant has moved out for other reasons, the original permitted occupiers are only allowed to retain the flat if they can comply with all eligibility conditions for rental flats, such as family nucleus and income ceiling.”
“Sir, could you allow me to respond to Mr Chiam? He is trying to paint a picture that HDB is dodging the issue or trying to pass the buck by asking him to seek clearance with MCD. Sir, HDB receives numerous requests for premises, either on the void deck or other premises within the estates that it manages. HDB is in no position to assess the legitimacy or the worthiness of each and every cause. Therefore, HDB has to ask MCD, which is far more familiar with all these organisations, to vet these applications. In the case of a library, all we are saying is that if MCD thinks that Potong Pasir needs a branch library of its own and that the residents cannot be served by any other means, then HDB will be prepared to treat it as a community organisation and let it have the space that it needs at the community organisation's rate, ie, at a subsidized rate. But on the other hand, if MCD, which is in charge of providing such services to the people, is of the opinion that there is no necessity for an additional library in Potong Pasir, then HDB cannot, in all its conscience, provide subsidized facility or premises to the Member for Potong Pasir. But, nonetheless, he is welcomed to start up his library. We have space there. He can always make a tender for a space under market rate and he can use it as a library if he chooses to.”
“Sir, I will wait for the details from Mr Heng and I will look at them before giving a reply. Mr Heng Chiang Meng: Sir, although he has hedged his answer, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“I think he is labouring under a wrong assumption. I think there is some confusion here. Let me clarify the situation to Dr Lee. Any ex-Singaporean or Singaporean who has emigrated, or ex-permanent resident, if he wants to come back to Singapore he is more than welcomed to return. All Singapore citizens who are living abroad are free to return to Singapore any time they wish. For those who had emigrated and surrendered their citizenship, they are also free to come back as a citizen of their newly adopted country, and if they want to work in Singapore and they have the skills and talents that we need, then we will give them employment pass liberally to work here. I have already taken up the point which he mentioned about wives and children who have been denied entry into Singapore. These cases can be looked into. If Dr Lee knows of any particular case that warrants a review, I am quite happy to take it up. But Dr Lee should understand that we have, as I mentioned in my reply to Mr Heng, very liberal criteria to consider such cases. For those with roots in Singapore, whether they are wives, children or other roots or any other links to Singaporeans, we have a very liberal set of criteria. As long as they are able to show that they are capable of supporting their family, they can be considered favourably for PR. So there should not be a problem if they have this ability to support the family. Dr Lee has also spoken about those who have been barred from entering Singapore for political reasons. As long as people represent a threat to our security, I think we are more than justified in denying them entry into Singapore. Sir, I think I have taken up all the points.”
“They will enhance our competitive edge. Sir, we need more of such people, which is why the Government last year decided to liberalise our immigration policy. At the present stage of economic growth, employers would like to have more skilled blue-collar and white-collar workers. They have a serious manpower shortage problem and they need more such people to fill the available job opportunities. But it will also mean that if employers have to recruit such people from abroad, they will have to incur higher costs. Employers also have to incur relocation costs in bringing such skilled workers to Singapore. To further encourage more companies to top up our limited talent pool with skilled workers from abroad, the EDB will provide incentives to help companies defray some of their recruiting and relocation costs. Coming to the specific example brought up by the Member for Cheng San GRC, in the case of the foreigner who has been barred from entering Singapore, it looks like the case is one of those foreigners who were here on a work permit and violated one of the conditions of the work permit, which says that a work permit holder should not marry a Singaporean without prior approval. I think that policy is there for a very good reason considering the large number of work permit holders we have in Singapore. But if the Member feels that that policy should be reviewed, may I once again, I have done this before, advise him to direct his appeal to the Minister for Labour because this is essentially a policy to ensure that people who enter Singapore on work permit are here to work temporarily, not to settle down, and not to sink roots into Singapore permanently. Sir, Dr Lee has spoken about the difficulty of citizens, ex-citizens, or ex-PRs to come back to Singapore.”
“Following the liberalisation of immigration policy in July 1989, the number of foreign wives and children of Singapore citizens who have been given a PR has increased significantly by 81% in the second half of 1989 as compared to the first half of 1989. There is a 81% increase in cases of approval. For those with other strong family ties, that is, besides wives and children of Singapore citizens, they have other strong family links here, the approval rate went up by a staggering 457% in the second half of 1989. Sir, hence far from being discriminated against, citizens and PRs can sponsor their immediate family members for permanent residence in Singapore much easier than any foreigners without roots in Singapore. But at the same time I hope that Mr Heng and Dr Lee will agree that we cannot have a completely open door policy. There are many people who would like to come to Singapore and unless these people can bring some benefits to us, can make some contribution to our economy through their skills or talents or training, it will be foolhardy for us to just blindly accept anybody who comes knocking. Under the circumstances, there will always be some who have to be refused because they are unable to meet our even very basic and liberalised criteria. Sir, Mr Heng has also mentioned that he has heard that some people are being given settling-in expenses. Sir, we offer immigrants to Singapore a chance to settle in a stable, progressive and economically vibrant country. We offer them a chance to share in the high standard of living, high quality of life, that a dynamic Singapore can offer. In exchange, they bring to us their skills and talents to keep our economy strong and healthy. They will enlarge our pool of skilled workers, professionals and entrepreneurs.”
“Sir, I will answer to Mr Heng Chiang Meng's and Dr Lee's points. Mr Heng has said now that we are liberalising our immigration policy we should add a touch of humanity to this policy. I think Mr Heng has failed to understand that in fact our immigration policy has all along been tempered with a very strong doze of humanity. Members will recall that in Parliament last year, my Minister explained at some length the rationale for the new liberalized immigration policy. I note that the Member for Cheng San GRC, Mr Heng, supports this liberalised policy to attract more talent into Singapore. In explaining the rationale my Minister also stated that the policy for those with Singaporean ties will also be liberalised. Wives and children of Singapore citizens and those who have strong roots or family ties in Singapore will be considered more favourably for permanent residence than those who have no roots. This is what I meant by having a humanitarian approach to this problem of people wanting to seek residence in Singapore. For example, those without family ties to Singaporean, they must possess acceptable trade qualifications or 5 GCE 'O' levels or earn at least $1,500 a month before they and their families can be considered for permanent residence. So the criteria for grant of permanent residence to foreign wives and children of Singapore citizens or permanent residents (PRs) and those with strong family roots are much less stringent. Our citizens and PRs can sponsor their wives and children for PR by showing that they can support their family in Singapore and that their family will not end up as a burden of the State.”
“Yesterday, in moving an amendment, Dr Beng asked whether the Fire Safety Bureau (FSB) could speed up the processing of applications. Since June last year, the Fire Safety Bureau had instituted a new plan submission procedure. Previously, plans were submitted to the Building Control Department (BCD) which then forwarded plans to FSB. But since last year, plans can now be submitted directly to FSB. At the submission stage, there will be an interview and a discussion with the officers at the counter. And if the plans generally have no major discrepancy or no major omissions, then the plans will be taken in for processing. But where there are obvious shortcomings in the plans, then these shortcomings will be pointed out to the person making the submission and he can take it back and have it rectified and re-submitted. Through this process of direct submission and also discussion on the spot, we have been able to shorten the processing time needed for these plans. But over and above the procedures that have been improved, I think we should bear in mind that the pace at which plans can be processed will also depend on the quality of submission. And I would urge the building professionals, whether engineers or architects, to take pains in making sure that the plans that they submit incorporate all the requirements for fire safety. That will certainly expedite processing of the plans.”