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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“Yes, there is a problem but we are tackling the problem, as I said, through a continuous education programme, and this new device will be much more effective than anything else to deter people from urinating in the lifts.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I believe this question was asked not long ago in this Chamber. The reason is that the construction of these public toilets will mean extra cost, not only in construction but getting people to look after these public toilets and to maintain them. Otherwise, you are only transferring the problem of vandalism, indiscriminate littering and urination, to the toilet. And you have a filthy toilet there which does not help anybody at all. The fact is that there are kiosks in the void decks of many HDB blocks. Some of these kiosks are provided with toilets. And one of the conditions of the lease for the kiosk is that the operator must allow the toilet to be used by members of the public. He is, of course, free to levy a charge. There are also a lot of coffee shops in the HDB estates, and these have public toilets which can be used. And my colleague, the Minister for the Environment is making every effort to have these toilets kept in a good and clean condition. So there is really no further need to go around constructing public toilets in the void decks of the flats. Because if you do, you will increase the cost and ultimately it is the people who live there who will have to bear the cost.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the urine detecting device consists of two components - a urine sensor and a detector module. The detector module is, of course, linked to the HDB central monitoring system which is computerized. The sensor will detect the presence of urine and, unfortunately, it may also detect the presence of other liquids. I believe if people who carry various wet food items and if they are not careful and allow it to spill and drip all over the elevator, it may trigger off the device and which stops the lift at the next landing, and they will have to wait for rescue. But HDB will try to fine-tune the system to minimize any inconvenience that can be caused. But then again, we hope that all users of HDB lifts will be careful not to indiscriminately or carelessly spill liquids all over the lifts. Because whether it is urine or some other liquids, it still needs cleaning. And a wet and messy lift is, of course, something which nobody likes and we want everybody to play a part in preventing this from happening.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, this new device which will be installed in lifts which are known to be prone to have such a problem, together with our education programme, I think, we will make better progress because people who now urinate indiscriminately know that there is a possibility of their being identified or being caught in the act.”
“True, but it will depend on the total cost benefit. If we can educate our people not to urinate indiscriminately in the lift, then I think it would be an even more economical solution to the problem.”
“We do have the estimated cost but I do not have the exact figure of the estimated cost at the moment.”
“Sir, as I said, at the present moment the project is in its pilot stage. Theactual cost, when the scheme is implemented on a wider scale, is still not available at the moment.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in December 1987, HDB implemented a pilot project to detect urination in HDB lifts. The Board has installed urine detectors in three lifts in Ang Mo Kio, Tampines and Kallang. These detectors are found to be effective. To reduce the cost of maintaining lifts, HDB will be extending the pilot scheme to include more lifts where there are serious urination problems. Some lifts in the Telok Blangah Constituency will be included in this exercise. Sir, installation of the urine detecting device on a wider scale has to be carefully considered as urine detectors are expensive to install and maintain. The problem could be more effectively curbed if people are socially responsible and civic-minded. To encourage residents to keep their lifts clean, the HDB will emphasize the proper use of lifts in its social responsibility programmes which are being organized in conjunction with the various grassroots organizations.”
“Yes. URINE DETECTORS IN HDB LIFTS 3. Dr Koh Lam Son asked the Minister for National Development whether the new device to detect urine in the lift will soon be implemented in the Housing and Development Board flats in Telok Blangah Constituency.”
“Sir, the figure I gave, about 20% of tenants in rental flats who are buying flats, are those people who have availed themselves of the benefits of the low income incentive scheme. The total number of tenants in rental flats who have upgraded to purchased flats is much higher than that figure. I believe the figure is around 50% of those who are affected by the relocation exercise have opted to purchase flats.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, HDB has already lengthened the repayment period not long ago to allow purchasers of flats to pay up their loans in 25 years. In fact, at the present moment, if you take a 3-room flat in a New Town, the difference between a monthly mortgage repayment and the monthly rent is not very significant. So we believe that a further lengthening of the repayment period at this point is not necessary as it will not contribute towards encouraging more people to buy their own homes.”
“Therefore, when we talk of full home ownership, 100% home ownership, we must make provision for a small percentage (3-4%) of the people who will continue to rent flats. These may be people who are waiting for their purchased flats or people who for other reasons are unable as yet to purchase their own flats. It does not mean that the existence of some people living in rental flats is a sign that our objective of full home ownership cannot be achieved.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as of 1st January 1988, the total number of occupied rental units is about 76,000. If you take the total number of applicants who have benefited from this low income incentive scheme, including those who are still awaiting allocation of flats at about 16,000, we are then talking of about 10% of them, I think. The other point is the reason for those who have not come forward. I think there are many reasons. Some of them may not be ready at this point of time as yet to take advantage of the scheme despite the fact that there is this low income incentive scheme to enable them to purchase when they do not have to pay the full downpayment. They are paying only part of it, 5-10% of the downpayment. They still have to carry the mortgage repayment after they have been allocated a flat. So whether they will come forward or not will depend on them. They will have to decide whether they are able to continue to meet the mortgage repayment. Whether they will come forward later or not, we can only hope so. We hope that as their income improves, as the economy progresses, more people will be able to improve their level of income and be able to become one of the home-owners. The fact that there will always be some people who cannot afford to buy a home does not really undermine the concept of full home ownership. As I said recently, when we talk about full home ownership, we recognize that there will always be a small percentage of people who for various reasons are not able to purchase their homes. It is just like talking about full employment. When we are talk about 100% employment, it does not mean the employment of all those people who are able to work. In fact, even in a full employment situation, you have a few percent, maybe 3%, of people unemployed.”
“Unfortunately, since the policy has changed, this group of people are no longer operating on the site and they would not be eligible for the $26,000 compensation. I am afraid that since we have made this change, and I think it is a change for the better as far as the resettlement shopkeepers are concerned, the vast majority of them would be able to tender for premises of their own choice. It would be very difficult now to go back and say that all those who did not benefit under this change of policy should be reconsidered. Every time you change a policy and have a cut-off date, there will always be some people who for various reasons or other have not got the full advantage available to them. This is unfortunately one of those cases and we will have to let the policy continue as it has been implemented in July 1987.”
“Sir, first, I must thank the Member for Bukit Batok for showing his understanding and not making a further appeal for preferential margin. Regarding his other request whether the preferential margin could be extended to resettlement shopkeepers who intend to purchase shops under the new HDB policy to sell shops, I will ask HDB to consider. The Member for Changi asked why is it that, in the case of multi-tenanted resettlement shop premises, the compensation of $26,000 is not shared out equally among all the tenants. Without knowing the specifics of the case, it is a bit difficult to reply. I would suggest that the Member for Changi perhaps let me know the details of this case. A general remark is that in some of these multi-tenanted premises, there is always a chief tenant who sublets the premises to other parties to operate in the shop. Perhaps this could be one of the reasons why there is a differential in the way the compensation sum is distributed among the people affected in the premises. But I would ask the Member for Changi to let me have the details and we can look into it and find out why in the particular case the amount was not shared out equally. His other point is with regard to the new resettlement policy of not granting alternative shop premises. There were some people who were caught during the transition phase. The new policy on the payment of cash grant to shopkeepers in temporary structures is only applicable to those who are still on the clearance site pending resettlement as at the date of announcement of the policy, which was 28th July 1987. Prior to the policy revision, yes, some shopkeepers had voluntarily vacated their premises early on the basis that they are were still requesting for an alternative shop.”
“As I said, a total of 40 plots of land have been allocated by public tender. For Sungei Tengah, under Phase 1, about 35 hectares of land have been allocated for livestock, 19 hectares for horticulture, 6 hectares for fresh water fish, 4 hectares for fruit orchard, 7.6 hectares for vegetable and/or food crop. As far as Sungei Tengah is concerned, about 22 plots of land have been allocated covering 71 hectares of land. Murai - 35 hectares have been allocated for livestock, 5 hectares for horticulture, 8 hectares for fresh water fish, about 4 hectares for fruit orchard, 7.4 hectares for vegetable or food crop, totalling 60 hectares in 17 plots. Loyang Phase 1 - there is only one plot allocated for 5 hectares. Total is 40 plots over an area of 136.6 hectares.”
“Sir, the Member for Punggol asked about progress in agro-technology parks in Loyang, Sungei Tengah and Murai. The land in these agro-technology parks have been earmarked for intensive production of poultry, orchids, ornamental plants, aquarium fish, food fish, fruits and vegetables. The farmland in Loyang which is adjacent to the sea has been earmarked for intensive marine aquaculture. Up to date 40 plots of land have been allocated through open tender and the farms are at various stages of planning and development. As to the value of the investment on these farms, I am afraid I do not have the figure for the Member for Punggol but I could let him know separately.”
“Currently, local companies as well as the Primary Production Department staff are able to provide consultancy services on pig farm design, pig waste treatment, pig farm management, poultry farming technology and fish farming technology. They have offered these services to surrounding countries such as Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and as far away as China. In addition to marketing local expertise, Primary Production Department and EDB are promoting the setting up of international consultancy and agrotechnology service companies in Singapore. These companies will provide more opportunities for our pool of agricultural experts to extend their services, to market their services abroad. And in fact there are already several international veterinary, pharmaceutical and feed additive companies using Singapore as a regional base to service their clients and customers throughout this area. I believe we can continue to promote the export of our services in this area and I think there are opportunities which we can further develop.”
“I am glad to say that the PPD has managed to meet these objectives laid down for the Department within the available manpower resources. It has managed to attain a high level of productivity through computerization, automation and continued education of its staff. Primary Production Department has a core of professional officers with scientific background. They are able to carry out their functions and duties with full technical support. These officers are sent overseas to attend short courses, study tours and technical conferences in which they are able to meet other researchers in similar areas and to learn from the experience of other workers in the field. They are also, through such study tours and conferences, exposed to the latest technology in their field. The Department has a five-year training programme in which about 16 professional officers will be sent overseas in each year to study various aspects of agrotechnology and farming technology. I am confident that the Department will be able to achieve its objective of ensuring stable and adequate supply of food for our people. Sir, the Member for Bo Wen asked whether we are making any effort to export our agricultural expertise. As I said, Primary Production Department has a core of scientific and professional staff who provide the technical support to the farming community in Singapore. They have acquired a vast reserve of knowledge in intensive agriculture, particularly in pig farming and poultry farming. Over the years, local farming companies and the Primary Production Department have gained much experience and expertise.”
“We have therefore drawn up plans to develop the farming areas as agrotechnology parks. This is the residual area of about 2,000 hectares set aside for farming. In these agrotechnology parks we will encourage the establishment of a mixture of hi-tech farms which will provide the necessary ecological balance to achieve non-pollutive farming with an aesthetic environment. The farms will serve as production as well as demonstration centres for hi-tech farming. R&D on tropical agriculture, livestock and fish production on these farms will also serve to extend the frontiers of agrotechnology development. When all the agrotechnology parks are fully developed by 1995, the Primary Production Department aims to produce 40% of our poultry needs , 80% of eggs, 30% of vegetable and 10% of our fish consumption. The total output of the agrotechnology parks is estimated at about $474 million, slightly higher than the current value. With such developments, we can meet part of the food requirements of Singaporeans and also go some ways towards helping to stabilize the price of food in the market. The Member for Geylang Serai also asked whether we are actively identifying new sources of supply. In the last three years, Primary Production Department has made an intensive effort to diversify the sources of meat from the seven countries which we used to import meat from to 22 countries, including China and South America. Non-traditional sources of fish, such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, have also been developed. We are also increasing supplies of vegetables, fish and meat from traditional sources such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, the European Economic Community and USA. Sir, the Member for Punggol asked whether we can achieve all these objectives with the manpower that we have.”
“Sir, the primary goal of our agricultural policy is to ensure a stable and adequate supply of safe, wholesome and good quality meat, fish and vegetables. Our strategies are threefold. First, maximize productivity of our limited farmland. Secondly, diversify sources of supply to complement what we can produce locally. Thirdly, to constantly maintain a high standard of food hygiene and safety. As Members are well aware, farming in Singapore is limited by the shortage of land. Ten years ago, farmland occupied some 10,000 hectares or 17% of Singapore's total land area. Over the years, the area occupied by farms has steadily declined because of competing needs of industry, residential use, water catchment and other public developments. By 1987 we only have about 3,300 hectares of land occupied by farms. This area will be further reduced to only 2,000 hectares by 1995. So we have to be very selective in the type of farming that we allow to be continued in Singapore. For instance, pig farming with all its attendant pollution problem has to be phased out. Sir, the total turnover of our agricultural sector in 1987 was $417 million. We produced 58% of our pork requirement, 25% of our poultry requirement, 20% of fish requirement and 9% of our vegetable requirement. We have already intensified the use of our limited farmland to a great extent to achieve the above significant level of food production. However, we can and we should further raise local production of farm produce by increasing productivity. This can be achieved through intensive large scale farming with the application of agrotechnology. Intensive high-tech farming has been proven to be able to maximize output from limited land and manpower. In some cases production can be increased ten-fold.”
“Sir, there are two parks in Bukit Batok. There is a well-known Bukit Batok Town Park which is located in an old granite quarry. The Town Park is planned as a scenic park which comprises the existing granite outcrops and the pond. It is provided with a footpath and seats for park users. This park was, in fact, completed in late 1987. The other park is the Bukit Batok Nature Park which is being developed by the Parks and Recreation Department. This park will have tracks, benches, lighting and look-out points. Its special feature is a high cliff that overlooks a reflecting pool which was a disused quarry. I have been told work is going on in this park and it is due to be completed by April this year, which means next month. So I do not think there is any need to expedite it further.”
“And development of this particular corner can only commence after the CTE project is completed. Sir, I believe I have addressed all the points.”
“This involves the construction of catwalks through the mangrove swamps which have been preserved. These mangrove swamps were already there. The creation of a new bird sanctuary, construction of a viewing station, cycling track, children's cycling circuit, more shelters for park users and also additional park furnitures. All these works are expected to be completed by the end of the year. The Parks and Recreation Department is also carrying out a joint study together with the PWD on the feasibility of creating a beach along the coastline of the park. If it is feasible, it will be an added attraction to the Pasir Ris Park. As regards the Fort Canning Park development, since the approval of the project in mid-1986, the Department has provided additional facilities to the park. This includes a service road, surface car park with 46 parking lots, a coach park for tour coaches, a group picnic terrace complete with all the usual park furniture, play equipment and toilet facilities. There is also a network of footpaths around the park to provide better access to the various corners of the park. Two pedestrian underpasses which will facilitate easier access to the park are also being constructed. Sir, the emphasis of the development in Fort Canning Park will be on the history of the park. Historical features in the park will be restored and where appropriate, given greater prominence. These include fortifications of the old fort, the underground Far East Command Centre, the Kramat Iskandar Shah and the Raffles House with the adjacent flagstaff. The whole park is scheduled to be completed by 1992. The completion date is slightly delayed because part of the park abuts Clemenceau Avenue which is affected by the Central Expressway (CTE) construction activity.”
“Sir, the Member for Bo Wen asked what will the Parks and Recreation Department do for the older parks in some of our public housing estates. The Department has an ongoing programme to improve and upgrade all existing parks. This includes upgrading of facilities such as footpaths, drainage and toilets, addition of facilities and features such as playgrounds, fitness equipment, shelters, benches and bird sanctuaries. There will also be improvements to the grounds and re-landscaping of some of the parks. For example, in the case of the Esplanade Park, it will be redeveloped this year. The layout of the park will be redesigned to give better emphasis to the historical features in the park and to improve pedestrian flow. Other parks such as West Coast Park will have added features like a marshland habitat created there to attract wet-land birds. Otherwise, the Department will continue to look at older parks and, as and when it is necessary, they will incorporate new features to rejuvenate these parks and to make them more attractive to people who use the park facilities. The Member for Geylang Serai asked about the progress development of Pasir Ris Park and also Fort Canning Park. To date, about 48 hectares of the land in Pasir Ris Park have been developed. About 2(r) km of coastal frontage, stretching from the People's Association holiday resort to Sungei Loyang, has been converted into picnic grounds with barbecue facilities and rest areas. There is also a large adventure playground for children, ornamental gardens, cycling paths, jogging tracks, footpaths, shelters and other facilities. Currently, another 20 hectares of parkland between Sungei Api Api and Sungei Tampines are being developed.”
“This is in line with my Ministry's policy of implementing a more open and transparent planning system. The scheme made available, electronically to subscribers, such planning data as the type and location of development proposals and date of planning approval. Four organizations have subscribed to this scheme so far - Singapore Institute of Architects; Institute of Engineers, Singapore; Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers and the Real Estate Developers Association. Response from the six months' trial has been very encouraging and, based on the feedback from the participants in the trial, my Ministry will make more information on land and building use available when the on-line service is enhanced later this year.”
“Sir, the Computerized Information System concerns the computerization of the processing and management function in the departments of the Ministry, for example, financial accounting and maintenance of roads. So far, 25 application systems have been developed and put into operation since the project started in 1982. This is largely an inhouse computerization project. The other system, the Integrated Land Use System, is quite different. It is a computerized database for land and building information. The system involves conversion of massive volumes of written records which stretch over many years of development in Singapore and also technical drawings into an electronic database with the help of advanced computer softwares. It will affect all major procedures and applications in planning, development and building control. The project commenced last year, 1987, and will take another six years to complete. The total cost of the System is $36 million. When completed, the system will improve the efficiency of MND departments in matters concerning land use planning, development control, and will also enable quicker responses to public inquiries regarding their development proposals and applications. The Member for Geylang Serai asked whether the Integrated Land Use System will benefit the private sector. As was mentioned in last year's Committee of Supply debate, the system will actually be a tremendous boon to building professionals, developers and contractors. The project has to be undertaken in phases and in the current phase, MND introduced in June last year a pilot on-line Electronic Information Service (EIS). The EIS enables professional associations in the construction industry to inquire on the status of various applications under consideration.”
“Sir, the provision under subhead TA 5400 is used to charge the cost of compensation for acquisition of private land for public housing development. In FY 87, this subhead also included an additional provision of $41.1 million for the Ministry to buy over HDB's share of the National Development Complex, following HDB HQ shift to their own premises at Bukit Merah. This is the reason why there is an apparently drastic drop in this provision for the coming financial year.”
“Sir, in my answer to the Member for Geylang Serai, I pointed out that there was actually a slight delay in starting the renovation work. This delay was due to rescheduling the shift of HDB headquarters to Bukit Merah. As a result of this delay, we could not carry out all the work that we anticipated. And when the budget was put up for 1987, we estimated that $9.3 million would be needed. But because of the delay, less work could be done and therefore less money was spent. It was not over-provision. It is a question perhaps of over-optimism on our side in forecasting the starting date for the work.”
“Sir, perhaps I should clarify the whole matter. The total cost for the project is $51.05 million. The time-frame required to complete the project is 30 months. In each financial year we have to seek a budget allocation. The amount that we seek will depend on the amount of work that we think we can accomplish within that year. For the coming financial year, we expect to be able to carry out $18.4 million worth of work, both the renovation work and the outfitting of new mechanical and electrical equipment. For the next financial year, we will seek another provision. And the total project cost should add up to the best estimate which at the moment is $51 million. But as I said earlier, there may be slight changes depending on the prices of the contracts which we will let out later on. Am I clearer now?”
“Sir, I do not recall having said, "five years". But if the Member could show me, then I could comment on it. I have been told that the expected completion period is 30 months. 30 months is the estimated time taken to complete the renovation and the provision of new mechanical and electrical services in the building.”
“Sir, the provision of $18.4 million was the result of the initial delay. Some of the costs have now been shifted over to the new financial year. The overall project spans 30 months. The estimated cost remains unchanged at the moment. Of course, there are still some contracts which have not been tendered out. And when these have been tendered out, then we will know what will be the actual cost. There may be savings or there may be slight increases. But we have no reason to expect that there will be drastic changes to the total project cost.”
“Sir, as I said, it will take about 30 months to complete. The work started in November of last year. So I would say it would be late 1989 or early 1990.”
“Sir, referring to the Member for Punggol's question on the increase in the provision of development expenditure on Code 5110 on Project votes. The provision is for the major renovation of the MND building. The total estimated cost is $51.05 million. The renovation work, which started in November last year, will take about 30 months to complete. The provision of $18.4 million for the next financial year is based on the amount of work expected to be completed during the coming year in accordance with the project schedule. Sir, the Member for Geylang Serai asked whether there has been any delay in the renovation work of the National Development Complex. I am pleased to inform the Member that the renovation of the Complex is progressing satisfactorily. There was a slight delay in the commencement of work last year. This delay was mainly due to the rescheduling of the move by HDB to their new office in Bukit Merah. The renovation work itself started in November last year. The amount of money spent so far is mainly for preliminary work, such as removal and demolition work and some initial structural work. Hence, the lower revised figure in the budget for the current year. A total of eight contracts have already been awarded for this work. We expect that the total budget cost will remain within the $51 million as estimated earlier.”
“Sir, there are four types of pedestrian crossings in use in Singapore at the moment. These are zebra crossings, pedestrian signals, overhead bridges and pedestrian subways. The decision to provide a particular type of pedestrian crossing is determined by the extent of pedestrian/vehicle traffic at a particular location. Hence, the number of crossing pedestrians, the road traffic situation, and costs are factors which have to be considered. Sir, zebra crossings are provided on minor roads with few passing vehicles. On major roads, pedestrian signal crossings will be provided if they do not reduce the road carrying capacity and add to traffic congestion. Otherwise, pedestrian overhead bridges or pedestrian subways will be provided if there is space to construct them. Normally an overhead bridge is preferred to a subway because it is cheaper and easier to build. Subways are usually provided when it is possible to connect them to basements of buildings on both sides of the road or MRT stations or when the topography is suitable. When are these pedestrian crossings designed and planned? That is the other question raised by the Member for Nee Soon. It depends on the location and the circumstances. Where possible, crossings will be planned at the early stage of the development of the area. But it does not mean that these crossings will be provided immediately because, for instance, in some of the New Towns, pedestrian crossings have been planned right from the development stage and they are not provided until the need arises, ie, when the residents have moved into town and there is an increase in pedestrian traffic. I hope that answers the Member's point. Dr Koh Lip Lin: Sir, in view of the Minister of State's reply, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.”
“Sir, the higher provision for official visits in the coming financial year is to ensure that there will be enough funds to send staff of the National Development Ministry to attend overseas conferences and to make study tours in line with their work. The increased provision is also to enable our specialist staff to attend international congresses and conferences and to help them establish professional contacts with their counterparts abroad. This will facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience. Professional and technical staff of my Ministry will thus be able to keep abreast of technological developments in their own areas of specialization. Even with this increase, the provision amounts to less than 0.04% of the recurrent expenditure for my Ministry. I think we must continue to have to provide these opportunities for our officers to travel abroad to broaden their horizon and to gain more experience by meeting their counterparts.”
“Sir, the increased budgetary provision for this sub-head on Staff development is to provide for more training courses to help improve the job performance of MND officers. These courses are designed to enable them to acquire new skills and to keep pace with technological advances in the fields of their work. The courses not only enable the staff to do their work more productively but some courses also make our MND officers more versatile. This is particularly beneficial when there is a need to re-deploy officers as a result of organizational changes. Training alone, however, cannot ensure zero manpower growth. We also need other measures such as improving and streamlining work procedures and practices. And where we can find a particular type of work which could be better done by the private sector, we will consider privatizing this area. I must emphasize that although we aim at zero manpower growth, this will not be done at the expense of the quality of service which MND provides to the public. In fact, with better training of our officers, we will be able to provide better services.”
“If free parking is allowed, it is very likely that the customers and patrons will stay longer than they would otherwise. This means fewer motorists will be able to use the parking station. Free parking could also result in motorists parking their vehicles in Cuppage Centre when, in fact, they plan to eat or shop elsewhere. When this happens, hawkers in Cuppage Centre will end up losing more than they bargain for. Sir, on balance, URA has recommended that parking stations in areas where the demand is high during weekends and public holidays, such as in Cuppage Centre, Newton Hawker Centre and the East Coast Park, should not be included in the free weekend parking scheme. This will result in better service to the motorists. The point here I want to make is that the intention is to continue to provide better parking services and not just to make more money for URA.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Member for Nee Soon asked about the item on Research and reviews for which there was a provision in the 1987/88 budget and none for the coming financial year. This particular item was provided in the last financial year for the Building ControlWorking Committee. This Committee was set up to study the implementation of the recommendations made by the Commission of Inquiry into the Collapse of the Hotel New World. The amount budgetted for included expenses for study visits abroad to enable Committee members to be acquainted with the building control procedures and practices of other countries. The Committee completed its work in September 1987. Following this, Government announced in Parliament on 9th November 1987 new measures to be introduced to improve our building control practices. As the Committee has completed its work, there is no further budget provision required under this expenditure item. Sir, may I now turn to the request made by the Member for Cairnhill to extend the free parking scheme to Cuppage Centre. At the request of MPs, URA had in the past allowed free parking on Sundays and public holidays in selective car parks fringing public housing estates. Some of these car parks are at Lim Tua Tow Road, Teck Chye Terrace, off Upper Serangoon Road, Everton Park, Chip Bee Gardens, Bukit Teresa and Jalan Nira. The question is: can this scheme be extended to Cuppage Centre car park? Sir, Cuppage Centre is in the midst of busy Orchard Road shopping and tourist belt. Free parking cannot be allowed on Sundays and public holidays as these are the days when the parking demand is at its highest because of the shopping crowd.”
“Even then the Resettlement Department does not disregard the needs of these resettlement folks. In fact, even after the third offer is rejected, a resettlement person will be given a new priority number. HDB will continue to make offers of flats to him. He will still retain some priority and does not have to compete with public applicants for flats. In other words, he still qualifies for the flats that are set aside for resettlement cases. And in some localities, as my Minister has told Members yesterday, up to 50% of flats in any locality can be set aside for resettlement cases. Once a resettlement case has picked a flat, the Department will also expedite the assessment of compensation due to him, if this has not been completed as yet. So the Department is making every effort to expedite all payments of compensation. However, in view of the Member's appeal, I will ask the Resettlement Department to conduct a another review of its procedures to see if further improvements can be made to shorten the processing time.”
“During the assessment exercise, every item of improvement is counted, measured and assessed according to approved compensation rates and guidelines under the resettlement policy. Counter-checking and verifying has to be done separately by HDB's auditors before payment can be released. This procedure is time-consuming but necessary to ensure accuracy and a fair compensation. It takes normally three months from the time of field assessment to payment of a compensation. A longer time of four to five months may be needed to process compensation for extensive farming cases. In some cases, there may be complications arising from disputes about the way the assessment was conducted or the items which were included or excluded. Whenever such disputes arise, invariably the processing time is lengthened. The Resettlement Department carries out assessments of its own procedures from time to time with the objective of trying to expedite payments to all resettlement cases. In Chua Chu Kang Constituency, a large number of resettlement cases are farmers and squatters who have carried out extensive improvements on their land. It takes more time to process such cases. The Member for Chua Chu Kang also raised the issue of resettlement folks who were "deemed not to be interested" in resettlement flats after they have failed to select a flat on three occasions. The truth of the matter, Sir, is that the majority of resettlement cases successfully picked their flats within the three offers made to them. Between January and February 1988, 2,400 cases were handled by the Resettlement Department. Only 37 cases failed to select flats after the third offer. In other words, only 1.5% of all resettlement cases during that two-month period were affected.”
“The Member for Nee Soon also asked whether some shops could be set aside exclusively for the resettlement shopkeepers. If Members would recall, the policy changes to the resettlement schemes announced on 28th July 1987 were done so after careful consideration and study. The problem is that HDB simply does not have enough shops to offer to all the resettlement shopkeepers. On 28th July 1987 when the policy changes were announced, there were 2,075 resettlement cases pending. HDB had only 546 shops available. Considering that from now on HDB will be building about 150 shops a year, it is quite obvious that not all resettlement shopkeepers will be able to get a new shop under the old scheme. On top of this, out of the 546 shops available in July 1987, there were many shops which had seen a succession of business failures. That was why they were still vacant then. If they were good shops in choice locations, they would not have been vacant. They would have been snapped up long before that. So reserving these shops for resettlement shopkeepers will not do them any good in the long term. With the new policy, which is, no alternative premises but instead a cash compensation, these shopkeepers are free to tender for shops which in their own judgement are most suitable for their business. I hope both the Members for Punggol and Nee Soon will understand why the new resettlement scheme is here to stay. Finally, I would like to respond to the comments made by the Member for Chua Chu Kang who asked the Government to be quick in paying compensation to resettled shopkeepers and farmers. Sir, in working out the amount of compensation due to people affected by resettlement, the Resettlement Department has to conduct a physical examination of all the qualifying items in every case.”
“Sir, yesterday afternoon before we adjourned, I was responding to the Member for Punggol and also the Member for Nee Soon. Both of them have suggested that my Ministry should reconsider the preferential margin which is being offered to resettlement shopkeepers. The request is to have a larger preferential margin to help them to secure shops. I would like to give Members some statistics on the success rate of these resettlement shopkeepers in tendering for alternative shop premises. Between October 1987 and January 1988, HDB conducted five shop tender exercises in various housing estates. A total of 197 resettlement shopkeepers submitted tenders in these five exercises. Eighteen out of the 197 were successful. Out of the 18 successful resettlement tenderers, 15 of them were successful without having to rely on their preferential margin. Only three of the resettlement shopkeepers had to depend on the preferential margin to secure their shops. This result shows that the success rate of the resettlement shopkeepers, which is one in 11, is slightly better than that of the public tender held for the same period. In the case of the public tender for the period, there were 591 successful tenders out of 6,848 or 1 in 11.6. The other significant point, Sir, is that the majority, 15 out of the 18 successful resettlement tenderers, succeeded in their tenders without relying on preferential margin. These results indicate that it is not the preferential margin which determines the outcome of a tender. What is more important and significant is the business acumen of the resettlement shopkeepers. Sir, the present preferential margins are considered adequate to enable interested and viable resettlement shopkeepers to enter the current rental market for HDB shops.”
“The responses from the resettlement shopkeepers - 197 of them tendered, number of resettlement shopkeeper who were successful, 18 out of the 197. The number of successful shopkeepers ---”
“Sir, under the resettlement scheme those people who are affected by resettlement are given priority to select flats and as far as pos- sible they will be offered choices of flats in the areas which they prefer. From the time they receive the clearance notice, they are invited to select flats in the HDB allocation sessions. These selection sessions may stretch over several months until they finally select the flat of their choice or one which is as close to their choice as possible. However, when flats they prefer are not available, the Resettlement Department normally allows them more time to consider other suitable flats. In some cases where they need rental flats as an interim measure where they are unable to purchase a flat, HDB will also assist them by providing such rental flats. The Member for Punggol, and I believe the Member for Nee Soon also, touched on this question of preferential margin for tendering of shops which is granted to those shopkeepers who are affected by resettlement. Sir, the new resettlement policy which was announced on the 28th July, 1987, provides for this preferential margin on the tender sum to be given to a resettlement shopkeeper who is tendering for an alternative shop. This is 10% for sole occupiers and 5% for tenants. The margin is valid for 18 months after payment of cash grant. Eligible shopkeepers are issued with a letter which identifies them as being affected by resettlement and they will be able to submit a copy of this letter along with their tender. Just to give Members an idea of the result of this tendering exercise. Between October 1987 and January 1988, HDB conducted five shop tender exercises in various housing estates.”
“Some pig farmers who are facing a closure of their farms have gone into other food-related business, such as trading in pigs, setting up of food retailing outlets. Others have also taken up to joint venture with farmers in neighbouring countries to develop pig farming and other forms of farming. Sir, the Member for Chua Chu Kang refers to the objective of the Primary Resource Programme to "ensure adequate supply to meet local consumption" as a high-sounding objective. Let me say that it is not high-sounding objective. It is a pragmatic realization that while we cannot produce all the food that we need, we can supplement the little that we produce with good quality imports. So in anticipation of a reduction of local food production due to resettlement of farms to make way for other development, as I have said earlier, the Primary Production Department has been actively identifying and exploring alternative sources of food supply. This together with our open market policy has helped to facilitate more imports of food to meet domestic consumption. Together with the development of agrotechnology farms to go into more intensive forms of farming, we should be able to produce a significant proportion of the food that we need in the future. We envisage that we will be able to produce a significant proportion of the poultry, eggs and vegetables which are needed for domestic consumption if we develop these agrotechnology parks fully. Sir, I now turn to the points raised on resettlement policies. The Member for Punggol asked whether the Government will consider helping those people who are greatly inconvenienced as a result of urgent clearance programme.”
“They are in the process of being phased out. These farms have a combined capacity to export 1.2 million live pigs a year to the Singapore market. As our demand for live pigs is estimated at about a million pigs a year, the potential supply will be more than adequate even after all the pig farms, including those in Punggol, have been phased out by the end of 1989. In addition, the Primary Production Department has approved the import of frozen pork from 17 countries. Notwithstanding all these new sources of supply, the Primary Production Department will continue in its effort to explore and identify other sources of supply. Sir, the Member for Nee Soon also asked what is going to happen to pig farmers with the phasing out of pig farms. The answer is simple. If pig farms are phased out, pig farmers will have to look for other areas for their employment or for other business development. Phasing out of the pig farms is necessary to protect our precious environment from the pollution caused by these farms. Government cannot be blamed for wanting to protect our environment. My Ministry is aware of the difficulties faced by farmers as a result of this decision. So pig farmers who are due to be phased out will be adequately compensated when they are required to stop pig farming. For those who wish to take up other forms of farming, such as non-pollutive farming, the Primary Production Department will continue to assist them with the necessary technical advice. They can take up land within the agrotechnology park or even other State lands which are not required immediately for other development. This land can be made available to farmers on short term leases for them to continue farming provided it is of a non-pollutive nature.”
“However, the Government will continue to review the lease of land and will consider extending the lease whenever it is possible and desirable to do so. Sir, the Member for Nee Soon asked what is being done to ensure an adequate supply of good quality pork. The Primary Production Department has embarked on a programme to diversify its sources of supply of pigs and pork to Singapore. The Department has currently accredited 73 pig farms in Malaysia, 17 farms in Thailand and eight farms in Indonesia for the supply of live pigs to Singapore.”
“This includes providing consultancy services for farm design, construction and management, turnkey farming projects, farming machinery and equipment and veterinary drugs and biologics. To achieve this objective, the Primary Production Department has been working closely with EDB to attract investments in hi-tech demonstration farms which can also carry out some R&D in agrotechnology. These farms can help to spearhead our efforts to become an agrotechnology service centre. The incentive scheme that is being worked out would include pioneer status, investment allowance incentives, double deductions of R&D expenses, and industrial building allowances to such companies. At the same time PPD will continue to provide supporting services to agrotechnology farms. I agree with the Member for Punggol that there is scope for us to export our farming expertise. In fact, some of the services are already being provided by companies operating in Singapore. A group of companies are already providing pig farm design services, aqua-culture development services and animal feed advisory services to other farms and companies in the region and as far off as the People's Republic of China. The Member for Punggol also raised the point about the tenure of land in agrotechnology parks. He asked: why only allow a 20-year lease for such an intensive development? Sir, the land within the agrotechnology parks can only be committed for a period of 20 years in the initial period, as it is not possible at the present moment to foresee the use of such lands in the future. PPD has looked at the length of time required for the development of economically viable high technology farms. It has found that 20 years will be a reasonable period.”
“Sir, I will take up the point raised by the Member for Nee Soon concerning the future role of the Urban and Rural Services Committee (URSC). It is true that the rural areas are rapidly shrinking in Singapore. In fact, most rural constituents who used to enjoy the services provided by the URSC are now actually residing in public housing estates. It is therefore timely for URSC to look into extending its services to cater for the needs of residents in public housing estates. I would like to assure the Member for Nee Soon that my Ministry will not dissolve the URSC. In fact, my Ministry has set up a Sub-Committee under the URSC to study and review the existing role and function of the Committee. The Sub-Committee will also recommend the future directions for the Committee. It will consider the future roles to be played by URSC after the establishment of town councils to manage public housing estates. One suggestion under study is a proposal that town councils be allowed to apply for URSC funds for projects which are similar to those currently being funded by the URSC. Projects which will help to enhance town council estates and benefit the residents may also be considered. The study is still in progress and Members will be informed of the outcome in due course. May I now turn to the points raised by the Member for Punggol. The Member has suggested that we should capitalize on the progress that we have made in farming, agriculture and that we should consider exporting our services. He has also agreed that we are moving in the right direction in promoting agrotechnology. Sir, one of the objectives for developing agrotechnology parks is to develop Singapore into an agrotechnology service centre in this part of the world and also for other tropical areas.”