Mah Bow Tan
Singapore
“The previous generation of Singaporeans overcame huge odds together to create this improbable nation which we call home. Let this generation work as one to define our country for the next lap of our journey. Sir, on this note, I fully support the amended Motion. Page: 143”
“Like all upgrading programmes, there is a certain budget, and a certain pace at which we will build. We have completed the LUP and now we are going on towards the HIP. The Estate Upgrading Programme (EUP) is ongoing.”
“For those who cannot afford home ownership, we will provide rental flats. For the rest where there is hardship involved, that is where the safety net comes in. I do not think we should make the safety net so wide as to bring in everybody.”
“Building a studio apartment is no different from building any other HDB flat. If a person applies now and the building works start now, he can get it in two-and-a-half years to three years. We have stepped up the building of studio apartments over the last couple of years.”
“Mdm Halimah Yacob asked the Minister for Health (a) how many people have signed an Advance Medical Directive (AMD) and how many have revoked them since; and (b) whether there is a need to review the current rules on AMDs which do not require a person who has revoked the AMD to inform the Registrar, thus causing uncertainty for hospitals t…”
“Parents who wish to exert more control over the maximum mobile service charges incurred by their children may consider service options such as mobile pre-paid cards. IDA is aware of the public's concerns on mobile subscriptions, and will continually review policies and look into measures to further protect the interest of consumers.”
The complete record
Every one of 3,030 lines we hold for Mah Bow Tan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 41 of 61.
“The take up rate for SingTel Magix at end December 1998 was 9,242. The number of ISDN dial-up subscribers at end December 1998 was 1,131. (January figures are not yet available). PUBLIC ASSISTANCE AND OTHER WELFARE SCHEMES 5. Mdm Claire Chiang See Ngoh asked the Minister for Community Development, between June and December 1998, (a) what were the numbers of applicants for (i) Public Assistance (ii) the Small Families Improvement Scheme and (iii) the Rent and Utilities Assistance Scheme; and (b) what was the total amount being disbursed under the Interim Financial Assistance Scheme.”
“The Seletar Expressway (SLE) has increased traffic volume along Lentor Avenue. This is because it provides motorists with better access to the Yishun New Town. Also, more people have moved into Yishun. LTA has implemented various traffic management measures to alleviate the heavy traffic condition especially during the evening peak hours. These include widening the junction of Lentor Avenue/Yishun Ave 1, extending the right turning storage lane, and adjusting the traffic signal timings at junctions along the Yishun Ave 2. LTA is also working with the local grassroots organisation to encourage Yishun residents to use Sembawang Road as an alternative route. Sembawang Road is the other major arterial road to Yishun New Town which is relatively uncongested and has spare road capacity to hold more traffic. It is also easily accessible via SLE. A new road link between the northern part of Yishun New Town and the SLE has been planned for the longer term. DOWNWARD REVISION OF CHARGES FOR REPORTS GENERATED FROM STATLINK 44. Mr Tay Beng Chuan asked the Minister for Trade and Industry if the Trade Development Board will consider a downward revision of its current charges for each report generated from Statlink.”
“The Bill also provides that all fines imposed for any offence under the Act or any regulations made thereunder and all sums collected under section 33 of the Act shall be paid to the MPA. Payment of fines to MPA will enable it to recover part of the clean up cost for oil spills from unknown sources and expenses related to investigation into pollution incidents. The MPA has consulted the Ministry of Finance and it has no objection to the fines being paid to the MPA. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Mah Bow Tan]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment, read a Third time and passed. PUBLICATION OF NEWSPAPER (Motion)”
“International agreements relating to the prevention, reduction and control of pollution, such as the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) and OPRC, the Convention which we are addressing in this Bill, are voluminous and they contain a large amount of technical and administrative details. Moreover, they are amended frequently. For these reasons, it makes more sense that they be implemented by way of regulations. In any case, the regulations will be gazetted and all Members will have access to them so that they can raise issues of concern in Parliament. Let me add that the existing section 34 already provides for regulations to be made to give effect to any other treaty or international agreement which provides for the modification of MARPOL. Section 34(c) will extend this to other international conventions or agreements specifically related to areas of pollution such as OPRC. Section 34 of the Bill introduces other measures necessary to deal with pollution of the sea or pollution from ships. Besides oil terminals and refineries, cargo terminals, shipyards and other facilities in Singapore will now be required to store detergents, dispersants and equipment to deal with oil pollution. This is to enhance Singapore's oil combat capability. It will not add additional burden on cargo terminals or shipyards as such resources are currently stored at their premises. To reflect the gravity of damage caused by oil pollution, clauses 4, 5, 6 and new paragraph (e) of section 34(3) seek to provide for increase in fines for non-compliance. The fines for indiscriminate discharge of oil into the sea are increased to reflect the severity as well as the increased cost of damage caused by oil pollution and to deter any such discharge.”
“In addition, seaports and oil handling facilities have to maintain Oil Pollution Emergency Plans (OPEPs) if there exist risks of oil pollution. The MPA has revised its Marine Emergency Action Procedure (MEAP) to incorporate the provisions of the OPRC Convention. In the process, they have consulted various Government departments and corporations including Jurong Port, CAAS and PSA Corporation, which have responsibilities in the MEAP, as well as private terminal operators which provide oil handling facilities. This is to ensure that all parties concerned are ready to accept the responsibilities required of them under the revised MEAP. Terminal operators have now developed the OPEPs in anticipation of Singapore's accession to the OPRC Convention. As a party to this Convention, Singapore will have obligation to give effect to the provisions of the Convention in its laws. The Bill contains the essential provisions to give effect to the Convention. In addition, to obviate the need to amend the Act in future when Cabinet approves Singapore's accession to any new international agreement or convention relating to the prevention, reduction or control of pollution of the sea and pollution from ships, the Bill also provides for regulations to be made to give effect to such international agreements or conventions. In case Members are concerned that Parliament's role as the main source of law making and its power to oversee regulations are eroded, let me stress that this Act asks Parliament for approval for MPA to make regulations relating specifically to prevention, control or reduction of pollution of the sea or pollution from ships. The regulations enacted will not exceed the ambit of the Act.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." This Bill seeks to amend the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act, 1990 to give effect to the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC Convention) which has been adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1990 and to enable Singapore to implement any international agreement relating to the prevention, reduction or control of pollution of the sea and pollution from ships. The Bill also increases the penalties for various offences under the Act and provides for the fines imposed for any offence under the Act to be paid into the funds of the MPA. The "Exxon Valdez" disaster in 1989 clearly demonstrated that oil spills can overwhelm a country's response capability, regardless of resources at hand. Following this incident, the IMO adopted the OPRC Convention in 1990 in recognition of the serious threat posed to the marine environment by oil pollution incidents involving ships, seaports as well as oil handling facilities. Singapore is a major oil refining centre as well as the world's top bunkering port. We therefore have a responsibility to be prepared at all times to deal with pollution incidents that may arise. This Bill gives effect to the necessary precautionary measures. The Convention is designed to facilitate international co-operation and mutual assistance in preparing for and responding to a major oil pollution incident and to encourage States to develop and maintain an adequate capability to deal with oil pollution emergencies. It requires governments to establish a national system for responding promptly and effectively to oil pollution incidents. As a basic minimum, this includes the creation of a national contingency plan.”
“Sir, I asked that same question myself. I asked TAS why is it that they came out so strongly, as the headline put it, "to slam the two operators". I went into some detail about this because I felt that it was, as the Member pointed out, totally unnecessary. TAS informed me that, in fact, when they were asked for clarification, all they said was that the two service providers should seek TAS' approval before they announced their proposals, in other words, make it clear to the public that these are subject to approval so as not to mislead the public. That is all. I thought that was a perfectly reasonable response to the query. However, I was surprised to see that it became something of a furore, first of all, starting with the headline that "TAS slams the Friday shoot-out". Thereafter, it was also quoted that TAS felt that the operator was either too quick off the mark or could be misleading the public. I am told that such comments were not actually made at all although they were ascribed to TAS. I believe that clarification has been made with the reporter concerned. Yes, I agree that it is much ado about nothing. This is really a storm in a teacup. I hope with this explanation, the public will be more aware of the reason behind TAS' actions, that there is no such thing as a free meal, that even though prices do come down, they must ensure that their interests are safeguarded in the longer term and that it is TAS' responsibility at this stage, as the regulator, to make sure that this is so. ASSISTANCE RENDERED TO HARDSHIP FAMILIES 5. Dr S Vasoo asked the Minister for Community Development if he will indicate the recent trend on hardship families seeking help from his Ministry and the kinds of assistance rendered to them.”
“I have here a list of the regulatory bodies overseas that have similar requirements. OFTA in Hongkong, OFTEL in the UK, ACA in Australia, they have established similar policies to what TAS has put in place. In fact, I had been told that Hongkong Telecom, for example, was actually ordered by OFTA to stop anti-competitive prices. In 1998, they were fined for engaging in widespread illegal anti-competitive practices in that year. Later, in September 1998, they had to make similar announcements and take similar action. In the UK, over the past two years, OFTEL had to investigate complaints on British Telecom, again the incumbent operator, for engaging in alleged predatory prices for both Internet services and fixed line services. In other words, this is not something unique to Singapore. There are similar experiences in many regimes where markets are starting to liberalise, and you have a situation where you do not have many players in the market.”
“I think this is what the regulator has sought to do. The regulator has not said that you are not allowed to make these filings. What the regulator has said is, when you make the filing or want to make a public announcement, make it clear that this is subject to approval. If you want to have such loyalty programmes, you must let the regulator know what are the precise terms and conditions before you implement. One could argue that we could let them implement first and then take retrospective action thereafter. This is possible except that it can be a little messy, if, for example, customers are tied in by contract to loyalty programmes and then you have to unwind later on. On hindsight, at this stage, TAS, the regulator, feels that it is better to make the clarifications before implementation, rather than after. But as I said, when the third operator comes in, subsequently even fourth, fifth or more, the market will be in a much more competitive situation. The regulator can then take one or two steps backwards and the consumer can then be depended upon to make those choices. But today, where there are only two operators, as the experience has shown in many other countries, in a duopoly situation, you have to ensure that the major operator, the incumbent operator, does not make use of the privilege that it has to push aside competition.”
“Sir, as I indicated earlier, as the market becomes freer and as there are more players, the regulator will not need to have the strict oversight role that it currently has. This will be progressively relaxed as we have a freer market situation and as the consumers become more savvy and more discriminating in their choice. In other words, they do not look at just the short-term. It is fine to say, "Let us have a free-for-all now. I want to enjoy the benefits today." But they must be sophisticated and savvy enough to realise that they must also be able to enjoy the benefits of competition in the longer term, in other words, that competition is sustainable. Those are the conditions under which the regulatory regime will and should operate beyond April 2000.”
“Sir, the decision to license a third mobile operator has been made. This third mobile phone operator will commence its operations with effect from April 2000. While the two current operators strive to capture whatever market share they can with their current innovative marketing strategies, it is important for TAS to ensure that come April 2000 the market place will be a level playing field for all players - first, second and third operators. It is no use for us to issue a licence for a third operator when at the same time, the existing two operators are allowed to capture customers and penalise them if they were to switch. If there are any loyalty programmes that are being put in place by either of the operators today to maximise their market share, that is perfectly all right, so long as come April 2000, customers are free to switch. That is the key point, that there is no penalty involved in the switch. If they want to have loyalty programmes for one, two, three or four years, that is perfectly fine. The new operator will have to contend with that but it must also be able to bring customers on board because such customers are not tied down by the existing loyalty scheme. This ultimately is for the benefit of the consumers. If we allow a situation where the two operators currently tie up all the consumers, we are back to a duopoly situation. Then what is the point of issuing a third licence? Come year 2000, customers will have more choice and TAS wants to ensure they will be allowed to switch easily from whatever loyalty programmes they join today. The purpose of the requirement by the regulator to approve any such schemes beforehand is ultimately with the benefits of the consumers in mind.”
“Sir, the main issue in this case is whether the strong operator or the incumbent operator, which enjoys certain privileges that the other operator does not enjoy, is making use of this privileged position. Today there are two operators; one has got certain monopolistic privileges, the other has not. Until such time as the playing field is more even, it is necessary for the regulator to ensure that any changes or any new pricing schemes or any new market practices, for that matter, must be under scrutiny. This does not suggest that prices cannot go down. In fact, as I have announced earlier, after looking at the application and making certain queries and receiving clarifications from the applicant, TAS is now satisfied that the new pricing scheme does not in any way affect the other operator. Neither does it tie consumers down so that they do not have the flexibility or the freedom to change operator come April 2000. Having received those clarifications, TAS is quite happy to approve the new loyalty scheme with lower prices.”
“Sir, as the Member is aware, although the mobile phone market has two operators, with effect from next year, there will be another mobile phone operator in the market. This was as a result of a competitive tender that was issued in 1998. TAS was prepared to issue up to two more licences. But as the Member may recall, one of the successful bidders for the licence had to withdraw for various reasons. There are no plans at the moment for Government to issue any more mobile phone licences. But the situation is a very fluid one and we have not indicated categorically that we will not be issuing any more licences. In other words, as and when the situation requires, we are free to issue more mobile phone licences but it must necessarily be after the year 2000.”
“Sir, it is not possible for TAS to set market caps for any player in the market. This is for the individual players to work out, ie, for them to go and gain as much market share as possible within the rules of the game as set out, in other words, there is no anti-competitive pricing especially when the incumbent operator has got certain monopolistic privileges. The second question which the Member asked was whether the Government would bail out an operator. The answer obviously is no.”
“However, in keeping with its role to protect consumer interests, there have been past instances where TAS had disapproved schemes or proposed modifications to schemes to prevent customers from being tied down or having to suffer penalties for switching operators. In some cases, competitive services had been bundled with monopoly services, to the disadvantage of competitors without monopoly rights. TAS will take a progressively relaxed regulatory stance as the telecommunication industry is further liberalised from 1st April next year. However, it will continue to impose minimum service standards, as well as minimum safeguards to protect the consumers and maintain an oversight role over market developments to ensure a sustainable competitive environment.”
“Until such time when there is more and freer competition in the market, TAS needs to approve operators' proposals to ensure that (1) they do not engage in predatory pricing, ie, operators which enjoy certain monopolistic privileges are not using these to unfairly drive out other market players and (2) they do not lock consumers into schemes that prevent them from switching operators freely. TAS has not rejected SingTel Mobile's proposal in this particular case. What it has said is that the proposed scheme was unclear in some respects, and that SingTel Mobile has to revert with more details to address TAS' concerns. These include whether its loyalty programme is sustainable, and whether tie-in conditions would be imposed on subscribers to prevent them from switching operators when the market is further liberalised in year 2000. If SingTel Mobile can satisfactorily address TAS' concerns, TAS will allow such a scheme to be marketed to the consumers as permanent. But until it is approved as a permanent scheme, TAS has to ensure that SingTel Mobile does not mislead its consumers by marketing it as a permanent scheme, when it is currently approved as a promotion only valid till March 2000. Let me say that TAS has since received clarification and financial information from SingTel Mobile on its loyalty programme. TAS is satisfied with the clarification and the business case and will approve the loyalty programme as a permanent scheme. TAS will be issuing a formal announcement later today. TAS encourages any proposal that will benefit consumers in the long run.”
“Sir, since its formation in 1992, TAS has actively and consistently adopted a pro-competition approach. It is committed to fully liberalising the telecommunication industry to ensure Singapore's competitiveness and to allow consumers to enjoy the benefits of competition, ie, a wider range of quality services and products at competitive prices. In line with this philosophy, TAS has liberalised the basic telecommunication services market earlier than planned, by bringing forward the expiry of the monopoly licence of SingTel by 7 years from 2007 to the year 2000 at a cost of $1.5 billion. It opened the mobile phone and paging market in 1997. It has further liberalised the mobile services market from April 2000. The Internet services market has been completely opened since last year. The basic services market will also be opened up to further competition from April 2002. In liberalising the market, TAS has a duty to ensure that the competition is sustainable or healthy. It has to ensure that incumbents do not adopt anti-competitive measures, such as predatory pricing, to keep out competitors. This is to safeguard the interests of consumers in the longer term by ensuring that we do not regress to the former monopolistic situation. It is especially important in an industry like telecommunications where significant natural barriers to entry already exist. Recent developments in the mobile phone market serve to illustrate this point. There are only two players in the current mobile communication market.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission to take Question Nos. 1 to 4 together as they are related?”
“The most effective way of preventing car break-ins is to remove all valuables, including cash cards, from the cars when they are left unattended. We will consider the Member's suggestion, along with all the other feedback received, when we design the next version of the IU. SOUND INSULATION STANDARDS FOR RESIDENTIAL FLATS 11. Dr Teo Ho Pin asked the Minister for National Development whether his Ministry will consider developing a set of guidelines or standards which will ensure proper sound insulation between residential flats.”
“The Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system is synchronised with SingTel time. It was chosen to give motorists the convenience of synchronising their time with SingTel's free "1711" enquiry service. This service is the primary source for obtaining the local time in Singapore and is available 24 hrs a day. As the local radio stations obtain their time from different sources, it is not practical to synchronise the ERP system with any one radio station. This is because the time as announced by each radio station may differ slightly. Further, unlike the "1711" enquiry service which is available on demand, radio stations only report the time at set intervals, which may not include all the time points when ERP charges are changed. Nevertheless, we are looking into the feasibility of displaying the applicable ERP changes and/or time at the ERP gantries. IN-VEHICLE UNIT 10. Dr Teo Ho Pin asked the Minister for Communications whether his Ministry can re-design the In-vehicle Unit (IU) so that the cash card can be concealed when inserted into the IU so as to prevent cash card thefts from cars.”
“LTA has previously announced that 14 of the 16 North-East Line (NEL) stations will be operational in 2002. The two NEL stations which may not commence operation in 2002 are Sennett and Woodleigh stations. Currently the areas around these two stations are not yet well-developed. The timing of the opening of these stations will depend on the progress of developments in the areas surrounding the stations, which affects the demand and hence the operational cost and viability of the line. Sennett station will be open when the population base increases with faster redevelopment of nearby sites. SYNCHRONISING THE ELECTRONIC ROAD PRICING TIME 9. Dr Teo Ho Pin asked the Minister for Communications whether the Land Transport Authority can synchronise the timer of the Electronic Road Pricing Scheme with that of the radio stations so that motorists can better plan their routes into the restricted areas.”
“(b) Currently, civil servants in intermediate timescale grades and above (about 5,300 in total) are eligible for performance bonuses. The scheme was introduced to these grades, in lieu of built-in salary increase, when salary comparisons showed that they had fallen behind private sector rates. Performance bonuses have not yet been extended to lower division officers as it may be difficult to differentiate the performance of officers at that level. However, as we gather more experience with the administration of the performance bonus scheme and the assessment of performance, we will progressively extend the scheme to lower division officers as well. (c) A total of 4,995 civil servants, 31 political appointees and 19 statutory/judicial appointment holders received performance bonuses in 1998 for work done in 1997, as shown in the table below : Substantive Grade Number of Officers Political Appointees 31 Statutory & Judicial 19 Appointment Holders Superscale civil servants 613 Timescale civil servants 4,382 DETENTION WITHOUT TRIAL 2. Mr Simon S C Tay asked the Minister for Home Affairs what is the number of persons presently detained without trial under (i) the Internal Security Act; (ii) the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act; (iii) the Misuse of Drugs Act; and (iv) any other laws of preventive detention.”
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is looking into potential sites for future MRT/LRT developments. One of the potential sites that it has identified for further study is a network to serve the Ang Mo Kio/Hougang/Toa Payoh/Bishan area. I will ask the LTA to include in this study the hon. Member's suggestion to link Hougang Avenue 1 and Hougang Avenue 3 to the proposed Kovan Station of the North East MRT line. WRITTEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS PERFORMANCE BONUS 1. Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Deputy Prime Minister (a) whether he will disclose details of the performance bonus scheme for civil servants; (b) whether all civil servants are eligible for the bonus; and (c) how many civil servants received such bonuses in 1998, by categories of political appointments, personnel groups and grades. BG Lee Hsien Loong: (a) The performance bonus scheme in the Civil Service was first introduced in the civil service in 1990 as part of the civil service's move to inject more flexibility in its wage system. At the same time, it allows the civil service to better reward officers who have performed well. The performance bonus is part of the total annual salary that an officer receives. The quantum of performance bonuses paid vary according to the assessed performance and substantive grade of the officer. The maximum quantum of performance bonus payable for the top grades is 9 months for the Legal Service and 6 months or less for all other civil servants and political appointment holders. However, fewer than 5% of officers are paid the top tier bonus rate. The majority receive the base rate, which varies depending on the grade and service of the officer. Under-performing officers are not paid any performance bonus.”
“The order of priority for admission of the children is as follows: i) Children who have a medical history ii) Children who have siblings in the school iii) Children who are currently studying in schools furthest from Woodlands to help minimise their long travelling distances between their homes and schools. There will be more primary and secondary places available in Woodlands New Town to cater for additional demand. Two primary schools, Evergreen Primary School and Woodgrove Primary School, will move to their new premises in March and September 1999 respectively. The Ministry can provide at least 2000 more places in these 2 schools. Woodlands Ring Secondary School can take in more students when schools currently holding in its premises move out in June 1999. A new secondary school at Woodlands Drive 16/Woodlands Avenue 1 will start operation in January 2000. The actual number of classes to be opened will depend on demand. Applicants who are not successful in their request for transfer this round, could write to their schools of choice or to the Ministry if they want their children to be considered for transfer. LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT SYSTEM ALONG HOUGANG AVENUE 1 AND HOUGANG AVENUE 3 35. Dr Ker Sin Tze asked the Minister for Communications whether he will consider building a Light Rail Transit system along Hougang Avenue 1 and Hougang Avenue 3 to connect with the proposed Kovan MRT station.”
“Grades obtained in the non-Tamil Indian languages in the national examinations, namely the PSLE and the GCE examinations, where there is a common benchmark, are counted for placement in and admission to the next level of study. As there are no standardised curriculums or tests at the various other levels the Ministry does not currently count the marks awarded by tutors in these languages for promotion at other levels. However, schools place students in the appropriate classes according to the ability demonstrated by the students in their other subjects. Pupils are therefore not unduly advantaged nor disadvantaged by this. TRANSFER OF STUDENTS TO SCHOOLS IN WOODLANDS NEW TOWN 34. Mr Hawazi Daipi asked the Minister for Education (a) how many students in the various levels in the Woodlands New Town have asked for transfer to schools in the estate for the current academic year; and (b) how his Ministry plans to solve the problem. RAdm Teo Chee Hean: The number of applications for transfer to a school in Woodlands New Town for the current academic year is 2,495 for primary level and 463 for secondary level. This figure includes students who requested for transfers between schools within Woodlands New Town. As far as possible, the Ministry has accommodated requests for transfers across schools. We were able to make available an additional l,400 places for pupils studying in schools outside Woodlands and Yishun by increasing the enrolment of classes and opening additional classes in the 9 primary schools in Woodlands. The secondary schools accepted 139 pupils to fill the vacancies. Where the demand for places in a particular school exceeded the places available, 3 criteria are used to prioritise the transfer requests.”
“Investigations on the crash led by the Indonesian Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission (AAIC) is still in progress, with the full support of the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and the Australian Bureau of Air Safety Investigation (BASI). The investigator-in-charge, Professor Oetarjo Diran briefed the next-of-kins and issued a press release on 18th December last month to provide an update on the status of investigation. So far, no indication was found that air traffic control, weather, maintenance, terrorist acts, or hazardous material was a factor contributing to the accident. As I have explained to the House previously, investigation is progressing very slowly because of the high degree of destruction to the aircraft and the lack of useful information from the flight data and cockpit voice recorders. The AAIC expects that the investigation is likely to continue well into 1999. INCLUSION OF MARKS FOR PUPILS OFFERING INDIAN MINORITY LANGUAGES 33. Mr Shriniwas Rai asked the Minister for Education if his Ministry will allow marks for pupils offering Indian minority languages to be included as a subject for the purpose of promotion at all levels of examinations. RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Non-Tamil Indian students are allowed to opt to study a non-Tamil Indian language as their Mother Tongue. Instruction in the non-Tamil Indian languages is not provided by the Ministry and parents are required to arrange for instruction for their children. This instruction is provided by a variety of tutors ranging from centrally organised classes, to personalised tuition.”
“A strong partnership between home, school and community is a key factor in helping to curb teenage pregnancies. PERCENTAGES OF MALES AND FEMALES IN MEDICAL PROFESSION AND MEDICAL SCHOOL 25. Mdm Claire Chiang See Ngoh asked the Minister for Health, from 1989 to 1998, what comparative percentages of male and female doctors left the profession every year; and how his Ministry justifies the one-third quota for women applying for medical school and reconciles the practice with its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).”
“Mdm Claire Chiang See Ngoh asked the Minister for Education whether there was a rising trend of teenage pregnancies among students between 1995 and 1998; whether the average age of pregnant teens is getting younger; and, if so, how his Ministry will improve sex education teaching in schools to prevent teenage pregnancies. RAdm Teo Chee Hean: According to the Ministry of Health, the number of pregnancies among teenagers, defined as those under 20 years of age and inclusive of teens both in school and not in school, has been stable until 1995. There was, however, a slight increase from 1995 to 1997. The number of teen pregnancies was 2,091 in 1995, 2,185 in 1996 and 2,254 in 1997. The average age of pregnant teens has remained stable at approximately 18 years. Although the increase in the number of teen pregnancies is small, and not all pregnant teens are students, the Committee on Discipline of Female Pupils, chaired by Senior Minister of State Dr Aline Wong, has made some recommendations which have been accepted by the ministry. Key Stage Programmes In addition to existing programmes related to sex education, schools will target human sexuality education programmes at the key stages of Primary Six, Secondary Two and JC One. These programmes will go beyond facts to address the moral and emotional dimensions of human sexuality. Separate, compulsory sessions will be held for boys and girls with the assistance of the Ministries of Community Development, Health as well as the Voluntary Welfare Organisations. Preventive action against teenage pregnancy is a shared responsibility between the teenager, the parents and the school. While schools will continue to play their part, parents must be aware of and shoulder their responsibilities.”
“When the Vehicle Quota System was first introduced, the validity period for a Certificate of Entitlement (COE) was fixed at 10 years to tie in with the time limit for the Preferential Additional Registration Fee (PARF) benefits. The COE thus represents the right for a vehicle owner to use his vehicle on the roads for a period of 10 years. If an owner feels that his vehicle is in good condition and wishes to use it beyond 10 years, he can revalidate the COE upon its expiry for either 5 or 10 years by paying 50% or 100% of the prevailing quota premium respectively. It would not be fair for the Government to extend the COE validity for vehicles tested to be in good condition to 15 years when the owners only paid for a 10-year COE. If we were to extend the validity period of all COEs, we can expect the quota premium to be higher as a higher value will be attached to the longer life-span. In addition, if COEs were to have a longer validity of say 15 or 20 years, the total number of COEs that can be released will have to be reduced. A reduced COE quota is again likely to lead to higher premiums. Higher COE premiums will not only have an adverse impact on those who are revalidating their COEs, but will also put the new vehicle buyers at a disadvantage. The Government Parliamentary Committee (Communications) is in the midst of reviewing the different aspects of the Vehicle Quota System. I believe they will examine the issue on the validity of COEs in their review. RISING TREND OF TEENAGE PREGNANCIES 20.”
“The Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system treats each vehicle passing under an ERP gantry as distinct and separate. Hence, on each passing, a deduction of an appropriate ERP charge will be made. When a motorist passes an ERP gantry with no CashCard inserted in the In-vehicle Unit (IU), a violation is deemed to have been committed. A scheme whereby a motorist can make up for any earlier violation by re-passing under an ERP gantry within a specified time will generate unnecessary traffic circulation on the roads in the vicinity of the ERP gantries. This will contribute to traffic congestion, increase average travel times and pollute the environment. All this is of course uneconomical. I would therefore strongly advise motorists that they should make it a part of their motoring habit to insert the CashCard into the IU before the start of a journey. EXTENSION OF CERTIFICATES OF ENTITLEMENT 17. Mr Tay Beng Chuan asked the Minister for Communications if the Land Transport Authority will consider extending the validity of certificates of entitlement for vehicles tested to be in good condition to 15 years.”
“Table 1: Comparison of 1988 and Today's Fares 1988 1997 Increase over 1988 Public Transport Fares (average 8-km farecard journey) Non airconditioned bus services $0.60 $0.75 25% Airconditioned bus services $1.00 $1.00 0% (note:1) MRT services $0.80 $1.00 25% Taxis (note:2) $3.96 $5.32 34% CPI Index 87.8 109 24% Average Monthly Earnings $1,273 $2,480 95% Average Monthly Earnings in $1,373 $2,581 88% the Transport, Storage and Communication Industry Note: (1) Airconditioned bus fare stages were introduced in 1990 and the fares have remained constant at $1.00. (2) Average 8-km journey, exclude surcharges. PUBLIC HOUSING COST 13. Mr Chuang Shaw Peng asked the Minister for National Development if he will furnish statistics on the rates of increases/decreases in respect of public housing cost from 1988 to 1997.”
“Public Transport From 1988 to 1997, two major revisions were made to bus and MRT fares. The first revision took place in 1990 when fares were revised after remaining unchanged for more than 6 years. The second fare revision was 7 years later in 1997.There were also two minor adjustments, in 1994 and 1995, when the maximum fare was raised by one fare stage. Increase in bus and MRT fares over this period kept pace with the general increase in consumer prices, and were way below the increase in wage levels. (See Table 1 below). Taxi fares have increased faster than MRT and bus fares. However, although taxi fare increases exceeded that of the increases in the CPI, taxis remain affordable because the increase in taxi fare is significantly lower than the increase in average wage levels. PSA For PSA terminals, local stevedorage is the single largest charge paid by container shipping lines for the handling of local containers, forming up to 70% of total port charges. From 1988 to 1997, PSA has reduced local stevedorage charges from $160 to $150 for a 20 ft. container, and from $228 to $215 for a 40 ft. container. Discounts on local stevedorage have also been given by PSA through customised agreements. Our local importers and exporters do not pay local stevedorage; they pay freight rates and terminal handling charges which are charged by shipping lines. Both charges bear little correlation to PSA's local charges and are determined primarily by the supply and demand of shipping capacity calling at the port. Importers and exporters currently enjoy more competitive freight rates than regional shippers because Singapore offers a wider choice of shipping lines.”
“Currently, Singapore Airlines flies to 4 international airports in India, viz. Bombay, Calcutta, New Delhi and Madras. The airports in Bhuwaneshwar and Varanasi, however, are not designated as international gateways by the Indian Government. Foreign airlines like Singapore Airlines or SilkAir would not be allowed to fly to Indian airports which are not designated as international airports. Of course, should these airports become international and our airlines are keen to fly there because there is traffic demand, we will request for the required traffic rights from the Indian Government. Similarly, should airlines from India want to fly direct between these points and Singapore, we will be happy to discuss with the Indian Government. ARREARS OF RENT AND MORTGAGE INSTALMENTS 10. Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for National Development how many people were in arrears of rent or mortgage instalment payments for at least three months as of September 1998, as compared to the same periods in 1997 and 1996, by types of flats.”
“LTA has, wherever space permits, provided bays under the flyovers along the expressways, for motorcyclists to shelter from the rain without being endangered by traffic. So far, 35 of such bays have been constructed under the flyovers with another 4 in the pipeline. All new flyovers will incorporate these bays wherever space permits. WRITTEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS LIQUIDATION AND BANKRUPTCIES 1. Mr Zulkifli bin Baharudin asked the Minister for Law, from January to September 1998, how many companies were voluntarily wound up and how many persons were made bankrupt as compared to 1997.”
“Currently, 33 primary schools and 51 secondary schools have the basic facilities, while 8 primary schools, 6 secondary schools and 1 JC have both the basic and the additional facilities. My Ministry is undertaking a review of the current norms for the provision of disabled-friendly facilities in schools, with a view to ensuring adequate provision and greater accessibility of such facilities for the disabled students. PROCEDURES TO APPOINT RELIGIOUS LEADERS AND ADMINISTRATORS IN MOSQUES 37. Mr Zulkifli Bin Baharudin asked the Minister for Community Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs whether there are any formal and open procedures adopted by the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura on the appointment of religious leaders and administrators in mosques.”
“The Ministry has checked with each self-help group. The self-help groups have assured the Ministry that they will have places for students who qualify for and require subsidised tuition. They are prepared to open up more classes and to waive fees for deserving cases if necessary. We must continue to have a strong support system to ensure that our children's education is not affected by Singapore's economic situation. MCD and the self-help groups will ensure that subsidised tuition is available to those who need it. FACILITIES FOR HANDICAPPED STUDENTS 36. Assoc. Prof. Chin Tet Yung asked the Minister for Education (a) what facilities are provided in schools (primary, secondary and junior colleges) for handicapped students; (b) how many schools are equipped with such facilities; and (c) whether all new schools are equipped to cater for such students. RAdm Teo Chee Hean: The basic disabled-friendly facilities provided in schools are: a car parking lot for the disabled, a ramp at the main entrance, ramps to all facilities located on the ground floor of every block, a toilet for the wheel-chair bound on the ground floor and at least one ambulant disabled toilet cubicle at each of the upper levels. MOE's plan is to provide all existing and new schools with such basic facilities by the year 2003. In addition, 10% of the schools will have additional facilities such as ramps or lifts to all levels and ramps for corridors to each room at every level. These schools with additional facilities are to be spread out over the island to facilitate easy access for the disabled who live in different parts of Singapore.”
“There is no evidence of an increase in the number of incidents on piracy and armed robberies against ships in the waters near Singapore. Singapore and Indonesia have since 1992 established an arrangement to conduct coordinated patrols to curb the menace. The joint effort has proven to be effective. According to the July 1998 report of the International Maritime Bureau on Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships, the number of incidents in the Singapore Strait has been one per year from 1994-1996, with no reported incidents from 1997 to mid-1998. At the international level, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is also concerned with piracy incidents as they affect safety of navigation of ships. The IMO has recently decided to organise a series of regional seminars to address the issue. The seminars aim to explain IMO guidelines for the combat of piracy and armed robbery and to encourage participating countries to develop cooperative measures among themselves to address the problem. At the request of the IMO, we have agreed to help organise the seminar for the Asian region in Singapore in February 1999. We will continue to promote and support regional and international efforts to address the issue. CHEAPER ALTERNATIVES TO HELP STUDENTS IN THEIR EDUCATION 35. Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon asked the Minister for Community Development, with the worsening economic situation, more students currently attending classes in private tuition centres will be looking for cheaper alternatives to help them in their education, whether there are plans among self-help groups such as SINDA, CDAC and MENDAKI to absorb these students. Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: I share Mrs Yu-Foo's concern that students affected by the economic situation should have the necessary help if they need tuition.”
“They may be waiting to take up foreign citizenship, or they may have gone abroad many years ago and lost touch with events back home, even though they have not given up their Singapore passport. The case for overseas voting is stronger for some of these groups than for others. But, in practice, it is difficult to distinguish between them. So we have kept the requirement that a Singaporean must return home to vote, as a practical test of whether he still maintains his links to Singapore and will make the effort to exercise his duties as a citizen. Sir, the Government has therefore decided not to implement a system for overseas voting. However, it recognises that this is not a static situation. With globalisation, more Singaporeans will work abroad, and the case for overseas voting may change. We will therefore review the issue from time to time.”
“There is complete transparency, because candidates and their polling and counting agents can be physically present to witness the voting and vote counting. There is also absolute security of the cast ballots, from the polling station all the way to the counting table. The Elections Department has studied the issue of overseas voting since 1983, and examined how other countries do it. There are various methods - voting in overseas missions, electronic voting, postal voting, or proxy voting. However, each has limitations and operational difficulties. We only have 26 overseas missions. Many electors will not live or work close enough to one of them to go there to vote, especially in a large country like China or the United States. Electronic voting looks attractive, but at present still has fundamental technical deficiencies. Elector verification is not foolproof, and there is no trail or hard evidence like a marked ballot paper to refer to in case of a dispute. Overseas voters are a very small minority. Elections Department estimates that only 3.5% of electors are unable to vote because they are overseas. It is therefore better not to complicate the voting system for the sake of this small number of electors. However, the issue is not just numbers or operational difficulties. The 3.5% of Singaporeans who are overseas are away for various reasons. 1.4% are away on holiday and 0.7% are studying overseas. The remaining 1.4% are working or living abroad. Some are on overseas postings, perhaps working for the Government or for Singapore companies in their regionalisation efforts. But others have emigrated.”
“As far as pricing is concerned, as I have indicated, LTA is now reviewing the traffic flow in the CBD area as well as along the expressways and, if necessary, adjustments will be made. In so far as capping the maximum amount of ERP rates is concerned, to do that would be defeating the purpose, because the idea of charging per pass is really to let individual motorists who are passing through the gantry take considered decisions as to whether they wish to make that number of trips or not. As I indicated earlier, there will be some businesses including taxis which will be making multiple passes. But for taxis, if they pass through with a passenger, the passenger is the one who is paying. And to help ease in the implementation, we have kept the rates to one-third. So they are actually paying one-third what the car should be paying. As for the times when they go in without a passenger, I think this is for the taxi drivers and the taxi companies to decide how they wish to resolve the problem, because since 1st September fares have been deregulated and they are now free to reconfigure the tariff structure to resolve this problem. VOTING SYSTEM FOR VOTERS WHO ARE OVERSEAS 14. Mr Chng Hee Kok asked the Prime Minister whether a voting system will be implemented for eligible voters who are overseas and, if not, why. The Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Wong Kan Seng) (for the Prime Minister): Sir, our existing voting system is simple, transparent and effective. On average, 95% of eligible voters cast their votes in elections. The system achieves foolproof voter verification. Except for the blind, every voter marks his ballot paper himself.”
“Sir, I am glad to hear the Member talking about car population control as one of the ways to ease congestion on our roads. Because that is precisely what we are doing. We are using the COE system as well as the ERP system to control congestion on our roads. One or the other alone will not do. So ERP alone is not going to solve the problem. COEs plus ERP will solve the problem. I would like to thank the Member for re-emphasising that point. But having said that, the total number of COEs being issued is based on very rough global estimates of how many cars Singapore roads can accommodate. As to where and when these cars travel, I think it is not possible for us to determine how many COEs should be issued for people living in Potong Pasir, for example, because they happen to be congesting the CTE. But I think the ERP will solve the problem of localised congestion, whether it is on the CTE. So if we use both these measures judiciously, COEs to control overall car population and ERP to control localised congestion, I think we will be able, most of the time, to control the congestion problem in Singapore. I say "most of the time" because there will be other situations when there are traffic jams due to accidents, bad weather and so on, which are beyond our control.”
“Sir, we have just spent the last eight years trying to solve the problem of congestion through ERP. I think the CTE problem is a unique one which has to be tackled specifically because the other two expressways are not so congested. LTA will be looking at this in closer detail in terms of the types of vehicles using it and the times they are using it. LTA will then make the necessary adjustments to ERP rates in order to smoothen the flow.”
“The ERP system that Singapore has put in place after many years of planning and implementation has been acknowledged and recognised by international traffic management experts and policy makers as an effective and fair way to solve the problem of congestion. So, let me take this opportunity to acknowledge the efforts and the contributions of all those responsible for successfully and smoothly implementing the ERP system, especially the contractors, the media, the staff and all motorists for their understanding and cooperation.”
“If so, then adjustments to the ERP rates will have to be made to achieve better traffic conditions. Over time, traffic conditions will also change. ERP rates must respond accordingly. To make full use of the flexibility of the ERP system, reviews of traffic conditions will be carried out regularly and rates adjusted, if necessary. LTA has noted that the traffic patterns in the CBD and expressways have stabilised. It is currently reviewing the rates to bring about more optimal use of the roads. Where and when the roads are under-utilised, ERP rates will be lowered. Conversely, where and when the congestion levels are unacceptable, the rates will be adjusted upwards. LTA will finalise the changes in the ERP rates and announce the details soon. Cost-cutting measures Finally, in response to Mr Cyrille Tan, let me stress that we must not mix the objectives of ERP with that of the cost cutting measures that Government is implementing to help business. With the ERP, we can rely more on usage measures to manage traffic and this will allow us to further reduce upfront taxes like ARF. Indeed, the sooner and the more fully the ERP system is implemented, the more leeway the Government will have to reduce these statutory charges on vehicles, and hence the overall cost of owning vehicles. But let me end by saying that the greatest contribution of the ERP system really is its ability to keep our roads free-flowing, in an efficient and effective manner. We take our traffic conditions for granted. Yet, many cities around the world are grappling with the problem of congestion and the costs it imposes on their economies and their societies.”
“The entire package of road tax reduction and ERP rebates, not taking into account revenue from ERP, will save motorists and businesses about $1.5 billion over the next five years. Cost/revenue of ERP System Mr Lew asked about the cost of ERP. The development and implementation of the ERP system cost about $213 million. This includes the cost of fitting the In-vehicle Units (IUs) onto 653,000 vehicles during a 10-month long IU fitting exercise. The annual cost of operating the ERP system is about $9 million. The manual Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) and Road Pricing Scheme (RPS) cost $17 million per year, mainly in manpower cost. While the primary objective of ERP is not cost reduction per se, nevertheless, it is less labour intensive, and therefore more cost-effective in the long run. In terms of revenue, the Government is collecting less from the ERP than from the old system. In September 1998, revenue collection from ERP was about $6.6 million, which is 23% less than the average monthly revenue of $8.6 million under the old system. ERP implementation The implementation of the first phase ERP since 1st September 1998 has led to a significant improvement in traffic conditions within the CBD. Traffic volume entering the Restricted Zone has been reduced by about 24%, while traffic conditions on the ECP and PIE have also remained good. However, on the CTE, traffic congestion has worsened, with average traffic speed falling to 35-50 kph, which is below the optimal level of 50-55 kph. This is primarily due to the substantial increase in the number of taxis and commercial vehicles using the CTE . To fully realise the benefits of the ERP system, we must ensure that rates are set such that roads and expressways are neither overly congested nor under utilised.”
“Sir, let me first reiterate the objective of the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) System. It is to keep our roads free-flowing, in order to reduce the overall cost of transporting goods and people. It does so by using price to spread traffic on our roads evenly throughout the day. The purpose of ERP is not to generate more revenue. That is why, as part of the implementation of the ERP, we have reduced the upfront and annual costs of vehicle ownership. Reducing upfront taxes/ERP rebates/Phasing-in ERP charges To answer Mr Chay, under the new vehicle tax structure that has been implemented since 1st April this year, upfront taxes such as Registration Fees (RF) and Additional Registration Fees (ARF) had been reduced drastically for the majority of vehicles. For example, the RF for heavy goods vehicles was reduced from $14,000 to $140 (99%). The ARF for tourist coaches was reduced from 55% of OMV to 5% of OMV, resulting in savings of about $28,000 per vehicle. In addition, most vehicle owners enjoyed savings from reduction in their annual road tax or diesel tax, ranging from an average of $280 per year for car owners to a few thousand dollars for goods vehicles and buses. We are also giving ERP rebates to motorists over the next few years, starting with $200 per PCU for the first year of ERP implementation starting 1st September this year. For those motorists who do not need to or decide not to pass through ERP gantries, and these motorists are in the majority, this rebate is a bonus. To help businesses adjust to the ERP system, we have phased-in the rates for taxis and commercial vehicles over the next four years. Taxis are currently levied one-third while commercial vehicles pay only one-quarter of their respective ERP rates.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission to take Question Nos. 11, 12 and 13 together as they are related?”
“What has he in mind? If we have a policy, we should have a policy that applies to all. Whether it is for retirees or not, that is a separate matter.”
“I think the Member does not understand the concept of PARF. It is not a question of fairness. It is a policy measure to encourage car owners to scrap their cars before 10 years. It is a concession. It is not a deposit that people have to put with the Government and before 10 years, if they scrap their car, they are going to get this amount back. That is the first point. The second point is that in terms of prudent financial budgeting, we must provide for a contingent liability because in the case of people wanting their money back, we must be prepared to give it to them, if we decide to give back in cash. You could argue that in the case where there is the same number of people registering new cars and the same number of people scrapping their cars, that the money from PARF can be offset by ARF. That may well be so now. What happens if we have a situation, one could argue that it is an extreme situation, where everybody wants to scrap his car but nobody wants to register new cars? You can say that is extreme. What happens if it is close to that situation? Do you know how much money the Government would have to set aside? Billions of dollars. Why don't we want to do that? Because every cent that is put into contingent liability is money that cannot be used for other worthwhile purposes. So we recognise the problem but we think this is a better and more practical and safer way to solve the problem. The measures that will be implemented will actually make the PARF certificate more valuable and even in these extreme economic conditions, people will be able to make full use of the PARF certificate.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Preferential Additional Registration Fee (PARF) scheme was introduced in 1975 as a concession to encourage timely replacement of cars, so that our car population remains young and roadworthy. The concession is given in the form of a rebate that can be used to offset the Additional Registration Fee (ARF) of a new car. The Government has considered refunding the PARF benefit in cash but decided against it. This is because it creates a potential cash liability in the Government's budget. A large amount would have to be set aside to ensure that there would be sufficient funds to meet the liability, in case many owners de-register their cars at the same time. This amount would have been better allocated for other worthwhile expenditure, instead of being locked up as a contingent liability. The Government is aware that with the current economic situation, some car owners are not getting the full benefit of the PARF value. The Government has therefore decided to allow greater flexibility in the use of the PARF certificate. We will: a) Allow the PARF certificate to be used to offset the various one-time upfront vehicle taxes and fees, namely, the ARF, the COE and Registration Fees (RF), at the point of registration of a new car. b) Allow the use of more than one PARF certificate per car, and conversely allow the PARF benefits to offset the ARF, COE and RF of more than one new car. c) Extend the validity period of PARF certificate from the current 6 months to 12 months. The extension of the validity period of all unused existing PARF certificates will be with immediate effect. The other measures will be implemented from 1st November 1998 after the computerised vehicle registry system is amended. LTA will announce details of these measures shortly.”