Ong Teng Cheong
Singapore
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as of now, the position is this. We have signed an in-principle agreement with the Suzhou Municipality to help plan, develop and manage a township. There are two parts to this development. So far, we have put up a rough outline plan for the development of the township.”
“The consortium would include members or companies from both the Government as well as the private sector. Whether SLF will hold a significant share it has yet to be decided. I believe SLF will hold a very small share or no share at all, because, as I have said, our role is that of a facilitator.”
“Like all other projects undertaken by SLF, such as the Pasir Ris Resort, the Sentosa Beach Resort and the Orchid Country Club, the ultimate objective of SLF's investments is to help raise the social and economic status of our workers, and ensure that our workers will continue to enjoy a fair share of Singapore's progress.”
“Sir, I think Mr Chiam has got all this confused. PAP and NTUC run BEST classes jointly. NTUC does not run BEST classes by itself. George Sita, he is referring to, is a member of the SDP who stood against the PAP in the last election. He was employed jointly by NTUC and PAP.”
“NTUC Comfort is a co-operative. The taxi-drivers are members of the co-operative, and there were more than two members who had been removed from membership of the co-operative because of misbehaviour or misconduct, or arrears of their instalment payments, or whatever it is. There were many reasons why they were removed.”
“But when members of the co-operative are actively involved with opposition political parties against the PAP or NTUC, then they are acting against the resolution of the National Trade Union Congress, and it was a compliance of that resolution that action had to be taken against them.”
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“Unfortunately, Sir, it is not feasible or possible to provide direct bus services from any point in the island to every point or to every destination in the Republic. It will be very costly and a waste of resources if SBS provides such services. Fares would have to be increased. However, direct services will be provided if there is a sufficient demand for the service. In the example brought up by the Member for Anson, a commuter from Marine Parade needs to make only one transfer to reach his destination. However, if SBS, after monitoring the demand, finds that a direct service is justified, a direct service will be introduced. It is the same as in the case raised by the Member for Serangoon Gardens. The Member for Anson also mentioned about littering by commuters. I wish to mention that SBS has taken steps and measures to reduce the need to issue bus tickets so as to reduce this littering nuisance. Firstly, the introduction of monthly season tickets to school children and certain categories of Government employees has reduced the total daily sale of tickets by about 12% to 15%. SBS is also examining the possibility of selling season tickets to students of institutes of higher learning and members of the public. This will further reduce the daily issue of tickets. More and more buses are being converted into a one-man operation which will further cut down the issue of tickets, because they are on fixed fares and no tickets will be issued. At the moment, there are about 150 buses on a one- man operation. Members will be pleased to know that sweepers are stationed at all the bus terminals to sweep and collect used tickets for proper disposal. Every bus is provided with a litter box for the collection of used tickets.”
“The Member for Serangoon Gardens also wishes to see bus services from Serangoon Gardens to High Street. I am sure the Member for Sembawang also wishes to see bus services from Sembawang to Shenton Way.”
“The actual free storage period given is therefore much longer than 72 hours. If the 72 hours are exceeded, as the Member pointed out, store rent is payable at the rate of 40 cents per day for the first week; $1 per day for the second week; $7.50 per week for the third and every subsequent week. The progressive rate is to encourage fast delivery so as to prevent clogging up of transit sheds and to prevent congestion in our port. For longer term storage, warehouse space at 10 cents per tonne per day is readily available to Po" users upon application. What the Member has alleged is not entirely true because if the delay in the provision of lifting machine is caused by PSA, then PSA will waive the store rent. If he has any particular or specific cases of this complaint, I would be pleased if he would bring them to my attention and I will refer them to PSA for investigation. No removal charge is levied on import cargo if it is stored up to seven days from the date of completion of discharge. The removal charge at $3.50 per tonne is only payable after seven days and is intended to deter the consignee from congesting our transit sheds. On the question of rounding up to six tonnes if the actual tonnage is 5.1 tonnes, it is not true. PSA tariff is on a tonne or part thereof basis. If the consignment is 5 1/2 tonnes it will be rounded up to six tonnes but if the consignment is 5.4 tonnes or less, it will be charged for five tonnes. If the hon. Member has any other better suggestions to further improve the system, I am sure the PSA would be pleased to hear them. Quite a number of Members raised problems in SBS. The Member for Anson has complimented on the improvements that have been made so far. He wishes to see more direct bus services from Marine Parade to Telok Blangah.”
“With the advancement of micro-electronic technology and the development of mass-production techniques in the electronic industry, it is envisaged that the cost of providing videophone service will be reduced in time to come. The Telecommunication Authority of Singapore is keen to investigate into the feasibility of introducing videophone service which is one of the many service capabilities of the wide-band net-work brought about by the recent technological development. The possibility of replacing some conventional copper cables by just one high capacity optical fibre cable brings this possibility cheaper and nearer. TAS is already conducting field trials with optical fibres. To prepare for this new technology, TAS plans to instal a pilot videophone system at the new Telecoms headquarters for internal use in 1979-80. The object of this field trial is to enable the Telecommunication Authority to gain first-hand experience in the planning and operation of videophone service. If the pilot system is found successful, TAS will implement a wide-band network in Singapore which will be able to carry not only video service but voice, data and facsimile services economically to form an integrated telecommunication system. I can assure the Member that I am just as anxious as he is to see this new service coming into operation. The PSA billing system has come under question by the Member for Telok Blangah. PSA grants a 72-hour free storage period which is calculated from the end of the shift in which the last cargo is discharged from the ship in the case of import cargo, and from the end of the shift in which storage commences till the end of the shift in which the vessel is berthed in the case of export cargo.”
“in the morning to 7.30 p.m. at night. Prohibition of driving along certain gazetted roads during the morning, mid-day and evening peak hours. For the particular problem at Queenstown which the Member mentioned, 13 roads in the Queenstown, Leng Kee, Bukit Merah and Alexandra areas have been identified for prohibition, after discussion with the Traffic Police and HDB management. These roads will be gazetted in May this year. ROV, as he is probably aware, has taken steps to set up smaller driving centres all over the island. With decentralisation the situation should improve. One such driving centre was set up in Jurong Sports Stadium in 1977. Driving tests for lorries and cranes which were formerly conducted in Queenstown are now being held in Jurong. This has helped to ease congestion in Queenstown considerably. Maxwell Road Test Centre will also be relocated and divided into two smaller centres at Jalan Ubi and at Jalan Toa Payoh Industrial Estate in May this year. ROV is also examining the possibility of either reducing the size of Queenstown Driving Test Centre or relocating this to a non-residential area. 6.30 p.m. Sir, the Member for Anson is anxious to know the progress of the videophone service. Videophone service is presently available in advanced countries like Japan, Europe and the United States on a very limited scale, mainly for field trial purposes. The cost of providing this service is still very high and the experience of these countries shows that the videophone service will not be popular until this service can be provided at a reasonable cost.”
“Fifth, to strengthen the ROV staff to plan for the improvement and efficient running of taxi services in the long term. In order to prevent fluctuation in taxi earnings in view of the proposed expansion, the taxi situation will be closely monitored. Adjustments will be made where necessary. The Member for Boon Lay mentioned about the ARF increase from 100% to 126%. He questioned whether this has the desirable-effect. The Member should remember that ARF for private cars was last increased from 55% to 100% at the end of 1975. The effect of this was reflected in the net decrease in the private car population. Quite rightly, the Member for Boon Lay pointed out that the decrease has decreased. That means the actual decrease in the growth of cars has been reduced from 6,581 in 1976 to 509 in 1977. But this does not actually reflect the true position. The replacement of cars under the PAR F scheme is allowed within six months from the date of deregistration of old cars. So there is no need to register a new car straightaway. The car owner can scrap the old car first. This time lag resulted in a greater number of new cars in 1977 than had been expected. I agree with the Member that increasing the ARF alone will not solve the problem. Other measures such as improving the public transport services and taxis are necessary to complement the ARF. The Member for Boon Lay also touched on the provisional licence and suggested that learner-drivers should be decentralised to reduce the congestion. At present there are three types of restrictions which learner-drivers have to observe. These are: Prohibition of driving along gazetted busy roads and specific places such as hospitals and so on. Prohibition of driving along certain gazetted roads during the day-time from 7.30 a.m.”
“Owners prefer to do this themselves. The new taxis, therefore, run on only one shift, instead of two shifts. This further compounds the shortage problem. There is also a shortage of relief drivers, as a result of the Registry of Vehicles' inability to train sufficient drivers to keep pace with the increases in the taxi fleet. Because of the lack of supporting staff in ROV and also in the NTUC, we have not been able to expand the taxi fleet according to schedule. Members would realise from the figures I have quoted that although last year we announced that we would increase the taxi fl()et by 2,000, so far for the whole of last year we were able to increase by only about 600 taxis. The balance of 1,400 taxis originally was planned to be introduced on to our roads by the end of 1979 which has now been brought forward to October 1978. This was partly due to the lead time problem in the early stage where it was necessary to negotiate for the purchase of taxis. ROV will have to organise itself to train more taxi drivers and NTUC will have to organise and beef up its management to look after the increase in the taxi fleet. To alleviate the taxi shortage, my Ministry is considering the following measures. First, to liberalise the issue of taxi driver's licence. Second, to further increase the taxi fleet; we will have to examine how many more taxis will be needed after October 1978 this year. Third, to examine the possibility of issuing additional taxi licences and taxis to organisations such as STPB, SILO, SATS or SBS, to complement the efforts of NTUC if NTUC management could not be beefed up soon enough to cater for the demand. Fourth, to set up an advisory board to look into the problems encountered by taxi owners and drivers as a result of the fleet expansion.”
“At present, there are 6,318 taxis on the register. There are now a total of 14,507 licensed taxi drivers. The issue of additional driver's licences commencing six months ago as at September 1977 are as follows. There are eight licences for September 1977: 23 for October; 82 for November; 35 for December; 84 for January 1978 and 141 for February. For the next six months, the projected taxi driver's licences to be issued will be 200 for this month of March, 250 for April, 300 for May. 300 for June, 350 for July and 350 for August. Sir, may I come back to the problem of taxi shortage. We have been aware of this shortage for over a year now. Therefore, early last year my Ministry announced that we would increase the taxi fleet by 2,000 from the then taxi fleet of 5,500 to 7,500. At that time when we announced the increase, we were not sure what the actual shortfalls were and what the actual increase should be. Studies were carried out concurrently. Based on studies in metropolitan areas of busy cities in the world, we have come to a very rough estimate of what the shortfall is today. As I have mentioned, we are about 2,000 taxis short. We will be increasing the fleet by another 1,400 this year. That means it would bring us to 7,500 by October 1978. By then we would still be short of roughly 800-900 taxis. Because of the taxi shortage, the taxi drivers earnings have risen. A taxi driver, therefore, needs only to drive for a shorter number of hours to earn the same income as before. This has further accentuated the taxi shortage problem. Furthermore, the new taxis which we have been introducing on to the roads recently tend to run for a shorter number of hours than the old taxis which are replaced, because new taxis have to be run in gradually.”
“Sir, I would like to deal with the question of the taxi problem first, since it has been raised by quite a number of Members in this House. I would be dishonest to myself and to Members in this House if I were to say that we have no taxi problems or that we have enough taxis. With higher standards of living over these years, the demand for taxis has been growing. Unfortunately, the supply of taxis has not kept pace with the demand. With the increase in tourist arrivals and our GDP growth rate, coupled with the increasing restraints on private cars, the situation has worsened. At the present moment, I would say that we are short of about 2,000 taxis.”
“However, such detectors have been installed in some commercial and industrial buildings as part of their centralised fire detection system. Since September 1974, when the Radiation Protection Act came into force, the Radiation Protection lnspectorate of the Ministry of Science and Technology, has imposed strict licensing control over distributors on the use and sale of these detectors. But recently, battery operated ionization smoke detectors for use in the home have appeared in the world market for sale to the general public. In Singapore such detectors have not been allowed to be sold freely. Some studies have been carried out by the Radiation Protection Inspectorate on the possible danger to the users and to the general public. Results indicate that there is little or no hazard to the users or the public provided the detectors are manufactured in accordance with safety requirements and are properly handled and installed. This has also been confirmed by other studies overseas.”
“In addition to this, there are 72 cooked food stalls to cater for the needs of the residents in the new housing estate. As this is a new market, it will take some time for business to pick up. The Geylang Serai Market at Jalan Pasar Baru is an old market managed by the Ministry of the Environment. It has 225 market produce stalls and 85 cooked food stalls and these are adequate to serve the people in the area. Any further increase of market produce hawkers in the market could affect the viability of the business of the existing hawkers. We will then be faced with more complaints. It is not advisable to transfer the hawkers, as mentioned by the hon. Member, as putting market produce and cooked food hawkers in separate markets would not only affect the business of the hawkers but also cause inconvenience to residents who will have to travel longer distances for their requirements. There is also insufficient space in Geylang Serai market to accommodate all the market produce hawkers from Haig Road market. Moreover, such a move would involve major alterations to the stalls in both markets at great cost. IONIZATION SMOKE DETECTORS (Control over use of) 14. Mr Ivan Baptist asked the Minister for Law, the Environment and Science and Technology (a) whether ionization smoke detectors are being retailed or will be retailed in the near future in Singapore; and (b) whether studies have been made to examine the possible dangers of these smoke detectors to users and the general public. The Minister for Law, the Environment and Science and Technology (Mr E.W. Barker): Mr Speaker, Sir, ionization smoke detectors are not being retailed in Singapore.”
“Sir, would the Member for Potong Pasir not agree that it is better that the airport is now moved to Changi than to remain at Paya Lebar where the effect on the population there would be greater? As I mentioned earlier, we have the choice of two runways to select from in the future whereby the noisier aircraft will be diverted to use the second runway. I agree with the Member that the frequency will increase but it is not a constant exposure over a period of six hours. The peak period would be in the evenings and this would be controlled through careful management when we move to Changi. BLOCK 13 HAIG ROAD MARKET AND GEYLANG SERAI MARKET (Request for transfer of hawkers) 13. Haji Rahmat bin Kenap asked the Minister for Law, the Environment and Science and Technology (a) whether it is possible to resite all the market produce hawkers from the Block 13 Haig Road Market into the old Geylang Serai Market at Jalan Pasar Baru as the new market at Block 13 Haig Road is not popular among the Haig Road flat residents who still go to the Geylang Serai Market and for this reason the market produce hawkers at Haig Road have little business; and (b) whether consideration can be given to absorbing all the Geylang Serai Cooked Food Centre hawkers into the Haig Road Block 13 Market as most of the people frequent the Haig Road Hawker Centre. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment (Mr Chor Yeok Eng) (for the Minister for Law, the Environment and Science and Technology)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Haig Road Market was built by the Housing and Development Board. It has 125 market produce stalls selling goods like fish and meat and articles of daily necessities.”
“Yes, of course they will be allowed to have their lessons at night. It is too early to say whether or not this would create a nuisance. But if it creates a nuisance, we will look into the matter. ANTI-LITTERING CAMPAIGN (Revival of) 13. Mr Ang Nam Piau asked the Minister for Law, the Environment and Science and Technology whether he is aware that the bad habit of littering has come back to Singapore, and if he will consider launching another nation-wide campaign to cultivate the good habit of keeping Singapore clean at all times.”
“The estimated cost of the Toa Payoh driving test centre and the one at Jalan Ubi is about $60,000 for both. I do not have a detailed breakdown of the figure.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I certainly share the concern of the hon. Member, when he raised the supplementary question. The site of this test centre has been chosen after an exhaustive survey of alternative areas in other locations. The sites considered included reverted properties in Changi, Sembawang, Tanglin and Seletar areas. However, these sites have been abandoned because their locations are inconvenient to the majority of learner drivers and instructors. Fringe car parks have also been found unsuitable because of the absence of facilities, such as office premises, toilets and canteens. The Toa Payoh test centre is a suitable location as it is sited in an industrial estate adjoining a residential town. It is easily accessible and is convenient to most learner drivers. Moreover, office promises, toilets and canteen facilities are available in the industrial estate. I wish to assure the hon. Member that traffic congestion will be minimised. Driving tests will commence at 8.00 a.m. when the schools nearby are already in session. During lunch time, from 1.00 p.m. to 2.00 p.m., no driving tests will be conducted so that the safety of children leaving or going to schools in the area will not be endangered. Driving tuition will also be prohibited on certain selected roads during traffic peak hours. Driving tests will be conducted during non-peak hours and these tests will be spread over 10 different routes to avoid congestion. As I mentioned earlier, the parking and hill-climbing tests will be conducted within the industrial estate. Noise generated will therefore not create any nuisance. I hope that what I have described will give the hon. Member the necessary assurance that he needs.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the proposed new driving test centre will be located at No. 1253, Block J, in the middle of Toa Payoh Industrial Park, off Lorong 8, Toa Payoh. The office for this centre is a factory premises with an area of 210 square metres. In front of this office is a plot of vacant ground which will be metalled and will be used for conducting parking and hill-climbing tests.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the land bounded by Seah Im Road/Telok Blangah Road/Marang Road is owned and managed by the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA). The Authority has drawn up plans for the development of this area. These plans are, however, being reviewed. Until such time as the revised plans are to be implemented, action to resettle the squatters is being withheld. TOA PAYOH DRIVING TEST CENTRE (Location) 12. Mr Ivan Baptist asked the Minister for National Development and Communications the exact location of the proposed driving test centre at Lorong 8, Toa Payoh.”
“The total number of telephones installed by the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore as at 31st December, 1977, 1976 and 1975 are as follows:- Telephone Total Density Year Number Annual(%) Per 100 (31 Dec) Installed Growth Population 1977 455,120 19.6 21.6% 1976 374,394 16.3 17.8% 1975 317,932 14.0 NON-CITIZEN WORKERS FOR SINGAPORE-REGISTERED FOREIGN OWNED SHIPS 11. Haji Sha'ari bin Tadin asked the Minister for National Development and Communications whether he is aware of the recruitment of workers from among non-citizens for some Singapore-registered foreign owned ships and if he proposes to take steps to curb this practice in the interests of our own nationals. Mr Ong Teng Cheong: I am aware of such a practice but I do not intend to curb it. Employment opportunities at sea are not that difficult to come by provided the seaman has the necessary discipline and is not choosy. It may interest the Honourable Member to know that one-third of our seamen are employed on foreign flag ships. It is important to retain a sense of balance in these matters. Shipowners must be allowed some flexibility in their recruitment policy for otherwise they would be deterred from having their ships registered in Singapore. They are, however, encouraged to employ local seamen. In accordance with the Merchant Shipping Act, 50% of their annual tonnage tax is refunded if 25% or more of their crew consists of Singaporeans. CRIME FIGURES, 1975-77 12. Mr Hwang Soo Jin asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education if he will state the number of cases in 1977 of (i) armed robberies; (ii) thefts; (iii) rapes; (iv) murders; and (v) commercial crimes, and the number of cases solved in each category; and if he will give the comparative figures for 1976 and 1975.”
“For a second and subsequent conviction, a fine of up to $2,000 or jail for a term not exceeding six months will be imposed. To encourage the driver ownership of taxis, a provision has been made in the Bill to empower the Registrar of Vehicles to revoke taxi licences which are held by persons who are not licensed taxi drivers or taxi owners who have been found not to be driving their taxis regularly. A taxi driver who holds more than one taxi licence will have all but one of his licences revoked. 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 Ong Teng Cheong]. Bill considered in Committee, reported without amendment, read a Third time and passed. PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 4.02 p.m.”
“The amendment proposed by clause 16 of the Bill makes it mandatory for motorists who have been disqualified from driving to surrender their driving licences. This will ensure that only qualified drivers are allowed on our roads. Under the present Road Traffic Act, a person being carried on a goods vehicle is not guilty of an offence if he disregards the advice of the driver or the owner of the vehicle concerning his own safety while being so carried. In cases of this nature, under the present Road Traffic Act, the driver is held guilty of an offence for carrying a passenger in a dangerous manner and in addition to punishment under section 77 of the Act, he is also penalised under the Road Traffic (Demerit Points) Rule. As this may not be fair to the driver of the owner, an amendment is proposed whereby the passenger or the person carried on the vehicle is also liable for the commission of the offence. In April this year. Government announced that the use of seat belts in motor vehicles will be made compulsory. New sections have been provided in the Bill to empower the Minister to make rules in readiness for this event. This is found in clause 20. The Registrar of Vehicles will also be empowered to penalise any person who sells seat belts which are not of the approved type. Clause 32 of the Bill seeks to repeal and re-enact section 72 of the principal Act to enable the Minister to make rules for the safety of pedestrians. The existing fine of up to $100 for such offenders is insufficient deterrent to motorists who do not give way at pedestrian crossings. Stiffer penalties will, therefore, have to be imposed on errant motorists who do not observe the rules. A fine of up to a maximum of $1,000 or a jail term up to three months will be imposed on first conviction.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Policy and procedural changes adopted in the past few years have necessitated amendments to be made to the present Road Traffic Act. The objective of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill therefore is to streamline and update the present Act for the purposes of clarity. New sections 7A to 7O in clause 9 have been introduced to give the authorities more power to tighten up the law in respect of collection of taxes. Section 7F seeks to impose a penalty of three times the amount of tax payable on a vehicle if any person is found guilty of intentionally evading tax payable on his vehicle. At present, there is no provision for the Court to recover unpaid vehicle licence fees or taxes due to the Registrar of Vehicles. Penalties in the form of fines imposed by the Court very often are less than the amounts due. Unrecovered fees and taxes amounted to $2.4 million as at 1st January 1977 despite the efforts made to collect them. Another $93,000 have been written off by Government since September 1975. The proposed amendment will, therefore, discourage persons from evading payment of vehicle licence fees or taxes. There is no provision in the Road Traffic Act for a person who has been disqualified from driving to require him to surrender his driving licence to the Court or to the Registrar of Vehicles. Consequently, such persons who have been disqualified from driving continue to drive although it is an offence for them to do so. As there is no endorsement on the driving licence to indicate that they have been disqualified from driving, very often such persons manage to escape detection whenever they are spot-checked by Police Enforcement Officers.”
“It is anticipated that the airport bus service will be improved next year, when an additional bus company starts operation. SUNGEI WHAMPOA (Cleaning up) 12. Dr Augustine H.H. Tan asked the Minister for Law, the Environment and Science and Technology when steps will be taken to clean up the heavily-polluted Sungei Whampoa.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the incident mentioned by the hon. Member for Delta happened at about 11.45 p.m. on Monday, 24th October this year when some taxi drivers at the Airport ceased plying for hire and persuaded their colleagues not to go into the Airport. This incident arose when a team of detectives from Joo Chiat Police Station picked up seven drivers of Datsun taxis at Paya Lebar Airport. These drivers were taken to Joo Chiat Police Station for questioning regarding an incident involving a taxi driver who was alleged to have driven off his taxi with baggage belonging to a passenger. Unfortunately, the other taxi drivers at the Airport that night were not informed of the reason for picking up the seven taxi drivers in question. Due to the confusion and uncertainty created, some of the taxi drivers decided to stop work. Other taxis, particularly radio taxis, continued to pick up passengers. The number of passengers affected was small, numbering less than 40. All the taxi drivers resumed normal operations at about 1.30 a.m. on Tuesday morning when the seven drivers returned to the Airport. By then, nearly all the passengers had left the Airport. Mr Speaker, Sir, the Registrar of Vehicles takes a very serious view of taxi drivers who refuse to ply for hire during their working hours. Taxi drivers involved in unlawful work-stoppages will be dealt with by the Registrar of Vehicles. The Police have been requested to explain the reasons to taxi drivers at the Airport, should they wish to call up taxi drivers for questioning in the future. It is hoped that similar incidents will not occur again. However, it should be noted that alternative transportation at the Airport is also available in the form of shuttle bus and coach services.”
“The Maritime Welfare Fee will be collected by the Port of Singapore Authority which has agreed to be the collecting agent on behalf of the National Maritime Board. The new Fee will have only a marginal effect on shipowners' operating costs. A study of selected ships has indicated that the imposition of the Maritime Welfare Fee on a per call basis will amount to only about 1% of a ship's daily operating costs. As most ships stay several days on calling in port, the effect would therefore be negligible. In fact, if we were to consider instances of specific tonnages, we will see that the rates of the new Fee are considerably lower than the rates of the existing Fee. For example, for ships between 1,000 and 1,500 grt the existing Fee for working on a Sunday is $150 whereas under the new Fee similar-sized vessels will pay only $25. The Singapore Shipping Association and the Singapore Shipowners' Association were consulted. They both agreed that the Sunday Labour Permit Fee should be replaced by a more equitable and administratively more efficient system. Hence the proposed Maritime Welfare Fee. The Fee will be levied on a date to be signified in the Government Gazette. Mr Speaker, 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 Ong Teng Cheong]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. NEWSPAPER AND PRINTING PRESSES (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 3.09 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Presently, ships working cargo on Sundays have to pay Sunday Labour Permit Fee which ranges from $60 to $200 according to the tonnage of the ship. The money collected is paid into the National Maritime Fund. The Fund is administered by the National Maritime Board whose functions are mainly to develop and regulate maritime employment and to administer welfare and training schemes for seafarers. The Sunday Labour Permit Fee originated in the late 19th century and was meant to aid destitute seamen. It is an anachronism for a port like ours which now operates 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The present system of collection also has various shortcomings. At present, the National Maritime Board collects the Sunday Labour Permit Fee based on information furnished by the Port of Singapore Authority and the Marine Police. But the Board has no facilities to check whether ships are working cargo on Sundays, resulting in cases of evasion. Revenue from the Sunday Labour Permit Fee amounts to about $1/2 million every year and constitutes an important part of the Board's income, of which a substantial portion is channelled towards the welfare and training of seamen. On this basis, the original criterion of collection has not been lost. To retain this income but without the administrative shortcomings, the Board proposes to replace the Fee with a new levy to be known as the Maritime Welfare Fee. The new Fee will be levied on all vessels of 75 gross registered tons (grt) and above calling at Singapore on a per call basis. The proposed rates of the new Fee range from $15 to $100 per call per vessel according to the size of the vessel. Concessionary rates, of course, will be provided for.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore plans to install two public telephones in Pulau Tekong, one at the police station and the other at the community centre by September this year when the radio equipment are delivered. These telephones will supplement the three existing coinafons available in the Mindef camps. At the same time, a public telephone will also be installed in Pulau Ubin. Sir, owing to the very low demand for services, radio telephones have been used to extend telephone service to the off-shore islands. The cost is high because of the high unit cost of radio telephones. The TAS will absorb the high cost of installation of public telephone and will maintain the charge at 10 cents per call. Those who require a private telephone may rent radio telephones at a rental of $1,900 per year to meet the high cost of this equipment in addition to the standard rental. NATIONAL STADIUM (Expansion of seating capacity) 21. Mr P. Selvadurai asked the Minister for Social Affairs (a) whether, in view of the immense public interest in football in the Republic, there are plans to extend the seating capacity of the National Stadium; and (b) whether the development plans for Phase II of the National Stadium Complex have either been postponed or abandoned.”
“Sir, if I may be allowed to go back to the basic principles of the introduction of the area licensing fees on taxis. As I have briefly mentioned earlier, taxis like private cars do not use the road space efficiently, although it is a form of public transport. But it is not a high capacity public transport. The whole purpose of the Area Licensing Scheme is to give priority to the high capacity public transport vehicles converging into the CBD. Therefore, when the Area Licensing Scheme was introduced, the object was to screen off the non-efficient road user from contributing to the congestion in the urban road network. It was difficult at that time to anticipate the response of taxis coming into the central area when the area licensing measure was extended to include taxis. But after conducting surveys and taking down statistics, it was found necessary to reduce the licence fee for taxis, not because the objective was wrong or the principle was wrong but that this is a mechanism used in traffic management to adjust the need and the flow of commuters' vehicles in the Central area. Referring to the point he raised on the junction of Somerset Road and Killiney Road, perhaps if he could let me know the exact position. I will get them to look into it.”
“Yes. It is one-way. You can turn back. However. I do agree that certain stretches of road are without U-turns and this sometimes cause an unnecessary detour when one makes a mistake of direction. When he makes a mistake, as I said, he has himself to blame. Anyway, if the Member has any suggestions on the provision of U-turns, I suggest that he writes to the Roads Branch of the PWD which have all the experts and traffic planners to look into the matter.”
“It could be pre-arranged, or the Traffic Police could be informed on the spot of the nature of the emergency, For example, in case of a fire, the firemen would be fighting the fire, and there would be fire engines, ambulance, and so on. And if there are Traffic Police on the spot, they would understand the need for parking of such vehicles against road traffic signs. I think that is all right. The Member complained about not enough U-turns along certain roads and quoted the example of a motorist going from Serangoon Road to Punggol had to make a wrong turn at Woodsville Circus into Jalan Toa Payoh. Well, he has himself to blame. If he is alert, after turning into Jalan Toa Payoh, he should straightaway turn left and get back into Serangoon Road again through Moonstone Lane.”
“The officers from the Ministry of the Environment and the Traffic Police do take enforcement action against spillage from lorries, The lorry users and drivers are encouraged not to overload their lorries and drive carefully to avoid spillage. The covering of lorries may help but does not prevent spillage if the lorries are not properly loaded and driven. We have no intention to make it a general compulsion that loads on lorries have to be covered although lorry users and drivers are encouraged to do so. Enforcement officers will, however, see to it that where loads carried are light and are of a fine nature and are likely to be blown off the lorries by wind, then such loads should be covered. The Member has also complained about too many traffic signs at certain road junctions. There is a committee on traffic signs. I do agree with him that at certain road junctions there are too many signs which confuse the motorists. If the Member and all the other Members in this House could help by writing in to the committee - I think the Member for Kampong Chai Chee does write in to the committee now and then to inform the committee of certain junctions with too many of these signs - I am sure they will look into the matter. He also has mentioned whether Government vehicles on official duties should be allowed to park in areas prohibited by road traffic signs. I am afraid the commission of offences is not encouraged nor allowed, even if it is a Government vehicle on official duties. If it is a case of emergency, it is for the offender to explain the nature of the emergency to the Magistrate in court. 6.30 p.m.”
“Since the buses plying any one service are scheduled independently from the buses plying other services, it is possible for a few buses from different services to arrive at the bus stop all at about the same time, especially during the peak hours. So we have this bunching-up problem of buses at the bus stops. But, on the other hand, during the off-peak periods the time interval between two buses of a certain service could be as long as 15 minutes and it is possible that because of a bus breaking down the commuters would have to wait up to half an hour for the next bus. However, this type of disruption of service has been greatly reduced with the improved maintenance and better buses used by the SBS. As my Minister has mentioned earlier, the breakdown of buses has been reduced from 750 a day in 1974 to 110 buses breaking down a day now. There is therefore a vast improvement in this respect. It is a very rare occasion when a commuter has to wait for more than an hour for a bus. This sort of occasion happens only when there is a massive traffic jam due to traffic accidents or other causes which in turn seriously affect the bus services. The Member for Anson has raised a few points. He has complained about the counter staff showing a lack of courtesy and helpfulness when serving the public. [Interruption] No, he did not? All right. Like all counter officers, they are asked, to be polite to the public. He mentioned about the buses moving out of bus lanes. I think the Minister has replied to that and I have also mentioned that. But in practice the bus drivers have been encouraged to drive within the bus lanes wherever possible. He has mentioned about the spillage from lorries carrying sand and stones.”
“Since the traffic volume in the CBD during the restricted hours of the Area Licensing Scheme is now not as heavy as before, the ROV and the Traffic Police will be asked to look into the Member's suggestion of allowing the taxis to wait at taxi stops where adequate space is available. The Member for Sembawang is concerned about the bus services in Sembawang and at Marsiling. He has complained about the irregular services, the dirty condition of the buses and windows not being able to shut properly and causing inconvenience to passengers during rainy days. Generally, there is no doubt that the bus services have improved. But it does not mean that they are perfect and there are no problems. There are problems. But every effort is made to improve the service generally and that takes time. When the central workshop and other workshops at the bus depots are completed in the next one or two years, the improvement would be more rapid. At the present moment the facilities to provide the preventive maintenance, repair of buses and so on are rather limited because of the inadequacy in the facilities provided. The bus services in both the Sembawang and Marsiling areas have also been improved over the last two years in line with the general improvement of the SBS services. The SBS will continue to improve its services by re-routing and adding more buses if the demand justifies it. The Member has also complained about the bunching of buses together at times and sometimes the passengers have to wait for a long time for a bus. I wish to inform him that there are many buses from different services running along a certain common route. For instance, Sembawang Road is served by 31 buses per hour, that is one bus every two minutes during peak hours.”
“Owners would have little reluctance to dispose of them, as a trade-off and an inducement for these owners to scrap or export their cars, the preferential ARF scheme was introduced at the same time. There may be some cars that are over 10 years old but still in road-worthy condition. The scrapping of these cars may lead to economic waste, as the hon. Member has said. This is, however. minimal and it is insignificant when weighed against the overall environmental, economic and other benefits derived. It is not a compulsory scrapping, Sir, when a car has reached 10 years old. For example, if the Member owns a Mercedes 200 which would cost $35,000 or $40,000 to purchase now, and if it is still in a road-worthy condition, there is no need for him to scrap his old car for a new one. After all the 10% surcharge amounts to less than $90 a year. On taxis entering the restricted zone since the revision of the area licence fee on 31st December 1975, if the hon. Member would submit a Question for a Written Answer. I will give him the details of the statistics. But there is definitely a slight reduction in the number of taxi trips into the Central Business District. I believe the reduction is in the region of 18%. But with my earlier announcement that the Government has decided to reduce the area licence fee for taxis by 50%, the number of taxi trips into the restricted zone will no doubt increase. On the question of parking of taxis at taxi stops in the Central Business District raised by the Member for Leng Kee. I wish to inform him that the taxi stops are introduced in the CBD to prevent obstruction caused by taxis stopping at random to pick up or drop passengers.”
“Sir, the objective of this reduction in the ARF and import duty is to encourage the use of larger and more powerful vehicles as taxis. It will also encourage taxi operators to replace their vehicles at the end of five or six years instead of seven years. which is the maximum life span of a taxi. This will result in a newer and better taxi fleet. 6.15 p.m. Further, in line with the policy of treating taxis as a form of public transport. Sir, I am also pleased to inform Members of this House that the Area Licence Fee for taxis will be reduced by 50%, that is, from $4 to $2 for a daily area licence, and from $80 to $40 for a monthly area licence. The reduced ARF and area licence fee will be effective from 1st April 1977. With the implementation of this reduction, Sir. it is expected that the grade of service provided by taxis will gradually improve over the next few years. Coming to a few points raised by the Member for Leng Kee on the surcharge of cars over ten years old and parking of taxis at taxi stops. Regarding the first point, as the Member has eloquently explained in his speech, Government's policy is to control the growth of private car population. Amongst the many measures taken was the increase of the ARF for new cars. With the increased cost of new cars, owners of old cars will tend to keep their cars longer than they would otherwise have done. Apart from discouraging the purchase of new cars it is, therefore, necessary to ensure that old cars are not kept for an inordinately long time. Surcharges on road tax are imposed on cars that have reached or are over ten years old. Under local conditions, cars of this age would have reached the limit of their physical and economic life span.”
“Sir, a number of Members have touched upon the treatment that is given to taxis in as far as the Area Licensing Scheme and road taxes are concerned. I agree with Members' observation that taxis are not private cars and should not be treated in the same manner as private cars. In fact, as further measures are taken to discourage the ownership and use of private cars, more commuters will turn to taxis. The taxi is an inefficient use of road space, like private cars, against which various measures have been taken to relieve our urban road network. Although taxis do not use the road space as efficiently as the buses, which are high capacity public transport vehicles, they nevertheless are a personalised mode of public transport to provide a door-to-door service. In line with our attempts to encourage the use of public transport, my Ministry has examined the Additional Registration Fees and import duties imposed on taxis. I am pleased to inform hon. Members in this House that Government has agreed to the following after the persistent request made by the hon. Member for Aljunied over the last three years: - (1) The Additional Registration Fee (ARF) for taxis will be reduced from the present rate of 100% of the open market value of the vehicle to a flat rate of $5,000; (2) The import duty for taxis will be reduced from the present 45% to 20% of the open market value; (3) The ARF will be further reduced to a flat rate of only $2,000 instead of $5,000 if the new taxi to be registered is a replacement for a taxi that is between five and six years old; (4) The full exemption from ARF will be allowed if the new vehicle is a replacement for a taxi that is five years or less in age.”
“For the information of the Member for Anson, it is the responsibility of the Stamp Advisory Committee to consider, select and recommend themes for the stamps. As a matter of general policy, the Committee has refrained from considering themes to depict personalities. This same policy also extends to Singapore currency notes and coins as well as new street names and other public projects. He mentioned about the inadequate working space for the staff in the post office. Normally each postman involved in the sorting of mails is provided with a working space of four to five square metres. (This is roughly 40 to 50 sq, ft. We have now metricated.) This is considered to be sufficient. It is within the current standards for working space of 3 1/2 to 5 square metres per head laid down by the Government Building Committee for Division IV staff, to which the grade of postman belong. The working space at Tanjong Pagar Plaza Post Office is about 4 square metres per postman. This is actually considered to be adequate. What he said is true - there is no rest room in Tanjong Pagar Plaza Post Office, because for one reason there is a shortage of space. Besides, there are nearby coffee shops and canteens where the postmen can go to. About toilets, I do not know whether the example which he has quoted is in Tanjong Pagar Plaza Post Office or somewhere else. Perhaps if he would let me know I would look into the matter.”
“Sir, the Postal Department has actually set up an internal monitoring system for monitoring its mail delivery service performance, and it has been found that letters posted locally normally take about one day to reach addressees in Singapore after the date of posting. Delay of one day affecting some mails due to bad weather has been recorded in the past, especially in the more rural areas where the coverage is wide. But mail deliveries to the Sembawang Constituency has been found to be quite in order. Mail deliveries are undertaken there by nine postmen, and not seven postmen. All of them perform their delivery beats on motor scooters for speedier delivery and more productive operations. The present staffing is adequate for maintaining the normal standard of service for the time being. Should the need arise later on, that will be looked into. Regarding the plan to set up a bigger post office in Woodlands New Town, the answer is, yes, there is a plan to set up a bigger post office in Woodlands New Town. This new post office is expected to be completed early next year. In fact, there are also plans to establish four more post offices eventually in the entire Woodlands New Town. The Member for Sembawang also mentioned about the Marsiling Post Office being a temporary post office. The Marsiling Post Office is not a temporary post office. The Marsiling Post Office will continue to operate even after the Woodlands Post Office is established in early 1978. The present Marsiling Post Office is staffed by a total of 11 members. The existing staff strength is found to be adequate to meet the present needs to serve the people in the area. The staffing needs at all post offices are constantly under review by the Postal Department and increases will be made as and when necessary.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, much as we would like to, it is extremely difficult to provide weather forecast for a small and compact area like Singapore with the required degree of accuracy to be useful to the public. Singapore's weather to a large extent is local in character and of short duration. It is not uncommon to find parts of the island experiencing rain and showers while the rest of the areas are dry. Unlike the temperate latitudes, atmospheric processes in the tropical regions are complex and not clearly defined, making long-range forecasting difficult. However, the Meteorological Services Department is making every effort to improve its forecasting capability through the upgrading of equipment used and increasing its sources of weather data. This will enable it to provide a higher standard of service not only to members of the public but also to ships, aircraft and other specialised users. Therefore, for the time being, the suggestion made by the Member for Telok Blangah is not practical.”
“Sir,I have the figures here. The actual figure is 1,420 seats for passengers coming to the airport to depart. There are 80 seats in the ticketting wing; 320 seats in the main concourse ground floor and 270 seats in the main concourse on the mezzanine floor; 450 seats in the departure hall itself; and 300 seats in the transit lounge. So they total 1,420 seats. Mr P. Govindaswamy: Sir, in view of the explanation of the Senior Minister of State. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Although these additional parking lots are to serve the new arrival building which is expected to be completed by November or December this year, the PWD has constructed the parking lots ahead of time. These additional parking lots have, in fact, been completed and are open to the public. With these additional parking lots. Sir, the parking situation during the peak periods at Paya Lebar Airport has improved. 5.30 p.m. On the question of Seletar Airport, Sir, the type of traffic which uses Seletar Airport are light aircraft, helicopters and small jets. The type of aircraft that will be diverted to Paya Lebar Airport in the later years when the Changi Airport is ready will be the larger aircraft. Therefore, Paya Lebar and Seletar Airports will serve different markets. It is unlikely that the general aviation traffic at Seletar will be affected when Paya Lebar is used for charter and cargo flights.”
“When the renovation of the existing terminal into a departure building is completed in mid-1978. more seats will be provided for passengers and the well-wishers. The Member also referred to the taxi situation at the Paya Lebar Airport. The taxi situation at the Paya Lebar Airport has improved considerably over the last few months. The current airport fleet of over 500 is double that of May last year, that is, nine months ago. Periodic surveys on the waiting time of passengers for taxis by the Department of Civil Aviation have revealed a remarkable reduction in the waiting time. Generally, only 7% of the passengers need to wait more than 15 minutes during the evening peak hours, while during the non-peak hours there is no taxi waiting problem at all. There are special airconditioned bus services from the airport to the major hotels - these are airconditioned coaches - at $3 per passenger. In addition, the Department of Civil Aviation has also introduced a mini-bus service to hotels, leaving the airport at 15-minute intervals during the evening peak hours and charging $2.50 and not $5 per passenger. These bus services have taken about 10% off the taxi passenger load and have, therefore, contributed to the reduction in the taxi waiting time. Coming to the two points raised by the Member for Telok Blangah. The first question is about the car parks at the Paya Lebar Airport and whether there will be additional car parks in the new arrival building. The answer is yes. For the new arrival building at the Paya Lebar Airport, an additional 303 private parking lots. 102 permanent taxi stands and 20 coach stands have been constructed.”
“It is true that there are times when there are insufficient number of seats for the passengers and the well-wishers, especially during the peak hours. However, these waiting periods are normally of very short duration. There is only a high turn-over of passengers and their well-wishers during the peak periods. With the reopening of the waving gallery in September last year the situation has improved, since many of the well-wishers leave the departure lounge to go upstairs to the waving gallery to view the planes landing and taking off. The Airport shops provide essential services for the convenience of air travellers. Banking, post office. insurance and money changing activities and operations as well as other Airport shops are an integral part of passenger terminals and are provided at all the international airports throughout the world. Our shops occupy only a small portion of the total space in the departure lounge and they are so located to avoid hindering the smooth flow of passengers. We do realise that there is inadequate space in the present departure lounge at the Paya Lebar Airport during the evening peak hours. However, to provide more seats for the passengers and well-wishers would cause more serious congestion as circulation space would be reduced. That is why we are now building a new arrival terminal, after which we will convert the existing passenger terminal into a departure terminal. This is so even as we are constructing the new Airport at Changi, which will be ready only in the middle of 1980, or maybe early 1981. In the meantime we must continue to provide more space and facilities to cope with the ever-increasing traffic. The new arrival building at the Paya Lebar Airport will be ready by the end of this year.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Anson has complained about the inadequate number of seats in the departure lounge at the Paya Lebar Airport. I wonder whether he knows how many seats there are in the departure lounge at the Paya Lebar Airport. There are actually more than 1,400 seats now at the Paya Lebar Airport departure transit lounge.”
“Sir, the matter is being looked into and I hope there will be a solution soon.”
“Sir, if there is no space at the terminal, how can one provide even a temporary toilet?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as I have said, the matter is being looked into.”
“Sir, this request has, in fact, been looked into sometime ago. As I have mentioned earlier, at some of the depots, there is just simply no space for these facilities to be provided. The bus crew will have to go to the other terminals if they want to use the facilities. This is rather unfortunate. Fortunately, the number of terminals without facilities is small. As I have said, there are only 10 of them. Eight of them will be relocated soon to proper terminals with facilities. Regarding the other two terminals without facilities, the SBS has been asked to look into this question seriously and hopefully proper solutions will emerge soon.”
“The buses continue to have equal right as other vehicles to use the other traffic lanes. This is in line with our policy of giving priority to high capacity public transport wherever the road space is limited, particularly in the Central area. Since the objective is to give priority to high capacity public transport vehicles, the Scheme B school buses will continue to be allowed to use these bus lanes. The ROV, however, has taken action against school buses for unnecessarily obstructing the bus lanes as it would against any other vehicles. For the last two months alone, a total of 24 school bus drivers have been booked for this offence. Obstructions caused by school buses have already been reduced significantly. I think I have replied to all his points.”
“But, of course, all this takes time and all efforts are being made to improve the facilities and amenities for the bus crew. He mentioned about bus stops near traffic lights. Sir, bus stops are normally sited away from traffic lights. However, there are instances when the siting of a bus stop near a traffic light is unavoidable, especially when the junctions are too close especially in the City area. I wish to assure Members, however, that where a bus stop needs to be sited near a traffic light, whether at a road junction or a pedestrian crossing, the PWD and the ROV would ensure that pedestrians and motorists are not being endangered. 5.15 p.m. He has referred to tree planting near bus bays. Trees are planted to provide shade for the pedestrians and commuters waiting at bus stops. In the planting of trees in the vicinity of bus stops, care is usually taken to see that they do not obstruct visibility or constitute a potential cause for accidents if the plants grow and reach a stage where they are likely to obstruct the view. We are aware of that and the Parks and Recreation Department do go around and trim these trees when they become obstructive. However, if the Member does come across any bus bay obstructed by plants. I suggest that he writes immediately to the Parks and Recreation Department. He mentioned about bus lanes being obstructed by school buses, resulting in the buses having to move out of the bus lanes and saying that this is illegal. As my Minister has pointed out earlier, this is not so. The bus lanes are meant to accord priority to high capacity public transport vehicles. During the operative hours bus lanes are reserved for buses only. But this does not mean that buses can only travel in bus lanes.”
“Sir, the hon. Member for Paya Lebar raised a number of points. The first one is about bus depots and workshops. It is not true that no progress has been made. In fact, the construction of the Braddell Road Depot and Central Workshop has already commenced and is expected to be completed by the middle or before the middle of next year. Besides, the new bus depot at Jurong which will be commencing work very soon is expected to be completed sometime next year too. As to the other depots and workshops in the other areas, various stages of progress have been made and they will be completed over a period of time, within the next two to three years. Regarding toilet and canteen facilities in the depots and terminals. I wish to inform him that all the existing depots are presently already provided with toilets and canteen facilities. Of the bus terminals, most of them, 56 out of 66 terminals, are provided with toilet facilities and canteens. Only 10 terminals are without these facilities, and eight of them are in the Jurong area but they will soon be relocated to a proper terminal in Jurong when the new terminal is completed, There are only two bus terminals without toilet facilities and they will not be able to have toilet facilities because of shortage of space on a very restricted land. This is the one at Yio Chu Kang Road near the Sembawang Circus and the other one is at the Mandai area. In 1974 and 1975, SBS has spent $125,000 on the building of toilets at the various terminals. Terminals with proper toilet and canteen facilities and other amenities for the bus crew are being developed at Paya Lebar Airport and Boon Lay Garden at a cost of $130,000 and $185,000 respectively. So it is not true to say that nothing is being done.”