S. Dhanabalan
Singapore
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on a point of clarification. I said in my intervention on Tuesday that the general election is the right forum to determine the electorate's support because it puts the issue in a total and correct context.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, with hindsight, of course, we can be very wise. But since one of the three islands was excluded, it was a substantial reduction in the scope of works. The assessment then, which I agreed with, was that if you called for a re-tender, you would get a substantially reduced tender.”
“To the extent that we can, we should work with countries that have a common interest, to come together and form economic groupings targeted at trade liberalisation. We have started this process within ASEAN under the AFTA Scheme. Economic linkages in groupings like APEC are also growing in significance.”
“Mr Speaker, all these questions make a lot of sense when the events are finished, and you look back. But the officer looking at the case at that time had to deal with the facts as they were at that time.”
“ASEAN countries agreed to publish all the Inclusions and Exclusions lists, as well as the full list of actual tariff reductions. The ASEAN Secretariat had since followed up and released, as scheduled, on 1st November 1993, the publications showing these lists.”
“Kallang Theatre was closed for five months in 1992 for cyclical maintenance and upgrading costing $3 million. This included a major upgrading of the toilets, recarpeting the auditorium, rewiring and repainting.”
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“Sir, I think the Standing Orders are quite clear. I do not think a Member can interrupt just because he disagrees with a point of view. The point of view expressed flowed from what he was saying. I think he should give the same courtesy to the Parliamentary Secretary as we have given him.”
“Sir, will he allow me to make a clarification?”
“Up till now, 41 farmers have claimed that they have been affected by the recent oil slick in the Johore Straits. The farmers are estimating their losses.The Primary Production Department (PPD) has held preliminary meetings with the Protection and Indemnity Club( P & I Club), which is representing the owner of the vessel"Stolt Avance", to discuss possible claims by the farmers. PPD will assist the farmers by coordinating their submissions of claims to the P & I Club. PPD has also advised farmers on steps to minimise damages by mopping the oil in the affected areas with absorbents, to transfer fish into new nets, to clean oil affected nets and to put up barriers to avoid further contamination by the oil slick. Annex - TARGET LONG-TERM CPF RATES (Cols. 1425 - 1426)”
“(a) Yishun New Town will have about 60,000 flats when fully completed. (b) The building schedule for the targeted number of flats in Yishun will depend on the demand. It is anticipated that all the flats will only be completed after the year 2000. (c) As at 30th June 1987, there are 11,125 unsold flats in Yishun New Town. Experience shows that the take-up rate for vacant flats in Yishun Town Zones would initially be low. This is because the New Town infrastructural and transport facilities are less developed compared to those in established estates. There are plans to improve the transportation network and to speed up the building of other infrastructural facilities in Yishun New Town. 74% of the unsold flats are the smaller ones (3-room and 4-room Simplified).They are being allocated immediately to any eligible applicant who makes a request at the HDB's Sales Section. BEDOK RESERVOIR HOUSING ESTATE (Post Office) 7. Encik Zulkifli bin Mohammed asked the Minister for Communications and Information whether a post office will be built to serve residents of Bedok Reservoir Housing Estate”
“(a) All the old and vacant HDB rental flats at Tasek Utara are scheduled to be demolished by the end of 1987 because they are in very poor condition. (b) There is no immediate plans to build new flats in this area. The site will be turfed after demolished is completed. HDB FLATS IN YISHUN NEW TOWN (Particulars) 6. Dr Koh Lip Lin asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the targeted number of units of flats in Yishun New Town; (b) when will the building of these flats be completed; and (c) how many unsold flats are there in the New Town and what measures are being taken to encourage applicants to take up these flats.”
“(a) The Housing and Development Board is in the process of resettling the squatters in the Jalan Haji Salam/Tanah Merah Kechil Road area. To date, 187 squatters had been cleared. The remaining 17 squatters will be resettled around December 1987. (b) The site has been earmarked for Government hospital development but the timing of implementation has not been decided. YISHUN NEW TOWN POLYCLINIC (Building of) 4. Dr Koh Lip Lin asked the Acting Minister for Health whether and when a polyclinic will be built in Yishun New Town.”
“The immediate vicinity of Bedok Reservoir will be developed into a park. Plans for its development have been completed and the Parks & Recreation Department expects to commence works in early 1988. LAND AT JALAN HAJI SALAM AND TANAH MERAH KECHIL ROAD (Resettlement Plans) 3. Encik Ibrahim Othman asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Housing and Development Board has resettled all the residents of land at Jalan Haji Salam and Tanah Merah Kechil Road which were acquired by the Government, if not, when will they be resettled; and (b) what plans the HDB has for the site until it is redeveloped.”
“Yes. As I said, it would take immediate effect. 12.21 pm LONG-TERM CENTRAL PROVIDENT FUND RATES OF CONTRIBUTION (Statement by the Minister for Labour)”
“Why are we confining only to Singapore citizens? I have already mentioned that we do not want to upset the market too much. At the same time, the present policy on the HDB shops is to try and give them to citizens first. As I said, after the three years, there will be no restriction. They can sell it to non-citizens. Should it be extended in the initial phases, we will have to study what the market reaction is to the initial sale before we make any changes.”
“The details will be spelt out when the HDB makes its detailed policy statement. If I remember correctly, if somebody wants to buy a shop merely as an investment, he can do so but there is a limit. I think you cannot buy more than one or two units. There is a limit to the number of units that you can buy. But if a company wants to buy 20 units to open a supermarket, because that company is operating the business, it can make a bid for 20 units. If somebody wants to merely buy a unit as an investment and not operate a business in the unit, there will be a limit on the number of units that he can buy. These details will be announced later. On the question whether the $26,000 will also be granted to those on the waiting list, I am afraid this is a matter of detail which I cannot answer the Member now. But if the Member can address a question to me in writing, I certainly will give him a reply. Whether the HDB will entertain a petition from existing shop tenants who want to buy shops, certainly we will entertain petitions. And if they are very keen to buy the shops, maybe we will accelerate the programme of selling to sitting tenants. But on this, as I said, we will determine the phasing based on market demand. I think I have covered all the questions.”
“We have not decided on the details of how sitting tenants' shops will be sold. As I said, this will be in a later phase of the exercise. Obviously, some special consideration will have to be given to sitting tenants. Because when I said that we want to sell the shops to sitting tenants, it must mean that sitting tenants will have an advantage. So at the time when we come to selling shops to sitting tenants, the rules and procedures will be drawn up in such a way that they will have some advantage. On the question whether CPF funds can be used, I think, if I am not mistaken, CPF can be used to buy commercial properties as an investment. So if they fall within the existing CPF rules, certainly they can use CPF. But you might want to ask my colleague, the Minister for Labour, for more clarification. There are two other questions. First, can the present purchasers lease their shops? Was that the question?”
“Well, they have to survive by competing. And I think that under the present circumstances which I have explained, it is just not possible to give them resettlement priority. As to whether the HDB will consider allocating a shop if a resettlement shopkeeper chooses to forgo his compensation, obviously the answer is no, because that is the old policy. No alternative shops will be offered. He has to take the cash compensation. And if the shopkeeper wants to tender, then he can take advantage of the 10% and 5% preferential margins that I mentioned in my statement just now. I think that covers all the questions raised by the Member for Punggol. The other question is whether priority be given to existing tenants. I am not very clear about this question. I think it was the Member for Chua Chu Kang who asked this question.”
“The next question was: what is the reason or the rationale for not allowing resettlement cases to have alternative shops? I have already explained this. HDB is building less shops in the new housing estates because in the old housing estates where there are too many shops, this makes not all of them viable. In some areas as and when shops are vacated, HDB is not letting out vacated shops but converting them into other uses so that the ratio of shops to residents or dwellings will improve and the shops will become more viable. With less shops, there will not be enough shops to offer to resettlement cases. And if resettlement cases are given alternative shops, then almost all the new shops in the new Housing Board areas will be taken up by resettlement cases. This would mean a very poor mix of shops and limited variety of services for the residents in these new areas because most resettlement cases are sundry shops. You cannot have a Housing Board neighbourhood comprising only sundry shops. We need a variety of services. So in view of the smaller number of shops available, this policy of not offering alternative shops was decided. I must say that many of these new policies pertaining to resettlement are the result of recommendations made by a Committee that was established by the Ministry. Many Members of Parliament who have many resettlement cases in their constituencies were members of this Committee, including the Member for Punggol and many others. They made a number of recommendations on resettlement terms and many of the recommendations were accepted. So this process of reviewing the resettlement terms has been going on for some time. Have we come to the conclusion that resettlement shopkeepers or resettlement cases can survive by competing with others?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, first of all, I must say that the Member for Punggol, although he is very influential, did not prompt this change in policy. It just happens to be a coincidence. Sir, the first question he asked was, where will the shops be, ie the 100 shops that will be sold in the first instance by the end of this year? These shops are located in the various town centres in Hougang, Serangoon Town Centre, Bishan Neighbourood II Centre, and the Bukit Timah estate. They are spread over these areas. He then asked: will the HDB provide loans? The answer is no. The tenderers for these shops must make their own arrangements with banks, finance companies or others, to finance the purchase of these shops. I do not think under current circumstances they should have any difficulties because I think the financial system as a whole has more than sufficient liquidity to finance these shops. The next question: how long will the leases be? They will be for 99 years. He then asked whether HDB flat owners can purchase shops. The answer is yes. They can purchase, just as they are allowed at present to purchase commercial properties. The next question was in relation to those who are renting shops, whose monthly tenancies will now be changed to fixed term tenancies for one, two or three years, as I mentioned. And the Member asked what would be the terms upon renewal. The practice will be the same as in the private sector. When a fixed term expires, renewal will be negotiated on current market terms. If the current market rentals have gone up, of course, the rentals will go up. If the current market rentals have gone down, then rentals will go down. So upon the expiry of the fixed term, renewal will be upon prevailing terms at the time of renewal.”
“This will bring HDB's shops policy closer to market practice. Meanwhile existing shops in HDB estates will have their monthly tenancies converted into fixed periods of one to three years, depending on the circumstances and types of shops. This is to give tenants a more assured term of tenancy within which they can make their business planning and other investment decisions. As part of its policy to increase the residents to shops ratio in HDB estates, the HDB will be building proportionately fewer shops in its new estates. This will increase the viability of these shops. In view of this change, the present practice of allocating shops on priority to resettlement cases will cease immediately. The position of shophouses affected by public clearance scheme will be as follows: (1) Anyone interested in renting shops, including resettlement cases, will have to tender for them. (2) Shopkeepers in permanent rent-controlled premises affected by resettlement will be given cash grants as provided under the existing policy. (3) Shopkeepers in temporary premises affected by resettlement, who were previously not entitled to any cash grant, will now be given a cash grant of $26,000 per premises. In all these cases, there will be no alternative option to request for allocation of a shop. They will have to tender with the public if they are interested. To assist resettlement shopkeepers who want alternative premises to continue their businesses, the Government has decided to give them a preferential margin when tendering for HDB shops. The margin will be 10% for sole occupiers and 5% each for the tenants. This preferential margin is given in addition to the cash grants which I have mentioned earlier. Farmers who are not shopkeepers will not be entitled to such a preferential margin.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Housing and Development Board's home-ownership programme has enabled the great majority of Singaporeans to own their homes. The Board now intends to extend this programme to enable its shop tenants to own their own shop premises. Presently HDB manages some 14,000 shops spread over all its estates. The HDB will sell its shops gradually over a long period of time. The sale of shops will assure security of tenure to businesses and also be a form of investment. The proposed sale of shops will be done in a manner that will not dampen the property market. The Government is aware of the present glut in this market and will implement the scheme in stages. Numbers sold will be based on market studies to ensure that recovery in the property market is not adversely affected. The Board will begin with the sale of 100 new shops at the end of 1987. This will be done to gauge the response of the market. Thereafter depending on the response, new shops which are scheduled for completion throughout 1988 will be put up for sale as and when they are completed. For the first three years the sale of new and vacant shops will be confined to Singapore citizens and to companies and partnerships in which the majority ownership belongs to the citizens. Depending upon market reaction the sale of existing shops to sitting tenants will take place in a later phase. For sitting tenants the restriction on citizenship will not apply. Owners of HDB shops, which they purchase under this new scheme, will be allowed to sublet, or resell their shops freely as in the private sector. Resale is subject to the citizenship restriction for the first three years. Change of use and trade will be allowed subject to the normal environmental and development regulations.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I shall be making a Ministerial Statement on this subject later. Members can raise further questions or ask for clarification after I have made my statement. INHALANT ABUSE (Assessment of problem) 16. Dr S. Vasoo asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether he will (i) give an assessment of the inhalant abuse problem in Singapore and (ii) outline some effective actions which are being taken to deal with the problem.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have stated that the HDB will try and redevelop cleared areas as soon as possible but there are many, many factors that will determine the actual timing of redevelopment. It will be determined by development in neighbouring areas, availability of flats in neighbouring areas, demand in that area and so on. But as a general rule, when an area is cleared, HDB will try and redevelop as soon as possible. HDB SHOPHOUSES UNDER PUBLIC CLEARANCE (Position in view of sale by public tender) 15. Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the Minister for National Development, in view of the likelihood of Housing and Development Board shophouses being sold by public tender, what will be the position of shophouses affected by public clearance schemes.”
“I am afraid I do not follow the first part of the question, ie, the factors are beyond the control of the shopkeepers. But what is the HDB expected to do?”
“I may have taken office lately, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, but I was also in this House, so I know what was discussed. The reason why the increases were phased out was that the market rate was so much higher than what people were paying that it was felt that it would be unreasonable to have an increase suddenly from the rates that they were paying to the prevailing market rates. At the time that this scheme was introduced to increase the rates, the gap was so big that it was projected that it would be closed over a number of years and every September there was to be an increase to bring it closer to the prevailing market rate. If the prevailing market rate is still where it was determined sometime ago, then of course the increases have to proceed. But if the prevailing market rate has come down from what we determined sometime ago, then there will be no increase. Although at that time there was supposed to be a schedule of increases every September, every time an increase is to be made we look again at the market rates and if there is a difference, of course there will be an increase.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the increases, if any, are not determined by any pre-determined rental increase. It is determined by market factors. If shops are knocked down and less people live in the area, obviously the market rental rate for that area will be less. And if the prevailing market rate is about the same as what they are paying now, then there will be no increase. But if the prevailing market rate, in spite of blocks being knocked down is higher, then of course the rentals will be increased. So the HDB is not working on any pre-set increases. The increases are determined by market rates. If the market rates have gone up and those who are paying current rates are, in fact, paying lower than the market rates, then there will be increases. But if the market rates have not gone up, there will be no increases.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, can I take the second part of the question on temporary rebate first? Sir, there are many factors that affect the business of shops. People move in, people move out; houses are knocked down, new flats are built. I do not think the Government should intervene in these market factors. It is for each shopkeeper to make up his mind whether the location that he chose continues to be a good location. If, in his opinion, the location is not a good location any more, then he should make up his mind to move somewhere else or give up his shop and re-tender for the same shop. No temporary rebate will be given. Once the Government or HDB begins to give temporary rebates because business in the shops is affected by various factors, there is no end to the kind of factors that would be presented to the Government or to the HDB in requesting for rebates. As far as the shops affected are concerned, those who are directly affected, in other words, in blocks which are due for clearance, will be offered alternative shops. Those in the vicinity who are not affected by the relocation exercise but who may be indirectly affected because people in the neighbouring blocks have moved out, have to make their own business calculations, as I have mentioned just now. There is no scheme at the present moment to give them any special assistance. The HDB will try as much as possible to redevelop the areas vacated so that life is re-introduced, but in the period that the blocks are cleared, demolished, new flats are built, the shopkeepers have to make their own business calculations.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the relocation exercise of HDB rental flats in the various estates will be carried out in phases over the next 10 years. There are about 3,000 shops in these estates affected by the relocation exercise. Of these, about 1,300 shops will also be removed as they are located in rental blocks which are due for demolition. Under the Phase 1A relocation exercise from 1986 to 1988, 150 shop tenants are to be relocated. With the reduction of shops in the vicinity, the shop to flat ratios before and after the relocation exercise will still be comparable to what is found in other HDB estates. It should improve, of course, when neighbourhoods are developed. However, if the remaining shop tenants feel that they are paying rents higher than the prevailing market rates, they may tender for shops in other estates or give up their shops and re-tender for their existing shops. They will, of course, have to make their own business calculations as to what they want to do.”
“Open burning is an offence under the Clean Air Act of 1971. When incinerated under controlled conditions at our incineration plants, the only end-products are carbon dioxide and water. There is no pollution to the environment.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, as at 31st May 1987, there were 38,263 vacant rental flats. However, only 8,237 flats were available for rental. The other 30,026 flats were in blocks earmarked for demolition. 84,551 rental flats are presently occupied. As at 31st May 1987, there were 2,978 public applicants for rental flats. Of these, 1,100 have been offered flats which they have not taken up. The rest are being allocated flats in accordance with their registration priority. HDB's policy is to encourage the public to buy rather than rent flats. There are various special incentive schemes to help existing rental tenants as well as those on the rental waiting list to purchase Home Ownership flats. So far about 10,000 rental tenants have applied to purchase HDB flats. The HDB, however, recognizes that there will be a small group of low income citizens who cannot afford to buy Home Ownership flats. Sufficient rental flats will be retained to meet their needs. POLYSTYRENE CROCKERY (Problems of disposal) 7. Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon asked the Minister for the Environment whether his Ministry is aware that the disposable crockery used by hawkers, which is made of expandable polystyrene, is not easily disposable and when burnt in the open, can pollute the environment; how his Ministry proposes to solve the problem; and whether safer alternatives can be found. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment (Mr Eugene Yap Giau Cheng) (for the Minister for the Environment): Sir, I am answering on behalf of my Minister. The disposable crockery made of expandable polystyrene used in hawker centres and other food centres should be disposed of properly and incinerated in our incineration plants. They cannot be burnt in the open.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the HDB's normal procedure is for tenants to make one trip to the Head Office to execute the legal documents and collect the keys at the same time. There are also facilities at the Head Office to enable tenants to open a PUB account, thus avoiding a separate trip to the PUB headquarters to do so. For a very brief period between November 1986 and February 1987, during the start of the Rental Block Relocation Exercise, rental tenants affected had to make two trips, one to the Head Office to execute the legal documents, while the flats were in the hands of contractors doing minor repairs. When the repairs and touching up were completed, tenants had to go to the Area Office to collect the keys. This practice has since been discontinued. HDB RENTAL FLATS (Policy and particulars) 6. Dr Wong Kwei Cheong asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the number of (i) Housing and Development Board flats available for rental, (ii) rental flats already occupied and (iii) applicants for rental flats, as at the latest convenient date; and (b) what is the current policy with regard to rental flats.”
“Dr Arthur Beng Kian Lam asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether he will ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to lodge a protest with the Malaysian Government over statements made by various groups in Malaysia criticising the arrests under the Internal Security Act of persons involved in the Marxist conspiracy.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Member is referring to what was said by the Vietnamese Communist Party newspaper Nhan Dan on 21st June 1987. It is an old ploy of the Vietnamese to create the impression that ASEAN is not united in the rejection of Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia. The Vietnamese have also for some time been trying to play the divide and rule game among the ASEAN countries. They have not been successful. All the ASEAN countries are firmly agreed that the Vietnamese forces must be withdrawn from Cambodia. They are all prepared to respond to any positive signs from Vietnam to arrive at a political solution. They are also just as determined to expose any insincere manoeuvring. In response to the second part of the question, the main elements for a political solution to the Cambodian problem are already in circulation among the interested parties. Some of these elements, such as phased withdrawal of Vietnamese troops, Cambodian national reconciliation, need for peace-keeping forces and Cambodian self- determination, were discussed between the ASEAN Foreign Ministers and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Mr Rafeeuddin Ahmed, in Singapore last month. They do not constitute a new initiative but form part of a patient and steady diplomatic process in which ASEAN has taken a very active role. We shall see what response Mr Rafeeuddin Ahmed gets from Hanoi before talking about the next step. The ASEAN Foreign Ministers have asked Indonesian Foreign Minister, Dr Mochtar Kusumaatmadja, to meet Prince Sihanouk in Pyongyang. He has already done this and Dr Mochtar is now in Vietnam. Vietnam will soon realize that it must talk serious business and stop playing games. MARXIST CONSPIRACY (Protest against criticisms in Malaysia of arrests) 4.”
“The ASEAN-US Initiative would provide an economic arrangement to protect and advance ASEAN's economic interests with the United States. It could be an umbrella under which each ASEAN country could negotiate more specific agreements with the US. It has been the practice in the last three years for the 11 ASEAN and dialogue Foreign Ministers from the Pacific region to hold a session for consultations on developments in the Pacific region. We believe that ASEAN should not be inward-looking and must pay more attention to the economic dynamism and rapid political and strategic changes which are taking place in the Pacific region. The discussion among the 11 Foreign Ministers is a unique forum at a high political level. This forum will assume more significance in the years ahead as economic and political trends in the Pacific increasingly affect ASEAN and Singapore. In all, Singapore hosted a significant and substantive meeting. POLITICAL SOLUTION FOR CAMBODIA (Differences among ASEAN countries) 3. Mr S. Chandra Das asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) whether he will comment on a Vietnamese statement that "there are profound differences among the ASEAN countries" on a political solution for Cambodia; and (b) what new initiatives will ASEAN embark upon to bring about a solution to the Cambodian problem.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are satisfied with the outcome of the 20th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and the Post-Ministerial Conference hosted by Singapore last month. The ASEAN Foreign Ministers reviewed the preparations for the ASEAN Summit in December. In particular, they laid the groundwork for agreement on proposals to advance ASEAN economic cooperation. In July, the ASEAN Economic Ministers met in Singapore and agreed on several major recommendations on economic cooperation for the Summit. These recommendations would significantly improve the ASEAN Preferential Trading Arrangements and the ASEAN Industrial Joint Venture Scheme. The recommendations are practical, achievable, and will create important new linkages among the ASEAN countries. In the Post-Ministerial meeting with dialogue countries, progress was made in eliciting Japanese support for ASEAN economic cooperation. The ASEAN countries welcomed a Japanese proposal for the establishment of an ASEAN Development Fund which can finance joint ventures among ASEAN entrepreneurs as well as between ASEAN and Japanese entrepreneurs. Senior officials from both sides will be meeting to discuss the details of the Fund. The Fund will stimulate the flow of investments to the ASEAN countries and increase industrial cooperation among the ASEAN private sectors. The ASEAN Ministers also suggested to the Japanese Foreign Minister measures to make the Japanese domestic market more accessible to ASEAN exports. In the meeting with the US Secretary of State, Mr George Shultz, it was agreed that senior officials from the US and ASEAN would begin work to arrive at a consensus on the ASEAN-US Initiative.”
“You do not agree. But it does not mean you do not know.”
“In addition, unlike structural plans, in the case of architectural plans, DBCD will allow a waiver or relaxation of certain building regulations. These may be determined by, as I said, the nature of the site or for some other technical grounds. For example, although for architectural plans the rules or regulations require certain setback from the boundary, a particular site may be such that to insist rigidly on such a setback will be not equitable or reasonable. Therefore, a certain relaxation is allowed. So a waiver is granted for such cases. Another example would be ventilation. If a factory is involved in the production of goods which have to be completely kept free from dust, then of course the architectural plans will not provide for windows. And these normal ventilation requirements or light requirements may have to be waived. So these waivers are given depending upon the particular circumstances of the case. And that is why architectural plans are checked but structural plans, as I mentioned just now, are not subject to such waivers and relaxation. Notwithstanding what I have just stated, the Working Committee will study very closely the reservations of the Commission of Inquiry with regard to the non-checking of structural plans and, if necessary, the present practice will be changed and the laws required for the changes will be presented to Parliament. THE TEH CHEANG WAN AFFAIR (Request for Personal Explanation)”
“Why does DBCD check only architectural plans and not the structural plans? First of all, the standards and specifications for structural plans are clearly spelt out in detail in the regulations under the Building Control (Construction) Regulations. All structural submissions must comply very strictly with these regulations. There is no question of any waiver or modification. If a load has to be carried, it must have a sufficient number of columns to carry that load and there is no question of saying something less will do. So the DBCD, in fact, does not have to check the plans because the regulations are clear and the structural engineers are expected to follow these regulations. The DBCD will not entertain any request for waiver or amendment or relaxation of these regulations, as there can be no compromise on structural safety. It is for these reasons that the practice so far has been not to check the structural plans. But in the case of architectural plans, the regulations cannot be so clear as to cover every possible event or every possible variation of use and the conditions of the site. Building regulations for architectural plans touch merely on space, lighting and ventilation, and they do not cover all aspects of the building. Many architectural aspects of a building are determined by use as well as by the site conditions. For example, if a building is in a particular site, near a major drain, then the Drainage Department may have a say in what the setback should be. Or the Fire Department may want to have a special say, and the Ministry of the Environment similarly. So these special requirements cannot be laid down in detail, and therefore the architectural plans are checked against the specifics of the use as well as of the site.”
“The incident is an extreme one where failure resulted from a combination of grossly unprofessional practice, poor construction, poor maintenance, complete disregard for the signs of poor structural condition in the building and everything that could go wrong due to human failings went wrong in the Hotel New World. Should we have started checking the plans earlier just because other countries check their plans? I think we have to be careful. If we had done so, where should we draw the line on the level of scrutiny that we should have? Should we now plunge in and implement all the recommendations made by the Commission of Inquiry? Here again, I think we should be prudent, careful, before we implement all the recommendations. The recommendations, of course, provide a valuable basis but we must take into account the views and opinions of those practitioners, those who are actually involved in the building industry, before we implement or introduce new measures. Developers and other Singaporeans will have to bear an unnecessarily high cost if we just blindly implement all the recommendations of the Commission. Therefore, we have set up this Working Committee in order to identify and establish which recommendations can be implemented and how they should be implemented. As I said in my statement, we want to try and ensure maximum safety at a reasonable cost. The Member drew attention to Chapter 11 of the Commission's Report where the Commission made some comments on the present practice of not checking the structural plans which are submitted to DBCD. He wanted to know why only architectural plans are checked but not structural plans. Whether structural plans should have been checked or not is subject to legal interpretation. As I said, it is not a universal practice.”
“But even in the case of Japan and Taiwan, I am told that checking is only for buildings above a certain height. So it is not for all buildings. Our own system in Singapore has evolved over a period of time to suit local needs. In fact, we have made changes over the years to our own laws that govern structural plans and the submission of structural plans to the Government. In 1970, for example, the Professional Engineers Act came into effect to regulate professional practice. And in 1973, the Building Control Act was legislated which laid down the details and procedures for the submission of plans and how they should be drawn up. In 1979, the Building Control Regulations were updated and new sets of regulations came into effect to provide better control over the design and over the construction practices in the industry and also to ensure structural stability. These Regulations are constantly under review. We cannot and do not claim to have a foolproof system. No country can. Structural failures do happen even under the best system. There have been cases of major structural failures involving the loss of many lives in other countries which have also very stringent procedures, for example, the United States and the United Kingdom. I am sure Members must be aware of some of these disasters. No system can completely eliminate failures which are due to human acts or omissions. The case of the Hotel New World is the only major disaster that we have had in peace-time in our history.”
“The Government is concerned with the impact of new procedures and measures that may be introduced on the cost of buildings. But safety of a building is not just the concern of the Government; it is in the interests of everybody. Measures which are introduced are not measures intended to safeguard the Government. They are intended to safeguard owners and occupiers of buildings. The burden of such costs, therefore, should not be borne by Government and cannot be attributed to Government. Government will implement whatever measures that are needed as efficiently as possible in order to keep costs to the minimum. However, private developers must be prepared to shoulder any additional costs necessary. It is their responsibility to build buildings which are safe and sound for sale or for occupation. The Member also raised two other points about the checking of structural plans and architectural plans. He asked why structural plans are not checked. The checking of structural plans by building authorities is not, in fact, a universal practice. It varies from country to country, from city to city, and from municipality to municipality. In the United States, for example, some States check, others do not. In the City of New York which has some of the tallest buildings in the world, I understand that structural plans are not checked by the government authority. The building authority relies on the professional engineers for safe structural designs. So, as I said, conditions vary. In some cases, the local conditions determine the practice of the authority. For example, in Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan, because of their geological conditions and because they are also subject to typhoons, they follow a different practice and they do check the structural plans and drawings.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Member for Punggol wants to know what interim measures will be taken while the Committee is considering what recommendations should be implemented. Between now and the time when the Working Committee make its recommendations and the recommendations are implemented, owners of existing buildings should satisfy themselves by engaging professional engineers to check on their buildings to ensure that they are structurally sound if they have any reason to believe that their buildings are not structurally sound. Buildings do not just collapse overnight. There are many signs if they are structurally unsound. Even in the case of the Hotel New World, there were many many signs that the building was not sound but these signs were ignored. So if owners have reason to believe that something is wrong with their building, they should not hesitate to engage professional engineers to carry out thorough structural checks. For buildings that were designed by the engineer and architect involved in the Hotel New World building or, as I said, the Lian Yak Building, which is the real name of the building, DBCD has already advised these owners to have their buildings checked by professional engineers. For new buildings and those that are at design stage, DBCD will continue to hold the professionals responsible for the structural drawings and calculations that they submit to the Government. If owners of existing buildings and those who are planning new buildings follow these procedures, I think there should be no cause for alarm. The second point that the Member raised was the question of who would pay for all these additional costs of checking and ensuring that the buildings are sound, and whether the Government will bear such additional costs.”
“What we want and should have is a system that provides an acceptable level of safety at reasonable cost. The system should not cause unnecessary and costly delays in the processing of plans and in construction. The Ministry of National Development has formed a Working Committee to study the recommendations in detail and to put up specific proposals for implementation. The Working Committee is chaired by the Director-General of Public Works, Dr Tan Swan Beng, who is also the President of the Professional Engineers Board. Mr Lim Soo Ping, who was Secretary to the Commission of Inquiry, has been appointed Secretary to the Working Committee. His knowledge and understanding of the issues gained from the Commission's hearings will provide a continuity of effort. The Committee also comprises the Deputy Director of the Development & Building Control Division, a Senior State Counsel of the Attorney-General's Chambers, and representatives from eight professional groups whose views and inputs are also essential. I will now ask the Clerk of Parliament to circulate the list (Cols. 1315 - 1316) which gives the full composition of the Committee. [Copies of document circulated to hon. Members.] list - COMPOSITION OF THE BUILDING CONTROL WORKING COMMITTEE (Cols. 1315 - 1316) Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Committee will complete its work in five to six months' time. Thereafter, the Government will announce the measures to be taken to enhance building safety. Mr Ng Kah Ting (Punggol): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, with your indulgence, may I preface my supplementary questions with a couple of remarks?”
“On the choice of contractors, the Commission suggests that the system of registration of contractors administered by the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) be expanded and that the register of contractors be periodically reviewed. The Government is grateful to the Commissioners for their effort in establishing the causes of the collapse and in coming up with the recommendations on preventive measures. The recommendations are sound, well-argued and comprehensive, covering as they do all the critical aspects from design to maintenance. The collapse of Lian Yak Building, which is the name of the building, caused a loss of 33 lives and resulted in much grief and pain. We cannot afford another such disaster. There is, therefore, no doubt in my mind that we have to do all we can to help ensure that professionals and other people involved in the design, construction and maintenance of buildings carry out their duties honestly, properly and responsibly. Additional control measures may be necessary and existing preventive measures in crucial areas may need to be tightened. There must be no compromise on safety. The recommendations in the Inquiry Report mean administrative time, legal and other implications, and costs. Before we take any steps to change our system, these implications must be carefully studied so as to determine the extent to which the recommendations can and should be implemented, and the actual forms the necessary controls should take. Some countries are practising one or more of the measures recommended, for example, Japan and Hong Kong. It is desirable and prudent that we also obtain an insight into their practices and learn from their experience before embarking to change our own system.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Report of the Inquiry into the Collapse of Hotel New World was presented to the President on 16th February 1987. The Report has also been circulated to all Members. The Commission attributes the collapse of the building to its grossly inadequate structural design, its very unsatisfactory construction, the imposition of large loads not allowed for in the design during the building's life-span, and the absence of proper maintenance. After reviewing the present system of building control, the Commission has made ten recommendations on preventive measures. The recommendations relate to the various aspects in the development of a building, namely, design, choice of contractors, construction and maintenance. For the design stage, the Commission recommends that all structural plans and calculations of a building submitted to the Development and Building Control Division (DBCD) should be independently checked either by DBCD or by PWD's structural engineers or, if the workload is too heavy, by a panel of professional engineers in private practice on a rotation basis. For the construction stage, five recommendations have been made. These concern (i) the enforcement by DBCD of construction supervision by full-time resident engineers, or clerks-of-works, (ii) the conducting and reporting of various tests during construction, (iii) notification before main structural elements in a building are covered up, (iv) spot checks by DBCD, and (v) changes to plans. On the maintenance aspect, the Commission recommends a mandatory 5-yearly inspection for all buildings except residential houses. To enable DBCD to undertake the several new roles identified, the Commission also recommends that its professional staff strength be increased.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the HDB's housing estates are planned and built on a comprehensive basis with supporting facilities such as shophouses to cater to the needs of residents. This approach was combined with the need to provide accommodation for resettlement cases. HDB found it simpler to build all the shophouses. HDB is presently studying the feasibility of selling land in its estates for private developers to build shops. It is also considering selling its shophouses to allow greater private sector ownership. A decision will be announced by the end of the year. YUHUA CONSTITUENCY (Development of vacant land around Block 347 Market) 4. Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon asked the Minister for National Development when will the two vacant plots of land surrounding Block 347 Market in Yuhua Constituency be developed. The Minister of State for National Development (Dr Lee Boon Yang) (for the Minister for National Development): I am replying on behalf of my Minister. Sir, there are two vacant plots of land on both sides of Block 347 Market. One plot is located at the corner of Jurong East Street 31 and Boon Lay Road while the other plot stretches from Block 347 Market to Jurong Town Hall Road. A small portion of vacant land next to the Market, between Jurong East Avenue 1 and the bus/lorry park, belongs to the HDB and is earmarked for future institutional use. The rest of the vacant lands belong to the Jurong Town Corporation which has no immediate plans for their development. SUBSIDY FOR PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION 5. Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon asked the Minister for Education how much is the subsidy for each pre-primary student.”
“Sir, I think it is a bit too early to say what the prospects are. If, as I said, the leadership changes result in some concrete moves in finding a solution to the Cambodian problem, obviously the stage will be set for better relations between Singapore and Vietnam. AYER RAJAH ROAD/CLEMENTI ROAD/PASIR PANJANG ROAD/COMMONWEALTH AVENUE WEST (Progress of road works) 3. Encik Abbas Abu Amin asked the Minister for National Development (a) if he will report on the progress of the road works that run concurrently at (i) Ayer Rajah Road, (ii) Clementi Road, (iii) Pasir Panjang Road and (iv) Commonwealth Avenue West; and (b) whether pedestrian overhead bridges will be built and safety measures taken to minimize accidents along these new expressways.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not think that is the intention. The economy is in such a bad situation that it will require a lot of convincing for anybody to believe that Vietnam can project its power, its influence, as a result of being a strong economy. I think the primary aim of these changes is to mend the internal economy of Vietnam. Dr Lau Teik Soon: Can I ask the Minister in view of the changes in the political leadership whether there is prospect for improved relations between Singapore and Vietnam?”
“Sir, the top three Politburo members of the Communist Party of Vietnam retired in December 1986, and in mid-February 1987 there was a ministerial reshuffle. Since the leadership changes, there has been no hard evidence of Vietnam's sincerity in wanting to resolve the Cambodian problem. It has merely repeated pledges to withdraw all Vietnamese troops from Cambodia by 1990 or earlier. Since these pledges of withdrawal are predicated on Vietnam achieving its hegemonistic objectives in Cambodia, they do not offer hope for a solution. Vietnam is not prepared to hold direct discussions with the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea, the party directly affected by Vietnam's occupation of Cambodia. Whilst the leadership changes and the streamlining of several economic ministries point to a concentration on economic reconstruction of the country, the changes have also promoted several personalities who have been closely associated with the invasion and occupation of Cambodia. These changes do not augur well for any compromise on Cambodia. The recent spate of Vietnamese initiated moves to promote a dialogue on the Cambodian problem are clearly aimed at giving the misleading impression that there is some movement and a solution is in sight. Notwithstanding this, Vietnam's preoccupation with economic problems, its nervousness at the improvement in Sino-Soviet relations and its continued international isolation might well lead to a more realistic attitude on Cambodia. We will therefore have to wait for more concrete moves on Vietnam's part.”
“All right. I thought he was talking of the cash flow situation. I will have to look into what the problems are. I cannot react immediately. As I understand it, a figure is fixed. And if the owner of the land wants to challenge the figure, then of course he goes to a body for arbitration. Pending the final award, nothing is given or no figure is mentioned. But I do not know what problems there will be in giving a provisional award. I assume a provisional award will then enable the owner of the land to say that he expects a certain definite amount which can then be useful for him to raise moneys for his business. We will look into that. Regarding flexibility in implementation, I agree that we should be flexible. But where is the line to be drawn between flexibility and inconsistency? Acquiring land is a very serious matter and we cannot allow too much flexibility. Because if we do allow too much flexibility, then it will appear that we are arbitrary and inconsistent in the way that we go about making awards or dealing with lands acquired for various purposes. If there are particular areas where flexibility can be exercised without in any way affecting the fundamental principles of our land acquisition policy, I am prepared to look into it.”
“The Member also spoke about the implementation of the land acquisition policy. He has suggested again that the originator of an idea should be given some sort of special consideration and given a 20% discount. I do not know whether there is a real case in point which the Member would like to bring to my attention later where somebody's very bright idea has been taken by the Government and a public tender has been called. If somebody has an idea to develop, let us say, a recreational complex, the fact that the piece of land is let out for a recreational complex without specifying in detail what kinds of recreational facilities should be provided on that plot, does not mean that we have stolen an idea. Different people may have different ideas as to what kind of facilities should be provided. I think the present system is to allow them to make a bid based on their own ideas and the price that they will pay for the land. It is a novel suggestion that originators of ideas should be given a 20% discount. But I must say that it is unlikely to be accepted. The other point that the Member made is about giving some sort of provisional award so that the businesses can continue. I think it is a good point especially when it takes a long time.”
“But this is an area which the Government cannot determine. It made available the land. It left it to the private sector to decide. And so it must be with other types of commercial developments. Even today we are still receiving applications from hotels which want to expand. In today's situation, with such a glut, are we to tell them that they should not invest their moneys to expand their hotels? Who are we to second-judge their judgment of the situation? If they are prepared to risk their money, I think we should allow them to risk their money. So we can lay broad guidelines in a large part of our land utilization where it covers commercial and industrial uses. We will have to leave the private sector to make the final judgment as to whether they want to invest the money. The Member also mentioned about the need to look again at the acquisition policies, particularly acquisition at current market values instead of pegging them at the 1973 values. And also the need to look again at the Rent Control Act. These matters are under consideration and I think at some point my colleague, the Minister for Law, under whose purview these matters come, will be able to make a policy statement. On the committee on land utilization, I think the general point behind this idea that we should tap the knowledge, expertise and interest in the private sector in determining land utilization is taken. I do not think we should pretend that all the knowledge on land utilization rests or is only found within the Government, within the Planning Office. I will certainly, if it is not already being done, tell the planners that to the extent that it is possible, we should tap the knowledge and expertise in the private sector.”
“Few hotels are built, they make money, everybody jumps in. Many hotels are built, the tourists do not come in as projected, hotels lie empty for years, and it takes some time for the growth in the tourist industry to catch up with the glut of hotel rooms. The Government could not have taken a position before the event and said that only so much of land could be made available for hotels. Nobody asks the private sector to bid for these lands. Nobody asks them to pay the kind of prices that they paid. Nobody asks them to build hotels. They could have very well not bid for these plots of land. But suppose the Government had taken the view sometime in the late 1970s that no more land would be made available for hotels because the Government has projected that tourist growth would not be sufficient to absorb more hotel rooms, what would the Government have faced? I think there would have been very serious accusations against the Government - that it was favouring the existing hotel owners, that in some way it was trying to protect the interest of owners of Mandarin, Shangri-la, Hilton or whatever, because people were prepared to invest their own money and take a risk with their own money and the Government was telling them, "Look, don't take the risk because there will be no tourists coming to occupy your hotel rooms." I think we would have been under very severe attack. So we adopted a policy of allowing the private sector to make the decision. Well, they made the decision. Many of them have found that the timing was wrong. But the tourist industry will grow and hotels in time will be occupied. Of course, many of the investors would have lost quite a lot of money, in terms of profit forgone or interest costs accumulating which they cannot service.”
“Marina South, for example, which was dealt with in a Question for Oral Answer this morning, has given us space to expand the commercial and business area of the City. As a result of this reclamation, we have a bonus in that we can afford to now conserve parts of the old city. Without the reclamation, perhaps we could not afford to do what we are doing in Tanjong Pagar or preserve parts of Chinatown or Little India or even Geylang. But there is a limit to land reclamation. It is increasingly costly because the shallows suitable for reclamation are running out and future reclamations will require more filling materials which are costly and scarce. Planners adopt a very pragmatic approach to land utilization based on changing needs and requirements of the population. Planners have to ensure that all our present and future needs are met and carefully balanced so that there is a place for present as well as future generations to live, work, play and enjoy a comfortable and pleasant environment. But they can only lay down broad parameters and identify uses in broad terms. And having laid broad guidelines, especially for commercial purposes, they must leave it to the market forces to determine how exactly the land should be utilized and when it should be utilized. The Member made a point that there are allegations that the Government, in fact, brought into being the hotel glut. This is not the first time that this allegation has been made both in the House as well as outside. Sir, the private sector is no less prone to making mistakes than the Government. Even in cities where commercial hotel or any other kind of commercial development is left entirely to the private sector, you do have these booms and busts. New York, Houston, Miami - they have all gone through this.”
“For example, although the rate of population increase has gone down and we are trying to reverse it, it has not and will not have an immediate impact on the land for housing because it will change the size of the family but it does not change the number of homes that will be required to house the population. Whether you have a three-child family or a four-child or two-child family, you still probably require a 4- or 5-room flat. So these changes will not have an immediate impact but planners do constantly, as I say, monitor these changes. Another example which the Member mentioned is the aging of the population as the population rate or growth decreases and, of course, an aging population requires different kinds of facilities. Similarly, the pattern of industrial development has changed. Demand for industries requiring large land areas, such as shipbuilding and heavy industries has decreased while demand for industries which are high-technology industries, such as those in the Science Park, has increased. I myself think that it is very fortunate that Singapore was not successful in being able to promote a steel mill. Despite many efforts in the past during the early days of our industrial development, we failed. And I think looking back on it now, we can be thankful that we failed, otherwise we would have an industry which would occupy a lot of land and which would probably be very pollutive. We have tried to increase the amount of land available in Singapore through land reclamation. The extensive land reclamation that we have done so far has increased to some extent the degree of flexibility that we have.”