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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“Commuters can enter the new city using regional trains and the metro, which is the equivalent of our MRT. Above the stations, there are bus interchanges and taxi services. People arriving by car make use of expressways that are linked to underground car parks. To minimise disruption, there is a network of service trenches for the laying of electricity, water, telecommunications and other services. Our planners and transportation engineers will study this approach and examine how it can be adapted to our environment. Not everything that they do there can in fact be applied here. In fact, when I was there last year, quite a few French residents in Paris expressed great fear about going to La Defense area because they say it is quite a maze, where they can get lost, and probably be marooned there for days. But I think there are aspects there that we can learn and adapt for ourselves. We should not miss the opportunity to lay a proper foundation for an effective transportation system for the new city at Marina South. I come now to car park requirements which is another important aspect of the transportation policy. I want to take this opportunity to announce that my Ministry will be relaxing further the minimum number of car park lots that developers and building owners will be required to provide. The measures which the Government has so far introduced to discourage people from driving their cars to work have resulted in low occupancy of car parks within the city, especially in the car parks in the Central Business District. It does not make sense to continue to insist on high car parking provisions for new developments within the city. Therefore, we are relaxing the requirements. I am sure developers would welcome the relaxation of these minimum requirements.”
“This is meant to be an integral part of the public transportation system. It is intended to make public transportation attractive. If public transport is to work, people must be prepared to walk. There is no way that public transport can bring you door to door. But we can do something to make the walking pleasant - the walking from the bus-stops or MRT stations to the final destinations. To specifically encourage MRT ridership, MND has examined, together with the Ministry of Communications and Information as well as the MRT Corporation, the provision of public facilities around MRT stations comprising shaded pedestrian linkages and crossings, bus-stops, vehicle pick-up points and even bicycle stands. There have been requests for bicycle stands near the MRT stations because bicycles could be used for short trips between the residence and the MRT station. They are handy and practical. They are also energy efficient. As a pilot project, the PWD will be constructing bicycle stands near Yishun, Buona Vista, Lakeside and Tiong Bahru MRT stations. To assess the popularity of the "park and ride" scheme, MND is currently looking into whole day parking facilities at existing or new public car parks near MRT stations. These car parks are likely to be located near private residential estates which are far from the city. I would like next to deal with the laying of the foundation for a traffic infrastructure in the new areas. In the development of new areas like the Marina South and Marina East, we will plan for the land transportation infrastructure right from the start. When the French developed their new commercial hub, La Defense in Paris, they integrated their transportation networks by building them at different levels.”
“At present, 190 traffic and pedestrian signals in the city area are controlled by a computerised system. This system monitors traffic conditions at the junctions and determines the appropriate signalling cycles for each traffic light. The commissioning of this system in 1988 has resulted in a significant increase in travel speed in the city. The PWD is extending the system to the Telok Blangah/Alexandra Road and Jurong area. Eventually, the whole island will be covered by the system. While on this point, I think it is an appropriate juncture for me to answer Dr Wang about the use of vehicle loop detectors. This has already been done at many junctions. And, of course, as many junctions as possible will be provided with this facility. But one must differentiate the junction between a very minor road where there is occasional traffic and a major road and the junction between two roads, both carrying more or less continuous traffic but different volumes at different times. The latter case is where the computerised system comes in useful, because we can measure the traffic flow and adjust the timing of the signals. Sometimes drivers feel that they are waiting longer than they should, because the minimum time allowed under even the computerised system has to take into account pedestrian crossing time. It is for this reason that sometimes there is the perception that the light is against the flow of traffic for longer than it should be. We cannot make people walk or run as fast as cars, and we have to allow them time to cross the very wide roads that we are building. The third point is providing facilities to make public transportation more attractive. Last year, we announced the Walkways Programme which will cost an estimated $250 million over the next 10 years.”
“One tunnel could link Bendemeer Road and Balestier Road to Marina Centre so that motorists can bypass the heavy traffic in Jalan Besar, Bencoolen Street, Lavender Street and Crawford Street. Another tunnel could pass under Bras Basah Road and Stamford Road to provide motorists with direct access to Marina Centre from Orchard Road and Selegie Road. Shorter stretches of tunnels, or "Depressed Junctions", are also being considered at critical junctions in the city area. This could alleviate the bottlenecks that currently exist at the junctions adjoining Orchard Road and Bras Basah Road. Outside the city, we will consider building more viaducts over existing roads to carry the through-traffic leaving surface roads for local traffic. A viaduct above the intersection at Bukit Timah Road, Rochore Road and Ophir Road to carry through-traffic to Nicoll Highway and the ECP is being considered. Not all roads can be upgraded to expressway standards, but by building a series of flyovers and tunnels to ease traffic congestion at critical junctions the PWD will create a new category of roads called "semi-expressway". An example of a "semi-expressway" is the Bukit Timah/Dunearn Road pair. We can upgrade, for example, Telok Blangah Road and Pasir Panjang Road to a "semi-expressway", linking East Coast Parkway and West Coast Highway. In PWD's Five-Year Programme, a total of 13 interchanges and flyovers will be built. All the above projects will be part of PWD's Five-Year Road Development Programme. This Plan is developed as a rolling plan so that there is a yearly review of PWD's proposals for the ensuing five years. The Government will continue to improve our road network under this Plan. Secondly, I come to the greater use of computerised traffic control systems.”
“And lastly, it will lay the foundation for an effective transportation system as early as possible in new areas like Marina South and Marina East. Let me first deal with the subject of increasing the capacity of roads. To increase the capacity of our roads within the constraints of limited land, the Government has already approved an expenditure of $1.1 billion under the current PWD's Five-Year Road Development Programme. Some of the major projects in the programme include the widening of the PIE between Kallang Bahru and Bukit Timah Expressway which includes the expansion of the PIE/Central Expressway interchange and the Woodsville Flyover. I think Members must be aware that this part of the PIE is a major bottleneck and traffic does build up at the peak hours in both directions. This improvement will remove a major bottleneck along the PIE. The PWD will also re-align and extend the PIE toward Tuas which is the western end of the PIE. Construction of the Kranji Expressway will begin next month. Where land is available, existing roads will be widened. For example, Victoria Street will be widened to accommodate eight lanes. By using the land above the MRT tunnels for the additional lanes, we are able to expand the traffic capacity into our city without using more land. To overcome the constraints of limited land, we will have to build more underground roads, especially to carry through-traffic. We have made a start with the two tunnels for the Central Expressway. They will be ready by the end of 1991. The CTE will enable residents in Ang Mo Kio and Serangoon to have direct access to the city as well as to the Ayer Rajah Expressway. The Public Works Department has also completed a preliminary study to identify where other underground roads can be built.”
“Sir, Mr Ng Pock Too, Dr Koh and Dr Wang have raised very briefly a number of very important points regarding the overall plan and programme for road development, and I thought I should take this opportunity to inform the House on the overall thinking of the Ministry and the plans for improving the road network to increase traffic capacity. The first point I would like to make is that it is not true and quite unfair to say that PWD's plan is just merely a plan to increase the length of roads in Singapore without any overall concept of how to go about tackling the traffic problem. Roads are not just built for the purpose of building roads. In fact, very few roads are built merely to open up areas which are presently unpopulated. All roads built are to make it easier and more efficient for people living in population centres to go about doing their economic and social activities. It is not true to say that no thought or overall plan is behind the PWD's road building programme. When the First Deputy Prime Minister met community leaders in a dialogue session early this month, he explained our transportation policy and he briefly mentioned how the Government is planning to increase the capacity of our roads by improving and expanding the road network. I would like to take the opportunity now to give an overview of the Ministry's plans for development of roads and its plans to make public transportation more attractive. MND will, first, increase the capacity of our roads. I will elaborate on this in a moment. Secondly, it will make greater use of computerised traffic control systems - something that I think is very dear to the heart of Dr Wang. Thirdly, it will provide more facilities to make public transportation more attractive.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made progress on the Main and Development Estimates for the Financial Year 1990-91 and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.”
“We also know that if we take the population, as a whole, public housing caters for the relatively lower income group. Right from the time that we decided that it was not sufficient just to build housing, but that we must in fact encourage the building up of a community spirit, we decided that we would give special consideration to the Residents' Committees and we have provided them with subsidized space. But I do not think we can do the same with residents' associations. The people living in private estates, if they want to have a club of their own, like the people living in Serangoon Gardens Estate where, they formed their own club (they have got a beautiful building, all supported by people living in the area and elsewhere) that will be encouraged. If there is a site within a private estate which they want to use to build a clubhouse and there are some planning difficulties, we can look at that and be flexible about that. But we cannot give them the money to build such clubhouses. I think I have covered all the points except those dealing with the concept plan, development control and resettlement which, as I have mentioned, will be dealt with by the Minister of State and the Senior Parliamentary Secretary.”
“I have already assured Members in the past that when we relocate we try, as far as possible, to relocate the tenants in flats or in blocks near where they are living. But obviously what we consider as near may not be considered as near by the residents. But I want to assure Members two things. First, we will retain a sufficient number of rental flats. Secondly, these rental flats will be maintained to ensure that they are not eye-sores in the new type of HDB estates that we would be having. Regarding the eligibility criteria, I think the Member may not be aware that in August last year we changed the eligibility age from 29 years to 21 years. So that should not pose a problem. Can I take next the question of upgrading of public areas in private housing estates. As the Member noted, in fact $51 million has been set aside to maintain and build the public areas in private estates. In fact, the roads, drains and parks in the private estates are built to the requirements of the PWD or other Government departments and then handed over to the Government. These roads are maintained by the PWD. According to my records, there are 500 km of roads in private housing estates that are maintained by PWD. The PWD has an on-going annual upgrading programme to improve the road surfaces, footpaths, roadside railings, drains, lighting, etc. So it is not correct to say that the public areas in private estates were ignored. In fact, there is already an on-going programme and that will continue. Regarding the question of building special premises for residents' associations, I must be very frank with the Member that that is just not on. In the case of the Residents' Committees, the cost of providing RC centres is really marginal because we convert the void decks.”
“As I said, these companies have been formed basically to provide employment opportunities for those who would otherwise have been completely retrenched. The next point I would like to deal with is the policy regarding rental flats. Dr Wong Kwei Cheong asked what would be the fate of the old rental flats, whether all of them are going to be demolished. Sir, that is not the intention. We do know that, however much we make it attractive for people to buy flats, there will always be a small proportion in the population that will not be able to afford to purchase flats. We estimate that by the year 2,000, ie, by the end of this decade, there would be about 5-8% of the total number of HDB flats which will still be rental flats. And these flats obviously will be maintained well so that they are in keeping with the overall ambience of the new HDB estates. The problem really centres on the question of which blocks should be retained. Sir, since we started building HDB estates in the 1960s, it was natural that we built initially within the central area and then we grew from the central area outwards to the new towns on the outskirts. Over the years, we have improved the design and quality of the flats. The result has been that the poorer quality flats are in the more expensive prime areas within the central area because they were built in the earlier days. So when it comes to retaining the rental flats, we have to be very careful to ensure that we are able to clear prime areas and put them to more economic use. It is in this respect that some difficulty arises because people have to move into rental flats we want to retain and these may not be exactly in the place where they are now living.”
“HDB had the choice of either retrenching the staff and letting them just go their own way or to try and find some method of continuing to employ them. Obviously, it was not possible to continue to employ them within the HDB because its functions had shrunken and therefore there was no need for it to continue to maintain such a large staff. A number of new companies have been formed to carry out different functions which, at the same time, would also offer different employment opportunities for the staff and HDB. Four companies have actually been formed. EM Services (Pte) Ltd and Esmarco (Pte) Ltd provide professional estate management and consultancy services to the town councils. I think Members must be familiar with some of these companies because they are involved in providing management to the town councils. These are not entirely HDB-owned. They started off being entirely owned by the HDB, but HDB has brought in other shareholders. Then there is another company called Clean Tech which actually provides conservancy and horticultural services to town councils. This again would give an opportunity for HDB's staff to be employed, but of course the companies will have to make up their own mind how many and who they want to employ. Those who are retrenched from HDB would be retrenched according to the normal terms and it will then be up to the companies to decide who they want to take and on what terms. The last company is CESMA International (Pte) Ltd. This is a company to provide planning, consultancy and management services, basically in the architectural and engineering fields. The company hopes to be able not only to sell its services locally but also abroad. The Member asked how are the interest and the welfare of the staff safeguarded.”
“What is happening is that because of changes in our society and because of the fact that we have housed a large part of the population in public housing, HDB is now focusing more sharply on its functions, which is basically to build good public housing. In the past, HDB did a lot of other things which were peripheral to public housing, like building industrial estates, sports stadiums, shopping centres and so on. But we think it is best that it should focus quite sharply on building high quality housing. HDB will continue to plan a new town in its entirety. But it will involve private sector more in the actual development of the new town. While HDB will build most of the public housing, there will also be areas within the new towns which will be reserved for private housing and some of the key areas in the town centre will be sold for the private sector to develop. So that is the change. Previously, HDB used to do everything in the new town. Even with all their skills and the talent that they had, it was inevitable that the towns began to assume a very similar appearance, and I think it is good that they are going to get the private sector more involved. The big change in HDB, of course, is in the maintenance of the housing estates. Over the years, the maintenance part of HDB's functions became a much bigger part of HDB's responsibility. As you build flats, they accumulate even though you may only build 20,000 or 30,000 flats a year. With the formation of town councils, the maintenance and management of the estates will go to the town councils. It is for this reason that the HDB decided that they ought to form new companies to continue to offer employment prospects for those who have experience and expertise in the area of estate management.”
“Just like everybody else goes to work, a lorry driver should be prepared to take public transport, go to the place where the lorry is parked and fetch it in the morning and do his work. Or just like bus drivers do. Bus drivers do not drive their bus home. This thinking has still not quite permeated the industry and we need to bring this home to them. I entirely agree with the Member and I shall certainly be taking it up with the Minister for Communications to require proof of overnight parking facilities before renewing road tax of heavy vehicles. I come next to the question of the racial balance policy of HDB. The Member for Bukit Timah, Dr Wang Kai Yuen, mentioned that he knows of many flats that are vacant because they cannot be sold to the majority community, and he mentioned they have been vacant for several years. Sir, first of all, this new policy was introduced only in March last year. It is just about a year since we implemented the policy and we have to see how it works. It is true that some of the bigger flats take a little longer to be taken up by the minority communities. This has been HDB's experience but the experience also shows that within 6-12 months most of these flats are taken up. If such flats continue to remain vacant for a long time, then obviously we will have to do some fine-tuning of the existing policy. HDB will continue to monitor the situation, but there is no intention at the present moment to make any changes. Next, I come to the changing functions of the HDB. Dr Aline Wong asked for a description of the new directions of the HDB. The HDB does not have new functions or new directions.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I will deal with the points raised on HDB and the parking problems. The Minister of State will deal with the Development Control and Concept Plan aspects, and my Senior Parliamentary Secretary will deal with Resettlement Compensation. First of all, I will take the points in the order in which they were raised. On parking places for heavy goods vehicles, I entirely agree with Mr Ng that we should have a requirement that those who have heavy goods vehicles should have a place to park before their annual road licences are renewed. Because of pressures and complaints of shortage of parking spaces, HDB and URA built about 6,000 parking places for heavy goods vehicles and many of them are not occupied. In fact, in the HDB lorry parks, only 37% of the places are occupied. This is not a new problem. It is not due to a shortage of places to park. The trouble is that lorry drivers and lorry owners want cheap parking places near the place where the lorry drivers or owners live, and that is just not possible. In the case of neighbourhood lorry parks, since the land there is more expensive, the parking charges are higher and they are not prepared to pay the higher charges. Neither are they prepared to go to more distant centralised lorry parks where the charges are lower, because they do not want to spend their time travelling, though such centralised lorry parks have been carefully chosen to ensure that there is adequate public transport to get to these lorry parks. The trouble is that the lorry drivers and owners think that they should have the privilege of bringing their lorries home, which of course should not be the case.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we have to differentiate between the two types of payments. In the first case, as I explained, if the property had been obtained under resettlement terms, they are special concessionary terms, and if the owner of the property or the lease wants to sell, then a 10% levy on the transaction is imposed. That is not an administrative fee. That is because the lessee had obtained the property at special low rates and when he sells it on the market and obtains the market price, a 10% charge is levied. But there are very few such cases. The majority of the cases would be leases sold at market rates. In such cases, it would be a purely administrative charge and my answer to the Member's query will be that Pidemco should be and will be subject to the same kind of limits as any other developer. BIDDING SYSTEM FOR HAWKER STALLS 2. Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon asked the Minister for the Environment whether and how the proposed bidding system for hawker stalls will affect the existing stallholders. The Minister for the Environment (Dr Ahmad Mattar): Mr Speaker, Sir, the proposed bidding system for vacant hawker stalls will not affect the existing stallholders. These stallholders will not be required to bid for the existing stalls. CHANGI AIRPORT TERMINAL II (Completion date) 3. Dr Ho Tat Kin asked the Minister for Communications and Information when the Changi Airport Terminal II project will be completed; and whether it is on schedule.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I think the Member is referring to properties which Pidemco has taken over from URA. They are now Pidemco's properties. Pidemco's properties are of two kinds. Many of them are rented out on monthly rentals and there are others which are sold on long-term 30-year leases. Among the 30-year leases are a number of properties which were sold at special concessionary prices to those who are affected by resettlement. In such cases, when the resettled owner wants to sell, a levy imposed on the transaction. This is to make sure that the company or the person who had obtained the site at special rates - because it is a resettlement case - does not sell and take the profit when sold at market prices. In all other cases, a nominal administrative fee, of course, is charged.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, Pidemco was set up to take over some of the functions of the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and allow URA to focus on its primary role as a national planning agency. Properties formerly owned by URA were transferred to Pidemco. As a private company, Pidemco has greater flexibility in the management and promotion of the properties. It aims to become a leading property company in Singapore through: i) upgrading its existing properties; ii) redeveloping some of the properties; and iii) developing new ones. Pidemco does not handle the sale of any Government properties. As a consequence, it does not receive any commission from such sales.”
“In the last analysis, it is not the existence or the absence of laws that makes for good government and a happy society. It is good people in the government. I am not saying, of course, that it does not matter what laws we pass or what laws we do not pass, and that what matters is that we choose the right people. It does matter what laws we have. We must make laws and put into our statutes laws that will arouse the righteous indignation of the people if any government leadership flouts such laws. We must have safeguards in the laws against abuse by unscrupulous leaders. I find personally some attraction in the suggestion that some sort of response or involvement of the judiciary should be provided. It may help over a period of time to define what is a political cause. Of course, even such a provision will not hinder an unscrupulous leadership from doing what it wants to do. But it will be one more hurdle to cross for anybody who wants to flout the courts or pack the courts or corrupt the courts. And every hurdle may help to preserve the system. But it is essentially a rearguard action. The action that can preserve and promote good government is not just good laws but good men at the helm of government. 2.25 pm”
“Having said what I have said, Mr Speaker, Sir, I must say that this is not an easy subject, politics and religion, and how to define what is a political subject and what is not a political subject. What if the Government at some future date declares what is in fact a moral and religious issue to be a political issue? There are enough examples in the world. We know, for example, in China, because they want to control the population, they say have one child, and abort the second child. A government can well declare that such an issue is a political issue. Or let us say that some future government decides that because the population is declining, that we should have special measures and even require all women to have children whether or not they are married and declare that as a political issue. Does it therefore mean that it is a political issue and not a moral or a religious issue? There will always be grey areas. No government can define a moral or religious issue as a political issue by an arbitrary gazette notification that it is a political issue. There is a test of what is acceptable in the population as a whole. There must be sincerity, goodwill and sensitivity on the part of government leaders as well as religious leaders and followers of religion. We need to work together. Government policies cannot be shaped by pure pragmatism or purely by the approach of the greatest benefit for the greatest number. There must be an underlying sense of what is right and what is wrong. And what is right and what is wrong is not necessarily determined by the ballot. Many of us believe that there are absolute rights and absolute wrongs, regardless of which way people vote.”
“Just now the First Deputy Prime Minister gave the example of what would happen, quoting the religious breakdown in Singapore, of what will happen if, say, the Christians were to take on the government. He said that surely the leaders must organise the biggest group which is the Buddhist and the Taoists who are 43% of the population. Although he made it clear that he was not quoting this example as a threat, there may be people who may misunderstand this as a threat. And I ought to make this point that we are not talking of numbers. Even if the Buddhists and Taoists were the first group to take on the government as a religious group and all that the government has to do to defend itself is to organise the followers of another 25% of the population, that is already be the beginning of a conflict that would be the end of Singapore. We are not talking of majorities. We are not talking of numbers. We are talking about the principle of using religion and introducing religion into the political arena. Regardless of the numbers that any group can organise in a multi-religious society like ours, the final result must be the ruin of Singapore. If ever we have a situation where we have a corrupt and tyrannical government, then surely the way to overthrow such a government is through established political and secular institutions. Under such a tyrannical goverment, maybe the ballot would not be available for the people to overthrow the government. Because if such a government is corrupt and tyrannical, they are not going to allow themselves to be voted out. Even under such a situation, I think that in the Singapore context it would be extremely dangerous and we should never allow political opposition to be mounted on the basis of any particular religious group.”
“We are talking of the specific circumstances that exist in Singapore, a Singapore that is multi-racial, multi-religious, and to compound it, where in one case race and religion also almost entirely coincide. Suppose we take a hypothetical case. At some time in the far future, hopefully not in our lifetime or our children's lifetime, there emerges in Singapore a corrupt, oppressive, tyrannical and evil government. Would such a situation warrant a religious group to take on the government? In such a situation, unless there is a simultaneous and spontaneous reaction by all religious groups in Singapore, any one religious group that takes a position against the government will invite disaster for the nation. If a religious group gets involved in trying to overthrow such an evil government and takes on the government publicly, the leaders of such a government must surely defend themselves. And what will they do? They will first of all convert what is in fact a political threat into a religious threat. In fact, any move by any religious group to take on the government will hand to the leaders of such a corrupt government a very easy and convenient weapon. Such a government must organise other religions and pose the threat of the group that first initiated action against the government as a religious threat, that a religious group is trying to impose its views and its beliefs on the rest of society. Whatever the final outcome of such a conflict, whether the government is overthrown or whether it stays in power, the genie would be out of the bottle and you cannot put it back. I must emphasise that we are not talking of numbers, we are not playing a numbers game here in Singapore.”
“But their role as religious leaders requires that they be very circumspect when it comes to making pronouncements on political issues or when they want to become involved in party politics. Their words carry a weight far beyond that of an ordinary person, especially when they speak in their position as religious leaders. They should not be involved in party politics. That is quite clear. If they want to be, they ought to decide what is their primary vocation, whether they want to participate in politics or be religious and spiritual leaders. In my view, their function is not to change society by involvement in politics but to change individuals so that individuals who become good as a result of their faith can then work out their convictions in secular institutions. As an aside, Sir, when it comes to followers of liberation theology, I feel that the followers have forgotten that one of the reasons why Jesus Christ disillusioned the Jews of his time was for precisely this reason, that he refused to become a political leader to help the Jews throw off the Roman yoke. And he was interested in changing individuals, not the society directly, but change society by changing individuals. I think they would do well to remember this point. Many points have been raised with respect to politics and religion. Some have made the point that there may be special circumstances when it would be legitimate for religious bodies to get involved in politics and they quoted the example of what happened in the Philippines. The first point I would like to make is that when we discuss this subject here, we are not just trading debating points in the abstract.”
“I believe, and I think others would share this belief, that a person's faith must inform, shape and even determine the person's opinion and actions in all areas - as a spouse, as a parent, as a child, as an employee, as an employer and as a citizen with political responsibilities and rights. But the influence of such a religious faith or belief in political matters and in political issues must be a personal private matter, a motivation that must be in the quietness of a person's own conscience. People's motivations are very mixed and religious faiths and beliefs will form a large part of the motivations in all aspects of their life, including their positions, views and actions in political matters. But the expression of the convictions that they may have, which may be largely derived from their religious faith, must be through secular institutions, through political insti- tutions, and not through their religious bodies. Their religion should not be the open rallying call, the flag to rouse the faithful to coalesce on a political issue, for or against a political party or for or against a political issue. Such a move to use religion as a rallying call on a political issue must turn what may be purely a political or moral issue into a religious issue and invite and even incite followers of other religions to do the same. Surely, it will be the road to ruination in our multi-religious society. What I have said for followers applies of course to the leaders of any faith but with certain additional cautionary notes. These leaders of course have their rights and responsibilities as citizens.”
“No one should follow blindly methods and arguments which may have worked in other countries and which may be acceptable in other societies. For example, in the United States, there are open heated public debates between black Muslims and Christians as to whose faith is correct. That may be all right in the United States, but it would be very foolish to advocate such a method of propagating or justifying one's faith here in Singapore. I think, Sir, no reasonable person will have difficulty with the intentions of this limb of the Bill, that is, that a person ought to conduct his faith and propagate his faith in a sensitive, respectful manner in a society like ours. It is the second aspect, religion and politics, that seems to have attracted most of the fears and reservations. And here I think we must consider believers in two groups. Firstly, believers in general, believers of any faith. And secondly, the leaders of particular faiths. As the White Paper points out, the division between religion and politics is a matter of convention. I would go further and say that it is in fact artificial. This must be so. What are we saying when we say that religion and politics must be kept apart? We are not saying that a person's religion must not shape his views and actions on political matters. To many persons, their deepest moral values and priorities in life are shaped by their religious belief, by their faith. To ask them to separate this deep conviction in their life from their political duties, responsibilities and rights as citizens is to ask them to be schizophrenics.”
“It is the function of the Council to settle matters of practical conduct to ensure that law and order and peace is maintained. while each group practises its own faith. In some faiths, propagation and conversion is a central element of that faith. Others find the idea of propagation and conversion unacceptable. The Constitution in Article 15(1) provides that: "Every person has the right to profess and practise his religion and to propagate it." This is a guarantee provided in the Constitution. There is some fear, which has been expressed to me in my contacts with people outside, that this Bill may curb propagation of religion, that this Bill is a guise, in some way, to reduce this guarantee that is provided in the Constitution. I want to say that in our discussions in the Cabinet, this has never been the intention. It is not the intention of the Government to do so. Any government will be foolhardy to step into an arena and dictate on a matter that many consider as a vital tenet of their faith. But the Government or any civil authority has a right to expect that there is adherence to certain codes of conduct when people practise and propagate their faith. In fact, Article 15(4) makes it clear that the freedom of religion does not authorise any act contrary to any general law relating to public order, public health or morality. Being in a multi-religious society, methods of propagation must be very carefully examined and very carefully selected, and they must be very sensitive to people of other faiths and be respectful of other faiths or people of no faith. Our own history in Singapore, the characteristics of our society, must be taken into account when we practise our religion or when any religious group wants to propagate their faith.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there are two aspects to this Bill: (1) inter-religious harmony; and (2) religion and politics. Let me take them one at a time. That there is an increased fervour and sensitivity among followers of all religions in Singapore, I think is not in doubt. There is a special need for followers of one religion to show respect and sensitivity to others of other religious faiths. When we talk of inter-religious harmony, we are not asking anyone to change the tenets of his faith, to change in order to ensure that no offence is given to followers of other faiths. That is not what we are saying. Because, by definition, followers of syncretic, polytheistic faiths will disagree with the teachings of strict monotheistic exclusive faiths. They are by definition different, and vice versa, those who follow strict monotheistic exclusive faiths must disagree with those who are of other persuasions. There are fundamental tenets of different faiths that cannot be reconciled even with all the goodwill in the world. That is why sometimes it is not wise to put a group of religious leaders of different faiths together and ask them to discuss how they can bring about religious harmony. One leader may think that his "broad minded" liberal theological view is the best way to bring about religious harmony. Another who is a conservative will find such an approach anathema. That is why I welcome the provision in the Bill that narrows the function of the Presidential Council to only consider matters referred to it by the Government. It is not the function of the Government to set up a body for religious leaders to air and settle, if possible, theological positions and beliefs and evolve some sort of syn- cretic faith that will be acceptable to all.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Pasir Panjang GRC had asked the same question last year. The Public Works Department has been monitoring the general traffic condition along these two roads. As the traffic condition is generally satisfactory, there is no immediate need to widen the roads. RESETTLEMENT OF TEMPORARY OCCUPATION LICENCE LAND (Payment of compensation) The following Question stood in the name of Mr Chiam See Tong - 2. To ask the Minister for National Development whether his Ministry pays compensation in respect of resettlement of Temporary Occupation Licence land; and, if so, whether payment is made in full on all agreements for payments of compensation in relation to such resettlement.”
“The HDB lets void deck space to organisations approved by Minstry of Community Development which provide non-profit making, welfare and community-oriented services. Examples of such uses are education centres, child care centres and RC centres. In the case of Potong Pasir Town, HDB will be prepared to allow the Town Council to use void deck space provided the proposals are supported by the Ministry of Community Development and the facilities are operated by the Council itself and not for profit. list - SOME COUNTRIES WITH APPOINTED MPs IN LOWER HOUSES (Cols. 773 - 780)”
“The rental flats at Race Course Road and Winstedt Drive still show high occupancy rates. There are no immediate relocation or redevelopment plans for the flats. As these flats fall within the Central Area, they will have to give way in the long term to redevelopment. We have to optimise the use of the land in the Central Area. VOID DECKS FOR POTONG PASIR TOWN COUNCIL 6. Mr Chiam See Tong asked the Minister for National Development whether the Housing and Development Board will allow the use of void decks at Potong Pasir Estate as a neighbourhood library and a creche by the Potong Pasir Town Council.”
“(i) As I indicated in my answer to the Member of Parliament for Pasir Panjang on 23 March 1989, the Ministry of National Development is preparing a plan to guide the long term development of the Ayer Rajah area bounded by Clementi Road, Pasir Panjang Road, the railway line and Alexandra Road. The former Mindef Camp is earmarked for medium density housing. The present thinking is that there will be no more HDB developments in the area. The overall development plan for the area is expected to be finalised sometime next year. (ii) The tender for the conversion of the flats in the vacant Block 22, Dover Crescent into 5 rooms and executive apartments is expected to be called in mid 1990. PRIMARY SAP SCHOOLS 4. Mr Goh Choon Kang asked the Minister for Education whether there is any plan to increase the number of primary SAP schools.”
“HDB rental flats tenants are allowed to transfer to alternative flats if they are encountering financial difficulties or have family members with medical problems. In the case of those applying for transfer, on ground of requiring child care assistance from in-laws or relatives, HDB will consider such request on the merits of each case. PLANS FOR THE REDEVELOPMENT OF AYER RAJAH AREA AND THE CONVERSION OF FLATS IN DOVER CRESCENT 3. Encik Abbas Abu Amin asked the Minister for National Development whether the Housing and Development Board has finalised any plans (i) to redevelop the former Mindef Camp in Dover Road into new housing units and (ii) to convert the flats in the vacant Block 22, Dover Crescent into bigger units.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the issue of whether old HDB flats should be rebuilt or demolished concerns primarily 1-room and 2-room rental blocks. In the past, some 1- and 2-room rental flats were converted if they met certain criteria such as structural soundness and good location. Buyers now expect much higher housing standards. It is difficult to convert rental flats to meet new standards. Other than the current programme to convert five 2-room blocks in Ang Mo Kio, very few blocks are likely to be converted in the future. Rental flats with high vacancies will be cleared and demolished for redevelopment. INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS (Increase in fees) 3. Mr Goh Choon Kang asked the Minister for Education whether there is any measure to check fee increases in independent schools. 4. Mr Chng Hee Kok asked the Minister for Education if he will implement a financial scheme to assist those students who are adversely affected by the new independent school fees. 5. Mr Chiam See Tong asked the Minister for Education whether his Ministry had given approval formally or informally for independent schools to raise their fees to $100 per pupil per month.”
“As I have mentioned, Sir, if we do upgrade commercial premises, we will recover the additional cost by increased rentals until such time as the shops are sold. When they are sold they will be sold by tender, and I assume the tender will reflect the higher quality of the commercial premises. OLD HDB FLATS (Basis for rebuilding and demolition) The following Question stood in the name of Mr Chng Hee Kok - 2. To ask the Minister for National Development if he will explain the basis on which certain old Housing and Development Board flats are considered suitable for rebuilding while others are being demolished.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Government's first priority in the upgrading programme is to upgrade the old HDB flats. The upgrading of commercial premises, including markets/shops, is a separate matter. HDB will consider such upgrading if it is necessary to raise the quality of the total environment. Since these are commercial premises, HDB must recover the cost of upgrading from the tenants or purchasers.”
“The HDB has stopped building 3-room flats because it has a stock of about 8,000-odd 3-room flats and a waiting list of only 3,000 applicants for 3-room flats. So obviously until we sell the major proportion of our 3-room flats, HDB will not be building any more 3-room flats. ADMISSION TO PRIMARY SCHOOL (Priority for fourth child) 6. Dr Dixie Tan asked the Minister for Education why, in view of the Government's encouragement of larger families, a fourth child is not accorded the same priority in admission to a primary school as a third child. The Minister of State for Education (Dr Seet Ai Mee) (for the Minister for Education): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am replying on behalf of my Minister. The Primary School Registration Scheme is designed to enable parents to register their children for admission to schools in a fair and orderly manner. The Registration Scheme was amended in 1987 to include a child from a 3-child family to have the same priority as those from a 1- or 2-child family. The Government is currently monitoring the results of the new population policy. We will amend the Primary School Registration Scheme if this is considered desirable.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the recent changes in public housing policy enables more Singaporeans and Singapore permanent residents to buy resale HDB flats from the open market. The impact on prices of flats of these changes are thus restricted only to the resale market. In the case of new flats, HDB will continue to build them according to demand. The Board will continue to ensure that a sufficient range of flat types and selling prices would be available for Singaporeans to choose to suit their income levels.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, this is a turnkey contract. So the delays or unforeseen soil condition should not increase the cost. But, of course, there will be a delay in the construction, as I mentioned, by about six months. NEW HDB FLATS (Effect of policy changes on prices) 5. Dr S. Vasoo asked the Minister for National Development whether, as a result of the recent changes in public housing policy, the prices of new Housing and Development Board flats will remain within the reach of the average income earners in the near future.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Central Expressway Phase 2 from Bukit Timah Road to Chin Swee Road is expected to be completed in mid-1991. There are some delays in its progress. This is mainly due to unforeseen poor soil condition (near Cairnhill Circle) encountered during the construction of the tunnels. Labour shortage has also contributed to the delay. To speed up the construction, the contractor has recruited more workers and started working beyond 7.00 pm and on Sundays in areas outside residential areas, for example, the Singapore River site.”
“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 S. Dhanabalan]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.”
“The salient provisions are: (a) Staff in the Planning Department, Research and Statistics Unit and the existing URA will be automatically transferred to the new URA from the effective date of the amalgamation on terms not less favourable than what they were enjoying before the transfer. Pension benefits will be preserved. The Minister may, however, determine that certain grades of persons in the Planning Department and the Research and Statistics Unit, for example, common user staff, will be given the option to remain in Government service. (b) The new URA will take over the existing liabilities and pending proceedings of the Government in respect of the Planning Department and the Research and Statistics Unit. (c) Existing rights and liabilities in relation to the existing URA, Planning Department and the Research and Statistics Unit will remain after the amalgamation. (d) Information collected by the Research and Statistics Unit before the appointed day and transferred to the Authority shall be subject to the same safeguards with regard to disclosure as provided in the Statistics Act. Sir, let me now just deal with a few other salient provisions. We are also taking the opportunity in this Bill to streamline certain of the operations of the URA to bring them in line with the practices of other major statutory boards. For example, clause 18 will allow the new URA to appoint, with the approval of the Minister, a Chief Executive, to be known by a designation as the Authority may determine. On matters of finance and audit, the URA will follow the model provisions developed by the Auditor-General which all statutory bodies are required to incorporate into their respective Acts. These are contained in the Third Schedule to the Act. Sir, I beg to move.”
“It can publish information as long as it observes the confidentiality of such information. The new URA can also provide advisory and information services which relate to planning and land use. In this connection, the Authority will take over the administration of the Ministry's records and data and the computerized Land Information System (ILUS). In line with our intention to have the main planning functions contained in the Planning Act, the following functions will be removed from the present URA Act: (1) The planning function to control and regulate the provision of car parking spaces for developments (Section 49 of the present Act), and (2) The planning functions which relate to conservation of land and buildings and the designation of conservation areas and the issuance of conservation guidelines, ie, section 18 of the present Act. As the new Authority will effectively be undertaking various planning functions under the Planning Act, through the appointment of its Chief Executive as a Competent Authority under the Act, clause 6 (l) will have a general provision to empower the Authority to carry out the functions and duties as are imposed upon it. The power of the Minister with respect to the Authority remains unchanged. This includes the power to give specific directions to the Authority and to require it to keep the Minister informed of its activities. Mr Speaker, Sir, to effect the amalgamation, Part IV of the Bill will make the necessary provisions with regard to the transfer of existing staff, existing rights and liabilities of, as well as pending proceedings against, the component organizations.”
“Through the amalgamation, the planning and development control functions will be centralized under a single authority. Second, it facilitates the sharing of expertise. With the amalgamation of URA's expertise in Central Area planning, particularly in urban design, and Planning Department's experience in strategic plan- ning, there will be better coordinated planning for the whole island. Third, it minimizes the duplication in supporting services. Duplication in data collection, analysis and land data computerization will be minimized with the amalgamation. New and better technical and administrative support will be provided with the shared resources. Lastly, it attracts talent. The amalgamation will widen the scope of planning work, making the new organization more attractive to talented young architects, planners and engineers. Besides, it will provide greater opportunities for job enrichment and career development to staff of the three existing organizations. Sir, the new planning authority will retain the name Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) because of the reputation and goodwill which has been built up both locally and abroad by the URA. Sir, let me now highlight the main provisions of the Urban Redevelopment Authority Bill 1989 with regard to the functions, duties and powers of the new Authority which are in addition to the provisions in the present Act. Part III of the Bill sets out the functions, duties and powers of the new URA. These will remain the same as those of the existing URA, with the following additions: With the amalgamation of the Research and Statistics Unit, the authority will collect and analyse statistical information which relate to building, construction, land use, etc.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, to accommodate all these new provisions, we could have made extensive changes and rearrangements to the present Act. But we believe that it is neater to accommodate these changes by repealing the present URA Act and enacting a new Act altogether. Moreover, since we are constituting a new organization, it is appropriate to establish it by enacating a new Act. We therefore have the present URA Bill which has the provision of repealing the present URA Act. Mr Speaker, Sir, the physical development of Singapore in the coming years will be increasingly undertaken by the private sector. The public sector will guide the course of our physical development rather than become involved in the direct implementation of projects. The Planning Department has to be strengthened to enable it to provide strategic guidance. At the same time, the URA, having hived off its commercial undertakings in development and property management to a new company called PIDEMCO, will become primarily an urban planning agency. My Ministry therefore proposes that the present URA and the Planning Department be amalgamated so that there will be a single authority in a position to administer the Planning Act. The Research and Statistics Unit of the Ministry of National Development will also be amalgamated with the new URA to give it the statistical and research support it needs to undertake its planning activities. Sir, let me now enumerate the advantages of the amalgamation. First, it streamlines planning functions. The URA is currently the Conservation Authority and the planning agency for the Central Area, while the Planning Department is the planning authority for the rest of the Island.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, in my earlier reading of the Planning (Amendment No. 2) Bill, I mentioned the amalgamation of the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Ministry of Development's Planning Department and the Research and Statistics Unit. The Urban Redevelopment Authority Bill seeks to give effect to the amalgamation by the establishment of a new Urban Redevelopment Authority. The present Urban Redevelopment Authority Act was enacted in 1974 to establish the URA, when it took over the functions of the former Urban Renewal Department of the Housing and Development Board. In the present Act, there are specific provisions which relate to the transfer of staff from the HDB as well as the transfer of the Board's property, assets and liabilities to the URA. There are also various references as to how existing rights, commitments and pending proceedings which relate to the HDB are to be dealt with. The amalgamation of the present URA with the Ministry's Planning Department and the Research and Statistics Unit will really mean that a new Authority is being established. Many of the provisions which relate to the previous Urban Renewal Department of the HDB which are found in the present Act will no longer be applicable. New provisions which relate to the transfer of the existing staff, assets, liabilities and commitments of the three component organizations have to be spelled out. New functions have to be added to the Act with the amalgamation and some existing functions have to be deleted and placed in the Planning Act. At the same time, we would like to take the opportunity of the amalgamation to streamline the operations of the existing URA to bring them in line with other major statutory boards.”
“So we will be very careful. In the Ministry, we will be monitoring the various proposals put up by the URA which will be the conservation authority. We will be monitoring very carefully to ensure that we only conserve those areas that are really worth conserving. On conservation, of course, once you have dealt with very clear cases, there is a large grey area where it can be quite subjective. And we are very very mindful that the economic imperatives should prevail in many cases. So we will make sure that we will not stifle development or unnecessarily devalue people's properties because we have swung to the other extreme of wanting to conserve everything. 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 Dhanabalan]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY BILL 2.11 pm Order for Second Reading read.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Member for his support for the Bill. We will continue to monitor the implementation of the development charge system. As a result of discussions and consultation with the professionals and with the industry, we have already made changes in this Bill to allow the prescribed rate system and the present individual valuation system to run parallel for some time so. This modification has already been built in and we will see how it operates. As a result also of discussions with the industry, we, together with the Chief Valuer, have increased the number of sectors. In other words, Singapore was originally divided into about 20 sectors for valuation purposes which were just too few. We have now increased it to 47 sectors and 28 of them are really within the City area. We hope that this would remove a lot of the initial unhappiness with the valuations that were indicated for each sector. As I said, we will continue to work closely with the industry. The whole purpose of this system is not to impose something that is unacceptable and that is likely to adversely affect the building industry in Singapore. The purpose of this system is to make things easy, expedite and encourage. And as long as we have those objectives clearly in mind, I am sure that, together with the industry, we can work out a system that will be acceptable and good for Singapore. Regarding conservation, I entirely agree with the Member's views. In the initial stage of our development, we did not pay much regard to the historical or architectural merits of buildings and we were rather indiscriminate in knocking down some buildings which we regret now. But we must guard against swinging to the other extreme of wanting to preserve everything, because there is a cost to this effort.”
“Sir, this provision to limit requests for individual valuations will be brought into effect at an appropriate time after we have tested the prescribed rate system. In the initial stages, we will allow everybody to make requests for individual valuation and to make appeals. But after some time of implementing this system, the Minister can have a cut off so that all development charges below a certain amount will not have this option of asking for individual valuation. Now, to the implementation of the revised development charge system. To clearly establish the cut off point for the implementation of the revised system, clause 13(6) provides that the revised system will not apply to all development applications that have already been granted provisional permission before the commencement of the Act. There are a few other transitional provisions, Sir, that I will just mention. Clause 13 of the Bill sets out the transitional provisions to spell out clearly how existing operational, financial and contractual arrangements are to be dealt with following the amalgamation of the present URA and Planning Department. The salient provisions are: (a) under sub-clause (2), conservation guidelines issued by the present URA before the commencement of the Act will be deemed to be issued under the amended Act; (b) under sub-clause (3), the car parking waiver charges paid to and held by the present URA at the effective date of the amalgamation will be paid into the Consolidated Fund; and (c) under sub-clauses (4) and (5), any requirement or conditions imposed regarding the provision of car parking spaces made by the present URA will continue to have effect and can be enforced under the Planning Act. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed.”
“At present he would not know the development charge until he actually submits an application for development and the valuer has valued that piece of land. Based on difference in valuation for the changed use, a certain development charge would be levied. So he would not know the development charge before he buys the piece of land. Clause 9 of the Bill will introduce a simpler system which will enable the development charge to be computed in accordance with a set of prescribed rates determined by the Chief Valuer and with a definite method of calculation. As the prescribed rates have not yet been fully tested by the market, clause 9 of the Bill allows an applicant to request the Chief Valuer for an individual valuation if the applicant feels that the prescribed rate does not reasonably reflect the value of a site. I think Members know that there were quite a few comments and discussions on the system and some felt that the prescribed rates do not accurately reflect the value of the land. So in order to test the system, in the initial stages, we will allow the owner of a land the option of choosing an individual valuation to be made for development charge purposes rather than just using the table. Clause 10 will allow this option by retaining the present system of appeals for individual valuations. Once somebody chooses to use the prescribed table, then there would be no appeal. But if he chooses to have an individual valuation made, and the valuation by the Chief Valuer is something that he does not accept, he can make an appeal. However, Sir, to maintain the simplicity of the system, clause 9 will give the Minister the power to limit requests for individual valuations to cases where the development charges are more than a prescribed amount.”
“That will be the basis for calculating development charge. On the other hand, for purposes of guiding and approving development, the Master Plan could be a series of development guide plans, street plans and other documents which will incorporate the latest thinking of the planners. With this stipulation, the base for computing development charge is fixed and the planning authority is free to make changes to the Master Plan without being concerned about how they will affect the development charge. This will give the planning authority the flexibility to update the current Master Plan, for example, by drawing up new development guide plans for various areas in Singapore and to make known the long term planning intentions of an area to the public. The third aspect is that this new system is a simpler way of computing the development charge. The present development charge system requires the Chief Valuer to determine the enhancement of land value arising from each and every development approval when it is granted. Not only is this time-consuming but it also makes it difficult for a developer to know how much development charge is payable at the outset when he has to assess the viability of his development. For example, somebody may want to buy a piece of land where the plot ratio is, say, 1.2. But he is thinking in terms of developing something with a plot ratio of 2, or he might buy a piece of land where the density is 125 persons per hectare, and he might want to buy the piece of land to build something of 250 persons per hectare. Before he buys the piece of land he must know what development charge he would have to pay in order to calculate the viability of the project.”
“We will compute the levy according to the total floor area proposed in the development. In other words, we will use the same measure for all developments, whether they are residential or commercial or other types of developments. The second aspect is the separation of the development charge system from the planning system. Sir, under the present section 26 of the Act, the zones and development intensities shown in the Master Plan form the basis for computing the development charge. The Master Plan is basically a 1958 document. Our present and future requirements as we see them today are quite different from what they would have appeared to planners in 1958. We may, for example, want to change an area that is zoned for industrial use in the Master Plan to residential use to reflect current needs and current standards. If the Master Plan is changed, the basis for computing development charge may be affected. As a result of this connection between the Master Plan and the development charge, the planning authority is reluctant to make changes to the Master Plan even though such changes may be necessary to show the long term planning intentions for an area. For example, if an area is zoned as green belt today and we want to change it to residential and the planners made the change, then the owner of a plot in the green belt would expect to be automatically allowed to develop housing in that area. For this reason, the planners are reluctant to make changes. To overcome this inflexibility, the Bill stipulates that the Master Plan to be used for the purpose of development charge will be the Master Plan approved in 1958, including of course all subsequent alterations and additions that have been made to it and for which development charge has already been paid.”