Yeo Cheow Tong
Singapore
“Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked the Minister for Health in light of the recent report on fungal corneal infections (a) whether those who contracted the contact lens related fungal corneal infections will suffer permanent damage to their eyes; and (b) how long will his Ministry take to conclude its investigations into the causes of these contact le…”
“My Ministry performs a regulatory role and what we do is that we try to ensure that we have a conducive regulatory environment for the growth of this industry in Singapore. Let me tell him what we are doing in some areas.”
“Sir, on her two questions, whether we are satisfied that the school buses are collecting fares during the school holidays, as I mentioned just now, the school bus service is a contractual service between the parents and the service provider. It is therefore up to them to work out the terms and to abide by the terms.”
“Sir, on the first question, whether there is any abuse by owners of buses while using the 50% rebate, the answer is no, because LTA monitors very closely.”
“Sir, I have to repeat my answer. We are not responsible for regulating school buses and therefore will not be involved. SCHOOL BUSES (Installation of seat belts) 5. Assoc. Prof.”
“Ong Soh Khim asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) if his Ministry will increase the cap of $10,000 per disabled person over their lifetime for the Assistive Technology Fund scheme; and (b) if not, whether there will be a flexibility to adjust the funding cap for this scheme based on the applicant's need, as j…”
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“Sir, she was an employee of SGH with an employment contract.”
“Sir, the complaint was against a senior member of Dr Tsakok's staff. The CPIB investigated and, arising from the investigations, the facts about the shareholdings came out. The investigations by the CPIB were on the complaint on the staff of Dr Maurine Tsakok, and not on Dr Maurine Tsakok herself.”
“Sir, may I take Questions 16 and 17 together as they are related?”
“Sir, the danger of duplication, especially unnecessary duplication of services leading to waste, is something which has always been at the top of the priorities in my Ministry. Because of that, we do coordinate the type of services that can be provided at the different hospitals, not just in terms of the neurosciences but in terms of the other specialties as well. In view of the plans for the Neuroscience Institute, the activities of both SGH and TTSH will now be better coordinated to ensure that they work together towards the implementation of the NSI because we expect the staff from both hospitals to be actively involved in the Neuroscience Institute when it is completed in about 2(r) years time. HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD (Upgrading programme for lifts in older estates) 12. Mr Chng Hee Kok asked the Minister for National Development if the Housing and Development Board will implement a general upgrading programme for lifts to stop at every floor in older HDB estates.”
“Sir, the SGH Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery have been developing since 1990 and, in the course of development, they have been purchasing equipment. Whether or not those equipment could be used at the new NSI is another matter. But they have been purchasing equipment which are relevant to their needs of today and where the equipment have enough capacity to cater to patients from the other hospitals, they have indeed been sharing these equipment with them.”
“Sir, Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) was the first hospital in Singapore to develop clinical expertise in managing patients with neurological and neurosurgical conditions. It started a Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology in 1972, and established a separate Department of Neurology in 1978. Over the years, TTSH has built up a solid reputation in managing patients with neurological problems. SGH started its neurosurgical service in 1990, and developed separate Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery in 1993. The well-established expertise, capabilities and track record of TTSH in the neurosciences make it the most appropriate location for the new Neuroscience Institute. Thus when my Ministry approved the redevelopment of TTSH in 1990, provisions were made to incorporate the Neuroscience Institute in the new hospital. It is also in line with my Ministry's intention to let each regional hospital, like TTSH and the New Changi Hospital, develop and be known for two or three specialty areas. Members may also be interested to note that the Neuroscience Institute, although located at TTSH, will be the national centre to coordinate all clinical service, teaching and research programmes. It will be opened to all well qualified and experienced neuroscience clinicians and scientists from the public and private sectors and university. They will hold joint appointments to the NSI and be able to participate actively in its programmes and help to establish the Neuroscience Institute as the top regional referral centre for neuroscience.”
“Sir, the maintenance of schools comes under the Ministry of Education and PWD and they decide on how they want to maintain the schools, eg, looking after the sports facilities, the field and all the other assets of the school. Pest control is not just for mosquitoes. There are other insects that need to be controlled and they are all normally undertaken by pest control companies. So the PWD and MOE have decided, quite wisely, that this is a fairly specialised job which should be contracted out to specialists, ie, pest control companies.”
“That is why I said, Sir, because of the problem of mosquito breeding in construction sites, we actually have a very active programme of educating construction company staff and workers on how to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes, ie, watching out for receptacles that are collecting water and making sure that the sites are kept debris-free as far as possible. And this includes the premises which have been completed but before they are handed over. They should make sure that all the receptacles are closed up and the gully traps are covered.”
“Sir, unfortunately, we do not have the powers to break down the door and inspect the premises if they are locked up. But what we try to do is to make sure that the contractors are also educated. When they finish work in the new homes, they should cover the toilet bowls as well as the gully traps so that they can help to prevent mosquitoes from breeding there.”
“Sir, the Ministry has been regularly carrying out various programmes of public education. For example, we use the mass media, ie, the newspapers and TV. We do have campaigns conducted periodically through the TV as well. The key really is to make sure that we reach out to the households and we do it through the schools as well. The Ministry produces quite a large number of different pamphlets and these are distributed to school children for them to bring home to show their parents. The pamphlets would normally describe the dangers of dengue fever, what causes it and what the households should be doing to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes. And for those neighbourhoods where there is a high incidence of Aedes mosquitoes, my Ministry staff actually do a house-to-house delivery of leaflets to inform the people living in the neighbourhood that there has been a high incidence of Aedes mosquitoes and dengue fever and to encourage them to play their individual part in checking their homes, their grounds and roof gutters. For example, many of the homes in the landed property districts have roof gutters which, because of old age, are sagging and therefore could lead to ponding or they could be clogged up by leaves. So we carry out all these public education programmes very regularly.”
“Sir, in the school grounds, breeding takes place in the drains and in various receptacles, sometimes even in the hollows of the trees. The schools have pesticide contractors to maintain the school grounds. And we have reminded the school principals that whilst they have the contractors, it is still their responsibility to conduct inspections of their school grounds and ensure that their school grounds are free of breeding sites.”
“Their cooperation and hard work enable investors and businesses to achieve attractive and competitive returns, thus encouraging them to expand their operations here. By continuing to work closely together, Singaporeans can ensure that we continue to attract new quality investments. This will help us gain access to the latest technologies and products, and generate high-paying jobs for our people. It will also help us to generate adequate financial resources to help low income earners. By maintaining our free market environment and a strong currency, it will ensure that inflation continues to be low. Sir, Singaporeans cannot avoid having to spend more if they want to raise their standard of living. Our aim must be to ensure that our incomes increase steadily, thereby making our aspirations realisable. The solution is to continue to upgrade our skills and our productivity so that we can command higher salaries without losing our competitiveness. Then all Singaporeans can afford the better things in life for themselves and their families. This is the successful approach this Government has taken all these years. And this is the approach we must continue to take. Sir, I support the motion.”
“We are now competing with not just the developing, but also developed countries, for international markets and investments. Our resource constraints are permanent and we cannot wish them away. Our limited land and labour mean that such resources cannot be cheap. This means that we must compete on the basis of capability. How do we do this? First, by maintaining our pro-business environment, with a world-class infrastructure and an efficient public administration. Second, by upgrading our workforce and raising their productivity. This will enable our companies to continue to pay their workers better wages and yet maintain their competitiveness. To this end, the Government has provided incentives and subsidies for training. Our economic agencies will continue to help companies train and re-train workers, upgrade their technology and re-configure their business practices. But workers must also play their part, by putting in the necessary efforts to upgrade their skills and knowledge. Third, by emphasising R&D in order to develop original technology and sharpen our competitive edge. The Government has launched the Second Technology Plan to enhance our technological capability and committed $4 billion into the R&D fund. This will support and promote greater industry-relevant R&D, thus enhancing the capabilities and competitiveness of our industries. Fourth, by maintaining political stability and social cohesion. As investments grow increasingly capital-intensive, so would the premium that investors and businessmen place on peace and stability. The strong support and cooperation of Singaporeans enable the Government to formulate and implement long-term policies.”
“Of course, Members have also mentioned other examples, including Mrs Yu-Foo's example of grapes with many seeds in 1990 versus the seedless grapes of today. It is true that prices have indeed risen, especially for services, but nonetheless the percentage of increase, as indicated in the Report, is only 14%. The bulk of the increase in household expenditure is due to our adopting a higher standard of living and a more comfortable lifestyle. Clearly, this is something to be congratulated, not something to complain about. The Government's responsibility is to promote economic growth so that all Singaporeans can enjoy a higher standard of living. Steady economic growth enables Singaporeans to secure good paying jobs with regular pay rises in step with their efforts and productivity improvements. In fact, the salary of Singapore workers increased by an average of 7.7% per annum over the last seven years. It is this strong growth in wages which has enabled Singaporeans to upgrade, be it in their eating habits, the goods they buy or the homes they live in. Sir, the challenge facing Singaporeans is not really the cost of living - as this is generally within the control of each and every person, whether it is for medical expenses, food, housing, the choices are there. The challenge facing all Singaporeans is how to ensure that our economy stays competitive and healthy. Otherwise, we will not be able to maintain our present standard of living, let alone improve it. The current economic slowdown is a timely reminder to all Singaporeans that our well-being and prosperity are heavily dependent on the outside world. In recent months, global demand for electronics slowed down, and we are immediately affected. Global competition is tough and will get even tougher.”
“This is because prices of fresh food items fluctuate more, in line with market and weather conditions. Moreover, prices are collected from a number of different markets. This means that in a single week, the Department of Statistics collects 24 price quotations for, let us say, kai lan alone. On average, 30,000 price quotations are used to compute the CPI monthly. This painstaking effort ensures that prices used in the CPI closely reflect the actual experience of consumers. The process of compiling the CPI is also transparent and well-documented. International conventions are fully observed in the calculation of the CPI. To ensure that the CPI basket remains representative of spending patterns of Singaporeans, the CPI basket is reviewed and revised every five years. This is a more demanding standard than the international guidelines of a revision every 10 years. Sir, the CPI is a comprehensive measure of price changes. Though not perfect, it is, nonetheless, the best available indicator of the cost of living. Perception Gap However, while inflation as measured by the CPI is low, as Members of the House have mentioned, some Singaporeans have complained that they feel "squeezed", that their cost of living has risen faster than indicated by the CPI. A perception gap appears to exist. Why is this so? Sir, in a way, this is not surprising. While the CPI compares "apples of 1990" with "apples of 1996", people's perception of cost of living is influenced, for example, in some cases, by comparing between "chicken rice in a hot hawker centre in 1990" and "chicken rice in the comfortable air-conditioned Junction 8 Food Court in 1996".”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, first of all, let me join the Members who have spoken before me in commending the members of the Cost Review Committee for their thoroughness and professionalism in addressing Singaporeans' concerns on their cost of living. They have scrutinised the allegations made by the PKMS-SDP that the rise in the cost of living in Singapore was, to quote them, "no less than phenomenal" and that the CPI was the result of "statistical massage of the numbers". Sir, the Committee found these allegations to be totally false and baseless. Their conclusion has upheld the reputation of the Department of Statistics and the team of professionals working there. Sir, during the period that the Committee was meeting, quite a few constituents and grassroots leaders as well as businessmen I met at the various functions asked me what the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was all about and how it was computed. From the conversations, it was clear that they did not fully know what the CPI was all about and how it was computed. Let me therefore take this opportunity to briefly explain to Members of the House the CPI and to highlight what our real concerns should be. CPI is the Best Indicator Sir, the CPI measures the change in prices paid by households for a fixed basket of goods and services. The basket contains 3,300 items of goods and services, including items such as food, bus and MRT fares, prices of cars, haircuts, hospital charges, school and tuition fees. Every month, the Department of Statistics collects a substantial amount of data so as to compute the CPI. Take food, for example. Prices of provisions and sundry items are recorded once every two weeks. Prices of fresh food items are collected even more frequently: three times a week.”
“Mr Cheo Chai Chen asked the Minister for National Development if his Ministry will consider constructing a temporary walkway shelter with lighting for the footpaths between Yishun MRT station and Block 749 at Yishun Street 72.”
“The number and percentage of domestic users by type of premises in the various consumption blocks for September 1996 are provided in the attached table (Cols. 851 - 852). table - NUMBER OF DOMESTIC CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS BY TYPE OF PREMISES IN THE VARIOUS CONSUMPTION BLOCKS AS AT SEP 1996 (Cols. 851 - 852) HUMAN ORGAN TRANSPLANTS 6. Mr Imram bin Mohamed asked the Minister for Health (a) how many persons have registered their objection to the removal of their organs under the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA); (b) how many Muslims have pledged their kidneys for donation under the Medical (Therapy, Education and Research) Act; (c) how many persons have become recipients of organs under HOTA since its incorporation and how many of them are Muslims; and (d) how many Muslims who died from accidents had their organs transplanted over the same period as in (c) and how many of these victims had not pledged their kidneys for donations before their fatal accidents but had their kidneys subsequently donated by their next of kin. BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: a) As at 30th September 1996, there were 7,499 persons who had registered their objections to the removal of their kidneys under the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA). b) As at 30th September 1996, there were 5,988 Muslims who had pledged their kidneys under the Medical (Therapy, Education and Research) Act. c) There were 147 kidney recipients under HOTA since its incorporation, of whom 8 were Muslims. d) Four Muslims who died from accidents had their kidneys harvested for transplant. All of them were not kidney pledgers and consent for kidney donation was obtained from their next-of-kin. WALKWAY SHELTER BETWEEN YISHUN MRT STATION AND BLOCK 749 7.”
“Sir, I beg to move, In page 23, line 13, to leave out "maritime" and insert "marine". Sir, I propose to replace the word "maritime" with the word "marine". I have explained the reasons earlier. Amendment agreed to. Clause 14, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. Bill reported with amendments; read a Third time and passed. SKILLS DEVELOPMENT LEVY (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 1.45 pm”
“Sir, I beg to move, In page 17, lines 17, 18, 24 and 25, to leave out "Harbour Master" and insert "Marina Superintendent". In page 19, lines 14 and 16 and in page 20, lines 1, 32 and 38, to leave out "Harbour Master" and insert "Marina Superintendent". Sir, this is to replace the term "Harbour Master" with the term "Marina Superintendent". I have explained the reasons earlier. Amendments agreed to.”
“Sir, may I seek your permission to move amendments (2) and (4) together?”
“Sir, I beg to move, In page 9, lines 28 and 31, in page 10, lines 11, 18 and 21, and, in page 11, lines 3, 5 and 15, to leave out "maritime" and insert "marine". In page 17, line 30 and in page 18, lines 8 and 9, to leave out "maritime" and insert "marine". Sir, I propose to replace the word "maritime" with the word "marine". I have explained the reasons earlier. Amendments agreed to.”
“Sir, may I have your permission to move amendments (1) and (3) together?”
“Sir, I beg to move, In page 6, line 11 and in page 7, line 5, to leave out "maritime" and insert "marine". Sir, I have explained the reasons in the earlier amendment. Amendment agreed to. Clause 6, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clauses 7 and 8 ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 9 -”
“Sir, I beg to move, In page 4, line 7, to leave out ", employee or" and insert "or employee". Sir, this is to correct a drafting error. Amendment agreed to. Clause 3, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clauses 4 and 5 ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 6 -”
“Sir, I beg to move, In page 3, lines 17, 23 and 24, to leave out "tidal and". Sir, deleting the words "tidal and" will make it clearer that the powers which SDC needs to operate the marina effectively are confined to the Sentosa Cove marina basin and inland waters, and do not extend into port waters. Amendment agreed to. Clause 2, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 3 -”
“Sir, I beg to move, In page 2, line 16, to leave out "maritime" and insert "marine". Sir, the term "maritime" is used in relation to sea navigation and shipping in the MPA Act. I am proposing to replace the term "maritime" with "marine" in order to avoid any confusion with the MPA Act. Amendment agreed to.”
“Sir, I beg to move, In page 2, after line 15, to insert - " "Marina Superintendent" means the Marina Superintendent appointed under section 18H and includes any Deputy or Assistant Marina Superinten- dent appointed under that section;". Sir, I propose to replace the term "Harbour Master" with the term "Marina Superintendent". This is to avoid any confusion with the MPA Act. Amendment agreed to.”
“Sir, I beg to move, In page 2, to leave out lines 9 to 13. Sir, the term "Harbour Master" is used in the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) Act with its own meaning. To avoid confusing the maritime community if the term "Harbour Master" is also used in the SDC (Amendment) Bill, I am proposing to delete the term "Harbour Master" from this Bill. Amendment agreed to.”
“The bonds would supplement existing instruments like loans and debentures. Clause 8 will extend the period by which SDC must present its Annual Report and financial statements from the current four months to six months from the end of the previous financial year. This will give SDC sufficient time to audit its financial accounts, and is in line with the practice in other statutory boards. Clause 10 will allow SDC to appoint professional committees to assist the Corporation. This is in addition to existing provisions for SDC to appoint advisory and technical committees. Clause 13 of the Bill will allow SDC to compound offences under the SDC Act and Regulations with fines of up to $500. Currently, SDC can only take actions against minor offenders through the Courts. The proposed provision will give SDC greater flexibility in dealing with minor offenders. Sir, the proposed amendments to the SDC Act are necessary to allow SDC to administer the Sentosa Cove development, and to facilitate the administration of Sentosa island and the Corporation. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Yeo Cheow Tong]. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] Clause 1 ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 2 -”
“I will take the House through these amendments later at the Committee stage. New Regulations Sir, new regulations are also necessary to enable SDC to manage Sentosa island more effectively. Existing SDC regulations were promulgated in the 1970s. Since then, there have been many changes to the island. The most significant change was the construction of the causeway bridge which opened in December 1992. SDC currently allows businesses operating on Sentosa and members of the Sentosa Golf Club to drive into Sentosa on a very restrictive basis. SDC controls the entry of such vehicles at its causeway checkpoint and administers a system of vehicle permits. But once on the island, some of these vehicles are driven around the island instead of to their designated locations. Some drivers park their vehicles in non-designated areas, inconveniencing Sentosa visitors and authorised vehicles. Clause 14 of the Bill will allow SDC to rectify this situation. It provides for new SDC regulations to regulate traffic and the parking of vehicles in Sentosa. Drivers on Sentosa must recognise that driving into Sentosa is a privilege, and they should not abuse this privilege. Minor Amendments Let me now take the House through the proposed minor amendments to the SDC Act. They are necessary to facilitate the administration of Sentosa island and the SDC. Clauses 4 and 11 will allow SDC to redesignate the General Manager of SDC to Chief Executive of SDC, to reflect his enlarged job scope with SDC taking on the development of Sentosa Cove. Clause 6 will allow SDC to grant loans to its subsidiary companies, such as Sentosa Cove Pte Ltd, subject to the written approval of the Minister for Trade and Industry. Clause 7 will allow SDC to issue bonds, if necessary, to raise funds in the future.”
“Successful tenderers will be required to clear their designs with SDC before commencing building works. This is necessary to ensure that the external facade of buildings on Sentosa Cove will blend in with the ambience on Sentosa. Secondly, powers to levy "estate maintenance contributions" on properties on Sentosa Cove for maintaining common areas on Sentosa Cove. SDC will set up a maintenance fund to maintain common areas such as canals, canal walls, sluices, gates and other land-based facilities on Sentosa Cove. Property-owners will bear the cost of such maintenance and improvements through a regular contribution to SDC. Clause 9 of the Bill will also empower SDC to recover arrears in conservancy charges through the sale of properties. This is similar to the provisions under the Land Titles (Strata) Act. There are stringent safeguards in the Bill to avoid abuses by SDC. Thirdly, powers to regulate the use of Sentosa Cove marina basin and inland waters. These powers are necessary for safety, navigation and environmental reasons, and to allow the marina to operate efficiently. The marina basin and inland waters will be policed by SDC staff. Clause 9 of the Bill provides for SDC's appointment of a "Harbour Master" who will be given the necessary powers to control the navigation and use of vessels in the Sentosa Cove waterways. It also prescribes the penalties for vessels which navigate in the Sentosa Cove waterways carelessly or dangerously. Terms like "Harbour" and "maritime" are used in the Maritime and Port Authority Act with their own meanings. To avoid confusing the maritime community, I am proposing minor amendments to the Amendment Bill to replace these terms. The term "Harbour Master" will now be replaced with "Marina Superintendent".”
“It intends to parcel out the lots in a variety of sizes, ranging from single bungalow lots, to multi-bungalow, townhouse and condominium developments. The lots will be tendered out on 99-year leases. This approach will enable private individuals and developers to participate in the tender exercise. In drawing up the development plans for Sentosa Cove, my Ministry and SDC have recognised the importance of preserving the ambience and charm of Sentosa. This has been Sentosa's unique feature, and makes the island special to its many visitors. As such, we plan to limit Sentosa Cove to a total of 2,300 residential units. Vehicles travelling to and from Sentosa Cove will not be permitted into other parts of Sentosa. SDC's target is to launch the land sales in the second half of next year. The land sales phasing will of course take into account prevailing market conditions. Major amendments Let me now take Members through the SDC Amendment Bill. The major amendments to the SDC Act are those pertaining to the Sentosa Cove project. Under the existing SDC Act, SDC's charter is restricted to managing, developing and promoting Sentosa proper as a tourist attraction. Clauses 5 and 6 of the Amendment Bill will enlarge SDC's charter to include developing and administering Sentosa Cove for residential, commercial and recreational purposes. The clauses will also allow SDC to venture into the region, or provide consultancy services, if suitable business opportunities come along. Clause 9 of the Bill will give SDC the necessary powers to administer Sentosa Cove. The powers are in three main areas. Firstly, powers to lay down conditions under which building works, including structures on water, can be undertaken on Sentosa Cove.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The main objective of the Bill is to enable the Sentosa Development Corporation, or SDC for short, to administer the Sentosa Cove development. The Bill will also make some minor amendments to the SDC Act to enhance the administration of Sentosa island and the Corporation. Sentosa Cove project Let me begin by giving Members of the House some information on the Sentosa Cove project. Sentosa Cove, which used to be known as Buran Darat, is located on the eastern end of Sentosa island. It will have a total land area of 116.5 hectares. SDC will turn Sentosa Cove into an integrated waterfront development, comprising a marina, a hotel, shops and a major residential housing development with bungalows, townhouses, condominiums and apartments. The concept was modelled after Port Grimaud on the French Riveria. Sentosa has subsequently studied other newer waterfront developments elsewhere in the world and incorporated concept and design features from these newer projects which suit our local environment. The Government decided on the Sentosa Cove project for three reasons. Firstly, to realise the economic potential of Sentosa Cove. Secondly, to provide in Singapore an unique waterfront development. Thirdly, to enhance the tourism product of Sentosa. Port Grimaud attracts many tourists because of its unique development. We expect Sentosa Cove to be equally successful as a tourist attraction, both to locals as well as to tourists. The project will be implemented by SDC's fully-owned subsidiary, Sentosa Cove Pte Ltd, which will operate as SDC's agent. SDC is now in the process of finalising the detailed plans for the entire development.”
“Let me also assure Members that the relevant authorities will carefully scrutinise any complaints made by our domestic producers that they are being injured by subsidised or dumped goods before taking action to impose any anti-dumping or countervailing measures. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Yeo Cheow Tong]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment, read a Third time and passed. SENTOSA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read.”
“These include questionnaires, invitation for comments from interested parties and on-site verifications. These investigations must be concluded within a year after initiation, and within 18 months in special circumstances. This ensures that complaints are processed expeditiously, minimising interruptions to or uncertainties over the trade concerned. If the investigations conclude that the goods have indeed been dumped or were subsidised and that the domestic industry in question was consequently injured, anti-dumping and countervailing duties can then be imposed. Such duties imposed under this Bill will be treated as customs duties and the provisions of the Customs Act will apply in relationship to the collection and enforcement of the duties. To take into account developments which may take place following the imposition of anti-dumping or countervailing duties, the authorities will conduct periodic reviews to determine whether the duties should continue to remain in place. In addition, to ensure transparency and fairness to all parties involved, the new Bill establishes an independent Anti-Dumping Tribunal. Interested parties can request the Tribunal to review the final determination in an investigation as well as the final results of a periodic review. Conclusion Mr Speaker, let me end by assuring Members of this House that Singapore remains firmly committed to the policy of free trade. However, from time to time, unfair trade practices such as export subsidies and dumping may still occur. Where these unfair trade practices cause undue damage to our domestic producers, Singapore is entitled to take action against the injurious exports.”
“For instance, the present Act does not specify who constitutes the "domestic industry", the scope of "interested parties" or what are considered "like goods" in any particular case. In the Bill, the scope of the "domestic industry" has been defined to mean domestic producers of like goods. "Like goods" in turn are defined to mean goods which are determined to be identical in all aspects or which most closely resemble the goods which are being dumped or subsidised. Similarly, "interested party" is now defined in the Bill to include producers, exporters, importers of the subject goods, trade or business associations representing these groups, the government or the producer's country and the domestic industry. The definitions clearly explain who can file a petition against dumped or subsidised imports, and allow the authorities to assess whether the dumped or subsidised goods are in fact causing injury to the particular domestic industry. Provisions for Procedures on Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Actions Another key improvement to the existing Act is the inclusion of clear and detailed provisions to ensure transparency and consistency in the procedures for anti-dumping and countervailing actions. These are in line with the disciplines set forth in the WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures as well as the WTO Agreement on Anti-Dumping Measures. For example, when a particular domestic industry has sufficient proof that it is suffering injury from unfairly-priced imports, it can petition the Government to take action. If there is sufficient proof, the authorities will carry out thorough investigations according to the detailed procedures stipulated in the new Bill.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The Countervailing and Anti-Dumping Duties Bill seeks to update and bring the existing Customs (Dumping and Subsidies) Act (Chapter 71) in line with the World Trade Organisation ("WTO") Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures as well as the WTO Agreement on Anti-Dumping Measures. When enacted, the new Countervailing and Anti-Dumping Duties Act will replace the existing Customs (Dumping and Subsidies) Act. The existing Act has been in force since 1962. Since then, the international rules governing countervailing measures that can be taken against subsidised imports and anti-dumping measures against dumped imports have been re-negotiated under the various rounds of GATT multilateral trade negotiations, culminating with the conclusion of the Uruguay Round and the birth of the WTO. As a WTO member, we need to update our existing laws on dumping and subsidies to meet our commitments under the WTO Agreements. This will reaffirm Singapore's status as a responsible trading partner. The detailed rules and procedures in the Bill will also give added assurance and certainty to the local and foreign parties concerned whenever an action is instituted. New Provisions and Significant Amendments Mr Speaker, the existing Act already contains the basic framework for anti-dumping and countervailing measures. The new Bill expands on this basic framework, clarifying and putting in place rules and procedures that are in line with the relevant WTO Agreements. Let me now bring Members through the salient provisions of this Bill: Definition First, the Bill sets out clear interpretations of key terms, and expands on the definitions in the present Act.”
“We can attempt. PAYMENT OF FINE BY PARENT FOR CHILD'S OFFENCE (Criteria) 7. Dr Kanwaljit Soin asked the Minister for Law if he will clarify the criteria that are taken into account in deciding which parent is ordered to pay a fine when a child is found guilty of an offence by a juvenile court, having regard to the Government's policy of designating the father as the head of the family.”
“Sir, I am sorry we do not have the breakdown for the other companies.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, first, land constitutes about 5.9% of Singapore Power's projected average total assets in FY 96/97. Second, the 10 largest land parcels and their locations are given in Table 1 (Cols. 127 - 128) which has already been circulated to Members. Third, the land values were appraised by an independent property consultant, Jones Lang Wootton, in 1995, based on the open market value for their existing use, ie, as utilities and industrial properties. Table 1 - MAJOR LAND PARCELS (Cols. 127 - 128) Dr Wang Kai Yuen (Bukit Timah): Sir, how does the ratio of land versus total equity of SP compare with the other countries like Malaysia and Hong Kong in a survey that was carried out?”
“In 1995, TDB approved over $8 million of grants under these schemes. In addition, TDB has an aggressive schedule of fairs, missions and seminars to help local companies develop and tap new and emerging markets. In 1995, 63 overseas trade missions and 32 overseas trade fairs were organised, covering countries like South Africa, Myanmar, Vietnam, India, China and some of the developed countries. These have enabled our local companies to secure buying contracts for their products as well as source for new products to market in this region. For the future, we have new schemes such as the Singapore Mega Traders scheme and the Singapore International Business Corporations scheme which will help local companies develop into MNCs. Under these schemes, TDB will help the promising companies identify specific business opportunities abroad to facilitate strong third country partnerships and help to finance strategic overseas investments. TDB will continue in this way to help our local companies at the micro level expand their international trade.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, MTI takes a two-pronged approach to promoting Singapore's international trade. At the macro level, we participate actively in various international and regional fora, in order to work towards a more conducive and a more open international trading environment. For example, we are an active member of the World Trade Organisation. This is a very crucial organisation for not just Singapore but for the whole world, because this organisation will be the one that will drive trade barriers down in the years to come. How strong are we a supporter? This can be seen by the fact that in December this year, Singapore will be hosting the first Ministerial Conference for WTO Ministers. We hope that this meeting would help to make further progress in the global efforts towards free trade. We also work together with countries in various groupings, eg, in ASEAN, in APEC. ASEAN is a very important grouping, because the ASEAN Free Trade Area will result in intra-ASEAN trade barriers being reduced significantly, with tariffs falling to below 5% by the year 2003. Lower trade barriers mean greater potential for us to enhance trade relations with our neighbours. At the company level, the TDB administers various schemes to encourage and to assist local entrepreneurs to expand their international trading activities. For example, a double tax deduction scheme allows local companies to offset expenses incurred when they undertake approved activities to promote exports. What sort of activities are these? These activities would include export market development, participation in overseas missions, overseas and local trade fairs, establishment of overseas trade offices, and advertisements in approved Singapore export promotion publications.”
“Once they have proven that it can work, I think other venture capitalists would be prepared to come in in a much bigger way. So we have already helped eight companies to set up under this scheme.”
“We set a target of 40 and we have actually surpassed that. And second, the private sector share of gross R&D expenditure has exceeded the target of 50%. But in the third area, the gross expenditure of R&D to GDP ratio, we have not been able to attain. We set a target of 2%, which I think on hindsight was overly ambitious because Taiwan, with their much longer history of R&D, was only able to attain a gross expenditure of R&D to GDP ratio of 1.82%. So I think on hindsight, our 2% target was a little too ambitious. Our challenge in the future years will be to ensure that we can work closely with the private sector to help them drive their R&D programmes. I think the key word is to make sure that we are involved in projects which are economically relevant. No point doing research just for the sake of research. There must be relevance to our economy, and this is what we are aiming for. In terms of the Technology Development Fund which Dr Wong Kwei Cheong has asked, this programme was announced in September 1995, and I am glad that within this short period of time, of less than six months, the TDF has already supported eight companies to the tune of $12.5 million. The TDF is a scheme that is meant to enable technology entrepreneurs to commercialise their developments. With technology, the initial stages of commercialisation carry a very high risk and most venture funds are not prepared to even step in at that point in time. I think this is where the TDF comes in in a very important way, because we help them take the first one or two steps to set up a company and launch the more intense development work as well as to make sure that they can commercialise it.”
“Both Dr Wong and Dr Wang have asked me to give them an update on programmes to promote R&D. Sir, in the past year we had made very good progress in our NSTB's programmes, as noted by the two speakers. What is important is that the private sector component of the R&D growth has been extremely encouraging. The private sector growth was 19% per annum between 1991 and 1994. Sir, by spending more on R&D, companies are actually investing in their future. As Dr Wang has pointed out, this is very important in view of the growing competition in the region. In terms of the expenditure, the R&D incentive schemes administered by NSTB have been very effective. Since 1991, it has given out about $500 million worth of grants and in the process, has secured over $2 billion in R&D spending by the MNCs and local companies. I think this is a true test of whether the expenditure is viable. You get the private sector to put the money where they feel it is worthwhile, and we support them. The research institutes and centres that we have set up have been important also because they provide in a way the seeding for research work to be carried out. As a result of both the establishment of the research institutes and the grants that we have given out, 53 corporate R&D centres have been established since 1991. And most of these are world-class centres, for example, the Motorola Centre undertakes research and development of pagers. Most of the pagers worldwide under the Motorola brand are actually developed in Singapore. Of the three targets that were set under the 1991 National Technology Plan to track the level of R&D development in Singapore, we have exceeded two of them. The first is the ratio of research scientists and engineers per 10,000 labour force.”
“Yes. He also asked whether, with the economies of scale, the ROTA takes into consideration the high level of production. Sir, electricity generation is done in discrete units. So each power plant can be 400 megawatts or 600 megawatts, or even higher. Most utilities will size the plant in relationship to the increase in consumption because you cannot have half a plant. So when you put the whole plant in, you want to make sure that the whole plant's capacity is used up within as short a time as possible. So in PUB's case, the new plants are about 600 megawatts. Our annual increase in usage is almost 400 megawatts. So a completely new plant would be used up within 1 1/2 years. Is there an economy of scale? I think there is still some economy of scale. And this is where the CPI-X formula would take into consideration because those economies of scale will show up as productivity improvements. So it will be taken in. On the assets of PUB, how do we apportion the different assets since we have only taken out the gas and electricity portions. The allocation of assets was done strictly in terms of which organisation has the most need for that particular asset. So the power stations are all fully transferred to SP. The one where there is a joint usage is the PUB Building in Somerset Road. It is being used by both SP and the present PUB. So what we have done is that we have apportioned the value based on the actual space being used by them. [Interruption]. No, they own it. So we have apportioned the value based on the portion that they actually occupy which again is a very fair method of apportioning.”
“SP's gearing is 33%, one third. The one-third level is a realistic level because it means, on the one hand, it is borrowing from the market and that is a good test of how viable the operations are and, on the other hand, it has enough equity to undertake future projects, whether in Singapore or abroad. So the one-third ratio is a prudent ratio. He has asked about the assessment of the current tension on Suzhou and whether the situation has worsened there and whether the project in Suzhou would be jeopardised. Sir, if the situation has worsened there, the impact would not just be in Suzhou, but it would be on the economies of the whole region, including Singapore. It must be. So our only hope is that good sense will prevail and the whole issue can be settled and tensions removed. Then all of us can continue focusing on what matters most, which is our livelihood. Dr Ow asked what does the word "average" mean when applied to assets. For accounting simplicity, since the assets change throughout the whole year, the average assets are normally taken as the average of the starting assets and the closing assets.”
“Sir, Mr Low asked whether with competition in the future, we can expect tariffs to be lower. He should realise that with inflation, with higher labour cost, with equipment prices escalating at about 5% a year, it will be very difficult for any utility company to promise lower tariffs. But what we can assure Singaporeans is that because of competition, any tariff increases can be expected to be lower because the different companies will be competing to offer lower prices. So compared to no competition, I think the tariff increases must be lower than it would have been otherwise. On ROTA, he asked what is the relationship between assets and equity. Sir, the assets, I think, are quite clear. It is all the assets which are there. Equity is variable because equity depends on the gearing. So if your return on total assets is very high, in fact, you can have ROE of even 50% by borrowing from the banks and reducing your equity needs. So the relationship is variable, depending on how much you want to borrow. So if you ask me whether there is a set ratio between ROE and ROTA, the answer is no. It depends very much on the decision of the company as to how much gearing it wants to have. 1.45 pm”
“He has asked whether we should give SMEs a preferential rate, since they are unable to pay the same price. I would advise against such a move because it will distort the land premium and land prices and lead to misallocation of valuable and scarce land resources. Instead, it is far better for the Government to explore other ways to help SMEs, as I have outlined earlier on. I think the most important thing is to help them increase their productivity through training programmes, through acquisition of technology and automated equipment, and these we would continue doing in the years to come.”