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…”
The complete record
Every one of 1,964 lines we hold for Yeo Cheow Tong, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 4 of 40.
“Ms Indranee asked whether all new MRT stations, including those along the Circle Line, would have facilities for the disabled and the elderly. I am pleased to inform that all new MRT stations, including the Circle Line stations, will be equipped with facilities for the disabled and the elderly. These facilities include lifts, ramps, handicapped toilets as well as the Tactile Guidance System for the visually impaired. All the MRT stations along the recently opened North East Line and Sengkang LRT are also equipped with such facilities. The accessibility of the entire MRT system will be further enhanced when the retrofitting works at the existing stations along the NS-EW Line are completed. APPENDICES”
“Since 1997, the amount of fees that the Government collects from the transfer of rebates and vehicles amounts to about $60 million per year. TIES WITH CHINA 6. Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs how he intends to (i) improve and build upon the "shallow and brittle" ties that his predecessors have built up with China, and (ii) carry out concrete measures to repair the damaged ties with China. BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Singapore's relations with China are not "shallow and brittle" as Mr Steve Chia suggests in his question. In his interview on 17th July 2004, Prime Minister Lee, then DPM, said, regarding the strain in our relations with China after his visit to Taiwan, that "if our relations cannot survive this episode, then they must be shallow and brittle". They are not. PM has made our position on long-term bilateral relations with China very clear in his National Day Rally Speech. In his Statement of 25th August 2004, the spokesman of the PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted our long-held and unchanged position on One China and opposition to Taiwan independence. Our relationship with China is based on mutual respect and mutual benefit. This does not mean that differences will not arise from time to time. It is not unusual in international relations for even the friendliest of countries to disagree when their national interests diverge. As the Prime Minister said, this is a reality of the compelling pressures of national interests. We must remember this. HDB LOANS 7. Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong asked the Minister for National Development whether the 0.1% administrative charge which HDB levies on its HDB loans can be lowered since the outstandling loans of S$64 billion as at 2002 yield HDB a tidy levy revenue of S$64 million.”
“During the same period, there were alsotwo other cases, one involved the use of duplicate logcards that were issued by the LTA and the other involved use of forged logcards, to transfer or de-register vehicles without the knowledge of the finance company or the registered owner. The amount involved in these cases was about $6 million, and the victims were mainly finance/leasing companies. These cases were also reported to the Police and investigations are still on going. LTA had also worked with the Association of Hire Purchase and Finance Companies (AHPFC) to review the processes that were exploited by these fraudsters. For example, a duplicate vehicle logcard requested by a registered owner would be issued only after checking with the AHPFC. A holder of the Preferential Additional Registration Fee (PARF) and Certificate of Entitlement (COE) rebates can use the entire amount to offset the upfront taxes payable to register a new vehicle in his name. In cases where the PARF/COE rebates exceed the upfront taxes payable, the holder can split the rebates into smaller values or transfer the rebate to a third party at a mutually agreed rate. An administrative fee of $10 is payable in each instance, to cover the costs of providing these services. A transfer fee is levied when a vehicle is transferred from one owner to another. It comprises two components – a small administrative fee and a tax. The administrative fee is $3 for motorcycles and $10 for all other vehicles. The tax, which is also referred to as an Additional Transfer Fee, is set at 2% of the assessed value of the vehicle. It is part of our national taxation framework and goes into the Government's Consolidated Fund, and used for the benefit of all Singaporeans.”
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will only effect the transfer of a vehicle, upon the payment of transfer fees, provided both the buyer and owner of the vehicle complete an application form and submit the following documents to LTA: Original vehicle logcard Original NRIC of both the owner and buyer; and Original motor insurance certificate in the name of the buyer. The LTA has removed the need for an authorisation letter from vehicle owners and buyers who are unable to effect the transfer of vehicle ownership personally at LTA. This was only an interim measure. As a new control measure, the person who submits the application for transfer on behalf of the owner and buyer is required to fill in his particulars on the application form and also to submit his original NRIC for verification to perform the transaction. This is in addition to the submission of the documents mentioned earlier. Between 1999 and 2003, there was only a single case involving fake PARF and COE rebate certificates. This occurred in November 2000. The suspect apparently soldnine fake rebate certificates to buyers for a sum amounting to about $536,000. The case was reported to the Police. It was not publicised, as the case was then under Police investigations. However, LTA conducted a review of its internal procedures, and in September 2001, LTA stopped the issue of physical PARF and COE rebate certificates. Consequently, motorists did not have to produce the physical certificates to utilise, transfer or divide their PARF/COE rebates. They are only required to complete the necessary application forms and furnish their identification documents to use, transfer or divide the rebates.”
“Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong asked the Minister for Transport (a) how car ownership papers can be transferred without proof of original documents like the logcard and identity card; (b) how will the Land Transport Authority (LTA) know that the additional authorisation letter introduced after the Benz E240 scam will be free from fraud too, considering that those conmen can even forge logcards and PARF papers; (c) how much money was involved in the scam of forging fake PARF and COE rebate papers from 1999 to 2003; (d) why was the public not warned earlier about such scams happening in Singapore; (e) how much losses were involved and who bears the damages for these losses; (f) what is the reason for restricting rebate owners from using the maximum paper value for a new car purchase; (g) whether the LTA charges for each transfer/splitting of the PARF paper can be reduced from $10 to $5; (h) how much did LTA collect from the PARF paper transfer fees and transfer of ownership fees for each year since 1998 to date; and (i) can the transfer of ownership fees be drastically reduced too since most of the car taxes have already been paid for via import tax, ARF and COE.”
“The Public Transport Council (PTC) has put in place a robust framework to regulate bus and train fares to ensure fares remain affordable to the public. In approving fare increases, it has to balance commuters' interest and the long-term viability of the public transport operators. All fare proposals are scrutinised stringently to ensure that fare increases are soundly justified on the basis of unavoidable cost increases and investment in service improvements. In the 2002 fare review, the PTC was satisfied that operating costs of SMRT trains and buses (then TIBS) had increased significantly in the previoustwo years due to inflation and investments in service improvement. It was on this basis that SMRT was granted a fare increase of 2.5% for trains and 2.2% for buses (then TIBS). The increase was within the annual fare cap of 2.5% derived from the CPI+X formula, and much lower than the 6.9% actual increase in cost incurred by the operators. SMRT has explained its first quarter profits as part of its quarterly release of financial results and in response to letters in the forum page. As highlighted by SMRT, its profits in thefirst quarter of 2003 were badly depressed because of the SARS outbreak. In addition, it had benefited from various cost cutting measures such as the delayed replacement of non-safety related assets and reduction in staff and related costs like the CPF cuts. In fact, because SMRT was able to undertake stringent measures to contain operating costs last year and achieve a profit, there was no need for a fare increase this year. CAR OWNERSHIP 5.”
“Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong asked the Minister for Transport what is the justification for the 175% increase in SMRT's first quarter profits, considering that the projections made at the time of the application for higher fares were that SMRT would run at a loss, or at least become less profitable unless the fare hikes were approved.”
“The Circle Line (CCL) is an orbital Rapid Transit System (RTS) that will link all the radial RTS lines running into the city. It is 33 km long and will have 28 stations when completed in 2010. The orbital nature of the CCL allows commuters to make direct inter-suburban trips, without having to go through the interchange stations in the city. This will shorten their travelling time significantly. For example, with the CCL, a commuter will be able to make a direct trip from Bishan to Buona Vista in just 19 minutes, compared to 34 minutes today on the NS-EW line. In addition, congestion at interchange stations within the city (such as City Hall and Raffles Place) will be reduced. Such orbital lines are common in major cities to relieve congestion in city centres as they grow. The CCL will also significantly improve the coverage and connectivity of the RTS network and enhance accessibility to sub-regional centres such as Paya Lebar, Serangoon, Bishan and Buona Vista, and the new development at Harbourfront. The CCL is expected to have sufficient commuters to sustain its operation. As RTS projects involve heavy capital investment, the Government will only build a new RTS line after careful analysis of its economic benefits and financial viability. LTA's studies show that the line will have sufficient ridership for it to sustain its operations based on the development plans for the areas around the CCL stations. As for the expected cost for the line, the approved budget for the entire CCL is $6.7 billion. SMRT 4.”
“Collectively, these safety measures help to ensure that hydrogen fuel cell cars do not pose a danger to the public when used on the roads nor cause an explosion in the event of a collision. Should an accident involving motor vehicles that use compressed hydrogen occur, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is well prepared to deal with the situation. According to SCDF, the fire fighting skills are the same as that required for fighting fires involving vehicles that use petrol or diesel. As part of the SCDF officers' training, they are also familiarised with the construction of the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle and the precautions to take when responding to an accident involving such a vehicle. CIRCLE MRT LINE 3. Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for Transport (a) what is the benefit of building the Circle MRT line; (b) whether the line will have sufficient commuters to sustain its operation; and (c) what is the expected total cost of the line.”
“The number of hydrogen fuel cell cars in Singapore is very small. So far, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has registered two hydrogen fuel cell cars of DaimlerChrysler South East Asia Pte Ltd (DC) for local test-bedding and development purposes under the joint EDB-LTA Transport Technology Innovation and Development Scheme (TIDES). DC will be registering four more hydrogen fuel cell cars under the TIDES. To ensure the vehicles are safe, LTA imposes special registration requirements for such cars. As part of the process, DC had provided documentation and test results to show that these cars and their fuel cell components have been thoroughly tested and comply fully with the prescribed vehicle safety standards. Besides having the usual safety systems found in conventional cars, the fuel cell cars are fitted with additional safety features to ensure that any fire or explosion arising from collisions is no riskier than that caused by conventional petrol powered cars. These features include a hydrogen leakage detection system to continually monitor for gas leakage (even when the car is parked). If leakage is detected, the hydrogen supply from the tank would be automatically cut off to minimise any fire or explosion risk. As additional safety measures, DC has also designed the cars such that the hydrogen storage tanks are mounted in the middle of the car and protected by a steel cage to reduce the impact in the event of a collision. An inertia switch would also cut off the hydrogen and power supply during a collision to minimise the danger posed to the occupants or other road users. As proof of their crashworthiness, DC has crash-tested these fuel cell cars, and they are certified to be compliant with all crash safety requirements in accordance with the European standards.”
“Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked the Acting Minister for Education in view of the announcement on the reduction of student intake for lower primary classes for 70 schools, (a) why is there a long duration to year 2014 for the other remaining schools to eventually cut over; (b) how will the selection or registration process for students in these schools be affected; (c) whether there will be a change in the syllabus of the lower class enrolment and, if so, how will this affect the syllabus of the other schools with a higher class enrolment; (d) why is the reduction in class enrolment not compulsory for Government-aided, mission and dialect-related schools when these schools are getting a share of the additional 700 extra teachers and how many of these additional teachers will be allotted to these schools.”
“EMA is working with the power stations to build gas supply redundancy into their operations so that they have access to gas from at least two separate sources to reduce their vulnerability to a gas disruption from one pipeline. Senoko Power already has two pipelines feeding into its station. PowerSeraya is commissioning its second pipeline. Tuas Power plans to have its second pipeline by mid 2005. Engineering studies are being done to work out how one pipeline can seamlessly support the other if it fails. The back-up pipeline will give power stations more time to switch from gas to diesel and make the system more robust. EMA is also studying the viability of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility. From the security perspective, the facility will open access to natural gas from anywhere in the world and will provide LNG stockpile. EMA is finalising the tender specifications for a feasibility study, which will be called in July 2004. If approved, the LNG facility should be operational after 2010. LOWER PRIMARY CLASSES 9.”
“The switching takes time to execute and has to be done before the gas in the pipelines runs out. The residual gas in the pipeline typically runs out in about 10 minutes, depending on the physical location of the shutdown and the rate at which gas is being drawn. If the gas runs out before the plants successfully hotswitch, the gas turbines would trip and would take about one and a half hours to restart with diesel. This will lead to a temporary loss of power and cause a blackout. Power restoration takes time as supply and demand have to be kept in balance at all times. After each area is restored, the system has to be allowed to stabilise before restoration continues. For the power failure on 29th June 2004, full system recovery was achieved in about one hour and 50 minutes. Energy security is a prime consideration for us as having reliable and competitive electricity supply is vital. Today, we are in a strong energy supply position. The installed generation capacity comprises a good balance of fuel types, with 60% capacity in oil-fired steam plants and 40% in gas plants. Our electricity market has excess capacity. The power stations are also required to stockpile at least 90 days worth of fuel reserves in the event of supply disruption, with 45 days storage on site. Even in the event of a prolonged disruption in gas supply, our energy security will not be compromised. However, if we switch to oil-fired steam plants, or run the gas plants on diesel, there will be a cost impact as the price of electricity from oil and diesel will be 10% to 20% higher than gas. Further measures are being taken to improve system robustness.”
“Hence, we have also negotiated free trade agreements with other countries, such as the United States, the European Free Trade Association, Australia and New Zealand, and are pursuing other initiatives with other trading partners outside of Asia. An integrated Asian economic community will help to create peace and prosperity for over half the world's population in this century. It will not be easy and will take many years of effort. Even if we succeed only partially, the effort will be worthwhile. Singapore is well-positioned for this new Asia, not only economically but also culturally. We will benefit greatly from the growth around us. FUEL SUPPLY FOR POWER STATIONS 8. Dr Ong Seh Hong asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether he agrees that having one source of fuel supply for several power stations will make us very vulnerable to power failures as indicated during the recent power failures; (b) what can be done to solve the problem; (c) why does it take so long, in some instances about three hours, to switch to an alternative fuel supply; (d) given the damage that it will cause to Singapore's reputation, what, if any, strategic plans his Ministry has to ensure that there is uninterrupted power supply not dissimilar to our water supply. BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Our power stations are not dependent on just one fuel type. In fact, the gas plants are required to have a dual-fuel design feature, and are able to quickly switch to diesel in the event of a gas disruption. The gas plants have the capability to switch to diesel, without turning off the turbines. This allows them to "hotswitch" seamlessly to an alternative fuel in the event of a gas disruption, without cutting electricity supply.”
“Since the economies of Asia differ in levels of development, it would be difficult to realise the vision of an Asian economic community all at once. FTAs are needed as stepping stones. Countries and regions with complementary economic structures, and the political will to work together, can move ahead first to establish FTAs which would show the way for an Asian economic community. This is already happening. Within Southeast Asia, the ASEAN Free Trade Area is already in place, and ASEAN is now working towards an ASEAN Economic Community by 2020. In Northeast Asia, the idea of an FTA involving Japan, Korea and China has been floated. In addition, these three countries are also exploring FTAs individually with ASEAN. In time to come, these initiatives could build an East Asia FTA. In South Asia, the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation member countries have signed a Framework Agreement for the South Asia Free Trade Area. India, the largest economy in South Asia, is also exploring an FTA with ASEAN, and is engaged in a Joint Study on economic cooperation with China. Should all these FTA initiatives come to fruition, economic integration would become a reality. Singapore plays an active role in this construction. Our FTA strategy has been a catalyst. We already have FTAs with Japan and ASEAN and are negotiating or will be negotiating with China, Korea, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Many of our initiatives, such as our FTA with Japan, have led to our partner country's broader engagement with ASEAN. Other ASEAN countries are also beginning to follow suit, particularly Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia. At the same time, Singapore believes in promoting open regionalism.”
“The three founding directors are also under investigation by CAD for the financial irregularities. The possibility for Synergy to pursue the three directors still remains even though they have sold their shares to Jurong Axtra. Jurong International has clarified that the $23 million it will put into financing the Scheme is not money from Government budget, but sourced from its own commercial revenue through the growth of its business, local and overseas. ASIAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY 7. Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) if he will elaborate on the Prime Minister's recent mention that Free Trade Agreements will form the stepping stones for an Asian economic community; (b) what role does he envisage Singapore to be playing towards an Asian economic community; (c) what is the response of the Asian countries with regard to such a vision; and (d) what is the value-add to Singapore with the formation of an Asian economic community. BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: The Asian economic community is a long term vision for an economically integrated Asia. It is a vision of a community with a small 'c'. At the same time, an Asian economic community should be open and well-connected with other world regions and plugged in to the multilateral trading system. The Asian economic community can be seen as comprising three core regions: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Collectively, the region already constitutes the fast growing region in the world. Over the next four years, Asia (excluding Japan) is expected to grow at a rate of 5.8%. China has averaged growth rates of 9%. South Asia is expected to grow faster than the Asia average, at a rate of 6.9% over the next four years. Japan is growing at its fastest rate in 14 years.”
“Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the rationale for Jurong International to acquire 49% of Synergy Construction from the rest of the shareholders despite the reported accounting irregularities; (b) whether the act by Jurong International is a bailout of the existing shareholders; (c) whether Jurong International has considered asking the 49% shareholders to come up with their share of the settlement to repay creditors instead of buying them over; and (d) what is the basis for spending $23 million of public money to bail out the management and directors of Synergy Construction. BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Jurong International, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Jurong Axtra, acquired the rest of 49% of Synergy Construction to ensure that Jurong Axtra had control of the company when putting forward the Scheme of Arrangement. This was necessary as the 49% was indirectly owned by the three founding directors who were responsible for the alleged financial irregularities in the first place. They are also currently under investigation by CAD. Jurong International and Jurong Axtra have acted responsibly at all times and after exploring all reasonable options, decided on one that would help the creditors achieve the best outcome and help ensure that Synergy can continue as an on-going concern. It is not a bailout of the existing shareholders. Jurong International did not consider asking the 49% shareholders to come up with their share of settlement, as all efforts were concentrated on finding an expeditious solution for the creditors within a very short period of time. It was necessary to acquire the remaining 49% under the circumstances for purposes of getting control over Synergy, to expedite the Scheme.”
“The contract to retrofit 11 underground MRT stations (including Newton and Orchard MRT Stations) with facilities for the disabled and the elderly was awarded to Hua Kok Realty (Pte) Ltd in October 2002. It was scheduled to be completed by third quarter 2005. To-date, the retrofitting works at Toa Payoh station have been completed. Unfortunately, due to the financial difficulties encountered by the contractor, upgrading works at the remaining 10 stations have stopped since 31st May 2004. About 35% of the works have been completed at these stations. The contractor is currently in discussion with a few other contractors to novate the contract in order to minimise disruption to the works and to ensure that the project can be completed as soon as possible. If novation is not successful, the contract will be terminated and a new tender will be called. LTA is monitoring the situation closely. LTA is concurrently preparing for the re-tender process to ensure that it can be carried out quickly and smoothly should it be necessary. The project schedule will be reviewed after the tender has been awarded. LTA estimates that a new tender is likely to delay the completion of the project to end 2006. JURONG INTERNATIONAL 6.”
“It will study the findings of this committee as well as that of the Committee of Inquiry, and identify the measures and procedures that need to be tightened so that safety on its worksites can be further improved. I can therefore assure Members that LTA will continue to work closely with the relevant Government agencies and contractors to improve the safety standards in our construction industry.”
“Hence, LTA asked the contractors at the other sites to immediately review the designs of their temporary works to confirm that these are safe, to get the engineers to review them, and that they have been constructed according to design. The contractors were also asked to review all the instrumentation readings once more. But there continued to be significant public concerns about safety around the MRT construction sites. I think this is understandable, given the severity of the Nicoll Highway incident. Hence, as an added precaution, together with BCA, LTA decided to impose a stop work order on all deep excavations for all the CCL sites. Jointly with BCA, LTA asked for a detailed review of the temporary works by the contractors involved. The review process is still ongoing with BCA and, as mentioned by Minister Mah, works on four stations have already been given clearance to restart. Sir, as Members can see, the decisions made by LTA at each stage were carefully considered, based on its professional judgement and the accumulated experience from its many past projects. The decisions also took into account technical evaluations, such as the nature of the incident and the conditions under which it occurred and the varying nature of conditions and construction methods at the other CCL sites. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to assure the House that safety has been and remains a top priority for LTA in its efforts to build a comprehensive road and rail network for Singapore. The Nicoll Highway incident serves as a painful reminder to all of us of the importance of safe practices and procedures. LTA has appointed its own committee to review the circumstances and factors leading to the collapse.”
“Where necessary, issues, such as signs of distress observed on buildings or structures, can be escalated by LTA engineers on the site to senior management for attention. Ms Irene Ng also asked why LTA did not stop work at all the CCL sites immediately after the incident. Sir, I wish to clarify that LTA did issue a stop work order to Nishimatsu-Lum Chang, which is also working on the adjacent CCL contract, ie, the contract that covers the Old Airport Station to the Paya Lebar Station, the day after the Nicoll Highway Station incident. Immediately following the incident, LTA focused its attention on the areas of greatest risks which are those works which are done by the same contractor, and that is why it stopped the work there. As for the other parts of the CCL beyond Stage 1 of the project, the works were at a less advanced stage, as the contracts were awarded one to two years later after CCL Stage 1. For example, excavation works have hardly started for CCL Stage 3. As for CCL Stage 2 and the other contract in CCL Stage 1, excavation levels are much shallower than the incident site and the levels range from three metres to 17 metres compared to 27 metres and beyond at the incident site. Many of the sites also employ different construction methods, for example, top-down, instead of the bottom-up, cut and cover method at the Nicoll Highway site, and they use contiguous bored piles and other piling methods, instead of the temporary diaphragm walls. Sir, as such, LTA felt that it was appropriate not to require the other contractors to stop work immediately. What it did was to conduct an immediate review of the works at all the other sites.”
“In the case of the Circle Line Stage 1 project, which is where the incident site is, the Project Director and the Senior Project Manager are assisted by Project Managers assigned to each contract under the Circle Line Phase I. And there are two projects there, one of which was given to Nishimatsu-Lum Chang. The Project Manager is, in turn, supported by three teams of engineers covering design, site supervision and contractual issues. These engineers conduct regular inspections on site safety and the work progress and ensure that the works complied with contractual and statutory requirements. Any shortcomings of non-compliance are highlighted to the contractors for rectification. The contractors and their supervisory staff can also contact the LTA Project Managers and engineers on any issue or problem that they encounter. Sir, here, I would like to state that the Committee of Inquiry (COI) will be investigating into the events leading to the collapse of the Nicoll Highway tunnel, and I am sure that it will also inquire into whether there were adequate and timely communications between the contractors and LTA staff on the site prior to the collapse. As such, I think it is best for us to wait for the COI to complete its investigations. Dr Teo Ho Pin asked if there is soil monitoring instrumentation in place. Sir, I would like to inform him that there are comprehensive steps of instrumentation, such as settlement markers, inclinometers, etc, installed at all the sites to monitor and supervise the works closely. In fact, I was told that there are over 10,000 instruments at the moment monitoring the current Circle Line works.”
“The OSHM manual also stipulates that the risk management process must be performed at various stages of the project, ie, at the concept design, detailed design and construction stages. The objective is to record all identified potential hazards and to track the mitigating measures to eliminate or to reduce these hazards to an acceptable level. Thirdly, LTA conducts regular safety exercises on sites, on various issues or themes, such as working at heights, preventing objects from dropping, and so on. Sir, on Dr Amy Khor's question on the availability of contingency and evacuation plans, I would like to inform Members that all contractors are required to have emergency response and evacuation plans at all worksites, as part of their safety management system. The plans set out the procedures, communications and response sequences in emergencies. The contractors are required to instruct their workers on the procedures and to regularly conduct evacuation drills to familiarise them with the evacuation procedures. And periodically, LTA, Police, SCDF and other agencies are also invited to participate in simulated exercises to test the robustness of the emergency plans. LTA does check to make sure that the contractors have the emergency plans properly drawn up. Ms Irene Ng raised concerns over why LTA did not act on the feedback from the workers on the safety on the site. Sir, I would like to assure her that LTA has in place a system for monitoring the progress of its projects and for escalating issues, such as those relating to safety, to the appropriate level of management for resolution.”
“Where safety is concerned, under the Factories Act, the main contractor of the project is responsible for safety at the construction site. So I shall not go into the details, since the requirements under the Factories Act have been addressed by the Acting Minister for Manpower. However, as I mentioned just now, LTA has various safety measures over and above what are required of the contractors under the Factories Act. Let me describe three of them. First, LTA's practice is to incorporate more stringent requirements in its contract documents because of the complex nature of its projects. LTA firmly subscribes to the safety first philosophy and works to achieve this with its contractors. For example, LTA requires the contractors to conduct in-house safety induction course for all workers before they are allowed on site to familiarise them with the hazards specific to their assigned scope of work. All contractors are required to submit to LTA method statements, outlining the work and safety procedures together with the assessment of the construction risks before they can proceed with critical work on site. This ensures that the contractors have given due consideration to the safety of the work scheduled to be done. There is another example. LTA requires the contractor to inspect the cranes every six months, instead of yearly, under the Factories Act. Sir, secondly, LTA has put in place an Occupational Safety and Health Management manual (OSHM manual) and the project Quality Management System (QMS). The OSHM manual and the QMS stipulate key safety programmes and work processes for compliance by its staff.”
“At this stage, LTA works closely with the contractor on site to ensure that the construction works are implemented safely, in line with the proposals and programme, and more than comply with the requirements under the Factories Act. LTA has a system of checks and inspections to ensure that the engineering designs and plans are accurately transmitted down to the construction team. I think this is again what Dr Amy Khor has alluded to, that while the senior people (engineers and others) may have everything in hand, the line managers and others need to be also properly informed. So, this ensures that the information is transmitted down and that the project is constructed according to the specifications and designs. The contractors are also required to brief their workers on a daily basis on the workplan for the day and the key safety factors to be complied with. Sir, at this stage, let me address Dr Amy Khor's question. She asked who is responsible for safety at the MRT construction sites as well as the design and safety of the temporary works at these sites. Dr Teo has also asked if the design of the temporary works is independently checked by LTA. As this is a design-and-build project, the main contractor of the project is responsible for the design of temporary works at the MRT construction sites. But, notwithstanding this, LTA does review the design for acceptance. He also asked about the safety factors for the temporary works. Sir, I do not have the information with me, but I would expect that the contractors, engineers and LTA to have adopted internationally accepted safety standards. In any case, this would be looked at by the Committee of Inquiry as well. Sir, I think we will leave it to them to investigate.”
“Examples of these include the construction of the Hougang, Kovan, Little India, Farrer Park and the Harbour Front stations, along the recently completed Northeast Line. Hence, the tender evaluation process clearly is not driven solely by cost considerations but is based on the best value for money, and that safety is not compromised. Sir, let me now move on to the design stage. The focus on safety is also evident at the design stage. For design-and-build contracts, following the award of a contract, the contractors are then required to develop their designs, based on the concepts and approaches proposed in the tender. In addition, the contractors are required to carry out a detailed assessment of the risk factors to ensure that all potential risks in the project are properly addressed before construction commences on the site. This risk assessment takes into account measures to protect nearby buildings, protection of public utilities, instrumentation requirements and the method of construction. To advise and assist LTA on underground construction works, LTA has also engaged a high-level review board comprising internationally renowned experts and professionals in the field of deep underground construction work. The board reviews the adequacy of the contractors' technical proposals and, where necessary, makes recommen dations to improve the design, safety and construction method. I think this emphasis on safety, right from the conceptualisation and design stage, is fully in line with what Dr Teo has stressed in his remarks. Let me now move on to the construction stage. Apart from the safety considerations at the tender and design stages, LTA also ensures that the emphasis on safety is maintained during the construction stage.”
“Dr Teo Ho Pin asked why was the Nicoll Highway project awarded to Nishimatsu-Lum Chang, despite a price difference of $70 million; what is the compelling reason. Sir, the tender for contract C824 was awarded in June 2001, and this contract involves the design, construction and completion of the Nicoll Highway and the Boulevard Stations, which include the cut-and-cover and bored tunnels. As pointed out by Dr Teo, six contractors submitted bids. The two separate committees carried out a detailed evaluation on the three lowest complying bids after a preliminary evaluation of all the six tenders. The evaluation showed that the proposal submitted by Nishimatsu-Lum Chang was technically either equal to or better in various aspects when compared with the second and third lowest bids. The company also met LTA's financial criteria of having a net worth of at least 20% of the expected contract value. Dr Teo asked how did the winning bid compare with the estimate made by LTA. As Dr Teo knows, for all these big projects, LTA has the responsibility to carry out an estimate of the project cost so that we can get the budget for it. I think LTA has a proven track record on its estimates because, quite often, we are able to complete the project either at budget or even below budget. In this case, the tender price submitted by the winning consortium was slightly higher than LTA's pre-tender estimate. And, therefore, I think it was only logical for the award to be given to Nishimatsu-Lum Chang. Sir, as indicated by the Minister for National Development earlier, not all of LTA's projects were awarded to the lowest tenderers. In fact, 27% of its major road and rail projects were not awarded to the lowest tenderers.”
“LTA can then identify the measures needed to reduce the risk factors to an acceptable level and to incorporate them into the tender document. This, in turn, enables the tenderers to provide a realistic bid for the project, based on an appropriate construction method that takes into account local site conditions and the potential problems that they are likely to face. Next, the tender stage. Prior to calling tenders for the major projects, LTA has a process to pre-qualify contractors based on their track record. The four major factors considered are: financial capability, technical expertise, project management capability, as well as quality and safety management capability. This is to ensure that whoever wins the contract has the resources, the technical expertise and experience to deliver the project on time without compromising on safety. During the tender stage, technical and commercial evaluations are carried out by two separate committees. So, in a way, it is similar to what Dr Amy Khor has pointed out, the two-envelope process. Here, they do it through two committees. The technical sub-committee evaluates the contractors' technical competence, the design proposal (since this is a design-and-build project), the construction methodology, the safety measures, the construction programme and other electrical and mechanical coordination considerations. The commercial sub-committee separately will look at pricing, qualifications on the contract terms and the financial capability of the tenderers. Evaluation by the two sub-committees typically takes about four months, and I can assure Dr Amy Khor that, therefore, it is not a rush job.”
“Sir, Dr Teo Ho Pin, Ms Irene Ng and Dr Amy Khor have raised several issues related to LTA's safety procedures in the construction of rail and road projects. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to address the issues raised. Sir, both Minister Mah and Acting Minister Ng, as well as Dr Teo, have pointed out that safety is the responsibility of all stakeholders - Government, developers, contractors, architects, engineers, workers, and so on. I would like to assure the House that LTA, as the developer and regulator, takes this responsibility very seriously, from the conceptualisation stage of a new project all the way to its completion. In order to understand how safety is assured in LTA's projects, we would need to first understand LTA's project development process. And this process consists of four stages - planning, tender stage, design and construction. First, the planning and pre-tender stage. Sir, at this stage, the route of the MRT line is decided in consultation with the relevant agencies, such as URA and HDB. Thereafter, LTA undertakes an engineering evaluation to identify the best alignment from the engineering perspective. Various investigations are carried out to gather accurate information on the ground conditions and the buildings along the route where construction will take place. These investigations include soil investigation, building foundation assessment, trial trenching to identify locations of public utilities and services, survey of surrounding buildings, and preliminary design and risk assessment. The objective of this entire process is to gather information that will provide a better understanding of the site conditions.”
“Sir, if we do it for any particular amount, I think it would be fair that we do it for everybody. Therefore, it is not possible for us to change it into a cash rebate system. 2.38 pm”
“The answer is no, and it is because we have considered it many times. Let me explain to him why. Sir, it is also a difficult process to estimate the amount of ARF and PARF rebates. Let me tell him that the amounts that we have rebated vary from about $600 million to last year's $3 billion. As such, it is very difficult to set aside the funds. Because, to do so, it would then deprive other Ministries of the funds that are being set aside.”
“Sir, as Members are aware, we introduced the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) as part of the Vehicle Quota System in 1990 to manage the growth of the vehicle population. The COE is a non-refundable upfront payment, which entitles a vehicle to be used for a specific period. If the COE is not fully used up for whatever reason, it will lapse. However, as a concession, when vehicle owners scrap or export their vehicles before the expiry of the COE period, the Government has allowed them to recover the residual value of the COE validity through a rebate. The Preferential Additional Registration Fee (PARF) scheme was introduced in 1975 to encourage timely replacement of old cars, so that the car population will remain relatively young and roadworthy. In essence, it allows car owners to replace their old cars with new ones at a discount by using a PARF rebate. As the COE and PARF rebates are not meant to be refundable deposits placed with the Government, they are therefore not payable in cash. However, they can be used to offset the taxes and fees related to the purchase of a new vehicle. Since 1998, we have also made the process for utilising the rebates more flexible. Now, rebate certificates can be divided up or combined to offset the payment of COE, ARF, or the Registration Fee for new vehicles. They can also be transferred to a third party.”
“All the units inspected have been confirmed to be structurally safe and LTA has informed the owners and the occupants. Inspection work on the remaining 2 buildings is on-going. In the meantime, LTA and the contractors will continue to closely monitor all the buildings in the area until the civil construction works are completed. I would also like to assure Members that LTA has in place a system to respond to concerns from the public over cracks found in their buildings near LTA worksites. LTA has a 24-hour hotline for the public to report any such problems and LTA treats every report of building cracks or soil movement in the vicinity of its work sites very seriously by responding immediately. NICOLL HIGHWAY WORKSITE COLLAPSE (National awards/medals for the late Mr Heng Yeow Pheow and rescue workers) 9. Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong asked the Prime Minister if he will give national awards or medals (a) to honour the valour of the late Mr Heng Yeow Pheow for putting the lives of his workers before his own during the Nicoll Highway worksite collapse; and (b) to recognise the courage of rescue workers who risked their lives to retrieve the bodies trapped in the rubble after the cave-in.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the cracks in the shop units around the Arab and Bussorah Street area were first reported in early March this year. As these buildings were in the vicinity of the Circle Line construction works, LTA asked its contractor to engage an independent structural consultant to inspect all the affected shop units and to check that they were structurally safe. Arising from the inspections, the consultant specified repair works where necessary, and these were immediately carried out. These included sealing up the cracks and putting up steel props to enhance the stability of the affected buildings. Additional monitoring instruments were also installed to monitor ground movements at critical areas. Based on LTA's observation of instrumentation readings, the cracks were caused by ground settlement due to the drawdown of ground water table near Arab Street and Bussorah Street area arising from the Circle Line works. Measures have already been taken to recharge water into the ground to prevent further water drawdown and to control the ground settlement. Following the Nicoll Highway incident, to reassure occupants who had complained of cracks in their buildings, LTA also required the contractors to engage Professional Engineers (PEs) to certify the safety of these buildings and to submit these certifications to LTA. LTA and BCA will review these certifications, and if satisfied, will write to the building owners/occupants to inform them of the PE's findings. The PEs have been inspecting the buildings around the Nicoll Highway station worksite, including those along Arab Street and Bussorah Street. As of today, 135 units out of 137 units around Arab and Bussorah Street area have been inspected.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I will be responding to the motion afterwards. Can I take Question No. 7 as part of my reply during the motion?”
“Mr Speaker Sir, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has confirmed that the model of Bendy buses used in Singapore differs significantly in design and specifications from the model of the three buses that caught fire in London recently. Tibs first introduced the Bendy buses in 1996. Since then, there were two fire incidents involving such buses here; one in September 2000 and the other in December last year. Investigations conducted by a fire investigation expert from Germany revealed that both incidents were caused by isolated technical faults, and were not due to design problems. Since the incidents, the bus operator has tightened its maintenance programme to prevent future occurrences. To further enhance the fire safety of Bendy buses, the operator is also currently in the process of installing automatic fire extinguishing systems in the engine compartments of the Bendy buses. LTA will continue to work with the bus operator and introduce additional measures, if necessary, to ensure the safety of commuters. DUST AND SOOT SITUATION IN SEMBAWANG NEW TOWN (Update) 10. Dr Warren Lee asked the Minister for the Environment (a) if he will give an update on the dust and soot situation affecting residents of Sembawang New Town in the vicinity of Sembawang Shipyard; (b) whether the National Environment Agency's monitoring efforts have led to any conclusion about the health risks arising from such airborne dust and pollutants; and (c) can something be done to reduce the level of such soot and dust.”
“Sir, I can assure the Member that we are engaging the Australian authorities and I intend to press the issue very strongly. IMMIGRANTS (Grant of Singapore citizenship) 4. Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked the Prime Minister in view of the need to increase immigration as a solution to our declining fertility rate, (a) what is the right number of immigrants as well as the timing under which they will be granted citizenship; (b) what are their required educational qualifications, skills and working experiences; and (c) how to assure Singaporeans that the increased immigration will not contradict our policy of nurturing committed and loyal Singaporeans and placing them at the core of our society.”
“However, SIA will continue to share a symbiotic relationship with Changi and must continue to play an important role in enhancing our hub airport status. Therefore, we will continue to further liberalise our air services agreements and increase our air rights with other countries. With more air rights available, both SIA and other new Singapore carriers will be able to grow. In turn, their growth will strengthen Changi's role as a hub airport.”
“The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has in fact projected a growth of 7% in global passenger traffic this year. For routes within Asia Pacific, a growth of 14% can be expected because we are comparing against a very low base last year because of SARS. Qantas Airways has also reported positive financial results. It had announced that the company's businesses have returned to profitability and that it is in good position to take advantage "of what appears to be a return to more stable market conditions". As there are enough indicators that the global and regional aviation environment has stabilised, we are engaging our Australian counterparts on realising the full open skies agreement. As Mdm Halimah has mentioned, Qantas Airways has recently announced its investment in a new low cost airline to be based in Singapore. Singapore welcomes any foreign carrier to be involved in a LCC venture in Singapore, if the proposal strengthens our hub status. In the case of Qantas, we welcome their decision as it will entrench their existing hub operations in Changi. The low fares of the LCC will stimulate greater traffic volumes between Singapore and regional cities. It would also enable Qantas to bring in more long-haul travellers from Europe and Australia to transit and transfer through Changi to the region. It is likely that some of these new travellers will stop over in Singapore, hence creating more jobs and boosting our tourism receipts. It is therefore in our national interest to have Qantas base its new LCC in Singapore and continue growing its hub operations here. The establishment of new LCCs in Singapore and other new airlines in the region will change the regional aviation landscape in the years ahead.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Australian government has not granted Singapore carriers the right to fly beyond Australia to the United States on the trans-pacific route. Under the current Singapore-Australia air services agreement (ASA), which was last expanded in September last year, both Singapore and Australia designated airlines are restricted in their 5th freedom rights to fly beyond each other's country. Given our close bilateral relationship, including the recently concluded Singapore-Australia FTA, and the many business and social linkages between our people, Singapore has always been ready to conclude a full Open Skies Agreement (OSA) with Australia. A full OSA will enable Australian carriers to freely fly to and beyond Singapore, without any restrictions, to all points, including major European and Asian destinations. Likewise, Singapore carriers will be able to fly to and beyond Australia. Specifically, the Australian public will also have more choices of airlines to choose from on the trans-pacific route to the United States. An OSA will be a win-win outcome for both Singapore and Australian carriers. More importantly, it will bring significant benefits to both economies given the sizeable multiplier effects of increased air links between and beyond both countries. However, Australia was not ready to conclude an OSA in September last year as the global industry had just begun recovering then. Nevertheless, Singapore and Australia had agreed "to continue to work towards the conclusion of an open-skies agreement and to consider further liberalisation, including trans-pacific rights, when there is greater stability in the global aviation environment". Since then, the outlook for global aviation environment has been very positive.”
“Sir, I think the Member should direct the question to the Minister for Home Affairs. SINGAPORE CARRIERS' RIGHT TO FLY BEYOND AUSTRALIA 3. Mdm Halimah Yacob asked the Minister for Transport whether the Australian authorities have agreed to allow Singapore Airlines or any Singapore-owned airline the right to fly beyond Australia to the United States, as Qantas is now allowed to fly beyond Singapore to Europe and to compete for the regional market from a base in Singapore.”
“The decision to deploy train marshals has not been made yet. It is an issue that is being studied by the Committee. Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong (Non-Constituency Member): Sir, since the Police has actually cut down the presence and operating hours of the Neighbourhood Police Posts due to lack of demand, would the Transport Minister consider working with the Police to site some of the NPPs at the MRT stations for better policing, control, checks and police presence?”
“Sir, in fact, the Committee has been working for the last month or so and as soon as it finalises any recommendation it will proceed to implement it. Let me give an example - the decision to remove litter bins from the MRT stations. The moment that was decided upon, the operators were told to remove them. The decision to increase public awareness resulted in the posters being made and broadcast announcements being finalised and those were implemented straightaway. The Committee will not wait until all the decisions have been made before proceeding to implement them. They will decide and proceed to implement as and when they are made. In terms of the quantum of increase, we do not really know, but I can assure Members that the Committee will ensure that whatever is implemented will be practical, cost effective and the cost increase will be kept to a minimal.”
“This review will cover both our rail and bus systems, including bus interchanges. Ms Ng asked how effective these security measures will be. Experience elsewhere has shown that it is very difficult to fully protect any public transport system without drastically reducing its function and efficiency. However, the security measures that we have introduced, together with future enhancements, will help to deter and prevent a large scale attack that will seriously cripple the public transport system. While the Government will continue to work closely with the operators to keep our public transport system secure, commuters also have an important role to play. We have thus embarked on a public education programme to increase public awareness and vigilance. The operators have put up security posters at MRT stations, and are regularly broadcasting security messages reminding commuters to report any unattended or suspicious packages. Similar measures will be extended to the bus interchanges. All commuters can help to ensure the security of our public transport system by being vigilant. This will ultimately safeguard their own safety. The Member asked how much the additional security features will cost. This will largely depend on the recommendations of the Committee as it undertakes the review. However, since the public transport system is for the general public, the security of the system should be the collective responsibility of the Government, the public transport operators and the commuters. It is therefore reasonable that the costs of security measures be shared. The Committee will ensure that only security measures that are necessary will be added so that the cost borne by the commuters will be minimised and kept reasonable.”
“Sir, Mdm Cynthia Phua asked if there is any security system that can prevent harmful materials from being brought into MRT stations. Today, various types of detection equipment are available for screening passengers and their baggage. However, with over 4 million passenger trips made on our bus and MRT systems each day, it would not be possible to impose 100% security check without severely degrading the efficiency and operation of our public transport system. Let me assure Members that the Government, together with the train operators, has always taken a pro-active approach to making sure that our train network is safe and secure. Even before the Madrid train bombings, we had conducted security planning and surveys for our MRT system, and implemented many security measures. For example, the operators have tightened security of the access to vital installations, and have installed CCTVs to monitor the MRT network. LTA is also incorporating similar security features into the design of the Circle Line. In addition, the Police carry out routine patrols of the MRT stations. The transport operators, LTA and the security agencies have also conducted several exercises to ensure that we are able to respond effectively to security threats to our public transport system. In light of the Madrid incident, the Government and our public transport operators have stepped up measures to increase the level of staff vigilance. As I announced last week, the Government has set up a high level Committee to continually review the security of our public transport system. The Committee will undertake a comprehensive review of the public transport security arrangements, and will make its recommendations taking into account international "best practices".”
“What we have done is we have ensured that the bus operator provides adequate bus services to meet the needs of the residents in the Sengkang west area. I can assure Mr Wee that we are aware that there is always a need and room for improvement. I have asked SBS Transit to keep in close touch with Mr Wee and work out whether there is a need for the bus services in that area to be improved.”
“Sir, I will answer Mr Wee's second cut first, because that is what it appears on the Order Paper Supplement. 4.00 pm Sir, in terms of the software, I agree with Mr Wee. The hardware can always be replicated. It is the software that differentiates us. And at Changi Airport, the software development at the staff level, especially those in the front line, is an issue of high priority and Changi Airport will continue to invest in upgrading the software capabilities of the frontline staff. I am happy to tell Mr Wee that Changi Airport spends about $1 million annually on training programmes to make sure that the service level of the staff is kept at a high level. Sir, on the Sengkang LRT, Mr Wee spoke about the non-opening of the Sengkang LRT West Loop. As he knows, the opening of the West Loop has been deferred due to the lack of development in the western part of Sengkang New Town. The development in this part of the town slowed down significantly since the LRT project was approved by the Government in 1996. At the start of the project, HDB had projected that there would be about 12,300 HDB units ready in the West Loop by the year 2003. However, today, there are only about 7,600 units with very little new development in the area. As such, it is not viable for SBS Transit to open that line. In fact, anyone who takes a ride round the area will know that for much of the West Loop, it is like a wild west. There is no development at all, other than for a small corner of the West Loop train line. SBS Transit and LTA estimate that operating the West Loop will increase the losses incurred by SBS Transit by up to $4 million a year. As such, it is not viable.”
“And why are we looking after the tourists better than the local citizens, especially when Sentosa has already got them? I can sympathise with the sentiments of Ms Braema. We would like to do our best to help the disabled. But I think we have to look at the issue from a very holistic manner and see what is the best way to help the disabled in a very proactive manner. At the moment, this issue is taken up under MCDS, because MCDS is looking at the whole situation of what to do in terms of looking after the needs of the disabled, including the transport needs. It is not feasible for MOT to take this over under the public transport system because the public transport system caters for the mass transport needs on a daily basis of the millions of Singaporeans who need to move from one place to another. Why is Sentosa able to do it? The reason is very simple. Sentosa has a few million visitors each year and many of them will either go on to the monorail or they will take the bus. So the number of people taking the bus on Sentosa island is probably two-thirds of the total visitors. In contrast, on the public roads every day, we have about three million public transport rides. If you look at our public roads, buses are going past every few seconds. A delay of 20 or 30 seconds for each bus at the bus stop will create huge jams on our public roads. It will result in higher fares, and much longer travelling time for all Singaporeans. So we have to look at the national requirements and see how we can cater for the majority and, at the same time, have a different plan to cater for the niche group of people who may need assistance. That is why MCDS is still the best place for looking after the specific needs of the disabled.”
“But the key constraint that we have to bear in mind is that the IU has to be mounted in front of the vehicle to allow it to communicate with the ERP gantry, and to enable the motorist to view the value of his Cashcard. This applies to both cars and motorcycles. I think the problem is, unlike cars, for motorcycles it is very difficult to place the IU in a position where it can be locked and concealed because the motorcycle is a very open one. The good news I have for Mr Chia is that LTA is now looking into a new generation IU that would have improved features to reduce the incidence of Cashcard theft. In the meantime, we have to continue to remind motorists to avoid the risk of losing their Cashcard by remembering to remove it from their IUs when they lock up their vehicles. He also suggested a system where the motorist can sign up and have their ERP charges deducted automatically at the end of the month. Sir, in fact this was one of the options looked at when designing the ERP system and designing the in-vehicle unit. But the feedback was a very negative one, because what this means is that there will be a record kept of where you were at each time of the day for the whole month. Many thought this was an intrusion of the privacy of the individual. And in view of the very negative feedback, LTA decided not to adopt this system. I would imagine that the objections will still prevail today if we are to propose it. So, let us look for other solutions instead. Sir, Ms Braema, in her appeal for better transport for the disabled, felt that we should take this under the public transport system. As she said, bite the bullet€”because kneeling buses are already here, why can we not have them elsewhere in the city.”
“Sir, let me assure Mrs Lim that LTA remains the authority on road matters. It should never shed its responsibility from what needs to be done. LTA has a clear two-level approach where the community is concerned. If there is a definite need to implement a scheme due to safety or traffic reasons, LTA will proceed to do so without consultation as these are essential, but they will explain to residents in the area why there is a need for the scheme. But where there are no safety and traffic efficiency concerns, LTA has adopted a more consultative approach. This is in keeping with the times. This allows LTA to tap and benefit from the local knowledge of community leaders and the local residents. For example, many local issues such as introducing parking restrictions or road humps do not impact directly on the safety or efficiency of the road network. But they do affect the local residents in one way or another. As such, LTA will work with the local community and grassroots organisations (GROs) to ensure that the interest of the residents in the neighbourhood is taken care of. And I have reminded LTA that they should not pass the decision to the residents or claim that they are doing it on behalf of the residents. They are doing it because they have heard the feedback and they agreed to the recommendation. So I will make sure of that and if Mrs Lim has any feedback on such a problem, I will be very happy to hear from her. 3.30 pm Mr Steve Chia mentioned about the poor design of the motorcycle IU. I agree with Mr Chia that the present In-vehicle Unit (IU) for motorcycles is not really ideal.”