Yeo Ning Hong
Singapore
“The SAF always reviews and enhances its training system to maximise the contributions of NSFs to national defence during their NSF stint. We will continue to ensure that the training syllabus is relevant to the defence needs of Singapore, and NSFs' time in the SAF used meaningfully and efficiently.”
“New recruits will find military training less onerous if they take on the personal responsibility of preparing themselves well physically before enlistment. AUCTION OF #03-06 PEK CHUAN BUILDING 6.”
“Sir, on a point of clarification. I believe Dr Ahmad Mattar had earlier on attributed some comments to me. I just want to clarify that I am not waiting for July to have my views on SBC made known to the Minister for Information and the Arts.”
“Sir, to encourage the new NSmen to maintain the same physical fitness that they have achieved while they were in full-time National Service, Mindef will increase the IPPT pass standards for new NSmen who ROD on or after 1st April to the same level that they attained when they were NSF.”
“Sir, I do not think Mr Chiam has any clue whatsoever about what is involved in basic military training. It is not fitness. It is the acquiring of basic military skills, to know how to fight, to know how to ensure that you do not get killed.”
“Sir, Mr Chiam would make a most popular Member of Parliament in Kuwait - if only they had a Parliament in Kuwait. That is exactly the sort of situation that had brought the Kuwaitis the disaster they had a year and a half ago, when people are only interested in having a better life and are not prepared to make the effort to ensure that th…”
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“Sir, in my reply to the Member for Bo Wen, I also stressed that it is not advisable to change fares frequently. This is in the public interest. Let me explain. It has been suggested by some that bus fares should be changed up and down, and as suggested by the Member for Anson, frequently.”
“Sir, bus companies are private sector companies. One of them, SBS is a publicly listed company, listed on the Stock Exchange. It is owned by more than 50,000 members of the public. SBS' accounts are open to public scrutiny. They are accountable to the public. What ROV has done in the light of changing circumstances has been to advise the bus companies to explain to the public the effect of the drop in diesel prices, the effect of the cut in CPF, the effect of the cut in corporate tax and the effect of changes on the foreign exchange with respect to some of the major currencies, such as Deutschemark, Yen and Pound Sterling. All these have consequences on the operating cost of buses. ROV has advised the bus companies to explain to the public so that the public can understand the system and the effect and hence to be able to draw their conclusion as to whether there is or there is not a case for the reduction of fares.”
“They are determined by the bus companies themselves.”
“And the year before? It was published in 1985. Sir, it says, "British Bus Service - going, going, gone." And it starts off, 'Most of Britain's nationalized bus industry is to be put up for grabs, auction off to the highest bidder.' And then it goes on to say what is going, what is going and what is gone. 'Already gone is the British dream for the efficient public transit system served by sophisticated buses operating socially essential services. It is gone.' Anything that does not work well in Britain, the Member for Anson is sure to recommend that we do it in Singapore. Anything that works well in Britain that we so assiduously follow, the Member for Anson is sure to recommend that we do it the other way round. We know why he does all these things. But we are not so unwise as to follow him. We talk about bus fares. I would like to state very categorically that the Ministry would like bus fares to be kept as low as possible, consistent with a viable network of service for our people. I share with Members of this House the desire and expectation that our bus companies should not profiteer, that wherever possible, where there are savings, they should be passed on to the consumers, to the commuters, either in the form of lower fares or in the form of better service. Sir, in my written reply to the Member for Bo Wen last week, I stressed that bus fares are determined by bus companies and yet I hear many Members coming to ask me to reduce the bus fares. The Ministry does not determine the bus fares for the bus companies.”
“I would like to quote the title of an article published in a magazine known as Mass Transit in February 1985 about the British bus system.”
“Commuters are finding it easier to get a taxi when they want it and the principle of non-exemption of diesel tax has been implemented. It will take us some time for the problem to be completely resolved in the light of the current recession that we are experiencing. Sir, I now turn to the fifth principle, the importance of having an efficient and viable bus service. This is central to our land transport policy. Each day, more than two million passenger trips are made on buses. We cannot have a system that does not work because it means that about a million people will have difficulties travelling, going to work and returning home. Our bus system must be efficient and viable in order to attract commuters. Members who have been to other cities can make their own comparison as to whether our bus service is fulfilling the role that we have for it. How do we ensure an efficient and viable bus system? The Member for Anson says, " nationalize it." Let the Government run the bus service. In the very next breath he says, "Oh, Government is into too many things." I do not think Government should get into the business of running buses. It is best left to the private sector. What Government can ensure is that there is sufficient competition so that the competition will drive the bus companies to be more effective. Sir, over the last 12 months, in letters to the press, in submission to the Economic Committee, recently in the debate on the President's Address and just last week in the debate on the Budget, Members were all calling for Government to have its hands off as far as the private sector is concerned. The catch-word was privatization. Suddenly today we hear the Member asking that Government should get into an area that is already in the private sector. Get into buses.”
“Eight bus routes were deleted completely. 19 bus routes were added, and 36 bus routes had to be modified. I appreciate the problems of residents in Tampines as raised by the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Defence. I appreciate also the problems raised by MPs in other new housing estates. Residents in new housing estates would prefer, if it were possible, to have all the bus services available as soon as they move in. But, Sir, SBS has to balance the needs of residents in new housing estates with the needs of residents in old housing estates. If we take the routes serving the old housing estates before there is a significant demand in the housing estates, then it means services in the older housing estates will be severely affected. So it goes on. Adaptations must be made and made at all times. Another illustration of this principle of adjusting with the times is our taxi policy. Previously, in an attempt to eradicate the problem of pirate taxis, taxi fares were kept artificially low. Demand for taxis could not be satisfied. Letters were written to the newspapers complaining about how impossible it was to get a taxi. Times have changed. Pirate taxis are no longer a problem. Our problem now is that there are too many vehicles on our roads. If we have to ensure a steady growth of cars, then we cannot continue to increase the number of taxis each year indiscriminately in order to meet the very high demand caused by low fares. We must therefore change the fares. The low fares were made possible, of course, by a special exemption of diesel tax which dates back many years ago. That policy has now been changed. And the results speak for themselves. Taxi drivers now are earning more.”
“How long will we take to develop that? It is difficult to say, because if we look back into our history it took us more than 26 years to develop the central business district to the present level, where there are still large numbers of old buildings, some reasonably dilapidated, awaiting resettlement. Marina South is a large tract of land. It is approximately 270 hectares. That would take us a long time to develop. The Member for Potong Pasir has no appreciation of the problems involved. He thinks Marina South is just a piece of land that you sell as and when it is convenient in order to fund the building of stations of MRT. That is not the case. The development of a major business centre will take us decades. It will have to be done carefully because this is our last chance to have a vital piece of land centrally located that can be used to develop a new business centre. I mentioned that our approach to the problems of land transportation must be dynamic. We cannot have fixed solutions to all problems regardless of changing circumstances. Our population is growing, albeit at a relatively slow pace. Our population is also shifting, moving about. Each year, about 40,000 new flats are built. That means about 160,000 people change homes. Each year, new employment centres are set up. It means that the travelling patterns of people are different. We must change with the times in order to ensure that the land transportation continues to be able to service the needs of our people. To do that, of course, changes have got to be made and changes are never always completely painless. Last year, for example, the SBS had 63 route changes. Of course, some people were unhappy but others were happy. The people moving into new housing estates had bus services serving their needs.”
“Their new towns and housing estates are self-contained, well-organized, with shops, entertainment centres, recreational facilities, supermarkets, schools, junior colleges, sometimes even offices and light industries. These are all integrated in a manner such that it is possible for people to enjoy these basic facilities with the minimum of travel. Without such proper land utilization planning, we would not be able to cope with the transportation problem of 2(r) million people on an island of 620 sq kilometres. Sir, Marina South, as raised by the Member for Potong Pasir, is a good example of the principle of master planning. Sir, if we are not to proceed with the Mass Rapid Transit System, then Marina South will not be capable of high density development. This is because Marina South has the sea on three sides and there is only one possible channel for land traffic to flow into it. If that is the case, then master planning requires that that land be developed at very low density, which means the value of the land will be low. If we build the MRT all over the island, from Yishun in the North all the way to Jurong in the West and then all the way to Changi and later on to Pasir Ris in the East, with the main MRT network in place, it would be possible to have a short connection to Marina South. With that possibility and bearing in mind, Sir, that the MRT is capable of carrying 1,800 people in one train of six cars, that is a very high density mode of transportation, with that ability to carry large numbers of people into Marina South it would, of course, be possible to develop Marina South very, very intensively with high plot ratios. It would make it possible for us to exploit the vital location of Marina South and to convert it into a premier business centre.”
“It is in the light of this overall principle that this year, even though the Minister for Finance has been generous in giving tax rebates in a large number of different areas, such as property tax, corporate tax, income tax, and other taxes last year, including PUB, telephone and petrol taxes, in spite of all this giving away of rebates in order to help the economy to be more competitive and in order to stimulate the economy, no cut as far as road tax is concerned has been exercised. It would have been easy, Sir, for a small cut in road taxes to be made and then the numbers can be recalculated and a smaller cut given to some other tax. That would, needless to say, have made many motorists very happy. But that would not be the correct thing to do because it would mean that we are being reckless in stimulating the growth of vehicles in a recession and that we will in due course when the economy recovers pay for it with much higher congestions. With the limited amount of land that we have, we cannot behave like other countries. We cannot turn a blind eye to the growth of vehicles. In other countries, when cities become congested, they just expand into the suburbs. In extreme cases, they start new cities elsewhere. We do not have that luxury. We are constrained by the sea. We cannot start new cities elsewhere. It is in the light of this principle that constraints on cars will always have to be a major policy in our overall land transportation policy. Sir, I mentioned that land transport policy must be premised upon integrated master planning of land use. This is important because if we do not have this, then all the other components of land transport policy will not work. HDB and URA, in the Ministry of National Development have done an excellent job.”
“Eighthly, since the amount of roads is limited, there must also be slow growth of vehicles, of cars, and of taxis, so that we do not overwhelm the roads that we have. Ninthly, wherever possible, the capacity of our roads, after we have built them, should be improved in order that we can carry as many vehicles as possible, given the limited roads that we have. Tenthly, in areas where there are high concentrations of economic activity, such as the Central Business District, the flow of traffic in such regions will have to be carefully regulated. Otherwise the congestion will be such that it would be almost impossible to move in or out of Central Business Districts. Sir, I do not think anybody will disagree with the basic premise that we must have a free-flowing traffic in order to move people and goods efficiently and quickly. This is a fundamental premise upon which all other policies are based. If we do not follow this basic fundamental principle, then we are going to end up very soon with severe congestion which, in turn, will be extremely wasteful of time, which means that instead of vehicles, lorries, container trucks, being able to make three or four trips a day to the port, to the harbour, or to the airport, they may be able to make two trips a day. Instead of people spending 20 to 30 minutes a day travelling to and from work, they may have to spend a much longer time. All these would add to time wasted. All these, in due course, will reduce our competitiveness.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, Members have made numerous suggestions and questions on a wide range of topics, many going off in a number of different directions. I would like to group together the questions on land transport and deal with them first, I will attempt to bring some degree of cohesion to the subject, firstly, by outlining the main principles, the most important principles of our land transport policy. Then I will deal with the questions in detail in the context of these policies so that we will have a better understanding of the overall approach and the consistencies of the various measures taken. Sir, I would like to highlight ten of the most important principles in land transport policies to enable Members to grasp these basic principles first. Firstly, we must strive for a free-flowing traffic in Singapore. Free-flowing traffic for easy movement of people and goods. Secondly, we must live with the constraint of shortage of land in Singapore. Thirdly, to haveproper land transport policies, we must begin first with integrated master planning of land use. Fourthly, our policies must be dynamic. It must be responsive to changes in circumstances that affect us in Singapore. This approach of course will be multi-prong. Fifthly, we must have an efficient and viable bus service in order to carry large numbers of people to and from work. Sixthly, the bus services soon may not be able to cope with the increasing demands and our growing population. An additional network for public transporta- tion for carrying large numbers of people will have to be developed. This is the MRT. Seventhly, within the limited land that we have, we must build the best possible network of roads, of expressways, of flyovers, in order to service the vehicles.”
“If an accident should occur, the Traffic Police will spare no effort to investigate its cause and take measures to prevent its future occurrence. Mr Yeo Choo Kok (Delta)( In Mandarin): Sir, I would like the Senior Parliamentary Secretary to answer the following questions. (1) whether the relevant authority intends to request the bus companies to deploy more conductors and ticket inspectors along the routes where there are many passengers and during peak hours, to help bus drivers ensure passengers' safety on embarking or alighting of buses; (2) whether bus companies, particularly the SBS, have made use of public media, the SBC and the press, to systematically and regularly educate the passengers about safety on the buses, alighting or embarking on the buses; (3) whether the ROV has suspended the licences of bus drivers, temporarily or permanently, for causing bus accidents, and what are the figures; (4) whether there are any preventive courses to be conducted for bus drivers, and how many are attending at present.”
“6 deal with the same subject, with your permission, may I answer them together. Sir, the recent accidents involving SBS buses are currently under investigation by the Traffic Police to determine the causes of the accidents. As soon as the investigations are completed, the ROV and the Traffic Police will do a thorough review of the need for additional safety devices on buses. No effort will be spared to make public transport as safe as is humanly possible. To do that effectively, we must ascertain the cause or causes of the accidents and take the necessary action to prevent their occurrence. All possible measures which will enhance safety, especially for passengers on buses, will be looked at and implemented where appropriate. ROV conducts training courses which include lessons on passenger safety and defensive driving. Bus companies are also conducting their own courses to ensure that safety is not just taught but practised on an on-going basis by their drivers. They should also monitor the performance of their drivers and take corrective action, when necessary, to discipline inconsiderate and bad drivers. Bus companies should also help educate passengers on safety on the bus. Sir, the ROV and Traffic Police work closely to ensure that inconsiderate and irresponsible drivers are caught and penalized. The Traffic Police have a system of suspending the driving licences of those with a bad driving record. Such drivers are also encouraged to attend defensive driving courses to correct their driving habits. The ROV suspends or revokes the vocational licences of those with a particularly bad record. Sir, each year, about 250-300 people are killed on our roads. As a people, we should strive for total safety on our roads to reduce this number to a minimum.”
“Because there is nothing that entitles them to that particular taxi. Sir, we have to try to be fair to as many Singaporeans as possible so that those who seek to make a living out of taxi driving will be entitled in due course to a taxi. Having had this driving licence to drive a taxi and having had the licence to operate the taxi, if we were to allow transferability from father to son, from son to grandson, then we would be locking up the entire taxi industry into the hands of a few privileged people. In other countries, Sir, they do practise a system like this and the licence to operate a taxi is sold for up to $200,000 or $300,000. This is not the system that we wish to follow. ROAD SAFETY SENSE OF HEAVY VEHICLE DRIVERS (Improvement) 5. Mr Yeo Choo Kok asked the Minister for Communications and Information, in view of the recent spate of accidents involving buses of the Singapore Bus Service and other big vehicles, (a) whether the Registry of Vehicles will request the operators of these vehicles to introduce new and additional safety measures to safeguard the safety of commuters and other road users; (b) whether the ROV will conduct courses to improve the road manners and to enhance the sense of social responsibility of these drivers; and (c) whether the ROV, together with the Traffic Police, will introduce stringent and corrective measures, including heavy penalties, to deal with inconsiderate and irresponsible drivers of all vehicles. 6. Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam asked the Minister for Communications and Information what steps his Ministry proposes to take to ensure the safety of passengers on buses operated without any conductors on board. Mr Ho Kah Leong (for the Minister for Communications and Information): Mr Speaker, Sir, as Question No. 5 and Question No.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, if I could just take up the question by the Member for Anson. The licence to operate a taxi is not an entitlement for which the driver can then pass on from generation to generation.”
“Sir, the question has been asked many times before and the answer is no. We really need to have people who are able to converse in the basic languages, simple English and simple Mandarin. EMPLOYMENT PASSES (Flexibility) 6. Dr Koh Lam Son asked the Minister for Home Affairs, in making Singapore more attractive to foreign investors, especially the Japanese, who are keen to bring in their own management teams, whether his Ministry will be more flexible in granting employment passes.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the ROV issued 2,240, 1,725 and 3,044 taxi driver's licences in 1983, 1984 and 1985 respectively. Taxi licences are issued by ROV to all applicants after they have completed and passed their taxi driving course. These courses are conducted by the NTUC Comfort and Singapore Commuters Pte. Ltd. The ROV will expedite the processing of these applications so that the applicants can attend these training courses.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have answered the first part of the Member's question in reply to a question asked by the Member for Fengshan yesterday as well as subsequent supplementary questions asked by other Members. I shall proceed to the second part of the question. Sir, as for PARF for company cars, there is no need to offer it at the moment since company cars already enjoy tax concessions on the depreciation of their cars. There is no need, therefore, to offer additional incentives for these cars. NATIONAL RESERVES (Particulars) 12. Mr Yeo Toon Chia asked the Minister for Finance (a) what is the amount of Singapore's national reserves as at 31st December 1985; (b) what types of investments are the reserves put in; and (c) what were the returns from these investments for the past five years.”
“Sir, the reduction in parking charges will be applied to the car parks in that vicinity. REDUCTION OF ROAD TAX AND EXTENSION OF PARF TO COMPANY CARS 11. Mr Yeo Toon Chia asked the Minister for Communications and Information, in view of the current economic recession, whether his Ministry will consider (i) reducing road tax, and (ii) extending Preferential Additional Registration Fee entitlement to Q-plate cars.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am pleased to inform the hon. Member for Telok Blangah that the Port of Singapore Authority has at its meeting last month decided to reduce the parking charges for the open car parks at Maritime Square, as there are now sufficient parking lots to meet the heavy demand during popular exhibitions. The parking charges at these open car parks will be reduced from $1.20 per hour to $0.60 per hour with effect from 1st April, 1986. Mr Chng Hee Kok: Will the Minister confirm that these rates will also apply to the car park across the road at the bus interchange where a hawker centre is located?”
“Sir, security personnel have been instructed to be more vigilant in the light of the recent incident. WORLD TRADE CENTRE OPEN CARPARKS (Reduction in charges) 10. Dr Koh Lam Son asked the Minister for Communications and Information whether he will consider reducing the charges at the World Trade Centre open carparks from $1.20 to $0.60 per hour as the carparks are outside the Central Business District and there is normally no excessive demand.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, security measures at Changi Airport are in line with those adopted by other major international airports. This is acknowledged by airlines using Changi Airport. The security experts of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have also expressed the view that our airport security system is satisfactory and of a high standard. Together with the police, our airport authorities regularly review the airport security system. They are in touch with IATA and ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) on the latest developments in airport security and enforcement. Improved measures and equipment adopted by other major airports are introduced from time to time. Regular exercises are also held to test the system and the alertness of security personnel as well as to ensure that our security system functions smoothly at all times. Our security system is also obviously severely dependent on the quality of personnel that we recruit. Members may have read in the newspapers recently a report about a boy who entered the restricted area without a boarding pass. Investigations suggest that certain security officers may have had a lapse of vigilance. The boy managed to slip past the checkpoint at the entrance of the departure lounge. However, he was soon spotted by a security supervisor. The boy attempted to escape and went through a holding room. He was finally stopped by a security officer and a cabin crew and handed over to the security supervisor. Sir, in the light of this recent incident, security procedures have been reviewed. Police officers, airport security personnel as well as airline personnel have been asked to exercise greater vigilance.”
“Sir, I think it must be obvious that commuters will always ask for decreases in taxi fares. But in this particular case, the savings is relatively small. TENDER PRICES FOR HDB CONTRACTORS 7. Mr S. Vasoo asked the Minister for National Development whether the tender prices for Housing and Development Board contracts are lower now; and, if so, whether the HDB will consider passing the benefits to future flat purchasers.”
“Sir, the Ministry will allow the taxi drivers to set their fares. But we have not received any request so far.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since June last year, taxi fares have been determined by taxi drivers through their companies and associations. So far, my Ministry has not received any request from taxi organizations to change the fare structure. Sir, the Member for Cairnhill may be interested to note that the decrease in diesel pump price this year is about 15 cents per litre. The average fuel consumption is about 10 km per litre. For an average trip of about 6 km, that works out to a saving of 9.1 cents for the taxi driver.”
“Sir, like all vehicles using our roads, goods vehicles too have to pay their proportionate level of contribution. Many of these taxes for goods vehicles have been kept the same ever since 1966. So in effect, taking into account inflation, the level of taxation has indeed been reduced as a result of the passing years. REVIEW OF TAXI FARES (Plans) 6. Dr Wong Kwei Cheong asked the Minister for Communications and Information if there are plans to review the taxi fare structure, in view of the drastic reduction in world oil prices.”
“Sir, we have to manage our land transportation policies rationally. With about 15% more roads, as far as the potential of land is concerned, we will have to watch the situation carefully and continue to encourage the use of more efficient land transport systems.”
“Sir, I can give the assurance, as the Member has said, provided that the growth of cars is within manageable levels, relative to the amount of roads to be built over the next five or six years. And that will represent the limit of land available in Singapore for roads.”
“Sir, the answer is yes. The reduction of petrol prices which has already taken place has indeed con- tributed to the lowering of the cost of living and cost of operations.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, Government's objective in land transportation is to ensure that our roads remain free from serious traffic jams, so that people and goods can move about quickly and efficiently. We must continually keep the growth of cars within manageable levels. Otherwise, corrective measures will be difficult and painful. Therefore, we must look at the long-term trend in the growth of cars rather than in any one particular year. Last year, even with the recession, the increase in the number of cars was about 2%. With a recovery of the economy, there is no reason to believe that there will not be a sharp increase in the number of cars. It is therefore reckless to reduce road taxes to stimulate an increase in cars. In the meantime, Government continues to push ahead with the building of roads and expressways as well as the construction of the MRT.”
“Sir, last year, the Member for Potong Pasir asked the same question and the Second Deputy Prime Minister (he was the Minister for Communications in charge of the MRT when it was first commenced) explained to him and this has been recorded in the Hansard, Vol 45, dated 18th March 1985. The Second Deputy Prime Minister explained that the idea of selling Marina land for the MRT was a notional suggestion. There was no decision taken to link the direct sale of Marina South land with the progress and building of the MRT. It is like saying that the building of schools will be paid for in due course by the fact that children will be better educated and therefore better able to make a contribution to society.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Government has been funding the construction of the MRT in accordance with section 17 of the Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Act enacted in 1983. I will read from the Act: 'For the purpose of enabling the Corporation to carry out its function of constructing and equipping the Mass Rapid Transit System, the Minister for Finance shall, from time to time, provide funds, subject to such conditions as he may impose, to the Corporation out of moneys provided by Parliament.' Sir, this practice is the same for all Government projects, whether they be for the construction of roads, schools or hospitals. Moneys for development projects come from the Development Fund and allocations from the Development Fund are presented in the Development Estimates each year presented in Parliament during the Budget debate.”
“Mr Chiam See Tong asked the Minister for Finance whether the Monetary Authority of Singapore was aware of the practice of forward trading by members of the Singapore Stock Exchange.”
“Bus fares are determined by bus companies. Government's role is to encourage bus companies to operate efficiently and productively and to ensure that fares are reasonable in the light of operational costs. Recent increases in productivity has enabled bus fares to be maintained at the same level since January 1982. Anticipated decreases in employers' CPF contribution and fuel costs will help the profitability of bus companies in the short term. If these reductions are of a permanent nature and are of a level that would permit a reduction in fares, then bus companies should consider a fare reduction at the appropriate time. However, at the moment, these reductions do not appear to be long term. Bus fares cannot be changed frequently because they require a long time for adjustments to be made. Otherwise, passengers and drivers alike will be confused about the correct fares. Therefore, bus fares should be changed only when changes in operating costs are reasonably permanent. To be practical, the change to any fare must be in steps of 5 cts or 10 cts per passenger trip. With more than 700 million passenger trips a year, even a reduction of 5 cts per trip requires long term profitability of bus companies to be in excess of $35 million per annum before this reduction can be absorbed. These conditions are not present at the moment. What bus companies should do is to plough back the extra profit and use it wisely to further improve their services and productivity, and hence ensure that the present fares can be kept at this level for as long as possible, even after operating costs go up again when the economy recovers. FORWARD TRADING BY MEMBERS OF THE STOCK EXCHANGE OF SINGAPORE 3.”
“Sir, the Ministry does not keep track of where all the old cars go. But we know that most of the old cars have been scrapped locally. If the Member is interested, Sir, I could inform the House that in 1975, one car out of every five was 10 years or older. Today, one car out of 14 is 10 years or older. That has helped significantly in ensuring that we do not have serious traffic congestions, particularly during peak hours. BAN ON RELIGIOUS MUSIC DURING THAIPUSAM 7. Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam asked the Minister for Home Affairs why the police forbid the playing of religious music and singing of religious songs at temples and by those accompanying the persons carrying kavadi along the route during the observance of Thaipusam.”
“Sir, it is probable that the recession was the primary cause for the slower growth of cars over the last 12 months. The PARF is a different scheme altogether. The PARF is meant to keep the number of old cars down to a reasonable number.”
“Sir, we do not keep a record of all the cars that break down on the roads. But I am sure the Member for Whampoa will remember that way back in the 70s it was a common sight to see cars breakdown along the roadside and owners plucking off a branch from a tree and sticking it at the back of the bumpers. Some hon. Members: They still do. Mr Chng Hee Kok: Is it not true that the recession is really the major cause of the decline in the car population growth last year? If that is the case, why do we not allow a suspension or lift the 10-year limit for a limited time until the economy recovers?”
“Sir, the compulsory inspection ensures that minimum standards are kept. But we all know that old equipment and old machinery do have a greater tendency to break down with increasing age. So too with cars.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the PARF scheme was introduced in 1975 as an incentive to encourage car owners to scrap their cars before they are 10 years old. The objective is to reduce the number of old cars so that there would be fewer breakdowns and greater safety on our roads, and also to minimize the traffic congestion during peak hours caused by such breakdowns. This policy has proved effective over the last 10 years. We now have a relatively young car population. Raising the 10-year age limit will mean more old vehicles with a greater likelihood of breakdowns returning to our roads. That will result in greater inconvenience for all road users. The PARF scheme has been an incentive to encourage scrapping before the cars become unroadworthy and have to be scrapped out of necessity. There is no compulsion. Car owners are free to choose when to scrap their cars. Those who have well-maintained cars can keep them beyond the 10-year limit. It is unnecessary to give an incentive to owners who have cars older than 10 years old and wish to scrap them when they are no longer roadworthy. I should add, Sir, that our car restraint policies, in fact, achieve what the hon. Member appears to ask for, ie, to save on foreign exchange. By keeping the car population at a low level, we have reduced the amount of foreign exchange spent on the purchase of new cars.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the recession, as we have indicated on a number of occasions, was not expected. The diesel tax was based on the assumption of a 5-7% increase in our GDP. The fact that eventually when the taxi fares proposed by the taxi drivers came close to the taxi fares proposed by the Ministry, is an indi- cation that the Ministry's figures were generally in the ball park. Had it not been for the recession, we believe those figures would have been correct. The fact that taxi drivers presently are collecting more than they did a year ago is an indication that the policy of increasing taxi fares eventually, endorsed up by the taxi drivers themselves, was a policy in the right direction.”
“That is exactly what you are doing, twisting and turning.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, if I could clarify that point. The diesel tax that the Government has announced will be implemented in due course. What we have done is to be realistic and flexible. Knowing full well that there was this recession, it was not considered appropriate to impose the diesel tax straightaway. If there had not been the recession, that would have been the intention, and that would be what we would have done.”
“May I clarify? The Member has asked to be ridiculed yet again because the increase in taxi fare does indeed provide the taxi drivers with a higher collection, as demonstrated by figures last year. What happened was that last year, in April, because the changes were traumatic, were significant and much higher than what the public was anticipating, there was a short period when the public was uncertain. They were confused about the actual fares. Coupled with a fair amount of negative publicity given to the taxi fare increase, people were confused about the actual fares. They were thinking that the fares were much higher than it actually was. As a result, many of them were wary and did not take taxis. The figures last year, for the last six months, showed that the collections for taxi drivers were indeed higher than they were for the corresponding period for the year 1984. If it had not been for the taxi fare adjustment, the recession last year would have taken its toll, and taxi drivers, like other self-employed, would have suffered a massive loss of income. Some hon. Members: Hear! hear!”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Member for Alexandra for his concern on the subject of safety. Safety is something that we emphasize again and again in all activities where the Corporation comes close to or has contact with the public. Let me assure him and clarify the Bill by saying that an employee of the Corporation is not free from liability if he is guilty of criminal negligence. It is when the employee is operating under instructions in good faith that he is free from liability. 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.- [Dr Yeo Ning Hong]. Bill considered in Committee. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] Clause 1 -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, this Bill seeks to bring the Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Act in line with Acts governing other similar statutory boards in three respects. Firstly, the Bill will provide protection from personal liability for employees, officers, and board members for acts done in good faith in the course of their operations under the instruction of the Corporation. Secondly, the Bill will provide a wider choice for the source of fund from which the Corporation can borrow money. Thirdly, the Bill will require the MRTC to submit an annual report to be presented to Parliament. Sir, these amendments follow the current practices of other statutory boards with functions similar to the MRTC, such as the Public Utilities Board, Port of Singapore Authority, Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Economic Development Board. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed.”
“There is no need to appoint a committee to study the cost of bus services. This is best left to the bus operators who have shown that they are aware of the need to keep cost down.Bus operators have implemented various productivity and cost-saving measures including increased automation and computerisation and the conversion to one-man-operated buses. These measures have enabled bus fares to be held constant since January 1982. EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR RELEASED PRISONERS 18. Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam asked the Minister for Home Affairs if he will consider taking measures to help those with previous convictions but who have lived a crime free life for three years after their release from prison to get employment either in the Government, Statutory Boards or the private sector and will the Government take a lead in offering them employment.”
“Sir, the majority of our people are ethnic Chinese and there- fore having Mandarin permits easy communication among commuters and taxi drivers. TAX CONCESSIONS OF 1985/86 BUDGET (Effect on Revenue) 16. Mr Chng Hee Kok asked the Minister for Finance what is the effect on the Government's revenue of the tax concessions announced after the approval of the 1985/86 Budget in March 1985.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in Singapore's multi-racial society, simple conversational English is the common language for communication among people of different races. Therefore, it is necessary for taxi drivers, and also in their interest, to have a knowledge of simple conversational English. They will also find English useful for the many tourists who have to travel by taxi. The test is very simple and consists of questions which taxi drivers are very likely to encounter from commuters. Most applicants for taxi drivers' vocational licences have no difficulty passing this test.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, my Ministry's strategic objective in the field of telecommunications is to help bring about the "Information Age" in Singapore. Our policies are directed at making the communication of knowledge and information easy and convenient via the telephone. Such communication can be in the form of voice, picture or computer data, and can help individuals and businesses to increase their productivity. Towards this end, Telecoms is encouraging the greater use and ownership of terminal equipment. At present, indivi- duals and businesses can purchase telephone sets, PABX's (Private Automatic Branch Exchange Equipment), modems and facsimile machines from any vendor of their choice. These terminal equipment must be type-tested and approved by Telecoms for compatibility with the national telephone network to prevent such equipment from interfering with or degrading the performance of the network, thus causing inconvenience to other telephone users. The use of other terminal equipment such as telex machines, pagers and mobile sets from private vendors is being studied. Once technical details are worked out, Telecoms would be in a position to approve the use of such equipment. TAXI DRIVERS' LICENCES (English language requirement) 15. Mr Tan Soo Khoon asked the Minister for Communications and Information if he will ask the Registry of Vehicles to remove the English language proficiency requirement for applicants of taxi drivers' vocational licences.”