Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, the Bill seeks to introduce a number of amendments to the Workmen's Compensation Act. A summary of the amendments is provided in the explanatory statement, I now propose to elaborate on some of the more important clauses in the Amendment Bill. Sir, the Ministry of Labour over the past years has been concentrating on the prevention of work accidents and diseases to provide a safer and healthier work environment for our workers. Safety and health standards have been improved. The Building Operations and Works of Engineering Construction Regulations, 1977, introduced new safety standards on the erection and use of scaffolds. The Factories (Amendment) Act, 1978, provided additional safety requirements for work in confined spaces. Two new health programmes were also introduced. One was the Hearing Conservation Programme launched in May 1976 to preserve the hearing of workers in noisy factories. The other was the Cancer Prevention Programme introduced in November 1978 covering the use of asbestos and benzene. Enforcement of safety and health standards has been stepped up. Penalties for violation of safety and health standards were enhanced in 1978 and 1979 to drive home the message to management and workers of the need to observe safety standards and procedures. The Ministry also undertook education and advisory services to promote work safety. Campaigns to underline the importance of safety and health were organised for the shipbuilding, construction, wood-working and metal working industries. Training of workers and supervisors in safety and health was undertaken for the shipbuilding and construction industries. Safety and health personnel in industry were also trained. Mr Speaker, Sir, as a result of this work, there has been an improvement in the industrial safety and health situation. Over the last five years, it is heartening to note that the frequency and severity rates of industrial accidents have significantly fallen from 6.8 accidents per one million man-hours worked in 1975 to five accidents in 1979 and 845 man-day loss per one million man-hours worked in 1975 to 405 man-day loss in 1979. Nevertheless, we still need to further improve. There were at the end of 1979 5,277 accidents with 57 fatalities. We must seek to reduce further the number of accidents and fatalities. Mr Speaker, Sir, one of the main amendments is the increase in the quantum of workmen's compensation. This increase is not only to meet the rise in the cost of living and wages but also to underline to employers the need to give greater attention to the prevention of accidents and diseases at the workplaces. Clause 8 of the Bill seeks to raise the maximum compensation for death from $35,000 to $45,000 and that for injury resulting in permanent total incapacity from $45,000 to $60,000. It also provides for an increase in minimum compensation for death from $10,800 to $15,000 and for a minimum compensation for injury resulting in permanent total incapacity to be fixed at $20,000. The proposed increase in the compensation rates takes into consideration the substantial increase in the cost of living and wages over the last five years. Since the last revision of workmen's compensation in October 1975, the Consumer Price Index has risen by about 19%. The median monthly income of employees, according to CPF records, has also risen by about 25% from $332 in 1975 to $416 in June 1980. Apart from raising the maximum and minimum levels of compensation, clause 8 also provides for a revision in the age multiplying factors used in calculating compensation. Compared to those presently in use which fall abruptly at certain ages, the new multiplying factors fall more gradually with age for workmen between 40 and 65. The proposed multiplying factors for workmen between the ages of 40 and 59 are also higher than the present factors but lower for those whose ages are above 60. The reduction of the factors for elderly workmen represents a more realistic provision as their loss of future earnings would be very much less. Mr Speaker, Sir, under the present provisions of the Workmen's Compensation Act, employees employed in non-manual work are covered by the Act only if their monthly earnings do not exceed $750. However, employees employed in manual work are covered by the Act irrespective of the amount of their monthly earnings. The $750 wage ceiling was set in 1971 in line with the wage ceiling in Part IV of the 1968 Employment Act. The wage ceiling of non-manual employees for the purpose of coverage under the welfare provisions of Part IV and sections 33 and 144 of the Employment Act will be revised to $1,250 per month with effect from 1st December 1980, in consideration of the substantial increase in the wage level of our workers since 1968. Clause 2 of the Bill therefore proposes to raise the wage ceiling for employees employed in non-manual work under the Workmen's Compensation Act to $1,250 per month in line with that prescribed for the Employment Act. Furthermore, in order to ensure that the scope of the Act will in future be commensurate with increases in the level of wages, it is proposed in the Bill that the Minister be empowered to adjust and raise the wage ceiling for employees employed in non-manual work by notification in the Gazette. Such a power has already been provided under the Employment Act. Under the present Workmen's Compensation Act, an employer is required to pay compensation within 21 days from the date of service of the notice of assessment of compensation or the date of the Commissioner's decision at the conclusion of a hearing. If he fails to pay within this stipulated period, he is liable to pay to the Workers' Fund interest at the rate of 1 1/2% for each month or part thereof of the compensation payable. Despite this, some employers and insurance companies still pay compensation late. In 1979, there were 675 late payments. To make employers and insurance companies pay compensation on time, clauses 6 and 7 seek to raise the rate of interest to be charged for late payment in the following manner. For the first six months from the date of service of the notice of assessment or the date of the Commissioner's decision, the rate of interest shall be 11/2% per month or part thereof; and thereafter the rate shall be 3% per month or part thereof of the compensation payable. The amount of interest charged shall not in any case exceed 50% of the amount of compensation. Clause 7 of the Bill also provides that the interest paid by the employer or insurance company be payable to the workman or his dependants in the case of a deceased workman. Interest on late payment will be paid to the Workers' Fund only if the deceased workman has no surviving dependants, Mr Speaker, Sir, at present, an injured workman who refuses to submit himself for medical examination will have his right to compensation suspended until such examination takes place. Since a time limit is not provided, a case could be suspended indefinitely if the workman refuses to submit himself for examination. To prevent such an abuse and to provide for more efficient administration, clause 4 provides that where an injured workman without reasonable excuse fails to submit himself for medical examination within six months from the date of being required to do so by the Commissioner for Labour, he shall forfeit his right to compensation unless such injury results subsequently in his death. Finally, section 33 (2) of the Workmen's Compensation Act allows a workman to claim compensation, having failed in his claim at common law, provided he filed his common law claim within the time specified in section 11, that is, six months from the happening of the accident. A number of claimants have indicated that this period gives them very little time to decide whether to claim at common law or under the Act. Clause 3 of the Bill, therefore, seeks to extend this period from six months to one year. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed.