Hansard, 1981-03-06

PERMISSION TO MEMBERS TO BE ABSENT Under the provisions of clause 2(d) of Article 46 of the Constitution of Singapore, the following Members have been granted permission to be or to remain absent from sittings of Parliament for the periods stated:- Mr Liew Kok Pun (Boon Teck) - from 23rd to 27th February, 1981. Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam (Sembawang), Minister of Education - from 25th February to 1st March, 1981. Dr Wong Kwei Cheong, P.B.M. (Cairnhill) - from 2nd to 5th March, 1981. Mr Bernard Chen (Clementi), Minister of State, Ministry of Defence - from 9th to 16th March, 1981. Dr Augustine H.H. Tan (Whampoa) - from 16th to 21st March, 1981. Mr E.W. Barker (Tanglin), Minister for Law and Science and Technology and Leader of the House - from 16th to 22nd March, 1981. YEOH GHIM SENG Speaker, Parliament of Singapore

ELECTION OF DEPUTY SPEAKER Mr Speaker, Sir, I propose that Mr Hwang Soo Jin, the hon. Member for Jalan Kayu, be elected Deputy Speaker of this House.

ELECTION OF DEPUTY SPEAKER Mr Speaker, Sir, I second the proposal.

ELECTION OF DEPUTY SPEAKER There being only one proposal, I declare Mr Hwang Soo Jin to have been duly elected as Deputy Speaker of this Parliament. [Applause]

ELECTION OF DEPUTY SPEAKER Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the House, I extend my congratulations to the hon. Member on his election. He was first elected to this House in 1968 and has since taken an active part from the Backbench. Now that he has been elevated to this high position, I hope he will continue to be as active, never mind what hat he is wearing! Sir, I would like to place on record also our appreciation of the services rendered by Mr Tang See Chim, the previous Deputy Speaker, who served us so well during the last nine years. He has performed your functions and duties whilst you were away from this House or absent from your seat, perhaps because you were tired of our deliberations.

MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT OF - REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE - (Reply to Address) - (Announcement by Mr Speaker) I have to inform hon. Members that I communicated to the President the Address agreed to by resolution of this Parliament on the 20th February, 1981. I have received a reply from the President acknowledging receipt of the kind message Parliament transmitted to him.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE - ESTIMATES COMMITTEE - Appointment of Chairmen - (Announcement by Mr Speaker) I also have to inform hon. Members that, under the provisions of paragraphs (2) and (3) respectively of Standing Order No. 95, I have appointed Mr Hwang Soo Jin to be Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee and Dr Lau Teik Soon to be Chairman of the Estimates Committee.

ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - LICENSED HAWKERS - (Particulars) asked the Minister for the Environment (a) how many licensed hawkers there were in Singapore as at 31st December, 1980; (b) how many more hawker-licences will be issued in 1981 ; (c) what are the present criteria for approving applications for such a licence; and (d) what types of stall are available to newly licensed hawkers.

ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - LICENSED HAWKERS - (Particulars) ( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, there are 25,889 licensed hawkers as at 31st December, 1980. 7,124 are housed in the Ministry of the Environment's food centres and markets, 15,501 are in food centres or markets managed by statutory boards, and 3,264 are operating in backlanes and streets. We do not set any quota for new licences. As there are enough hawkers, new licences are only issued on grounds of hardship and for cleared market stalls. In 1980, 325 persons were issued licences. The criteria for the issue of hawker licences under hardship cases are that the applicant must be a Singapore citizen, aged between 40 and 60 years and not gainfully employed. In addition, he must have dependants to support and a family income of less than $500 per month. There must also be no licensed hawker among his immediate family members. Market produce stalls and stalls for the sale of piece and sundry goods are freely available to newly licensed hawkers. As we are short of cooked food stalls for the resiting of street hawkers, there will only be a limited number of these for new licensees.

CORPORATION DRIVE FOOD CENTRE - (Rebuilding of) asked the Minister for the Environment when the Corporation Drive Food Centre will be rebuilt.

CORPORATION DRIVE FOOD CENTRE - (Rebuilding of) ( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Corporation Drive Food Centre was built in 1974. It is, therefore, not as modern as some of our new food centres. It is, however, still serviceable, and therefore it need not be rebuilt. When I replied to the Member for Jurong on a similar question last year, I said that we were aware that the roof for the cooked food centre was too low and that ventilation was poor. Further improvements were being studied. We are now finalizing our design proposals to raise the roof of the cooked food centre to improve ventilation. The proposals will be submitted shortly for approval of funds.

POLICE INVESTIGATION INTO CASE OF ABDUCTION - (Negligence) asked the Minister for Home Affairs, in the case of the 10-year old girl who was alleged to have been abducted from Clementi Avenue to a flat in Toa Payoh and who was later set free by her abductors, why the police officer investigating the case, when he found no one in the said flat, did not pursue the matter further; and whether there was negligence on the part of the police officer concerned, in view of the recent murder of two children in Toa Payoh.

POLICE INVESTIGATION INTO CASE OF ABDUCTION - (Negligence) Mr Speaker, Sir, the case mentioned by the hon. Member for Khe Bong has been under investigation by the Police before it was publicized in the press. These investigations, as to whether there was neglect of duty on the part of the police officer concerned in not pursuing the matter further than he did, have now reached the stage where the papers have been referred to the Attorney-General's Chambers. The Attorney-General has advised that facts relating to the alleged abduction of the 10-year old girl and the investigations following therefrom should not be disclosed publicly at this stage because the girl concerned will, in all probability, be a material witness at the trial of the three persons who have been charged with murdering two children in Toa Payoh. As the House will appreciate, the three accused face capital charges and the matter is sub judice and disclosures which may prejudice the outcome of their cases should be avoided. I am, nonetheless, aware that this case has generated considerable public interest. I wish to assure the House that a serious view has been taken of the matter and I will not hesitate to discipline any police officer who has been found guilty of dereliction of duty.

POLICE INVESTIGATION INTO CASE OF ABDUCTION - (Negligence) Mr Speaker, Sir, I am quite satisfied with the answer given by the Minister for Home Affairs. But, nevertheless, I still wish to ask the Minister whether he can assure the House that such an incident will not be repeated in the future.

POLICE INVESTIGATION INTO CASE OF ABDUCTION - (Negligence) The answer is yes. I will not only assure him but I will also take a very serious view of any dereliction of duty.

BRIBERY AND CRIMINAL BREACH OF TRUST - (Figures for 1980) asked the Minister for Home Affairs, for the year 1980, (a) how many persons were convicted on charges of (i) bribery, and (ii) criminal breach of trust; and (b) how many of such persons were professionals from (i) the public sector, and (ii) the private sector.

BRIBERY AND CRIMINAL BREACH OF TRUST - (Figures for 1980) Mr Speaker, Sir, from the figures supplied by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, 44 persons were convicted in court on charges of bribery in 1980. There was no professional from the public sector among them. However, there were three professionals from the private sector - two architects and an engineer. In the same year, 72 persons were convicted on charges of criminal breach of trust. Again, no professional from the public sector was involved but there were two from the private sector. One was an accountant and the other a lawyer.

MASS RAPID TRANSIT - (Study of proposal for all-bus system) asked the Minister for Communications and Minister for Labour whether it was necessary to conduct another study to assess the Hansen Review Team's proposal of an all-bus system; what is the purpose of Phase B of the Study, how long the Study will take and how much it will cost; and whether a firm decision on the MRT will be taken by Government after the Study.

MASS RAPID TRANSIT - (Study of proposal for all-bus system) Mr Speaker, Sir, hon. Members will recall that the Hansen Team confidently concluded in its review last year that MRT is not inevitable. They claimed that a restructured all-bus system deploying a large number of high speed point-to-point express services would be able to cope with our transport needs well into the 1990s, if not forever. At the same time, such a bus system would provide a level of service comparable to the MRT, and at much lower costs. My Ministry's view is that the Hansen Team did not produce hard and convincing figures to back up their claims. Nor did they examine the operational implications of their all-bus system, such as how it would manage with the large volumes of passenger boardings in the Central Area during the peak hours. For this reason, we have decided to undertake further quantitative work to establish, once and for all, whether an all-bus system will be able to cope. And if not, at which point in time an MRT would be needed. The Study will be conducted in two phases, Phase A and Phase B. In Phase A, which will take six months, the Hansen's allbus system will be developed and studied in detail to see if it can be implemented and, if so, with what consequences. Various claims made in support of the all-bus system will also be studied and tested. Phase A Study will cost some $2 1/2 million. Phase B Study, which will commence at the same time as Phase A Study, will take another two years after the completion of Phase A. It will do a refined analysis. It will also examine the basic MRT system established in Phase Ill Study of the Mass Transit Study to see how it compares with the all-bus system financially, economically and operationally. The cost of this Phase will only be known following the completion of Phase A, at which time a proposal detailing the scope of work to be carried out in Phase B will be submitted by the consultants. Being a gigantic and complex project with wide all-round implications, the decision to build the MRT can only be taken after all factors have been carefully considered. I am optimistic that the outcome of these studies will be conclusive enough to enable us to arrive at that decision.

MASS RAPID TRANSIT - (Study of proposal for all-bus system) Mr Speaker, Sir, if the Review Team's Study is to be conclusive enough, as the Hon. Minister has just pointed out, then could the Hon. Minister assure the House that this will be the final Study before a firm decision on the MRT can be arrived at?

MASS RAPID TRANSIT - (Study of proposal for all-bus system) Mr Speaker, Sir, as I have mentioned earlier and on some other occasions, transport considerations although important are not the only factors that will have to be considered in making a decision. As I have mentioned earlier, Phase A Study will show us how an all-bus system will cope with the projected transport demand in the 1980s and in the 1990s. It will not look into the financial implications of the all-bus system nor will it look into the financial implications of the other alternative, which is the bus-rail system. This will be done in Phase B Study. Should the findings of Phase A show that the all-bus system cannot cope satisfactorily by the late 1980s or within this decade, obviously we will have to do some quick thinking and make a decision one way or the other. But if the Study concludes that an all-bus system will be able to manage up to the early 1990s, although it may not be beyond the century but the early 1990s or mid 1990s, then we can afford to defer the decision a little bit longer. But as I have mentioned earlier, if the conclusion that an all-bus system will not be able to handle the transport demand by the late 1980s, obviously we will have to make a decision quickly.

MASS RAPID TRANSIT - (Study of proposal for all-bus system) Mr Speaker, Sir, it seems to me that the Government is uncertain about when to build the MRT. If that is the case, why did the Government conduct a feasibility study in 1979?

MASS RAPID TRANSIT - (Study of proposal for all-bus system) Mr Speaker, Sir, the Government is just as anxious as hon. Members in wanting to come to an early decision on this project. But we must not allow our decision-making process to be constrained by our own limitations in knowledge and experience in this field and by the narrowness of our own vision, especially in the context of Singapore with the small pool of talent that we have and the small physical size of the Republic, because if it is a mistake we will have to live with it. I have mentioned again and again in this House that it is very prudent to make sure that the maximum economic advantage is achieved and this could only be done with careful study and proper timing.

MASS RAPID TRANSIT - (Study of proposal for all-bus system) Sir, perhaps the answer to it is that the feasibility of the MRT is still under study.

MASS RAPID TRANSIT - (Study of proposal for all-bus system) Sir, the answer is yes:

HOU GANG NEW TOWN - (Particulars) asked the Minister for National Development if he will elaborate on the development of Hou Gang New Town; amongst the shopping and other amenities, how many flats will be built; what is the expected population; when the New Town will be completed: and how many constituencies will be involved.

HOU GANG NEW TOWN - (Particulars) Mr Speaker, Sir, Hou Gang New Town falls within the constituencies of Paya Lebar and Punggol. When completely developed in 1986-87, it will have a population of 130,000 people housed in 26,000 units of flats. These include 3,000 existing flats in Punggol Estate which will form part of the New Town. Hou Gang New Town will be divided into four neighbourhoods, each with its own neighbourhood centre. In addition, a sports complex, schools and other amenities will be provided. Approximately 4,700 dwelling units, 140 shops and eating houses and a market-cum-cooked food centre are presently under construction.

HOU GANG NEW TOWN - (Particulars) Mr Speaker, Sir, is the Minister aware that for Singaporeans who do not understand Hanyu Pinyin, the name of the new town which reads "Hou Gang New Town" could mislead some Singaporeans into believing that it is a new town of gangsters headed by our Hon. Minister of Defence who is also called "Howe".

NEW PUNGGOL FISHING PORT AND MARKET - (Building of) asked the Minister for National Development, now that the land on which Kangkar Fish Market stands has been compulsorily acquired, when and where the new fish market in Punggol will be built and what is the cost of construction.

NEW PUNGGOL FISHING PORT AND MARKET - (Building of) Mr Speaker, Sir, the new Punggol Fishing Port and Market will be built on a 3-hectare site located at the North-eastern coast, opposite Coney Island. The project, which is scheduled to be completed in 1982/83, is estimated to cost more than $5 million.

HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD - (Raising of income ceiling) asked the Minister for National Development, in view of the fact that the income of Singapore workers has considerably increased in the last decade, whether he will now consider revising upward the combined family income ceiling of $500 to a more realistic figure so that those who earn more than $500 a month will be able to rent two-room flats or to transfer from one-room to two-room flats.

HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD - (Raising of income ceiling) Mr Speaker, Sir, the income ceiling for rental flats is under constant review. The present ceiling of $500 per month has already been relaxed for two groups of applicants. First, existing tenants who have occupied their present flats for at least two years may be allowed a transfer to a 2-room flat, even if the family income exceeds $500 per month. Secondly, resettlement cases in urgent need of accommodation are allowed to rent a flat, even if their income exceeds the income ceiling. However, because of a shortage of 2-room flats, the HDB is unable to allow other public applicants with a family income exceeding $500 per month to be allocated such flats.

HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD - (Raising of income ceiling) Sir, the Minister seems to favour the higher income bracket applicants. The income ceiling for the HUDC applicants has been revised upwards. If he allows this revision, why can the Minister not do the same for the lower income wage earners?

HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD - (Raising of income ceiling) Sir, that is not so because the income limit for rental flats has been fixed at $800 per month. We have not revised this ceiling for the simple reason that we want to encourage,people to own their own homes. If we allow the ceiling for rental flats to be adjusted upwards, then some people may prefer to rent rather than buy their flats. The ceiling of $800 per month has not been revised for a long time because it is our policy to encourage people to own their own homes. As hon. Members are aware, the income ceiling for ownership of HDB flats has been constantly adjusted upwards, that is, from $800 to $1,200; from $1,200 to $1,500, and recently from $1,500 to $2,500. Most probably we may have to further adjust upwards to catch up with inflation and the increase in the price of HDB flats.

HUDC APARTMENTS - (Ownership by single persons) asked the Minister for National Development what specific surveys were done and what evidence was obtained to indicate that ownership of Housing and Urban Development Company (HUDC) apartments by single persons should be curbed in view of its "disturbing and undesirable trend".

HUDC APARTMENTS - (Ownership by single persons) Mr Speaker, Sir, the Housing and Urban Development Company regularly analyses the data it collects on applicants at the time of registration. As at 31st January, 1981, HUDC had a waiting list of 6,256 applications. About 46% of the applications were from single persons. An analysis of the characteristics of single-person applicants revealed that 72% earned less than $2,500 per month at the time of registration. The majority are young. About 29% are below 25 years old. Another 51% are between 26 and 30 years old. Most single-person applicants indicated their intention to live alone. 1,981 applicants or 69% of single applicants listed only one occupant. There is a rising trend of single persons applying to the HUDC for housing. In 1977, the number of applications from single persons was only 209. This figure rose to 1,451 in 1980, an increase of almost seven times in three years. The Government believes in preserving the family unit to promote social cohesion. Many HDB policies have been revised to encourage families to live together so that the children can take care of their parents. The rising number of young single persons wanting to live on their own is, therefore, an undesirable trend. We do not wish to encourage this trend by making it easy for single persons to obtain HUDC flats.

EUNOS HOUSING ESTATE FLATS - (Water seepage at gable-end walls) asked the Minister for National Development, in view of the longstanding problem of water seepage at gable-end walls in Housing and Development Board flats, how soon the affected flats in Eunos Housing Estate will be repaired.

EUNOS HOUSING ESTATE FLATS - (Water seepage at gable-end walls) Mr Speaker, Sir, tenders for remedial work to prevent rain-water seepage into the flats at Eunos Crescent have been called. Repair work is expected to be completed by the third quarter of this year.

HDB RESIDENTIAL FLATS - (Shortening of waiting period) asked the Minister for National Development (a) what are the current waiting periods for the purchase of the different types of Housing and Development Board residential accommodation and what steps have been taken to shorten them; and (b) whether he will consider working out a scheme whereby applicants on the waiting list may opt to commence paying prior to allocation so that they will not be affected by any price increase.

HDB RESIDENTIAL FLATS - (Shortening of waiting period) Mr Speaker, Sir: (a) the current average waiting period for the purchase of HDB flats is three years, against the normal waiting period of 21/2 years. The longer waiting period has been caused by the recent slowdown in the HDB construction programme. The slowdown has been primarily due to the smaller number of HDB contractors tendering for jobs because of losses incurred in past projects as a result of high inflation. They are also refraining from tendering because of the uncertainties of rising costs. The HDB on its part is taking steps to ensure the availability of basic building materials, such as sand, granite and bricks. The HDB is also studying possible modifications of its contracting system, such as cost-plus tendering, to encourage more contractors to tender for projects. (b) There are no advantages in having a scheme to allow applicants to pay for their flats prior to allocation. The selling prices of HDB flats have to be revised periodically to meet rising construction costs. Otherwise, the subsidy for public housing will reach unacceptably high proportions. Costs invariably rise during construction because of escalation clauses in building contracts. If applicants pay for their flats before allocation, the HDB will have to provide for builtin allowances for price escalation during the construction period. Applicants will, therefore, not necessarily pay less by paying earlier.

JALAN EUNOS MALAY SETTLEMENT - (Development) asked the Minister for National Development, in view of the revocation of the Rules for the Occupation of Land in the Malay Settlement, Jalan Eunos, whether there are plans for development of the land, and, if so, when the development will be carried out and how it will affect the residents.

JALAN EUNOS MALAY SETTLEMENT - (Development) Mr Speaker, Sir, the HDB will redevelop the Jalan Eunos area. Development is expected to start in mid-1983. The affected residents will be re- settled in accordance with the existing policies of the Resettlement Department.

SURCHARGE ON PUB BILLS asked the Minister for Trade and Industry and Minister f6r Health whether he will review the policy of the Public Utilities Board in imposing a 50-cent fine on consumers for the late payment of water and electricity bills as such payment can be a further burden on those who are already unable to pay their bills on time because of financial hardship.

SURCHARGE ON PUB BILLS Mr Speaker, Sir, imposing a charge of 50c serves as a deterrent against late payment. Since the introduction of the service charge in 1975, the number of reminders has been declining. The proportion of consumers receiving reminders has dropped from 27% to 14%. If the PUB sends reminders without any service charge, consumers will not take the reminders seriously. The charge of 50c barely covers cost. The direct cost (stamp, paper, printing, computer time) of each reminder is 20c. This excludes indirect and overhead costs, and interest lost on late payment. If the proportion of consumers receiving reminders goes up from the present 14%, we may even have to consider imposing a heavier deterrent for late payment. If the consumer pays his bill promptly, he will save 50c, and the PUB inconvenience and expenditure.

SURCHARGE ON PUB BILLS Mr Speaker, Sir, that is a very ridiculous answer. I would like to ask the Minister concerned whether he can do business without having capital or without incurring expenditure.

SURCHARGE ON PUB BILLS Sir, I do not quite comprehend the Member for Khe Bong's question.

SURCHARGE ON PUB BILLS Sir, when someone does business, he needs to have capital. The PUB expects to do business without even wanting to pay for the printing cost of the reminders. So how could that be possible?

SURCHARGE ON PUB BILLS Mr Speaker, Sir, it costs the PUB about $200,000 per year just to send out reminders, and this cost has to be recovered from those consumers who need such reminders.

SURCHARGE ON PUB BILLS Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether he has taken into consideration the consumer's deposit of 1 1/2 months' charges for water and electricity. The consumer does not owe the PUB anything because he has got 1 1/2 months' deposit with the PUB.

SURCHARGE ON PUB BILLS Sir, I think the Member for Khe Bong has misunderstood the purpose of the deposit. The consumer has, in fact, consumed water and electricity and has not paid the bill for about six weeks. The deposit, therefore, is to ensure that the consumption by the consumer, which is billed six weeks later, will be paid. It is not a pre-payment. The Member appears to have understood that the deposit is a pre-payment for consumption. It is not so.

SUBSIDY FOR ELECTRICITY - AND WATER CHARGES asked the Minister for Trade and Industry and Minister for Health what is the exact quantum of subsidy paid by Government for a unit block of electricity and water consumed by industries and the household and how does this element of subsidy in Singapore compare with subsidies in other countries.

SUBSIDY FOR ELECTRICITY - AND WATER CHARGES Mr Speaker, Sir, the Singapore Government does not subsidize electricity and water charges. Let me explain why we adopt such a policy. We import all our oil to generate electricity. The oil producers do not subsidize us. We have to pay the full cost of oil we import. If we subsidize consumers of electricity, we may also have to subsidize bus fares and other services which depend on oil. Where do we find money to pay for these subsidies? The Singapore Government does not print money. If we need more money, we have to raise it through taxes, which means that ultimately it is the people themselves who have to pay for subsidies, not the Government. Another reason: if consumers do not pay the full price of utilities, they will inevitably over-consume. In other words, it is possible for them to live beyond their incomes in actual terms, since part of their consumption is subsidized. If we all live beyond our actual capacity to earn incomes, we shall soon find ourselves unable to pay for the full market price of oil. If utilities are not subsidized, we do not have to fear that we are unable to pay for the cost of importing oil because for every barrel of oil we import, the full cost is recovered from the consumers. The same arguments against subsidy apply to water. I am unable to obtain information on countries which provide subsidies on electricity and water. Such information is irrelevant anyway, as it is our policy not to subsidize our electricity and water charges either to industries or to domestic consumers. I can, however, compare our tariffs with those in Hong Kong and Malaysia to show that our charges in Singapore are comparable with theirs. In Hong Kong, electricity is supplied by two private companies. Water supply is under the charge of the Water Authority of the Public Works Department. Singapore's average domestic price of water of S33c per cubic metre is slightly lower than Hong Kong's average domestic water tariff of S35c per cubic metre. For electricity, Singapore's domestic tariff of S20.15c per unit is lower than Hong Kong's rate of S24.22c for the first 20 units, S21.86c for the next 480 units and S21.18c per unit above 500. Malaysia charges S18.3c per unit of electricity for the first 100 units, S21.0c per unit for the next 900 units and S23.7c per unit above 1000. Singapore's rate, as I mentioned earlier, is S20.15c per unit. Let me remind hon. Members that Malaysia is an oil exporter.

PUB METER-READING asked the Minister for Trade and Industry and Minister for Health whether he will direct the Public Utilities Board to ensure that (a) meter-reading is carried out at least once in two months; and (b) if estimated figures are used for billing, such figures are realistic as violent fluctuation in the amount payable from month to month can pose serious financial difficulties to those in the lower-income bracket.

PUB METER-READING Mr Speaker, Sir, I can assure the hon. Member for Jalan Kayu that currently, as a standard procedure, PUB meters are read once every two months. However, every month about 22,500 meters (or 3.4% of the total number of meters to be read) cannot be read because there is no one at home. In such cases, the meter reader will leave a card for the consumer to make his own reading and post the card back to the PUB. Only about one-third of these consumers return the cards. Therefore, the remaining meters (or about 2.3% of meters to be read) have to be billed on estimates for two months. When the meters are not read, consumers are billed on estimates based on the average of the most recent two months of consumption according to actual meter-readings. These are, therefore, realistic estimates. And this is so for the majority whose consumption level is fairly stable. Any fluctuation in their monthly bills is, therefore, marginal. There are, however, some consumers whose consumption levels fluctuate erratically. In these cases, estimates can turn out to be quite different from subsequent meter-readings. Their monthly bills will, therefore, fluctuate. There is no way in which realistic estimates can be made for those whose consumption levels fluctuate violently and unpredictably.

ORAL HISTORY PROGRAMME - (Recording projects) asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Culture (a) how many recording projects the Oral History Programme Section has completed and what future projects it will be undertaking: and (b) whether the recordings that have been made are available in the four official languages.

ORAL HISTORY PROGRAMME - (Recording projects) Mr Speaker, Sir, the Oral History Unit is a part of the Department of Archives and Oral History. The aim of the Oral History Programme is to record the experiences of key persons involved in events of historical, political and social significance, particularly during the post-war years. These recordings will contain first-hand information on important events. The Unit is conducting and recording interviews on its first two projects: (i) Pioneers of Singapore; and (ii) Political Developments in Singapore, 1945-1965. The interviewees for the Pioneers of Singapore project are successful businessmen who have contributed to the economic and social development of Singapore. Eighteen persons have been interviewed for the Pioneers of Singapore project and 17 for Political Developments in Singapore 1945-1965. The Oral History Committee considers that satisfactory progress has been made on these projects, although several Ministers consider the pace lackadaisical. I propose to push the pace before the minds of the principal participants lose clarity of recall. The Unit intends to start work on another project. The Japanese Occupation, when more professional staff have been recruited. The Department of Archives and Oral History will catalogue and index all tapes and transcripts. These materials will be part of the national archival collections and may be referred to by researchers, civil servants, teachers, students, broadcasters and members of the public, subject to conditions, if any, laid down by the interviewees. The materials can, of course, be used in educational programmes and publications. When the first two projects have been completed, the Department will produce a comprehensive catalogue with synopses of the transcripts to facilitate usage of the materials. Selected transcripts of historical importance can be considered for publication, subject to the approval of the interviewees. Interviews are conducted in the language chosen by the interviewees. Tapes of these interviews will be left in the original language for authenticity. For working purposes, transcripts of the tapes will be in English.

PROMOTION EXERCISE FOR TEACHERS asked the Minister of Education when the next promotion exercise for the teaching profession will take place.