Hansard, 1987-03-17

ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - PUNGGOL NEW TOWN - (Retention of characteristics of Punggol) asked the Minister for National Development whether and when Punggol New Town will be built; and whether it will retain some of the characteristics of Punggol.

ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - PUNGGOL NEW TOWN - (Retention of characteristics of Punggol) Mr Speaker, Sir, the New Town is planned to be built about the year 2000. It will be planned to take advantage of its proximity to the sea for scenic and recreational purposes. Some private housing near the northern part of the New Town will also be retained to blend in with the public housing development. The reclaimed land near the water edge will be maintained as open spaces for recreation and a portion at the present location of Coney Island will be prepared as a beach for swimmers.

ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - PUNGGOL NEW TOWN - (Retention of characteristics of Punggol) In that case, Sir, can I ask of the Hon. Minister for National Development whether he will consider allowing the few facilities that are still there, for example, the seafood eating shops, that are not yet affected by such reclamation works to be allowed to remain until such time when reclamation works and other plans catch up.

ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - PUNGGOL NEW TOWN - (Retention of characteristics of Punggol) Mr Speaker, Sir, in general it is the policy not to move people out long before the land is required. But where it comes to reclamation, although on plan it may appear that the site is not affected by reclamation, it is difficult to do reclamation in the surrounding area without affecting the particular site. So I would say, in general, we will try our best not to move people out of sites which are not immediately required.

JOINT FAMILY HOUSEHOLD APPLICATIONS FOR HDB FLATS - (Rationale for confinement to New Towns) asked the Minister for National Development (a) if he will explain the rationale for confining joint family household applications for Housing and Development Board flats to New Towns; and (b) whether such a requirement will be reviewed in terms of its relevance.

JOINT FAMILY HOUSEHOLD APPLICATIONS FOR HDB FLATS - (Rationale for confinement to New Towns) Mr Speaker, Sir, the HDB Joint Selection Scheme of flat enables parents and a married child to purchase two units of flats to stay near each other. Allocation is determined by the lower of the two registration numbers. Thus the family with the higher number enjoys priority in allocation. Due to the limited supply of flats in the Inner Suburban and Urban Zones, there is a long waiting list of public applicants in these zones. If we add the joint selection priority scheme to the other priority schemes, non-priority applicants will have to wait even longer for allocation. Joint family household applicants for HDB flats are therefore confined to New Town and Outer Suburban Zones. Flats in the Inner Suburban and Urban Zones will continue to be in short supply because of the limited availability of land for public housing in these zones. The Housing and Development Board will not therefore change in the foreseeable future the above rule concerning joint selection of flats.

EDUCATION OF DISABLED CHILDREN - (Special programme) asked the Minister for Education what plans his Ministry has to strengthen the special education programme for disabled children under the promotion of excellence in education.

EDUCATION OF DISABLED CHILDREN - (Special programme) Mr Speaker, Sir, I am replying on behalf of the Minister. Government will provide the Singapore Council of Social Service with an annual grant pegged to the per capita cost of educating pupils in primary schools for the provision of special education to disabled children in special schools run by voluntary organizations. Government will allocate suitable government buildings at nominal rent to the voluntary organizations for use as special schools. The buildings will be appropriately renovated by the Government. The Institute of Education has been providing a training course for the teachers in special schools. The course leads to the award of the Certificate in Special Education. Professional and educational support and advice currently provided by the Ministry of Education to special schools will continue to be provided. The grant together with the provision of suitable government buildings and the IE special education training programmes will help considerably to strengthen and upgrade education in special schools.

EDUCATION OF DISABLED CHILDREN - (Special programme) Sir, will special education continue to be the responsibility of MOE?

EDUCATION OF DISABLED CHILDREN - (Special programme) The Ministry believes that the voluntary organizations are in a better position to cater to the special needs of this special group of pupils. With this annual grant arrangement, the situation will be monitored closely by the Ministry and assistance will be provided where necessary.

SCHOOL SPORTS FACILITIES - (Use by the community) asked the Minister for Education whether there are plans for maximum usage of school sports facilities by the community in the evenings and during school holidays.

SCHOOL SPORTS FACILITIES - (Use by the community) I am replying on behalf of the Minister. Community organizations today have access to school facilities, like fields and halls, for recreational purposes after school hours or during school holidays. Many grassroots organizations, like CCCs, CCMCs and RCs, are making use of these facilities for their activities. To ensure that school facilities are properly and responsibly used, only requests from registered organizations can be considered. If any CCC, CCMC, RC or private registered organization wants to use school sports facilities, they should approach the school principal to make the necessary arrangements.

SANITARY CONVENIENCES IN BUILDINGS - (Prosecutions for improper maintenance) asked the Minister for the Environment what was the number of cases, in each of the past five years, of offenders warned or prosecuted for improper maintenance of sanitary conveniences in buildings.

SANITARY CONVENIENCES IN BUILDINGS - (Prosecutions for improper maintenance) Mr Speaker, Sir, I shall give the number of written warnings issued first, followed by the number of convictions for the year in question. They are as follows: No. of written No. of warnings issued convictions 1982 1,558 97 1983 2,580 127 1984 1,275 77 1985 1,709 84 1986 1,058 53 Sir, re-inspections following the issue of written warnings showed that the majority of the shortcomings were put right by the building management. Recalcitrant offenders were ticketted and subsequently prosecuted.

SANITARY CONVENIENCES IN BUILDINGS - (Prosecutions for improper maintenance) Sir, if my memory serves me right, we have had campaigns to promote the proper use and maintenance of public toilets. Would the Minister agree that these campaigns did some good and would he consider having another campaign?

SANITARY CONVENIENCES IN BUILDINGS - (Prosecutions for improper maintenance) Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Member for Buona Vista for appreciating that campaigns on keeping public toilets clean have produced some positive results. In fact, Sir, the Ministry is considering having another campaign this year. An hon. Member: Make him the Chairman.

SANITARY CONVENIENCES IN BUILDINGS - (Prosecutions for improper maintenance) To make him the Chairman? I think I shall consider. The purpose of the campaign is to reinforce the message of keeping public toilets clean. The campaign also aims to reach out to the building managements, the cleaning contractors and the users themselves.

SANITARY CONVENIENCES IN BUILDINGS - (Prosecutions for improper maintenance) Sir, is the Minister happy with the present state of cleanliness of most of the toilets, public toilets as well as toilets in buildings, and what does all these figures mean? You have a decreased number of cases where you issued warning letters. Does this mean that there are less cases of persons defaulting? Or does it mean that your enforcement varies according to complaints or reports that you have of defaulting cases?

SANITARY CONVENIENCES IN BUILDINGS - (Prosecutions for improper maintenance) Mr Speaker, Sir, to answer the Member for Telok Blangah's first question. As I have mentioned earlier on in my response to the question from the Member for Buona Vista, as a result of the campaigns there has been a general improvement in the cleanliness of public toilets. But more can still be done. And here, I think members of the public can play a part in observing good personal hygiene and in having enough civic consciousness to keep public toilets clean for the other users. Sir, so long as people misuse and abuse public toilets, we will continue to have dirty toilets. It is not possible for my Public Health Inspectors to check on the users to ensure that they practise good toilet habits. It is just not possible. So this is where members of the public can play a part. With regard to the figures, these figures refer to public toilets and it is the duty of the Public Health Inspectors to inspect public toilets. Some of them could be due to complaints from the public and some could be due to their own enforcement action.

HOUGANG FEEDER BUS SERVICES asked the Minister for Communications and Information if he will ascertain from the Singapore Bus Service (1978) Limited (i) whether the number and frequency of feeder bus services will be increased in Hougang New Town, particularly in Hougang Avenues 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 5 and 7 to meet the demand of commuters; and (ii) the reasons for the delay in responding to the demand.

HOUGANG FEEDER BUS SERVICES Sir, I have been asked by my Minister to reply. Sir, the number and frequency of bus services are increased on an on-going basis as the population of Hougang New Town grows, as with other new housing estates. I have asked SBS to provide details of all future increases to the hon. Member. SBS will also liaise with the Member and his community leaders to obtain feedback on the requirements for feeder bus services in Hougang New Town.

HOUGANG FEEDER BUS SERVICES Mr Speaker, Sir, I think the Senior Parliamentary Secretary has not given the reasons for the delay in responding to the demand, ie, in part (ii) of my question.

HOUGANG FEEDER BUS SERVICES Sir, I cannot speak for SBS. But I do not see why if the passenger load is able to sustain relative viable route, the bus company should not want to provide a service. In any way, I shall convey the Member's anxiety to the bus company concerned.

VOCATIONAL TAXI-DRIVING LICENCE HOLDERS - (Taxi-owners and Hirers) asked the Minister for Communications and Information how many vocational taxi-driving licences have been issued by the Registrar of Vehicles as at the latest convenient date; how many holdersof these licences are taxi owners and how many are hirers, and how many of them have not been able to drive a taxi due to non-availability of taxis.

VOCATIONAL TAXI-DRIVING LICENCE HOLDERS - (Taxi-owners and Hirers) Sir, I have been asked by my Minister to reply. Sir, at the end of January 1987, there were a total of 42,427 taxi vocational licence holders. ROV does not monitor the number of owners and hirers. This is left to the operators, owners and hirers to decide for themselves. The training of taxi drivers is also carried out by the operators themselves. ROV's role is to test the driver to ensure minimum levels of knowledge and competence. By not restricting the number of vocational licences, we ensure that taxi operators and owners will have no difficulty in finding relief drivers and hence maximize the use of taxis. In this way commuters will also be better served.

VOCATIONAL TAXI-DRIVING LICENCE HOLDERS - (Taxi-owners and Hirers) Sir, of the 42,427 taxi vocational licence holders, may I ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary how many taxis are there?

VOCATIONAL TAXI-DRIVING LICENCE HOLDERS - (Taxi-owners and Hirers) Sir, on record there are 10,843 taxis in Singapore now.

VOCATIONAL TAXI-DRIVING LICENCE HOLDERS - (Taxi-owners and Hirers) Sir, does the Senior Parliamentary Secretary not agree that there is a lopsided difference between the number of licences and the number of taxis on the road? And does he not agree that something should be done to narrow this difference?

VOCATIONAL TAXI-DRIVING LICENCE HOLDERS - (Taxi-owners and Hirers) As I mentioned in my answer just now, the number of vocational licence holders exceeds the number of taxis and this is to ensure that we do not have difficulty in finding relief taxi drivers.

ACCIDENTS INVOLVING MALAYSIAN VEHICLES - (Figures) asked the Minister for Home Affairs what was the number of traffic accidents involving Malaysian vehicles in each of the past five years.

ACCIDENTS INVOLVING MALAYSIAN VEHICLES - (Figures) Mr Speaker, Sir, I shall answer on behalf of my Minister. Sir, the number of accidents involving Malaysian vehicles was 2,526 in 1982. This represented 5.6% of the total number of traffic accidents in Singapore. The number of such accidents decreased to 1,431 in 1983 while in the following year, there was a slight increase to 1,454. In 1985 and 1986, there were 1,130 and 767 accidents respectively involving Malaysian vehicles. In 1986, the percentage of accidents involving Malaysian vehicles as compared to all traffic accidents in Singapore was 1.73%.

DEVELOPMENT OF TOA PAYOH GENERAL HOSPITAL - (Progress report) asked the Acting Minister for Health if he will report on the progress in the implementation of programmes to develop Toa Payoh General Hospital.

DEVELOPMENT OF TOA PAYOH GENERAL HOSPITAL - (Progress report) Sir, the Ministry will add another 150 beds to Toa Payoh Hospital to develop it into a 560-bedded hospital. This will involve the building of new blocks and the standard of ward accommodation and supporting facilities will be improved. The design for the redevelopment of Toa Payoh Hospital will be undertaken by private consultants. Pre-qualification of consultants is now in progress. Construction is expected to commence by the end of 1988 and will take about three years to complete.

HDB INDUSTRIAL/COMMERCIAL UNIT - (Revision of rentals) asked the Minister for National Development whether the rent for a Housing and Development Board industrial/commercial unit is increased to the prevailing market rate if a sitting tenant changes its form of incorporation.

HDB INDUSTRIAL/COMMERCIAL UNIT - (Revision of rentals) Mr Speaker, Sir, I shall answer on behalf of my Minister. In the management of its commercial and industrial premises, the HDB allows sole proprietors and partnerships to include partners without rent increase if the original partners retain controlling shares of at least 51% in the business. If the original partners retain less than 51% shares or assign the tenancies to third parties, the rent is revised to the prevailing market rate. The rent is not revised if it is already at the prevailing market rate. Sir, the majority of HDB tenants are paying rents lower than the prevailing market rents. HDB has to revise the rents upon assignment of tenancies. If this is not done, the prospective tenants will enjoy the "profit rent", which is the difference between the existing rent and the prevailing market rent which he will not get if he has to tender for the premises. As of now, when a sole proprietorship or partnership is incorporated into a private limited company, the rent is revised to the prevailing market rate as this is considered an assignment. Sir, however, the HDB is prepared to consider waiving rent revision on a written undertaking that the original tenant or partners will maintain at least a 51% shareholding in the private limited company.

SUPPLY AND SUPPLEMENTARY SUPPLY BILLS Resolved, That, notwithstanding the Standing Orders, the second and third readings of the Supply Bill for FY 1987/88 and the Supplementary Supply Bill for FY 1986/87 may be proceeded with immediately after the conclusion of the proceedings on the Main and Development Estimates of Expenditure for FY 1987/88. - [Dr Richard Hu Tsu Tau].

COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY - (Exempted Business Motion) Resolved, That, notwithstanding the Standing Orders as modified by resolution of Parliament on the 1st of March, 1985, consideration of the Main and Development Estimates of Expenditure for FY 1987/88 in the Committee of Supply be continued after 4.30 p.m. until 5.30 p.m. on the days allotted for the business of Supply and the proceedings thereon be exempted from the provisions of Standing Order No. 1 until 5.30 p.m. on each day. - [Dr Richard Hu Tsu Tau].

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 Order read for consideration in Committee of Supply [1st Allotted Day].

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 11.20 am

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 Main and Development Estimates of Singapore for the financial year 1st April, 1987 to 31st March, 1988, contained in Paper Cmd. 5 of 1987. For convenience, I shall take the totals for each head of expenditure in the Main Estimates and the Development Estimates as they appear in the last columns of the schedules of Estimated Expenditure under the Main Estimates and under the Develpment Estimates on pages 27 and 28 respectively of Paper Cmd. 5 of 1987. I shall deal first with the heads of expenditure in respect of which amendments stand on the Order Paper Supplement. Head F -

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head F be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead FA-03 of the Main Estimates. Sir, in the last two days during the budget debate, Members of the House have made their contributions to the debate. Special efforts were made by the chairmen of the Government Parliamentary Committees. But I cannot help feeling, Sir, that if the various GPCs could get some research help the Finance Minister may not be so economical in the use of words in his reply. There is a vote for a Parliamentary Research Officer in the Estimates. It has been there since 1984 but it has never been filled. And it is only for a single researcher. I know that GPCs are supposed to empanel their resource persons but I am afraid that would be of no help. Resource persons are there more for feedback than for research. I would imagine that if a chairman of a GPC were to come to this House and air any matter that the resource persons point out, I am afraid that the Minister concerned will dismiss such an airing gently if he is in a good mood and unceremonially if he is not, all with facts and figures, of course. So I think it is absolutely necessary to have more research help if the GPCs were to do a good job. Sir, I see that some of the GPC chairmen are present and seated in the front row. All of them are supposed to be seated in the front row, and you too, Sir, when you are not presiding in this Chamber. All GPC chairmen are given seats in the front row, a row traditionally reserved for the Opposition. These GPC chairmen are supposed to analyze Government policies and, if necessary, take the Ministers to task. I should feel most uncomfortable speaking from the Opposition Bench, lest in the heat of debate the Minister should take me to be one of the real Opposition. But this is less likely to happen if the GPC chairmen were to speak from the Government side of the House but, of course, this Chamber is too small. It is not big enough. This leads me to appeal to you, Sir, that we should have a bigger Chamber. I see that it is the fashion nowadays for every Ministry and every statutory board to have its own building, its own very posh building. All, of course, except Parliament which, I am afraid, seems to be the Cinderella in this case.

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 This is a beautiful building!

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 So you think, but there is not enough space. But I do not think, Sir, that we should contribute to the building glut. What we should do is to convert an existing building for our use. I am thinking of City Hall. It is a grand old building, dignified and spacious. I understand that the Foreign Office is moving out of City Hall to Raffles City. We might as well take advantage of this and get hold of City Hall and convert it into the Parliament House of Singapore. City Hall is an imposing building. It is dignified and has a history behind it. Our independence was proclaimed at the City Hall steps. How appropriate that it should become the Parliament House of Singapore. I am sure, with renovations, it would be a beautiful home for Parliament. The present Parliament building can be turned into a museum. An hon. Member:And the exhibits.

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 Yes, with all the exhibits around. Or an annexe of the High Court. The third matter I want to bring up, Sir, is the televising of the proceedings of Parliament. As you know, we changed our meeting times so that our proceedings can be brought to the homes of Singaporeans on the same day. I for one am finding the present meeting times rather inconvenient. I am sure the Ministers do too. Previously, we had the whole morning to ourselves. Meeting times were from 2.30 pm in the afternoon to 8.00 pm in the evening, with a break in between. But now, Sir, when the meeting finishes at 4.30 pm, today it is 5.30 pm, it is too late to go back to the office and yet too early to go home, except possibly for golfers who may have time to put in 18 holes. I am glad that the Leader of the House has asked the Standing Orders Committee to review the Standing Orders. I hope it will take my plea into account when considering amendments to the Standing Orders. I would urge that we revert to the old times for meetings. I am sure TV Singapore is now experienced enough to be able to manage.

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 With your permission, Sir, I shall reply on behalf of Parliament. The Member for Chua Chu Kang has spoken up for the GPC chairmen. He said that they are very busy people and need a lot of research help. For the Member's information, there is, in fact, a Research Officer's post in Parliament since 1983. There have been five recruitment exercises. In 1984, 1985 and 1986 there were mass recruitment exercises but no candidate was selected. On two separate occasions in 1984 and 1985, in-service officers were also asked to apply for this post. Again, no candidate was selected. When we find it so difficult to fill even one post, I think if we were to increase the number of posts of Research Officers, we will find greater difficulty in filling them. But this year I am told that the Public Service Commission will try to fill this post. And when we have filled this post, we will see how it works out. If it does provide useful service to the GPC chairmen and also to the other Members of Parliament, then we can consider increasing the number of Research Officers who could provide assistance to the GPCs. The GPCs, of course, also receive help from resource persons but in addition to that I am sure they all agree with me that they also receive a lot of help from the Ministries concerned. Speaking for myself, our GPC has received a lot of information which I think if they were to spend time in reading it they will find a lot of useful information which they can use. If they are able to sieve the information from there, I am they you could make full use of the information that we provide. The other question concerns a larger Parliament House. Sir, this Parliament House is probably one of the oldest, if not the oldest, building the Government has right now. It has history. Parts of it dated back to 1827. And it will be a shame if we were to move out of this Parliament House into something new because this Parliament House has tradition, has history. And the laws that we have legislated so far since 1954 came from this place. So I think we should preserve it. We should remain in this House for as long as we can. There is still enough room for a few more Members and, if need be, we can extend this Parliament sitting room to the Public Gallery or even slightly backwards nearer the Speaker's room. But we will consider this possibility when the time comes. It will not be a good idea to have our GPC chairmen sitting at the back because we will then not be able to see them. We want to have good visual and eye contact with them. As regards shifting the sitting time back to the afternoon, I think we have considered this very carefully when we decided to move the sitting to the morning. We wanted to televise Parliamentary proceedings so that Singaporeans will know what takes place in Parliament and they can be informed and be educated about how the business of government is conducted. In order to meet this objective, it will be necessary to have Parliament sittings ending not later than 5.30 or 6.00 pm in order to catch TV time. I understand the concern of the Member for Chua Chu Kang but I think for the time being we have to live with this.

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 Mr Chairman, Sir, I think the Minister is really not convincing in his answers to my questions. He said there is one post. Yes, I did say that there was one post of a Research Officer. But he said they could not fill that post. I wonder why? Is it because the salary is too low? I am sure that with a will that single post can be filled. But my point is that even after the single post was filled, it would not be good enough. We have nine GPCs. We must at least have nine Research Officers. I mean even if there was one officer, it would not be sufficient to service all the nine GPCs. I would suggest that the GPC Chairmen join with me in cutting the vote so that the Leader of the House will take note and will provide us with research help. Also about this building. It is a historic building. There is no doubt. That is why I say we could turn it into a museum. But it is a very inconsequential building. You know, when people ask for Parliament, you say, "You look for the building with an elephant outside." That is what Parliament is. Whereas the City Hall is different. I am not asking that we move to a new building or we build a new building. I say we go to City Hall. It is a beautiful building with beautiful colonnades, an imposing building, and it also has a history behind it. So I think it is really a nice building to move to. As to changing time, surely SBC can manage. And if they cannot, I think we privatize it. I am sure that with competition, SBC will be able to manage.

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 Sir, the single post that Parliament has is not a junior post. It is a Division I officer post. So it is senior enough to attract suitable candidates to apply for this particular post. City Hall is going to be used as an extension of the Supreme Court. As a result, there would not be space for Parliament to move there. Besides, it does not have the same kind of high ceiling and high roof for it to look more like a Parliament. So I am afraid we cannot move to City Hall because there is already a prior claim to it and that this Parliament building, although it is old and historical, it is not an inconsequential building. It stands out as one of the landmarks of Singapore.

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 Sir, why can't we offer this place to the High Court, to be an annexe of the High Court. We can take City Hall. It is for us to decide. If we have a will, we have a way. You know what is said of Parliament. It is said that Parliament can do anything except change a woman into a man or a man into a woman.

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 Mr Tang, are you withdrawing?

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 No, Sir, I am not withdrawing and I would appeal to my GPC colleagues to vote against the Minister.

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 Question on the amendment put, and negatived. The sum of $6,323,430 for Head F ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. Head H -

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head H be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead HA-03-3310 of the Main Estimates. Sir, in a meritocracy such as ours, a basic belief in hard work and academic excellence is deep rooted. Self-mad men showed, by their example since the early days of Singapore, what immigrants in all countries continue to confirm, that hard work would eventually be rewarded. Good results at school brought the dignity and security of good jobs in later life. Some immigrant groups do better than others. For example, the Asians in America. They work hard, believing that success or failure is not entirely dependent on destiny. Their own efforts and influence could determine their future. Of course, luck plays a part, but the longer the odds the greater the motivation in overcoming them. It is therefore not surprising that many Asian students outshine the others in America, especially in subjects like Mathematics and Science, where linguistic standards are less important than logic and consistent application. Singapore parents are generally very concerned about the performance of their children. Some people may say that it is an excessive concern but all recognize the connection between education and occupation. The success of Singapore in the last 25 years is due in no small measure to this recognition and the social mobility of our population. Regardless of the family background the best students will be given the opportunities to receive higher education. The respect for learning in Asian societies went beyond the basic desire for improvement. It is extended to a reverence and respect for their teacher who imparted knowledge and transmitted moral values, a sense of responsibility to the family, the community and the country besides such values as honesty and thrift. In our quest for excellence the need to foster a strong sense of social responsibility among our young is crucial. This is particularly so in the case of the scholarship holders. Among them will emerge the captains of industry and the leaders of our country. Professionally trained and familiar with high technology, they will have no problem at all in adapting to the way of life in the West. Indeed their services will be sought after. The tax- payers in Singapore have paid for their education. Will the scholars be willing to serve the country when it is going through a rough patch? Will they pay up the PSC bond and emigrate to the comforts of suburbia in Vancouver and Toronto, Sydney or Melbourne? A lot will depend on the sense of social responsibility, the sense of obligation to reciprocate the help the society gave them. Whilst scholarships are desirable, it is necessary to caution against an obsession with examination results. Besides a strong sense of social responsibility, our students should seek to be well-informed, and their knowledge should extend beyond the prescribed textbooks. Not every student can make it to the scholarship level. It is important for them not to develop a sense of alienation and demotivation. Talents can be found in many forms. A competent technician or craftsman does not need a degree but his contribution is no less meaningful. In moving this amendment I wish to seek some clarification on the following points. What are the selection criteria besides academic performance used by the PSC in awarding scholarships and bursaries? In the case of the estimates of $2 million and $2.3 million for scholarships and bursaries to the local institutions of higher learning, do they represent a greater number of scholarships to be awarded and are they based on the higher tuition fees for 1987?

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 Sir, may I just urge the PSC to make a greater -

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 Mr Tang, could I have the Minister reply first before you come on?

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 I have just one sentence, Sir.

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 Could you take your seat first, please. You can add on later.

MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE - FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1987 TO 31ST MARCH, 1988 All right.