Hansard, 1988-05-18

PERMISSION TO MEMBERS TO BE ABSENT Under the provisions of clause 2(d) of Article 46 of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, the following Members have been granted permission to be or to remain absent from sittings of Parliament (or any Committee of Parliament to which they have been appointed) for the periods stated:- Mr Wong Kan Seng (Kuo Chuan), Minister for Community Development and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the House - from 9th to 17th April and from 13th to 14th May, 1988. Dr Richard Hu Tsu Tau (Kreta Ayer), Minister for Finance - from 9th to 20th April and from 27th April to 1st May, 1988. Prof. S. Jayakumar (Bedok), Minister for Home Affairs and Second Minister for Law - from 11th to 13th April, 1988. Encik Zulkifli bin Mohammed (Eunos) - from 11th to 13th April, 1988. Mr Heng Chiang Meng (Jalan Kayu) - from 11th to 13th April, 1988. Mr Bernard Chen (Clementi) - from 11th to 20th April, 1988. Mr Ch'ng Jit Koon (Tiong Bahru), Minister of State, Ministry of Community Development - from 13th to 19th April, 1988. Mr Tan Soo Khoon (Alexandra), Deputy Speaker - from 14th to 27th April, 1988. Dr Yeo Ning Hong (Kim Seng), Minister for Communications and Information and Second Minister for Defence (Policy) - from 15th to 17th April and from 9th to 13th May, 1988. Mr S. Rajaratnam (Kampong Glam), Senior Minister, Prime Minister's Office - from 15th to 23rd April, 1988. Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam (Sembawang), Minister for Education - from 16th to 27th April and from 28th to 29th April, 1988. Dr Wong Kwei Cheong, PBM (Cairnhill) - from 18th to 21st April and from 11th to 16th May, 1988. Dr Wan Soon Bee (West Coast) - from 18th to 22nd April, 1988. Mr Teo Chong Tee (Changi) - from 24th to 27th April, 1988. Dr Dixie Tan (Ulu Pandan) - from 28th April to 17th May, 1988. Mr S. Dhanabalan (Kallang), Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for National Development - from 29th April to 12th May, 1988. Mr S. Chandra Das (Chong Boon) - from 30th April to 7th May, 1988. Mr Lee Kuan Yew (Tanjong Pagar), Prime Minister - on 3rd May, 1988. Mr Lau Ping Sum (Yio Chu Kang) - from 4th to 17th May, 1988. Mr Lee Yiok Seng (Bukit Panjang), Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for National Development and Government Whip - from 8th to 12th May, 1988. Mr Yeo Cheow Tong (Hong Kah), Acting Minister for Health - from 12th to 21st May, 1988. Mr Chua Sian Chin (MacPherson) - from 16th to 21st May, 1988. Mr Leong Horn Kee (Thomson) - from 16th to 25th May, 1988. Maj Fong Sip Chee (Kampong Chai Chee) - from 16th to 27th May, 1988. Mr Lim Chee Onn (Bukit Merah) - from 17th to 24th May and from 8th to 20th June, 1988. Dr Aline K. Wong (Changkat) - from 23rd May to 4th June, 1988. Dr Ho Tat Kin (Boon Teck) - from 24th May to 3rd June, 1988. Dr Koh Lip Lin (Nee Soon) - from 27th May to 15th June, 1988. Dr Augustine H.H. Tan (Whampoa) - from 30th May to 11th June, 1988. YEOH GHIM SENG Speaker Parliament of Singapore

ASSENTS TO BILLS PASSED The following Bills were assented to by the President of the Republic of Singapore on the dates stated: 30th March, 1988 (i) Supply Bill; and (ii) Supplementary Supply Bill. 18th April, 1988 (i) Dangerous Fireworks (Amendment) Bill; and (ii) Nature Reserves (Amendment) Bill. YEOH GHIM SENG Speaker Parliament of Singapore

ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - BUKIT TIMAH RACE COURSE - (Land use) asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the value of the total land area occupied by the Bukit Timah race course and its facilities, using the property value of the surrounding residential area; (b) whether the current land use as a race course is optimal in land scarce Singapore; (c) whether there are alternative sites in outlying areas served by both the expressway network and the Mass Rapid Transit system that can be better used as a race course; and (d) whether the Government has any plan to reclaim the race course as part of its urban redevelopment process in the future.

ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - BUKIT TIMAH RACE COURSE - (Land use) Mr Speaker, Sir, the Bukit Timah Race Course and its facilities occupy a total area of 135 hectares. The land is predominantly zoned Open Space. The land value based on this zoning is estimated (by the Chief Valuer) to be about $10 per square metre. If the land is rezoned for residential use, then it would reflect the property value of the surrounding low-rise residential area which is estimated at $550 per square metre. The Turf Club has been at the present location since 1933. Today, considering the surrounding developments that have taken place since, it is obviously less than optimal use for the site to be used as a race course. From the planning point of view, the present use of the land is environmentally compatible with the surrounding residential use. The present use, however, does cause traffic and parking problems. The land can be looked upon as a reserve for development in the long term. The possible relocation of the Turf Club would be a subject for study in my Ministry's current review of our long-term land needs.

ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - BUKIT TIMAH RACE COURSE - (Land use) Sir, would the Minister kindly rephrase his answer in terms of the land area, especially in comparison to, let us say, something that the lay person can understand? For instance, would he say that the area occupied by the race course is one-third or one-half or one-quarter of the Sentosa Island?

ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - BUKIT TIMAH RACE COURSE - (Land use) Mr Speaker, Sir, I cannot tell him but since I have given the figure of 135 hectares, I am sure the Member can go and work out for himself.

BIGGER HDB FLATS - (Plans to meet demand) asked the Minister for National Development (a) if he will state the number of applicants on the waiting list to purchase each type of Housing and Development Board flats; and (b) whether the HDB will continue its plans to build bigger flats, such as 4-room, 5-room and Executive flats, to meet current and future demands.

BIGGER HDB FLATS - (Plans to meet demand) Mr Speaker, Sir, there were 64,568 applicants on the waiting list to purchase HDB flats as at 30th April 1988. A breakdown of the applicants by flat types is as follows: 3-room - 5,870 4-room - 33,419 5-room - 16,141 Executive - 8,974 HUDC - 164 The HDB will continue to build 4-room, 5-room and Executive flats as long as there is demand for them.

BIGGER HDB FLATS - (Plans to meet demand) Sir, in the light of land shortage in Singapore, would there be any serious review in terms of building of housing itself in Singapore?

BIGGER HDB FLATS - (Plans to meet demand) Mr Speaker, Sir, the HDB will build according to requirements, to demand, and also on the basis of the land that is available for residential development. The long-range planning will take all these factors into consideration.

CUPPAGE CENTRE - (Vacant hawker stalls) asked the Minister for the Environment (a) when did his Ministry decide to convert the vacant hawker stalls at Cuppage Centre to cooked food stalls; (b) when did the existing hawkers appeal against the conversion; and (c) what plans his Ministry currently has to fill the 148 vacant hawker stalls.

CUPPAGE CENTRE - (Vacant hawker stalls) On behalf of my Minister, Sir. In July 1981, a proposal was put up to convert vacant market produce stalls to cooked food stalls in order to accommodate licensed street hawkers. Cuppage Road Market, with 53 vacant market produce stalls, was included in this exercise. The proposal was approved at an estimated cost of $266,000. However, the project to convert the 53 vacant market produce stalls to cooked food stalls in the Cuppage Road Market was shelved because of appeals made by the hawkers in June 1984. The cooked food stallholders objected to the proposal because they were concerned that the additional stalls would pose competition and affect their business. Although the additional cooked food stalls were not built, the vacant market produce stalls remained frozen and to-date, there are 148 vacant stalls. The Cuppage Road Market has two levels of market produce stalls. The Ministry's intention is to upgrade the market by putting all the market produce stalls on one floor, thus freeing the other which could be leased out to private operators for other appropriate business.

CUPPAGE CENTRE - (Vacant hawker stalls) Sir, can I ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary that the request by the Cuppage Road Market Stallholders Association for the vacant stalls to be converted for the sale of household wares and sundry goods be considered?

CUPPAGE CENTRE - (Vacant hawker stalls) Mr Speaker, Sir, can I just have the question again?

CUPPAGE CENTRE - (Vacant hawker stalls) Sir, on 1st December 1983 the Cuppage Road Market Stallholders Association appealed through the MP to convert the empty vacant stalls for the sale of household wares and sundry goods. I am asking the Senior Parliamentary Secretary whether his Ministry would consider this request which was made in December 1983.

CUPPAGE CENTRE - (Vacant hawker stalls) Mr Speaker, Sir, the hawkers appealed for lock-up stalls. At that point of time, when we were resiting the street hawkers, there were more than enough lock-up stalls to accommodate these hawkers who were selling different wares along the streets. There was therefore no need to convert them into lock-up stalls. As of today, there are still plenty of lock-up stalls around and therefore there is no need to convert any more market produce stalls to lock-up stalls.

MR FRANCIS SEOW - (Release from detention to attend High Court hearing) The following Question stood in the name of Mr Chiam See Tong - 4. To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether Mr Francis Seow will be released from detention in time to make preparations for and to attend the High Court hearing on 18th May, 1988 of the application for habeas corpus on behalf of his clients Patrick Seong and Teo Soh Lung.

MR FRANCIS SEOW - (Release from detention to attend High Court hearing) Mr Speaker, Sir, since the Member for Potong Pasir is not here, I ask Question No. 4.

MR FRANCIS SEOW - (Release from detention to attend High Court hearing) Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Potong Pasir has two questions. I am prepared to answer them. Although he is not here, I do not want it to appear that he is deprived of an opportunity to ask whatever supplementary questions he might have wanted to ask. May I suggest, Sir, if you are agreeable, that we proceed with the other Questions and take up these two questions when he comes or, if he does not come, towards the end of Question time?

MR FRANCIS SEOW - (Release from detention to attend High Court hearing) All right. [Questions Nos. 6 to 10 taken. Later ---] Mr Chiam See Tong entered the Chamber.

MR FRANCIS SEOW - (Release from detention to attend High Court hearing) Mr Chiam, we have specially waited for you to come in. Could you please ask Question No. 4?

MR FRANCIS SEOW - (Release from detention to attend High Court hearing) Question No. 4, Sir.

MR FRANCIS SEOW - (Release from detention to attend High Court hearing) Mr Speaker, Sir, Mr Francis Seow was arrested on 6th May 1988 for investigations into foreign interference in the internal affairs of Singapore. Investigations are still in progress and he cannot be released by today. Meanwhile, the Government has been officially informed by letter dated 10th May 1988 that the firm of Teo, Lai and Lee have been appointed to represent Mr Patrick Seong and Miss Teo Soh Lung in place of Mr Francis Seow's firm. I also understand that they have applied to be represented by a Queen's Counsel, and furthermore I understand that the case is not going to be heard today.

MR FRANCIS SEOW - (Release from detention to attend High Court hearing) Mr Speaker, there are two supplementary questions. The first is whether or not Mr Seow has already made a statement; and if he has made a statement, whether the Government is going to release it. And we have heard that the Minister for Trade and Industry say that in a fortnight's time the Government shall be making a statement.

MR FRANCIS SEOW - (Release from detention to attend High Court hearing) Is this relevant to your Question asked on the Order Paper?

MR FRANCIS SEOW - (Release from detention to attend High Court hearing) Yes, in regard to Mr Francis Seow. Why is the delay necessary?

MR FRANCIS SEOW - (Release from detention to attend High Court hearing) I do not think it is relevant. Can you go on to your next Question, Mr Chiam?

MR FRANCIS SEOW - (Release from detention to attend High Court hearing) Mr Speaker, with due respect, both the ---

MR FRANCIS SEOW - (Release from detention to attend High Court hearing) I have ruled that it is not relevant. Mr Chiam, would you please ask the next Question?

ARREST OF PATRICK SEONG AND RE-ARREST OF 8 EX-DETAINEES - (Adverse publicity) asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether he is aware that the re-arrests of the 8 ex-detainees and Patrick Seong on 19th April, 1988 under the Internal Security Act are attracting worldwide adverse publicity for Singapore, particularly from the English-speaking countries.

ARREST OF PATRICK SEONG AND RE-ARREST OF 8 EX-DETAINEES - (Adverse publicity) Mr Speaker, Sir, I know that certain groups and individuals have from outside Singapore protested vociferously against the Government's action. They are mostly the same persons who protested last year when the original arrests were made. As I explained to the House on 31st August last year, many of them have vested interests and highly questionable motives. Human rights groups, such as Asiawatch or Amnesty International, want the Singapore Government to abandon completely the Internal Security Act and preventive detention. They have condemned our actions even before sending their so-called fact-finding teams. Coalitions like the Australian Committee of 100 include social action groups preaching liberation theology on the extreme radical wing of the Catholic Church and who consider Vincent Cheng and the Justice and Peace Commission kindred spirits in a world-wide struggle. There are more direct links between the overseas groups and those arrested under the ISA. Chew Kheng Chuan has been actively lobbying groups in the United States. Edgar D'Souza, the renegade priest who is in Melbourne, has been mobilizing Australian groups. Tan Wah Piow is working in Britain and his friend, Tsui Hon Kwong, is very active in Hong Kong. And Teo Soh Lung's friend, Lai Maylene, is the one feeding the New Zealand campaign. Sir, the Singapore Government cannot afford to allow campaigns by foreign human rights and other less honourable groups to intimidate us. What is our uppermost concern? Our concern is to fulfil our responsibilities to the people of Singapore for it is their support and their condemnation that matters. For it is Singaporeans who must live with the consequences of these actions, and it is Singaporeans who must decide in elections whether they want the PAP to continue to govern Singapore. Sir, if we allow overseas criticism to deter us from not doing something manifestly right and which is in our national interests, we will open ourselves to foreign pressure in our domestic politics, and this will pave the way to further external pressure and manipulation.

ARREST OF PATRICK SEONG AND RE-ARREST OF 8 EX-DETAINEES - (Adverse publicity) Supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Is the Minister aware that over 30 lawyers from Pennsylvania, USA, and also over 70 US Congressmen have written to the Prime Minister and also to Mr Tommy Koh, our Ambassador in the United States, to voice their concern and ask for the release of the detainees? Is the Minister saying that these men are less than honourable in their intentions?

ARREST OF PATRICK SEONG AND RE-ARREST OF 8 EX-DETAINEES - (Adverse publicity) Sir, the question ultimately is: who is in-charge of Singapore, who governs Singapore and who takes decisions with regard to security matters concerning Singapore? Whether it is a group of lawyers from Pennsylvania, from Africa or elsewhere, the question is: do we decide our future? If we act as they want, if we abolish the ISA, if we do away with preventive detention, and we are therefore helpless to deal with security problems, whether it be subversion, whether it be terrorism, racial clashes, and Singapore then goes down the drain. Can I ask the Member for Potong Pasir: does he seriously expect all these groups - human rights groups, lawyers and legislators from other countries - to come down to rescue Singapore? Does he seriously believe that?

ARREST OF PATRICK SEONG AND RE-ARREST OF 8 EX-DETAINEES - (Adverse publicity) Mr Speaker, Sir, I have got a supplementary question for the Minister following what he has just said. Is the Government now admitting that without ISA, the Government is unable to deal with security problems?

ARREST OF PATRICK SEONG AND RE-ARREST OF 8 EX-DETAINEES - (Adverse publicity) Of course. This has been our consistent position.

ARREST OF PATRICK SEONG AND RE-ARREST OF 8 EX-DETAINEES - (Adverse publicity) Will it be forever?

ARREST OF PATRICK SEONG AND RE-ARREST OF 8 EX-DETAINEES - (Adverse publicity) The ISA will be with us for so long as it is necessary to deal with security threats to our Republic.

ARREST OF PATRICK SEONG AND RE-ARREST OF 8 EX-DETAINEES - (Adverse publicity) Does the Minister not realize that, in fact, the British enacted Emergency laws because there was a fighting war. But we do not have one here now. What is the justification for the ISA?

ARREST OF PATRICK SEONG AND RE-ARREST OF 8 EX-DETAINEES - (Adverse publicity) You want war first, then enact the law?

ARREST OF PATRICK SEONG AND RE-ARREST OF 8 EX-DETAINEES - (Adverse publicity) Mr Speaker, Sir, if the Member wants a full debate on the ISA, he can move a motion. It will be supported by one of my colleagues in this House, and we can have a full substantive motion where he can explain his position on the ISA and the Government will explain its position on the ISA.

ARREST OF PATRICK SEONG AND RE-ARREST OF 8 EX-DETAINEES - (Adverse publicity) Not again, please. What is the date for this debate, Mr Speaker? Please let me know.

ARREST OF PATRICK SEONG AND RE-ARREST OF 8 EX-DETAINEES - (Adverse publicity) There is another Question (Question No. 11) waiting for you to ask, Mr Chiam.

BUKIT TIMAH RACE COURSE - (Plans for improvement) asked the Minister for Finance (a) what are the values of the structures on the Bukit Timah race course; (b) what is the plan of the Singapore Totalisator Board for the improvement of the race course and how much will it cost; and (c) what is the planning horizon, in terms of years, used by the Board in its plan for the race course.

BUKIT TIMAH RACE COURSE - (Plans for improvement) Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Bukit Timah has asked three questions and I will answer them in order. First, the structures on the Bukit Timah Racecourse include the grandstands, carparks, officials' residences, staff quarters and stables. Some of these structures are more than 20 years old and are almost fully depreciated. The net book value of these structures as at 31st March 1988 was $35 million. The second question relates to the plan of the Singapore Totalisator Board for the improvement of the race course and its costs. As announced earlier, the Board is considering proposals to make better use of the race course, which is located on prime land and sprawls over an area of 135 hectares, adjacent to a major trunk road. 135 hectares is equal to roughly 300 acres and, for his elucidation, this is equivalent to roughly 1,000 bungalow lots of about 10,000 sq ft each. This includes the provision of facilities for sports, social and recreational purposes. It is premature to estimate the cost of the facilities until the development plans are firmed up. The Board is also placing priority on improvements to the road system in and around the Racecourse. The traffic congestion on weekends is a real problem to residents and road-users. The Board's aim is to be able to make the necessary changes to alleviate this problem as quickly as possible. The final question is on the planning horizon of the Tote Board. Improvements which can be introduced without substantial capital outlay will be implemented as soon as planning decisions have been decided. In the longer term, however, it may be desirable to find an alternative site for the race course. Such a move would be subject to the availability of suitable sites elsewhere and the planning horizon is unlikely to be before the early 1990s.

CPF CONTRIBUTIONS FOR OLDER WORKERS - (Implication of changes) asked the Minister for Labour (a) if he will state (i) the number of workers between 55 and 59 years and between 60 and 64 years affected by the recent changes in Central Provident Fund contributions for older workers and (ii) some of the long-term implications of these changes to both older workers and their employers; and (b) whether older workers will face any difficulties in their public housing loan repayments.

CPF CONTRIBUTIONS FOR OLDER WORKERS - (Implication of changes) Mr Speaker, Sir, about 26,000 workers in the age group of 55-59 and another 13,000 in the age group of 60-64 will be affected by the changes in the CPF contribution rates for older workers. In total, about 49,000 active CPF members above age 55 will be affected. The employer's CPF contribution rates for workers above age 55 will be lower than that for workers below age 55. The cost saving will encourage employers to employ older workers and facilitate the raising of the retirement age to 60. On the other hand, the lower employee's CPF contribution rates will mean higher take-home pay for the older workers, thus providing an incentive for them to continue to work. With continuing employment, they will be able to save more and their old-age security will be better assured. Most CPF members above age 55 have paid up their housing loans. Only about 6,500 workers above age 55 are still servicing housing loans. Most of them are at the tail end of their mortgage periods. As the changes to the CPF contribution rates for the older workers will be phased in gradually over three stages, there is some time for them to adjust. With their own contributions to CPF reduced, they will also be able to use their higher take-home pay to help service their loans. For most older Singaporeans, the wider issue is whether there will be jobs after age 55. Without jobs, there will be no pay, let alone CPF to service housing loans.

COMMUNITY CENTRE IN UPPER SERANGOON/HOUGANG - (Building of) The following Question stood in the name of Mr Ng Kah Ting - 8. To ask the Minister for Labour if he will ascertain from the People's Association whether a community centre will be built in the area bounded by Upper Serangoon Road and Hougang Avenues 2 and 10; and, if so, when will it be built and where will it be located.

COMMUNITY CENTRE IN UPPER SERANGOON/HOUGANG - (Building of) Question No. 8, Sir.

COMMUNITY CENTRE IN UPPER SERANGOON/HOUGANG - (Building of) Mr Speaker, Sir, when fully developed, the Hougang New Town will have about 41,000 dwelling units. The People's Association and the HDB are considering various possible sites within the estate for one or two modern community centres to be built in future. The number and locations have yet to be decided. Meanwhile, the residents living in the area bounded by Upper Serangoon Road and Hougang Avenues 2 and 10 can use the facilities of the Punggol Community Centre which is about one kilometre away. As it will take several years to plan and build a modern community centre, the PA is setting up a temporary community centre at Blk 603. The centre is expected to be ready this year.

INVESTMENT COMMITMENTS - (Drop in value-added per worker) asked the Minister for Trade and Industry if he will explain why the expected value-added per worker of new manufacturing investment commitments fell from $112,907 in 1984 to $77,854 in 1987, as reported in the 1987 Economic Survey of Singapore, and how this can be reconciled with the claim that new investment projects committed continued to be of good quality.

INVESTMENT COMMITMENTS - (Drop in value-added per worker) Mr Speaker, Sir, the value-added per worker of new manufacturing investment commitments since 1981 is as shown in Table 1 (Cols. 61 - 62), which I have distributed and should be with Members. Table 1 - Value-Added (VA) Per Worker of New Manufacturing Investment Commitments (Cols. 61 - 62) You can see from the Table that apart from 1984, the figures have remained at about the same level since 1981. The 1984 figure was unusually high, because of two large projects with exceptionally good value-added per worker. One had $800,000 value-added per worker, the other had $284,000, as opposed to $113,000 for all industries. The value-added per worker measures the projected productivity of new investment projects. It is only one indicator of the quality of new investment projects. Another is the skill profile of the workers employed in these projects, which reflects the skill content and the technology level of these projects. And as you can see from Table 2 (Cols. 61 - 62) on the same sheet of paper, this has improved over the years. The proportion of technical and skilled workers has increased while the proportion of unskilled workers has shrunk. In 1985, only 9% of the people employed were technical workers. By 1987, it had increased to 13%; in 1985, only 25% of the workers was skilled and by 1987 had increased to 39%. This reflects the success of our policy of promoting projects with higher technical and R&D content. Table 2 - Skill Profile of Workers of New Investment Projects (Cols. 61 - 62) The statement in the Annual Economic Survey (AES) that new investment projects committed continued to be of good quality is therefore a reasonable one.

INVESTMENT COMMITMENTS - (Drop in value-added per worker) Mr Speaker, Sir, will the Minister agree to include useful data such as those presented in Table 2 in future Economic Surveys?

INVESTMENT COMMITMENTS - (Drop in value-added per worker) Mr Speaker, Sir, we have always tried to do that, but we will try harder in future.

LANDS NEAR HDB NEW TOWNS FOR PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT The following Question stood in the name of Mr Ng Kah Ting - 10. To ask the Minister for National Development when the Housing and Development Board can make available lands near HDB new towns to the private sector for residential or other development.

LANDS NEAR HDB NEW TOWNS FOR PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT Question No. 10.

LANDS NEAR HDB NEW TOWNS FOR PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT Mr Speaker, Sir, new towns such as Bukit Batok, Yishun, Tampines, Choa Chu Kang and Woodlands will have land set aside for private sector residential and commercial development. The release of these land parcels will depend on the development schedule of these New Towns.

POTONG PASIR ESTATE - (Soil subsidence) asked the Minister for National Development whether he is aware that the soil beneath several blocks of flats at Potong Pasir Estate has subsided and what steps are being taken to rectify the situation.

POTONG PASIR ESTATE - (Soil subsidence) Mr Speaker, Sir, the soil settlement is confined to the apron slab area surrounding Blocks 113 to 120. It occurs because of differential settlement of earth in the vicinity, resulting in split-level cracks in the apron slabs. This soil settlement does not affect the building structures because the buildings are resting on piled foundations. It does not pose any danger to the buildings or the public. Work to patch up the cracked aprons was carried out at the affected blocks in February this year and was completed last month.

POTONG PASIR ESTATE - (Soil subsidence) Does your Ministry intend to cover up the sunken soil beneath the ground floor of the building? Because I hear complaints that snakes and other dangerous animals are hiding underneath it.

POTONG PASIR ESTATE - (Soil subsidence) Mr Speaker, Sir, as I said in my answer, work has been carried out to patch up all these sunken slabs. I believe this has sealed up all the cracks. But if subsequently there is further settlement of the soil and more cracks develop, HDB will of course look into the matter and carry out the necessary repair work.

POTONG PASIR ESTATE - (Soil subsidence) I am not sure whether the Minister of State understands my question. Because there is a gap between the ground floor level and the earth. The earth has sunk down and there is a gap in between. There are still places where animals could still go in and hide there.

POTONG PASIR ESTATE - (Soil subsidence) If the Member for Potong Pasir is aware of any of these pests breeding in his constituency, please let us know specifically where they are and we will send the appropriate officials to take a look around. But referring to the cracks in the apron slabs, let me assure him that work to repair this crack has been carried out. And if there is any further need to repair these apron slabs due to future subsidence of the soil, then HDB will do so. And if there are any spots which are likely to be breeding space for these "dangerous animals" in Potong Pasir, then we will look into it and make sure that they do not proliferate.

PIE AT JALAN TOA PAYOH/JURONG - (Traffic congestion) asked the Minister for National Development what is the cause of the traffic congestion at Jalan Toa Payoh along the Pan Island Expressway towards Jurong during the morning peak hours and what steps are being taken to improve the situation.

PIE AT JALAN TOA PAYOH/JURONG - (Traffic congestion) Mr Speaker, Sir, Jalan Toa Payoh is the most heavily used section of the Pan Island Expressway. Traffic volume along this section of the expressway towards Jurong is very high during the morning peak hours (about 6,940 vehicles per hour). Traffic congestion at this location is aggravated by the presence of a bus stop near the Toa Payoh Flyover. Resiting the bus stop or providing a proper bus-bay is being considered. This can only be done after the drainage works along Sungei Whampoa in the vicinity are completed in 1989. Jalan Toa Payoh was originally an arterial road upgraded to expressway standards. There are many constraints in its design and capacity. The feasibility of widening the stretch of the Pan Island Expressway from the Pelton Canal (just before the Aljunied Flyover) to the PIE/BKE interchange is being studied. Sir, to further minimize traffic congestion on expressways, the PWD is also considering the feasibility of a surveillance and signalling system for expressways. This system will forewarn motorists of traffic conditions along expressways so that motorists could avoid areas of congestion.

PIE AT JALAN TOA PAYOH/JURONG - (Traffic congestion) 11.30 am

HOUGANG TOWN CENTRE - (Development plans) The following question stood in the name of Mr Ng Kah Ting - 13. To ask the Minister for National Development what development plans the Housing and Development Board has for Hougang Town Centre, the area near and around the Hougang Central Office, and whether he will elaborate on them; and whether the private sector will be invited to take part.

HOUGANG TOWN CENTRE - (Development plans) Question No. 13, Sir.

HOUGANG TOWN CENTRE - (Development plans) Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Hougang Town Centre, when fully developed, will have a range of facilities similar to those found in other HDB New Towns. Land in the vicinity of the HDB Area Office has been set aside for the development of some 400 residential flats and commercial facilities such as department stores and cinemas. The HDB is in the process of working out guidelines for private sector participation in the commercial development of HDB Town Centres. The release of some of the commercial sites in Hougang to the private sector is being considered.

PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL - (As reported from Select Committee) Order for Third Reading read. 11.32 am