Hansard, 1996-10-28

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 Chew Heng Ching - from 14th to 25th October, 1996. Mr Matthias Yao Chih - from 17th to 24th October, 1996. Mr Teo Chong Tee - from 19th to 22nd October, 1996. Encik Yatiman Yusof - from 20th October to 5th November, 1996. Dr Ker Sin Tze - from 20th to 27th October, 1996. Mr Lim Hng Kiang - from 20th to 21st October and from 4th to 6th November, 1996. Dr Hu Tsu Tau, Richard - from 21st to 30th October, 1996. Mr Charles Chong - from 22nd to 26th October, 1996. Dr Yeo Ning Hong - from 23rd to 24th October and from 28th to 31st October, 1996. Dr Wong Kwei Cheong - from 23rd to 24th October, 1996. Mr S. Dhanabalan - from 24th October to 25th November, 1996. Mr Chng Hee Kok - on 24th October and from 28th to 29th October, 1996. Mr Davinder Singh - on 28th October, 1996. Mr K. Shanmugam - from 28th October to 1st November, 1996. Dr Lee Tsao Yuan - on 28th October, 1996. Prof. S. Jayakumar - from 29th October to 1st November, 1996. Mr Peh Chin Hua - from 29th October to 1st November, 1996. RAdm Teo Chee Hean - from 30th October to 1st November, 1996. Mr Tan Soo Khoon - from 29th October to 2nd November, 1996. Mr Koo Tsai Kee - from 1st to 3rd November, 1996. Mr Peter Sung - from 1st to 30th November, 1996. Mr Zulkifli bin Mohammed - from 1st to 3rd November, 1996. Mr Goh Chee Wee - from 4th to 5th November, 1996. Dr Lau Teik Soon - from 4th to 9th November, 1996. Dr Wang Kai Yuen - from 5th to 9th November, 1996. Mr Chin Harn Tong - from 8th to 10th November, 1996. Dr Koh Lip Lin - from 9th to 15th November, 1996. Dr Michael Lim Chun Leng - from 9th to 15th November, 1996. Encik Sidek bin Saniff - from 11th November to 3rd December, 1996. TAN SOO KHOON Speaker Parliament of Singapore

ASSENT TO BILLS PASSED The following Bills were assented to by the President of the Republic of Singapore on the date stated: 16th October 1996 (i) Economic Expansion Incentives (Relief from Income Tax) (Amendment) Bill 1996; (ii) Skill Development Levy (Amendment) Bill 1996; (iii) Sentosa Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill 1996; and (iv) Countervailing and Anti-Dumping Duties Bill 1996. TAN SOO KHOON Speaker Parliament of Singapore

ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - PART-TIME/FLEXI TIME FEMALE WORK FORCE - (Percentage) The following Questions stood in the name of Dr Lee Tsao Yuan - 1. To ask the Minister for Labour what is the percentage of the female work force which is employed on a part-time or flexi-time basis and whether there is a discernible trend in the ratio over time.

PART-TIME WORK FOR WOMEN 2. To ask the Minister for Labour whether it is possible to encourage greater adoption of part-time work for women in light of the need for more workers in Singapore as well as women's family responsibilities.

PART-TIME WORK FOR WOMEN Question No. 1, Sir.

PART-TIME WORK FOR WOMEN Mr Speaker, Sir, with your permission, may I take both Question Nos. 1 and 2 together since they are both related.

PART-TIME WORK FOR WOMEN Yes, you may.

PART-TIME WORK FOR WOMEN Sir, as at June 1996, 59,000 or 3.4% of employed persons were working part-time. Part-time workers refer to persons whose regular working hours are less than 30 hours per week, including those who work on a flexi-time basis. Two-thirds or 39,700 of the part-time workers are females. This constitutes 5.5% of the female workforce. The percentage of women working part-time has not increased significantly in recent years. Sir, the percentage of women in part-time employment in Singapore is lower than that of the developed countries. My Ministry encourages employers to provide more part-time employment and flexi-work to attract the economically inactive, particularly housewives, to return to the workforce. Part-time and flexible work arrangements would enable housewives to balance work with domestic commitments. The promotion of part-time and flexi-work is therefore the main thrust of the "Back to Work" Programme launched recently by my Ministry, the Productivity and Standards Board, the NTUC and Singapore National Employers' Federation. We hope that this tripartite effort would bring about a greater awareness of its benefits among employers as well as the economically inactive, and facilitate their return to the workforce. Within a month after the launching of the "Back to Work" Programme, a total of 1,655 applications have been received. These applicants are being referred to the participating companies to be interviewed. For those who require core skills training, the Productivity and Standards Board and their employers will send them for suitable training courses. Of the 1,655 applicants, 1,069 or 65% are married women in the 30 to 54 age group. 83% of these women have also indicated their preference for part-time and flexi-work arrangements. This confirmed our observation that married women prefer part-time or flexi-work arrangements. Employers who have difficulty recruiting staff should be aware of the constraints faced by this pool of potential employees and make the necessary adjustments. My Ministry and the Productivity and Standards Board are currently working with employers, particularly those with many vacancies, to examine ways of restructuring some jobs for part-timers, thereby widening their recruitment pool. Over the longer term, we hope to attract more and more married women back to the workforce, with jobs which allow them to supplement their family income and at the same time attend to their homemakers' responsibilities.

PART-TIME WORK FOR WOMEN Sir, would the Minister consider partial or full waiver of the foreign maid levy to further encourage housewives to come into the workforce?

PART-TIME WORK FOR WOMEN Mr Speaker, Sir, the foreign domestic worker levy is necessary in order to moderate demand for foreign domestic workers. At today's rate of levy, $330 a month, we already have more than 90,000 foreign domestic workers in Singapore. If we further reduce the foreign domestic worker levy, the demand is liable to shoot up. We may then have a much larger problem to manage and cope with such a large number of foreign domestic workers in Singapore. In order to encourage married women to work, the Government has, in fact, given them a double tax relief on the foreign domestic worker levy that they pay. Whether the woman or the husband employs the domestic worker, they can now claim a double tax relief of the woman's income so that it more or less substantially reduces the woman's real payment for the foreign domestic worker.

PART-TIME WORK FOR WOMEN Sir, before one can enjoy the double income tax relief it would require a substantial take home salary. If a housewife wants to go to work, then the income she earns would not entitle her to that kind of relief. Would the Minister want to consider this?

PART-TIME WORK FOR WOMEN Mr Speaker, Sir, I think that is the purpose of giving a double tax relief, ie, to encourage those women who are able to make a substantial contribution to the economy and earning a higher salary to come back to work and, if they need to, then they can engage the services of a foreign domestic worker. That is the whole purpose of it. In fact, if the woman's income is so low that she cannot even afford to pay the maid the wages and the levy, then perhaps the woman should consider alternative arrangement instead of employing a foreign domestic worker to look after the household needs and to care for her children. There are many other such options or alternatives available. In fact, most Singaporean families do not depend upon foreign domestic workers to look after their children. The majority use the traditional avenues like in-laws, parents or other family relatives to care for their young children. So there are other alternatives. The foreign domestic worker is not the only solution to this problem.

PHYSICAL INJURIES SUFFERED BY EDUCATIONALLY - SUBNORMAL BOY WHILST IN POLICE CUSTODY - (Commission of Inquiry) asked the Minister for Home Affairs how a 13 year-old educationally subnormal boy who was arrested by officers from the Ang Mo Kio Division/Chong Boon Neighbourhood Police Post on 24th February 1993 suffered physical injuries whilst in the custody of the police for more than 7 hours and whether he will consider appointing a commission of inquiry to inquire into the circumstances.

PHYSICAL INJURIES SUFFERED BY EDUCATIONALLY - SUBNORMAL BOY WHILST IN POLICE CUSTODY - (Commission of Inquiry) Question No. 3, Sir. I wish to declare that I have no interest in the case. But my Secretary-General was the counsel for the boy.

PHYSICAL INJURIES SUFFERED BY EDUCATIONALLY - SUBNORMAL BOY WHILST IN POLICE CUSTODY - (Commission of Inquiry) Sir, first, let me apprise the House of the facts of the case. On 24th February 1993, at 2.55 pm, the 13 year-old educationally subnormal boy in question was detained by officers from the Chong Boon NPP on suspicion of bicycle theft. While the boy was under Police custody, Police made repeated attempts to contact his family but was not successful. Police only managed to get in touch with the boy's father at about 7.50 pm. The boy was released unconditionally at about 10.10 pm after his father came down to the Police station at 9.45 pm. Sir, on 16th April 1996, Sgt Ong Peng Sim from the Ang Mo Kio Police Division appeared in court to answer to a private summons arising from a complaint made by the boy's father to a Magistrate, for allegedly assaulting the boy on 24th February 1993 while the boy was under Police custody. The allegation of assault was initially made by the boy's father on 2nd March 1993, one week after the boy was released. On receiving the complaint, the Internal Investigation Division (IID) of the Police commenced investigation. The investigation was delayed by the fact that the boy and his father were uncooperative and repeatedly refused to be interviewed by the IID. It was only in August 1995, about two and a half years later, that the boy gave his statement to the Police. The boy's father refused to be interviewed by IID. IID's investigations revealed that the boy's father had brought the boy to the Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic at about 9.15 am on 25th February 1993, the day after the alleged assault, for a medical examination. The boy was then examined by a resident doctor of the polyclinic who found no signs of any physical injury. About six hours later, the boy was again taken by the father to a private clinic for a second examination. This second examination revealed injuries on the boy. On 30th March 1995, the boy's father laid a complaint of assault before the Magistrate, and the Magistrate directed the Police to investigate and submit a report. In its report to the Magistrate dated 4th October 1995, IID concluded that the allegation of assault by the Police could not be substantiated. The main basis for this conclusion was the fact that the earlier medical examination did not reveal any injuries at all. There is therefore no cause to believe that there was any assault on the boy while he was in Police custody, as the first medical report clearly showed the absence of any physical injuries on the boy the morning after he was released from Police custody. Nevertheless, the boy, through his counsel, applied to proceed with the private summons and the case went to trial in April 1996. At the commencement of the hearing in the Subordinate Court, Sgt Ong's defence counsel applied to the Magistrate to expunge IID's investigation report from the court record. The Magistrate therefore did not know of IID's findings. The contents of the IID report were not made known to Sgt Ong or his counsel as IID is an impartial independent body in this investigation. Its report contained references to the absence of injuries during the first medical examination. Although the prosecuting counsel had applied for and received (from the Ang Mo Kio polyclinic) the first medical report, he did not bring to the court's attention that this medical report was inconsistent with the evidence that he had introduced earlier. Sir, after a six-day trial, the court acquitted the accused because it was of the view that the boy's testimony was unreliable and that the charge was not proven. The boy's counsel subsequently appealed against the acquittal of the accused on 17th September 1996. The appeal was dismissed. In the circumstances, I do not see the need to appoint a commission of inquiry to re-open the case.

PHYSICAL INJURIES SUFFERED BY EDUCATIONALLY - SUBNORMAL BOY WHILST IN POLICE CUSTODY - (Commission of Inquiry) Sir, I understand from the Senior Parliamentary Secretary's answer at the last sitting of Parliament that a minor would not normally be detained for more than four hours. But I understand that, in this case, the boy was detained for about seven hours. Why was it so?

PHYSICAL INJURIES SUFFERED BY EDUCATIONALLY - SUBNORMAL BOY WHILST IN POLICE CUSTODY - (Commission of Inquiry) Sir, I said in my earlier answer that unless there are extenuating circumstances, minors will not be detained beyond four hours. In this case, it was important to contact the father. Since he was a minor, they had to release him to somebody who was responsible for him. The Police tried repeatedly to contact the father but failed to do so until about 7.45 pm which was about five hours after he was first detained.

PHYSICAL INJURIES SUFFERED BY EDUCATIONALLY - SUBNORMAL BOY WHILST IN POLICE CUSTODY - (Commission of Inquiry) Is the Senior Parliamentary Secretary satisfied that in this particular case, the procedures of the Police in investigating minors were strictly followed?

PHYSICAL INJURIES SUFFERED BY EDUCATIONALLY - SUBNORMAL BOY WHILST IN POLICE CUSTODY - (Commission of Inquiry) Sir, this question was asked previously. Yes, the procedures were followed.

ILLEGAL FOREIGN WORKERS asked the Minister for Labour (a) how many illegal foreign workers had been arrested from construction sites for each of the years from 1994 to September 1996; (b) whether illegal foreign workers had also been found in other industries; (c) what effective measures are being taken to curb the illegal influx into the job market; and (d) whether his Ministry will relax its rules to allow more foreign workers to take up jobs in industries which Singaporeans shy away from.

ILLEGAL FOREIGN WORKERS Mr Speaker, Sir, in 1994, 386 illegal foreign workers were arrested at construction sites. This rose to 932 in 1995. In the first nine months of 1996, 938 illegal workers had already been arrested. Besides the construction industry, illegal foreign workers are also found in service industries, such as foodstalls, cafeteria, coffeeshops, provision shops and cleaning services. As the problem of illegal employment was most serious in the construction industry, the Employment of Foreign Workers Act was amended to hold principal contractors in the construction industry responsible for illegal workers found at their work sites and to facilitate prosecution of employers of illegal workers. Besides the amendments to the Employment of Foreign Workers Act, my Ministry in conjunction with the Police and Immigration Department has also stepped up enforcement action to detect and arrest illegal construction workers. The marine industry and construction industry are two areas which have the most difficulty in recruiting local workers. In view of this, we have allowed higher dependency ceilings for these two industries. The dependency ceiling for the marine industry is one local worker to three foreign workers, while that for the construction industry, it is one local worker to five foreign workers. Currently, 96% of the marine companies and 92% of the construction companies are operating within the prevailing dependency ceiling. There is no need to raise the dependency ceiling at this juncture.

DOCTORS AND NURSING OFFICERS IN GOVERNMENT RESTRUCTURED - HOSPITALS AND ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY UNITS asked the Minister for Health whether there are sufficient doctors and nursing officers in Government restructured hospitals and Accident and Emergency Units at night and whether the workload imposed on doctors, nurses and housemen is reasonable.

DOCTORS AND NURSING OFFICERS IN GOVERNMENT RESTRUCTURED - HOSPITALS AND ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY UNITS Mr Speaker, Sir, doctors and nurses in hospitals work in teams by speciality departments and wards. They are rostered to perform night duties so that adequate patient care is provided on a 24-hour basis. In general, House Officers and Medical Officers form the first line doctors, supervised by Registrars, all of whom stay in the hospital during the night. As a routine, the Consultant-on-call who is overall in charge of the management of patients does not stay in the hospital. But he will do so if the situation warrants it. Currently, hospitals are, in general, adequately staffed. On the average, the manpower shortfall for doctors is 10%, and for nurses 11%. The number of doctors and nurses rostered at night depends on the number of patients and the average level of activity in the hospital. Doctors are rostered on night duty 6-8 times a month. For inpatient care during the night, doctors are only to attend to urgent situations and to emergency new admissions. Treatment and investigations for patients are normally administered during the day, and routine activities for inpatients at night are minimal. As for workload at the A&E departments, doctors and nurses work on a shift system. The number of doctors rostered depends on the number of patients who usually attend the hospital A&E departments. In situations of unexpected demand, there is team work and flexibility in redeploying staff, including senior staff, to cope with the unexpected demand. This will ensure that there are sufficient doctors and nurses to deal with patients' needs, and that their workload is kept at a reasonable level.

DOCTORS AND NURSING OFFICERS IN GOVERNMENT RESTRUCTURED - HOSPITALS AND ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY UNITS Sir, the Senior Minister of State in her reply said that it would depend on the number of patients in A&E departments. How do they estimate the number of patients in A&E departments? Second, I would like to know what are the ratios for doctors and nurses vis-a-vis patients in the ward. Are there fixed ratios?

DOCTORS AND NURSING OFFICERS IN GOVERNMENT RESTRUCTURED - HOSPITALS AND ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY UNITS We monitor the number of A&E attendances very closely. So the kind of manpower we deploy to the A&E departments as well as the wards depends on historical figures and the pattern of usage. For example, in hospitals like SGH where the attendance at the A&E department is larger than other hospitals, we have more doctors in the SGH A&E department. As for doctor and nurse ratios, I have the figures here. The doctor to patient ratio for inpatient wards in 1995 was 1:10.4, nurse to patient ratio was 1:5.

DOCTORS AND NURSING OFFICERS IN GOVERNMENT RESTRUCTURED - HOSPITALS AND ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY UNITS Sir, is the Senior Minister of State satisfied that the workload for housemen and nurses at our restructured hospitals and A&E departments is reasonable? Will there be overload in a sense and thereby some mistakes are made because of the workload?

DOCTORS AND NURSING OFFICERS IN GOVERNMENT RESTRUCTURED - HOSPITALS AND ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY UNITS I think our staffing ratios are satisfactory. They are not ideal, because there is a bit of shortage of doctors and nurses. Doctors are expected to do night calls for about 6-8 times a month. So there is this norm. Depending on the situation and the speciality department, they would do night duty between 6 and 8 times a month. The figures show that the level of service is okay, not ideal, but acceptable.

CABLE TELEVISION FOR ALL HOMES IN SINGAPORE asked the Minister for Information and the Arts why certain housing estates are still not equipped to receive cable television.

CABLE TELEVISION FOR ALL HOMES IN SINGAPORE Sir, the Singapore Broadcasting Authority (SBA) has tasked Singapore CableVision (SCV) with the job of wiring all homes in Singapore. Under its plan to provide cable TV services to the whole island, SCV is wiring over 700,000 homes. Each home has to be wired individually. SCV is carrying out the wiring stage by stage because it is a massive project. It is not possible for all estates to be simultaneously wired for cable TV. SCV is currently wiring at the rate of 23,000 units per month, with the cooperation of residents. By 1998, all HDB estates will be wired up. The wiring of the whole of Singapore will be completed by the year 2000.

RADIO AND TELEVISION RECEPTION asked the Minister for Information and the Arts why the reception for radio, television and telephone in some housing estates is poor.

RADIO AND TELEVISION RECEPTION Mr Speaker, Sir, radio and television reception in Singapore is generally good. SBA ensures that there is good reception nationwide, by setting suitable technical standards. However, there are some pockets of poor reception in Singapore. Poor reception arises because of terrain, high buildings or electromagnetic interferences which block, reflect or weaken radio signals. There are various technical solutions to the problem of poor reception. One solution is to tap-off signals from a nearby tall building. Another solution is receiving the signal through cable. SCV is currently cabling the island and this is expected to be completed in 3-4 years' time. Meanwhile, anyone who experiences poor reception problems can contact SBA or the broadcasters for assistance.

CALLER ID FACILITY asked the Minister for Communications why certain telephone numbers cannot have Caller-ID facility.

CALLER ID FACILITY Sir, there are currently a total of 97 switches in SingTel's telephone network serving some 1.5 million telephone subscribers. Over the years, SingTel has progressively upgraded its network and replaced its switches to support more advanced features, such as Caller ID, for its customers. So far, 84% of all SingTel's switches have been replaced. The remaining switches are scheduled to be upgraded within the next three years. Until then, subscribers whose telephones are linked to the older switches do not have direct access to features such as Caller ID. Those subscribers who need to have such features urgently can contact SingTel who will look into special arrangements for them.

CALLER ID FACILITY Sir, to change a telephone number, a subscriber has to pay a fee. Would the Ministry consider a waiver of this fee if a subscriber changes his telephone number?

CALLER ID FACILITY Sir, I do not have the details about this fee. But as I explained earlier on, there are options available to the subscribers who want to have Caller ID facility. As I said, special arrangements can be made for the subscribers.

CALLER ID FACILITY Sir, does the special arrangement mean the waiver of the fees?

CALLER ID FACILITY Sir, I do not believe that there will be a waiver of the fees. There is a fee incurred in having this Caller ID facility. As I said, I do not believe that a waiver is being planned.

CALLER ID FACILITY Sir, in a normal situation, when one changes a telephone number to another number, one has to pay a fee. This is what one has to pay if one has an old number and wants to have Caller ID facility. Could this fee be waived?

CALLER ID FACILITY As I said, I do not have the details about this fee structure. I will ask SingTel to look into this.

4-ROOM BUDGET FLATS IN NORTH EAST ZONE - (Building) asked the Minister for National Development whether 4-room budget flats will be built in the North East Zone estates like Sengkang and Punggol and whether applicants of such flats can choose the unit.

4-ROOM BUDGET FLATS IN NORTH EAST ZONE - (Building) Mr Speaker, Sir, HDB will continue to build 4-room budget flats in all zones including the North East Zone and in estates like Punggol and Sengkang. Applicants in the 4-room flat register whose registration numbers are due for selection of flats will be invited to select 4-room flats, which will include 4-room budget flats. They will select flats in the zones that they have applied for.

4-ROOM BUDGET FLATS IN NORTH EAST ZONE - (Building) Sir, will these applicants be allowed to select their units as well? Second, I understand that currently, applicants are not allowed to choose their locations, because the building programme for 4-room budget flats is only for Choa Chu Kang. Why is it so? And when will the flats in estates like Sengkang and Punggol be available for selection?

4-ROOM BUDGET FLATS IN NORTH EAST ZONE - (Building) Sir, under the Registration for Flat System, the applicant will apply for a flat in a zone, whether he applies for the North Zone, North East Zone or the West Zone. Somebody who applies for a 4-room flat in the West Zone will be invited to select a 4-room flat when his queue number is due. At every selection exercise, we try to put 4-room budget flats available for selection. Therefore, a person who wishes to buy a 4-room budget flat will select a flat in the zone that he has applied for. This holds true whether it is in the West Zone, North East Zone which includes Sengkang, and in the North Zone which includes Woodlands and Yishun.

BILLS INTRODUCED - SALE OF GOODS (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Sale of Goods Act (Chapter 393 of the 1994 Revised Edition)", presented by the Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Law (Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed.

SUPPLY OF GOODS (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Supply of Goods Act (Chapter 394 of the 1994 Revised Edition) and to make a minor amendment to the Unfair Contract Terms Act (Chapter 396 of the 1994 Revised Edition) in relation to contracts for the supply of goods", presented by Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee; read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed.

CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 12.58 pm