Hansard, 1998-08-03

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) asked the Minister for National Development whether his Ministry will consider allowing lessees of Housing and Development Board flats to restructure their loans when they encounter financial difficulties during the current financial crisis.

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) asked the Minister for National Development (i) how many households are affected by the increase in the interest rates of Housing and Development Board (HDB) housing loans and (ii) what measures will the HDB undertake to alleviate the increased burden of these households.

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) asked the Minister for National Development (a) what can a Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat owner do if he is retrenched and is unable to service his housing loan or stick to the original repayment scheme; and (b) what assistance the HDB will offer to such home owners.

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) Mr Speaker, Sir, since Questions 1, 2 and 3 are related, can I have your permission to take them together?

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) Yes.

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) HDB adjusted the interest rates for its housing loans on 1st July 1998. The public rate was raised from 3.58% to 4.39% in line with the upward revision of CPF interest rate. The market rate was also increased by 1% from between 5.25% and 5.75%, to between 6.25% and 6.75%. While the interest rate adjustments affected some 440,000 households with outstanding mortgage loans, the increase in the monthly loan instalment was $40 or less for 60% of the households. HDB has in place various financial assistance measures to help lessees who have difficulties in servicing their monthly mortgage loan instalments. These measures are: (1) Allow lessee to pay the mortgage loan arrears by instalments within a reasonable period; (2) Allow lessee to reschedule the mortgage loan repayment period up to the maximum repayment period that they are eligible for; (3) Allow lessee to defer payment of loan instalments for an initial period of six months. The deferment may be extended for another six months, if necessary; (4) Allow lessee to convert the loan scheme to an easy repayment scheme. Under this scheme, the monthly instalment for the first five years is set at 75% of the normal monthly instalment. The monthly instalment will then be recomputed from the sixth year to the end of the repayment period based on the outstanding loan at the beginning of the sixth year; and (5) Advise lessee to include a working family member as a joint owner if the latter meets the eligibility conditions. This will enable the family to use the CPF monies of the new lessee to pay for the arrears.

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) Mr Speaker, Sir, may I ask the Minister whether the HDB will levy any administrative charge for those who need to restructure their loans?

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) If the loans are rescheduled, then the whole loan is recomputed.

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) Mr Speaker, Sir, in view of the prevailing difficult economic situation, may I ask the Minister if he would ask the HDB to consider deferring the collection of the principal element in the payment and require the house owner to only pay for the interest element, in the case of families facing financial hardship? In other words, of all the alternatives that the Minister has proposed just now, can I ask that this alternative be also considered?

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) The five measures which I outlined earlier have been very effective. Very few HDB mortgage cases require us to repossess the flats. As of today, the percentage of arrears of mortgage loan instalments has increased only slightly from 1.9% in May to 2.1% in June. So the situation is still very much under control and HDB takes a very helpful approach to the mortgage loans.

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) Mr Speaker, Sir, may I ask the Minister that if, in spite of all these schemes that the HDB has, the flat owner is unable to meet his payments, how much time does the HDB allow before it decides to repossess the apartment under the powers given in the Housing and Development Act?

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) Under one of the schemes which I have outlined earlier, we first give them an initial period of six months and then, if they still face difficulties, we give them a further period of six months. And we work very actively with them to see how they could reschedule the loans, how they can make use of the ballooning scheme, how they can include additional family members to help pay for the loan. So our experience, both in the 1985/1986 recession, as well as all these years, is that servicing the mortgage loans for HDB flat is never really a big problem.

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) The Minister said that very few apartments have been repossessed. Could he tell us how many apartments were repossessed?

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) I do not have the exact number. But if my memory serves me, probably five or seven last year.

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) Further to the question by Mr Jeyaretnam, would the Minister tell the House what is the percentage of increase compared to last year?

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) As I said earlier, the percentage of loan arrears has gone up by a very small percentage compared to nearly half a million mortgage loans that we administer. HDB takes a very positive and helpful attitude towards all home owners. It is our objective to let them keep their flat, own their flat, and we try our best to help each case that comes before us to reschedule and to make the payments, to stretch it over a longer time. The number of cases where we actually take back the flats is very few.

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) Sir, I would like to ask the Minister, if a flat owner is willing to downgrade, would the HDB help him?

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) This is part of the various measures which HDB has. If a family has over-extended themselves by buying a bigger flat than they could really afford, especially with this economic downturn, and it is quite clear that they cannot continue to service the loan, HDB would help them to sell off their flat if they are eligible to sell it off, and buy a smaller flat.

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) Mr Speaker, Sir, eviction notices are fearful messages to receive, especially to a person who is already down in the dumps, enveloped by a sense of gloom and helplessness. Will the Minister ask the HDB to thoroughly investigate each case to assess its merits before eviction notices are issued? Now is the time when understanding and compassion are appropriate. Households will be extremely grateful to the Board for their support to help them overcome their difficulties. I have no qualms with the Board taking harsh actions against those who try to abuse the system.

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) If a family falls behind in its loan repayments, HDB will have to serve the necessary notice. This is the first warning to them, and then they come forward, and we work together. By deferring serving the eviction notice, I do not think you are helping the family adjust to its present circumstances.

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) Sir, may I ask the Minister whether HDB is prepared to allow a working member in the family, who is an existing HDB lessee, to be included as a member to pay the mortgage instalments?

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) The HDB's policy on this is very clear. You are only allowed to own one HDB property.

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) May I ask the Minister what is the position as regards those who are just paying rents as distinct from loan instalments? What is the policy as regards them?

(Assistance measures in servicing mortgage loans) Our rental tenants belong to the lower income group and therefore HDB takes an even more sympathetic approach towards these families. Our rental arrears are higher than the loan instalment arrears because these are from the lower income families. But we do not evict people unnecessarily. We take great pains to let them stay in the HDB flats and, unless it is absolutely necessary, we do not evict our rental tenants.

SHORTLISTED HDB FLAT APPLICANTS - (Retention of original queue position for downgraders) asked the Minister for National Development whether the Housing and Development Board (HDB) will consider allowing HDB flat applicants who have been shortlisted and wish to downgrade, due to the current economic slowdown, to retain their original queue position.

SHORTLISTED HDB FLAT APPLICANTS - (Retention of original queue position for downgraders) Mr Speaker, Sir, under HDB's prevailing policy, flat applicants under the Registration for Flats System may switch to a smaller flat type if they have not been shortlisted to select their flats. However, this is subject to meeting the eligibility criteria and a 3-month setback in their registration numbers. For applicants who have already been shortlisted to select their flats, HDB does not normally allow changes to be made to the flat-type and zone applied. However, in view of the current economic downturn, HDB will consider such applicants' requests to downgrade to purchase a smaller flat type, on a case-by-case basis. Their registration numbers will similarly be set back by three months.

SHORTLISTED HDB FLAT APPLICANTS - (Retention of original queue position for downgraders) asked the Minister for Manpower what is the breakdown in terms of gender, age, industry, types of courses and amount of benefits received, of employees who have benefited from the Skills Redevelopment Programme; and if the subsidy does not cover the full amount of the training programme, what options an interested party has in order to obtain funding to cover the difference.

SHORTLISTED HDB FLAT APPLICANTS - (Retention of original queue position for downgraders) asked the Minister for Manpower whether there are plans for skills redevelopment programmes to be offered to workers who have been retrenched and, if so, what kind of training will be offered for what kind of jobs.

SHORTLISTED HDB FLAT APPLICANTS - (Retention of original queue position for downgraders) Mr Speaker, Sir, Questions 5 and 6 are on a similar subject. May I have your permission to take both Questions together?

SHORTLISTED HDB FLAT APPLICANTS - (Retention of original queue position for downgraders) Yes.

SHORTLISTED HDB FLAT APPLICANTS - (Retention of original queue position for downgraders) Mr Speaker, Sir, the Ministry is working closely with the NTUC and the SNEF (Singapore National Employers' Federation) to promote the Skills Redevelopment Programme (SRP). This programme is designed to enhance the employability of the local workforce by encouraging employers to send their workers for skills upgrading and retraining. The aim is to equip the under-educated and lower-skilled workers with certifiable skills to enable them to remain employable in the future. Of the 4,176 workers who have so far benefited from the programme, 70% have Secondary Two education or less. 46% of these workers are above the age of 40, with another 39% between the ages of 30 and 39. Some 80% of the employees who have benefited from the Skills Redevelopment Programme are from the manufacturing sector, as this was the first to be adversely affected by the economic downturn. About 70% of the SRP participants are females, since there are more women in the manufacturing industry. A requirement of the Skills Redevelopment Programme is that the courses offered must lead to national certification. This protects the worker and ensures recognition of skills by the employer. The types of courses offered include preparatory courses such as language and numeracy, Certificate of Competency, National Technical Certificates (NTC) levels 2 and 3, and other certificate courses offered by the polytechnics and the ITE. These skills are required by jobs in various sectors, including manufacturing and services. The current estimate of benefits granted is about $16.7 million, or about $4,000 per worker. This is based on a funding mechanism that subsidises up to 80% of the course fees, and up to 70% of the worker's absentee payroll. The employer is asked to co-share the cost of the training, since he is the immediate beneficiary of a better-skilled worker. Workers who have been or are about to be retrenched are, in fact, already a group that is being targeted for retraining under the SRP for employment in new and high growth areas. These include the wafer fabrication and process chemical industries. The NTUC and my Ministry are working with agencies such as the EDB, STB, TDB and PSB to get these industries to recruit the retrenched workers to meet their manpower needs. The SRP will provide such recruits with the necessary training for their new jobs. Sir, the Ministry is also working with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the NTUC and other economic agencies and industry bodies to expand the spectrum of certifiable courses under the SRP in areas relevant to the needs of each industry. We will provide a wider range of training to meet employers' needs.

SHORTLISTED HDB FLAT APPLICANTS - (Retention of original queue position for downgraders) Would the Minister elaborate on whether there has been an increased willingness on the part of workers to go for retraining in view of the economic uncertainty and downturn?

SHORTLISTED HDB FLAT APPLICANTS - (Retention of original queue position for downgraders) When the SRP was launched in December 1996, as a pilot project, this was in fact one of the main concerns. Will our workers be sufficiently motivated and will they be sufficiently interested in taking advantage of the training opportunities offered under the SRP? The other concern was of course whether employers will support such a programme. As the economic crisis unfolds and as workers become more concerned and worried about job security, we found a matching increase in interest to undergo retraining and skills upgrading by the workers themselves. So we find that workers, particularly those who are low-skilled and with lower education, as can be seen from the figures that I gave earlier on, were very amenable to undergo retraining and skills upgrading courses. Fortunately, over the same period, we also found a greater interest on the part of employers to participate in these programmes because they would be able to minimise the need to retrench workers and, instead of laying off workers, they can send workers for skills upgrading or retraining under the SRP, and Government will come in and assist them with up to 70% grant on the absentee payroll. So it is a win-win situation for workers, employers and the Government too.

MR PHEY YEW KOK asked the Minister for Home Affairs (i) whether the search for Mr Phey Yew Kok has been abandoned and (ii) what success the police have had to secure the return of the man reported to be hiding in Macau after the suicide of the late Mr Teh Cheang Wan.

MR PHEY YEW KOK Peng Kee) (for the Minister for Home Affairs): Sir, any effort in tracking down Phey Yew Kok is now very much dependent on available intelligence on his exact whereabouts. Without this, no specific effort can be mounted. Meanwhile, he is still on the wanted list of all Interpol member countries. Also, the warrant of arrest against him is still in force. As for the question on securing the return of "the man hiding in Macau after the suicide of the late Mr Teh Cheang Wan", can Mr Jeyaretnam give me the name of the person he is referring to so that I can answer the question?

MR PHEY YEW KOK If the Minister had read the Hansard in 1987, he would have seen that the then Prime Minister did not reveal the identity, but was simply saying the man had run off to Macau and was hiding and they were trying to get him. So I am afraid I cannot give the identity. The CPIB must know.

MR PHEY YEW KOK I would like to assure Mr Jeyaretnam that I have read the Hansard. I wanted to make sure because the tenor of his question suggests that this person was implicated in Mr Teh's death.

MR PHEY YEW KOK That is what the then Prime Minister said.

MR PHEY YEW KOK In that case, I know who he is referring to. That would be Ho Yau Koon from whom Mr Teh Cheang Wan allegedly received gratification for assisting Ho to buy a piece of land. Ho Yau Koon passed away in Hong Kong in 1987.

MR PHEY YEW KOK Considering that this man Phey Yew Kok has been out of the country for more than 20 years, and we hear the Minister saying that the Police has still not been able to find where he is, are we to understand that the Police are now abandoning the search because I cannot see any purpose? The second question is: are the Police aware or do they know if the wife of Mr Phey Yew Kok regularly takes trips out of Singapore or not?

MR PHEY YEW KOK Sir, as to the first question, I have stated just now that he is still on the wanted list of Interpol. The case is therefore still alive. As to the second question, because the case is alive, it would not be prudent to divulge information on the operation procedures of the CPIB.

MR PHEY YEW KOK May I know the answer to a simple question and, that is, do the Police know that the wife goes regularly out of Singapore or not?

MR PHEY YEW KOK Sir, I think I have answered that question.

INTERIM FINANCIAL SCHEME asked the Minister for Community Development how his Ministry publicises and administers the Interim Financial Scheme which was set up to help destitute families; and since its formation, how many Singaporeans have applied for assistance from the scheme. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Community Development (Mr Chan Soo Sen) (for the Minister for Community Development): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Interim Financial Assistance Scheme was implemented in September 1996 in response to a recommendation of the Inter-Ministry Committee on Dysfunctional Families, Juvenile Delinquency and Drug Abuse. The Scheme, as the name implies, is meant to provide interim financial aid to destitute and needy applicants of the Public Assistance (PA) allowance while their applications are being processed by the Ministry. If an applicant for Public Assistance is assessed to have immediate difficulties in meeting his/her daily needs and requires assistance while waiting for the outcome of the application, the Ministry will provide immediate financial assistance. So far, 41 cases have been assisted under the Scheme. The total amount disbursed was about $11,000. (The quantum given will depend on the applicant's family size and is pegged at 90% of the Public Assistance rates when it is approved.) Because this is an interim arrangement for those who already applied for the Public Assistance Scheme, there is no need to publicise it. Applicants of the Public Assistance scheme who have been assessed as needing immediate financial assistance are automatically given the allowance without they having to apply for it.

(Use of savings for education/skills upgrading) asked the Minister for Manpower whether his Ministry will consider allowing Singaporeans to use part of their Central Provident Fund savings (capped at $2,000 per year) for education or skills upgrading purposes.

(Use of savings for education/skills upgrading) Eusofe) (for the Minister for Manpower): Sir, I would like to inform the House that the main objectives of CPF savings are for housing, medical and old age needs. CPF savings are also allowed to be used for selected purposes, including full-time studies in approved institutions of higher learning, which are the 2 local universities and 4 polytechnics. Sir, the CPF Education Scheme is a loan scheme and it is an exception made for full-time students because they have no income and are likely to have more difficulty paying for tuition fees with their own savings. Sir, workers who need to upgrade their skills today have many opportunities to do so with the support from their employers, the Skills Development Fund (SDF) and the Skills Redevelopment Programme (SRP). Training and upgrading courses organised by employers for their workers are funded by SDF up to 80% of the course fees. Sir, for employers who send their workers to enhance their employability and to be certified under the SRP, they are also eligible to claim for subsidy up to 70% of their absentee payroll, apart from the 80% subsidy from the SDF on course fees. For individuals who take up training courses to upgrade themselves through their unions or the self-help groups, they could also enjoy the training grant of 80% from the SDF. To encourage workers to undergo training and retraining, the Government has also given a tax relief of up to $2,000 of course fees for individuals pursuing courses on their own. Sir, I am therefore of the view that it is not necessary to use individual's CPF savings for education and skills upgrading courses. CPF savings should be reserved to meet their housing, medical and old age needs.

(Use of savings for education/skills upgrading) Sir, while I understand that CPF savings are allowed to be used for tertiary education by university students, why is it not extended to polytechnic students?

(Use of savings for education/skills upgrading) I have mentioned that it is also extended to the four polytechnics.

SILKAIR CRASH - (Report of investigation) asked the Minister for Communications if he will say how far the investigation into the SilkAir crash has proceeded and when a report may be expected.

SILKAIR CRASH - (Report of investigation) Mr Speaker, Sir, the crash of flight MI185 took place in December 1997. In February this year, I updated the House on the progress of the investigation into the crash. I also made known the various tasks that would be undertaken by the investigation team. The investigation team is headed by Indonesia and supported by experts from Singapore and the US. This is in accordance with international laws which stipulate that the investigation of aircraft accidents should be under the charge of the State in which the accident occurred and supported by the State of the airline operator and the State of the aircraft manufacturer. The team is also assisted by experts from Australia, which has a mutual agreement with Indonesia for investigation of aircraft accidents. Investigation into the crash is still very much in progress. Since I last updated the House, the team has examined the recovered wreckage pieces. A partial reconstruction of the aircraft tail section has been completed and the team has carried out tests in flight simulators. Investigations into air traffic services, meteorology, maintenance records and operations have also been completed. The team is currently looking into further analysis of certain aircraft system and flight control parts and components and the human performance aspects of the accident. All the information extracted from these investigation activities will be carefully studied. The investigation team fully understands the importance of keeping the next-of-kin and the public informed of the progress and findings of the investigation. As the leader of the investigation, Indonesia is the authority for the release of such information. No information can be released by any other party without the approval of the lead country in this investigation, ie, Indonesia. In March this year, Professor Oetarjo Diran, Chairman of the Indonesian Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission (AAIC) and Investigator-In-Charge of the investigation, was in Singapore to report on the status of the investigation. Last month, Professor Diran wrote a letter to the press to update the public and next-of-kin on the investigation. The team will continue to update the next-of-kin and the public when there are significant developments or findings, and when the investigation is completed. Investigations of air crashes are very painstaking and laborious. The complete investigation of the ValueJet DC-9 accident in Florida, USA in May 1996 took 16 months. The China Airlines A300 incident in Nagoya, Japan in April 1994 took almost 27 months. Others took even longer. In the case of the United Airlines B737 crash in Colorado Springs, USA, in March 1991, seven years ago, investigation is still on-going. In the SilkAir case, the investigation is made difficult by the extent of damage of the aircraft and the lack of useful data from the black boxes. At this point in time, the team is unable to predict when investigations into the accident would be completed. They have, however, informed me that it is unlikely to be completed within the next six months. Nonetheless, the team of 70 experts is putting in maximum effort to do a thorough and objective investigation. All parties concerned are determined to find out the cause or causes of this tragic accident.

SILKAIR CRASH - (Report of investigation) May I just ask the Minister whether he is satisfied for himself that the Indonesian authorities are exerting all efforts to find out the cause of the accident? Or has it been superseded by the recent events in Indonesia?

SILKAIR CRASH - (Report of investigation) Mr Speaker, Sir, my Ministry is in constant touch with the investigation team, which is led by the Indonesians but active participation comes from Singapore as well as the NTSB of the United States. I would like to assure the House that the investigation led by Indonesia is very professionally done. It is still very active. The current troubles in Indonesia are not affecting the investigation. Prof. Diran, who is the leader in charge of the investigation has been misquoted in the press as saying that the investigation has been completed and he has come out to clarify the situation. I believe that he will be issuing further statements to update the public on the progress of the investigation in due course.

SILKAIR CRASH - (Report of investigation) Mr Speaker, Sir, can the Minister give an assurance to the House that when the report is completed he will present the report to the House or perhaps make a Ministerial Statement in due course?

SILKAIR CRASH - (Report of investigation) Sir, the investigation report will be issued by the Indonesian authorities. As to the modalities of presenting the investigation report, I will have to discuss with the authorities concerned. But, definitely, I will endeavour to at least make a statement in this House when the report is finally published.

SILKAIR CRASH - (Report of investigation) Sir, may I ask the Minister whether SilkAir has paid compensation to the relatives of the air crash victims? If not, why is that so?

SILKAIR CRASH - (Report of investigation) I believe that the lawyers of SilkAir and the lawyers of the next-of-kin of the deceased are in touch. SilkAir has made provisions for advance compensation to the next-of-kin up to an amount of $20,000. This was to help in some of the expenses incurred. However, not all the next-of-kin have taken up that offer. Nevertheless, I believe that discussions are ongoing with the rest of the next-of-kin.

SILKAIR CRASH - (Report of investigation) Sir, I would like to ask the Minister about recent disturbing reports in the Wall Street Journal suggesting that suicide could be one of the causes of the crash. I would like to ask the Minister how credible is this report and are there investigations to study the possibility of this being one of the reasons?

SILKAIR CRASH - (Report of investigation) The question is out of order. A question should not be asked confirming whether a press report is correct or not.

FORFEITURE OF SECURITY BONDS OF EMPLOYERS - OF FOREIGN DOMESTIC MAIDS asked the Minister for Manpower how many employers of foreign domestic maids have their security bonds forfeited or withheld since January 1998, and of these, how many of the maids went missing while in the care of employment agencies, and whether his Ministry will consider amending legislation to hold the employment agencies liable for those maids who went missing while in their custody.

FORFEITURE OF SECURITY BONDS OF EMPLOYERS - OF FOREIGN DOMESTIC MAIDS Manpower): Sir, during the first six months of this year, the security bonds of 79 employers of foreign domestic workers were forfeited because their workers have absconded. This is a small proportion of more than 100,000 foreign domestic workers who are currently working in Singapore. Most of the foreign domestic workers had run away from their employers' homes. There were very few reports of foreign domestic workers running away while under the care of the employment agents. As such, I do not have the number of such cases. Sir, employers whose foreign domestic workers have absconded are given one month from the date of cancellation of the work permit to locate and repatriate the worker, failing which the security deposit will be forfeited. However, we allow employers up to six months to locate or help to locate the missing workers and a refund of the forfeited money will be considered. On the issue of foreign domestic workers going missing while in the care of the employment agencies, I would like to remind employers that they are ultimately responsible for the worker the day she comes into Singapore. The employer cannot shift this responsibility to an employment agent. It is therefore not necessary to amend the legislation to hold employment agents liable for foreign domestic workers who go missing while in their care. However, my Ministry will consider such factors in appeals by employers for refund of the security deposits.

FORFEITURE OF SECURITY BONDS OF EMPLOYERS - OF FOREIGN DOMESTIC MAIDS Sir, I would like to ask the Minister of State to reconsider the request. When an employer applies for a maid through an agency, the agency basically brings the maid in from whatever country and they make an arrangement with the employer and assures the employer that if the maid is not satisfactory, the employer can send the maid back to the employment agency and some arrangement will be made to send a new maid to the employer. Under these circumstances, I think there is an understanding between the employer and the agency to send the maid back to the agency if she is unsatisfactory. If this is the case, is it not right for the maid agency to take responsibility for the security of the maid while she is in their custody? And if the maid were to go missing during this period of time, does the Ministry not consider it appropriate that the responsibility should lie with the agency?

FORFEITURE OF SECURITY BONDS OF EMPLOYERS - OF FOREIGN DOMESTIC MAIDS Dr Tan, are you making a speech?

FORFEITURE OF SECURITY BONDS OF EMPLOYERS - OF FOREIGN DOMESTIC MAIDS I am sorry. I just want to say this. Will the Ministry reconsider its decision? The Ministry can help in resolving the issue of helplessness of the employer?

FORFEITURE OF SECURITY BONDS OF EMPLOYERS - OF FOREIGN DOMESTIC MAIDS Sir, I have mentioned that the employer is ultimately responsible for the worker the day she comes into Singapore. He employs the worker and therefore he should be responsible for the worker. However, we will take this into consideration when appeals are made by employers for refund of security deposits when the maid goes missing under these circumstances. But I repeat again that the employer is responsible for the worker. In some cases, the employer applies for transfers. While they wait for the transfer, the foreign domestic worker can still be under the care of the employer. So the employer should be responsible.

FORFEITURE OF SECURITY BONDS OF EMPLOYERS - OF FOREIGN DOMESTIC MAIDS Mr Speaker, Sir, I want to ask the Minister of State whether it is fair for the employer to be held responsible when the maid is in the custody of the employment agency. The agency would say, "Yes, I will take back the maid and find you a new one." In this case, the employer would say to the maid agency, "I have already passed back this maid to you and she is under your custody." In this instance, would the Ministry consider passing legislation to hold the maid agency responsible? Because to say that the employer is responsible, I think it is not fair. The indifference of the maid agency could really frustrate the employer.

FORFEITURE OF SECURITY BONDS OF EMPLOYERS - OF FOREIGN DOMESTIC MAIDS Sir, as I have mentioned, the employer brings the maid into Singapore and he should be responsible for the maid. When the maid is given back to the employment agency while they wait for certain things to be done, I think the employer must recognise that he still has the responsibility for the maid. The employer can come to an arrangement with the employment agency. That is a private arrangement. But when the employer brings the maid into Singapore, our position is that he should be responsible for the maid. And if the maid goes missing, then he has to abide by the terms of the security deposit.