Increase in Legal Requisition Fee for Drainage Interpretation Plans

Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what is the basis for increasing the legal requisition fee for drainage interpretation plans by 95% from $18 to $35 considering that no plans are actually supplied by NEA unless there are specific drainage works affecting the property concerned; and (b) what is the breakdown of the costs involved for providing replies for the legal requisitions.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: A legal requisition for drainage interpretation plans is usually made by lawyers acting for clients who are buying a property. Its purpose is to check whether a property is affected by drainage reserves safeguarded by the Government for public purposes. As there are potentially major financial implications for the client, NEA will need to verify the relevant drainage plans based on comprehensive authoritative records. If the property is affected by drainage reserves, NEA will provide a copy of the relevant drainage plan. If the property is not affected by any drainage reserves, NEA will issue a categorical statement to that effect.

To provide this service, NEA needs to maintain an updated database with accurate and comprehensive drainage information for the whole of Singapore. The fee charged is based on the resources required to process the requisitions and maintain the database. This fee has not been increased for more than 10 years, and has not kept pace with the costs of providing the service. The revision in September 2014 will bring the fee closer to full cost recovery.