ESTATE MAINTENANCE

ESTATE MAINTENANCE:

(Scope of responsibilities): 5.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng asked the Minister for National Development whether he will clarify the scope and accountability of residents and Government agencies such as the Town Councils, HDB, NEA, LTA and Police in

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regard to common issues such as estate maintenance and cleanliness, killer litter, noise pollution and internal HDB flat defects.

The Senior Minister of State for National Development (Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien) (for the Minister for National Development): Mr Speaker, Sir, within HDB flats, the responsibility lies primarily with the lessees. HDB will rectify defects in new flats during the one-year Defects Liability Period, similar to the industry practice for private residences. In the common property of HDB estates, Town Councils (TCs) are the primary parties responsible for their cleanliness, maintenance and upkeep. The TCs are empowered under the TCs Act to set up rules and regulations to manage and maintain common property in the HDB estates to cater to the local needs of residents. The TCs also have enforcement powers to ensure compliance through fines and penalties.

At the national level, public agencies have the powers of enforcement under the various statutory acts. They will step in to support TCs where public interest warrants such actions. This is especially relevant for instances where nationwide consistency is critical or where the consequences of non-compliance with rules are severe. For example, NEA works with TCs to prevent mosquito breeding and fight dengue in HDB estates due to its significant impact on public health. HDB, as landowner and lessor, also works closely with TCs in the fight against killer litter. For law and order issues, the Police may exercise its powers to prosecute offenders directly.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: Thank you, Senior Minister of State for the reply. It appears to me that the response seems to point to Town Councils as being the main agency to handle most of the problems that arise in HDB estates. I am not quite

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clear on the accountability of residents who need to support the Town Council in their work and also the different agencies. How do we prevent the Town Council officers, for example, from becoming the "punching bags" for anything that is not going right in the estate? The purpose of my question was really to have MND clarify the accountabilities of all the different stakeholders as we manage estates together to make sure that they become a better home for all of us.

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Thank you for the supplementary question. Before I answer the question raised by the Member, I would like to reiterate the purpose of having Town Councils. Town Councils were set up 20 years ago, principally to devolve decision making to the local level. This is to allow participation by the community in setting up rules and regulations that serve the need of local residents. For that purpose, we have allowed Town Councils some leeway in the rules and regulations as well as delegated the priorities and responsibilities of maintenance, cleanliness and so on to the Town Councils. How do we want to clarify the roles? I think communication with the residents is very important. We have stressed the need to develop that communication channel better. Recently, we have announced the Town Council reporting framework, primarily again, is to encourage that two-way dialogue and communication between Town Council and their residents.

As to the roles of the other agencies, I think this is where other agencies and departments have played their respective roles. For example, when it comes to fighting mosquito breeding, NEA has taken a very active public position for public education on the Do's and Don'ts and it has also taken active actions to raise penalties, issue penalties as well as summons in the estates as well. So, as much as possible, understanding the purpose of Town Councils – Town

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Councils rightly will be the main party responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of public housing estates but agencies recognise that there are areas where we need consistency across the estate where the consequences are important, whether is for law and order issue or otherwise and many other examples on that, where it has supported the Town Councils.

Mr Speaker: Mdm Cynthia Phua, last question.

Mdm Cynthia Phua (Aljunied): Thank you, Mr Speaker, Sir. I am surprised that being Senior Minister of State of MND, she has brought up cases of NEA instead of HDB killer litter. I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State whether she could consider, during the inspection for the Town Council Management Report (TCMR), asking the officers to advise the lessees of HDB flats on killer litter items that have been detected during their rounds. Currently, HDB has left this role to the Town Councils.

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Thank you for raising this issue on killer litter. This issue was debated comprehensively yesterday, so it is all right that we can discuss this again. We go back to the purpose of having Town Councils. It is really for local decision making process. Some Town Councils may decide to have certain rules and regulations that perhaps apply specifically to this town which may not be applicable to other towns. For that reason, how we want to manage killer litter in the specific location must be subjected to the local rules and regulations. It is only when is necessary that we will apply at national legislature. For example, someone who places objects precariously and causing hurt to the public, the public agencies would come in to regulate and to punish the culprit if necessary.

But in other instances, some Town Councils may decide to allow certain

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plantings to be displayed at common corridors, void decks or in some areas in front of the blocks. So when that is the case, there must be some leeway for Town Councils to respond to the needs of the residents and, therefore, Town Councils will have the responsibility to also do its own enforcements and to issue the necessary penalties or summons according to the rules that they have set up themselves.