NOTICES AT VOID DECKS

NOTICES AT VOID DECKS: 7.

Ms Ellen Lee asked the Minister for National Development (a) what action is being taken to eradicate the problem of posting of paper notices at void decks, lift landings and common properties in HDB estates; (b) whether such postings constitute an offence and, if so, under which statute; (c) what actions can be taken against these offenders; and (d) whether there were any prosecutions of such offenders in the past two years and what were the sentences, if any, meted out to them.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Mr Speaker, Sir, Town Councils maintain common property, including void decks and lift landings, in HDB housing estates. It is an offence under the Town Councils’ Common Property and Open Spaces By-Laws to post paper notices on common property without prior written approval from the Town Council. The offence carries a maximum penalty of $5,000. Town Councils can compound such an offence, in lieu of prosecution, by collecting a composition sum not exceeding $1,000 from the offender. This is under section 49 of the Town Councils Act.

If a Town Council comes across an illegally posted paper notice that bears an address or contact number, the Town Council will normally contact the offender and advise the offender against such acts. Should the offence persist, the Town Council would proceed to serve an offence notice to the offender. Generally, offenders would heed the advice of the Town Councils. Therefore, none of the Town Councils have prosecuted such offences in the past two years.

Ms Ellen Lee: Supplementary question, Sir. May be it is because the Town Councils have taken the stance that they will only issue warnings and perhaps call up the person who posted the notices, that we still see the problem recurring especially in void decks and in lifts and things like that.

The thing I have noticed is that no notices have been put up to advise against such acts and the penalty it carries. So, would the Ministry consider putting up such notices so that it acts as a deterrent because I have come across residents who are very irritated by such acts of posting?

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Sir, I think, as far as Town Councils are concerned, they are the ones responsible for the management and maintenance of the common spaces. We will leave it to the Town Councils to see whether it is befitting for them to put up these notices. We have seen Town Councils put up different types of notices along void deck spaces. We have seen "No Playing Soccer", "No Cycling", different kinds of posters being put up to remind residents. Being a local issue, we would probably want to leave it to the Town Councils to see fit what kinds of notices to put up. There is nothing stopping Town Councils from putting up the notices that specifically remind residents of certain offences that they will be committing should they violate some of these bye-laws that are within the Town Councils Act.