HOUSING OF FOREIGN WORKERS

Column: 469

HOUSING OF FOREIGN WORKERS: **

(Number of sites): **

4.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for National Development (a) how many sites are currently being used to house foreign workers and where are these sites located; (b) how many more sites are required and what are the new areas being considered; and (c) which constituencies do not have any foreign dormitories at all.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Foreign workers from the various industries have a number of housing options. They can rent residential premises or stay in permanent dormitories, factory-converted dormitories and dormitories at construction sites. These are located all over the island.

There are currently 25 permanent dormitories and these are located across the island, mainly within and near the fringe of industrial estates in the West, East, North, Northeast and Central planning regions. The Government has released 11 sites for dormitory development since Feb 2007. Majority of these sites are located in the West and North regions. To meet the immediate housing shortage, we are studying a number of vacant state lands and vacant state properties for the development of temporary dormitories. These are also located across different regions in Singapore.

When identifying sites for workers' dormitories, we have to take into account the land use context and technical feasibility of the available sites. While we have sought to spread the dormitory developments in various parts of the island, it is not possible to work towards a totally equal distribution of these dormitories across various constituencies in Singapore.