SUPPLY OF CONSTRUCTION SAND TO SINGAPORE

SUPPLY OF CONSTRUCTION SAND TO SINGAPORE

55.

Mr Edwin Khew Teck Fook asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the current situation on the supply of construction sand to Singapore; (b) in light of the Indonesian Government's reason to ban the export of sand to Singapore, whether the Ministry will consider including a clause into tenders for the supply of sand to Singapore, that sand be mined sustainably and suppliers furnish an Environmental Impact Assessment report to substantiate this fact.

Column: 1149

Mr Mah Bow Tan: The Indonesian ban on export of sand in February 2007 has not caused any shortage of concreting sand in Singapore. The Government released sand from the national stockpile, and Singapore sand importers began procuring concreting sand from various other sources in the region. The construction industry also increased the use of suitable substitutes for sand in concrete production. The supplies of both concreting sand and substitutes are adequate to meet the needs of the construction industry.

The various sand exporting countries have their own licensing regimes to regulate sand mining activities, and enforcement systems to ensure the sustainability of sand mining. We respect them and our importers would need to observe the local regulations. At our end, importers are required to obtain the necessary export clearances from the relevant authorities of the exporting countries when importing sand into Singapore. We do not see the need, nor would it be appropriate, for us to prescribe requirements on the exporters in exporting countries. The exporters do not mine solely for export to Singapore.

Column: 1149

---