BUILDING CONTROL ACT

BUILDING CONTROL ACT:

(Amendments): 13.

Er Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for National Development, in view of the public consultation exercise, whether there is a need for further amendments to the proposed changes to the Building Control Act.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman (for the Minister for National Development): Mr Speaker, Sir, MND will be proposing amendments to the Building Control (BC) Act, with a view to enhancing the standards of safety, quality and professionalism in the construction industry. Many of the proposed amendments follow from the recommendations made by the Committee of Inquiry (COI) for the Nicoll Highway collapse, and the Joint MND-MOM Review Committee on Construction Safety.

The key amendments to the BC Act include regulating temporary earth retaining structures and other major geotechnical works, licensing builders, building a core of skilled localised workers, and requiring the appointment of site supervision teams.

Other amendments include aligning the penalties of the BC Act to those of the Factories Act and other Acts, as well as making provisions to enable the Minister to convene formal inquiries and impose minimum standards on environmental sustainability.

As the proposed amendments have wide-ranging ramifications on the industry, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has consulted the industry stakeholders extensively over the last two years. In the latest round of consultation, BCA has received feedback on the draft Bill from the various industry associations, including the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA), Institution of

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Engineers Singapore (IES), Association of Consulting Engineers Singapore (ACES) and the Singapore Contractors Association Limited (SCAL).

Most of the feedback sought clarifications on the proposed amendments. There were also suggestions to refine the draft Bill and on the implementation details. MND and BCA will take these suggestions into consideration when finalising the draft Bill and drafting the detailed regulations.