REDUCED RENTS FOR NEW S.I.T. FLATS

Mr Lim Choon Mong asked the Minister for Local Government, Lands, and Housing whether he will consider taking steps to have the proposed rents of $30/$35 per month for the new Singapore Improvement Trust flats in the Albert Street, Prinsep Street and Short Street area reduced at least to the levels of rentals of $10 to $20 per month now being paid by the residents of houses shortly to be demolished.

Inche Abdul Hamid: Mr Speaker, Sir, the reply is no. The White Paper on housing subsidy policy gives the method of subsidising public housing which the Government is following. In the case of flats now being built under S.I.T. Programme No. 8 for rentals of $30/$35 per month, the Government is paying a rent subsidy of, say, $30/$40 on each flat each month which, in effect, means that, but for the subsidy, the rents for these flats would be somewhere in the region of $60/$75 per month.

Mr Lim Choon Mong: Mr Speaker, Sir, is the Minister aware that some private builders are offering houses which are three times the size of the present flats at about $100 per month?

Mr Chew Swee Kee: Quote facts.