BENEFIT TO SINGAPORE OF ATTENDING RECENT I.L.O. CONFERENCES

Mr Lim Choon Mong asked the Minister for Labour and Welfare what benefit will Singapore derive from his participation in the recent I.L.O. conference.

Mr Lim Yew Hock: Mr Speaker, Sir, the I.L.O. is the first specialised agency associated with the United Nations and deals with international labour and social problems; the main aim being to provide a world labour-management government forum in which problems of social policy of concern to all countries are discussed. There are about 80 countries represented. This year is the third occasion that Singapore has been invited and I took the opportunity to attend this conference in order to explain our views. At this conference and indeed at all such conferences, Ministers for Labour from many countries attended. This afforded me opportunities of contacts with them for personal discussions on policies and problems relating to labour.