NUMBER OF HOUSING UNITS BUILT BY S.I.T. AND NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS ON WAITING LIST

Mr John Ede asked the Minister for Local Government, Lands and Housing whether he will state the number of housing units of all categories completed by the Singapore Improvement Trust in the six-month periods ending June and December 1955, June and December 1956, and June 1957, and the number of applicants for accommodation on the waiting list at the end of each period.

Inche Abdul Hamid: Mr Speaker, Sir, the answer is as follows. For the half year ending June 1955, the number of housing units completed was 1,000 and the number of applicants on the waiting list of the Housing Register was 9,571. For the half year ending December 1955, the number of housing units completed was 1,795 and the number of applicants on the waiting list was 7,823. For the half year ending June 1956, 1,025 housing units were completed and 9,254 applicants were on the waiting list. For the half year ending December 1956, 242 housing units were completed and there were 9,836 applicants on the waiting list. For the half year ending June 1957, no housing units were completed and the number of applicants on the waiting list was 11,547. In this connection, Sir, I have stated in my reply earlier to a question from the hon. Member for Queenstown that though nothing was completed in the first half of 1957, 4,000 units are now under construction,

Mr Lim Koon Teck (Paya Lebar): Is the Hon. Minister for Local Government, Lands and Housing aware that this very unsatisfactory state of affairs is in part due to the delay in deciding upon the terms on which the Housing Trust is to take over the Singapore Improvement Trust staff?

Inche Abdul Hamid: That is quite wrong, Sir.