SUPPLEMENTARY PROVISION (Sessional Paper No. Cmd. 43 of 1957)

11.28 a.m.

The Financial Secretary (Mr T. M. Hart): Sir, I have His Excellency the Governor's authority to move,

That this Assembly resolves that the sum of $4,400 shall be supplied to the Government under the heads of expenditure and for the services specified in Schedule C contained in Sessional Paper No. Cmd. 43 of 1957.

Sir, this motion, by asking for token votes under 53 heads of the Estimates and small sums under three heads of the Estimates, seeks authority to implement the revision and rationalisation of salary scales in Division IV of the public service which has been agreed after protracted negotiations with the Unions representing the officers who will be benefited. As will be seen, Sir, from Schedule A of the Sessional paper, the task of revision and rationalisation has been a monumental one and it says much for the ability and good sense of all concerned that it has been completed so successfully. Some idea of what the task has involved and of the success which has come of it will be gained from the fact that 55 existing salary scales have been reduced to 12 key salary scales plus five variations.

I think that the command paper and the schedules give a clear picture of what has been done. In Schedule A the 17 new scales are shown in the right-hand column by means of the Roman numeral IV plus one or more letters of the alphabet. Comparisons of columns one and two will give a clear picture of how existing posts and grades have been absorbed into new main classifications. Pensionable posts are shown in capital letters, non-pensionable posts are shown in italics. Schedule B gives a list of posts which have been upgraded. Schedule C is the usual financial summary.

There is, however, one point which I should mention and which has inadvertently been omitted from the command paper. That refers to the pay of juveniles, that is, officers under 18 years of age, who have been appointed after 1st March, 1957. These officers will be paid salaries as follows: if they are below 16 years of age, they will be paid 70 per cent of the minimum basic salary of the grade to which they are appointed, rounded off to the nearest dollar; if they are over 16 but under 17 years of age, they will be paid 80 per cent of that salary; and if they are over 17 but below 18 years of age, they will be paid 90 per cent of that salary. They will, however, receive variable and other allowances at full adult rates.

Sir, this revision of Division IV salaries was the last major revision of salaries in the Government service, and I am sure that hon. Members will be happy that this has been brought to a satisfactory and agreed solution. Sir, I beg to move.

The Minister for Local Government, Lands and Housing (Inche Abdul Hamid Bin Haji Jumat): Sir, I second it.

Motion accordingly committed to Committee of Supply.

Motion and Schedule C considered in Committee of Supply.

[Mr SPEAKER in the Chair]

The Chairman: The summary is at page 15. Unless any hon. Member wishes to speak on any particular item, I propose to take all the heads together: as involving one principle.

Heads 1 to 60*-

The sums for Heads 1 to 60, as stated in page 15 of Sesssional Paper No. Cmd.43 of 1957, ordered to stand part of Schedule C.

*The following are the details of Heads 1 to 60 appearing in Schdeule C of Sessional Paper No. Cmd. 43 of 1957:

SCHEDULE C

Head Title Supplementary Provision required $ 1 The Governor 10 (Token) 2 Judicial 10 " 3 Council of Ministers 10 " 4 Legislature 10 " 5 Public Services Commission 10 " 6 Audit 10 " 7 Chief Minister 10 " 8 Chief Secretary 10 " 9 Broadcasting 10 " 10 Chemistry 10 " 11 Chinese Secretariat 10 " 12 Defence Services 10 " 13 Film Censorship 10 " 14 Gardens, Botanic 1,070 15 Information Services 10 (Token) 16 Police 10 " 17 Printing Office 10 " 18 Prisons 10 " 19 Registry of Marriages 140 20 Statistics 10 (Token) 21 Legal 10 " 22 Official Assignee and Public Trustee 10 " 23 Treasury 10 " 27 Accountant-General 10 " 28 Customs and Excise 10 " 29 Estate Duty and Stamp Offices 10 " 30 Income Tax 10 " 31 Ministry of Commerce and Industry 10 " 32 Agricultural 10 " 33 Co-operative Development 10 " 34 Exchange Control 10 " 35 Fisheries 10 " 36 Forest 10 " 37 Imports and Exports Control Registration 10 " 38 Marine 10 " 39 Marine Surveys 10 " 40 Supplies 10 " 41 Trade Marks Registry 10 " 42 Veterinary 10 " 43 Ministry of Local Government, Lands and Housing 10 " 44 Lands and District Offices 10 " 45 Survey 10 " 46 Education 10 " 47 Library, Raffles 10 " 48 Museum, Raffles 10 " 49 Medical and Health 10 " 50 Ministry of Labour and Welfare 10 " 51 Immigration and Passports 2,660 52 Labour 10 (Token) 53 Social Welfare 10 " 54 Ministry of Communication and Works 10 " 55 Civil Aviation 10 " 56 Meteorological Services 10 " 57 Postal Services 10 " 58 Public Works 10 " 60 Telecommunications 10 " -------- Total 4,400 --------

The sum of $4,400 for the Heads of Expenditure and for the services specified in Schedule C ordered to stand part of the motion.

Motion and Schedule C reported, without Amendment.

Question,

"That this Assembly resolves that the sum of $4,400 shall be supplied to the Government under the heads of expenditure and for the services specified in Schedule C contained in Sessional Paper No. Cmd. 43 of 1957.".

put and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this Assembly resolves that the sum of $4.400 shall be supplied to the Government under the heads of expenditure and for the services specified in Schedule C contained in Sessional Paper No. Cmd. 43 of 1957.