SUPPLEMENTARY PROVISION (Sessional Paper No. Cmd. 26 of 1958)

4.54 p.m.

Mr Oon Khye Kiang: Mr Speaker, Sir, I have His Excellency the Governor's recommendation to proceed with the motion. I beg to move,

That this Assembly resolves that the sum of $60,847 shall be supplied to the Government under the heads of expenditure and for the services specified in the Schedule contained in Sessional Paper No. Cmd. 26 of 1958.

Sir, the Schedule consists of a list of nine applications for supplementary provision amounting to $60,847. The reasons for these supplementary votes are given in detail in the Sessional Paper. My colleagues and I shall be happy to answer any questions which hon. Members may wish to raise.

Sir, I beg to move.

Mr Chew Swee Kee: I second it.

Motion committed to Supply.

Motion and Schedule considered in Committee of Supply.

[Mr SPEAKER in the Chair]

4.55 p.m.

Mr Chew Swee Kee: Schedule -

The Chairman: The summary is at page 5.

Head 9-

The sum of 20 for Head 9 ordered to stand part of the Schedule.

Head 10-

Question proposed,

"That the sum of $20,200 for Head 10 stand part of the Schedule."

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: Mr Speaker, Sir, in the note on page 2 of the Sessional Paper, the last sentence of the penultimate paragraph reads:

"In addition, a total of $6,168 in surcharges and overtime pay due to Chemists and Laboratory Attendants in 1957, has been paid from the 1958 provision."

Now, Sir, I would like an explanation from the Hon. the Financial Secretary as to (1) the practice of paying 1957 surcharges from 1958 provisions; and (2) why it is that this amount was not ascertained earlier.

Mr Oon Khye Kiang: The work was carried out in 1957 but the payment was not received until 1958; 50 it was not possible for the payment to be made to the officers of the Department until 1958.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: Do I understand that these chemists are not paid the 50 per cent surcharge for work done outside office hours, and the laboratory assistants are not paid overtime, until the shipping companies have paid for it?

Mr Oon Khye Kiang: The companies for which the work was done were billed for the amount and when the payment was received by the Government, then the fees and allowances were paid to the officers.

Question put, and agreed to.

The sum of $20,200 for Head 10 ordered to stand part of the Schedule.

Head 11-

The sum of $10 for Head 11 ordered to stand part of the Schedule.

Head 12-

Question proposed,

"That the sum of $28,082 for Head 12 stand part of the Schedule."

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: Mr Speaker, Sir, here again, the last sentence of the note, on page 3, says:

"As only $108,360 was provided in the 1957 Estimates, supplementary provision of $28,082 is required to enable payment of the balance to be made to the Federation of Malaya this year."

Now, how was that figure of $108,360 arrived at, and how is it that it is off the mark and not discovered until September 1958?

The Chief Secretary (Mr E. B. David): Sir, I think the answer to the hon. Member for Tanjong Pagar as regards the figure of $108,360 is that that figure would have been calculated on the previous year's figure as being the appropriate figure to insert for the year 1957. As regards the delay in calculating the final figure for 1957, I imagine that that was due to the fact that the accounts could not be finalised till after the fees which were due up to 31st December, 1957 had been collected. It would not, therefore, be possible to arrive at the final figure due to the Federation until those accounts had been finalised in 1958.

Question put, and agreed to.

The sum of $28,082 for Head 12 ordered to stand part of the Schedule.

Head 25-

The sum of $4,674 for Head 25 ordered to stand part of the Schedule.

Head 37-

The sum of $3,200 for Head 37 ordered to stand part of the Schedule.

Head 4-

The sum of $11,315 for Head 4 ordered to stand part of the Schedule.

Head 57-

The sum of $1,220 for Head 57 ordered to stand part of the Schedule.

The sum of $60,847 for the Heads of Expenditure and for the services specified in the Schedule ordered to stand part of the motion.

Motion and Schedule reported, without amendment.

Question on the Motion put, and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this Assembly resolves that the sum of $60,847 shall be supplied to the Government under the heads of expenditure and for the services specified in the Schedule contained in Sessional Paper No. Cmd. 26 of 1958.