CLARIFICATION OF "APPOINT MENT ALLOWANCES" AND "PERSONAL ALLOWANCES"

Mrs Seow Peck Leng asked the Minister for Finance to clarify what is an "appointment allowance" and a "personal allowance", who are eligible for which allowances, and in which category are principals' and specialists' allowances of teachers classified.

Dr Goh Keng Swee: Officers in the Singapore Education Service who are substantively appointed to posts of Principals of Primary and Secondary Schools, Specialist Teachers, Inspectors of Schools and Lecturers at the Teachers' Training College will be eligible to receive, in addition to their scale salaries, the appointment allowances applicable to these posts at the rates prescribed. There is no such thing as "Personal Allowances". But an Appointment Allowance, being pensionable, may become "personal to the holder" if he or she is transferred to another post which carries no "Appointment allowance".

Mrs Seow Peck Leng: Mr Speaker, Sir, is the Minister aware that married women principals and specialists receive a personal allowance instead of an appointment allowance just by virtue of their marriage?

Dr Goh Keng Swee: These allowances, as I have said, are pensionable, and if the persons concerned are married and are not on the pensionable status, they will not be eligible to such allowances. But if the Member for Mountbatten could give me further details, perhaps we can sort it out and see how it squares up with the regulations. Offhand, I am not aware of these particular cases.

Mrs Seow Peck Leng: Mr Speaker, Sir, I shall be very glad to, because the Minister might not be aware that, by giving it a different name, the married women teachers, by virtue of their legal marriage, are suffering quite a big loss financially.