ESTIMATES OF EXPENDITURE AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES FOR 1962 MINISTRY OF HEALTH (Reduced Personal Emoluments) (Statement by the Minister for Health and Law)

[Mr SPEAKER in the Chair]

2.31 p.m.

The Minister for Health and Law (Mr K. M. Byrne): Mr Speaker, Sir, the House will remember that immediately before the moment of interruption at our last sitting, the Member for the Southern Islands mentioned to the House that whilst going through the Estimates (Health), he noted that the provisions under the various items of Personal Emoluments (Establishment) had been reduced and he wanted confirmation from the Ministry whether, in fact, any of the salaries of the posts in the Ministry had been reduced.

Since then, all the P.E. items in the Ministry of Health Estimates under Head 25, 26, 27 and 28 have been carefully scrutinised, and I confirm that in no instance has the salary of any grade of officer been reduced. Where any decrease in the provision for any post under P.E. has been reduced, this was due to one of the following reasons. Where a post has become vacant due to retirement, death or resignation of an incumbent, provision is made at the minimum of the salary scale for the post. Secondly, where officers are transferred - in some cases, more senior officers have been promoted or transferred out of a department - they have been replaced by more junior officers. In this case, the provision is reduced. Only in one case - that of the religious sisters at the Mandalay Road Hospital

• has the total provision for their salaries been reduced because they used to enjoy expatriate terms and they have been placed on terms and conditions of service applicable to local officers.

The House will also remember that the Member for Cairnhill wanted to know why the provision for Matrons (Grade II) has been increased from $15,600 to $18,000 at the Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He suggested that possibly they got a very big bump up in salary. That is not so, Sir.

Tun Lim Yew Hock (Cairnhill): Who said that?

Mr Byrne: In 1961, the post of Matron, Grade I, was vacant and one of the Grade II Matrons was held against that vacant Grade I post. In the provision for the two Grade II posts, the Treasury took that into account, so that in the case of the Grade II posts, provision was entered at the minimum of the salary scale, that is, $550 a month for 12 months, which is $6,600 for one Grade II post and the full salary on the maximum of the scale i.e. $750 a month for the other Grade II post, making a total provision of $15,600-$9,000 plus $6,600.

In the Estimates for this year, we are making provision for these two Grade II posts at the maximum of the salary scale for Matrons (Grade II), which is $750 per month. Hence the entry for the provision of $18,000.

Mr Speaker, Sir, a question was also asked why it was that the provision for the salary of the Grade II Matron at the Thomson Road Hospital remained at $7,800. The hon. Member wanted to know why this Matron did not receive any increments in salary. Mr Speaker, Sir, that post has always been vacant and when these Estimates were prepared, the post was entered at a mean salary of $650 a month. The scale for Matron (Grade II) is the scale of $550x25A-750. On the basis of this mean salary, the provision entered was $7,800. It was $7,800 for 1961 and it is also $7,800 for 1962.

I hope I have explained this to the satisfaction of Members.