COMPENSATION AND RESETTLEMENT SCHEME FOR RESIDENTS AFFECTED BY TOA PAYOH SATELLITE TOWN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

Mr Wong Soon Fong asked the Minister for National Development whether the Housing and Development Board will be announcing its scheme for compensation and resettlement of the residents affected by the Toa Payoh Satellite Town Development Project and whether he intends to hold a mass meeting of the affected residents for the purpose of explaining the scheme to them in detail as well as ascertaining their views on the scheme.

Mr Tan Kia Gan: Sir, Government's resettlement policy and compensation terms for people who are resettled are well known to the Member for Toa Payoh, because when he was still in the P.A.P., he played an active part in explaining and supporting the Government's resettlement policy and compensation scheme among Toa Payoh settlers. The Government, moreover, provided the Member for Toa Payoh and officials of the Country People's Association with copies of rates of compensation in both English and Chinese.

May I, very briefly, refresh his memory as to the terms that have been offered to the settlers of Toa Payoh?

A settler who chooses to find his own accommodation is paid compensation for whatever improvements he has made to his land. But a settler who chooses to move to a Housing Board flat is paid no compensation.

In the case of a hut owner, he can have in exchange a newly-built terrace house in Kim Keat Road, with electricity, water and sanitation facilities. The value of such a terrace house is about $5,000.

In the case of a bona tide farmer he can choose to resettle in a farm lot of about two acres given to him free of charge in a resettlement area, such as Chua Chu Kang or Jurong, where he can carry on work as a farmer. It costs the Government about $4,000 per acre to acquire and develop the land and another $1,000 to provide a basic hut. In other words, a farmer who is resettled receives compensation to the value of some $9,000 in land and hut.

May I also add that the resettlement policy and compensation scheme have been explained to the settlers who are so affected?

This scheme has been implemented and accepted by 1,500 families who have been resettled in the past two and a half years.

As to the second part of the hon. Member's question, he can rest assured that the Government will not only explain once more the scheme to the affected residents but also to protect them against political adventurers who are trying to make use of rural dwellers by creating confusion among them. We will hold all meetings and consultations as may be necessary to help rural residents solve their personal and practical problems. But it is not the policy of the Government to utter falsehoods and shout empty political slogan's hoping to exploit innocent farmers.

Mr Wong Soon Fong (Toa Payoh): (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, may I ask the Minister whether it is true, as a recent Press report said, that the Government would carry out its development scheme in April?

Mr Speaker: Order. During Question Time, a Minister cannot be asked whether or not any statement in the Press is correct.

Mr David Marshall: Would the Minister state whether the persons resettled will receive titles to the terrace houses and the land, since the Minister speaks of compensation in the realm of $9,000 and $5,000, including the value of the properties?

Mr Tan Kia Gan: Sir, I have said that these houses and the land will be given free as compensation to the farmers or the hut owners. Obviously they will have titles to these.

Mr Ong Chang Sam: (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, to remind the Minister for National Development - when debating the Budget last year, he said the Government had revised the compensation rates. But, as a matter of fact, the Government has not revised them. May I ask the Minister whether the Government will consider increasing the present rates of compensation?

Mr Tan Kia Gan: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Choa Chu Kang had spoken at length on this subject during the Budget session and I had made a reply to this. It is typical of him to harp on the question of the compensation scheme not being abandoned. I stated very clearly in this Assembly during the Budget session that from time to time the compensation schemes had been amended. For instance, Sir, I have just mentioned that in Toa Payoh a special scheme has been improvised. I am quite sure the Member for Choa Chu Kang will not find this in the compensation scheme as published. This is one of the things that from time to time the Government has adopted to alleviate the hardships of certain people in certain circumstances.

As in the case of Toa Payoh, a hut owner will be given a house in exchange, because of his special circumstances, for instance, bean-curd making and poultry rearing. We have stated in the last few days that this scheme is specially improvised for the special circumstances of the people living in Toa Payoh. If the Member for Choa Chu Kang will refer to what I said in this Assembly during the Budget session, he will find that from time to time the compensation schemes have been amended. That perhaps will stop him from uttering all these falsehoods.

Mr Speaker: Order. I must ask the Minister to withdraw the word "false-hoods" enunciated in this context, because obviously it is equivalent to "lies". He must withdraw the word "false-hoods" in this context.

Mr Tan Kia Gan: I withdraw.

Dr Lee Siew Choh (Queenstown): May we know from the Minister when this compensation scheme was ever revised?

Mr Tan Kia Gan: I will have to refer the Member to the Hansard.

Mr Ong Chang Sam: (In Mandarin): I think the Minister should consult his Parliamentary Secretary whether, in reply to a question in this House, he had said that the Government had revised the scheme. But from what we have received, we know that the Government has not revised any of the compensation rates.

Mr Speaker: I might inform hon. Members of this House that the Member for Toa Payoh has given notice that he will raise this matter on the Adjournment. The matter might come up on Monday if there is a sitting. That does not, of course, prevent Members from asking further questions.