HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT (AMENDMENT NO. 2) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

4.37 p.m.

The Minister for National Development (Mr Lim Kim San): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The purpose of this Bill is to remove the existing restriction on Members of the Legislative Assembly from becoming Members of the Housing and Development Board.

Under section 6 of the Housing and Development Ordinance, No. 11 of 1959, it is provided that a Member of the Legislative Assembly cannot be appointed or remain a Member of the Housing and Development Board. Ever since 1960, there has been active participation by Assemblymen in the Allocation Resettlement and other Advisory Committees of the Housing and Development Board. All these Committees have rendered good service and given useful advice to the Board. There should, therefore, be no restriction to Assemblymen participating as full Members of the Board. Further, the restriction is not imposed on other statutory bodies like the Public Utilities Board and the Telephone Board, the Harbour Board and the Economic Development Board. Since all these Boards are appointed by the Government, members of these Boards should command the confidence of the Government as they would be expected to implement Government policy, and there should be as wide a field of choice as possible, and they should include Assemblymen who are elected representatives of the people and command the confidence of their electorate. Such restrictions as there are, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, should only be confined to bankrupts, persons who have been sentenced to imprisonment for terms exceeding six months and have not received a free pardon, and persons of unsound mind, as is the case of membership with the Public Utilities Board.

It is also proposed to make this amendment come into force with retrospective effect from the 21st day of September, 1963, as since then some members of the Housing Board have been elected to this Assembly, and so as not to invalidate their acts, it is proposed that this amendment be made retrospective.

I beg to move, Sir.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole Assembly.

Assembly immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill.-[Mr Lim Kim San].

Bill considered in Committee; reported, without amendment; read a Third time and passed.