STREET LIGHTING AT LORONG NAPIRI AND PUNGGOL ROAD

Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the Minister for Law and National Development whether and when street-lighting will be installed at (a) Lorong Napiri off Yio Chu Kang Road, 7 m.s., (b) Track 6 off Punggol Road, (c) Track 7 off Punggol Road, and (d) from 9½ m.s. Punggol Road to Punggol Point.

Mr Ho Cheng Choon (for the Minister for Law and National Development): Mr Speaker, Sir, requests were previously received from residents of Punggol Constituency for the installation of street-lighting at the following places only - (a) Track 7, off Punggol Road, and (b) 9½ m.s., Punggol Road to Punggol Point. The cost was estimated at $2,600 and $20,000 respectively. However, as the funds allocated to Punggol Constituency for this year were used for the provision of more urgent rural services in the area, the installation of street-lighting at these places has to be deferred. Fresh funds will be made available to the constituency next year, and whether or not street-lighting will be installed will depend on the recommendations of the Punggol Citizens Consultative Committee.

The cost for the provision of street-lighting at Lorong Napiri, off Yio Chu Kang Road, 7 m.s., and Track 6, off Punggol Road, are presently being worked out by the Public Utilities Board. Here again, the Citizens Consultative Committee will have to make its recommendations when the plans are ready for implementation.

Mr Ng Kah Ting (Punggol): A supplementary question. Will the Parliamentary Secretary assure me that before any consideration for commencement can be got from the Punggol Citizens Consultative Committee, the Member for the constituency will also be consulted? It looks as if the Punggol Citizens Consultative Committee will be consulted and not the Member for that constituency.

An hon. Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Ho Cheng Choon: Sir, I think the hon. Member for Punggol is aware that he is also the adviser to the Punggol Citizens Consultative Committee. I know that at every meeting of the Committee he is present. Surely he will be consulted.

Mr Ng Kah Ting: On a point of clarification. My question was put across because the Parliamentary Secretary failed to give me a satisfactory answer in this respect - his answer states clearly that the Punggol Citizens Consultative Committee will be consulted. So I was asking for an assurance that the Member for the constituency will also be consulted.

Mr Barker: Mr Speaker, Sir, I can assure the Member for Punggol and all other Members in this House that when anything is done in a constituency, they are always consulted.

An hon. Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Barker: And we will continue to consult them.

Mr Ng Kah Ting: That is what I want.

Mr Ng Yeow Chong (Mountbatten): A supplementary, Sir. I wish to know from the Minister for Law and National Development whether he is prepared to consider installing more standpipes in the rural areas.

Mr Barker: Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not know how this is relevant, but I believe the Member wants to know whether I would consider installing more standpipes in the rural areas.

Mr Ng Yeow Chong: Yes.

Mr Barker: The answer is that we are not going to put in any more stand-pipes in any area, whether it is rural or urban.

Mr Speaker, Sir, water is one of our basic necessities and it is not easy to get in Singapore. The standpipes in Singapore consume about 7½ to 8 million gallons per day. The Government is not afraid of supplying the 7 or 8 million gallons per day, and supplying it free. It is not the cost that worries us. It is the wastage.

Mr Speaker, I am sure that Members of this House have seen on many an occasion someone washing his lorry or motor-bike, or using a long tube from the standpipe to his house about 500 yards away, and using the water for domestic purposes - that would be well and good. But normally they use it for their motor-cars, their lorries and their motor-bikes.

We have reached a stage in Singapore where we find it most inadvisable to put in any more standpipes. In fact, we intend to reduce the number of standpipes as far as possible. This does not mean that we will not supply water; instead we will supply it direct to every house in Singapore, whether that house is authorised or unauthorised, numbered or unnumbered.

Mr Bernard Rodrigues (Telok Blangab) rose -

Mr Speaker: The Minister who is to answer your question * is not here. But you will still have time before 3.30 p.m. to notify the Clerk that you want an oral answer to your question tomorrow.

• Mr Bernard Rodrigues' question (No. 15 on the Order Paper) reads as follows:

"To ask the Minister of State (Prime Minister's Department) if he will consider (a) the installation of traffic lights at the juctions of (i) Kampong Bahru Road/Keppel Road/Telok Blangah Road and (ii) Nelson Road/Keppel Road; and (b) the establishment of zebra crossing at Telok Blangah Road (i) in front of Gate No. 10 and (ii) in front of the Kampong Jagoh Malay School."

Mr Bernard Rodrigues: I still want an answer, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Yes. But you cannot get an oral answer to your question today in the absence of the Minister concerned. But if you notify the Clerk before 3.30 p.m., you might get an oral answer tomorrow. If you do not notify the Clerk, you will get a written answer.

Mr Ng Kah Ting: Can I put a supplementary question to the Minister for Law and National Development?

Mr Speaker: I am afraid that concluded that question.

Mr Ng Kah Ting: My supplementary is on question No. 14. Sir, just now the Minister has mentioned that water facilities will be available to all -

Mr Speaker: Mr Ng, I am afraid I must stop you. The original question is related to street-lighting.

Mr Ng Kah Ting: Sir, on this question No. 14, the Member for Mountbatten has just now raised a supplementary question on whether the Government will continue to provide stand-pipes, and the Minister has just answered that. So I am putting a follow-up question to the answer.

Mr Speaker: Please proceed, Mr Ng.

Mr Ng Kah Ting: In view of the Government's intention to provide water facilities to all houses, whether numbered or unnumbered, I would like to know how will the water services be made available to those unauthorised or unnumbered houses?

An hon. Member: How are you going to collect your revenue?

Mr Barker: Sir, when I referred to an unnumbered house, I meant that the house is at present unnumbered. But, of course, when we supply water and install a meter, we will give that house a convenient number.

Mr Ng Kah Ting: That is why you have taken a long time to give each house a number.

Mr Speaker: Order.

Mr Barker: Mr Speaker, Sir, if I may answer him?

Mr Speaker: Yes.

Mr Barker: It is not my department that gives out house numbers. It is the department of another Minister.