NATIONAL SERVICEMEN (Provision for civilian employment after military service)

Inche Mohd. Ariff Bin Suradi asked the Minister of Defence whether provision for the employment by Statutory Boards and private firms of full-time National Servicemen discharged at the end of their military service will be made in the proposed legislation for the emplacement of such National Servicemen in civilian occupations.

Mr Wee Toon Boon (for the Minister of Defence): Mr Speaker, Sir, as will he recalled, the Minister has stated in this House when moving the Second Reading of the National Service (Amendment) Bill, 1967, that all those youths called up for full-time service in the army would be placed in civilian occupations appropriate to their ability and qualifications on completion of their full-time military service.

The Minister also stated then that sufficient numbers of such posts in Government service, the statutory boards and large private firms would be reserved for discharged national servicemen and that legislation on this would be presented to Parliament. A survey of the employment opportunities available is being conducted by officers of the Ministry, and the indications so far are that the employment opportunities that will be available should be more than sufficient to absorb all national servicemen discharged after completion of their full-time service.

Since the first national servicemen to serve full-time will not be called up before July this year, legislation for the direction of employment of such persons on discharge need be implemented only by July 1969. In the meantime, a careful study of the results of the employment survey is being undertaken to decide on the extent and scope of the proposed legislation. This is to ensure that restrictions placed on employers by the proposed legislation are sufficient to achieve the desired end without being overly restrictive.