HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD FLATS (Payment of water-meter rent)

Mr Cheong Yuen Chee asked the Minister for Law and National Development if he will ascertain from the Public Utilities Board why some owners of Housing and Development Board flats are required to pay water-meter rent and some are not.

The Minister for Law and National Development (Mr E. W. Barker): Sir, it is correct that under the existing water supply regulations some owners or tenants of Housing and Development Board flats are required to pay water-meter rent whilst others are not. This has been the practice since October 1959. If the water-meter installed in any service connection is the one and only controlling meter, no meter rent is charged. However, where there are two meters installed in series in the service of any consumer, the second meter is then called a sub-meter for which a rent of $1 per month is payable. Under the existing water supply regulations, these sub-meters may be installed in high rise buildings, both Housing and Development Board and private buildings and also where consumers request sub-metering to ensure separately water supplying different sections of their service.

The reason why not all Housing and Development Board residents pay sub-meter rent is that those residents who live on the lower floors of blocks of flats get their water supply direct from the Public Utilities Board mains. The supply to these flats does not go through the bulk meter and the roof tanks. And meters installed for these individual flats are therefore not sub-meters. Hence no rental is charged. However, I can assure the Member that the entire question of imposition of sub-meter rent is now under review by the Public Utilities Board with a view to abolishing the charge for sub-meters in the case of high rise buildings. The legal and administrative implications are being studied before a final decision is made and implemented.