ELECTRICAL WORKERS AND CONTRACTORS LICENSING BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

3.35 p.m.

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

Sir, the Public Utilities Board has for a long time recognised the need for comprehensive legislation to license, control and regulate electrical workers of all grades engaged in electrical works. The need for such a legislation has become even more pressing with the rapid development of Singapore into an industrial, commercial and communications centre. Such development entails the installation and operation of complex electrical equipment operating at increasingly higher power and voltage levels, with inherent problems of safety and requiring competent workmanship and supervision. This need has been further reinforced by the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry into the Robinson's Fire. Whilst some form of legislation could be achieved by means of Regulations under the Public Utilities Act, legal opinion is that the licensing system contemplated would require an Act of Parliament rather than a subsidiary legislation.

The Professional Engineers Act, 1970, prohibits anyone other than professional engineers with prescribed qualifications from engaging in electrical work. It also regulates the ethical conduct of such professional engineers. It is thus, apparently, limited to professional engineers and to those exempted under the Act.

As the Professional Engineers Act stands, it will not be possible, unless specifically exempted, for electrical contractors, artisans, craftsmen and technicians to undertake electrical work. These grades of workers exist and are necessary in the engineering field. Such electrical workers should be licensed, controlled and regulated. The Electrical Workers and Contractors Licensing Bill now before this House has, therefore, been specially drawn up to cover these categories. Professional engineers engaged in electrical power engineering work have also been included in this Bill. The Public Utilities Board at present registers electrical contractors to provide an ancillary engineering service. There is, however, no registration of electrical workers. Even the registration of electrical contractors lacks legal powers to regulate their duties and res- ponsibilities. The Board can only deregister them. The Bill now makes a clear distinction between an electrical worker involved in the personal performance of electrical work, and an electrical contractor who, in the course of or in connection with any trade or business, carries on electrical work. The classification of electrical workers according to qualifications, duties and degree of responsibility and the licences to be issued will be spelt out in the Regulations to be made under the Act.

The particular licence would specify the scope of the electrical work to be carried out and any restrictions in regard to the type of work or class of electrical installations, or the circumstances or manner in which the holder of the licence may perform electrical work. Provisions have been made in the Bill to ensure that it is not too restrictive in its operation, especially in regard to contractors on the Board's temporary register. I will also move an amendment to the Bill in Committee which will ensure that bona fide users of electricity may be able to perform simple electrical operations such as changing an electric lamp bulb and replacing any fuse in premises used for dwelling purposes.

The overall aim of the Bill, therefore, is to achieve licensing and control of electrical contractors and electrical workers with a view to ensuring that they will render good service to those who employ them. Penalties in the form of fines and/or imprisonment or both have been provided under the Bill, and convey the assurance that by reason of their qualifications they will perform electrical work in a safe and efficient manner.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move.

Question proposed.

Mr Ong Teng Cheong (Kim Keat): Mr Speaker, Sir, I fully support the Bill now being read a Second time. But I would like to urge the Minister for the Environment to give due consideration to avoid causing any serious or undue hardship to those contractors who are without qualifications but who have been engaged in contracting operations in electrical work in the past years. I wonder if the Minister would also inform the House the basis on which the licences of electrical workers and electrical contractors will be issued.

Mr Lim Kim San: As I have mentioned just now, we already have a register of contractors and electrical workers. The basis on which they are registered depends upon their qualifications. Among them are professional engineers, holders of diplomas from the Singapore Polytechnic, technicians who have completed a prescribed course in the vocational institutes and contractors who, from long association with their work, are considered to be competent to deal with electrical work. We have on the register 961 contractors and 732 competent persons working with the electrical contractors. It is apparent, therefore, that most, if not all, of those contractors who are carrying out electrical work are registered. This Bill is unlikely, therefore, to cause hardship.

Question put, and agreed to.

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

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

Bill considered in Committee.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

3.45 p.m.

Clauses 1 to 7 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 8 -

Mr Lim Kim San: Sir, I beg to move, In page 6, after line 28, to insert -

"(b) a person to replace any fuse in premises used for residential purposes, not being a fuse belonging to the Board;".

Sir, under the Bill house owners are prohibited from changing fuses in their houses themselves. This provision is considered too restrictive and difficult to enforce. The amendment will allow house owners to perform simple opera- tions, such as changing an electric bulb or replacing an electric fuse in dwellings.

Amendment agreed to.

The Chairman: As a result of this amendment, there are consequential amendments to be made to re-letter paragraphs (b), (c) and (d) to (c), (d) and (e) respectively. This will be done.

Clause 8, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clauses 9 to 13 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Bill considered in Committee; reported with an amendment; read a Third time and passed.