PORT OF SINGAPORE AUTHORITY (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

2.40 p.m.

The Minister of State for Communications (Mr Ong Teng Cheong): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

There are four main amendments proposed in this Bill.

Clause 2 of the Bill seeks to add a new Part VA to the Act to make special provisions governing the sale of flats, houses or buildings sold by the PSA under its housing scheme. Any property sold by the PSA will be subject to restrictive conditions prohibiting the dealings in such property without the permission of the PSA and to special rules governing the transmission of the property on the death of the owners. For example, no property sold by the PSA shall be sold, leased, mortgaged, transferred or charged without the written consent of the PSA. This will safeguard the PSA's interest and ensure that the living accommodation is not transferred to undesirable persons or disposed of to make quick profits. The Authority will also be empowered to compulsorily acquire the property if the owner or his spouse has not complied with certain provisions laid down in this Part. These proposed provisions are broadly similar to those of the Housing and Development Act. The PSA's legal officers will be empowered to certify and register documents relating to the sale of PSA properties on behalf of the employees.

Clause 3 seeks to repeal and reenact sections 45 to 49 of the principal Act which relates to the keeping of accounts, the appointment, powers and duties of the auditor, the preparation of financial statements, the submission of the financial statements, audit reports and annual reports to the Minister and the presentation of these reports and statements to Parliament. This proposed amendment is in compliance with the Auditor-General's request to standardise the procedures of auditing for all quasi-government and statutory bodies. The PSA has already been following these procedures and the amendment is only to reflect the actual position.

Clause 4 seeks to amend section 52 of the Act. Under the existing section 52, goods dues shall be paid by the owner or occupier of private wharves or premises. The PSA has experienced difficulty in some cases in collecting goods dues from operators of private wharves or premises. The amendment will empower the PSA to collect goods dues either from the owner or occupier of private wharves or premises or from the owners or agents of the vehicles or vessels carrying such goods into or out of the wharves or premises.

Clause 5 amends the existing section 100 which, though it provides for penalties for offences in connection with the safety of vessels, does not include cases of overloaded or improperly manned vessels. The proposed amendment will include a provision to make it an offence to use or permit to be used a vessel which is unsafe or overloaded or not properly manned.

Sir, I beg to move.

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 Ong Teng Cheong].

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