LICENSING OF HAWKERS (Policy)

Encik Mansor Haji Sukaimi asked the Minister for Law and the Environment whether there is a progressive decrease of licensed hawkers in the Republic: and, if so, whether he will revise the present policies of issuing licences to hawkers to ensure that there are sufficient hawkers to serve the population in the future years.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment (Mr Chor Yeok Eng) (for the Minister for Law and the Environment): ( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, the number of licensed hawkers has declined from approximately 31,000 in June 1973 to 27,400 in June this year. This decline in the population of licensed hawkers is due to the phasing out of the pasar malam hawkers, hawkers surrendering their licences voluntarily to go into other occupations/vocations and, to a small extent, due to the death of old licensees.

The drop in the population of licensed hawkers has been offset by the mushrooming of new supermarkets, shopping complexes, restaurants/coffee houses, eating establishments and canteens in the recent years. More Singaporeans are patronising these new establishments and there is no over-crowding at markets and food centres.

There are still 10,500 licensed hawkers on the streets and in temporary premises who need to be resited into proper premises with facilities that will satisfy standards of public health. Apart from the escalating cost of constructing markets and food centres, difficulties are also encountered in obtaining suitable sites for these projects.

The existing policy has already been modified to allow issue of hawker licences to hardship cases such as shopkeepers, farmers and fishermen who have been affected by redevelopment. It is considered that even with the marginal decline in the number of licensed hawkers, the hawker population will be sufficient to serve the population in view of the provision of alternative facilities. In addition, there is no intention to liberalise the issue of hawker licences as there is an urgent problem of resiting 10,500 licensed street hawkers into proper premises and the economy demands channelling of young and able-bodied persons into more productive sectors of the economy.