CONTAMINATED FOOD IN SUPERMARKETS (Measures to prevent)

Mr Cheong Yuen Chee asked the Minister for Law, the Environment and Science and Technology what measures are being taken to prevent further occurrences of contaminated food being sold in supermarkets and what action is being taken to make the public aware of such dangers to their health so that they can become more discerning when they shop.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment (Mr Chor Yeok Eng) (for the Minister for Law, the Environment and Science and Technology): ( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Ministry of the Environment carries out regular checks of supermarkets, restaurants, eating establishments and food centres for compliance with environmental health requirements. Samples of products are taken for analysis and compliance with the Sale of Food Act. Inspections are also carried out to ensure hygienic handling of food products and good personal hygiene of the food handlers.

Where samples of food are found to be contaminated or the food products are not hygienically handled, enforcement action is taken. Convictions in court for non-compliance of health requirements are given due publicity in the mass media and reported in the press.

The Ministry also carries out health education programmes including campaigns to educate the public and food handlers on food hygiene and proper handling of food.

Mr Baptist: Sir, does the Senior Parliamentary Secretary agree that only when contaminated food is sold to consumers, court action, heavy fines and adverse publicity should follow? And does he also agree that when the health and safety of consumers are not affected, the first course of action should only be a warning? If so, why then was a supermarket prosecuted for only a technical offence when it had on its shelf a jar of cream with 12.1% fat instead of at least 25%? Are not many Singaporeans already obese? Most certainly. Despite the Singapore Sports Council's sports-for-all policy, Walkarun and so on, this obesity continues.

Mr Chor Yeok Eng: ( In Mandarin): Sir, in dealing with cases of food contamination, we do not consider whether the company involved is a big one or a small one. It is a question of whether or not the food is contaminated. The samples of food that we have collected are analysed and if found to be contaminated, they will be dealt with according to the law.

Mr Baptist: Sir, I am not speaking of contamination of food. 3.30 p.m.

Mr Speaker: Order. It is 3.30 p.m. now. As indicated earlier by Members in whose names the Questions stand, the remaining Questions will be postponed to the next sitting of Parliament.

Pursuant to Standing Order 21(2), the following Questions on the Order Paper accordingly stood over to the next available sitting of Parliament.

Mr S. Dhanabalan: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs and Education how many drug rehabilitation centres there are in Singapore, the planned capacity of these centres on the basis of accepted norms of living space per person, sanitary facilities etc. and the range of numbers housed in these centres at any one time in 1977; how many persons are housed in each cell/room for cold turkey treatment and whether there is any separation in housing and treatment of addicts in the strict sense of the term and those who have been apprehended while in the early stages of drug experimentation; and whether he will agree to periodical visits by groups of Members of Parliament to these centres.

Mr Teo Chong Tee: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs and Education if part-time National Servicemen residing in Pulau Tekong can be assigned patrol duties on the island itself, instead of being asked to report to the mainland where they have to incur additional expenses by having to remain overnight after duty, as there is no more launch service in operation from Changi Point to take them back to the island.

Encik Sidek bin Saniff: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs and Education if he will consider the emplacement of those stagnated teachers, who have done ten years' continuous service in the teaching profession, in the salary scale for Education Officer, Group III.

Mr Ang Nam Piau: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs and Education whether he is aware that library facilities in primary and secondary schools and junior colleges are inadequate and if he will take steps to improve them.

Mr Sia Khoon Seong: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs and Education whether his Ministry will review its present policy of requiring teachers seeking confirmation of service to pass Malay Standard I, and whether equivalent qualification in Chinese, Tamil or English will also be deemed acceptable, so that a teacher, seeking confirmation, can offer in addition to his first language qualification one of the remaining three languages as the additional language requirement.

Mr Sia Khoon Seong: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs and Education (a) how many teachers were transferred in the last three months; (b) how many of those transferred had not asked for transfer themselves and what was the basis of selection of such teachers for transfer; (c) how many of those who had asked for transfer were not transferred; and (d) how many were transferred to schools more than 10 kilometres from their homes.

Mr P. Govindaswamy: To ask the Minister for Finance, in view of the consolidation of 1973-77 National Wages Council allowances into salary scales for civil servants, if he will consider revising the existing fixed leave allowances under the 1973 Leave Scheme.

Mr Hwang Soo Jin: To ask the Minister for Finance whether a decision has now been taken on the formation of the proposed Trade Development Council and, if not, why not.

Mr Teong Eng Siong: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will consider introducing amending legislation to exempt non-working retired persons from income tax as this will enable the Government indirectly to look after their welfare during retirement.

Mr Teong Eng Siong: To ask the Minister for Finance what the Economic Activation Committee has contributed towards the economy of the Republic since the formation of the Committee and to what extent it has assisted industries.

Mr Tan Soo Khoon: To ask the Minister for Finance (a) whether the short-lived Concorde service to London by Singapore Airlines has caused undue embarrassment and loss of prestige to SIA: (b) why SIA did not obtain clearance for flying the Concorde over foreign air space before entering into an agreement with British Airways to operate the Concorde; (c) how much money was spent by SIA in Singapore and abroad to publicise its Concorde service to London; and (d) what other financial repercussions are anticipated for SIA as a result of the cancellation of the service.

Mr Ho Kah Leong: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will ascertain from the Jurong Town Corporation what measures are being taken to minimise the discolouration of potable water supplied to Jurong residents and when those measures will be effected.

Mr Ho Kah Leong: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will request the Jurong Town Corporation to ensure that the supply of effluent water to Jurong residents for flushing purposes is regular and free from stink.

Mr Ho Kah Leong: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will ascertain from the Jurong Town Corporation, in the past five years, (a) how many families in Tuas Village were resettled and how many acres of land were acquired from them; (b) how many of them were classified as bona fide farmers and how many of those farmers opted for free JTC flats; and (c) how many acres of land in Lim Chu Kang were allocated to those affected farming families.

Haji Sha'ari bin Tadin: To ask the Minister for Social Affairs to explain the recent action taken by the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura in fixing sound attenuators to amplifiers used in mosques.

Mr Teo Chong Tee: To ask the Minister for Social Affairs (a) how many written complaints of discourtesy and unhelpfulness against civil servants were received by the Central Complaints Bureau from the general public in 1975, 1976 and 1977; (b) whether the complaints have been thoroughly investigated and what disciplinary action has been taken against the guilty ones; (c) what measures have been taken to improve the situation; and (d) how many letters complimenting civil servants were received from the public in those three years.

Mr Teo Chong Tee: To ask the Minister for Social Affairs (a) whether the rates of public assistance can be increased to meet the present escalating cost of living, as many of the recipients consider the amount granted inadequate; (b) what was the number of recipients of public assistance as at 31st December, 1977; (c) how many of them were (i) below 40 years; (ii) between 40 and 60 years; and (iii) above 60 years of age; and (d) whether regular reviews are made to determine the continued eligibility of the recipients of such assistance.