NEW MAILS AND PARCELS CENTRE

Mr Ng Yeow Chong asked the Minister for National Development and Communications whether a new Mails and Parcels Centre will be built to replace the present one at Nelson Road which is temporarily accommodated in a Port of Singapore Authority godown and has inadequate facilities.

The Senior Minister of State for Communications (Mr Ong Teng Cheong) (for the Minister for National Development and Communications): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Postal Services Department is planning to construct a new Postal Complex to handle all the mail processing operations which are presently being carried out at the Mails and Parcels Centre in the rented PSA godown premises at Nelson Road. The new Postal Complex will be equipped with a postal vehicle maintenance workshop as well as modern mechanised mail handling and sorting system to cater for the anticipated increase in the volume of mails over the next two decades. The proposed mechanised mail processing system will replace the existing manual operation methods in use.

The proposed Postal Complex will be built on a 2.81 hectare site in the Jalan Eunos HDB Industrial Estate. The project which is scheduled for completion in 1981-82 is presently being evaluated by the Ministry of Finance.

Mr Ivan Baptist (Potong Pasir): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, does the Hon. Senior Minister of State realise that at the present moment there are many occupational health and safety hazards at the Nelson Road Mails and Parcels Centre? I had occasion to visit it sometime ago and I have since made recommendations to alleviate these hazards, but nothing seems to have been done. Could the Senior Minister of State hasten the new Postal Complex project, and in the meantime ensure that the hazards at Nelson Road are alleviated?

Mr Ong Teng Cheong: Sir, on a point of order. We are now talking about a new Postal Complex at Jalan Eunos, and not about the present Sorting Centre at Nelson Road.

Mr Ivan Baptist: On a point of clarification, Sir. The Senior minister of State did mention Nelson Road Mails and Parcels Centre in his answer. He did say that things were being done there, and so I am following up with a supplementary question on what he has actually mentioned.

Mr Deputy Speaker: The point at issue is "whether a new Mails and Parcels Centre will be built". The Senior Minister of State is therefore quite right in not answering the Member's question.

Mr Ivan Baptist: Sir, I do agree that a new Postal Complex is being built. But he has said that this new Postal Complex is being built in place of the old one, and at the present moment the old one is posing a lot of hazards. So I want to know what he is doing about the old one.

Mr Deputy Speaker: The question is whether a new Mails and Parcels Centre will be built, and the Senior Minister of State has answered.