HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read. 5.53 p.m.

The Minister for National Development (Mr Teh Cheang Wan): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The main purpose of the Bill is to enable penalties to be prescribed for infringement of conditions covering the application, sale and usage of Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats where the Board does not proceed to compulsorily acquire the flat.

The other aspect of the Bill enables any notices or other document to be served on the owner of a flat, house or building sold by the HDB by affixing it on some conspicuous part of the flat, house or building.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question proposed.

Mr Ng Kah Ting: Sir, whilst I rise to speak in support of the Bill, I have just three simple points to raise to the Minister for National Development.

First of all, I think it is not fair to evict those flat dwellers who contravene or infringe the conditions laid down by the Housing and Development Board. I think this measure is a bit too harsh, and therefore I welcome a change in the provision which empowers the Minister, or the Housing and Development Board, to impose a fine.

Secondly, there are owners of temporary dwellings who may qualify to apply for Housing and Development Board flats. I would like to ask whether they could be allowed to apply for such flats if they disclose that they own a temporary dwelling structure but are not property owners in the actual sense of the word, because the buildings are temporary in nature and the land does not belong to them. I think the Housing and Development Board should consider this favourably.

The third point concerns housing eligibility of those who are affected by resettlement or clearance schemes because of acquisition by Government. These people are not eligible to apply for re-housing simply because of the income ceiling. For these people, it was because of resettlement, which was not of their doing, that they did not apply for HDB flats. So why was this benefit not passed on to them? I know of instances where such people who do not qualify for re-housing have not benefited. I would be glad if the Minister could clarify these points.

Mr Teh Cheang Wan: Sir, I wish to thank the Member for Punggol for supporting the Bill.

On the question of ownership of temporary buildings, HDB does not consider owners of temporary buildings as property owners, provided they do not own the land as well.

On the question of income limit for the resettlement cases, HDB has been quite flexible on this. For those families affected by resettlement, if their family income exceeds the limit for eligibility to purchase HDB flats, the Allocations Committee chaired by my Parliamentary Secretary, who is usually very flexible, would generally grant exemption on the income limit. I know that quite a lot of resettlement cases have been submitted by the various Members of Parliament to him. He has considered them favourably and has allowed those families to purchase H D B flats, although their family income exceeds the income limit. I can assure the Member for Punggol that if he comes across similar cases, he can send them to my Parliamentary Secretary, and I am quite sure he will consider them favourably.

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 Teh Cheang Wan].

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