MINISTRY OF SOCIAL AFFAIRS

The Ministry of Social Affairs has traditionally concentrated on the alleviation of hardship and the rehabilitation of the disadvantaged. It will now shift its emphasis from the purely remedial to the developmental and preventive aspects of social welfare.

In 1980 the Ministry commenced a reappraisal of its services. Services which are found not to be relevant to today's needs will be discontinued. Staff who are thus released will be enlisted to work on new services, especially in Social Research and Community Development. The Family and the Community

The Ministry now has a Community Development Section which is responsible for introducing new programmes designed to strengthen the family unit and to foster the evolution of a cohesive and tightly-knit society.

A family day-care scheme was launched in October last year. This scheme enables working mothers to leave their young children in the care of carefully chosen childminders. The response to the scheme from both care-users and care-givers has been encouraging so far.

The Community Development Section will work closely with the NTUC and voluntary organisations in the running of creches and kindergartens. Creches and kindergartens are not merely a convenience for working mothers. They will be run by trained staff who are conscious of the importance of child development.

Residents' Committees (RCs) have a crucial role to play in the evolution of cohesive communities in HDB estates. The Community Development Section will run training courses on the principles and techniques of community work for members of RCs and for the staff of the RC Secretariat. The Section will also assist RCs in the design and execution of neighbourhood projects. In the years ahead, an increasing share of the Ministry's resources will be devoted to assisting RCs.

Social Services

Children and Youth

Poverty was once the main underlying cause of behavioural problems among children and youth. It no longer is. Today's delinquents are increasingly the product of a stressful home environment. Rehabilitative programmes will be modified to suit the changing character of delinquency.

Voluntary organisations have always played a valuable role in caring for ill-treated, neglected and abandoned children. Every encouragement will be given to these organisations to raise funds and recruit staff to enable them to expand their services. The Disabled

The United Nations has proclaimed 1981 as the International Year of Disabled Persons. During this year, the Ministry will step up its programme of public education to instil in the minds of the public the vast potential in re-integrating disabled persons into the mainstream of life.

Not enough has been done to train the disabled to take up gainful employment. Vocational training for the disabled, numbering about 12,000, has assumed even greater importance in the context of the shortage of unskilled and semi-skilled workers in the Republic. The Ministry will co-operate with training institutions and employers' organisations to facilitate job placement for the disabled, especially those between 15 and 45 years of age.

The Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of National Development have jointly commenced a study of how building regulations could be amended to create a barrier-free environment within public buildings so that disabled persons could move about with greater ease.

Rehabilitation of Offenders

Rehabilitative work has so far been confined to juvenile offenders.

With effect from 1981, the Ministry of Social Affairs will undertake the rehabilitation of adult prisoners. A Prison Welfare Service will be set up under the Ministry consisting of trained rehabilitation officers. The Ministry will strive to bring the current rate of recidivism down to an acceptable level.

Care of the Aged

The age structure of the population of Singapore will change drastically during the next 20 to 30 years. The number of persons aged 60 years or more will increase from 169,000 now to 319,000 by the close of the century. The welfare of the elderly will become a major concern of the Ministry in future.

The Ministry has commenced a wide-ranging study of government policies which have a bearing on the welfare of the Aged. Special attention will be given to the importance of superannuation schemes which would enable workers to retire with the assurance of financial security; fiscal, social and housing policies which would arrest the trend towards nuclear families; and measures to instil filial piety and respect for elders in the minds of our young.

Muslim Affairs

The Muslim community, under the leadership of the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS). has continued to make commendable economic and social progress.

MUIS will assist more Muslim youths to pursue higher education in the Universities and in technical institutions. They must be equipped to play a role in a fast growing and technologically advanced economy.

The spiritual and religious needs of Muslims have been catered for. Through selfhelp, the Muslim community has constructed five modern mosques during the period 1975 to 1980. Phase I of the Mosque Building Programme will be completed this year with the opening of a sixth new mosque in Chai Chee/Bedok. MUIS has now embarked on Phase II of the Programme, under which another eight mosques will be constructed during the period 1982 to 1986.

Fire Service

Two developments which have posed a serious challenge to the Singapore Fire Service are:

(i) the increase in the number of high-rise buildings; and

(ii) the growth of large manufacturing industries which use hazardous materials.

The Building Control Division of the Ministry of National Development has laid down stringent fire prevention features for high-rise buildings. Once a building is certified fit for use, the Fire Service will conduct periodic inspections to ensure that its fire exits remain unobstructed and its fire-fighting equipment is in good working order; and hold regular fire drills to familiarise its occupants with evacuation procedure. Severe penalties will be imposed on the owners of high-rise buildings if they fail to abide by fire regulations. The frequency of fire drills will be stepped up, if necessary.

The Fire Service will pay special attention to the storage facilities and manufacturing processes of large industries which use hazardous materials. It will allow more of these industries to maintain their own fire services. Legislation will be introduced to regulate the setting up of such private fire services.

Sports

During the next four years, the Singapore Sports Council will build seven sports and swimming complexes, two multi-purpose indoor stadia, three squash and tennis complexes and one athletic centre under its Master Plan for Sports Facilities.

The Master Plan for Sports Facilities, which covers the period 1976 to 1992, will be reviewed this year to assess the progress made so far and to revise the programme for the remainder of the Plan period.

AHMAD MATTAR Acting Minister for Social Affairs