DISPLAY OF PRICE TAGS BY HAWKERS

Mr Yeo Toon Chia asked the Minister for the Environment whether his Ministry will consider making it compulsory for all licensed hawkers, especially the cooked food sellers, to display approved price tags, so that his Ministry will be able to monitor closely any unjustified price increases by hawkers thus checking profiteering and curbing inflation.

Mr Chor Yeok Eng (for the Minister for the Environment): ( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, in the debate on this Ministry's head of expenditure on 18th March, I told this House that, according to the law, hawkers are required to display a price list of the various items of food that they sell at their stall. However, this does not mean that we want to control their prices. It will be difficult for the Government to dictate the prices of cooked food. Singapore practises a free market economy. Our hawkers have to buy their supplies from other traders. Moreover, there are enough hawker centres and food stalls in coffee shops throughout the whole of Singapore to generate a sufficiently healthy competition which will act as a check against unreasonable profiteering. Ultimately, the consumers themselves will be the best check against profiteering. They can find out for themselves which stalls are charging reasonable prices, and so refuse to patronize those stalls which charge excessive prices.

Mr Yeo Toon Chia (Ang Mo Kio): ( In Mandarin): Sir, I would like to ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary this question. Although we are aware that hawkers are required by regulations to display price lists at their stalls, are there any checks made on the price lists? How many times have checks been made after display? Does the Hawker Department know that the prices displayed on the price list could be different from the prices actually charged. We have cases of consumers asking for a bowl of mee at 70 cents, for example, but the hawker refused to sell at 70 cents a bowl, saying that there was no such price.

Mr Chor Yeok Eng: ( In Mandarin): Sir, I agree that these cases may have arisen. Generally, when we receive complaints of this nature, action is taken. On the other hand, a different kind of situation can arise - the hawker may charge at the prices displayed but give a lesser quantity of food, leading to an argument between the hawker and the consumer. The hawker might argue that if the customer wants a bowl of mee for 70 cents, then that is the quantity he will get unless he pays for more. From time to time when our staff make their rounds, they do advise the hawkers to adjust the price lists according to the actual prices charged. If they want to sell at higher prices, they must tell the consumers frankly what is the price charged and for what quantity. We are always taking action to remind and advise the stallholders about such matters.