HDB HOUSING ESTATES (Physical fitness facilities)

Mr Ng Kah Ting: To ask the Minister of Defence (a) how many Housing and Development Board areas have been installed with physical fitness facilities to enable reservists to keep themselves fit and trim: and (b) whether his Ministry has plans to provide such facilities in all the HDB housing estates so that the reservists can have their physical training nearer home.

Mr Ch'ng Jit Koon: Question No. 9, Sir.

Dr Yeo Ning Hong (for the Minister of Defence): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, to-date, SAF keep-fit apparatus has been installed in 21 locations, at community centres, sports complexes, and jogging tracks. These cater mainly to residents in the neighbourhood housing estates. The equipment installed include parallel bars, horizontal ladders, chin-up and wall bars. Among the major HDB estates served are Ang Mo Kio, Queenstown and Toa Payoh.

The installation of such physical fitness facilities is still an experimental pilot scheme. MINDEF will consider requests by Members of Parliament for similar facilities in their constituencies and will be prepared to install them if a survey and detailed study can demonstrate that they are likely to be well utilized by our young men and reservists in the neighbourhood.

A list (Cols. 281 - 282) giving the existing 21 locations of the SAF keep-fit apparatus has been submitted to the Clerk of Parliament for distribution to Members for their information. list - PRESENT DISTRIBUTION OF SAF KEEP-FIT APPARATUS (Cols. 281 - 282)