COMPUTERIZATION PROGRAMME(Progress)

Encik Mansor Haji Sukaimi asked the Minister for Trade and Industry the state of the computerized programme indicating its progress so far, the problems faced, and the measures undertaken to overcome the problems; and to also state (a) how many companies have now installed computerized facilities; (b) how many Government departments and statutory boards have expanded their existing computerized facilities or installed new ones; and (c) how many new computer companies were established during the last two years.

The Minister for Trade and Industry (Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam): Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the Member for Kampong Kembangan for his timely question in the progress of computerization in Singapore. I will first report on the progress of the computerization programme in the Civil Service before proceeding to answer the second part of his question.

The Civil Service Computerization Programme was approved by the Government in May 1981. In September 1981, the National Computer Board (NCB) was established to carry out the statutory functions recommended by the Committee on National Computerization. Funds were provided by the Ministry of Finance for the implementation of the Civil Service Computerization Programme in the fiscal year 1982 covering computer projects in the Ministries of Communications, Environment, Finance (that is, the Customs and Excise Department), Health, Home Affairs, National Development, Trade and Industry, Social Affairs and Education.

The computerization projects in the various Ministries are progressing satisfactorily. The NCB staff, with the cooperation of the Ministries and the Departments' officers, have studied the operational systems and procedures in the respective Ministries to establish the detailed requirements for computer hardware and software. To date, three public tenders have been called for the supply of computer hardware for the Department of Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Meteorological Service Department.

The main problem encountered in carrying out the Civil Service Computerization Programme is the acute shortage of senior and experienced computer personnel in Singapore. At present, there are about 1,200 computer professionals in Singapore as compared to an estimated demand of 1,500 to service both the public sector and the private sector. The demand for computer personnel is projected to increase to 5,800 by 1990.

A number of training schemes have been worked out to increase the supply of trained computer personnel. The Computer Science Department of the National University of Singapore (NUS) has increased its intake by over 50% since 1980. The Institute of Systems Science (ISS) has been set up at the NUS to train graduates to be systems analysts. The Japan-Singapore Institute of Software Technology (JSIST) and the Centre for Computing Studies (CCS) at the Ngee Ann Polytechnic will increase the supply of programmers/analysts. The National Computer Board has also set up the Systems Education Centre (SEC) as its own training arm. This centre will provide practiceoriented training for working computer professionals. In addition, the NCB has awarded 12 undergraduate and five postgraduate scholarships tenable in reputable universities this year.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I would now like to provide the specific answers to the second part of the question.

(a) An estimated 1,200 business establishments have installed computer facilities. The computers installed range from small business computers to large mainframe computers.

(b) At present, seven Ministries and Departments and 14 Statutory Boards have their own computer facilities. Of these, four organizations have expanded their facilities and six had new computer systems installed during the past ten months. New computer facilities will be installed in three more Ministries and Departments after the three public tenders called by the NCB have been awarded.

(c) A total of 110 new companies with some dealings in computers have been established over the past two years, Nine are hardware manufacturers, 29 are software houses or service bureaus and 72 are retailers, agents or distributors of computer products. Including these 110, the total number of such companies operating in Singapore today is estimated to be 195.

Encik Mansor Haji Sukaimi (Kampong Kembangan): Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to thank the Minister for his reply. I have two supplementary questions. First, are we using the latest and most up-to-date systems, particularly for our training centres and governmental institutions? Secondly, is the development and marketing of software a priority programme in our computerization policy? If so, are we using or being exposed to the latest and most up-to-date software, considering the fact that if we do export software which are not up-to-date we may lose out in the world market?

Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam: Mr Speaker, Sir, the answer to all the questions is yes.