BETTING CENTRES IN HOUSING ESTATES (Consideration for residents' views)

Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam asked the Minister for Finance whether any effort is made to ascertain the views and wishes of residents in housing estates before setting up betting centres in their estates.

The Minister for Finance (Dr Hu Tsu Tau): Mr Speaker, in the current computerization programme, Singapore Pools (Pte) Ltd will be replacing, in stages, its Toto booths with sales agency outlets in shops and shopping complexes. The Company has no immediate plans to set up new betting centres, as such, in housing estates.

The sales agency outlets will, wherever possible, be located in the neighbourhood of existing Toto booths. The existing outlets have been in operation for some years and there have been no objections from the residents in their vicinities. The Company therefore feels that there is no need to ascertain the views and wishes of residents in housing estates before relocating the sales outlets from the Toto booths to the shops.

Mr Jeyaretnam: Did I understand from the Minister that the Singapore Pools (Pte) Ltd has no plans to set up betting centres in housing estates themselves?

Dr Hu Tsu Tau: No present plans.

Mr Jeyaretnam: No present plans. May I ask the Minister whether he will give an assurance that if at any time the Singapore Pools (Pte) Ltd decides to go into housing estates to set up betting centres, the views of the residents will be taken into account?

Dr Hu Tsu Tau: Mr Speaker, in answer to the Member's question, I asked Singapore Pools whether they had, in fact, applied to housing estates and indeed they have. In the case of the Anson Constituency, they applied for a location at the NTUC FairPrice, Block 109, Bukit Purmei, within the Anson Constituency, but it was turned down by the HDB. So I think there are adequate safeguards.