SINGAPORE CORPORATION OF REHABILITATIVE ENTERPRISES (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read. 3.00 pm

The Minister of State for Home Affairs (Dr Lee Boon Yang): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, on behalf of my Minister, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

Since it was set up in 1975, the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE) has provided vocational skills and employment opportunities for prison inmates and drug addicts. It has complemented the treatment and rehabilitation programmes of the Prisons Department and other agencies.

The principal reason for amending this Bill is to ensure that inhalant abusers will also benefit from SCORE's rehabilitation and vocational facilities. The Bill therefore seeks to expand the scope of the Corporation so that it can provide rehabilitative services, including aftercare to prisoners, drug addicts as well as inhalant abusers.

Sections 15 and 16 of the principal Act are amended to enable SCORE to provide rehabilitative and aftercare services to prisoners and inmates before and after their discharge from custody. It also provides for SCORE to cooperate with and assist other agencies and bodies in the provision of such services. Hitherto, SCORE's functions have been confined to rehabilitation within the prisons. With this amendment, SCORE can actively cooperate in rehabilitative and/or aftercare services, particularly for discharged inmates which will include drug addicts, and now inhalant abusers. This is a logical extension and I hope Members will welcome it. It will enable SCORE to devise and implement rehabilitation and aftercare programmes and schemes which will provide effective follow-up on discharged prisoners and inmates, including inhalant abusers. Such services could be in the areas of professional counselling and guidance, including SCORE's recruitment of experts and professional counsellors.

Sir, there are some technical amendments such as making the financial year of SCORE from 1st January to 31st December. This change was requested by the Auditor-General upon the Public Accounts Committee's recommendation that the financial years of statutory boards be staggered so as to spread the audit load.

Other minor amendments alter the composition of the members of the Corporation and enable SCORE to employ a full-time Chief Executive Officer.

Sir, the rehabilitation of every prisoner, drug addict or inhalant abuser is a continuous process from the time he is admitted to his release or discharge. SCORE is only one of the agencies involved in this rehabilitative process and these amendments will enable it to discharge its role more positively.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question proposed.

Dr S. Vasoo (Bo Wen): Sir, I rise in support of the Bill. It is gratifying to note that drug addicts will also benefit from these changes of SCORE's objectives. Despite this suggestion, I think the rehabilitation of discharged prisoners has been rather thin. And I am pleased to note that discharged prisoners will ultimately benefit from future rehabilitation programmes that are going to be devised by SCORE. I note that SCORE's efforts in trying to build up vocational training and work release programmes and pre-release work programmes for discharged prisoners are on the increase. I hope that SCORE, having accumulated sufficient resources and expertise, will be able to meet the needs of discharged prisoners.

Sir, I assess that there is a need to look at rehabilitation needs of short-term prisoners because recidivism seems to be high with short-term prisoners. Will SCORE be spending more effort directing its programme at these short-term prisoners who are released or who are discharged? With that note, I would like to support the Bill.

Dr Lee Boon Yang: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I thank the Member for Bo Wen for his support of the amendment of the Bill.

The Member for Bo Wen noted that rehabilitation effort so far has been rather thin. We share his concern and it is precisely for this reason that we seek to provide SCORE with a broader range of functions and activities to enable it to do more for the rehabilitative efforts of both prisoners and inmates.

Sir, the Member for Bo Wen also asked whether SCORE would do more for the short-term prisoners. He noted that these prisoners seem to have a higher recidivism. Following the amendment to the SCORE Act, SCORE will no doubt be exploring ways and means to further complement the works of other agencies in rehabilitating prisoners, both short-term and those serving long-term. In doing so, I am sure SCORE will use its new abilities with this amendment to develop more comprehensive programme to strengthen the rehabilitative efforts of these short-term prisoners. On that note, I would like to urge Members to give their support to this Bill.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Dr Lee Boon Yang].

Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.