HAWKER CENTRES (Upgrading and devolution of management to stallholders)

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Dr Ang Kok Peng asked the Minister for the Environment (a) what is the long-term plan of his Ministry with regard to the upgrading of the physical facilities and environment of many of the hawker centres; and (b) whether any decision has been made to devolve the management of hawker centres to stallholders and, if so, what is the ambit of the devolution.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment (Mr Eugene Yap Giau Cheng) (for the Minister for the Environment): Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of my Minister.

The Ministry recognizes the need to upgrade and improve the layout and design of stalls in existing hawker centres. The size of the stalls is small ranging from 4 sq metres to 9 sq metres with an average of 6 sq metres. Hence, a major refurbishing can only be achieved in a given hawker centre if the number of stalls in that centre could be reduced. With fewer stalls in the centre, the remaining stalls could be enlarged and the layout redesigned. The long-term plan is to identify the desired mix, the number of stalls for each of the hawker centres to be upgraded and to proceed with the upgrading when the opportunity arises.

For the shorter term, cyclical repairs and improvement works will continue to be carried out to the hawker centres. From FY 85 to FY 87, a sum of $2.2 million was spent on such centres.

The Ministry is considering a scheme to allow stallholders to manage their own hawker centres. Stallholders in such centres could form a management committee amongst themselves and thereafter maintain the premises themselves. In the future, when Town Councils are established, such management committees could become part of the Town Council organization. In the end, it is important for the stallholders to realize a sense of responsibility towards the cleanliness and orderliness of their place of business. The details of such a scheme are being looked into.

Mr Chew Heng Ching (Kaki Bukit): Sir, with the move towards self-management of hawker centres in the long term, will the Ministry review its decision not to build any more hawker centres?

Mr Eugene Yap Giau Cheng: Sir, the Ministry has taken its stand not to build any more hawker centres but in its review of long term hawker centres, as long as it has something to do with hawker centres, we will review it.

Mr Yeo Choo Kok (Delta): Sir, does the Ministry intend to sell the stalls to the stallholders?

Mr Eugene Yap Giau Cheng: We can look into that as well.