GOVERNMENT ADVERTISEMENTS

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon asked the Minister for Communications if he will inform the House whether and how the existing communications system in the suburban west zone of Jurong will be improved in line with the Government's plan to develop Jurong East into a regional centre.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Bus services in the Jurong Industrial Estate were revamped by SBS, after consultation with the MPs and grassroots leaders in the Jurong area, the Jurong Town Corporation and the Singapore Manufacturers Association on the public transport needs of the area.

The new set of bus services was introduced in January 1995. It provides wider coverage, brings commuters closer to their workplaces, shortens journey times, and provides higher capacity with the deployment of more buses. Double-decker buses have also been introduced on those services to provide more seats for passengers.

At present, the MRT serves Jurong with three stations - Chinese Garden, Lakeside and Boon Lay. The MRTC will study the feasibility of further rail extensions in the Jurong area.

The URA and PWD have also drawn up plans to improve the road network in Jurong. These changes will smoothen the flow of buses entering and leaving Boon Lay bus interchange, relieve current congestion spots, and improve circulation within the Jurong Regional Centre. Access to Jurong from other parts of Singapore will also be improved through the opening of the Kranji Expressway and the upgrading of certain roads within Jurong to expressways and semi-expressways. Additional road links with the PIE are also being examined to improve access to the area.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin asked the Minister for Finance, with regard to the money spent on advertisements over TV and in newspapers (a) what are the allocation guidelines for the various Ministries which his Ministry follows; (b) what is the amount of money spent from 1992 to 1994; and (c) how his Ministry assesses the cost-effectiveness of these advertisements.

Dr Richard Hu Tsu Tau: (a) Ministry of Finance does not use allocation guidelines to determine the funds to be provided to the various Ministries for use on advertisements in the TV and newspapers. Instead, each Ministry's request is submitted as part of its block budget, and Ministries are subsequently given some latitude in deciding how much they need to spend for this purpose, depending on their needs and priorities.

(b) The total amount of money spent by Ministries on advertisements during the last 3 years is as follows : FY 92 $5,910,180 FY 93 $7,150,220 FY 94 $9,931,210 (estimated)

As a percentage of Other Operating Expenditure, these amounted to 0.13%, 0.15% and 0.18% respectively for FY92, FY93 and FY94.

(c) Around two-thirds of the advertisement spending over the past 3 years was in conjunction with national campaigns. Some of these include MOH's campaign against smoking and AIDS and MITA's Courtesy, Speak Mandarin and Sing Singapore Campaigns. Since most campaigns are geared towards developing a more civic and healthy society, their success can only be assessed in the long term, if at all. Nevertheless, independent research organisations are periodically appointed to gauge the reach and effectiveness of campaigns and thereby assist Ministries to fine-tune and improve on them.

The remaining one-third of advertisement funds was spent on recruiting staff and the procurement of selected goods and services from the private sector. Such spending is necessary for the smooth running of Government.