SINGAPORE REGISTERED MOTORCYCLES

Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for Communications (a) how many Malaysians bought Singapore registered motorcycles in respect of the years 1992, 1993 and 1994 and (b) whether Malaysians' demand for Singapore registered motorcycles resulted in higher prices of Certificates of Entitlement for motorcycles.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: The number of Malaysians who bought newly-registered Singapore motorcycles are : 1992 - 639, 1993 - 422 and 1994 - 556.

The fluctuation in the price of motorcycle Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) reflects prevailing market demand and supply. There is no indication of any correlation between the number of Malaysians buying Singapore motorcycles and COE prices. For example, in 1992, the number of new motorcycles bought by Malaysians accounted for almost 10% of total motorcycle registrations -- but price of motorcycle COEs remained at $1 for the whole year. On the other hand, in 1994, Malaysians bought about 5% of newly-registered motorcycles in Singapore, but motorcycle COE prices averaged more than $700.