ESTIMATES OF EXPENDITURE FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1996 TO 31ST MARCH, 1997 (Paper Cmd. 4 of 1996)

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Order read for consideration in Committee of Supply [5th Allotted Day].

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Head J (cont.) -

Resumption of Debate on Question [18th March, 1996],

"That the total sum to be allocated for Head J of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100." - [Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon].

Question again proposed.

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon (Yuhua): Sir, in October 1994, the Minister for Community Development released the Report of the Inter-Ministry Committee on Juvenile Delinquency, Dysfunctional Families and Drug Abuse. The recommendations were wide-ranging and aimed to put in place further measures to address the needs of dysfunctional families and juvenile delinquents. Recent police figures show that the number of juveniles arrested went up from 1,200 in 1990 to 2,500 last year. With the recent rise in juvenile crimes and offences, the recommendations are timely and crucial.

I would also like to bring to the attention of the House of a group of youths who had failed in their PSLE examinations. If they are forced to study, the absenteeism rate may be high because they have no interest in their studies. They cannot join ITE for technical training because they are under age. I would like to ask the Minister whether there is any programme specially designed for this group of youths to counsel and guide them so that they will not waste their time hanging around shopping centres or roaming around.

I would also like to ask the Minister about the Report of the IMC. Could the Minister update us on its progress?

The other area that I would like to touch on is Singapore Family Values. Since 1994, when the Ministry of Community Development launched the Singapore Family Values (SFV), much has been said about the importance of preserving family values in our society. The focus is on the family because it is one of the most important factors underpinning the progress of Singapore. We see the SFV being promoted in schools, buses, taxi-cabs, MRT stations, TV, radio and several publications and mass events. Many members of the public praise the programme, especially over TCS. However, lately, the programme has stopped. I would like to urge that this effort deserves praise and should be encouraged and supported. I would like to ask the Minister to let us know how much has been spent, whether he sees a need to sustain or, better still, expand the promotion of SFV and whether the $1 million for five years is sufficient.

Dr Arthur Beng Kian Lam (Bedok GRC): Sir, I wish to address the issues of dysfunctional families and juvenile delinquency. First, I would like to congratulate the authors on a very thorough and frank report.

Sir, the Report of the Inter-Ministry Committee has shown that divorces doubled between 1980 and 1990. Divorces were 0.71 per 1,000 residents in 1980 and rose to 1.34 per 1,000 residents. Although this figure, termed the crude divorce rate, is much lower than the 4.7 in the US and 2.9 in the UK in 1990, there is no room for complacency.

Sir, we all accept that the family is the basic building block of our society. The consequences of marital failure affect also the children. I note the many measures recommended by the Committee. I, however, urge the MCD to give more resources to the family service centres, managed by the voluntary organisations, so that they can be more effective in doing their job rather than spending the majority of their time on fund-raising.

Next, I would like to focus on the preventive aspects. Many religious groups already make it compulsory that the couple whose marriage is to be solemnised by their religious leader has to attend some formal instruction or classes before the marriage is solemnised. I believe that the Registry of Marriages should now make it compulsory for every Singaporean who wants to be married to attend a similar course and accredited pre-marital counselling courses organised by other agencies. The marriage certificate carries with it far greater responsibility than a driving licence or a COE.

On community support groups (CSGs), I understand that the Residents' Committees (RCs) are being asked to form CSGs to address many of the problems mentioned in this report. Is the MCD going to provide training and guidance to these CSGs? How will they be funded? I believe that the formation of CSGs is a step in the right direction, but to be effective, the volunteers must be given the tools to do their job.

Sir, the explosive problem of juvenile delinquency (or young offenders) needs to be addressed very seriously and urgently. Juvenile delinquents (aged 7 - 16 years) who took to crime doubled between 1980 and 1990. The figure rose another 74.4% between 1990 and 1994. The number of female offenders rose 413% from 1984 to 1993.

Sir, the problem is serious enough now for the MCD to form a team solely dedicated to tackling this problem. Mobilising other agencies, such as the family service centres and other voluntary groups and agencies (eg, the Police and the People's Association) should be supplementary to the main effort. Will the Minister comment on this?

To me, the whole of Singapore's society, workforce, social and economic progress will be jeopardised if this problem is not given the highest of priority, not to mention the waste of the individual's life. Ad-hoc programmes and the mobilisation of existing resources will not be able to give the focused attention and additional resources that this important problem requires.

Sir, the Inter-Ministry Committee's Report has identified the high-risk cases and has made many recommendations for tackling this problem. Here I would like to bring up the issue of "EQ" or emotional intelligence or competence and juvenile delinquency. If we take the experience in the US, we will be even more motivated to do more and now. In 1990, compared to the previous two decades, the US saw the highest juvenile arrest rate for violent crimes ever; teen arrests for forcible rape had doubled; teen murder rates quadrupled; suicide rate for teenagers tripled; and murders of children under the age of 14 tripled.

American experts have pointed out that the dropping levels of "emotional competence" seem to have a very direct bearing on these alarming statistics. The whole issue of "EQ" or emotional intelligence or emotional competence in our teenagers needs to be addressed. A Cornell University study did an international comparison of children's well-being. Its conclusion:

'In the absence of good support systems, external stresses have become so great that even strong families are falling apart. The hecticness, instability, and inconsistency of daily family life are rampant in all segments of our society, including the well-educated and well-to-do. What is at stake is nothing less than the next generation ...'.

Sir, in the US, the profile has also been studied, and the conclusion is that the "pathway to violence and criminality starts with children who are aggressive and hard to handle in first and second grades [ie, ages 7 - 8 years]." Is there hope for these children? Some success has been attained. Timely help can change attitudes and help aggressive kids learn to control anti-social behaviour before it leads them to more serious trouble. One such programme at Duke University worked with anger-ridden grade-school trouble makers. They were put through sessions for 40 minutes, twice a week, for 6-12 weeks. They benefitted, and in a controlled study, it was found that those going through the course became "much less disruptive in class, had more positive feelings about themselves, and were less likely to drink or take drugs. And, the longer they had been in the programme, the less aggressive they were as teenagers."

Sir, my purpose in bringing up this issue of "EQ" is to highlight that early intervention and assistance can help the individual and society. Our Prime Minister referred to this on 22nd December 1995 when he said, "Character determines whether a person succeeds in life or not. High IQ alone is not enough." He then referred to the book by Daniel Goleman entitled "Emotional Intelligence - Why It Can Matter More Than IQ" and the Straits Times had this to report about the Prime Minister:

`He had not heard of the term "Emotional Intelligence" when he was at school, he said, but on looking back, he realised that he had absorbed "a heavy dose of emotional intelligence" at RI. "It built my character. It gave me the emotional gravitas to lead."'.

Sir, the MCD needs to initiate such a programme, probably in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Home Affairs. Special attention needs to be given to the problem of the girls. The 400% rise in female juvenile delinquents deserves special attention.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin ( Nominated Member): Sir, the Inter-Ministry Committee under the chairmanship of the Minister came out with a commendable report. Would the Minister be good enough to tell the House:

(1) What recommendations of this report have already been implemented or are in the process of being implemented; and

(2) What are the plans for the other recommendations that have not begun the process of implementation.

In particular, could the Minister please elaborate on these four issues:

(i) In the IMC Report, the Committee suggests that MCD conducts studies to determine the profile of lower-income families in need of financial assistance. Has this study commenced?

(ii) The Committee also recommends that a separate centre should be set up by MCD to rehabilitate young drug addicts who should be kept apart from older and more hardened drug addicts. What plans are under way for this?

(iii) There is a recommendation to create a central database on young offenders to facilitate planning and research. Is the Ministry of Community Development or the Ministry of Home Affairs doing this?

(iv) It is stated in the Report that MCD will conduct a major study into the state of the Singapore families soon and this study will look at both healthy families and those in distress. Has this study begun? Would the Minister please give us some assurance that all these recommendations are under way or soon will be?

Mr Zulkifli bin Mohammed (Jalan Besar GRC): ( In Malay): Sir, in the last few years, Singapore has seen a new unwelcome trend, ie, the number of juvenile offenders has increased. In 1990, the number was 1,005 but this has increased to 1,300 this year. Last year, it had jumped to 2,009. This is a great increase, almost 115% within a period of five years. The picture is more shocking when we take into consideration the report by the police recently that for 1995, 10% of the juveniles and the youths who were arrested are those between 7 and 15 years old and the female juveniles who had been arrested are also increasing. 12.45 pm

Secondly, the report also shows that the crimes committed by them are becoming more serious. For instance, murder and rioting. As a small country with limited talent, we should be anxious about the long-term effect of these juvenile offenders because in future, they will become criminals. If we do not pay particular attention to this problem now, it will affect the future generation. The reasons why they are involved in crimes have been identified by the Inter-Ministry Committee on Dysfunctional Families, Drug Abuse and Juvenile Delinquency.

Sir, what we have acknowledged in Singapore is that the community should nurture strong family values as a long-term and effective solution to handle this problem. To achieve this objective, a consolidated approach among the Government Ministries and agencies should be stepped up. In this respect, I would like to hear from the Minister what are the recommendations of the Inter-Ministry Committee that have been implemented and what further measures will be taken to reduce the number of offences.

The Chairman: Mr Shanmugam is not here. Dr Soin, you can take your two topics together.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: Sir, my first cut is on before-and-after school care. The IMC report concluded that and I quote:

`Children who are left to fend for themselves while their parents are at work are more likely to fall into bad company. The Committee proposes that before-and-after school care services be provided for these children and, where possible, they should be based in school and run by voluntary groups.' In another part of the report, the IMC states that before-and-after school care services should be kept affordable. It is to be commended that MCD is already putting this recommendation into practice and is offering VWOs 80% of development expenditure and 50% of running costs for developing and operating before-and-after school care.

However, I feel that the Ministry must take on a much bigger role in before-and-after school care service besides the financing help. The Ministry is doing a good job in fulfilling this role in the provision of child care services. Some of the areas that require to be undertaken by the MCD in the case of before-and-after school care are:

(1) to formulate basic rules and regulations on the setting up of before-and-after school care;

(2) to define the roles and responsibilities of the providers of before-and-after school care and the minimum qualifications required of these providers;

(3) to set a standarised curriculum to ensure minimum standards and consistency and uniformity in the delivery of the programme and this may have to be done in conjunction with the Ministry of Education;

(4) to set guidelines on the fees chargeable and to ensure these fees remain affordable to children from lower income families - it might be necessary for the Government to give a subsidy to before-and-after school care just like it does for child care; and

(5) to take on the role of a consultant to provide consultant expertise to service providers.

In the matter of child care, as I have said, MCD is fulfilling these roles. Would the Minister consider the suggestion that his Ministry assume the same responsibilities in the case of before-and-after school care? This role of MCD is important as, besides physical custodial care, before-and-after school care will also impact on the child's moral and intellectual development. I would therefore urge the Minister to ensure that his Ministry take on a proactive and regulatory approach to the setting up and implementation of before-and-after school care facilities.

My next cut, Sir, is on mandatory reporting of child abuse. Presently, there is no law requiring mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect in Singapore. Data from a survey done in 1995 by the Children's Society indicate that there may be a high rate of under-reporting, perhaps as high as 80%. So the true incident rate is likely to be higher than what is officially reported. Would the Minister initiate a move to consider mandatory reporting of cases of child abuse and neglect handled by his Ministry, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health and VWOs?

The mandatory reporting should be done to the MCD who could then initiate investigations by social workers and the Child Welfare Section and take the necessary action. Here, it would be very relevant to quote the Minister himself before he assumed his Ministerial post and this is what he said in this House, in January 1993, during the Second Reading of the Children and Young Persons Bill, and I quote [Hansard, Vol. 60, col. 453]:

`I would like to say a few words about mandatory reporting by medical practitioners to the Protector of Children of cases of possible physical or emotional injury of children under their medical examination. I can understand the difficulties of enforcing such a system - the need for it in the local context and the possibility of such a system discouraging parents or guardians from seeking treatment for abused children. But this could at least reveal more cases which would otherwise be lost or hidden. So I do hope that the Ministry of Community Development and the Ministry of Health would not drop this subject altogether for the earlier mentioned reasons, but would continue to monitor the situation to see whether such an option need to be implemented here in future.'

If this view was held by the Minister three years ago, then I am sure that he will be supportive of the suggestion of mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect brought to the attention of VWOs, his Ministry, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Home Affairs. And finally, I would like the Minister to consider the setting up of a central registry of child abuse in addition to mandatory reporting.

The Chairman: Mrs Yu-Foo, you can take your two subjects together.

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: Sir, when we enter into the 21st century, we should focus on the problems of an aging population. At present, there are more and more nuclear families. Many young couples prefer to stay on their own. There will be more and more elderly parents who live on their own. This number will increase significantly and may pose social problems in the future.

As the family size is getting smaller, my concern is when the young couples and children are working during the day, who will take care of the elderly when they need assistance?

I see that there is a need for a community networking support system as well as close coordination between MCD and other relevant Ministries to ensure a more coordinated approach to service delivery. Are there any efforts made to mobilise grassroots, voluntary organisations and senior citizens' clubs as well as individuals, such as the well-elderly to give voluntary service to the elderly in need like home visits and to look after the basic needs of the elderly? And I would also like to ask the Minister whether the Ministry will set up more day care centres for the elderly.

Sir, in November 1995, Parliament passed the Maintenance of Parents Bill. I am pleased that in passing the Bill, the idea of a Tribunal received very favourable support from Members of this House. In passing the Bill, I was pleased that MCD has found an appropriate set-up which would allow for a more mediatory approach to a rather sensitive family matter. MCD has taken the feedback from the public well and incorporated a tribunal which will put in place a legal mechanism to help parents who need help to seek maintenance from their children while enabling the parties involved to sort out their problems in a less austere atmosphere of a court. More importantly, there is room for mediation and counselling, if necessary.

I understand that a Tribunal for the maintenance of parents will be set up soon. I would like to ask the Minister on the application and administration procedures of the Act and what sort of mechanism MCD has set up to implement the Act.

Mr Choo Wee Khiang (Jalan Besar GRC): ( In Mandarin): Sir, I often see handicapped and elderly people on wheel chairs moving about in the streets. However, I notice that most of our buildings and roads are not user-friendly to people on wheel chairs. On one occasion, I saw a person on a wheel chair trying to cross the junction of New Bridge Road and Upper Cross Street with great difficulty. There was no ramp on the curb of the road. So when this person came down from the curb, he almost fell off from his wheel chair. I would like to ask the Minister whether he has any long-term plan to provide better user-friendly facilities to facilitate the movement of handicapped and elderly people.

I feel that the Ministry of Community Development should set up a special planning committee comprising officers from the various Government Ministries and statutory boards, especially the LTA, Ministry of Health and MND, to look into the question of coordinating the activities of the various Government agencies in planning public facilities, with special consideration for the needs of elderly and handicapped people. At the moment, I understand that the Building Control Division, under the Ministry of National Development, stipulates the provision of certain facilities to be provided in the new towns for the benefit of the elderly and handicapped people. But I feel that this is not enough. I hope that the Minister can consider setting up a special planning committee to provide overall planning for the provision of user-friendly facilities for the handicapped and elderly people.

The second point I wish to bring up is on the question of work for the handicapped and elderly people. I would like to ask MCD whether there is any special agency to look after the employment needs of these people for the maintenance of their livelihood. Of course, the Ministry of Labour has a special agency to help the handicapped people to look for jobs. But elderly people and handicapped people have different employment needs. So I would like to ask the Minister for Community Development what role is his Ministry playing in this respect.

Next, on the question of respect for the aged. Filial piety and respect for the aged are the traditional virtues of Singaporeans. Parents brought up and cared for their children. Their contribution is very great, and it is because of this contribution that we have the Singapore of today. Family cohesiveness, respect for the aged and filial piety are very important aspects of our social lives. Just imagine, Sir, if we are a society that does not pay attention to filial piety and have no respect for the elderly, then parents will be discarded by their children. Our social order will be undermined, and this will lead to a vicious cycle which will undermine our social cohesion.

Sir, this will be a terrible situation. So I hope that we should start from the fundamental, ie, to respect the aged. I would suggest that the present "Senior Citizens' Week" be renamed as "Respect for the Elderly Week", so that the senior citizens will feel the respect and the care given to them. More importantly, we can use the Respect for the Elderly Week to encourage young people to pay respect to the aged. 1.00 pm

Mr R. Sinnakaruppan (Kampong Glam GRC): Sir, the information technology (IT) era has opened up a whole new world of opportunities and possibilities that would facilitate the way we work and the way we live. One special group of people who would benefit tremendously from IT are the handicapped. I strongly believe that initiating them into IT is one of the most effective ways to integrate them into the mainstream of life. IT would help to liberate all forms of physical limitations.

Sir, I recently officiated at the opening of the first computer centre for the handicapped initiated by the Handicaps Welfare Association. With the help of one of the polytechnics and the private sector, they have integrated innovative handicap-friendly input devices for the handicapped, so that even the paralysed can surf the Internet and write letters using word processor software. One of these beneficiaries told me and I quote:

`This project has taken the disillusion and boredom out of my life, and has added a new dimension and meaning to my existence. I can even contribute to the economy instead of just being a burden or a beneficiary.' I am very touched by what IT has done to his life.

With the advent of virtual organisations where people need not work under one roof, but from their homes through the PC, it will now be possible to enable and increase the participation of the disabled in our workforce. This would be a valued contribution from them, especially in our tight labour market. Employers must come forward to seize this mutually beneficial arrangement.

I would also like to strongly urge the Government to pay more attention to the promotion of IT for the handicapped by giving funds and facilities to initiate the handicapped to IT. Prof. Stephen Hawking, a Nobel Prize winner and a Mathematics professor from Cambridge University, is a shining example of how the handicapped can contribute to society at large. So I urge the Minister to do more for the handicapped in Singapore. And I join my colleague, Mr Choo Wee Khiang, in asking for a committee to be formed, not just for the facilities, but also to try and work with the Ministry of Labour to identify new job opportunities, particularly in the area of IT, for the handicapped in Singapore.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: Sir, my subject is on the employment of the disabled.

From available statistics, it appears that there are only 283 disabled persons employed by the various Government institutions and statutory boards. This number, when taken as a percentage of total Government employees, is insignificant and falls far below ideal expectations. The question that comes to mind is: why is there such a low employment rate of disabled persons in the public sector? Should the Government not lead by example, by opening up employment opportunities to the disabled and removing as many obstacles as possible to gainful employment?

Another issue in addressing the problem of unemployment of the disabled is the availability of data. Since the last survey on the employment of disabled persons was carried out in 1984, I understand there has been no similar compilation of data. I would like to suggest that the Ministry of Community Development takes on the major ownership of this challenge of addressing the needs and aspirations of the disabled for employment. And I would like to join my colleagues, Mr Choo and Mr Sinnakaruppan, in asking for the setting up of a high level committee. In particular, I would like to suggest a few areas that the Ministry can address:

(1) Documentation of data of the disabled people - to establish a profile of the general situation of disabled people and assist them in meeting their needs.

(2) Match-making role, ie, source employment opportunities and allocate jobs to the disabled by getting them in touch with their employers. This can be done in collaboration with VWOs who are already working in this area, eg, Bizlink.

(3) MCD can play an active role in ensuring that relevant VWOs, which provide training services to the disabled, follow up with the latter's vocational needs. And MCD can also educate other Ministries in dispelling the myths about the employment of disabled people which may be present.

I would therefore like to urge the Minister to ensure that his Ministry look into these areas so that the disabled would be less advantaged and marginalised in terms of employment.

Mr Choo Wee Khiang: ( In Mandarin): Sir, at the moment, besides the Singapore Indoor Stadium, we also have several regional mini indoor stadiums. Since the opening of the Singapore Indoor Stadium, many sports, cultural and entertainment activities have been carried out there. Spectators who attend these functions at this beautiful stadium find it comfortable and enjoyable. Apart from the contents of these programmes and activities, more importantly, the Indoor Stadium has very good, comprehensive and state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.

But if we look at the regional mini indoor stadiums, I think they are a far cry from the Singapore Indoor Stadium. For example, the Toa Payoh Indoor Stadium has very limited and inadequate facilities and equipment. It does not even have good, decent chairs. The ventilation is poor, and it is not suitable, even unhealthy, for sports events to be held there.

I hope that the Ministry of Community Development can upgrade these regional mini indoor stadiums, so that people of the various regions can go to their neighbourhood indoor stadiums, either to take part in or to watch the various activities.

On the question of upgrading the mini indoor stadiums, of course, it should include improvements to the sound system, flooring, air-conditioning, lighting and so on. Singapore has a very warm tropical climate. I think air-conditioning is very important for the mini indoor stadiums. After the upgrading, I am sure the mini indoor stadiums will be able to boost our sports activities. Since HDB flats are being upgraded, I think it is time for us to also upgrade these regional mini indoor stadiums.

Mr Kenneth Chen Koon Lap (Hong Kah GRC): Sir, I am speaking on sports associations.

I am greatly concerned about the recent incident where our national bodybuilder, Jojo Sinclair, was found guilty of drug taking. My main concern is not just on the act committed by the athlete herself, but that such incidents will invariably set back our promotion of sports excellence in Singapore and have a bad influence on our young sportsmen.

However, from time to time, there will be athletes who yield to the temptation of taking drugs to enhance their performance. My real concern is: how come the Singapore Bodybuilders' Federation, knowing that its member had been tested drug positive, chose to conceal the fact from the Singapore Sports Council and the public, and went ahead to nominate Jojo Sinclair for the Sportswoman of the Year award?

I understand that, to date, no action has been taken to censure them nor have the officials been taken to task, because the President of the Bodybuilders' Federation has refused to accept liability for the whole fiasco. And it seems that there is some confusion as to who has the authority to decide on the outcome of the whole sorry incident.

Therefore, I think it is time for the management of all sports associations in Singapore, especially those receiving funding through the Singapore National Olympic Council, to be made more transparent and accountable.

I am glad to note that the Singapore Sports Council is proposing to take some control measures over these sports associations. I hope that this control includes a certain degree of vigilance on the activities of the associations and the authority to discipline errant officials, just as any sportsman and sportswoman can be censured if they run foul of the rules and regulations of the respective sports governing bodies. It is important that we must have capable and dedicated officials to manage the various sports associations, because how they think and act will have profound influence on our young aspiring sportsmen and sportswomen.

The Chairman: Mr Sinnakaruppan, you may take your two subjects together.

Mr Sinnakaruppan: Thank you, Mr Speaker, Sir.

Universal games like soccer, basketball and hockey enjoy mass appeal in Singapore. In recent times, we hear of modern and trendy twists to these games. They call them street soccer, street basketball and street ball or street bandy. These games are not very different from the carpark soccer or the one-sided basketball or the carpark hockey that many of us have played in school as teenagers. Some people with the initiative have added fashion into these games and have made them trendy.

I think that these games have tremendous benefits for Singaporeans and are worthy of greater support from the Government. I have myself played all these three games, and a study at NTUC has found that it is possible to integrate all these three sports in one multi-purpose court. I have a diagram here which shows how this is possible and I will be happy to share with the Singapore Sports Council and the Minister how this can be done. I would therefore urge the Government to seriously look into the building of such multi-purpose courts. The reasons are simple.

Firstly, the generic version of these three sports is very popular in Singapore.

Secondly, in land scarce Singapore, teenagers have great difficulty in finding sports fields in HDB estates and, as a result, they resort to playing in the void decks, thereby causing potential danger to passers-by, especially senior citizens.

The courts that I am suggesting are very compact and integrating them means that it would be very space efficient and, therefore, would be cost-effective to build.

Thirdly, as I said, I have played these three games myself and I have found that playing any of these games for just about 10-15 minutes or, as Encik Yatiman has found out, even three minutes would give you an excellent workout. With our hectic pace of life, this would make the pursuit of exercise time efficient too.

Fourthly, building these courts in between several HDB blocks or precincts will be convenient and will pave the way for greater interaction amongst our young. It would help to foster a community spirit and a cohesive society. For example, it is common knowledge that the different ethnic groups pursue each of these sports: more Chinese play basketball, more Malays play soccer, and more Indians play hockey. Therefore, integrating these games would allow greater interaction of our young. Promoting these sports would be an excellent way of pursuing MCD's policies of social cohesion.

I know that the Minister for Community Development, Mr Abdullah, is a good sportsman and a rugby player. The Minister for National Development, Mr Lim Hng Kiang, is very keen to promote youth sports in his capacity as the Chairman of the National Youth Council. And the Minister for Health, BG George Yeo, wants more Singaporeans to exercise regularly. So I hope that their Ministries would work closely to look into this proposal and develop such multi-purpose courts in our HDB heartlands as soon as possible.

Sir, the other cut is on the S-League Competition. I want to declare my interest, if any, as the Advisor to the Balestier Central S-League team. 1.15 pm

The S-League due to be launched next month promises a lot of hope and excitement for soccer fans in Singapore. Will it be as successful as the British League or the Japanese J-League remains to be seen. The Government should assist in every way possible to make the S-League successful as S-League stands for Singapore League and Singapore is synonymous with success.

First, we must ensure that corruption is kept out of the S-League right from the start. This is imperative for the success of the S-League. Any player or official caught should be banned from soccer altogether. Only when soccer is clean, can fans enjoy the game as it is played and can the players put in their heart and soul to the game.

But whether we like it or not, we often find many Singaporeans engage in friendly bets on which team would win or by how many goals. Often, we hear of illegal syndicates operating betting dens. As much as the police are trying to eradicate these, it would be very difficult for the police to nab them when they start to shift from coffeeshops to operate through the Internet super highway.

So I would like to suggest to the Government to introduce an official games betting system like that in western countries. Last year, the Government has introduced and facilitated the off-course betting for horse racing punters. This could possibly be an extension of that.

The second point that I would like to raise is that there is an urgent need to upgrade the regional stadiums used for the S-League. The current capacity is in fact very low. This would seriously limit the fans who would want to watch their own team playing the game. For example, the recent game between Geylang United and Pahang had to be moved to the National Stadium because the Bedok Stadium had only a capacity of 3,000. I understand from the papers that 25,000 fans turned up for this game at the National Stadium.

I would therefore urge the Government to look into expanding the capacity of the regional or community stadiums so that the S-League teams can build up their fanfare and support. I would also like to find out from the Minister whether more teams would be added to the League after the pilot year and whether the present teams have raised sufficient funds that are needed for the League.

The Chairman: Mr Chay is not here. Mr Imram.

Mr Imram Bin Mohamed (Nominated Member): Sir, my topic is Database of Welfare Recipients.

The Government provides social assistance in the form of Public Assistance Scheme, Small Families Incentive Scheme, Rent and Utilities Assistance Scheme and several others for the destitute and needy. In addition, a number of VWOs are always providing financial assistance or assistance in kind to low income earners. As VWOs are not always aware of the assistance given by MCD or other VWOs to their recipients, overlap of cases will occur.

I would like to suggest that MCD compile a database of all welfare and social assistance recipients, including the assistance they receive from VWOs. This, of course, would require VWOs to submit all their cases to MCD for compilation. This data should be made available to VWOs to help them check and assess an applicant's financial situation before deciding on the kind of assistance to extend to the applicant.

Having access to such a database would prevent wastage of the manpower resources of VWOs to verify the applicant's data on their own. Furthermore, VWOs have limited finances which are derived mainly from donations. It is important that these finances are distributed to the poor according to their degree of need. Those genuinely in need should receive proper help. We can afford to be generous with this group of people. However, it is also equally important that the able-bodied are not being over assisted as to de-motivate them from trying to be self-reliant.

The Chairman: Dr Soin, you can take the three subjects together.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: The total Government expenditure on community development is only 1.9% of the Government budget. This includes Government financial assistance to VWOs. I feel, Sir, that as a more advanced developing country, we ought to be allocating more money to community development, as this includes support for the family, the elderly and the disadvantaged. If we pay less attention to this aspect of our national development, then economic success alone cannot further the overall national interest. I also realise that if there is a worthwhile project, the Government will help to fund it partially in the framework of the Many Helping Hands philosophy. This is all very well but, in the real world, things do not always work out as planned.

The Government provides VWOs 80% of capital cost and up to 50% of the recurrent cost to cater to the needs of the poor and the less advantaged sector of society. Unfortunately, Sir, this formula for sharing the financial burden is not always a viable option for VWOs and some worthwhile projects have not been undertaken or have not got off the ground by VWOs because of financial constraints.

Local foundations, corporations, individuals and the Community Chest are all doing their bit but donor fatigue is becoming more prevalent. I would therefore urge the Minister to consider two suggestions:

(1) To increase the share of Government financial assistance to VWOs so that the Government extends a bigger financial helping hand. This suggestion has also been made by Dr Vasoo.

(2) To consider the setting up of a community endowment fund which can be built up over a few years with the contribution from each year's budget surplus. The fund could be managed by NCSS to finance community projects over and beyond what the Community Chest is doing at the present and here I would like to declare my interest as a Board member of NCSS.

The next amendment is on the Social Effects of Regionalisation. The push towards regionalisation spells the emergence of a new phenomenon - the setting up of second families by husbands who work overseas. While our economy and businessmen are beneficiaries of going regional, the inadvertent victims are some wives and children. The number of reported incidence of second families, as they are called, may seem to suggest that the problem is not significant. But if you rely on statistics alone, we may miss the boat in attending to this problem while it is still in its early stage. These cases usually begin inadvertently with the husband taking advantage of regional opportunities and going overseas to work. And there he develops a relationship with someone he works with or someone he sees often, and soon he has two families: one at home and the other one abroad. After that, some husbands cut off contact with their local families and also stop assuming financial responsibility for these local families. Some husbands go to the extent of withdrawing all their savings from the local joint account. There are also reports that some older men take out all their CPF savings and go abroad and start second families. We can wring our hands in despair and resignation and say that we cannot do much to curb this anti-social behaviour. This is not an issue of women's rights. It is an issue that impacts on the integrity of the family, social stability of our country, juvenile delinquency, etc.

There are some measures that we can adopt to curb this problem. I will just mention three. (1) Corporations could be given tax incentives to encourage the hiring and creating of jobs for the spouses of the employees; (2) Arrangements could be made for the employees to fly back often to Singapore to keep in touch with their family; and (3) Singapore citizens working overseas should continue contributing to CPF. This is to ensure that there is enough CPF for a meaningful life-long financial plan for all the families, and that means Medisave and all the other benefits of the CPF plan.

I realise that many of these policies are outside the purview of the MCD, but I urge the Minister to take ownership of this problem as he and his Ministry are cognisant of the problem of second families and are supportive of the family. To quote from the IMC Report:

`MCD spearheads society's efforts to support the family. It should oversee all Government programmes and policies related to the family.'

So I do hope that the Minister would take this under his purview.

My next amendment is on Self-Help Groups. Although some Singaporeans, including myself, have reservations on forming self-help organisations along ethnic lines, these self-help organisations have become a fact of life in Singapore. The Prime Minister supports this approach of helping the various communities. However, with no disrespect meant at all to the Prime Minister's view, I would like to suggest an over-arching scheme of integration of the four self-help groups. I am aware that at the ground level, some programmes of the various groups are being jointly conducted but I feel that this is not enough. The area that could integrate all the groups is through the collection of funds for these groups.

At the present time, each working Singaporean contributes a small monthly sum which is disbursed to his or her assigned ethnic-based group. For Indians, the sum varies between $1 and $6, depending on the salary; for the Muslims, it is combined with the Mosque Building Fund and varies from $2 to $5; for the Chinese, the sum varies from 50 cents to $1. We could separate the Mosque Building Fund and then make working Singaporeans of the different communities pay similar amounts, according to their salaries, into a common fund. Then disbursements to the various self-help groups could be done from this common fund in proportion to the population ratio. On top of this, Sir, a Singapore citizen can be encouraged to contribute more to any or all of the self-help groups if he or she so desires.

The common fund will result in a pooling of the goodwill of all working Singaporeans towards the less fortunate and disadvantaged Singaporeans of the various communities. This gesture will help to bond the various communities in Singapore and make the self-help groups more meaningful and relevant by doing away with the method of collecting and disbursing funds along the fault lines of ethnicity. We would then truly be a sharing and caring society.

The Minister for Community Development (Mr Abdullah Tarmugi): Sir, I would like to thank Members for their overwhelming interest in the workings of the Ministry of Community Development this year. There are more than 20 speakers on this cut alone and invariably they wish that MCD has more money to carry out its work.

But let me begin, Sir, by sharing my observations on the challenges ahead of us. Looking into the future, four trends will gird the social fabric of Singapore. First, nuclear families will be the prevailing structure taking over multi-tier, multi-generational families who live under one roof. Second, dual working-parent families will be the norm. In the 25-30-year age group especially, 75% are working couples. Third, by 2020 one-fifth of our population will be 65 years of age and above. Fourth, more families will have a family member working overseas as Singapore goes regional.

These trends have very wide implications. They affect the care and the support system which has traditionally bolstered the family unit and the role of this unit itself. We are beginning to see strains in the social fabric, such as broken families, including divorces, juvenile delinquency and the repercussions on the quality of family life and care arrangement for the very young and the school children. 1.30 pm

Many of the questions raised by Members of this House reflect an appreciation of these concerns and implications. My Ministry shares these concerns and MCD is indeed proactive in facing these challenges. We do keep abreast by monitoring trends, profiles and developments and we review our work continually to ensure that policies and programmes are indeed relevant and prepare us for the problems ahead. We take into account feedback and inputs from a multi-disciplinary approach.

In preparation for the challenges ahead, MCD was restructured in April last year to focus on family support and family development. In the area of family support, the focus is on providing traditional welfare services. In family development, the emphasis is on strengthening families. This provides a good balance in preventive and remedial work, although increasing emphasis will be given to preventive services and programmes. In the coming years, more resources, both in terms of funds and manpower, will be needed for preventive measures. Because it makes sound economic sense to fund preventive measures as the dollars spent in such measures save many more in rehabilitative programmes.

Let me now move on to reply to the questions of the hon. Member for Yuhua and Chairperson for MCD's GPC. I would like to thank the Member also for her concern whether MCD has enough resources and whether it is structured to face the plethora of social issues. The Ministry's philosophy on welfare is to help those who need help in ways that do not breed dependency or weaken the motivation to work and that develop self-reliance. As far as possible, assistance is given to enable those assisted to uplift and rely on themselves or their future generations. In terms of service delivery, the preference is for the Many Helping Hands approach where, apart from Government, corporate citizens, community organisations, religious and voluntary groups, concerned citizens and grassroots groups play a part in providing these services and programmes. Government provides the catalyst, infrastructure, premises, financial and other resources, as well as advice and expertise where needed.

The next few years will see the implementation of the recommendations of the Inter-Ministry Committee on Dysfunctional Families, Juvenile Delinquency and Drug Abuse. I will refer this Committee as IMC for short. The recommendations are wide-ranging and emphasise both prevention and remedy. They address the problems of raising children in a more affluent, changing and fast-paced society where dual-income families have less time for their young. They seek to remind parents to strike a balance between economic and family well-being, and the recommendations offer greater participation from Government agencies, voluntary organisations and the individuals themselves. Indeed, Sir, this will put to test the Many Helping Hands approach of the Government.

On public education, I agree with Mrs Yu-Foo that it is important in raising awareness. I shall elaborate on this in my reply to the questions on IMC later. On her concern on MCD's budgetary and manpower provisions, I am pleased to inform the House that our recurrent budget has been increasing indeed. For FY95, for example, MCD's total recurrent budget, excluding provisions for People's Association (PA) and the Singapore Sports Council (SSC), was $100.98 million, reflecting an increase of 29.5% over FY94, largely due to the increase in child care subsidies and grants to voluntary welfare organisations. For FY96, MCD's total recurrent budget, excluding provisions for PA and SSC again, is $140.25 million, which is an increase of 38.9% over FY95. The increase is mainly for financing self-help groups, which now come under my Ministry, for additional grants to voluntary welfare organisations and for implementation of the recommendations of the IMC.

Social intervention, Sir, be it preventive or remedial, is by its very nature labour-intensive and long-drawn. It is a long haul. Therefore, more resources, both financial and manpower, in terms of number and quality are needed. On its part, MCD will continue to recruit, train and retain good officers and tap on the expertise and commitment of volunteers available in the community. This will be an on-going challenge in the face of a tight labour market and the competing demands for manpower and space in this country.

My Ministry has commissioned two national surveys - one on senior citizens and the other on families in Singapore. The findings of the first one, ie, the senior citizens survey, will be available very soon and it will provide my Ministry, the Ministry of Health and the voluntary welfare organisations with information to plan new services for the elderly. In the longer term, and for planning purposes, the second national research on families in Singapore; which is the first of such surveys ever done, will provide benchmark information on the state of the families in Singapore, how families function and cope with responsibilities. These findings will be used to consider what else can be done and how, as a nation, we can continue to keep our families healthy.

Let me now refer to Mr Chandra Das' question about self-help groups and the suggestion to increase the funding. Self-help groups organised and led by ethnic community leaders have set out to assist the less able members of their respective communities to level up and to improve. They have revitalised the spirit of mutual help and self-reliance which has been with us since our pioneering days.

Their programmes have built up within their respective communities a sense of confidence that the less able among them can and indeed have improved. All the self-help groups - CDAC, Mendaki, Sinda, AMP and Eurasian Association - have education as their main programme. Some have gone into the area of skills training and skills upgrading and family development or into helping families in distress. It is correct for self-help groups to concentrate on these areas of immediate concern as these are the principal instruments for improving the condition of the family and the community. The Government will continue to give the groups the following support and assistance:

(1) Total grants in the form of dollar-for-dollar matching on contributions made by members of the respective communities, up to a maximum of $5.65 million a year;

(2) Grants to offset GST paid by the groups, estimated at about $0.18 million;

(3) Subsidies to offset market rental of premises occupied by the groups, estimated at $0.54 million;

(4) Capital grant for land lease and renovation of premises for occupation by these groups is about $7.56 million spent so far;

(5) Assistance to find land and premises for the groups to run their programmes; and

(6) Helping the groups to collect contributions through the CPF check-off system.

Sir, the self-help groups have done good work. I agree with the Member. I too congratulate them on their achievements. But any effort to uplift any community or any of its components is a long haul process requiring a lot of dedication and a lot of commitment. Government will continue to support the self-help groups in carrying out their existing programmes and will encourage them to set up new programmes should these help to promote the primary objective of helping the less able members of their community to level up. So long as the programmes for the self-help groups achieve the objectives or enhance their effectiveness, additional funding by the Government will be considered.

Dr Vasoo asked about money and support given to VWOs. VWO is the main partner of the Government to provide facilities and community-based services for the aged, disabled and low-income families. There are a lot of funding and lots of subsidies given to these organisations. For example:

• full subsidy of state land and/or premises;

• HDB premises at concessionary rental;

• funding of capital expenditure of 80%;

• funding of operating expenditure of 50%;

• granting waiver of development charge;

• granting tax exemption for donation;

• granting exemption of COE and vehicle taxes for vehicles;

• providing assistance for recruitment of staff; and

• providing free medical treatment to clients of VWOs.

I am pleased, Sir, to announce that Government has approved an increase in capital grant from 80% to 90%; for development projects which was previously 80:20, now it will be 90:10, and to fund cyclical maintenance and repairs of VWO facilities also at 90% of the cost.

From 1990, when the Government's financial assistance scheme for VWOs was launched to-date, MCD has disbursed a total amount of $29.6 million to the VWOs. This amount comprises capital grant of $10.21 million and operating grant of $19.39 million. For the next five years up to the year 2000, about $68.5 million will be spent to support the 90% capital funding for proposed new facilities and 90% funding for cyclical maintenance, and the existing 50% funding for operating expenses for both existing and new facilities.

While the Government will provide as much financial support to the VWOs as possible so that the VWOs can devote more of their time and energy to deliver better services, it is important that welfare programmes should also receive on-going community support and participation. We must continue to retain the fund-raising tradition of the community to reflect our caring society.

Expansion of existing programmes such as homes for the aged and disabled, family service centres and before-and-after school care centres will be implemented in the next five years. This again will be elaborated in my report of the IMC afterwards.

Dr Vasoo also posed some questions on social problems and asked for the progress of the IMC recommendations. I will again reply when speaking on the IMC afterwards.

Mr Low Thia Khiang thinks MCD is not doing enough for the less fortunate and pushing its responsibility to VWOs. The Member assiduously cited newspaper reports of the many social problems facing us and claimed that many more went on unreported. Mr Low must realise that even in countries where the social security and welfare net are very generous and well developed, social problems do not entirely disappear, and that even with the most comprehensive programme and outreach effort, there would still be instances of unreported social problems. This is no comfort to us. But to insinuate that this is the cause of Government's lack of concern is, I think, unfair. Mr Low alleges that Government, while pushing its responsibility to the voluntary welfare organisations, is not giving VWOs sufficient support.

I have just now given some idea of the kind of support given to VWOs. Our Many Helping Hands approach has proved to be successful. While the Government will definitely do its part to serve the needs of the people, the community must also play a part to help its less fortunate members. By involving other sectors of the population in Singapore, we have built a better appreciation of the plight of the less fortunate and are better able to generate compassion and bonding of the people. The community, through its members and dedicated volunteers, are often able to better deliver services to specific target groups as they are more focused in their activities. The Government acts as a catalyst, as I mentioned earlier, in spearheading programmes and provides infrastructure and resources.

The Government indeed recognises the work and worthy contributions of the VWOs. I would like to inform Members that Government's financial support to VWOs is not confined to the 50% recurrent fund. We fund much more. We provide much of the development cost of new projects. The Government also provides the infrastructure, the land, the premises which run to millions of dollars. In addition, other assistance is also given in the form of tax exemption of funds raised, assistance in the recruitment of foreign workers, and provision of medical and other forms of subsidies for those who are in need. 1.45 pm

Let me now pay attention to Mr Kenneth Chen's question on the importance of family values and whether there are sufficient funds to promote SFV. Sir, the $1 million Singapore Family Values (SFV) fund was launched by the Prime Minister in 1994 to encourage and complement the private sector's efforts in promoting the SFV. The $1 million fund was to be spread over a five-year period which means an average of $200,000 per year.

In FY95, Sir, MCD spent $385,000 from the SFV fund. This is more than double the $151,000 spent in FY94. In terms of projects and activities, there were also twice as many in FY95 as compared to FY94. In FY95, greater exposure was given to the SFV. This includes publicity in the various media, projects and activities in the schools, self-help groups, VWOs, NTUC and private sector organisations.

The amount spent on the promotion of family values is actually much more than the $385,000 spent in FY95, as this amount only reflects Government money spent. The private sector co-shares some of the SFV projects. Moreover, several private sector organisations also help to sponsor the promotion of SFV. This is as it should be as the Government's intention is for the community to promote SFV so that it will not be yet another Government campaign.

In addition to the SFV fund, MCD also uses money from another MCD vote for the promotion of SFV as part of the Family Life Education Programme. In FY95, the expenditure from this vote was $490,000.

I thank the Member for Hong Kah GRC for his support and concern over whether Government has enough funds for this critical function. I also would like to thank Mrs Yu-Foo for bringing up the same issue. Values have to be passed from generation to generation and Government will sustain the programme. As the SFV fund sponsors suitable private sector projects on a cost-sharing basis and a lot depends on whether private sector sponsors are forthcoming, it is a little early at the moment to state categorically whether the funds are sufficient. If and when there are worthwhile projects and funds are low, MCD will certainly seek additional Government funds.

Dr Lee Tsao Yuan yesterday spoke on the possible linkage between child care and mothers who are working. Sir, with better education and change in expectations among women and as people become used to the economic benefits of dual income families, more women will continue to want a career. This trend seems irreversible. Undoubtedly, these developments will have an impact on the family and care of the children. But how it affects the quality of child care is however not clear.

Some studies do show a correlation between women's participation in the labour force and the rise in juvenile delinquency, eg, broken families, drug abuse, and so on. However, some other studies have indicated differently. That is, children have better relationship with their parents where the mothers work and that these children indeed benefited from their mother's broad experience from the working environment.

Dr Lee suggested that MCD initiate research on the societal implications of the increasing female labour force participation rate in Singapore, particularly on the implications for child care. I have earlier indicated that a national study on the state of families in Singapore will commence this year. The benchmark study on the families will address, inter alia, (a) the impact of work pressure on the family; (b) the situation of working couples and dual career parents; (c) the impact of various social, economic and structural factors on the family; and (d) the impact of existing Government policies and measures.

The Member will appreciate that the quality of child care is not solely determined by the female labour force participation rate. This study, when completed, would go some way to serve this and address the issues which Dr Lee is concerned about. More focused studies could then be mounted to address specific issues.

Sir, let me now turn to the questions on IMC. This will answer the questions posed by Dr Vasoo, Mrs Yu-Foo, Dr Soin and also Dr Beng and I will take them together. I am pleased to inform the House that following Government's acceptance of the IMC Report, Ministries identified as lead agents and responsible for implementing the recommendations have started work. They will be reporting to an Inter-Ministry Coordinating Committee, chaired by my Permanent Secretary, on a quarterly basis. I will highlight the developments on the main recommendations.

Before-and-after School Centres (BASCs)

My Ministry will be working with non-profit organisations to set up more BASCs for primary school children. Special attention will be given to children from low income families who do not have satisfactory care arrangements when their parents are at work. There will be Government funding for the programme and we are also considering subsidising parents who need help for sending their children to BASCs.

Family Service Centres (FSCs)

Several IMC recommendations have stressed the importance of and the need to have more family service centres. Another 10 will be set up in the next five years bringing the number to 34 by the year 2000. FSCs will receive more funding so that they can provide a more comprehensive range of family support services. In addition, my Ministry will be funding training programmes to enhance the skill of social workers in these agencies to meet new challenges. More counsellors and social workers will definitely be needed for the new and existing FSCs and other support programmes. Therefore, additional recurrent funding which Government will be giving to FSCs to start from 1st April 1996 is to part fund the cost of one additional social worker for each FSC. My Ministry will also be working closely with the Social Work and Psychology Department of NUS on increasing the intake and training of social workers.

Low Income Families

To help low income families tide over their financial problems, the Rent and Utilities Assistance Scheme (RUAS) will be extended to needy families in rented 3-room HDB flats and those in purchase 2- and 3-room HDB flats by paying their conservancy and utility charges. Children from low income families attending childcare centres will also receive financial help to pay the deposit and fees. Grants will be given to the voluntary sector to administer these financial schemes.

Mrs Yu-Foo enquired whether assistance is available for the low educated who cannot read the public education materials relating to parenting and pre-marital issues. For those who cannot read, the intention is to brief them through social services, religious and community groups. My Ministry has recently published an information booklet on the various schemes and measures to help low income families. Copies have been distributed to Members of the House and are available upon request for interested members of the public.

Early Detection

Sir, early detection and help given to families and individuals at risk will nip social problems in the bud. Early intervention alleviates distress and increases the success rate of social intervention. I think this will address Dr Beng's concern on the need for early intervention.

The Ministry of Education has embarked on two specific efforts to reach out to students and their families. First, MOE will be working on an early detection checklist to help schools identify high risk students. Second, schools will be given more resources to provide counselling.

Public education

Detection and curative measures are but one aspect of the IMC recommendations. Public education and awareness is another. In this regard, my Ministry has been identified to be the central agency to develop and coordinate Family Life Programmes to prepare and help families play their role and inculcate positive and wholesome family values. This is an important direction which is targeted at both families in distress and those that are fully functional. The primary objective is to nurture, protect and multiply strong families in our society.

Dr Beng suggested making attendance at marriage preparation programmes a prerequisite to registration for marriage. Sir, marriage is a personal right and I think it is difficult for Government to make attendance compulsory. However, MCD will actively promote Family Life Programmes that help couples prepare for the stresses and responsibilities that are part and parcel of marriage life as well as their roles as spouses, parents and members of an extended family. Such programmes would be targeted at both couples considering marriage and those who are registering for marriage. MCD's effort will supplement what many religious bodies are already doing in terms of marriage preparation.

For some time already, MCD has a public education programme, but more will be done. I am happy to announce that starting this year, MCD has secured an additional $2.2 million of annual budget to boost its public education programmes on family life. And for better coordination of Family Life Programmes, the Family Life Education Coordinating Unit (FLECU) of the Ministry of Health will be transferred to MCD on 1st April 1996. In other words, MCD will take over all the current functions of FLECU except those concerning health matters. Research on Families

As I mentioned earlier, my Ministry will be embarking on a national research on families in Singapore. A consultant from NUS will be appointed to conduct this research survey and it is expected to commence later this year.

Drug Abuse and Juvenile Delinquency

Sir, last week, the Minister for Home Affairs and the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs briefed the House extensively on the efforts to promote preventive drug education programme in schools and the revamped drug regime. It is therefore not necessary for me to go over the same ground.

On juvenile delinquency, the Committee headed by Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee will address concerns and will also look into the team approach as proposed by Dr Arthur Beng.

I come now to Dr Arthur Beng's comment on the involvement of community support groups (CSGs). I am pleased to inform the House that, since 1991, RCs have formed 181 CSGs to assist residents in matters such as helping neighbours in need, mediating disputes and simple household repairs. Funded by the People's Association (PA), another 182 CSGs will be formed this year. Members will be trained in crime prevention, effective communication, simple household repairs and other relevant skills. The CSGs are very well placed to help address the problems highlighted by the IMC.

Sir, I have focused on the main recommendations. The pace of implementation will depend on operational considerations, including availability of premises and manpower. More training will be given to social and youth workers. The response of the voluntary welfare organisations working with the various lead Ministries has been good and encouraging.

I will be chairing a Ministerial Steering Committee to provide policy direction and coordinate the implementation of those recommendations which cut across Ministries, especially those requiring the combined effort of the various groups. Both the Inter-Ministry Coordinating Committee under PS(MCD), which I mentioned earlier, and the Inter-Ministry Committee on Juvenile Delinquency under Prof. Ho Peng Kee will report to the Steering Committee. Also reporting to this Committee is the Inter-Ministry Committee on Management of Discipline in Schools chaired by the Director of Education. The Minister for Home Affairs and the Minister for Education will be sitting in the Steering Committee with me. 2.00 pm

Sir, let me now move on to Dr Soin's question on before-and-after-school centres. I do not think that we should get Parliament to enact legislation to regulate before-and-after-school centres. This would, in my view, be an overkill. Unlike childcare centres, BASCs cater to all school-going children who are able to speak up about the service and facilities provided in the centres. But this does not mean that it will be a free for all. There are guidelines on the use of space, staffing, nutrition, hygiene, safety measures and the programmes that should be provided in the BASCs.

BASCs funded by the Government are required to follow these guidelines which are set by my Ministry. We also investigate complaints and, where substantiated, my officers will get the operators to rectify. We will also look into financial help to parents who have difficulty in paying for their children to attend the BASC.

On child abuse, Dr Soin has raised the issue of mandatory reporting. The issue of mandatory reporting has been discussed time and again over the years by my Ministry as well as the professionals. Views among the professionals are divided. Theoretically, mandatory reporting ensures that all the victims are rescued. Reporting is seen to be the first step in stopping the abuse and providing immediate help for the child, particularly for very young children who are unable to seek help for themselves.

Several countries like the US, Australia and Malaysia have mandatory reporting laws. Most legislation require medical and related professionals to report cases of suspected child abuse. In some countries, this is extended to the public.

Sir, I had the opportunity to discuss this subject quite extensively with professionals from both the government and voluntary sectors during my recent visit to Australia. From our discussions and from other reports of countries with mandatory reporting, my Ministry is just not convinced now that mandatory reporting should be introduced in Singapore; not just yet.

I understand that there is now a debate among professionals in Australia and in the US on the merits of mandatory reporting. Many professionals doubted that mandatory reporting has served its objectives and instead caused stress to a number of individuals and families. It was noted that, for example:

(a) Mandatory reporting is difficult to enforce. The rate of non-compliance among professionals is high, about 60%, in the USA.

(b) A large number of complaints were unsubstantiated and this resulted in stress and trauma for a number of children and families. There is also bias towards poor families, as such families tended to be reported more often.

(c) It also meant depletion of resources, which should be best directed to deal with genuine cases.

(d) There was no evidence to show that children were better or actually protected because of mandatory reporting.

Sir, there is concern that mandatory reporting may actually deter parents or guardians from seeking help, or even medical treatment for the abused child. This will put the child in a worse off position. But MCD will continue to monitor the situation and keep our minds open on the issue of mandatory reporting.

On the registry of child abuse cases, my Ministry is working closely with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education as well as some voluntary organisations to set up such a registry.

Sir, Mrs Yu-Foo touched on several issues on support services for the elderly. The 1990 population census shows that the majority of our elderly are living with their families. The Government will continue to encourage this situation. However, increasingly, more young couples prefer to live on their own and are also working. To assist families to care for their elderly members, the Government has implemented a wide range of community-based support services to meet the varying needs of the elderly. These include day-care centres for the frail elderly, home help service for home-bound elderly, domiciliary medical and nursing care services, respite care provided in some nursing homes and community hospitals, the befriender service and meal services. For the well aged, there are senior citizens' clubs to which the elderly can go to keep themselves occupied and to socialise.

I agree with the Member on the need for a strong community support network and coordinated approach to ensure better service delivery to help those in need. This indeed, Sir, is the approach adopted by the Government.

On the issue of coordination, there are various levels of committee and working groups, both formal and informal, already in place to ensure coordination and networking between agencies.

(a) The National Advisory Council on the Family and Aged (NACFA), chaired by me, looks into issues relating to the family and the aged, and advises the Government on programmes and services. This committee is represented by officials from the relevant Ministries, statutory bodies and VWOs as well as private individuals.

(b) An MCD and NCSS steering committee, chaired jointly by the PS of MCD and President of NCSS, further ensures coordination in planning and implementation of services in the various sectors by both Government and voluntary sectors.

(c) Lastly, MCD, MOH, NCSS and the People's Association have working committees which periodically review and monitor implementation of programmes and policies for the elderly.

On community participation, there are measures to mobilise grassroots organisations and individuals in the care of the elderly and the promotion of mutual help among the elderly. On the involvement of grassroots organisations, the People's Association promotes social and recreational activities to encourage the elderly to lead active and meaningful lives through the senior citizens' clubs. In addition, PA, through its RCs, promotes mutual help schemes to encourage mutual exchange of help among senior citizens in the neighbourhood. There are presently 48 such groups. We hope to have 171 of these groups by the year 2000.

The befriender service was implemented by MCD in 1982. Under this scheme, volunteers, including healthy elderly, make visits to homes of lonely and frail elderly to provide assistance.

Participation of community groups is also encouraged through the rental housing improvement project for the elderly, jointly implemented by MCD and HDB. Under this project, senior activity centres (SACs) run by voluntary welfare organisations are set up at the void decks of identified blocks to provide services for the elderly. These SACs also tap the community resources and mobilise volunteers, grassroots organisations, schools and other civic groups in the neighbourhood to provide assistance to the elderly in their daily needs.

Apart from these, my Ministry is also looking into the implementation of a local chapter of Retired Senior and Volunteer Programme (RSVP). The RSVP is an international programme which encourages the active participation of the elderly in voluntary work. Our elderly is a pool of valuable resource which has been left largely untapped. The establishment of RSVP will provide opportunities for our elders to utilise their knowledge and experience to help others and to contribute to others' well being.

Mrs Yu-Foo also asked about the progress on the setting up of the Tribunal for the maintenance of parents. I am pleased to inform the House that the Tribunal will be operational in June this year. It will be located in the premises of my Ministry.

A three-member Tribunal will be established to hear and determine all applications made under the Act. The Tribunal will be presided by a President who is equivalent to a District Judge. A Commissioner will also be appointed to make applications on behalf of applicants of or above 60 years of age, if required, or to represent such applicants in any proceedings. The Ministry is currently looking into the appointments.

A work unit has been set up and the Secretary to the Tribunal has been appointed. We are working on the finer details of the rules and administrative procedures. These details will be announced to the public nearer the date of implementation.

Mr Choo Wee Khiang asked about the help given to the handicapped and the elderly. He said that most old buildings are not user-friendly to the handicapped. It is Government's policy to encourage the integration of the disabled and the aged to enable them to stay with or close to their families and within the community. As such, efforts are directed at helping the integration process where possible and where practical.

The Building Controls Regulations of 1989 and the Code of Barrier-Free Accessibility in Buildings require new and existing buildings undergoing major retrofitting to provide barrier-free facilities for the physically handicapped. The Code was last revised in 1995 by the Building Control Division in consultation with the Handicaps Welfare Association and the Singapore Institute of Architects. The Code, however, does not apply retrospectively to existing buildings with no plans for retrofitting. It will be too costly and also, in some cases, such conversions are simply not feasible.

For the design of parks and public facilities, the Government incorporates barrier-free features, such as ramps, footpath systems, benches and toilets which are suitable for use by the disabled. All the existing health facilities including those located in old buildings, where possible, are accessible and user-friendly to the aged and the disabled.

As part of Government efforts, a tax incentive scheme in the form of a one-off deduction against income for expenditure incurred in building modifications for the disabled was introduced in 1989. This, we hope, would encourage owners of buildings to pay attention to these facilities.

Public education and awareness programmes have been mounted by the National Council of Social Service and other organisations to create awareness of the need to make facilities more accessible to the disabled.

On job placement, there is already a centralised agency for the disabled on employment matters. This is the Bizlink Centre Singapore which provides training and employment programmes for the disabled. The Bizlink Centre provides information and referral services, undertakes vocational assessment and employment placement, and also assists in business development. Where the disabled are not suitable for open market employment, Bizlink arranges for placement in sheltered workshops or day activity centres.

As for employment of the elderly, the Singapore Action Group of Elders (SAGE) has in place an employment service. It maintains a register of elderly job applicants and employers with job vacancies suitable for the elderly. Its staff conduct interviews to assess the elderly's job expectations and provide the necessary matching and job placement service.

Mr Sinnakaruppan spoke on IT for the handicapped. I agree with the Member that people with disabilities do have special or residual activities which can be nurtured and, indeed, can be tapped. Currently, Bizlink Centre Singapore Limited, in collaboration with voluntary welfare organisations serving the disabled, assesses the disabled on their suitability for employment placement and also for vocational training. Bizlink Centre also makes recommendations on the vocational training needs of the disabled person where necessary. 2.15 pm

The National Council of Social Service has taken every opportunity to include the disabled in their programmes and to promote an understanding of the disabled and to integrate them with society. Annually, NCSS mounts a public education awareness programme on the disabled.

On IT and computer training, I agree that this is very useful for the disabled. Special schools for the disabled which are funded by the Ministry of Education and NCSS have implemented computer-assisted educational and training programmes. VWOs, like the Handicaps Welfare Association, the Singapore Association for the Deaf and the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped have also introduced information technology in the training of their members and clients. We should be mindful that not all disabled persons can benefit from computer training. Nevertheless, the Government is supportive of such efforts to provide such training to the disabled and we will continue to do so.

On the Member's suggestion that disabled persons be invited to the May Day Carnival to demonstrate their abilities and skills, I will ask my officials to discuss this with NCSS and we can certainly support this initiative.

Sir, Dr Kanwaljit Soin has raised several issues on the disabled and their employment. Sir, the last study on the problems and needs of the disabled was conducted in 1985. The Central Job Placement Service and Production Workshop of Bizlink Centre are the outcome of the findings and recommendations of the study.

In 1989, the Advisory Council on the Disabled recommended that periodic surveys and research into the needs of disabled people be carried out to provide data for planning. As the data maintained by the Ministry of Health and the VWOs serving the disabled complemented each other, and together they provided the necessary information for this assessment as well as planning of services, no study was carried out since then. But as part of its periodic review on the disabled, my Ministry and the NCSS are currently looking into the need for such a study.

She also asked about Government and statutory boards employing the disabled. I can assure the Member that the Government and statutory boards are actively looking into employment of the disabled where they can be taken in.

Mr Choo Wee Khiang sought the upgrading of all regional sports stadia and also for a mini-indoor stadium. Sir, existing sports facilities are constantly being upgraded to keep pace with the demand and to provide the public with quality sports facilities. Towards this end, the SSC has a 5-year rolling programme to carry out upgrading and cyclical maintenance on the existing sports facilities. Some of the regional sports halls or mini-indoor stadiums will also be included in the upgrading plan. For example, the SSC has plans to air-condition one of these halls to serve as an alternative venue to the Singapore Indoor Stadium for indoor sports competitions which require a small seating capacity.

Mr Kenneth Chen commented on the behaviour of some NSAs in Singapore. Sir, the Singapore Sports Council and the Singapore National Olympic Council view drug abuse very seriously and will indeed tighten up measures to ensure that our sports persons do not resort to drug abuse. In this regard, the SSC and the SNOC are looking into the formation of a doping control commission to implement control measures against drug abuse among sportsmen and sportswomen.

The nomination and selection of athletes for sports award is a proper and well established process. The onus, Sir, lies with the nominating party to act responsibly and with integrity. In the case referred to, there are prima facie indications that certain facts have indeed been misrepresented and declarations have not been truthful. The SNOC has taken steps to obtain the relevant documents and reports. At this stage, investigations are still underway.

On its part, Sir, the Singapore Sports Council has also suspended all monies and grants to the Singapore Bodybuilders' Federation. This is in view of the suspension of the Federation from international bodybuilding competitions.

The SNOC and SSC together with NSAs are also looking into improving the management system of our sporting bodies. The SNOC and SSC hope to work closer with the NSAs to better promote sports in Singapore.

As regards the S-League competition, the Government has an interest in promoting mass sports, especially soccer, as it is indeed a very popular sport and rallies people of all races and all walks of life together. The progress in the last few months has shown that the S-League is heading in the right direction. The Government has contributed $10 million towards the upgrading of the eight venues of the S-League. The FAS has set up a board and the Singapore Professional Football League (Pte) Ltd to run the S-League. The administration of the various S-League clubs too is well in place for the League to take off. The date is set for 14th April 1996 when the Prime Minister will launch the S-League in Singapore.

As the S-League is a major national sports project, several Members of Parliament have been invited to be advisors for each of the S-League clubs. The FAS and SSC hope that strong support can be drawn from the community. This includes the support from organisations and sponsors and the enthusiastic Singapore fans to make S-League a success.

I assure the Member that Singapore Professional Football League (Pte) Ltd, SSC, MCD and the police will not let corruption spoil the name of the game. It will therefore look into instances of corruption, if any, very assiduously.

On official betting for football, I can ask SSC to look into the possibility of implementing such a system.

On whether the number of teams in the S-League will be expanded, I think this will have to depend on how the S-League progresses and perhaps this will be looked into later as the S-League becomes better established.

Dr Soin raised the issue of the community endowment fund. I wish Dr Soin had raised this question direct with the Minister for Finance and I thank the Member for her concern. But, Sir, the idea of a trust fund or an endowment fund appears attractive. The intention to provide MCD with more money is definitely always welcome. However, the Government already has two trust funds - the 25th Anniversary Charity Fund and the Silver Jubilee Fund. The former was jointly set up in 1990 by the Government and the people to commemorate 25 years of independence. The fund raised $190 million with Government contributing $95 million. $31.3 million of the fund has been set aside as an endowment fund to help the destitutes and low income families.

The earlier and much smaller Silver Jubilee Fund was set up in 1936 as a charitable fund for the destitutes in Singapore. The money for this fund was raised through Government contribution and public subscription. It has a capital of only about $6 million. The fund continues to receive money from various organisations and individuals. It provides public assistance allowance to destitutes, old age allowance, condolence grant for funerals and educational grant to children from poor families. What we need, Sir, is additional contribution to increase the endowment of these funds so that more income can be generated for the VWOs to carry out their programmes. The funds are open and keen to receive donations which will be tax exempt.

Dr Soin also raised questions on the social impact of regionalisation. I am sure we all appreciate the concerns of the NMP, Sir, when she spoke on the social impact of regionalisation and especially on the setting up of second families.

A small scale study was carried out by the Institute of Policy Studies. It showed that the problem of second families abroad appears to be rather over-stated. But I agree that this is something which would be difficult to get true statistics on because the kind of replies given may not be really the truth. But the study showed that Singaporean expatriates, particularly if they were males and alone, were indeed exposed to various temptations abroad. Some Singaporean expatriates themselves have offered suggestions on how to combat such temptations. I think these are worth considering as some of the suggestions put forward by the Member are worth considering.

The examples of such suggestions which we have received are supportive networking with other Singaporeans stationed in the same city, and more Singapore clubs overseas and a newsletter on Singapore activities such as that published by the Singapore International Foundation to keep Singaporeans in touch with their fellow Singaporeans. There is also a suggestion for adequate preparation and efforts to maintain regular contacts with family members and friends. These have been reported to be effective preventive antidotes for combatting loneliness abroad. In cases where the family is adversely affected by geographical separation, counselling, admonition and support from significant persons such as members of the extended families, colleagues and friends, employers and community leaders can help families resolve their emotional problems.

Should Government take a strong interventionist approach? I would advise caution. How does the Government interfere? Legislate against forming second families abroad? How does Government monitor what is going on surreptitiously elsewhere? Should Government control the movements of husbands while abroad? Should Government punish straying partners? Sir, it would be more prudent to give information, advise them to take precautions and provide facilities and services for family members and their loved ones to keep in regular contact while overseas. Employers, I think, can play a very big part in this. I would urge companies to provide for wives and family members to accompany their employees where practical and feasible, particularly on long term postings.

As I said, the ideas put forward by the Member can be looked into, perhaps by the National Advisory Council on the Family and the Aged. Perhaps she could advise relevant agencies like the Ministry of Education, Singapore National Employers Federation, Singapore International Foundation and other bodies on this.

Dr Soin also raised the issue of CPF contributions to self-help groups. Sir, Singapore is a multi-ethnic nation. Each of the ethnic groups has its own tradition of self-help. Examples are the spirit of gotong royong among the Malays, the mutual benefit and the clan associations of the Chinese. It is this spirit of mutual help and self-reliance that stood our forefathers in good stead when they crossed the oceans to come to Singapore to start a new life. 2.30 pm

As I mentioned earlier, the self-help groups have done a marvellous job in helping the less able members of their community to improve and adapt to the rapid economic and social changes in Singapore. They have fostered a sense of confidence in their respective communities. It would therefore be unwise to dismantle this structure and replace it with a common pool of resources. I will give you my reasons.

Contributing to their respective self-help groups fosters a sense of ownership, of commitment, of self-reliance. To impose a common pool on this existing structure could result in the diminution of the total amount collected as those who do not subscribe to helping others outside their community could opt out or reduce their contributions. This incident has been experienced elsewhere. The Government finally accepted the reality that the best motivators of parents and their children which the self-help groups focus on are the leaders of the community who would empathise with them.

Dr Soin's reservations lie in the perceived divisiveness of the Malays contributing to Mendaki, the Indians to Sinda, the Chinese to CDAC and the Eurasians to the Eurasian Association. I would like to assure the Member that Government is always concerned with this. It is very sensitive to this. This concern is being addressed in other ways. The self-help groups are themselves conscious of this and have taken measures liking having joint activities in youth outreach work, research projects and education programmes. These joint programmes have enabled the self-help groups to maximise their resources and facilities and facilitate a closer working relationship among them. Such joint activities will in fact foster inter-racial understanding. What is crucial is the type and quality of leadership in these bodies. They must set the tone, they must set the example, they must ensure that the self-help groups do not become closed entities and that chauvinism does not develop under the guise of service to the community.

I think I have answered all the questions, Sir.

Mr Imram bin Mohamed: Sir, can the Minister answer my question about the viability of setting up a database?

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Mr Imram Mohamed asked about the setting up of a database of welfare recipients. The National Council of Social Service is actually in the process of setting up a database linking the records of voluntary welfare organisations. However, not every welfare agency has a database of welfare recipients. Some still keep records of their recipients manually rather than having them on computer. Thus far, about 85 voluntary welfare organisations have agreed to participate in this computerisation programme. Others are expected to join in due course and participating VWOs will receive free PCs, printers and software programmes. The aggregate statistics would enhance services provided to clients as well as planning for the social service sector as a whole. The system is expected to be implemented in three phases over a period of three to four years. It begins this year. The total time needed will depend on the speed at which voluntary welfare organisations capture the necessary data. But both the Ministry and the NCSS hope that this can be done within the shortest possible time.

The total capital cost of the computerisation programme, including consultancy, is estimated to be about $4-$5 million. Of this, the Government will commit $4 million. The database is a distributed system which will enable VWOs to maintain their own systems and ensure confidentiality of clients' data.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, I am happy to note that both capital grant and cyclical maintenance grant for VWOs have been increased to 90%. I would like to know what is the percentage of Government's subvention to VWOs on operating expenditure now, and whether the Minister will consider increasing such grant to 90% and, if not, why not.

Secondly, Sir, does the Minister see a need to request the educational institutions in Singapore to conduct diploma courses in social work for those `O' level holders who are interested to be social workers?

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Sir, at the moment, I am sorry I do not have the figures for the actual amount of subvention.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Percentage.

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: The percentage is 50%.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Should it be increased to 90%?

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: At the moment, we are not thinking of increasing it to 90% or any other percentage.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Why?

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Simply because it is too much. Operating expenditure goes on and on, and it keeps building up, whereas a one-time capital cost expenditure is one-off. It will keep on building up.

As regards the second question about diploma course, I am afraid he has to ask the Ministry of Education.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Is there a need, according to your assessment?

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: So far, they go through the NUS, Social and Psychology Department. Whether there is a need for a diploma course on this, we will have to study further. If so, we will have to liaise with the Ministry of Education to implement the project.

Dr Arthur Beng Kian Lam: Sir, I am glad to know that the Minister will be taking active steps to implement the IMC and that he himself will be chairing the Ministerial Steering Committee which will include the Minister for Education and the Minister for Home Affairs. However, he has not mentioned whether he agrees with me that a dedicated team is required to tackle this problem of juvenile delinquency, besides mentioning that he will be focusing on early detection and early intervention.

Sir, I am not quite satisfied with this reply because the problem is of increasing immensity. I first brought up the problem of female gangs on 16th March 1993 [Hansard, Vol. 60, Col. 1268] and I again highlighted the problem of juvenile delinquency on 9th March 1994 [Hansard, Vol. 62, Col. 710]. I think this is a serious problem requiring more resources. May I have the Minister's comments, please?

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Sir, I fully agree with the Member that the problem of juvenile delinquency is a serious one. It is precisely because of this that we have a high level committee chaired by Prof. Ho Peng Kee to look into this problem. If it has not already been done, I will inform the Ministry to also look into the question of a team approach to this problem.

Mr Sinnakaruppan: I believe the Minister has not answered my query on bringing the street games to HDB.

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: My apologies. I have got so many cuts.

The Member asked about trendy sports and on popularising them. The SSC, with the People's Association, has been actively promoting trendy sports or street games, such as street soccer, street bandy and "3-on-3" basketball in HDB estates for youths and families. One of the attractions of these games is that they can be played among a small group of friends in HDB neighbourhoods. Hence, the somewhat mistaken impression, especially to the casual observer, that some games are peculiar to some ethnic groups. In fact, these games are played by energetic youths of all races.

The SSC has organised such trendy games at both competitive and learn-to-play levels. Besides being fun and promoting fitness, these sports help forge racial cohesiveness, neighbourliness and family togetherness. The SSC will explore with the Ministry of National Development the possibility of providing more multi-purpose courts in HDB estates. The Constituency Sports Clubs (CSCs) under the Singapore Sports Council will also work closely with various grassroots organisations to promote these street games at the community clubs and also in SSC facilities. This would allow youths an opportunity to participate in sports in designated areas and keep them meaningfully occupied. SSC will certainly be pleased to look into his design if the Member wishes to submit it to SSC.

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: Sir, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The Chairman: Amendment No. (2), Mr Umar.

Mr Umar Abdul Hamid (Ang Mo Kio GRC): Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head J of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code JA 1200.

Sir, youth is an important asset of our country. They are a crucial resource that needs to be positively and constructively developed to ensure that Singapore continues to progress and move into the next phase of our economic development. Singapore is declared as the most advanced developing nation recently. And the very reason we have managed to reach that status is due to the positive values, such as team work, hard work, sincerity, honesty, that our previous generation had held. However, Sir, I am very concerned about how prepared our younger generation today is to face a more challenging future.

Getting to be an advanced developing nation has come with a price. With both parents working today, our children are mostly left to be taken care of by maids. In fact, today many maids have taken over the role of our parents. To compensate for the time that they do not spend with their children, parents tend to pamper their children lavishly with cash, branded stuff and other materialistic elements. In fact, if we were to do a survey today, it is not surprising to find many of our young people spend their time in Orchard Road shopping centres and entertainment centres more than in places where they should be in. What we are about to see is a generation of Singaporeans who do not appreciate values, like family values and team work, and it is a generation that thinks only for themselves. And this is the generation that will have higher expectations and materialistic needs. My question to the Minister is whether he sees the trend of our young people who are not equipped with the values that I had mentioned, which promote progress and development to Singapore as a hindrance for us to move into the next phase of our economic development. If he does, what proactive and reactive measures are we taking? 2.45 pm

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Sir, the question posed by the Member is actually a question which should be addressed not only by the Government but also by the community, especially the parents. But among the IMC recommendations on Family Life Programmes or issues on parenting programmes, hopefully, these are some of the values which can be looked into and transmitted from the families to the children. I would also like to see the National Youth Council (NYC), which the Member belongs to, look into this issue more deeply, especially when it works with youths and organises programmes for youths. Among other things, the programmes could include some component whereby such values can be inculcated in the youths.

Mr Umar Abdul Hamid: Sir, my concern is basically, are we going to pay a price for being the most advanced developing nation? Singapore is very well known for taking proactive measures before any undesirable effects occur to us. Though I am in the NYC, we have done a lot to make sure that our youths are actively involved in the activities. But our problem is that we are not getting the right youths to participate in our programmes. Therefore, I would like to know if the Ministry of Community Development has any special programme that can actually reach out to the youths that we have not been able to reach.

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Sir, the Ministry and the People's Association have also programmes which reach out to youths and they work with youths. Admittedly, there is no programme specifically to address what the Member is concerned about. Perhaps, it is something which we could look into but I still think the NYC could also look into it.

Mr Umar Abdul Hamid: Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The Chairman: Amendment No. (3), Mrs Yu-Foo.

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head J of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code JD 1500.

Sir, I would like to praise Government's effort in coming up with a number of schemes to help the poor and the needy over the years, such as the Public Assistance Scheme, the Small Families Improvement Scheme, the Citizens' Consultative Committee Assistance Scheme, the NCSS Special Assistance Scheme, the financial assistance given by MOE to students, the 25th Anniversary Endowment Fund which was set up in 1991 to help the destitute and low income families, and so on. I would like to ask the Minister how many persons have benefitted from the various schemes, how far have the objectives of these schemes been achieved and how many organisations have benefitted so far.

Sir, most of the schemes provide assistance to those with income below $1,200 or $1,500. There are families with income of between $1,500 and $2,000 who may be in hardship because of special circumstances. I would like to know whether the Ministry will be flexible in the implementation of some of the schemes to help this group.

I would like to request MCD to update the directory of schemes available from time to time so that the latest assistance scheme is made known to the public. I would also like to request that the directory of social support centres in Singapore be distributed to hospitals, community centres and clubs, child care centres, etc, so that they could direct the needy to the appropriate centres for assistance.

The Chairman: Dr Michael Lim is not here. Mr Ling How Doong.

Mr Ling How Doong (Bukit Gombak): Sir, our population is aging and aging in itself is not a problem. The problem would arise when the elderly and the aged become destitute or when they are dependent on society for support. But there are clear signs and indications that this is not the case.

Singaporeans have become more thrifty and more prudent. More and more Singaporeans are putting aside money in the POSBank as savings for their future. Also, more and more young couples, or even those who are unmarried, are buying various insurance schemes for their children or for themselves. We have better employment opportunities, the number of women in the workforce has increased and the scheme to allow contribution of the self-employed to CPF was introduced. While there may be an increase in the number of the aged, it does not necessarily mean that the destitute or the dependent would also increase correspondingly. Whatever plans or schemes we may have, there will still be some among us who are disadvantaged and needy who will need the help of society.

While the VWOs have been doing quite a lot for society, I would urge the Government to consider building more homes for the aged for the following reasons. Firstly, it may be beyond the means of some of these VWOs to help some of the aged and destitute; and, secondly, I believe various religious bodies or clan associations apply sectarian considerations when the aged apply for admission to their homes.

Presently, there are about 1,300 of the elderly and the disadvantaged in the home for the aged and, I believe, we have only one state-run home for the aged and destitute in Woodlands. With the reasons I have advanced earlier, I seriously urge the Government to consider building a few more homes for the aged. And as I said earlier, the increase in the number of the aged and the elderly does not necessarily increase the number of destitutes because they have sufficient savings. They are protected under various schemes and they do not have to depend on society. But the present group of destitutes was from the 1940s/1950s. These people did not have savings for the simple reason that in those days they were the sole breadwinners, unlike at present, we have dual breadwinners. So we should cater for these people who, through no fault of theirs, became destitute and needed the help of society.

The next point I would like to raise is on the Public Assistance Scheme. The number of people receiving public assistance is declining and, presently, about 2,500 people are receiving public assistance. To qualify for public assistance, they must pass very stringent requirements. Presently, the amount of grant given to these people is $180 for a single person and $535 for a family of one adult and three children. I would urge the Government to consider increasing the amount. I understand that it was increased only last year from $155 to $180 for a single person. But I would still urge the Government to consider increasing the amount or at least bring it within the minimum subsistence level. After all, the Government has collected $850 million from bettings and sweepstakes alone. Is it too much to ask that we give this group of poor and destitute people something which we can afford? We should give them something to live on, ie, within the minimum subsistence level.

The Chairman: Mr Cheo is not here. Dr Vasoo.

Dr S. Vasoo (Tanjong Pagar GRC): Sir, thank you for allowing me to join in the debate. My cut is on child care. Sir, at the moment, a majority of our children are being cared for by their parents and grandparents. This accounts for 82%. Such a care arrangement is good, but it is likely to change.

Sir, child care by maids accounts for 8%. Child care by foster mothers accounts for 3% and by childcare centres, 7%. All these patterns of care arrangement are likely to change as more mothers are entering the labour force. As reported, one in two women are entering the labour force at the moment. So the numbers are expected to increase further in the years ahead. Therefore, the demand for childcare centres is expected to increase. I would like to know whether MCD has projected the demand for childcare centres in the next three years and what is the demand pattern like.

Sir, access to childcare centres is very important. Unless there is easy access and a reduction in the waiting list, we cannot prevent the children from becoming latch-key children. This problem is also likely to increase if access to childcare centres becomes a difficult one.

I would like to urge the Ministry to look at the non-profit childcare organisations which are interested to expand their services. They are unable to do so because of the increased operational cost, particularly in terms of manpower cost and outlay for capital expenses. I feel that the grants and subsidies provided by MCD, at the moment, should be revised. It would be timely for the Ministry to increase the grants as it is a worthy area for active consideration because, by deploying additional resources in this area, we will prevent problems like latch-key children, juvenile delinquency and other related problems. We will also be able to help the children enhance their development by putting them in childcare centres where they have an earlier headstart in their life. So may I suggest an upward revision of the scale to three children because the more children working class parents have, the greater their burden. This would, in a way, help to solve some of the problems faced by working class parents. This will also help to reduce the financial burdens of families with two or three children seeking child care services. 3.00 pm

The other issue that I would like to ask the Minister to review is that it is important to study the impact of child care services on the lives of children, and whether the Ministry has in fact done any evaluation of the programmes undertaken by the child care centres itself. And what is the impact? In understanding the impact of child care services on the lives of children, whether they have become better after having gone through such a programme, we will be able to plan more effective programmes to improve the delivery of services in the child care arena.

Mr Sinnakaruppan: Sir, the services provided for the elderly in Singapore tend to concentrate, rightly, on helping those who have no dependants, those who live alone, those who are sickly and require nursing, and the destitute elderly. I commend such services provided by the Government, the community, the grassroots organisations, the religious and voluntary welfare organisations. However, with our ageing population, it will be useful and necessary if more social day-care centres for the elderly can be built, so that the elderly can make use of them when their family members are at work. Such centres should provide supervision and supportive help to the elderly. These centres should also have exercise, leisure and cultural facilities, mini handicraft and workshops catering to the requirements and convenience of the elderly.

These centres would also allow the elderly to retain their independence and dignity in the community and provide them a social environment, while allowing them to stay with their families without the stigma of having to live in an old age home. To my knowledge, there are only four social day-care centres for the elderly in Singapore. I urge the Government to expand the number of such centres and to ensure that they are spread across the island.

Sir, I would urge the Ministry of Community Development to step up the building of these centres and it should work with the network of PCF as well as the PA's community centres to provide these facilities.

Sir, I hope that the Minister will look into these suggestions before the problems of the aged confront us in the very near future.

Mr Zulkifli bin Mohammed (Jalan Besar GRC): Sir, like my other parliamentary colleagues before me, I see the onset of the ageing society with trepidation. Its implication can already be felt and one, which had earlier been mentioned, will be the growing number of old people being left all by themselves during the daytime when their children or married children are out at work.

Sir, it is inevitable that there will be more demand for services for the elderly, so that we can endeavour our utmost to keep our elderly as healthy as possible, and thereby reduce the strain on our various national resources. Day-care centres for the elderly is one service that can go some way towards achieving this goal. By providing day-care service for the elderly, we not only support families in caring for their dependent elderly, but also enable them to continue to care for the aged within the home, and thereby help to preserve the integrity of the family unit. At the same time, such services will enable more educated and skilled women to join the workforce to help supplement the family income. And over the long run, it will enable our society to moderate its dependence on foreign domestic maids.

Sir, I understand that a survey has recently been conducted to ascertain the projected demand and type of elderly day-care services in the coming years. The questions I wish to ask are: Has the survey been completed? What are its preliminary findings? And what is the future scenario that has emerged?

Mr Kenneth Chen Koon Lap: Sir, I am glad that this year, a good portion of the budget allocated to MCD will be channelled to the welfare of the disabled. Although the MCD and the various charitable organisations have done a lot for the disabled, there is always room to do more.

Recently, there was a conference on technology for people with disabilities. I have learnt from this conference that modern advancement in technology can enhance the lives of the disabled in many areas. Apart from physical improvement through the use of the state-of-the-art equipment, technology, especially computerisation, can help the disabled to perform a lot of functions which they are unable to do. The disabled can now be fitted with the most technologically advanced artificial limbs, hearing and speaking aids, to help them to regain much of their functions lost through disability.

Just now Mr Sinnakaruppan has outlined the immense possibility of IT technology opening up to the disabled, and the computer technology that can bring immense benefit to their lives. But how much of these benefits can actually be brought to them depends on the funding and in what way we can equip them with these wonderful tools. Now that the MCD has resources, I suggest that the Ministry set up a working group consisting of experts from the university and the various technical institutions and, of course, the National Computer Board to work out a comprehensive plan to bring these facilities to the institutions of the disabled. As this is a very specialised field, and with due respect, the administration staff may not be equipped to make this acquisition. And for those who are not residing in these institutions, we should assist them to acquire the equipment, offering financial assistance when required. This can be in the form of direct subsidies, concession price and easy financing terms.

Sir, I would also like to take this opportunity to ask the Minister why the disabled are not given the chance to travel on public transport at a concession rate, ie, the same as those enjoyed by senior citizens and school children. I am sure they are not less deserving and it would go a long way to help them to be more mobile and therefore more chance to integrate with society.

The Chairman: Dr Tan Cheng Bock is not here. Mr Chiam.

Mr Chiam See Tong: Sir, I have a cut on child care centres.

Children are our most precious asset for the future of Singapore. We must ensure that the best possible care be given to them. The best possible care given to children is, of course, by the mothers themselves. But in the majority of cases in Singapore, this is not possible because most mothers are working full time. Mothers have to get someone else to look after the children for them. Some children are even reported to be locked up in the flats while the mothers go out to work. This, of course, is a very unhappy situation. For working mothers, the care of the children is indeed a worry for them. The often asked question is: is the Government doing enough for working mothers?

The Government should give as much aid as possible, especially to mothers in the lower-income groups. We want all our children to grow up to be well schooled, well adjusted and be good citizens, and not to be misfits. In fact, we have read in the papers that juvenile delinquency, bad discipline in schools and drug addiction among the young are serious problems in present day Singapore. These problems among the young can be traced to the poor upbringing of the children when they were very young. When children are very young and are not taken care of properly, they usually grow up to be problem kids.

I want to ask the Minister whether the Government is building enough childcare centres. I know, of course, of one built-up area in Potong Pasir, which was originally earmarked for a childcare centre, was taken back by the Government and used to house mental patients instead. From this experience, it would appear that the interest of people with psychiatric problems is more important than the upbringing of our younger children. I want to ask the Minister whether this is true. If not, please give his reasons why the premises at Potong Pasir were taken away.

I see from the budget that the number of children in Government kindergartens has dropped from 7,054 in FY91 to 4,200 this year. Can it be that this drop is due to the very low cost recovery rate of these kindergartens and that the Government is losing money? On the other hand, the enrolment in Government childcare centres has increased steadily since FY91, from 985 children to 1,330 children for FY96. Can the increased enrolment in childcare centres be due to the fact that the Government is not losing money in running these child care centres? The cost recovery rate is expected to be 105% for this fiscal year.

With a population of about three million people, the enrolment of 1,330 children in Government childcare centres appears to be low. The hon. Member for Tanjong Pagar GRC has highlighted that the demand for child care centres shall increase from the present 7% level. Has the Government any plans to increase the number of childcare centres? Also, has the Government explored the possible building or assist in the setting up of childcare centres near or at the workplaces of mothers, such as in factories and even in hospitals?

The Chairman: Dr Soin, you can take your two topics together.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: Thank you, Sir.

My first cut is on family service centres (FSCs). There are now about 20 family service centres and most of them are located within major housing estates. These FSCs are a pivotal arm of our social services. However, we have a language problem that prevents full utilisation of these centres by the minority ethnic groups. Many centres cater to the Chinese speaking, but they find it difficult to staff the centre with people who can speak Malay or Tamil. Thus, the minority ethnic groups in many housing estates are unable to avail themselves of the services of the family service centres. There are two or three family service centres run by the self-help groups, but this is not enough as FSCs should play a central role at the neighbourhood level.

In the IMC report, it states that:

`The Committee notes that there is a need to employ more Malay and Tamil speaking Singaporeans to provide services to families from these ethnic groups. This is more cost effective than setting up centres specifically to meet their needs.'

I realise that there is a problem of getting enough social workers who can communicate in Malay or Tamil. Would the Minister consider these suggestions to overcome this problem?

(1) Social work students, who take up Malay or Tamil during their university years and reach an appropriate level, should have an extra language allowance added to their salary when they start work as social workers.

(2) The MCD may have to pay the salary of interpreters who can be attached for half a day to each family service centre. 3.15 pm

(3) More scholarships to be offered, both at diploma and degree level, to study social work, especially for students belonging to the minority ethnic communities.

Also, Sir, the IMC report says that one of the features of multiple problem families is that they earn less than $1,500 per month and live in 1-room or 2-room rental flats. A 1992 HDB survey showed that rental flats are homes to 50,000 families, 20,000 of whom lived in 1-room flats. Does the Minister envisage that there should be a higher ratio of FSCs to population size in the areas where there are more rental flats and lower income families? If so, how are we going to realise this? I would welcome the Minister's insight into this issue.

My last amendment, Sir, is on the referral of the unemployed. The Ministry of Labour's Employment Service Unit saw a big jump in the number of job seekers in 1995. At the end of December the number of job seekers was 1,345. There were 749 men and 596 women, and the increase came mainly from the women. While there were more job seekers last year, there were fewer job offers from companies. Most of the work sought and offered tended to be of the lower end, like cleaners, labourers and other blue-collar work. I would like to suggest to the Minister that his Ministry acquire this list from the Ministry of Labour. I see this as an entry point into probable dysfunctional families. With the available list, MCD could work with VWOs to help the unemployed and their families. I know of one private scheme whereby women are taught to make consumer items at home and are paid for this work quite well. MCD could refer the cases of the unemployed Singaporeans to the nearest FSC or VWOs that are willing to help in this area. By helping the unemployed adults quickly, I am sure we will be able to prevent families from getting into distress.

The Chairman: Order. I propose to take the tea break now.

Thereupon Mr Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.

Mr Speaker: Order. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair again at 3.50 pm.

Sitting accordingly suspended at 3.19 pm until 3.50 pm. Sitting resumed at 3.50 pm

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Debate in Committee of Supply resumed.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Head J (cont.) -

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Sir, let me address the questions by Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon on assistance for the poor.

As pointed out by the Member for Yuhua, there are many schemes administered by my Ministry as well as other Ministries and voluntary welfare organisations to help the poor and the needy. Each scheme has its own specific purpose and intent. She mentioned only a few schemes. We have many more schemes to help destitute families and individuals as well as schemes for the well families to prevent them from falling into destitution. The two booklets published by the Ministry, ie, Helping Low Income Families - the Singapore Way, and Singapore - A Pro-Family Society list some of these activities.

The Member for Yuhua asked how many have benefitted from these schemes and whether the objectives of these schemes have been met. I would say that the schemes implemented thus far have achieved the objectives to a large extent. On the number who has benefitted, it would be rather difficult for us to arrive at a clear-cut figure because besides direct cash grants and other assistance given by my Ministry, MCD also provides assistance through VWOs and also families can benefit from more than one type of service. The 25th Anniversary Endowment Fund has disbursed $5.3 million to 40 VWOs, providing a wide range of programmes for the needy between 1991 and April 1995. For the current financial year, about $1.9 million will be disbursed from this fund.

The Member for Yuhua requested flexibility in the implementation of these schemes. I would like to assure the Member that MCD's objective is to help all those who need help. For families who do not meet the eligibility criteria, we help them in other ways.

On the criticism that the eligibility criteria for the RUAS scheme are too stringent, the Inter-Ministry Committee which I chaired recommended that assistance under RUAS be extended to families who are living in rented 3-room flats as well as those living in 1-, 2- and 3-room HDB purchase flats.

Mrs Yu-Foo mentioned one directory in her speech. The Ministry in fact has published several directories and booklets in addition to the two I had mentioned earlier. These include the Directory of Services for Women, a booklet on services for senior citizens and a directory of services for senior citizens which provides for more details than the booklet on services. Also in the pipeline is a directory of services for low income families. The directory will spell out details such as eligibility criteria and procedures of application for the various schemes. This will be distributed to both Government and non-Government agencies such as constituency secretariats, VWOs, hospitals, polyclinics and others.

Mr Ling How Doong asked what we are doing for the aged, whether we would be building more homes for the aged and he also complained that the PA amount is not enough. Sir, if I remember, earlier in this debate Mr Ling mentioned, among other things, why should we leave so much money in the CPF. In his mind, we are actually diverting from the original intent of the CPF. In the same breath he did mention just now that, because of the various schemes that we have, the insurance scheme and the savings scheme, and that we are thrifty and frugal, therefore the aged of tomorrow would have enough finances to take care of themselves. These two views of his appear to contradict themselves. I really do not know what the Member was driving at. Anyhow, in terms of the number of homes for the aged, we have the Woodlands Home for the Aged. This would be rebuilt into four aged homes by 1997. We also have the Pelangi Home and Woody Lodge which also cater to the aged. These two would also be rebuilt into five or six separate homes. Therefore, there is no question about our not having enough homes for the aged in the future.

Dr Vasoo raised the question of child care. Among other things, he asked how many child care centres would be built in the future. We have at the moment about 397 child care centres with places for up to 30,900. By FY 2000 we hope to have 495 child care centres with places for 37,000 children. I believe these are enough places.

As regards the improvement in the quality of child care centres, my Ministry is very mindful of the quality of service in the child care centres. The quality of service really depends on the quality of people that are manning the centres. Here, MCD is quite mindful of the kind of training that such people will have to undergo. Whatever it is, we are constantly monitoring the quality of service that is being delivered in the child care centres. We gather feedback on this. We have reviews and we also listen to complaints, sometimes from the parents, with regard to the quality of child care centres.

Child care subsidies for working mothers are actually reviewed regularly. This is to ensure that the child care centres remain affordable to working mothers who wish to use the service. The subsidies were recently revised upwards in April 1995, if the Member remembers. The amount of subsidy was raised from $130 to $150 for full-day care and from $65 to $75 for half-day care. My Ministry does not see the need to further revise the fees at least for the present. However, we will continue to review and monitor the child care subsidies and if there is a need to do so we will increase the amounts.

Parents who need additional financial support can apply to the National Council of Social Service and NTUC Childcare Cooperative Ltd under the centre-based financial assistance scheme for child care. The amount of support to be given from these agencies ranges from $50 to $100 per child. 4.00 pm

Mr Sinnakaruppan and Mr Zulkifli asked about the number of day care centres that we have and whether the number could be increased for the benefit that they give to our elderly. Presently, we have four social day care centres. We actually have in place a wide range and a large number of services or programmes to help the elderly and to provide support for families in the care of the elderly. There are currently two types of day care centres or day care programmes. One is the day care rehabilitative centres which are run by Ministry of Health and the social day care centres which are run by my Ministry. The rehabilitative centres provide basic nursing and rehabilitative programmes and, as I said, which come under the purview of MOH, while the activities of social day care centres are more social in nature and come under my Ministry's purview. With regard to the rehabilitative centres, I am afraid questions on such centres would have to be directed to the Ministry of Health. With regard to social day care centres, at present we have four. But, unfortunately, the usage is rather low. It is about 60%. Nevertheless, MCD is still monitoring the demand and the usage of these centres and it is working together with the Ministry of Health and VWOs to establish the need for more social day care centres, if necessary.

Apart from day care centres, we have other services for the elderly too. For example, the People's Association has produced newsletters and brochures on the various programmes and activities for the elders. MCD is also in the process of liaising with town councils to publish the information on services for the elderly through their newsletters. We hope to reach out to the elderly through their family members and also organisations which serve them.

Quite apart from this, there are also about 300 Senior Citizens' Clubs all over the island with a total membership of nearly 128,000. These clubs are run by Community Centres or Community Clubs, RCs or CCCs and other voluntary welfare organisations. Then we also have mutual help groups. These are formed by members of RCs' Senior Citizens' Clubs to facilitate self-help and promote social interaction among the members. Over and above this, we also have seven drop-in centres where the elderly can interact and socialise with their peers - watch TV, watch video programmes, and participate in social and recreational activities. More of these and other support services will continue to be developed where there is a need. So it is very clear that quite apart from day care centres, we also have many other services catering to the elderly.

Mr Chen touched on the advancement in technology and how it could benefit the disabled. The Government works closely with the National Council of Social Service and VWOs to provide a range of services for the disabled. These include special homes, homes for the disabled, hostels, day activity centres, sheltered workshops, production workshops, vocational rehabilitation and business development. In information technology, the disabled are also not neglected. Special schools cater to various disability groups which are funded by MOE and NCSS and they do have computer-assisted educational and training packages. The existing services and programmes are constantly being reviewed to ensure that they are relevant to the changing profile of the disabled and the advances in technology. Where necessary and practical, Government will definitely continue to provide support and training for the disabled in our community.

Mr Chen also suggested the formation of work groups of experts from the university and also from NCB to look into the technological advancement and how this can be utilised for the disabled. We may look into this later but for the moment, polytechnics are already looking into gadgets for the elderly, either as student projects or as special projects for the students. So the advancement of technology and how technology can be used to help the aged and the disabled are in fact being looked into.

With regard to travel by the disabled at a concessionary rate, I am afraid this is not under MCD's purview, and if the Member still wants to pursue it, he could pursue it with the LTA.

Mr Chiam referred to child care centres also. He said that they are important and useful. But finally, at the end of it all, he asked about his constituency. In his constituency, there are actually five centres providing a total of 300 places. Two of the centres began operation recently with a combined capacity of 106 places. Our records show that 199 children are currently enrolled in the five centres as at end February 1996, and the average enrolment rate is 66%, which is below the national average of 86%.

He also mentioned about the child care centre which was supposed to be built but instead a home run by the Singapore Association for Mental Health (SAMH) came into being in the same block. If the Member can recall, my Ministry had agreed to the setting up of a child care centre and he did not agree to the setting up of the centre at Block 139 Potong Pasir in 1991. However, this was not taken up further. In 1993, the matter was again raised by the Potong Pasir Town Council and subsequently sites were identified in 1993/1994 for the child care centre. But, unfortunately, these sites were also not found suitable by Mr Chiam, and the matter was again dropped after that, and nothing was heard about it.

Our records show that there is no demand to justify the establishment of another child care centre in Potong Pasir.

An hon. Member: Over-supply.

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Indeed, there is an over-supply. He has also called for the setting up of more child care centres in workplaces. This is something which we agree with. We have always encouraged the development of child care centres in workplaces. Indeed, we have also financial incentives for employers to set up child care centres in their workplaces so that it would be easier for working mothers especially to work in these places.

For the Member's information, at least for Government buildings, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, CAAS, the newly-built Revenue House by IRAS, and Temasek Polytechnic have child care centres. In fact, when new Government buildings are being built, there is encouragement for child care centres to be built in these new buildings. So this issue is being addressed.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin suggested that the unemployment register will be a good entry point for MCD to help dysfunctional families. It is a noteworthy suggestion. But I am not sure whether the Member would also agree that not everyone who approaches the Ministry of Labour (MOL) needs or wants MCD's assistance. Those who go to MOL indeed have a specific purpose, in other words, they are going there to look for a job. However, MCD works closely with the relevant Ministries and agencies in programme development and implementation in its outreach work to its target groups. MCD's services and schemes are made known to helping agencies and other Government bodies which are likely to come into contact with the individuals and families at risk. These include MOL, of course, CPF Board, HDB Branch Offices, town councils, Hawkers Department of the Ministry of the Environment, polyclinics, hospitals, NTUC affiliates and grassroots organisations. This is to enable agencies to refer individuals and families who need help to MCD or to disseminate information on services or schemes which these individuals and families can avail themselves of.

This referral system is a far better system. But apart from that, applicants for jobs who are on MOL's employment register may resent to be called up and interviewed by MCD when they did not need MCD's help. Notwithstanding that, MCD works with MOL on child care matters, family matters, and outreach to employers and employees on specific issues. In the area of assistance to individuals and dysfunctional families, MOL provides MCD with information on potential employers and job vacancies on a regular basis to facilitate MCD's effort to help unemployed individuals known to the Ministry. MOL interviews and counsels individuals who register with them for job placement and also with regard to job expectations. If an individual is assessed to be in need of financial or other supportive assistance, MOL will refer the person to MCD. Then interim financial or other supportive assistance will be given by MCD, if required.

Sir, I think I have answered all the questions.

Mr Chiam See Tong: Sir, can I get a clarification from the Minister? From my memory, the HDB had, in fact, written to us to say that after walling up the void deck at Block 139, it would be handed to us for use as a child care centre. But then not long after, the HDB again wrote and said, "No. Now it will be handed to SAMH instead." That was on record. And I do not think it is right to say that we did not want it. Actually we wanted it but the permission to give it to us was withdrawn.

The Minister says that there is no demand for child care centres at Potong Pasir and that our enrolment there is below the national average. In any event, there is one child care centre run by a church called Ascension Kindercare. It is always full. In fact, many of the residents there cannot get admission into this child care centre because it gives first priority to its own church members. So how can it be said that there is no demand for child care centres at Potong Pasir?

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: On the question of the child care centre at Block 139, the facts can be established later. But according to what I have, the space was in fact offered to the Town Council and the SAMH later came and wanted to build its premises and facilities near the child care centre. So it is not as if the SAMH replaces the child care centre. Because of the nearness of SAMH facilities, the premises allocated to the Town Council were rejected by it. So it is not a replacement but a separate issue altogether. Let us get the facts correct and we can establish the facts again, if need be. 4.15 pm

My Ministry obtains periodic returns from all childcare centres on the number of children enrolled and discharged as well as the number of children on the waiting list. From the last returns obtained in December 1995, it is noted that the number of children on the waiting list of the HDB void deck childcare centre does not warrant a new centre. There are about 13 children on the waiting list awaiting enrolment, while another 34 only wanted to consider enrolment at a later date when their children are older. In other words, they reserve the place. They are not on the waiting list. They may or may not take up the place later. And the centre still has 10 vacancies. There are four other existing centres at Potong Pasir and, according to our records, there are 70 vacancies. I would like to advise parents to consider registering their children with those centres which have vacancies. These are the details that I have. Of course, Mr Chiam may have other details of his own. We can establish what is correct and what is wrong later.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: Sir, the Minister has overlooked two points about the family service centres, ie, the shortage of staff who could speak Malay and Tamil and the increased need for centres in areas where there are rental flats.

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: My apologies. In the planning and distribution of family service centres as well as other social services, the Ministry does take into consideration factors such as population size, the needs of the community and the availability of other support services in the area. In fact, FSCs are located mainly in HDB estates and on sites which are easily accessible to potential clients and also to volunteers. This is also to facilitate harnessing of community resources and support. Indeed, in our location exercise, we do take into account the characteristics of the area. In other words, if the block or the vicinity has got a higher proportion of 1-roomers, 2-roomers or low income families, we do give such a location, or area, a higher priority.

On whether there are enough FSCs or not, I have previously mentioned in this House that my Ministry has targeted 24 FSCs by the year 2000. As a result of the IMC recommendations, we have planned for 10 more FSCs, in other words, making a total of 34 FSCs altogether by the year 2000. According to projections, this number will be sufficient, but the need for FSCs will be periodically reviewed by my Ministry. If more FSCs are needed, we will certainly build them.

On the lack of Malay and Tamil speaking social workers, I do agree with the Member that many FSCs do not have Malay or Tamil speaking staff. Ideally, it would be good for all FSCs to have Malay and Tamil speaking social workers. However, unfortunately, very few students from these groups go into social work despite attempts to encourage them to do so. However, I would like to assure the NMP that minority races are being serviced. My Ministry is looking into some form of an inter-agency support network for FSCs which have difficulty in handling certain ethnic or dialect groups. The resources of other organisations could be tapped to help these FSCs. In other words, the organisations which have certain expertise, in terms of languages, but do not have the capacity to build FSCs, could help out in terms of servicing Tamil or Malay speaking clients. As I said, minority races are being serviced. FSCs which do not have Tamil or Malay speaking staff do not turn away clients. They work through volunteers, network with other agencies and tap the resources from within their clients network and use people who can communicate with Indians and Malays.

The Member mentioned about scholarship for social workers. I think Mendaki and some voluntary welfare organisations are looking into this.

Mr Kenneth Chen Koon Lap: Sir, the Minister has only answered part of my question. My main question is whether the Minister can help the disabled to own high-tech equipment like computers. There is no use promoting its use and teaching them to use it when they do not have computers.

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Is the Member suggesting that each of them be given a computer?

Mr Kenneth Chen Koon Lap: What I am suggesting is that maybe some kind of concession rates, or rebates, or easy financing scheme could be given for those who wish to purchase the equipment.

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: As I mentioned earlier, some organisations already have computers available for members' use. With regard to members who want to own their own computers and whether subsidies can be given, I am not too sure whether we can go that far.

Dr Vasoo: Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether the revised 90% grant and the cyclical maintenance grant of 90% could be extended to non-profit making childcare centres.

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: I do not get the Member's question. I thought grants are given to childcare centres set up by VWOs.

Dr Vasoo: I am referring to childcare centres which are run by non-profit making organisations.

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: VWOs are non-profit making organisations.

Dr Vasoo: Yes. Will the capital grant of 90% be extended to them if they run childcare centres?

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Childcare centres which are run by VWOs get grants under a special scheme.

Dr Vasoo: Plus the cyclical maintenance grant?

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Yes. This could be considered.

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The Chairman: Amendment No. (4), Encik Ibrahim.

Encik Ibrahim bin Othman (Thomson GRC): Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head J of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code JI 3100.

Sir, as part of the Government's healthy lifestyle campaign effort, the Singapore Sports Council launched the Delta Sports Complex (DSC) membership project in November 1992. This pilot project aims to promote sports and recreation amongst residents living within the vicinity and maximise the utilisation of all facilities available within the Sports Complex. The project also provides opportunities for grassroots leaders and volunteers to manage and coordinate the activities within the Complex. It has become the operational base for sports promotion whereby several neighbourhood constituencies, sports clubs are grouped under one central sports complex. It has been more than three years since the launch of the DSC. I wish to ask the Minister on the effectiveness of the project and maybe he could provide figures on the usage of all the facilities and whether it is in line with the Sports-for-All policy. I would also like to find out whether the Ministry has plans to extend the project to other parts of Singapore, in particular, in Bishan.

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Sir, the Delta Sports Complex was upgraded and spruced up to provide a variety of sports fitness and recreational programmes for the community in one location. Following this successful model, plans have been drawn up to introduce more one-stop integrated and community-based sports and recreational centres in various parts of Singapore.

Under its initiative, older sports stadia and complexes will be upgraded and new sports and recreational centres will be built to serve as regional hubs to promote sports and fitness programmes for residents and workers in the vicinity. A good example is the $55 million Jurong East Sports Recreational Centre which will be ready next year. I am afraid I do not have the figures on the usage of Delta Sports Complex. But I can supply them to the Member if he pursues this question. This move is certainly in line with the Sports-for-All policy because it encourages people in the vicinity, especially their family members, to come and utilise these centres.

With regard to whether such a centre will be built in Bishan, I will look into this matter.

Encik Ibrahim bin Othman: I thank the Minister for his assurance and I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The Chairman: Amendment No. (5), Encik Othman.

Encik Othman bin Haron Eusofe (Marine Parade GRC): Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head J of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code JJ 3100.

Sir, on the first cut on the redevelopment of older mosques, I would like the Minister to provide details of the older mosques currently being redeveloped and also the assistance schemes given by MUIS, eg, financial assistance or even project management advice so that the redevelopment can be expedited.

Sir, there are three mosques in my constituency which are being redeveloped, namely, Masjid Khalid, Masjid Wak Tanjong and Masjid Khadijah at Geylang Road. I would like to ask the Minister whether MUIS could provide them with assistance to raise funds as well as advice on the project management so that these projects can be completed expeditiously.

Sir, can I go to the next cut?

The Chairman: Yes.

Encik Othman bin Haron Eusofe: Sir, on the proposed amendments to the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA), I would like to ask the Minister to give a progress report on the proposed amendments to the Act as well as the powers of the Shariah Court and when the amendments will be finalised.

Encik Ibrahim bin Othman: ( In Malay): Sir, the Shariah Court has been set up under the AMLA. It is responsible for hearing and determining all cases that involve Muslim couples in marriages, divorces, distribution of property after divorce and the payment of maintenance. After hearing such cases, the President of the Shariah Court is given the jurisdiction to deliver his judgement. However, the enforcement of this jurisdiction is not effective because of manpower problems and they are unable to enforce such judgement. Therefore, there are a number of cases where the parties involved have to bring up the cases before the civil court to seek redress for cases decided by the Shariah Court. I feel that this is very troublesome for them and this situation should not continue because the Muslim community will not comply with the judgment delivered by the Shariah Court in future. 4.30 pm

I like to ask the Minister what action will be taken to ensure that the Shariah Court is able to enforce its jurisdiction as provided for under the Administration of Muslim Law Act. To me, we must amend the AMLA as soon as possible to give the powers to the Shariah Court to carry out its functions effectively and, more importantly, to bring about justice and integrity of the court.

Sir, many Muslims in Singapore are members of the Sunni group and this is also the case with the Muslim community around this region. But recently, there were reports in the newspapers regarding deviationist teachings which may cause confusion among our Muslim community. This has caused some furore in the neighbouring country because it can split the community. I like to ask the Minister whether MUIS is aware of such incidents in Singapore and whether it is able to handle it.

The Chairman: Encik Harun Ghani, you can take your two topics together.

Encik Harun bin A. Ghani (Hong Kah GRC): ( In Malay): Thank you, Sir.

The Government is very sensitive regarding drug abuse among Singaporeans, especially among the Malay community. Many religious organisations have set up halfway houses for rehabilitation and also to give counselling to the drug addicts. At the moment, there are 15 halfway houses. Among them, four of them are halfway houses for Muslim drug addicts. They are Pertapis, Bawean Sri Putra, Taman Bacaan halfway house and the latest is the Jamiah halfway house.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has given some financial assistance for the construction and running of such halfway houses. I would like to ask the Minister for Community Development, at this moment, what are the contributions made by MUIS towards the development and management of such halfway houses. For instance, whether MUIS has provided qualified religious teachers for these halfway houses and the provision of religious books and paraphernalia for prayers. What is the amount of money that has been provided by MUIS so that the administration or implementation of the programmes for the halfway house can be carried out smoothly and effectively? I think this is important in view of the number of drug addicts who are inmates of such halfway houses. And they comprise 52% or over 3,000. They will be following such programmes for the halfway houses and therefore they need support not only from the Government but also from the religious organisations, especially MUIS, Mendaki and others.

There are many religious and welfare organisations which have very effectively set up halfway houses. Among the efforts made by these welfare organisations is the setting up of nursing home which is under the Ministry of Health. If we see these houses, we will find that these nursing homes have been set up by other religious organisations like the Christian and the Buddhist organisations. But the Muslim community feel that they should not be left out in this area, because we also have problems of those aged who require such care and treatment. I like to propose that the Minister for Community Development direct MUIS to set up such homes. The care for the Muslims should be there and we should not always depend on the other organisations to take care of our own community. The time has come for the Muslim community to have its own nursing care home for the community.

The Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (Mr Abdullah Tarmugi): Sir, let me reply to these five questions in Malay.

(In Malay): Sir, Encik Othman Haron Eusofe has brought up the issue of the old mosques, especially those within his constituency. MUIS is considering the redevelopment of 10 old mosques and to restore five more. A large amount of funds is required and has to be raised by their management committees.

MUIS will provide some assistance and allow the mosques to carry out their own fund raising on Fridays.

Some of these mosques are already being helped from the income from "wakaf" properties. MUIS has assigned its officials to assist these mosques to carry out their projects expeditiously. Planning approval has already been granted for the redevelopment of Masjid Wak Tanjong and the restoration of Masjid Katijah. These projects will be carried out this year and both mosques have already raised more than 50% of the funds required for the projects. MUIS will continue to help source for funds and it will also continue to assist them to manage these projects.

The development of Masjid Khalid is at the planning stage. The mosque is also raising its own funds and MUIS will assist them to top up the fund and it has already asked one of its officials to manage this project.

Encik Othman also asked for the progress of AMLA's revision and the power of the Shariah Court. MUIS has revised AMLA in general and comprehensively. In this revision, MUIS has considered the developments and issues which affected the Muslim community. A number of discussions have already been carried out with Muslim lawyers and senior officials of the Shariah Court and MUIS, and officials of the Attorney-General's Chambers.

The revision of AMLA has taken some time as there are a number of issues which have wide implications on the directions of the Shariah Court, and these have to be looked into very carefully.

The Attorney-General's Chambers has advised us to wait for the decision of Salijah Latif's case, which has been sent up to the Court of Appeal, before proceeding with the revision. The case will be heard later this month.

Encik Ibrahim Othman has asked about measures which have been taken by MUIS against deviationist teachings or activities which cause hindrance to the progress of the Muslims and the nation. He also asked whether additional manpower will be given to the Shariah Court in the enforcement of section 53 of AMLA.

I like to inform the House that all deviationist and religious activities which affect the Muslims and the solidarity of the country will not be condoned. Public talks have been carried out to bring about awareness and to educate the people regarding the danger of such teachings. MUIS also has closed-door sessions to discuss such activities. As an additional step, from time to time, the Muslim community has been reminded through Friday sermons on the danger of deviationist teachings. The mosques have also been advised not to allow their premises to be used by the deviationist groups which will affect the harmony of the Muslim community.

With the advancement of technology and the world becoming more global, MUIS has stringent measures to ensure that Singapore will not be used as a base for deviationist teachings which encourage chauvinism. MUIS is also working with the relevant authorities in the neighbouring countries to exchange information in respect of such activities.

For the Shariah Court, at this moment, it does not require additional manpower to implement section 53 of AMLA. The Shariah Court has already made contacts with the Police and the Prison authorities in respect of its administration and operations which touch on the enforcement of section 53. The Shariah Court will enforce section 53 from July this year.

To answer the question raised by Encik Harun Ghani, firstly, every year, MUIS has given assistance to welfare organisations to assist them with part of the cost in carrying out their programmes which will benefit the Muslims. In 1995, MUIS spent more than $260,000 for such purposes. MUIS also provides funds for counselling and religious instruction and it also pays the examination fees for the drug addicts who are in the DRCs. $90,000 has been spent for such purposes last year.

MUIS is also giving $10,000 to Taman Bacaan to pay part of the salary or allowances for the religious teachers who provide religious instruction to the inmates. Assistance is also given by MUIS to the families of drug addicts who are receiving treatment in the rehabilitation centres or who are serving sentences in prison. They are given financial assistance to clear some of their PUB arrears and for their studies.

On the proposal that MUIS consider running a nursing home for the Muslims, I would like to say that nursing homes for the Muslims would be better managed by the Muslim voluntary organisations which may have the expertise and experience to carry it out more effectively. MUIS will provide financial assistance where possible. It does not have the funds or capacity to run such homes which require a very large sum of money.

Encik Othman bin Haron Eusofe: Sir, I thank the Minister for his answers and beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $264,465,620 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $115,333,570 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

Head S -

The Chairman: Head S - Ministry of Labour. Amendment No. (1), Encik Othman.

Encik Othman bin Haron Eusofe: Sir, I beg to move,

That the total sum to be allocated for Head S of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100.

Sir, on the topic of labour legislation, I would like to speak on the Employment Act and the CPF Act.

[Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair]

4.45 pm

Encik Othman bin Haron Eusofe: Sir, the Employment (Amendment) Act 1995, came into effect on 1st March 1996. The key areas of the amendment cover company restructuring and reorganisation and the legal framework to manage this, the introduction of a new definition of the basic rate of pay and gross rate of pay and new regulations on the terms and conditions for part-time employment.

Sir, this is a complex piece of legislation and the implementation of the amended provisions will be facilitated if there is good understanding of the new provisions. Sir, it is therefore important that the Ministry of Labour has an education programme on the amended Employment Act, both for the employers and the employees. In so far as the unions are concerned, the NTUC has, on its part, been explaining the new provisions to union leaders and members, what the changes are and how they will operate. However, there are also non-unionised workers and employers who may not have an adequate understanding of the changes. I would like therefore to ask the Minister whether his Ministry has plans on public education programmes to ensure a better understanding of the changes to the Employment Act.

Sir, on the CPF Act I would like to ask the Minister to give an assessment of how CPF funds have been used under the CPF Investment Schemes. Is the Ministry of Labour satisfied that those who have made use of the schemes are investing their funds prudently? Further, whether there would be changes made to the schemes to give CPF members better opportunities to invest their funds. In this connection, whether there would be changes made to the Basic Investment Scheme as well as the Enhanced Investment Scheme.

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: Sir, I rise to speak on the issue of representation of executives.

Under section 16(3) of the Industrial Relations Act, a union that represents rank-and-file employees cannot at the same time represent executive staff. In my view, this prohibition should be removed. In other words, rank-and-file unions should be allowed to represent executives.

Sir, the profile of our labour force has changed. In 1983, only 21% of our workforce were in professional and related jobs. In 1994, this figure had increased to 32%. In three to four years' time, this will be increased to about 50% to 60%. 60% of our workforce will come from the polytechnics and university and this figure will continue to rise as the population becomes better educated and with further economic and industrial restructuring.

The impact of this is that more and more employees will be excluded from the union's scope of representation. A shrinking pool of bargainable employees will weaken the trade union's movement. We will also be deprived of capable leaders who can pursue sound and responsible policies to run the trade unions. At the same time, employers' concern that there will be conflict of interest if executives are allowed to join rank-and-file unions is exaggerated. There are presently sufficient safeguards to overcome this, both in the law and through industrial practice.

Trade unions in Singapore have behaved responsibly and reasonably. We have always believed in settling disputes through peaceful means. The situation today is vastly different from the hostile industrial climate of the 1960s when the law was first introduced.

Some years ago, the Ministry had issued guidelines on the representation of front line supervisors. They are useful but only address the problem of bogus titles. Some employers are very good at creating fanciful titles for their staff so that the union cannot represent them. The guidelines, however, cannot override section 16(3) of the Act. In other words, if a person is actually performing executive functions, then he cannot join the rank-and-file union. In view of this, could the Minister make a review of section 16(3)?

Sir, as the service sector grows over the years, more and more workers are employed in this sector. I believe there is a need to review the Factories Act to ensure that the service sector workers are adequately protected against hazards in their workplace. For instance, the increasing use of computers and other office equipment, and pregnant women workers especially are expressing concern about their health over the constant exposure to radiation. The usage of computers may result in eye strain and backache if the company does not provide appropriate chairs or lighting. At the moment, there is no law to ensure that employers provide adequate protection for the office employees because an office is not designated a factory under the Factories Act.

Employees working at MRT stations are also not covered by the Factories Act as the stations are not designated as a factory under the Act. However, technicians maintaining the stations are exposed to hazards such as falls, etc. like any other workers operating in a manufacturing concern. In this regard, I would like to know whether the Ministry of Labour is considering expanding the Factories Act to call it the Factories and Offices Act to cover employees in the service sector as well.

The Chairman: Mr John De Payva, can you take your two amendments together?

Mr John De Payva (Nominated Member): Sir, I would like to speak on the Industrial Relations Act in the area of section 17(2). The section on retrenchment empowers the employer the absolute right to retrench workers by virtue of reorganisation or restructuring. Under this guise, Sir, if a company does not like a worker, then the worker goes. Unions can only negotiate on the quantum of retrenchment. Even today, Sir, this quantum is being questioned by the employer's quarters as being very high and very costly.

Retrenchment benefits cannot be made cheap where unions cannot challenge the exercise. I would suggest that unions be allowed to challenge this right. The quantum can still remain negotiable.

Sir, on the Trade Unions Act, I have raised this at the last budget session. This concerns section 35 of the Trade Unions Act that says that any member of the public can secure a copy of the union constitution for anything up to a dollar. While there may be cogent reasons then, are the same reasons applicable today in today's context of industrial relations? This provision has been in the Act for 48 years. But the $1 remains. Should not this amount be raised correspondingly with time? The value of $1 then, Sir, could well be the value of $20 today.

Encik Othman Bin Haron Eusofe: Sir, our labour market continues to be tight. Currently, we have some 13% of foreign workers in our total workforce. However, many service sector companies have asked for a relaxation in order to enable them to recruit more foreign workers. Sir, will the Minister for Labour consider raising the dependency ratio of service sector companies?

Another issue is the illegal employment of foreign workers which is very serious in the construction sector. As the Ministry of Labour takes steps to enforce sterner action, can it also provide some assistance to contractors so that they can make the necessary adjustments? In fact, I have many contractors in my constituency who have been relying on some workers whom they get from agencies. But now, because of this requirement, they are not sure whether those workers are legal or not. Some of them have landed in prison, and they are a bit worried about this.

Mr Charles Chong (Eunos GRC): Sir, the GPC Chairman has already covered the two points which I intended to speak on. So I am not speaking.

Mr Chew Heng Ching: Sir, most town council conservancy contractors are facing a shortage of cleaning labour. Because of affluence, many Singaporeans are shying away from becoming conservancy cleaners. Many see this as low wage, low status jobs. The situation is made worse by the fact that our existing pool of cleaners are getting old and retiring. Many are also encouraged by their grown up children to stop working or switch to other types of jobs.

Sir, the labour shortage situation in our estate cleaning industry is real and could get worse if we do not address this problem now. It could lead to a drop in cleanliness standard in our housing estates and posing serious health problems.

Sir, I am aware that automation and educating Singaporeans not to litter are medium to long term solutions to this problem. But we need some short term measures to tackle the problem. I think we may have no choice but to allow for some reliance on foreign labour to do the conservancy cleaning jobs in the constituency. I am aware of the adverse social implications of having too many foreign workers in our residential estates, but I believe this problem could be controlled by imposing stringent conditions on the employment of these foreign workers by cleaning contractors. For example, stipulating that these workers be housed away from residential estates, maybe nearby construction sites, or restricting the hours of work of these workers in the constituency from, say, 6.00 am to 6.00 pm.

Sir, I would like to ask the Minister if his Ministry is doing anything to help alleviate the shortage of labour in conservancy work in the town councils. I would like to propose that the Minister consider allowing up to 10% of our conservancy cleaning workforce to be foreigners.

Dr John Chen Seow Phun (Hong Kah GRC): Sir, I would like to join Mrs Yu-Foo in asking the Minister to allow executives to join rank-and-file unions.

The labour force profile in Singapore is changing. The workforce is now better educated. Over a 10-year period from 1983 to 1994, the percentage of workers with post secondary or diploma qualifications rose from 11% to 17%. This category of workers has the largest employment gain with 245,800 jobs created over the same period, representing the highest rate of increase at about 8% a year.

This increase is significant, as it accounted for one-quarter of total jobs created during the period. Although the financial and business services have employed the largest number of workers from this category, there is also a perceptible shift in manufacturing employment from production jobs towards professional, managerial and technical occupations. Professionals and other executives grew 7% a year during the 1983 to 1994 period, compared to only 1% for rank-and-file workers. This comparison shows you how fast our labour force profile is changing and in what direction.

It is therefore time now to review clause 16(3) of the Industrial Relations Act which prohibits executives and rank-and-file workers to be represented by the same union.

Sir, this clause has been there for many years. It was introduced at a time when the relationship between the management and union was one of conflict and industrial strife was the order of the day. Section 16(3) was therefore useful in preventing conflict of interest when managers and executives have to enforce discipline on the rank-and-file workers. 5.00 pm

But today's industrial relations climate has become vastly different. We now stress team work, cooperation and partnership. Looking at it positively, allowing executives and ordinary workers to belong to the same union would help cement closer ties between the different levels of staff in the company. This sense of togetherness is important for the company to compete in the new global environment. It is for this reason that although executives are allowed to form their own union, the NTUC still prefers to have workers and executives belonging to the same company come under the same union.

If section 16(3) is not reviewed, the pool of bargainable employees in the rank-and-file unions will continue to diminish. This will present a leadership renewal problem in these unions and that will not augur well for industrial relations in the future.

Sir, if what employers are worried about is the additional collective bargaining that they would have to do when executives are also represented by the union, may I say that perhaps the nature and content of collective bargaining for such employees could also be reviewed. There is no absolute necessity to adopt the same traditional approach and items in the collective agreement as that for the rank-and-file workers. If employers are only prepared to talk about qualitative benefits such as working conditions or training provisions, instead of wage bargaining for executives, I do not see why such sentiments cannot be discussed.

Sir, structural changes in the employment and labour profile must also be met with structural changes in labour laws. May I ask the Minister to look into our suggestions.

Mr John De Payva: Sir, I would also like to further emphasise on what my union colleagues have been talking about just now on union representation.

Sir, on Saturday, 16th March, a workshop on Changing Employment Structure and Its Impact on Union Membership was run by the NTUC and some 200 union leaders actively participated in this whole day workshop. This workshop examined the trends in employment structure in Singapore, studied the implications of changing employment structure on union membership and recommended appropriate organising strategies and incentives to address the issue.

Sir, over the decade, there had been changes in the employment pattern in Singapore. Essentially, there was a shift of jobs away from manufacturing to services and the rapid expansion in the managerial, professional and technical jobs. Professional and related workers grew by 7% a year compared with 1% for rank-and-file workers. Their share of total employment has increased from 21% to 31% in the last 10 years. This trend will continue.

Sir, the Singapore workforce is also better educated today than 10 years ago. As an example, tertiary educated workers form 25% of the total number of workers in the 25 to 29 years cohort. It is important for the labour movement to attract young educated members for future leadership positions. However, Sir, the pool is very limited as employers are giving these workers executive and managerial titles. It is not that employers deliberately do this to preclude them from unionisation in rank-and-file unions. Times have changed. A salesman then is today called a sales executive and, by virtue of the law, he is precluded from joining the rank-and-file union. So there are several positions that have over a period of time changed, indicating the progress of the nation, and several rank-and-file positions have been given executive officer and managerial titles. This puts the rank-and-file labour movement in a dilemma.

Sir, whilst the Ministry of Labour has guidelines to assist unions in their bid to unionise junior executives in rank-and-file unions, interpretation is a major issue. As an example, my union has a case in the MOL, that is about two years old or more, with no solution in sight.

Section 16(3) of the Industrial Relations Act forbids an executive or above from joining a union whose majority membership is of rank-and-file workers. This section has served its purpose very well. The question is: is it relevant today? Should it not be re-examined against changing employment needs?

The Minister for Labour (Dr Lee Boon Yang): Sir, allow me to respond to the hon. Members who have spoken up to now.

First, I would like to address the points raised by the Chairman of the GPC for Labour, Mr Othman Haron Eusofe. The Employment Act was first amended in November 1995. It took effect on 1st March this year. The amendments were in fact quite extensive and covered many different aspects of the basic terms and conditions of employment. To ensure that employers/companies have a good understanding of the amendments to the Employment Act and can put these amendments to work expeditiously, my Ministry has recently conducted a series of talks and seminars for employers and human resource managers. Up to-date, about 3,000 employers and human resource managers had attended these briefings and seminars. They came from multi-national corporations, large local companies and SMEs. They represented both unionised and non-unionised companies.

Mr Othman had reported that NTUC had also been briefing trade union leaders and their members. I appreciate NTUC's effort to help the Ministry to reach out to more employees. This will certainly supplement the efforts of my Ministry in explaining the rationale and implementation of the amendments to the Employment Act.

Sir, the briefings and seminars conducted by my Ministry had enabled us to explain in detail the amendments and also provided opportunities for participants to seek clarification on specific issues or how a particular amendment should be applied within the context of a company's employment practices. And, in fact, many participants had indicated that the briefings and seminars were useful and helped them to gain a better appreciation of the new employment provisions. Despite these efforts to explain the amendments to the Employment Act and how they should be applied in practice, we do anticipate that some companies may still encounter problems, arising from the need to change their existing employment practices as a result of the changes in the Employment Act. If companies and unions and workers need further clarifications or advice on the implementation of the amendments, they should approach the Labour Relations Department of my Ministry. We will provide every assistance to any employer or employee who has difficulty over the application of the amended provisions.

Sir, on public education programme, my Ministry has an on-going training programme on the Employment Act itself for employers and human resource managers, particularly those from the SMEs. The amendment to the Employment Act will be included in this training programme for both employers and human resource managers. We welcome everyone who has a need to have a better understanding of how the amended Employment Act should work to also enrol in such training courses. I would like to assure the Chairman of the GPC for Labour that my Ministry will continue with its effort to provide employers education programme to bring about a better understanding of the Employment Act, including the latest amendments.

Mr Othman had also asked for an update of the CPF Investment Schemes and what is CPF Board's experience in managing the schemes since they were last revised. Just to reiterate, CPF savings were first allowed for investment as far back as 1986 with the aim of giving CPF members an avenue to enhance their old-age savings. In 1993, the scheme was liberalised with the introduction of the Basic and Enhanced CPF Investment Schemes. The introduction of these two new schemes not only increased the amount of funds available for investment but also widened the choice of investment instruments available to CPF members. At the end of the second accounting year, ie, since 1993, in September 1995, 380,000 CPF members out of 800,000 eligible members have opened investment accounts. In other words, 380,000 members have taken advantage of the investment schemes, whether it is the Basic Investment Scheme or the Enhanced Investment Scheme, to withdraw CPF for investment purposes.

Sir, our experience over the last two years showed that CPF members have generally been prudent in the use of CPF savings for investment. For example, more than 95% of the invested Basic Investment funds were invested in trustee shares and more than 90% of the invested Enhanced Investment funds were invested in trustee shares, bank deposits and endowment insurance policies. Three-quarters of CPF investors have invested less than half of their investible funds under the Investment Schemes. If the accrued CPF interest was not taken into account, out of the 380,000 CPF investors, 71% made realised profits over the past two years. In order to safeguard CPF savings because of the need to ensure they all have long-term savings for their retirement days, we have deliberately adopted a conservative approach of only allowing CPF members to withdraw realised profits over and above the accrued CPF interest on all savings withdrawn for investment. As a result of this conservative approach, 16% of CPF investors were able to withdraw profits this year.

Sir, in view of the experience gained from managing the Basic Investment and Enhanced Investment Schemes which showed that CPF investors are generally prudent in their investment decisions, my Ministry feels that it is no longer necessary to maintain two separate investment schemes. I am pleased, therefore, to announce that with effect from 1st January 1997, the two schemes will be merged to form one scheme, the CPF Investment Scheme. This new scheme will replace the two existing schemes. The investment rules will be simplified and all CPF investors will be able to choose from a wider range of investment instruments. The long advance notice that we are giving today is to prepare CPF members and to give agent banks which maintain the CPF investment accounts time to make the necessary changes.

Sir, to qualify for the CPF Investment Scheme which will take effect on 1st January 1997, a CPF member must meet the current eligibility criteria of the Basic Investment Scheme, which is to have at least the Minimum Sum, including the cash component, before he is allowed to invest up to 80% of the excess. Thus, all existing BIS and EIS members will automatically qualify for the new CPF Investment Scheme. Also, all the approved instruments under the Enhanced Investment Scheme today, such as Government bonds, bank deposits and endowment insurance policies, will be included in the new CPF Investment Scheme. However, a sub-limit of 20% of available funds will be imposed on the purchase of non-trustee shares. 5.15 pm

Sir, the deadline to allow unit trusts and fund managers to invest in stocks listed in the exchanges of the developed countries will also be advanced to 1st January 1998 instead of 1st January 1999 as was announced previously by the CPF Board. More details will be released by the CPF Board.

Sir, next I turn to the subject of union representation raised by Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Dr John Chen and Mr John De Payva. I agree with Dr John Chen, Mrs Yu-Foo and Mr John De Payva that with more better educated Singaporeans entering the workforce, the proportion of executives, managers and professionals in the workforce would certainly increase. As such employees are traditionally excluded from union representation, this trend would mean that the scope for union representation will correspondingly be reduced over time. While trade unions in Singapore would like to extend the scope of their representation to middle management personnel, employers are concerned that this could give rise to a conflict of interest and problems in labour-management relations. The apprehensions of employers, particularly employers in the multinational corporations, could be due to the experiences with unions elsewhere.

On employer's concern, I would like to point out that, unlike their counterparts in other countries, trade unions in Singapore have adopted a different approach. Our trade unions are responsible labour organisers and not militant radicals. They have played a constructive role in labour-management relations. Their approach to industrial relations is non-confrontational. Over the last 20 years, trade unions in Singapore have demonstrated that by working closely with management to solve problems, ie, upgrade the skills of their workers and raise workers' productivity, they could bring about a higher wage increase, better welfare and enhanced job security for workers. As a result of close union-management cooperation, we have avoided strikes and other industrial disputes which could hamper our economic growth and competitiveness.

Our harmonious industrial relations climate is an important factor for BERI to rank Singapore workforce as the best in the world since 1980. In the current report, 1996, BERI has once again ranked Singapore workforce ahead of others. In particular, we have made significant improvements in the technical skills sub-index. This can be attributed to the important contribution of the labour movement to encourage workers to go for skills upgrading.

I agree with hon. Members that trade unions are responsible and they have played a constructive role. Therefore, employers should view the unionisation of their employees as a positive development. Although a union which is already representing bargainable workers cannot under the law ask to represent middle management personnel, including executives of a company, this should not prevent employers from voluntarily allowing their executives to be part of the union movement. In fact, some companies with house unions have already allowed their junior and executive staff to join the rank-and-file unions. And in such companies, there is no evidence to suggest that the inclusion of the executives in the rank-and-file unions has given rise to a conflict of interest, or more labour-management problems.

Sir, to help enlarge the scope of union representation to better reflect the changing profile of the workforce, NTUC has proposed that companies should allow 80% of their employees to be unionised. Given the good track record of the trade unions in Singapore, I would like to take this opportunity to urge employers to view NTUC's proposal in a positive light and to give it serious consideration, particularly if their middle management, ie, their executives, are keen to join the union movement.

Sir, as pointed out by the hon. Member, section 16(3) of the Industrial Relations Act restricts a rank-and-file union from seeking to represent executives and managers. As employers are concerned over the possible conflicts of interest arising from the executives and managers joining the rank-and-file union, my proposal at this juncture is that we should not proceed to amend the section. We should not proceed to amend the law. I would like to point out that, as I have already mentioned earlier, since the law does not prevent employees from joining the rank-and-file union voluntarily, then the union should adopt a persuasive approach and encourage employers on their own accord to allow more of their executives and managers to join such rank-and-file unions. By taking a non-legislative approach, we will establish a more flexible system better suited to the wide range of company structures and organisational needs.

Sir, the Nominated Member, Mr John De Payva, has also expressed concern over some employers who inflate job titles. Some may have done it because of market requirements, changing profiles of the workforce and changing expectations of people entering the job market. I would like to point out that, in so far as union representation is concerned, it is not the job title but the nature of work that determines whether a person is considered traditionally bargainable to join a rank-and-file union directly, or he has now become an executive as in a managerial level.

As Members know, we have the tripartite guidelines to assist unions and companies to decide whether an employee should in fact be allowed to join a rank-and-file union. These guidelines have been implemented smoothly and effectively. Unions can always seek the help of my Ministry to look into cases where they feel that employers have given bogus titles to front-line supervisors or the junior management levels. My Ministry will study each case that is brought to our attention. If the job of the employee is found to have not substantially changed in spite of the change in job title, employers will be asked to allow these employees to join the rank-and-file union. In fact, if at that stage, we still cannot persuade the employers, then the matter can be referred to the Industrial Arbitration Court for arbitration.

The implementation of these tripartite guidelines has provided adequate protection for unions to seek remedy in situations where the employers have changed or inflated job titles for the purpose of excluding them from union representation.

Finally, on this subject, I would like once again to reiterate that employers should encourage more of their supervisors and management staff to join the unions. This will help to strengthen the union movement and contribute to a long-term harmonious industrial relations in Singapore.

Sir, Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon also asked whether the Factories Act could be amended to provide protection for office employees and whether MRT stations should also be covered under the Factories Act. The Factories Act was last amended in 1995. The amendments expanded the scope of the Act to cover workplaces that pose significant safety and health hazards to workers, such as warehouses, industrial testing laboratories and airport aprons. It also covers activities, such as work involving the use of pesticides or visual display units. In these cases, the Minister is empowered to make regulations in regard to the health, safety and welfare of employees engaged in these activities within the premises or factories.

The Factories Act is conceived to protect workers working in factories which are considered to be places of higher risks. Hence, up to now, office work is not covered under the Act. But I would like to inform the Member that my Ministry will study the need to include office work under the Act and to see how other regulations or alternative legislation could be introduced to cover such work.

With regard to the MRT stations, my Ministry will study the work activities and safety performance at MRT stations before deciding whether these stations should in fact be brought under the ambit of the Factories Act. Incidentally, all of SMRT's depots and workshops are already covered under the Factories Act.

Sir, I next turn to Mr John De Payva's point on section 17(2) of the Industrial Relations Act. He suggested that unions should be allowed to challenge the right to retrench employees. Sir, employers are responsible for the management of their companies. To enable companies to function effectively, employers should be given the discretion to carry out certain basic functions and responsibilities of management without being subjected to the process of collective bargaining with trade unions. For this reason, section 17(2) of the Industrial Relations Act accords management the right to decide on some of these issues, such as promotion, transfer and appointment of employees to fill vacancies, retrenchment by reasons of redundancy or reorganisation, assignment and the location of duties, and the dismissal of employees on the ground of misconduct.

The Member is concerned with the possible abuse by employers of the right to retrench workers. I would like to assure him that while employers are given the discretion under the Industrial Relations Act to retrench employees on the ground of redundancy, such decision has got to be supported by valid grounds. Valid grounds would include business downturn, introduction of new technology to upgrade operation, company restructuring and relocation of labour intensive industries, all of which may require a reduction in manpower requirements. Although the employer has the right to reduce their workforce for reason of redundancy, this right has got to be exercised judiciously. So far, there is no evidence to suggest that employers have abused this right and, in fact, other than a few companies which were under liquidation due to insolvencies, in all cases of retrenchment, the unions have been able to secure retrenchment benefits for the affected workers although the quantum may vary depending on the circumstances and financial position of the company.

Sir, Mr John De Payva has also raised the question of the right for a member of the public to acquire a copy of the trade union's constitution. He made the point last year that the sum of $1 is not realistic and perhaps it is time to review it. Yes, my Ministry has included this point in our overall review of the Trade Unions Act. When the total review is completed, among which there are several other provisions that we are studying, we will take up his suggestion about changing the fee for acquiring a copy of the union's constitution.

But, at this juncture, I want to point out that it is quite common for many organisations, in order to help their members to have a better understanding of their constitution or regulations that govern the running of the organisation, to distribute their constitution free of charge to their members and make it freely available. So in the case of trade unions, we would also like to enable bargainable employees or lower income employees to have easy access to copies of their trade union's constitution. We should bear this in mind in reviewing the changes. 5.30 pm

Sir, I next turn to Mr Othman's remarks on the labour market, and whether we should raise the dependency ratio for the service sector companies. In fact, we already have more than 350,000 foreign workers in Singapore. Foreign workers make up about 20% of the total workforce. In other words, one in five workers is a foreign worker.

The dependency ceiling for the service sector was raised from 20% to 25% in December 1994. My Ministry has, in fact, just reviewed the need to raise the dependency ceiling for service sector companies. We have concluded that it may not be adjusted at this juncture. Currently, only 6.5% of the companies in the service sector have hit or exceeded their dependency ceiling, while 4.9% are close to the current ceiling of 25%. Thus, the majority of the service sector companies are operating well within the 25% dependency ceiling.

Sir, service sector employers should seriously consider alternatives to employing foreign workers. They will have to look into how to re-engineer their work processes to raise productivity and to cut down on manpower requirements. Employers should also look at ways to optimise the use of our local workforce. For instance, there is a very large pool of economically inactive people in Singapore, such as housewives and older men. For instance, the 1995 Labour Force Survey showed that there are more than 300,000 women between the ages of 30 and 54 years as well as 24,000 men between the ages of 50 and 59 years who are not working. Employers should try to attract as many as possible from this group to rejoin the workforce. Perhaps they may have to introduce innovative and flexible working arrangements which are better suited to the needs of this group of people. In fact, the service sector is probably the sector which is best positioned to tap this pool of human resource, because of the nature of jobs in the service sector and their working environment.

Sir, Mr Othman has also raised a question about contractors and illegal workers in Singapore following the amendment to the Employment of Foreign Workers Act. In fact, my Ministry and, I understand, the Ministry of Home Affairs are both very concerned with the extent of illegal workers in Singapore, in particular, the extent of illegal workers in the construction industry. As I have explained to this House previously when we were amending the Employment of Foreign Workers Act, this is perhaps due to the nature of the industry, because of the existence of a multi-layered sub-contracting system which makes it very difficult for us to identify who actually is the employer of an illegal foreign worker caught on a worksite. Furthermore, the frequent deployment of workers from site to site also makes it very difficult to detect these illegal workers. And many of the worksites, in fact, have hardly any security measures in place to regulate the entrance of workers.

Last November, we amended the Employment of Foreign Workers Act to address this issue. Among other things, we introduced a new provision to hold the principal contractor liable for any illegal foreign worker found on his site, unless he can prove that he has exercised due diligence to institute measures to prevent the entry of illegal foreign workers.

The new provisions have been brought into operation with effect from 1st March 1996. Contractors have been given ample warnings since March 1995 on the changes. In September 1995, the Police had issued, to all contractors, an advisory note on security measures, similar to those prescribed in the Act. Contractors, therefore, had ample time to familiarise themselves with the new regulations and the required security measures on their sites to prevent illegal employment.

To further assist contractors, my Ministry, in conjunction with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Singapore Police, held a briefing for members of the Singapore Contractors' Association Limited in January this year to explain the amendments and the security measures which have to be taken by the contractors. Many issues were discussed and my Ministry is reviewing some of the feedback obtained from the session to help contractors to comply with the regulations.

Let me assure the House that we will make every effort to assist contractors to make the adjustment but, at the same time, contractors should also be forewarned that we will take action to seek out all illegal workers present on the worksite. In the case of contractors who are not sure of the status of the workers provided by their sub-contractors, as mentioned by Mr Othman, I would urge the main contractor to check with my Ministry as soon as possible on the status of these foreign workers. We can easily assist them to determine whether such workers supplied by the sub-contractors are in fact holders of valid work permits who can be allowed to work on the construction sites in Singapore.

Sir, I next turn to Mr Chew Heng Ching. He has asked whether my Ministry is aware of the problems faced by town councils in service and conservancy work, and whether we would allow town councils to employ up to 10% - if I heard him correctly - of foreign workers to help them undertake the service and conservancy work. In fact, currently, cleaning contractors come under the service sector and they are allowed to employ up to 25% of foreign workers from traditional sources. My Ministry's concern really is whether we should extend this permission to employ foreign workers to include employing non-traditional source workers. I believe that is what the Member is really interested in, because we have already allowed them to employ up to 25%. So 10% would not quite help them.

We are concerned that if we allow town councils or cleaning contractors in general to engage non-traditional source workers, we will open a floodgate of requests for non-traditional source workers from many other employers in the service sector. I think many employers in the service sector would like to recruit non-traditional source workers in view of the present tight labour market situation, and also because they know that the non-traditional source workers are willing to work for a much lower wage. We already have a very large number of non-traditional source workers in Singapore. They are here mainly in the construction and marine sectors. If we allow town council contractors and other service sector employers to recruit non-traditional source workers, we will add to the numbers and make it more difficult for us to manage this group. There are many other problems such as housing, which the Member himself mentioned earlier on. Unlike construction workers who could be housed on worksites by the contractors, or marine workers whose employers usually have the resources to provide proper accommodation for their non-traditional source workers, cleaning contractors may have much greater difficulties housing their non-traditional source workers.

My Ministry has been monitoring the labour needs of town councils. We have recently conducted a number of inspections to determine the extent of illegal non-traditional source workers employed by town council contractors. We will review our policy in the light of enforcement findings and in consultation with the town councils.

Sir, I believe I have covered all the points raised up to now.

Mr Sinnakaruppan: Sir, foreign labour has played a significant role in meeting the shortfall of Singapore's domestic labour supply over the past two decades. The importance of foreign workers in helping to meet the needs of labour-tight employers in some sectors of the economy is recognised by the labour movement. However, it is felt that the inflow of foreigners should continue to be moderated, and not further liberalised. This is because of several important considerations.

Of greatest concern is the displacement of local workers. According to some preliminary data gathered on retrenchment in recent years, there is reason to believe that less than a proportionate number of foreign workers were retrenched when compared to local workers. This may be so because of the fact that foreign workers may be cheaper to hire and to keep them employed.

Unionists are already concerned that the liberal flow of foreign labour would have a depressing impact on local wages. If this leads to displacing of local workers, then we would have a social problem. NTUC is committed to ensure that our local workers are trained and retrained and reskilled so that they would not be the first target in any retrenchment exercise. But all things being equal, if a local worker is displaced because he is slightly more costly than a foreign worker, then there is concern for the labour movement, especially if he is a unionised worker.

The second point I want to raise is that some employers look to cheaper foreign labour at the expense of upgrading to higher skills and capital intensive operations. Many employers also do not see the need to send their foreign workers for training and skills upgrading, as they feel that these workers would leave them in 2-3 years' time. It is possible for this reason that, although the Government has set aside SDF grants for up to 25% of total enrolment needs of worker upgrading courses, only about 18% or less have used it in the past few years. What this means is that employing such workers would lead to lower productivity by lowering the average skills level of the total workforce in our economy. This would get worse as new untrained foreign workers replace some of the trained foreign workers whose stay in Singapore is limited by the expiry of their work permits. Their lack of training has not just affected productivity, but has also impacted on occupational safety. This is evident by the fact that 50 out of 60 workers killed in industrial accidents between 1990 and 1992 were foreign workers. Therefore, I urge the Minister to balance more carefully our dependency on foreign labour in our tight labour situation with our national interest of protecting Singaporeans and increasing our total factor productivity.

Mr Cheo Chai Chen: ( In Mandarin): Sir, in Singapore today, the demand for foreign workers is very great. Industries which have difficulty getting enough local workers will apply to the Ministry of Labour for work permits to employ foreign workers to join their workforce.

Personally, I feel that the control of the quality of foreign workers is more important than the control of their number. The number of foreign workers can be regulated by controlling the number of work permits to be issued, but it will be very hard to control and moderate the quality of these workers.

In order to solve the problem of labour shortage, I suggest that in considering applications for work permits the Government should take the individual merits and necessity of each case into consideration, rather than having an arbitrary quota.

Nowadays, some industries are unable to secure the required number of work permits, and have to resort to stealthily employing illegal foreign workers. In fact, many industries need to employ foreign workers because the local people are not willing to work in these industries. Therefore, increasing the number of foreign workers in these industries will not affect the wages of our local workers. Of course, we cannot allow an unlimited number of unnecessary foreign workers to come into Singapore and affect the working opportunities of our local people. As I said just now, controlling the quality of foreign workers is more important than controlling their number. Therefore, when considering the applications for work permit, the Ministry of Labour should look into the quality or conduct of the worker concerned, and check whether he has any criminal record in his own country. If necessary, the Ministry of Labour may seek the assistance of the Embassy in Singapore and the agent in the worker's country to check his particulars and conduct. Of course, this is not a perfect solution, and the judgement so made may not be absolutely correct. Be that as it may, it will still, in a certain way, help our local companies to get some better- behaved foreign workers, and to ensure that they do not create trouble here.

In order to encourage the foreign workers to exercise self-constraint, the Ministry of Labour may consider working with the Immigration Department to issue work permits with long periods of stay in Singapore to foreign workers whose conduct is good, or even to grant them permanent residence in Singapore, since these workers have not given us any trouble, and have in fact contributed to the construction of our nation.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have said in this House before that if the Government has a good budget surplus and is able to effectively control the problem of illegal foreign workers, it will be a wise move to abolish the levy on foreign workers, otherwise many employers will reduce the wages of the foreign workers. Once the wages of these foreign workers are too low, they may be compelled to carry out illegal activities, such as committing robbery, theft or other offences, thereby adversely affecting law and order in Singapore. As such, I suggest the Ministry of Labour abolish the foreign workers' levy. This will help to reduce the operational cost of local businesses, and at the same time prevent our law and order from being undermined.

Yesterday, when we were debating on the budget of the Ministry of the Environment, the Minister, RAdm Teo Chee Hean, also mentioned about the shortage of environmental workers in his Ministry. Many contractors of the town councils are also facing the same problem. In his reply to a similar question just now, the Minister for Labour, Dr Lee Boon Yang, mentioned that he may consider allowing workers from non-traditional countries to apply for permits to work in these areas. This is good news. I hope that the Minister will make the decision soon.

I hope that the Ministry of Labour will reduce or abolish the foreign maids' levy. Many people employ foreign maids in order to look after their elderly and sick parents, or their young children. They are unable to assume this responsibility because they are working. When they are not at home, they have to depend on foreign maids because it is very difficult to employ local maids. In order to appreciate their filial piety, and in order to encourage the woman folks to join the workforce, abolishing or reducing the foreign maids' levy is one of the better methods.

Mr Chiam See Tong: I also have an amendment on foreign workers.

20% of the workforce of 1.7 million comprise foreign workers. Foreign workers now number about 340,000 in our workforce. Soon it shall rise to as high as 425,000, which is about 25% of the workforce. The Singapore economy is apparently dependent on foreign workers, especially in the shipyards and construction sites. The shipbuilding industry and the construction industry would come to a standstill if there were no foreign workers. The dependency ratio is one local worker to three foreign workers in the former industry and one local worker to five foreign workers in the latter industry. The Government puts a stiff monthly levy on employment of foreign workers from $250 to $450 per worker, depending upon the level of skill of the foreign workers and the percentage of foreign workers employed by each company. The Government earns about $1.6 billion a year from the levies imposed on foreign workers.

I would like to raise various concerns in relation to the high number of foreign workers employed in Singapore. I think the concern is more evident if we note the high dependency rate of some industries on foreign workers. I would like to highlight the construction industry. The Government should do something to reduce the dependency of foreign workers in the construction industry. Something like 80% of workers in the construction sites are foreign workers. This number may even be higher as contractors do employ large numbers of illegal workers who are not registered and are excluded from the data compiled by the Government.

At one time the Government had a scheme to train our NS boys to do work in the construction industry. The rationale was that the skill learned in construction sites could also come in handy for civil defence work. Can the Minister tell us what has happened to that scheme? Is the Government going to do anything to reduce the ratio of foreign workers at our construction sites? The Government should make attempts to encourage more Singapore workers to take over the work done by foreign workers, otherwise they shall not enjoy high wages as the low wages paid to foreign workers shall always dampen the wages paid to local workers.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: My amendment is on the welfare of foreign workers.

Foreign workers have become a fact of life in Singapore and, as the Minister confirmed just now, they comprise 20% of our labour force. They do many of the jobs that are avoided by the local population. We must therefore acknowledge that the input of foreign labour is indispensable to our economy.

As a nation and on an individual level, we have gone some distance in advancing the welfare of this sector of our society, but much still remains to be done. Wages of foreign workers cannot be left to market forces as there is a market failure. If it is just a question of supply and demand, then one could expect competitive wages for foreign workers as there is a limited supply and a much greater demand. However, this is not so, as employers have the upper hand in the continuation or the termination of the services of the foreign worker. Fear of repatriation affects their wage bargaining power, and as many of them have borrowed money to leave their home country, they have little choice but to work even when the wages offered are low.

Thus, I would urge the Minister to look into the setting up of a minimum wage scheme for foreign workers. This proposal has already been adopted by the Indonesian and Malaysian governments to ensure that domestic maids from Indonesia are not exploited by either their employers or the employment agency. The Indonesian-Malaysian Agreement contains among other things the quantum of fees charged by the Indonesian employment agencies on the maids, maid's salaries and the responsibilities of employers and maids. Would the Minister please consider formulating a set of guidelines on the range of wages to be paid to foreign workers? Occasional checks can be carried out to ensure compliance by employers. Non-compliance should entail a ban from hiring foreign workers for a certain period of time. Also, this scheme for a minimum wage for foreign workers could address a concern expressed by Mr Sinnakaruppan about the tendency of local employers to retrench local workers over foreign workers.

Sir, could the Ministry also advise foreign workers to join a union? The union could then look after the foreign workers' welfare and bargain for reasonable wages.

Finally, Sir, I would like to urge the Ministry of Labour to carry out a public education programme to advance the welfare of foreign workers. We should change the patronising attitude of some of our local employers who feel that they are doing the foreign workers a favour by giving them a job. Foreign labour should be perceived as an international shared human resource with benefits accruing to both the host country and the sending countries. Sir, we should therefore continue to look after the welfare of foreign workers and I welcome the Minister's view on this subject.

Mr Sinnakaruppan: Sir, during the Budget debate, I had argued for the need to find a formula to balance the pulls on married women who, on the one hand, need to spend time at home to nurture their children and, on the other hand, have to go to work so as to have a reasonable standard of living in Singapore.

Many in this House and outside, like myself, have suggested that one way out is to propagate the concept of virtual organisations and thereby enabling part-time (or even full-time) work. Last weekend, NTUC, in a seminar on membership drive, began to realign its membership drive in preparation for the era of the virtual organisations.

According to the MOL's Labour Force Survey in 1994, in 1983 there were about 180,000 married women in the workforce. In 1994, this figure has reached about 343,000. In other words, it has almost doubled within a period of 11 years. The survey also covers part-time work. According to the survey, in 1991, there were a total of 19,695 married women engaged in part-time work, and in 1994, the figure remained at about 21,045, in other words, almost stagnant. Therefore, it is clear that although more women have joined the workforce, they find that part-time work is not sufficiently attractive.

Therefore, I would like to ask the Minister if his Ministry would proactively try and promote the proliferation of the concept of virtual organisations in companies in Singapore. Already some in the private sector are moving in this direction. Perhaps the civil service should take a pre-eminent lead in this. I know that there are limitations, especially for certain occupations. For example, it is difficult to get, say, the electronic industries' line-based or operator-based jobs to be done at home. But the potential is tremendous for the commercial and service sectors, especially for back office operations. Perhaps the Ministry can work with the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Finance to find possible financial incentives for the promotion of virtual organisations in Singapore so that married women can balance both the aspects that I have mentioned in years to come.

The Chairman: We have only one minute left. Do I have the consent of Members to stop here.

Hon. Members indicated assent.

Thereupon Mr Deputy Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.

Dr Lee Boon Yang: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 1996/1997, and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.

Mr Deputy Speaker: So be it.