SOCIAL AMENITIES FOR FOREIGN WORKERS

Mr Chiam See Tong asked the Minister for Labour whether the Government has utilised part of the foreign workers' levy to provide social amenities to each of the national groups of foreign workers during their off days, and if there are, what are those social amenities.

Dr Lee Boon Yang: Like all other sources of revenue, the amount collected from the Foreign Workers' Levy goes into the Consolidated Fund which is used to finance Government expenditure on public infrastructure and amenities which benefit both Singaporeans and foreigners working in Singapore. All social amenities in Singapore are open and available to foreign workers. We do not prevent foreign workers from using any public amenities. I am sure the Member is aware that every weekend, foreign workers gather at places such as the Botanical Gardens, Orchard Mall, Crawford Park and Rochore Centre to meet and socialise. There is thus no need to provide special amenities for foreign workers.

Apart from these public amenities, some employers also provide recreational and welfare facilities for their workers. These are open to both local and foreign workers in the company. Some even build special facilities for their foreign workers. An example of this is the Acacia Lodge built by Keppel Corporation to house its foreign workers. Besides accommodation, the Lodge has facilities such as a canteen, mini-mart, launderette and a multi-purpose recreational hall.

HDB and JTC are prepared to lease out more sites to be developed as dormitories for foreign workers. When developed, these dormitory projects will also be provided with amenities and recreational facilities for the residents.