HEAD L - MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER RESOURCES

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_

Head L - Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources: _

The Chairman: Head L - Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. Dr Amy Khor.

Engaging Singaporeans on Environment Issues

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan (Hong Kah): Sir, I beg to move,

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

Sir, the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources has, in recent times, launched various bold initiatives, such as opening up our reservoirs to the public for recreational activities and spearheading the 3P partnership by best sourcing its

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NEWater and desalination plants to the private sector. Sir, I wish to commend the Ministry on this.

Singaporeans are increasingly aware of the importance of protecting our environment, not just for ourselves, but also for our future generations. This is evident by the increase in the number of Forum page letters on environmental issues as well as the activities of passionate groups, such as the marine conservation group, Blue Water Volunteers.

Nevertheless, Sir, the passion and the actions seem to be confined to these groups. The importance of preserving and protecting our environment has still not filtered down to the masses. While the percentage of the population participating in recycling projects has been increasing to its present level of 47%, the bulk of this participation comes from households in public housing estates. Only 20% of condominium homes currently recycle, whilst the participation rate in schools stands at only 30%. Moreover, one wonders how strongly the public cares for their living environment when you look at the amount of garbage that is thrown on the floor near the letter-boxes at the void decks of HDB blocks every evening, as well as the amount of litter that is left behind after major events like the Chingay . It was reported that two tonnes of trash was left behind on Orchard Road after the Chingay parade. This definitely provides work for our cleaners but our social behaviour contrasts sharply with countries like Japan where it is second nature to pick up and dispose of their own rubbish before they leave the event venue. Furthermore, even though the state of our public toilets has improved after the launch of the "Singapore OK" campaign, there is still much to be desired in terms of toilet hygiene and cleanliness when compared to the standards achieved

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in many developed western countries like the UK and US.

Sir, I would like to ask the Minister the following questions:

What steps is the Ministry taking to inculcate our young with environmentally-friendly habits, such as recycling, good public hygiene, responsibility not to litter, raise their level of awareness about green issues and get them interested in the environment? How would it reach out to the students in schools, especially as I understand from my children and those of my friends, that the standard of cleanliness of school toilets, especially primary school toilets, is embarrassing? How does the Ministry plan to raise the community's awareness of and participation in environmental issues and inculcate in them a sense of responsibility for the environment? Does the Ministry intend to open up more of its reservoirs for recreational activities? And if so, what types of activities as well as what measures will it take to ensure that the visitors do not litter or damage the ecology and foliage of the place?

Energy labelling, specifically air-conditioners and refrigerators, was introduced in 2002. But it remains on a voluntary basis. Would the Ministry be implementing mandatory energy labelling as well as expanding this to other appliances as this will allow consumers to make more informed choices, reduce energy consumption and enjoy savings? Why has Singapore not acceded to the Kyoto Protocol which commits 39 industrialised nations to reducing the levels of greenhouse gas emission even when it claims to be pro-environment and is committed to environmental sustainability?

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Community Participation

Mdm Cynthia Phua (Aljunied): Mr Chairman, Sir, our "Town Sparkles" Committee which I chair, and runs the programme for the 14 PAP Town Councils, has also addressed various issues on the environment, from dengue to good toilet habits.

We need to keep on pushing the public service messages and the support of all Government agencies. The National Environment Agency (NEA) and HDB are represented in our "Town Sparkles" Committee. However, what we hope is that there can be greater concerted effort by all agencies to push the public education messages across the heartlands.

Take public toilets, for instance. While there has been improvement from the past, we have to relentlessly push and reinforce the public messages to the masses - work with the coffeeshop association, work with the shop owners themselves, and with the community.

Littering is also an issue which needs constant reminders from the Town Councils, the Residents' Committees, the NEA and the schools. Junk mails thrown on the HDB void decks are not uncommon. Recycling is still not catching up with our citizens.

Our "Town Sparkles" campaign can achieve so much in addressing issues relating to living in a clean and healthy environment. We are only one of the many platforms to reach out. The Ministry should see what is lacking in its overall public education campaign. Why are people not paying as much attention to social issues like mosquito breeding, littering and recycling? Or should all the different campaigns or programmes be realigned and we have one big "Social Habits" programme?

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There are two more group agencies that we can tap on their expertise, ie, the regulatory bodies such as the BCA, HDB and MEWR's various departments, such as NEA and the Drainage and Sewage Department. The other agencies that we can tap on are the civic groups as well as the professional bodies, eg, the various institutes of engineers, architects, estate managers, doctors and other civic groups besides the environmental protection groups.

Economic Opportunities in the Environment Sector

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: Sir, I applaud the Ministry's various initiatives to facilitate private sector participation and create economic opportunities in the environmental sector. The Design, Build, Own and Operate scheme for the NEWater and desalination water plants, the Hawker Centre Upgrading Programme and the 1,000 for 1,000 scheme where jobs in the cleaning sector has been redesigned, are notable examples of such efforts.

The revival of the Street Hawker Licence Scheme which allows hawkers, for instance, to sell ice-cream in designated areas, also shows the Ministry's responsiveness to public feedback. I would like to ask the Minister to consider relaxing some of the conditions imposed and expanding the area these street hawkers can operate so that whilst avoiding excessive competition in more popular areas, we do not make it so restrictive that it is difficult for the vendor to make a living.

I would also like to ask the Minister to revive the Newspaper Vendor Licence Scheme which I understand has been stopped since 1994. The reason apparently is that there were then too many such newspaper vendors. However, as the licence is non-transferable, natural attrition over time will automatically reduce the number. I

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have seen quite a number of appeals to the NEA for the licence to be transferred to another person as the licensee no longer wishes or is unable to operate the stall. These have been rejected on the ground that the licence is not transferable and no new licences can be issued. As more than 10 years have passed, I submit that there are grounds to warrant a review of the number of licences issued as this could provide an extra avenue for those trying to find a means of making a living.

Recently, there have also been a number of letters to the press complaining about many karung guni men who take turns to rouse you from your sleep on weekend with their blaring horns. There have also been cases of karung guni men fighting over garbage and causing grievous hurt to each other in some instances. Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether the Ministry is looking into how these issues can be resolved.

Manpower Training in the Environment Sector

The Minister of State, Prime Minister's Office (Mr Othman Haron Eusofe): Mr Chairman, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister to provide the outcome of the Ministry's "1,000 for 1,000" initiative which was launched in September 2003. Sir, this is the Ministry's job re-creation programme to attract local workers to work in the various cleaning jobs in the environment sector.

Sir, what are the key learning points which can be shared with the employers and employees involved in other job re-creation programmes? As we are all aware, the Prime Minister launched the NTUC's Job Re-creation Programme last Saturday.

Sir, a mindset change is required both on the part of the employers and employees. For the employers, they must be ready to employ mature workers who have the skills for the jobs and are fit and ready to work while for employees, they

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must have the confidence to take the jobs and be ready to go for regular skills upgrading.

Sir, has the Ministry other plans to go beyond the "1,000 for 1,000" job initiative, perhaps a "1,000 for 1,002" for other job re-creation programmes which are available in the environment sector?

Water Resources

Dr Ong Chit Chung (Jurong): Mr Chairman, Sir, for many years, Singapore has been working for self-sufficiency in water resources. We have a breakthrough with NEWater and embarked on desalination.

I understand that our reservoir capacity has also been enlarged to contain and store more water. This has made us less dependent on Malaysia for supply of water, which has always been a point of friction between Singapore and Malaysia.

The Singapore Government has announced that it will not seek to extend the first Water Agreement when it lapses in 2011. I would therefore like to ask the Minister whether there are any new initiatives to enlarge our water supply and capacity. Will he be able to assure Singaporeans that we will have a constant supply of water and our taps will never run dry?

What else is being done to ensure that we make the best possible use of our limited water resources? Once the Marina Barrage is constructed, what would the Ministry do to ensure that the water of the new reservoir will be kept clean and unpolluted?

Would the Ministry also work closely with the private sector to promote Singapore as a water hub and export our water processing technology overseas?

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Deep Sewer Tunnel

Assoc. Prof. Low Seow Chay (Chua Chu Kang): Mr Chairman, Sir, I would like to talk about the deep tunnel sewerage system.

The centralised deep sewerage treatment plants, one in the east and a future one in the west, make waste management easier and they are also likely to reduce the cost of treatment. The two sewerage treatment plants are also the future NEWater and industrial water production plants. It will be one of the three important water taps in our water self-sustaining strategy. If something goes wrong with these taps, it will have a significant impact on the continual water supply when, at that time, we will no longer be getting water from Malaysia. Any stoppage of the plant for more than a month, Singapore will face a water crisis.

I can easily think of a way that can cause the plant to shut down for a long period of time by some form of stubborn contamination. Sir, some of these may cause permanent stoppage of the plants.

Sir, the deep sewerage tunnel system is not pressurised and the sewerage flows through gravity. Foreign materials could easily be introduced into the tunnel and eventually arrive at the treatment plant through all the possible openings, be it the manhole, the sewer collection and pumping stations, and even the toilet bowls in our homes.

So, if one could contaminate the system and pose potential security risks to our water supply system, it is because waste water is used as feed water for the production of NEWater and recycled water. What precautions has the Ministry taken or will take to minimise such a potential risk?

The Chairman: Prof. Ivan Png is not here. Mr Yatiman.

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Semakau Landfill

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (Encik Yatiman Yusof): Mr Chairman, 10 years ago, the Government acquired Pulau Seking and Pulau Semakau and developed them into an offshore landfill which was operational about six years ago. A fortnight ago, I was fortunate to be able to visit the site on the courtesy of Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee.

In my life, I have seen how Kallang Basin, the area from Jalan Kolam Ayer to Lavender Street, had evolved from a dumping ground to a public housing and industrial estate and how Lorong Halus, another dumping ground, had attracted stray dogs and how residents who initially moved into Pasir Ris had to tolerate the odour coming out from the area.

Contrary to the general perception that a landfill is an unhygienic, smelly and dusty place, this offshore landfill, which I am told is as big as Sentosa, is a clean and nice place with the smell of fresh air from the blue sea filling our lungs. The special care taken during its construction has prevented leakages

into the sea and the air. In this way, the maritime eco-system is fully protected and the air is clean. More than that, Sir, the rejuvenated natural habitat of Pulau Semakau, with the replanted bakau trees and the mangrove mud flats, provided an attractive opportunity for the creative and productive use of the place.

2.30 pm

I have two questions to ask. Firstly, to what extent has the landfill been able to meet our current and future needs for waste disposal? Secondly, going beyond just a landfill, as Semakau/Seking is large enough an area, I would like to know what the Ministry has in mind in

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maximising its potential for the benefit of Singaporeans.

Sir, I would like to venture to suggest that the island be developed into an intensive-recreational area. Facing an open sea, it could be developed into a seasports centre for those who love to go yachting, boating, sea-kayaking, wind surfing and even sports fishing. The untouched Semakau Island could be a unique place for nature lovers to view its fauna and flora. It could also be developed into a retreat for families and voluntary welfare organisation members. Sir, to do so, we need first of all to turn the place into a green island, which Seking is lacking.

Recreational Use of Reservoirs

Prof. Ivan Png Paak Liang (Nominated Member): Sir, I must disclose an interest here. I am personally keen to bring my children to sail and row in our reservoirs.

I applaud the Ministry for opening up the reservoirs for water sports. However, I am concerned that the mechanism is too exclusive. Last year, I was so happy to read the Minister's speech that we could sail on Lower Seletar Reservoir. So I went to find out. What I found out was that I must pay $10,000 entrance fee to join Seletar Country Club, then I could do my sailing. This, Sir, was very disappointing.

I urge the Ministry to open up the reservoirs to the public - truly open to the public - not just to a select few. I urge the Ministry to please make it a condition that when the reservoir is open to an operator, the facilities must be open to the public, not just to a few members.

Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) Reading

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong: Mr Chairman, Sir, the NEA currently

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publishes the overall daily PSI value which effectively shows the highest indices in accordance with the USEPA guidelines for PSI reporting. Since 14th February 2005, the agency had also implemented a system of publishing the PSI reading categorised into the five major regions in Singapore over the same period. The recent spate of bush fires in Singapore from the hot weather had exposed an inadequacy in the PSI information dispensed by the agency.

Our suggestion: could NEA consider putting in place a system which allows the indication of the time of day where the highest PSI value is registered? Such information could serve as an advisory alert, allowing Singaporeans to make an informed choice on the time of day where they may like to conduct their outdoor activities. This information will certainly hold more practical value than a tabulated presentation of the PSI by regions within Singapore.

To further refine the proposal, NEA may even adopt a farsighted and proactive approach by issuing an hourly PSI automatically, without prompting, when the situation demands. For example, during times of local and regional blazes. If the cost is minimal, such an hourly update might even become the daily norm. Such a mechanism is apparently feasible as seen during the times when an hourly update of the PSI was released in view of the haze emitted from the Indonesian fires which had periodically and severely enveloped the region in recent years.

Distinction of the seriousness of the haze problem should not be dependent on whether it is of a local or foreign origin. As such, the measures taken to inform the public should universally be applied to all situations.

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The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim): Sir, first, I would like to thank Dr Amy Khor, our new GPC Chairman and other Members for the various suggestions and questions. Sir, today, being the International Women's Day, may I take this opportunity to wish all the women folk in Singapore a better future.

Sir, indeed, my Ministry is committed towards continuing to build on past successes to further improve the management of Singapore's environment and water resources.

Sir, Dr Amy Khor and several other MPs have alluded to how Singapore has progressed in terms of our environment. Indeed, we have done well as a nation. Just take a look at the Singapore River from the Members' Room. Looking back over 40 years of nation building, our environmental achievements to date are no mean feat. Today, Singapore is 100% sewered, with all used water collected and treated. Proper waste management facilities and systems have been put in place. Singapore is recognised by the World Health Organisation as being free from malaria. Sir, we are indeed clean and green.

Sir, we could not have done all this alone. Over the years, many groups and civic-minded individuals have worked hand-in-hand with us and other Government agencies to engender pride in our environment, and promote the message of keeping our environment clean. Through these meticulous, collective and continuous efforts, our environment became and, has remained, a key factor in making Singapore an attractive place to live, work and play.

Mr Chairman, sometimes, being away from Singapore makes one appreciate more of what we have going here. In a letter to the Business Times in December last year, one Ms Vanessa Ng, now living

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in a small town about 90 minutes outside London, wrote about the little things that she missed. Two things worthy of mention today. She missed having her rubbish collected daily. Where she now lives, her rubbish is collected once in two weeks. Once she missed the collection day, she had to tolerate the smell and flies for a month. She also misses the neighbourhood wet market. She has to travel miles to a supermarket to get her marketing done, but there she cannot get meat cut to the size she wants, or fish which are cleaned and scaled so that she can cook it readily. Sir, she misses the efficiency, service and convenience that we have here in Singapore.

But, having said all that, Sir, I think we all agree that we must not rest on our laurels. Having reached the base camp of environmental performance, we must now continue to push towards environmental sustainability as our next peak. Going beyond just keeping Singapore clean when we are reminded to, we want every Singaporean to feel for, and care for, our environment. This is not beyond us. In fact, this behaviour is already of 'export quality'. Indeed, I have been told by the Saudi authorities that Singaporeans are the cleanest lot there. Our Haj pilgrims never fail to bag their rubbish and dispose of them at the right places.

Sir, last year, we released the first Clean Card to inform the public about how our environment is faring and what more we could do to make it even better. Sir, we have just updated the Clean Card and we would make this available to all schools, public libraries and community clubs. Sir, we have also put together Singapore's first State of the Environment report, and I hope Members have the chance to go through it. Sir, this report is a handy, yet comprehensive, account of Singapore's environmental challenges, strategies and performance towards environmental sustainability. Sir, allow me to highlight a few key achievements.

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Sir, all households continue to enjoy daily refuse collection services, now provided entirely by private companies appointed by the NEA. Last year, Sir, we incinerated 2.26 million tonnes of rubbish. On a daily basis, this works out to 6,200 tonnes of rubbish or 880 truck-loads of refuse every day. But the good news, Sir, is that the amount of waste we are incinerating is declining, from 2.31 million tonnes in 2003 to 2.26 million tonnes last year. The overall recycling rate, as noted by Dr Khor, is up. It now stands at 48% - not 47% as she cited - up from 40% in 2000. Sir, we are seeing greater participation from schools, up from 30% in 2003 to 50% in 2004; from households, up from 45% in 2003 to 54% in 2004; and condominiums, up from 20% in 2003 to 34% in January this year.

All 21 JTC flatted factory industrial estates in Singapore now have a waste recycling programme. NEA is working on extending the collective recycling system to other smaller factories and workshops. In all, these efforts have helped cut down on the waste going to our landfill and extend the Semakau landfill's expected lifespan by another 10 years to 2040. So going forward, we are targeting for 80% of our schools to have recycling programmes by the end of this year, up from the current 50%. We are also piloting a regional recycling scheme to serve clusters of private condominiums and apartments to encourage even more people to recycle their waste.

Sir, more restaurants and foodstalls have attained the "A" grade. Foodcourt management have also been playing a more active role in getting their stallholders to attain and maintain the "A" grade. We now have 52 foodcourts on the "Straight As" list, up from the 39 in 2003.

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Sir, the air we breathe is clean. Going by the Pollutant Standards Index, or PSI, our air quality was in the 'Good' range for 88% of days last year. The remaining days were in the 'Moderate' range. We are well within the international standards in controlling most of the air pollutants. However, like many other urban cities, we have yet to meet the PM2.5 standards. Introducing the Euro IV standards next year would help us address this issue.

Sir, Mr Steve Chia suggested that we introduce an hourly PSI reading and indicate the time of day when the highest PSI reading is taken. Sir, I would like to inform Mr Chia and the House that NEA already has a system for reporting PSI readings hourly. This system is activated automatically when the daily 24-hour PSI reading exceeds 65, which is when the hazy conditions become perceptible over prolonged periods of the day. For example, when PSI hit 66 in June of last year, the reporting of the PSI readings at hourly intervals was automatically activated. The daily PSI readings already take into consideration the highest pollutant reading within the 24-hour period.

Sir, although PSI readings have crossed into the "moderate" air quality range during the recent dry spell, as a result of some localised bush fires, the highest daily PSI reading during this dry spell was only 56. Sir, NEA will continue to monitor the situation and initiate the reporting of PSI readings at hourly intervals when the daily 24-hour PSI reading exceeds 65.

Sir, Dr Ong asked whether we have enough water in future and whether our taps will ever run dry. Sir, I would like to assure him and the House that we have, and will continue to have, an adequate supply of water for all our needs. Sir, our programme to increase our local water

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sources is on track. Allow me to elaborate, Sir.

Sir, the yield from our existing reservoirs will be increased with the completion of the Reservoir Integration Scheme in mid-2006. By 2009, our local catchment area will increase from half to two-thirds of Singapore's land surface with the completion of other reservoir schemes, including the Marina Reservoir. It means that all of us by then will be living in a reservoir.

Dr Ong also asked what we are doing to ensure that water in the future Marina Reservoir is kept clean. Sir, with the availability of advanced water treatment technology, the quality of water in the Marina Reservoir is less of a concern. Nonetheless, we would want to keep the water clean and aesthetic so that Singaporeans could also enjoy and participate in recreational activities in the waters. A multi-agency steering committee has been formed to help ensure this, for example, by ensuring that proper pollution control and safety measures are undertaken for activities such as non-motorised boating, water taxis, duck tours and river cruises.

Sir, our third tap - NEWater - has been turned on since 2003, and we now have three NEWater plants with a total supply of 20 mgd (million gallons per day) of NEWater. Another plant in Ulu Pandan is on the way and when completed in 2006 would be our largest plant, with a capacity of 25 mgd of NEWater. Sir, our target is to increase the direct non-potable use of NEWater to 55 mgd or 15% of total Singapore's water demand by 2011.

Sir, our fourth tap, which is desalinated water, is set to come on stream this year. So, with these diversified sources in place, we have sufficient capacity to make up for the loss of the water supply under the 1961 Agreement, and are well-placed to meet our future water needs.

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Sir, if need be, Singapore can be self-sufficient beyond 2061.

Sir, an integral part of the water loop is the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS). This system allows us to channel used water to what we now call Water Reclamation Plants, and then on to NEWater factories, thus allowing us to "close the water loop". Prof. Low was concerned that the possible introduction of foreign materials into the deep tunnel sewers could pose a potential security risk in the production of NEWater. Sir, let me take this opportunity to allay his fears.

Sir, as the 48 km deep tunnel is an extension of the existing 3,100 km gravity sewers, the potential risks are no different from the current risk. Due to the greater dilution effect of the deep sewers, a large amount, and continuous dosage, of contaminants would be needed to affect the downstream process. Sir, even if contaminants get in, the used water would first be treated by the PUB to international standards, before the effluent is discharged or used as feedstock in our NEWater factories. The NEWater process itself is also very stringent, where all contaminants are removed through a three-stage process. As a further safeguard, a comprehensive online monitoring system ensures that the NEWater supplied for use is always of high quality, meeting the World Health Organisation's and US Environmental Protection Agency's drinking water guidelines and standards.

Such comprehensive measures ensure that our NEWater supply meets the high standards of water quality and will be free of contaminants.

2.45 pm

Sir, let me now move on to greater community involvement raised both by Dr Amy Khor and Mdm Phua. I agree with them that we must continue to build on

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our existing partnerships and strengthening it further. To this end, civic and community groups play an important part in helping to foster shared ownership of our environment. Indeed, I am happy to see that there have been more community-driven efforts that promote a greater sense of personal and shared responsibilities towards our environment.

The "Make Singapore Sparkle" Programme that Mdm Phua mentioned encourages residents to keep the environment and public toilets clean. Last year, South-West CDC, under the able leadership of Dr Khor, jointly organised the Clean and Green Week launch event with NEA, making it the first community group to do so. Recently, both the North-East and South-East CDCs have also organised dengue prevention workshops in their respective districts. The strong support of our community groups has given good results in some areas. For example, greater participation in recycling has contributed towards a drop in the amount of waste disposed. We hope that we could also reap similar benefits in our joint battle against the dengue scourge.

The community's efforts are also important in helping us close the water loop. Conserving water and caring for our waterways and water catchments require the cooperation of all. On a per capita domestic basis, our water consumption has dropped from 165 litres per day in previous years to 162 litres per day in 2004. This is good but we can do better. Our target is to reduce this to 160 litres per day by 2007.

Sir, this target is achievable if each of us takes ownership of our water consumption and adopts water conservation habits. Some 190,000 households in 54 constituencies have made a start by installing water saving devices in their homes under the Water Efficient Homes programme. They have seen savings of up to 5% in their monthly water

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consumption. About 500 building owners have also achieved similar water savings under the Water Efficient Buildings programme. PUB intends to reach out to another 120,000 households and 200 building owners this year.

Our interest groups and NGOs have also been active in helping to engage the community. For example, the Restroom Association of Singapore has launched the "Happy Toilet" rating scheme to encourage building management to achieve high standard of cleanliness for their public toilets.

Sir, another commendable example is the Waterways Watch Society (WWS). On a Sunday morning last month, they took me on their small patrol boat up and down the Singapore River, and showed me how they picked up flotsam and other rubbish in the water. They have been doing so almost every Sunday in the Kallang Basin and Singapore River area. The WWS also gives presentations to schools and conducts beach clean ups to reach out to more people and cultivate the spirit of "keeping our waterways clean".

My Ministry will continue therefore to work closely with the CDCs, Town Councils and CCCs to sustain various public outreach efforts, such as the Rat Attack, Mozzie Attack and other community programmes initiated under the banner of the Singapore's OK campaign. We are quite comfortable with the current structure. We do not see the need for us to put everything together. But, certainly, where there are synergies to collaborate and to streamline, we will do so.

Sir, in support of the CDCs and CCCs in these efforts, we will provide appropriate funding support, which could amount to $250,000 for all the CDCs and another $420,000 for all the CCCs. In

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addition, over the next twelve months, PUB will provide $1 million towards its 3P - or people, public, private sectors - partnership programmes to engage more Singaporeans to appreciate, value and take ownership of our water resources. This is on top of the existing $1 million 3P Partnership fund that NEA has set aside to help support the various 3P initiatives.

My Ministry continues to involve interest groups through various environmental events and activities, such as the Environmental Education Advisors Workshops and Clean and Green Week activities. NEA is currently working with the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and CASE on increasing public awareness on the Energy Efficiency Labelling scheme for air-conditioners and refrigerators. Dr Khor has asked a question on energy labelling. With your permission, Sir, I will take it up when I speak on the energy efficient cut.

Besides collective community efforts, we want people to feel that they have a personal stake in keeping the environment clean and beautiful. To this end, we will create more opportunities for the community to enjoy and appreciate our environment and water resources. This is reflected in PUB's new tagline "Water For All: Conserve, Value, Enjoy", which sums up our new approach in encouraging Singaporeans to build a closer relationship with water and, in so doing, learn to appreciate and treasure this precious resource.

Sir, we have taken a cautious but proactive approach in our efforts to open up the reservoirs for more recreational activities. As a start, we have encouraged mainly organised groups, like schools, the national sports associations and clubs, to conduct their training and events in our reservoirs. Moving forward, and as these prove successful, we intend to progressively introduce more recreational activities in our reservoirs and encourage

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more groups of people to participate in these activities.

Members in the House and Prof. Png may be pleased to note that there are plans to open up facilities for walk-in members of the public. For example, the PUB is working with the Singapore Canoe Federation to start a kayaking centre in MacRitchie Reservoir. The centre, expected to be launched later this month, will not only cater to school and national training but will offer rental of kayaks for members of the public, including Prof. Png and his family. As we anticipate a high level of interest from the public, there are plans to open similar centres for kayaking and sailing at other reservoirs, such as Bedok Reservoir.

Prof. Png mentioned that we should ensure that the opening up of the reservoirs benefit the general public and not only exclusive groups. I agree with him and I would like to reassure him that this has always been our intention.

Let me just explain the case of the Seletar Country Club. In the case of the Seletar Country Club, the PUB has imposed a condition that the sailing and kayaking facilities put in place and operated by the Club will be made available for organised groups of the public. Instead of individuals, we think we should open up to organised groups, because these are clubs and therefore they can organise it better that way. Hence, there is no need to join the Club to enjoy the facilities. Members should come as a group. The PUB can facilitate members to enjoy the waters in the Lower Seletar Reservoir.

Let me cite an example, Sir. In the recent Speed Crossing event, which was jointly organised by the Seletar Country Club and the Boardsailing Association of Singapore, more than 100 local and regional windsurfers, most of them in their early teens, took part in a race across the Lower Seletar Reservoir.

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In fact, we have been very encouraged by the interest and positive support shown by the public for our initiative to open up the reservoirs. In a public consultation last year, about 80% of the 2,000-plus public feedback supported PUB's proposed plans to open up the Bedok and MacRitchie Reservoirs for more recreational activities. But we have to be mindful that as we open up the reservoirs, we should be concerned that the reservoirs have their own unique characteristics. So the PUB has formed the Water Network comprising members from the 3P sectors to serve as a sounding board to ensure that the activities introduced would keep to the unique character of the reservoir. So for reservoirs like MacRitchie where residents and visitors prefer the serenity and quiet surroundings, activities would be more subdued, such as fishing and canoeing, in keeping with the character of the place. In contrast, more active recreational activities like wakeboarding and dragon boating would be introduced in the more urban reservoirs such as Bedok.

Besides the reservoirs, we are also looking at opening up the Pulau Semakau landfill, which SPS Mr Yatiman Yusof has described so vividly. Many people picture a landfill as a dirty and smelly place. This is not the case with the Semakau landfill. In fact, if Members are interested, we could organise for them a trip to the landfill one day. Semakau landfill today has a pleasant environment as a result of environmental and conservation measures taken by the NEA. For example, the mangroves on Pulau Semakau were conserved while new mangroves were planted to replace those affected by the construction of the landfill. Biodiversity surveys conducted on the island also revealed a rich variety of flora and fauna. These include a species of seagrass found nowhere else in Singapore and rare birds such as the Great-billed Heron.

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However, as there are ongoing landfill operations on the island, opening up the landfill for recreational activities must be done in a gradual manner. So I urge SPS Mr Yatiman to be patient. Currently, students have been visiting Semakau landfill under MOE's Learning Journey Programme. Grassroots organisations have also organised visits to the landfill for their residents during the Clean and Green Week campaign.

NEA has approached various interest groups while exploring the possibility of opening up Semakau landfill for more recreational activities. So far, Wild Singapore has expressed interest in conducting biodiversity surveys on Semakau; Nature Society for bird-watching; and the Sport Fishing Association of Singapore for sport fishing. NEA will be putting in place the necessary amenities to support these activities. We can expect the first groups to commence their activities on the island in the second quarter of this year.

Sir, both Dr Khor and Mdm Phua have asked how do we engage the community, especially the young. Our young are naturally passionate about the environment. I found this out during a recent dialogue which I had with some young people. Several of them were enthusiastic about having more opportunities to engage on environmental issues.

Sir, if we can foster a sustained interest in environmental volunteerism in our young, we would have laid a good foundation for a generation of Singaporeans who are more conscious and engaged towards our environment. My Ministry has put in place a variety of programmes and activities to involve students on environmental issues. The NEA has begun to build up a network of environmental champions among students to reach out to their peers. To date, NEA

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has trained some 470 student champions from 82 primary and 58 secondary schools. Some of them have begun to give environmental talks in their schools to encourage fellow students to adopt good environmental practices.

In addition, we hope to see every school having a club that organises environmental activities. Such clubs could be dedicated Environment Clubs, or as part of other clubs such as Science or Geography Clubs. Currently, 25% of schools have Environment Clubs while another 65% have clubs with environmental activities. NEA will similarly support Environment Clubs in schools through the 3P Partnership Fund when they organise environmental activities for students.

NEA is also now working with the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre to develop more environment-related Community Involvement Programme (CIP) projects for students in primary and secondary schools. Such projects will commence from the third quarter of 2005.

Sir, we also launched the Adopt-A-School scheme where schools are matched with private companies to work together on environmental projects. To date, 43 schools have been matched with companies. For example, Dunman Secondary School and Singapore Airlines Limited teamed up to build roof gardens to reduce the temperature of upper floor classrooms in the school. NEA will work towards matching more schools with private companies this year.

Sir, we will also be consulting the public this year on the review of the Singapore Green Plan 2012 targets and programmes. The review will commence in the second quarter and the revised targets and programmes will be launched in the later part of this year. This is in line with the earlier announced plan of a three-

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yearly review of the Singapore Green Plan 2012 targets since its launch in 2002.

In this review, we will involve representatives from the people, private and public sectors. We will organise three focus groups in March. We will set up an on-line channel to solicit the public's feedback, and we will have a public exhibition to highlight the achievements so far and what are the new directions and priorities going forward.

3.00 pm

Sir, let me turn to the section on the economic opportunities. The environment sector has been traditionally viewed as a spender of public monies. However, with increasing emphasis

on the need for good environmental management globally and in the region, we are well poised to take advantage of our good environmental track record to grow our environmental services industry as a source of revenue and jobs.

Both Dr Khor and Mr Othman have asked about the Ministry's efforts in manpower training and job redesign for the environmental sector. Sir, for many years, many jobs in the environment industry sector have been low-paying and carried a poor image. As a result, the number of Singaporeans employed in this sector is small, accounting for only about 0.4% of the total Singaporean workforce.

Together with the Town Councils, the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and environment companies, my Ministry has started to upgrade and redesign jobs in conservancy cleaning, waste collection, hawker centre cleaning, street cleaning and waste recycling. The job redesign changes may include introducing greater mechanisation, performance-based contracts, work scope enlargement and flexible working hours. This will improve the image of the job and attract more Singaporeans.

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Sir, Mr Othman has asked about the "1000 by 1000" initiative. Under this initiative, the environment companies, NEA, WDA and CDC worked together to create and match 1,000 jobs paying more than $1,000 a month within 18 months, from October 2003 to March 2005. I am pleased to inform the House that, at end-February, NEA and our partners have successfully matched 958 workers with jobs paying more than $1,000 a month for Singaporean workers. We have about a month to go, but we are confident that we will be able to meet the target.

Mr Othman also asked whether we have learned anything useful. We have learnt two lessons. Firstly, Singaporean workers, including the more mature workers, are capable of taking on redesigned jobs with appropriate training. To this end, environment companies, together with NEA and WDA, have developed skill standards under the National Skills Recognition System (NSRS) and trained workers to attain NSRS certification. Sir, in addition, cleaning and waste collection contracts called by NEA specify that a certain proportion of workers need to be NSRS-certified. Town councils and private companies were also encouraged to employ workers with NSRS certification and to adopt performance-based contracts. All these have helped to encourage workers to upgrade their skills to qualify for higher paying jobs.

Sir, the second lesson is that a conscious effort has to be made to raise the image and improve the working environment for the workers. For example, workers doing redesigned cleaning jobs in hawker centres are provided with uniforms, meal coupons and proper rest areas.

Sir, where do we go from here? My Ministry, with our 3P partners, will focus our efforts on raising the competency and

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enhancing the employability of the environment workforce through education and training.

Dr Amy Khor has asked what plans and initiatives we have to help develop our environmental industry. I am happy to report that, through the involvement of the private sector in environment and water management over the years, we have facilitated the development of a vibrant and dynamic environmental industry in Singapore today. For example, refuse collection, recycling and public cleansing services are now carried out almost completely by the private sector. My Ministry, in collaboration with EDB and IE Singapore, will continue to build upon our initial success to further help our local environment companies strengthen their expertise and grow their business. For example, we are exploring other ways to involve the private sector, for example, through public-private partnership (PPP) schemes. In the area of water supply, through the Design-Build-Own-Operate (DBOO) contract arrangements, SingSpring will provide desalinated water over 20 years from the later part of 2005. Also, Ulu Pandan NEWater factory which will be our fourth and largest, to be owned and operated by Keppel, in Singapore when it turns operational in 2006. In addition, we will be calling a DBOO tender for the fifth refuse incineration plant soon.

Sir, apart from collaborating with environment companies within Singapore, my Ministry is also working with the industry to venture out to the region. Last year, the former Environment Minister Lim Swee Say had led a trade mission to China, and I led a trade mission to UAE and Qatar. We plan to do so again this year, as it has provided good opportunities for our companies to expand overseas.

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Sir, to help Singapore environment companies acquire a technological edge when they compete in overseas markets, we have been providing seed funding for innovative environmental projects under the $20-million Innovation for Environmental Sustainability Fund, set up in 2001. In addition, under the joint Environmental Test-bedding Initiative with EDB, we allow environment companies to use our facilities and resources to test-bed their technologies. One company that has benefited from both funding and test-bedding support is local SME, Aromatrix Technologies Pte Ltd, whose patented odour control technology for wastewater treatment is one of only a few available on the global market today.

Sir, 2005 will be a watershed year for Singapore, in terms of environmental and water conferences and events. At least three major international environmental and water conferences will be held here this year, namely, the first International Water Association-Asia Pacific Regional Group (IWA-ASPIRE) Conference in July, the International Desalination Association (IDA) World Congress in September, and the World Hydrogen Technologies Convention in October. In addition, my Ministry, NEA and PUB are also working with the industry associations on their trade events, such as EnviroAsia 2005 and Environmex/Watermex Asia 2005. All this is to create platforms for our companies to meet, network and, hopefully, to profit from such arrangements.

Sir, for the water industry, which was also asked by Dr Ong, we have established WaterHub to link up our local water and waste water companies to international water networks and global markets. We also have regular dialogues with the recently-formed Singapore Water Association to better understand the needs of the water industry and gather feedback on how the Government can play a role in facilitating development in the industry.

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Sir, let me address the specific concern by Dr Khor on newspaper vendors. When the street hawkers were resited to hawker centres in the 1980s, some street hawkers whose trades were not compatible with those in the hawker centres were allowed to operate in the streets. In 1994, street hawkers were licensed in a one-time exercise to control their numbers and no more licences were issued after that. The intention was to phase out these street hawkers through natural attrition and allow such trades to move into proper premises. In 2000, the trade hawking scheme was reopened to allow itinerant ice-cream vendors to operate in the town council estates and parks. In August 2004, the scheme was extended to allow non-easily perishable food, like sealed packed food, nuts, and others, to help those in financial difficulties.

Dr Khor has suggested that NEA consider allowing new newspaper vendors under the Street Hawking Scheme. While allowing more newspaper vendors will not pose a public health problem, there are other considerations, such as inconvenience to the public, for example, obstruction to pedestrians or even vehicular traffic on crowded pavements and roads, as well as unfair competition to the shopkeepers that we have to bear in mind. But we will review the scheme and consult the relevant agencies, including our town councils.

Sir, in conclusion, Singapore will continue to face its own unique challenges in balancing both our economic and social progress while achieving environmental sustainability. However, we are determined to ensure that all who live in Singapore continue to enjoy a quality environment conducive for work and play, by working in partnership with the joint owners of the environment, mainly the local communities and the businesses who operate here. Together, we can

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achieve a sustainable Singapore for our children and children's children.

Prof. Ivan Png Paak Liang: Sir, I thank the Minister for his good news. I am so excited that I am almost rushing to get my T-shirt, pants and sunglasses to launch into the kayak. Certainly, I applaud the Ministry's efforts in reducing our solid waste. Here, I have a suggestion which is to address a particular problem in Singapore, maybe peculiar to Singapore and I think Hong Kong as well. When my wife and I first bought our condominium, it was a new condominium, we were like many other home owners in Singapore interested in customising the unit. So I told the condominium developer, "Don't put in the floor because I am going to put in a new floor." The condominium developer said, "No. We will put in the floor. You come in, you take out the floor and throw it away and then put in your new floor."

Sir, this is a problem that perhaps his Ministry and the Ministry of National Development - I am very glad to see the Second Minister for National Development sitting right there - get together and arrange with the developers to say, "Give your buyers an option. If they don't want certain fittings, let them have an option not to have the fittings." In fact, we did not even ask them for a discount. We just said that to save on the environmental resources and to reduce construction waste, give the buyers the option not to have the fittings, give them a menu and say, "Tick off what things you want", and install them; those things they do not want, do not install. I think this is a win-win situation. I do hope the two Ministries can get together to do this. If he can do this - construction waste is a very large part of our solid waste - I am sure he will be that much closer to meeting his goal before time.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I thank Prof. Png for his creative

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suggestion. I agree with him that we should find ways and means to help. In fact, our construction waste, ie, recycling waste, is one of the highest. But I agree with him that there is scope for us to do more. I will pass the suggestion to the Ministry of National Development, and we can work together on this.

Ms Indranee Rajah (Tanjong Pagar): I want to seek clarification on the newspaper vendors. As the Minister may recall, during the Presidential debate, I had raised this issue. And in that particular case, my resident was asking to take over an existing licence. So the explanation that it might inconvenience people does not really apply in that case because it is an existing licence. It is just that he was not allowed to take over. What that really suggests is that there is a policy reason behind it. I would urge the Ministry to consider issuing more licences.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, as we mentioned in the reply, we want to try and move some of the street hawkers of the streets into customised places where they can sell newspapers. But, at the same time, those who are holding newspaper licences are allowed to renew it on a year-to-year basis. In the specific case she mentioned, the licensee has asked for the licence to be transferred to another person. These are instances in which we have to look at it very carefully as to whether or not we want to allow the industry to grow or to keep it to a certain size. But I would look into the specific request and see whether a special case can be made. But having said that, we must bear in mind that we do not want it to grow unwittingly because we want to make sure that the newspapers which are being sold in the shops and supermarkets are not, in a sense, threatened by the street vendors.

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Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: Sir, just a point of clarification on the newspaper vendors again. The cases I am referring to are all transferred. Actually, they are not supposed to be transferred. But many of the original licensees are not operating the stalls anymore because they are either getting on in age or they do not want to operate since they were given in 1994. So many of the operators are actually not supposed to be operating them. Occasionally, when they were caught, they would come and appeal to us. The licence cannot be transferred. On the other hand, there are no new licences issued, and they have been making a living out of these stalls for a while. So these are really the cases. The other issue is that we can work with the town councils to identify areas or potential locations, where these vendors could be located and that may not pose any competition, as some are selling along the streets, and every evening, you will see a long queue of people buying the Wanbao .

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, on Dr Khor's second suggestion, we can look into that to see how we can work together with the local agency. On the first point, we have to bear in mind that certainly, in some cases, these are licences held by the parents, whose children would have grown up and chances are that they probably would not be interested. Dr Khor and I are familiar that some of these transfers came into effect without us knowing it, and therefore we have to clamp down. I understand the concerns of Dr Khor and Ms Indranee Rajah, and I promise both Members that we will take a look at this much closely.

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

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

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Mr Speaker: I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair again at 3.35 pm. Order.

Sitting accordingly suspended

at 3.14 pm until 3.35 pm.

Sitting resumed at 3.35 pm

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

**** Debate in Committee of Supply resumed.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Head L (cont.) -

The Chairman: Prof. Low Seow Chay. Two cuts, total six minutes.

Assoc. Prof. Low Seow Chay: Sir, could I take the two cuts together?

The Chairman: Yes, please.

Kyoto Protocol

Assoc. Prof. Low Seow Chay: Sir, in my speech during the debate on the President's Address, I spoke at length on greenhouse gas, challenging the Government in its ability to mitigate greenhouse gas emission. Subsequently, I read from the newspapers which reported that the Ministry in the past many years has reduced the greenhouse gas by more than 20%. Sir, this figure is laudable. But, in my view, if no further aggressive action is to be taken from now, we will fail quite miserably in our action in helping the prevention of global warming.

The GDP growth and the lifestyle change have already pushed energy consumption up by 125%. The projected quantum by 2010, ie, the excess in terms of electricity consumption compared with 1990, will be 195%. Taking into consideration the improvement of efficiency of maybe about 10%, and then shifting from the conventional heavy

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diesel to natural gas for power generation, it may save greenhouse gas by another 20%, if electricity consumption constitutes about half of the total energy consumption. Just from the increase in terms of the electricity consumption from 1990 to 2010, the net contribution of additional greenhouse gas from Singapore will be 56%.

Another half of the consumption will be from automobile energy consumption. By year 2010, the vehicle population is estimated to be 42% higher than that in 1990. Again, if nothing is done, and efficiency improves by 10%, the increase in the vehicle population again will contribute another additional 19% to the growth in greenhouse gas between 1990 and 2010. In short, by 2010, these major energy sources would have contributed about 75% more in terms of greenhouse gas emission, compared with the level in 1990.

If we really want to be a player in advocating for the reduction of greenhouse gas and try our best to be a part in saving Planet Earth and also act as a responsible citizen, we must have some aggressive feasible plans.

Take Japan as an example. Before the World Climate Change Summit held in Kyoto in 1997, Japan had already achieved its aggressive plan in shifting many of their conventional power generation from fossil fuel to nuclear power. They went aggressively for voluntary industrial reduction of energy, use of newer energy sources, energy conservation, product efficiency, and they are also taking steps in the use of renewable energy in a very aggressive growth of more than 30% per annum. Of course, they are also planting more trees to absorb the carbon dioxide. By doing so, they are able to achieve the intended level of 0.4% below the target set. The next technology which it is likely to be implemented will be the fossils of CO2.

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They are talking about forming carbonate salt or pumping CO2 200 metres below sea level.

Sir, in Singapore, I do not advocate nuclear power. There are other possible means for us to curb the ever increasing greenhouse gas emission. Some of the Japanese measures will be good examples for us as reference. I hope that in the not-too-distant future, we shall come up with an aggressive plan that clearly charts out the map, helping Singapore to play a constructive role in the mitigation of greenhouse gas.

Green Vehicles

The next topic I would like to touch on is green vehicles. We talked about the issue of environment-friendly vehicles in this House many years ago, since the time when Dr Ahmad Mattar was the Minister for the Environment. We know that the current Minister is the fourth Minister who succeeded him after his retirement. Yet, we do not see much progress in the area of environment-friendly vehicles. Years ago, I heard about Volkswagen, Volvo and other car companies bringing in diesel-electric hybrid cars. And last year, I was disappointed to read in the newspapers that one of the car companies said that it had stopped marketing green vehicles because there was no demand. I also heard that there was a pilot programme to build a CNG filling station and also to run some CNG buses and taxis in 2001 and 2002. After that, it was all quiet. My feeling is that the programme must have been scrapped. I would like to ask: what is wrong about the environment-friendly vehicles? Why is it so difficult to get them running on our roads? For all new emerging technologies, the sales volume is low and the price high. There is no way for such vehicles, which are good for health but bad for the pockets, to be in popular demand, without the tax benefits

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from the Government. The Government must weigh the potential savings from a cleaner environment against the loss of some tax revenue, and work out some tax benefits to encourage people to shift towards environment-friendly vehicles. Without the Government's will in the implementation of green vehicle ---

The Chairman: Prof. Low, your time is up. Dr Geh Min.

Energy Efficient Vehicles

Dr Geh Min (Nominated Member): Sir, I agree with the Minister that our environmental achievements are very impressive. But I also agree with Prof. Low that, despite our clean and green image, Singapore has been lagging behind in the introduction of energy-efficient vehicles. I do not have the same historical perspective in the House like he has but I feel that this anomaly should be corrected as soon as possible.

Energy-efficient vehicles, such as petro-electric hybrids which produce less pollution and consume less fuel than conventional vehicles, are ideal for urban driving conditions like Singapore. They also have a better fuel economy rating for urban driving than for expressway driving - the opposite of a conventional vehicle. Unfortunately, as has been pointed out, the present costs are substantially more than conventional vehicles of the same engine capacity, and the current rebates are just not enough to make them cost-effective. So, this results in a chicken-and-egg situation. We have prohibitive prices that result in insufficient demand to make them cost-effective, and this insufficient demand then compounds the problem and keeps the prices high. Because of our relatively small domestic market and our taxation on cars, only Government can break this deadlock.

Since the high vehicular tax is designed to provide us with an efficient

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world-class transport system and is also designed to keep our air quality good - at least this is how I perceive it, and I am sure it is not there just to increase our tax revenue - it appears paradoxical to me that this tax should be preventing, rather than promoting, the increased use of green vehicles in Singapore.

I would therefore like to ask the Government to reduce the price difference to a realistic level by providing tax incentives, more realistic tax rebates, or even creating a special COE category for green vehicles which meet the minimum criteria of energy efficiency. This, of course, does not mean a tax subsidy, but just a lower rate of taxation to give the use of energy-efficient vehicles that kick-start that it needs at the beginning. Of course, this could subsequently be moderated as more green cars take to the road and prices naturally equalise. I believe the same formula was used to promote unleaded petrol, and that worked very well.

3.45 pm

Let me now quote from the latest Technology Quarterly of the Economist :

"The success of the Prius has taken Toyota by surprise. The average rate at the American dealership is currently six months. [Some people in the US tell me that it is much longer than that.] Even though the company increased its sale target for North America from its initial estimate of 36,000 units to 47,000 units last year [ie, an increase of 30%] to meet demand, Toyota had to announce a further increase, saying it would push monthly global production up this year by 50% and double its allotment."

This success is not surprising when one considers that by choosing to drive a hybrid like Prius, buyers can demonstrate how green they are without paying any penalty other than a slightly higher purchase price. Compared with the New American car of the same size, the Prius

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consumes roughly half as much petrol and, therefore, emits half as much climate changing carbon dioxide. Moreover, its emission of smog/fog pollutants are 90% lower than conventional vehicles. Yet, it still manages to deliver the comfort and performance of a conventional car. This is borne out by people I know who have test-driven it.

As the success of the Prius in the US shows, people will buy hybrids, even in the gas-guzzling culture like the US, if the price is affordable. The beauty of the Prius electric hybrids is that they do not require any changes in driving behaviour or the fuel delivery infrastructure, like, for example, hydrogen fuels in our cars. So why are we waiting?

Let me state here that I do not have any vested interest in Toyota or any other car companies, but I do have a vested interest in maintaining our environment, in keeping it healthy and sustainable. And I would also like to see Singapore reduce our carbon dioxide emissions.

I know we have been improving on our performance, but our carbon dioxide emissions are still amongst the highest per capita in the world. I know that Singapore does not just want to be average or slightly better than average. We want to be really outstanding, and I think we can be.

So if we are genuine in our desire to be clean and green, we must seriously consider the option of affordable energy-efficient vehicles. The Prime Minister, in his Budget Statement, spoke of support for projects which protect or improve our environment. Tax incentives for energy-efficient vehicles would definitely fulfil this criterion.

Diesel Engine Cars

Mr Andy Gan Lai Chiang (Marine Parade): Sir, the Minister for the

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Environment announced in last year's COS debate that ENV had decided to promote CNG and Euro IV diesel vehicles.

By October 2006, it is envisaged that all diesel vehicles should comply with the Euro IV diesel emission standards. The Euro IV emission standard is applied to passenger cars in Europe. Passenger cars and light commercial vehicles are required to conform and comply with the Euro IV diesel emission standards in 2005. No distinction is drawn between private passenger cars and passenger cars used for commercial purposes, eg, taxis.

In Singapore, private diesel cars attract six times the road tax of equivalent petrol-driven cars. No ARF exemption or tax incentives have been introduced for passenger-driven diesel cars. This is despite certain car makers producing diesel engines that meet with the Euro IV emission standards.

Modern diesel cars can no longer be regarded as dirty and noisy, with poorer performance characteristics. Diesel engines are the most fuel-efficient energy conversion devices in production today. This explains the continuing popularity of diesel-fuel passenger vehicles in Europe. Resulting advances in diesel engines have in recent years produced improvement in engine noise, vibration and harshness. Diesel-powered passenger cars are currently more expensive than petrol-driven cars for the same model and make. Should this still be the same?

People who wish to buy and own diesel-powered passenger cars ought to be allowed tax exemptions and incentives that are similar to commercial vehicles. Diesel-powered cars that meet the Euro IV emission standards are as environmentally-friendly as petrol-driven cars. People should be given more choices in their selection of cars.

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In order for the alternative choices to be realistic, tax incentives and exemptions should be given to all diesel-powered engine cars and not just diesel-powered engine cars for commercial purposes.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, both Prof. Low and Dr Geh Min have asked about our long-term plans to improve energy efficiency and carbon intensity, including our initiatives to encourage energy efficient vehicles.

Sir, let me just give some background information. Singapore has since 1997 ratified the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and is committed to becoming more carbon efficient. We welcome the Kyoto Protocol initiative, which translates the Convention into concrete actions. The Kyoto Protocol came into effect on 16th February 2005, following the ratification by Russia. We are currently studying the timing of our accession to the Kyoto Protocol.

Prof. Low can be assured that we believe in promoting energy efficiency as they benefit industries and Singaporeans. Being energy efficient not only lowers our carbon dioxide emissions and air pollution levels, it also lowers energy consumption and energy costs for both businesses and consumers. In the long run, this will help to strengthen the competitiveness of our economy.

Sir, it is for these reasons that Singapore developed a strategy to mitigate the effects of climate change, with energy efficiency being a key component. As a sign of our commitment, we have set a national target to improve our carbon intensity, or the amount of carbon dioxide for each GDP dollar generated, by 25% from the 1990 levels by the year 2012. Singapore's carbon intensity has already improved by 17% between 1990 and 2003, and we target to improve it by a further 8% point by

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2012 by focusing both on the energy-supply and energy-demand sides.

Sir, on the energy-supply side, electricity generation companies (or gencos) have adopted advanced technologies such as combined cycle and co-generation technologies, which harness both electricity and heat in the generation process. This will achieve greater efficiency compared to conventional oil-fired power plants. Gencos are also burning cleaner and less carbon-intensive fuels such as natural gas.

Sir, on the energy-demand side, we have introduced several energy efficiency improvement schemes to reduce energy use by industries, buildings and consumers. For the industry, companies that have put in place energy audits and energy conservation measures have already reaped benefits. For example, ST Microelectronics, as a result of its investment in energy saving equipment, has reduced electricity used to make a wafer by 40% while its production output has gone up by almost three times! We will be introducing a new Energy Efficiency Assistance Improvement Scheme with a $10 million fund, which companies can tap on to conduct energy audits.

Sir, in the case of buildings and housing estates, we have worked with our Town Councils and HDB to conduct energy audits for the common areas in HDB estates to cut down electricity wastage. We will be introducing a scheme later this year to give recognition to energy efficient buildings. I am pleased to inform the House that several public agencies will also take the lead by participating in a pilot project to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings through energy audits and performance contracting.

For consumers, we have introduced energy labels for air conditioners and

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refrigerators to help buyers identify more efficient models. For example, using an air-conditioner with four ticks on the energy label can save a household about $300 a year on electricity bills compared to one with two-ticks. If consumers find such information useful - Dr Khor asked this earlier - we may even consider making labelling compulsory in the future.

Sir, now, let me move on to transportation, which I agree with Dr Geh Min that green vehicles generate many positive externalities for the environment. Not only are they more energy efficient and emit less carbon dioxide, they also emit less air pollutants such as carbon monoxide and particulate matter. To encourage the switch to green vehicles, the Government introduced a Green Vehicle Rebate (GVR) scheme in January 2001 equivalent to 20% of the Open Market Value (OMV). Unfortunately, the rebates have not been sufficiently attractive, and as a result of this and the general lack of awareness surrounding green vehicles, there are only 24 green vehicles registered under the GVR scheme to-date. The GVR scheme is up for review by end of this year. MEWR is currently reviewing the rebate with MOF to see how we can make it more attractive for environmentally-conscious people to purchase green vehicles.

But, Sir, at the end of the day, the decision to purchase a green vehicle is also a lifestyle choice. With growing awareness, better technology driving down costs, and more models available in the market, we hope that the take up rate of green vehicles will improve.

Sir, on the other hand, we know that there is an even more environmentally-friendly option and this would be public transport, as raised by Prof. Low. Besides being more fuel-efficient than private cars, they also offer an affordable solution for the public to move around.

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As we know, CNG buses emit less air pollutants, especially fine particulate matter or PM2.5, than diesel buses. PM2.5, as I mentioned in my earlier speech, increases the risks of bronchitis and asthma, and may even lead to premature death. This is a key concern for Singapore. Today, our PM2.5 levels do not meet the standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). If nothing is done, our PM2.5 levels are projected to further increase in the future. So, we announced in April last year the introduction of Euro IV emission standards for new diesel vehicles from 1st October 2006 to lower our PM2.5 levels to USEPA standards. We expect to achieve these standards when about 80% of our diesel vehicles have moved to Euro IV. This can be accelerated if we have CNG or Euro IV vehicles on our roads early.

Sir, to encourage taxi and bus operators to switch early to Euro IV compliant vehicles, we also announced a tax incentive package for CNG and Euro IV taxis and buses. Under this package, CNG and Euro IV taxis can enjoy an ARF rebate of 100% OMV till 31st December 2005, and 80% from 1st January to 30th September 2006; while Euro IV diesel or CNG buses will be completely exempted from paying the Additional Registration Fee of 5% of the OMV till 30th September 2006. CNG buses and taxis also enjoy a 20% road tax rebate till 31st December 2005. These are some of the initiatives that we have put in place to encourage the switch so that we can control the PM2.5 levels in our air.

Sir, let me now move on to Mr Andy Gan's suggestion that the punitive road tax on diesel cars be removed. Although advances have been made in diesel engine technology, studies in Europe and the US have shown that diesel vehicles generally emit higher levels of PM2.5 and oxides of

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nitrogen than petrol vehicles. Petrol vehicles emit negligible PM2.5. In addition, unlike petrol vehicles, the emission performance of diesel vehicles is more dependent on whether and how the engines and pollution control devices are maintained. Therefore, we should continue to discourage the proliferation of diesel vehicles, especially diesel passenger cars.

4.00 pm

Sir, Dr Geh Min also suggested a separate COE category for green vehicles to be considered. Sir, we have consulted our colleagues at the Ministry of Transport and they do not think that it is appropriate for us to promote the use of green vehicles by having a separate COE category for them for the following reasons:

First, besides the cost, the pick-up rate of green vehicle is also affected by other factors such as consumer preference and the provision of maintenance support by dealers. So their demand, therefore, is best left to consumers to decide.

Second, according to MOT, it would be difficult for us to set a quota for such green vehicles. In fact, as with all vehicle categories, their growth annually would, therefore, be capped as a result. But if they do not have a separate COE category for the green vehicles, it would allow the pick up to increase freely in response to the demand, because they have become part of the total vehicle population.

So, Sir, in conclusion, by retaining our diesel road taxes and introducing the Euro IV standards for new diesel vehicles, we hope to bring down our PM2.5 levels to within the USEPA standards and make our ambient air cleaner for Singaporeans.

Smoking in Public Places

Mdm Cynthia Phua: Mr Chairman, Sir, smoking should be banned in all enclosed

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areas, including all pubs and certain areas in coffeeshops and hawker centres. We often have children, together with their parents, eating in the coffeeshops and hawker centres at one table, and a group of smokers puffing away at the next table. Invariably, the children and other non-smokers become passive smokers. If we take into consideration our older citizens, we should have a segregated smoking area in the coffeeshops and hawker centres.

According to one local study done in February this year, it was found that pubs which ban smoking would see a plausible decrease in patronage and affect their revenues. However, based on a one-year study done in New York in 2003, I am told the results are different. After the smoking ban, there was actually a surge in businesses as non-smokers could now go to the pubs and enjoy a pint of beer in a smoke-free environment.

One interim measure is to have a smokers' room in the pubs, as I have seen in Japan and Korea, where the rooms are isolated and installed with an effective exhaust system to extract the smoke.

More important is to educate our young on the harmful effects of smoking and debunk the image that smoking is associated with a successful businessman or woman, or that it is cool to be seen with a cigarette in hand. We have done well in our drug education for the young. I hope the Environment Ministry could learn from MHA on drug education for children. My daughter is in Primary 5 and she has done two projects on drugs, but not on smoking. Reach out to the young, and the results would be better and last longer.

Ms Indranee Rajah: Mr Chairman, like Mdm Cynthia Phua, I am concerned about smoking in public places and I would like to ask the Minister if his Ministry would

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consider banning smoking in public places. Other countries have made moves in this direction and Singapore should as well.

Lung cancer is the No. 1 killer disease for men in Singapore. It is the No. 3 killer disease for women. The link between smoking and lung cancer is quite clear. The problem with smoking is that it does not just affect the smoker. The second-hand cigarette smoke puts non-smokers at risk as well. Smoking is a pernicious and insidious form of chemical poisoning. It kills more slowly than other chemical agents, but no less, surely. I would, therefore, urge the Minister to consider banning smoking in public places.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I thank both Mdm Phua and Ms Indranee Rajah for raising this very important issue.

Sir, the Government has always viewed smoking as a serious health issue. We have put in place measures to discourage smoking and protect non-smokers against the harmful effects of second-hand smoke.

Sir, these measures have been effective in bringing down the proportion of smokers in the population. Currently, only 14% of our population are smokers, down from 18% in 1992. The decrease is particularly significant for males. Among males aged 18-69, the proportion of smokers has decreased from 33% to 24%. However, we see a worrying trend of young females picking up smoking. Over the same period, the proportion of smokers among females aged 18-24 almost tripled from 2.8% to 8.2%, in contrast to a reduction from 29% to 24% for males in the same age group! Sir, we must continue to act decisively against smoking and, in particular, make an extra effort to stop the young from picking up the habit. Mdm Phua's suggestion of working with the primary schools is a

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good idea which I would ask NEA to look into.

Sir, the Minister for Finance has already announced an increase in excise duty on cigarettes to discourage smoking. In parallel, my Ministry is reviewing the ban on smoking in public places. The Government introduced the ban on smoking way back in 1970, initially in public buses, cinemas and theatres. This was progressively extended to many other public areas including lifts in 1973, amusement centres in 1982, fast-food outlets in 1988, air-conditioned restaurants in 1989, air-conditioned barber shops and hairdressing salons in 1992, air-conditioned workplaces in 1994, queues in public places in 1995, and air-conditioned shops in 1997. The reason I am reiterating this is to demonstrate that the Government has committed itself to increasingly protect non-smokers from the effects of second-hand smoke.

Sir, the ban on smoking was not always welcomed by smokers and businesses. Smokers were inconvenienced and businesses could be affected. But businesses adapted. The Government had to press on, because we know we have a duty to protect the health of our non-smokers.

Let me just elaborate here briefly. Sir, second-hand smoke is not something to be taken lightly. It has at least twice the nicotine and tar as the smoke inhaled by the smoker. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has classified second-hand smoke as a "Group A" carcinogen, along with substances such as arsenic and asbestos. This classification is reserved for substances that are known to cause cancer in humans. In fact, second-hand smoke is a toxic cocktail consisting of over 4,000 chemical compounds, 200 of

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which are known to be poisonous, and more than 50 have been identified as carcinogens.

People with allergies and asthma are particularly sensitive to second-hand smoke. It aggravates their medical condition. Even healthy people are not spared. Second-hand smoke can cause eye, nose and throat irritations, as well as headaches, nausea, coughing and wheezing.

Mdm Phua mentioned about the effects on children. Yes, second-hand smoke is especially harmful for babies and young children. Infants and young children exposed to second-hand smoke are more likely to suffer chronic respiratory illnesses and impaired lung function as well as experience more frequent occurrences of chronic coughs, phlegm and wheezing.

The body of evidence on the health hazards posed by second-hand smoke is increasing. A 2002 landmark study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has concluded that there is clear scientific evidence of an increased risk of lung cancer in non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke. This increased risk is estimated at 20% in women, and 30% in men, who live with a smoker. The danger is higher in entertainment outlets. In fact, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association has shown that the level of second-hand smoke in pubs and bars can be up to 450% higher than in homes with at least one smoker.

Sir, Mdm Cynthia Phua has asked if we would extend the ban on smoking to even more public areas in the future. In view of the dangers posed by second-hand smoke, my answer to Mdm Phua's question is "Yes". I am, therefore, announcing that the Government intends to further extend the ban on smoking in a number of public areas.

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Today, the ban on smoking in public swimming complexes, open air stadia and community clubs is enforced as a house rule. My Ministry will officially extend the ban on smoking to public swimming complexes, open air stadia and community clubs by 1st October this year.

Currently, smoking is also banned in queues as it is difficult for non-smokers in queues to avoid second-hand smoke. For the same reason, we will be extending the ban to bus shelters, bus interchanges and public toilets by 1st October 2005.

Sir, my Ministry also plans to extend the ban on smoking to entertainment outlets such as pubs, bars, discos, nightclubs and KTV lounges. In the case of entertainment outlets, it is difficult for patrons to avoid second-hand smoke as these are enclosed areas with limited air circulation. Many countries have begun to recognise the threat of second-hand smoke in entertainment outlets as a potential health hazard. California was one of the first to ban smoking in pubs and clubs. The Republic of Ireland imposed the ban in early 2004; pub-owners will now be fined if their customers are caught smoking indoors. The UK government has unveiled a White Paper proposing a ban on smoking in most pubs in England by 2008. A number of other countries are also following suit.

Sir, we have been conducting public consultations on the issue. The results of the consultations conducted so far indicate strong public support for a complete or partial ban on smoking in entertainment outlets. A Health Promotion Board survey conducted in December 2004 showed that 69% of those surveyed supported a ban on smoking in at least one of the entertainment outlets. In the NEA's own online survey conducted in February this year, more than 80% of respondents were in favour

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of imposing some form of ban on smoking in entertainment outlets.

My Ministry recognises the concerns of operators who fear that a ban on smoking would affect patronage and result in a drop in business income. NEA will be consulting operators and trade associations to address their concerns and explore measures to mitigate any possible business impact before the ban is announced later this year.

Sir, I now turn to hawker centres and coffeeshops. These are frequently patronised by families, including young children. At times, patrons could find it difficult to avoid second-hand smoke from an adjacent table. 63% of those surveyed by the Health Promotion Board supported a ban on smoking in hawker centres and coffeeshops. NEA's survey indicated that more than 90% of respondents supported some form of ban on smoking in hawker centres and coffeeshops.

On the other hand, patrons may not be affected if the natural ventilation in these venues is sufficient to remove the smoke quickly. In fact, among those who supported the ban on smoking in hawker centres and coffeeshops in NEA's survey, close to a third indicated their preference for a partial ban, for example, in the form of a smoking corner, as a first step.

Sir, NEA will consult the relevant business associations on extending the smoking ban to hawker centres and coffeeshops. A decision on the ban on smoking in hawker centres and coffeeshops will be made by the end of this year, after all the consultations have been completed.

Sir, my Ministry will continue to review the list of public places, as and when necessary, so as to better protect the health of our population from the threat of second-hand smoke. The public

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also recognises the risks posed by second-hand smoke. In the long run, my Ministry's intent is to do away with the need for an exhaustive list and move towards allowing smoking only in private premises, wide open spaces and designated smoking areas.

Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme (HUP)

Mr Ang Mong Seng (Hong Kah): (In Mandarin) : Mr Chairman, food centres and markets were the creation of our first generation leaders. They have become our social trademark and a symbol of Singapore. Because they are frequented by all Singaporeans, they help to build up cohesiveness among our people. The food centres and markets have also provided many job opportunities for the middle and lower classes, contributing to our economic growth and social stability.

Although we have become a thriving and highly developed country, we must continue to provide our people with shops and markets offering affordable and good quality items. This is also one of our social responsibilities. Therefore, the Government has the responsibility to continue to build more food centres and markets in our public housing estates to serve our residents.

I would like to ask the Minister: how many food centres and markets have we upgraded and how much was the upgrading expenditure? After the upgrading, what have the financial benefits for the stallholders been and how does it benefit the consumers?

Wet Markets

Mr Chew Heng Ching (East Coast): Mr Chairman, Sir, wet market stall owners - they are not just stall operators, they are operators who own the stalls - are

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facing hardship due to declining business and higher operating costs. Because of a change in shopping habits and lifestyle, many younger Singaporeans prefer to patronise air-conditioned supermarkets like NTUC FairPrice, Sheng Siong and, so on.

Sir, I have a wet market in my constituency at Block 511, Bedok North. With your indulgence, I would like to show the Minister two photographs of this wet market. This is a typical scene on a weekday morning [ indicating ]. It shows the condition is very pathetic, hardly any customers.

Sir, stall operators in this market, in response to Government's call in the mid-1990s to come forward to purchase the stalls, have actually bought the stalls, and they have been operating them for the last nine years. They have about 11 years of their lease left. The stalls were sold on a 20-year lease. The monthly interest payment, the monthly mortgage repayment plus property tax come close to $500 per month, and this is assuming that they stretch their repayment period to the full length of the lease.

Sir, not too far away at Block 538, Bedok North, in my constituency, I have another wet market. Here the stall operators are luckier. They do not own the stalls. They rented the stalls, and the average rental they are paying to the Government is about $200 per stall. And even then, they are already complaining of poor business and having difficulties making ends meet.

Sir, I am sympathetic to the stall owners at Block 511 wet market. I am sure there are other wet markets in Singapore where stall operators owning the stalls are in similar difficult positions and need help.

May I, therefore, suggest that the Government look into the plight of these

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wet market stall owners. Many wanted to give up their stalls but, with outstanding loans from the banks, they could not. Some wanted to sell their stalls but there were no buyers. And their children are not willing to take over the stalls. Some even suggested that the Government buy back and lease the stalls back to them. Some asked for the property tax to be waived, and some asked for the lease period to be extended another 5-10 years so that they could stretch the repayment period to reduce the monthly operating cost.

Sir, I think we have a structural problem before us. I, therefore, would like to urge the Minister to consider helping this group of wet market stall owners.

Dengue Fever

Mdm Cynthia Phua: Mr Chairman, Sir, over the years, one local situation seems to be haunting all the time, and this is on dengue fever. For the first two months of this year, we already have 1,921 dengue cases. The Ministry, I know, has been doing a great job of swing-fogging the estates, making spot checks on residents and public areas.

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We need to understand the people's thinking before launching a public awareness programme. One phenomenon is that the people are adopting a callous attitude on prevention of Aedes mosquito breeding. They always think that it would not happen to them. People are used to mosquito bites previously and nothing has happened to them, and they do not think anything will ever happen to them.

Secondly, many people still think that mosquitoes breed in dirty water at construction sites, open areas, vacant open spaces and even trees. And Town Councils have been inundated with calls

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of chopping down trees because of mosquitoes. Tell them that mosquitoes breed in clean water in the homes in six out of 10 cases - in flower vases, in pails and in flower pots. Tell them that the fatality rate of dengue fever in most countries is about 5%, and most fatal cases are among children and the elderly. Tell them the pain and the effects, and the likelihood of dying. Let them know that there is no vaccine for dengue fever.

Besides education and publicity, there is one area which we need the relevant agencies - NEA and BCA - to work with the people. Presently, under BCA guidelines, roofs should not have gutters. It is not a regulation. Many houses, some 3-storey high, have roof gutters, and the residents do not have access. BCA should work closely with NEA and do some voluntary service proactively. They should not stand aside and leave the house owners to engage their own consultants to resolve the issue.

Road Pavements

Mr Chew Heng Ching: Sir, the state of cleanliness of road pavements and walkways within HDB estates is certainly far from satisfactory. I am referring to road pavements maintained and cleaned by NEA contractors.

With your indulgence, Sir, allow me to show some photographs of the condition of road pavements in my constituency to the Minister. I have complained about the cleanliness to NEA on many occasions in the past during my regular visits. In this photograph [ indicating ], the bald patches and unturfed areas are left unrepaired for many months. Drains are clogged, so much so that we have no choice but to mobilise Town Council contractors to clean them [ indicating ].

Sir, the last time I brought this up in this House was some years ago. Since then, I have on many occasions in my

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constituency visits lodged complaints with NEA, and each time they assured me that they will be cleaned. But the condition is far from satisfactory and, certainly, it has not been the case.

Sir, I believe the cleaning of road pavements and walkways in HDB estates is best undertaken by the Town Councils themselves. I would like to propose that the NEA consider giving Town Councils the option to clean and maintain such road pavements and walkways and paying the Town Councils for doing it.

Sir, letting the Town Councils do the cleaning and upkeeping of common areas not under the purview of the Town Councils is not something new. HDB car parks, for example, for many years have been maintained very satisfactorily by Town Councils, and HDB has been paying Town Councils for doing that without complaints. I think this arrangement works well. I am therefore proposing that the Minister consider seriously farming out the cleaning and maintenance of walkways and road pavements to the Town Councils, of course, at a price to be paid to the Town Councils. Sir, will the Minister consider this suggestion?

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee): Sir, on behalf of the Minister, I would like to thank the MPs who have spoken on these topics.

Mr Ang Mong Seng has asked for an update on the Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme (HUP). To recap, HUP is a 10-year programme launched in 2001. Since then, 71 markets/hawker centres have been selected for upgrading in four batches. Out of these, 35 centres have been upgraded. As for the remaining 36 centres, they are in various stages of upgrading works. Eventually, HUP will be

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extended to a total of 110 markets and hawker centres.

Mr Ang Mong Seng has asked how much this will cost altogether. It will cost $420 million over a 10-year period, in two phases - each phase is five years.

Mr Ang has suggested that the Government incorporates temporary markets as a standard feature of HUP. The typical period of closure for centres undergoing standard upgrading is relatively short, between six and eight months. For this reason, it is not economical to build temporary markets. For centres which need to be closed for longer periods, eg, those that are undergoing rebuilding, which means total tearing down, piling and rebuilding, the respective grassroots organisations may assist in providing a temporary centre and recover costs from the stallholders. The Government will help them by providing the use of State land without any charge for the temporary centre. So far, grassroots organisations had assisted in providing 16 temporary markets, including mine which is the Tiong Bahru market.

I would like to assure Mr Ang that affected stallholders are given some form of assistance during the upgrading period, such as rent waivers, allocation of vacant stalls in other centres for temporary operation at subsidised rents, and a removal allowance of $1,000 per stall.

With better comfort and ambience, upgraded centres generally experience increased patronage and business. One example is the Chomp Chomp Food Centre. It has improved ventilation and a more attractive landscape after upgrading and has become a more vibrant centre. For a particular stallholder, business has increased by as much as 30% and he now extends his business hours past midnight till 2.00-3.00 am, giving a new buzz to Chomp Chomp Food Centre.

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I believe that markets and hawker centres are more than just key amenities in Singapore. Dining at hawker centres is a unique way of life in Singapore. They are also places where the community congregates and interacts to build a more cohesive community.

In some countries, markets, such as the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne, have developed into popular tourist attractions. Such markets have transformed over time to remain popular with shoppers and visitors. Indeed, the HUP alone is not enough to preserve this unique way of Singapore's life. Markets and hawker centres in Singapore will have to evolve to reflect the emerging trend in our lifestyle and preferences.

Some of our stallholders recognise this, and I am heartened to note that the more successful and entrepreneurial ones are reacting positively to this challenge. With the increase in the popularity of al fresco dining, outdoor dining areas have become a common sight in many upgraded centres. In addition, there has also been an increase in the variety of food being sold in hawker centres, and a new kind of fusion food. For example, two sisters at Shunfu Hawker Centre, under the name "Chocolate and Spice", are doing very well selling muffins and quiche, something which we do not usually get in traditional wet markets. In other centres, there are also stalls selling Japanese cuisine. Those who are interested can go to "Don and Set" in Market Street Food Centre, halal Chinese cuisine in Newton Food Centre and Block 6 Jalan Bukit Merah, commonly known as the ABC Market. These have added to the diversity and growing uniqueness of hawker centres in Singapore. Personally, I believe that there are two great equalisers in Singapore - one is National Service, every male, rich and poor, has to do; and the other is hawker centre where the rich and poor sit on the same table and eat the same food, and enjoy each other's company.

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My Ministry is also studying the feasibility of introducing complementary activities to increase the vibrancy of our hawker centres. For example, busking, cultural and festive performances may be introduced so that our hawker centres can become another social focal point for both locals and tourists to enjoy.

Mr Ang has also asked whether the Government has any plans to build more wet markets and hawker centres in the new neighbourhood centres. The Government has stopped the programme to build new wet markets and hawker centres since the completion of the resettlement of street hawkers into wet markets and hawker centres in 1985. However, the Government will continue to zone sites for commercial developments in the newer estates, so that the private sector can develop the appropriate type of eating and marketing facilities in line with public demand.

Mr Chew Heng Ching has asked whether the Government would be providing assistance to wet market stalls which are not doing well in the face of changing lifestyle and competition from supermarkets. We agree with Mr Chew that there are indeed stalls that are not doing well in some places. The high vacancy in some of these centres, especially in older estates and those close to each other, is an indication of low economic viability for the stalls in these centres. NEA has implemented a rationalisation programme in which such non-viable markets and hawker centres are phased out. Some of the centres that had been phased out under this programme include the Balestier food centre and market and Block 84 MacPherson food centre and market. Eligible stallholders affected by this programme can choose to accept the ex gratia payment to exit their trade. The ex gratia payment is $23,000 for a cooked

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food stall and $18,000 for a market produce stall. Stallholders who choose to remain in the trade will be relocated to other centres. In the case of sold stalls, stall owners who are unable to operate their stalls can resell their stalls in the open market or collect rent by sub-letting them. Another way is to upgrade the centre. Once the centre is upgraded, then new business comes in.

Sir, to further help subsidised stall tenants, I am pleased to announce that the Stall Assignment Scheme will be enhanced to make it easier for an incumbent stall tenant to assign his stall. This in an enhancement of the old scheme. It is a very good enhancement. New tenants currently pay market rent when they take over the stalls. Under the enhanced scheme, NEA will not charge the new stall tenant market rent immediately. Instead, the market rent will be phased in over a three-year period. So this is a win-win situation for the existing stallholder and the tenant that is coming in. The existing stallholder can exit the trade and get an assignment fee. The fee, I understand, is quite substantial, depending on the type of trade and the place. The tenant coming in will pay market rent over a three-year period. The market rent is usually much lower than the tendered rent, sometimes as low as one-third the tendered rent.

To give Members an example of a cooked food stall - suppose the current subsidised rent today is $160 per month - if the existing tenant feels that he wants to exit the trade because he is old, he can assign to somebody, collect the assignment fee which, as I said earlier, can be very substantial. Under the old scheme, the new tenant pays $970 immediately. Under the enhanced scheme, he pays the market rent of $970 over a three-year period. So in the first year, he will pay $430 per month. In the second

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year, he will pay $700 per month, and only in the last year will he pay $970 per month, reaching the market rent. By then, of course, the market rent would have gone up, but he still pays $970 because it is pegged at today's market rent.

Sir, I would like to move on to the question raised by Mdm Cynthia Phua. According to the World Health Organisation and the International Society for Infectious Diseases, there was a global upsurge in dengue cases last year. In fact, WHO had issued a Dengue Alert to the South-East Asian Region in September 2004, noting outbreaks in a number of countries in the region.

Singapore is located right in a dengue endemic region with a warm climate all year round. We have also experienced a significant increase in dengue cases. Last year, we had 9,459 dengue cases, which is the highest number of dengue cases recorded in Singapore. We are still seeing a high number of dengue cases in 2005. As at 23rd February of this year, a total of 2,136 cases were reported.

Sir, the situation continues to be worrying. Mdm Cynthia Phua has asked about the measures that we have taken to prevent and control dengue and the level of community involvement in tackling this problem. I would like to assure Mdm Phua that the NEA has stepped up its efforts to search and destroy mosquito breeding in homes and public areas. Fogging operations are carried out in areas where the adult mosquito population is high. The NEA is also working with the managing agents of condominiums and Town Councils to develop best practices in the prevention of mosquito breeding in common areas.

Sir, we are seeing some improvements. Today, only 5% of schools inspected were found with Aedes mosquito breeding. This is down from

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25% before 1999. For construction sites, less than 15% inspected were found with mosquito breeding as compared to 30% in the previous year. However, the incidence of mosquito breeding in homes is still high. Breeding in landed properties, condominium apartments and HDB flats accounted for 60% of all breedings found in NEA surveys. I would therefore like to urge home owners to regularly clear any stagnant water in their homes to eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites. There is a need to reinforce the message that it is the social responsibility of homeowners to prevent mosquito breeding in their homes.

For this reason, NEA has since 1st February 2005 imposed a fine of $100 on first time residential offenders who consistently ignore good habits of clearing stagnant clean water. Repeated offenders will be fined $200.

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I am pleased to inform Members that, at the community level, NEA has received strong support from the various grassroots organisations and other 3P partners in dengue community outreach organisation programmes. As of 24th February 2005, 54 constituencies have launched the "Mozzie Attack" programme. Our plan is to roll-out the programme to all 84 constituencies by June 2005. The number of dengue prevention volunteers has also increased from 700 to 3,094.

Moving forward, NEA will continue to work with the various CDCs and CCCs to include dengue control initiatives and measures in their work plans. A good example of this partnership was the NEA-North East first Environmental Regional Workshop which was held on 2nd February of this year. Sir, we would like to thank the Mayor of North East CDC, Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed, for his personal support for this event.

We will only be able to keep the number of dengue cases to the lowest

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possible with active community involvement. We need more organisations and volunteers to come forth to support our dengue prevention programmes. They can help to reach out to our residents regularly so that residents will make it a habit to check for and get rid of stagnant water.

In the longer term, we need to continue to build up our research expertise on various vector-borne diseases and also competencies in vector control. The Environmental Health Institute currently conducts research on vector-borne diseases to support NEA's vector control operations. By building up our knowledge and understanding of the vector and virus, we can better respond to outbreaks of vector-borne diseases in Singapore.

Finally, I would like to address Mr Chew's question on maintenance of road pavements. Sir, currently, town councils (TCs) look after the cleaning of roads and related pavements in their estates whereas NEA is responsible for the cleaning of public roads and pavements which are outside the town council estates. This demarcation between the town council and NEA is clear and ensures that no area is left uncleaned. However, on the ground, the problem still exists. Therefore, NEA will explore Mr Chew's suggestion with the town councils to see if such an arrangement is more cost effective, and how we can bring about better synergy in the efforts to keep road pavements abutting HDB estates clean.

Dr Lily Neo (Jalan Besar): I would like to concur with Mr Chew Heng Ching on the less than satisfactory cleanliness of the road pavements under the charge of NEA, especially in crowded or patronised areas. May I suggest to NEA to identify such areas and employ more cleaners to clean at more frequent intervals?

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Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee: If the MP knows of a particular area, we would be very happy to hear it. Certainly, we will follow up on Mr Chew's and Dr Lily Neo's suggestion. There is a problem on the ground and there is a twilight zone, so to speak, and we will try to close the gap there.

Mr Ang Mong Seng: The Senior Parliamentary Secretary has mentioned that the Government has stopped building hawker centres and food centres since 1985. Twenty years have passed, and many things have changed. The hawker centres and food markets can provide very good job opportunities for Singaporeans. Can the Ministry review and reconsider this policy again?

Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee: Sir, the Ministry reviews policies on a regular basis. We will certainly review this policy. But the older markets exist in the older estates. The present wet markets mostly exist in the older estates. The new estates have a different lifestyle. They have got all the airconditioned supermarkets and departmental stores in one complex. They provide food, entertainment, shopping and everything. The lifestyle can be quite different. But, certainly, we will review policies on a regular basis, and his suggestion will be reviewed.

Mr Low Thia Khiang (Hougang): Sir, the Senior Parliamentary Secretary has asked Members to inform him about the problem of road pavement. I would like to inform him that in particular, Hougang Avenue 5, he can see that the grass is all botak and very dirty. The other area is along Hougang Avenue 2 where the road divider is full of dried grass.

Sir, on the question of dengue fever, I wonder whether NEA has data on the breeding sources of mosquitoes in concealed drains and also in some NEA drains. Some of these drains, because of corrosion or poor workmanship, are

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uneven, as a result of which a water pond is formed, and it becomes a breeding source. So if that is the breeding source of dengue, perhaps NEA wants to look into how to solve the problem in the long term.

Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee: Sir, I want to thank the Member for Hougang for letting me know the areas that are not so clean. We will ask our officers to look at them. Sir, on the issue of Aedes mosquito breeding in choked drains, we will look at that. One of the problems is that, in the last two months, because of the extremely dry weather, many drains were choked with dried leaves. In the last one week, when the rain fell, water is collected there. The mosquitoes found in these drains are not the Aedes mosquitoes. They are the Culex mosquitoes. So they do not spread the dengue fever virus.

Assoc. Prof. Ong Soh Khim: On the topic of engaging Singaporeans on the environmental issue, my question is: how do we engage the producers, manufacturers, SMEs and retailers in the environmental issue? For example, as a manufacturer, how do we encourage them to produce products that are environmentally friendly, easier to recycle, and easier to dispose of? And how do we encourage retailers? For example, when I go to a NTUC supermarket, the cashier typically gives away plastic carriers freely. But when I was in Netherlands, I had to pay 20 cents for a plastic carrier. So what is the Ministry's effort in this area?

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, we constantly engage the business community to find more environmentally friendly ways of producing things. I tend to agree with the hon. Member that if we can encourage our businesses to look into their processes, that will help the environment and, certainly, some companies are already doing so.

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On the issue of plastic bags, most of the plastic bags in Singapore are incinerable, and it is not a problem. But I agree with her that if we can get companies to be more conscious, I think that would help. I assure her that we will continue to engage the companies in finding ways which will help towards maintaining our environment.

Mdm Halimah Yacob (Jurong): Sir, in the old days, to help poor and needy Singaporeans, the Ministry set aside a number of hawker stalls in order for them to run so that if they could not find employment or another source of income, at least this provided some income for them. We are faced now with a segment of the population who are not able to find employment. They also do not have enough resources to tender for the hawker stalls that are provided because there are more than the numbers which are allowed. People have to tender for it, and that depends on the amount that is tendered. If the tendering fees go up, it becomes difficult. It is hard for those who cannot afford it to be able to tender and run those stalls. So will the Ministry consider reintroducing this, at least allocate a certain percentage of hawker stalls for the poor and needy in Singapore, as part of our efforts to help them to be self-sustaining and independent?

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: I thank the Member for the information. In fact, there are two schemes by NEA. One is, of course, the itinerant ice-cream seller's licence that we give out, and the other scheme is for us to help the needy and the low-income, ie, those who are out of job to run stalls in fixed locations. This is done through the CDCs. We allow the CDCs to make an evaluation and assessment of the applicants. If they fit certain criteria, we will assist them. So the schemes are in place. We would like to encourage, people who need assistance to go to the CDCs and work together with the CDCs on this matter. But it is not at

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the existing hawker stalls because we have moved our hawker stalls and wet markets towards a different regime. The scheme was introduced in recognition of the economic downturn and these are ways in which we can help, especially the low income, to get some formal employment.

Mdm Halimah Yacob: Sir, I would like to thank the Minister for the explanation. But I think the Minister has described the scheme, which appears to be somewhat an ad hoc scheme to cater for a particular need when we had the economic downturn, and it is somewhat restricted in its scope. Can the Minister consider reviewing this, and perhaps expand it to include other areas, instead of a very confined area? The feedback to me is that it is too confined and, therefore, it is not of very much practical use.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I agree with the Member. In fact, we are looking into the success of this scheme. We have allocated 500 licences. I think the take-up rate is less than 50. We are looking into how to make this a bit more attractive to the low income so that they can actually run the stalls with a reasonable profit to make a living.

Dr Geh Min: Sir, first, on the issue of smoking in public places. I heard the Minister say that, ultimately, the Government will be working towards limiting smoking to private premises and wide open spaces. Is that correct? If so, I am rather concerned about smoking in wide open spaces. I would like to ask how many of the bush fires that we had recently, the spate of bush fires, was due to smoking in wide open spaces. And I would also like to ask the Minister if these wide open spaces include green areas and natural reserves and that proper provisions and deterrents be introduced to protect them from bush fires.

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Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, the reason why wide open spaces would be allowed is because of the explanation I gave in my reply on the effects of second-hand smoke. When you have a large open space, the smoke can be blown away. For the recent bush fires, I think MHA would be in a better position to explain some of the reasons. We have been told that, in some cases, there were people who did camping overnight and left the ember and, because of the hot climate, it caught fire. But I would like to assure the Member that we will work together with our other partners, the NParks Board, to make sure that our green spaces are well maintained. Generally, when people go to our green spaces, they do not go there to smoke, they go there to jog and have a nice time. So I can assure the Member that this is something that we will look into.

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: Sir, I would like clarification from the Minister in my earlier speech on creating jobs in the environmental sector. This is as regards the karung guni men. I think because of the economic downturn, actually more people have taken up work as karung guni men. There were letters to the press complaining about the incessant noise made by the karung guni men on weekends, one karung guni man after another, and there had been fights over the garbage. The police had actually said that because the garbage does not belong to anybody, they cannot take action. But I think grievous harm had also been caused. My understanding is that some of the weekend karung guni men are actually foreign workers on work permit who moonlight as karung guni men over the weekend, and then there are fights. So I would like to ask the Minister if steps are being taken to tackle this problem, for instance, by working with the public waste collectors to require the karung guni men to have at least some NSRS certification and badges, or something like that, in order to resolve this issue.

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Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, her last suggestion is the one that we have been looking into. NEA has encouraged the public waste collectors to work together with the karung guni men . In fact, this is something which we encourage, and the karung guni men can actually increase their yield and do a lot more. For the situation on the ground, I think this is something which we would probably have to look together with our other agencies. If there are people working illegally, I think MOM would be keen to know so that they can do something about it. In terms of the noise, please do not hesitate to call the NEA hotline because whenever the noise pollution level reaches a certain level, we will step in. But my advice to the karung guni men is to see whether they can work together with the public waste collectors. Because, in our efforts to improve the recycling rate, the public waste collectors generally need a lot more people on the ground to be able to pick up the recyclable materials. There have been instances where the karung guni men work together with the PWCs. But bottomline it is private sector free market. We allow them to operate on their own. When there are instances that come to our attention that we need to do something, we will do so.

The Chairman: Ms Ng. We have five minutes left before "guillotine" time.

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong: I want to ask the Minister about the state of littering in Singapore. There is a view that without the army of workers, Singapore will not be as pristine as it is. From the complaints from residents, it seems that littering is still a problem in public estates. Can I ask the Minister if more could be done to inculcate a sense of civic consciousness among Singaporeans?

4.45 pm

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, this is a campaign that we have been

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doing for many, many years, and the hon. Member is right that we cannot say for certain that we have been very successful. There have been areas where we have done quite well. It is something that we will continue to work through our public education campaign and programme.

Let me share an example with Members. I know of a foreign association that uses our school field every Sunday for recreation and games, and I was told by one of the teachers in that school that, at 12 o'clock, when you go and see the field, you cannot see a piece of litter at all. This particular foreign association will make it a habit to pick up after they have finished and bagged everything away. Are we there yet? I am not so sure. This is something which we have to continue to inculcate, and that is why, in my reply, I mentioned earlier that we are working with the young and the schools to inculcate the message of anti-littering and to play their part to care for the environment. I cannot give you an exact assessment of what is going on on the ground. But I do agree with the Member that, because we have a lot of foreign workers working in that area, we have been able to keep Singapore clean. But, ultimately, we need to inculcate this habit into Singaporeans that they own the environment and they have a part to play. So, whether we will become like that foreign association, I think only time will tell. But my Ministry is committed to working towards that direction, and we will start with the younger population through the schools.

Recently, I had an engagement with a group of young professionals from tertiary institutions. They recognise the challenges. They are keen to do something. There is a group of students in NTU that have formed themselves and it is called the NTU Earth Link. They came to a dialogue session in their T-shirts, well ironed, and they are keen to do something in the

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universities with their colleagues. So, we will have to engage civic-minded individuals and volunteers on the ground to help us in this message. There is no other way. We can continue with the penalties but, ultimately, public consciousness and civic-mindedness are also needed to ensure that this habit gets inculcated deep into our psyches.

The Chairman: Dr Khor, are you withdrawing the amendment?

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: Sir, I would like to thank the Minister and the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for their comprehensive responses to our queries and appeals, and beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $516, 237,780 for Head L ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $847,226,700 for Head L ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.