Debated in Parliament on 1 Oct 2018.
Mr Desmond Choo asked the Minister for Manpower over the last three years (a) what is the trend of illegal foreign worker dormitories being discovered; (b) how many instances of illegal housing have occurred in HDB flats; (c) how has the Ministry worked with HDB to tackle illegal housing issues; and (d) what are the plans to ensure proper housing and fire safety in worker housing and dormitories.
The number of housing cases where foreign workers (FW) were housed illegally, in contravention of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA), has been stable for the last three years. In 2017, 24 of these illegal FW housing cases were found in Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and HDB investigate all complaints of HDB flats being used illegally to house foreign workers. If the employer is culpable, appropriate enforcement action will be taken, such as debarment from employing FWs, fines or prosecution. The employer will also be ordered to relocate the FWs. HDB may also take enforcement actions against flat owners who have breached HDB's rental regulations, such as revoking their approval for the flat owners to rent out their flats.
MOM works closely with partner agencies, such as HDB, the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), to regularly review FW housing standards, including fire safety and hygiene. Inspections are carried out by both MOM and SCDF. Between 2015 and 2017, MOM took 3,900 employers and dormitory operators to task for a range of infringements. The enforcement actions taken included financial penalties and prosecution in egregious cases. Although the proportion of severe infringements has fallen, MOM will continue to adopt a strict enforcement stance and monitor the situation closely.
PAPERCUTS