Accommodation Not Covered under Foreign Employee Dormitories Act

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what percentage of workers are living in accommodation not covered under the Foreign Employee Dormitories Act; and (b) what steps are being taken to ensure that these accommodations that fall outside the Foreign Employee Dormitories Act are of equivalent standards to larger dormitories.

As of March 2017, about one-third of Work Permit holders residing in Singapore live in foreign employee dormitories licensed under the Foreign Employee Dormitories Act (FEDA), which imposes additional conditions appropriate to the higher concentration risks posed by large dormitories. The remaining two-thirds live in other smaller accommodation types, such as Factory Converted Dormitories (FCDs), Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats, and private residential premises.

Smaller accommodation types which are not covered under FEDA are nonetheless still required to comply with a set of comprehensive regulations and requirements imposed by various agencies to ensure a safe and well-maintained living space for foreign workers. They include standards for building structural safety governed by the Building and Construction Authority, fire safety governed by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), as well as proper and adequate sanitary facilities governed by the National Environment Agency (NEA). Once all approvals have been obtained, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) will then grant the owner of the premises with permission to operate a workers’ dormitory.

To ensure these accommodation types are of comparable standards to larger dormitories, we take three approaches. First, the Government regularly reviews standards across all types of foreign workers’ accommodation, taking into account the unique nature of each type. Where appropriate, the minimum standards will be raised to improve the well-being of foreign workers. For example, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has required operators of FCDs to comply with additional conditions from 1 January 2017, including the provision of wi-fi and a sickbay. The Ministry also works closely with various agencies, such as NEA, URA and SCDF, to conduct routine and ad hoc inspections.

Second, in addition to looking into complaints of poor housing, we also conduct proactive inspections. From 2014 to 2016, MOM conducted close to 4,000 foreign worker housing inspections. MOM ramped up our housing inspections from 700 in 2014 to 1,800 in 2016. Third, enforcement actions are taken against employers and/or dormitory operators who fail to comply with our regulations and requirements.