Debated in Parliament on 8 Apr 2013.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will consider having some of the nearer offshore islands to house our foreign workers, especially construction and shipyard workers.
We are open to such an idea of housing some foreign workers at nearby offshore islands. We have, in fact, housed workers on Jurong Island and Pulau Brani, at different times, scales and duration.
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However, not all offshore islands are suitable, due to the availability of supporting infrastructure, such as sewers, as well as other planning considerations. But we will continue to look for suitable opportunities to help us house the foreign workers properly and without causing too much inconvenience to them or to Singaporeans.