A Commissioner will be appointed to oversee the administration of the proposed Foreign Employee Dormitories Bill. Moving the second reading of the bill, Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin told parliament that the Commissioner will be able to impose conditions that licensed dormitories must comply with. For instance, he will be empowered to get operators to develop quarantine plans, in the event of an infectious disease outbreak, and provide sufficient sick bay facilities based on guidelines set by the Health Ministry. The commissioner can also order operators to establish emergency response plans to deal with fires or other potential public order incidents. Mr Tan said his ministry has deliberately set relatively high penalties as a deterrent to dormitory operators who contravene the guidelines. The highest proposed penalty for operating an unlicensed dormitory is a fine of up to S$500,000, or imprisonment of up to two years, or both, for the first offence. For repeat offenders, the penalty will be doubled, while a substantial penalty for breach of each licensing condition is also being proposed. The bill is a licensing framework for dormitories with at least 1,000 beds. Mr Tan said operators of smaller dormitories will continue to be subject to existing regulations to protect the safety and well-being of residents.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 10:09:25 +0000
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