Mr Speaker,
Like many MPs who serve in their respective town councils, I see the daily practicalities of managing common spaces in housing estates in my role as Chairperson of Aljunied-Hougang Town Council. It is from this shared ground perspective that I welcome the Civil Defence Shelter and Fire Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2026.
This Bill introduces a range of vital updates to our public safety framework. The establishment of strict liability for obstructing fire accessways and fire safety measures brings much-needed clarity to statutory compliance. Elevating standards for shelter products through mandatory certification and accredited laboratory testing ensures that emergency shelters retain their protective integrity when residents need them most. Furthermore, introducing a streamlined class licensing system for petroleum and flammable materials seeks to balance regulatory oversight with business efficiency. These reflect a forward-looking approach to fire safety regulation.
It is precisely because this legislation provides such robust new mechanisms that we have a valuable opportunity to refine how these provisions are operationalised on the ground. By aligning daily administrative processes with the new legal tools in this Bill, we can achieve even greater speed and effectiveness in keeping the common spaces in our estates safe.
Currently, when a fire safety concern in an HDB flat is flagged, SCDF typically notifies the Town Council about the specific unit involved. However, under Section 28 of the Fire Safety Act, if an issue remains outstanding past SCDF’s strict 3-day action window—sometimes due to practical ground difficulties such as uncooperative residents or individuals who briefly remove clutter only to replace it days later—SCDF may serve a formal Fire Hazard Abatement Notice (FHAN) to the Town Council.
Under current practice, which I have observed, serving a statutory notice tends to result in a massive enforcement operation across the entire block, with multiple units served abatement notices by the Town Council. This can create significant friction and disruption for residents across the whole block, while introducing an administrative layer that actually delays taking swift, targeted action on the specific unit causing the hazard. Because of this, using Town Councils as administrative intermediaries under Section 28 is not always the most expeditious way to ensure fire hazards are removed.
At the same time, there is a need to address another growing challenge on the ground: the operational tendency for fire safety enforcement to become complaint-driven. It is not uncommon for fire safety complaints submitted to SCDF to be weaponised as part of ongoing neighbour disputes. When this happens, both SCDF and Town Councils may end up expending substantial time and resources addressing localised disputes rather than focusing on genuine, high-risk fire hazards. It is therefore important that enforcement against fire safety hazards is dictated primarily by objective risk assessments and proactive checks, rather than complaints.
This Bill provides SCDF with clear legal tools to move towards a far more direct, objective and expeditious enforcement posture. Specifically, Clause 12 replaces Section 27 of the Fire Safety Act to make it an explicit statutory offence for any person to cause an obstruction to an escape route or common property that renders escape in the event of a fire more difficult. Furthermore, Clause 10 inserts sections establishing that obstructing accessways or fire safety measures is an offence.
By removing the need to prove intent or prolonged negligence, the legislation provides SCDF with a clear, direct path to engage an offender immediately. Clause 9 also amends Section 21 to expand the powers of Supplementary Enforcement Officers, providing the statutory foundation for SCDF personnel to operate directly on the ground.
To maximise the efficiency of these new provisions, I seek clarification from the Senior Minister of State on four specific operational points:
First, when SCDF officers independently identify a unit-specific violation during their own estate checks, will SCDF issue direct advisories or notices to that specific occupier, rather than only issuing a Fire Hazard Abatement Notice to the Town Council?
Second, where an individual fire safety hazard requires formal intervention due to persistent non-compliance, will the Ministry leverage Clause 9 to deploy SCDF officers and Supplementary Enforcement Officers to engage the specific unit directly, so that the hazard is removed more expeditiously?
Third, when SCDF issues a FHAN to a Town Council, can the notice specify the exact offending unit numbers rather than broadly citing an entire block, which obliges Town Councils to execute blanket enforcement operations across the whole block?
Fourth, in light of the strict liability provisions in Clause 10, how will SCDF ensure that its enforcement priorities are guided by objective, professional risk assessments of genuine hazards, rather than being drawn into localised neighbour disputes?
Mr Speaker, let me be clear: I fully accept and embrace TC’s statutory duty to maintain common property and enforce estate by-laws. I am not seeking to pass off TC estate management responsibilities to SCDF. However, when it comes to fire safety enforcement, the focus should be on ensuring the expeditious removal of specific fire hazards. Residents recognise SCDF as the nation's premier fire safety authority. When SCDF officers engage residents directly on fire hazards, they carry an unquestioned institutional authority that will likely command faster compliance and resolve hazards at the source.
The legal tools in this Bill allow us to build a more collaborative and efficient model: Town Councils will continue managing routine estate upkeep and resident education, while SCDF exercises its direct legal powers to resolve specific fire safety infringements. This ensures accountability falls directly on the individual creating the hazard and, most importantly, keeps our estates safe.
Sir, notwithstanding these points, I support the Bill.
