§ 63. Mr. Toucheasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that loss and anxiety has been caused amongst property owners and investors in Singapore by the Singapore Improvement Trust making declarations under Part V of the Singapore Improvement Ordinance, 1927, so that owners of house property may be required to pull down whole areas of houses at their own expense and without compensation instead of proceeding under Part VI of the Ordinance with improvement schemes 1797 under which compensation is given; whether he is aware that the Singapore Improvement Trust recently put property owners to heavy expense in resisting illegal proceedings which the trust unsuccessfully defended at great cost to the public; and whether he will make inquiries into these matters and give instructions to the Governor-in-Council to restrict the activities of the Singapore Improvement Trust within proper bounds?
§ Mr. Ormsby-GoreI am aware of the recent judgment of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in favour of the owners of certain property which had been the subject of a declaration by the Singapore Improvement Trust under the section mentioned, relating to buildings considered to be unfit for human habitation. The Judicial Committee in that case recorded their view that they had no doubt that the Improvement Trust had throughout acted with complete good faith and with an earnest desire to improve the housing accommodation of Singapore. The trust is a corporate body charged with the performance of certain statutory duties, and I am not in a position to give instructions as to how those duties should be carried out.