SINGAPORE — Larger dormitories with at least 1,000 beds will soon need a licence to operate, possibly from the second half of next year, if new laws to manage foreign worker housing are passed in Parliament.

Under the Foreign Employee Dormitories Bill, introduced in the House yesterday, dormitory operators will have to abide by licensing conditions in three broad areas — security, public health and social and recreational activities for foreign workers.

In March, then Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin had announced in his Committee of Supply speech that the Government intended to develop new regulations pertaining to larger foreign worker dormitories.

There are currently about 50 purpose-built dormitories, with a maximum capacity of 200,000 beds.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said the proposed legislation comes on the back of the Government’s view that it would be better to house foreign workers in purpose-built dormitories, which typically have a larger capacity.

Given this, the Government is speeding up the construction of such dormitories.

Mr Tan said yesterday: “As more of these dormitories come on stream, which given their size, are more complex to manage, we need to impose tighter controls … to ensure they are managed effectively.”

There are existing laws, enforced by government agencies such as the National Environment Agency or the Building and Construction Authority, to tackle issues of unhygienic living conditions and building structural safety, respectively.

But once the Bill is passed, operators will have to comply with additional requirements.

These could include the installation of segregation gates within the compound to isolate disturbances, or new amenities such as dedicated indoor and outdoor recreation areas, a mail collection point and regular recreational programmes.

Under the licensing framework, operators will also have to put in place an Emergency Response Plan, in consultation with the police, for potential public order incidents, such as riots, protests or fights.

Once the legislation takes effect, proprietors and operators caught running an unlicensed dormitory could be fined up to S$500,000, jailed up to two years or both. If they flout the licensing conditions, they could be fined up to S$50,000, jailed up to one year for each breach or both. The MOM will also be able to suspend or revoke licences and ban people from operating larger dormitories. Dormitories will have up to six months to apply for the licence, which is valid for up to three years, once the Bill is passed.

For some industry insiders, such as the Dormitory Association of Singapore’s former secretary-general Simon Lee, the proposed buffer time is too short.

While he felt the licensing requirements are reasonable, Mr Lee, who is also a dormitory operator, said: “We would prefer a longer period of about a year. If you’re asking everybody to rush (to meet the licensing requirements), then we’ll be at the mercy of suppliers providing such services or amenities. Costs could go up.”

He hopes that smaller dormitories, namely factories converted into living quarters and construction worksites fitted with living amenities, will be similarly regulated. He has seen factory-converted dormitories which house up to 500 foreign workers.

Echoing a similar sentiment, Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics’ executive director Jolovan Wham said while makeshift dormitories are cheaper and more conveniently sited, compared with purpose-built dormitories, their standards tend to fall short.

Mr Wham added: “A lot more attention needs to be paid to these two types of dormitories, in worksite quarters specifically. I’ve seen workers living in a basement of a half-completed building, with limited sanitation standards. Many live in slum-like conditions. How is this permissible?”

Currently, about half of the 770,000 non-domestic foreign workers in Singapore require accommodation in dormitories. Of these, nine in 10 live in institutionalised housing such as purpose-built dormitories, factory-converted dormitories and worksite dormitories. The remaining one in 10 foreign workers reside in Housing and Development Board flats and private residences.