Written Answer to PQ on Bed bugs in Dormitories
NOTICE PAPER NO. 2071 OF 2023 FOR THE SITTING ON OR AFTER 4 AUGUST 2023
QUESTION NO. 4892 FOR ORAL ANSWER
MP: Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang
To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider addressing the issue of bed bugs at migrant worker dormitories other than advising workers not to use infected mattresses.
Answer:
1. Under the Foreign Employee Dormitories Act (FEDA), dormitory operators are required to maintain tidiness, cleanliness, sanitation, and good housekeeping of the dormitories. In addition, dorm operators must implement adequate measures to ensure that dormitories are free from all vectors, including bedbugs.
2. MOM conducts regular inspections of migrant worker dormitories and has avenues for MWs and other stakeholders to provide feedback about dormitory living conditions. If bed bugs are found at dormitories during our inspections, dormitory operators are required to immediately remove the infected mattress from the dormitory and engage the services of a vector control operator to detect and eradicate the problem. MOM will take the appropriate enforcement action against the dormitory operator or employer for serious infestation or recalcitrant cases.