Questions on library books saga, SIA flight paths at Monday's Parliament sitting

The National Library Board's (NLB) content regulation processes and Singapore Airline's (SIA) flight routes are two issues that will dominate the House when Parliament sits on Monday, August 4, 2014. -- ST PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI
The National Library Board's (NLB) content regulation processes and Singapore Airline's (SIA) flight routes are two issues that will dominate the House when Parliament sits on Monday, August 4, 2014. -- ST PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI

SINGAPORE - The National Library Board's (NLB) content regulation processes and Singapore Airline's (SIA) flight routes are two issues that will dominate the House when Parliament sits on Monday.

The two hot topics have hogged headlines in recent weeks, and have drawn at least 14 questions from Members of Parliament according to the Order Paper released on Friday.

On the NLB, MPs want to know how the library board decides what books to buy and when they should be removed, following the recent controversy over three children's titles that were withdrawn because they deal with homosexual themes.

Two of the books - And Tango Makes Three and The White Swan Express - were eventually returned to the shelves, but in the adult section.

MPs have also tabled questions about SIA's flight routes, after concerns arose about whether the flag carrier is flying over zones of conflict.

The recent crash of Malaysian Airlines MH17, widely believed to have been shot down over Ukraine, had sparked questions about the safety of flying over such trouble spots.

Several MPs are asking if SIA had been using the same flight route as MH17, and whether the Ministry of Transport exercises oversight over the flight path of SIA and other Singaporean airlines.

The Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill will also be introduced at Monday's sitting, while four other Bills - Family Justice Bill, Transboundary Haze Pollution Bill, Attorney-General (Additional Functions) Bill and Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill - will get a second reading.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.