SINGAPORE -The Government took a first step towards improving standards in the local plumbing industry with a new Bill presented in Parliament on Monday (Jan 8).

Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor presented the proposed changes to the Public Utilities Act for the first reading.

They will be debated at a future sitting.

Among the proposed amendments is the move to license sanitary plumbers through a revised licensing scheme under the Public Utilities Board.

Under the scheme, both water service and sanitary plumbers will operate under a common licence. They will need to be competent in carrying out both types of plumbing work.

Currently, licensing is only mandatory for water service plumbers, who carry out installation and repair works on water pipes, tanks, taps and fittings that convey water supplied by the PUB in buildings.

Sanitary plumbers, install and repair sanitary appliances, pipes and sanitary drain lines which convey used water from buildings to public sewers.

The new scheme will place the local plumbing industry under the PUB's authority and aims to enhance standards in the industry.