Baey Yam Keng on refusing entry to dengue inspectors

Over the past three years, there have been about six cases in every 100 of residents refusing entry to National Environment Agency (NEA) officers to carry out dengue inspections in their homes. In such cases, NEA would offer to reschedule the inspections and most residents eventually comply, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment Baey Yam Keng. Residents who repeatedly refuse entry to NEA officers can be served notice and be charged if they still fail to comply. If convicted, they could be fined and jailed. Mr Baey said no one has been charged in the past three years and NEA has no plans to increase the penalties. Answering an MP’s question in Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 6), Mr Baey said the profile of residents refusing entry to NEA officers is wide-ranging - not mostly senior citizens wary of opening the door to strangers, for example. He said NEA will continue to find ways to raise awareness of inspections and how to verify officers’ identities.