2024年5月8日，新加坡貿工部長(現任新加坡副總理）顏金勇先生在國會書面答覆義順集選區議員陳澮敏女士關於室內設計和裝修公司相關規範和糾紛處理的問題。
以下內容為新加坡眼根據國會英文資料翻譯整理：
69 陳澮敏(義順集選區議員)女士詢問貿工部長:
該部是否會考慮強制要求註冊為裝修或室內設計公司的公司至少有一名董事具備行業資格或至少有多年相關行業經驗？
70 陳澮敏(義順集選區議員)女士詢問貿工部長，自 2016 年底《消費者保護（公平交易）法》的變更生效以來：
(a) 每年因未完成的房屋裝修項目和向新加坡消費者協會（CASE）報告的涉及裝修和室內設計公司的糾紛而造成的預付款損失的明細？
(b) 在這些案件中，有多少案件成功地從不法商人那裡追回了款項？有多少案件移交新加坡標準、生產力與創新局 (SPRING) 作進一步調查？
(c) 有多少公司被採取了執法行動？
71 陳澮敏(義順集選議員)女士詢問貿工部長：
(a) 向新加坡消費者協會 (CASE) 報告的裝修糾紛中，涉及欺詐案和合同糾紛的比例分別是多少？
(b) 裝修公司起訴客戶的案件數？
(c) 新加坡標準、生產力與創新局 (SPRING) 如何配備必要的裝修事務方面的專業技術知識，以有效調查並確保公平評估由新加坡消費者協會（CASE）根據《消費者保護（公平交易）法》提出進一步調查的糾紛案件？
顏金勇（前貿工部長，現副總理）先生：從2017年到2023年，新加坡消費者協會 (CASE) 每年收到約120起消費者投訴，涉及未完成裝修工程導致的預付款損失。這些投訴中報告的裝修合同平均價值約為7,400 新元。在約一半的協商案件中，CASE 協助消費者從裝修公司追回了款項。一些消費者可能已經通過其他途徑追回了損失，例如小額索賠法庭（SCT)。
2018 年，新加坡競爭與消費者委員會 (CCCS，簡稱競消委) 接替了前新加坡標準、生產力與創新局 (SPRING) 的職責，成為根據《消費者保護（公平交易）法》授權的政府機構，負責調查有關不公平行為的反饋，並在必要時對違規企業採取行動。迄今為止，CASE 尚未將任何裝修公司移交給 CCCS 進行調查。
政府並未規定裝修和室內設計公司主要人員的最低資格或經驗水平。我們鼓勵消費者聘請 CaseTrust 認證的裝修承包商，這些承包商致力於公平的商業行為，例如提供預付款保護和採用CaseTrust 標準裝修合同，以確保裝修項目的價格透明度和問責制。為改善行業慣例，指導裝修公司避免不公平做法，CCCS 於 2022 年發布了《裝修行業公平交易慣例指南》。
我們觀察到，2023 年 CASE 收到的涉及裝修承包商的投訴總數下降了 19%。我們將繼續密切監測投訴數量，並與 CASE 和裝修業界合作，推廣良好的商業慣例。
以下是英文質詢內容：
69 Ms Carrie Tan asked the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Ministry will consider mandating that companies registering as renovation or interior design companies have at least one director with sectoral qualifications or minimum years of relevant experience within the industry.
70 Ms Carrie Tan asked the Minister for Trade and Industry since changes to the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act took effect in end-2016 (a) what is the annual breakdown of prepayment losses arising from (i) uncompleted home renovation projects and (ii) disputes involving renovation and interior design companies that have been reported to the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE); (b) of these cases, how many were (i) monies successfully recovered from errant traders and (ii) raised to SPRING Singapore for further investigations; and (c) how many companies have had enforcement action taken against them.
71 Ms Carrie Tan asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) with regard to the renovation disputes that are reported to the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE), what is the breakdown in proportion of (i) fraud cases and (ii) contractual disagreements; (b) how many are raised by renovation firms against customers; and (c) how is SPRING Singapore equipped to have the necessary technical expertise on renovation matters to effectively investigate and ensure fair assessment on dispute cases that are raised by CASE for further investigations under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: From 2017 to 2023, the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) received about 120 consumer complaints per year regarding prepayment losses related to incomplete renovation works. The average value of the renovation contracts reported in these complaints was around $7,400. CASE assisted consumers in recovering their monies from renovation firms in about half of the negotiated cases. Some consumers may have recovered their losses through other avenues, such as the Small Claims Tribunal.
In 2018, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) took over the role previously held by the former SPRING Singapore as the Government agency empowered under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act to investigate feedback on unfair practices and take action against errant businesses where warranted. Thus far, CASE has not referred any renovation firm to CCCS for investigation.
The Government does not mandate minimum qualifications or experience levels for key personnel in renovation and interior design companies. Consumers are encouraged to engage CaseTrust-accredited renovation contractors committed to fair business practices, such as offering prepayment protection and adopting the CaseTrust Standard Renovation Contract to ensure price transparency and accountability in renovation projects. To improve industry practices and guide renovation firms to avoid unfair practices, CCCS published a Guide on Fair Trading Practices for the Renovation Industry in 2022.
We observed a 19% drop in the total complaints received by CASE involving renovation contractors in 2023. We will continue to monitor the number of complaints closely and work with CASE and the renovation industry to promote good business practices.
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新加坡國會丨來源
