Seven more markets will soon be retrofitted with air-conditioning, Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong told legislators today.

He said 85% of stall tenants support the works and have agreed to pay the recurrent costs involved.

Upon completion of these capital-works projects in the next two years, Dr Yeoh said the Government will examine and review the issues relating to the retrofitting of air-conditioning at other markets.

He said over the past three years, the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department received 39 requests for ventilation-related improvements to existing markets.

For those markets without air-conditioning, necessary measures will be introduced to improve ventilation, such as mounting additional air grilles, installing extraction systems, providing ceiling fans and exhaust ducts.

The actual scope of improvement measures will be drawn up considering the conditions of individual markets and the views of stall tenants.

Of the 81 markets the department manages, 14 are fully air-conditioned and 10 are partially air-conditioned. The remaining 57 have no air-conditioning.