AUDIT BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

2.56 p.m.

The Minister for Finance (Dr Goh Keng Swee): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

Members will recall that at the last sitting of the Assembly, the Financial Procedure Bill was passed to fill in the general framework for the control of public expenditure established in sections 95 to 100 of the Singapore (Constitution) Order in Council. Sections 101 to 103 of the Order in Council similarly provide a skeleton for the audit of public accounts by the Director of Audit. The present Audit Bill is intended to give flesh to those bones.

The Explanatory Statement has set out in full the nature of the clauses of the Bill and I need not therefore say more than that, together with the Financial Procedure Bill, it is so designed that the finances of the State will be subjected to proper accounting procedure and regulations which, under the watchful eye of the Director of Audit, will be meticulously followed.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole Assembly.

Assembly immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. [Dr Goh Keng Swee].

Bill considered in Committee.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

2.58 p.m.

Clause 1 -

Dr Goh Keng Swee: Sir, I beg to move,

In page 1, line 8, after "3rd", to insert "day of".

This is purely a drafting amendment.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause 1, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 2 -

Dr Goh Keng Swee: Sir, I beg to move,

In page 1, line 11, after "as", to insert "in".

This is a typographical omission.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause 2, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clauses 3 and 4 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 5 -

Dr Goh Keng Swee: Sir, I beg to move,

In page 3, line 5, after "the", to insert "Legislative".

This is to preserve consistency throughout the Bill which elsewhere uses the full description. See clause 4, page 2, line 30.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause 5, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clauses 6 to 8 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 9 -

Dr Goh Keng Swee: Sir, I beg to move,

In page 5, line 40, to leave out "(1)" and insert "(2)".

This is to correct an error, as, although subsection (1) refers to reports made by the Auditor, submissions made by him can be dealt with in subsection (2).

Amendment agreed to.

Clause 9, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 10 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Bill reported with amendments; read the Third time and passed.