PROTECTED PLACES AND AREAS (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

8.05 p.m.

The Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Ong Pang Boon): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Protected Places and Areas Ordinance, 1955, was enacted to provide for the more efficient protection of goods and supplies stored in protected places and protected areas. In furtherance of this object, authorised persons are empowered by sections 4 and 5 of the Ordinance to search persons entering or seeking to enter or being in protected places and areas. It would appear, however, that authorised persons are not empowered to search vehicles or vessels which are in such places. This would mean, for instance, that while being empowered to search the driver of a vehicle, an authorised officer is not empowered to search the vehicle itself even though he may strongly suspect that it contains stolen property. The Bill therefore seeks to remove all doubts as to the power of that authorised officer to search a vehicle or vessel entering or seeking to enter or being in a protected place or area.

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. - [Mr Ong Pang Boon].

Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read the Third time and passed.