WIDOWS' AND ORPHANS' PENSION (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

2.41 p.m.

The Minister for Finance (Mr Lim Kim San): Mr Speaker, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

This Bill seeks to amend the Widows' and Orphans' Pension Ordinance (Chapter 61), under which every Government officer restricted to a monogamous marriage, except those who joined the service on or after 2nd March, 1961, was required to contribute towards a pension for his widow and orphans.

Through an amendment to the Ordinance, such officers, where already contributing, were allowed an option to continue to contribute; to stop contributing and preserve the rights that had accrued to them; or to stop contributing and be paid an actuarily calculated sum. The law further provided for a period of six months within which these options were required to be exercised, commencing 1st April, 1965. It followed that bachelors, who contracted monogamous marriages prior to 1st April, 1965, were accorded these options as they had the status of contributors before that date.

The law did not provide, however, for the cases of bachelors, who joined the service before 2nd March, 1961, the date prescribed in the Women's Charter for marriages thereafter to be monogamous, if they contracted marriage after 1st April, 1965.

There is no provision for such officers to be enabled to choose to continue to contribute or to be excluded from contributing to their widows' and orphans' pension, and this Bill seeks to repair that omission and make legal provision for them to elect to become, or to continue as, contributors within one month of contracting monogamous marriages. Administrative action has already been taken to call upon the officers affected to opt whether to become contributors within a month of marriage. So this Bill will provide the necessary legal provision to regularise these cases in accordance with the intention of the law.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

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

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Lim Kim San].

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