PRINTERS AND PUBLISHERS (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

2.57 p.m.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Culture (Mr Fong Sip Chee) (for the Minister for Culture and Social Affairs): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The object of the proposed amendment of the Printers and Publishers Ordinance (Cap. 196) is to enlarge the definition of "book" so that the main purpose of the Ordinance, which is to preserve all books and other publications printed or published in Singapore as part of the national literature by the National Library, will be better fulfilled.

With the law as it stands, Mr Speaker, Sir, many publications are excluded from being deposited in the National Library. Such materials include Government publications which, although not exempt from deposit under the Ordinance, have sometimes not been sent to the National Library when they are published by agencies other than the Government Printer. Similarly, under the existing definition of "book", annuals and other reports, whether Government or otherwise, are not required to be deposited in the National Library. As such annuals and other reports are important sources of information which the National Library should have as a primary source to satisfy the informational needs of the citizens of Singapore as well as of outside researchers and scholars, the new definition of "book" has now been enlarged to include reports besides Government publications, graphic art forms, etc.

Sir, the amendment of the definition of "book", thereby making the deposit of publications with the National Library as complete as possible, will also enable the compilation by the National Library of the catalogues of books published in Singapore to be comprehensive. And if the compilation of a national bibliography, as provided in section 6 of the Ordinance, is extended to all works printed or published in Singapore, it will not only facilitate information on current publications in Singapore, but will also provide welcome assistance to booksellers, publishers, printers, authors, and librarians both in Singapore and other countries which have a growing interest in acquiring Singapore publications.

Sir, it has also been found that although the Ordinance puts the onus on the publisher to submit printed publications or books to the National Library, there is in the existing law no definition of the term "publisher". This omission has now been rectified by providing a definition of "publisher" in clause 2 of the Bill.

With the new definition of "book" to include all publications, and in consideration of the publisher who may sometimes publish a limited number of copies of a particular work, clause 3 of the Bill reduces to five the number of copies of a publication to be deposited, as there is no longer a need to send a copy of such publication to the British Museum as has hitherto been done.

To enable quicker registration of publications and subsequent listing in the national bibliography, clause 5 of the Bill amends section 6 of the principal Ordinance so that the publisher will furnish details of publications deposited within two weeks of deposit, instead of one month as under the existing law.

Consequent on clause 4 of the Bill reducing the number of copies of every book or publication to be deposited under the Ordinance to five, clause 6 of the Bill amends section 7 to delete the requirement of sending catalogues of books to the Secretary of State and to the Trustees of the British Museum, a. practice dating back to old colonial times but which is no longer necessary with our new status as an independent nation.

Finally, Sir, to encourage greater speed on the part of publishers in depositing their publications in the National Library and to provide details of publications deposited within two weeks of deposit instead of one month, clause 7 of the Bill raises the penalty for non-compliance with the provisions of the Ordinance from $500 to $1,000.

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 Fong Sip Chee].

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