STATUTE LAW REVISION BILL

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Order for Second Reading read.

The Minister for Law and National Development (Mr E. W. Barker): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

Similar in all respects to the Statute Law Revision Act, 1969, the Bill now before this House also seeks to amend and repeal a number of statute laws as recommended by the Law Revision Commissioners who are presently preparing a revised edition of our Acts. `The amendments and repeals to be made under the Bill are set out in the First and Second Schedules thereto and will be given effect by clauses 2 and 3 thereof respectively.

In the First Schedule to the Bill, each amendment is aimed at adapting a statute to some change that has taken place since it was enacted for removing an obsolete provision or incorrect reference. It will not, however, change the substance of the law but will merely ensure that the law has the operation and effect originally intended for it.

The amendments in the Mental Disorders and Treatment Ordinance (Cap. 145) will adjust some references in the Ordinance so that they will conform with the amendments that were made to sections 32 and 34 of the Ordinance in 1957 and 1960 and an obsolete form is removed.

The changes in the Rubber Estates Assessment Ordinance (Cap. 168) are to conform to the present Constitution of Singapore.

The Price Control Ordinance (Cap. 225) is amended to conform to the more recent Hire-Purchase Act, 1969 (No. 1 of 1969).

The Seamen's Registry Board Ordinance, 1957 (No. 11 of 1957), will be made to refer correctly to the present means of declaring a port.

The Nursing Homes and Maternity Homes Registration Ordinance, 1959 (No. 5 of 1959), which was passed when there were local authorities of the City Council and the Rural Board, will be adapted to the integrated health administration we have now.

A cross-reference in the Moneylenders Ordinance, 1959 (No. 58 of 1959), is corrected to conform to an amendment made to the Ordinance in 1967.

Similarly in the Income Tax Ordinance (Reprint 16 of 1966) some cross-references were adjusted in view of the amendments made in that year.

In the Estate Duty Ordinance (Reprint 17 of 1966) the rate of interest on unpaid duty for deaths occurring before 1965, which was fixed by section 32 of the Ordinance in the 1955 edition, will be placed in the Fifth Schedule of the Ordinance along with the rates for deaths in and after 1965.

By the last amendment in the Bill the form prescribed in the Hire-Purchase Act, 1969, is altered to conform to the substantive provisions of the Act.

The Second Schedule to the Bill lists a number of enactments which will be repealed. The first column shows the number and year of the enactment. Its Short Title is given in the second column, and the third column shows how much of it will be repealed. In most cases, the whole statute or so much of it as has not yet previously been repealed is specified. In every case, the enactment is now obsolete for one reason or another. Some of these laws have been superseded by more recent legislation but were not repealed at the time. Some have outlived their original purpose, such as dealing with public loans or with some aspect of early post-war conditions of the colonial administration in Singapore. Some are Malaysian laws which have never been brought into operation in Singapore, or which can have no useful operation now, or in respect of which there are more appropriate Singapore-enacted laws, and some were intended to operate only for a transitional period and are no longer needed now. For one or more of these reasons, each enactment contained in the Second Schedule can be removed from the statute book without affecting any administrative processes or any person's rights.

The amendments affected by the Bill will be incorporated in the revised edition of Acts publication of which will commence soon, and the repealed enactments will be omitted from the edition.

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 Barker].

Bill considered in Committee.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

5.19 p.m.

Clauses 1 to 3 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill.

First Schedule -

Mr Barker: Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move,

In page 2, after line 21, to insert - "Explosives In each of sections 3, 4, 5, Substances for the word "whipping" there is Ordinance substituted the word "canning". (Chapter 217)".

Sir, the substitution of "caning" for `whipping" follows the general abolition of whipping in 1959.

Amendment agreed to.

Mr Barker: Mr Speaker. Sir, I beg to move.

In page 2, after line 33, to insert - " Printing Presses In each of sections 6, 19, 20 Ordinance for the words "Justice" of the (Chapter 226) "Peace" there are substituted the words "person authorized by the Minister in that behalf".".

Sir, these amendments will make administrative procedure under the Ordinance conform with present-day practice, dependence on Justices of the-Peace being outmoded. Persons authorized by the Minister will perform the functions hitherto carried out by the Justices of the Peace under the sections in question.

Amendment agreed to.

First Schedule, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Second Schedule -

Mr Barker: Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move,

In page 6, after line 33, to insert- "Chapter 64 Contribution to The whole.". Imperial Defence Ordinance

Sir, like the other enactments in the Second Schedule to the Bill, this Ordinance is obsolete since the payments it required are no longer necessary.

Amendment agreed to.

Second Schedule, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

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