WEIGHTS AND MEASURES (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

3.50 p.m.

The Minister for Science and Technology (Dr Toh Chin Chye): Mr Govindasamy, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Weights and Measures (Amendment) Bill seeks to legalise metric units for use in trade in Singapore. The existing imperial units and local customary units shall remain legal, but the Minister may declare, not less than five years after the coming into operation of the Act, any unit or standard to be illegal and void in Singapore. However, there is a provision for the Minister to exempt any person or body of persons, department or agency, from the operation of such notification.

The Bill also increases the penalties for offences against the Ordinance. It increases the effectiveness of measures against malpractices by extending the powers of inspectors of weights and measures to assistant inspectors and to senior officers of customs.

It empowers the Minister to declare that the Weights and Measures Ordinance shall apply to the sale of gold, silver or precious stones, drugs, and carriage of goods, which are at present not covered by the Ordinance.

The Metrication Board, with Mr Baey Lian Peck as Chairman, has already been formed and the function of the Board is to ensure that there is co-ordination between Government Ministries and the private sector during the process of metrication. I may, for clarification, also add that the administration of the Weights and Measures (Amendment) Act comes under the Trade Division of the Ministry of Finance, although for purposes of convenience I am moving this amendment Bill.

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. -[Dr Toh Chin Chye].

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