PARLIAMENTARY MEMBERSHIP BILL, 1971 AND PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL, 1971 (Statement by the Minister for Law and National Development)

3.23 p.m.

Mr E. W. Barker: Mr Speaker, Sir, a White Paper on the Report of the Electoral Boundaries Delineation Committee has been presented to Parliament as Command 21 of 1971. The Government has decided to accept all the recommendations with regard to the sub-division of 11 large constituencies and the creation of seven new constituencies with consequential adjustments to eight constituencies. The enlargement of six constituencies, outside the central areas of the city, whose electorates are lower than 12,800 has also been accepted. The acceptance of the Committee's recommendation will increase the number of electoral divisions from 58 to 65.

The Parliamentary Elections Act (Chapter 50) provides that each electoral division shall return one Member to serve in Parliament. The Constitution of Singapore stipulates a Parliamentary membership of 51 until it is varied by law. In this connection, the Parliamentary Membership Act, 1967, was introduced in Parliament in that year to increase the membership to 58. Consequent to the increase of the electoral divisions to 65, it is necessary again to introduce a Bill, entitled the Parliamentary Membership Bill, 1971, at the present sitting of Parliament to increase the number of electoral members to Parliament above the present total membership. This increase will come into effect as from the next general elections. However, for the purposes of the next general elections, it is necessary to publish a Gazette Notification under section 8 of the Parliamentary Elections Act (Chapter 50) specifying the names and boundaries of the 65 revised registers of electors under section 10 of the same Act. The Parliamentary Membership Bill, 1971, will enable these steps to be taken.

Sir, another Bill, entitled the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Bill, will also be introduced at the present sitting of Parliament. This Bill will amend the Parliamentary Elections Act (Chapter 50) to provide for the preparation of fresh registers of electors from the registers maintained by the Commissioner of National Registration and to include in such registers the names of all entitled persons who were, on the 1st day of July, 1971, citizens of Singapore and to whom identity cards were issued. The present registers of electors were reviewed in 1967 and since then there has been an annual average increase of 36,000 electors. By 1st February next year, the number of electors is expected to be in the region of 951,751. However, the rapid development of Housing and Development Board estates has culminated in uneven distributions of electors, especially in the electoral division of Toa Payoh which is expected by 1972 to have about 70,000 electors, whereas the average number of electors per electoral division is 16,000. In this context, the fresh registers of electors prepared according to the revised electoral boundaries will contain more even distributions of electors.

After the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Bill has become law, a Gazette Notification will be published to specify the names and boundaries of the 65 revised electoral divisions.