PARLIAMENTARY MEMBERSHIP BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

4.10 p.m.

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

Members will recall that at the last sitting of Parliament a White Paper on the Report of the Electoral Boundaries Delineation Committee was presented to Parliament as Command 21 of 1971, and that I announced Government's acceptance of all the recommendations in the Report. The Committee was appointed in April 1970 to review the boundaries of the existing electoral divisions and, I quote, "to recommend such changes or adjustments thereto as may be necessary to ensure more equal representation throughout all constituencies". The Committee recommended an increase of the electoral divisions in Singapore from 58 to 65, that is to say, seven more than the present number. Also recommended were changes and adjustments to 11 electoral divisions having an electorate of more than 20,000 and to six having less than 12,800 electors. Eight electoral divisions adjoining these 17 electoral divisions were also required to be adjusted in consequence. Thirty-three of the present 58 electoral divisions were unaffected by the re-delineation of electoral boundaries.

Article 23(1) of the Constitution of Singapore provides that Parliament shall consist of such number of elected Members as the Legislature may by law provide, and until other provision is so made, the number of Members shall be fifty-one. Section 22 of the Parliamentary Elections Act (Chapter 50) provides that each electoral division shall return one Member to serve in Parliament.

In 1967, the Parliamentary Membership Act of that year, together with the Singapore Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Act, 1967, provided the statutory basis for the increase in membership of Parliament from 51 to the present 58.

This Bill similarly now seeks to increase the number of elected Members of Parliament from 58 to 65 consequent on acceptance of the recommendations of the Electoral Boundaries Delineation Committee in regard to the increase of electoral divisions. This augmentation of Parliamentary membership from 58 to 65 will come into effect as from the next general election. The Bill, however, provides that on its coming into operation, for the purposes of the next general election, all things may be done under the Parliamentary Elections Act as if Parliament consisted of 65 elected Members.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole I-louse.

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

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