ENTERTAINMENTS DUTY (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

3.10 p.m.

The Minister for Finance (Mr Hon Sui Sen): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

This Bill seeks to amend the Entertainments Duty Act (Chapter 136 of the Revised Edition) in order to enable more effective action to be taken against touts of cinema tickets. Touting in black-market cinema tickets has increased in recent years despite regular raids mounted by law enforcement officers. In July last year, a special anti-tout squad was formed by the Customs Department, and since the inception of this squad, sustained raids have been made resulting in the arrest of 106 touts and 68 cinema patrons for reselling tickets and purchasing black-market tickets respectively. Despite the sustained raids, the black-market and touting unfortunately still exist.

The major problem for the authorities is the large number of enforcement officers required to prevent touting in black-market tickets, whenever popular films are shown. The purpose of this Bill is therefore to make better use of such officers as we have to fight such cinema touts. Clauses 2 and 3 of the Bill seek to empower any customs officers or police constable to arrest without warrant any person whom he reasonably suspects of committing or attempting to commit any offence under the Entertainments Duty Act, including black-marketing in cinema tickets. The customs officer or police constable is also empowered to seize from such persons any document or any other thing in respect of which an offence is reasonably believed to have been committed. Presently, these powers are vested only in senior officers of the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Customs and above in the case of the Customs Department, and officers of the rank of Inspector and above in the case of the Police Force.

Clause 4 seeks to dispense with the provision in the Act which requires sanction from the Comptroller of Entertainments Duty before a Court can take cognizance of any offence committed under the Act. This should speed up the process of bringing the black-market touts before the Court, and demonstrate clearly that punishment will swiftly follow the crime.

The last amendment contained in clause 5 seeks to correct an existing anomaly. The penalty for offences committed under the Entertainments Duty Act is prescribed in the Act, but the offences are set out in the Entertainments Duty Rules made under the principal Act.

The four amendments proposed in this Bill will facilitate enforcement of the law, particularly against organised gangsters and racketeers touting cinema tickets. I should emphasise, however, that legislation alone cannot wholly control and eradicate black-marketing. Greater civic consciousness by the public is also required. The black-market in tickets cannot possibly survive without patronage by the cinema-going public. While our enforcement officers in taking action against black-marketeers will try to ensure that law-abiding cinema-goers are not unduly inconvenienced, they will expect the public to co-operate with them in stamping out the very pernicious practice of black-marketing.

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 Hon Sui Sen].

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