TELECOMMUNICATION AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE (AMENDMENT) BILL

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Order for Second Reading read.

The Minister of State for Communications (Dr Ang Kok Peng): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (TAS for short) was established on 1st April last year under the TAS Act, 1972, by transformation of the former Telecommunications Department into a statutory body.

It has now been found from experience that it is necessary to amend the Act to enable disciplinary control over officers of the Authority to be delegated to committees appointed by the Authority, or to the Chairman or the General Manager. This would allow disciplinary cases to be more speedily disposed of.

Instances have also arisen where disciplinary proceedings need to be taken against staff of the Authority for acts committed while they were employees of the former Telecommunications Department. Since the Public Service Commission is not empowered to institute such proceedings against these officers following their transfer to the Authority, the Authority itself has to be vested with powers to do so. It is inconceivable that the Authority should be powerless to take action against its staff who may have committed serious offences just because these offences were committed while the staff were employed by the former Telecommunications Department. Particularly so as the Authority has, under the provisions of the TAS Act, 1972, taken over the assets and liabilities of the former Telecommunications Department.

This Bill also seeks to establish beyond doubt that the Authority is vested with powers to terminate the services of, dismiss and exercise disciplinary control over its staff. It also seeks to enable the Authority to make regulations for the disciplinary control of its staff.

Mr Speaker, 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. -[Dr Ang Kok Peng].

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