SINGAPORE FAMILY PLANNING AND POPULATION BOARD (AMENDMENT) BILL

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Order for Second Reading read.

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

The proposed amendment is to allow the Singapore Family Planning and Population Board to adopt certain financial procedures so that the Board's financial accountability can be placed on a firm footing. These amendments are now required of any statutory board set up by the Government.

In keeping with this move, the amendment will require the Board to keep proper accounts and records of monetary transactions, ensure that payments made are credited and properly authorised and proper control is maintained over its assets; in short, the Board is to take steps to ensure that money given to it is well and properly spent.

It also allows the Board's accounts to be audited by the Auditor-General. However, where it has been decided that the Board's accounts are to be audited by any other qualified auditor, it shall be done with his concurrence. The duties of the auditor are clearly spelt out. He shall have to certify that financial statements reflect fairly the financial transactions and state of the Board as well as report on such matters which he considers should be reported upon at any time.

A penalty is also imposed on persons who wilfully obstruct the auditor from performing his duty such as preventing access to any records which he may wish to see or withholding of information relevant to his work. The auditor is also entitled to make copies or extracts of documents.

Further, apart from submitting his annual report the Auditor is empowered to inform the Minister on any relevant matter that comes to his notice at any time.

Where the Auditor-General is not the auditor, copies of the audited financial statements are to be forwarded to him at the same time as and when the auditor submits accounts to the Board.

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.