TOURIST PROMOTION BOARD (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

5.51 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."

Though the existing Tourist Promotion Board Act (Cap. 205) empowers the Tourist Promotion Board, with my approval, to regulate standards which tourist enterprises are expected to maintain, these powers do not extend to tourist enterprises providing services to out-bound travellers. It is proposed, therefore, to amend section 2 of the Act, so that the conduct of tourist enterprises engaged in providing services to both inbound and out-bound travellers can be regulated. This is a consequential amendment of the Travel Agents Bill which I have earlier moved its Second Reading.

In line with international practice of identifying a national tourist organisation through the name of its country, the name of the Board will be changed from "Tourist Promotion Board" to "Singapore Tourist Promotion Board". This not only facilitates international communication but also gives official authority for the already widely recognised abbreviation "STPB".

Section 16 of the Act is also to be amended so that the Board, like other statutory bodies, will observe more closely the financial procedures laid down by the Auditor-General.

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].

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Clauses 1 to 3 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill.

The Chairman: I would like to draw the attention of hon. Members to errors in the numbering of clauses of the Bill. Clauses 3 to 8 inclusive, appearing in page 2 of the Bill, should be renumbered as clauses 4 to 9 respectively.

Clauses 4 to 9 inclusive, as renumbered, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

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