PROBATE AND ADMINISTRATION (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

2.47 p.m.

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

Sir, this Bill is a corollary to the Subordinate Courts (Amendment) Bill, 1976, which has just been read for a Third time. The Probate and Administration (Amendment) Bill seeks to increase the jurisdiction of the District Court to enable it to grant probate and letters of administration in respect of estates which do not exceed $50,000 in value. This provision will again off-load some of the work handled by the High Court.

The Bill also seeks to increase the power of the Official Assignee to administer, without letters of administration, the estates of persons who have died leaving property in Singapore, the value of which does not exceed $50,000. Under the existing law, the Official Assignee may only administer the property of such persons without letters of administration if their estates do not exceed $10,000 in value. In view of the increase in the rate of Central Provident Fund contributions, most Singaporeans will be leaving estates exceeding $10,000 in value when they die. This proposal in the Bill will enable the Official Assignee to administer such estates summarily if they do not exceed $50,000 in value.

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 E.W. Barker].

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