FIRING GROUND RULES, 1983

3.59 p.m.

The Minister of State of Defence (Dr Yeo Ning Hong): Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of my Minister, I beg to move the Motion* standing in his name as it appears on the Order Paper.

*The Motion, standing in the name of the Minister of Defence and Second Minister for Health, reads as follows:

That this Parliament, pursuant to section 11(4) of the Military Manoeuvres Act (Chapter 232), resolves that the Firing Ground Rules 1983 published as Notification No. S 86 in the Government Gazette Subsidiary Legislation Supplement No. 16 of 15th April, 1983, as contained in Paper S.L. 55 of 1983, be approved.

Sir, on 4th March, 1983, I had the honour in this House to move the Second Reading of the Military Manoeuvres (Amendment) Bill, 1983. 1 informed the House that upon that Bill passing into law, the Firing Ground Rules 1983 would be made pursuant to the Act. The Bill became law on 15th April, 1983. The Firing Ground Rules have been duly promulgated by the Armed Forces Council in exercise of its powers under section 11, subsection (1), of the Military Manoeuvres Act. These Rules revoke the Pasir Laba Firing Ground Rules, 1966.

These Rules, like the Pasir Laba Firing Ground Rules, have been made to secure the safety of the public during the use of any firing ground for the purposes of military or air force exercises and to exclude persons not engaged in such exercises from the whole or any part of the firing ground. These Rules have, in Rule 6 therein, made it an offence for any unauthorized person to enter or remain within any firing ground. The punishment for such an offence is a fine not exceeding $2,000 or imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both such fine and imprisonment.

Sir, I now ask this House to approve by resolution, pursuant to section 11(4) of the Military Manoeuvres Act, without amendment, the Firing Ground Rules, 1983, as it did for the Pasir Laba Firing Ground Rules, 1966 on 21st December, 1966.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this Parliament, pursuant to section 11 (4) of the Military Manoeuvres Act (Chapter 232), resolves that the Firing Ground Rules 1983 published as Notification No. S 86 in the Government Gazette Subsidiary Legislation Supplement No. 16 of 15th April, 1983, as contained in Paper S.L. 55 of 1983, be approved.

4.02 p.m.