LAND SURVEYORS BILL

Order for Second Reading read. 3.00 pm

The Minister for Law (Prof. S. Jayakumar): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Bill repeals and re-enacts with amendments the existing Land Surveyors Act, Chapter 156. It is related to two other Bills which were moved by the Minister for National Development at our last sitting, namely, the Architects Bill and the Professional Engineers Bill. They are related in that they enable multi-discipline corporate practice for allied professionals.

The Bill enables registered surveyors to form partnerships or unlimited companies with persons who practise in related professions in the building and construction industry and for the licensing of such corporations. Other aspects of the Bill are to abolish the prescribed scale of fees payable to registered surveyors, to enlarge powers of the Land Surveyors Board in disciplinary matters and to provide for the issue of practising certificates to registered surveyors.

Sir, the rationale for allowing the proposed multi-disciplinary practice was well stated at the last sitting by my colleague, the Minister for National Development. Major building projects require integrated inputs from architects, engineers and land surveyors. This Bill will allow land surveyors to team up with architects and engineers to form such multi-discipline corporations to provide comprehensive services. The growth and formation of such multi-discipline consultancy firms would give greater credibility and better competitive edge for international consultancy works. Provision is also made to include other building professionals as and when required. This amendment is also proposed in the Architects Bill and the Professional Engineers Bill.

Sir, the Bill also provides for the issue of practising certificates to registered surveyors in private practice and statutory boards. This will enable the Land Surveyors Board to take disciplinary action against a registered surveyor if he fails to renew his practising certificate. At present, a surveyor's name is automatically removed from the register if he fails to renew his certificate of registration. Therefore, a recalcitrant surveyor could avoid any disciplinary action intended against him by merely not renewing his certificate of registration and be at liberty to continue practising as a professional surveyor in activities not regulated by law, such as construction and engineering surveys, topographical mapping for development planning and design, and other consultancy services which are not regulated by law.

The Bill also abolishes the present fixed scale of fees payable to a registered surveyor for undertaking title survey work. The amendment will enable private registered surveyors and statutory boards to quote their own fees. The only scale of fees to be prescribed will be those payable to the Survey Department for rendering statutory services in connection with title surveys. Registered surveyors will take these prescribed fees into account in their quotation of fees for title survey jobs. This amendment will stimulate competition, promote efficiency and enhance the quality of such professional services.

The Bill also provides for the appointment of an Investigation Committee by the Land Surveyors Board to investigate complaints against registered surveyors or licensed corporations and partnerships. This will improve the disciplinary procedure because the Board investigates and hears the complaints against any registered surveyor.

The Land Surveyors Board supports the Bill. It will be brought into operation simultaneously with the Architects Bill and the Professional Engineers Bill when they too have been enacted.

Mr Speaker, this Bill, as I said, had been drafted in consultation with the Land Surveyors Board. However, in order that individual professionals, as well as other related professional bodies, may have the opportunity to present their views on the new provisions in this Bill, I propose to commit the Bill to a Select Committee after today's Second Reading. It is connected with the Architects Bill and the Professional Engineers Bill which have also been referred to a Select Committee.

I have discussed with my colleague, the Minister for National Development, who is in charge of those two Bills and both of us recommend to you, Sir, that instead of having three separate Select Committees, the Committee of Selection appoint one Select Committee to consider all these three Bills as they are all related.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time.

Resolved,

That the Bill be committed to the Select Committee appointed to consider the Architects Bill. - [Prof. S. Jayakumar].