MINISTRY OF LAW

PROF S JAYAKUMAR Minister for Law

By 1991, Police Prosecutors in the Subordinate Courts will be all replaced by legally trained Deputy Public Prosecutors. This will improve the standard of prosecutions, and release personnel for duties as police officers.

The Attorney-General's Chambers and the Law Revision Commission expect to publish the Revised Edition of the Subsidiary Legislation of Singapore in 1991. This compilation of all the subsidiary legislation in force will be a useful reference to both the general public as well as to law practitioners.

LawNet will be expanded to cover Subsidiary Legislation. This electronic database containing the complete revised edition of Singapore Statutes is available for subscription by both public and private sectors.

Public sector agencies which hitherto relied on the Survey Department for surveys of land lots will now engage private registered surveyors for such work. The Department will function mainly as a regulatory body and the authority that sets the standards of the profession. It will speed up the completion of its digital map data-base, to make the data available to developmental authorities.

The Land Surveyors Board will draw up the Land Surveyors Rules (Code of Professional Ethics & Conduct) to maintain standards of professionalism. To stimulate competition and raise the quality of land surveying, the Land Surveyors (Fees for Title Surveys and Payment) Rules 1983 will no longer prescribe a scale of fees for private registered surveyors.

To achieve greater efficiency and provide better service to the public, the Ministry will pursue the following major computerisation projects:- (a) The Land Data Hub will progressively integrate graphic and textual land-related data from multiple sources into one central database. This will improve the quality of land-related information and result in more efficient management and use of land-related data. The Data Hub will help some 12 ministries, departments and statutory boards to share their information. (b) The Registry of Titles and Deeds will develop the Singapore Titles Automated Registration System (STARS) to computerise title searches and registration of dealings in land and strata units under the Land Titles Act and Land Titles (Strata) Act. (c) The Registry of Trade Marks & Patents is computerising all aspects of trade marks registration. The project will be completed in 5 years' time.

The first full colour edition of the Singapore Street Directory will be published in 1991.