HIDDEN_ADDENDA, MINISTRY OF LAW

Column: 73

MINISTRY OF LAW: PROF S. JAYAKUMAR
Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister for Law

1 The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) will continue to focus on these key areas: strengthening Singapore’s legal infrastructure and expanding the legal services sector; optimising Singapore’s land resources; and building a comprehensive legal and policy framework for Intellectual Property (IP) and developing Singapore as an IP centre.

LEGAL POLICY: Decriminalisation of certain offences

2 MinLaw, in consultation with the relevant Government agencies, will identify further minor regulatory offences which can be decriminalised through the wider use of administrative sanctions.

Streamlining pre-trial procedures

3 The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), in conjunction with the Subordinate Courts and the Law Society, will further streamline pre-trial court procedures and

Column: 75

conferences, thereby saving time and costs through early resolution of pre-trial and trial issues.

International legal co-operation on terrorism and transnational crimes

4 Together with the relevant Government agencies in the Inter-Ministry Committee on Terrorism, we will strengthen our legal system to deal with transnational crimes, terrorism and terrorism-related issues. We will implement relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions, and examine which UN Anti-Terrorism Conventions should be ratified and which regional and bilateral legal instruments are necessary.

Singapore as a legal services and arbitration hub

5 MinLaw will further develop Singapore as a legal services hub, and will continue to enhance recourse to alternative dispute resolution. Arbitration and mediation have increasingly emerged as effective methods of dispute resolution in several industries, for instance, the financial, construction and shipping industries. MinLaw will encourage the formation of more industry-specific panels. Together with the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and the Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC), we will further promote Singapore as the preferred venue for dispute resolution in Asia by attracting more international conferences and players to Singapore.

Community mediation

6 At the community level, MinLaw will continue to work closely with agencies to encourage greater use of mediation as the preferred means of resolving social and relational disputes. Through outreach efforts, we will further raise public awareness of community mediation. We will also strengthen the system by upgrading the skills of our volunteer community mediators through ongoing training programmes and accreditation.

LAND POLICY: Efficient, effective use of State land

7 MinLaw and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) will review our land policies to promote efficient and effective use of State land that maximises economic and social opportunities for all. We will continue to review the relevant legislation on land and property, including the Residential Property Act and the Land Acquisition Act.

8 We will review policies and legislation so that management of State land is pro-business and pro-community. For short-term commercial tenancies, we will consider allowing existing tenants to renew their tenancies directly on negotiated terms without tender. We will allow more State lands and properties for interim use through a wider range of short-term lease options. We will streamline processes to cut costs and reduce time. In addition, we will work in partnership with the private sector to provide services more cost-effectively, and with the people sector to better serve the needs of the community.

Column: 77

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: IP to keep pace with trends

9 MinLaw and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) will ensure that our IP framework keeps pace with international and domestic developments. This will enhance Singapore’s attractiveness to IP-intensive companies, and spur greater innovation in the biotechnology, branding, media, and other IP-rich industries.

Helping Singapore businesses

10 We will reinforce the necessary capabilities to help Singapore-based entities leverage on their IP assets in both local and overseas markets. We will also promote their acquisition of IP rights overseas.

Expanding international businesses

11 We will expand our IP network and interactions with countries, agencies and organisations. We will also strengthen our partnership with the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) which has decided to establish an office in Singapore to service the needs of its Asia-Pacific constituents.