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Statistics Act

(CHAPTER 317)

(Original Enactment: Act 46 of 1973)

REVISED EDITION 1991

(1st March 1991)

An Act relating to statistics.

[7th September 1973]

Short title

1. This Act may be cited as the Statistics Act.

Interpretation

2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,

“requisition” means a requisition issued under section 5.

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Statistics Department and statistics units

3.—(1) This Act shall apply to the Department of Statistics and such other research and statistics units as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, specify for the purpose of the collection, preparation and publication of statistics relating to any of the subjects specified in the First Schedule.

(2) The Department of Statistics shall be under the control and management of a Chief Statistician and of such other officers as the Minister may appoint.

(3) A research and statistics unit shall be under the control and management of a director and of such other officers as the appropriate Minister responsible for the unit may appoint.

National statistical co-ordinator

4.—(1) The Chief Statistician shall be the national statistical co-ordinator whose duties shall be —

(a)	to co-ordinate statistical activities in Government departments, Ministries, research and statistics units and statutory bodies;
(b)	to advise Government departments, Ministries, research and statistics units and statutory bodies in the gathering, compiling, analysis and utilisation of statistics;
(c)	to develop national statistical standards and standardize definitions, classifications, terms, procedures and concepts for use in statistical activities; and
(d)	to promote the observance of approved national statistical standards by Government departments, Ministries, research and statistics units and statutory bodies.

(2) All research and statistics units specified in the Second Schedule shall comply with the recommendations of the Chief Statistician on any matter specified in subsection (1)(c) and (d).

(3) If a research and statistics unit specified in the Second Schedule refuses to accept a recommendation of the Chief Statistician, the director of the research and statistics unit shall notify the Chief Statistician in writing of such refusal and the reasons therefor.

(4) On receipt of any notice from a research and statistics unit under subsection (3), the Chief Statistician shall reconsider the recommendation in question, and, in the event of the inability of the Chief Statistician to rescind or revise the recommendation, shall refer the matter to the Minister who shall give directions to the research and statistics unit as he thinks fit and that research and statistics unit shall comply with the directions of the Minister.

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Power of Chief Statistician, director of research and statistics unit to issue requisition for information

5.—(1) For the purpose of obtaining statistical information, it shall be lawful for the Chief Statistician or the director of a research and statistics unit to issue a requisition to any person to furnish particulars and supply information to him relating to any matter to which this Act applies, and every such person is bound to furnish particulars and supply information to the best of his knowledge and belief.

(2) A requisition shall be in writing and shall be served upon the person to whom it is addressed in the manner specified in section 11 and shall specify the particulars of information required.

(3) A requisition may —

(a)	specify the form in which and the time within which the particulars and information are to be furnished;
(b)	require the particulars and information to be furnished periodically at or within such time or times and in such form or forms as are specified in the requisition; and
(c)	specify the place or manner at or in which the particulars and information are to be delivered.

(4) No person is bound to furnish any particulars or information other than those which are accessible to him in or derived by him from any business, occupation or work in the conduct or supervision of which he is engaged.

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Power to request information from research and statistics units and other competent authorities

6.—(1) For the purpose of obtaining statistical information relating to any matter to which this Act applies, the Chief Statistician may in writing direct —

(a)	the director of any research and statistics unit specified in the Second Schedule to furnish or supply to him any particulars or information obtained by the director under section 5 pursuant to any requisition issued by the director on or after 6th April 1990; or
(b)	any competent authority specified in the first column of the Third Schedule to furnish or supply to him any particulars or information specified in the second column of the Third Schedule and obtained pursuant to any request by the competent authority made on or after 6th April 1990,

and, notwithstanding the provisions of this Act or any other written law, the director or competent authority shall furnish and supply those particulars and information within such time as may be agreed to by the Chief Statistician and the director or competent authority, as the case may be.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of this Act or any other written law, no person shall be guilty of an offence under this Act or that other written law or of any breach of confidence by virtue merely of his disclosing any particulars or information to the Chief Statistician pursuant to any direction under subsection (1).

(3) Where an amendment to the Third Schedule inserts or deletes and substitutes any particulars or information specified in the second column of the Third Schedule, subsection (1)(b) shall have effect as if for the reference to 6th April 1990 there were substituted the date on which the amendment comes into operation.

(4) Subsection (1) shall not apply to any particulars or information obtained under any written law relating to taxation or administered by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

(5) In this Act, “competent authority” means any public officer, or any statutory body established by or under any written law or any officer thereof, being under any obligation imposed by any written law to observe secrecy in respect of any particulars or information obtained by the public officer or the statutory body or officer thereof in the administration of that written law.

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Disclosure of information

7.—(1) No particulars or information or any part thereof relating to any individual person obtained under the provisions of this Act shall, without the previous consent in writing of that person, be disclosed except —

(a)	compiled statistics on the operation of an industry may be published irrespective of the number of persons engaged in that industry unless the industry is exempted by the Minister responsible for the Government department or Ministry in possession of such particulars from having its data published;
(b)	where the disclosure can be made without identifying the individual person and an appropriate time, in the opinion of the Minister responsible for the Government department or Ministry in possession of such particulars, has elapsed;
(c)	for the purposes of any proceedings for an offence under this Act or any report of those proceedings; or
(d)	information of a general nature including products manufactured or handled, size of establishment, number of employees and addresses, which could be obtained from other sources.

(2) The Minister responsible for the Government department or Ministry issuing any requisition under this Act shall have due regard to the circumstances of various trades and industries and, in particular, to the importance of avoiding the disclosure in any return of any trade secret or of trading profits or of any other information the disclosure of which would be likely to tend to the prejudice of the person furnishing the return.

(3) If any information to be obtained under this Act is also obtainable under any other written law which restricts the disclosure of information obtained thereunder, and the Minister is of the opinion that similar restrictions should be applied to any information to be obtained under this Act, the Minister shall by order provide for the application, without modifications or with such adaptations or modifications as he thinks fit, of those restrictions to the information to be so obtained, or any part thereof, in addition to the restrictions imposed by this section.

(4) Without prejudice to subsection (3) if it appears to the Minister that the nature of the information to be obtained under this Act would make it desirable to impose restrictions on the disclosure of the information additional to the restrictions imposed by this section, the Minister may by order prohibit the disclosure of such information, or any part thereof, except to such persons or for such purposes as may be specified in the order.

(5) The compilation of any report, summary or other communication to the public of information obtained under this Act shall be so arranged as to prevent any particulars published therein from being identified as being particulars relating to any individual person except with the previous consent in writing of that person.

(6) Where —

(a)	any particulars or information relating to any individual person have been obtained from a competent authority under section 6(1)(b); and
(b)	the particulars or information were obtained by that competent authority under any written law which restricts the disclosure of information so obtained,

then, in addition to the restrictions imposed by this section and any order made under subsection (3), no such particulars or information shall be disclosed without the written permission of that competent authority.

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(7) If any person discloses any returns or any information contrary to this section, or of any order made thereunder, he shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to both.

Impersonation of a statistical officer

8.—(1) Any person who impersonates a statistical officer shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months.

(2) In this section, statistical officer means —

(a)	an officer of the Department of Statistics; or
(b)	an officer of a research and statistics unit. [6 [9/90]

Penalties

9.—(1) Any person who —

(a)	wilfully refuses or without lawful excuse (the proof of which lies on him) neglects to furnish the particulars or information required within the time allowed for furnishing them or to furnish them in the form specified or prescribed, or to authenticate them in the prescribed manner, or to deliver them at the place or in the manner specified or prescribed for the delivery thereof;
(b)	wilfully furnishes or causes to be furnished any false particulars or information in respect of any matter specified in the requisition requiring particulars or information to be furnished; or
(c)	refuses to answer, or wilfully gives a false answer to, any question necessary for obtaining any information or particulars required by a requisition to be furnished under this Act, [9/90]

shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 and, in the case of a continuing offence, to a further fine not exceeding $100 for every day during which the offence continues after conviction.

(2) A certificate under the hand of the Chief Statistician or the director of a research and statistics unit stating that such returns have not been furnished or are incorrect shall be prima facie evidence of the facts stated in the certificate.

Compounding of offences

10. The Chief Statistician or the director of a research and statistics unit may compound any of the offences under section 9 by accepting from a person reasonably suspected of having committed the offence a sum not exceeding $200.

Service of requisition

11. Subject to any rules made under section 12, requisitions may be served as follows:

(a)

if the person on whom service is to be effected is within Singapore, the requisition may be delivered to him or left with some adult member of his family residing with him;

(b)

if the person on whom service is to be effected has an agent within Singapore, the requisition may be delivered to the agent;

(c)

by registered post addressed to the person on whom service is to be effected at his place of residence;

(d)

where service is to be effected on a firm, the requisition may be served —

(i)	upon any one or more of the partners; or
(ii)	at the principal place of business of the firm upon any person having at the time of service the control or management of the firm’s business;

(e)

where service is to be effected on a company or corporation, the requisition may be —

(i)	left at the registered office of the company or corporation;
(ii)	delivered to any director, manager or the secretary of the company or corporation or to any person having, on behalf of the company or corporation, powers of control or management over the business, occupation, work or matter to which the requisition relates; or
(iii)	sent by registered post addressed to the company or corporation at its registered office. [9

Rules and orders

12.—(1) The Minister may make rules —

(a)	for regulating the method of collecting statistics, the staff to be employed in connection therewith, the duties to be performed and the publication to be issued;
(b)	for prescribing the forms in which and the times, places and manner at and in which particulars or information shall be furnished, and the manner in which they shall be authenticated, and any other thing which under this Act is to be prescribed;
(c)	for exempting from the obligation to furnish particulars or information under this Act, either wholly or partly and either unconditionally or subject to such conditions as may be prescribed; and
(d)	generally for carrying out the purposes and provisions of this Act.

(2) All rules made under this section and all orders made under section 7 shall be presented to Parliament as soon as possible after publication in the Gazette.

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Amendment of Schedules

13.—(1) Subject to subsection (2), the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, amend the First, Second or Third Schedule.

(2) The Minister shall not insert or delete and substitute any particulars or information specified in the second column of the Third Schedule without the approval of the Minister responsible for the written law under which those particulars and information are obtained.

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Transitional provision

14. All information collected by the Department of Statistics before the commencement of this Act shall be subject to the same safeguards as respects disclosure as are provided by this Act as if that information was collected under this Act.

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