Destruction of Disease-Bearing Insects Act

(CHAPTER 79)

(Original Enactment: Act 26 of 1968)

REVISED EDITION 1985

(1st September 1968)

An Act to provide for the destruction of disease-bearing insects and for the medical examination and treatment of persons suffering from insect-borne diseases and for matters connected therewith.

[1st September 1968]

Short title

1. This Act may be cited as the Destruction of Disease-Bearing Insects Act.

Interpretation

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

“Commissioner”, “Deputy Commissioner of Public Health” and “Assistant Commissioner of Public Health” mean respectively the Commissioner of Public Health, a Deputy Commissioner of Public Health and an Assistant Commissioner of Public Health appointed under section 4(1) of the Environmental Public Health Act [Cap. 95];

“disease-bearing insect” includes every mosquito and house-fly and any insect carrying or causing, or capable of carrying or causing, any disease of human beings or domestic animals, and includes the eggs, larvae and pupae of such insect;

“Medical Officer of Health” means any registered medical practitioner in the service of the Government who is for the time being carrying out the duties of a Health Officer in any area or district in Singapore or the port limits thereof, and includes the Airport Health Officer, the Port Health Officer and any registered medical practitioner in the service of the Government who is engaged in vector control duties;

“occupier” means the person in occupation of any premises or having the charge, management or control thereof either on his own account or as agent of another person, but does not include a lodger;

“owner” means the person for the time being receiving the rent of any premises, whether on his own account or as agent or trustee or as receiver, or who would receive the same if the land or house comprised in the premises were let to a tenant, and includes the Government;

“premises” means messuages, buildings, lands, easements and hereditaments of any tenure, whether open or enclosed, whether built on or not, whether public or private, and whether maintained or not under statutory authority, and includes any place or structure, or any part thereof, used or intended to be used for human habitation or for employment or any other purpose whatsoever;

“public health auxiliary” means a public health inspector, public health assistant or public health overseer in the service of the Government, or other public officer authorised by the Commissioner to carry out the duties imposed upon a public health auxiliary under this Act;

“vessel” includes all classes of ships and aircraft.

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Administration of this Act

3.—(1) The Commissioner shall be responsible for the administration of this Act, subject to the general or special directions of the Minister.

(2) A Senior Health Officer shall have and may exercise all the powers conferred on the Commissioner and on a Medical Officer of Health under this Act.

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(3) The Minister may, in his discretion, by writing under his hand, vest any medical practitioner in the service of the Government with all or any of the powers conferred on a Medical Officer of Health under this Act.

Deputy Commissioner or Assistant Commissioner of Public Health to have powers of Commissioner

4. A Deputy Commissioner of Public Health and an Assistant Commissioner of Public Health shall have and may exercise all the powers conferred on the Commissioner under this Act, subject to such limitations as the Commissioner may consider fit to impose.

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Power to enter and examine premises, etc.

5.—(1) The Commissioner, a Medical Officer of Health or a public health auxiliary may, between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., with or without assistants, enter and examine any premises or vessel and, subject to such directions as the Commissioner may give, either generally or to meet the circumstances of a particular case, ascertain whether the premises or vessel or anything therein is in a condition favourable to the propagation or harbouring of disease-bearing insects and carry out, where necessary, the spraying of the premises or vessel with insecticides; and the Medical Officer of Health may, in addition —

(a)	medically examine any person in the premises or vessel for the purpose of ascertaining whether the person is suffering from, or has recently suffered from, or is a carrier of, any insect-borne disease, or whether the person has been recently exposed to infection by any such disease;
(b)	medically treat any person residing in the premises or vessel who is suffering from any insect-borne disease;
(c)	cause a post-mortem examination to be made on any corpse found in the premises or vessel for the purpose of ascertaining whether the cause of death has been due to any insect-borne disease:

Provided that no person shall, unless with the consent of the occupier thereof, enter any house by virtue of the powers conferred by this section without at least 12 hours’ previous notice being given to the occupier thereof, if any.

(2) Where it is necessary and expedient for such functions to be carried out outside the hours specified in subsection (1), the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health may enter the premises for the purpose thereof only after giving at least 24 hours’ previous notice to the occupier thereof, if any.

(3) Subject to such notice, the owner and the occupier of any premises shall permit the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health or a public health auxiliary, with or without assistants, to have access to the premises and to any part thereof for the purposes of subsections (1) and (2), and shall supply all such information as the Commissioner or the Medical Officer of Health or the public health auxiliary may require or as he may consider to be reasonably necessary for such purpose.

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Prohibition on creating conditions favourable to disease-bearing insects

6.—(1) No person shall take, do or perform any act or thing which may, or be liable to, create such conditions as may be favourable to the propagation or harbouring of disease-bearing insects.

(2) Every person shall comply with all such reasonable directions as may be given by the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health or a public health auxiliary with a view to ensuring that such conditions do not arise or with a view to terminating such conditions.

(3) Such directions may be given to the owner or occupier of any premises and to any person therein, including his agents and servants.

(4) Any person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months, and in the case of a second or subsequent conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

(5) If in any proceedings for a contravention of subsection (1), it is shown that an act or thing done or performed in any premises may, or is liable to, create such conditions as may be favourable to the propagation or harbouring of disease-bearing insects, it shall be presumed, unless the contrary is proved, that the act or thing was done or performed by, or with the permission of, the owner or the occupier of the premises.

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Prohibition on breeding, etc., of disease-bearing insects without permission

7.—(1) No person shall breed, keep, collect, distribute, sell, import or export any disease-bearing insects without the permission in writing of the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health.

(2) Any permission granted under subsection (1) —

(a)	shall be at the discretion of the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health upon his being satisfied that the application therefor has been made for a scientific purpose or for purposes of education or research or for other good cause acceptable to him;
(b)	may be subject to such conditions as the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health may consider fit to impose; and
(c)	may be revoked at any time by the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health without assigning any reason therefor.

(3) Any person who contravenes subsection (1) or commits a breach of any condition imposed under subsection (2)(b) 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 second or subsequent conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

Approval to be obtained for operations likely to propagate disease-bearing insects

8.—(1) No person may undertake, execute or carry out any building, land development, land reclamation, excavation, quarrying or other operations as appear likely to create conditions which may be favourable to the propagation or harbouring of disease-bearing insects unless the plans for the building, land development, land reclamation, excavation, quarrying or other operations have been approved in writing by the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health who may in granting such approval, impose such condition or conditions as he may consider necessary for the purposes of this Act.

(2) Any person who undertakes, executes or carries out any building, land development, land reclamation, excavation, quarrying or other operations in contravention of subsection (1) or who refuses, fails or neglects to comply with any condition imposed under that subsection shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months, and in the case of a second or subsequent conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

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General power of Commissioner and Medical Officer of Health to direct the taking of specified measures

9.—(1) Where it appears to the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health that any premises or anything therein is or may become favourable to the propagation or harbouring of disease-bearing insects, he may, by order in writing addressed to the owner or occupier of the premises, direct the owner or occupier to take such specified measure or measures with regard to the premises or for the treatment, destruction or removal of anything therein as may bring them into a condition unfavourable to the propagation or harbouring of disease-bearing insects.

(2) The Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health may, in any such order, direct —

(a)	the date on or before which any such specified measure shall be commenced and the period within which any such specified measure shall be completed;
(b)	that any such specified measure shall be taken at specified intervals over a specified period of time; or
(c)	that any such specified measure shall be commenced within a specified period of time and continued until such time as the premises or anything therein is no longer favourable to the propagation or harbouring of disease-bearing insects.

(3) The Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health may, by order in writing, direct the occupier of any premises so to cover, within a specified time, and keep continuously covered any specified tank, cistern, receptacle or any manner of container whatsoever in or appertaining to the premises, that disease-bearing insects shall be unable to enter therein, and where any premises are unoccupied, the order may be addressed to the owner thereof as if he were the occupier.

(4) In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the powers under this section, the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health may, in any such order, direct the owner or occupier to drain any land in accordance with such specifications or in such manner as he may specify in the order, or to fill up inequalities in the surface thereof to a specified level so as to prevent the breeding of disease-bearing insects or so as to keep the land permanently free from standing water to an extent specified in the order.

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(5) Notwithstanding subsections (1), (3) and (4), the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health may, in his discretion, if in his opinion the circumstances so warrant, himself cause any measure or work specified in those subsections to be done instead of proceeding by way of order in writing addressed to the owner or occupier of the premises concerned, but in every such case the Commissioner or the Medical Officer of Health shall notify the owner or occupier as to the nature of the measure or work that is so intended to be done.

Prohibition on clearing undergrowth under certain circumstances, permitting holes likely to hold water to remain, etc.

10.—(1) Where on any land there is any stream or seepage or running or standing water to which shade may be afforded by the development of undergrowth or other vegetation, no person shall cut down or clear or cause or permit to be cut down or cleared any undergrowth or vegetation within 6 metres of any such stream or seepage or running or standing water without the previous sanction of the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health.

(2) No owner or occupier of any premises, including any agricultural holding, shall permit any hole or depression likely to hold water to remain in or upon the land owned or occupied by him for a longer period than 7 days from the time when the hole or depression was made, whether the hole or depression was made in the course of clearing, planting or other agricultural operation or by the fall of any tree or in any artificial manner whatsoever, and every such owner or occupier shall fill or cause to be filled in any such hole or depression to the level of the surrounding ground within 7 days of the making of that hole or depression.

(3) Any owner or occupier of any agricultural holding who intends to cut down or clear any jungle, undergrowth or other vegetation for the purpose of planting or replanting the holding or who intends to make holes in the ground for the purpose of the planting or replanting shall notify the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health in writing of his intention to do so not less than 14 days before the commencement of the operations.

(4) Any person who contravenes this section shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months, and in the case of a second or subsequent conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

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Power to take certain measures to destroy disease-bearing insects, etc.

11. The Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health or a public health auxiliary may, with the consent of the occupier of any premises, or after 3 days’ notice in writing to the occupier of any premises if the consent is in the opinion of the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health unreasonably withheld, take such measures as are reasonably necessary —

(a)	to destroy disease-bearing insects wherever found;
(b)	to collect and remove empty tins, cans, bottles or other receptacles in which disease-bearing insects may breed;
(c)	to cut down and remove any grass, bamboo stumps, fern or undergrowth in which disease-bearing insects are likely to breed or be harboured;
(d)	to bring any water or swamp into a condition unfavourable to the propagation or harbouring of disease-bearing insects;
(e)	to fill with concrete or otherwise treat holes or hollows in trees which hold or are likely to hold water; and
(f)	generally to prevent the propagation of disease-bearing insects.

Medical examination of persons suspected of being infected with insect-borne disease

12.—(1) A Medical Officer of Health may require any person suspected of being infected with insect-borne disease to submit to medical examination, including the examination of the person’s blood; and, if the person is found to be infected, the Medical Officer of Health may require the person to undergo treatment. The Medical Officer of Health may, in his discretion, require such treatment to be obtained at a Government hospital.

(2) Any person who refuses, fails or neglects to comply with any requisition made in pursuance of subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000.

Spraying with insecticide

13.—(1) The Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health may require the spraying, with any form of insecticide he may think fit, of any pond, well, pool or other body of water or any premises or vessel or any stable, pigsty, cattle shed, chicken coop or other place or structure used for the shelter of animals, and may, if he considers it necessary, either carry out the spraying after giving due notice to the owner or occupier thereof or require the owner or occupier to carry out the spraying.

(2) Any person removing or rendering less effective any insecticide so sprayed or refusing, failing or neglecting to comply with any requisition made in pursuance of subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months, and in the case of a second or subsequent conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

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Demand for information

14.—(1) If, in the opinion of the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health, there is reasonable ground for suspecting that any person is in possession of information relating to the propagation of disease-bearing insects or of the occurrence of disease due to disease-bearing insects, the Commissioner or the Medical Officer of Health may require that the information be produced to him.

Enforcement of order

15.—(1) If the owner or occupier of any premises on whom an order made under section 9(1), (3) or (4) has been served fails to comply with the terms thereof, the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health or a public health auxiliary may enter upon or into the premises with such assistants and things as are necessary and may perform and do thereon or therein all acts and things required by that order to be performed or done, and the costs and expenses thereof, if any, shall be recoverable from the owner or occupier of the premises by the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health.

(2) Where the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health himself causes any measure or work to be done under section 9(5) any costs and expenses thereof shall be recoverable by him from the owner or occupier of the premises concerned.

(3) If the amount of costs and expenses payable under subsection (1) or (2) is not paid by the party liable to pay the same within 7 days after demand, that amount may be reported to a Magistrate’s Court and recovered in the same manner as if it were a fine imposed by that Court.

(4) Where a person sells or transfers any property in respect of which costs and expenses have been incurred by the Government in or about the execution of any work required to be done under this Act and the costs and expenses are recoverable under this Act from the owner thereof, the person shall continue to be liable for the payment of all the costs and expenses payable in respect of the property and for the performance of all other obligations imposed by this Act upon the owner of the property which became payable or were required to be performed prior to the transfer.

(5) Nothing in this section shall affect the liability of the purchaser or transferee to pay the costs and expenses in respect of the property or the right of the Government to recover the costs and expenses or to perform any obligations under this Act.

(6) Nothing in this section shall affect the liability of any person to prosecution and punishment under this Act.

(7) For the purposes of this section, “costs and expenses” means the whole of the costs and expenses incurred unless the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health, in his discretion, specifies in writing to the party liable to pay the costs and expenses that he is prepared to accept a lesser amount as being just and proper having regard to all the circumstances of the case.

Service of orders

16.—(1) Every order required by this Act or any rules made thereunder to be served on any person may be served —

(a)	by delivering the order to that person or by delivering the order at the last known place of abode of that person to some adult member or servant of his family;
(b)	by leaving the order at the usual or last known place of abode or business of that person in a cover addressed to that person; or
(c)	by forwarding the order by post in a prepaid letter addressed to that person at his usual or last known place of abode or business.

(2) An order required by this Act or any rules made thereunder to be served on the owner or occupier of any premises shall be deemed to be properly addressed if addressed by the description of the “owner” or “occupier” of the premises without further name or description.

(3) An order required by this Act or any rules made thereunder to be served on the owner or occupier of any premises may be served by delivering the order or a true copy thereof to some adult person on the premises or, if there is no such person on the premises to whom the order can with reasonable diligence be delivered, by affixing the order to some conspicuous part of the premises.

Appeals to Minister against orders

17.—(1) Where an owner or occupier of any premises is of the opinion that any order which is made under this Act and which affects him or anything proposed to be done in the premises is unreasonable or unnecessary, he may, within 14 days of the date of the order, appeal in writing to the Minister, whereupon the execution of the order or the doing of the thing required to be done shall be stayed.

(2) The Minister may confirm, vary or rescind the order or direct that the thing shall be proceeded with, varied or abandoned, as the case may be, or make any order which the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health is competent to make under this Act, and the decision of the Minister shall be final and shall not be called in question in any court.

Persons unable to meet necessary expenditure

18. If it appears to the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health after due inquiry that any person has not the means to meet the necessary expenses of doing anything required to be done by him under this Act, the necessary expenses may be paid out of the Consolidated Fund.

No compensation

19. No person shall be entitled to compensation for any expense incurred or damage occasioned by any order given or act done in pursuance of this Act or any rules made thereunder unless the damage has been occasioned maliciously or without reasonable cause.

Duty of owner and occupier to protect works for preventing the breeding of disease-bearing insects

20.—(1) Where the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health or any department of the Government has constructed any works with the object of preventing the breeding of disease-bearing insects, the owner and the occupier of the premises on which the works stand shall prevent the premises from being used in any manner that is likely to cause or has caused the deterioration of, or to lessen the efficiency of, the works.

(2) Where any such premises are used in such a manner as to cause the deterioration of, or to lessen the full efficiency of, the works, the owner and the occupier of the premises shall, subject to subsection (4), be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000; and the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health may enter upon the premises with such assistants and things as are necessary and execute any necessary repairs or work thereon and recover from the person convicted, in the same manner as if it were a fine imposed by a Magistrate’s Court, such costs and expenses as were thereby incurred.

(3) Before any proceedings are taken under this section, written notice shall be given by the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health to the owner or occupier, as the case may be, specifying what the Commissioner or the Medical Officer of Health requires to be done or not to be done and giving such time as the Commissioner or the Medical Officer of Health considers necessary in a particular case for compliance therewith.

(4) If the owner of such premises is by reason of any legal contract (not being a contract made with an intention to evade liability under this section) prevented from entering upon the premises to carry out the duties and obligations mentioned in subsection (1), he shall not be liable to any of the penalties mentioned in subsection (2), unless it can be shown that he has contributed in any way to the refusal or failure of the occupier to carry out those duties and obligations.

(5) In this section, “owner” does not include the Government.

Names and addresses of certain persons to be given on demand

21.—(1) A person who is charged by the Commissioner, a police officer, a Medical Officer of Health or a public health auxiliary with an offence under this Act or any regulations made thereunder shall, on demand, give his name and address and such other proof of identity to the Commissioner, police officer, Medical Officer of Health or public health auxiliary, as may be required.

(2) The occupier of premises shall, if required by the Commissioner, a police officer, a Medical Officer of Health or a public health auxiliary, give his name and other proof of identity and the name and address of the owner of the premises, if known.

(3) A person residing or lodging in any premises shall, if required by the Commissioner, a police officer, a Medical Officer of Health or a public health auxiliary, give his name and other proof of identity and the name and address of the occupier of the premises, if known.

(4) A person who contravenes subsection (1), (2) or (3) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $400.

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Powers of arrest

22.—(1) The Commissioner, a police officer, a Medical Officer of Health or a public health auxiliary, as the case may be, may arrest without warrant any person referred to in section 21 whom he has charged with an offence under this Act or any regulations made thereunder if that person —

(a)	omits or refuses to give his name and address or to furnish such other proof of identity as may be required; or
(b)	gives a name and address or proof of identity which the Commissioner, police officer, Medical Officer of Health or public health auxiliary, as the case may be, has reason to believe is false.

(2) A person arrested under subsection (1) shall be released from custody when his name and address are, or proof of identity is, satisfactorily ascertained after further inquiry and investigation.

(3) No person so arrested shall be detained longer than is necessary for bringing him before a court unless the order of a court for his detention is obtained.

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Notice to attend court

23.—(1) Where it appears to the Commissioner, a police officer, a Medical Officer of Health or a public health auxiliary that any person has committed or is guilty of an offence under this Act or any regulations made thereunder, the Commissioner, police officer, Medical Officer of Health or public health auxiliary may, in his discretion, serve upon the person a notice in such form as may be prescribed under section 31(1), requiring the person to attend at the court described, at the hour and on the date specified in the notice.

(2) A duplicate of the notice referred to in subsection (1) shall be prepared by the Commissioner, police officer, Medical Officer of Health or public health auxiliary, as the case may be, and by him, if so required by a court, produced to the court.

(3) On an accused person appearing before a court in pursuance of such a notice, the court shall take cognizance of the offence alleged and shall proceed as though he were produced before it in pursuance of section 136 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

(4) If a person, upon whom such a notice has been served, fails to appear before a court in accordance therewith, the court shall thereupon issue a warrant for the arrest of that person.

(5) Upon a person arrested in pursuance of a warrant issued under subsection (4) being produced before it, a court shall proceed as though he was produced before it in pursuance of section 136 of the Criminal Procedure Code and shall at the conclusion of the proceedings call upon him to show cause why he should not be punished for failing to attend in compliance with the notice delivered to him and if cause is not shown may order him to pay such fine not exceeding $2,000 as the court thinks fit or may commit him to prison for a term not exceeding 2 months.

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Evidence

24.—(1) A document purporting to be a report under the hand of a Medical Officer of Health, an entomologist in the service of the Government or a Public Health Engineer appointed under section 4 of the Environmental Public Health Act [Cap. 95] upon a matter or thing duly submitted to him for examination, analysis or report shall be admissible as evidence in any proceedings under this Act or any regulations made thereunder and shall be prima facie evidence of the facts stated therein, unless the court or the accused requires him to be called as a witness.

(2) In a case in which the prosecutor intends to give in evidence such report, he shall deliver a copy thereof to the accused not less than 10 clear days before the commencement of the proceedings.

(3) The contents of a document prepared, issued or served under, by virtue of or for the purposes of this Act or any regulations made thereunder shall, until the contrary is proved, be presumed to be correct and the production of a document or book purporting to contain an apportionment as between the owner and the occupier of premises of the costs and expenses incurred by the Commissioner, a Medical Officer of Health or a public health auxiliary in doing, or performing under section 15, acts or things required by an order made pursuant to section 9(1), (3) or (4) to be done or performed shall, without any other evidence, be received as prima facie proof of the making and validity of the apportionment mentioned therein.

(4) All records, registers and other documents kept by the Commissioner or by a public officer for the purposes of this Act or any regulations made thereunder shall be deemed to be public documents, and copies thereof or extracts therefrom certified by the officer responsible for the custody thereof to be true copies or extracts, as the case may be, and subscribed by the officer with his name and his official title shall be admissible in evidence as proof of the contents of such documents or extracts therefrom.

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Penalty for default

25.—(1) Any owner or occupier of any premises, on whom any order made under section 9 has been served, who refuses, fails or neglects to comply with any of the terms thereof shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or to both, and to a further fine not exceeding $100 for every day during which the offence continues after conviction.

(2) No owner or occupier shall be punishable under this section for neglect to comply with any order in respect of which he has appealed as provided in section 17 unless the order has been confirmed on appeal.

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Penalty for obstructing Commissioner, etc.

26. Any person who obstructs the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health or a public health auxiliary or any person engaged in carrying out the provisions of this Act in any act authorised by or under this Act shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or to both.

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Penalty for damaging works executed by Commissioner or Medical Officer of Health

27. Any person who, without the consent of the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health, interferes with, damages, injures, destroys or renders useless any works executed or any materials or things placed in, under or upon any premises by or under the orders of the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000; and the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health may in addition recover from the person convicted, in the same manner as if it were a fine imposed by a Magistrate’s Court, such costs and expenses as were incurred in re-executing the works or replacing the materials or things so interfered with, damaged, injured, destroyed or rendered useless.

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Commissioner or Medical Officer of Health may invoke police assistance for entry into premises

28. Where the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health considers it necessary to enter into any premises for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Act, he may require the assistance of a police officer not below the rank of inspector and the police officer shall render such assistance as may be necessary for the purpose.

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Compounding of offences

29.—(1) The Commissioner or any public officer authorised in writing in that behalf by the Minister may compound any offence under sections 6, 7, 8, 10 and 13 or under any regulations made under this Act as may be specified in such regulations as being an offence which may be compounded by accepting from a person reasonably suspected of having committed such offence a sum of money not exceeding $500.

(2) On payment of such sum of money, no further proceedings shall be taken against that person in respect of the offence.

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Act to apply to all property including that of Government

30. Subject to section 20, this Act shall apply to all property of every description including that belonging to, vested in or maintained by the Government.

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Regulations

31.—(1) The Minister may make regulations for carrying out the purposes of this Act.

(2) All regulations made under this section shall be published in the Gazette and shall be presented to Parliament as soon as possible after publication.

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Forms

32. The Commissioner may design and utilise such forms as he may think fit for any of the purposes of this Act and any regulations made thereunder, and may require any person to complete any of the forms for any such purposes.

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