Public Entertainments and Meetings Act |
(CHAPTER 257) |
(Original Enactment: Ordinance 40 of 1958)
REVISED EDITION 2001 |
(31st July 2001) |
An Act to provide for the regulation of public entertainments and meetings. [35/2000] |
[15th January 1959] |
Short title |
1. This Act may be cited as the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act. [35/2000] |
Interpretation |
Prohibition |
3. No public entertainment shall be provided except —
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Appointment of officers |
4. The Minister charged with the responsibility for public entertainments and the Minister charged with the responsibility for the licensing of arts entertainments may each, by notification in the Gazette, appoint a Licensing Officer for the purposes of this Act and may similarly appoint such number of Assistant Licensing Officers as may be necessary. [Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015] |
Application for licence |
5.—(1) Any person who desires to apply for or renew a licence must apply to the appropriate Licensing Officer in such form and manner, and within such time, as the appropriate Licensing Officer may require.
[Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015] |
Applicants may be joined |
6. If the appropriate Licensing Officer is satisfied that the responsibility for the observance of the conditions of a licence is intended to be shared between 2 or more persons he may require the application under section 5 in respect of the licence to be made in the names of as many such persons jointly as he thinks fit. [Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015] |
Additional information |
7. On receipt of an application under section 5, the appropriate Licensing Officer may require the applicant to furnish him with such additional information or document as he may require. [35/2000] [Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015] |
Public entertainment licence |
8. Every public entertainment licence issued or renewed by the appropriate Licensing Officer —
[Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015] |
Licence not renewable as of right |
9. A licence shall not be renewable as of right. [35/2000] |
Conditions |
10.—(1) In issuing or renewing a licence the appropriate Licensing Officer may impose such conditions as he thinks fit. [9/79] [Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015]
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Security |
11.—(1) In respect of such classes of public entertainment as the appropriate Minister may from time to time prescribe by notification in the Gazette and subject to such limits as may be thereby prescribed, the appropriate Licensing Officer may, before issuing or renewing a licence, require —
[35/2000] [Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015]
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Licence to be displayed |
12. At all times while the public entertainment described in a licence is being provided the licence shall, where the public entertainment is held in a building or tent, be prominently displayed at the building or tent and in all other cases the licence shall be kept in the possession of the licensee. |
Refusal of licence |
13.—(1) The appropriate Licensing Officer may, in his discretion, refuse to issue or renew any licence. [35/2000] [Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015]
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Suspension or cancellation of licence |
14.—(1) The appropriate Licensing Officer may, in his discretion, suspend or cancel a licence, as the case may be, if he is satisfied that the public entertainment for which it was issued —
[Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015]
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Demerit points |
15.—(1) The appropriate Minister may, for the purposes of sections 10, 11 and 14(3), make rules to establish a system of awarding demerit points against a licensee for the commission of an offence under section 19(1)(c). [35/2000] [Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015]
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Appeals to Minister |
16.—(1) Any person who makes an appeal to a Minister under section 10(5), 11(6), 13(3), 14(5) or 15C(3) must, within the period specified in that provision for the making of the appeal —
[Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015] |
Exemption |
16A.—(1) The Minister may, by order published in the Gazette, exempt any person or class of persons, or any public entertainment or series or class of public entertainments, from all or any of the provisions of this Act, subject to such conditions or restrictions as may be specified in the order.
[Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015] |
Powers of entry and inspection |
17.—(1) The Licensing Officer or any police officer may enter any place where a licensed public entertainment is being provided with a view to ascertaining whether the conditions of the licence and the provisions of this Act are being complied with. [Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015]
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Powers of investigation |
17A.—(1) The Licensing Officer may, for the purposes of investigating an offence under this Act or the contravention of any provision of this Act, do all or any of the following:
[Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015] |
Disposal and forfeiture of documents and articles |
17B.—(1) Any document or article retained by the Licensing Officer under section 17A(5) shall —
[Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015] |
Powers of arrest |
18.—(1) The Licensing Officer or any police officer may arrest without warrant any person —
[Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015]
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General offences |
19.—(1) Any person who provides or assists in providing any public entertainment —
[9/79; 35/2000]
[Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015] |
Service of documents |
20.—(1) A document that is permitted or required to be served on a person under this Act may be served as described in this section.
[Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015] |
Composition of offences |
21.—(1) The Licensing Officer may, in the Licensing Officer’s discretion, compound any offence under this Act which is prescribed as a compoundable offence by collecting from a person reasonably suspected of having committed the offence a sum not exceeding the lower of the following:
[Act 32 of 2014 wef 01/01/2015]
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Onus of proof |
22. In any proceedings under this Act the onus of proving that the public or any class of the public did not have access to any public entertainment shall lie on the person alleging the fact. [19 |
Rules |
23.—(1) The Minister may make rules for any of the following purposes:
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