Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Bill

Liquor Control
(Supply and Consumption) Bill

Bill No. 1/2015

Read the first time on 19th January 2015.

An Act to regulate the supply and consumption of liquor at public places, and to make consequential and related amendments to certain other written laws.

Be it enacted by the President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows:

PART 1

PRELIMINARY

Short title and commencement

1. This Act may be cited as the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act 2015 and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

Interpretation

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

“application”, for a liquor licence, includes an application to renew a liquor licence;

“approved person” means an approved person appointed under section 3(2)(a);

“authorised officer” means an authorised officer appointed under section 3(2)(b);

“Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Police appointed under the Police Force Act (Cap. 235), and includes any police officer for the time being executing the duties of that office;

“consumption permit” means a permit granted under section 13;

“entrant”, in relation to a Liquor Control Zone, means a person who is about to enter or is in the Liquor Control Zone;

“event organiser”, in relation to an event, means the person who is responsible (whether fully or substantially) for the organisation and holding of the event and the receipt of revenue from the event (if any);

“licensed premises”, in relation to a licensee, means the premises specified in a liquor licence at which the licensee is authorised by the liquor licence to supply liquor;

“licensee” means the holder of a liquor licence;

“Licensing Officer” means the officer appointed as such by the Minister under section 3(1) and includes an Assistant Licensing Officer;

“liquor” means —

(a)	a beverage containing more than 0.5% ethanol by mass or volume;
(b)	a mixture of ethanol and some other substance or liquid (including water) and containing more than 0.5% ethanol by mass or volume; or
(c)	any other substance (whether or not a beverage or liquid) that is prescribed by the regulations as liquor;

“Liquor Appeal Board” means the Liquor Appeal Board constituted under section 26;

“Liquor Control Zone” means an area in Singapore declared under section 15(1) to be a Liquor Control Zone;

“Liquor Control Zone banning notice” means a banning notice given under section 18(1);

“liquor licence” means a liquor licence that is granted under section 8(1) and is in force;

“no‑public drinking period” means the period prescribed by the Minister under section 12 during which no individual may consume liquor at any public place;

“permit holder” means the event organiser to whom a consumption permit is granted;

“place” includes any motor vehicle, train, vessel, aircraft or other conveyance;

“premises” means any house, building or structure and any place, whether open to the air or enclosed;

“public place” means —

(a)

any premises to which members of the public or a section of the public have access as of right or by virtue of any express or implied permission, whether or not on payment of a fee and whether or not access to the premises may be restricted at particular times or for particular purposes, and whether or not it is an approved place within the meaning of the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act (Cap. 257); or

(b)

a part of any premises that the occupier of the premises allows members of the public to enter, but only while that part is ordinarily open to members of the public;

“repealed” means repealed by this Act;

“responsible officer”, in relation to an applicant or a licensee, means —

(a)	where the applicant or licensee is a body corporate (other than a limited liability partnership), a director of the body corporate;
(b)	where the applicant or licensee is a partnership, a partner of the partnership; and
(c)	where the applicant or licensee is an unincorporated association registered as such pursuant to the Societies Act (Cap. 311), an officer of the unincorporated association;

“supply”, in relation to liquor, means —

(a)	to sell, barter or exchange the liquor (whether the reward or consideration is received or to be received by the supplier specifically for the liquor or as part of services or other goods sold, bartered or exchanged);
(b)	to offer or agree to so sell, barter or exchange the liquor; or
(c)	to serve, send, forward or deliver the liquor in connection with such sale, barter or exchange,

and includes causing or permitting to be supplied;

“trading hours”, for licensed premises, means the times during which the supply of liquor at those licensed premises is permitted by or under this Act.

(2) For the purposes of this Act, if a person is convicted or found guilty of an offence under any provision of this Act (called in this subsection the current offence), the person is a repeat offender if, on at least one other occasion not earlier than 5 years before the date on which the person is convicted or found guilty of the current offence —

(a)	the person had been convicted or found guilty of an offence under that same provision;
(b)	if the current offence is that under section 4(3), the person had been convicted or found guilty of an offence under the repealed section 71 or 72 of the Customs Act (Cap. 70);
(c)	if the current offence is that under section 12(4), the person had been convicted or found guilty of an offence under section 4(1) of the Public Order (Additional Temporary Measures) Act 2014 (Act 12 of 2014);
(d)	if the current offence is that under section 14(1), the person had been convicted or found guilty of an offence under the repealed section 18 of the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act (Cap. 184); and
(e)	if the current offence is that under section 14(2), the person had been convicted or found guilty of an offence under the repealed section 510 of the Penal Code (Cap. 224).

Administration of Act

3.—(1) The Minister may appoint a public officer to be the Licensing Officer for the purpose of this Act and may similarly appoint such number of public officers as Assistant Licensing Officers as may be necessary.

(2) The Commissioner may appoint in writing —

(a)	any auxiliary police officer to be an approved person to exercise the powers of an approved person conferred by or under this Act as are specified in the appointment; and
(b)	any police officer to be an authorised officer to exercise the powers of an authorised officer conferred by or under this Act as are specified in the appointment.

Search within Legislation