Parliamentary Pensions (Amendment) Bill

Bill No. 13/1970

Read the first time on 7th May 1970.

An Act to amend the Parliamentary Pensions Act, 1969 (No. 3 of 1969).

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

Short title and commencement

1. This Act may be cited as the Parliamentary Pensions (Amendment) Act, 1970, and shall be deemed to have come into operation on the 1st day of July 1969.

Amendment of long title

2. The long title to the Parliamentary Pensions Act, 1969 (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the “principal Act”) is hereby amended by inserting immediately after the word “Parliament” appearing in the second line thereof the words “or as Speakers”.

Amendment of section 2

3. Section 2 of the principal Act is hereby amended —

(a)	by inserting immediately after the words “Prime Minister” appearing in the third line of the definition of “Member” therein the words “or Speaker”;
(b)	by inserting immediately after the words “Prime Minister” appearing in the third line of the definition of “reckonable service” therein the words “or Speaker”; and
(c)	by inserting immediately after the words “Prime Minister” appearing in the fifth line of the definition of “salary” therein the words “or Speaker”.

Amendment of section 3

4. Subsection (1) of section 3 of the principal Act is hereby amended —

(a)	by deleting the word “ten” appearing in the fourth line thereof and substituting therefor the word “eight”; and
(b)	by deleting the word “fifty” appearing in the last line thereof and substituting therefor the word “forty-five”.

Amendment of section 4

5. Subsection (1) of section 4 of the principal Act is hereby amended —

(a)	by deleting the word “ten” appearing in the first line of paragraph (b) thereof and substituting therefor the word “eight”; and
(b)	by deleting the word “fifty” appearing in the first line of paragraph (c) thereof and substituting therefor the word “forty-five”.

New section 9A

6. The principal Act is hereby amended by inserting immediately after section 9 thereof the following new section: —

“Pension and gratuity on death to be determined by President under certain circumstances

9A.—(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of this Act, any person who has completed less than eight years’ reckonable service (whether continuously or in two or more separate periods) as a Member or as Speaker (whether or not he is a Member) shall be granted a pension under this Act if —

(a)	the period or periods of his service as a Member or as Speaker, added to the period or periods of his service in any public office or public offices amount in the aggregate to eight years;
(b)	he ceases to be a Member or to hold public office; and
(c)	he has attained the age of forty-five years or upon his attaining that age.

(2) The annual amount of pension payable to any person granted a pension under the provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall be in the discretion of the President who, in granting such pension may, with such modifications as may be necessary, cause to be followed the method of computation set out in subsections (1) and (2) of section 5 of this Act, and for the purposes of such computation the basic annual salary received by him during any period he has served in a public office may be taken into account.

(3) The provisions relating to commutation of pension as set out in section 7 of this Act shall, at the option of any person granted a pension under the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, be applicable to him.

(4) Where, after the date of the coming into operation of this Act, any person who has completed less than eight years’ reckonable service (whether continuously or in two or more separate periods) as a Member or as Speaker (whether or not he is a Member) dies while serving in a public office or within one year from the date when he became entitled to a pension under the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, there shall be paid to such of his dependants as the President may think fit, or if there are no dependants, to his legal personal representative, a gratuity of an amount equal to the basic annual salary of that public office, from which there shall be deducted any payment or payments of pension which may already have been made.

(5) The provisions of this Act shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to any person granted a pension under the provisions of subsection (1) of this section unless otherwise expressly provided or unless any inconsistency would arise in the application of any such provision.

(6) For the purposes of this section —

(a)	“public office” means the office of High Commissioner or Ambassador or such other office as the President may, from time to time by order published in the Gazette, determine; and
(b)	any period or periods of service completed by a Member or Speaker in any public office or public offices shall be deemed to be reckonable service.”.

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