Registration of Births and Deaths Bill

Bill No. 13/2021

Read the first time on 10 May 2021.

An Act to provide for registration of births, deaths and stillbirths, to repeal the Registration of Births and Deaths Act (Chapter 267 of the 1985 Revised Edition) and to make consequential amendments to certain other Acts.

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 is the Registration of Births and Deaths Act 2021 and comes into operation on a date that the Minister appoints by notification in the Gazette.

Interpretation

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

“authorised registration officer” means a registration officer authorised by the Registrar‑General to exercise all or any of the powers of an authorised registration officer mentioned in Part 8;

“birth” does not include stillbirth;

“birth particulars”, for a child, means —

(a)	any particulars relating to the child required by or under this Act for the purposes of birth registration, including a name for the child that complies with section 19(1) and is not refused by the Registrar‑General under section 19(2); and
(b)	any other particulars relating to the child that the Registrar‑General specifies on a prescribed website for the purposes of birth registration;

“birth registration” means registration of the birth of a child under this Act;

“Coroner” has the meaning given by section 2(1) of the Coroners Act 2010;

“Coroner’s certificate” means a certificate issued by a Coroner under the Coroners Act 2010 in respect of a death;

“death” does not include stillbirth;

“death particulars”, for a deceased person, means —

(a)	any particulars relating to the deceased person required by or under this Act for the purposes of death registration, including the cause of death of the deceased person; and
(b)	any other particulars relating to the deceased person that the Registrar‑General specifies on a prescribed website for the purposes of death registration;

“death registration” means registration of a death under this Act;

“forensic pathologist” has the meaning given by section 2(1) of the Coroners Act 2010;

“information” includes documents;

“legal guardian”, for a child or minor, means a person who is lawfully appointed by deed or will or by the order of a competent court to be the guardian of the child or minor;

“limited liability partnership” has the meaning given by the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005;

“master” means —

(a)	for an aircraft — the captain of the aircraft;
(b)	for a train — the driver, or any person having for the time being control or charge, of the train; and
(c)	for a vessel — any person (except a pilot or harbour master) having for the time being control or charge of the vessel;

“medical practitioner” means a registered medical practitioner under the Medical Registration Act 1997 who holds a valid practising certificate granted under that Act;

“minor” means a person who is below 21 years of age;

“occupier”, for any premises, means a person in occupation of, or having control or charge of, or managing, the premises (either on the person’s own account or as an agent of another person);

“pathologist” has the meaning given by section 2(1) of the Coroners Act 2010;

“protector” has the meaning given by section 2(1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1993;

“register” means the register of births, register of deaths or register of stillbirths;

“registered event” means any birth, death or stillbirth that is registered under this Act;

“registrable event” means any birth, death or stillbirth that is required to be, or may be, registered under this Act;

“Registrar‑General” means the Registrar‑General of Births and Deaths appointed under section 3(1);

“registration officer” means a person appointed as a registration officer under section 5(1);

“repealed Act” means the Registration of Births and Deaths Act (Cap. 267) that is repealed by section 62;

“reportable death” has the meaning given by section 2(1) of the Coroners Act 2010;

“stillbirth” means the birth of a stillborn child;

“stillbirth particulars”, for a stillborn child, means —

(a)	any particulars relating to the stillborn child required by or under this Act for the purposes of stillbirth registration, including the cause of death of the stillborn child; and
(b)	any other particulars relating to the stillborn child that the Registrar‑General specifies on a prescribed website for the purposes of stillbirth registration;

“stillbirth registration” means registration of a stillbirth under this Act;

“stillborn child” means a child that issues from the child’s mother after the twenty‑second week of pregnancy and does not show any sign of life at any time after being completely expelled or extracted from the mother.

(2) The Registrar‑General may specify —

(a)	different birth particulars under paragraph (b) of the definition of “birth particulars” in subsection (1) for children in different circumstances;
(b)	different death particulars under paragraph (b) of the definition of “death particulars” in subsection (1) for deceased persons in different circumstances; and
(c)	different stillbirth particulars under paragraph (b) of the definition of “stillbirth particulars” in subsection (1) for stillborn children in different circumstances.

(3) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, a reference to —

(a)

registration of a birth includes a reference to re‑registration of a birth;

(b)

a birth registered under this Act includes a reference to —

(i)	a birth registered under the repealed Act; or
(ii)	a birth registered or re‑registered under the Adoption of Children Act 1939, or a birth re‑registered under the Legitimacy Act 1934;

(c)

a death registered under this Act includes a reference to a death registered under the repealed Act;

(d)

a stillbirth registered under this Act includes a reference to a stillbirth registered under the repealed Act;

(e)

a registered event includes a reference to —

(i)	a birth, death or stillbirth registered under the repealed Act; or
(ii)	a birth registered or re‑registered under the Adoption of Children Act 1939, or a birth re‑registered under the Legitimacy Act 1934;

(f)

a certificate issued under this Act includes a reference to a replacement certificate issued under this Act, a certificate issued under the repealed Act or an equivalent document issued under the Adoption of Children Act 1939;

(g)

an extract issued under this Act includes a reference to an extract issued under the repealed Act or an equivalent document issued under the Adoption of Children Act 1939;

(h)

a country or territory includes a reference to the territorial waters of that country or territory; and

(i)

any premises includes a reference to a part of those premises.

(4) In this Act —

“Adoption of Children Act 1939” includes the Adoption of Children Act (Cap. 4, 2012 Ed.) until it is revised and citable by the short title “Adoption of Children Act 1939”;

“Children and Young Persons Act 1993” includes the Children and Young Persons Act (Cap. 38, 2001 Ed.) until it is revised and citable by the short title “Children and Young Persons Act 1993”;

“Coroners Act 2010” includes the Coroners Act (Cap. 63A, 2012 Ed.) until it is revised and citable by the short title “Coroners Act 2010”;

“Criminal Procedure Code 2010” includes the Criminal Procedure Code (Cap. 68, 2012 Ed.) until it is revised and citable by the short title “Criminal Procedure Code 2010”;

“Evidence Act 1893” includes the Evidence Act (Cap. 97, 1997 Ed.) until it is revised and citable by the short title “Evidence Act 1893”;

“Financial Procedure Act 1966” includes the Financial Procedure Act (Cap. 109, 2012 Ed.) until it is revised and citable by the short title “Financial Procedure Act 1966”;

“Infectious Diseases Act 1976” includes the Infectious Diseases Act (Cap. 137, 2003 Ed.) until it is revised and citable by the short title “Infectious Diseases Act 1976”;

“Legitimacy Act 1934” includes the Legitimacy Act (Cap. 162, 1985 Ed.) until it is revised and citable by the short title “Legitimacy Act 1934”;

“Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005” includes the Limited Liability Partnerships Act (Cap. 163A, 2006 Ed.) until it is revised and citable by the short title “Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005”;

“Medical Registration Act 1997” includes the Medical Registration Act (Cap. 174, 2014 Ed.) until it is revised and citable by the short title “Medical Registration Act 1997”;

“Merchant Shipping Act 1995” includes the Merchant Shipping Act (Cap. 179, 1996 Ed.) until it is revised and citable by the short title “Merchant Shipping Act 1995”;

“National Registration Act 1965” includes the National Registration Act (Cap. 201, 1992 Ed.) until it is revised and citable by the short title “National Registration Act 1965”;

“Penal Code 1871” includes the Penal Code (Cap. 224, 2008 Ed.) until it is revised and citable by the short title “Penal Code 1871”;

“Status of Children (Assisted Reproduction Technology) Act 2013” includes the Status of Children (Assisted Reproduction Technology) Act (Cap. 317A, 2015 Ed.) until it is revised and citable by the short title “Status of Children (Assisted Reproduction Technology) Act 2013”.

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