Legislative Assembly (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Ordinance

Bill No. 149/1961

Read the first time on 17th November 1961.
An Ordinance to declare and define the privileges, immunities and powers of the Legislative Assembly and of the Speaker, members and committees thereof, to regulate the conduct of members and other persons in connection with the proceedings thereof, to give protection to persons employed in the publication of the reports and other papers of the Legislative Assembly and for purposes incidental to or connected with the matters aforesaid.
Be it enacted by the Yang di-Pertuan Negara with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of Singapore, as follows: —
PART I
SHORT TITLE AND INTERPRETATION
Short title
1.  This Ordinance may be cited as the Legislative Assembly (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Ordinance, 1961.
Interpretation
2.  In this Ordinance, unless inconsistent with the context —
“Assembly” includes a committee and where the context so admits the Assembly House and the precincts thereof;
“Clerk” means the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly or such other person for the time being lawfully performing the functions of that office;
“committee” means a committee of the whole Assembly, or any sessional, select, or other committee of the Assembly;
“contempt” includes any breach of privilege of the Assembly and the commission of any offence mentioned in Part V of this Ordinance;
“court” includes the Industrial Arbitration Court established, and any Board of Inquiry appointed, under the Industrial Relations Ordinance, 1960 (Ord. 20 of 1960);
“journals” means the votes and proceedings of the Assembly, the official reports or records of the proceedings thereof, and the minutes or records of the proceedings of any committee;
“member” means a member of the Assembly;
“officer of the Assembly” means the Clerk or any Clerk-Assistant of the Assembly, the Serjeant-at-Arms and such other officers or persons as may be appointed to the staff of the Assembly, and includes any person employed temporarily in the Assembly and any police officer acting under the orders of the Speaker, the Clerk or the Serjeant-at-Arms;
“police officer” has the same meaning as in the Police Force Ordinance, 1958 (Ord. 32 of 1958);
“Speaker” means the Speaker and, in his absence, the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly and includes any other member when such other member is presiding at a sitting of the Assembly or a committee of the whole Assembly;
“Standing Orders” means the Standing Orders of the Assembly for the time being in force;
“stranger” means any person who is not a member or officer of the Assembly.