National Statistical Commission of Singapore Bill

Bill No. 19/1971

Read the first time on 19th October 1971.

An Act to provide for the establishment of a National Statistical Commission of Singapore and for matters connected therewith.

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 National Statistical Commission of Singapore Act, 1971, 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 —

“Commission” means the National Statistical Commission of Singapore constituted under the provisions of section 3 of this Act;

“member” includes the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman;

“statutory body” means any of the bodies set out in the Schedule to this Act.

(2) The Minister may by notification in the Gazette add to, alter, vary or amend the Schedule to this Act.

Establishment and incorporation of the National Statistical Commission of Singapore

3.—(1) There shall be constituted a body to be known as the “National Statistical Commission of Singapore” which shall be a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal, which may sue and be sued in its corporate name and perform such other acts as bodies corporate may by law perform.

(2) The common seal of the Commission may from time to time be broken, changed, altered and made anew as the Commission thinks fit.

(3) All deeds, documents or other instruments requiring the seal of the Commission shall be sealed with the common seal of the Commission in the presence of the Chairman or the Deputy Chairman and one other member of the Commission who shall sign every such deed, document or other instrument to which the common seal is affixed and such signing shall be sufficient evidence that the seal was duly and properly affixed and that the same is the lawful seal of the Commission.

(4) The Commission shall be exempt from the payment of stamp duty under any written law in force requiring payment of such duty.

(5) The income of the Commission shall be exempt from tax.

Members

4.—(1) The Commission shall consist of —

(a)	a Chairman;
(b)	a Deputy Chairman; and
(c)	five other members,

all of whom shall be appointed by the Minister.

(2) Subject to the provisions of this Act, the members of the Commission shall hold office for such terms and subject to such conditions as the Minister may determine.

(3) The Minister may, at any time, accept the resignation of any member of the Commission appointed by him.

(4) The Minister may, at any time, remove any member of the Commission from office without assigning any reason therefor.

Meetings of the Commission

5.—(1) The Commission may meet at such times and places as it shall determine but shall hold a meeting at least once in three months.

(2) At a meeting of the Commission three members shall constitute a quorum.

(3) The Chairman, or in his absence, the Deputy Chairman shall preside at meetings of the Commission.

(4) In the event of the votes on any question being equal the Chairman or the Deputy Chairman, as the case may be, shall have a casting vote in addition to his deliberative vote.

(5) The Commission may act notwithstanding any vacancy in its membership.

(6) The Commission shall, subject to the approval of the Minister, regulate its own procedure and make rules for this purpose.

Appointment of officers and servants

6.—(1) The Commission may appoint such officers and servants as may be necessary to assist the Commission in carrying out its functions.

(2) The officers and servants of the Commission shall be under the administrative control of the Commission and shall be appointed on such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Commission.

(3) The Commission may delegate to any of its members, officers or servants such of its powers and functions as the Commission may think fit.

(4) All members, officers and servants of the Commission shall be deemed to be public servants within the meaning of the Penal Code (Cap. 103).

Objects of the Commission

7. The objects of the Commission shall be —

(a)	to assume supervisory responsibility for the development of national statistical programmes;
(b)	to co-ordinate statistical activities in Government ministries, departments and statutory bodies;
(c)	to co-ordinate the handling of statistical enquiries to and from international organizations;
(d)	to advise Government ministries, departments and statutory bodies in the gathering, compiling, analysing and utilization of existing series and new series of statistics;
(e)	to standardise definitions, classifications and terms in order to achieve maximum comparability and consistency among statistical series;
(f)	to improve statistical activities by means of a review of the organisation of statistical units, personnel, conditions of service, training programmes and equipment requirements; and
(g)	to develop statistical archives.

Reference to Commission

8.—(1) The Minister may refer to the Commission for its consideration and advice such matters relating to statistics in Singapore or otherwise relating to the operation of this Act as he thinks fit.

(2) The Commission shall investigate and report to the Minister on all matters referred to it pursuant to subsection (1) of this section and shall make such recommendation to the Minister in respect thereof as it considers appropriate.

Initiation of studies, etc.

9. The Commission may on its own initiative, or if directed to do so by the Minister, conduct such studies, inquiries and other undertakings as may be necessary with respect to any matter within sections 7 and 8 of this Act or with respect to any other matter relating to the carrying out of its functions under the said sections, and shall report to, advise or make recommendations to the Minister with respect thereto as the circumstances require.

Powers of the Commission

10. The Commission shall have power to do all lawful acts that are necessary in order to further its objects and, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, may —

(a)	appoint committees consisting of persons who may or may not be members of the Commission and delegate to such committees such of its powers and functions as the Commission may determine; and
(b)	receive donations, grants, gifts and contributions from any source and raise funds by all lawful means.

Powers of the Commission over Government ministries, departments and statutory bodies

11.—(1) All Government ministries and departments and statutory bodies shall comply with the recommendations of the Commission on matters within its functions.

(2) If a Government ministry or department or a statutory body refuses to accept a recommendation of the Commission, the ministry, department or statutory body shall notify the Commission in writing of such refusal and its reasons therefor.

(3) On receipt of the notification, the Commission shall reconsider the recommendation in question, and, in the event of the inability of the Commission to rescind or revise the recommendation, shall refer the matter to the Minister who shall give such directions to the Government ministry, department or statutory body concerned as he thinks fit and such ministry, department or statutory body shall comply with the directions of the Minister.

Fund

12.—(1) There shall be established and maintained by the Commission a Fund into which all monies of the Commission shall be paid.

(2) The Minister may from time to time make grants to the Fund of such sums as he may determine.

(3) All monies in the Fund shall be deposited in a bank by the Commission, or the Commission may from time to time invest such monies in any of the securities in which trust funds may by section 4 of the Trustees Act (Cap. 40) be invested.

(4) The Commission shall have full power to manage and expend the monies received by the Commission for the purposes set out in this Act.

Budget approval

13.—(1) The Commission shall in every financial year cause to be prepared in a form to be approved by the Minister a budget to be forwarded to the Minister not later than the 31st day of January containing estimates of income and expenditure of the Commission for the ensuing financial year.

(2) The Minister may approve or disallow any item or portion of any item shown in the budget and shall return the budget as amended by him to the Commission.

(3) The budget as approved by the Minister shall be published in the Gazette and the Commission shall be bound thereby.

Annual Report

14.—(1) As soon as may be after the 1st day of January but not later than the 31st day of March in every year, unless otherwise authorised in writing by the Minister, the Commission shall prepare a report of its activities in the preceding year and shall send a copy of such report to the Minister who shall present a copy of every such report to Parliament.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, the Minister may at any time request the Commission to furnish him with any information concerning any matter affecting the Commission, and the Commission shall furnish him with the information required, and afford him or his representatives all necessary facilities for the verification of the information furnished.

(3) The Commission may, from time to time subject to the approval of the Minister, publish for general information the results of studies made pursuant to its objects.

Accounts

15.—(1) The Commission shall keep proper accounts and other records of its activities and proceedings and shall prepare in respect of each year ending on the 31st day of December a statement of accounts.

(2) The accounts of the Commission shall be audited by qualified auditors appointed annually by the Commission.

(3) As soon as the accounts of the Commission have been audited, the Commission shall send a copy of the statement of accounts to the Minister, together with a copy of any report made by the auditors on that statement or on the accounts of the Commission.

(4) The Minister shall present a copy of every such statement of accounts and auditors’ report to Parliament.

Directions of Minister

16.—(1) The Minister may give to the Commission such directions as he thinks fit, not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, as to the exercise and performance by the Commission of its functions under this Act, and the Commission shall give effect to such directions.

(2) The annual report for any year shall set out any directions given by the Minister under subsection (1) of this section and shall contain a report of any action taken by the Commission during that year pursuant to such directions.

Rules

17. The Commission may, with the approval of the Minister, make such rules for the carrying out of the purposes of this Act as it deems necessary.

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