Revised Edition of the Laws Bill

Bill No. 2/1966

Read the first time on 23rd February 1966.

An Act to make provision for the preparation and publication of a revised edition of the laws of Singapore.

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 Revised Edition of the Laws Act, 1966, and shall come into operation on such date as the President may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

Interpretation

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

“Acts” means all Acts of Parliament and includes all Ordinances having the force of law in Singapore;

“Commissioners” means the Law Revision Commissioners appointed under section 3;

“Revised Edition of Acts” means the Revised Edition, or any volume thereof, of the Acts in force in Singapore, or assented to but not yet brought into force, on such date as may be appointed by the President by notification in the Gazette in relation to the Revised Edition of Acts or any volume thereof;

“Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation” means the Revised Edition, or any volume thereof, of orders in council, proclamations, rules, regulations, orders, notifications, by-laws and other forms of subsidiary legislation made under any Act or other lawful authority and having legislative effect, or enacted but not yet brought into force, on such date as may be appointed by the President by notification in the Gazette in relation to the Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation or any volume thereof.

Appointment of Commission

3.—(1) The President may appoint a Law Revision Commission comprising, as Law Revision Commissioners, the Attorney-General and such other persons as may be appointed by the President to prepare and publish a Revised Edition of Acts and a Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation.

(2) In case any of the Commissioners, appointed under the provisions of subsection (1), is unable from any causefully to discharge his Commission under this Act, the President may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint some other person to be a Commissioner or temporarily in his stead to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of a Commissioner:

Provided that in case any Commissioner is unable for any cause fully to discharge his Commission under this Act and no appointment has been made under this subsection, the remaining Commissioner or Commissioners shall have and may exercise all the powers and duties conferred by this Act upon the Commissioners.

Powers of the Commissioners

4. In the preparation of the Revised Edition of Acts, the Commissioners shall have power in their discretion —

(a)

to omit —

(i)

all Acts or parts of Acts which have been repealed, expressly, specifically or by necessary implication, or which have expired or have become spent or have had their effect, and all Supply Acts and Acts or parts of Acts so far as they affect changes of titles;

(ii)

all repealing enactments contained in Acts and all tables or lists of repealed enactments, whether contained in schedules or otherwise;

(iii)

all preambles to Acts;

(iv)

all introductory words of enactment in any Act or section of an Act;

(v)

all enactments prescribing the date when an Act or part of an Act is to come into force;

(vi)

all amending Acts or parts of Acts where the amendments effected by such Acts or parts of Acts have been embodied by the Commissioners in the Act to which they relate;

(vii)

all enacting clauses; and

(viii)

any parts of an Act which can more conveniently be included as orders in council, rules, regulations, orders, notifications, by-laws or other instruments made under any Act or other lawful authority and having legislative effect:

Provided that the provisions of section 16 of the Interpretation Act, 1965 (Act of 1965), shall apply to such omissions in the same manner as if the enactments omitted had been repealed;

(b)

to arrange the grouping and sequence of Acts;

(c)

to add a short title to any Act and to alter the short title of any Act;

(d)

to supply or alter tables of contents, marginal notes, foot notes and the headings to Parts and Chapters:

Provided that such foot notes shall not form any part of the Act in which they appear;

(e)

to adopt a convenient standard form in all Acts for —

(i)	the interpretation section;
(ii)	any penal section;
(iii)	any section giving power to make rules, regulations or by-laws, whether such section already appears in any Act or is inserted by the Commissioners as a result of the exercise by them of the power conferred by sub-paragraph (viii) of paragraph (a) or any other power conferred upon them by this Act;

(f)

to consolidate into one Act any two or more Acts in pari materia, making such alterations as are thereby rendered in the consolidated Act, and affixing such date thereto as may seem most convenient, and to incorporate into one or more other Acts all or any of the provisions of any Act where the subject matter so incorporated relates to the same subject matter with the Act into which it is incorporated;

(g)

to divide any Act into two or more Acts and to make such amendments, including the supplying of titles or the alteration of existing titles, as are thereby rendered necessary;

(h)

to incorporate in any Act any amendment made to any schedule, form or other part by any authority under powers conferred by the Act;

(i)

to alter the order of sections of any Act, and to re-number the sections of any Act;

(j)

to alter the form of arrangement of any section of an Act by transposing words, by combining it in whole or in part with another section or other sections or by dividing it into two or more subsections;

(k)

to divide any Act, whether consolidated or not, into parts or other divisions;

(l)

to correct grammatical, typographical and similar mistakes in any Acts and to make verbal additions, omissions or alterations not affecting the meaning of any Act;

(m)

to make such formal alterations as to names, localities, departments, offices, titles and otherwise as may be necessary to bring any Act to be included in the Revised Edition of Acts or any volume thereof into conformity with the circumstances of Singapore on the date appointed by the President under section 2 in relation to the Revised Edition of Acts or any volume thereof, as the case may be;

(n)

to correct cross references;

(o)

to incorporate in or omit from any Act, as the case may be, all matters required to be added to, omitted from or substituted for any provisions of the Act as a result of any amendments made to that Act by any other Act;

(p)

to delete any words, expressions, nomenclature or other provisions in any Act which have expired or become obsolete, including references to repealed Acts, and to substitute therefor, where necessary, appropriate words, expressions, nomenclature or provisions or references to the appropriate Act;

(q)

to restyle Ordinances as Acts;

(r)

to make such alterations as may be necessary to bring any Act into conformity with Singapore becoming an independent nation, including such formal alterations as to names, localities, departments, offices and titles; and

(s)

to do all other things relating to form and method reasonably necessitated by or consequential upon the exercise by the Commissioners of any of the powers conferred upon them by this section or which may be necessary for the perfecting of the Revised Edition of Acts.

Omission of certain Acts from the Revised Edition of Acts

5. The Commissioners shall omit from the Revised Edition of Acts, such Acts as may be specified by the President by notification in the Gazette:

Provided that anything in this Act to the contrary notwithstanding, such Acts and any Parts, sections or other divisions of such Acts shall remain in force until the same shall have been expressly repealed or shall have expired or become spent or had their effect.

Numbering of Acts

6. There may be attached to each Act contained in every volume of the Revised Edition of Acts a number showing its place among the Acts therein.

Mode of dealing with amendments, etc. not authorised under section 4

7.—(1) If the Commissioners consider that it is desirable that in the preparation of the Revised Edition of Acts, there should be omissions, amendments or additions other than those authorised by section 4, the same may be collected and submitted to Parliament in the form of one or more Acts.

(2) If such Act or Acts are enacted prior to the date specified in the order mentioned in section 8, then —

(a)	the Commissioners shall, in the preparation of the Revised Edition of Acts, give the like effect to such omissions, amendments or additions as if they had been authorised by section 4; and
(b)	if as a result of any such omission, amendment or addition, any Act or part thereof has been repealed or has expired or become spent or had its effect, such Act or part thereof shall be omitted from the Revised Edition of Acts.

(3) If the Commissioners consider that it is desirable that in the preparation of the Revised Edition of Acts or any volume thereof, there should be included therein any Act, not in force on the date appointed by the President under section 2 in relation to the Revised Edition of Acts or any volume thereof, as the case may be, but in force on such date as the President shall specify by notification in the Gazette, which replaced, consolidated or amended with or without modifications any Act in force on such appointed day, the same may be included in the Revised Edition of Acts or any volume thereof and, in that event, any amendments or omissions consequential upon such inclusion shall be made in the Revised Edition of Acts or any volume thereof.

Bringing of Revised Edition of Acts into force

8.—(1) The Commissioners shall, upon completion, transmit to the President a copy of the Revised Edition of Acts or any volume thereof.

(2) The President may thereupon, by order published in the Gazette, provide that the Revised Edition of Acts or any volume thereof as may be specified in the said order, shall come into force from such date as he may think fit.

(3) The Revised Edition of Acts or any volume thereof shall, as soon as may be after the publication of such order, be published and presented to Parliament.

(4) From the date specified in the order referred to in subsection (2), such Revised Edition of Acts or any volume thereof, shall without prejudice to the provisions of sections 5 and 7, be deemed to be and shall be without any question whatsoever in all courts and for all purposes whatsoever the sole and only proper Statute Book of Singapore in respect of Acts contained in the Revised Edition of Acts or any volume thereof and in force or assented to but not yet brought into force, on the date appointed by the President under section 2 in relation to the Revised Edition of Acts or any volume thereof, as the case may be, and also the sole and only proper Statute Book of Singapore in respect of any Acts or parts of Acts included in the Revised Edition of Acts or any volume thereof in exercise of the powers conferred by section 7.

Saving of existing subsidiary legislation

9. All proclamations, rules, regulations, orders, notifications, by-laws or other forms of subsidiary legislation or instruments made under the Acts in the Revised Edition of Acts or any volume thereof or other lawful authority and having legislative effect, and in force at the date the Revised Edition of Acts or any volume thereof, as the case may be, comes into force, shall continue in force until otherwise provided; and references in any such proclamation, rule, regulation, order, notification, by-law or other form of subsidiary legislation or instrument made under any Act or other lawful authority and having legislative effect, to the Act under which it is made or to any part thereof or to any other Act shall, where necessary and practicable, be construed as a reference to the corresponding Act in the Revised Edition of Acts.

Subsidiary legislation

10.—(1) There shall be issued as supplementary to the Revised Edition of Acts, a Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation in one or more volumes, in such form as, in the opinion of the Commissioners, may be most practicable.

(2) In the preparation of the Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation, the Commissioners shall have the like powers to do all things as are conferred upon them by this Act in respect of the Revised Edition of Acts:

Provided that the powers conferred by section 7, other than that contained in subsection (2) thereof, shall be inapplicable and that if the Commissioners consider it desirable that in the preparation of the Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation there should be amendments not authorised under the power previously conferred by this section, they are hereby empowered to prepare such amendments by virtue of this section, and submit them for approval to the authority having power to enact the same.

(3) The Commissioners shall also have power to include in the Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation any part of an Act omitted pursuant to sub-paragraph (viii) of paragraph (a) of section 4, and any matter included in the Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation in pursuance of this power shall be deemed for all purposes including the exercise by the Commissioners of all the powers conferred by this section in relation thereto to be subsidiary legislation of which a Revised Edition is being prepared in pursuance of this Act.

Omission of certain subsidiary legislation from the Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation

11. The Commissioners shall omit from the Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation, such subsidiary legislation as may be specified by the President by notification in the Gazette:

Provided that anything in this Act to the contrary notwithstanding, such subsidiary legislation shall remain in force until the same shall have been expressly repealed or shall have expired or become spent or had effect.

Bringing of Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation into force

12.—(1) The Commissioners shall, upon completion, transmit to the President a copy of the Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation or any volume thereof.

(2) The President may thereupon, by order published in the Gazette, provide that the Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation or any volume thereof as may be specified in the said order shall come into force from such date as he may think fit.

(3) The Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation or any volume thereof shall, as soon as may be after the publication of such order, be published and presented to Parliament.

(4) From the date specified in the order referred to in subsection (2), such Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation or any volume thereof, shall without prejudice to the provisions of sections 10 and 11, be deemed to be and shall be without any question whatsoever in all courts and for all purposes whatsoever the sole and only proper Statute Book of Singapore in respect of the subsidiary legislation contained in the Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation or any volume thereof and in force or assented to but not yet brought into force on the date appointed by the President under section 2 in relation to the Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation or any volume thereof, as the case may be, and also the sole and only proper Statute Book of Singapore in respect of any subsidiary legislation or parts of subsidiary legislation included in the Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation or any volume thereof in exercise of the powers conferred by section 10.

Complimentary matter in Revised Edition of Acts

13.—(1) The Revised Edition of Acts may also contain a reprint of such other statutes, orders in council, treaties, conventions and other instruments, enactments and such indices, notes and references as the Commissioners consider useful to include.

(2) When any instrument or enactment is reprinted in pursuance of subsection (1), the provisions of the instrument or enactment may be reproduced with such amendments as may have been made thereto by any other instrument or enactment, and where any instrument or enactment has been applied or extended to Singapore with modifications, the provisions of that instrument or enactment may be reproduced with those modifications.

Effect of repealed or omitted Acts

14. The repeal or omission from the Revised Edition of Acts, of any Act repealed or omitted during and for the purpose of the preparation of such Revised Edition of Acts, shall not affect the validity of any existing resolutions of Parliament, or any proclamations, rules, regulations, orders, notifications, by-laws or other instruments made under any Acts or other lawful authority and having legislative effect, made under any Act so repealed or omitted, but such proclamations, rules, regulations, orders, notifications, by-laws, or other instruments made under any Act or other lawful authority and having legislative effect so far as they are not inconsistent with any enactment for the time being in force, shall continue in force until otherwise provided.

Construction of references to repealed or amended written law

15. Where in any Act or in any subsidiary legislation or in any document of whatever kind, any reference is made to any written law repealed or otherwise affected by or under the operation of this Act, such reference shall, where necessary and practicable, be construed as a reference to the corresponding written law in the Revised Edition of Acts or the Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation.

Sealed copies to be deposited

16.—(1) Three of the copies of each volume in respect of the Revised Edition of Acts and the Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation shall be dated and signed by the Commissioners and by the President and shall all be sealed with the Public Seal of Singapore.

(2) One of the said copies shall be deposited amongst the records of the Supreme Court, the second copy shall be deposited at the office of the President and the third with the Director of the National Library.

Distribution of copies

17.—(1) Copies of the Revised Edition of Acts and the Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation shall be distributed among such persons as the President may direct.

(2) There shall be offered to the public such number of copies at such prices as the President may direct.

Publication volume by volume

18.—(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of this Act, the Commissioners may, if they consider it expedient or desirable so to do, prepare and complete for publication the Revised Edition of Acts or the Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation, as the case may be, volume by volume, in any sequence and at such times as they may deem expedient.

(2) Any volume of the Revised Edition of Acts or the Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation may contain such tables, appendices and other supplementary matter, including an index, as the Commissioners may consider necessary.

(3) Save as provided in this section, the Commissioners shall, in bringing into force in instalments the Revised Edition of Acts or the Revised Edition of Subsidiary Legislation, be bound by the other provisions of this Act.

Place of this Act in the Revised Edition of Acts

19. This Act shall be printed as the first Act in the Revised Edition of Acts.

Suspension of the operation of the Revised Edition of the Laws (Annual Supplements) Ordinance, 1956

20. The operation of the Revised Edition of the Laws (Annual Supplements) Ordinance, 1956 (Ord. 10 of 1956), shall, after the coming into operation of this Act, be suspended until such time as the President may, by order published in the Gazette, otherwise provide.

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