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Singapore Council of Social Service Bill

Bill No. 20/1968

Read the first time on 10th May 1968.

An Act to incorporate the Singapore Council of Social Service.

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

Short title

1. This Act may be cited as the Singapore Council of Social Service Act, 1968.

Interpretation

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

“Board” means the Board of Management of the Council;

“Council” means the Singapore Council of Social Service incorporated under this Act;

“Fund” means the Singapore Council of Social Service Fund and includes all subscriptions, donations, bequests, interest and dividends and all other movable or immovable property received, acquired or held by the Council;

“President” means the President of the Council;

“Society” means the Singapore Council of Social Service in existence immediately before the date of the coming into operation of this Act and deemed to be registered under the provisions of the Societies Act, 1966 (Act 56 of 1966).

Incorporation of the Council

3.—(1) There is hereby established in Singapore a body to be known as “the Singapore Council of Social Service”.

(2) The Council shall be a body corporate with perpetual succession and may sue and be sued in its corporate name and perform such acts or things incidental or appertaining to a body corporate.

Common seal

4. The Council shall have a common seal and such seal may from time to time be broken, changed, altered and made anew as the Council deems fit.

Transfer of property, liabilities, etc

5. Upon the coming into operation of this Act —

(a)	all the assets and movable and immovable property of every description and all the powers, rights and privileges in connection therewith or appertaining thereto which immediately before the date of the coming into operation of this Act were vested in the Society shall forthwith vest in the Council without further assurance;
(b)	all liabilities and obligations of the Society which may have existed immediately prior to the date of the coming into operation of this Act shall be transferred to and vest in the Council; and
(c)	every officer of the Society shall be deemed to hold a corresponding appointment in the Council, subject to any provision that may subsequently be made.

Constitution of the Council

6.—(1) The Council shall consist of one representative each from all the organisations set out in the Schedule to this Act.

(2) The Minister may, from time to time by notification in the Gazette, amend the Schedule to this Act on the advice of the Council or the Board.

(3) The Board may in its absolute discretion accept as members of the Council organisations in any of the following categories: —

(a)	welfare and welfare co-ordination organisations; and
(b)	religious and other bodies which are engaged in welfare and charitable activities.

Associates

7.—(1) Any person, firm, corporation or organisation which subscribes an annual sum of not less than twenty-five dollars to the Fund may, in the absolute discretion of the Council, be admitted to be an Associate of the Council for the year of such subscription.

(2) Such Associates may elect from among themselves a number not exceeding two to represent them on the Council. Such elected associate members shall be entitled to attend meetings of the Council and of the Board and shall have a right to vote on any issue in such meetings except that of election of members of the Board.

Ex-officio members

8. The Director of Social Welfare or his representative and the Head of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Singapore, or his representative shall be ex-officio members of the Council as well as of the Board.

Patrons

9. The Council may, on the recommendation of the Board, at any General or Annual General Meeting nominate suitable persons to be patron-in-chief and patrons of the Council.

Objects of the Council

10.—(1) The objects of the Council shall be —

(a)	to co-ordinate voluntary welfare activities in Singapore not only as between member organisations of the Council but also with other organisations;
(b)	to maintain and improve standards of voluntary social work and to encourage voluntary welfare efforts in fields not fully covered by the Government;
(c)	to assist member organisations by contributions or otherwise to promote voluntary welfare activities in Singapore;
(d)	to initiate, assist and organise such forms of relief and schemes of social service as may be deemed desirable by the Council;
(e)	to raise, receive, administer and distribute such funds and goods in kind as are entrusted to it;
(f)	to disseminate information to and interest in all possible ways the members of the public in social welfare matters and to encourage participation therein;
(g)	to make such recommendations to the Government as the Council thinks fit on matters pertaining to legislation in the field of social welfare or for the furtherance of the objects of the Council;
(h)	to establish a Headquarters and Social Service Centre.

(2) For the purpose of carrying out any of the objects set out in subsection (1) of this section the Council may —

(a)	acquire or accept leases, purchase, take hold and enjoy any lands, buildings, messuages or tenements of what nature or kind so ever and wheresoever situate in Singapore or elsewhere;
(b)	invest moneys on deposit in any bank in Singapore or on mortgage of any lands, buildings, messuages or tenements in Singapore or elsewhere or in or upon mortgages, debentures, stocks, funds, shares or securities or any corporation or company carrying on business in Singapore or elsewhere;
(c)	purchase and acquire all manner of goods and chattels whatsoever;
(d)	grant, sell, convey, assign, surrender, yield up, mortgage, demise, reassign, transfer or otherwise dispose of any lands, buildings, messuages and tenements, mortgages, debentures, stocks, funds and securities, goods and chattels and to carry on business for the furtherance of the objects of the Council:

Provided that nothing in this section shall enable the Council to have jurisdiction or exercise any control over the internal management of member organisations or to take part in political or religious controversy.

(3) All moneys received or raised by the Council shall be paid into the Fund.

Application of income

11. The income and property of the Council whencesoever derived shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objects and general purposes of the Council as set out in this Act and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus or otherwise howsoever by way of profit to member organisations:

Provided that nothing herein contained shall prevent the payment in good faith of remuneration to any officers or servants of the Council.

Board of Management

12. The powers of the Council, the management and control of the Council and of its property and affairs shall be vested in a Board of Management.

Constitution of the Board

13.—(1) The Board shall consist of the following members: —

(a)	a President, two Vice-Presidents, a General Secretary, a Treasurer and seven other members, who shall all be elected from among the member organisations of the Council at the Annual General Meeting;
(b)	two members from the Associates of the Council elected as provided in section 7 of this Act; and
(c)	two ex-officio members as provided in section 8 of this Act.

(2) The first members of the Board shall be those persons who at the date of the coming into operation of this Act were members of the Executive Committee of the Society and shall include the two ex-officio members named in section 8 of this Act, and thereafter those elected at the Council’s Annual General Meeting.

(3) All members of the Board shall be eligible for reelection.

(4) The Board shall not be precluded from holding any meeting provided a quorum is present at such meeting or acting in any matter merely by reason of any vacancy in its membership.

Powers of the Board

14.—(1) The Board shall have power at any time and from time to time to delegate its authority to a member or members of the Board or to appoint any person being a representative of a member organisation to fill a casual vacancy on the Board, provided that any person so appointed shall hold office so long as the member in whose place he is appointed would have held office.

(2) The Board may co-opt any person to be a member provided that such members shall not at any time exceed four in number.

(3) The Board may —

(a)	make rules to regulate the proceedings of the Council and of the Board;
(b)	appoint committees the members of which may or may not be member organisations of the Council and allocate duties to and regulate the exercise of executive power by such committees;
(c)	appoint such officers and servants as it thinks fit and regulate the conduct and dismissal of such officers and servants;
(d)	make recommendations to the Council for the nomination of patrons and admit member organisations and associate members to the Council;
(e)	organise classes, lectures, courses and symposia on subjects falling within the objects of the Council;
(f)	disseminate information about the Council by selling or distributing books, pamphlets and papers;
(g)	enter into contracts, establish trusts and generally regulate the transaction of all business connected with the Council;
(h)	receive subscriptions, donations, interest, dividends and contributions from the Government and from any other persons and bodies;
(i)	raise funds by all lawful means;
(j)	utilise the corpus and income of the Fund in such manner as the Board may think fit in carrying out the objects of the Council; and
(k)	generally do all such other acts as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act.

Meetings

15.—(1) The President shall preside at all meetings of the Council and of the Board and shall have the right to vote on any question coming before or arising at any meeting of the Council or the Board.

(2) In the absence of the President, one of the Vice-Presidents shall preside at the meetings of the Council and of the Board and when so doing shall have and may exercise all the powers and functions of the President.

(3) The Board shall normally meet as often as it deems necessary but it shall in any case meet at least once in three months.

(4) A General Meeting of the Council shall be held once in every four months of the year save and except in the month in which the Annual General Meeting shall take place.

(5) The Annual General Meeting of the Council shall be held in every calendar year and not more than fifteen months from the holding of the last preceding Annual General Meeting.

(6) An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Council may be convened by the Board whenever it thinks fit and it shall be convened on the requisition of members representing not less than twenty-five per cent of the total number of the member organisations of the Council.

(7) All questions coming before or arising at any meeting of the Council and of the Board shall be decided by a majority of members present and voting at that meeting of the Council and of the Board and in the case of an equality of votes, the person presiding at the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.

Quorum

16.—(1) The quorum at all meetings of the Council shall be fifteen members.

(2) The quorum at meetings of the Board shall be five members.

(3) No business shall be transacted unless a quorum is present.

Notice

17.—(1) The Board shall cause a notice of every General Meeting and of every Annual General Meeting and of every Extraordinary General Meeting of the Council to be sent to all member organisations of the Council; and shall cause a notice of every Board Meeting to be sent to every member of the Board. Such notice shall specify the date, time and place for the holding of such meeting and the business to be transacted thereat.

(2) At least fourteen clear days’ notice of every General Meeting and of every Extraordinary and Annual General Meeting shall be given to members; and at least seven clear days’ notice of every Board Meeting shall be given to every member of the Board.

(3) The notice shall be deemed to have been received if posted by ordinary mail or despatched by hand to the address of the member.

Observers

18. The Council may invite the Government and such other organisations as it deems fit to nominate representatives to attend the meetings of the Council or of the Board as observers.

Annual subscription

19. Every member organisation shall pay an annual subscription of ten dollars from the 1st day of April of each year provided that the Board may in its discretion waive the subscription in whole or in part.

Disclosure of interest

20.—(1) If a member organisation of the Council or a member of the Board is directly or indirectly interested in any contract, proposed contract, or other matter and is present at a meeting of the Council or of the Board or any committee thereof, at which the contract or other matter is the subject of consideration, such member organisation or such member shall, at the meeting or as soon as practicable after the commencement thereof, disclose the fact, and shall not thereafter be present during the consideration or discussion of and shall not vote on any question with respect to that contract or other matter.

(2) The provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall also apply to any member of a committee appointed in accordance with paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section 14 of this Act when such member is present at a meeting of any committee.

Execution of documents

21. All deeds, documents or other instruments requiring the seal of the Council shall be signed and sealed by the President and the General Secretary for the time being or by such other person or persons as the Board shall from time to time appoint and such signing shall be sufficient evidence that the said seal was duly and properly affixed and that the same is the lawful seal of the Council.

Annual report

22. The Board shall, as soon as possible after the close of each year, submit to the Council at a General Meeting or at the Annual General Meeting, an annual report on the activities of the Council during that year for the adoption of such report at such meeting.

Accounts and audit

23.—(1) The Board shall keep proper accounts and other records of the Council and shall prepare in respect of each financial year a statement of accounts.

(2) The accounts of the Council shall be audited by such auditor as is appointed by the Council at its Annual General Meeting.

(3) As soon as the accounts of the Council have been audited in accordance with the provisions of subsection (2) of this section, the statement of accounts together with any report made by the auditor shall be submitted by the Board to the Council at a General Meeting or at the Annual General Meeting for the adoption of such statement of accounts and report at such meeting.

Bank account of the Council

24.—(1) All moneys in the Fund shall be deposited in the bank of the Council.

(2) All cheques drawn upon the bank account of the Council shall be signed by two of the following: —

(a)	the President;
(b)	the Treasurer;
(c)	the General Secretary;
(d)	such other member as the Board may nominate for the purpose.

Dissolution

25.—(1) The Council shall not be dissolved except by an Act of Parliament.

(2) All assets of the Council shall thereupon be held on trust for distribution after the discharge of all its debts and liabilities among its member organisations then existing.