Land Surveyors (Amendment) Bill

Bill No. 21/2024

Read the first time on 2 July 2024.

An Act to amend the Land Surveyors Act 1991 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:

Short title and commencement

1. This Act is the Land Surveyors (Amendment) Act 2024 and comes into operation on a date that the Minister appoints by notification in the Gazette.

Amendment of section 2

2. In the Land Surveyors Act 1991 (called in this Act the principal Act), in section 2 —

(a)

in the definition of “authorised surveyor”, replace “a surveyor” with “a land surveyor”;

(b)

after the definition of “Chief Surveyor”, insert —

“ “foreign competent authority”, in relation to any country or territory outside Singapore, means the regulatory body or its authorised agency in that country or territory having the function of regulating the practice of surveying and registering or licensing persons in connection with the practice of surveying in that country or territory;

“foreign land surveyor”, in relation to a country or territory outside Singapore, means any person who is permitted to practise as a land surveyor in that country or territory under the law of that country or territory;”;

(c)

after the definition of “manager”, insert —

“ “mutual recognition arrangement” means —

(a)	a bilateral agreement or arrangement between Singapore and any other country or territory;
(b)	a bilateral agreement or arrangement between the Board and a foreign competent authority of any other country or territory;
(c)	a multilateral agreement or arrangement between Singapore and 2 or more other countries or territories; or
(d)	a multilateral agreement or arrangement between the Board and the foreign competent authorities of 2 or more other countries or territories,

for the mutual recognition of —

(e)	registered surveyors, and the survey work that may be performed by registered surveyors, in each such country or territory; and
(f)	foreign land surveyors of each such country or territory, and the survey work that may be performed by registered foreign surveyors of each such country or territory, in Singapore;”;

(d)

after the definition of “president”, insert —

“ “register of foreign surveyors” means the annual register of foreign land surveyors kept by the Board under section 9(1)(aa);”;

(e)

in the definition of “register of surveyors”, replace “the register of surveyors” with “the register of land surveyors”; and

(f)

after the definition of “register of surveyors”, insert —

“ “registered foreign surveyor” means a person registered as a foreign land surveyor under section 12A;”.

Amendment of section 7

3. In the principal Act, in section 7(1) —

(a)

in paragraph (a), after “a register of surveyors,”, insert “a register of foreign surveyors,”;

(b)

in paragraph (c), after “section 12”, insert “or 12A”;

(c)

in paragraph (h), delete “and” at the end; and

(d)

after paragraph (h), insert —

“(ha)

to negotiate and implement any mutual recognition arrangement; and”.

Amendment of section 8

4. In the principal Act, in section 8(3)(c), after “the register of surveyors,”, insert “register of foreign surveyors,”.

Amendment of section 9

5. In the principal Act, in section 9(1) —

(a)

in paragraph (a), replace “this Act” with “section 12”; and

(b)

after paragraph (a), insert —

“(aa)

an annual register of foreign surveyors containing the names of all persons registered under section 12A for the year and any other particulars in relation thereto that the Board may determine;”.

Amendment of section 10

6. In the principal Act, in section 10 —

(a)

in subsection (2)(a), after “used”, insert “the abbreviation “RS” as a title before his or her name, or”;

(b)

after subsection (2), insert —

“(2A) The Board may allow a registered foreign surveyor to use such designation to signify his or her status as a registered foreign surveyor, as may be approved by the Board.”;

(c)

in subsection (4)(b), delete “or” at the end;

(d)

in subsection (4), after paragraph (b), insert —

“(ba)

a registered foreign surveyor, but only if the performance or execution of the survey, or the engaging in the survey work, is done in a manner permitted by the Board pursuant to a mutual recognition arrangement; or”; and

(e)

in subsection (5), replace “$4,000” with “$10,000”.

New section 10A

7. In the principal Act, after section 10, insert —

“Recognition of registered surveyor under mutual recognition arrangement

10A.—(1) A registered surveyor who intends to perform or execute any survey or engage in any survey work in a country or territory outside Singapore in accordance with a mutual recognition arrangement may apply to the Board to be recognised for the purposes of that mutual recognition arrangement.

(2) An application under subsection (1) must be accompanied by the prescribed fee.”.

Amendment of section 12

8. In the principal Act, in section 12 —

(a)	in the section heading, after “to be registered”, insert “as registered surveyors”; and
(b)	in subsection (1), after “to be registered”, insert “as a registered surveyor”.

New section 12A

9. In the principal Act, after section 12, insert —

“Annual registration for foreign land surveyors

12A.—(1) A foreign land surveyor may apply, on payment of the prescribed fee, to be registered as a registered foreign surveyor.

(2) The Board must register the applicant as a registered foreign surveyor if the Board is satisfied that —

(a)	the applicant is a foreign land surveyor of a country or territory to which a mutual recognition arrangement applies; and
(b)	all applicable requirements under that mutual recognition arrangement for such registration are met.

(3) The registration under subsection (2) is for the year specified in the application.

(4) The registration under subsection (2) may be subject to such conditions as the Board thinks fit to impose.

(5) The Board may cancel the registration under subsection (2) if —

(a)	any information provided to the Board in the application for registration is false when the application is made, or subsequently becomes false;
(b)	any condition imposed by the Board under subsection (4) is not met; or
(c)	the registered foreign surveyor performs or executes any survey or engages in any survey work in Singapore in a manner not permitted by the Board pursuant to the mutual recognition arrangement.”.

Amendment of section 15

10. In the principal Act, in section 15(9), replace “surveyor” wherever it appears with “registered surveyor”.

Amendment of section 25

11. In the principal Act, in section 25 —

(a)

in subsection (2)(a), replace “$10,000” with “$20,000”; and

(b)

after subsection (4), insert —

“(4A) All penalties collected by the Board under subsection (2)(a) must be paid into the Consolidated Fund.”.

Amendment of section 27

12. In the principal Act, in section 27 —

(a)

in subsection (2)(a), replace “$20,000” with “$50,000”; and

(b)

after subsection (2), insert —

“(2A) All penalties collected by the Board under subsection (2)(a) must be paid into the Consolidated Fund.”.

Amendment of section 30

13. In the principal Act, in section 30(2), replace “$2,000” with “$5,000”.

Amendment of section 33

14. In the principal Act, in section 33(1), after “under this Act”, insert “, unless otherwise provided,”.

Amendment of section 34

15. In the principal Act, in section 34 —

(a)	in paragraph (b)(ii), replace “surveyor” with “registered surveyor or registered foreign surveyor”; and
(b)	replace “$4,000” with “$10,000”.

Amendment of section 38

16. In the principal Act, in section 38(2)(e), after “register of surveyors,”, insert “register of foreign surveyors,”.

Consequential amendments to other Acts

17.—(1) In the Architects Act 1991, in section 2 —

(a)	in the definition of “allied professional”, in paragraph (b), replace “registered under” with “a registered surveyor under”; and
(b)	in the definition of “practising certificate”, in paragraph (c), replace “land surveyor registered under” with “registered surveyor under”.

(2) In the Boundaries and Survey Maps Act 1998, in section 2(1) —

(a)	in the definition of “authorised surveyor”, replace “a surveyor” with “a land surveyor”; and
(b)	in the definition of “registered surveyor”, replace “surveyor registered under” with “registered surveyor within the meaning given by”.

(3) In the Land Titles Act 1993, in section 4(6)(c), replace “surveyor who is registered under the Land Surveyors Act 1991 and” with “registered surveyor under the Land Surveyors Act 1991 who”.

(4) In the Land Titles (Strata) Act 1967, in section 5A(2)(a), replace “surveyor who is registered under the Land Surveyors Act 1991 and” with “registered surveyor under the Land Surveyors Act 1991 who”.

(5) In the Planning Act 1998, in section 2, in the definition of “land surveyor”, replace “registered as a surveyor” with “a registered surveyor”.

(6) In the Professional Engineers Act 1991, in section 2 —

(a)	in the definition of “allied professional”, in paragraph (b), replace “registered under” with “a registered surveyor under”; and
(b)	in the definition of “practising certificate”, in paragraph (c), replace “land surveyor registered under” with “registered surveyor under”.

(7) In the Registration of Deeds Act 1988, in section 2(1), in the definition of “registered surveyor”, replace “person who is registered under the Land Surveyors Act 1991 and” with “registered surveyor under the Land Surveyors Act 1991 who”.

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