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Science Centre Bill

Bill No. 23/1970

Read the first time on 26th June 1970.

An Act to establish a Science Centre Board and for purposes incidental thereto.

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

Short title and commencement

1.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Science Centre Act, 1970, and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

(2) The Minister may appoint different dates for the coming into operation of the different provisions of this Act.

Interpretation

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

“Board” means the Science Centre Board to be established under section 3 of this Act;

“Chairman” means the Chairman of the Board appointed under section 4 of this Act and includes any temporary Chairman so appointed;

“Deputy Chairman” means the Deputy Chairman of the Board appointed under section 4 of this Act and includes any temporary Deputy Chairman so appointed;

“financial year” means a period of twelve months beinning on the 1st day of April in any year:

Provided that for the year 1970 the financial year shall mean the period between the date of the establishment of the Board and the 31st day of March 1971;

“Science Centre” means the Science Centre established under section 5 of this Act.

Establishment of a Science Centre Board

3.—(1) There shall be established in accordance with the provisions of this Act a body to be called the “Science Centre Board”.

(2) The Board shall be a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal with power, subject to the provisions of this Act, to acquire, hold or dispose of property, both movable and immovable, to enter into contracts, to sue and be sued in its corporate name and to perform such other acts as bodies corporate may by law perform.

Constitution of the Board

4.—(1) The Board shall consist of —

(a)	a Chairman;
(b)	a Deputy Chairman; and
(c)	not less than seven but not more than fifteen other members,

all of whom shall be appointed by the Minister.

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

(3) The Minister may appoint any person to be a temporary member of the Board during the temporary incapacity from illness or otherwise, or during the temporary absence from Singapore, of any member of the Board.

(4) The Minister may appoint any member of the Board to be a temporary Chairman or temporary Deputy Chairman during the temporary incapacity from illness or otherwise, or during the temporary absence from Singapore, of the Chairman or the Deputy Chairman, as case may be.

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

(6) The Minister may, at any time, revoke the appointment of the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman and any other member of the Board.

(7) The Board may act notwithstanding any vacancy in its membership.

Duties of the Board

5. It shall be the duty of the Board to establish and maintain a Science Centre for the purpose of —

(a)	exhibiting objects illustrative of the physical sciences, life sciences, applied sciences, technology and industry; and
(b)	promoting the dissemination of knowledge in science and technology.

Powers of the Board

6. The Board shall have power for the discharge of its duties under section 5 of this Act —

(a)	to carry on all activities, the carrying on of which appears to the Board to be necessary, advantageous or convenient for or in connection with the discharge of its said duties;
(b)	to promote the carrying on of any such activities by other bodies or persons;
(c)	to carry on such activities in association with other bodies or persons including the departments of the Government;
(d)	with the approval of the Minister, to acquire, purchase, lease, take, hold and enjoy movable and immovable property of every description and sell, convey, assign, surrender and yield up, mortgage, demise, re-assign, transfer or otherwise dispose of any movable or immovable property vested in the Board upon such terms as the Board may deem fit;
(e)	to erect and maintain all necessary buildings for the purposes of the Science Centre;
(f)	to manage the Science Centre;
(g)	to acquire, instal and maintain exhibits for the Science Centre;
(h)	to receive donations, grants, gifts of movable or immovable property from any source or raise funds by any lawful means;
(i)	to regulate and control public access to the Science Centre and charge fees for such access;
(j)	to make provision for the specialised training of any officers or employees of the Board and in such connection may offer scholarships to intending trainees or otherwise pay for the course of such training and all expenditure incidental thereto; and
(k)	to enter into contracts, establish trusts and generally regulate transaction of all business connected with the Board.

Appointment of officers and servants

7.—(1) The Board may from time to time appoint and employ such officers and employees as may be necessary to assist the Board in carrying out its functions and may from time to time dismiss them:

Provided that the approval of the Minister shall be obtained in respect of the appointment of the chief administrative officer of the Science Centre.

(2) All officers and employees of the Board shall be under the administrative control of the Board and shall be appointed on such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Board.

Members and officers of Board deemed to be public servants

8. All members, officers and employees of the Board shall be deemed to be public servants within the meaning of the Penal Code (Cap. 119).

Directions by Minister

9.—(1) The Minister may give to the Board such directions, not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, as he deems fit, as to the exercise and performance by the Board of its powers, duties and functions under this Act, and the Board shall give effect to all such directions.

(2) The Board shall furnish the Minister with such information with respect to its property and activities as he may from time to time require.

Appointment of committees and delegation of powers

10.—(1) The Board may, in its discretion, appoint from among its own members or other persons who are not members of the Board such number of committees consisting of persons who may or may not be members of the Board for purposes which, in the opinion of the Board, would be better regulated and managed by means of such committees.

(2) The Board may, subject to such conditions or restriction as it thinks fit, delegate to any committee referred to in subsection (1) of this section or the Chairman thereof or any employee of the Board all or any of the powers, functions and duties by this Act vested in the Board, (other than the power to delegate conferred by this section) and any power, function or duty so delegated may be exercised or performed by such committee or the Chairman thereof or employee in the name and on behalf of the Board.

(3) The Board may continue to exercise any power conferred upon it, or perform any function or duty under this Act, notwithstanding the delegation of such power, function or duty under the provisions of this section.

Protection from personal liability

11.—(1) No action, suit, prosecution or proceedings shall be brought or instituted against any member of the Board in respect of any act done bona fide in pursuance or execution or intended execution of this Act.

(2) Where any member of the Board is exempt from liability by reason only of the provisions of this section, the Board itself shall be liable only to the extent that it would be if such member of the Board were an employee or agent of the Board.

Execution of documents

12. All deeds, documents or other instruments requiring the seal of the Board shall be sealed with the common seal of the Board in the presence of the Chairman or the Deputy Chairman and one other member of the Board, 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 said seal was duly and properly affixed and that the same is the lawful seal of the Board.

Grants to the Board

13. For the purpose of enabling the Board to carry out its functions under this Act, the Minister may, from time to time, make grants to the Board of such sums of money as he may determine.

Science Centre Fund

14. All moneys received or raised by the Board shall forthwith be paid into such bank or banks as may from time to time be decided by the Board to the credit of a fund to be called the “Science Centre Fund” (hereinafter in this Act referred to as “the Fund”) which shall be controlled and administered by the Board, subject to the directions of the Minister.

Purpose of Science Centre Fund

15. The moneys standing to the credit of the Fund shall be devoted solely to the following purposes: —

(a)	the payment of the expenses of, or connected with, the administration of the Board; and
(b)	the payment of all expenses necessary for carrying out the purposes of this Act.

Annual report

16. The Board shall as soon as possible after the close of each financial year, submit to the Minister an annual report on the activities of the Board during that financial year, and the Minister shall present a copy of such report to Parliament.

Accounts of the Board

17.—(1) The Board shall keep proper accounts and other records of its own and shall prepare in respect of each financial year a statement of its accounts in a form approved by the Minister.

(2) The accounts of the Board shall be audited by a qualified auditor appointed annually by the Board with the approval of the Minister and such auditor shall make a report on the accounts examined by him.

(3) As soon as the accounts of the Board have been audited in accordance with subsection (2) of this section a copy of the statement of accounts together with a copy of any report made by the auditor shall be submitted to the Minister, who shall present to Parliament a copy of every such statement and report.

Annual estimates

18. The Board shall obtain in advance the approval of the Minister for its annual estimates of expenditure and for any supplementary estimates of such expenditure.

Investment

19. Moneys standing to the credit of the Board may from time to time be invested in any of the securities in which trust funds may, by section 4 of the Trustees Act 1967 (Act 17 of 1967), be invested.

Exemption from income tax

20. The Board shall be exempt from the payment of income tax under any written law for the time being in force relating to income tax.

Gifts to the Board to be exempt from income tax

21. The Board shall be deemed to be an institution of a public character approved by the Minister for Finance for the purposes of paragraph (c) of subsection (2) of section 37 of the Income Tax Ordinance (Cap. 166).

Regulations

22.—(1) The Minister may make regulations for or in respect of —

(a)	the convening of meetings of the Board and the procedure to be followed thereat;
(b)	the management and control of the Science Centre and the premises of the Centre;
(c)	the exercise of the Board’s powers and functions under the provisions of this Act; and
(d)	every purpose which is deemed by the Minister to be necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Act.

(2) All regulations made under this Act —

(a)	may prescribe that any act or omission in contravention thereof shall be an offence; and
(b)	may provide for the imposition of penalties for such offences which penalties shall not exceed a fine of one thousand dollars.

Repeal

23.—(1) The National Museum Ordinance, 1957 (Ord. 30 of 1957), is hereby repealed.

(2) All objects given, bequeathed, or otherwise acquired for the purposes of the National Museum at any time prior to the date of repeal of the National Museum Ordinance, 1957, shall, by virtue of this Act, vest in the Board and be held by the Board for the purposes of the Science Centre.