State Lands (Amendment) Bill

Bill No. 23/1980

Read the first time on 31st October 1980.

An Act to amend the State Lands Act (Chapter 285 of the Revised Edition).

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 State Lands (Amendment) Act, 1980, and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

Amendment of section 4

2. Section 4 of the State Lands Act (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the principal Act) is amended by deleting subsection (1) and substituting the following: —

“(1) Every grant or lease of State land issued under this Part shall be in the prescribed form and shall be signed by the Collector of Land Revenue.”.

New section 4A

3. The principal Act is amended by inserting, immediately after section 4, the following section: —

“Death of grantee or lessee

4A.—(1) Where a grant or lease has been issued under this Act, or a certificate has been issued by the Collector of Land Revenue under section 8, 8A or 8B of the Land Titles Act (Cap. 276), to a person who, unknown to the Collector of Land Revenue, was not alive at the date of the issue of the grant or lease or Collector’s certificate and pursuant to the issue of such grant, lease or certificate the Registrar of Titles has issued a certificate of title to the deceased person —

(a)

an application may be made by the personal representative of the said deceased person to the Registrar of Titles to have the certificate of title duly amended and endorsed with the name of the said personal representative as the registered proprietor of the land comprised therein in place of the said deceased person; and

(b)

the Registrar of Titles, if he is satisfied that the personal representative has obtained a grant of probate of the will or letters of administration of the estate of the deceased person or has been vested with authority to act as such personal representative, as the case may be, shall make the appropriate amendment and endorsement on the certificate of title, and the State grant or lease affected, and thereupon section 98 of the Land Titles Act (Cap. 276) shall apply mutatis mutandis.

(2) For the purposes of this section, “personal representative” includes —

(a)	an executor, whether original or by representation; or
(b)	an administrator; or
(c)	a trustee,

for the time being of the estate of a deceased person.”.

New section 6A

4. The principal Act is amended by inserting, immediately after section 6, the following section: —

“Assignee bound by covenants in State grants or leases, etc.

6A.—(1) An assignee of, or any person who becomes a proprietor of, any land in Singapore shall be bound by such exceptions, reservations or covenants (restrictive or otherwise) contained in the Crown grant or lease, or State grant or lease irrespective of whether he has notice (actual or constructive) of such exceptions, reservations or covenants.

(2) This section shall apply to all grants and leases issued before, on or after the commencement of the State Lands (Amendment) Act, 1980.”.

Amendment of section 9

5. Section 9 of the principal Act is amended by deleting the words “form or to the effect of Schedule B” in subsection (3) and substituting the words “prescribed form”.

Amendment of section 10

6. Section 10 of the principal Act is amended by inserting, immediately after the word “grant” in subsection (2), the words “or lease”.

Repeal and re-enactment of section 11

7. Section 11 of the principal Act is repealed and the following substituted therefor: —

“Surrender of title

11.—(1) If the owner of the land comprised in any Crown grant or lease, or State grant or lease, is desirous of surrendering his title to the land in exchange for one or more new titles for development, subdivision or other purposes, he may apply to the President to accept the surrender of his existing title to the land and, in lieu thereof, to regrant one or more titles for the whole of the land or in parcels, subject to any terms and conditions which may be imposed by the President for accepting the surrender.

(2) When the President is satisfied with the title of the applicant and the applicant has agreed to accept all the terms and conditions imposed by the President under subsection (1) of this section, the President shall accept a surrender of the grant or lease and shall issue in lieu thereof to the applicant one or more new grants or leases for the said land or in parcels.

(3) The applicant shall pay all costs and expenses of, or consequent on, his application.”.

Repeal and re-enactment of section 12

8. Section 12 of the principal Act is repealed and the following substituted therefor: —

“Grants in fee simple

12.—(1) Grants in fee simple shall not be issued otherwise than in accordance with this Part, save as provided in section 11.

(2) Every grant in fee simple issued under this Part shall be in the prescribed form and shall be signed by the Collector of Land Revenue.”.

Repeal of sections 15 and 16

9. Sections 15 and 16 of the principal Act are repealed.

Amendment of section 17

10. Section 17 of the principal Act is amended by deleting the words “or to any purchaser or purchasers” in the seventh and eighth lines.

Repeal and re-enactment of section 19

11. Section 19 of the principal Act is repealed and the following substituted therefor: —

“Power to make rules

19.—(1) The Minister may make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act and, in particular, the Minister may make rules for all or any of the following matters: —

(a)	the fees to be collected by the Collector of Land Revenue; and
(b)	the form of grants, leases, grants in fee simple, and other instruments for the purposes of this Act.

(2) All rules made under this section shall be published in the Gazette and shall be presented to Parliament as soon as may be after publication.”.

Repeal of sections 20 and 22 and Schedules A and B

12. Sections 20 and 22 of the principal Act and Schedules A and B thereto are repealed.

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