Silver Support Scheme Act 2015

• Record Number: Act 28 of 2015
• copyrightNote: © Singapore legislation sourced from Singapore Statutes Online. It is subject to copyright of the Singapore Government and is reproduced with the permission of the Attorney-General’s Chambers of Singapore.

REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE

GOVERNMENT GAZETTE

ACTS SUPPLEMENT

Published by Authority

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NO. 29] Friday, August 21 [2015

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The following Act was passed by Parliament on 17th August 2015 and assented to by the President on 21st August 2015:—

Silver Support Scheme Act 2015

(No. 28 of 2015)

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I assent.

TONY TAN KENG YAM, President. 21st August 2015.

Date of Commencement: 18th January 2016 Part 1, section 5, Parts 3 and 4

Date of Commencement: 22nd July 2016 Sections 6 and 7

An Act to provide for a social security scheme called the Silver Support Scheme and for related matters.

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

PART 1 PRELIMINARY Short title and commencement 1. This Act may be cited as the Silver Support Scheme Act 2015 and comes into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint. Interpretation 2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires — “administrator” means the Board, or any public officer or public authority appointed under section 5(4) to assist the Board in administering the Scheme; “Board” means the Central Provident Fund Board constituted under section 3 of the Central Provident Fund Act (Cap. 36); “cash grant” means any cash grant made by the Government under the Scheme; “Commissioner” means the Commissioner for Silver Support appointed under section 4(1), and includes any Deputy Commissioner for Silver Support or Assistant Commissioner for Silver Support appointed under section 4(2); “eligible individual” means an individual who is eligible to receive any benefit under the Scheme; “investigator” means an officer or employee of the Board who is authorised under section 5(7) to conduct any investigation under this Act, and includes any person appointed under section 5(8) to assist the Board in conducting any investigation under this Act; “means information” means any information relating to the income or assets of any individual, or of a group of individuals who comprise a household, in the possession of any Government department or public authority; “public authority” means a body established or constituted by or under a public Act to perform or discharge a public function; “public scheme” means any scheme that — (a) is or will be established by or under any written law and administered by a public authority, or by the Government in any other manner; and (b) is to provide financial relief, assistance or support to citizens or permanent residents of Singapore, or any part of them; “Scheme” means the Silver Support Scheme established under section 5(1). Purpose of Act 3. The purpose of this Act is to ensure that citizens of Singapore who are elderly, and who satisfy certain eligibility criteria, will receive financial support through a social security scheme. Administration of Act 4.—(1) The Minister may in writing appoint a public officer to be the Commissioner for Silver Support. (2) The Minister may in writing — (a) appoint any public officer, or any employee of a public authority, to be a Deputy Commissioner for Silver Support; and (b) appoint any public officer, or any employee of a public authority, to be an Assistant Commissioner for Silver Support. (3) The Commissioner for Silver Support is responsible for the administration of this Act. (4) Subject to the directions of the Commissioner for Silver Support, every Deputy Commissioner for Silver Support and every Assistant Commissioner for Silver Support may perform the functions and exercise the powers of the Commissioner for Silver Support.

PART 2 SILVER SUPPORT SCHEME Establishment of Silver Support Scheme 5.—(1) There is established a social security scheme, known as the Silver Support Scheme, for the purpose of providing financial support to eligible individuals. (2) Subject to the directions of the Commissioner for Silver Support, the Board is to administer the Scheme, and enforce this Act, on behalf of the Government. (3) Subject to the provisions of this Act, where the Board administers the Scheme or enforces this Act on behalf of the Government — (a) the Board is to be regarded as fulfilling the purposes of the Central Provident Fund Act (Cap. 36), and the provisions of that Act are to apply to the Board in respect of the administration of the Scheme and the enforcement of this Act; and (b) the members, officers and employees of the Board, in relation to their administration of the Scheme and enforcement of this Act, are deemed to be public officers for the purposes of the Financial Procedure Act (Cap. 109), and section 20 of that Act is to apply (with such necessary modifications as may be prescribed) to them even though they are not or were not in the employment of the Government. (4) The Minister may appoint any public officer, or any public authority (other than the Board), to assist the Board in administering the Scheme, for instance, by disbursing or conferring any benefit under the Scheme. (5) The Minister must, as soon as practicable, cause to be published in the Gazette a notice of the appointment of every public officer or public authority appointed under subsection (4). (6) Subject to the provisions of this Act, where a public authority is appointed by the Minister under subsection (4) to assist the Board in administering the Scheme — (a) the functions and duties of the public authority under written law are to be regarded as including the administration of the Scheme; (b) the public authority is to be regarded as fulfilling the purposes of the Act constituting the public authority, and the provisions of that Act are to apply to the public authority in respect of the administration of the Scheme; and (c) the members, officers and employees of the public authority, in relation to their administration of the Scheme, are deemed to be public officers for the purposes of the Financial Procedure Act, and section 20 of that Act is to apply (with such necessary modifications as may be prescribed) to them even though they are not or were not in the employment of the Government. (7) The Board may authorise any officer or employee of the Board to conduct any investigation under this Act. (8) The Minister may in writing appoint any person to assist the Board in conducting any investigation under this Act. Who is an eligible individual? 6.—(1) In this Act, an eligible individual is an individual who — (a) is a citizen of Singapore; (b) has attained the age of 65 years; and (c) satisfies all other eligibility criteria that may be prescribed. (2) For the purposes of subsection (1)(b) — (a) an individual attains the age of 65 years on the 65th anniversary of the date of that individual’s birth; (b) where an individual was born on 29 February, the 65th anniversary of the date of that individual’s birth is deemed to occur on 1 March; (c) where the day of the month in which an individual was born cannot be ascertained, that individual is deemed to be born on the first day of that month; and (d) where the month in which an individual was born cannot be ascertained, that individual is deemed to be born in January. Benefits 7.—(1) An eligible individual is eligible to receive such benefits in such manner and of such amounts as may be prescribed. (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), different benefits, different methods of disbursing or conferring benefits and different amounts of benefits may be prescribed for different classes of eligible individuals.

PART 3 ADMINISTRATION Provision of information for administration of Act or Scheme 8.—(1) Where the Minister certifies in writing that it is necessary for an authorised person to have access to any particular class of means information in the possession of a Government department or public authority, in order to facilitate the administration or enforcement of this Act or the administration of the Scheme — (a) the Minister charged with the responsibility for that Government department or public authority may, in addition to any other power conferred by any written law, direct that Government department or public authority to provide to the authorised person so much of the means information as is necessary for that purpose; and (b) that Government department or public authority is to comply with the direction under paragraph (a), despite any other written law, and whether or not it is under any obligation (imposed by written law or otherwise) not to disclose such information. (2) Where the Minister certifies in writing that it is necessary for an information recipient to have access to any particular class of confidential information (other than means information) in the possession of a Government department or public authority, in order to facilitate the administration or enforcement of this Act or the administration of the Scheme — (a) the Minister charged with the responsibility for that Government department or public authority may, in addition to any other power conferred by any written law, direct that Government department or public authority to provide to the information recipient so much of the confidential information as is necessary for that purpose; and (b) that Government department or other public authority is to comply with the direction under paragraph (a), despite any other written law, and whether or not it is under any obligation (imposed by written law or otherwise) not to disclose such information. (3) If an individual opts out, in the manner determined by the Commissioner, from the application of subsection (1) to means information about the individual, then from the time an authorised person is notified that the individual has opted out, the authorised person must not — (a) access any means information about the individual obtained under that subsection; or (b) use or disclose under section 9 any such means information that the authorised person had previously accessed, except with the consent of that individual. (4) Despite the provisions of this Act or any other written law, but subject to subsection (3) — (a) a person is not guilty of an offence under any written law or of ...