SINGAPORE LEGISLATION Digest of Acts passed between 1st March 2000 and 31st August 2000

Published date01 December 2000
AuthorWOON SEOW CHENG
Citation(2000) 12 SAcLJ 476
Date01 December 2000

Digest of Acts passed between 1st March 2000 and 31st August 2000

Agri-food and Veterinary Authority Act 2000
Act No. 16 of 2000

Long Title: An Act to establish the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority, to provide for its functions and powers, and for matters connected therewith; and to make consequential amendments to certain other written laws.

Passed by Parliament on: 17 March 2000

Assented to by President on: 25 March 2000

Publication date: 31 March 2000

Commencement date: 1 April 2000

Summary: This Act seeks to establish and incorporate a new public corporation to be called the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority and to transfer to the Authority the functions, property, liabilities and employees of the existing Primary Production Department.

The main functions of the Authority are as follows:

  1. (a) to regulate the safety and wholesomeness of primary foods for supply to Singapore;

  2. (b) to promote and regulate animal and fish health, animal welfare and plant health;

  3. (c) to promote, facilitate and regulate the production, processing and trade of primary foods and products related to or connected with the agri-food and veterinary sectors;

  4. (d) to develop, manage and regulate any agrotechnology park, agribiotechnology park, mari-culture park, fishing harbour, and any other agri-food and veterinary centre or establishment;

  5. (e) to promote the development of the agri-food and veterinary sectors;

  6. (f) to advise and make recommendations to the Government on matters, measures and regulations related to or connected with the agri-food and veterinary sectors;

  7. (g) to represent the government internationally on matters related to or concerned with the agri-food and veterinary sectors; and

  8. (h) to carry out such other functions as are imposed upon the Authority by or under this Act or any other written law.

Related Legislation: Animals and Birds Act (Cap, 7), Control of Plants Act (Cap. 57A), Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act (Cap. 92A), Fisheries Act (Cap. 111), Feeding Stuffs Act (Cap. 105), Medicines Act (Cap. 176), Wild Animals and Birds Act (Cap. 351), Wholesome Meat and Fish Act (Act 5 of 1999).

Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Act 2000
Act No. 17 of 2000

Long Title: An Act to give effect to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction concluded at Paris on 13 January 1993.

Passed by Parliament on: 25 April 2000

Assented to by President on: 8 May 2000

Publication date: 30 May 2000

Commencement date: 1 June 2000

Summary: This Act gives effect to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction concluded at Paris on 13 January 1993 and for purposes connected therewith.

The key provisions are as follows:

Section 4 provides that the purpose of the Act is to implement Singapore’s obligations under the Convention and requires every person exercising a power or discretion conferred under this Act to have regard to those obligations.

Section 5 provides for extra-territorial application of sections 8 and 26 in respect of acts done or omitted to be done outside Singapore by any citizen of Singapore or any person on board a ship or aircraft registered in Singapore, and requires the sanction of the Public Prosecutor before the institution of any proceedings for an offence under sections 8 and 26 committed outside Singapore.

Section 8 makes it an offence for any person to engage in the use, development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, or transfer of a chemical weapon, to engage in military preparations using a chemical weapon, to knowingly assist, encourage or induce another person to engage in any activity prohibited to a State Party under the Convention, or to use a riot control agent as a method of warfare.

Section 9 prohibits the use, development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention or transfer of a Schedule 1 chemical for a permitted purpose, the production, processing or consumption of a Schedule 2 chemical for a permitted purpose, the production of a Schedule 3 chemical for a permitted purpose, the production of any unscheduled discrete

organic chemical beyond specified thresholds, and the import or export of a Schedule 2 chemical or a Schedule 3 chemical, except with a licence; and empowers the Director to grant a licence on an application made by a person who wishes to do any of those acts.

National Science and Technology Board (Amendment) Act 2000
Act No. 18 of 2000

Long Title: An Act to amend the National Science and Technology Board Act (Chapter 201A of the 1991 Revised Edition).

Passed by Parliament on: 25 April 2000

Assented to by President on: 8 May 2000

Publication date: 29 May 2000

Commencement date: 1 June 2000

Summary: This Act seeks to amend the National Science and Technology Board Act (Cap. 201A) for the following purposes:

  1. (a) to provide for the appointment by the Minister of up to 2 Deputy Chairmen from among the members of the National Science and Technology Board;

  2. (b) to expand the functions of the Board to encompass stimulating, encouraging and facilitating development of an environment conducive to scientific and technological activities, scientific and technological innovation and commercial application of science and technology; and

  3. (c) to expand the powers of the Board in order to discharge its expanded functions including, in particular, a new power to provide or develop, in partnership with the private sector, incubator facilities for new technology-based enterprises and business support facilities for growing technology-based enterprises.

Multi-Level Marketing and Pyramid Selling (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act 2000
Act No. 19 of 2000

Long Title: An Act to amend the Multi-Level Marketing and Pyramid Selling (Prohibition) Act (Chapter 190 of the 1985 Revised Edition).

Passed by Parliament on: 9 May 2000

Assented to by President on: 19 May 2000

Publication date: 25 May 2000

Commencement date: 1 June 2000

Summary: This Act amends the Multi-Level Marketing and Pyramid Selling (Prohibition) Act (Cap. 190) to make the Act more effective in

prohibiting multi-level marketing and pyramid selling schemes and arrangements, but at the same time, allowing the Minister to exclude, by order, legitimate schemes and arrangements from the ambit of the Act.

The following is a summary of the key amendments:

Section 2 is amended by —

  1. (a) amending the definition of “pyramid selling scheme or arrangement” to remove the requirement of the sharing of benefits between participants at different levels or tiers down the “pyramid”, and generally to simplify it;

  2. (b) amending the definition of “commodity” for consistency with the new definition of “pyramid selling scheme or arrangement”;

  3. (c) introducing a definition of the term “benefit”, which excludes the purchase of samples not exceeding their cost, and time and effort spent in pursuit of sales, distribution or recruiting activities; and

  4. (d) incorporating a new subsection (1A) to empower the Minister to exclude, by order and subject to such terms or conditions as may be prescribed, schemes or arrangements for the sale, lease, licence or other distribution of a commodity, or any class of such schemes or arrangements, from the definition of “pyramid selling scheme or arrangement”.

The new section 11 empowers a court that convicts a promoter or participant of a multi-level marketing, or pyramid selling, scheme or arrangement under section 3(2) to impose a penalty in addition to any other punishment. The penalty is to be imposed if the promoter or participant has received any benefit, whether directly or indirectly, as a result of committing the offence under section 3(2). The penalty will be a sum not exceeding the amount of, or the value of, such benefit. In the case of a participant, the court may take into account any benefit that the participant may have given for the right to participate, or any loss that the participant may have incurred, and impose a lower amount of penalty. The new section 11(1), however, shall not prejudice or affect any person’s right to recover damages from a promoter or participant.

Political Donations Act 2000
Act No. 20 of 2000

Long Title: An Act to regulate donations to political parties and political associations and to candidates and election agents in a parliamentary election or presidential election so as to prohibit foreign donations and restrict anonymous donations thereto and for matters connected therewith, and to make related amendments to the Parliamentary Elections Act

(Chapter 218 of the 1999 Revised Edition) and the Presidential...

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