Singapore Law Blog

More domestic exports from Singapore to India will receive tariff concessions targeted to start from 1 November 2007 following the successful review of the India Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).

The Infectious Diseases Act (IDA) is the principal piece of public health legislation that deals with the prevention and control of infectious diseases in Singapore. It is jointly administered by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency (NEA). The IDA has undergone several amendments over the years to keep up with the trends of outbreaks and the emergence of new infectious diseases. The IDA was last amended in 2003 in the middle of SARS to incorporate provisions to deal with the outbreak in Singapore.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) has released a consultation paper on proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA) and its subsidiary legislation to enhance the consumer protection framework in Singapore. The amendments arose from the recommendations made by a taskforce[1], jointly led by the Consumers Association of Singapore and MTI, that reviewed the CPFTA.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has issued revised Property Fund Guidelines (REIT Guidelines). The revised Guidelines are intended to improve safeguards for investors and to provide greater clarity and flexibility for commercial transactions. The Guidelines have also been rationalised to reduce compliance costs in a number of areas.

Minister for Trade And Industry issues Exclusion Order for Air Shuttle Service Operation Agreement Between Malaysian Airline System Berhad (MAS) and Singapore Airlines Limited (SIA) on the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur sector.

The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) is conducting a second public consultation on proposed changes to the Media Market Conduct Code (“Code”) to promote fair market conduct and effective competition in Singapore’s media industry.

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) today proposes a regulatory framework for devices using ultra-wideband (UWB) technology. The framework seeks to give greater business certainty for UWB players as it will facilitate the entry of such devices in Singapore, so that businesses and consumers may enjoy the benefits of this nascent technology. The framework is expected to be gazetted by the end of the year.

The Building Control (Amendment) Bill has been passed by Parliament today on 20 September 2007. The objective of the Bill is to strengthen the building control regulatory framework to raise the professionalism, quality and safety standards in the construction industry. It also puts in place the recommendations of the MND-MOM Joint Review Committee on Construction Safety (JRC), which was formed to examine the regulation of the construction process following the Nicoll Highway collapse. The Bill has also taken into consideration useful feedback from relevant stakeholders in the industry following numerous consultations with them.

The text of the Second Reading Speech On Land Titles (Strata) (Amendment) Bill by DPM Prof S Jayakumar, 20 Sept 2007 is below.

The text of the Second Reading Speech On The Monetary Authority of Singapore (Amendment No. 2) Bill 2007 by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Second Minister for Finance in Parliament on 19 Sept 2007 is below.

The text of the Second Reading Speech On Inquiries Bill 2007, by Deputy Prime Minister in Parliament on 19 Sept 2007 is below.

The text of the Second Reading Speech for the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act by Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs n Parliament is below.

The revised Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation (DTA) between Singapore and China was signed on 11 July 2007 by Mr Moses Lee, Commissioner of Inland Revenue from Singapore and Mr Wang Li, Deputy Commissioner of State Administration of Taxation from China. The ratification process for the revised DTA has now been completed and the DTA enters into force on 18 September 2007.

In March 2007, during the Committee of Supply, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan announced that the Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW) levy concession[1] will be extended to employers with disabled dependents[2], or who are themselves disabled. Employers may now apply for the FDW Levy Concession (Persons with disability) from 15 September 2007. Eligible employers will enjoy a concessionary levy rate of $170 monthly. The application form and detailed application procedure can be found on the Disability Portal at www.disability.org.sg.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Law Professor S Jayakumar and the Secretary General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) Mr Tjaco Van den Hout signed an Agreement on 10 September 2007 to establish a facility of the PCA in Singapore. The DPM's speech is below.

The Law Society's Pro Bono Services Office opened at the Subordinate Courts on 10 Sept 2007.

The Senior Minister of State for Law Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee speech at the opening of the Law Society's Pro Bono Services Office at the Subordinate Courts on 10 Sept 2007 is below.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Law Professor S Jayakumar and the Secretary General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) Mr Tjaco Van den Hout signed an Agreement today to establish a facility of the PCA in Singapore.

The Horizon Towers Story has been compiled into a blog by someone calling himself "Enblock Victim". He has taken the trouble to weed out all the irrelevant flaming found at forums and blogs. The link is at http://htstory.blogspot.com.

Peru’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Tourism, Ms Mercedes Araoz and Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Lim Hng Kiang today announced the successful conclusion of negotiations for the Peru-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.

A greater awareness of the law among the people and lawyers willing to offer their services for free (or 'pro bono') to the needy are key to ensuring access to justice, said Law Society President Philip Jeyaretnam during the Law Awareness Project 2007 launch on 1 Sept 2007.

Money laundering is a concern of all the world’s financial centres, including Singapore. Since 1991, Singapore has been a member of the Financial Action Task Force (“FATF”), the inter-government body established in 1989 to develop and promote policies to combat money laundering. Towards this end, the FATF developed and issued its Forty Recommendations on Money Laundering and Nine Special Recommendations on Terrorist Financing. These two sets of recommendations collectively known within the international financial community as the FATF 40+9 Recommendations, constitute the international standard against money laundering and terrorist financing.

The Ministry of National Development, in consultation with the Chief Valuer, has revised the rates of development charges (DC) for the period 1 Sep 2007 to 29 Feb 2008. The revised rates are due to increase in market values. The revised table of DC rates will take effect from 1 Sep 2007.

Mr Ong Ying Ping shared his knowledge on the legal pitfalls in an En-bloc sale Seminar organised by Ahrals. The presentation made during the seminar is found at this link.

The text of the Second Reading Speech for The Private Security Industry Bill 2007 by the Minister of Home Affairs in Parliament is below.