Singapore legislation
Section 14
Section 14
Payment of cash grant by Government or other payments into Fund
(1)
The Board may after 1 June 1984 accept any cash grant made by the Government for the benefit of any person who qualifies for such grant under any approved scheme, and the Board must credit the cash grant into such account in the Fund of that person as the Minister may direct.
(1A)
Where —
the Board, pursuant to an activity engaged under section 76(1)(a) —
has attempted to make a cash payment to a person by issuing a cheque or other physical payment instrument to the person; and
has sent a notice to the person of the issue of the cheque or other physical payment instrument, whether or not the person receives the notice; and
the cheque or other physical payment instrument has been returned to the Board or has expired before it is encashed,the Board may, in lieu of making the cash payment, credit an amount equivalent to the value of the cash payment into such account of that person in the Fund as the Minister may direct.
(2)
Any cash grant or payment paid into the Fund under subsection (1) or (1A), as the case may be, is deemed to be a contribution for the purposes of this Act and such cash grant or payment or interest thereon may be withdrawn under the provisions of this Act for such purposes and in such manner as may be prescribed by the regulations.
(3)
The Board is entitled to recover on behalf of the Government the whole or part of the amount of any cash grant or payment paid into the Fund under subsection (1) or (1A), as the case may be, for the benefit of any person, together with any interest which the person is liable to pay to the Government under the terms of the cash grant or payment, from any money standing to the credit of that person in the Fund if, before, on or after 1 January 2017 —
the person has obtained the cash grant or payment by means of any false or misleading statement or any document that is false or misleading in any particular;
the person has committed a breach of any of the terms and conditions of the cash grant or payment; or
the person is eligible to receive another cash grant or payment, or a cash grant or payment of a different amount, in place of the cash grant or payment to be recovered.
(3A)
The Board is entitled to recover on behalf of the Government the whole or part of the amount of any cash grant or payment paid into the Fund under subsection (1) or (1A), as the case may be, for the benefit of any person, from any money standing to the credit of that person in the Fund before, on or after the expiry of the prescribed period mentioned in paragraph (b) if —
the whole or part of the cash grant or payment is paid in error into the person’s account in the Fund before, on or after 1 January 2017; and
before the expiry of the prescribed period beginning on the date on which the cash grant or payment was paid into the person’s account in the Fund in error —
the Board issues a notice of intent to recover that amount, whether or not received by the person; or
the Government, in such manner as the Board may require, requests the Board to recover that amount.
(3B)
Where the Board has, before 1 January 2017, recovered any of the following amounts, the recovered amounts are taken to be and always to have been validly recovered and no legal proceedings lie or may be instituted or maintained in any court of law in respect of any such recovery:
the whole or part of the amount of any cash grant or payment paid in error into a person’s account in the Fund;
any interest on any cash grant or payment mentioned in paragraph (a).
(3C)
Where the Board has recovered any amount from a person’s account in the Fund under subsection (3) or (3A), the Board may transfer, from the person’s account in the Fund to the general moneys of the Fund, the whole or such part, as the Board may determine, of any interest paid on the recovered amount while the recovered amount was in the person’s account in the Fund.
(3D)
Any interest transferred to the general moneys of the Fund before 1 January 2017, which if transferred on or after that date would be permitted under subsection (3C), is taken to be and always to have been validly transferred, and no legal proceedings lie or may be instituted or maintained in any court of law in respect of any such transfer.
(4)
Any money recovered by the Board from any person under subsection (3) must be refunded forthwith to the Government.
(4A)
Despite sections 20(1)(b) and (1A) and 25 —
the Board may recover or transfer (as the case may be) any amount from a person’s account in the Fund under this section even after the person’s death; and
where, before 1 January 2017, the Board had recovered or transferred (as the case may be) any amount from a person’s account in the Fund after the person’s death, which if recovered or transferred on or after that date would be permitted under this section, the amount is taken to be and always to have been validly recovered or transferred, and no legal proceedings lie or may be instituted or maintained in any court of law on account of or in respect of any such recovery or transfer.
(4B)
Subsections (3) to (3D) and (4A) apply despite any other provisions of this Act, but are without prejudice to any other right of action or remedy which the Board or the Government may have under any written law or rule of law.
(5)
In this section —
Definition
“approved scheme” means a scheme approved by the Minister;
Definition
“cash grant” means a cash grant made by the Government under any approved scheme.