Singapore legislation

Section 18

of Census Act 1973

Section 18

Disclosure of census information

(1)

Despite section 17, the Superintendent or any census officer authorised by the Superintendent in writing may, on the written request of a responsible officer of any public authority specified in the Second Schedule, disclose on a confidential basis any particulars or information relating to any individual person obtained under the provisions of this Act to the public authority if —

(a)

those particulars or information could also have been obtained by the public authority under any other written law; and

(b)

in any case where the particulars or information have been obtained from a competent authority under section 13, that competent authority consents in writing to the disclosure.

(2)

The Superintendent or any census officer authorised by the Superintendent in writing is not guilty of any offence under any written law or of any breach of confidence by virtue merely of the Superintendent or the census officer (as the case may be) disclosing any particulars or information in accordance with this section.

(3)

A person employed in or by a public authority to which any particulars or information have been disclosed under subsection (1) must not use any such particulars or information for the purpose of enforcing any obligation or liability applicable under any written law.

(4)

Any person employed in or by a public authority to which any particulars or information have been disclosed under subsection (1) who without the written approval of the Superintendent, or in breach of any condition of such approval, discloses any such particulars or information shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month or to both.

(5)

In this section —

Definition

“public authority” includes a Government department or ministry;

Definition

“responsible officer”, in relation to a public authority, means an officer designated by the Minister by notification in the Gazette as a responsible officer of the public authority for the purposes of this section.