Singapore legislation
Section 24
Section 24
Codes of practice, etc.
(1)
The Postal Authority may, from time to time —
issue one or more codes of practice or standards of performance;
approve as a code of practice or standard of performance any document prepared by a person other than the Postal Authority if the Postal Authority considers the document suitable for this purpose; or
amend or revoke any code of practice or standard of performance issued under paragraph (a) or approved under paragraph (b),with respect to all or any of the following:
the operation of postal systems;
the provision of postal services;
the activities and conduct of postal licensees in the provision of postal services;
agreements or arrangements between a public postal licensee and any applicable person or class of applicable persons under which the public postal licensee delivers applicable postal articles to letter boxes;
competition, abuse of a dominant position in the market for postal systems or postal services and fair market conduct in the provision of postal services in Singapore;
the acquisitions or consolidations involving a postal licensee and any other person (whether a postal licensee or otherwise);
the carrying out of the purposes and provisions of this Act and for the due administration of this Act.
(2)
In subsection (1)(g), “applicable person” and “applicable postal article” have the meanings given by section 7A(2).
(3)
A code of practice may, in particular, specify the duties and obligations of any person in relation to the person’s business operation insofar as it relates to the provision of postal services.
(4)
If any provision in any code of practice or standard of performance is inconsistent with any provision of this Act, the provision, to the extent of the inconsistency —
has effect subject to the provisions of this Act; and
having regard to the provisions of this Act, does not have effect.
(5)
Where a code of practice or standard of performance is issued, approved, amended or revoked by the Postal Authority under subsection (1), the Postal Authority must —
publish a notice of the issue, approval, amendment or revocation (as the case may be) of the code of practice or standard of performance in any manner that will secure adequate publicity for the issue, approval, amendment or revocation;
specify in the notice mentioned in paragraph (a) the date of issue, approval, amendment or revocation (as the case may be) and the place at and the time during which the code of practice or standard of performance which is the subject of the notice may be inspected; and
ensure that, so long as the code of practice or standard of performance remains in force, copies of that code or standard, and all amendments to that code or standard, are made available, free of charge, to the persons to whom the code or standard applies.
(6)
No code of practice or standard of performance, no amendment to an approved code of practice or standard of performance, and no revocation of any such approved code of practice or standard of performance, has any force or effect as an approved code of practice or standard of performance until the notice relating thereto is published in accordance with subsection (4).
(7)
Any code of practice or standard of performance issued or approved under this section does not have legislative effect.
(8)
Subject to subsection (8), every postal licensee must comply with the relevant codes of practice and standards of performance issued or approved under this section.
(9)
The Postal Authority may, either generally or for such time as the Postal Authority may specify, waive the application of any code of practice or standard of performance, or part thereof, issued or approved under this section to any postal licensee.
(10)
In this section, “dominant position” means a dominant position in any market for postal systems or postal services, whether in Singapore or elsewhere.