Singapore legislation
Section 19
Section 19
Persons appointed to disburse financial assistance
(1)
The Minister may, in relation to any type of financial assistance referred to in section 16(1) or (2) or benefits under a prescribed public scheme referred to in section 5(1)(b), appoint —
any public officer (who may or may not be an accounting officer);
any public authority; or
any other organisation,to disburse, on behalf of the Minister, the financial assistance or other benefits using moneys withdrawn from any of the Funds, and to do any other thing incidental to or in connection with the purpose of the appointment.
(2)
After withdrawing moneys from any of the Funds, an accounting officer may transfer the moneys to the relevant public officer, public authority or organisation appointed under subsection (1) to disburse the moneys in the form of financial assistance or other benefits in accordance with this Act and, subject to the provisions of this Act, the Minister’s directions.
(3)
The appointment of a public authority or an organisation referred to in subsection (1)(b) or (c) may be on such terms as the Minister and the public authority or organisation (as the case may be) agree and if there is no agreement, on such terms as the Minister determines.
(4)
The Minister must, as soon as practicable, cause to be published in the Gazette a notice of the appointment of every public officer, public authority or organisation appointed under subsection (1).
(5)
Where a public authority is appointed by the Minister under subsection (1) to disburse such financial assistance or other benefits using moneys in any of the Funds —
the functions and duties of the public authority under written law are to be regarded as including disbursing that financial assistance or other benefits;
the public authority is to be regarded as fulfilling the purposes of the relevant Act constituting that public authority, and the provisions of that Act are to apply to the public authority in respect of disbursing that financial assistance or other benefits; and
the members, officers and employees of the public authority, in relation to their disbursement of that financial assistance or other benefits, are deemed to be public officers for the purposes of the Financial Procedure Act 1966, and section 20 of that Act is to apply (with such necessary modifications as may be prescribed) to such persons even though they are not or were not in the employment of the Government.