Singapore legislation

Section 37

of Early Childhood Development Centres Act 2017

Section 37

Powers of entry, etc., for enforcement purpose

(1)

The Chief Licensing Officer or an authorised officer may, for an enforcement purpose, do all or any of the following in relation to an early childhood development centre (whether or not it is the subject of a licence):

(a)

enter and inspect the centre, and inspect any equipment or other thing at the centre;

(b)

enter and search the centre, if the Chief Licensing Officer or authorised officer reasonably believes that evidence of the commission of an offence under this Act can be found at the centre;

(c)

inspect and make copies of, or take extracts from, any document or material kept at the centre;

(d)

take any document or other thing at the centre, if the Chief Licensing Officer or authorised officer considers it necessary to do so for the purpose of obtaining evidence of an offence under this Act, and for this purpose may ask an individual who is able to operate any equipment at the centre to do so for the purpose of enabling the Chief Licensing Officer or authorised officer to ascertain whether the equipment, or a disk, tape or storage device that can be used or associated with the equipment, contains information that is relevant to the enforcement purpose;

(e)

require any person whom the Chief Licensing Officer or authorised officer reasonably believes has committed an offence under this Act to provide evidence of that person’s identity;

(f)

require any person whom the Chief Licensing Officer or authorised officer reasonably believes is in possession of a document or information relevant to the enforcement purpose to take reasonable steps to produce the document or provide the information;

(g)

require any person whom the Chief Licensing Officer or authorised officer reasonably believes is acquainted with any facts or circumstances relevant to the enforcement purpose —

(i)

to answer any question to the best of the person’s knowledge, information and belief, immediately or at a place and time specified in writing; or

(ii)

to take reasonable steps to provide information or produce a document, immediately or at a place and time specified in writing;

(h)

photograph or film, or make audio recordings or make sketches, of any part of the centre or anything at the centre or of any person whom the Chief Licensing Officer or authorised officer reasonably believes is acquainted with any facts or circumstances relevant to the enforcement purpose.

(2)

In this section, “enforcement purpose” means —

(a)

ensuring that the provisions of this Act, the conditions imposed on a licence or for an approval granted under this Act, the provisions of any code of practice and any direction issued by the Chief Licensing Officer under this Act are being complied with; or

(b)

investigating an offence under this Act or a contravention of a provision under this Act.

Read in full context — Early Childhood Development Centres Act 2017 →