Singapore legislation
Section 7
Section 7
Grant of licence
(1)
After considering an application for a licence, the Licensing Officer may —
on payment of a licence fee, grant the licence; or
refuse to grant the licence.
(2)
A person may be granted more than one licence.
(3)
In determining whether to grant a licence to a person, the Licensing Officer must consider, and give such weight as the Licensing Officer considers appropriate to, all of the following matters:
whether the person is below 21 years of age;
whether the person is, in the opinion of the Licensing Officer, a fit and proper person to hold a licence;
whether the carrying on by the person of the business of providing massage services at the premises in the application is, in the opinion of the Licensing Officer, likely to affect public order or public safety, or to cause annoyance or inconvenience to the public or any class of the public;
whether using the premises in the application as an establishment for massage conforms with the Master Plan or any Certified Interpretation Plan under the Planning Act 1998 or any authorisation under section 21(6) of that Act;
whether any written permission (if required) has been obtained under the Planning Act 1998 for any development of, or works on, the land that constitutes the premises in which the business of providing massage services in an establishment for massage is carried on;
whether a person who administers the massage in an establishment for massage possesses the necessary qualifications which the Licensing Officer may approve;
whether it is likely that the business of providing massage services in an establishment for massage will be carried on in contravention of any requirement of the Act.
(4)
For the purposes of subsection (3)(b), in determining whether a person is a fit and proper person to hold a licence, the Licensing Officer may consider any criteria and requirements that the Licensing Officer may publish on a prescribed website.
(5)
The criteria and requirements mentioned in subsection (4) may include criteria and requirements relating to any responsible officer of the applicant for a licence and any person having substantial interest in, or control or direction over, the business of the applicant.
(6)
The Licensing Officer may publish different criteria or requirements for different classes of applicants.
(7)
To avoid doubt, the Licensing Officer is not confined to consideration of the matters in subsection (3) or the criteria and requirements published on a prescribed website under subsection (4), and may take into account any other matters and evidence that may be relevant.
(8)
The Licensing Officer must, if so required by the applicant, provide the applicant, within 7 days after being so required, with the grounds of refusal in writing.
(9)
Any person who is aggrieved by the refusal of the Licensing Officer to grant a licence to the person may appeal in writing against the refusal to the Minister —
within 14 days after being notified of the refusal; or
if the person requires (within the period mentioned in paragraph (a)) the Licensing Officer to provide the grounds of refusal, within 14 days after being provided with the grounds of refusal,and the Minister’s decision is final.