Singapore legislation
Clause 16
of Census Bill
Clause 16
Release of census information
(1)
The Superintendent shall, upon receipt of the schedules and returns forwarded pursuant to this Act, cause reports to be made of the same, and such reports shall be printed and published for general information. Prior to and after the publication of such reports, abstracts and special tabulations may be released for general information.
(2)
In any report or abstract prepared under subsection (1) the information compiled in the report or abstract shall be so arranged as to prevent any particulars contained therein from being identified as being particulars relating to any individual person except with the previous consent in writing of that person.
(3)
No particulars or information or any part thereof relating to any individual person obtained under the provisions of this Act shall, without the previous consent in writing of that person, be disclosed except —
compiled statistics on the operation of an industry may be published irrespective of the number of persons engaged in that industry unless the industry is exempted by the Minister responsible for the Government department or ministry in possession of such particulars from having its data published;
where the disclosure can be made without identifying the individual person and an appropriate time, in the opinion of the Minister responsible for the Government department or ministry in possession of such particulars, has elapsed;
for the purposes of any proceedings for an offence under this Act or any report of those proceedings; or
information of a general nature which could be obtained from other sources.
(4)
It is the duty of the Minister responsible for the Government department or ministry in possession of such particulars to have due regard to the circumstances of various trades and industries and in particular to the importance of avoiding the disclosure in any return of any trade secret or of trading profit, or of any other information the disclosure of which would be likely to tend to the prejudice of the person furnishing the return.