Singapore legislation
Clause 3
Clause 3
Amendment of section 31
Section 31 of the principal Act is amended —
by deleting paragraphs (iv) and (v) of subsection (1) and substituting the following paragraphs:“(iv)a prosecution of such offence under such written law (other than this Act) as may be prescribed;
enabling a public agency to enforce such provision of written law (other than this Act) as may be prescribed;
enabling a public agency to investigate a suspected offence under such provision of written law (other than this Act) as may be prescribed;
subject to subsection (1A), enabling a public agency to discharge its function, duty or power of collecting, compiling and analysing the particulars or information, and —
providing its collection, compilation or analysis to another public agency for policy formulation or review by that other public agency; or
publishing its collection, compilation or analysis in such form as will not identify, and is not reasonably capable of being used to identify, any person to which the information or particulars relate;
subject to subsection (1A), enabling a public agency to take steps to protect individuals and communities from risks or threats to public health or safety, or to protect against risks or threats to the security of Singapore (including her financial and economic security);
enabling a foreign government authority to investigate a suspected offence committed in a foreign country, where the conditions specified in subsection (4) are satisfied; or (x)complying with any provision of any prescribed agreement, where the conditions specified in subsection (5) are satisfied.”;
by inserting, immediately after subsection (1), the following subsections:“(1A) No particulars, information or document referred to in subsection (1) may be published, disclosed or communicated pursuant to paragraph (vii) or (viii) of that subsection except with the approval of the Minister.(1B) The approval of the Minister referred to in subsection (1A) may be given in respect of —
a specific public agency or a class of public agencies; and
a specific request for particulars, information or documents, or requests for particulars, information or documents falling within such class as the Minister may in his approval specify.(1C) For the purposes of subsection (1)(viii), the particulars or information in question may be provided to the public agency through another public agency.(1D) Nothing in subsection (1) shall prevent the Minister, and any public officer assisting the Minister and duly authorised by the Minister for the purposes of this subsection, from having access to such particulars, information or document referred to in subsection (1) as may be necessary for the performance of his official duties in connection with this Act or the advancement or development of trade.”;
by deleting the words “subsection (1)(iv)” in subsection (4) and substituting the words “subsection (1)(ix)”;
by deleting the words “subsection (1)(v)” in subsection (5) and substituting the words “subsection (1)(x)”;
by deleting the words “subsection (1)(v)” in the definition of “prescribed agreement” in subsection (6) and substituting the words “subsection (1)(x)”; and
by deleting the full‑stop at the end of the definition of “prescribed agreement” in subsection (6) and substituting a semi‑colon, and by inserting immediately thereafter the following definition:“ “public agency” means a public officer, an organ of state or a ministry or department of the Government, or a public authority established by or under any public Act for a public purpose or a member, an officer or an employee, or any department, thereof.”.