Census Bill

“Minister” means the Minister for Finance;

“census officer” means any person appointed under section 4, 5 or 6;

“dwelling-house” means a building, erection or tenement, whether permanent or temporary, which is wholly or partly used for the purpose of human habitation and includes any ship or vessel in Singapore;

“schedule” means a schedule in the prescribed form in which are, or are to be, entered the prescribed particulars required for the purposes of a census;

“Superintendent” means the Superintendent of Census appointed under section 4.

The Minister may appoint an officer, to be called the Superintendent of Census, to supervise the taking of any census directed to be taken under the provisions of this Act.

The Superintendent, in the exercise of his powers and in the performance of his duties under this Act or any rules made thereunder, is subject to the control of, and shall comply with any directions given by, the Minister.

Every census officer shall be deemed to be a public servant within the meaning of the Penal Code (Cap. 103).

Every census officer appointed under section 6 shall carry with him at all times when on duty the letter of appointment furnished to him under the provisions of that section and shall produce the same for inspection by any person who may in good faith question his authority as a census officer.

A census officer may leave at any dwelling-house or other premises within the area for which he is appointed a schedule to be filled in by the occupier of the dwelling-house or other premises or of any specified part thereof.

The occupier shall, within the time mentioned therein, fill in the schedule, or cause it to be filled in, in the manner prescribed and shall thereafter deliver the schedule to an enumerator or a supervisor appointed for the area in which the dwelling-house or other premises is situated or to any other person as the Superintendent may direct.

If the occupier is unable either to fill in the schedule in the prescribed manner or cause it to be filled in, he shall preserve it in the condition in which he received it and shall deliver it to an enumerator, a supervisor or other person as aforesaid who shall after exercising the powers conferred upon him by section 9 fill in the schedule in the prescribed manner.

At any time before or within one year (or such longer period as may be prescribed) after the date prescribed for the taking of a census, if directed by the Superintendent so to do, any census officer may visit any dwelling-house or other premises within the area for which he is appointed, for the purpose of checking any information obtained or of obtaining further information for the purposes of the census, and may, if satisfied that a schedule is incorrect in any material particular, make any necessary correction thereon.

The Superintendent may deliver or cause to be delivered to —

The person to whom the schedule is delivered shall fill in the same or cause it to be filled in, to the best of his knowledge and belief, so far as regards the inmates of the hospital, workhouse, prison, police station, reformatory, lock-up, or public, charitable, religious or educational institution or the hotel, boarding-house, lodging-house or club at the time aforesaid, and shall sign his name thereto, and when so required shall deliver the schedule so filled in and signed to an enumerator or a supervisor appointed for the area within which the building is situated or to such other person as the Superintendent may direct.

Upon receipt of a written requisition in the prescribed form signed by the Superintendent, every employer —

Every such employer shall cause to be filled in in respect of his employees as aforesaid any schedule delivered to him for the purpose, and shall deliver the schedule filled in to the best of his knowledge and belief to the supervisor appointed for the area within which the premises are situated or to such other person as the Superintendent may direct.

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.

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.

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 —

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.

The Census Act (Cap. 297) is hereby repealed.

All information collected pursuant to the Census Act (repealed by this Act) shall be subject to the same safeguards relating to disclosure as are provided by this Act as if such information was collected under this Act.