Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act 1990 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 4 · Countering Foreign Influence: General*
16C. Disclosure of governing body composition
Feedback & supportLast amended by an amending law of 2019.
Subject to this Act, the particulars of —
every individual who —
is a member of the governing body of any religious group on the appointed day; or
is or becomes (whether by appointment or election or otherwise) a member of the governing body of any religious group at any subsequent time; (b)every individual who, for any reason, stops acting as a member of the governing body of a religious group;
the constitution, memorandum or articles of association, trust deed or equivalent instrument of a religious group as in effect on the appointed day; and
every change (after the appointed day) to the constitution, memorandum or articles of association, trust deed or equivalent instrument mentioned in paragraph (c), being a change affecting (directly or indirectly) the size or composition of its governing body,must be disclosed to a competent authority in accordance with this section.
Disclosure to a competent authority of every individual or matter described in subsection (1) must be in a key management report relating to the religious group that —
religious group
“religious group” includes —(a)any company or other body corporate incorporated under the Companies Act 1967 or any other written law for the purpose of promoting any religion, religious worship or dealing with religious affairs or practising, conducting, teaching or propagating any religious belief; and(b)any body of persons, whether or not registered as a society under the Societies Act 1966, whose object is the promotion of any religion, religious worship or the practice, conduct, teaching or propagating of any religious belief.
is in the form required by the competent authority;
is given to the competent authority within the time delimited by subsection (3) and in the manner prescribed in regulations made under section 19 or, subject to those regulations, as approved by the competent authority;
contains —
the prescribed details of the identity, nationality and other particulars of every such individual who is or becomes a member of the governing body of the religious group;
the identity and nationality of every responsible officer of the religious group; and
the prescribed details and description of any change (on or after the appointed day) to the constitution, memorandum or articles of association, trust deed or equivalent instrument of a religious group affecting the size or composition (or both) of its governing body; and
is signed by every responsible officer of the religious group.
Subject to subsection (4), disclosure of every individual or matter described in subsection (1) must be given to a competent authority —
in relation to the circumstance in subsection (1)(a)(i) or (c), not later than 60 days after the appointed day, or such extended period as the competent authority may allow in any particular case; and
in relation to the circumstance in subsection (1)(a)(ii), (b) or (d), no later than 30 days after —
the individual is or becomes, or stops acting (as the case may be) as, a member of the governing body of the religious group; or
the change to the constitution, memorandum or articles of association, trust deed or equivalent instrument mentioned in subsection (1)(c) takes effect.
Regulations made under section 19 may prescribe a longer period for the purposes of subsection (3)(a) or (b).
In this section —
“appointed day” means the date of commencement of section 13 of the Maintenance of Religious Harmony (Amendment) Act 2019;
“appointment” includes re-appointment.