Singapore legislation
Clause 9
Clause 9
Variation and revocation of maintenance order registered in a Singapore court
(1)
Subject to the provisions of this section, the registering court —
shall have the like power, on an application made by the payer or payee under a registered order, to vary or revoke the order as if that court had had jurisdiction to make it; and
shall have power to vary or revoke a registered order by a provisional order.
(2)
The registering court shall not vary a registered order otherwise than by a provisional order unless —
both the payer and the payee under the registered order are for the time being residing in Singapore; or
the application is made by the payee under the registered order; or
the variation consists of a reduction in the rate of the payments under the registered order and is made solely on the ground that there has been a change in the financial circumstances of the payer since the registered order was made or, in the case of an order registered under section 7, since the registered order was confirmed, and the courts in the reciprocating country in which the maintenance order in question was made do not have power, according to the law in force in that country, to confirm provisional orders varying maintenance orders.
(3)
The registering court shall not revoke a registered order otherwise than by a provisional order unless both the payer and the payee under the registered order are for the time being residing in Singapore.
(4)
On an application for the revocation of a registered order the registering court shall, unless both the payer and the payee under the registered order are for the time being residing in Singapore, apply the law applied by the reciprocating country in which the registered order was made; but where by virtue of this subsection the registering court is required to apply that law, that court may make a provisional order if it has reason to believe that the ground on which the application is made is a ground on which the order could be revoked according to the law applied by the reciprocating country, notwithstanding that it has not been established that it is such a ground.
(5)
Where the registering court makes a provisional order varying or revoking a registered order the prescribed officer of the court shall send in the prescribed manner to the court in the reciprocating country which made the registered order a certified copy of the provisional order together with a document, authenticated in the prescribed manner, setting out or summarising the evidence given in the proceedings.
(6)
Where a certified copy of a provisional order made by a court in a reciprocating country, being an order varying a registered order, together with a document, duly authenticated, setting out or summarising the evidence given in the proceedings in which the provisional order was made, is received by the registering court, that court may confirm the order either without alteration or with such alterations as it thinks reasonable or refuse to confirm the order.
(7)
For the purpose of determining whether a provisional order should be confirmed under subsection (6) the court shall proceed as if an application for the variation of the registered order had been made to it.
(8)
Where a registered order has been varied by an order (including a provisional order which has been confirmed) made by a court in Singapore or by a competent court in a reciprocating country, the registered order shall, as from the date on which the order was made, have effect as varied by that order and, where that order was a provisional order, as if that order had been made in the form in which it was confirmed and as if it had never been a provisional order.
(9)
Where a registered order has been revoked by an order made by a court in Singapore or by a competent court in a reciprocating country, including a provisional order made by the first-mentioned court which has been confirmed by a competent court in a reciprocating country, the registered order shall, as from the date on which the order was made, be deemed to have ceased to have effect as respects any arrears due under the registered order at that date.
(10)
The prescribed officer of the registering court shall register in the prescribed manner any order varying a registered order other than a provisional order which is not confirmed.