National Heritage Board Act 1993 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 3 · National Museum of Singapore
15. Acquisition and disposal of objects
Feedback & supportThe Board may acquire (whether by purchase, exchange or gift) any object which in its opinion is desirable to add to its collections.
Without affecting any power apart from this subsection, the Minister may transfer to the Board any object (whether or not the Minister acquired it before the Board’s establishment) if in the Minister’s opinion it would appropriately form part of its collections.
The Board may not dispose of an object of significant national or historical value, the property in which is vested in the Board and which is comprised in its collections, unless the object is —
a duplicate of another object the property in which is so vested and which is so comprised; or
in the Board’s opinion unsuitable for retention in its collections,and the disposal is done with the prior approval of the Minister and by way of sale, exchange or gift.
The Board may dispose of (by whatever means, including destruction) any object which the Board is satisfied has become useless for the purposes of its collections by reason of damage, physical deterioration or infestation by destructive organisms.
An object may be disposed of as mentioned in subsection (4) despite a trust or condition (express or implied) prohibiting or restricting the disposal of the object.
Money accruing to the Board by virtue of a disposal mentioned in this section must be applied by the Board in the acquisition of objects to be added to its collections.