Statute Details
- Title: Fees (Ministry of the Environment) Order
- Act Code: FeA1920-OR9
- Type: Subsidiary legislation (SL)
- Authorising Act: Fees Act (Chapter 106, Section 2)
- Citation: Fees (Ministry of the Environment) Order
- Commencement Date: Not stated in the provided extract (legislative history indicates revisions/amendments in 1995 and 2001)
- Current Version: Current version as at 27 Mar 2026 (per the platform status)
- Key Provisions (from extract): Section 2 (fees payable at the Ministry of the Environment)
- Fees Listed (Section 2): $7 for specified applications for information; $7 per premises for records relating to premises; $7 for certified copies of official records
- Legislative History (from extract): 1995 RevEd; amended by S 9/1995; 2001 RevEd (SL 9/2001); also references G.N. Nos. S 121/95 and S150/2001
What Is This Legislation About?
The Fees (Ministry of the Environment) Order is a piece of Singapore subsidiary legislation made under the Fees Act. In practical terms, it sets out the specific monetary fees that must be paid to the Ministry of the Environment (“the Ministry”) for certain administrative services—namely, applications for information that require search and examination of records, and requests for certified copies of official records.
Although the Order is short, it plays an important role in the “user-facing” side of government record access. When members of the public, businesses, or other stakeholders seek information from the Ministry, the process may involve staff time spent locating, searching, and reviewing records. The Order ensures that the Ministry can charge a defined fee for those services, rather than leaving fees to informal or discretionary determination.
In plain language, the legislation tells you: if you apply to the Ministry for information that requires record search and examination, you pay a fee; if the records relate to premises, the fee is charged per premises; and if you request a certified copy of an official record, you pay a fee for certification.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Section 1 (Citation). Section 1 provides the short title for the Order. This is standard legislative drafting and is mainly relevant for legal referencing, pleadings, and compliance documentation.
Section 2 (Fees payable at the Ministry of the Environment). This is the operative provision. It states that “there shall be payable at the office of the Ministry of the Environment” the following fees. The structure of Section 2 is important because it distinguishes between (i) applications for information that do not relate to any premises, (ii) applications for information that do relate to premises (with a per-premises approach), and (iii) certified copies of official records.
Section 2(a): Applications for information not relating to any premises. Where an application involves “search and examination of records not relating to any premises,” the fee is $7 for every application. This provision is aimed at requests that are administrative or informational in nature, where the records are not tied to a specific location or property.
Section 2(b): Applications for information relating to premises (charged per premises). Where the application involves “search and examination of records relating to any premises,” the fee is $7 “in respect of each premises.” This is a key compliance point for practitioners: if a client’s request covers multiple premises, the fee may multiply depending on how the premises are identified and treated for the purposes of the request. The wording “in respect of each premises” indicates that the Ministry will likely assess the fee based on the number of premises covered by the application.
Section 2(c): Certified copies of official records. For “a certified copy of any official record,” the fee is $7. Certification is typically required where a requester needs a document to be accepted as an official, verified copy in legal proceedings, regulatory submissions, or formal transactions. The Order therefore provides a clear fee for the administrative act of certification.
Practical interpretation issues. While the extract does not define terms such as “premises,” “official record,” or “search and examination,” the drafting suggests a fee model based on the nature of the records and the work involved. For legal practice, the most important interpretive questions are usually factual: (1) whether the records sought are “relating to any premises,” and (2) how many premises are encompassed by the request. Lawyers advising clients should therefore ensure that the scope of the request is carefully framed—especially where the client is seeking information about multiple sites, units, or addresses.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Order is structured as a short subsidiary instrument with:
(1) Section 1: Citation (short title).
(2) Section 2: The schedule-like operative clause setting out the fees payable to the Ministry of the Environment for specified categories of services.
There are no additional parts or detailed schedules in the provided extract. The fee amounts are embedded directly in Section 2 as sub-paragraphs (a) to (c). This makes the Order straightforward to apply, but also means that the legal practitioner must rely on the plain wording and the Ministry’s administrative practice for how categories are applied.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Order applies to persons who make applications to the Ministry of the Environment for information requiring record search and examination, and to persons who request certified copies of official records. In practice, this includes members of the public, companies, property owners, tenants, consultants, and legal representatives acting on behalf of clients.
It is not limited to any particular class of requester. Instead, the fee obligation is triggered by the type of request and the nature of the records involved. The “per premises” wording in Section 2(b) means that the number of premises covered by the request can affect the total fee payable.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Even though the fee amounts in the Order are modest, the legislation is important because it governs the cost of accessing information and obtaining certified documents from the Ministry. For practitioners, these fees can be a small but necessary step in evidence gathering, regulatory compliance, and dispute resolution.
Enforcement and administrative certainty. The Order provides legal certainty by specifying the fees that “shall be payable” at the Ministry’s office. This reduces ambiguity and helps ensure that the Ministry charges consistently for the specified services. From a compliance perspective, clients can budget accurately and avoid delays caused by underpayment or incorrect fee assumptions.
Impact on multi-premises requests. The “each premises” approach in Section 2(b) is particularly relevant for lawyers handling matters involving multiple locations—such as environmental compliance issues, property-related disputes, or investigations where records may be held for different sites. If a request is drafted broadly to cover multiple premises, the total fee may increase accordingly. Conversely, if the client’s needs are limited to one premises, narrowing the request may reduce cost and administrative friction.
Certified copies for legal and formal use. Section 2(c) supports the practical need for certified copies of official records. Certified documents are often required for court filings, affidavits, regulatory submissions, or formal administrative processes. Having a clear statutory fee helps ensure that certification requests can be processed efficiently and predictably.
Related Legislation
- Fees Act (Chapter 106), Section 2 (authorising provision for the making of fees orders)
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Fees (Ministry of the Environment) Order for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.