Statute Details
- Title: Notification under Section 5(1)
- Act Code: RELA1983-N2
- Type: Subsidiary legislation / legislative notification (as indicated by the “sl” classification)
- Enacting Provision: Revised Edition of the Laws Act (Chapter 275, Section 5(1))
- Legislative Instrument: “Notification under Section 5(1)”
- Authorising Act: Revised Edition of the Laws Act (Cap. 275), s 5(1)
- Key Content (from extract): The President specified that the Acts set out in the Schedule may be omitted from the revised edition of Acts
- Publication / Gazette Reference (from extract): G.N. No. S 309/1986
- Revised Edition Reference (from extract): Revised Edition 1990 (25th March 1992)
- Status (from extract): Current version as at 27 Mar 2026
- Commencement Date: Not stated in the provided extract
What Is This Legislation About?
This instrument is a notification made under section 5(1) of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act (Cap. 275). In plain language, it is an administrative/legal mechanism that allows the President to decide that certain Acts listed in the instrument’s Schedule may be omitted from a revised edition of Singapore’s laws.
The practical context is legislative consolidation and publication. When Singapore produces a revised edition of the Laws, not every historical Act needs to be carried forward into the new compilation. Some Acts may have been repealed, superseded, rendered obsolete, or otherwise unnecessary for inclusion. This notification provides the legal authority for omitting the specified Acts from the revised edition.
Although the extract does not reproduce the full Schedule, the operative statement is clear: “The President has specified that the Acts set out in the Schedule may be omitted from the revised edition of Acts.” That means the Schedule is the substantive part—identifying which Acts are eligible for omission—while the notification itself supplies the legal basis for that editorial decision.
What Are the Key Provisions?
1. Authority under section 5(1) of Cap. 275
The central legal hook is the authorising provision: Revised Edition of the Laws Act (Cap. 275), section 5(1). The notification is not a “substantive” regulatory statute creating new rights or obligations for the public. Instead, it is a publication/compilation instrument that governs how Acts are treated when the Laws are revised and reissued.
2. The President’s specification to omit Acts
The extract states the operative effect: the President has specified that the Acts set out in the Schedule may be omitted from the revised edition of Acts. The phrase “may be omitted” is important. It indicates that omission is permitted (i.e., discretionary/authorised for the purposes of the revised edition), rather than automatically mandatory for all circumstances outside the revised edition process.
3. The Schedule as the substantive determinant
In practice, the Schedule is where the legal work lies. For a practitioner, the Schedule determines which Acts are affected by the omission power. Even if the notification is brief, the Schedule’s list of Acts will directly affect how a lawyer locates and cites those Acts in the revised edition.
4. Legislative history and versioning (relevance to legal research)
The extract includes a legislative history note: “Revised Edition 1990 (25th March 1992)” and a Gazette reference G.N. No. S 309/1986. It also notes that the “current version” is as at 27 Mar 2026. For legal research, this matters because the instrument may be reprinted or consolidated in later compilations, and the “current version” label helps confirm that the text you are reading is the latest consolidated form of the notification.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
Based on the extract, the notification is structured in a typical format for subsidiary legislative instruments made under an enabling Act:
(a) Title and heading identifying it as a “Notification under Section 5(1)”.
(b) Enacting formula referencing the authorising statute (Cap. 275, s 5(1)). This signals that the instrument’s validity depends on that statutory authority.
(c) The Schedule (explicitly referenced as “THE SCHEDULE”). The Schedule is the key component listing the Acts that the President has specified may be omitted from the revised edition.
(d) Legislative history / timeline elements, including references to the Revised Edition 1990 and the date of the revised edition publication (25 March 1992). The platform’s “Timeline” and “Versions” features are designed to help users ensure they are viewing the correct version of the instrument.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
Because this notification is about omission from a revised edition of Acts, it does not “apply” to the public in the way regulatory legislation does. Instead, it applies to the process of compiling and publishing the revised edition of Singapore’s laws.
That said, the effects are felt indirectly by lawyers, courts, and legal publishers. If an Act is omitted from the revised edition, practitioners may need to consult older editions, archival versions, or other sources to locate the text of the omitted Act—particularly if the Act remains relevant for historical facts, transitional issues, or interpretation of older legal relationships.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
At first glance, a notification about omission from a revised edition may seem purely administrative. However, for legal practice, it can have real consequences for research accuracy, citation, and case preparation.
1. It affects how Acts are accessed and cited
In Singapore legal research, practitioners rely on the revised edition and current consolidated materials to find the authoritative text of legislation. If an Act is omitted from the revised edition, the “default” sources used by lawyers may not contain that Act in the same way. This can create practical difficulties when dealing with older events, legacy regulatory regimes, or historical enforcement actions.
2. It supports the integrity of legislative compilation
The Revised Edition of the Laws Act provides a framework for producing a coherent, usable compilation of legislation. Notifications like this one allow the President to authorise omission of specified Acts, helping ensure that the revised edition is not cluttered with obsolete or unnecessary material. This supports legal certainty by improving the usability of the official compilation.
3. It underscores the need for version-aware legal research
The extract’s emphasis on “current version as at 27 Mar 2026” and the inclusion of a timeline (including 25 Mar 1992 and references to the Revised Edition 1990) highlight a key research lesson: the version of the legislation you consult matters. Even where the instrument’s substantive content is stable, the platform’s consolidation and re-publication can affect how the document is presented and indexed.
Related Legislation
- Revised Edition of the Laws Act (Chapter 275) — in particular section 5(1) (the authorising provision for this notification)
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Notification under Section 5 (1) for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.