Statute Details
- Title: Order Bringing the Revised Edition of Acts Into Force
- Act Code: RELA1983-OR1
- Type: Subsidiary legislation / Order (Singapore)
- Status: Current version as at 27 Mar 2026
- Key Function: Brings a Revised Edition of the Acts into force on a specified date
- Authorising Act: Revised Edition of the Laws Act 1983 (Chapter 275, Section 7)
- Revised Edition Referenced: Revised Edition 1990 (25th March 1992)
- Date the Revised Edition came into force (as stated in the Order): 30th March 1987
- Gazette Publication: Order published in the Gazette (as contemplated by the authorising Act)
- Legislative History (extract): G.N. No. S 93/1987; Revised Edition 1990; (25th March 1992)
What Is This Legislation About?
The “Order Bringing the Revised Edition of Acts Into Force” is a procedural legislative instrument. Unlike substantive Acts that create new legal rights or offences, this Order primarily performs an administrative and legal “activation” function: it determines when a revised compilation of Singapore’s Acts becomes legally effective.
In Singapore’s legislative framework, Acts are periodically consolidated and revised into “Revised Editions”. These revised editions are prepared to improve clarity, update references, and reflect amendments made over time. However, a revised edition does not automatically become the operative legal text merely because it has been prepared. The law requires a formal mechanism to bring the revised edition into force.
This Order is made under the authority of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act 1983. It records the President’s decision—made by order published in the Gazette—that the Revised Edition of Acts should come into force on a particular date. In practical terms, it ensures that courts, practitioners, and government agencies can rely on a single, authoritative version of the Acts as of the commencement date stated in the Order.
What Are the Key Provisions?
1. Statutory authority and the “whereas” basis. The Order begins with an enacting formula and recitals. The recitals explain that a Revised Edition of the Acts in force on 31 December 1986 had been prepared pursuant to the Revised Edition of the Laws Act 1983. This is important because it ties the Order to the statutory scheme: the Revised Edition is not merely a publication; it is prepared “pursuant to” the enabling legislation.
2. The President’s power to specify the commencement date. The Order expressly relies on section 7 of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act 1983. That provision (as reflected in the extract) contemplates that, once the Law Revision Commissioners transmit a copy of the Revised Edition to the President, the President may—by order published in the Gazette—provide that the Revised Edition of Acts shall come into force on such date as the President thinks fit. The Order therefore functions as the formal instrument exercising that discretion.
3. The operative commencement date. The operative clause is straightforward: it states that the Revised Edition of Acts shall come into force on 30 March 1987. This date is the legal hinge for practitioners. From that date, the revised edition becomes the authoritative text for the Acts covered by the revision process.
4. Relationship to the “Revised Edition 1990” and the timeline. The extract shows “Revised Edition 1990 (25th March 1992)” alongside the commencement date of 30 March 1987. This may appear counterintuitive at first glance, but it reflects how legislative databases present versions and timelines. Practitioners should therefore treat the Order’s operative commencement date as the controlling statement for when the revised edition it brings into force takes effect. The “Revised Edition 1990” label and the 25 March 1992 date likely relate to the publication/versioning of the revised compilation in the legislative record, while the Order itself specifies the commencement date for the revised Acts it authorises. For legal work, the key is to confirm the correct version and effective date using the legislation timeline and the specific commencement language in the Order.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
This instrument is structured as a short presidential order with the standard components found in Singapore legislative orders: (i) an enacting formula, (ii) recitals explaining the background and statutory basis, and (iii) an operative clause specifying the commencement date. There are no “Parts” or “sections” in the extract because the Order is not drafted like a substantive Act. Instead, it is a compact legal instrument designed to do one thing: bring a revised edition into force on a specified date.
In practice, the “structure” that matters to lawyers is not internal segmentation but the linkage to the enabling Act (Revised Edition of the Laws Act 1983) and the reliance on Gazette publication. The Order’s legal effect depends on that statutory pathway: preparation by the Law Revision Commissioners, transmission to the President, and the President’s order specifying the effective date.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Order does not apply to a class of persons in the way that regulatory or criminal legislation does. Its “audience” is the legal system itself—courts, legal practitioners, and public authorities—because it determines which version of the Acts is legally operative.
Accordingly, the practical impact is universal for anyone who must interpret or apply Singapore’s Acts. Once the revised edition comes into force, legal interpretation, pleading, statutory citation, and compliance work should be anchored to the revised edition as the authoritative text. Even though the Order is not directed at individuals, it affects how individuals and entities are governed indirectly, because the operative statutory text is what creates obligations and confers powers.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
1. It establishes the authoritative legal text. For practitioners, the most immediate value of this Order is certainty. Statutory interpretation depends on the exact wording of the law. A revised edition may incorporate amendments, correct drafting issues, update references, and reorganise provisions for clarity. The Order ensures that, from the specified date, the revised edition is the version that carries legal force.
2. It reduces citation and interpretation risk. Without a formal commencement order, there would be ambiguity about whether the revised edition is merely a reference publication or the operative legal text. By specifying the commencement date, the Order helps lawyers avoid citing the wrong version of an Act, which can lead to errors in submissions, compliance advice, and litigation strategy.
3. It supports continuity in legal administration. Revised editions are part of a broader legislative maintenance process. The Order demonstrates how Singapore ensures continuity: the law is periodically refreshed, but the transition is controlled through a formal mechanism. This protects the integrity of legal proceedings and administrative decision-making by ensuring that the “effective” statutory text is known and stable from the commencement date.
4. It highlights the importance of version control in legal research. The extract indicates that the legislation is “current version as at 27 Mar 2026” and references a timeline. For lawyers using online legislative databases, this underscores a key research practice: always check the timeline and the specific commencement language. Even when the database shows a later “Revised Edition 1990” publication date, the commencement date stated in the Order may govern when the revised Acts became effective. Practitioners should therefore cross-check both the version label and the operative commencement clause.
Related Legislation
- Revised Edition of the Laws Act 1983 (Chapter 275), in particular section 7 (authorising the President’s order bringing the revised edition into force)
- Timeline (legislation timeline resource used to confirm the correct version and effective date for the Order and the revised edition it relates to)
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Order Bringing the Revised Edition of Acts Into Force for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.