Statute Details
- Title: Revised Edition of the Laws (Acts Omitted under Section 4(1)) Notification 2021
- Act Code: RELA1983-S978-2021
- Type: Subsidiary legislation (SL)
- Enacting body: Law Revision Commissioners
- Authorising Act: Revised Edition of the Laws Act (Cap. 275)
- Key enabling provisions: Section 4(1)(a)(i) and section 4(2) of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act
- Date made: 23 December 2021
- Notification number: S 978/2021
- Status: Current version as at 27 March 2026
- Commencement date: Not stated in the extract (notification-based omission)
- Core subject matter: Omission of specified Acts from the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts
What Is This Legislation About?
The Revised Edition of the Laws (Acts Omitted under Section 4(1)) Notification 2021 is a law revision instrument. In practical terms, it does not create new substantive rights or offences. Instead, it tells the legal system which older Acts should be removed (“omitted”) from the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts, because they are no longer needed in the consolidated revised publication.
The notification is issued under the Revised Edition of the Laws Act (Cap. 275). That Act empowers the Law Revision Commissioners to prepare revised editions of legislation and to omit certain Acts from those revised editions. The omission is typically used to keep the revised legal corpus accurate, manageable, and reflective of current law—especially where Acts have been repealed, dissolved, superseded, or are otherwise spent.
Accordingly, the scope of this notification is narrow but important for legal research and practice. It affects how practitioners locate legislation in the revised editions, and it can influence citation practice, cross-references, and the availability of certain statutes in the “revised” compilation. For lawyers, the key is understanding that the omission is about the revised edition publication, not necessarily about the continued legal effect of the underlying Acts in all contexts.
What Are the Key Provisions?
1. The legal basis for omission (Section 4 of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act). The notification is made “in exercise of the powers conferred by section 4(1)(a)(i) and pursuant to section 4(2)” of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act. While the extract does not reproduce those provisions, their function is clear: they authorise the Law Revision Commissioners to omit specified Acts from the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts. Section 4(1)(a)(i) points to a category of Acts that may be omitted, and section 4(2) governs the mechanics of how the omission is to be effected (typically through a notification and a schedule).
2. The Schedule: Acts omitted from the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts. The notification’s operative content is in the Schedule. It lists four categories of omissions:
(a) CISCO (Dissolution) Act (Cap. 47A, 2006 Ed.). The notification omits the CISCO (Dissolution) Act from the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts. The CISCO (Dissolution) Act is associated with the dissolution of CISCO (the former entity). Once an entity has been dissolved and its statutory framework is no longer relevant, the Act may be treated as spent for the purposes of a revised compilation.
(b) Parliamentary Elections (COVID‑19 Special Arrangements) Act 2020 (Act 21 of 2020). This Act was enacted as a time-bound response to COVID‑19. The omission indicates that, for the purposes of the 2020 revised edition, the Act is no longer maintained as part of the revised set of Acts. For practitioners, this is a reminder that emergency or temporary legislative measures may later be omitted from revised editions once their operational relevance has ended.
(c) Post Office Savings Bank of Singapore (Transfer of Undertakings and Dissolution) Act (Cap. 237, 1999 Ed.). This Act relates to the transfer of undertakings and dissolution of the Post Office Savings Bank of Singapore. As with dissolution legislation, once the dissolution has occurred and the institutional transition is complete, the Act may be considered no longer necessary in the revised compilation.
(d) All Supply Acts specified in the Schedule. The notification also omits “all Supply Acts specified in the Schedule.” Supply Acts are annual or periodic appropriation-related statutes that authorise government expenditure. They are often short-lived and replaced each financial year. Omitting them from a revised edition is consistent with the approach of not reprinting every past appropriation statute in a consolidated revised compilation.
3. Formalities: made date and signatory. The notification states it was “Made on 23 December 2021” and is signed by “LUCIEN WONG, Chairman, Law Revision Commission.” It also includes a reference bracket “[AG/LEGIS/SL/275/2020/2 Vol. 1]”, which is useful for locating the legislative file and administrative record.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
This notification is structured in a straightforward, publication-oriented format typical of law revision instruments:
1. Title and status information. It identifies the instrument as the “Revised Edition of the Laws (Acts Omitted under Section 4(1)) Notification 2021” and indicates that it is the current version as at 27 March 2026.
2. Enacting formula. The enacting formula explains the statutory authority: powers under section 4(1)(a)(i) and section 4(2) of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act (Cap. 275). This is important for practitioners because it confirms that the omission is legally grounded in the law revision framework.
3. The Schedule. The Schedule is the operative part. It enumerates the Acts to be omitted from the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts. In this notification, the Schedule includes specific named Acts and a category (“all Supply Acts specified in the Schedule”).
4. Administrative and publication references. The document includes the notification number (S 978/2021) and the date made (23 December 2021). These details matter for version control and for confirming which revised edition is being affected (the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts).
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
At first glance, the notification does not “apply” to a class of persons in the way regulatory legislation does. Instead, it applies to the legal publication and maintenance of Singapore’s revised laws. The immediate addressee is the Law Revision Commissioners and, indirectly, the public and legal community who rely on the revised editions for authoritative text.
Practically, the omission affects lawyers, judges, government agencies, and researchers who consult the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts. If an Act is omitted from the revised edition, it may no longer appear in that compilation, or it may require reference to earlier editions or the original Act text. This can affect how practitioners cite legislation, locate relevant provisions, and confirm whether a statute remains in force or is merely omitted from the revised compilation.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Although the notification is procedural, it has real consequences for legal practice. First, it affects legal research efficiency and accuracy. A practitioner searching within the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts may not find the omitted Acts. Without awareness of the omission notification, a researcher could mistakenly assume the Act is repealed or irrelevant, when the more precise explanation is that it has been omitted from the revised compilation.
Second, the notification highlights the life cycle of legislation. Dissolution Acts and temporary COVID‑19 measures are typical candidates for omission once their subject matter has concluded. Supply Acts are also routinely treated as short-term appropriation instruments. The notification therefore serves as a signal that the revised edition is curated to reflect ongoing legislative utility.
Third, the instrument underscores the importance of version control. The document is “current version as at 27 March 2026,” but it was made in December 2021 and relates to omissions from the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts. For litigation and advisory work, practitioners must ensure they are using the correct legislative version and the correct compilation when citing provisions.
Related Legislation
- Revised Edition of the Laws Act (Cap. 275) — the authorising statute for law revision and omission notifications.
- CISCO (Dissolution) Act (Cap. 47A, 2006 Ed.) — omitted from the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts.
- Parliamentary Elections (COVID‑19 Special Arrangements) Act 2020 (Act 21 of 2020) — omitted from the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts.
- Post Office Savings Bank of Singapore (Transfer of Undertakings and Dissolution) Act (Cap. 237, 1999 Ed.) — omitted from the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts.
- Supply Acts (as specified in the Schedule) — omitted from the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts.
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Revised Edition of the Laws (Acts Omitted under Section 4(1)) Notification 2021 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.