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 Authority: Law Revision Commissioners
- Authorising Act: Revised Edition of the Laws Act (Cap. 275)
- Key Powers Invoked: Section 4(1)(a)(i) and section 4(2) of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act
- Made Date: 23 December 2021
- Publication/SL Number: S 978/2021 (dated 28 December 2021)
- Status: Current version as at 27 March 2026
- Core Legal Effect: 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 plain terms, it is not a “substantive” statute that creates new rights or offences. Instead, it is part of Singapore’s ongoing process of consolidating and cleaning up the statute book so that the “revised edition” of legislation reflects what is still relevant and legally operative.
Under the Revised Edition of the Laws Act, the Law Revision Commissioners are empowered to omit certain Acts from the revised compilation. This Notification records which Acts have been omitted from the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts. The omission is significant for practitioners because it affects how legislation is accessed, cited, and interpreted when using the revised edition as the authoritative reference point.
Practically, the Notification ensures that the revised edition does not continue to carry forward Acts that have been dissolved, superseded, or otherwise no longer needed in the revised compilation. It also omits “all Supply Acts specified in the Schedule”, which is a technical but important category: Supply Acts are annual or periodic appropriations measures, and their inclusion in a revised compilation may be unnecessary once they have served their purpose and are not meant to remain as standing legislation in the revised edition.
What Are the Key Provisions?
1. The legal basis for omission (Section 4(1)(a)(i) and section 4(2) of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act). The Notification states that it 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. This signals that the Commissioners are acting within a statutory framework designed to permit omission of Acts from the revised edition. The key point for lawyers is that the omission is not arbitrary; it is grounded in the Revised Edition of the Laws Act’s authority to maintain a coherent and usable compilation.
2. Omission of specific Acts from the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts. The Notification identifies four categories of omissions:
(a) CISCO (Dissolution) Act (Cap. 47A, 2006 Ed.);
(b) Parliamentary Elections (COVID‑19 Special Arrangements) Act 2020 (Act 21 of 2020);
(c) Post Office Savings Bank of Singapore (Transfer of Undertakings and Dissolution) Act (Cap. 237, 1999 Ed.); and
(d) all Supply Acts specified in the Schedule.
Each of the listed Acts reflects a pattern common to omitted legislation: they are either dissolution/transfer instruments (CISCO; Post Office Savings Bank) or time-bound or exceptional measures (COVID‑19 special arrangements for parliamentary elections), or they are appropriation measures (Supply Acts). The Notification therefore targets Acts that are unlikely to remain as enduring, general-purpose legislation within a revised compilation.
3. The Schedule mechanism for Supply Acts. While the extract provided does not reproduce the Schedule contents, the Notification clearly indicates that the omission includes “all Supply Acts specified in the Schedule.” This is an important drafting technique: rather than listing every Supply Act in the body, the Notification uses the Schedule to capture the specific Supply Acts selected for omission. For practitioners, this means that the precise list of omitted Supply Acts must be checked in the Schedule when determining what is removed from the revised edition.
4. Formalisation and effective reference date. The Notification is “Made on 23 December 2021” and published as “SL 978/2021” (with the document timeline showing 28 Dec 2021). Although the extract does not state a separate commencement date, the practical effect is tied to the revised edition process: the omitted Acts are removed from the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts, and the Notification is part of the legal record confirming that omission. Lawyers should treat the Notification as an authoritative statement of what the revised edition omits, and should consult the legislation timeline to ensure they are using the correct version.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
This Notification is structured in a relatively simple format typical of law revision instruments:
1. Heading and status information. It identifies the instrument and indicates that it is a “Current version” as at a specified date (27 March 2026 in the extract). It also includes interface elements for printing and version selection, reflecting that the legislation is maintained with amendments/versions tracking.
2. Enacting formula. The enacting formula sets out the statutory powers relied upon, namely section 4(1)(a)(i) and section 4(2) of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act (Cap. 275). This is the legal foundation for omission.
3. The Schedule. The Schedule is the operative part that lists the Acts omitted. In the extract, the Schedule is shown with items (a) to (d). Items (a) to (c) are named Acts, while item (d) refers to “all Supply Acts specified in the Schedule,” indicating that the Schedule itself contains the relevant Supply Acts list (not fully shown in the extract).
4. Signature block and administrative reference. The Notification is signed by the Chairman of the Law Revision Commission (LUCIEN WONG) and includes a reference number (AG/LEGIS/SL/275/2020/2 Vol. 1). This confirms formal enactment/issuance.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
On its face, the Notification does not “apply” to a class of persons in the way regulatory or criminal statutes do. Its effect is directed at the structure of the published laws—specifically, the content of the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts. In that sense, the primary “audience” is legal practitioners, courts, government agencies, and anyone relying on the revised compilation for authoritative legislative text.
However, the omission of Acts can indirectly affect parties who previously relied on those Acts for legal arguments, historical interpretation, or transitional issues. For example, if a practitioner needs to cite the CISCO dissolution legislation or COVID‑19 election arrangements, they must ensure they are using the correct source—whether the omitted Act remains accessible in an earlier edition, in the original Act form, or through other legal databases. The Notification therefore has practical implications for legal research and citation, even though it does not regulate conduct directly.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Although the Notification is technical, it is important because it affects the authoritative legal reference point for the revised edition of Singapore’s statutes. When courts, counsel, and agencies cite legislation, they often rely on the revised edition as the consolidated, cleaned-up version. If an Act is omitted from that edition, practitioners must be careful to avoid citing a non-included instrument as though it were part of the current revised compilation.
Second, the Notification reflects a broader governance principle: the statute book should remain usable and not burdened with legislation that has been overtaken by dissolution, transfer, or expiry. Omitting dissolution and transfer Acts (such as those relating to CISCO and the Post Office Savings Bank) helps keep the revised edition focused on ongoing legal frameworks. Similarly, omitting COVID‑19 special arrangements legislation acknowledges that exceptional measures may no longer be relevant once the exceptional period has passed.
Third, for litigation and compliance work, the omission can influence how lawyers locate and interpret relevant legal provisions. Even if an Act is omitted from the revised edition, the underlying legal history may still matter for events that occurred while the Act was in force. Practitioners should therefore treat the Notification as a prompt to verify whether the omitted Act remains relevant for the time period at issue and to consult the appropriate version or original Act text where necessary.
Related Legislation
- Revised Edition of the Laws Act (Cap. 275) — the authorising statute providing powers to omit Acts from revised editions
- 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 — omitted insofar as specified in the Schedule to the Notification
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.