Statute Details
- Title: Revised Edition of the Laws (Order under section 11(3)) Order 2011
- Act Code: RELA1983-S675-2011
- Type: Subsidiary Legislation (SL)
- Enacting Authority: President of Singapore (by order)
- Authorising Act: Revised Edition of the Laws Act (Chapter 275)
- Key Legal Mechanism: Confirmation that a “loose-leaf edition” becomes the sole and proper law for specified Acts
- Date Made: 9 December 2011
- Gazette Instrument: S 675/2011
- Effective Date: 31 December 2011
- Status: Current version as at 27 March 2026
- Schedule: Lists the Acts covered by the order (not reproduced in the extract)
What Is This Legislation About?
The Revised Edition of the Laws (Order under section 11(3)) Order 2011 is an administrative-but-critical legal instrument that finalises the legal status of a set of published laws. In plain terms, it confirms that the “loose-leaf edition” of certain Acts—prepared by the Law Revision Commissioners—will be treated as the sole and proper law of Singapore for those Acts in all courts and for all purposes.
This order sits within Singapore’s broader law revision and consolidation framework. The Revised Edition of the Laws Act (Chapter 275) provides a statutory process for producing revised editions of legislation. Those revised editions are not merely editorial; they are designed to become authoritative legal texts. The 2011 Order is one step in that process: it bridges the publication of revised loose-leaf Acts and their recognition as the definitive legal source.
Practically, the order matters because legal outcomes depend on what text is treated as “the law”. Where multiple versions exist (for example, earlier consolidations, subsequent amendments, or editorial revisions), courts and practitioners need certainty about which version governs. This order provides that certainty by designating the loose-leaf edition as the sole and proper law for the Acts listed in the Schedule.
What Are the Key Provisions?
1. The legal basis: section 11(3) of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act
The preamble explains that, under section 10 of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act, the Law Revision Commissioners published in loose-leaf form the Acts set out in the Schedule as in force on 1 December 2011. It then states that section 11(3) empowers the Commissioners to transmit copies of those loose-leaf editions to the President. The President may then, by order published in the Gazette, specify that the loose-leaf edition shall be the sole and only proper law in respect of those Acts.
For practitioners, this is the “chain of authority” that legitimises the revised texts. It is not enough that a revised edition exists; the statute requires a formal presidential order, published in the Gazette, to elevate the loose-leaf edition to authoritative status.
2. The operative effect: “sole and only proper law”
The core operative clause provides that the loose-leaf edition of the Acts listed in the Schedule shall, with effect from 31 December 2011, be the sole and only proper law of Singapore in respect of those Acts. The phrase “in all courts and for all purposes” (as described in the preamble and reflected in the statutory mechanism) underscores that the designation is comprehensive: it governs judicial interpretation, legal advice, enforcement, and any other legal use.
This wording is significant. It aims to prevent disputes about which version of the law applies. Once the order takes effect, the loose-leaf edition is treated as the definitive legal text for the covered Acts, reducing the risk that litigants rely on outdated or non-authoritative compilations.
3. Temporal anchoring: “as in force on 1st December 2011”
The order’s preamble ties the content of the loose-leaf edition to a specific “as at” date: the Acts are those “as in force on 1st December 2011”. This matters because the legal text in the loose-leaf edition reflects the law at that point in time. Subsequent amendments after 1 December 2011 would not be captured unless later revision orders or amendment mechanisms incorporate them into the authoritative text.
Accordingly, lawyers should be careful when relying on the revised edition: the effective date of the order (31 December 2011) does not automatically mean that all amendments up to 31 December 2011 are included. Instead, the revision content is anchored to 1 December 2011, and any later changes would need to be checked against subsequent legislation and the current consolidated/updated versions.
4. The Schedule: which Acts are covered
Although the extract does not reproduce the Schedule, the Schedule is central to the order. The order’s effect is limited to “the Acts set out in the Schedule”. Therefore, the practical question for any practitioner is: Is the Act I am dealing with listed in the Schedule? If yes, then the loose-leaf edition designated by the order is the authoritative text from 31 December 2011 onward (subject to later updates and the current version status).
Because the Schedule is not shown in the extract, a lawyer would typically consult the full instrument to confirm whether the relevant Act is included. This is especially important for niche practice areas where only certain Acts are affected by a particular revision order.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
This instrument is structured as a short presidential order with a preamble and an operative clause, followed by a Schedule. The preamble sets out the legislative history and statutory authority: (i) publication of loose-leaf Acts by the Law Revision Commissioners under section 10 of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act, and (ii) the President’s power under section 11(3) to designate the loose-leaf edition as the sole and proper law.
The operative part then states the effective date and the legal consequence (“sole and only proper law”). The Schedule identifies the specific Acts covered. In practice, the Schedule is the “workhorse” for determining applicability, while the operative clause provides the mechanism that makes the Schedule’s content authoritative.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The order applies to the Acts listed in its Schedule and, by extension, to everyone who uses or relies on those Acts in legal proceedings. That includes courts, government agencies, regulated entities, legal practitioners, and members of the public seeking to understand or comply with the law.
Importantly, the order does not create new substantive rights or offences by itself. Instead, it governs the status and authority of the legal text for the specified Acts. Therefore, its “applicability” is best understood as applying to the legal system’s use of those Acts as authoritative law from the effective date.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Although the order is brief, it plays a foundational role in legal certainty. In a jurisdiction with frequent legislative amendments, practitioners need a reliable method to identify the authoritative text of an Act. The “sole and only proper law” designation helps ensure that courts interpret the correct version and that legal advice is grounded in the legally recognised text.
From an enforcement and litigation perspective, the order reduces procedural and substantive disputes about the applicable law. If a party were to cite an outdated compilation or an unofficial version, the “sole and only proper law” framework supports the argument that only the designated loose-leaf edition (and later authoritative updates) should be treated as the law.
For practitioners, the order also has a practical workflow implication. When researching an Act, lawyers should not only look at the text of the Act but also confirm the version status and whether a revision order has designated a particular edition as authoritative. The instrument’s “current version as at 27 Mar 2026” status indicates that the legal database maintains the order as part of the consolidated legislative record, but the substantive relevance for a given case will depend on the date of the relevant events and the version of the law in force at that time.
Related Legislation
- Revised Edition of the Laws Act (Chapter 275) — authorising publication of revised loose-leaf Acts and presidential orders under section 11(3)
- Law Revision Commissioners’ loose-leaf publication process — referenced in the preamble as the publication under section 10
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Revised Edition of the Laws (Order under section 11(3)) Order 2011 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.