Statute Details
- Title: Revised Edition of the Laws (Rectification) Order 2001
- Act Code: RELA1983-S577-2001
- Type: Subsidiary Legislation (SL)
- Enacting Formula / Authorising Act: Made under section 23(1) of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act
- Order Citation: “Revised Edition of the Laws (Rectification) Order 2001”
- Key Provisions: Section 1 (Citation); Section 2 (Rectification of error)
- Legislative Instrument Number: SL 577/2001
- Date Made: 26 November 2001
- Presentation to Parliament: To be presented under section 23(2) of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act
- Status: Current version as at 27 Mar 2026
What Is This Legislation About?
The Revised Edition of the Laws (Rectification) Order 2001 is a short, targeted subsidiary legislative instrument whose purpose is to correct an error in an earlier “Delegation of Powers” notification. In plain terms, it fixes a mistake in the published legal text so that the correct persons (and the correct statutory references) are shown as having delegated authority.
Although the Order is brief, it matters in practice because delegation notifications determine who may exercise certain powers on behalf of government ministries and departments. Where the delegation text is wrong—whether by misnaming an office-holder, misidentifying the relevant ministry, or incorrectly referencing the underlying statute—legal processes can be challenged, administrative decisions can be questioned, and litigation can be complicated by arguments about authority.
This Order therefore operates as a “rectification” mechanism: it does not create new substantive policy. Instead, it ensures that the legal record accurately reflects the intended delegation arrangement, particularly in relation to provisions of the Government Proceedings Act (Cap. 121). The rectification is made by deleting an existing item in the relevant schedule and substituting a corrected version.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Section 1 (Citation) provides the formal name by which the Order may be cited. This is standard drafting: it helps lawyers, courts, and government agencies refer to the instrument consistently.
Section 2 (Rectification of error) is the substantive provision. It directs the reader to correct a specific item in the schedule to the Delegation of Powers (Ministry of Finance) (Consolidation) Notification (Cap. 1, N 6). The Order identifies the exact location of the error: “item 1 in the Schedule” to that notification.
The rectification is implemented in two steps: (1) delete the existing item 1; and (2) substitute a revised item 1. The substituted text clarifies that the delegation is split between two ministries and specifies the relevant office-holder and the statutory provisions being delegated.
Under the substituted item 1, the delegation is as follows:
(1) Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence—delegation relating to section 14(1)(b) and section 14(2)(b) of the Government Proceedings Act (Cap. 121), “in respect of the armed forces.”
(2) Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs—delegation relating to section 14(1)(b) and section 14(2)(b) of the Government Proceedings Act, “in respect of the police force.”
In other words, the corrected schedule item makes explicit that the relevant Permanent Secretaries for Defence and Home Affairs are the delegated authorities for the specified Government Proceedings Act provisions, with the subject-matter distinction being armed forces versus police force.
The substituted text also includes a bracketed reference “[S21/83]”. While the extract does not explain the bracketed notation, in legal practice such references typically point to an earlier subsidiary instrument or amendment history that the rectification is aligning with. For practitioners, the key point is that the rectification is not arbitrary: it is intended to restore the correct legal linkage to the Government Proceedings Act and to the intended delegation framework.
Finally, the Order includes a “Made this 26th day of November 2001” clause and identifies the Chairman of the Law Revision Commission. It also notes that the Order is to be presented to Parliament under section 23(2) of the Revised Edition of the Laws Act. This confirms that the rectification process is part of the formal law revision and publication mechanism, not an informal administrative correction.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
This Order is extremely concise and consists of an enacting formula and two operative sections.
Section 1 sets out the citation.
Section 2 is the only operative rectification provision. It specifies the exact document to be corrected (the schedule to the Delegation of Powers (Ministry of Finance) (Consolidation) Notification (Cap. 1, N 6)), the exact item to be corrected (item 1), and the exact replacement text.
There are no Parts, no schedules attached by the Order itself (because the Order rectifies a schedule in another notification), and no additional procedural or substantive rules beyond the deletion and substitution instruction.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
Although the Order is addressed to the legal record rather than to the public, its practical effect is on government authorities—specifically the Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Home Affairs—and on the exercise of delegated powers under the Government Proceedings Act.
In practice, the corrected delegation matters to any situation in which the Government Proceedings Act requires or permits action by a designated authority in relation to armed forces or the police force. Lawyers advising government agencies, litigators handling claims involving the armed forces or police, and counsel reviewing the validity of administrative steps should treat the rectified delegation as part of the authority foundation for those actions.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Rectification orders like this one may appear minor because they are short and do not introduce new policy. However, they can be crucial in litigation and compliance. Delegation provisions are often treated as “threshold” authority: if the wrong person is shown as having delegated power, or if the statutory reference is incorrect, parties may argue that a decision or procedural step was taken without proper authority.
By correcting item 1 in the schedule to the Delegation of Powers (Ministry of Finance) (Consolidation) Notification (Cap. 1, N 6), the Order ensures that the legal record accurately reflects the intended delegation under section 14(1)(b) and section 14(2)(b) of the Government Proceedings Act. The rectification also clarifies the institutional allocation: Defence for armed forces and Home Affairs for police force.
From a practitioner’s perspective, there are at least three practical impacts:
- Authority and validity: The corrected schedule supports the legitimacy of actions taken by the relevant Permanent Secretaries under the Government Proceedings Act provisions.
- Litigation readiness: In disputes involving the armed forces or police, counsel can rely on the corrected delegation text to rebut challenges about who had the power to act.
- Compliance accuracy: Government agencies and legal teams can align internal processes and documentation with the corrected public legal record.
Additionally, because the Order is part of the Revised Edition of the Laws framework, it reflects the ongoing maintenance of Singapore’s published legislation. Practitioners should therefore treat the instrument as a signal that the consolidated legal text may have previously contained an error that has now been corrected in the official version.
Related Legislation
- Revised Edition of the Laws Act (authorising provision: section 23(1) and presentation under section 23(2))
- Delegation of Powers (Ministry of Finance) (Consolidation) Notification (Cap. 1, N 6) — schedule item 1 as rectified
- Government Proceedings Act (Cap. 121) — section 14(1)(b) and section 14(2)(b)
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Revised Edition of the Laws (Rectification) Order 2001 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.