Statute Details
- Title: Trustees (Authorised Unit Trust Scheme) (No. 7) Order 2000
- Act Code: TA1967-S283-2000
- Type: Subsidiary Legislation (SL)
- Authorising Act: Trustees Act (Cap. 337)
- Enacting power: Section 83 of the Trustees Act
- Order date / made: 16 June 2000
- SL number: SL 283/2000
- Commencement date: Not stated in the extract (typically the order takes effect upon making or as otherwise provided)
- Status: Current version as at 27 Mar 2026
- Key provisions (from extract): Section 1 (Citation); Section 2 (Authorised unit trust scheme)
What Is This Legislation About?
The Trustees (Authorised Unit Trust Scheme) (No. 7) Order 2000 is a short piece of subsidiary legislation made under the Trustees Act. In plain language, it is an official legal “designation” that recognises a particular collective investment arrangement—specifically, a unit trust scheme—as an authorised unit trust scheme for the purposes of the Trustees Act.
Authorised unit trust schemes matter because the Trustees Act framework is designed to regulate how trustees may deal with certain investments and how unit trust arrangements may be treated within that statutory regime. By declaring a named scheme as “authorised”, the Minister for Law effectively brings that scheme within the scope of the Act’s authorisation-based legal treatment.
This Order is not a comprehensive regulatory code for unit trusts. Instead, it performs a targeted function: it identifies one scheme—United Asia Top-50 Fund—and declares it authorised. The practical effect is that trustees and other market participants can rely on the scheme’s authorised status when applying the Trustees Act’s provisions.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Section 1 (Citation) provides the formal name by which the Order may be cited. This is standard legislative housekeeping, but it is important for legal referencing, compliance documentation, and citation in regulatory filings, legal opinions, and contractual clauses.
Section 2 (Authorised unit trust scheme) is the substantive provision. It states that United Asia Top-50 Fund is hereby declared as an authorised unit trust scheme for the purpose of the Trustees Act. This is the core legal act: the scheme’s status changes from being merely a unit trust arrangement to being one that is recognised under the Trustees Act’s authorisation mechanism.
Although the extract does not reproduce the Trustees Act provisions themselves, the legal significance is clear. The authorisation is tied to the Act’s statutory purposes. In practice, “authorised” status typically affects how trustees may invest, how trust property may be held, and what legal protections or permissive rules apply to trustees dealing with unit trust interests. For practitioners, the key step is to connect the authorised designation to the relevant operative provisions in the Trustees Act (for example, any sections that permit or regulate trustee investments in authorised schemes).
Enacting formula and making authority confirm that the Minister for Law acts under the specific power in section 83 of the Trustees Act. This matters for validity and for any future challenges. If a party were to question whether the authorisation was properly made, the statutory source of power is the first place a court or tribunal would look. Here, the Order expressly states it is made “in exercise of the powers conferred by section 83 of the Trustees Act”, supporting the legitimacy of the designation.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Order is extremely concise and structured as a two-section instrument.
Section 1 contains the citation provision. Section 2 contains the substantive declaration identifying the authorised unit trust scheme. There are no schedules, no definitions section in the extract, and no additional conditions or procedural requirements set out in this Order.
From a practitioner’s perspective, this structure means that the legal work is largely interpretive and cross-referential: you must read this Order together with the Trustees Act to understand what consequences flow from the scheme being “authorised”. The Order itself does not explain those consequences; it simply triggers them by designation.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
This Order applies primarily to the extent that the Trustees Act applies to trustees and related persons who must comply with that Act’s investment and trust administration rules. The authorised status of United Asia Top-50 Fund is relevant to trustees considering whether they may hold or invest in interests in that unit trust scheme under the statutory framework.
While the Order names a particular fund, the beneficiaries of the authorisation are not only the fund manager or unit trust operator. The authorisation is meaningful to trustees, trustees’ advisers, and legal practitioners who must advise on whether a given investment is permitted or treated differently under the Trustees Act. In addition, counterparties and custodians may rely on the authorised status for operational and compliance purposes.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Even though the Order is short, it can be highly consequential in practice. Authorised status can determine whether trustees can lawfully include a particular unit trust scheme within their trust portfolios, and it can affect how trustees document investment decisions and demonstrate compliance with statutory duties.
For legal practitioners, the importance lies in the certainty and reliance that an official authorisation provides. When advising trustees, counsel typically needs to confirm that a proposed investment falls within a category that the law recognises. This Order supplies that confirmation for United Asia Top-50 Fund—a named scheme—by declaring it authorised under the Trustees Act.
From an enforcement and risk perspective, the absence of authorisation (or reliance on an outdated or incorrect authorisation instrument) can create compliance risk. Trustees may face challenges if they hold investments that are not properly authorised under the relevant statutory regime. Therefore, practitioners should treat this Order as a key compliance reference point and ensure that the relevant version is current (the extract indicates it is current as at 27 Mar 2026).
Finally, the Order illustrates a common Singapore legislative technique: rather than embedding detailed investment authorisation rules within a single statute, the law uses subsidiary instruments to designate specific schemes. This allows the authorisation regime to be updated as new funds are approved or as schemes are brought within the statutory framework.
Related Legislation
- Trustees Act (Chapter 337) — in particular, section 83 (the enabling provision for making this Order)
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Trustees (Authorised Unit Trust Scheme) (No. 7) Order 2000 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.