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MinLaw’s mission is to ensure a sound legal infrastructure, optimise land resources and promote intellectual property to support our economic and social goals. The Singapore Land Authority (SLA), the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), the Insolvency and Public Trustee’s Office (IPTO), the Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) and the Community Mediation Unit (CMU) come under the MinLaw family. A total budget of $332 million has been allocated to MinLaw for FY2009.
Ensure a Sound Legal Infrastructure
Legal Framework
MinLaw works closely with relevant stakeholders to maintain a legal framework that supports our social objectives and economic progress. This includes strengthening the legal infrastructure and updating the relevant legislation to serve our goals.
Following the Government’s acceptance of wide ranging recommendations made by a Committee chaired by Justice VK Rajah that comprehensively reviewed the legal services sector in the main areas of: (a) liberalisation of the legal services sector; (b) the disciplinary process for the legal profession; and (c) legal education and professional training, the proposals relating to (a) and (b) have been implemented.
In FY2009, MinLaw will focus on implementing the proposals on legal education and professional training in collaboration with relevant key stakeholders. This will include working with them to set up an Institute of Legal Education (ILE) that will serve as an umbrella body to oversee the provision of holistic legal education and training for lawyers in Singapore. It will also include implementing the Committee’s various recommendations relating to admission requirements, such as the introduction of a new Vocational Training Course (VTC) to replace the current Practical Law Course (PLC), as well as a training contract scheme to replace the current pupillage system. The Legal Profession Act will be further reviewed.
MinLaw will also look into law reform areas, such as a review of the International Arbitration Act, Criminal Procedure Code with an ancillary new Coroner’s Act, Pawnbrokers Act, and the corporate rescue provisions in the Companies Act.
$1.5 million will be allocated for these initiatives, which is 0.5% of MinLaw’s budget.
International Arbitration
MinLaw will continue to promote Singapore as a choice location for the conduct of international arbitration. A state of the art integrated dispute resolution complex will be opened in 2009. The building will house eminent international arbitration bodies from around the world, along with the Singapore International Arbitration Centre. This complex will serve as a key facility for international dispute resolution work in the region.
MinLaw will also continue to work with the Economic Development Board (EDB) and other authorities to put in place various measures to encourage and facilitate more international arbitration and legal transactional work to take place from Singapore.
$6.6 million will be allocated for these initiatives, which is 2% of MinLaw’s budget.
Community Mediation
MinLaw’s Community Mediation Unit (CMU) promotes community mediation and provides mediation services for community and social conflicts through its network of Community Mediation Centres (CMCs) and panel of trained volunteer mediators. To enhance the professionalism and quality of its mediation service to members of the public, the CMU will further develop and improve its ongoing training and accreditation programmes for its volunteer mediators.
To engage community leaders in the resolution of community-type disputes, the CMU will continue to conduct basic mediation training in collaboration with community-based organisations to equip community leaders with the necessary mediation skills to handle typical neighbourhood and relational conflicts. In addition, the CMU will continue to strengthen its links with these organisations and other frontline agencies through regular briefings, working level exchanges and streamlining referral arrangements to ensure that appropriate disputes are channelled to the CMCs for settlement.
As part of CMU’s longer term strategy to cultivate a mediation culture amongst Singaporeans, CMU will continue to work in partnership with interested schools to organise mediation training seminars as well as general awareness activities to equip students with mediation as a life-skill and impress upon the younger generation, the importance of resolving relational disputes amicably. Thus far, more than 68,000 students have been reached through these programmes. The CMU will also creatively use various mass media, exhibitions and talks to increase general public awareness of the CMCs and the benefits of community mediation.
$1.4 million, which is 0.4% of MinLaw’s budget, will be allocated to CMU for its work.
Legal Aid
To ensure access to justice for all, the Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) provides quality legal advice, assistance and aid on civil matters to persons of limited means. LAB will engage more solicitors and volunteers to support the Bureau in achieving this.
MinLaw and LAB will also work with the Law Society and the legal profession to promote the pro bono spirit and the related efforts and programmes.
$7.7 million will be allocated for LAB’s work and the initiatives and programmes. This makes up 2.3% of MinLaw’s budget.
Insolvency
The Insolvency & Public Trustee’s Office (IPTO) administers individual and corporate insolvency cases with the aim of protecting and balancing the interests of both the creditors and debtors. This includes supporting both entrepreneurship and financial discipline. IPTO currently administers approximately 27,000 individual and 1,000 corporate insolvency cases.
IPTO will be launching the Debt Repayment Scheme (DRS) in FY2009. The DRS allows debtors with relatively smaller debts to pay their creditors to the best of their ability through an arrangement and thereby avoid bankruptcy. By avoiding bankruptcy, debtors will avoid its stigma and restrictions and be given a chance for a fresh start. Creditors will receive no less than what they would have received had the debtors gone into bankruptcy.
$12.6 million will be allocated to the Insolvency Service of IPTO for its work. This constitutes 3.8% of MinLaw’s budget.
Public Trustee
The Public Trustee (PT) administers small estates of deceased persons, acts as trustee pursuant to various statutory duties to administer monies, acts as trustee of trust funds in the public interest and ensures the adequacy of compensation sums paid to victims in motor accidents, that they are not overcharged by their lawyers and they receive their compensation expeditiously.
Under the Mental Capacity Act, the Office of Public Guardian (OPG) will be established under MCYS to undertake a range of functions for the protection of persons who lack mental capacity. IPTO will support the OPG in dealing with representations (including complaints) on the way in which a donee of a lasting power of attorney or a deputy appointed by the Court is exercising his powers. PT will also act as a deputy of last resort to administer the financial and estate matters of mentally-incapacitated persons where no other person is able to act for them.
$2.5 million, which is 0.8% of MinLaw’s budget, will be allocated to the Public Trustee Division of IPTO for this work.
Moneylending and Pawnbroking
The Registry of Moneylenders and Pawnbrokers (ROMP) licenses and regulates the activities of moneylenders and pawnbrokers in order to protect the interests of borrowers and pawners respectively. ROMP is reviewing the Pawnbrokers Act to enhance the regulatory framework and consumer protection, while promoting the growth and modernisation of the pawnbroking business.
$0.9 million will be allocated to the ROMP Division of IPTO for its work. This constitutes 0.3% of MinLaw’s budget.
Create Value through Land Optimisation
Adaptive Use of State Land and Properties
MinLaw and SLA play an active role in optimising our land resources. We seek to achieve a balance amongst competing demands to support economic development, social growth and cohesion, and the protection of our nature reserves and parklands; for the present and the future. SLA works with other government agencies, private sector and community partners to promote new, creative and innovative uses for State land and properties, as well as allocate more land to meet the needs of industries, institutions, businesses and the community. This includes formulating and improving schemes for leasing them out.
SLA and EDB, in partnership, are encouraging internationally renowned educational institutes to set up in Singapore under EDB’s Global Schoolhouse programme through the use of State-owned properties. Some 40 of such State properties have already been converted for educational use under this scheme. SLA is working in similar partnerships with other Government agencies.
Community Use of State Land
SLA contributes to social development by making vacant State lands and buildings available for community use. SLA rents State buildings directly to voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) and special needs schools for them to provide social, special education and community services. SLA also makes available open fields to the public for social and recreational purposes, and prepares and maintains them adequately for this.
Land Information for the Public
SLA plays a leading role in the development of the Land Data Hub, which facilitates the exchange and use of land data among public agencies for planning and operations. SLA is partnering the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) to lead a whole-of-government effort to develop a National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). NSDI will establish a framework for the creation and access of spatial data by all government agencies. This will bring about greater data compatibility, promote a common access policy and reduce duplication in data collection among agencies. It will also provide the platform for public agencies, the private sector and the community to leverage on the full potential of spatial data for various uses. SLA is also setting up an intelligent map system, tentatively named “iMAP”, as the common map interface and platform for government agencies to deliver public services. Using the iMAP portal in future, the public can conveniently search for public amenities, facilities and other useful public information.
In addition, SLA is developing an integrated electronic lodgement, registration and search system for both private and public (HDB) properties. This will result in greater convenience for lawyers and the public as there will be a single gateway for both private and public properties.
$273 million will be allocated for the various programmes and initiatives. This constitutes 82.2% of MinLaw’s budget.
Land Acquisition Appeals
The Appeals Board (Land Acquisition) gives a fair and expeditious hearing and a just determination for every appeal against the award made by the Collector of Land Revenue for land acquired under the Land Acquisition Act.
$0.4 million which is 0.1% of MinLaw’s budget will be allocated to the Appeals Board.
Promote Intellectual Property
MinLaw and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) ensure a robust and sound intellectual property (IP) regime that spurs innovation and supports the growth of knowledge-intensive industries in Singapore. MinLaw and IPOS will continue, through awareness and education programmes, to foster respect for IP rights amongst the general public and promote IP-savviness amongst Singapore-based businesses in the management of IP as a strategic business asset. We will also continue to help these businesses and public agencies develop IP management capabilities to enable them to fully tap the value of their intangible assets.
MinLaw and IPOS are actively promoting the development of Singapore-based IP services (such as patent drafting, IP intermediary services, and IP education and training) to meet the demands in Singapore and the region. This includes the development of the Intellectual Property Academy (IPA) into a premier centre for IP education and training.
$6.7 million will be allocated for these initiatives. This constitutes 2.2% of MinLaw’s budget.
To find out more about the Ministry of Law and our programmes and initiatives, visit our website at www.minlaw.gov.sg. |
