The 2020 Revised Edition of Acts came into force on 31 December 2021 to simplify and modernise 510 statutes. Plain English is used as far as possible without any change in meaning. The aim is for laws to be easy to read and navigate.

Which laws have been revised?

All legislation passed by Singapore's Parliament were revised. These laws are also known as statutes. Statutes are one of the primary sources of Singapore law. The other sources are the constitutional documents, subsidiary legislation, and case law.

Why are the Statutes being revised now?

The entire Statute Book is revised periodically for editorial changes to ensure consistency and accuracy after the introduction, amendment and repeal of laws in the intervening years between revisions.

After public feedback in 2013, the Attorney-General's Chambers started the Plain Laws Understandable by Singaporeans (PLUS) initiative. The aim was to make the language of the law as modern and easy to understand and as simple as possible. The PLUS initiative led to this revision exercise.1

What changes are different this time?

Apart from the usual editorial changes, this is the first time that changes are made to simplify and modernise the language of Singapore's statutes.

  1. Plain English

Plain English is used as far as possible. For example, "shall" can have many different meanings, such as to impose a duty or to express a future obligation, etc. Alternatives like "must" or "will" are used instead.2

  1. Gender-neutral language

To remove gender bias in the law, words like "the person" is used instead of "he" or "she".3

  1. Modern words

Old, rarely used words that can be difficult to understand are replaced with modern alternatives. For example, "hereby" is not used at all.

  1. Shorter expressions

Long expressions, which can be difficult to read, are replaced with shorter alternatives and paragraphing. For example, "notice in writing" is shortened to "written notice".

  1. Arabic numerals

Roman numerals, which can be difficult to count and recognise immediately, are replaced with Arabic numerals. For example, "Part IX of the Companies Act" is now "Part 9 of the Companies Act 1967".

  1. Simpler titles

The short titles of Acts now include their year of enactment. Chapter numbers are no longer used. For example, "Companies Act (Cap 50, 2006 Rev Ed)" is now simply "Companies Act 1967". This saves time when amending existing documents with such references. Citing an Act with its chapter number and year of Revised Edition will only be necessary when referring to a specific historical version.4

  1. Up to date references

Cross references were updated, and errors or inconsistencies in spelling, style and formatting were removed. Provisions that have become spent were also removed.

Other changes include streamlined and more informative citations, and a more comprehensive legislative history. The 2020 Revised Edition of Acts was published both online and in hard copy, and on and from 31 December 2021, it is the sole and only proper statute book of Singapore with respect to the Acts contained in it.

Impact on banking documentation

  1. No change in meaning

This revision was not an extensive rewrite of the statutes. Instead, many small improvements were made throughout the statutes to improve readability. As such, there is no change in meaning of the laws.5 The legal framework, rights, duties and obligations remain the same. No action is thus required in relation to existing documents.

  1. Existing documents do not need to be updated

There is no immediate need to change the title of Acts in existing documents. The law provides for references to statutes before the revision to be construed as a reference to the revised statutes.6

  1. New documents should be updated for accuracy

New documents should be updated to ensure accuracy if they contain either references to the titles of statutes, or content in the document that uses the same expressions word-for-word in statutes.

Conclusion

Before this revision, some steps were already taken to encourage plain English in legal documents. Examples include the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) guidelines for plain English for prospectuses7 and life insurance8, and the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) codes for consumer banking9 and private banking10. Some banks have also voluntarily adopted plain English best practices.11 Going forward, this revision may increase demand from regulators and clients, including commercial and institutional clients, for legal documents to be more readable and understandable.

Footnotes

1 Second Reading Speech by Second Minister for Law, Mr Edwin Tong, on the Statute Law Reform Bill, 5 January 2021

2 Richard C. Wydick, Plain English for Lawyers (Carolina Academic Press, 5th Ed, 2005) at p 63-64

3 Chew Hui Min, "Plain English please: Precedents of crusades to streamline jargon enclosed herewith" The Straits Times (6 February 2015) https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/plain-english-please-precedents-of-crusades-to-streamline-jargon-enclosed-herewith (accessed 4 January 2022)

4 Attorney-General's Chambers "AGC Completes Universal Revision of Acts – 2020 Revised Edition to take effect from 31 December 2021" https://www.agc.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/agc-media-statement_launch-of-universal-revision-project.pdf (accessed 4 January 2022)

5 Ibid

6 Revised Edition of the Laws Act 1983 s 20

7 MAS Guidelines on Good Drafting Practices for Prospectuses (issued 7 July 2015)

8 MAS Notice 318 (last revised 29 June 2018) para 15

9 ABS, Code of Consumer Banking Practice (November 2017) paras 5(a)(ii) and 9(a)(iv)

10 ABS, Private Banking in Singapore: Code of Conduct (1 September 2020) paras 6.4.1 and 6.4.2

11 See note 3

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