Family Justice Bill tabled in Parliament

SINGAPORE — A new Family Justice Bill was tabled in Parliament yesterday as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the court infrastructure and management processes to better protect and support families.

It will form the basis for the establishment of the Family Justice Courts (FJC) comprising the High Court (Family Division), Family Court and Youth Court — previously known as the Juvenile Court — which will hear all family-related proceedings.

The proposed laws come after over a year of review and public consultation by the Committee for Family Justice. Under the proposed Family Justice Act, a Family Justice Rules Committee will be established to make rules to regulate and prescribe the procedure and practice of the FJC. The committee will be chaired by the Chief Justice and consist of Supreme Court judges, the presiding judge of the FJC and the registrar of the FJC.

Some of the features of the new FJC include the discretion to appoint a registered medical practitioner, psychologist, counsellor, social worker or mental health professional to examine and assess the child or person for “the purposes of preparing expert evidence for use in those proceedings”.

A central registry will also be set up to receive, assign and manage all cases for hearing. If the Bill is passed, the FJC could be ready by the end of the year. ASHLEY CHIA