Human Organ Transplant Amendment Bill introduced in Parliament

19/01/2009
By Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE: Four amendment bills were introduced in Parliament on Monday. The first was the Human Organ Transplant Amendment Bill, which aims to allow compensation to altruistic living organ donors.

It will also allow paired living donor organ transplant and the extension of the cadaveric donation age to beyond 60. It also aims to increase the penalties on organ trading.

The second amendment bill was the Building and Construction Authority Amendment Bill, which regulates the importers of essential construction materials so as to ensure a secure and reliable supply.

Under the amendment, a person importing such materials with no valid licence will be subject to a fine not exceeding S$500,000, or a maximum jail term of two years or both.

Enforcement officers will also be empowered to test samples of the import and if the construction material is not up to standard, the importers will be responsible for removing the material from Singapore.

The third amendment bill is related to State Lands which will allow the government to acquire land for the purposes of implementing the provisions of any international agreements which Singapore has signed.

Lastly, the Criminal Law Temporary Provisions Amendment Bill - which was enacted since 1955 - will be extended for another five years.