Community Dispute Applications Received by Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals

Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for Law (a) over the past 12 months, how many community dispute applications have been received by the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals; (b) of these, how many have been (i) accepted by the tribunals, (ii) successfully resolved and (iii) given orders for one of the parties to receive a mental health assessment.

The Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals (CDRT) was established on 1 October 2015 as a forum to help neighbours with difficult disputes resolve their conflicts after avenues such as community mediation, have been exhausted.

Between 1 October 2015 and 31 January 2017, CDRT received 109 applications. Out of these 109 applications, 102 claims have been disposed of and seven claims are pending. Out of the 102 claims that have been disposed of, a total of 73 claims were successfully resolved, with 55 claims withdrawn/discontinued and a Consent Order granted in the other 18 claims. As for the remaining 29 claims, CDRT granted orders after trial or dismissed/struck off the applications.

The Community Disputes Resolution Act 2015 does not provide CDRT with the power to order a party to undergo a mental health assessment. However, there are existing measures in place to facilitate the referral of parties who may be suffering from mental health issues for examination. The CDRT's in-house psychologists and Court counsellors will first conduct a preliminary assessment on the party's suspected mental health issue. They will then provide inputs to the Judge on whether the party will benefit from a referral to the Institute of Mental Health for medical examination and treatment and facilitate the referral.