Proposal for Inclusion of Section in Animals and Birds Act for Enforcement Officers to be Accompanied by Relevant Persons

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will consider amending the Animals and Birds Act to include a section allowing an enforcement officer to be accompanied or assisted by persons necessary for the exercise of his powers, similar to section 11C of the Wildlife Act.

Under section 11C of the Wildlife Act, enforcement officers may be accompanied or assisted by persons necessary to remove wildlife traps, search premises or vehicles, or seize wildlife or items related to offences under the Act. This is because during the course of enforcement, officers may encounter wildlife species that require specialised handling and assistance from persons with the necessary training qualifications or experience is required.

We do not currently have plans to include a similar provision under the Animals and Birds Act (ABA). Nonetheless, as part of the ongoing review of ABA, we will study the need to include such provisions, where appropriate.