Applications Received by Community Disputes Resolutions Tribunals and Rate of Resolution
Ministry of LawSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the statistics and enforcement of Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals (CDRT) applications, as raised by Mr Gan Thiam Poh. Minister for Law K Shanmugam stated that between February 2017 and December 2018, 163 applications were received, with 133 claims disposed of and 30 pending. Of those disposed, 97 were resolved amicably via Consent Orders or withdrawals, while 36 were concluded through trials, default orders, or dismissals. To manage non-compliance, 10 Special Directions were issued, which are formal orders requiring respondents to comply within a specified timeframe. Violating a Special Direction without reasonable excuse is a criminal offence punishable by a fine up to $5,000, three months' imprisonment, or both.
Transcript
48 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Law since February 2017 (a) how many applications have been received by the Community Disputes Resolutions Tribunals; (b) how many case have been resolved successfully; and (c) whether any of the parties have failed to observe the resolution granted by the tribunal resulting in the tribunal bringing the party concerned to task.
Mr K Shanmugam: Between 1 February 2017 and 31 December 2018, the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals (CDRT) received 163 applications. Out of these, 133 claims have been disposed of, while 30 claims are still pending as of 31 December 2018. Out of the 133 claims which were disposed of, 97 claims were resolved amicably – Consent Orders were granted in 33 claims while the other 64 claims were either withdrawn or discontinued. As for the remaining 36 claims, the CDRT granted orders by default or after trial, or dismissed or struck out the applications.
There have been a few instances where a respondent had failed to comply with the terms of an Order of the Tribunal. In these circumstances, and upon the application of the plaintiff, Special Directions have been issued against the respondents. A Special Direction is a direction by the Tribunal to the respondent to comply with the order that has been made against him within a specified time. 10 Special Directions were issued by the CDRT in the period between 1 February 2017 and 31 December 2018. A respondent who fails to comply with a Special Direction without reasonable excuse, commits an offence. He is liable on conviction to be fined up to $5,000 or imprisoned up to three months or to both.