He Ting Ru on Public Defenders Bill
In Parliament on Monday (Aug 1), MP He Ting Ru raised several questions about the proposal to set up a Public Defender’s Office (PDO) in Singapore. Although only Singaporeans and permanent residents will be allowed to apply to the PDO for criminal legal aid to begin with, she wanted to know if coverage might in future be expanded to long-term residents, subject to more stringent criteria. She gave the example of work pass holders who make up a sizeable proportion of more vulnerable members of society. Ms He also suggested having explicit guidelines on disclosing information which might be subject to attorney-client privilege to the Chief Public Defender, as well as a formal mechanism for applicants to appeal against any decision not to grant them aid.
In Parliament on Monday (Aug 1), MP He Ting Ru raised several questions about the proposal to set up a Public Defender’s Office (PDO) in Singapore. Although only Singaporeans and permanent residents will be allowed to apply to the PDO for criminal legal aid to begin with, she wanted to know if coverage might in future be expanded to long-term residents, subject to more stringent criteria. She gave the example of work pass holders who make up a sizeable proportion of more vulnerable members of society. Ms He also suggested having explicit guidelines on disclosing information which might be subject to attorney-client privilege to the Chief Public Defender, as well as a formal mechanism for applicants to appeal against any decision not to grant them aid.
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