Community Dispute Resolution Tribunal to be established under the auspices of State Courts

Question

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) when will the Community Dispute Resolution Tribunal be set up; (b) what approach will the Tribunal take to resolve disputes between neighbours; and (c) how will the Tribunal be resourced to cope with the increasing numbers of such disputes. 

Response

Minister Lawrence Wong: The Community Dispute Management Framework (“CDMF”) is a holistic effort to address community disputes and to promote a more gracious and pleasant living environment for all. Our efforts, in partnership with the community, are focused not just on resolving disputes but also encouraging considerate neighbourly behaviours which are vital to preventing community disputes from arising in the first place. So, community-based responses, such as informal mediation by community leaders, and enforcement against anti-social behaviour will be strengthened as part of this framework to resolve community disputes early. 

The Community Dispute Resolution Tribunal (“the Tribunal”), which the member asked about, will be an avenue of last resort to adjudicate long-standing, intractable disputes between neighbours.  This is meant as a last recourse after all attempts at resolving what are essentially private matters have been exhausted.

The Tribunal will be established under the auspices of the State Courts, and is slated to be in operation next year. We are working with the Ministry of Law to develop the legislative framework for the Tribunal, and there will be a public consultation on the draft legislation within the next few months.  Essentially, the court processes and the hearings of the Tribunal will be made more streamlined so that long-running disputes can be resolved expeditiously and effectively. Mediation, which is a process that encourages parties to seek a mutually-acceptable solution, will be a key prerequisite for the Tribunal. So, the person who applies to have the dispute heard by the Tribunal must first attempt to mediate with the respondent. And if the respondent refuses the applicant's invitations to mediate, the Tribunal can order the parties to attend pre-hearing mediation and record any agreement as a consent order of the Tribunal that can then be enforced accordingly.

We recognise that resources are required to support the effective implementation of this framework, and are working closely with the Ministry of Finance to ensure that the framework, including the Tribunal, will be adequately resourced.