Ministry of Law seeks public feedback on IAA; SBF establishes new arbitration group

Singapore

THE Ministry of Law (MinLaw) started a public consultation on Wednesday to seek views on proposals to amend the International Arbitration Act (IAA).

The proposed changes would provide for the default appointment of arbitrators in multi-party situations; allow parties under mutual agreement to request arbitrators to decide on jurisdiction at the preliminary stage; and recognise that an arbitral tribunal and the High Court can enforce obligations of confidentiality in arbitration.

The changes would also allow parties to appeal to the High Court on a question of law arising from an arbitration award, provided that parties have agreed to opt in to the mechanism. Considerations for this change were reported in April, in a written reply from Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam to a question from Murali Pillai, MP for Bukit B…