SINGAPORE –

that would allow Government agencies to share data with external parties, such as social service agencies and community groups, will ensure more effective and timely delivery of services for Singaporeans.

Without the proposed changes , the Government will have to seek consent from individuals before their data is shared, or establish legally that such sharing is in the public interest.

That process can be slow and legally uncertain even for clearly public-spirited programmes , said experts. The proposed changes provide legal clarity for data sharing and hold external parties accountable to standards similar to those applied to public agencies, they added.

Amendments to the Public Sector (Governance) Act (PSGA) are expected to be tabled for second reading when Parliament sits in the week of Jan 12. A public consultation to discuss the recommended changes was held for three weeks between Aug 12, 2025 and Sept 2, 2025.

Introduced in 2018, the PSGA allows for data sharing across the public sector, and sets out data protection and sharing requirements for Government agencies.

Under the law, data can be shared between public sector agencies for seven specific purposes. These include improving the efficiency or effectiveness of policy planning and service delivery, and supporting a whole-of-government approach in public sector work.