Government Bodies or Ministries in Singapore

The government ministries are the highest order in terms of development and ruling of certain sectors of Singapore. Under every ministry, there are other governmental units, statutory boards, departments as well as agencies, all of which have their own set of roles and responsibilities usually catered for a specific sector or area.

Government Bodies in Education

This Ministry of Education or MOE is responsible for the development of Singapore’s education system whether it is the curriculum, the standards and other related areas. Among the agencies that function under the MOE includes:

1. Compulsory Education Unit
2. The School Planning and Placement Division
3. Higher Education Division
4. Education Technology
5. the Curriculum Planning and Development Division

Meanwhile, MOE sits on several boards of major institutes of learning in Singapore which includes:

1. Nanyang Polytechnic
2. the Institute of Technical Education
3. the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board
4. Ngee Ann Polytechnic and
5. The ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute

Government Bodies in Social development

What makes the MSF or Ministry of Social and Family Development so crucial is that this ministry oversees the initiatives of the government to improve the social wellbeing of the people. Its role include maintaining communications and international relations, development of the elderly and family communities, human resources, strategic policy and research and in sports too. Among the boards that the MSF sits in include the:

1. Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura
2. the People’s Association
3. the Sikh Advisory Board
4. the Singapore Sports Council and
5. The National Council of Social Science

Defence-Related Government Bodies

MINDEF or Ministry of Defence oversees all the initiatives and bodies that ensure the safety of Singapore both internally and externally. The army and defence groups are all under the purview of this ministry. As such, the Defence Management Group and the Defence Finance Organization is under this ministry. Besides that MINDEF’s responsibilities cover:

1. the Defence Policy Group
2. the Military Security Department (MSD)
3. the Defence Technology and Resources Office and
4. the Civil Resources Authority
5. the RSAF or Republic of Singapore Air Force
6. the RSN or Republic of Singapore Navy
7. the Singapore Armed Forces Military Police Command
8. the Singapore Army
9. the Singapore Armed Forces

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)

The PMO or Prime Minister’s Office is a prominent government body which has jurisdiction over matters that do not fall under any of the ministries. It oversees very specific roles and issues of the county which will be managed under the Prime Minister’s team. This department carries out very important tasks under the likes of:

1. The Cyber Security Agency
2. the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau
3. the Elections Department
4. The Justices of Peace
5. the Horticultural Section
6. the National Climate Change Secretariat
7. the National Population and Talent Division
8. the Public Service Division and
9. the Smart Nation Programme Office, among others

Besides that, the PMO is the office that manages the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the Cabinet of Singapore, the AGC of Attorney-General’s Chambers, the AGO or Auditor-General’s Chambers and the Singapore Civil Service College.

Government Bodies in Environment and Natural Resources

Responsible for issues including water resources, efforts in conservation and preservation is the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources or MEWR. Its role includes maintaining international relations, planning and strategic policy making within its divisions like the Corporate Development, Facilities and Operations Management and the 3P Network respectively. Besides that, MEWR sits in crucial bodies like the Public Utilities Board and the National Environment Agency, to name a few.

Home Affairs and internal issues

The name Ministry of Home Affairs is as true as what it is. This ministry manages all the affairs within Singapore. Issues that are pertinent to the harmony of Singapore falls under the MHA. As such, it will manage statutory boards like the National Fire Prevention Council, the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony, the National Crime Prevention Council and the National Council Against Drug Abuse. On top of that, other organizations like the Singapore Prison Service, the Singapore Police Force, the Singapore Civil Defence Force, the Central Narcotics Bureau, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and the Internal Security Department comes under the purview of this ministry as well.

Bodies regulating Foreign Affairs

While MHA handles internal issues, the MFA or Ministry of Foreign Affairs handles external issues. Its job is to ensure the ties with external parties are taken care of via its various Directorates in various countries and continents across the world.

Government bodies involving national finance

MOF or Ministry of Finance is very much the finance department of Singapore. It ensures that the finances are balanced which are handled by various units. This includes:

1. the Singapore Customs
2. the Accountant-General’s Department
3. the Economic Programmes Directorate
4. the Fiscal Policy Directorate
5. the Goods and Services Tax Board of Review
6. the Internal Audit Unit
7. the Income Tax Board of Review
8. the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority
9. Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) and
10. the Singapore Totalisator Board

Health-related government bodies

MOH or the Ministry of Health is responsible to ensure this sector follows the regulations and legal framework for a healthy Singapore. It plays a crucial role in ensuring that health products and policies are up to standards and are of the best quality. As such, MOH sits in very prominent units including the Singapore Pharmacy Board (SPB), the Specialists Accreditation Board as well as in other health-related organizations. This includes the TCM Practitioners Board, the Singapore Health Services, the National Dental Centre, the Health Promotion Board, the National Healthcare Group, the National Heart Centre, the National Neuroscience Institute, the National University Hospital, the Singapore General Hospital, Health Sciences Authority, and the National Cancer Centre.

Government bodies in manpower and human resources

The MOM or Ministry of Manpower is the Human Resources authority in the Singaporean government. It manages all the issues and policies pertaining to these areas. Units and bodies that come under the purview of MOM includes:

1. the Income Security Policy Department
2. the Foreign Manpower Management Division
3. the Labour Relations and Welfare Division
4. the Occupational Safety and Health Division
5. the Central Provident Fund Board
6. the Income Security Policy Department and
7. the Singapore Workforce Development Agency.

Law and Legal bodies

This is the governmental body which deals with the legislation of Singapore. It handles all issues of this nature where it sits in boards like the Insolvency and Public Trustee’s Office, the Legal Aid Bureau, the Registry of Moneylenders and Pawnbrokers, the Singapore Academy of Law, the Appeals Board for Land Acquisition, the Copyright Tribunal and the Community Mediation Unit.