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The following is issued on behalf of the Business Facilitation Advisory Committee Secretariat:
The Business Facilitation Advisory Committee held its sixth meeting today (November 1).
The committee was pleased that the Government is making good progress under the "Be the Smart Regulator" Programme.
The committee noted that the Government had set up eight Business Liaison Groups (BLGs) for major business sectors. So far, through the BLG meetings, the trades have raised 282 regulatory/licensing issues, of which 180 have been clarified or resolved. The public can access information about the BLGs through the website of the Economic Analysis and Business Facilitation Unit under the Financial Secretary's Office, and submit their feedback or suggestions through the website (http://www.eabfu.gov.hk/en/initiatives/blgs.htm).
The Government is making preparation to open up the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD)'s application tracking facility covering 12 food-related licences to applicants for their online tracking of application status by February, 2008. As a result of the recent review, the processing time for liquor licences has on average been shortened by 25%.
The committee reviewed the work of the four business facilitation task forces. Some notable progress/developments include -
(a) as an initiative to expedite the processing of lease modification and land exchange applications as recommended in a consultancy study completed by the Pre-construction Task Force in early 2007, the Government will launch a pilot scheme in the next financial year by setting up a dedicated team in the District Lands Office (Hong Kong West and South), and the head office of the Lands Department will step up case management and monitor more closely the progress of processing applications.
(b) The Food Business Task Force is continuing with two regulatory reviews, one on food factory licences and another on the transfer of food business licences, with a view to removing unnecessary regulatory controls and streamlining the transfer process. The reviews are due to be completed in January 2008.
(c) The Retail Task Force will continue to facilitate the communication between the Department of Health and the trade in addressing issues in connection with the regulatory control of proprietary Chinese medicine.
(d) The committee was briefed on the Government's latest thinking on the proposed labelling scheme on nutrition information. The Government assured the committee that it would strive to strike a proper balance of different interests, and develop a suitable local scheme which would both promote public health and better accommodate food products around the world. In view of the potential impact of the proposed scheme on both the trades and consumers and to minimise any undue regulatory impact, the committee urged the Government to fully consult the trades and other relevant stakeholders before finalising the proposal. The Retail Task Force will continue with its facilitation work with the trades and the Government on the most effective way to introduce the proposed nutrition labelling scheme.
The committee also considered the report of the follow-up study on "International schools' expansion efforts in Hong Kong" commissioned by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and the Government's response to the recommendations of the international school sector. The committee supported the Government's commitment to continue with its efforts to facilitate the development of a vibrant international school sector and further explore ways to improve the efficiency and transparency of the various government processes related to school expansion projects in partnership with the international school sector.
Papers for the committee meeting will be uploaded onto the internet (http://www.eabfu.gov.hk/en/committee/index.htm) for access by the public.
Ends/Thursday, November 1, 2007
Issued at HKT 18:09
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