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The following is issued on behalf of the Business Facilitation Advisory Committee Secretariat:
The Business Facilitation Advisory Committee held its 14th meeting today (July 13).
The committee welcomes the Administration's implementation of two food business facilitation initiatives, namely, introduction of a composite food shop licence and relaxation of the food room requirements for licensed restaurants and factory canteens, on August 1 this year.
The committee noted the initial findings and recommendations of the Business Impact Assessment study on the proposed Producer Responsibility Scheme for waste electrical and electronic equipment commissioned by the Administration.
The committee also reviewed the work of the three business facilitation task forces. Some notable progress/developments are:
(a) The Retail Task Force appreciates the efforts made by the Administration to alleviate the business impact of the Nutrition Labelling Scheme, which commenced smoothly on July 1 this year. The Administration will continue to provide technical assistance to the trade, monitor the implementation of the scheme and review the impact of the scheme on "new-to-market" products one year after its commencement;
(b) The Administration is taking action to implement the recommendations put forward by the Review Committee on Regulation of Pharmaceutical Products in Hong Kong. Steady progress has been made in implementing recommendations that have impact on the retail trade;
(c) The Administration will start to implement fully the remaining provisions under the Chinese Medicine Ordinance relating to mandatory registration of proprietary Chinese medicine (pCm) on December 1 this year. The Administration will continue to expedite the processing of applications for pCm registration and step up publicity and educational activities in the coming months;
(d) The Pre-construction Task Force is monitoring the implementation of new initiatives for redevelopment or wholesale conversion of industrial buildings and the progress of the Administration's consideration of the Council for Sustainable Development's report on the public engagement process on "Building Design to Foster a Quality and Sustainable Built Environment";
(e) The Municipal Services Appeal Board has shortened the average waiting time for hearings of liquor licensing appeals by 31 calendar days to 61 calendar days in the first half of this year and given priority to urgent appeals as far as practicable; and
(f) The Fire Services Department has recently updated the fire safety requirements of food premises to make them clearer and more business-friendly. As a result, the food business enjoys greater flexibility, and the start-up cost for a food business with a small floor area may be reduced.
The committee is pleased that the Administration has made headway in taking forward the Be the Smart Regulator Programme, which is well-received by the local trades. The participating bureaux/departments will continue to step up their efforts to enhance their business licensing services and further develop new and enhanced business facilitation measures in partnership with the business community. Some noteworthy progress/developments are:
(a) The Inland Revenue Department introduced this April electronic filing of profits tax returns for small businesses. The new measure enables business owners to complete their returns online and submit them more conveniently;
(b) The Customs and Excise Department officially launched the Road Cargo System on May 17 this year to provide electronic customs clearance for road transport. This facilitates traders in completing customs formalities and simplifies the customs clearance process at land borders;
(c) The Marine Department (MD) has enhanced the interface of its Electronic Business System with (i) the Entry/Exit Processing and Records System of the Immigration Department (ImmD) for exchange of vessel information; and (ii) its Sailing Information Display System to automate the submission and processing of arrival/departure formalities of high speed craft. These can facilitate the matching of vessel information between MD and ImmD, as well as eliminate the need for data verification by MD staff and thus expediting the issuance of invoices; and
(d) The Trade and Industry Department has introduced enhancement of the web-based Business Licence Information Service (https://www.success.tid.gov.hk/tid/eng/blics/index.jsp) launched under the Support and Consultation Centre for SMEs website. It serves as a convenient first stop enquiry point for local and foreign business starters to look up business licensing information in Hong Kong.
Papers of the committee meeting will be available at www.gov.hk/en/business/supportenterprises/bf/advisory/index.htm for public access.
Ends/Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Issued at HKT 17:40
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