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The following is issued on behalf of the Business Facilitation Advisory Committee Secretariat:
The Business Facilitation Advisory Committee held its 18th meeting today (November 28).
The committee welcomed the Council for Sustainable Development's public engagement on "Combating Climate Change: Energy Saving and Carbon Emission Reduction in Buildings".
The Administration briefed the committee on the progress of the provision of international school places.
The committee also reviewed the work of the three business facilitation task forces. Notable progress/developments include the following:
(a) The Retail Task Force (RTF) supported wider use of energy-efficient lamps in principle and suggested that the Administration should further evaluate the pros and cons of various options to phase out incandescent light bulbs;
(b) The RTF supported the proposed refined regulatory framework for pesticide residues in food in Hong Kong, which had addressed earlier concerns of the Task Force and other stakeholders;
(c) The Administration updated the RTF on the progress of the Nutrition Labelling Scheme for Pre-packaged Food. The RTF urged the Administration to review the Small Volume Exemption (SVE) system and explore whether there was room to reduce the SVE application and renewal fees;
(d) Regarding mandatory registration of proprietary Chinese medicine, the Administration has simplified certain labelling requirements and will continue to provide possible assistance to the trade to facilitate smooth implementation of the remaining provisions on labels and package inserts on December 1 this year;
(e) The Administration briefed the Food Business Task Force (FBTF) on the review of liquor licensing. The FBTF generally supported the proposed streamlining of licensing procedures. For the proposed regulation of "upstairs bars", the FBTF urged the Administration to strike a proper balance between economic and public interests in working out the details of the proposed regulatory regime;
(f) The Administration consulted the FBTF on the Revised Scheme for the Implementation of Third Party Fire Safety Certification by Introducing a Registered Fire Engineer Scheme in Hong Kong. The FBTF requested the Administration to consider conducting a Business Impact Assessment study;
(g) In connection with the implementation of the Minor Works Control System for food business licence applications, the FBTF welcomed the Administration's relaxation of the licence requirements to submit acknowledgement letters for the commencement and completion of minor works issued by the Buildings Department;
(h) To facilitate early commencement of decoration works at a newly rented premises still covered by an existing food business licence, an applicant for a new food business licence is allowed to submit a stamped offer letter or provisional tenancy agreement as documentary proof for cancellation of the existing food business licence;
(i) The Administration briefed the Pre-construction Task Force (PCTF) on the outcome of its mid-term review on revitalisation of industrial buildings and the refinements to be made to the existing revitalisation measures. While the PCTF welcomed the refinements and appreciated the efforts made by the Administration to address its major concerns, it made further suggestions to remove some possible uncertainties to the trade for the Administration's consideration; and
(j) The communication forum on valuation matters met again on October 18 this year. There were useful exchanges of views on various valuation principles for premium assessment.
The committee was pleased that bureaux and departments had sustained efforts to enhance their business licensing services and assist trades in doing business under the "Be the Smart Regulator" Programme. Major progress is highlighted below:
(a) Hong Kong remains the second easiest place to do business in the world according to the World Bank's "Doing Business 2012" report released on October 20 this year. The Administration will continue to explore ways to improve the business environment by partnering with the business sector and reforming the existing regulatory regimes to ensure that regulation is appropriate;
(b) The Environmental Protection Department has rolled out a Chemical Waste and Clinical Waste Tracking System to provide a web-based platform for chemical waste and clinical waste licensees to submit monthly waste consignment records to the department. This measure assists licensees to comply with the licence requirement of record submission with minimum effort;
(c) The Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority (TELA) has introduced a report form to facilitate and standardise regulatory inspections to mahjong/tin kau parlours and to improve their transparency. The report form contains a list of licence conditions for the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) to check compliance during inspection. Inspection results and enforcement actions taken are recorded by the HKPF for each inspection and are copied to the TELA for information and consideration of licence renewal. The licensee/management agent may obtain a copy of the inspection report on-site for remedial actions;
(d) To make the licence application process more customer-friendly and efficient, the HKPF has enhanced eight application forms for the arms and ammunition licence and security personnel permit on its website with the e-fill function (e.g. instant verification of data inputs). Guidance notes on licence applications, contact information for enquiries and general Frequently Asked Questions have also been uploaded to the same webpage to assist the trade in completing the application forms;
(e) After consultation with relevant stakeholders at Business Liaison Group meetings, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has recently launched a fast-track application process for conducting live broadcast activities at licensed cinemas if they do not involve any structural or layout change to the premises. Under the new process, an applicant can simply submit an application form with a guarantee undertaking of complying with the requirements/conditions imposed by different departments. The time required for processing and approving an application has been shortened from 20 working days to eight working days; and
(f) To facilitate the ice skating trade to seize new business opportunities and offer a new experience to the public, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department has been approving applications for performing special functions at ice skating rinks such as fashion shows, dancing performances, wedding ceremonies, etc on their own merits;
Papers for the committee meeting will be available at www.gov.hk/en/business/supportenterprises/bf/advisory/index.htm for public access.
Ends/Monday, November 28, 2011
Issued at HKT 18:32
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