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The Companies Registry (CR) will continue its efforts in enhancing the quality of its public services and providing a significantly enhanced level of facilities and services to its customers, said the Registrar of Companies, Mr Gordon Jones, on its 10th Anniversary as an independent government department today (May 1).
Mr Jones said that over the past ten years, the CR spared no efforts in enhancing the quality of its public services, and achieved very significant improvements.
"The CR has undergone remarkable changes in the past years. It has changed from a department with paper-based, manual systems to a computerised office and with customer-focused service culture.
"The department is well-recognised for its high standard of service delivery. We were awarded a Merit Award in the Civil Service Customer Service Excellence Award Competition during 2001-02, and this year we have won an Efficiency Award for small departments in the Outstanding Customer Service Award Competition organized by the Civil Service Bureau."
Apart from commemorating the 10th Anniversary, Mr Jones also noted that year 2003 marks an important milestone in CR's history. The department is implementing an Integrated Companies Registry Information System (ICRIS) and a major project to convert all microfiches which contain all registered documents into digitized images.
"ICRIS will be implemented in two phases replacing all existing computer systems in the CR, supporting the department's core business activities and enabling electronic service delivery for receiving, processing, storing and disseminating corporate information."
"Phase One of ICRIS and the conversion of microfiches are scheduled for completion by the end of the year. By that time, customers will be able to conduct on-line searches on the current database and the digitized images of all registered documents over the internet 24 hours a day throughout the year. On the completion of Phase Two in early 2005, customers will be able to incorporate companies and submit documents electronically."
Mr Jones pointed out that the operation of the CR will further be enhanced upon the implementation of two proposed amendment bills to the Companies Ordinance.
"The Companies (Amendment) Bill 2002, which includes a number of measures to enhance corporate governance and proposals to streamline filing requirements to facilitate the full computerization of the Registry, is currently being examined by the Legislative Council Bills Committee and will hopefully be brought into operation later this year."
"The Companies (Amendment) Bill 2003, which includes proposals to reform Part XI of the Companies Ordinance regarding oversea companies, enable the electronic incorporation of companies, streamline and modernize prospectus requirements and enhance shareholder remedies, is planned to be introduced into the Legislative Council within the current session."
Given the department's proven ability to adapt and manage changes, a good technological base, and highly motivated and hardworking staff in the office, Mr Jones is confident that the CR could achieve its vision by establishing, by early 2005, a fully computerized "world-class" Companies Registry which provides a significantly enhanced level of facilities and services, both quantitatively and qualitatively, to its customers.
Ends/Thursday, May 1, 2003
Issued at HKT 11:02
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