G.S. $4
12
G
XCR (77)230A
Members will note that the proposed regulations 7(2) and 7(4) give the Director of Urban Services some discretion in deciding the period for which a licence shall run and the dates of expiry of licences and stall allocations. This is largely because existing licences are at different stages of tenure within different districts of the New Territories; the proposed amendments would enable the Director of Urban Services to introduce a renewal date common to all districts in the New Territories for administrative convenience,
13
The increases involved in the proposed first phase of the Third Schedule are shown at Annex B. Itinàrant hawker licence fees for mobile vans and frozen confectionary, temporary licence fees, the consent for deputy fee and the duplicate licence or pitch card fee, will be increased to the full revised scale in the phase. In this phase also, fees for the remaining types of hawker licence and fixed pitch and stall allocation fees will be increased to half the proposed new scale, rounded off upwards to the nearest $5.
14
The second phase will complete the introduction of new fees detailed in the Third Schedule of these Regulations.
15
A proposed two-year time span for introduction of the new fee structure in two phases has been agreed by the Director of Urban Services and the Secretary for the New Territories. It is proposed that the implementation of these regulations, and the commencement of Phase I of the fee increases should take place upon such date as may be ordered by the Governor. This proposal is made because of the need for careful timing in relation to the public relations aspect and with regard to the various expiry dates involved in the existing hawker licensing system in the New Territories. Subject to Honourable Members approval of these proposals, it is intended that a further short submission to amend the Third Schedule should be made to Honourable Members before the introduction of Phase II.
Financial Implications
16
Estimated revenue from the new scale of fees in com- parison to current revenue is shown below: Figures for pitch/stall allocation include an estimate for Other Classes of fixed pitch and stall based on a pitch not exceeding 12 square feet - Annex 'B', Serial 6(f)(i) and therefore possibly represent something of an underestimate, Calculations are based on existing figures for licensed hawkers only.
G
RESTRICTED