XN000022-1986-02-04 — Page 6

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1986

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+AT PRESENT, PUBLIC BILLIARD SALOONS PAY A LICENCE FEE OF $1 440 PER TABLE PER YEAR AND ARE SUBJECT TO STRINGENT LICENSING CONDITIONS, SUCH AS OPERATING HOURS AND MAINTENANCE OF SEPARATE ACCESS IF SITUATED IN A MIXED-USERS BUILDING, HE SAID.

+PRIVATE CLUBS, ON THE OTHER HAND, PAY NO LICENCE FEES AND NOT SUBJECT TO CONTROL AS FAR AS THEIR OPERATIONS ARE CONCERNED.+

AT THE MEETING, THE COMMITTEE ACCEPTED A RECOMMENDATION BY THE RSD TO ABOLISH THE LICENCE FOR THE SETTING UP OF A SLAUGHTERHOUSE, AND ALTER THE BASIS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF FEES FOR A LICENCE TO OPERATE A SLAUGHTERHOUSE.

THE FEE FOR THE FORMER LICENCE, WHICH IS ISSUED ON ONE-OFF BASIS TO COVER THE PREPARATORY PERIOD OF A SLAUGHTERHOUSE, IS $1 200 FOR 24 MONTHS AND THE FEE FOR THE LATTER, WHICH IS ANNUALLY RENEWABLE, IS $2 500 FOR 12 MONTHS.

ON THE ABOLITION OF THE LICENCE FOR THE SETTING UP OF A SLAUGHTERHOUSE, MR ORR SAID THAT NO SUCH LICENCE WAS AT PRESENT IN FORCE AS NO PRIVATE SLAUGHTERHOUSES WERE BEING BUILT.

AND THE REQUIREMENT FOR SUCH A LICENCE DID NOT ADD TO THE DEPARTMENT'S POWERS TO CONTROL THE PROVISION OF SLAUGHTERING FACILITIES.

REFERRING TO THE LICENCE FEE FOR OPERATING A SLAUGHTERHOUSE, MR ORR SAID A COSTING EXERCISE HAD BEEN CONDUCTED LAST YEAR.

THE + THE RESULTS SHOWED A DEFICIT OF $355 969 IN 1983-84, ESTIMATED DEFICITS FOR 1984-85 AND 1985-86 ARE $742 149 AND $836 806 RESPECTIVELY. IN PERCENTAGE TERMS, THE SUBSIDY LEVELS FOR THESE THREE YEARS WOULD BE 97.9, 98.8 AND 99 RESPECTIVELY, HE ADDED.

+IN VIEW OF THE RECORDED AND ESTIMATED DEFICIT. IT IS NECESSARY TO ADJUST THE LEVEL OF FEES FOR SLAUGHTERHOUSE LICENCES.+

WHILE LICENCE FEES SHOULD NOT BE SET WITH A VIEW TO RECOVERING THE FULL COST OF ADMINISTERING THE LICENSING SYSTEM, MR ORR SAID, THE AIM SHOULD BE TO REDUCE THE LEVEL OF SUBSIDY AS FAR AS POSSIBLE.

IT WAS RECOMMENDED, THEREFORE, LICENCE FEES FOR OPERATING SLAUGHTERHOUSES SHOULD BE PAYABLE ACCORDING TO A GRADUATED SCALE, HAVING REFERENCE TO THE DESIGNED THROUGHPUT CAPACITY OF THE SLAUGHTERHOUSES.

MR ORR SAID THAT IF THE NEW FEE STRUCTURE IS APPROVED, ITS EFFECT ON THE INCREASE IN MEAT PRICE WOULD ONLY BE MINIMAL. BUT IT WOULD REDUCE THE SUBSIDY LEVEL IN RESPECT OF SLAUGHTERHOUSE LICENSING IN 1986-87 TO 94.3 PER CENT.

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