XN000022-1996-03-06 — Page 64

- 50 -

Enforcement against copyright piracy and trade marks counterfeiting would

continue.

"We are setting up a new 24-strong team in the Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau of the Customs and Excise Department to strengthen intelligence-gathering, border operations and co-operation to hit hard at piracy and counterfeiting," said Mr Tsang.

End

User-friendly Government for business community

The Government can do more to help the business community in generating the wealth on which our future prosperity depends, the Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang, said.

"We should set ourselves the task of making the Government, as far as possible, user-friendly for business," he added.

As a first step, all Policy Branches and their Departments which directly served the business community would be asked to carry out a high-level review of their current policies and practices. The goal will be to create an environment which is positively business-friendly.

Mr Tsang said: "This review will not be done in a vacuum. I expect Policy Branches and Departments to consult extensively with their customers and partners in the business world."

The Branches and Departments would be expected to identify opportunities to streamline existing services through new technology and process re-engineering; to eliminate any over-regulation and unnecessary bureaucracy; to transfer services to the business sector where market conditions make this possible; and to introduce new services which meet the needs of the business sector.

Efforts would not be confined to those parts of the Government directly involved in serving the business community, Mr Tsang said.

In response to concerns expressed by Legislative Council members, Mr Tsang said, the Branches and Departments would also be asked to review the process and costs associated with the provision of services for which the Government levied a fee or charge; and to use the improvements identified by these reviews as the basis for specific efficiency plans.

End