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Industry News
Highlights of the Government’s business facilitation work and
business consultations relevant to the retail sector
利便營商的主要措施及規管建議的諮詢
Background
The Government is committed to improving the ease of doing
business in Hong Kong. As part of its business facilitation efforts,
the Government has set up the Wholesale and Retail Task Force
(WRTF) under the Business Facilitation Advisory Committee (BFAC)
to help remove unnecessary regulatory and procedural barriers of
concern to the wholesale and retail sectors and provide a platform
to facilitate Government-business communication on relevant
regulatory proposals. To keep you updated of the Government's
business facilitation initiatives and relevant business consultations,
the Economic Analysis and Business Facilitation Unit of the Financial
Secretary's Office collaborates with HKRMA to provide you with
regular updates. The last update was made in the Spring 2015 Issue.
Business facilitation initiatives
(1) Implementation of the Competition Ordinance with relevance
to the wholesale and retail sectors
The Competition Commission (the Commission) has clarified that
although some features of a franchise agreement, such as uniform
pricing of products, sourcing of supplies from designated suppliers
and limiting the number of stores in a district, appears to be anti-
competitive, there are a lot of efficiency benefits in a franchise
agreement such as limited investment and risk for franchisors.
Overall, if the franchise restrictions are just typical ones, the pro-
competitive efficiencies will usually outweigh the anti-competitive
features and should not be a concern.
The Competition Ordinance commenced on 14 December
2015. The Commission has published a practical toolkit to
assist businesses, especially SMEs, on how to comply with the
Competition Ordinance. The toolkit can be accessed at http://
Compliance_Toolkit_Eng.pdf.
(2) Code of Practice for Holder of Wholesale Dealer Licence (CoP)
The CoP has recently been endorsed by the Pharmacy and Poisons
Board. WRTF appreciates its suggestions to facilitate wholesalers,
especially SMEs, to comply with the CoP have been taken on
board. The Pharmaceutical Products Recall Guidelines, which sets
out detailed procedures on the reporting of problems and recall of
pharmaceutical products to facilitate SME's compliance, has been
issued. On the written order requirement, orders in paper format
or by means of an electronic message placed by a representative of
the purchaser can be accepted. WRTF suggests the Government
should conduct a review six months after the implementation of
the CoP in order to iron out any teething problems.
The CoP can be accessed at
/
COP_for_Holder_of_WDL.pdf.
(3) Charter on External Lighting
In October 2013, the Task Force on External Lighting (Task Force)
consulted WRTF on the appropriate strategy and measures to
背景
政府致力改善本港的營商環境，積極推行各項利便營商措施，包
括在方便營商諮詢委員會
(
方諮會
)
轄下成立批發及零售業工作小
組
(
工作小組
)
，以助探討及消除批發及零售業關注的不必要規管
及行政程序，並提供有效的溝通平台，利便政府與業界就規管建
議交換意見。為了讓業界獲悉最新資訊，財政司司長辦公室轄下
的經濟分析及方便營商處與香港零售管理協會攜手合作，定期重
點介紹政府的方便營商措施及相關的營商諮詢。上一期資訊詳載
於
2015
年春季期刊。
方便營商措施
(1)
《競爭條例》關乎批發及零售業的實施進展
競爭事務委員會
(
競委會
)
向工作小組解釋，雖然特許經營協議通
常規定須統一產品定價和向指定供應商購貨，並且限制區內店舖
的數目，看似違反競爭原則，但特許經營協議也有不少效益，例
如特許權擁有人有限度的投資和風險。整體而言，假如特許經營
的限制只屬一般性限制，其有利競爭的效益通常會大於其反競爭
的特性，因此不大會成為受關注事宜。
《競爭條例》已於
2015
年
12
月
14
日開始全面生效。為了協助中小
企遵守新法例，競委會製作了一份實用指南，可於以下網頁下載：
CC_SME_Compliance_Toolkit_Chi.pdf
(2)
《批發商牌照持有人執業守則》
(
執業守則
)
藥劑業及毒藥管理局最近確認了執業守則。早前工作小組為利
便批發商
(
尤其是中小企
)
遵從執業守則，提出了多項建議，現樂
見建議已獲接納。衞生署藥物辦公室已公佈《藥劑製品回收指
引》，詳細說明呈報及回收問題藥品的程序，以便中小企遵從。
有關書面訂單的問題，購買人指派的代表以紙張形式或透過電子
媒介所作的書面訂單均可被接受。工作小組提議政府在執業守則
實施後六個月作出檢討，以解決初期遇到的問題。
執業守則詳情見於
Holder_of_WDL.pdf
。
(3)
《戶外燈光約章》
2013
年
10
月，戶外燈光專責小組（專責小組）就制定適當建議
以處理戶外燈光可能會造成的光滋擾和能源浪費問題，諮詢了工
作小組。專責小組接受了工作小組的建議，包括在考慮立法規管
前，先推行自願性質的《戶外燈光約章》，邀請戶外燈光裝置的
擁有人及負責人，在預調時間（即晚上
11
時或午夜
12
時至翌日早
上
7
時）關掉對戶外環境有影響的裝飾、宣傳或廣告燈光，在預
調時間繼續營業的地面店舖靜態招牌、節日燈飾及用作保安、安
全及運作用途的燈光則可獲豁免。遵守關燈要求的機構或商戶在
2017
年可獲環境局頒發獎項。
《約章》將於
2016
年
4
月開始實施。有興趣參加的零售商戶，可
於環境局的網頁
參閱詳情
及下載參加表格。
(4)
嬰幼兒配方產品和預先包裝嬰幼兒食物的營養成分組合及營
養標籤規定
嬰兒配方產品營養成分組合及營養標籤的新規定已於
2015
年
12
月
13
日實施，而較大嬰兒及幼兒配方產品和預先包裝嬰幼兒食物
營養標籤的新規定則會於
2016
年
6
月
13
日實施。鑑於細小包裝
上難以標明所規定的資料， 配方產品和預先包裝食物如置入總表
面面積分別小於
250
平方厘米和
100
平方厘米的容器內， 均可獲
豁免遵從營養標籤規定。食物安全中心發布了兩套技術指引， 列
明規管容忍限、數據修整方法、標籤建議格式及檢測方法等技術
細節。
指引詳情見於食物安全中心網頁
food_leg/food_leg.html
。
營商諮詢
有關規管食用油脂及回收「廢置食用油」的立法建議
食物及衞生局、食物環境衞生署及環境保護署向工作小組簡報，
有關規管食用油脂及回收廢置食用油的建議。為了保障食物安
全，工作小組原則上支持規管建議，但對擬議的認證規定及個別
安全標準表示疑慮。工作小組促請政府在敲定建議前，詳細評估
及考慮規管建議對相關業界帶來的影響。
資料由財政司司長辦公室轄下的經濟分析及方便營商處方便營商部提供。
tackle nuisance and energy wastage problems that may be
caused by external lighting. The Task Force has accepted WRTF's
suggestions, including launching a voluntary Charter on External
Lighting before considering statutory regulation. Owners of and
persons responsible for external lighting installations are invited
to switch off lighting installations of decorative, promotional or
advertising purposes which affect the outdoor environment during
the preset time (i.e. 11 p.m. or midnight to 7 a.m. on the following
day). Exemption from the switch-off requirement is applicable
to: static shop-front signs on the ground floor (provided the shop
remains open during the preset time), festive lightings and lighting
for security, safety and operational purposes. Organisations or
shops which comply with the switch-off requirement will receive
awards from the Environment Bureau (ENB) in 2017.
The charter will commence in April 2016. Retail operators interested
in signing up to the Charter may visit ENB's website at
enb.gov.hk/external_lighting/ and download the reply slip.
(
4) Nutritional composition and nutrition labelling requirements for
formula products and prepackaged food for infants and young children
The nutritional composition and nutrition labelling requirements
for infant formula came into effect on 13 December 2015, and
the nutrition labelling requirements for follow-up formula and
prepackaged food for infant and young children will come into
effect on 13 June 2016.
Having regard to the trade's difficulties in fitting the required
information onto small-sized packages, exemption from nutrition
labelling requirements can be granted to formula products and
prepackaged food packed in a container with total surface area of
less than 250cm2 and 100cm2 respectively. The Centre for Food
Safety (CFS) has published two sets of guidance notes on technical
details such as tolerance limits, rounding rules, recommended
formats of labelling and testing methods.
For details of the guidance notes, you may refer to CFS' website at
.
Business consultation on regulatory proposal
Legislative proposals on regulation of edible fats and oils and
recycling of “waste cooking oils” (WCO)
The Food and Health Bureau, Food and Environmental Hygiene
Department and Environmental Protection Department have
briefed WRTF on the proposed regulation on edible fats and oils
and recycling of WCO. WRTF supports the regulatory proposals in
principle for food safety purposes, but expresses reservation on the
proposed certification requirement and individual safety standards.
WRTF urges the Government to assess and consider in detail the
implications of the proposed regulation to the trades concerned
before finalising the proposals.
Information is provided by the Business Facilitation Division of the Economic Analysis
and Business Facilitation Unit under the Financial Secretary's Office.
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