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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, TOURISM, SPORT AND CULTURE
BY DEPUTY J.M. MAÇON OF ST. SAVIOUR
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER 2016
Question
Would the Minister explain what measures, if any, he has taken since being appointed to reduce the administrative burden on businesses operating within the Island?
Answer
My department, together with all sectors of the economy, continue to identify barriers to growth and productivity and then devise and implement plans to remove them where they exist. Together we have identified a number of areas where out of date, overlapping, and / or confusing legislation exists and have removed it.
I have repealed the requirement for proprietors of hotels and other tourist accommodation establishments to collect and return Visitor Registration Cards to me at regular intervals. I did this with effect from 1st July 2016 by deleting Article 25 of the Tourism (General Provisions) (Jersey) Order 1990. This was an unnecessary duplication insofar as the Immigration Hotel Records (Jersey) Order 1999 still obliges proprietors to keep records of all persons of or over 16 years of age who stay at their premises.
My Assistant Minister is overseeing development of a new draft Liquor Licensing Law in conjunction with the Shadow Alcohol Licensing Policy Group. As part of that development work, he is working to introduce a streamlined online application and renewal system by 2018. Once operational, the new system will, amongst other things, negate the need for existing licensees to take their hard copy licences out of the frame on the wall of their pub or restaurant and physically take the licence to Cyril le Marquand House before the end of each year, pay a renewal fee over the Treasury counter, get the licence stamped to cover the forthcoming year before returning the licence back to the pub or restaurant. Instead, government will take responsibility for making liquor licences publicly available online. As a result, some existing offences in the existing Licensing (Jersey) Law 1974 will not need to be carried over to the new Law.
In addition to the examples above we support businesses through Jersey Business Limited and by supporting them on the Housing & Work Advisory Group (HAWAG) and on Planning matters. The department works regularly with other departments of the States of Jersey with the aim of reducing the administrative burden on individuals and businesses.