Proposals for provisional cinema licensing have been backed by the Economic & Employment Council Subgroup on Business Facilitation.

At its fifth meeting today, members discussed the findings and initial recommendations of a review on cinema licensing conducted by the Economic Analysis & Business Facilitation Unit under the Financial Secretary's Office, which aimed to streamline the licensing regime to facilitate cinema operators.

Members strongly supported the provisional licence idea, recommended in the review as an interim measure to facilitate the trade. Members also generally agreed there as a need to take a fundamental re-think of the role of the licensing authority and there should be a greater use of registered professionals and contractors in the private sector in the licensing process.

As a general statement, members suggested regulatory authorities should seriously consider publishing internal guidelines to facilitate businesses in meeting regulatory requirements.