Replies to initial written questions raised by Finance Committee Members in examining the Estimates of Expenditure 2012-13 Director of Bureau : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Session No. 12 File name : cedb(cit)- doc
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- Examination of Estimates of Expenditure 2012-13
Question : While the Commerce, Industry and Tourism Branch will continue to monitor and review the operation of the Small and Medium Enterprise Funding Schemes in 2012-13, the Financial Secretary announced in the Budget Speech 2012-13 that a nine-month concessionary scheme would be introduced under the Small and Medium Enterprise Financing Guarantee Scheme. When will the Administration review the Scheme? Having regard to the economic downturn, will it consider further extending the Scheme? If yes, what are the details? If no, what are the reasons? Asked by : Hon. LAM Tai-fai Reply : The Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited (HKMC) introduced a market-oriented and sustainable Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Financing Guarantee Scheme (SFGS) on 1 January 2011. SFGS facilitates SMEs in obtaining finance from banks and helps reduce banks’ lending risks, thereby contributing to the stability of our banking system. Given the fluctuations in the external economic environment, SMEs may have to face financing difficulties as a result of a credit crunch. To help SMEs, the Financial Secretary proposed in the 2012-13 Budget to introduce special time-limited concessionary measures under the existing SFGS. Under the measures, the loan guarantee ratio will be increased from the existing ceiling of 70% to 80%, and the guarantee fee will be reduced substantially. The application period will last for nine months. The Government will provide a total guarantee commitment of $100 billion for the special concessionary measures. We are working closely with HKMC and would seek funding approval from the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council in April with a view to launching the measures as soon as possible within the first half of the year. We will closely monitor the changes in the economic environment and the use of the measures, and review the measures as necessary.
Question : The Commerce, Industry and Tourism Branch will publish the Administration’s proposed way forward regarding the future positioning of the patent system in Hong Kong in 2012-13. What are the details and implementation timetable of the recommendations? Will these recommendations include allocating additional resources to help local small and medium enterprises correspondingly implement the new system proposed by the Administration? Have there been negotiations with the Mainland counterparts on ways to enhance the compatibility between the patent systems of both places? If yes, what are the details? If no, what are the reasons? Asked by : Hon. LAM Tai-fai Reply : Regarding our review of the patent system in Hong Kong, we have received over 70 written submissions from the public consultation exercise conducted between October and the end of December 2011. The respondents are mainly stakeholders from the patent-related fields including various industrial associations and professional organizations, research and development centres, academia, the legal profession, as well as the business and industrial sectors. We maintain an open mind in taking forward the review. We are now examining the views received and will carefully scrutinize the relative merits of the comments/responses put in by different parties with a view to formulating proposals that will best serve the overall interest of Hong Kong. We intend to announce the proposed way forward in the first half of 2012. At this stage, we are not in a position to give details of the recommendations or, for that matter, the implementation timetable. Since the outcome of the review is yet to take shape, it is premature to talk about the need or otherwise of formal dialogue with our Mainland counterparts on issues including convergence between the patent systems of both places.
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