SCED speaks on Food Truck Pilot Scheme
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Reporter: Basically the participants are limited to certain places that they can operate their trucks. Is there any way to expand it?
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development: The question is this is only limited to the eight places where they can operate. In fact, in choosing these eight operating venues, our colleagues have consulted the stakeholders and really taken into consideration that we would have generated traffic, allowing people to access to these food trucks. There are other traffic considerations such as allowing people to be able to access (these food trucks) quite easily. This is a pilot scheme. We have tried our very best to come out with these venues. Also, it cannot be very close to the existing operators because they have already extended, you know, their investment into fixed places of operation. So we do not want to create an environment that would unnecessarily put pressure on these existing operators. So therefore, choosing the eight venues is not an easy task. We will see after this scheme has been operated for some time, since it is a pilot scheme, and then we will evaluate and see how we will take this to the next step.
Reporter: Will the Government create new regulation for food trucks? Right now you are using the food business regulation, right?
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development: In order to expedite the development of food trucks in Hong Kong, we have not really changed any existing law, which, as you know, in the Legislative Council, will take some time. So, under the existing legal framework, we are now introducing this. Therefore, we have a dedicated office to help these applicants to complete the whole process. We have tried our very best and I think they will appreciate our effort in doing so. Whether we will need to change the existing law in order to cater for the development of food trucks in Hong Kong, that is the purpose of the pilot scheme. We will let it operate for some time and we will engage them closely as well as other stakeholders and see how we can take this forward, and if it requires legislative amendments. We keep a very open mind.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Issued at HKT 19:54
Issued at HKT 19:54
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