Last year the Department of Trade and Consumer Affairs revamped its processes for handling trade licence applications in response to numerous complaints about delays and mishandled paperwork, officials said.
According to the DTCA’s 2012 annual report, which was tabled last Thursday in the House of Assembly, a failed tracking system, miscommunication between government departments, and inconsistency in DTCA staffers’ handling of applications led to delays in the approval process.
After a review of the application process, officials created separate procedures to review applications from belongers and non-belongers.
The department has the authority to approve belonger applications on its own, but non-belongers’ applications require additional permission from the Premier’s Office, according to the report: Separating the process allowed officials to handle about 30 applications per week.
“We have facilitated the processing of more licences in the last four months … of the year, [451], than in the first eight months, 508,” the report stated.
See the Aug. 1, 2013 edition for full coverage.
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