Improving ease of doing business: Single Window System Bill to be sent to Special Select Committee

…Bill “good” – Opposition, but raises specific concerns

During the 63rd sitting of the National Assembly, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) in a concession to the parliamentary Opposition and concerns they have expressed, committed to having the Planning and Development Single Window System Bill (2022) sent to a special select committee for further examination.

In his presentation, Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal spoke of the importance of the Single Window Bill. It is a Bill, he noted, that will revolutionise the way Guyanese do business with Government agencies and will allow persons to submit their applications and/or documents from anywhere in the world, safe in the knowledge that there are timelines agencies must adhere to in processing them.
However, Croal also chided the parliamentary Opposition for the length of time it took them before they submitted recommendations on the Bill, after most stakeholders had submitted theirs. This resulted in Croal, on very short notice, calling together a meeting over the weekend between him and his technical staff and representatives of the Opposition.
“In preparation for the launch of the portal, we had committed to consultations with all stakeholders. And those consultations have been ongoing, even as the portal is being constructed. We are just two months away from the launch. And I wish to note that just a few days ago, the Opposition issued a press release which claimed to have concerns about this Bill and made assumptions about the consultations and the effectiveness of this Bill.”

“But for more than five months, my friends across the aisle did nothing, said nothing about this Bill. And now, two months before the launching of the online portal, they seem to have now awaken from their slumber. But this Government has not closed of enquiries from the Opposition at any time. They could have sent concerns or suggestions to us, just like all other stakeholders did.”
Notwithstanding this delay, Croal committed to having the Bill sent to a special select committee for further examination.
In their presentations, Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) stressed that they support the Bill in principle and lauded the Government for agreeing to have the Bill re-examined. In fact, Croal’s predecessor, Annette Ferguson, said that the Bill was a good one.
However, the Opposition noted that they have specific concerns. Among the concerns raised by the Opposition is a provision in the Bill that determines how persons are to appeal decisions against them. Opposition MP Amanza Walton-Desir said that the Opposition is against the Cabinet having the right to review tribunal decisions.

Other amendments
Meanwhile, Opposition MP Ganesh Mahipaul elaborated on other amendments they wish to make to the Bill. This includes having Opposition-nominated representatives on the committee that will be overseeing the single window system.
“Section 18 (2), currently reads that the committee shall comprise the following members. A chairperson appointed by the Minister, the director of the unit, one person appointed by the Minister from the private sector, having knowledge and experience of matters relevant to land development and drawn from the areas of business, finance, law, physical planning, natural science, surveying, architecture.”
“And two persons appointed by the Minister after consultations with the professional bodies representing professional land use planners, architects, engineers and land surveyors. We are simply proposing to add to this list a nominee from the Leader of the Opposition. And we do so against the backdrop of talking about inclusivity,” Mahipaul said.
The single-window process is a strategy implemented by the Government to integrate agencies’ approach to services, efficiency, and to significantly reduce the processing time for planning and building permission.
The legislative framework now paves the way for, among other things, standardised application forms and checklists, as well as minimising the time for completing a transaction. Further, the electrical portal will enable investors to submit planning and building permits and check the status from anywhere around the globe, as this new mechanism forms part of the Government’s attempt to increase the ease of doing business and foster a business-friendly environment.
In December 2022, a $202 million contract was signed with Global Services – a Guyanese-led consortium with global experience – to make the issuance of planning and building permits hassle-free. The company was tasked with providing a server and network infrastructure; security solutions; and hardware and software maintenance and repairs.
The single-window system will feature five key elements including one-window access to allow the CH&PA to be the point of entry for planning and building applications; as well as a dashboard to show the status of individual applications and generate progress reports, which can also be accessed by applicants. Another feature of the system is a time-bound element by which the relevant agencies will have to respond to applications otherwise they would automatically be considered approved. (G3)