At the preparatory session, head of the NA Standing Committee’s Deputy Work Board Tran Van Tuy presented a report on the deputy work. 

NA General Secretary and Chairman of the NA Office Nguyen Hanh Phuc delivered a report on acquiring feedback on the session’s agenda. 

After NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan gave an opening speech, permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh presented a report on reviewing and supplementing the outcomes of socio-economic development 2017, performance in the first months of 2018 and key tasks in the near future. 

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Tran Thanh Man presented a report on voters and people’s opinions and suggestions. 

Head of the NA’s Economic Committee Vu Hong Thanh presented a report reviewing the government’s report on supplementing the outcomes of socio-economic development and State budget 2017, the socio-economic performance and State budget during early 2018. 

Under the direction of NA Vice Chairman Phung Quoc Hien in the afternoon, Finance Minister Dinh Tien Dung delivered a report on State budget balance in 2016. 

State Auditor General Ho Duc Phoc presented a report on State budget balance audit in 2016. 

Head of the NA’s Finance-Budget Committee Nguyen Duc Hai reported the review of State budget balance in 2016. 

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong presented the draft Law on Cultivation. 

Head of the NA’s Committee on Science, Technology and Environment Phan Xuan Dung presented a report reviewing the draft Law on Cultivation. 

Minister of Public Security To Lam read a report on the draft amended Law on Amnesty.

Head of the NA’s Justice Committee Le Thi Nga delivered a report reviewing the draft amended Law on Amnesty.

As scheduled on May 22, the legislature will discuss in groups the socio-economic performance and State budget 2017 and 2018, as well as the State budget balance in 2016. 

In the afternoon, lawmakers will hear a report reviewing the draft Law on Vietnam Coast Guards and discuss the draft revised Law on National Defence.

Legislators mull over State budget balance in 2016

Lawmakers heard the Government’s reports on State budget balance and State budget balance audit in 2016 in the afternoon of May 21, the first day of the fifth session of the National Assembly (NA). 

The report on State budget balance was delivered by Minister of Finance Dinh Tien Dung who said synchronous solutions to restore the economy and efforts made by the entire political system have exerted impacts on the collection and spending of the State budget in 2016. 

The State coffer was used suitably, prioritising agriculture, rural and mountainous and Central Highland areas, poverty reduction, social welfare and combats against natural disasters and diseases, he said. 

Besides, the capital was also spent on national defence and security, macro-economic stability and national finance security protection, the minister said.  

He stressed the close management of the State budget spending in line with the State Budget Law and the legislature’s resolution, adding that ministries and agencies at both central and grassroots levels employed various solutions to manage the State budget estimates effectively. 

According to the report, the total State budget collection in 2016 hit over 1.4 quadrillion VND (61.9 billion USD) while spending was more than 1.57 quadrillion VND (69.2 billion USD). 

The report on the State budget balance audit pointed out shortcomings in making and implementing budget estimates of some ministries, agencies and locality, along with bottlenecks in tax payment.  

Of note, up to 859 billion VND (37.7 million USD) from the State budget was used to pay for abundant personnel resources. 

A report of the NA’s Finance-Budget Committee also revealed unsustainable budget collection, which, it said was mainly contributed by the natural resources and land sectors. There were 12 localities failed to complete their budget collection targets due to sluggish policy reform and overestimates.      

Against the background, the committee suggested the NA implement solutions to deal with tax losses and debts, while identifying responsibility of ministries, agencies and localities for the above-said problems. 

The same day, the legislators also discussed proposals of the draft Law on Cultivation and the draft Law on Amnesty (amended).

Law-making remains high on agenda of NA’s fifth session

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan addresses the opening of the NA's fifth session.

Legislators will spend two-thirds of the scheduled time of the fifth session on law-making in the hope of approving eight bills, a number of draft resolutions and debate eight other draft laws, said National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

In her speech at the opening ceremony of the 14th-tenure NA’s fifth session on May 21, Ngan said that the bills and documents are of important significance, aiming to institutionalise the Party’s policies and orientations, especially resolutions of the Party Central Committee and the Constitution 2013, thus better protecting human rights, citizens’ rights, building and completing the socialist-oriented market economy, strengthening national security-defence, streamlining the state apparatus, and stepping up the fight against corruption.

The chairwoman noted that the fifth session of the NA is taking place at a time when the domestic situation is changing strongly with positive results. The country’s economic growth in the first quarter of 2018 reached a record high in the past decade, but the regional and world situation remained complicated, she noted.

Ngan held that the NA should focus on seeking measures to fully tap the country’s potential, maintain macroeconomic stability, step up production and business, and stay ready to cope with outside impacts, thus ensuring sustainable economic growth and fulfilling socio-economic targets of 2018 and the 2016-2020 period.

The legislature will discuss reports on the implementation of socio-economic development and state budget plans in 2017, as well as socio-economic development and state budget plans in the first months of 2018, she said, adding that the deputies are also scheduled to approve a State budget balance in 2016.

At the session, the NA will also spend time discussing a report summarising voters’ opinions and requests, and another on the results of the settlement of voters’ petitions sent to the fourth session.

Alongside, the legislative agency will hold question-and-answer sessions, while examining the implementation of laws and policies on the management and use of State capital and property in businesses and the equitisation of State-owned enterprises in the 2011-2016 period.

The deputies will also consider before approving resolutions on the NA’s supervision programme and the establishment of a specialised supervision group in 2019.

A number of reports of the Government, NA agencies, the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuracy, and the State Audit, will also be sent to the deputies for consideration and debate.

At the opening session, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh delivered a report on supplementary evaluation on the socio-economic situation in 2017, the situation in the first months of 2018 and solutions for the coming time.

Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s Central Committee Tran Thanh Man also delivered a report summarizing opinions and recommendations of voters and people nationwide, while Chairman of the NA Economic Committee Vu Hong Thanh reported on the verification of a Government report on the supplementary assessments of the implementation of socio-economic development and state budget plans in 2017, and the implementation of socio-economic development and state budget plans in first months of 2018.

VNA