Legislators continued to question members of the Government about pressing issues within their remit on October 31, part of the ongoing sixth session of the 14th National Assembly (NA).

Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung fields legislators' questions on October 31

On the second day of the question-and-answer (Q&A) session, broadcast live on television and radio, 52 NA deputies raised queries and 32 joined the debates with Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court Nguyen Hoa Binh, Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuracy Le Minh Tri, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, and 14 ministers and heads of government agencies.

Issues in focus included drug crime prevention and combat, management and use of ODA capital, reduction of business conditions and procedures, along with solutions to step up agricultural restructuring and control illegal fishing.

Lawmakers also asked about insurance-covered medical examination and treatment, grassroots health care, food safety; the settlement of loss-making projects, trade remedies, support for Vietnamese firms amid international economic integration; and land management, environmental pollution in river basins, scrap import, and climate change response.

Other problems mentioned relate to ethnic minority human resources, building of e-government, preservation of ethnic minority culture, overlapping inspection activities, vocational training for rural labourers, social welfare, and the re-organisation of public non-business institutions.

The Q&A session will continue on November 1 and also be broadcast live.

Minister promises support for local firms amid int’l integration

Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh answers lawmakers' questions on October 31 

Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh pledged continued support for domestic businesses in the context of international economic integration while fielding questions raised by National Assembly deputies on October 31.

At the question-and-answer session, part of the parliament’s ongoing sixth session, deputy Truong Anh Tuan of Nam Dinh province said other countries have used trade remedies to protect their domestic production. He asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade about measures to protect and assist Vietnamese enterprises amid international economic integration.

Meanwhile, Mai Thi Anh Tuyet, a lawmaker representing An Giang province, asked the minister about ways to help Vietnamese retailers to develop in the face of competition from foreign firms in the country.

Replying to the queries, Minister Anh said his ministry has devised many solutions to assist businesses to actively make use of free trade agreements, including the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreements (EVFTA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

It will build an early warning system, continue helping companies capitalise on the domestic market, and build a mechanism for coordinating with associations and trade organisations to support businesses in case of trade disputes with other countries, he noted.

The domestic market is facing the competitive pressure from foreign enterprises, the official said, adding that opening the market to foreign firms is a must as Vietnam is a member of the World Trade Organsation.

In a report submitted to the Politburo on the plan to develop Vietnamese goods and domestic trade, the ministry proposed a number of solutions, including perfecting trade infrastructure and developing human resources. The important thing is to improve the competitiveness of Vietnamese goods, including by restructuring agriculture and industrial products, Minister Anh said.

Finance Minister talks land management in equitised SOEs

Finance Minister Dinh Tien Dung 

Finance Minister Dinh Tien Dung made clear on some issues concerning land management, evaluation of the rights to land use of equitised State-owned enterprises (SOEs), and invoice management to prevent State budget loss, during a question-and-answer session at the ongoing sixth meeting of the 14th National Assembly in Hanoi on October 31. 

Dung said the use and management of land after equitisation in each locality is the responsibility of its People’s Committee, acknowledging that several equitised SOEs took advantage of the State land management policy and relocated polluted facilities out of the inner capital city to change the land use purpose without putting land use rights to auction in line with the law. 

Under the Government’s Decree No.126/2017/ND-CP, SOEs’ land use plans must be approved before equitisation. After equitisation, land must be used in line with the approved plan. In cases where the land use purpose is changed, the land must be reclaimed for auction, he said. 

According to him, several SOEs use land in many localities so that the involvement of departments and agencies is needed.

The Q&A session was broadcast live nationwide.

NA deputies raise questions on e-government building

Bui Thanh Tung, a deputy of Hai Phong city, raises his query at the question-and-answer session on October 31

The building of e-government was among the hot topics raised by National Assembly deputies for Cabinet members during the question-and-answer session on October 31 as part of their ongoing sixth session.

Bui Thanh Tung, a representative from the northern city of Hai Phong said that over the years, the Government has drastically directed the building of e-government, especially through the launching of online public services at levels 3 and 4 in line with administrative reform.

However, the implementation of digitalisation and the building of specific database and shared data systems have been slow and incoherent, affecting the efficiency of e-government operations, he noted, asking for further clarification on the reasons behind the situation and possible solutions.

Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung replied that the building of the e-government model towards a digital government and economy is an obvious global trend.

Over the past few years, the Party, State, and Government have paid particular attention to the application of information technology and the building of e-government in State administrative agencies, as well as in providing services to people and enterprises.

Dung pointed to a number of achievements in the work, including the issuance of a number of documents and solutions towards developing national database systems on enterprise management and social insurance; and the supply of a number of online public services at levels 3 and 4 such as business registration, tax, customs, and social insurance declaration.

However, he also highlighted the need for the completion of legal institutions and regulations on data sharing and personal information security and archives, along with those on finance resources for related projects.

Minister Dung revealed that the Prime Minister has decided to form a National Committee on E-Government, while assigning ministries and sectors to build the legal foundation and framework of the e-government with absolute network safety.

VNA