The Government recently issued a resolution following its October 2024 regular meeting, emphasizing the need for ministries, government agencies, and affiliated bodies to:  

- Review the past seven years of implementing Resolution 18/2017 (from the 6th Conference of 12th Central Party Committee).  

- Develop a restructuring framework to organize ministries into multi-sector agencies.  

- Reduce internal organizations to achieve a compact, high-performing structure.  

This restructuring must align with the directives of the Politburo, the Government, and the Prime Minister, with a deadline for completion by December 2024.  

The Ministry of Home Affairs has been tasked with proposing the establishment of a steering committee and support teams for restructuring the government’s machinery. The proposal must be submitted to the Prime Minister by November 20, 2024.  

In a report to the Government, Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra highlighted the need to:  

- Continue reforming and restructuring the organizational framework.  

- Enhance the performance and efficiency of governmental operations.  

The report emphasizes the necessity of following the Party’s guidelines to maximize the efficiency of multi-sector ministries, rationally reduce the number of ministries and government agencies, and strengthen the responsibilities of ministers in macroeconomic management and policymaking.  

To support these changes, the Ministry proposed submitting amendments to the 2015 Law on Government Organization (revised in 2019) for National Assembly approval.  

At a November 12 meeting held by the Ministry of Justice to review the draft law, the Ministry of Home Affairs proposed eliminating “General Departments” from the organizational structure of ministries and government agencies.  

Representatives from the Ministry of Public Security noted:  

- The current legal status of General Departments lacks clarity.  

- Overlapping policies between departments directly under ministries and those under General Departments fail to promote organizational streamlining.  

This has prompted the Ministry of Public Security to suggest removing General Departments entirely from the organizational hierarchy.  

Deputy Minister of Justice Dang Hoang Oanh recommended that the draft law clearly outline the roles and responsibilities of the Government, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers, Ministers, and local authorities.  

The law should define:  

- Issues under the exclusive authority of the Government and Prime Minister.  

- Areas where decentralization and delegation are applicable, along with their scope and limitations.  

The proposed amendments to the Law on Government Organization include:  

1. Enhancing clarity in the responsibilities of the Government, Prime Minister, Ministers, and agency heads to align with modern governance principles.  

2. Improving coordination between legislative, executive, and judicial powers to ensure effective checks and balances, in line with the 2013 Constitution.  

3. Strengthening decentralization between central and local authorities, while emphasizing accountability for leaders in state management.  

4. Promoting digital transformation and building a transparent, accountable, and modern digital government.  

5. Streamlining government organization to create a compact, effective, and efficient structure.  

Thu Hang