Minister of Home Affairs Phạm Thị Thanh Trà presents reports on arranging district and commune-level administrative units for the 2023-2025 period in 12 provinces and cities. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

At the 39th session on Thursday morning, the NA Standing Committee reviewed and decided arrangement of district and commune-level administrative units for the 2023-2025.

The arrangement aims to streamline the administrative system in the localities, including An Giang, Đồng Tháp, Hà Nam, Hà Nội, Hà Tĩnh, Hồ Chí Minh, Phú Thọ, Sơn La, Quảng Ngãi, Quảng Trị, Trà Vinh and Vĩnh Phúc.

The Government's report presented by Minister of Home Affairs Phạm Thị Thanh Trà shows that the Government proposes to reorganise and establish six district-level administrative units and 361 commune-level administrative units to form five new district-level ones and 200 commune-level ones in 12 provinces and cities.

After the reorganisation, one district-level administrative unit and 161 commune-level ones will be reduced.

Five provinces and cities, namely Hà Nội, Hà Tĩnh, Phú Thọ, Quảng Ngãi and Quảng Trị, proposed not to reorganise eight district-level administrative units, including two in remote locations that make it difficult to organise convenient traffic with adjacent zones. One was formed in 1945, one has historical, traditional, cultural, customary, and habitual characteristics that, if reorganised, would lead to instability in national defence, security, order and social safety.

Three others are in line to become urban administrative units in the 2023-2030 period, one is not suitable for the planning and does not meet standards of an urban administrative unit.

Ten provinces and cities, including Đồng Tháp, Hà Nam, Hà Nội, Hà Tĩnh, Hồ Chí Minh, Phú Thọ, Quảng Ngãi, Quảng Trị, Trà Vinh and Vĩnh Phúc, proposed not to rearrange 258 commune-level administrative units.

Three out of five district-level administrative units and 104 out of 200 commune-level ones after the reorganisation are urban administrative units.

The newly formed cities, towns and wards after the new establishment ensured or committed to ensuring the conditions and standards of urban administrative units according to regulations.

The number of redundant public employees and part-time workers at the district level is 136 people and at the commune level is 3,342 ones.

The people's committees of 12 provinces and cities have developed detailed plans to arrange and resolve this staffing issue.

Suitable planning

Agreeing with the plan to streamline administrative system in 12 provinces and cities, NA Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn emphasised that when the NA Standing Committee signs the resolution, localities must quickly start implementing it.

The rearrangement must be consistent with relevant planning, ensuring the conditions, standards and corresponding types of administrative units, meeting the requirements as prescribed in the NA Standing Committee’s conclusion.

Regarding the five district-level units formed after the reorganisation, Mẫn noted that the formation of the new Hà Tĩnh City needed to be carefully reviewed and evaluated by specialised agencies to determine whether it meets the criteria of a type-two urban area, especially in terms of geographic area.

The Government must complete the assessment and recognition of this type of urban area before the end of this year.

Among the 200 commune-level administrative units, 92 ones in seven provinces and cities have not met the standards on natural area or population size, or the formation of urban administrative units has not met the prescribed standards.

The NA Chairman requested the Government to direct concerned ministries and local authorities to urgently review the plans and submit to the Standing Committee only plans that ensure the requirements stated in the NA Standing Committee’s resolutions.

The NA Standing Committee members voted to approve 12 resolutions on arranging district and commune-level administrative units of the above provinces and cities.

The resolutions will take effect from the beginning of next year, except for the resolution of Sơn La Province which will take effect from the beginning of February next year. — VNS