Members of National Assembly Standing Committee started its 43rd meeting yesterday, focusing on preparations for the last session of 13th legislature expected to be opened next March.

NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung delivers the opening speech at the session.

National Assembly (NA) chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung said that during the two and a half day meeting, the NA Standing Committee would discuss documents that concretised the Law on the Organisation of National Assembly, assessment over the 10th session of 13th legislature held last month and preparation for the 11th session in March.

The committee would comment on the Government's proposals on financial management in taxation and customs agencies, Market Management Ordinance and negotiation and exchange of note agreements on visa issuance between Viet Nam and the United States.

They would also talk about preparation for the election of deputies to the 14th National Assembly and People's Councils in May 2016.

Hung called on lawmakers to work quickly because many things still need to be done in a short space of time.

Yesterday afternoon, the NA Standing Committee discussed the draft resolution on the establishment and organisation of offices of NA deputy groups in localities.

According to the draft proposed by NA Committee for Deputies' Affairs, every group of NA deputies in a city or province will have an office. Office staff will assist deputies.

Currently, staff assisting NA deputies work at the same office with those who assist members of the municipal/ provincial People's Council. They are appointed and paid by municipal/ provincial People's Committee.

Chairman of the National Assembly Council of Ethnic Affairs, Ksor Phuoc said that offices of NA deputy groups in localities are part of NA Office and they must be operated and funded by the NA Office.

Chairman of the National Assembly Office Nguyen Hanh Phuc said the organisation of such offices must be simple, the number of staff there must be in line with the number of deputies.

According to the proposal, these offices will have less than eight employees if the locality has less than ten NA deputies, 10 employees if it has from 10 to 20 deputies, 12 employees if having more than 20 deputies.

NA chairman Hung said that each office should have ten staff at maximum including an office chief secretary and one or two vice chief secretaries. Each person can be assigned to more than one position to ensure simplification.

VNS