NA’s Standing Committee to convene 42nd session next week

The 42 nd session of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee is scheduled to open on October 12, focusing on preparations for the 10 th sitting of the 13 th legislature to kick off on October 20. 

The committee will review Government reports on the implementation of the socio-economic development plan in 2015 and the socio-economic development plan for next year. 

The committee will also scrutinise the implementation of the State budget in 2015, the State budget estimate and the central budget application plan in 2016, as well as the diversification of types of Government bonds and the project on the issuance of Government bonds in foreign markets by 2020. 

Vietnam’s participation in the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters and issues regarding the national election council and dates for the general election for deputies to the National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels will also be on the table. 

During the five-day session, the legislators will give feedback on several draft laws, including the Law on Property Auction; the Law on Singing, Joining and Implementing International Treaties (revised); and the amended Law on Administrative Procedures, among others.

Party official congratulates DPRK’s ruling Party on 70th anniversary

Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of its Commission for Mass Mobilisation Ha Thi Khiet congratulated the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) on its 70th anniversary during her visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) from October 8 to 12.

In a meeting with President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly Kim Yong-nam on October 11, Khiet said the host country would achieve new things under the leadership of the WPK, led by first Secretary Kim Jong-un.

She reiterated Vietnam’s Party and State stance on developing traditional ties with DPRK, adding that she hoped the two countries could intensify mutually beneficial links through diversified cooperative models.

Kim said his country aimed to strengthen comprehensive collaboration with Vietnam, and wished that the Party, State and people of Vietnam would successfully realise the resolution set by the 11th National Party Congress and hold the upcoming 12th National Party Congress.

Earlier on October 9, Khiet held talks with Politburo member Choe Thae-bok, WPK Secretariat and chairman of the Supreme People’s Assembly.

They discussed initiatives to foster ties between the two countries and Parties, as well as regional and global issues of shared concern.

Following the talks, they witnessed the signing of a co-operation agreement between Vietnam’s Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations and the WPK’s International Department.

During the stay, the Vietnamese delegation also toured several economic, cultural and historic establishments in Pyongyang.

NA deputies propose expanded supervisory competence

Several National Assembly (NA) deputies called for the expansion of the supervisory competence of NA and People’s Council deputies to be added in a related draft law at a discussion in Hanoi on October 9. 

According to the NA’s Committee on Legal Affairs, a law on the supervisory activities of the NA and People’s Councils is instrumental to remove existing shortcomings in the work. 

Participants at the discussion, jointly held by the NA Office and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), said the draft law stipulates that supervisors, which are NA and People’s Council deputies, have the right to ask authorised agencies to punish leaders of supervised agencies and organisations which commit violations. 

However, the bill does not clarify which agencies are competent to deal with violations, which is a big problem when the law is enforced, they stressed. 

Some attendees suggested the draft law expand the questioning right of the NA deputies by naming leaders of local administrations among those who could be questioned, elaborating that in some cases of public interest in certain localities, the NA deputies in charge of those localities were unable to raise voices about related matters. 

Meanwhile, many participating journalists said it is necessary to specify the responsibility of the supervisors and the supervised to maximise the effectiveness, adding that the current supervisory activities are still behind expectations. 

The law on the supervisory activities of the NA and People’s Councils are scheduled to be examined and approved at the NA’s 10 th session, which will commence in mid-October.

Vietnam’s Independence Order for Lao Minister

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc awarded Independence Order, second class, to Lao Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sommad Pholsena for his dedication to fostering the Vietnam – Laos ties during a ceremony in Hanoi on October 9. 

Sommad Pholsena, who is also former Minister of Public Works and Transport, worked hard to strengthen cooperative ties between the two transport sectors, especially in effectuating their bilateral and multilateral agreements. 

He also directed consultation for the construction of several roads that facilitate trade and travel between the two nations. 

In external relations activities, he had regular consultations with Vietnam at multilateral forums. 

The Lao minister pledged to tighten relationship between Vietnam and Laos in any position and expected continued support from the Vietnamese government and transport ministry to fulfill assigned tasks.

Experience in building Pharmacy Law shared

The Pharmacy Law has helped strengthen State management over pharmacies and ensured the people’s right to quality medicine over its 10 years in existence, but now it needs to be updated, said Deputy Health Minister Pham Le Tuan.

Tuan made the statement on October 9 at a workshop where participants shared experience and discussed how to build a better Pharmacy Law to protect patients. The Drug Administration of Vietnam and the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam organised the event.

According to Tuan, the Ministry of Health recently submitted the 2005 Pharmacy Law to the National Assembly for revision.

Experience learnt at the workshop would help complete the amended law, he said.

Drug Administration Director Truong Quoc Cuong said the new law would tighten management over drug prices.

The law would include updated provisions of clinical pharmacies, clinical drug trials, pharmaceutical firms and the development of traditional medicine.

At the event, domestic and foreign experts on pharmaceuticals focused their discussions on how to raise health care quality and control distribution channels to ensure a constant supply of quality pharmaceutical products.

VNA