The 14th National Assembly completed its working agenda of the fifth session with numerous important issues under discussion during 21 days, said NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan at the closing ceremony in Hanoi on June 15.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan

Present at the event were Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong, former Secretary Generals Le Kha Phieu and Nong Duc Manh, President Tran Dai Quang, former President Tran Duc Luong, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, former top legislators Nguyen Van An and Nguyen Sinh Hung, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Tran Thanh Man and other former leaders of the Party, State and VFF.

Chairwoman Ngan said the legislature discussed and evaluated the implementation of the socio-economic development plan and the State budget in 2017 and the first months of 2018. 

The outcomes gained over the past time will create a momentum to fulfil plans in 2018 and the five-year socio-economic development plan in 2016-2020, she added.

Lawmakers approved a resolution ratifying the 2016 State budget balance, in which they requested the Government to strengthen direction and devise effective solutions to addressing restrictions and tightening financial discipline and handle seriously and promptly organisations and individuals violating the management and use of State budget in addition to enhancing the management of investment capital, public debts, and State budget overspending, as well as ensuring national financial security.

After thorough discussions, the NA voted to pass seven draft laws to continue the institutionalisation of the Constitution 2013, improving the legal system on economic development, human rights, and the basic rights and obligations of citizens, and ensuring defence and security.

Deputies gave opinions on nine other bills, creating a foundation for drafting and verifying agencies to further study, adjust and finalise for submission to the NA at the next meeting.

Chairwoman Ngan said the draft laws deliberated and adopted at the fifth meeting received high rate of approval from deputies.

As regards the draft Law on Special Administrative and Economic Units, the top legislator said on the basic of collecting opinions from lawmakers, voters and people from all walks of life and taking into account various aspects, the legislature decided to adjust time to adopt the bill until the next session to have more time for study and completion and to ensure the quality and feasibility of the bill, she said.

The NA discussed and approved resolutions on the programme of building laws and ordinances in 2019, the NA’s supervision programme for 2019, the establishment of the NA’s supreme inspection delegation on the implementation of policies, laws on planning, managing and using land in urban areas from the effect of the Land Law 2013 to the end of 2018 and the implementation of policies and laws on fire prevention for 2014-2018.

The legislature requested NA agencies, delegations and deputies to proactively build and implement their own supervision activities based on the aforesaid resolutions, Ngan said.

Based on the outcomes implementing policies and laws on the management and use of State capital and assets at businesses and the equitisation of State-owned enterprises in 2011-2016, the NA adopted a resolution continuously improving and accelerating the implementation of policies and laws in the field.

This sets an important foundation for the legislature to continue supervising this content to realise successfully the resolution adopted at the fifth meeting of the 12th Party Committee and createtive changes in restructuring, reforming, and improving the efficiency of State businesses in the coming time.

The Chairwoman said at the fifth session, the NA conducted a question-and-answer (Q&A) session for the ministers of Transport, Natural Resources and Environment, Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, and Education and Training. Deputy Prime Ministers Vu Duc Dam and Vuong Dinh Hue participated in clarifying issues of public concerns.

Deputies put short questions while government officials provided straightforward answers and brought practical solutions to addressing shortcomings, she added.

According to the Chairwoman, the outcomes of the fifth meeting showed that the NA activities have become closer to people. 

The legislature listened to constructive opinions from voters and people to improve the quality of adopted bills and resolutions, she said.

She stressed that the NA praised the patriotism and deep interests of people across the country in the country’s important matters, and condemned actions making use of democracy to distort the truth and cause social security disorder, affecting the life of people, production and business activities, and operations of agencies and organisations.

The top legislator asked the Government to increase mass mobilisation work so that the public will not be incited to violate law. The Government is also asked to handle promptly and seriously any infringement.

The NA calls on people and voters nationwide to strengthen solidarity and live and work according to law while joining hands in building a happy and prosperous country.

Chairwoman Ngan asked NA deputies to conduct more meetings with voters and listen to their aspirations and report to the NA, Government and relevant agencies.

The legislature also asked the NA Standing Committee, NA Council of Ethnic Affairs, NA Committees, Government, Vietnam Fatherland Front, local authorities at all levels, Supreme People’s Court, People’s Supreme Procuracy, State Audit, and relevant agencies and organisations to ensure the execution of laws and resolutions adopted at the fifth sitting.

Legislators adopt one law, three resolutions

Legislators passed the law amending and supplementing a number of articles of laws relating to the Planning Law on June 15, also the last working day of the fifth meeting of the 14th National Assembly. 

Most of the delegates agreed on the need to issue the law in order to ensure that regulations of relevant laws are consistent with the Planning Law. 

The 11 related laws are the Law on Food Safety, the Law on Notary, the Pharmacy Law, the Law on Investment, the Law on Public Investment, the Law on Electricity, the Law on Chemicals, the Law on Science-Technology, the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention, the Law on Economical and Efficient Use of Energy and the Child Law. 

The law amending and supplementing a number of articles of laws relating to the Planning Law will help avoid legal loopholes and bottlenecks in building, assessing, ratifying and implementing planning schemes, they said. 

Adopted with 96.7 percent of votes, the document is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2019.

The same day, the deputies approved the resolution on continuing to perfect and accelerate the implementation of policies and laws on managing and using State capital and assets at businesses, and equitising State-owned enterprises. Up to 97.33 percent of the legislators showed their support for the resolution. 

According to the resolution, State enterprises have focused more on key economic fields or those not included in business strategies of businesses in other economic sectors. They continue to play an important role in national economic development, contributing to ensuring socialist orientations. 

State enterprises have shown stable growth trends. Meanwhile, income, rights and interests of labourers have been basically ensured, it says. 

The equitisation process has taken place as scheduled, reaping positive outcomes. After equitisation, the businesses have operated more transparently, with suitable scale and capital structure, effective production and business activities and higher State budget contributions. As a result, labourers’ income has also been improved.  

However, there remain shortcomings and violations of laws on business administration and financial management. 

To deal with such limitations, the resolution assigns the Government to promptly perfect policies and laws on managing and using State capital and assets at businesses, and equitising State enterprises. 

The Government has also been asked to soon submit supplements to contentious contents of the law on managing and using State investments in production and business at businesses, the Law on Enterprises, the Bidding Law, the Construction Law, the Investment Law, the Land Law and other related documents. 

The Government needs to issue documents on criteria assessing production and business of State enterprises in different sectors and regions no later than May 2019. 

Under the resolution, the Government will closely monitor the mobilisation and use of capital of State businesses, especially foreign debts, domestic and foreign investments, merger and acquisition capital, while limiting the Government’s guarantee to State enterprises. 

The Government will revamp mechanisms to enable businesses to take the initiative in paying wages and bonuses based on productivity, and attract highly-skilled labourers. 

The same day, the lawmakers passed the resolution on establishing the thematic inspection delegation of the legislature in 2019 and the resolution on establishing the thematic inspection delegation on the implementation of policies and laws on firefighting during 2014-2018./.