Press Release No. 14 Fourth Session, 15th National Assembly

Press Release No. 14, 4th Session, 15th National Assembly

Morning

From 8:00 to 9:05 AM: Under the chairmanship of Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong, the National Assembly heard Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra continue to answer questions from National Assembly delegates regarding the third group of issues in the field of home affairs. Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan, and Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc also participated in answering questions related to these issues.

In his concluding remarks on the third group of issues, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong emphasized that the home affairs sector plays a crucial role in advising the Communist Party, the State, the Government of Vietnam, the Prime Minister, local Party committees, and governments in building a professional, modern, effective, and efficient public administration system, contributing to a new, honest, disciplined, action-oriented, and efficient government serving the people. The issues questioned in the field of home affairs are timely and practical, involving many current challenges that National Assembly delegates and voters are concerned about. Through the questioning and responses, it is evident that, under the directives of the Central Committee and the National Assembly, and the focused leadership of the Government of Vietnam, the Ministry of Home Affairs has endeavored to implement and complete a large volume of work related to organizational restructuring, streamlining the workforce, and achieving many positive results in the sector. At the same time, it has clearly identified some persistent issues and limitations that the home affairs sector needs to address and improve in the future. The Vice Chairman of the National Assembly requested that the Government of Vietnam, the Minister of Home Affairs, and relevant ministries and central authorities fully consider the opinions of the National Assembly delegates and effectively implement immediate and long-term solutions to address limitations, bottlenecks, and challenges, contributing to the development of a high-quality workforce and a streamlined, efficient organizational structure.

From 9:05 to 11:30 AM: The National Assembly proceeded with questioning the Chief Inspector of the Government of Vietnam, Doan Hong Phong, on the fourth group of issues related to inspection. Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien also participated in answering questions and explaining related issues.

During the questioning session, 31 delegates posed questions, and 8 delegates engaged in debates, focusing on the following topics:

1. Enhancing the effectiveness of inspection activities to promptly prevent and curb legal violations; measures to handle and recover assets after inspections; handling of collective and individual violations, especially in areas experiencing severe legal violations (quality, quantity, and work ethics of inspection officials; responsibility of the Government Inspectorate in bank inspections; personal responsibility of the Chief Inspector of the Government of Vietnam in directing unscheduled inspections; the role-modeling responsibility of leaders; causes and solutions for remaining issues in inspection result processing; delays in issuing inspection conclusions; decentralization and authority delegation within the Government Inspectorate; allocation, management, and use of recovered funds post-inspection; past inspections of fuel business activities; reasons for discrepancies between inspection conclusions and audit results; effectiveness of unscheduled inspections; solutions to issues in land revaluation post-inspection; addressing delays in implementing inspection conclusions; monitoring mechanisms for inspection teams' activities; the responsibility of the inspection sector in land management and use).

2. Propaganda and education on anti-corruption and anti-negativity measures; enhancing anti-corruption and anti-negativity in inspection activities (solutions to officials' harassment and troublemaking in inspections and administrative procedures; long-term measures to build an ethical and honest inspection team).

3. Solutions to prevent, strictly handle, and recover corrupt assets to build public trust (current status, causes, and solutions for the low asset recovery rate in corruption cases).

4. Coordination and solutions to address overlaps in inspection, checks, and audits.

Afternoon

From 2:00 to 2:50 PM: Under the chairmanship of Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong, the National Assembly continued to listen to Chief Inspector of the Government of Vietnam Doan Hong Phong respond to questions on the fourth group of issues related to inspection. Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai also participated in answering questions and explaining related issues. Subsequently, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong concluded the questioning on the fourth group of issues, emphasizing that inspection is an essential and important function in controlling the executive power and state power in general. Inspection activities are extensive, guided by the motto "where there is management, there is inspection." Recently, alongside the active involvement of the entire political system, inspection, and anti-corruption efforts have been strengthened, significantly contributing to controlling state power and fostering trust among officials, party members, and the people towards the Communist Party and the State. However, besides the positive results, inspection, and anti-corruption efforts still face challenges and limitations, falling short of the increasing demands of state management. There is a need for practical solutions to effectively implement policies and laws, enhancing the effectiveness of inspection and anti-corruption efforts. In this session, the National Assembly dedicated time to passing the revised Inspection Law, reviewing the anti-corruption report, especially as the National Assembly chose the inspection field for questioning, underscoring the increasing attention and oversight of inspection and anti-corruption efforts by the National Assembly. The questioning session was lively, mostly adhering to the set topics, with focused and constructive discussions, reflecting the concerns and frustrations of voters and the public. Although it was the first time responding to questions before the National Assembly, with experience in leadership and management, the Chief Inspector of the Government of Vietnam thoroughly understood the situation and issues in his field, answered comprehensively, and proposed solutions for the future.

From 2:50 to 4:50 PM: Under the chairmanship of Permanent Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man, the National Assembly listened to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh clarify related issues and answer questions from National Assembly delegates. 19 delegates questioned the Prime Minister, focusing on topics such as the Communist Party's and the Government of Vietnam's perspectives on basic foreign policy orientations; difficulties and solutions in the cultural field; reasons for delays in issuing decrees defining the functions and tasks of ministries and sectors; lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic in macroeconomic management; directives for planning and future strategies; solutions for developing transport infrastructure and combating climate change; economic development strategies for 2023 and beyond; the workload of commune-level officials; the rising Consumer Price Index (CPI); main viewpoints and pillars in institutional reform; strategies for strategic infrastructure development; policies for social housing and workers' housing; building brands in public-private partnerships; solutions to achieve digital economy goals; decentralization and administrative reform; and repairing and upgrading public assets.

From 4:50 to 5:00 PM: The National Assembly heard Permanent Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man deliver the closing remarks for the questioning session. He highlighted that after 2.5 days of urgent, serious, democratic, intelligent, and lively discussions in a constructive and responsible spirit, the National Assembly successfully concluded the questioning and answering sessions of the 4th Session of the 15th National Assembly. The National Assembly questioned and received responses on four groups of issues related to the responsibilities of the Minister of Construction, Minister of Information and Communications, Minister of Home Affairs, and Chief Inspector of the Government of Vietnam. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh clarified issues under the Government's jurisdiction and directly answered questions from National Assembly delegates. Along with the key ministers and sector leaders, all four Deputy Prime Ministers, and ministers from seven ministries: Planning and Investment, Transport, Public Security, Education, Health, Finance, and Industry and Trade, and the Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam, participated in answering and clarifying additional issues. During the session, 345 National Assembly delegates registered to participate in questioning, with 149 delegates questioning and 22 delegates engaging in debates.

The results of this questioning session demonstrated that National Assembly delegates grasped the practical situation, reflected voters' and the public's sentiments and aspirations, asked concise and clear questions focused on the questioning topics, and engaged in straightforward, constructive debates with high responsibility. Many National Assembly delegates re-posed questions, pointing out limitations and weaknesses, hoping that the Government and relevant ministries and central authorities would continue to find appropriate solutions. The questioning by National Assembly delegates showcased the role, responsibility, and oversight power of the National Assembly, as well as cooperation and alignment in the management and administration of the Government, ministries, and central authorities, to find suitable solutions and policies that meet the trust and expectations of voters and the public. The Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers, ministers, and sector leaders answered directly and focusedly, addressed the questioned issues without avoiding, and acknowledged the shortcomings and limitations of their fields, while presenting practical, effective, and feasible solutions for the immediate and long term, committing to addressing the existing issues in the future.

Selecting the right issues and innovating questioning methods at National Assembly sessions, alongside the enthusiasm and high responsibility of the questioners and respondents before the National Assembly, voters, and the public, contributed to enhancing the effectiveness of questioning activities. This allowed National Assembly delegates to assess the implementation results of those questioned concerning their delegated powers. The democratic and transparent questioning activities had a significant impact on the state's machinery and heads of state agencies, promoting the effective implementation of the Party's guidelines and the State's policies and laws.

Based on the questions of National Assembly delegates and the answers of the Government members, and the conclusions on each group of issues, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly will study and prepare a draft resolution on the questioning activities at the 4th Session of the 15th National Assembly for the National Assembly to consider and approve at the closing session of this meeting, providing a legal basis for the implementation and follow-up supervision by the National Assembly, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, National Assembly committees, National Assembly delegations, National Assembly delegates, voters, and the public.

Monday, November 7, 2022:* Morning, the National Assembly heard the presentation and verification report on the draft revised Bidding Law. The National Assembly then discussed in plenary the draft Resolution on piloting specific mechanisms and policies for the development of Buon Ma Thuot city, Dak Lak province, and the draft Resolution on piloting the selection of automobile license plates through auctions. In the afternoon, the National Assembly discussed in groups the draft revised Pricing Law and the draft revised Bidding Law.

According to the Government of Vietnam Electronic Information Portal

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