After 19 sitting days, the third session of the 15th National Assembly has finished a great workload with high consensus, and decided on many important issues not only for 2022 but the whole 2021-25 period and subsequent years.
Addressing the closing session on June 16, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said that legislators contributed nearly 1,500 ideas during six group and 23 plenary discussions. The legislative body debated and passed five laws, adopted 16 resolutions and a general resolution for the session. The NA deputies also opined on six bills and decided on many important matters, he added.
The five newly passed laws include the revised Law on Cinematography, revised Law on Emulation and Commendation, revised Law on Insurance Business, Law on Mobile Police, and Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Intellectual Property Law.
The Law on Mobile Police, which consists of five chapters and 33 articles, defines the role, position, duties, powers, responsibilities, organization and operation of the mobile police force.
It also regulates such policies as funding, facilities, equipment, application of scientific and technology for activities of the mobile police force, state management, and responsibilities of agencies, organizations and individuals toward it.
It stipulates seven groups of tasks of the mobile police, which is based on five relevant provisions in the previous Mobile Police Ordinance.
Regarding the Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Intellectual Property Law, its Article 7.2 is revised as follows: “The exercise of intellectual property rights must not infringe upon the interests of the State, public interests, the lawful rights and interests of organizations and individuals and other relevant regulations. Organizations and individuals that exercise intellectual property rights related to the National Flag, National Emblem and National Anthem of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam may not prevent or obstruct the dissemination and use of the National Flag, Emblem and Anthem.”
The deputies also discussed the security control of inventions before filing registration applications abroad under Article 89a of the currently effective Law on Intellectual Property which is supplemented under Article 1.41 of the new Law.
They also reviewed a number of issues such as the mechanism for granting the right to register inventions, industrial designs, layout designs and plant varieties as outcomes of scientific and technological researches funded by the state budget; narrowing of subjects to be sanctioned for administrative violations in the field of intellectual property; conditions for provision of industrial property representation services; restriction of the rights of plant variety protection certificate holders; and legal responsibility for copyright and related rights of intermediary service providers.
Six bills tabled for discussions are the draft revised Petroleum Law, draft revised Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control, draft revised Law on Inspection, draft Law on Exercise of Democracy at the Grassroots Level, draft revised Law on Radio Frequencies, and draft revised Law on Medical Examination and Treatment.
The revised Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, which consists of 10 chapters and 102 articles (one chapter more than the existing law), aims to institutionalize the Party’s policies, address shortcomings and limitations of the existing law, deal with newly arising issues to increase the quality of medical services towards fairness, quality, effectiveness, development and international integration, and enhance effective state management of health check-ups and treatment.
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| Deputies press buttons to pass a bill at a plenary meeting of the 15th National Assembly during its 3rd session on June 16__Photo: Doan Tan/VNA |
Realization of socio-economic development goals
NA Chairman Hue said the legislative body devoted time discussing the outcomes of socio-economic development and state budget plans in 2021 as well as the implementation of such plans in the first months of 2022.
The top legislator went on to say that along with bringing COVID-19 under control, financial and monetary support policies under the NA’s Resolution 43/2022/QH15 have been implemented properly, paving the way for socio-economic recovery and development.
Hue noted that gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the first quarter of this year reached 5.03 percent and hit a relatively high level in the second quarter, while import-export revenue in the first five months of this year exceeded USD 305 billion, a year-on-year increase of 16.1 percent, and state budget revenue collection reached 57 percent of the yearly estimates, recording a rise of 18.7 percent.
The NA leader highlighted positive signs in business activities, the macro-economy, social welfare, security, defense, corruption combat and market control. The country has been elected as a Vice President of the UN General Assembly in the 77th (2022-23) tenure, representing the Asia-Pacific region, Hue noted, adding that it successfully hosted the 31st Southeast Asian Games.
According to the top legislator, NA deputies pointed out shortcomings and weaknesses in a number of sectors and forecast a number of risks and challenges in the future, while contributing opinions on major orientations as well as solutions and tasks for the Government, ministries and sectors to complete their yearly targets.
The NA adopted a resolution approving the state budget settlement for 2020 and requested the Government to strengthen its direction work, adopt solutions to further tighten financial discipline and address shortcomings and limitations, while stepping up thrift practice and, anti-corruption fights, and strictly handling violations in the management and use of the state budget and public property.
Results recorded in oversight work
Regarding the NA’s oversight activities, NA Chairman said that the NA listened to and discussed a report on thrift practice and wastefulness prevention and control in 2021, and a report by the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee summarizing voters’ opinions and proposals to the NA’s third session, while examining a report on oversight of responses to voters’ ideas sent to the second session.
The NA has performed oversight over the implementation of planning-related policies and laws since the Planning Law took effect, and agreed on the issuance of a resolution on implementation of planning-related policies and laws as well as a number of measures to remove obstacles to speed up the planning process and improve the planning quality in the 2021-30 period, he said.
The NA leader said that the NA spent two and a half days to question three ministers, the State Bank of Vietnam Governor, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh and other Deputy PMs, and heads of sectors on issues related to agriculture and rural development, finance, banking and transport.
A resolution on the NA’s oversight program for 2023 was adopted, along with a resolution on formation of a specialized oversight team to oversee the mobilization, management and use of resources for COVID-19 prevention and control activities, the implementation of laws and policies on local healthcare, and the implementation of NA resolutions on the implementation of national target programs on new-style countryside building in the 2021-25 period, sustainable poverty reduction and socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous regions in the 2021-30 period.
More construction projects get green light
With regard to other important issues, the top legislator said for the first time at an NA session, five national important projects were discussed and obtained investment policy decisions, raising the total number of projects approved by the 15th NA to six with total capital of over VND 392 trillion (USD 16.86 billion).
They include phase-I Chau Doc-Can Tho-Soc Trang expressway that will connect the Mekong River delta cities and provinces of Can Tho, An Giang, Hau Giang and Soc Trang and the Belt Road 4 that traverses Hanoi, Hung Yen, Bac Ninh and some other northern localities.
NA deputies also gave green light to the Belt Road 3 project that will connect HCM City with Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Long An provinces and adjacent localities in the south; phase-I Khanh Hoa-Buon Ma Thuot expressway that will run from Khanh Hoa province to Buon Ma Thuot city in the central highlands province of Dak Lak, and phase-I Bien Hoa-Vung Tau expressway project.
During the session, responding to the request of the NA Standing Committee, the NA agreed on addition of some contents related to the personnel work to the session’s agenda. The NA has also approved the PM’s proposal on the dismissal of Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long for serious violations in the COVID-19 test kit scam at Viet A Technologies JSC.-
