Circular No. 05/2018/TT-BTP guiding the work of competition and reward in the Justice sector

CIRCULAR

Guidelines for Competition and Reward Work in the Judicial Sector

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Pursuant to the Law on Competition and Reward dated November 26, 2003; the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Law on Competition and Reward dated June 14, 2005 and the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Law on Competition and Reward dated November 16, 2013;

Pursuant to Decree No. 91/2017/ND-CP dated July 31, 2017 of the Government detailing the implementation of certain provisions of the Law on Competition and Reward;

On the basis of Decree No. 96/2017/NĐ-CP dated August 16, 2017 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Justice;

At the proposal of the Director of the Department of Competition and Reward;

The Minister of Justice issues this Circular guiding competition and reward work in the judicial sector,

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Circular guides certain contents regarding the subjects of competition and reward; launching competitions, titles of competition and standards for such titles; forms of reward and standards for rewards; authority to decide, procedures, and files for requesting rewards; Competition and Reward Councils, Innovation Councils; Competition Clusters, Competition Areas and the Competition and Reward Fund of the Judicial Sector.

Article 2. Subjects of Competition in the Judicial Sector

1. Regular subjects of competition include units under the Ministry of Justice; Civil Enforcement Cadastral Office; Civil Enforcement Sub-Cadastral Office; small groups within these units, civil servants, public officials, workers currently working at these agencies and units, including civil servants and public officials during their probation period, indefinite-term contract employees, and labor contract employees with one year or more service.

2. Subjects of competition according to specific topics or periods include those specified in Clause 1 of this Article; groups are Provincial Justice Departments, District Justice Departments, small groups within Provincial Justice Departments, and individuals are civil servants, public officials, and workers at these agencies and units; individuals are Civil Justice-Household Registration officers at commune level; groups and individuals under the Civil Enforcement Department of the Ministry of Defense, legal departments of Ministries, agencies equivalent to ministries, government agencies, specialized agencies under provincial People's Committees; groups and individuals specifically identified in the Plan for Launching Competition Movements according to specific topics or periods and other groups and individuals performing tasks related to the fields of work of the judicial sector.

Article 3. Subjects of Reward

1. Groups and individuals specified in Clause 1 of Article 2 of this Circular shall be rewarded based on their achievements and merits; rewards according to specific topics or periods; sudden rewards; individuals may be awarded the Commendation Medal "For the Cause of Justice" and individuals may be rewarded for their contributions if they fall within the scope.

2. Groups and individuals specified in Clause 2 of Article 2 of this Circular shall be rewarded according to specific topics or periods; sudden rewards; and individuals may be awarded the Commendation Medal "For the Cause of Justice".

3. Groups and individuals may be rewarded for external activities.

4. Other subjects as decided by the Minister.

Article 4. Basis for Awarding Competition Titles

1. Individuals and groups must participate in competition movements, register for competition titles, set goals and competition indicators to be considered and recognized for competition titles.

2. Competition titles are recognized based on the criteria for competition titles and achieved competition results.

Article 5. Principles and Basis for Considering Rewards

1. Reward activities in the judicial sector shall be carried out based on the following principles:

a) Accuracy, transparency, fairness, timeliness, and practicality;

b) Ensuring consistency and appropriateness between the form, level, and subject of reward with assigned functions, tasks, and achieved results;

c) A reward form can be given multiple times to the same subject; not giving multiple reward forms for a single achievement; it is not necessary to reward in ascending order from lower to higher levels; previous achievements should not be accumulated to request a higher-level reward later;

d) For state-level reward forms (from Certificates of Merit of the Prime Minister upwards), each group or individual can only be considered for one reward form in a year, except for contributions over time and outstanding sudden achievements;

đ) When the Ministry of Justice conducts mid-term or final reviews of law implementation, regulations, decrees, or serves conferences, seminars, forums..., agencies and units shall not propose the Prime Minister or the State President to award Certificates of Merit or Orders to groups or individuals;

e) For female leaders and managers, the tenure for considering rewards for contributions is reduced by one-third compared to the general regulation; in cases where the retirement age is higher, the tenure for considering rewards for contributions follows the general regulation;

g) In rewarding, attention should be paid to small groups and individuals directly engaged in labor, production, study, and work; ethnic minorities; individuals with many innovations in labor, study, and work; groups and individuals who have improved from being weak to becoming exemplary models in competition movements; for regular achievement rewards, when there are many individuals and groups meeting the conditions and standards, female individuals or groups with a female ratio of 70% or more should be selected for consideration of rewards;

h) Do not reward or propose higher-level rewards for groups or individuals who are currently under disciplinary review by competent authorities or are under investigation, audit, inspection due to suspected violations or complaints and reports under verification;

i) Disciplinary measures can only be applied once for a reward form of a group or individual, subsequent reward considerations will not be based on previously applied disciplinary measures;

k) Combine spiritual encouragement with material incentives;

l) Ensure gender equality in competition and reward activities.

2. Consideration of rewards in the judicial sector shall be based on the following grounds:

a) Rewards must be based on conditions, standards, and achieved results; achievements are rewarded accordingly; achievements obtained under difficult conditions with wide-ranging impacts shall be rewarded at a higher level;

b) Only consider comprehensive achievement awards as the basis for awarding rewards or proposing higher-level rewards for collectives and individuals. Special topic-based or phased reward forms shall not be counted as conditions or criteria for proposing national-level rewards. The results of special topic-based or phased commendation movements shall be recorded and given priority when considering rewards or proposing higher-level rewards.

c) The evaluation for rewards must be based on the results of assessing the level of completion of tasks by civil servants, public officials, employees; and by agencies, units.

d) When considering rewards for the head of an agency, organization, or unit, it must be based on the achievements of the collective led by that individual.

đ) The time for submitting the next reward application is calculated from the time the achievements recognized in the previous reward decision were achieved. For reward decisions that do not specify the time of achieving the achievements, the time for submitting the next reward application is calculated from the date of issuance of the previous reward decision.

Article 6. Rights and responsibilities of organizations and individuals in the work of competition and rewards

1. The Minister of Justice directs comprehensively the work of competition and rewards throughout the Justice sector, with the authority and responsibility to organize and implement the following contents:

a) Organizing the development and issuance of documents to institutionalize the Party's policies and State laws on competition and rewards in accordance with legal regulations and the specific characteristics of the Justice sector;

b) Organizing propaganda on President Ho Chi Minh's thoughts on patriotic emulation, the Party's policies, State laws on competition and rewards, and guiding their implementation within the Justice sector;

c) Organizing training and capacity building for cadres and civil servants working in competition and rewards within the Justice sector;

d) Taking the lead in launching and directing the implementation of emulation movements throughout the sector; coordinating with other Ministries, sectors, People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to organize phased or specialized emulation movements related to the activities of the Justice sector; organizing inspections of the implementation of emulation movements and compliance with laws on competition and rewards within the Ministry and sector; organizing mid-term and final evaluations of the effectiveness of emulation movements; building, nurturing, promoting, and disseminating exemplary models throughout the sector; deciding to confer titles of honor and reward forms within the scope of authority or proposing to competent authorities to confer titles of honor and reward forms according to the law;

đ) Resolving complaints and denunciations regarding competition and rewards within the Justice sector.

2. The Director of the Department of Competition and Rewards has the following duties and powers:

a) Leading and coordinating with relevant agencies, organizations, and individuals to advise the Minister and the Competition and Rewards Council of the Justice sector to implement the tasks stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article;

b) Leading and coordinating with the Director of the Cadre and Civil Servant Organization Department and the heads of relevant agencies and units to advise on rewarding individuals and collectives based on the assessment results of cadres, civil servants, and public officials, and the level of completion of tasks by agencies and units;

c) Leading and coordinating with the Director of the Information Technology Department and the heads of relevant agencies and units to implement the database on competition and rewards within the Justice sector;

d) Leading and coordinating with the heads of units under the Ministry to advise the Minister of Justice to establish scoring criteria, rankings, and organize scoring and ranking of units under the Ministry, Provincial Departments of Justice, and Civil Execution Cadastral Units of provinces and centrally-run cities to ensure objectivity, accuracy, fairness, serving as a basis for evaluating competition and rewards.

3. The heads of units under the Ministry have the following duties and powers:

a) Based on the content of emulation movements launched by the Ministry of Justice, leading and coordinating with the Party Committee, Party organizations, political-social organizations within the agency or unit to determine the content, targets, measures to launch and respond to the emulation movement, and organize its implementation; identifying, building, nurturing, promoting, and disseminating exemplary models within the agency or unit; coordinating with the Department of Competition and Rewards and the Standing Council of the Competition and Rewards Council of the Justice sector to develop and submit to the Minister for issuance plans to launch specialized or phased emulation movements for collectives and individuals within the sector, and collectives and individuals from other agencies, units, and organizations implementing tasks related to the assigned management areas;; organizing the launch of specialized or phased emulation movements for collectives and individuals within the agency or unit and reporting to the Standing Council of the Competition and Rewards Council of the Justice sector;

b) Urging, inspecting, summarizing, and concluding emulation movements within the agency or unit;

c) Organizing self-scoring of competition within the agency or unit strictly, accurately, and objectively; organizing scoring of specialized tasks within the management area for Provincial Departments of Justice and Civil Execution Cadastral Units of provinces and centrally-run cities according to the scoring criteria issued by the Minister of Justice when assigned to implement;

d) Annually, at the end of regular or specialized/phased emulation movements, conducting summaries and evaluations of the results of emulation movements, selecting outstanding and exemplary individuals and collectives to confer titles of honor and reward forms within the scope of authority or proposing to competent authorities to confer titles of honor and reward forms according to the law;

đ) Implementing the application of information technology in the activities of competition and rewards according to the guidelines of the Ministry of Justice;

4. The Director of the Southern Operations Bureau has the duty to coordinate with the Department of Competition and Rewards and the Civil Enforcement General Department to direct, guide, urge, and inspect the work of competition and rewards of agencies within the Justice sector in provinces and centrally-run cities from Phu Yen to Ca Mau.

5. Information agencies, propaganda, press, and publishing bodies of the Justice sector have the duty to publicize about the work of competition and commendation, identify individuals and groups with outstanding achievements in the movement of emulation setting exemplary models, promote the emulation movement, and struggle against criticizing violations of laws on competition and commendation within the Justice sector.

6. The Inspectorate of the Ministry of Justice within the scope of its functions, tasks, and authorities shall implement inspections regarding the work of competition and commendation within the Justice sector, advise and propose to the Minister of Justice to promptly resolve violations, complaints, and denunciations concerning competition and commendation according to the provisions of the law.

7. Directors of Provincial Justice Departments, Heads of Civil Enforcement Bureaus of provinces and centrally governed cities based on the content and form of the emulation movements initiated by the Ministry of Justice, provincial People's Committees, centrally governed cities, and Competition Zones shall select forms, contents, and criteria that are suitable for their assigned functions and tasks and the practical requirements of the managed areas to respond by building and organizing the initiation of emulation movements towards groups and individuals under their jurisdiction according to their authority; identify, build, nurture, publicize, and promote exemplary models within their agencies and units; urge, inspect, summarize mid-term and final results of the emulation movements; organize self-assessment of their unit’s competition and assess the competition of subordinate units according to the assessment criteria issued by the Minister of Justice; evaluate and choose groups and individuals with outstanding and prominent achievements to be awarded emulation titles and commendation forms according to their authority or submit to competent authorities for consideration to award emulation titles and commendation forms according to the provisions of the law.

8. Leaders of Competition Zones, Heads of Emulation Areas based on the content of the emulation movements initiated by the Ministry of Justice shall take the lead and coordinate with Deputy Leaders of Competition Zones, Deputy Heads of Emulation Areas, and heads of agencies and units under the Competition Zones, Emulation Areas to build, initiate, and organize the implementation of regular emulation movements, specialized emulation movements, and phased emulation movements towards groups and individuals under the Competition Zones, Emulation Areas according to the operational regulations of Competition Zones, Emulation Areas in the Justice sector.

9. Other groups and individuals falling within the scope of competition and commendation of the Justice sector have the following duties and authorities:

a) Participate in emulation movements initiated by the Ministry, sector of Justice, agencies, and units;

b) Have the right to request the awarding of emulation titles and commendation forms according to the correct provisions of the law or refuse to accept emulation titles and commendation forms that are not commensurate with achievements and do not meet the standards and procedures prescribed by law;

c) Have the right to provide feedback or request competent authorities to consider the awarding of emulation titles and commendation forms for groups and individuals who meet the achievements and standards or request competent authorities not to consider the awarding of emulation titles and commendation forms, revoke emulation titles and commendation forms that have been awarded but do not meet the standards and procedures prescribed by law;

d) Strictly comply with the provisions of the law, the Ministry, sector of Justice, agencies, units, and localities in the work of competition and commendation;

đ) Fully and timely implement the regulations on procedures, formalities, and deadlines for submitting commendation proposal files according to this Circular and related legal provisions when being proposed for commendation;

e) Safeguard commendation items according to the regulations.

Chapter II

ORGANIZATION OF COMPETITION; EMULATION TITLES

Article 7. Forms of competition and content of organizing the movement of competition in the Justice sector

1. The forms of competition organized and launched in the Justice sector include:

a) Regular competition is a form of competition based on the functions and tasks assigned to the Ministry of Justice, individuals, and collectives within organizations and units in the sector to organize and launch the movement of competition, sign competition agreements, thereby clearly defining the purpose, requirements, goals, specific indicators for implementation throughout the sector, within organizations, institutions, units under their jurisdiction, or according to Competition Clusters, Competition Regions with the aim of performing daily, monthly, quarterly, and annual work well according to the targets and programs already set by the Ministry, agencies, units, Competition Clusters, Competition Regions; at the end of the year's work, the Minister, heads of agencies and units, leaders of Competition Clusters, Competition Regions will conduct summaries and evaluations for commendation titles.

b) Special topic or phased competition is a form of competition organized within the scope of the Ministry, agencies, units to perform key tasks or focus on a particular field determined within a certain period or organize competition to strive to complete urgent tasks of the Ministry, agencies, units. Special topic or phased competition can only be launched when the purpose, requirements, indicators, content, solutions, and time frame for implementation have been clearly defined.

2. The content of organizing the movement of competition in the Justice sector is implemented in accordance with Article 5 of Decree No. 91/2017/NĐ-CP dated July 31, 2017, of the Government detailing the implementation of certain provisions of the Law on Competition and Reward.

Article 8. Commendation Titles

1. Commendation titles to be submitted to competent authorities for awarding include:

a) The title "National Model Competitor" for individuals;

b) The flag "Government Flag of Competition" for collectives.

2. Commendation titles within the authority to award include:

a) The title "Model Competitor of the Justice Sector"; "Model Competitor at the Grassroots Level" and "Advanced Worker" for individuals;

b) The flag "Flag of Competition of the Justice Sector"; "Collective of Outstanding Workers" and "Collective of Advanced Workers" for collectives.

Article 9. Title "National Model Competitor"

1. The title "National Model Competitor" is awarded to individuals who meet the following criteria:

a) Having outstanding achievements selected from among those individuals who have continuously achieved the title "Model Competitor of the Justice Sector" twice;

b) Having an innovation (which is a technical solution, management solution, work solution, operational solution, application of advanced technology solution) or a scientific research topic that has been accepted at a level of achievement or higher, applied in practice with high effectiveness and influence nationwide recognized by the Minister of Justice based on the recommendation and assessment of the Innovation Council of the Justice Sector established by the Minister.

2. The time for considering the title "National Model Competitor" is the year immediately following the year in which the title "Model Competitor of the Justice Sector" was achieved for the second time.

Article 10. Title "Model Competitor of the Justice Sector"

1. The title "Model Competitor of the Justice Sector" is awarded to individuals who meet the following criteria:

a) Having outstanding achievements selected from among those individuals who have continuously achieved the title "Model Competitor at the Grassroots Level" three times;

b) Having an innovation (which is a technical solution, management solution, work solution, operational solution, application of advanced technology solution) or a scientific research topic that has been accepted at a level of achievement or higher, applied in practice with high effectiveness and influence within the Ministry and the Justice Sector recognized by the Minister of Justice based on the recommendation and assessment of the Innovation Council of the Justice Sector established by the Minister.

2. The time for considering the title "Model Competitor of the Justice Sector" is the year in which the title "Model Competitor at the Grassroots Level" was achieved for the third time.

Article 11. Title "Model Worker at the Grassroots Level"

Clause 1. The title "Model Worker at the Grassroots Level" shall be awarded annually to individuals meeting the following criteria:

Point a) Meeting the criteria for the title "Advanced Worker";

Point b) Having initiatives (technical solutions, management solutions, work solutions, operational solutions, applications of technological progress) to increase labor productivity, enhance work efficiency, or having research topics that have been accepted at the level of satisfactory or higher and effectively applied at the agency or unit recognized by the head of the agency or unit based on the advisory examination and evaluation of the grassroots initiative council established by the head of the agency or unit.

Clause 2. The ratio of individuals recognized with the title "Model Worker at the Grassroots Level" shall not exceed 15% of the total number of individuals achieving the title "Advanced Worker."

Article 12. Title "Advanced Worker"

Clause 1. The title "Advanced Worker" shall be awarded annually to individuals meeting the following criteria:

a) Completing assigned tasks well, achieving high productivity and quality;

Point b) Adhering well to the Party's policies and State laws; possessing self-reliance, self-strengthening spirit, solidarity, mutual assistance, and actively participating in competition movements;

c) Actively studying politics, culture, professional knowledge, and vocational skills;

d) Having a healthy lifestyle and moral conduct.

Clause 2. In cases where individuals participate in combat, serve in combat, or perform courageous actions to save people or State property leading to injuries requiring treatment or convalescence as concluded by a district-level medical facility or equivalent, the treatment and convalescence period shall be counted towards the assessment for awarding the title "Advanced Worker."

Clause 3. Individuals dispatched for short-term training or enhancement under one year who comply with the regulations of the training or enhancement institution shall have their study period counted towards their working time at the agency or unit for the assessment of the title "Advanced Worker." For individuals dispatched for training or enhancement for one year or more, who comply with the regulations of the training or enhancement institution and achieve satisfactory grades or higher, shall be eligible for the title "Advanced Worker."

Clause 4. Maternity leave as prescribed shall be counted towards the assessment for awarding the title "Advanced Worker."

Clause 5. For individuals transferred to new agencies or units, the new agency or unit shall be responsible for assessing the title "Advanced Worker," and if the individual has worked at the previous agency for six months or more, the opinion of the previous agency must be included.

Clause 6. Individuals temporarily assigned or seconded to other agencies or units shall have their eligibility for the title "Advanced Worker" assessed by the agency or unit assigning or seconding them, and confirmed by the receiving agency or unit.

7. The title "Advanced Worker" shall not be conferred in any of the following cases:

a) Newly recruited for less than ten months;

b) Disciplined with a warning or higher.

Article 13. Flag of Merit of the Government

Clause 1. The Flag of Merit of the Government shall be awarded to the following collectives:

Point a) Collectives that stand out as excellent leaders among those meeting the criteria for the "Flag of Merit of the Justice Sector;"

The number of collectives recommended for the Flag of Merit of the Government shall not exceed 20% of the total number of collectives meeting the criteria for the Flag of Merit of the Justice Sector;

Point b) Central Ministries, Departments, Mass Organizations, provinces, centrally-administered cities leading in competition groups organized by the National Competition and Reward Council;

Point c) The most outstanding collective in thematic competition movements initiated by the President or Prime Minister, evaluated, assessed, and honored upon mid-term or final reviews lasting five years or longer.

Clause 2. Competition Groups, Competition Regions convene to assess and honor the Flag of Merit of the Government.

Article 14. The title "Flag of Excellence in the Judicial Sector"

1. The title "Flag of Excellence in the Judicial Sector" shall be awarded to collectives which are units under the Ministry, Enforcement Office, and Enforcement Sub-office that meet the following criteria:

a) Exceeding the assigned targets and tasks for the year;

b) Being outstanding models in the judicial sector's competition movement and receiving the title "Outstanding Labor Collective";

c) Having new factors and models for other collectives within the Ministry and the judicial sector to emulate;

d) Maintaining internal unity, actively practicing thrift, combating waste, corruption, and other social evils.

2. The Competition Cluster and Regional Competition shall convene to review and confer the title "Flag of Excellence in the Judicial Sector".

Article 15. The title "Outstanding Labor Collective"

1. The title "Outstanding Labor Collective" shall be awarded to collectives meeting the following criteria:

a) Being creative, overcoming difficulties to excellently complete tasks and fulfill all obligations to the State;

b) There is a regular, practical, and effective competitive movement;

c) All individuals within the collective completing their assigned tasks, with at least 70% of them achieving the title "Advanced Worker";

d) Having individuals who have received the title "Model Worker at the Base Level" and no individual being disciplined with a warning or higher;

đ) Maintaining internal unity, serving as exemplary models in implementing Party policies and State laws.

2. The title "Outstanding Labor Collective" shall be awarded annually.

Article 16. The title "Advanced Labor Collective"

1. The title "Advanced Labor Collective" shall be awarded annually to collectives meeting the following criteria:

a) Successfully completing assigned tasks and plans;

b) Having a regular, practical, and effective competition movement;

c) More than 50% of individuals within the collective achieving the title "Advanced Worker" and no individual being disciplined with a warning or higher;

d) Maintaining internal unity and properly implementing Party policies and State laws.

2. Newly established agencies and units must have been operational for at least one year (12 months) before being eligible for the title "Advanced Labor Collective".

Article 17. Registering for Competition Titles and Signing Competition Pledges

1. Units under the Ministry shall organize for individuals and collectives to register their efforts to achieve competition contents, targets, and titles, and submit one copy of the competition registration to the Department of Competition and Awards, and one copy to the Competition Cluster before February 28th each year.

2. Provincial and Central City Enforcement Offices shall organize for individuals and collectives, including subordinate Enforcement Sub-offices, to register their efforts to achieve competition contents, targets, and titles, and submit one copy of the competition registration to the Department of Competition and Awards; one copy to the Regional Competition, and one copy to the General Department of Enforcement before February 28th each year.

3. Competition Clusters and Regional Competitions shall organize the signing of competition pledges reflecting their commitment to respond to and implement the competition movements initiated by the Ministry of Justice, clearly defining the targets, contents, measures for implementation, and compiling the competition titles registered by units within the Competition Cluster and Regional Competition; submitting the signed pledge to the Department of Competition and Awards before March 15th each year.

Chapter III

TYPES OF AWARDS AND AWARD FORMS

Article 18. Types of awards

1. Awards based on achievements and accomplishments are defined as follows:

a) Awards based on achievements and accomplishments are forms of recognition given to collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements or excellent completion of assigned tasks, contributing to the construction and defense of the country;

b) The degree of excellent completion of tasks for collectives and individuals is determined by the awarding authority based on regulations, assessment, and recognition.

2. Special topic awards or campaign awards are given to collectives and individuals who achieve outstanding results after the conclusion of a campaign initiated by the President, Prime Minister, Minister, or heads of organizations and units.

3. Unexpected awards are given to collectives and individuals who achieve unexpected results:

a) Unexpected results are achievements beyond the planned program, tasks, and responsibilities of the collective or individual;

b) Extraordinary unexpected results are those achieved at an exceptionally high level when courageously rescuing people or state property, or making extraordinary contributions in the field of judicial work recognized by domestic or international organizations through awards, certificates, and other legally recognized forms, consistent with Vietnamese law and acknowledged by Vietnamese authorities or competent persons.

4. Awards for dedication are given to individuals who have made significant contributions through participation in various revolutionary stages, holding leadership positions in state agencies, public institutions, political organizations, and social-political organizations, with outstanding achievements and contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.

5. Foreign affairs awards are given to foreign collectives and individuals who have contributed to the construction and defense of Vietnam in the field of judicial work.

Article 19. Forms of Reward

1. Forms of reward to be submitted for consideration and presentation by competent authorities include:

a) Orders;

b) Medals;

c) State Honorary Titles;

d) "Ho Chi Minh Award", "State Award";

đ) "Prime Minister's Commendation".

2. Forms of reward within the authority to consider and present include:

a) Medal "For the Cause of Justice";

b) "Ministry of Justice Minister's Commendation";

c) Certificate of Merit issued by Heads of Units under the Ministry, Directors of Provincial Justice Departments, and Heads of Civil Enforcement Bureaus.

 Article 20. Medal "For the Cause of Justice"

The awarding of the Medal "For the Cause of Justice" shall be carried out in accordance with regulations on the awarding of the Medal "For the Cause of Justice" issued by the Minister of Justice.

Article 21. "Ministry of Justice Minister's Commendation"

1. "Ministry of Justice Minister's Commendation" is awarded to individuals who exemplarily implement Party policies and State laws and achieve one of the following criteria:

a) Outstanding achievements recognized in annual competitive movements initiated by the Ministry of Justice;

b) Significant achievements with influence in one of the fields under the Ministry or sector of Justice;

c) Outstanding achievements with influence in specific fields under the Ministry or sector of Justice;

d) Consistently performing excellently for two years or more, during which time at least two recognized and effectively applied initiatives were implemented within the scope of the grassroots level, acknowledged by the Head of the agency or unit.

2. "Ministry of Justice Minister's Commendation" is awarded to exemplary groups that implement Party policies and State laws, maintain internal unity, and achieve one of the following criteria:

a) Outstanding achievements recognized in competitive movements;

b) Outstanding achievements with influence in specific fields under the Ministry or sector of Justice;

c) Consistently performing excellently for two years or more, maintaining internal unity, implementing democratic regulations at the grassroots level, organizing competitive movements well, caring for the material and spiritual lives of group members, practicing thrift, and fully implementing policies for all members of the group.

Article 22. Commendation Certificate

1. Certificate of Merit issued by Heads of Units under the Ministry, Directors of Provincial Justice Departments, and Heads of Civil Enforcement Bureaus in centrally governed cities to be awarded to individuals meeting one of the following criteria:

a) Achievements recognized in competitive movements;

b) Achieving exceptional results;

c) Fulfilling duties and civic obligations well, having good moral character, being united, and exemplarily implementing Party policies and State laws.

2. Certificate of Merit issued by Heads of Units under the Ministry, Directors of Provincial Justice Departments, and Heads of Civil Enforcement Bureaus in centrally governed cities to be awarded to groups meeting one of the following criteria:

a) Outstanding achievements recognized in competitive movements;

b) Achieving exceptional results;

c) Fulfilling duties well, maintaining internal unity, exemplarily implementing Party policies and State laws, implementing democratic regulations at the grassroots level, practicing thrift, and combating waste.

Chapter IV

AUTHORITY TO PROPOSE AWARDS AND DECIDE ON AWARDING; DOCUMENTATION AND PROCEDURES FOR PROPOSAL OF AWARDS; ORGANIZATION OF BESTOWING COMPETITIVE AWARDS AND REWARDS

Article 23. General Provisions on Authority to Bestow Rewards and Procedures for Proposing Rewards

1. Management levels responsible for organization, cadres, civil servants, public officials, employees, and salary funds have the responsibility to bestow rewards or propose rewards to higher-level authorities for individuals under their management.

2. Leading bodies initiating thematic, periodic competitive movements, upon summarizing, select exemplary cases for bestowing competitive awards or forms of reward or propose to higher-level authorities for bestowing competitive awards or forms of reward as prescribed.

Article 24. Competence to propose for awarding and decide on granting commendation titles and forms of reward by the Minister of Justice

1. The Minister of Justice shall examine and submit to the competent authority for decision on awarding Orders, Medals, State Honorary Titles, "Ho Chi Minh Award", "State Award"; "Flag of Excellence from the Government"; "Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister"; "National Model Worker" for collectives and individuals under the Ministry of Justice in accordance with the regulations.

2. The Minister of Justice shall decide on granting commendation titles "Flag of Excellence of the Justice Sector", "Model Worker of the Justice Sector", "Excellent Labor Collective" and forms of reward such as Commemorative Medal "For the Cause of Justice", Certificate of Merit for collectives and individuals within the Justice Sector in accordance with the competition and reward objects specified in Article 2 of this Circular; decide on granting commendation titles "Model Worker at the Base Level", "Advanced Worker" and "Advanced Labor Collective" for collectives and individuals of units under the Ministry without legal personality; decide on granting commendation titles "Model Worker at the Base Level", "Advanced Worker" for individuals who are Heads of Units, and "Advanced Labor Collective" for collectives which are units under the Ministry with legal personality.

 Article 25. Competence to propose for awarding and competence to decide on granting commendation titles and forms of reward of Heads of units under the Ministry of Justice, Directors of Enforcement Agencies, Provincial Departments of Justice under central cities and provinces

1. Competence to propose for awarding commendation titles and forms of reward of Heads of units under the Ministry of Justice, Directors of Enforcement Agencies, Provincial Departments of Justice under central cities and provinces

a) Heads of units under the Ministry of Justice shall compile files and send them to the Department of Competition and Reward for review, then submit to the Competition and Reward Council of the Justice Sector for examination, and submit to the Minister of Justice for granting commendation titles and forms of reward within the Minister's competence, or propose the Minister to submit to the competent authority for examination and granting commendation titles and forms of reward for individuals and collectives under their own agencies or units. Coordinate with the Department of Competition and Reward to review and provide opinions to submit to the Minister for granting Certificates of Merit for subjects within the field assigned to advise, manage, and monitor as stipulated in Clause 2 of Article 2 of this Circular;

b) The Director of the Civil Enforcement General Bureau shall compile files of proposals from the Directors of Civil Enforcement Agencies under central cities and provinces and send them to the Department of Competition and Reward for review, then submit to the Competition and Reward Council of the Justice Sector for examination, and submit to the Minister of Justice for granting commendation titles and forms of reward within the Minister's competence, or propose the Minister to submit to the competent authority for granting commendation titles and forms of reward for collectives and individuals under local enforcement agencies. Compile files of proposals from the Directors of Civil Enforcement Agencies under the Ministry of National Defense and send them to the Department of Competition and Reward for review, then submit to the Minister of Justice for granting Certificates of Merit from the Minister of Justice for collectives and individuals under military enforcement agencies that have achieved outstanding results in civil enforcement work as stipulated in Joint Circular No. 141/2010/TTLT/BQP-BTP dated October 19, 2010 between the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Justice guiding the coordination in managing civil enforcement in the military;

c) The Head of the International Cooperation Department shall complete files and send them to the Department of Competition and Reward for review, then submit to the Competition and Reward Council of the Justice Sector for examination, and submit to the Minister of Justice for granting forms of reward within the Minister's competence, or propose the Minister to submit to the competent authority for granting forms of reward for foreign collectives and individuals; coordinate with the Department of Competition and Reward and related agencies to implement procedures for rewarding collectives and individuals within the Justice Sector that have been nominated for awards by foreign agencies, organizations, or governments according to the law;

d) The Director of the Ministry's Office shall complete files and send them to the Department of Competition and Reward to implement reward procedures in accordance with the law, and submit to the Minister of Justice for granting commendation titles and forms of reward within the Minister's competence, or propose the Minister to submit to the competent authority for granting commendation titles and forms of reward for Leaders of the Ministry of Justice;

e) The Head of the Cadre and Civil Servant Organization Department shall compile files and send them to the Department of Competition and Reward for review, then submit to the Competition and Reward Council of the Justice Sector for examination, and submit to the Minister of Justice to propose the competent authority for granting posthumous or retroactive forms of reward for former leaders of units under the Ministry who have retired or passed away but have made long-term contributions to the Justice Sector without being rewarded;

f) The Director of Civil Enforcement Agencies under central cities and provinces shall review and complete files and send them to the Civil Enforcement General Bureau for compilation and submission to the Department of Competition and Reward for review, then submit to the Competition and Reward Council of the Justice Sector for examination, and submit to the Minister of Justice for granting commendation titles and forms of reward within the Minister's competence, or propose the Minister to submit to the competent authority for granting commendation titles and forms of reward for collectives and individuals under local civil enforcement agencies within their management scope;

g) The Director of the Provincial Department of Justice shall complete files and send them to the Department of Competition and Reward for review, then submit to the Competition and Reward Council of the Justice Sector for examination, and submit to the Minister of Justice for granting the commendation title "Flag of Excellence of the Justice Sector" for the Provincial Department of Justice collective; grant "Certificate of Merit from the Minister of Justice" for the Provincial Department of Justice collective, Provincial Department of Justice collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements in campaigns and special topics initiated by the Justice Sector; Provincial Department of Justice collectives and individuals within the management scope of the Justice Sector at the locality with outstanding achievements.

2. Competence to decide on granting commendation titles and forms of reward of Heads of units under the Ministry of Justice, Directors of Civil Enforcement Agencies, Provincial Departments of Justice under central cities and provinces

a) The heads of units under the Ministry of Justice that have legal personality shall examine and decide to confer the title "Model Worker at the Grassroots Level", the title "Advanced Worker", and the title "Advanced Working Collective" and issue Certificates of Merit for collectives and individuals within their jurisdiction in accordance with the regulations.

b) The heads of units under the Ministry of Justice that do not have legal personality shall decide to issue Certificates of Merit for collectives and individuals within their jurisdiction; sign Decisions on behalf of the Minister and affix the seal of the Ministry after obtaining approval from the Minister of Justice for the titles "Model Worker at the Grassroots Level", the title "Advanced Worker", and the title "Advanced Working Collective" for individuals and collectives within their unit.

c) The Director of the Civil Execution General Department shall decide to confer the title "Model Worker at the Grassroots Level", the title "Advanced Worker", and the title "Advanced Working Collective" for the Civil Execution Department as a collective, and for individuals who are the Director and Deputy Director of the Civil Execution Department; issue Certificates of Merit for collectives and individuals within their jurisdiction.

d) The Directors of Civil Execution Departments of provinces and centrally-administered cities shall decide to confer the title "Model Worker at the Grassroots Level", the title "Advanced Worker", the title "Advanced Working Collective", and issue Certificates of Merit for individuals and collectives within the Civil Execution Department and Civil Execution Branches.

e) The Directors of Justice Departments of provinces and centrally-administered cities shall decide to confer commendation awards and regular forms of recognition annually; award outstanding achievements for collectives and individuals according to the law; issue Certificates of Merit for outstanding achievements in a specific field, topic, or political task when responding to and participating in specialized campaigns initiated by the Ministry, sector, region, or Justice Department.

Article 26. Documents for Proposing the Awarding of Commendation Titles and Forms of Recognition at the National Level

1. A memorandum accompanied by a list of collectives and individuals proposed for commendation.

2. Minutes of the meeting of the Commendation Council at the grassroots level.

3. Reports on achievements proposing the awarding of Orders, "Certificates of Merit from the Prime Minister", and "Flags of Merit from the Government" for collectives with outstanding achievements in work according to Form No. 01; Reports on achievements proposing the awarding of Orders, "Certificates of Merit from the Prime Minister", and "National Model Worker" for individuals with outstanding achievements in work according to Form No. 02; Reports on achievements proposing the awarding or posthumous awarding of Orders for individuals with a history of dedication according to Form No. 03; Reports on achievements proposing the conferring of the title Hero for collectives and the conferring (posthumous conferring) of the title Hero for individuals with particularly outstanding achievements in work according to Form No. 04 and Form No. 05; Reports on achievements proposing the awarding of Orders, "Certificates of Merit from the Prime Minister" for collectives and individuals with outstanding and sudden achievements according to Form No. 06; Reports on achievements proposing the awarding of commendations during campaigns or on specific topics for collectives and individuals according to Form No. 07; Reports on achievements proposing the awarding of Orders of Friendship, Medals of Friendship, Orders, and "Certificates of Merit from the Prime Minister" for foreign organizations and individuals according to Form No. 08 and Form No. 09 issued together with Decree No. 91/2017/NĐ-CP dated July 31, 2017 of the Government detailing the implementation of certain provisions of the Law on Competition and Commendation (five original copies).

4. A memorandum accompanied by a list of collectives and individuals proposed for veneration, minutes of the final conference and minutes of the ballot for veneration of the Campaign Group or Competition Region for cases proposing "Flags of Merit from the Government".

Article 27. Documents for requesting examination of commendation titles and reward forms within the authority of the Minister of Justice

1. The documents for requesting to be awarded the titles "Outstanding Labor Collective", "Flag of Competition of the Justice Sector", "Model Competitor of the Justice Sector", and "Certificate of Merit from the Minister of Justice" for collectives and individuals shall consist of one set including:

a) A request letter attached with a list of collectives and individuals proposed for rewards according to Form No. 01 issued together with this Circular;

b) Minutes of the meeting of the Competition and Reward Council at the grassroots level according to Form No. 02 issued together with this Circular;

c) Reports on achievements of the collectives and individuals proposed for rewards according to Forms No. 03 and No. 04 issued together with this Circular. The achievement reports must fully list all competition titles and reward forms obtained as a basis for comparison with the prescribed criteria;

d) A request letter attached with a list of collectives and individuals proposed for elevation according to Form No. 01 issued together with this Circular; Minutes of the final conference and minutes of the ballot for evaluation and elevation of the Competition Cluster or Competition Region in the case of proposing the "Flag of Competition of the Justice Sector";

đ) Decision recognizing the scope of influence and effectiveness of the application of inventions and scientific research topics by the head of the agency or unit according to Form No. 07 issued together with this Circular.

e) Decision recognizing the scope of influence and effectiveness of the application of inventions and scientific research topics by the head of the agency or unit according to Form No. 08 issued together with this Circular.

2. The documents for requesting to be awarded the "Certificate of Merit from the Minister of Justice" by topic or in batches include:

a) A request letter attached with a list of collectives and individuals proposed for rewards according to Form No. 01 issued together with this Circular;

b) Minutes of the meeting of the Competition and Reward Council at the grassroots level according to Form No. 02 issued together with this Circular;

c) Report on achievements of the collectives and individuals proposed for rewards according to Form No. 06 issued together with this Circular;

d) Report evaluating the results of mid-term and final reviews of the leading unit of the topic (applicable when launching a movement of competition by topic involving cooperation between agencies and units).

Article 28. Documents for requesting examination of commendation titles and reward forms within the authority of the Heads of Units under the Ministry, and the Director of the Civil Enforcement Bureau

1. A request letter attached with a list of collectives and individuals proposed for rewards.

2. Minutes of the meeting of the Commendation Council at the grassroots level.

3. Report on achievements of the collectives and individuals proposed for rewards.

4. Decision recognizing the inventions and scientific research topics by the head of the agency or unit according to Form No. 07 issued together with this Circular.

5. Decision recognizing the scope of influence and effectiveness of the application of inventions and scientific research topics by the head of the agency or unit according to Form No. 08 issued together with this Circular.

Article 29. Documents for requesting simple procedures for rewarding

1. Rewards through simple procedures for collectives and individuals shall be implemented when the following conditions are met:

a) The rewards serve political requirements, timely encouraging and motivating the masses;

b) Individuals or collectives have achieved outstanding and exceptional merits or exceptional achievements in work, labor, or study;

c) Achievements and merits are clear.

2. The documents for requesting rewards through simple procedures shall consist of one set including:

a) A request letter attached with a list of individuals and collectives proposed for rewards according to Form No. 01 issued together with this Circular;

b) A summary of achievements of the directly managing agency or unit clearly stating the actions, achievements, and merits of the individuals and collectives proposed for rewards through simple procedures according to Form No. 05 issued together with this Circular.

Article 30. Time limit and method for submitting commendation proposal files

1. The time limit for submitting files to the Ministry of Justice's Commendation Council for annual regular commendations and special topic commendations at year-end shall be carried out as follows:

a) Files proposing commendations for excellence awards, "Outstanding Labor Collective" title, "Ministry of Justice Merit Certificate" for collectives, "Model Worker at the Base" title, and "Ministry of Justice Merit Certificate" for individuals from units under the Ministry must be submitted before November 25 each year;

b) The Civil Enforcement General Department must submit files proposing commendations for excellence awards and forms of commendation for collectives and individuals from local civil enforcement agencies and military enforcement agencies before October 20 each year;

c) Files proposing to award the "Ministry of Justice Merit Certificate" for special topic commendations for collectives and individuals from provincial justice departments must be submitted before November 10 each year;

d) Commendation groups and competition zones must submit files proposing commendations for excellence awards such as "Government Flag of Excellence" and "Justice Sector Flag of Excellence" for units within their groups and zones to the Department of Commendation and Awards within five days following the conclusion of the annual summary meeting of the group or zone (no later than November 30 each year).

2. The time limit for submitting files proposing national-level commendations based on achievements and merits must be completed before March 31 each year (except for exceptional commendations, commendations for long-term contributions, and foreign affairs commendations); for the titles of "Heroic Laborer" and "Heroic People's Armed Forces," the deadline is January 5 of the year organizing the National Patriotic Competition Congress.

3. The time limit for submitting files proposing special topic, exceptional, and other types of commendations shall be implemented according to guidance documents or plans initiated by the Ministry of Justice or competent state authorities.

4. Heads of units under the Ministry, Directors of Provincial Justice Departments, and Chiefs of Civil Enforcement Agencies in provinces and centrally-administered cities decide on the time limits for submitting files proposing commendations for excellence awards and forms of commendation within their authority.

5. In addition to submitting the file via official correspondence, the proposing agency or unit must simultaneously send an electronic file of the submission (in .doc format for the proposal letter and list of collectives and individuals proposed for commendation, and in .pdf format for other related files) to the email address of the Department of Commendation and Awards ([email protected]).

Article 31. Receiving, examining files, and presenting commendations

1. Agencies and units have the responsibility to submit complete files within the prescribed time limit. The Department of Commendation and Awards receives and examines files proposing excellence awards and forms of commendation. For files not complying with regulations, the Department of Commendation and Awards must notify the submitting unit and specify the completion time for resubmitting the file within five working days from the date of receipt.

2. Time limit for examining files by the Department of Commendation and Awards

a) For excellence awards and forms of commendation within the authority of the Minister of Justice, the examination period shall not exceed twenty days from the date all required files are received;

b) For national-level excellence awards and forms of commendation, the examination period shall not exceed twenty days, and in special cases, not more than thirty days from the date all required files are received.

3. At the latest ten working days from the date the Justice Sector's Commendation Council convenes to review or seek opinions from its members, the Department of Commendation and Awards must complete all procedures as required to present to the Minister, except in special cases decided by the Minister of Justice.

Article 32. Organization of awarding commendation titles and forms of reward

1. The person authorized to decide on granting commendation titles and forms of reward shall directly present such titles and forms of reward or delegate others to do so according to the regulations on the ceremony for presenting commendation titles and forms of reward.

2. The ceremony for awarding national commendation titles and forms of reward: Orders, Medals, State Honorary Titles, "Ho Chi Minh Prize", "State Prize", "Prime Minister's Flag of Competition", "Prime Minister's Certificate of Merit" and the title "National Model Competitor" shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the law.

3. The organization of awarding commendation titles and forms of reward is an opportunity to highlight and honor outstanding examples and must ensure solemnity, practicality, avoid ostentation, formalism, and waste; when organizing, it should be combined with the annual summary meeting of the Department, agency, or unit work or integrated with other contents to save time and costs.

4. The Department of Commendation and Reward shall take the lead and coordinate with relevant agencies and units to advise and propose to the Minister on the organization of awarding national commendation titles and forms of reward and commendation titles and forms of reward within the authority of the Minister.

Article 33. Approval of rewards

1. The Ministry of Justice shall implement the approval of rewards based on the proposal of the Central Board of Commendation and Reward.

2. Upon receiving the document proposing approval from the Central Board of Commendation and Reward, the Department of Commendation and Reward shall be responsible for drafting the approval document, seeking opinions from members who are Deputy Chairmen of the Department of Commendation and Reward of the Justice Sector.

3. The Department of Commendation and Reward shall compile all participating opinions and finalize the draft approval document, submit it to the Minister or the Vice Minister in charge of commendation and reward work of the Justice Sector for consideration and decision.

Article 34. Management and storage of reward files

1. The Department of Commendation and Reward shall be responsible for managing, keeping records, and statistically tracking commendation titles and forms of reward within the authority of the Minister and national commendation titles and forms of reward; implementing the transfer of reward files to the agency archive according to current laws on archiving.

2. Agencies and units shall be responsible for organizing the management, storage, record-keeping, and statistical tracking of commendation titles and forms of reward for individuals and collectives under their jurisdiction. Decisions on granting commendation titles and forms of reward by agencies and units under the Ministry must be sent to the Department of Commendation and Reward no later than fifteen days from the date of issuance of the decision.

3. Commendation and reward files shall be stored on paper and electronically in accordance with the provisions of the law.

Chapter V

COMPETITION AND REWARD COUNCIL; INNOVATION COUNCIL; COMPETITION GROUP AND COMPETITION ZONE

Article 35Competition and Reward Council of the Justice Sector

1. The Competition and Reward Council of the Justice Sector shall be established by the Minister of Justice and advise the Minister of Justice on competition and reward work.

2. The composition of the Competition and Reward Council of the Justice Sector includes:

a) The Chairman of the Council is the Minister of Justice;

b) The Vice Chairmen of the Council: The Vice Minister in charge of competition and reward work is the first Vice Chairman. The Director of the Department of Commendation and Reward is the permanent Vice Chairman and other Vice Chairmen appointed by the Minister;

c) The Members of the Council are heads of some units under the Ministry, the number and composition of which are determined by the Chairman of the Council.

3. The Department of Commendation and Reward serves as the permanent body of the Competition and Reward Council of the Justice Sector.

4. The Competition and Reward Council of the Justice Sector has the following tasks and powers:

a) Advising the Minister of Justice on organizing the launch, directing, guiding, inspecting, urging the implementation of competition movements in the Justice Sector; proposing policies and measures to promote patriotic competition movements each year and during each phase, ensuring that the competition movement of the Sector develops strongly, widely, correctly, practically, and effectively;

b) Regularly evaluating the results of the competition movement and reward work; advising on the mid-term and final summaries of competition and reward work and implementing policies and laws on competition and reward in the Justice Sector;

c) Advising on the discovery and promotion of exemplary models; the assessment and selection of outstanding collectives and individuals with excellent achievements in the competition movement of the Justice Sector for the Minister to grant commendation titles and forms of reward within his authority or to propose to competent authorities for reward.

5. The Council operates according to the operational regulations issued by the Minister of Justice.

Article 36. Base Commendation and Reward Council

1. The Base Commendation and Reward Council of the General Bureau for Civil Enforcement, units under the Ministry, and Provincial Civil Enforcement Bureaus directly under the Central Government shall be established by the head of the agency or unit, and advise the head on commendation and reward work.

2. Composition of the Competition - Award Council - The base commendation includes:

a) The Chairman of the Council is the head of the agency or unit;

b) The Vice-Chairman of the Council is the person in charge of the organization assisting the head of the agency or unit in carrying out commendation and reward work; In cases where the Base Commendation and Reward Council has 11 members or more, two or three Vice-Chairmen shall be appointed;

c) Members of the Council are representatives of the Party Committee, the Trade Union Organization, and other members who are heads of specialized units directly under the agency or unit, selected and decided by the head of the agency or unit.

3. The Standing Office of the Council assists the head of the agency or unit in carrying out commendation and reward work.

4. The Base Commendation and Reward Council has the following tasks and powers:

a) Advise the head of the unit to organize the launch, direct, guide, inspect, urge the implementation of the competition movement; propose policies and measures to promote the patriotic competition movement in each year and each period within the scope and tasks managed by the agency or unit;

b) Regularly evaluate the results of the competition movement and commendation work; advise on the mid-term and final reviews of the competition and commendation work of the agency or unit;

c) Identify and promote exemplary models within the agency or unit; review and select outstanding collectives and individuals in the competition movement, submit to the head of the agency or unit for decision to confer commendation titles and commendation forms within their authority, or propose to the head of the agency or unit to submit to the Minister for higher commendation titles and forms according to regulations;

d) Carry out other tasks assigned by the head of the agency or unit.

5. The Base Commendation and Reward Council operates according to the operational rules issued by the head of the agency or unit.

Article 37. Judicial Sector Innovation Council

1. The Judicial Sector Innovation Council shall be established by the Minister of Justice and has the function of advising and consulting the Minister of Justice on organizing the implementation of innovation activities and recognizing the scope of influence and effectiveness of applied scientific research topics that have been accepted as the basis for considering commendation titles and commendation forms.

2. The composition of the Judicial Sector Innovation Council includes:

a) The Chairman of the Council is the Deputy Minister responsible for the commendation and reward work in the Judicial Sector;

b) The Vice-Chairman of the Council is the Director of the Department of Commendation and Reward;

c) Members of the Council include the heads of some units under the Ministry, representatives of the Ministry's Trade Union Organization, and some other individuals. The composition and number of members of the Council are decided by the Minister of Justice.

3. The Judicial Sector Innovation Council operates according to the organizational and operational rules issued by the Minister of Justice.

Article 38. Base Innovation Council

1. The Base Innovation Council shall be established by the Head of the agency or unit and has the function of advising and consulting the Head of the unit on organizing the implementation of innovation activities and recognizing the scope of influence and effectiveness of applied scientific research topics that have been accepted as the basis for considering commendation titles and commendation forms within their authority.

2. The members of the grassroots initiative council include:

a) The Chairman of the Council is one Deputy Head of the agency or unit;

b) The Vice-Chairman of the Council is the representative of the leadership of the organization assisting the Head of the agency or unit in carrying out commendation and reward work;

c) Members of the Council are individuals with expertise and professional qualifications related to the content of innovations and research topics. The specific number and composition of members are decided by the Head of the agency or unit.

3. The Base Innovation Council operates according to the organizational and operational rules issued by the Head of the agency or unit.

Article 39. Competition Clusters, Competition Zones

1. Based on the characteristics of position, function, tasks, nature of work, and scope of operation of units, the Minister of Justice decides to establish Competition Clusters for units under the Ministry.

2. Based on specific conditions in regions, the Minister of Justice decides to establish Competition Zones for provincial Departments of Justice, Civil Enforcement Bureaus of provinces and centrally-administered cities.

3. Competition Clusters and Competition Zones have the function of advising the Minister of Justice on organizing the launch, implementation, urging, inspection, interim review, and final summary of annual competition movements, thematic competitions, and campaign competitions in accordance with the specific conditions and characteristics of Competition Clusters and Competition Zones.

4. Competition Clusters and Competition Zones are organized and operate according to regulations issued by the Minister of Justice.

5. The Head of Competition Cluster and the Head of Competition Zone lead and direct the activities of Competition Clusters and Competition Zones and are responsible for all activities thereof; they chair and conclude meetings of Competition Clusters and Competition Zones. The Minister of Justice decides to appoint the Heads and Deputy Heads of Competition Clusters and Competition Zones based on the proposal of the Director of the Department of Competition and Awards.

Article 40. Tasks of Competition Clusters and Competition Zones

1. Organize the launch and signing of competition pledges reflecting the determination to respond to and implement competition movements initiated by the Ministry of Justice; set out targets, contents, and measures to organize and implement these movements to promote them widely, correctly, and effectively within Competition Clusters and Competition Zones.

2. Interim review and final summary of annual competition movements; propose directions and tasks for organizing competition movements within Competition Clusters and Competition Zones; share experiences and build new models and exemplary cases within Competition Clusters and Competition Zones.

3. Uniformly evaluate the effectiveness and impact of competition movements; inspect the results of implementing competition movements and self-assessment scores of units registered for proposed commendation titles within Competition Clusters and Competition Zones according to the criteria and ranking of the Ministry of Justice.

4. Select and propose outstanding collectives within Competition Clusters and Competition Zones for consideration to be awarded the "Flag of Government Competition" and the "Flag of Justice Sector Competition".

5. Carry out other tasks assigned by the Minister of Justice.

Chapter VI

ESTABLISHMENT, USE AND MANAGEMENT COMPETITION AND REWARD FUND OF THE JUSTICE SECTOR

Article 41 . Draft Competition and Reward Fund, sources and levels of contribution Competition and Reward Fund for the Justice Sector

1. Establish a Competition and Reward Fund for the Justice Sector to organize competition movements and implement reward policies and systems within the Justice Sector.

2. The Department of Competition and Rewards takes the lead in coordinating with the Planning and Finance Bureau to advise the Minister of Justice on the establishment, management, and utilization of the Competition and Reward Fund of the Justice Sector in accordance with the law.

3. The Planning and Finance Bureau takes the lead in coordinating with the Department of Competition and Rewards to advise the Minister of Justice on detailed guidelines for the establishment, management, utilization, and settlement of the Competition and Reward Fund of the Justice Sector annually in accordance with the law.

4. The Competition and Reward Fund of the Justice Sector is formed from state budget funds, contributions from individuals and organizations both domestically and internationally, and other lawful revenues. The establishment of the Competition and Reward Fund of the Justice Sector is carried out as follows:

a) Annually, based on the total salary fund according to rank and grade of officers, civil servants, and public officials within the establishment and approved annual wages of contractual workers according to the wage scale prescribed by the State, the results of the previous year's Competition and Reward Fund, and the estimated total expenditure of the current year, the Minister of Justice decides the level of establishment of the Competition and Reward Fund of the Justice Sector and the level of establishment of the Competition and Reward Fund of subordinate budgetary units from the state budget at a maximum rate of 20% of the total salary fund of officers, civil servants, and public officials within the establishment and approved annual wages mentioned above;

b) Annually, following the notification of the Planning and Finance Bureau, the heads of subordinate budgetary units under the Ministry are responsible for submitting part of their unit's competition and reward funds, and the Director of the Civil Enforcement General Department is responsible for deducting part of the competition and reward funds of subordinate budgetary units within the civil enforcement agency system into the account of the Competition and Reward Fund of the Justice Sector to serve competition and reward activities.

Article 42. Management and Use of the Competition and Reward Fund for the Justice Sector

1. The Competition and Reward Fund for the Justice Sector shall be managed by the Department of Competition and Rewards in coordination with the Planning and Finance Department of the Ministry of Justice.

2. The Competition and Reward Fund for the Justice Sector shall have a bank account opened at the State Treasury, authorized by the Director of the Department of Competition and Rewards, who is delegated authority by the Minister of Justice to manage the account, and may use the seal of the Ministry of Justice to manage and utilize the fund in accordance with the provisions of the law.

3. The Competition and Reward Fund for the Justice Sector shall be used to cover expenses related to organizing and implementing competition movements; rewarding individuals and groups for competition titles and reward forms achieved during the period of renewal, and can also be used to cover other aspects of competition and reward work, including:

a) Expenses for printing and producing reward items (certificates, commendations, awards, commemorative medals, badges, flags, boxes, frames) as prescribed;

b) Cash rewards or commemorative gifts for individuals and groups; the amount of cash rewards for competition titles and reward forms shall be applied according to the provisions from Article 69 to Article 74 of Decree No. 91/2017/ND-CP dated July 31, 2017 of the Government based on the principles stipulated in Clause 2 of Article 66 of the Decree on the use of the Competition and Reward Fund No. 91/2017/ND-CP dated July 31, 2017 of the Government; Overseas Vietnamese, foreign individuals and groups may be awarded competition titles and reward forms along with commemorative gifts;

c) Twenty percent of the total Competition and Reward Fund for the Justice Sector shall be allocated to organize, direct, review, and conclude competition movements; propaganda work on President Ho Chi Minh's thoughts on competition and patriotism, Party policies, state laws, and regulations of the Justice Sector on competition and rewards; organizing activities to promote, publicize, and honor exemplary models; inspecting the organization of competition movements and the implementation of legal regulations on competition and reward work throughout the Justice Sector.

4. Specific contents and amounts of expenditures in competition and reward activities within the Justice Sector shall be implemented in accordance with the provisions of Decree No. 91/2017/ND-CP dated July 31, 2017 of the Government, the regulations of the Minister of Justice, and current financial laws.

5. Heads of units under the Ministry that have legal personality, separate accounts, and seals shall organize competition movements and decide to award competition titles and reward forms within their authority, and shall use funds from their own Competition and Reward Fund for such purposes.

                                                                 Chapter VII

IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS

Article 43. Responsibilities 1. This Circular takes effect from February 15, 2026; Circular No. 24/2013/TT-BKHCN dated September 30, 2013 of the Minister of Science and Technology on activities related to calibration, verification, testing of measuring instruments, and measurement standards shall cease to be effective from the date this Circular takes effect.

1. The Competition and Reward Council of the Justice Sector, heads of units under the Ministry, Directors of Provincial Justice Departments, Heads of Civil Enforcement Agencies of provinces and centrally-administered cities, Heads of Competition Movement Clusters, Heads of Competition Movement Regions, and heads of military enforcement agencies within their assigned tasks and authorities, and relevant organizations, units, and individuals shall be responsible for organizing and implementing this Circular.

2. The Department of Competition and Rewards shall take the lead and coordinate with relevant units under the Ministry to assist the Minister of Justice in guiding, inspecting, and urging units under the Ministry and provincial Justice Departments to implement this Circular.

3. The General Bureau of Civil Enforcement shall take the lead and coordinate with the Department of Competition and Rewards to assist the Minister in guiding, inspecting, and urging local civil enforcement agencies to implement this Circular.

Article 44. Effectiveness 1. This Circular takes effect from February 15, 2026; Circular No. 24/2013/TT-BKHCN dated September 30, 2013 of the Minister of Science and Technology on activities related to calibration, verification, testing of measuring instruments, and measurement standards shall cease to be effective from the date this Circular takes effect.

This Circular takes effect from July 21, 2018, replacing Circular No. 14/2015/TT-BTP dated October 14, 2015, of the Ministry of Justice guiding the work of competition and commendation in the judicial sector./.