Circular No. 151/2015/TT-BTC guides the management, use, and settlement of funds to ensure the implementation of Decision No. 81/2014/QĐ-TTg dated December 31, 2014, of the Prime Minister on cooperation between ministries, sectors, People's Committees at all levels, and the Vietnam Farmers' Union in receiving citizens and handling farmers' complaints and denunciations.

CIRCULAR

Guidelines for managing, using, and settling funds to ensure the implementation
of Decision No. 81/2014/QĐ-TTg dated December 31, 2014 of the Prime Minister
on coordination among ministries, sectors, people's committees at all levels
with the Vietnam Farmers' Union at all levels in receiving citizens,
handling complaints and denunciations of farmers

Pursuant to Decree No. 60/2003/NĐ-CP dated June 6, 2003 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of the Law on State Budget;

Pursuant to Decree No. 215/2013/NĐ-CP dated December 23, 2013 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Finance;

To implement Decision No. 81/2014/QĐ-TTg dated December 31, 2014 of the Prime Minister on coordination among ministries, sectors, people's committees at all levels with the Vietnam Farmers' Union at all levels in receiving citizens, handling complaints and denunciations of farmers;

At the proposal of the Director of the Department of Administrative and Public Institution Finance;

The Minister of Finance issues this Circular guiding the management, use, and settlement of funds to ensure the implementation of Decision No. 81/2014/QĐ-TTg dated December 31, 2014 of the Prime Minister on coordination among ministries, sectors, people's committees at all levels with the Vietnam Farmers' Union at all levels in receiving citizens, handling complaints and denunciations of farmers.

Article 1. Scope of Regulation and Applicability

2. Applicability:

This Circular guides the management, use, and settlement of funds to ensure the implementation of tasks specified in Decision No. 81/2014/QĐ-TTg dated December 31, 2014 of the Prime Minister on coordination among ministries, sectors, people's committees at all levels with the Vietnam Farmers' Union at all levels in receiving citizens, handling complaints and denunciations of farmers (hereinafter referred to as Decision No. 81/2014/QĐ-TTg) by ministries, sectors, localities, and the Vietnam Farmers' Union at all levels.

2. The objects subject to application of this Circular include:

a) Ministries, agencies equivalent to ministries, agencies under the Government; agencies under people's committees at all levels assigned the task of coordinating with the Vietnam Farmers' Union at all levels in receiving citizens, handling complaints and denunciations of farmers as prescribed in Decision No. 81/2014/QĐ-TTg;

b) The Vietnam Farmers' Union at all levels;

c) Other organizations and individuals related to the matter.

Article 2. Sources of Funds

Funds ensuring the operation to implement Decision No. 81/2014/QĐ-TTg shall be guaranteed by the state budget; raised from various sources of aid, sponsorship, and other funding sources as prescribed by law.

Article 3. Principles for managing, using, and settling funds to ensure the operation to implement Decision No. 81/2014/QĐ-TTg

1. State budget funds guaranteeing the implementation of Decision No. 81/2014/QĐ-TTg at which level shall be guaranteed by that level's budget and allocated in the budget estimates of ministries, agencies equivalent to ministries, agencies under the Government; agencies at localities according to the State Budget Law and other relevant legal documents.

2. State budget funds guaranteeing the operation to implement Decision No. 81/2014/QĐ-TTg must be used economically and effectively, managed in accordance with current regulations and the provisions of this Circular.

Article 4. Contents of Expenditure

1. Expenses for compiling, translating, printing, and distributing materials, remuneration for legal reporters and legal propagandists for farmers, including:

a) Expenses for compiling content of materials guiding business practices, skills in legal propaganda and dissemination for farmers in the form of legal scenario responses; expenses for building programs, columns, compiling news and articles serving legal propaganda and dissemination for farmers through mass media and mobile information services;

b) Expenses for printing and distributing compiled materials; costs for publishing information and content for legal propaganda in newspapers, magazines, periodicals, specialized journals, websites, online news pages, radio, television, community broadcasting; costs for purchasing or renting equipment for broadcasting; costs for legal propaganda through banners, slogans, and other forms of legal dissemination and education; expenses for translating legal documents into ethnic minority languages;

c) Remuneration for legal reporters, legal propagandists, and persons invited to participate in legal dissemination and education.

2. Expenses for organizing legal knowledge contests for farmers; competitions for excellent mediators, including: Written tests, staged performances, online competitions, radio and television broadcasts; expenses for cultural exchanges incorporating legal propaganda and education.

3. Expenses for organizing training and capacity building in legal propaganda work, legal assistance, and mediation skills for full-time staff of the Union, legal reporters, and legal propagandists.

4. Expenses for organizing seminars, roundtable discussions on exchanging experiences in legal dissemination and education; exchanging experiences in handling complaints and denunciations of farmers; expenses for organizing specialized meetings, training sessions for non-full-time staff of the Union at grassroots levels, cooperative members, and legal education clubs for farmers; summary and review meetings, implementation and follow-up meetings on legal dissemination and education.

5. Expenses for grassroots-level mediation work:

a) Remuneration for mediators;

b) Expenses for purchasing materials and office supplies for mediation work.

6. Expenses for legal assistance and legal consultation units providing legal assistance and legal consultation to union members and farmers entitled to legal aid and legal consultation as stipulated in the Legal Aid Law, Decree No. 77/2008/NĐ-CP dated July 16, 2008 of the Government on legal consultation, and other guiding documents.

7. Expenses for receiving union members and farmers who come to complain, denounce, reflect, and propose; expenses for organizing dialogue activities with farmers to provide legal advice, explain laws, and resolve farmers' difficulties:

a) Expenses for training staff handling complaints, denunciations, and proposals from farmers; remuneration for staff conducting dialogues;

b) Expenses for water during dialogue sessions;

c) Travel expenses (if any) for staff and civil servants participating in receiving citizens, handling complaints, denunciations, reflections, and proposals; dialogues with farmers.

8. Expenses for conducting domestic surveys and research to implement plans for legal dissemination and education and resolving complaints, denunciations, and legal assistance for farmers.

9. Expenses for the operations of steering committees at all levels, including:

a) Expenses for organizing business seminars, roundtable discussions, regular and extraordinary meetings of the Steering Committee;

b) Overtime expenses; office supplies, equipment, and other direct expenses serving the activities of the Steering Committee;

c) Expenses for directing and inspecting activities;

d) Expenses for mid-term and final reviews, competitions, rewards;

Article 5. Funding Levels

1. Expenses for compiling, translating, printing, and distributing materials, remuneration for legal reporters and legal propagandists for farmers, including:

a) Expenses for developing programs, special sections, columns; printing publications and materials; producing and distributing tapes, discs to serve the dissemination and education on laws; expenses for implementing information and communication through newspapers, magazines, television stations, newsletters, websites according to the norms and unit prices of relevant sectors with similar tasks and approved by authorized authorities within the annual budget estimate;

b) Translation expenses for legal dissemination and education materials (including minority languages) carried out in accordance with Circular No. 01/2010/TT-BTC dated January 6, 2010 of the Ministry of Finance regarding the expenditure system for receiving foreign guests for work in Vietnam, organizing international conferences and seminars in Vietnam, and domestic hospitality expenses;

c) Expenses for compiling guidance materials on professional skills and techniques for legal dissemination and education in the form of legal scenario responses carried out in accordance with the compilation expense levels for certain special legal dissemination materials attached to Joint Circular No. 14/2014/TTLT-BTC-BTP dated January 27, 2014 of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice regarding the preparation, management, use, and settlement of state budget funds to ensure legal dissemination and education work and standard access to law for people at the grassroots level;

d) Expenses for compiling news and articles to serve broadcasting; remuneration for announcers disseminating laws to farmers via the grassroots radio system carried out in accordance with the support expense levels for communication, dissemination, and education on laws, and standard access to law on village, town, and township radio stations and grassroots loudspeakers attached to Joint Circular No. 14/2014/TTLT-BTC-BTP dated January 27, 2014 of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice;

e) Remuneration for lecturers, legal speakers, legal propagandists, and invited participants in legal dissemination and education activities carried out in accordance with the remuneration levels for speakers, propagandists, invited participants in legal dissemination and education activities, cooperative remuneration, and expert participation in activities evaluating standard access to law attached to Joint Circular No. 14/2014/TTLT-BTC-BTP dated January 27, 2014 of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice;

2. Expenses for training personnel handling complaints, denunciations, and suggestions from farmers carried out in accordance with Decree No. 64/2014/NĐ-CP dated June 29, 2014 of the Government detailing certain provisions of the Law on Receiving Citizens and Joint Circular No. 46/2012/TTLT-BTC-TTCP dated March 16, 2012 of the Ministry of Finance and the Government Inspectorate regarding the training system for civil servants handling citizen reception, complaint and denunciation letter processing, suggestion and reflection work;

3. Expenses for organizing dialogue activities with farmers:

a) Water expenses: maximum VND 10,000 per person per day;

b) Remuneration for dialogue implementers: VND 40,000 per person per day;

4. Expenses for organizing vocational training, knowledge dissemination, and mediation skill training for full-time staff of associations, legal speakers, and legal propagandists carried out in accordance with Circular No. 139/2010/TT-BTC dated September 21, 2010 of the Ministry of Finance regarding the preparation, management, and use of state budget funds for training and capacity building of civil servants;

5. Expenses for organizing seminars, roundtable discussions on experience exchange in legal dissemination and education; experience exchange in handling complaints and denunciations of farmers; expenses for organizing specialized meetings, training sessions for non-full-time association staff, club members, and legal education volunteers, summary and review meetings, and implementation of legal dissemination and education activities carried out in accordance with Circular No. 97/2010/TT-BTC dated July 6, 2010 of the Ministry of Finance regarding travel expenses and meeting organization expenses for state agencies and public institutions;

6. Expenses for grassroots mediation work, including: remuneration for mediators; expenses for purchasing materials and office supplies to serve mediation work carried out in accordance with Joint Circular No. 100/2014/TTLT-BTC-BTP dated July 30, 2014 of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice regarding the preparation, management, use, and settlement of state budget funds for grassroots mediation work;

7. Expenses for organizations providing legal aid and legal advice to members and farmers eligible for legal aid and legal advice under the Legal Aid Law, Decree No. 77/2008/NĐ-CP dated July 16, 2008 of the Government on legal advice, and guiding documents at the expense levels specified in Joint Circular No. 209/2012/TTLT-BTC-BTP dated November 30, 2012 of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice guiding the preparation, management, use, and settlement of funds for the operation of state legal aid agencies and organizations;

8. Expenses for conducting surveys and research carried out in accordance with Circular No. 58/2011/TT-BTC dated May 11, 2011 of the Ministry of Finance regarding the management, use, and settlement of funds for statistical surveys;

9. Expenses for rewarding individuals and groups with outstanding achievements in legal dissemination and education and handling complaints and denunciations of farmers carried out in accordance with the six provisions of Decree No. 42/2010/NĐ-CP dated April 15, 2010 and Decree No. 39/2012/NĐ-CP dated April 27, 2012 of the Government amending and supplementing certain provisions of Decree No. 42/2010/NĐ-CP dated April 15, 2010 of the Government detailing certain provisions of the Law on Commendation and Reward and the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Law on Commendation and Reward.

10. Expenses for organizing legal knowledge contests for farmers and competitions for outstanding mediators shall be implemented in accordance with Circular Joint No. 14/2014/TTLT-BTC-BTP dated January 27, 2014, issued by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice.

11. Expenses for the activities of the Steering Committee to implement decisions at various levels.

a) Expenses for meetings to deploy, review, conclude, hold seminars, and roundtable discussions of the Steering Committee shall be carried out in accordance with Circular No. 97/2010/TT-BTC dated July 6, 2010, issued by the Ministry of Finance.

b) Expenses for office supplies, equipment, and other direct expenses serving the Steering Committee (if any) shall be based on actual expenditure vouchers approved by the competent authority within the annual budget estimate.

12. Overtime pay expenses shall be implemented in accordance with Circular Joint No. 08/2005/TTLT-BNV-BTC dated January 5, 2005, issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Finance, guiding the implementation of overtime pay for civil servants, public officials, and employees working at night and overtime.

13. Travel expenses for inspection, supervision, and guidance on the implementation of the Decision; participation in resolving complaints and denunciations, receiving citizens; monitoring the situation of complaints and denunciations from farmers, organizing dialogues with farmers shall be implemented in accordance with Circular No. 97/2010/TT-BTC dated July 6, 2010, issued by the Ministry of Finance.

14. Expenses for purchasing, renting equipment and other expenses for purchasing and renting to serve the dissemination, popularization, and education of laws and organizing conferences, seminars, and legal knowledge contests for farmers shall be based on valid and lawful invoices and expenditure vouchers in accordance with current legal regulations.

Article 6. Budget Estimation, Implementation, and Settlement

The preparation, implementation, and settlement of the budget for the activities of Ministries, agencies equivalent to Ministries, and government agencies; local agencies to implement Decision No. 81/2014/QĐ-TTg shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the State Budget Law, Accounting Law, and current guiding documents.

Article 7. Implementation Organization

1. This Circular takes effect from November 20, 2015, and replaces Circular No. 44/2008/TT-BTC dated May 30, 2008, issued by the Ministry of Finance, guiding the management, use, and settlement of funds to ensure the implementation of Directive No. 26/2001/CT-TTg dated October 9, 2001, issued by the Prime Minister regarding creating conditions for Farmers' Associations at all levels to participate in resolving complaints and denunciations of farmers.

2. The expense limits stipulated in this Circular are the maximum limits according to current regulations. Based on budget capacity and local circumstances, provincial People's Committees directly under the Central Government shall submit specific expense limits for subordinate agencies and units to the respective People's Councils for approval, but these limits must not exceed the maximum limits set forth in this Circular.

3. During implementation, if the legal regulatory documents cited for application in this Circular are amended, supplemented, or replaced by new legal regulatory documents, the new documents shall apply.

4. When implementing this Circular, if there are difficulties or obstacles, agencies and units are requested to report them to the Ministry of Finance for research, amendment, and supplementation to ensure compatibility.