Decision No. 207/1999/QD-TTg on the issuance of the Implementation Plan for Resolution of the 7th Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (8th tenure).

 

Pursuant to …;

Regarding the issuance of the Implementation Plan for Resolution No. 7 of the 7th Plenary Session

of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Term VIII)

PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Government Organization Law dated September 30, 1992;

Pursuant to Resolution No. 11/1999/NQ-CP dated October 13, 1999 of the Government at its regular meeting in September 1999;

At the proposal of the Minister, Head of the Organization and Cadre Department of the Government,

DECISION:

Article 1. Issued herewith with this Decision is the Implementation Plan for Resolution No. 7 of the 7th Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Term VIII) on "Certain Issues Concerning the Organizational Structure of the Political System and State Budget Salaries and Social Allowances."

Article 2. This Decision shall take effect from the date of signing.

The Minister, Heads of Ministries equivalent to Ministries, Heads of Government Agencies, Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities shall be responsible for implementing this Decision.

 

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR RESOLUTION NO. 7 OF THE 7TH PLANNING SESSION OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY (TERM VIII) ON "CERTAIN ISSUES CONCERNING THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE POLITICAL SYSTEM AND STATE BUDGET SALARIES AND SOCIAL ALLOWANCES"
(Issued together with Decision No.: 207/1999/QĐ-TTg dated October 25, 1999 of the Prime Minister)

To implement Resolution No. 7 of the 7th Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Term VIII) on "Certain Issues Concerning the Organizational Structure of the Political System and State Budget Salaries and Social Allowances," the Government has studied and implemented the objectives, viewpoints, and tasks concerning the improvement of the organizational structure of the political system and salary policy as set forth in the Resolution and hereby decides the Implementation Plan for Resolution No. 7 of the 7th Plenary Session of the Central Committee (Term VIII) as follows:

I. TASKS TO BE FOCUSED ON SOLVING UNTIL THE IXTH NATIONAL CONGRESS OF THE PARTY

1. In accordance with Resolutions of the Government's regular meetings in August and September 1999 (No. 10 dated August 27, 1999 and No. 11 dated October 13, 1999), it is necessary to study and amend the Law on the Organization of the Government and the Law on the Organization of People's Councils and People's Committees, clarifying the functions and responsibilities of the Government according to new requirements and tasks; clearly defining which tasks need to be concentrated on by the Government and the Prime Minister; determining the organizational structure of the Government including ministries managing multiple sectors and having state management functions throughout society.

The Government's Personnel and Cadres Department will prepare drafts for amending and supplementing the Law on the Organization of the Government and the Law on the Organization of People's Councils and People's Committees; the time frame for submission to the Government is mid-Quarter I of 2000 to prepare for submission to the National Assembly according to the Legislative Program of the Government for 2000. ^[1].

2. Review and adjust the functions, duties, and authorities of ministries, agencies equivalent to ministries, and government agencies.

- The review will be carried out according to the following requirements:

+ Clearly define the state management functions of each ministry, agency equivalent to a ministry, and government agency (both state management and guidance of public service activities) nationwide;

+ The functions, duties, and authorities of ministries must reflect the appropriate level of state management, not overstepping local responsibilities; clarify more the delegation of tasks and authorities from ministries to local governments, public service units, and state-owned enterprises under their jurisdiction;

+ Identify overlaps and duplications in the functions and duties between ministries and other sectors, ensuring that only one agency is primarily responsible for each task, eliminating situations where multiple agencies share responsibility for the same task; simultaneously identify areas and tasks that have been overlooked without any sector or department taking charge;

+ Supplement and adjust the functions, duties, and authorities of ministries to align with new management requirements (clearly define new functions of ministries, duties and authorities to be adjusted from other sectors to ministries, and duties and authorities to be transferred to other sectors);

+ Clearly define the relationships between ministries and departments with each other and between ministries and departments and local governments in performing the common functions of the administrative apparatus;

+ Clearly define the authority and collective responsibility of organizations and the individual responsibility of heads of organizations.

- Adjusting the functions, duties, and authorities of ministries is closely related to the task of reorganizing the organizational structure and reducing personnel quotas (as mentioned in Points 3 and 4 below). Therefore, each ministry, agency equivalent to a ministry, and government agency is responsible for developing proposals to supplement and adjust the functions, duties, and authorities in conjunction with adjusting the organizational structure and reducing personnel quotas.

The Government has identified the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance (including the General Department of Taxation under the Ministry of Finance), the Office of the Government, the Government's Personnel and Cadres Department, the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the General Customs Department as key agencies that need to act first, urgently preparing proposals to submit to the Government in Quarter I of 2000.

Other agencies will submit proposals to the Government in Quarter II of 2000. The Government's Steering Committee for Administrative Reform and the Government's Personnel and Cadres Department will assist the Prime Minister in directing this work.

3. Review and reorganize the internal organizational structures of ministries, agencies equivalent to ministries, and government agencies.

- The general requirement is to adjust the organizational structure of ministries based on clearly defined and correct functions, duties, and authorities, making it more rational and effective while reducing unnecessary organizations.

- The guiding principles for reviewing and reorganizing the organizational structures of ministries are:

+ Clearly define the contents within the scope of the state management functions of the Minister, Head of an agency equivalent to a ministry, and Head of a government agency (hereinafter referred to as the Ministry), including researching and drafting policies, regulations, and normative legal documents within the responsibility and authority of the Ministry; directing, coordinating, and supervising the implementation of policies, regulations, and laws at grassroots units under the Ministry's jurisdiction.

+ Functions, duties, and workload should correspond to the establishment of suitable organizations. Avoid forming multiple layers and levels within the ministry;

+ Generally, no new organizations within the Ministry should be established until the IXth National Congress; in cases of real necessity, adjustments should be made according to the principle of not increasing the number of organizations within the Ministry.

The Government Organization - Cadres Department shall draft the Scheme for organizing the machinery to assist the Minister in performing state management functions and the Scheme for organizing specialized agencies under provincial and district People's Committees to be submitted to the Government by November 1999.

4. Streamlining the establishment.

- The general goal is to reduce the number of positions by approximately 15% by the end of 2000. The targets for reduction include positions in administrative state agencies, public service units, and state-owned enterprises. There will be no uniform reduction ratio, and reductions will not be carried out uniformly or mechanically.

- Principles for implementing the streamlining of establishments:

+ Clearly distinguishing between positions in administrative agencies and those in public service units, economic entities, and public services, with plans to reduce positions tailored to each type of organization;

+ The number of positions in each agency and unit within ministries, sectors, and localities must be based on specific job content, workload, and reasonable qualification standards and staff structures. Suitable mechanisms should be established to determine funding for agency operations instead of funding based on the current number of positions;

+ Until the specific streamlining plan is finalized, the administrative and public service establishment for 1999 shall be implemented according to Circular No. 400/TCCP-TCCB dated December 29, 1998, issued by the Government Organization - Cadres Department;

+ Promptly develop and promulgate specific policies to facilitate the streamlining of establishments (policies regarding early retirement, leaving the establishment, transfer and reassignment policies, training and development policies...);

+ Direct pilot programs and gradually expand socialization of health, education, science, culture, sports services, initially in cities and industrial zones. Along with the expansion of socialization, adjust the establishment in public service units and public services.

All three tasks: reviewing and adjusting functions and responsibilities; organizing the organizational structure; and streamlining establishments of each Ministry, ministerial-level agency, and government agency shall be drafted into Schemes by each ministry and sector to be reported to the Prime Minister in accordance with the spirit of Resolution No. 7 of the Central Committee. The Government Organization - Cadres Department and the Government Office shall compile these collectively, to be submitted to the Government in the second quarter of 2000.

Provincial People's Committees directly under the central government shall draft schemes for reviewing and adjusting functions and responsibilities, organizing the organizational structure, and streamlining establishments at the provincial level to be submitted to the Government in the second quarter of 2000. The Government Organization - Cadres Department shall direct this work.

5. Organizing government agencies and advisory organizations established by the Prime Minister's decision.

The organization of government agencies shall be considered and decided in conjunction with the review and adjustment of functions, responsibilities, and authorities of ministries.

In addition to the structure of the Government consisting of ministries and ministerial-level agencies, there are still government agencies and due to the comprehensive nature of the Government's leadership and management activities, and the need to focus on implementing tasks in certain industries and fields, there are advisory organizations assisting the Prime Minister in researching, directing, and coordinating the resolution of important cross-sector issues such as committees, steering boards, research teams... directly under the Prime Minister. These advisory organizations are considered a working method of the Government and the Prime Minister. In recent years, the Prime Minister has decided to dissolve 15 advisory organizations. Continue to organize these organizations in the future in the following directions:

- Dissolve advisory organizations that have completed their tasks;

- Merge advisory organizations with similar functions and responsibilities and involving the same number of ministries and sectors;

- Dissolve and transfer the tasks of advisory organizations whose main functions and responsibilities are concentrated in one ministry or sector;

- Advisory organizations that continue to exist shall have streamlined permanent bodies and assistants, without adopting the organizational structure similar to that of ministries and ministerial-level agencies.

The Government Organization - Cadres Department shall draft the Scheme for organizing advisory organizations established by the Prime Minister's decision and the Regulation on the establishment and dissolution of advisory organizations; submission time to the Government: November 1999.

6. Tasks related to salary policy and social allowances funded by the state budget.

The Seventh Plenum decided: from now until 2001, fully compensate for price inflation in salaries, starting from January 2000, implement a basic salary of VND 180,000 and in January 2001, VND 210,000; restore order and discipline in salary management, address the unreasonable aspects in the current salary mechanism and pay scale; prepare conditions for further reform and improvement of the salary system in subsequent years, and establish some social policies for beneficiaries.

To implement the above tasks, it is necessary to promptly carry out the following tasks:

a) Issuing a Decree to adjust the minimum wage, allowances, and living expenses funded by the state budget.

The Government Organization - Cadres Department shall take the lead in drafting the Decree to be submitted to the Government by November 1999.

b) Decision of the Prime Minister on the household telephone allowance and the allowance for personal servants.

The Ministry of Finance shall take the lead in drafting the Decision to be submitted to the Prime Minister by November 1999.

c) Decision to supplement bonus payments for civil servants in the administrative management sector.

The Ministry of Finance shall take the lead in drafting the Decision to be submitted to the Prime Minister by December 1999.

d) Decree of the Government on one-time preferential allowances for persons with meritorious service and the settlement of pensions for cadres who retired before August 1985.

The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs shall take the lead in amending some articles of the Ordinance on Preferential Treatment for Revolutionary Activists, Martyrs, and Their Families, War Invalids, War Veterans, and Persons Who Contributed to the Revolution and draft the Decree to be submitted to the Government by November 1999.

đ) Decree of the Government on housing policies for civil servants.

The Ministry of Construction shall take the lead in drafting the Decree to be submitted to the Government by December 1999.

e) Decree of the Government on policies and financial mechanisms for revenue-generating public service units.

The Ministry of Finance shall take the lead in drafting the Decree to be submitted to the Government in December 1999.

g) The Decree of the Government on the leasing, contracting, or contractual provision of certain services within administrative agencies.

The Government's Organizational and Cadre Affairs Board shall take the lead in drafting the Decree to be submitted to the Government in January 2000.

h) The Decree of the Government on mechanisms and policies for implementing socialization of research and technological activities.

The Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment shall take the lead in drafting the Decree to be submitted to the Government in February 2000.

Circulars guiding the implementation of Decree No. 73/1999/NĐ-CP dated August 19, 1999 of the Government on policies encouraging socialization in educational, health, cultural, and sports activities.

The Ministries of Education and Training, Health, Culture and Information, and the Sports Committee shall take the lead in developing and promulgating Circulars guiding the implementation of this Decree in their respective fields in the first quarter of 2000.

II. TASKS TO BE CONCENTRATED ON IN DIRECTING THE IMPLEMENTATION FOLLOWING THE IX CONGRESS OF THE PARTY

- Direct the implementation of the Law amending and supplementing the Law on the Organization of the Government and the Law amending and supplementing the Law on the Organization of People's Councils and People's Committees, which were adopted by the National Assembly of the Ninth Term in 2000;

- Direct the implementation of the Project on the functions, tasks, and organizational structure of the Government and People's Councils and People's Committees according to the new Laws on State organization.

RESPONSIBILITIES FOR DIRECTING THE IMPLEMENTATION

1. The Prime Minister shall direct the overall implementation of the Government's plan to implement Resolution No. 7 of the Eighth Plenum. Deputy Prime Ministers shall directly guide the ministries and sectors assigned to develop these projects and monitor progress. The Government's Administrative Reform Steering Committee shall assist the Prime Minister in directing the implementation of the Government's plan to implement Resolution No. 7 of the Eighth Plenum.

2. The Ministers and Heads of Ministries equivalent to Ministries and Agencies under the Government shall be responsible for directly guiding their ministries and sectors to review and adjust functions, tasks, organizational structures, and determine necessary staffing levels.

3. Draft projects submitted to the Government must be thoroughly researched and prepared, with comments from the Government's Administrative Reform Steering Committee or the State Salary Steering Committee, ensuring quality and timely progress.

4. The Ministry of Finance shall allocate funds to prepare for the implementation of the above plan.

5. The Government's Organizational and Cadre Affairs Board and the Government Office shall be responsible for monitoring the progress of the implementation of the above plan, regularly reporting results to the Government and the Prime Minister.

6. Ministries, sectors, and localities during the implementation of the Government's plan need to continue implementing the policy of administrative reform. In addition to the seven key areas mentioned in Government Resolution No. 38/CP dated May 4, 1994, administrative reform should be expanded to include land administration, construction, education, and healthcare sectors; improving procedures for preparing and approving normative legal documents of the Government and local authorities at all levels, improving work styles; clearly defining collective and individual responsibilities of heads of agencies, making state administrative agencies operate effectively and efficiently. From now until the end of the year, the Government will discuss and approve policies and measures to continue administrative reform in 2000.

7. Central Ministries and Departments and Local People's Committees shall proactively coordinate with the Vietnam Fatherland Front and people's organizations at all levels in implementing this plan, contributing to effectively implementing Resolution No. 7 of the Eighth Plenum, creating new favorable conditions for the cause of renewal and industrialization and modernization of the country.