Joint Circular No. 21/2002/TTLT-BNV-BTC-BTP on guiding the allowance system for volunteers providing legal aid to poor people and policy beneficiaries.

JOINT CIRCULAR

Regarding guidance on the allowance system for volunteers implementing legal aidfor the poor and policy beneficiaries

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Implementing Decision No. 734/TTg dated September 6, 1997 of the Prime Minister on the establishment of organizations providing legal aid to the poor and policy beneficiaries and Directive No. 05/2000/CT-TTg dated March 1, 2000 of the Prime Minister on strengthening legal aid work, the Joint Circular of the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Justice provides guidance on the allowance system for volunteers implementing legal aid for the poor and policy beneficiaries (hereinafter referred to collectively as volunteers) as follows:

 This technical regulation sets out technical requirements, testing methods, sampling procedures; management requirements; responsibilities of organizations and individuals producing, trading, and importing cigarettes.

Legal aid activities for the poor and policy beneficiaries are free-of-charge public service activities with a professional nature aimed at serving the political and social tasks of the State, carried out by State legal aid organizations with the voluntary participation of a team of volunteers who are experts, legal professionals, and lawyers.

Volunteers shall be entitled to allowances stipulated in this Circular to compensate for part of their efforts, with a motivational and responsibility-enhancing nature towards the work they undertake; at the same time, encouraging volunteers to voluntarily perform legal aid activities without receiving allowances.

II. ALLOWANCE SYSTEM

Volunteers shall be entitled to allowances at different levels for various types of work as follows:

1. Volunteers providing legal advice shall be entitled to:

1.1. Allowance based on hours worked for oral legal advice: VND 8,000/hour for simple inquiries and guidance; VND 13,000/hour for complex inquiries and guidance.

1.2. Allowance based on documents for written legal advice: VND 13,000/document for simple inquiries and guidance; VND 20,000/document for complex inquiries and guidance.

2. Volunteers participating in litigation as defense counsel or representatives protecting the legitimate rights and interests of legal aid recipients shall be entitled to an allowance of VND 70,000/day of work. In cases where work is performed for half a day (either morning or afternoon session), the allowance shall be half the amount calculated for a full day of work.

The working days for which allowances are paid to volunteers participating in litigation include days spent reviewing case files at the court and days of trial. The basis for payment of allowances is a written confirmation of working days issued by the competent authority of the court.

3. In addition to the allowance system mentioned above, when performing mobile legal aid, volunteers shall be reimbursed travel expenses as for civil servants on official business.

III. IMPLEMENTATION

1. Annually, the Legal Aid Agency and State Legal Aid Centers shall prepare budgets for operational expenses including allowances and travel expenses for volunteers for approval by the competent authority according to regulations.

2. The use of funds for volunteer allowances shall be settled according to the actual financial expenditure regime annually.

3. The funding for the allowance system for volunteers shall be allocated within the annual budget of the units.

For the year 2002, the funding for volunteer allowances and travel expenses shall be arranged within the approved budget range.

4. This Circular takes effect 15 days from the date of issuance and replaces Circular No. 187/1998/TTLT-TCCP-TC-TP dated March 30, 1998 of the Joint Circular of the Government Organizational Structure-Civil Service Department, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Justice guiding the allowance system for volunteers implementing legal aid.

Any difficulties or issues encountered during implementation should be reported to the joint ministries for consideration and resolution./.