Decision No. 24/2006/NQ-CP of the Government's regular meeting in September 2006

 RESOLUTION

The regular session of the Government in September 2006 

On October 2, 2006, the Government convened its regular monthly session in September to discuss and adopt the following issues:

1. The Government heard the Minister, Head of the Government Office's report on the development of Typhoon No. 6 and the damage caused by the typhoon.

Typhoon No. 6 was a very strong typhoon that made landfall in central provinces of Vietnam on October 1. However, due to good forecasting work and timely, comprehensive, and resolute guidance from the Government, along with proactive prevention and mitigation efforts by relevant sectors and localities with great effort, the damage caused by the typhoon was minimized to the greatest extent possible.

To continue responding to and mitigating the aftermath, the Government requests the Central Highlands and North Central provinces, where major rivers flow through, to proactively prevent and mitigate flooding, flash floods, and landslides; the provinces of Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, and Quang Ngai need to mobilize forces within their jurisdictions to repair damages, support affected families, and absolutely ensure that people are not left hungry, cold, diseased, or homeless; ministries, sectors, and localities should organize inspection teams to grasp the situation and develop plans to mitigate consequences, quickly restore production, and stabilize people's lives.

2. The Government reviewed the draft Decree on the organization and operation of Forest Rangers submitted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; listened to the Minister, Head of the Government Office's report summarizing the opinions of Government members on the draft Decree.

Forests play an extremely important role in the national economy and social life. To create a legal mechanism for reforming the organization and operation of the Forest Ranger force to meet practical requirements and contribute to strengthening state management in forest protection and development, it is necessary to issue a Decree of the Government on the organization and operation of Forest Rangers. According to administrative reform requirements and based on the need for unified management and control in forest protection and development, the Provincial Forest Ranger Inspection Office needs to be organized under the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is tasked to lead, coordinate with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Government Office, and related agencies, to incorporate the opinions at the meeting, finalize the draft Decree, and submit it to the Prime Minister for consideration and issuance.

3. The Government heard the Minister of Finance's presentation to the Government on the Draft Law on Personal Income Tax; listened to the Minister, Head of the Government Office's report summarizing the opinions of Government members on this Draft Law.

In order to continue institutionalizing the Party and State's policies and guidelines; strengthen income control and macroeconomic regulation of the socio-economic system; address shortcomings and improve the tax policy system to meet socio-economic development requirements and international economic integration in the coming period; and contribute to ensuring stability and providing resources for the state budget, it is necessary to promulgate the Law on Personal Income Tax.

The Ministry of Finance is tasked to lead, coordinate with the Ministry of Justice, the Government Office, and related agencies, to incorporate the opinions at the meeting, finalize the Draft Law on Personal Income Tax. The Minister of Finance, acting on behalf of the Prime Minister, will submit the Draft Law to the National Assembly for comments.

4. The Government reviewed the Draft Ordinance on Implementing Democracy at Communes, Wards, and Towns submitted by the Ministry of Home Affairs; listened to the Minister, Head of the Government Office's report summarizing the opinions of Government members on this Draft Ordinance.

To concretize the Party's policy on promoting direct democracy of the people right from the grassroots level, implementing the principle "people know, people discuss, people act, people inspect," the Government issued Decree No. 29/1998/NĐ-CP on May 11, 1998, which was later replaced by Decree No. 79/2003/NĐ-CP on July 7, 2003, establishing the Regulations on Implementing Democracy at Communes. Through implementation, the Regulations on Implementing Democracy at Communes have brought about significant practical benefits, but there are still many shortcomings and limitations in terms of content and implementation, requiring further research and improvement to enhance legal effectiveness.

The Ministry of Home Affairs is tasked to lead, coordinate with the Ministry of Justice, the Government Office, and related agencies, to incorporate the opinions at the meeting, finalize the Draft Ordinance on Implementing Democracy at Communes, Wards, and Towns, and submit it to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision on submission to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly.

5. The Government reviewed the Draft Ordinance on Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Ordinance on Criminal Investigation Procedures submitted by the Ministry of Public Security; listened to the Minister, Head of the Government Office's report summarizing the opinions of Government members on this Draft Ordinance.

The Ordinance on Criminal Investigation Procedures, promulgated in 2004, has become a legal tool helping investigative agencies promptly discover and conduct investigations and handle criminal acts according to the law; better guaranteeing the freedom and democracy of the people; maintaining national security and public order and safety. However, the Ordinance also revealed some issues regarding the investigation authority of the Security Investigation Agency, the organizational structure of the Criminal Police Investigation Agency, and the assignment of case investigation by the head of the sector. To promptly resolve these issues, while implementing the Anti-Corruption Law on establishing specialized units against corruption, it is necessary to study amending and supplementing the Ordinance on Criminal Investigation Procedures.

The Ministry of Public Security is tasked to lead, coordinate with the Ministry of Justice, the Government Office, and related agencies, to incorporate the opinions at the meeting, finalize the Draft Ordinance on Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Ordinance on Criminal Investigation Procedures, and submit it to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision on submission to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly.

6. The Government heard the Minister, Head of the Government Office's report on the progress in drafting and issuing detailed regulations and guidance for the implementation of laws, ordinances, and resolutions of the National Assembly and the Standing Committee of the National Assembly (11th term); listened to the Minister of Planning and Investment's report on the results of the production, business, service, and investment briefing in September and the socio-economic situation in the first nine months of 2006.

In implementation of the policy to accelerate the speed of drafting legal documents serving the negotiation for joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) and in accordance with Directive No. 31/2006/CT-TTg dated August 25, 2006, of the Prime Minister on intensifying the work of drafting and promulgating detailed regulations and guidance for the enforcement of laws and ordinances, in recent times, ministries and agencies have been very urgent in the work of drafting, reviewing, and appraising legal documents. The work of drafting legal documents has shown significant positive changes, but it has not yet met the planned targets. The Government requests Ministers and Heads of agencies to continue to strongly direct the work of drafting legal documents assigned to their ministries and agencies, ensuring quality and timeframes.

In the first nine months of 2006, the socio-economic situation continued to develop stably. Economic growth was relatively high, reaching a rate of 7.84%. Industrial production maintained a relatively good growth rate. Agriculture developed steadily. Social investment capital attracted many improvements, especially foreign direct investment and resident capital. Export markets were expanded, with export turnover increasing at a high rate. The domestic market continued to develop, with consumer price increases lower than the same period last year. There were many advances in social activities: the education and training sector organized the opening of the 2006-2007 school year for students nationwide; disease prevention and control efforts continued to be intensified; cultural and information activities were lively.

To effectively address difficulties and challenges in the remaining months of the year and strive to exceed the socio-economic development plan for 2006, the Government requests ministries, sectors, and localities to continue implementing well the socio-economic development measures outlined in Government Resolutions and Prime Minister Directives; focus on researching and clarifying the reasons for low growth rates in some economic sectors to devise solutions to overcome them; accelerate the disbursement progress of construction investment capital; create favorable conditions for industries and fields with opportunities to expand markets and rapidly increase production capacity; strengthen measures to prevent and control diseases and natural disasters; implement measures to curb price increases while accelerating market mechanism-based price management, eliminating subsidies and losses; reduce traffic accidents; pay attention to resolving citizen complaints; actively prepare for WTO accession and successfully organize the APEC Summit.