Prime Minister Directs Continued Intensification of Administrative Procedure Reform to Better Serve People and Businesses
|
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has recently signed Directive No. 16/CT-TTg, dated May 20, 2024, requesting ministries, sectors, and localities to further strengthen administrative procedure reform to better serve the people and businesses.
According to the Directive, administrative procedure reform, along with improving the business environment in tandem with the national digital transformation agenda, has been a key focus of the Government. The Prime Minister has issued numerous directives, and several programs, projects, and plans have been implemented. Ministries, sectors, and localities have made significant efforts, resulting in positive outcomes. Vietnam has witnessed improvements in various indices, contributing to economic and social growth, enhancing the business environment, and boosting national competitiveness while reducing societal costs.
However, there are still certain shortcomings and limitations in administrative procedure reform, as evident from the implementation in ministries, sectors, and localities, as well as feedback and recommendations from the people and the business community.
These limitations arise from both subjective and objective factors, with subjective factors being the primary cause. They include: (1) Insufficient attention to administrative procedure reform in some ministries, sectors, and localities; (2) A tendency to adhere to traditional work practices, failing to keep pace with scientific and technological advancements; (3) Limited capacity of some officials and public employees, who have not fully assumed their roles and responsibilities in performing their duties; (4) Lack of proactive coordination among agencies and units, resulting in untimely and ineffective collaboration; (5) Weak and inconsistent IT infrastructure, with many systems being outdated and in need of upgrade and development.
To promptly rectify these shortcomings and continue to intensify administrative procedure reform in ministries, sectors, and localities to better serve the people and businesses, the Prime Minister requests ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, government agencies, and chairpersons of the People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to focus on directing and organizing the strict, full, timely, and effective implementation of tasks and solutions related to administrative procedure reform as stipulated in approved programs, projects, and plans, as well as in Resolution No. 01/NQ-CP and Resolution No. 02/NQ-CP, dated January 5, 2024, the key tasks for administrative procedure reform in 2024, Directive No. 27/CT-TTg, dated October 27, 2023, and Directive No. 04/CT-TTg, dated February 11, 2024.
Reform and reduce administrative procedures during the process of formulating legal documents
Regarding administrative procedure reform and reduction, the Prime Minister requests ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, and heads of governmental agencies to strictly implement administrative procedure reform and reduction during the process of formulating legal documents. They should strengthen control and conduct specific policy impact assessments regarding administrative procedures, effectively carry out consultations (including electronic consultations), appraisals, and verifications of draft legal documents to ensure that administrative procedures are appropriately defined within the scope of authority, are necessary, reasonable, feasible, and performed in an electronic environment with the lowest compliance costs. It is also necessary to rectify and review regulations to avoid inconsistencies and contradictions in authorizing localities to issue documents constituting part of administrative procedures, in accordance with the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents.
Focus on developing documents within the authority of the Government, the Prime Minister, ministers, and heads of ministerial-level agencies to immediately implement solutions for reducing and simplifying regulations related to business activities; decentralization in handling administrative procedures; key internal administrative procedures; and administrative procedures and citizen papers related to population management that have been approved by the Government and the Prime Minister. Aim for a single decree amending multiple decrees, a single decision amending multiple decisions, and a single circular amending multiple circulars. Prioritize the implementation of streamlined procedures as stipulated.
Expeditiously review and reduce administrative procedures in the fields of land, social housing, credit, and mineral resources
The Prime Minister also requests ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, and heads of governmental agencies to promptly review and propose solutions for reducing and simplifying administrative procedures in their respective fields, especially in the areas of land, social housing, credit, mineral resources, and business-related licenses, in accordance with the key tasks for administrative procedure reform in 2024. These proposals should be submitted to the Government Office by the end of May 2024 for synthesis and reporting to the Prime Minister. Implement the approved solutions immediately after receiving the Prime Minister’s approval.
At the same time, promptly publicize internal administrative procedures between state administrative agencies and between ministries and their departments and equivalent units; correctly identify the scope and authority for issuing internal administrative procedures to review and simplify them, ensuring the achievement of targets and requirements set out in Decision No. 1085/QD-TTg, dated September 15, 2022, issued by the Prime Minister.
Focus on implementing the reduction and simplification of administrative procedures related to judicial records in accordance with the approved program after receiving the Prime Minister’s approval, aiming to eliminate unreasonable requirements for submitting judicial records during administrative procedures. Ensure progress, substance, and effectiveness in this regard.
Strengthen communication on administrative procedure reform to raise awareness and gain support from the people and the business community.
Maintain only essential administrative procedures with the lowest compliance costs
The Prime Minister requests chairpersons of the People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to promptly publicize internal administrative procedures between the provincial People’s Committees and their departments, sectors, and district-level People’s Committees; correctly identify the scope and authority for issuing internal administrative procedures to review and simplify them, ensuring the achievement of targets and requirements set out in Decision No. 1085/QD-TTg, dated September 15, 2022, issued by the Prime Minister.
The Ministry of Justice, legal organizations within ministries and ministerial-level agencies, and provincial-level Justice Departments, within their functions, tasks, and authority, should coordinate with relevant agencies to enhance the quality of appraisals regarding administrative procedures in draft legal documents. Ensure that only necessary, reasonable, and legal administrative procedures with the lowest compliance costs are issued and maintained.
The Prime Minister assigns the Ministry of Justice to take the lead, in coordination with the Government Office and relevant ministries, sectors, and localities, to study and report to the National Assembly on amending the provisions of the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents concerning administrative procedures in draft legal documents. Firmly cut unnecessary administrative procedures, especially those for implementing specific measures suitable to local socio-economic development conditions.
Closely coordinate with ministries and agencies to review and propose prioritizing the inclusion of law and ordinance projects in the law and ordinance-making program to implement the approved reduction and simplification solutions, ensuring scientific and feasible criteria.
Innovate the one-door and one-stop-shop mechanisms for handling administrative procedures
Regarding the reform in the implementation of administrative procedures, the Prime Minister requests ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of governmental agencies, and chairpersons of the People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to continue effectively implementing innovations in the one-door and one-stop-shop mechanisms for handling administrative procedures. Focus resources on accelerating the digitization of dossiers and results of administrative procedure handling, linking digitization with the tasks of officials and public employees during the process of receiving and handling administrative procedures; promote the reuse of digitized data among ministries, sectors, and localities through data connection and sharing; upgrade IT infrastructure synchronously from the central to local levels in line with the requirements of national digital transformation, ensuring information security and safety, promoting data connection, integration, and sharing to serve direction, administration, and administrative procedure handling, and providing public services.
Focus on deploying online public service groups with inter-level integration prioritized for restructuring and providing on the National Public Service Portal in 2024 in accordance with Decision No. 206/QD-TTg, dated February 28, 2024, issued by the Prime Minister. At the same time, review, evaluate, and restructure the processes of online public services currently integrated and provided on the National Public Service Portal, ensuring the principle of putting users at the center.
VNeID as the sole account for handling administrative procedures
Successfully implement the Project on Developing Applications of Population Data, e-Identification, and Authentication to Serve the National Digital Transformation in the 2022-2025 Period, with a Vision to 2030 (Project 06), especially the tasks and solutions in Directive No. 04/CT-TTg, dated February 11, 2024, issued by the Prime Minister, to thoroughly address bottlenecks in institutions, IT infrastructure, data, human resources, and funding.
Ensure the necessary conditions for the transition to using VNeID as the sole account for handling administrative procedures and providing public services in an electronic environment from July 1, 2024, in accordance with Decree No. 59/2022/ND-CP, dated September 5, 2022, issued by the Government.
Strictly implement the timely reception and resolution of feedback and recommendations from the people and businesses; strengthen dialogue and resolve bottlenecks and difficulties regarding mechanisms, policies, and administrative procedures; improve the quality of human resources for handling administrative procedures.
Continue to deploy inspections and examinations of administrative procedure reform to promote public service ethics, enhance discipline and administrative rules, and promptly handle cases of avoidance, passing the buck, fear of mistakes, and shirking of responsibility. Monthly publicize the results of assessing the quality of service to the people and businesses in accordance with Decision No. 766/QD-TTg, dated June 23, 2022, issued by the Prime Minister, on the National Public Service Portal, the public service portals of ministries and localities, and the websites of ministries, sectors, and localities.
