The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee convened its 18 th session on May 14 in Hanoi under the chair of NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung.

During the session, delegates are scheduled to discuss preparations for the fifth sitting of the 13th National Assembly.

Addressing the session, Hung asked the committee members to focus on evaluating the socio-economic situation and State budget, while seeking breakthrough measures to successfully implement socio-economic tasks in 2013.

He suggested that they should continue reviewing the agenda for the fifth sitting of the NA, especially the draft amendments to the 1992 Constitution and the draft revised Land Law.

He asked the delegates to continue giving their opinions on the draft amendments to the 1992 Constitution, focusing on ensuring and promoting people’s rights to mastery. Besides , NA Standing Committee members should seriously and carefully discuss a number of laws which are first submitted to the NA, he said.

The NA chairman emphasised the need to conduct votes of confidence on persons holding positions elected or approved by the NA or People’s Councils before the NA’s fifth sitting, describing the work as a significant activity to realise NA’s supreme supervisory rights.

The session went through several reports, including the Government’s supplementary reports on the results of the implementation of the socio-economic development plan and State budget in 2012 as well as the first months of this year.

The NA Committee also discussed the report on the implementation of budget estimates in 2013 as well as evaluation reports of NA agencies on the issue.

The economy showed positive signs in the first quarter of this year. GDP growth hit 4.89 percent, up from 4.75 percent in the same period last year.

After increasing for seven consecutive months, the consumer price index in March decreased 0.19 percent over the previous month and the figure rose slightly at 0.02 percent in April, the lowest rise for the period in four years.-VNA