The Minister for Natural Resources and the Environment, Nguyen Minh Quang was the first Cabinet member to appear before the National Assembly on June 14 to answer questions on issues in his charge.

Quang is among four Ministers to be questioned by the National Assembly, Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung said in opening the hearing. In addition, several other Cabinet members will make supplementary reports on a number of issues of voters’ concern.

Questions to the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment focused on land management, land clearance and problems relating to land use.

On how to minimise shortcomings in the government’s land policies, Quang outlined the recent achievements made in land clearance for development projects and vocational training for displaced residents.

In reply to deputies’ concern about the number of complaints relating to land compensation, the minister said the main reason is the low compensation and a lack of job for relocated people. He added that with the introduction of Decree 69 in 2009, remarkable progress has been recorded in the work, addressing most of the urgent problems and better ensuring the interest of relocated people.

The minister also tackled questions on pollution in river basins, deforestation, illegal mining and the construction of hydro-electric power stations.-VNA