Ministers field questions by NA deputies

Deputy Ton Ngoc Hanh from Binh Phuoc province’s National Assembly delegation (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Hanoi (VNA) – Four ministers answered legislators’ questions raised at the eighth sitting of the 14th National Assembly in Hanoi from November 6-8.

They are Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung, Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh, and Minister of Home Affairs Le Vinh Tan.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong started the first Q&A session of the National Assembly on November 6. 

He received 66 questions on the progress of new-style rural area development, agricultural production, solutions to African swine flu outbreak, and others.

Answering questions on solutions to attract businesses to invest in agriculture production and rural development, the minister said co-operation between businesses and farmers plays a very important role in large-scale production.

Referring to the impact of climate change, Cuong said Vietnam is one of the countries most vulnerable to the global phenomenon. Therefore, sustainable investment to respond to climate change is a priority.

Meanwhile, Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh on November 7 cleared up questions raised by National Assembly deputies regarding the aluminum shipment labeled as made-in-Vietnam and worth 4.3 billion USD to the US by a Chinese-invested business in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

He said after learning of the shipment, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) coordinated with the Ministry of Finance, the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC) and the Ministry of Public Security to organise investigation teams in early 2017.

However, no wrongdoings were detected in the granting of product-origin certificates at that time, according to the minister.   

After the business showed abnormalities in their operation, the MoIT asked the GDVC to intensify supervision over the firm’s export-import activities and the aluminum batch in particular, he said.

The ministry also asked other competent agencies, especially the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to keep close control of standards while granting certificates of origin for exports, he added.

On November 8, deputies raised questions for Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung. 

While answering a question on legal regulations to protect personal information amidst the current information boom, the minister said the rules on protecting personal secrets are included in the Press Law.

In 2019, the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) has handled three violation cases in this field, he said.

The excessive exploitation of personal information is related to occupational ethics and awareness of journalists, therefore, along with completing the law in the field, the ministry will coordinate with the Vietnam Journalists’ Association to enhance education and raise journalists’ awareness of their missions and responsibilities, he added.

Also on November 8, Minister of Home Affairs Le Vinh Tan answered deputies’ questions about streamlining the State apparatus, appointment and rearrangement of public employees after merging district- and commune-level administrative units.

While answering a question about the balance between the streamlining of staff and the requirement for teachers and health workers, the minister said teachers and health workers account for 80 per cent of total staff in State apparatus but many localities reported that there were not enough teachers and medical staff.

The Ministry of Home Affairs was working with the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Health to verify the situation and address the problem, he said.

Deputy Vu Thi Nguyet from the northern province of Hung Yen (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Tran Hoang Ngan, a deputy from the Ho Chi Minh City’s National Assembly delegation, said he was very impressed by the ministers’ answers. They recognised shortcomings in their fields, Ngan said.

Meanwhile, deputy Vu Thi Nguyet from Hung Yen province’s National Assembly delegation commented that the four ministers answered straight to the point and the Q&A session met the expectations of the deputies./.