The Government’s regular meeting – April 2014

RESOLUTION

The Government’s regular meeting – April 2014

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree 08/2012/ND-CP, dated February 16, 2012 promulgating the Working regulation of the Government;

Based on the discussions among the Cabinet’s members and the conclusion of the Prime Minister at the Government’s regular meeting held in April 2014,

RESOLVES:

1. Regarding the reports on socio-economic performance in April and the first four months of 2014; the implementation of the Resolution No. 01/NQ-CP dated on January 2, 2014 by Government pertaining key tasks and solutions for guiding the realization of the socio-economic development plan and State budget estimate in 2014;

The Government  unanimously agreed that the first four months of 2014 saw many positive macro-economic signs; inflation was put under control, State budget collection increased fairly against that preset; April CPI slightly increased against March but record low over the last four years; interest rates continued to be decreased, credit structure witnessed positive changes in some preferential fields; liquidity of the commercial banks was improved; foreign exchange rate and market maintained stability, foreign currency reserve surged. Export maintained high growth momentum; import of raw materials for production and business rose. Agricultural, forestry and aquatic production continued to be relatively stable. Industrial production was on the rise. Service sector witnessed fairly good results. Foreign direct investment, registered and realized capital thereof increased; ODA disbursement increased fairly. Investment restructuring process brought about initially positive signals. Social welfare was ensured, political and social situation was stable; social security, order and safety were maintained. Due attention was given to administrative reform, settlement of complaints, denunciations and anti-corruption; external relations continued to be strengthened.

However, the country still faces difficulties and challenges: macro-economy was not really stable; the national economic competitiveness was still low; businesses faced many difficulties due to high input cost, not easy to access to credit, purchase power decreased, consumption was low. It was difficult to recover the poultry breeding after epidemic diseases and there remained a risk of the resurgence of bird flu. Credit growth rate was low and much lower than the capital mobilization level by the credit institutions; settlement of bad debts was low; it was difficult for the enterprises to access to credit as their previous debts have not been restructured yet. Many enterprises have been dissolved or suspended their operation. A part of residents are facing difficulties in finding jobs and improving living standard; some epidemic diseases in humans were on large scale with many latent and unpredictable volatilities; social evils and crimes in some localities were still complicated.

The Government asks ministries, agencies and localities to closely follow the goal and tasks specified in the Resolutions of the National Assembly, Resolutions adopted at the Government’s regular meetings and instructions of the Prime Minister, especially the Resolution No. 01/NQ-CP dated January 2, 2014, strengthening collective and individual responsibility, continue to focus on extricating difficulties, improving investment environment, giving direction to drastically apply solutions for production and business development, increasing purchasing power, strengthening goods sales; focusing on following solutions:

- The State Bank of Viet Nam continues to pursue its credit growth policy as preset in the beginning of the year while ensuring credit quality; assist the enterprises to restructure the previous debts with a view to enhancing credit access; focus on lending to the priority areas in order to ease difficulties for production and business and increasing total demand of the economy; strengthen management of the banking system operation, closely supervise the safety ratios in the banking operation; focus on radical implementation of the Project on restructuring credit institutions in the period 2011 – 2015; promote the role of the national assets management company, accelerate bad debt settlement within the banking system.

- The Ministry of Finance takes prime responsibility to direct and ensure the progress of budget collection, in combination with close management of the expenses in order to guarantee the efficiency of public spending; continue administrative procedures reform, correct the working spirit and attitude of cadres and civil servants who are in charge of the tasks relating to tax and customs; strengthen inspection, detection, prevention and dealing with such acts as tax evasion and contraband, price cheating and transfer pricing, protect the market and consumers, ensure the investment capital funded by State budget, Government bonds to be used for the right purpose and in an effective manner.

- The Ministry of Planning and Investment takes prime responsibility and collaborates with other ministries, agencies and localities to focus on taking measures to accelerate the construction progress and disbursement of capital for investment and construction, especially the capital sourced from the State budget, Government bonds, ODA, FDI capital; continue management of investments and settlement of outstanding debts in capital construction funded by State budget, Government bonds; take measures as soon as possible to provide capital or capital advance to the urgent projects, especially arrangement of sufficient corresponding capital for ODA projects and the projects which may be completed in 2014.

- The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development takes prime responsibility and coordinates with other ministries, agencies and localities to proactively direct agricultural production structure in line with the actual market situation, production capacity to benefit farmers most; put the situation under control, inspect the epidemic disease prevention and fight, closely supervise the transportation of cattle and poultry across the border, and reduce the spreading of epidemic diseases; prepare and be ready to implement the plan of flood and storm prevention and control; accelerate the construction progress of the hydraulic works and focus on drought fighting, preventing saltwater intrusion in the Central region, Central Highlands and Southwestern region.

- The Ministry of Industry and Trade takes prime responsibility and collaborates with other ministries, agencies and localities to continue measures in favor of export; manage the market and prices, support domestic enterprises to expand export market; further strengthen prevention of smuggling, counterfeit goods or goods with bad quality; strictly deal with and make public the violations.

- The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism takes prime responsibility and collaborates with other ministries, agencies and localities to prepare well for the 5th ASEAN Beach Games in 2016 on the basis of making full use of the available resources and infrastructure, without using State budget for building new works for this event; strengthen promotion, popularity, development of the tourism products and services to lure international tourists.

- The Ministry of Health takes prime responsibility and collaborates with other ministries, agencies and localities to continue vaccination and epidemic diseases prevention; quickly take the measures to control and large scale spread of measles; through education and communication, further enhance people’s awareness of self-preventive measures in the community, overcome the overload and cross-infection at key hospitals.

- The Ministry of Public Security takes prime responsibility and collaborates with the Ministry of National Resources and Environment, other ministries, agencies and localities to strengthen inspection, prevention and dealing with illegal sand exploitation.

- The Ministry of Transport takes prime responsibility and collaborates with the Ministry of Public Security and localities to strengthen the inspection, supervision and strict dealing with the overweight transportation on road; speed up the construction progress of the suspension bridges serving the local people, especially the approved projects.

The Ministry of Home Affairs takes prime responsibility and collaborates with other ministries, agencies and localities to study and evaluate the model of public administration service and propose to the Government the measures for popular application of this model; works with the Ministry of Justice to strengthen the reform of administrative procedures, public duty and civil servant regime in order  to facilitate the enterprises and people to access to and use the public administration services; coordinates with other relevant ministries, agencies and localities and the Viet Nam Buddhist Sangha to successfully organize and ensure security and safety for 11th United Nations Day of Vesak 2014 to be held in Bai Dinh pagoda in Ninh Binh province.

The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs takes prime responsibility and collaborates with other ministries, agencies and localities to synchronously apply the social welfare and social security policies; beef up the implementation of the solutions to support fast and sustainable poverty reduction, especially in the most difficult areas; proactively follow actual situation and take prompt measures to provide food aid if necessary.

- Continue to guarantee political security, social order and safety, especially the cyber-security; strengthen measures to control traffic accidents, particularly during the Independence Day (April 30) and the International Labor Day (May 1), upper-secondary school leaving exams and university entrance exams; deal with complaints and denunciations, paying due attention to long-term and complicated cases; focus on anti-corruption, anti-wastefulness, and practice thrift.

- Ministries, agencies and localities foster the process of restructuring the economy as assigned, especially business restructuring in combination with equitization; realize effectively the Resolution No. 19/NQ-CP of the Government dated March 18, 2014 on key duties and solutions to improve the business environment and national competitiveness; quarterly report to the National Council for Sustainable Development and the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment takes prime responsibility and cooperates with the Office of Government, the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other relevant agencies to evaluate periodically the implementation of the Resolution No. 19/NQ-CP of the Government dated March 18, 2014, report thereof to the National Council for Sustainable Development, and the Government at its regular meeting held at the end of each quarter.

- The Ministry of Information and Communications directs press agencies to accelerate the precise dissemination of information regarding policies and instructions. The Cabinet members actively provide exactly and timely information regarding their assigned scope of management in order to create social consensus.

2. Regarding the stabilization of prices of dairy goods for children under six.

The Government agreed to apply measures to stabilize prices of dairy products for children under six years old at the proposal of the Ministry of Finance as follows:

- Control the maximum prices, as regulated at Item 7 of Article 17 of the Law on Price, of milk products for children under six within 12 months since the date of issuing the decision on price stabilization;

- Control the registered prices, in accordance with Item 4 of Article 17 of the Law on Price, for dairy products for children under six years old within six months since the date of issuing the decision on price stabilization.

The Ministry of Finance is responsible for cooperating with the Ministries of Justice, Industry and Trade and other relevant ministries, agencies and localities in organizing the implementation of the above measures.

The Viet Nam Fatherland Front, its members, and press agencies are asked to join hands in stabilizing dairy product prices in the future.

3. Regarding the real estate and housing market, revision of some contents of the Resolution No. 02/NQ-CP dated on January 7, 2013 on solutions to remove difficulties against production and business, support the market and deal with non-performing loans.

The Ministry of Construction takes prime responsibility and cooperates with relevant ministries and agencies to receive comments from the Government members, report to the Central Steering Committee on Housing Policies and Real Estate Market, adjust and propose credit measures and tackle obstacles against the real estate market, report thereof to the Prime Minister for consideration and approval.

4. Regarding the proposed Law on Digital Information Safety.

The Ministry of Information and Communications takes prime responsibility and cooperates with the Ministry of Justice, the Office of Government and other related agencies to receive comments from the Government members, then finalize the Bill, report thereof to the Prime Minister before submitting to the National Assembly.

5. Regarding amendments to Item 2 of Article 13, the Law on Vietnamese Nationality.

The Ministry of Justice takes prime responsibility and cooperates with the Ministries of Public Security, Foreign Affairs, the Office of Government and other relevant agencies to receive comments from other Government members, finalize the amendments to Item 2 of Article 13, the Law on Vietnamese Nationality. The Minister of Justice, authorized by the Prime Minister and on behalf of the Government, submits this Bill to the National Assembly. Item 2 may be amended as one of the following directions:

- Extending the deadline for overseas Vietnamese to register to retain their Vietnamese nationality for five years more (before July 1, 2019).

- Deadline to register to retain Vietnamese nationality will be removed.

6. The Government’s draft Report on the implementation of the 2013 Constitution.

The Government and ministries, agencies and localities have made efforts in implementing all the tasks of the Constitution in a professional and comprehensive manner. The dissemination and training of the contents and meaning of the Constitution have been launched at all levels, gaining a number of positive achievements, including the improvements in the public awareness of the Constitution and in the review of laws and ordinances.

However, there remain obstacles: Authorities at all levels and agencies have not paid due attention to directing and organizing the implementation of the tasks; the review of laws and ordinances by ministries and ministerial-level agencies has been slowly carried out compared to the progress required; confusion and obstacles remain in handing over tasks and rights among agencies and in implementing new tasks and rights as regulated by the Constitution; the progress of developing some proposed laws and ordinances to implement the Constitution was slow.

The Government agreed with the Ministry of Justice’s future task proposals. The Ministry of Justice takes prime responsibility and cooperates with the Office of Government and other relevant agencies to receive comments from the Cabinet members, complete the Report thereof and submit it to the National Assembly on behalf of the Government and the Prime Minister.

Based on the assigned functions and tasks, ministries and agencies promptly realize tasks figured out in the Decision No. 251/QD-TTg dated on February 13, 2014 of the Prime Minister promulgating the Government’s Plan to realize the new Constitution.

7. Regarding the implementation of laws, ordinances and promulgation of documents on detailed implementation of the laws and ordinances passed by the National Assembly and the National Assembly Standing Committee.

The Government agreed with the draft report prepared by the Ministry of Justice. Over the past time, ministries and ministerial-level agencies have developed and submitted to the Government and the Prime Minister for promulgation of, or promulgate themselves under their assigned competence, the documents on detailed implementation of the laws and ordinances passed by the National Assembly and the National Assembly Standing Committee, which gained positive changes, especially the quality of documents.

However, the process of promulgating legal documents still remains slow. The Government asks ministers and heads of the ministerial-level agencies to mobilize resources for serious realization of the tasks and solutions enshrined in the Government’s plan to implement the Resolution No. 67/2013/QH13 of the National Assembly.

Ministry of Justice takes prime responsibility and coordinates with the Office of Government to receive comments from the Cabinet members, thereof finalize the draft Report on the issuance of documents on detailed implementation of the laws, ordinances and resolutions passed by the National Assembly, the National Assembly Standing Committee. The Minister of Justice, authorized by the Prime Minister and on behalf of the Government, submits it to the National Assembly./.