The Government’s regular meeting – November 2012

RESOLUTION

The Government’s regular meeting - November 2012

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The Govermtent on November 29, 2012 convened its regular meeting for November to discuss and decide the following issues:

1. Reports on socio-economic performance in November and in the past eleven months of 2012; the realization of the Resolution No. 01/NQ-CP on solutions for directing the implementation of the socio-economic development plan and State budget estimation for 2012, presented by the Minister of Planning and Investment.

The Government agreed that socio-economic situation in November and eleven months of 2012 showed positive signals. Macro-economy became more stabilized, inflation has been put under control; the consumer price index (CPI) in November increased by 0.47% against the previous month and up by 6.52% against December last year; credit structure has seen positive changes. Foreign currency reserve increased, exchange rate was basically stable, confidence in VND was consolidated, difficulties against production and business have been step by step removed; industrial production index was better, jumping by 4.8% against that of the previous month and by 6.7% against the same period last year, inventory index gradually decreased from 34.9% early March down to 20.9% early November (partly  due to reduction in production); despite impact of natural disasters, agriculture sector continued to develop; export has witnessed a high export momentum with the total turnover in November soaring 18.4% against the same period last year, which ensures the balance between export and import; service sector continued to grow, retail sales of goods and services were on the rise. Due attention has been given to people's healthcare, education and training, culture, sports. Social welfare was further stepped up, some pressing social issues were settled. Administrative reform continued to be sped up, administrative discipline was strengthened; settlement of complaints and denunciations, anti-corruption, thrift practice, anti-wastefulness have been continuously strengthened. National defense and security have been upheld, social order and safety were maintained, traffic accidents dipped in respect of three criteria against the same period last year; external relations and international integration continued to obtain important results.

However, there remain difficulties and challenges to the socio-economic performance: the macro-economy has not really been sustainable. The settlement of non-performing loans has been slowly carried out. Lending rates are still high; credit growth is low. Export growth mainly depends on the foreign direct investment (FDI) sector. Production and business are still facing many difficulties; industrial production is slowly recovering; high inventories seen in some sectors; the rate of business dissolution and suspension is high. Public investment, State-run enterprises, financial market, commercial banks have been slowly restructured. The quality, efficiency, and competitiveness of the economy have not been considerably improved. Living standard is low among some groups of people, especially those who are living in remote areas and ethnic minority regions. Social order and safety are still complicated; information dissemination on socio-economic development and the Government’s performance has not been actively and timely done. While, the world's economic and political situations are complicated, global trade is at low recovery which all may potentially affect our national society and economy.

In order to reach the socio-economic targets set for the year 2012, the Government asks ministries, agencies and localities to keep close watch on the situation, promptly take drastic and effective measures to solve the difficulties, provide support to production and business, accelerate economic growth; consistently realize the goals of curbing inflation, stabilizing macro-economy for the rest of the year and the first months of 2013, focusing on the following tasks:

- The State Bank of Viet Nam continues to regulate the monetary policy in  a flexible manner in line with macro indexes; to urgently make plan for lowering lending rates and maintainng proper credit growth rate in line with the macro-economic situation and inflation curbing target; to design plan for dealing with bad debts, report it to the Prime Minister prior to December 10, 2012; to accelerate the restructuring process of the commercial banks, ensuring the safety of the whole banking system; to prioritize credit for agriculture, especially aquaculture and export.

- The Ministry of Planning and Investment coodinates with ministries, agencies and localities to promptly submit to the Prime Minister the 2013 plan on allocating State-funded investment capital, capital for national target programs, Government bonds before January 10, 2013; review, inspect the procedures, policies applicable to capital construction; take appropriate measures to speed up the implementation and disbursement of the capital sources for capital construction, especially ODA, State budget, Government bonds; take effective solutions for attracting ODA and FDI capital, especially into the fields of high technology and clean technology.

- The Ministry of Finance cooperates with ministries, sectors and localities to strengthen the management of the State budget collection, prevent revenue leakage, deal with outstanding tax debts, fulfill the State budget collection preset for 2012; closely manage spending, minimize unscheduled expenditures, ensure State budget balance; allocate in timely manner the State budget, Government bonds, capital for national target programs for 2013 approved by the National Assembly to investors and beneficiaries.

- The Ministry of Industry and Trade cooperates with ministries, agencies and localities to ensure the balance of goods and services supply and demand, especially essential goods for the (upcoming) Lunar New Year holiday; strengthen market management, stabilize prices in the last months of 2012; keep close eye on firecrackers, imported goods which violate food hygiene and safety requirements, prevent and combat commercial fraud, fake or bad-quality goods; take proper solutions and mechanisms to help the enterprises sell their products; classify inventories for timely solutions; reduce inventories through promotion programs, especially during the Lunar New Year holiday.

- The Ministry of Transport cooperates with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance to actively determine and propose ways to mobilize capital from the Government-guaranteed bonds in order to upgrade and enlarge national highways 1A and 14, report them to the Prime Minister for consideration of allocating corresponding capital from this source right in January 2013 to the two projects.

- The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development cooperates with ministries, agencies and localities to strengthen the measures for accelerating agricultural and aquaculture development, maintaining the current growth pace, providing sufficient food and foodstuff during the Lunar New Year holiday; actively deal with natural disasters, prevent and fight epidemic diseases on plants and animals; closely control the use of plant protection chemicals, prohibited substances in animal husbandry and agricultural, aquaculture processing to ensure food hygiene and safety.

- The Ministry of Construction is responsible for coordinating with the State Bank, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and other ministries, sectors to promptly make plan for supporting the real estate market in line with the actual situation and condition, speed up the sale of real estate inventories; take effective and suitable measures for developing social houses and houses for low-paid workers.

The Government agreed to extend the deadline for implementing the regulation as specified in point b, paragraph 1, article 6 of the Government’s Decree No. 64/2012/NĐ-CP dated September 04, 2012 on granting construction license until 01 July 2013. The chairmen of the People's Committees of the central-governed provinces and cities are required to urgently implement appropriate measures to make sure that the granting of construction licenses in compliance with law.

- The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs coordinates with ministries, agencies and localities to implement in a appropriate, effective manner the mechanisms, policies to the people with meritorious services to the country, and other social welfare beneficiaries; to take care of the poor during the Lunar New Year holiday, make sure that no person to be in shortage of food during the holiday; continue to realize national target programs on sustainable poverty reduction, especially in poor districts, extremely disadvantaged communes, push up vocational training and job generation for labourers in rural areas, the poor, demobilized soldiers, and laborers in the regions where land use purposes are changed.

- The Ministry of Health coordinates with ministries, agencies, localities to enhance people's healthcare, improve the quality of health services, implement the synchronous measures for reducing hospital overload; continue to deploy nationwide health insurance; take practical and effective measures for controlling medicine price; enhance inspection and control over the quality, food hygiene and safety standards, especially during the Lunar New Year holiday.    

- The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism coordinates with ministries, agencies, Ha Noi People's Committee and relevant localities to build an overall scheme for organizing the Asian Games (ASIAD) in 2019; early propose the establishment of the Steering Board, Organizing Board of the 18th ASIAD and report to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision.    

- Relevant ministries and agencies concentrate on finalizing the decree on functions, tasks, structural organization of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, Governmental bodies, then submit the document to the Government for consideration and issuance; urgently strengthen the apparatus of local governments.     

- The Ministry of Home Affairs coordinates with ministries, agencies to direct localities to continue to expand the mechanism of one-stop-shop  (OSS), modern OSS in district-level People's Committees nationwide, making progress in administrative reform.    

- The Government Inspectorate coordinates with ministries, agencies and localities to focus on directing the settlement of prolonged complaints and denunciations; limiting complaints involving many people that influence on social safety and order security; strengthen direct dialogues, absolutely settle the cases at local level; continue to observing the Prime Minister’s Conclusion at the national conference on the complaints and denunciations and anti-corruption.

- The Ministry of Information and Communications coordinates with ministries, agencies and localitiess to promote dissemination of regulations and policies, creating social consensus in overcoming difficulties and challenges, contributing to successfully realizing the preset socio-economic targets. Ministries, agencies and localities need to uphold responsibility for managing and providing timely information, especially on the issues of public concern; continue to well organize the dialogue programs, debates, and the program "People ask, Ministers answer".

- Ministries, agencies, localities quickly review their performance in 2012, focusing on: Institutional development; forecasting capacity; formulation, implementation, management of strategies and planning schemes; administrative disciplines, investigation, inspection and supervision; State administrative apparatus; personnel work; implementation of the principle of democratic centralism. And deploy plans and targets set for 2013.

- Ministries, agencies and localities quickly implement the Resolutions adopted at the 4^th session of the 13^th National Assembly; strictly observe the the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 30/CT-TTg, dated November 26, 2012 on strengthening thrift, combating waste.

2. The Government commented on the fine levels for not transferring vehicle ownership right as stipulated in the Decree No. 71/2012/ND-CP.

The Government agreed: The promulgation of the Decree No. 71/2012/ND-CP followed correct process and procedures for the construction of legal documents; penalties for failing to transfer vehicle ownership right are necessary to protect the legitimate rights and interests of citizens and facilitate the management of road transport vehicles under the provisions of the Law on Road Traffic. However, the Decree was not properly implemented while adequate attention has not been paid to the dissemination of its contents.

The Ministry of Public Security is assigned to coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to issue a circular instructing the implementation of some articles of Decree No. 71/2012/ND-CP and registration, issuance of vehicle plates towards streamlining procedures and conditions for registration, name transfer, ownership right transfer and issuance of vehicle plates, including those traded many times.

Pending the issuance of the Circular, violating the transfer of vehicle ownership right as specified in the Decree No. 71/2012/NĐ-CP shall not be sectioned.

The Ministry of Finance takes prime responsibility to design a plan for reasonably adjusting the fee levels imposed on transferring vehicle ownership right.

3. Regarding the Project on reforming the coordination mechanism in macro-economic management and direction for the period 2012 – 2020; the Overall project on economic restructuring submitted by the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The Cabinet members are assigned to contribute opinions for the above mentioned two Projects and send the comments to the Ministry of Planning and Investment before 10 December 2012. The Ministry of Planning and Investment is responsible for being open to these opinions and finalize the two Projects, then submit them to the Prime Minister for consideration and approval.

4. The Government discussed and gave comments on the Draft Law on Thrift Practice and Anti-wastefulness (Amended) submitted by the Ministry of Finance.

Based the opinions of the Cabinet members, the Ministry of Finance shall assume the prime responsibility to work with relevant ministries and agencies to collect opinions and improve the bill. The Minister of Finance is authorized by the Prime Minister, on behalf of the Government to submit this bill to the National Assembly.

5. The Government discussed and gave comments on the draft Law on amending and supplementing some articles of the Law on Residence submitted by the Ministry of Public Security.

The Ministry of Public Security is assigned to work with  the Ministry of Justice and the Government Office to collect opinions of the Cabinet members, finalize the bill so as to: Facilitate the citizens to exercise the right of residence freedom in accordance with regulations of the Constitution and Law; ensure the legitimate rights and benefits of agencies, organizations, individuals, without affecting other rights and freedom of citizens residing and working in big cities and in line with other legal documents. The Minister of Public Security is authorized by the Prime Minister, on behalf of the Government to submit the bill to the National Assembly./.