The Government’s regular meeting – September 2014
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GOVERNMENT --------------- No. 74 / NQ - CP |
SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM Independence - Freedom - Happiness -------------------- Ha Noi, October 4, 2014 |
RESOLUTION
The Government’s regular meeting – September 2014
GOVERNMENT
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 members and the conclusion of the Prime Minister at the Government’s regular meeting held on September 29-30, 2014,
RESOLVES:
1. Regarding socio-economic performance in September and the first nine months of 2014; the implementation of the Government’s Resolution No. 01/NQ-CP, dated January 2, 2014 on key tasks and solutions guiding the realization of the socio-economic development plan and State budget estimate in 2014.
The Government unanimously agreed that: Thanks to the joint endeavor of the whole political system, the business community and people, the socio-economic situation in September and the first nine months of 2014 continued to progress positively and numerous achievements were achieved in all fields and sectors. The macro-economy was more stable and inflation was put under control. Interest and exchange rates and foreign exchange market were stabilized. State budget revenue was high than the same period last year. GDP growth in the third quarter was stronger than the two previous quarters, estimated at 5.62% in the first nine months and higher compared to the same period of the two previous years. Industrial production, especially manufacturing and processing industries, grew stronger in comparison with the same period last year. Agricultural production was stable. Service sector expanded fairly. Export maintained a strong momentum with persistent trade surplus. The disbursement of State budget, Government bonds, ODA capital and preferential loans was fairly. The reform of education and training, science, technology, protection of natural resources and environment were paid due attention. A series of social security and social welfare policies were well-implemented. The administrative procedure reform was promoted. The settlement of complaints and denunciations was renovated. National defense, political security, and social order and safety were maintained. Transport safety was strengthened. Diplomatic activities reaped fruits.
However, some emerging difficulties and challenges included slowly- recovered aggregate demand, sluggish business and production, slow settlement of non-performing loans (NPLs), shortage of corresponding capital, rising public debts, low labor productivity and competitiveness, a proportion of population, especially poor households and ethnic minorities, still finding it difficult to get jobs and improve their living standards, complicated and unexpected natural disasters and epidemics, which all caused adverse effects on people’s life.
To successfully realize the 2014 socio-economic development plan, for the rest of the year, the Government asked ministries, agencies and localities to drastically implement tasks and solutions figured out in Resolution 01/NQ-CP dated January 2, 2014 and in other Resolutions adopted so far this year at the Government regular meetings; proactively and fruitfully deploy a string of measures to extricate businesses from difficulties; create a favorable business environment, especially measures stipulated in Resolution 19/NQ-CP dated March 18, 2014 on major tasks and solutions to improve business environment and national competitiveness, Resolution 63/NQ-CP dated August 25, 2014 on tax solutions to remove difficulties faced by businesses; seriously implement measures to strengthen management of budget collection and spending in accordance with Prime Minister’s Circular 25/CT-TTg, dated August 18, 2014, focusing on the following:
- Ministries, agencies and localities shall tap their potentials to establish mechanisms and policies to lure both domestic and foreign investment; speed up disbursement progress of investment capital; continue comprehensive realization of the Master plan for economic restructuring and sectoral restructuring plans, particularly State-owned enterprises (SOEs), public debts, and credit organizations.
- The State Bank of Viet Nam shall regulate the monetary policies in an appropriate manner; ensure credit growth and credit quality as planned in order to promote production and business and increase aggregate demand; accelerate the restructuring progress of credit organizations; effectively handle NPLs; consider extending loan terms, grace periods, and deadlines of principal and interest payment for transport infrastructure projects; mull over the rescheduling of terms of export credit loans for catfish exporters who suffered from losses in 2014.
- The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall guard to mitigate adjustments and changes to investment projects during implementation projects in order to avoid wastefulness and prolonged implementation; monitor and evaluate the efficiency of programs and projects using ODA and preferential loans; beef up FDI attraction, especially large-scale high-tech and environmentally-friendly projects; supervise and speed up ministries, agencies and localities to promptly design the 2015 socio-economic development plan and State budget estimate.
- The Ministry of Finance shall coordinate with other ministries and agencies to fruitfully realize financial and state budget tasks for the rest of the year; direct localities to strengthen inspection work to expose and strictly and timely deal with infringements like trade frauds, tax evasion, transfer pricing; strive for budget revenue higher than earlier forecast; tighten budget spending in an economical and effective way; thoroughly review public debts in order to make an overall report which analyzes the efficiency, shortcomings and limitations as well as management measures for the coming time. The report will be brought into discussion at a conference on implementation of the 2015 socio-economic development plan and State budget estimate; coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and relevant agencies to launch negotiations on tariff on aquatic products with the Russian side; collaborate with other relevant ministries to review and amend regulations in order to cut time required for processing customs procedures.
- The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall step up trade promotion activities to seek and expand export markets and diversify partners; coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant ministries and agencies to prepare plans to handle obstacles for early conclusion of talks on free trade agreements (FTAs) with the European Union and the Republic of Korea by this year’s end; accelerate talks and conclusion of other FTAs to expand export markets for Viet Nam’s key products like garments and textiles, footwear, aquaculture, farm produce, thus contributing to facilitating domestic production and job generation; coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to canvass other countries for opening door for Vietnamese fruit exports; exploit the domestic market; diffuse the “Buy Viet Nam” campaign; cooperate with related ministries and agencies to develop a joint circular to streamline procedures for businesses to access to electricity.
- The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall proactively realize the agricultural restructuring Project in combination with scientific and technological development; speed up the implementation of the national target program on building new rural areas, especially through mobilizing resources for rural infrastructure development and luring businesses’ investment into rural areas; assess the implementation of Decree 210/2013/ND-CP dated December 19, 2013 on incentive policies for enterprises investing in agriculture and rural areas; accelerate the implementation of Decision 68/2013/QD-TTg, dated November 14, 2013 on support policy for limiting damages in agriculture; draft a Government’s Decree on agricultural cooperatives; develop polices for rice varieties research for effective cultivation in each region, area, and soil; work with the Ministry of Finance to establish policies to encourage enterprises to produce high-quality rice varieties; promptly submit a draft decree on policies to support ethnic minorities and protect forests to the Government for discussion at its monthly meeting in October.
- The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs shall continue to effectively implement the policies on social security and welfare; take prime responsibility and cooperate with ministries, agencies and localities to mull over and design support policies on vocational training for rural laborers in accordance with actual demands of enterprises.
- The Ministry of Health shall speed up the implementation of the project to reduce patient overload at hospitals; strengthen monitoring and inspection of the implementation of healthcare insurance policies; improve quality of preventive health services; prevent human diseases; fruitfully carry out the national tuberculosis control program; quickly design projects for vaccine production and high-tech lung center; develop a draft Instruction on AIDS, drug and prostitution prevention and control and submit it to the Prime Minister in October, 2014.
- The Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security shall keep close watch on, timely detect and prevent acts of hostile and reactionary forces; firmly safeguard sovereignty, ensure political security and social order and safety, especially in key and border areas and waters; drastically combat and crack down on crime especially drug crime; strengthen patrols to ensure transport safety.
- The Ministry of Information and Communications shall instruct press agencies to intensify information dissemination of the orientations and policies of the Party, the State and instructions of the Government and the Prime Minister; prevent unorthodox and distorted information. Ministries and agencies shall proactively provide adequate information on issues of public concerns for mass media to generate social consensus.
- Ministries and agencies shall prepare reports, projects and draft laws scheduled to be presented at the 8th session of the 13th National Assembly; well prepare for Q&A sessions; provide answers to NA deputies and voters’ petitions via mass media to build social consensus.
2. Regarding the implementation of Resolution 19/NQ-CP, dated March 18, 2014 on major tasks and solutions to improve business environment and national competitiveness and Prime Minister’s Circular 11/CT-TTg, dated May 21, 2014 on solving difficulties and recommendations of enterprises and promoting their production and business development
Initial and noteworthy achievements have been made by several ministries and localities in the implementation of the two aforesaid documents, especially in removing administrative barriers that deter citizens and businesses. However, other ministries, agencies and localities slowly deployed the documents, not resolved enough to boost reform, thus hindering business activities and holding back national competitiveness.
The Government required ministries, agencies and municipal and provincial People’s Committees to promptly introduce action plans to implement Resolution 19 for effective realization; accelerate the reform of administrative procedures ; cut administrative costs and ensure openness and transparency; do their utmost to fulfill preset norms by the year’s end on time of tax payment, times of tax payment, number of enterprises joining e-tax registration, times and amount of hours for collecting and paying obliged insurance, time of customs clearance for exports and imports, time of investment registration and construction license granting, land management, business establishment, re-organization and dissolution, and business electricity access and so on.
The National Council for Sustainable Development and Competitiveness Improvement shall instruct the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Science and Technology to study, analyze, and evaluate Viet Nam’s labor productivity and publish relevant information in accordance with international practices and domestic circumstances; and propose measures to raise national labor productivity.
The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall take prime responsibility and coordinate with the Office of the Government to strengthen monitoring of and speed up the implementation of Resolution 19/NQ-CP and report the outcomes to the Government at its monthly meeting in December this year. The outcomes will provide the basis for evaluating the performance of of every ministry, agency and locality in 2014.
Based on their functions and tasks, relevant ministries and agencies shall consider and handle recommendations of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
3. Regarding administrative reform in the third quarter of 2014; inspection, settlement of complaints and denunciation, and anti-corruption in the third quarter; drafting and submission of Government’s draft laws and ordinances in the third quarter and tasks in the fourth quarter of 2014; the promulgation of documents guilding the implementation of laws and ordinances in the third quarter; the realization of Government’s monthly resolutions and the working program in the third quarter of 2014.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, the Government Inspectorate, the Ministry of Justice, and the Office of the Government shall take prime responsibility and work with relevant ministries and agencies to collect comments of the Cabinet members and thereby finalize reports in accordance with their assigned functions and tasks; focus on fulfilling tasks, projects, and draft documents for the rest of the year.
4. Regarding the restructuring of SOEs in the first nine months of 2014 and tasks for the rest of the year and 2015.
Positive changes have been made in re-arranging, equitizing, restructuring SOEs and capital divestment [from non-core business lines]. However, some ministries and agencies were slow to establish steering committees, define corporate values, ratify equitization plans, and review and enlist enterprises subjected to equitization and capital divestment.
To speed up the progress of SOEs equitization and capital divestment, the Government asked Ministers and ministerial-level leaders, Chairmen of municipal and provincial People’s Committees to redouble efforts to finalize the Plan on SOEs restructuring; highten all levels, agencies and SOEs’ awareness of the plans and roadmap on equitization and capital divestment for the rest of 2014 and 2015. SOEs leaders shall be strictly punished if they fail to accomplish the assigned tasks on restructuring, equitization, and capital divestment. Mechanisms and policies on SOEs re-arrangement and reform shall be finalized quickly. The list of enterprises subjected to post-2015 equitzation, capital divestment and re-arrangement, including agro-forestry companies, shall be reviewed, supplemented and reported to the Prime Minister for approval in the fourth quarter of 2014.
5. Regarding the implementation of Government’s Decree 136/2013/ND-CP dated October 21, 2013 stipulating support policies for social protection beneficiaries.
The Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs shall take prime responsibility and cooperate with the Ministry of Finance to review and provide social allowances in accordance with Decree 136/2013/ND-CP for beneficiaries including poor households, orphans, abandoned children without financial support, and people living in social protection centers since January 1, 2015 on the basis of next year’s State budget balance. The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs is responsible for providing detailed guidance for those subjects. Other social protection subjects shall still be granted allowances in accordance with decrees issued before introduction of Decree 136/2013/ND-CP.
6. Regarding the report on the implementation of National Assembly’s Resolution 67/2013/QH13, dated November 29, 2013 on enhancing the enforcement of laws, ordinances and resolutions of the National Assembly and the National Assembly Standing Committee and promulgation of guilding documents.
The Ministry of Justice shall take prime responsibility and work with the Office of the Government and relavent agencies to collect comments of Government’s members and thereby finalize a draft report on the implementation of Resolution 67/2013/QH13. The Minister of Justice, authorized by the Prime Minister and on behalf of the Government, shall present the report to the National Assembly.
7. Regarding the measures to accelerate the reform of drug detoxification and expand the methadone treatment program.
The Government requests ministries, agencies and localities to fruitfully realize the Scheme for innovation in drug rehabilitation in Viet Nam towards 2020 in line with Decision 2596/QD-TTg, dated December 27, 2013 and fulfill the preset goal on methadone treatment coverage for drug addicts in line with Decision 1008/QD-TTg, dated June 20, 2014; strengthen community-based drug rehabilitation; promptly gather drug addicts to compulsory drug habilitation centers in accordance with legal provisions.
Provincial and municipal People’s Committees shall finalize the drafting and ratification of plans and roadmaps for drug detoxification reform before December 31, 2014, then report to the Prime Minister and the National Committee for AIDS, Drug and Prostitution Prevention and Control; expand the coverage of the methadone treatment program to meet the preset goal for 2014 and 2015, integrate methadone treatment services into the existing treatment establishments and strengthen social involvement in methadone treatment activities.
The Government agreed to add outsourced labor costs (under labor contracts) to methadone treatment expenditures since 2015.
The Ministry of Health shall ensure methadone supply. The Ministry of Finance shall allocate adequate budget for methadone purchase to implement the Program; mull over and issue policies which support organizations and individuals to establish voluntary drug rehabilitation establishments; and to back poor addicts who voluntarily accept detoxification.
8. Regarding the investment report on construction of Long Thanh International Airport.
The Ministry of Transport shall collect comments of the Cabinet members, the State Assessement Council to finalize the Investment Report on the construction of Long Thanh International Airport, which clearly defines the necessity, investment stages, capital sources, capital mobilization plans for the project as well as its socio-economic efficiency. The Minister of Transport, authorized by the Prime Minister and on behalf of the Government, shall present the Report to the National Assembly for investment decision of the first phase.
9. Regarding the competence to decide the allocation of 20% land fund of commercial housing and urban development projects which use land reserved for national defense purposes, for building social houses.
The Government agreed to empower the Prime Minister to consider every case and decide the allocation./.
ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT
PRIME MINISTER
(Signed)
Nguyen Tan Dung
