NA’s second session: more direct debate, dialogue

While the NA’s year-end sessions tend to focus on socio-economic matters, this session, which opened on October 20, will devote more than 60 percent of its working time to law making. During the session, the NA is hoped to pass four bills on associations; belief and religion; property auction; and revisions to a number of articles of the 2015 Criminal Code, along with a resolution on amending a number of articles of Resolution 55/20210/QH12 on exempting and reducing agricultural land use tax. 

The NA will debate for the first time 12 other draft laws and one resolution, some of which have just been included in the working agenda at the last minutes in order to support enterprises and timely address difficulties for business and production activities. 

The NA Secretary General stressed a new point that the law making process at the session will follow regulations of the 2015 Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents to ensure the quality of draft laws submitted to the legislature. 

Also to ensure quality of laws, full-time NA deputies will meet to discuss bills and specialists will be invited to contribute opinions during the process of bill verification while specialists, he said, adding that contentious draft laws will be given more discussion time during NA debate. 

Apart from law making work, the NA will discuss and make decision on a number of important socio-economic issues, including the State budget estimates and allocation plan for 2017; the economic restructuring plan for 2016-2020; the five-year financial plan; the mid-term public investment plan for 2016-2020; and the goals and orientations for mobilizing loans and public debt management in 2016-2020. 

Other issues on the working agenda are anti-crime and anti-corruption work and the settlement of consequences of environmental incidents along with lessons for environmental protection. 

Phuc underlined that the NA will pay attention to enhancing transparency and democracy of its activities while promoting direct dialogue and debate among deputies and between NA deputies and Government members, in order to clarify matters of concern right at the NA discussion. 

He added that Government members will be required to give immediate explanations on problems raised by NA deputies. In addition, deputies can put up signs to voice their response even when others are speaking, instead of having to wait for their turn as in the past. 

The NA’s second session is scheduled to last 26 working days and close on November 23.