Administrative Reform for Higher National Competitiveness

Inimplementing Resolution 30c/NQ-CP of the Government dated November 8, 2011 on State administration reform programme in the 2011-2020 period, the Minister of Home Affairs issued Decision 1294/QD-BNV dated December 3, 2012 to approve the scheme on PAR Index of ministries, ministerial-level agencies (collectively called ministries), People's Committees of centrally run provinces and cities (collectively called provinces). PAR Index was released in 2012 and 2013.

 

PAR Index helps accurately and objectively assess and quantify annual PAR results at provinces and ministries, assess their strengths and weaknesses in administrative reform and compare among ministries and provinces.

 

After two years of implementation, PAR Index results objectively and accurately reflect annual administrative reform results. The results initially showed positive changes when PAR Index was applied, particularly enhancing the governance and administration of the heads of administrative bodies in administrative reform, from building annual public administration reform plans to arranging resources for administrative reform, strengthening supervision, inspection, monitoring, review and evaluation of PAR.

 

From the success of PAR Index applied to provincial and ministerial levels, 46 provinces and one ministry have so far issued PAR Index to assess and rank administrative reform of their subordinates. Hopefully, with the right and practical approach, the PAR Index will gradually become a practical and significant tool to gauge administrative reform in ministries and provinces. Currently, the Ministry of Home Affairs is working with ministries and provinces to study and perfect PAR Index assessment contents and methods to ensure the sustainability and longevity of this tool in the process of implementing administrative reforms.

 

 

The government has given priority to the reform of administrative procedures to facilitate citizens, organisations and businesses, improve the business environment, enhance competitiveness, and attract investment capital. While accelerating administrative procedure reform, civil service reform and personnel reform are defined as key reform tasks in an effort to build up a force of capable, qualified civil servants to serve the people and national development. Accordingly, the legal document system concerning civil service reform and public personnel reform, and many innovative solutions have been implemented with positive achievements.

 

However, administrative procedures at some agencies and branches remain cumbersome, complex and annoying to residents and businesses. This phenomenon is not only caused by personnel in charge, but also by procedures themselves.

 

Based on Circular 05/2014/TT-BTP of the Ministry of Justice dated February 7, 2014 on instructions for disclosure and listing of administrative procedures and report on administrative procedure control results and situations, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued Decision 677/QD-BNV dated July 2, 2014 on Regulation on implementation of tasks of controlling administrative procedures, receiving and settling feedbacks from individuals and organisations on administrative provisions under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs. This Regulation inherited two regulations stipulated in Decision 1644QD-BNV dated September 9, 2011 of the Ministry of Home Affairs, that is, Regulation on disclosure and publicity of administrative procedures of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Regulation on settlement of feedbacks and recommendations of individuals and organisations on administrative regulations of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

 

This Regulation, consisting of four chapters and 23 articles, is practically significant to the control of administrative procedures at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Ensuring coordination mechanisms among ministry-affiliated units in controlling administrative procedures;

 

Clarifying requirements of ministry-subordinated units when drafting legal regulations on impact assessment and compliance cost estimation.

 

Clarifying consultation procedures for drafting legal documents and assessing draft legal documents of the Legal Department.

 

Clarifying responsibilities of announcing and publicising administrative procedures of ministry-affiliated and Legal Department-affiliated units after legal documents with administrative procedures are issued.

 

Clarifying processes and responsibilities of receiving and settling feedback and recommendations from individuals and organisations on administrative regulations at ministry-affiliated and Legal Department-affiliated units.

 

To create conditions for businesses, especially foreign investors, we should focus on a number of measures in the future as follows.

 

- Applying a single legal document in place of many other legal documents in one agency; building and completing procedures to compile and issue legal documents of ministries; ensuring coherence in administrative procedure control and legal document drafting, assessment and examination;

 

- Continuing to enforce and complete plans for simplification of administrative procedures in 25 governmental resolutions. Ministries, branches and localities continue to review and simplify administrative procedures within the scope of authority and responsibility. We need to enhance the inspection in administrative procedure control; seriously deploy single-window mechanisms to the district level; speed up information technology application and expand the provision of online public services.

 

- Continuing to speed up administrative reform in focus areas like taxation, customs, investment, business, land and construction with the aim of reducing costs and shortening time in handling administrative procedures, fighting against corruption and bad conduct of civil servants in administrative procedures.

 

- Effectively supervising, inspecting and implementing the scheme on accelerated reform of public service and personnel reform with the two primary pillars: Position and title; enhancing the quality of civil servants by renovating and raising the quality of recruitment and employment; renovating governance; building workplace culture and tightening discipline.