LookAtVietnam – The National Assembly’s (NA) 5th plenary session to begin on May 20 is expected to pass 12 new laws, NA Office Chairman Tran Dinh Dan said yesterday at the end of the National Assembly Standing Committee’s (NASC) 20th meeting.

NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong.

The laws include: law on public debt management; law on criminal record; law on State compensation; law on urban planning; Penal Code amendments; law on Vietnamese representative offices abroad; amendments to Article 126 of the Housing Law and Article 121 of the Land Law; law on intellectual property rights; amendments to the cinema law; amendments to the cultural heritage law amendments to the law on capital construction investment; and law on cryptography.

The NA will also do preliminary work for laws on medical examination and treatment, radio frequency and telecommunications.

Dan said that in this session, the NA would discuss the following topics: adjusting the GDP growth rate; State budget overspending; additional Government bond issuance for this year; Viet Nam Oil and Gas Group’s investment project in Venezuela; and plan for an innovative financial regime for education and training between 2008 and 2012.

Some NASC members and NA agencies also suggested that the Government submit reports on problems such as capital sources used for recession prevention; discontinuing the reduction of personal income tax; and the planning of bauxite mining in the Tay Nguyen (Central Highland) provinces, Dan said.

Other issues to be reconsidered include the unemployment situation in the first months of the year; recent results of the poverty reduction programmes; and measure for seeking additional investment for the programmes in the near future.

The NA also plans to spend 2.5 days for a question-and-answer session that will allow deputies to hear relevant minister responses.

Yesterday’s NASC meeting concluded with NA chairman Nguyen Phu Trong asking the NA office to co-operate with agencies in completing reports for their timely delivery to NA deputies.

The NASC also discussed the State Auditors proposal to change salary and allowances regulations for State Audit leaders and staff.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News