The National Assembly Standing Committee (NASC) opened its 13th session in Hà Nội yesterday with a debate on the revised law on national defence.— VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức

HÀ NỘI — The National Assembly Standing Committee (NASC) opened its 13th session in Hà Nội yesterday with a debate on the revised law on national defence.

The discussion included the stipulations in the existing law on announcing and abolishing the state of war and curfew, and the use of land assets for national defense.

Authorised by Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc and on behalf of the Minister of Defense, Deputy Minister Phan Văn Giang presented the revised law on national defence.

Giang noted that law had been in effect since January 2006. 

 “After more than 10 years of implementation, important accomplishments have been achieved in national defence.  The law has made a great contribution to the maintenance of national independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and security.

“It also helps boost the fight against crimes, ensure social order and safety and create favorable conditions for cultural and socio economic development,” said Giang.

 However, many new policies of the Party, and new regulations of the 2013 Constitution related to national defence have not been incorporated into the law, according to Giang.

Moreover, Giang added, the implementation of the national defence law 2005 exposed many inadequacies and was found to be incompatible with the requirements and tasks of national defence activities at the current time.

Võ Trọng Việt, Chairman of the National Defence and Security Standing Committee, agreed with Giang that it was necessary to amend the national defence law.

NA Vice Chairman Đỗ Bá Tỵ concluded the discussion by confirming that the NASC basically agreed with the need to promulgate a revised law on national defence with the aim to boost the  implementation of the Constitution 2013 and institutionalise the resolutions of the Party.

The NASC’s seven-day session has a broad and packed agenda ranging from debates on State secret and forest protection laws to discussions of the budget and urban architecture.

NA Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân said in her opening speech that the NASC would discuss the revised laws on forest protection and development, fisheries, public debt management and denunciations during the seven-day session. 

The committee will also scrutinise five bills scheduled to be submitted to the NA for consideration at the upcoming fourth session, including the amended law on national defence, the law on the protection of State secrets, amendments and supplements to the law on Việt Nam’s overseas representative agencies and to the law on judicial records, and the law on public administration. 

The committee is also set to examine the outcome of a pilot project on new uniforms for People’s Courts judges. 
The establishment of the People’s Court and People’s Procuracy of Sầm Sơn City, Thanh Hóa Province, along with the use of the central budget in 2016 and 2017 will also come under discussion. 

The NA Standing Committee is scheduled to supervise the implementation of policies and laws on investing and using BOT transport projects at this session. 

Meanwhile, Minister of Construction Phạm Hồng Hà and officials of relevant ministries and sectors will answer the committee’s questions about the State management of construction planning, urban architecture and infrastructure, and the management and use of urban construction land. — VNS