People submit the administrative procedures at the Department of Natural Resources and Environment in northern Hải Phòng City. — Photo thanhphonghaiphong.gov.vn

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has made strides in administrative reform, shown by the reduction of time spent on processing administrative procedures in the field of environment, officials have said.

Speaking at a conference on administrative reform on Thursday, deputy director of the Việt Nam Environment Administration Nguyễn Hưng Thịnh said in October, the ministry altered several administrative procedures.

Among them, 24 procedures related to environmental projects including certificate adjusting plans and strategies were abolished. Six administrative procedures were issued to enhance the effectiveness of public consultation in the process of appraising environmental impact assessment reports.

A total 22 procedures were amended and replaced to reduce conditions and time for processing documents.

Thịnh said processing time of some procedures have seen significantly reduced compared to previously.

In terms of evaluating environmental impact assessments, the procedure had been shortened to between 15 and 25 days for different kind of projects.

Thịnh said the ministry has promulgated seven procedures in the field of environment, focusing on appraising and approving the reports on environmental impact assessment, checking and certifying the completion of environmental protection works, and licensing scrap imports and hazardous waste releasing licences.

Project owners will be guided to submit administrative procedures through the online public service system and they will be able to monitor the progress of administrative procedures.

Project owners whose administrative procedures lag behind will be apologised to, be given a reason for the delay and the results will be rescheduled.

The ministry targets that 90 per cent of administrative procedures be submitted via the online public service system by 2020. — VNS