PM Phạm Minh Chính chairs a meeting of the Government’s Steering Committee on Administrative Reform on Wednesday. – VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI – At the Government’s Steering Committee on Administrative Reform meeting, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said more than 4,000 procedures have been integrated into the national public service portal.

Minister of Internal Affairs Phạm Thị Thanh Trà said in the first nine months of the year, administrative reform has made progress, especially in building institutions, policies and laws, administrative procedure reform, arranging and streamlining apparatus, as well as digital transformation.

Since early 2021, more than 1,700 administrative procedures related to the business sector have been removed. In addition, the Minister has approved removing or simplifying 1,107 regulations at ministries and agencies.

So far, there have been 60 province-level public administration service centres. In addition, all ministries and localities have applied information technology in receiving and handling administrative procedures.

The rating on handling administrative procedures has improved, with 97.37 per cent of documents handled on time, said the internal affairs minister.

As of September 26, about 54 per cent of administrative procedures have reached level 4 online - the highest level allowing users to fill in and send application forms to the ward people’s committees entirely online. The forms are then processed online, and users can pay the fees online.

Regarding building e-Government, personal identification numbers have been granted to nearly 100 million people with information integrated into the national population database.

More than 73 million ID cards with electronic chips have been issued to citizens.

Chairing the meeting, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính ordered the Steering Committee on Administrative Reform to cut administrative costs and tighten administrative discipline to serve people and enterprises.

He said that ministries and localities must regard administrative reform as a key factor that must be implemented at all levels.

Administrative reform is the investment in development. Chính said that people and businesses are the centres, driving force and the goal of administrative reform.

Administrative reform is heavy work affecting people and organisations but is vital for development. He said that administrative reform must be implemented with high determination and focus, mobilising all available forces.

He asked leaders of ministries and localities to accelerate administrative reform and remove or simplify business regulations.

He ordered the completion of three integration systems in November or by the first quarter of next year at the latest. They are the national public service portal, the electronic one-stop information system at ministerial, provincial and city levels and the centralised information system for handling administrative procedures of ministries and provinces.

In October, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, and Governmental agencies must finish re-organising the internal apparatus and pilot transferring the administration of some public services to businesses and social organisations.

Future plan

According to Minister of Internal Affairs Phạm Thị Thanh Trà, the Government plans to remove 17 general departments and other organisations with similar levels to general departments.

About 145 departments under general departments and ministries and 22 public units will also be reduced.

The Politburo has approved streamlining the apparatus of civil servants and public employees. Five per cent of civil servants and 10 per cent of public employees receiving salaries from the State budget will be streamlined.

About 65,900 teachers will be added to education staff payrolls for the 2022-26 period. VNS