Mai Thị Phương Hoa,deputy chairwoman of the NA's Committee for Judicial Affairs, speaks at the ongoing 8th session of the 15th National Assembly on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The 15th National Assembly (NA) continued the ongoing 8th session on Monday, with deputies expressing concerns over wastefulness in the public sector, while discussing socio-economic development.

During the session, many deputies voiced their agreement with the Government's report on achievements in 2024 and plans for 2025, which highlighted several notable accomplishments.

GDP for 2024 is estimated to reach 6.8-7 per cent, with many targets being met or surpassed. Infrastructure development has been strongly promoted, showing clear breakthroughs.

Regarding limitations, deputies largely agreed with the issues raised in the Government's report and provided additional suggestions and recommendations for efficiency and waste reduction, particularly in public administration.

Deputy Chairwoman of the NA's Committee for Judicial Affairs, Mai Thị Phương Hoa, noted that both the Party and the State have been deeply committed to waste reduction efforts. The Politburo's Directive No27-CT/TW, issued on December 25, 2023, emphasised strengthening the Party’s leadership in promoting thrift and combating waste.

The NA has issued Resolution No 74/2022/QH15 on November 15, 2022 to reinforce policies and legislation for practising careful spending and fighting waste.

Most recently, the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption and Negative Practices has been given new responsibilities for preventing wastefulness.

Additionally, the deputy mentioned that a recent article by Party General Secretary Tô Lâm conveyed a strong message, encouraging public sector officials to reconsider how resources are used and managed.

According to Hoa, there are still some officials who undervalue waste prevention in management activities, not viewing it as a serious social issue.

Some even believe waste is merely about ineffective management and use of State funds and assets. In reality, there is also waste in terms of opportunities and time, which, according to experts, represents the greatest intangible loss for society.

Hoa pointed out that recently, several projects have been specifically identified by the central steering committee as prime examples of waste.

Another reason, as noted by the deputy, is that penalties for wasteful actions have been established, but lack a strong deterrent effect. The Law on Thrift Practice and Waste Prevention outlines personal accountability, the responsibility of leaders and measures for handling violations related to waste, yet these provisions are mainly warning and cautionary in nature.

The Penal Code includes two articles addressing actions that lead to waste. Article 179 covers the crime of negligence causing damage to the assets of State, organisations or businesses and Article 219 covers violations in the management and use of State assets resulting in loss and waste.

In practice, however, these laws are rarely applied to address waste. Instead, offenders are often accused under other offences. While offenders are punished, this approach lacks a strong emphasis on the deterrent and educational aspects of waste prevention.

Expressing concerns over the management, exploitation and conservation of mineral resources, deputy Phạm Văn Hoà from the southern province of Đồng Tháp highlighted that minerals are valuable, non-renewable resources of the country and are gradually depleting. He emphasised the need for efficient management and careful use of these resources.

The deputy mentioned that in certain highland areas, valuable minerals are mixed with materials like soil, rock and coal ash that are left unused and discarded, leading to waste.

He suggested that the Government and relevant ministries develop solutions for repurposing waste materials like soil and rock from mines and coal ash from power plants as regular construction materials.

For materials like sea sand, he recommended thorough research to ensure its use does not harm the environment.

Also during the session, deputies focused their discussions on several key issues such as proposing special mechanisms to support regions affected by storms and floods, finding solutions to improve the quality of education and workforce training, and accelerating the implementation of national target programmes. — VNS