Minister of Public Security Lương Tam Quang presents reports on the draft amended laws. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI Minister of Public Security Lương Tam Quang presented two draft amended laws at the second session of the 16th National Assembly (NA) on Monday morning that would further decentralise procedures under weapons- and firefighting-related legislation.

The two amended laws are the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives and Supporting Tools, and the Law on Fire Prevention, Firefighting, Rescue and Salvage.

Quang said that the draft amended laws are based on the Party’s policies, the NA’s and the Government’s directions on decentralisation and delegation of authority, simplifying administrative procedures, creating an open and transparent investment and business environment and reducing compliance costs for citizens and businesses.

The implementation of the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives and Supporting Tools and the Law on Fire Prevention, Firefighting, Rescue and Salvage shows that certain provisions need to be reviewed and amended to meet the requirements of administrative reform, digital transformation and innovation, the minister said.

Further decentralisation is needed for procedures that fall under the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives and Supporting Tools, according to Quang. These include decentralising the authority to recover weapons, military explosives and supporting tools, and to revoke licences, certificates and permits for the management and use of weapons, explosives, explosive precursors and supporting tools. The draft also abolishes the procedures for issuing, re-issuing and revoking business licences for supporting tools.

The minister said the changes will reduce the time and cost of compliance while still ensuring State management requirements for security and public order.

As for the Law on Fire Prevention, Firefighting, Rescue and Salvage, carrying out both the design appraisal and acceptance inspection procedures for fire prevention and firefighting adds to compliance time and costs for citizens and businesses.

The procedure for licensing fire prevention and firefighting equipment and fire-resistant or fire-retardant materials and components before they are placed on the market is essentially product quality control. It thus needs to be adjusted to align with the Law on Product and Goods Quality, according to the minister.

The draft laws do not amend or supplement provisions on the scope of regulation or the entities covered.

Verification report

Presenting the summary verification report on the draft amended laws, Lieutenant General Lê Tấn Tới, chairman of the NA’s Committee on National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs, said that the committee agreed on the need to enact the laws as stated in the Government’s proposal.

The draft laws’ contents are broadly consistent with the provisions of the 2013 Constitution, largely ensure consistency and uniformity with the current legal system, and ensure compatibility with relevant international treaties to which Việt Nam is a party.

The committee agreed with amending certain articles of the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives and Supporting Tools. It proposed reviewing the amendments to ensure consistency when removing the provisions on revocation and abolishing business licences for supporting tools.

It also proposed clearly defining the conditions and responsibilities of organisations and enterprises, as well as the mechanisms for inspection and handling of violations when the procedure for licensing those businesses is abolished.

At the same time, transitional provisions should be added for licences previously granted.

Regarding the Law on Fire Prevention, Firefighting, Rescue and Salvage, the committee agreed with amending and supplementing certain articles of the law. It proposed clearly stipulating the legal responsibilities of investors, owners, heads of establishments, households and vehicle owners to comply with the original fire prevention and firefighting design, as well as maintain safety conditions under technical standards and regulations.

It also proposed completing the legal framework for the transition from pre-inspection to post-inspection to ensure feasibility, and carefully reviewing transitional provisions to avoid legal gaps.

Leader’s instruction

“Removing the State agency’s acceptance inspection procedure does not mean removing the responsibility of investors and owners before starting construction or putting vehicles into use. This is a very important point,” Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm emphasised while speaking on the issue.

The top leader noted that even when a fire prevention and firefighting design is properly appraised, it does not guarantee that a project will be built correctly or operated safely.

He thus asked that the responsibilities of investors, consulting units, construction contractors and supervision units in inspecting and certifying fire prevention and firefighting work be clearly defined.

“Falsifying documents or making false certifications for acceptance purposes must be dealt with severely. Such acts can absolutely occur, and if they do, they will leave extremely serious consequences,” Lâm stressed.

He once again emphasised that throughout the process of monitoring, warranty, maintenance, repair, extension and construction, safety must be ensured from the outset, and arbitrariness must not be allowed. VNS