Finance minister Đinh Tiến Dũng presented the draft amended Law on management and use of public assets, which included new regulations on the construction, purchasing and usage of public assets. — VNA/VNS Photo An Đăng

HÀ NỘI – National Assembly deputies stressed the need to clarify responsibilities in the management of public assets when discussing the revised draft law on managing and using State assets yesterday.

Finance minister Đinh Tiến Dũng presented the draft amended Law on management and use of public assets, which included new regulations on the construction, purchasing and usage of public assets.

Deputy Hồ Đức Phớc of Nghệ An province, also State Auditor General, said that the definition of public asset should be expanded to include assets belonging to State reserves and databases. 

“The amended law should create tighter management and usage of public assets and avoid waste, corruption and other violations. It should also help use state assets effectively, contributing to developing the economy” Dũng said.

The amended law proposed allocating the State budget for public housing, public cars and phones for business purposes.

“Budget allocation should be the preferred method when using public assets. Other methods can only be used when the budget can’t be used,” the draft law said.

The draft also mentioned punishments for violations of public asset management, with individuals who cause damage to state assets required to pay compensation. Criminal liability would also be considered.

Deputy Nguyễn Thị Quyết Tâm from HCM City, said the Government had planned to build an administrative centre where representatives of central bodies in the south would be located, but the plan had been mothballed.

“All the representatives want their own headquarters,” Tam said, adding that this desire was problematic.

She also mentioned difficulties in reusing abandoned pubic properties, due to needing the approval of several agencies, citing that in HCM City there are properties that have been abandoned for twenty years.

“We have tried to reuse properties so that we can build schools and hospitals but we haven’t been able to do that. The draft amended law should have stricter mechanisms to facilitate this,” she said

Deputy Nguyễn Sỹ Cương of Ninh Thuận province noted great losses in public assets due to a lack of transparency, adding that there should be stipulations on the effective use of public assets to prevent wastefulness. He lamented the fact that many public assets were left unused. 
The deputy applauded the proposal to seek compensation in cases of loss, and urged clear regulations on the issue, such as which cases call for compensation, levels of compensation and methods of payment. 
Deputy Trương Trọng Nghĩa from HCM City said that there should be clear regulations on which types of properties can be transferred and which can’t. He also said that armed forces now possess many types of properties.

“Once you’re doing business you can’t be categorized as part of national defense and security. The armed forces possess land used to build golf courses and hotels. This must be reconsidered,” Nghia said.

The same day, the Government also submitted to the NA the draft revised law on railway and a bill on the guard force. — VNS