Minister of Industry and Trade Trần Tuấn Anh talks at the National Assembly's question and answer session on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — National Assembly (NA) deputies on Thursday continued questioning Minister of Industry and Trade Trần Tuấn Anh and Minister of Home Affairs Lê Vĩnh Tân on issues under their management.
In response to a question raised by deputy Lưu Bình Nhưỡng of Bến Tre Province on slow progress of a number of projects, including the Long Phú 1 thermal power plant and Bạc Liêu wind power project, Minister Anh said 75 per cent of the Long Phú 1 power project has been completed.

However, Power Machines, the Russian contractor, is on the list of companies embargoed by the US government, so it is impossible to continue project implementation. Currently, the investor and general contractor have not reached an agreement and the contractor is submitting a lawsuit to an international court.

Anh said he would coordinate with the investor to accelerate the implementation under the direction of the Government.

The Long Phú 1 thermal power project is invested by Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PVN), with a total capital of over VNĐ29.5 trillion (US$1.2 billion). The first unit was expected to be completed by October 30, 2018, and the second by February 29, 2019.

Regarding Bạc Liêu Wind Power Project, the minister said he had received a report from local authorities and had submitted it to the Government.

Commenting on the risk of electricity shortages, which is a concern for many deputies, Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng said despite efforts of the electricity industry, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and Vietnam Electricity to meet demand, the development of the electricity system faced huge challenges.

“If we do not adopt an effective and drastic solution to solve the problem, the risk of electricity shortage is high in the coming years,” he said.

Dũng emphasised the need to revise the power development plan due to changes in electricity structure.

The Deputy PM said the Government would take measures to ensure there will be enough electricity for domestic consumption and production.

Priority would be given to removing obstacles for key projects including Thái Bình 2 thermal power project and accelerate the progress of other projects like Quảng Trạch, Nhơn Trạch Thermal Power projects, he said.

Thanh Hóa Province deputy Mai Sỹ Diên raised his concern that enterprises from countries which are being punished by the United States and the European Union might take advantage of Việt Nam's export policies. This might lead to the possibility that Việt Nam would be investigated and face anti-dumping measures, causing damage to genuine Vietnamese businesses.

Anh said there is a list of 25 items that are at risk of commercial fraud under the trade remedy mechanism.

According to Anh, it is necessary to have coordination between the Ministry of Planning and Investment and relevant agencies to instruct localities in preventing trade fraud from monitoring illegal investment.

The minister admitted that there has been a phenomenon of purchasing foreign goods and then assembled or adhered with Vietnamese labels for consumption in the domestic market.

"It is an act of infringing upon the interest of consumers and violated the Law on Measurement and Quality and the Consumer Protection Law," he said.

Anh agreed with deputies’ opinions on the need for a legal basis to regulate acts related to the abuse of fraudulent consumption in the Vietnamese market. He also said the MoIT was drafting a circular on the same target.

Employment issues

Streamlining the State apparatus, appointment and rearrangement of public employees after merging district and commune-level administrative units were among topics raised by deputies during the question and answer session to Lê Vĩnh Tân, Minister of Home Affairs.

Deputy Nguyễn Thanh Hải from the province of Tiền Giang asked about the balance between the streamlining of staff with the requirement of teachers and health workers.

The minister said teachers and health workers accounted for 80 per cent of total staff in State apparatus. But many localities reported that there were not enough teachers and medical staff.

The Ministry of Home Affairs was working with the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Health to verify the situation and address the problem.

Answering a question about how to deal with officials who are accused of petty corruption from Nghệ An Province deputy Nguyễn Hữu Cầu, Tân said: “A small hole can easily wreck a boat. Petty corruption is very dangerous and directly affects people and businesses.”

The Prime Minister has assigned him to take the lead in the inspections so strict punishment would be imposed on violators.

Minister of Home Affairs Lê Vĩnh Tân speaks at NA's Q&A session on Thursday. VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

Hà Thị Lan, a deputy from Bắc Giang Province, questioned the minister on the fact that although a project on the development of cadres and officials who are ethnic minority people had been approved four years ago, no circular guiding its implementation has been issued.

Tân admitted the fault and said he would submit a letter to the Prime Minister bearing responsibility on the issue next month.

Power transmission

Talking to Vietnam News Agency reporters on the sidelines of Q&A session on Thursday, NA deputies said Minister of Industry and Trade Trần Tuấn Anh answered the questions straight to the point, especially questions about solutions to upgrade power transmission lines and renewable energy development.

However, he didn't satisfy every deputy.

Deputy Dương Minh Tuấn from Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province asked the minister about measures to manage strong development of e-commerce. He hoped the minister would give consultations to the Prime Minister to complete legal framework in this sector.

For issues which have not been solved to deputies’ satisfaction, he hoped the minister would clarify them later via written documents.

NA deputy Huỳnh Thanh Cảnh from Bình Thuận Province said he expected Minister Tuấn Anh would realise his commitments that he pledged ahead of the NA to address shortcomings in the sector.

Phan Quang Thựu, constituent of Phan Rang-Tháp Chàm City, Ninh Thuận Province, praised Minister of Internal Affairs Lê Vĩnh Tân for admitting his faults for not consulting the Government on several issues, including a resolution issued more than 20 years ago related to recruitment of civil servants and cadres which is no longer relevant today.

Constituents were also concerned over the streamlining of the State apparatus and rearrangement of public officials after merging district and commune-level administrative units.

They wanted the recruitment and rearrangement of public officials to be conducted in a transparent manner.

The constituents said they hoped the Ministry of Home Affairs would issue documents to instruct localities to follow the process. — VNS