Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc lauded his working group foraccelerating reforms among ministries and administrative agencies during aworking session in Hanoi on January 21 to review its 2018 work and launch 2019tasks.

Thegroup was also hailed for its proposal to cut half of business conditions toimprove the business climate, thus winning public trust, he said.

Heasked the group to work more drastically and straightforwardly with Secretariesand Chairpersons of cities and provinces, Ministers, Deputy Ministers on tasksassigned by the government and the PM.

Furtherattention must be paid to removing obstacles in mechanisms and policies, aswell as decentralisation to ministries, agencies and localities, he said.

Theleader also requested strengthening inspection over policymaking and soonending delay in bill drafting.

Ministerand Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung, who is also head of the workinggroup, said since its establishment nearly three years ago, the group haslaunched 61 inspections in 20 out of 22 ministries and agencies, a governmentagency, 13 localities, 10 economic groups and State corporations. Of them, 27inspections focused on assigned tasks and others were specialised inspections.

Upto 51 out of 60 detailed regulation documents were issued in 2017, reaching 85percent. In 2018, 118 out of 122 documents were issued, equivalent to 96.72percent. Via inspections, the group discovered overlapping in existing legaldocuments and suggested the government and PM direct ministries and agenciesreview and amend them.

Thegroup also found out barriers related to mechanisms and policies that easily resultin red tape, affecting businesses and people.

Ministrieshave so far issued 49 legal documents on specialised inspections and businessconditions, cut 6,776 out of 9,926 lines of goods subject to specialisedinspection as well as simplified and cut over 3,300 out of more than 6,100business conditions, thus saving nearly 6.6 trillion VND (286.9 million USD).

Thegroup also helped strengthen discipline in leadership and directions regardingassigned tasks among ministries, agencies and localities, thus tightening theirclose ties with the Government Office.

Tiesbetween the Government Office and business associations at home and abroad havebeen increasingly open and practical. During 2017-2018, over 14,900 suggestionsby enterprises and residents were acquired, more than 2,400 of them wereanswered by ministries, agencies and localities and over 2,000 ones werepublicised.

Headof the Government Office’s Administrative Procedure Reform Unit Ngo Hai Phan saidthe group needs to crack down on petty corruption and use modern technology forinspection in 2019.-VNA