Reduce and simplify administrative procedures right from the stage of drafting legal documents.

On December 11, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed and issued Official Dispatch No. 131/CD-TTg on cutting and simplifying administrative procedures (AP), reducing hassles and compliance costs for people and businesses right from the stage of drafting legal documents (LDOs).

The dispatch clearly stated that in recent times, administrative procedure reform has been a key task that the Government and the Prime Minister have resolutely directed ministries, branches and localities to focus on implementing, focusing on reducing and simplifying business regulations, administrative procedures, citizen papers related to population management, internal administrative procedures, decentralizing authority to resolve administrative procedures and innovating the implementation of the one-stop, one-stop mechanism in resolving administrative procedures, especially the pilot implementation of the model of one-level public administrative service centers under the provincial People's Committees in 5 localities.

However, this work still has some shortcomings and limitations, such as the assessment of the impact of regulations on administrative procedures in projects and draft legal documents of some ministries, branches and localities is still formal.

Consultation work for affected subjects has not been effective. Some regulations and administrative procedures are overlapping and contradictory, causing inconvenience to people and businesses.

To overcome the above shortcomings and limitations, promote the reduction and simplification of administrative procedures, reduce inconvenience and compliance costs right from the stage of drafting legal documents, the Prime Minister requested ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, and chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to strictly control and strictly implement the assessment of policy impacts and administrative procedures in projects and draft legal documents; improve the effectiveness of consultation with affected subjects in accordance with the requirements of the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents.

Review and immediately eliminate administrative procedures that are barriers to business production and activities of enterprises and people's lives. At the same time, urgently develop, submit for promulgation or promulgate under the authority to amend legal documents in the form of one document amending many documents to reduce and simplify administrative procedures, business regulations and citizen papers related to population management according to the reduction and simplification plans approved by the Government and the Prime Minister stated in Document No. 6866/VPCP-KSTT dated September 26, 2024 on the implementation of plans to simplify administrative procedures and business regulations related to the amendment and supplementation of laws and Document No. 7575/VPCP-KSTT dated October 16, 2024 on the implementation of plans to simplify administrative procedures and business regulations related to the amendment and supplementation of sub-law documents (Amending and supplementing 186 legal documents to reduce and simplify 971 administrative procedures and business regulations (including 92 decrees and 4 decisions of the Prime Minister). Government, 89 circulars/joint circulars, 1 ministerial decision).

Announce and publicize administrative procedures promptly, fully and accurately on the National Database on Administrative Procedures so that cadres, civil servants, people and businesses know, implement and monitor the implementation; 100% of administrative procedure records of ministries, branches and localities must be received and resolved on the Administrative Procedure Resolution Information System at the ministerial and provincial levels and must be connected and synchronized with the National Public Service Portal so that people and businesses can monitor and evaluate the implementation process; closely coordinate with the Government Office to soon complete the upgrading of the National Database on Administrative Procedures in 2025.

Regularly monitor and track the implementation of regulations and administrative procedures after they are issued; promptly listen to and detect to amend and supplement regulations and administrative procedures that are no longer suitable and hinder socio-economic development.

Periodically, monthly publicize the results of service quality assessment for people and businesses according to Decision No. 766/QD-TTg dated June 23, 2022 of the Prime Minister on the National Public Service Portal, Public Service Portal, Electronic Information Portal of ministries, branches and localities.

The Ministry of Justice, legal organizations under ministries, ministerial-level agencies, and Departments of Justice under People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities, within their assigned functions, tasks, and powers, shall focus on improving the quality of appraisal of regulations on administrative procedures in proposals, projects, and draft legal documents, ensuring that only truly necessary, legal, and feasible administrative procedures are issued with the lowest compliance costs.

The Ministry of Justice - the standing agency of the Steering Committee for reviewing and organizing the implementation of handling difficulties in the legal system, closely coordinates with ministries and agencies to review and propose priority to include in the Law and Ordinance Development Program draft laws to implement plans to reduce and simplify regulations and administrative procedures approved by the Government and the Prime Minister as stated in Document No. 6866/VPCP-KSTT dated September 26, 2024 on implementing plans to simplify administrative procedures and business regulations related to amending and supplementing laws (Amending and supplementing 32 laws to reduce and simplify 221 administrative procedures and business regulations).

The Prime Minister's Task Force on Administrative Procedure Reform assists the Prime Minister in directing and urging ministries, branches and localities to implement this telegram. Promptly direct the removal of difficulties and obstacles of ministries, agencies and localities; in cases beyond authority, report to the Prime Minister for timely direction and removal.

The Prime Minister's Advisory Council on Administrative Procedure Reform plays an advisory role, proposes reform initiatives and proactively grasps and provides detailed and clear information and documents on difficulties and obstacles related to mechanisms, policies and administrative procedures that are barriers to production and business activities of enterprises and people's lives and proposes solutions (if any) to report to the Working Group for timely resolution.

The Government Office shall strengthen and promote the role of reviewing and providing independent opinions on regulations on administrative procedures in proposals, projects, and draft legal documents submitted by ministries, branches, and localities to the Government and the Prime Minister; preside over and coordinate with ministries, branches, and localities to urgently develop and submit to the Government for promulgation the Program on reducing licenses and innovating licensing activities at ministries, branches, and localities for the period 2025-2030, to be completed in the first quarter of 2025; develop and submit to the Prime Minister for promulgation the Plan on key administrative procedure reform in 2025, to be completed in January 2025.

Preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security and ministries, branches and localities to upgrade and develop the National Database on Administrative Procedures and the Information System for receiving and handling feedback and recommendations on the National Public Service Portal in the direction of: enhancing the application of artificial intelligence to support people and businesses in accessing information on administrative procedures, promptly grasp and detect difficulties and problems in mechanisms, policies and administrative procedures that are barriers to production and business activities of enterprises and people's lives, improve policy response capacity; provide interactive electronic forms that automatically fill in information to facilitate people and businesses when implementing administrative procedures; support strict control of administrative procedure regulations in legal documents from the drafting stage; provide online consultation functions for affected subjects; evaluate administrative procedure reform efforts of ministries, branches and localities. To be completed in the fourth quarter of 2025.

The Prime Minister assigned Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh to directly direct the implementation, urge and handle difficulties in the process of implementing this dispatch.

Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government agencies, chairmen of provincial and municipal People's Committees, members of the Working Group, members of the Advisory Council shall disseminate and strictly implement this telegram to each agency, organization, cadre and civil servant under their management; periodically report monthly on the results of implementing this telegram (integrated into the monthly administrative procedure reform report sent to the Government Office for synthesis and reporting to the Government and the Prime Minister).