Directive 30/CT-TTg on quality of administrative procedure settlement at ministries, sectors and localities

THE PRIME MINISTER

Directive No. 30/CT-TTg dated October 30, 2018 of the Prime Minister on improving the quality of administrative procedure settlement at ministries, sectors and localities^[1]

Over the past time, the Government and Prime Minister have drastically directed ministries, sectors and localities to speed up administrative reform and administrative procedure reform and boost information technology application so as to improve the quality of settlement of administrative procedures serving people and businesses. In furtherance of the Prime Minister’s instructions, ministries, sectors and localities have implemented, and achieved important results in simplifying administrative procedures, abolishing or slashing investment and business conditions, establishing and operating an attentive administration, accelerating the implementation of the single-window mechanism and inter-agency single-window mechanism in settlement of administrative procedures for people and enterprises, and intensifying the online provision of public services. These results have contributed to step by step changing the relationship between the administration system and people; lessening troubles and harassment and ensuring convenience for people when conducting transactions with state administrative agencies.

Along with achievements, there remain several limitations in settlement of administrative procedures for people and enterprises by state agencies at all levels. There still exist administrative procedures which are barriers to efforts to reform administrative procedures and determination to create an open business environment. The application of the single-window mechanism and inter-agency single-window mechanism in settlement of administrative procedures in some localities remains formalistic; people and businesses have to come once and again to state agencies to perform just a single job. The situation of delay and failure to comply with law-prescribed time limits in dossier processing has not yet been remedied; there still lacks coordination among agencies in the settlement of administrative procedures under the inter-agency mechanism, especially those transferred from local to central agencies, leading to delay and failure to comply with the prescribed time limits. The online acceptance of administrative procedures does not bring about high effectiveness, and the number of dossiers settled online at level 3 or level 4 is still modest, thus failing to draw attention of people. The use of public postal services in settlement of administrative procedures, though being assessed as an important solution for creating convenience for people and businesses and cutting unnecessary costs, remains formalistic and, as a result, the number of dossiers received via these services is small.

The reason behind the aforesaid limitations and shortcomings lies in the process of building institutions, as ministries, sectors and localities in charge of drafting documents do not attach sufficient importance to the consultation with related stakeholders on, and the assessment of impacts of, the establishment of administrative procedures and business conditions as well as issuance of lists of goods subject to specialized inspection. Some agencies fail to pay due attention to appraisal and verification of contents of administrative procedures. Regulations on administrative procedures are merely manual instructions, failing to concretize steps of information technology application serving online settlement of procedures. The publicization of administrative procedures and posting of information on administrative procedures at places of procedure settlement and on the national database on administrative procedures are not implemented in a timely manner, thus adversely affecting the performance of such procedures as well as the tracking of procedure settlement status by people and businesses. In some localities, the quality of cadres, public employees and civil servants working at single-window sections does not meet working requirements. Ministries, sectors and localities provide a lot of online public services but tend to run after quantity rather than following a quality-based user-centered approach. There remains a lack of connection and sharing of information and data among databases and information systems of state agencies.

In order to step up administrative reform and improve the quality of settlement of administrative procedures at ministries, sectors and localities, the Prime Minister instructs:

1. Ministries, heads of ministerial-level agencies and government-attached agencies, provincial-level People’s Committee chairpersons, and heads of administrative organizations and public non-business units to personally direct administrative reform, administrative procedure reform, and application of information technology serving the building of e-government and e-administration in their ministries, sectors and localities and concentrate efforts on carrying out the following tasks:

a/ To urgently promulgate plans on implementation of the Government’s Decree No. 61/2018/ND-CP of April 23, 2018, on implementation of the single-window mechanism and inter-agency single-window mechanism in settlement of administrative procedures according to the tasks assigned under the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 985/QD-TTg of August 8, 2018 (below referred to as Decision 985/QD-TTg); to establish, or consolidate the organization and tasks of, single-window sections and direct the arrangement of working offices and equipment for single-window sections at all levels so as to ensure convenience for people and businesses in carrying out administrative procedures; to transfer the tasks of implementing the single-window mechanism and inter-agency single-window mechanism from provincial-level Home Affairs Departments to provincial-level People’s Committees as prescribed in Decree No. 92/2017/ND-CP.

To assign professionally capable cadres, public employees and civil servants at single-window sections to guide, receive, appraise and approve dossiers for people and businesses, striving for the target that all steps of popular administrative procedures with a large number of dossiers will be carried out right at the single-window sections, thus avoiding increase in state payrolls. Units acting as the focal point in controlling administrative procedures shall be involved in the organization and operation of single-window sections, so as to ensure uniformity and consistency in the implementation of the law on control of administrative procedures and monitoring of administrative procedure settlement results.

b/ To rectify the settlement of administrative procedures at their agencies and units so that people and enterprises no longer have to come once and again to competent agencies to carry out a single procedure. To regularly inspect the settlement of administrative procedures, and remedy limitations in disclosure and transparentization of information on administrative procedures. To strictly handle feedbacks and petitions of organizations and individuals regarding regulations on administrative procedures; address delay in settlement of administrative procedures; and strictly comply with regulations on making apologies to individuals and organizations for delay in settlement of administrative procedures;

c/ To conduct assessment of settlement of administrative procedures and assessment of satisfaction of people and enterprises with the settlement of administrative procedures at single-window sections at all levels, ensuring practicability and avoiding formalism. To promptly encourage and recommend cadres, civil servants and public employees who are highly appreciated in settlement of administrative procedures and strictly handle and replace those who violate regulations. To propose regimes and policies toward, and provide training to improve professional qualifications, behavioral skills and capacity of mastering information technology for, cadres, civil servants and public employees working at single-window sections at all levels;

d/ To strictly implement the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 20/CT-TTg of July 13, 2018, enhancing reform of specialized inspection and eliminating, reducing and simplifying business conditions, with a focus on assessment of impacts of administrative procedures and calculation of costs for compliance with administrative procedures established in draft legal documents; to appraise legal documents; to strictly comply with requirements to reduce business conditions and lists of goods subject to specialized inspection and disclose economic benefits brought about by such moves;

dd/ To closely coordinate with the Government Office in:

- Reviewing and proposing administrative procedures to be performed under the inter-agency mechanism, establishing and submitting to the Government or Prime Minister for promulgation the process of inter-agency performance of administrative procedures and performance of administrative procedures which shall be accepted by local-based hierarchical units of central agencies and settled at public administration centers or district-level dossier receipt and result notification sections. Reviewing and publicizing administrative procedures falling under their competence under which the receipt of dossiers may be decentralized to provincial-, district- or commune-level administrations.

- Building online public service portals and electronic single-window information systems from the ministerial and provincial level in a uniform, consistent and convenient manner, ensuring that people and businesses can easily access these portals and systems on smart mobile devices when using online public services. Standardizing and unifying internal processes of settlement of administrative procedures under their management, in the spirit of strong reform and creation of favorable conditions for people and businesses. By the end of 2019, all administrative procedure settlement dossiers shall be updated and can be tracked via ministerial- or provincial-level electronic single-window information systems.

e/ Speeding up the development and provision of online public services at level 3 and level 4 according to the list approved by the Prime Minister (under Decisions No. 846/QD-TTg of June 9, 2017, and No. 877/QD-TTg of July 8, 2018). Services other than those on the Prime Minister-approved list may be provided online if all criteria for online provision of public services are met and the number of dossiers is great; or the professional process of providing such services is similar to that of, and may be conducted concurrently with, other services.

The development of online public services must follow a user-centered approach, and these services must be friendly, simple and easy to use. To enhance communication work with a view to improving knowledge and awareness of cadres, civil servants, public employees, people and enterprises about the performance and settlement of online public services.

g/ Ministries and ministerial-level agencies shall promptly update administrative procedures under their management to the national database on administrative procedures for use as grounds for provincial-level People’s Committees to publicize lists of administrative procedures to be settled in their respective localities; and connect and integrate ministries’ and agencies’ electronic single-window information systems and public service portals with those of localities.

2. The Minister-Chairman of the Government Office:

a/ To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with ministries, sectors and localities in, proposing to the Prime Minister for decision administrative procedures which shall be accepted by local-based hierarchical units of central agencies and settled at public administration centers or district-level dossier receipt and result notification sections; administrative procedures which fall under the competence of ministries and ministerial-level agencies and may be decentralized to localities for settlement; and administrative procedures falling under the competence of ministries and sectors under which the receipt of dossiers for settlement may be decentralized to localities.

b/ To soon complete the upgrading of the people and business feedback section on the Government Portal, which must be interactive and friendly to users and serve as the sole address for receiving feedbacks on the Internet.

c/ In the fourth quarter of 2018, to submit to the Prime Minister a scheme on establishment of the national public service portal and build and inaugurate the National Public Service Portal before November 1, 2019.

3. The Minister of Information and Communications:

a/ To urgently promulgate the national technical regulation on structure and formats of messages for connection between the national public service portal and ministerial- and provincial-level public service portals and electronic single-window information systems, and relevant national and specialized databases in the settlement of administrative procedures by ministries, sectors and localities according to the schedule approved under Decision No. 985/QD-TTg;

b/ To complete the assessment and announcement of standard single-window software for trial use by ministries and localities selected to conduct the pilot application under Decision No. 985/QD-TTg. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall, based on the pilot application results, update and announce the standard version which will serve as a basis for ministries and sectors to make appropriate adjustments.

3. The Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam to direct organizations providing payment services or intermediary payment services to proactively provide cashless payment services and intermediary payment services in public service sectors, ensuring connection to the national public service portal and electronic single-window systems of ministries, sectors and localities so that organizations and individuals can pay charges and fees online.

4. The Vietnam Post:

a/ To effectively implement the receipt of administrative procedure dossiers and notification of administrative procedure settlement results via public postal services under Decision No. 45/2016/QD-TTg, ensuring convenience for people and businesses in settlement of administrative procedures;

b/ To closely coordinate with the Government Office, ministries, sectors and localities in assisting and guiding people and enterprises in the use of online public services, ensuring the increase in the number of dossiers settled in the cyber environment.

5. Central and local news and press agencies to actively propagate and disseminate information on administrative reform and building of e-government by ministries, sectors and localities.

The Government Office shall monitor, urge and inspect the implementation of this Directive; and report any problems to the Prime Minister for consideration and direction; and annually conduct review of the implementation of this Directive.-

Prime Minister
NGUYEN XUAN PHUC