VietNamNet Bridge – Lawmakers adopted amendments to some articles of the Law on Fire Prevention and Fighting at their meeting in Ha Noi on Friday, Nov 22.

They also discussed details of the enforcement of laws passed by the 13th National Assembly (NA), focusing on the delayed issuance of documents that are guiding the implementation of the laws.

Deputy Dang Dinh Luyen, from the central province of Khanh Hoa, said that the implementation of laws, decrees and resolutions was slow due to the slow pace in issuing the guiding documents.

"This has affected the legal rights and benefits of organisations and individuals, as well as decreased the effectiveness of State management," he said.

Regarding the cause of the problem, deputy Bui Sy Loi from the central province of Thanh Hoa, said that the entire programme of law making was too large, though it was expected to operate correctly during this 13th NA session.

"The NA deputies have just worked on 46 out of 144 draft laws, accounting for 31.9 per cent," he said, adding that after the amendments to the 1992 Constitution are approved, which was scheduled for November 28, the number of laws and decrees which are expected to be passed will also be higher.

"This is real pressure, both in quality and quantity, making the process of releasing guiding documents slower," he said.

According to Loi, the making of laws should not focus on quantity, but rather on quality, and must follow reality.

Agreeing with Loi, deputy Nguyen Thanh Thuy from the central province of Binh Dinh said that the NA Standing Committee and other NA agencies should improve co-operation with the Government and other agencies in the preparation of draft laws.

"All draft laws which meet the requirements should be moved out of the NA programme right from the beginning, so that they will not be a waste of time," he said.

During the afternoon sitting, 24 deputies voiced their opinions about the draft revisions to the Land Law, including the rights of land users, land leases for farming, land reclamation and compensation, land use planning, and the settlement of disputes related to land use.

Regarding the term "land retrieval" in the law, deputy Nguyen Bac Viet from the central province of Ninh Thuan, suggested using the phrase "changing the land use right."

"Land retrieval is suitable in case of violations in the use of land," he said.

Viet urged the participation and supervision of the Fatherland Front and other public organisations during the process of land retrievals to ensure a high consensus is met.

Further, Deputy Huynh Nghia from Da Nang City said that land retrieval for the purposes of social and economic development was reasonable, but there should be clear regulations on the purposes to avoid people retrieving land for their personal benefits.

Nguyen Ngoc Phuong from Quang Binh Province argued that land belonged to the people, so the people should have the right to participate in making plans for land use.

"This should be done transparently to ensure people's rights and benefits," he said.

Following the schedule of the NA meeting, the deputies are due to pass laws on plant protection and quarantine and discuss amendments to the laws on construction and environmental protection next Monday.

Source: VNS