In 2016, the Ministry of Justice issued the action program of the Justice sector, focusing on 10 major task groups and achieved many positive results.
The quality and progress of the Ministry of Justice and the Justice sector’s tasks have been maintained
The legislative development has been paid much more attention with better regulations to ensure human rights, civil rights, and requirements of people and enterprises. In 2016, the Ministry of Justice has coordinated with concerned ministries and agencies in compiling 12 laws and resolutions which were passed by the National Assembly. It has also submitted 1,000 documents to the Government and the Prime Minister for approval. In the same year, the judiciary sector has appraised more than 11,800 legal documents and flagged 659 of them for errors or surpassing their invested power.
In addition, the activity of legal normative document appraisal reached good achievement, especially those on business investment conditions. Accordingly, the whole Justice sector has appraised 11,885 draft legal documents, in which 5,298 ones have been appraised by Departments of Justice and 5,417 ones have been done by district Justice Divisions. What is more, the Ministry of Justice has appraised 291 draft legal documents and 92 international treaties. The Ministry has also made comments on a large number of draft legal documents, and international treaties and international agreements.
Regarding civil status activity, the Ministry of Justice has launched a pilot of birth registration software, connecting to personal identification numbers as from 4 January 2016 in Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh and Que Phong district of Nghe An. The application of IT in the field of criminal records also has been promoted by the Ministry of Justice and localities. In which, 56 out of 63 Department of Justice issued criminal records through post service.
In the field of civil judgment enforcement, in 2016, some 530,000 civil judgment enforcements were executed, achieving over 78 per cent of the total cases nationwide. In terms of the work of administrative reform, the Ministry of Justice has appraised 783 procedures, but decided to eliminate 141 procedures and revise 573 others.
In 2017, the Justice sector will deploy consistently and efficiently judicial tasks in the new conditions
In the year of 2017, the Ministry of Justice and the Justice sector identify 9 key task groups demanding the concentration of resources to accomplish. Along with these key tasks, the main measures also set out. Some of them are developing specific and feasible programs and work plans; drastically directing the implementation of the work plan; strengthening the coordination between ministries, and agencies and committees all levels; strengthening discipline in administrative bodies at all levels; and promoting emulation and awards.
Addressing the National Conference, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc spoke highly of the Ministry’s achievements in 2016, particularly its efforts in carrying out the task of institutional building – the most important and basic mission of a Government eyeing for development. During the year, the Ministry has managed to compile and appraise legal documents to make our legal system move towards goals of transparency and fairness, protecting the people’s legitimate rights and facilitating conditions for business expansion as well as the movement of entrepreneurship, the Prime Minister said.
He said he was very glad that 2016 was the first year the government has accomplished all tasks of writing decrees, legal guiding documents and ordinances. The Prime Minister emphasized that this success should be attributed to the big role played by the Ministry of Justice. However, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also said some of the laws were not of a high standard. Thus, some of the laws were of low quality and not stable. That’s why they were subjected to revision and supplement.
He agreed that making laws is a demanding job. He cited the case of the Penal Code. “It is regrettable that the 2015 Penal Code was supposed to come into force on 1 July 2016. But due to the detection of almost 100 errors in the law, the enforcement date has to be postponed,” he said, and adding that “No such precedent has been reported in a country’s law making process.”
Speaking about the orientations and tasks for the Ministry of Justice in 2017 and the years to come, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked the Ministry and the Justice sector to increase efforts to ensure that legal documents are important tools for the State to govern society and to facilitate people to exercise their rights as masters of the country; their rights to check and supervise the State power. What is more, the Prime Minister has called on all staff working in the Justice sector to increase their efforts to produce high quality legal documents for the interest of the nation and people, not for their own or the interests of groups. In addition, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc urged the Ministry to take pride in its function as “law maker” and “facilitator” in bringing laws to life.
 “It is time for us to switch from the old practice of administrative order to creativity, development and service for people and enterprises”, PM Phúc emphasized. He said the MOJ must be the first line of government agencies to bear responsibility for the quality and progress of the law making process.
“The laws must be in the interest of the nation and of the people. They are not for the interests of the MOJ or certain groups of people”, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Phuc stressed.
In terms of process of administrative reform and apply IT, the PM asked the Ministry of Justice to speed up the process of administrative reform and apply IT in their daily activities, while upholding the principles of accountability and transparency.
Within the framework of the National Conference, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc awarded Second Class Independence Medal to former Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong for his excellent tasks./.