Lawmakers will not grill trade minister in Q&A sessions

NA General Secretary Nguyen Hanh Phuc said in a report last week that 48 delegations of lawmakers from across the country had raised 190 issues of public concern, requiring the questioning of Cabinet members, as of May 23.

Legislators are expected to grill four ministers on a total of 31 issues. Minister of Public Security To Lam will address 17 issues, while Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The will respond to 10 issues.

The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien and Minister of Construction Pham Hong Ha will field questions on two issues each.

Their Q&A sessions are scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Among the ministries that will be not subject to Q&A sessions, some had received scores of questions from NA delegations, much higher than the numbers from the chosen ministries.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade tops the list, with 29 issues involving the recent hikes in electricity and fuel prices and its market surveillance.

Following closely is the Ministry of Education and Training, with 18 issues, mostly involving serious violations in the 2018 national high school exam, which has put dozens of educators and officials in police custody pending trial.

The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs is third, with 12 issues on responsibility for child abuse and child protection, as well as policies on families with wartime contribution to the country, and poor households.

In response to some NA deputies who called for extra questioning of officials in the industry and trade sector, the NA Standing Committee noted in a report that the general public had taken an interest in many issues, especially the recent hikes in public service prices.

Therefore, the Government has sent explanatory reports to NA deputies at the current sitting and has asked the concerned ministries and agencies to review the electricity price hike. Also, legislators have already discussed the relevant economic and social issues within their own group.

To ensure balance among the sectors chosen for questioning, the NA Standing Committee prioritized four categories of topics for the four chosen ministers.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and deputy PMs will also address issues raised by lawmakers.