According to Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra, the proposal to establish the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety has sufficient legal basis for piloting, then evaluating and researching to replicate in large cities.
Ms. Tra expressed her opinion during a group discussion at the National Assembly on the draft Resolution on piloting a number of specific mechanisms and policies for the development of Ho Chi Minh City, on the afternoon of May 30.
According to the Government's proposal, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety has the function of inspecting, handling violations of the law, and handling administrative violations of food safety.
Ms. Tra said that the proposal to establish the Department has a political basis because in November 2022, the Secretariat assigned the Government Party Personnel Committee to direct the review of the Food Safety Law and study the improvement of the management apparatus towards a unified focal point. Resolution 31 of the Politburo on the development of Ho Chi Minh City also allows decentralization and delegation of power to the city in a number of areas, including organizational apparatus.
Legally, the Food Safety Law and related laws have provisions. In practice, the Government has allowed Ho Chi Minh City to pilot the establishment of a Food Safety Management Board and has shown its effectiveness. Thus, the basis for establishing a Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Department is complete, and can be piloted for 5 years, after which the effectiveness of its operations will be evaluated.
"If the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Department operates effectively and reasonably, when necessary, we will consult on establishing Food Safety Departments in large cities," said Minister Tra, affirming that although additional focal agencies are established, the total number of organizational structures will not change.
Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra. Photo: National Assembly Media
Vice Chairman of the Law Committee Nguyen Phuong Thuy also said that food hygiene and safety issues are very urgent in large cities. The establishment of a department with this function and task is necessary. However, Ms. Thuy suggested that the resolution should not specify the functions and tasks in a strict manner, but rather delegate the authority to Ho Chi Minh City to decide.
"The specific functions and tasks of the Department of Food Safety should not be limited to create initiative and flexibility in making decisions about the apparatus," said Ms. Thuy.
At the Ho Chi Minh City delegation, delegate Nguyen Thanh Sang, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Procuracy, also said that the city of more than 13 million people really needs a specialized agency to manage state food safety. The establishment of the new department will not increase the staff because it will use the staff of the Food Safety Management Board and transfer some state management functions of the Department of Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Industry and Trade.
On May 26, reviewing the draft resolution of the Government, the Finance and Budget Committee said that the majority of opinions said that it was necessary to explain the necessity and rationality of establishing the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety, ensuring that there was no overlap in functions and tasks between departments. Resolution 18 of the 6th Central Committee stated that the rearrangement of the organizational apparatus must not increase the number of focal points and staff; in special cases where it is necessary to increase the number of focal points from the department, bureau or equivalent level and above, the opinion of the Politburo must be obtained. Therefore, if the establishment of the Department of Food Safety increases the number of focal points, the opinion of the Politburo must be obtained.
Viet Tuan - Son Ha
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