Water Resources, Housing (revised)

The National Assembly today (October 26) heard about the Long Thanh International Airport land acquisition, compensation, support, and resettlement project, and discussed the laws: Water Resources and Housing (amended).

The National Assembly held a plenary session in the assembly hall on the afternoon of October 25th.

In the morning , the National Assembly is scheduled to hold a plenary session in the Assembly Hall to hear: the presentation and the verification report on the adjustment of some contents of Resolution 53/2017/QH14 dated November 24, 2017, of the National Assembly on the feasibility study report of the land acquisition, compensation, support, and resettlement project for Long Thanh International Airport; and the report explaining, accepting, and revising the draft Law on Water Resources (amended).

Subsequently, the National Assembly discussed several contentious issues in the draft Law on Water Resources (amended).

In the afternoon , the National Assembly held a plenary session in the Assembly Hall to hear the report explaining, receiving feedback, and revising the draft Law on Housing (amended); afterwards, the National Assembly discussed some remaining points of disagreement in the draft Law on Housing (amended).

* Previously, on September 28, 2023, at its 26th session, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly gave its opinion on the Submission regarding the adjustment of some contents of Resolution No. 53/2017/QH14 dated November 24, 2017, of the National Assembly on the Feasibility Study Report of the Long Thanh International Airport Land Acquisition, Compensation, Support, and Resettlement Project .

The Standing Committee of the National Assembly highly appreciates the preparation process of the dossier on adjusting some contents of Resolution No. 53/2017/QH14 dated November 24, 2017 of the National Assembly on the feasibility study report of the Long Thanh International Airport land acquisition, compensation, support, and resettlement project of the Government and the verification report of the Economic Committee. The dossier is basically complete according to the regulations of the Law on Public Investment.

To qualify for submission to the National Assembly at its 6th session, the Government is requested to further study and clarify several issues, focusing on only two points for the National Assembly's consideration and decision: the project implementation timeframe and the allocated capital; and to consider including these in the general resolution of the 6th session, rather than issuing a separate resolution.

The Government, government agencies, and Dong Nai province shall base their decisions on other matters within their authority, in accordance with the provisions of the law.

Any adjustments to the project's contents, which fall under the Government's authority, must involve thorough impact assessments, compliance with the law, ensuring the project's effectiveness, the State's interests, and the legitimate rights of people in the project's affected area.

Regarding the project implementation timeline: it was agreed to submit a proposal to the National Assembly to extend the project implementation period until the end of 2024; the Government was requested to provide a clearer and more convincing report on the reasons and responsibilities for the delays in progress and the delay in submitting the adjusted project implementation timeline, in order to build consensus when reporting to the National Assembly.

Regarding the capital allocation for the Project: The Government is requested to clarify whether the unspent funds of VND 2,510.372 billion from 2020 and 2021 have been cancelled according to regulations or are being carried over. If they are being carried over, the responsibility for not canceling these funds according to regulations should be clarified. Based on the provisions of the law on state budget and public investment, the Government should propose a capital allocation plan for the Project for the National Assembly's consideration and decision.

The Standing Committee of the National Assembly also proposed adding an assessment of how the adjustment to the preparation and implementation timeframe for the Project, from "until the end of 2024" to "completion before 2021," affects the timeframe and roadmap for Phase 1 of the Project as stated in Clause 6 of Resolution No. 94/2015/QH13…

* Regarding the draft Law on Water Resources (amended), on September 28th, the Committee on Science, Technology and Environment held its 7th plenary session to explain, receive feedback, and revise this draft law.

Speaking at the session, Deputy Chair of the Committee on Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Thi Le Thuy said that so far, there have been 137 comments on the draft Law with 609 opinions. The majority of National Assembly deputies agreed on the necessity of enacting the amended Law on Water Resources and basically agreed with many contents of the draft Law.

To date, the draft Law is in its 7th official version, not including other supplementary versions from each round of consultations. The draft Law submitted for comments from the National Assembly delegations consists of 10 chapters and 86 articles.

After reviewing, incorporating feedback, and revising, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly's Committee on Science, Technology and Environment found that the draft Law has fully institutionalized and concretized the Party's viewpoints and policies throughout the entire draft Law, most importantly the Central Committee's Conclusion 36 on ensuring water security and dam and reservoir safety for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2045.

Specifically, this aligns with and adheres to the four major policies presented by the Government in submission No. 162 and agreed upon by the National Assembly, including: ensuring water security; water economy; socialization of the water sector; and protection and prevention of water-related damage.

All comments, suggestions, and proposals at the session will be further studied, reviewed, and revised before being submitted to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly for consideration prior to being presented to the National Assembly for comments and consideration at the 6th session.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/quoc-hoi-hom-nay-2610-nghe-du-an-cang-hang-khong-quoc-te-long-thanh-thao-luan-ve-cac-luat-tai-nguyen-nuoc-nha-o-sua-doi-247494.html