Many ministries and localities use public vehicles beyond the limit.
According to the Finance Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (the unit that was recently audited and found to have the largest number of public cars used in excess of regulations), the reason for this situation is that the Government is slow to issue a new decree to replace old decisions on standards and norms for car use.
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| Official car. Illustration photo: Hong Vinh |
According to the State Audit report sent to the National Assembly regarding the issue of procurement, management and use of assets, a number of ministries and central agencies audited have a number of cars exceeding the limit prescribed in Decision No. 32/2015/QD-TTg. Specifically, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has 101 shared cars, and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has 95 cars.
The report also shows that some ministries and branches liquidated vehicles before the prescribed time limit, such as: the Institute of Food Crops and Food Plants liquidated 3 vehicles used from 2007 to 2012; the Institute of Agricultural Environment (under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) 1 vehicle used from 2003.
In addition, some audited localities used cars exceeding the standard quota such as: Hanoi city (57 cars exceeded); Ninh Binh province (Forestry Sub-Department exceeded 3 cars); Tien Giang (Cai Be district exceeded 3 cars); Kon Tum exceeded 4 cars; Thai Binh (Office of People's Council and People's Committee of Quynh Phu district, exceeded 1 car; Office of People's Council and People's Committee of Vu Thu district exceeded the norm by 1 car; Office of Department of Agriculture and Rural Development 1 car); Ha Nam (People's Committee and People's Council of Phu Ly city exceeded 1 car); Quang Ngai (Department of Education and Training exceeded 1 car); Thanh Hoa (Office of Department of Transport, exceeded 3 cars)...
Based on the audit content, the State Audit Office requested ministries, branches and localities to rearrange and re-arrange the number of public vehicles in accordance with the provisions of Decision 32/2015 of the Prime Minister. The State Audit Office requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to review the collective and individual responsibilities of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences for not transferring cars (in affiliated units) from surplus units to shortage units but still purchasing 1 more car and transferring 1 car to the unit with surplus cars that have not yet been processed.
When asked, “Has the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development explained and handled the recommendations of the State Audit Office?”, Mr. Nguyen Van Ha, Director of the Finance Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said: “We have worked with the State Audit Office’s review team. Currently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is in the process of arranging, transferring and liquidating these public cars appropriately.”
Regarding the reason why the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has more cars than the quota and some places liquidate cars before the prescribed time, Mr. Ha said that it originates from the Ministry of Finance (Department of State Asset Management) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. “For the past two years, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as well as other ministries, branches and localities have had to wait, not being able to arrange or transfer public cars.
The reason is that all units have to wait for Decree 04/2019 of the Government issued on January 11, 2019 (replacing Decision 32/2015 and Decision 54/2007 before) regulating standards and norms for car use. It was not until April 22, 2019 that the Ministry of Finance issued Circular 24 guiding some contents of Decree 04. Therefore, now units must ask for opinions to apply in an appropriate form to arrange and re-arrange public vehicles in accordance with regulations," said Department Head Nguyen Van Ha.
Mr. La Van Thinh, Director of the Department of Public Asset Management (Ministry of Finance) also said: "In essence, all ministries and branches will have to review and arrange to arrange vehicles according to the standards prescribed in Decree 04/2019 of the Government (effective from April 11, 2019). On the basis of that arrangement, they will come up with a plan to handle the number of surplus vehicles."
