The capital will be sourced from a total of VND20,000 billion worth of bond sales the government expects to achieve this year.

Investment in health care, education
Deputies welcomed the government’s plan to allocate investment to projects to build transport infrastructure, grassroots-level healthcare centres, schools and hostels for students.

However, deputy Do Thi Lan from Quang Ninh province said the money should be allocated to specified localities and under strict scrutiny.

“Priority should be given to district and commune –level medical centres in disadvantaged areas, where they still have to use old equipment,” said Ms Lan.

Deputy Nguyen Thi Kim Tien from Ha Tinh province underlined the need to develop social welfare services and invest in district hospitals and communal medical centres in remote areas. But she said that due to doctors’ poor qualifications, patients who contract serious diseases are normally transported to provincial and municipal hospitals for treatment. She proposed that part of bond sales be used to train human resources for the medical sector in these areas.

Deputy Lo Van Muon from Dien Bien province pointed to the fact that many universities lack hostels for students and most hostels are deteriorating. He said more hostels should be built with money sourced from bond sales.

Deputy Tien echoed Mr Muon, saying the government needs to pour more investment into building concrete schools and houses for teachers in remote areas where students are studying in classrooms made of bamboo and teachers lack housing.

Agriculture and rural development
According to Deputy Nguyen Huu Nhon from Dong Thap province, the implementation of the Political Bureau’s resolution 37 on socio-economic development and national defence in the northern midland and mountainous regions until 2010 is slow going. Farmers there are worried about how to market their agricultural products. Mr Nhon proposed that the National Assembly find outlets for them to avoid losses.

Sharing Mr Nhon’s view, deputy Tran Van Kiet from Vinh Long province said that farmers play a very important role in ensuring national food security, but they rely heavily on weather conditions and markets. He said that the government should provide farmers with subsidies on several commodities such as rice, basa fish and cash crops, in case they are affected by natural calamities or soaring prices of fertilizers and pesticides.

Meanwhile, deputy Huynh Van Tiep from Can Tho City complained about cumbersome administrative procedures preventing farmers from accessing subsidised bank loans offered by the government. In his opinion, banks should open more branches in rural areas to speed up the disbursement of subsidised loans.

Deputy Do Thi Lan from Quang Ninh province suggested that the government instruct banks to provide more incentives to poor farmers who still find it difficult to access bank loans.

Corporate responsibility towards employees
Corporate responsibility towards employees was a contentious issue discussed by lawmakers at the National Assembly.

Deputy Lan said that the global economic crisis has forced many Vietnamese businesses to cut spending and workforce, resulting a large number of laid-off workers. Many businesses have refused to pay salaries for their employees. According to the deputy, the government should help laid-off workers get new jobs and provide unemployment allowances to workers in case they are made redundant.

Deputy Mai Thi Anh Tuyet from An Giang said that many businesses have made use of the government’s stimulus package to roll over their previous loans. Very few have taken out loans to pay salaries for their workers. As a result, a majority of workers still live hard lives.

“The government should keep a close watch on the disbursement of subsidised loans, as well as businesses that have not paid salaries to their workers,” said Ms Tuyet.