Removing 'bottlenecks' in administrative procedure settlement

After 3 months of operating the 2-level local government, administrative procedure reform and digital transformation have been promoted and achieved many results, contributing to improving the efficiency of serving people and businesses. The reception and processing of administrative records have become increasingly transparent and timely; many localities have boldly applied new technologies (AI, big data) to serve operations.

The administrative center of Cat Tien 2 commune, Lam Dong province, is not overloaded after instructing people to submit applications online. Photo: Chu Quoc Hung/VNA

Applying the modern "one-stop" model

According to statistics from the Government Office , the whole country has proposed to abolish 519 administrative procedures and simplify 2,421 procedures. From July 1 to September 30, about 7 million online records were received, with the on-time settlement rate reaching 91%. Over 3,100 commune-level public administrative service centers (of 32 provinces and cities) were put into operation, applying the modern "one-stop" model, many places applying AI and electronic forms (Hanoi and Quang Ninh apply the "one-level" model). These centers initially operated stably, creating favorable conditions for people when carrying out administrative procedures.

Many localities have put into operation a two-level centralized control center, implemented centralized electronic document management, digital signatures, and connected to the national database on population, land, and enterprises. Some communes and wards have piloted artificial intelligence in data analysis and security and order warnings. Thousands of commune-level officials have been trained in digital skills, contributing to improving management efficiency.

Just by sitting at home and scanning the QR code on the Zalo application, people in Tan Chau ward, An Giang province can get a queue number to handle administrative procedures, make an appointment to process documents, look up the progress of processing documents online via the National Public Service Portal... With the implementation of the model of "automatically getting a queue number via the Zalo application", people save time, do not have to wait in long lines, helping to process procedures faster, improving the quality of public administrative services.

After 3 months of operating the 2-level local government, Tan Chau Ward Public Administration Service Center has received and processed nearly 1,100 records, of which online records account for nearly 97%. The number of records resolved and returned on time or before the deadline reached 99.02%.

Currently, the administrative procedure settlement information system of An Giang province is publicly posting 2,175 administrative procedures, and is implemented regardless of administrative boundaries; 100% of people's and businesses' records are received and publicly resolved on the National Public Service Portal.

Assessment from the National Public Service Portal shows that, as of September 8, An Giang province achieved 84.76 points (good classification) and ranked 13/34 provinces and cities nationwide. The people's satisfaction index reached 17.9/18 points (99.44%), reflecting the trust and satisfaction of people and businesses.

In Ca Mau, after 3 months of operating the 2-level local government, the efficiency of serving people and businesses has improved significantly. The administrative procedure information system has operated stably, receiving 88,429 records with a satisfaction rate of over 95%.

Difficulty in searching and verifying information

However, speaking at the recent Government Online Conference with localities, Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra said that the information technology infrastructure for handling administrative procedures in many places is not yet synchronous, not yet interconnected, not yet connected, and still has "bottlenecks", especially in densely populated areas.

According to the Government's Steering Committee for the arrangement of administrative units at all levels and the construction of a 2-level local government organization model, although the rate of online records has increased rapidly, the implementation in practice still faces many difficulties. The administrative procedure information system and specialized software in many localities are still not operating stably, often experiencing technical errors, leading to interruptions in the receipt and processing of records, prolonging the processing time. The data connection between the National Population Database, the National Public Service Portal and local systems is not yet synchronized, causing difficulties in searching and verifying information, especially for procedures on land, household registration, and social insurance.

Some non-territorial administrative procedures do not have clear coordination regulations, leading to officials having to hand over documents directly between agencies, slowing down progress and increasing workload. The National Public Service Portal system, VneID and specialized software are often congested, have login errors, and have unsynchronized data, affecting the quality of service to the people.

In addition, a segment of the population, especially in remote areas, has limited digital skills, so they have difficulty accessing and using online public services, affecting the effectiveness of administrative reform under the two-level government model.

In the Official Dispatch No. 187/CD-TTg on strict control, focusing on reducing and simplifying administrative procedures, business conditions and implementing administrative procedures regardless of administrative boundaries, the Prime Minister pointed out that the list of administrative procedures regardless of administrative boundaries of most provinces only reached a rate of about 50% to 95% of the administrative procedures being provided, of which some localities only reached less than 10%. In addition, the business community continued to reflect that there were still some cumbersome administrative procedures, unnecessary business conditions, and prolonged time to enter the market...

The Ministry of Home Affairs said that the cause of the above bottlenecks and limitations is due to the lack of adequate preparation in terms of technical conditions and human resources for digital transformation. At many newly merged commune levels, officials and civil servants have not been fully granted digital signatures and accounts to log into the management and operation system; the information technology infrastructure is not guaranteed, causing disruptions in the processing of electronic records and documents and the provision of public services.

Remove bottlenecks

To remove current bottlenecks, according to Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra, it is necessary to invest in and upgrade facilities and information technology infrastructure, train and foster staff, civil servants and public employees, ensure interconnection, effectively serve the direction and operation work, reform administrative procedures and provide online public services.

Ministries and sectors must promote the application of information technology and digital transformation in management and operation, ensure data connectivity between national and local systems, fix technical errors, and ensure the smooth provision of online public services. The Government Office reviews and simplifies administrative procedures and reviews the operational efficiency of the Public Administration Service Center, especially at the commune level.

The Ministry of Home Affairs - the standing agency of the Government's Steering Committee - requested localities to pay attention to and arrange adequate equipment and means of work, especially conditions for transmission lines and connection signals; complete digital infrastructure, digital platforms, and digital data to ensure smooth connection between central and communal levels of government; promote administrative procedure reform, digital transformation, standardize work processes, ensure quick, public, transparent settlement, and create convenience for people and businesses. For overdue administrative procedure files, the Ministry of Home Affairs requested localities to complete the settlement before October 15.

The Prime Minister also set a number of tasks for ministries, branches and localities. In particular, Ministers and heads of ministerial-level agencies focus on completing the construction of specialized databases and putting them into operation, connecting with national databases (land, civil status, construction, etc.) to meet the requirements of "correct, sufficient, clean, live, unified, shared" data, connecting and sharing complete data in real time with the National Public Service Portal, the Information System for handling administrative procedures at the ministerial and provincial levels to serve the reduction and simplification of administrative procedures and the deployment of online public services based on data.

The Chairman of the People's Committee of the province or city shall promptly and fully publicize the list and organize the implementation of administrative procedures regardless of administrative boundaries within the province, helping people conveniently choose to submit administrative procedures appropriate to their place of residence, living, studying and working. Localities shall organize the implementation of guidance, reception and settlement of administrative procedures for people and businesses, ensuring efficiency and smoothness, avoiding local congestion, completing the goal of 100% of administrative procedures being carried out regardless of administrative boundaries within the province in 2025; completing the transfer of data from the Information Systems of the provinces before the merger to the unified, shared Information System after the merger to serve the settlement of administrative procedures for people and businesses.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/chinh-phu-voi-nguoi-dan/go-diem-nghentrong-giai-quyet-thu-tuc-hanh-chinh-20251008150439766.htm