The eighth sitting of the 14th National Assembly (NA) is scheduled to open on October 21, with 10 draft laws to be adopted and another eight bills scrutinized, the NA Secretary General Nguyen Hanh Phuc said on July 16.

Speaking at the ongoing 35th session of the NA Standing Committee in Hanoi, the official called on the Government and relevant agencies to soon confirm their submission of proposals to the legislature at the month-long sitting to ratify the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), supplement and amend laws in service of the implementation of the two deals, and pass some resolutions. 

He also suggested reducing or removing group discussions which, he said, show low efficiency, increasing the timing of the plenary session from two and a half days to three days, and cutting the timing for each address of deputies from seven to five minutes. 

Phuc proposed minimizing paper documents and upgrading the software used in legislative meetings. 

Reviewing the seventh sitting, he said its outcomes reflect consensus and solidarity within the NA, the close coordination of the entire political system, and the attention and support of voters and people nationwide. 

According to Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung, 230 deputies engaged in the question-and-answer session of the seventh sitting, which took place in a democratic way. 

Although the duration of the hearing session was reduced, the numbers of deputies and queries increased as compared with the previous meetings, he said. 

Phuc pointed out shortcomings in the organisation of the seventh sitting, including the preparation for some contents of the agenda and the slow submission of documents relating to some draft laws and resolutions to NA deputies.

Other legislators also touched upon the big number of deputies who were absent from the meeting and the inefficiency of group discussions. 

The NA Standing Committee is set to ratify the proposal to appoint Vietnamese ambassadors on July 16.