Customs: Streamlined apparatus to improve operational efficiency

Professional operation in the centralized management model at Mong Cai Border Gate Customs Sub-Department, Quang Ninh Customs Department. Picture: HUNG

Compact all three levels

Over the past years, our country has actively opened up the comprehensive integration. Many Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) have been signed. The opening of the economy is growing. The volume of import-export goods and means of transportation has increased rapidly; next year is always higher than last year.

From May 2011, export turnover reached 200 billion USD. By 2017, the value of import and export was double to 428 billion USD, with 1.088 million means of entry and exit and 79,720 enterprises importing and exporting. In the first 6 months of 2018, import and export value reached USD 224 billion, with 515,000 means of entry and exit, and 69,600 enterprises engaged in import-export activities. While the workload has been increasing continuously, the number of cadres and civil servants reduced according to the general policy of the Party and State. At present, the General Department of Customs is assigned the staffing level of 10,250 administrative public servants and 282 non-business payroll norms. From 2012 up to now, the General Department of Customs is not assigned additional staff.

Therefore, in order to fulfill its assigned tasks, the Customs sector has synchronously carried out the solutions on institutional reform, administrative procedure reform and customs modernization, promoting the application of information technology, dealing with administrative procedures to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Particularly, the customs sector has actively reviewed and reorganized the organizational structure in line with the tasks and actual situation of each unit; description of job position; issuing the process, regulations and responsibilities of each level; strictly punishing those who harass, which negatively affects the honor and prestige of the industry.

To actively implement Conclusions No. 64-KL / TW dated 28/5/2013 of the 7th plenum of the Party Central Committee (XI), the sixth plenum of the XIIth National Assembly on some issues of further renovation and improvement of the system from the central to grassroots levels, the customs service has taken the initiative in thoroughly grasping and organizing the implementation of a number of measures to renovate and rearrange the apparatus of the General Department of Customs in a lean and effective manner. There are 3 levels of organizational structure (General Department, Customs Department, Customs Department). (Departmental and equivalent offices) (sub-departments) ?

At the level of the General Department of Customs, the function, task and organizational structure of the General Department of Customs was reviewed and reported to the Ministry of Finance for submission to the Government for promulgation of Decision No. 65/2015 / QD-TTg dated December 17, 2015 defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the General Department of Customs under the Ministry of Finance. Accordingly, the functions and tasks of the General Department of Customs are clearly defined, not overlapping with other units under the Ministry of Finance. The organizational structure is strengthened in accordance with the additional tasks and increasing workload. Especially, the structure of the new machinery has been improved to meet the changing requirements of centralized management, administrative reform and customs modernization.

At the departmental level, the Department and the equivalent offices, in the process of implementing Decision No. 65/2015 / QD-TTg, the Ministry of Finance issued 18 decisions defining the functions, tasks and organizational structure of departments, Department and equivalent offices under the General Department, whereby the functions and tasks of the units are clearly defined, ensuring that one thing is assigned to a unit with primary responsibility, minimizing the overlap crossover. The streamlined organization structure of intermediate units meets the requirements of centralized management and automatic clearance system VNACCS / VCIS, thereby reducing the 13 departments of the Department (perform tasks in accordance with the spirit of the Central and the Government is in the Department of no room) and reduced 37 rooms and the equivalent of the provincial, inter-provincial and municipal customs departments.

For the Sub-Department level, to make a basis for review and rearrange the organizational apparatus of the Customs Sub-Department and the Team (Group) under the Customs Sub-Department, the General Department of Customs has formulated and submitted to the Ministry of Finance for promulgation; Decision No. 2015 / QĐ-BTC dated 6/9/2017 on criteria for establishment, reorganization of Customs Sub-Departments of Customs Departments of provinces, inter-provinces and cities under the Central Government and Decision No. 2094 / BTC dated 17/10/2017 on criteria for establishment and reorganization of teams (groups) under the Customs Sub-Departments and equivalent under the Customs Departments of provinces, inter-provinces and centrally-run cities.

It can be affirmed, with the close guidance of the leaders of the Ministry of Finance, over the past time the organization and consolidation of organizations, units of the General Department of Customs has been implemented on all three levels. They must satisfy the requirements of the State management over customs in geographical areas where export-import goods arise, prevent smuggling and trade frauds at the borders. At the same time, to meet the requirements of centralized management in a timely manner, electronic customs clearance system and meet the requirements of the process in accordance with each stage.

Not stopping there, in the coming time, the General Department of Customs will continue to review and formulate plans to rearrange Customs Sub-Departments and Customs Departments in the whole industry to ensure the neat and efficient effect according to the direction of the Central Government, the Government and the Ministry of Finance.

Arranging suitably capable civil servants according to their positions of employment

Together with the review and streamlining of the apparatus, the General Department of Customs will also streamline, rearrange and restructure the contingent of cadres, officers and laborers to meet the assigned tasks, in line with the decentralization of management and the process of reform and modernization. Development of capacity assessment programs for civil servants to improve the capacity, qualifications and efficiency of civil servants in the sector.

To do this, the Customs Department has reviewed and evaluated the cadres and civil servants to reorganize and rearrange civil servants after reorganizing their apparatuses. Accordingly, the arrangement of civil servants according to their positions of employment are suitable for the qualifications and capacity of civil servants to ensure the right work assignments, the right level and in accordance with practical requirements. At the same time, the assessment of civil servants' capabilities, training and retraining and human resource management will be carried out to meet the requirements of the reform and modernization of the sector.

Since then, cadres and civil servants have gradually been restructured, improving the quality and efficiency of their operations. The restructuring of the apparatus is always associated with reform of administrative procedures. Assigning and decentralizing responsibilities of each unit in order to bring into full play the activeness, creativeness and responsibility of each level and unit in association with the mechanism of controlling power. Continue to carry out rotation work.

Organizational structure, leaders of the General Department of Customs as well as its subordinate units have done well the ideological and political work for officials and customs officers, highly creating consensus in the implementation process. In addition, the General Department of Customs has always paid attention to the policies and regimes for civil servants, especially the civil servants. When reorganizing their apparatuses, this should increase the whole sector’s performance, making them psychologically comfortable with the consensus of public servants in the whole sector, not causing negative thinking, urgency, letters, lawsuits and loss of internal unity.

These early results are due to the timely leadership and direction of the Party Committee, the leaders of the Ministry of Finance and the determination and unanimity of the Party Committee, the leaders of the General Department and the entire staff, employees of the General Department of Customs. Besides, the support and assistance of Party committees, local authorities of provinces and cities must be mentioned.