Wrong recruitment, appointment of officials found: home affairs ministry Recent personnel recruitment and appointment wrongdoings discovered by inspectors have raised public concern and eroded people’s trust in State public services, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said during a press conference on Tuesday, the Vietnam News Agency’s bnews.vn reported.   Illustration by the Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper features the reality that a State official might help promote his/her family members or relatives to a leadership position.    Following news reports by local media, the ministry inspected public services in 11 localities nationwide, including Ha Giang, Ha Son Commune in Nghe An Province, A Luoi District in Thua Thien-Hue Province, Buon Don District in Dak Lak Province, Binh Dinh Province, Phong Dien District in Can Tho City, Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province’s Tax Department under the Ministry of Finance’s Tax General Department, Yen Bai Province, Centre of Forensic Science under Da Nang City’s health department, An Duong District in Hai Phong City and Kim Thanh District in Hai Duong Province. MHA spokesperson Nguyen Tien Thanh said MHA inspectors detected wrongdoings in the recruitment and appointment of State officials, adding that the number of deputies in some agencies and units exceeded the number required. “For example, Thanh Hoa Province’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment has eight deputies; the Binh Dinh Province’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment has six deputies; 44 out of 46 officials in the Hai Duong Province’s Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs work as deputies whereas the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Thai Nguyen Province has an extra of 23 deputies,” he said. “The ministry has reported to competent authorities and recommended ways to overcome and deal with shortcomings and bad practices involving the recruitment and appointment of State employees and officials,” said Thanh Following these developments, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has required localities to readjust cadre work to ensure a precise number of deputies as regulated. He also called for proper, by-the-book handling of organisations and individuals that commit wrongdoings. To increase the number of inspections, the Government Inspectorate has agreed with MHA’s proposals to jointly inspect the cadre work including the recruitment and appointment of officials. Accordingly, the two agencies will strengthen inspections in 63 provinces and Central cities and assign ministries and localities to carry out inspections in at least 30 per cent of bodies under their management in 2017 and beyond. Truong Hai Long, Deputy Head of MHA’s Department of Civil Servants, said that the Prime Minister requested that there should be no agencies having an excessive number of deputies as stipulated by Friday. MHA deputy minister Nguyen Duy Thang said the ministry would work with ministries and localities to fix the shortcomings. Violations would be dealt with in line with the law. In response to a question by the media concerning the appointment of the Director of Yen Bai Province’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment Pham Sy Quy, MHA’s Deputy Chief Inspector said “inspectors discovered out that Quy did not hold a certificate required for department-level leadership.” “However, later on he attended a State management training programme as assigned by local competent authorities and got a certificate of ’main professional’, which means he was already qualified.” VNS