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Deputy The agreed with the Government report and the examination report by the NA Committee on Social Affairs on the implementation of social insurance policies and the management and use of the social insurance fund in 2020. However, he said, there were some issues that need to be taken into consideration.

In the context of the pandemic affecting the economy and all aspects of life in 2020, basic results of the social insurance sector proved its efforts in maintaining and developing participants. The development of compulsory social insurance participants faced many difficulties while the number of participants in voluntary social insurance was promoted, exceeding the set targets two times. Insurance collection was ensured for both the social insurance fund and the unemployment insurance fund.

The amount of debt increased in comparison with 2019 due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic but remained low compared to the total amount of collection. Inspections and examinations reduced dramatically in order to support businesses and employers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic but still helped to detect and handle violations in implementing social insurance policies.

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The expenditures were basically implemented following regulations of the Law on Social Insurance and the Law on Employment, contributing to ensure social security amid the context of COVID-19.

Deputy The said one of the encouraging results of the social insurance sector was administrative reform and application of information and technology, creating favourable conditions for participants.

However, he said, shortcomings remained that the Government needed to solve. The number of social insurance participants failed to meet the set targets; the growth rate of insurance collection tended to decrease in comparison with previous years; the total number of businesses was high but the number of businesses eligible to participate in social insurance was low and the rate of employees’ monthly salary, based on which the compulsory social insurance premium rate will be calculated, was not high. The unemployment insurance fund failed to support vocational training activities.

Based on the real circumstances of localities, Deputy The proposed the Government to increase funding for activities such as disseminating information and mobilising people to participate in compulsory and voluntary social insurance schemes in large areas like Gia Lai and other Central Highlands provinces where ethnic minority people account for a high proportion of the population; and to soon submit to the NA the programme to build the draft amended Law on Social Insurance to meet the new situation and carry out social insurance reform.

He also agreed with the Government report on the management and use of the health insurance fund in 2020 as well as examination report by the NA Committee on Social Affairs.

However, he said, the Government should pay attention to address shortcomings. Regarding the development of health insurance participants, at present, permanent militia and self-defence forces are entitled to benefit from health insurance policies like non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the Vietnam People’s Army as regulated by Clause 1, Article 34 of the Law on Militia and Self-defence Forces, but the Law on Health Insurance and documents guiding the law implementation do not yet have detailed guidance about this issue, meaning many localities are not implementing this regulation or causing confusion for them in implementing the regulations./.