Reforming legal aid services under a two-tiered government model and provincial mergers.

- On May 6th, the Department of Legal Dissemination, Education and Legal Aid under the Ministry of Justice, in coordination with the Department of Justice, organized a seminar on legal aid work when implementing the two-tiered local government model and merging provinces.

Delegates attending the seminar.

Participating in the seminar were leaders from the Legal Aid Department, Ministry of Justice; leaders from the Departments of Justice of Bac Kan, Ha Giang , Thai Nguyen, and Phu Tho provinces; leaders from the Provincial People's Courts and Legal Aid Centers, along with representatives from several relevant departments, agencies, and organizations.

On April 9, 2025, the Ministry of Justice issued Official Letter No. 1866 providing guidance on the implementation of tasks under its management regarding the organization of local governments at two levels; this included guidance on legal aid. To promptly address difficulties and obstacles in this area at the local level, the Department of Legal Dissemination, Education and Legal Aid organized meetings with local authorities with the aim of promoting decentralization to local governments, while also proposing solutions to improve the quality and effectiveness of legal aid services.

During the discussion at the seminar, delegates emphasized that in the current context, the arrangement and merger of provincial and commune-level administrative units and the organization of a two-tiered local government system have a direct impact on the work of the judicial sector in general and legal aid in particular. Based on the actual situation in the locality, the establishment of a state-run legal aid center in the merged province should be in line with the legal aid needs of the province. In addition, the organizational structure and number of staff should be maintained, while decentralizing some tasks from the central government to the local level. This is a step to increase the autonomy of localities; when empowered, localities will directly supervise implementation and be responsible for their results…

In the coming period, the Department of Legal Dissemination, Education and Legal Aid requests that localities continue to closely follow the directives of the Party, the State, and the Steering Committee for the implementation of the rearrangement and reorganization of administrative units at all levels and the construction of a two-tiered local government organizational model to ensure that legal aid work in the area is truly high-quality, effective, and uninterrupted. This will contribute to ensuring that eligible citizens have timely and convenient access to legal aid services. In the future, the Department will continue to coordinate with localities to research and propose innovative solutions for legal aid work to meet the current demands of the new era.

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/doi-moi-cong-tac-tro-giup-phap-ly-mo-hinh-chinh-quyen-2-cap-sap-nhap-tinh-211268.html