On the afternoon of October 23, continuing the 8th Session, Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Education Nguyen Dac Vinh reported on explaining, accepting and revising the draft Law on Cultural Heritage (amended).
Regarding prohibited acts, Chairman Nguyen Dac Vinh said that some opinions suggested reviewing to distinguish intentional acts from unintentional acts of finding relics and antiquities during the process of catching seafood.
Propose to add prohibitions on the following acts: encroachment on land, landscape, premises, and constructions of historical-cultural relics and scenic spots; arbitrarily changing the design when preserving, repairing, and restoring relics; buying, selling, and collecting documentary heritage of illegal origin, and other acts that cause damage and affect cultural heritage activities.
In response to delegates' opinions, the National Assembly Standing Committee directed the review, revision, and completion of prohibited acts to ensure greater accuracy and completeness, serving as a basis for guiding implementation, inspection, and handling of violations in the protection and promotion of cultural heritage values.
Regarding repair, renovation, and construction of works in the relic protection area, the draft law is revised in the direction that in the relic protection area I, only repairs, renovations, and construction of works directly serving the protection and promotion of the relic's value can be made.
For protection area II, it is allowed to repair, renovate, and construct works directly serving the protection and promotion of the value of relics; individual houses; socio-economic works; and to supplement regulations on requirements that must be ensured when repairing, renovating, and constructing works and individual houses in relic protection areas.
Regarding the Cultural Heritage Conservation Fund, some opinions agreed to establish a Cultural Heritage Conservation Fund to support funding for a number of activities to protect and promote the value of cultural heritage; it was suggested that a specific mechanism for the financial management of the Fund should be clearly defined.
Besides, there are opinions suggesting to consider not establishing a Cultural Heritage Conservation Fund.
The National Assembly Standing Committee believes that the draft law stipulates a Cultural Heritage Conservation Fund to support funding for a number of truly necessary and specific activities in cultural heritage conservation that the state budget cannot yet meet.
These include: protecting intangible cultural heritage at risk of being lost or forgotten; preserving, renovating, restoring, protecting and promoting the value of relics; purchasing and bringing relics, antiques, national treasures, documentary heritage, rare documents on intangible cultural heritage of Vietnamese origin from abroad to the country...
The fund's financial resources are formed on the basis of aid, sponsorship, support, and donations from domestic and foreign organizations and individuals and other legal financial sources; the state budget does not provide financial support for the fund's activities.
The National Assembly Standing Committee proposed to regulate the Cultural Heritage Conservation Fund in the draft law, and directed careful research on the necessity, legal basis and practice; reviewed, revised and perfected the direction that the fund only supports funding for a number of key and focal activities.
Supplementing regulations that the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee shall base on the actual situation of requirements and the ability to mobilize resources to establish a fund in the locality.
