The Ministry of Home Affairs is drafting a Decree to amend and supplement a number of articles of Decree No. 150/2025/ND-CP, regulating the organization of specialized agencies under the People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities and commune-level People's Committees, with proposals to streamline the apparatus according to the general policy, while overcoming practical shortcomings in local administrative organization.
For the provincial level, the draft detailing the positions of deputy heads to control the number of leaders, focusing on State consultation and management.
Regarding the number of Deputy Directors of Departments, the draft stipulates that the average of no more than 3 deputy directors of a department is created, creating a strict limit for restructuring the apparatus.
In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City alone, in addition to the total number of Deputy Directors according to the general average, there will be no more than 10 Deputy Directors added.
Provinces that have just merged provincial-level administrative units will have 1 or 2 additional Deputy Directors of Departments to have enough managers in the transition period.
At the department level in the department and branches, any department with less than 10 civil servants can only have 1 deputy head of the department; a department with 10-14 people can have a maximum of 2 deputy heads; a department with 15 people or more can have a maximum of 3 deputy heads. For any department with 4 or more departments, a maximum of 2 deputy department heads will be arranged.
Regarding the professional department at the commune level, the draft amends and supplements the current regulation that the department has legal status, has its own seal and account according to the provisions of law; performs the function of advising, helping the People's Committees at the commune level to manage the State in sectors and fields in the locality according to the provisions of law.
Regarding the number of deputy heads, according to the draft, it is calculated on the principle of an average of 2 deputy heads/department.
The Provincial People's Committee decides specifically on the number of commune-level deputy heads in the whole province and city, ensuring compliance with the scale of area, population, classification of administrative units, classification of urban areas, GRDP, State budget collection, number of party organizations, party members, union members, members... for each commune, ward, and special zone.
Regarding the number of specialized departments under the People's Committee at the commune level, Decree 150 currently stipulates the number of specialized departments under the People's Committee at the commune level, including 3 specialized departments and public administrative service centers.
According to the draft submission, during the operation of the two-level local government, there are many proposals and recommendations to increase the number of specialized departments under the People's Committees at the commune level to promptly resolve procedures and serve the essential needs of the people.
Therefore, based on the synthesis of criteria for classifying administrative units, the draft decree stipulates that the establishment of additional specialized departments must meet the criteria according to the classification of administrative units in wards and communes of type 1 with over 35,000 people and in special zones with over 35,000 people.
Accordingly, localities will base on the actual situation to determine the number of specialized departments under the People's Committee at the commune level, ensuring that it does not exceed the average of 4.5 departments and equivalent at 1 commune-level administrative unit.
