II. We will implement the Oversight Law and make oversight work more effective.
The Standing Committee actively explored ways to strengthen and improve the oversight work of the NPC over the last four years, following an approach to oversight work that requires concentrating on the core tasks, identifying priorities and striving for substantive results. It listened to, deliberated and approved 44 special reports on the work of the central government, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate and investigated compliance with 21 laws. Through the oversight work of the NPC, solutions were found to some longstanding problems affecting the overall interests of the country, thus ensuring correct implementation of the laws, promoting government administration in accordance with the law, ensuring justice in the judicial system and safeguarding the lawful rights and interests of the people.
This year is the first year for the implementation of the Oversight Law. We will take the implementation of this law as a fulcrum for efforts to strengthen and improve oversight, standardize the forms of oversight to comply with the law and strictly follow the procedures defined in the law in order to exercise more effective oversight and raise the oversight work of the Standing Committee to a new level. We plan to investigate compliance with the law in three areas and listen to and deliberate nine special work reports during the year.
First, we will listen to and deliberate the State Council's reports on building a new socialist countryside, conserving energy and protecting the environment.
Second, we will listen to and deliberate the State Council's reports on reforming the urban and rural medical and health care systems, tightening oversight of food and drug safety and safeguarding the lawful rights and interests of workers, and investigate compliance with the Compulsory Education Law.
Third, we will listen to and deliberate reports by the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate on improving the systems for trial oversight and oversight over procuratorial work. We will monitor how well the opinions contained in the reports on compliance with the Law on Judges and the Law on Public Procurators have been implemented.
Fourth, we will listen to and deliberate the State Council's reports on work related to overseas Chinese and on protecting the lawful rights and interests of Taiwan compatriots investing in the mainland. We will monitor implementation of the opinions contained in the reports on compliance with the Law on the Autonomy of Ethnic Minority Areas, and monitor progress in formulating related supporting rules and regulations.
We will strengthen oversight of budget implementation and economic work. We will listen to and deliberate the State Council's report on the final accounts of the central government and corresponding auditing report for 2006, and report on standardizing government transfer payments. We will call on all concerned departments to balance their budgets, ensure that key expenditures are properly funded, properly handle surplus revenue over the budget target, standardize transfer payments and improve outstanding balance management for the national debt. We will support the auditing authorities in performing their duties in accordance with the law and urge concerned departments to address or correct any problem uncovered in the audit. We will listen to and deliberate the State Council's report on the implementation of the plan for economic and social development and increase monitoring and analysis of the performance of the economy to promote sound and fast development of the Chinese economy.
In accordance with related provisions of the Oversight Law, we will improve the filing and inspection of administrative regulations, local regulations, legal interpretation documents and other regulatory documents. We will conduct focused inspections of regulatory documents on our own initiative to effectively safeguard the uniformity and authority of the country's legal system. We will improve handling of people's petitions delivered via letters and visits. We will carry out an overall analysis of such petitions and urge the relevant offices to find effective solutions to serious problems that are reflected in many petitions and evoke a strong reaction from the people in order to resolve conflicts at the local level in the place where they arise.
The Standing Committee will be more conscientious in subjecting itself to oversight by you and the people. It will use a variety of means, including printed bulletins, press conferences, interviews and the Internet, to inform you and the public about its work. The information released will include the annual plan for oversight work, reports on compliance with the laws and comments on those reports, as well as work reports delivered to the Standing Committee, the Committee's comments on those work reports and the responses to its comments from the central government, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate. The Standing Committee will carefully listen to your and other people's comments and suggestions concerning its work to improve its performance under this oversight.
The most fundamental requirement for successful implementation of the Law on Oversight and effective oversight of people's congresses is to organically combine the leadership of the Party, the people's position as the masters of the country and the running of the government according to the rule of law.
First, we must uphold the Party's leadership. The CPC is the leadership core for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Upholding the Party's leadership is a basic prerequisite and fundamental guarantee for success in the work of people's congresses. All the work of people's congresses must contribute to improving the Party's leadership, consolidating the Party's position as the governing party and ensuring implementation of the Party's line, principles and policies.
Second, we must properly handle the relationship between people's congresses on the one hand and the people's governments, the people's courts and the people's procuratorates on the other. Overseeing the work of the people's governments, the people's courts and the people's procuratorates is one of the major powers granted to people's congresses in the Constitution and other laws. The oversight by people's congresses is oversight with the force of law carried out on behalf of the state and the people. Deputies to people's congresses must exercise their oversight power conscientiously, act in accordance with the law and prescribed procedures, uphold democratic centralism, exercise power collectively and decide on issues collectively. People's congresses are organs of state power that do not exercise administrative, judicial or procuratorial power in their oversight work. They coordinate the work of other organs of the state in the independent performance of their duties and responsibilities in accordance with the law and under the unified leadership of the Party.
Third, we must concentrate on the core tasks, identify priorities and strive for substantive results. The oversight work of people's congresses must all be closely related to the overall work of the Party and the government, and oversight efforts should be focused on issues that are of vital importance to overall reform, development and stability, draw wide public attention or affect social harmony. A combination of forms of oversight should be applied to resolve problems that are widespread or that indicate an unhealthy trend. People's congresses should constantly work to make their oversight work more focused and effective.
