The Ministry of Home Affairs vowed to take drastic measures prevent corruption among state officials.

(left) Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Tran Anh Tuan

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that around 30% of state officials do not work during the working hours. Deputy Director General of Civil Servants and Public Servants Department, Hoang Quoc Long, said the agencies should reduce their staff to be more effective and economical.

Tran Anh Tuan, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs said, "After receiving reports on the lax working habits of many officials, we've started inspections so that we can deal with the situation."

Public focus was recently brought to the matter over reports that many officials had bought their positions at a price of VND100 million (USD4,800). Tuan said, although they have discovered some violations of recruitment rules, they have not found evidence for any such case.

The Ministry of Home Affairs also plans to reform regulations concerning the recruitment process.

In response to the news that authorities in Quang Ninh Province and other localities violated examination rules while recruiting officials for key positions, Tuan said the examinations were not in violation and that they would provide extra support to provinces if necessary.

"To improve staff quality, new solutions are needed," Tuan said. According to him, holding examinations to recruit local officials was one improvement to the recruitment process.

The Ministry of Home Affairs is currently finishing a project on amending the state officials recruitment process.