BEIJING, Feb. 23 -- Changes are expected in the third session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislative body, to make it more efficient and give it more time to concentrate on legislation.

    Reports say one of the procedures during the annual session, due to begin in early March, will be scrapped if a proposed change is approved by the NPC's Standing Committee on February 25.

    The Minister of National Development and Reform Commission and the Finance Minister's routines of delivering oral reports will end if the proposals are accepted.

    Their delivery of plans for national economic and social development and the fiscal budget report are usually high on the agenda during the NPC's annual meeting.

    But as these reports are also handed out in written form to deputies asking for comments, there seems to be a case for the oral practice to stop.

    The dropping of the spoken routine, a time-consuming procedure, would give more time for other more important legislative matters and more time to raise issues of concern.

    Some say the plan to drop the oral routines is a giant step forward.

    As the NPC plays an increasingly important role in promoting the rule of law, the organization needs to make adjustments to its working style so it has the time to deal effectively with its legislation work.

    This often demands an incredible amount of time.

    Realizing that the NPC has a huge bearing on the country's democratic development, the public is keen to see the law-making body working in a more efficient and professional way.

    Li Lin, a researcher with the Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, recently proposed cutting the number of deputies to half.

    He also suggested the session meets twice a year instead of just once, and increases the number of days it meets.

    He said the number of Standing Committee members should be doubled, as this would allow more time for law makers to deliberate on pending legislation.

    Currently, the 3,000-strong legislature, of which about 160 are Standing Committee members, convenes for about 10 days once a year, usually in March.

    Considering that the legislative work the NPC will handle is set to surge with the country's efforts to promote the rule of law, the growing calls for reforming the NPC's work procedures and own setup are not without good reason.

    The proposed cancellation of the routine delivery of some oral reports, initiated by the NPC itself, shows the top legislative body senses the need for reform.

    The changes should ensure a more efficient legislature.

    (Source: China Daily)