The fourth plenary meeting of the First Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 11, 2008.

　　BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhua) -- China's lawmakers met on Tuesday to hear an explanation of a government reshuffle plan that involves the establishment of five "super ministries" and a ministerial-level energy commission.

　　According to the planned institutional restructuring of the State Council, China will establish a national energy commission, an inter-ministerial consultation and coordination body, said State Councilor Hua Jianmin.

　　The proposed institutional restructuring, an important part of China's overall plan to deepen reforms in its administrative system, is a continuation of the previous five major government reshuffles over the past 30 years, said Hua.

　　Under the plan, China will establish larger departments that organically integrate the functions of smaller departments, he said at the fourth plenary meeting of the First Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC).

　　Hua said that the reshuffle will "rearrange, in a more rational manner, the functions of government departments that exercise macroeconomic regulation, strengthen energy and environmental agencies, integrate bodies in charge of industrial administration and information, form a transport ministry and enhance departments responsible for public administration and public services," he said.

　　Hua, who explained the reshuffle plan to the national legislators, said that China would create a state energy bureau, which will be under the jurisdiction of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

　　In a second major move, China plans to form a ministry of industry and information to integrate relevant functions of the NDRC, the Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense, the Ministry of Information Industry and the State Council Informatization Office.

　　The planned restructuring will also include a consolidated ministry of transport, which will replace the current Ministry of Communications and the General Administration of Civil Aviation. Under the new ministry will be a new state civil aviation bureau as well as the State Post Bureau, previously under the Ministry of Information Industry.

　　The reshuffle includes the establishment of a ministry of human resources and social security, which will combine the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security. A state bureau of civil servants will be formed under the new ministry.

　　The plan also includes the elevation of the State Environmental Protection Administration to the ministry of environmental protection.

　　A new ministry for housing and urban and rural construction will replace the Ministry of Construction.

　　The State Food and Drug Administration will be put under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health, to clarify the health ministry's responsibility for food and drug safety.

　　The reshuffle involves 15 government departments and reduces the number of Cabinet ministries and commissions to 27 from the current 28, Hua said.

　　After the reshuffle, the NDRC will focus on macro-regulation and phase out its involvement in economic micro-management and the examination and approval of specific projects.

　　The Ministry of Finance is to reform and improve its management of the budget and tax systems. The People's Bank of China, the central bank, is to strengthen the conduct of monetary policy and improve the exchange-rate mechanism.

　　The reshuffle plan was submitted to the First Session of the 11th NPC for deliberation.

　　The NPC deputies attending the fourth plenary meeting on Tuesday also passed the measures for election and decision on appointments for the NPC session.

　　On Tuesday morning, the presidium of the NPC session held its second meeting and agreed to submit draft resolutions on the adoption of three reports -- the government work report, the report on national economic and social development and the report on the central and local budgets -- for deliberations at all delegations.

　　At the suggestion of the NPC deputies, who deliberated the government work report in their respective delegations from Wednesday through Saturday last week, the State Council made 32 revisions to the report, including 12 major revisions.

　　The delegations deliberated the other two reports on Friday and Saturday.

Xi Jinpin, executive chairman of the presidium of the First Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC), presides over the fourth plenary meeting of the First Session of the 11th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 11, 2008.