On 27 March 1997, the Department of Finance issued a Circular (Circular 17/97) on IT Systems and the Year 2000 to all Departments-Offices asking them to verify the year 2000 compliance status of their IT infrastructures and systems. It requested each Department and office to ensure that their IT infrastructures and office equipment were year 2000 compliant, and to draw up plans for dealing with any non-compliant systems by January 1999, or earlier for those systems that process multicentury dates in this century. Plans were to be submitted to this Department by July of this year.
This planning exercise is now complete. Unlike the situation in the UK referred to by Deputy Bruton, year 2000 Compliance Plans were received from all Departments and Offices.
These plans have been reviewed by the Department of Finance. They set out the actions to be taken and the period over which such actions will extend to achieve year 2000 compliance for departmental information technology systems, and any associated costs.
The volume of year 2000 compliance activities varies considerably from Department to Department, and in some cases it is relatively minor. It is evident from the plans that many potential year 2000 problems have already been eliminated by the replacing of ageing computer systems and infrastructures. Considerable remedial work has been ongoing for some time in those Departments and offices most affected, and all expect that this remedial work will be completed by early 1999.
The additional costs arising in 1998 and 1999 for the resolution of year 2000 problems will amount to some £12.8 million for the Civil Service.
The Government has also decided to set up an independent monitoring committee to oversee the achievement of year 2000 compliance in the Civil Service. The committee will be chaired by my Department, and will include members from the private sector. It will submit quarterly reports to Government on the progress being made in achieving year 2000 compliance in the Civil Service.
The Government has also instructed Departments to ensure that bodies operating under their aegis in the wider Public Service are addressing the year 2000 problem.
The publication of the detailed information contained in their year 2000 Compliance Plans can be provided by individual Departments and offices.
