Vol. 505 No. 7
16 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he has satisfied himself that all sections of his Department and all agencies operating under its auspices will be year 2000 compliant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14587/99]
The project to ensure that computer systems in my Department are year 2000 compliant is very well advanced. Compliance work has been completed for all computer applications which support the Department's core business of processing claims and making payments across a wide variety of schemes. Some systems, such as child benefit and family income supplement, have already successfully produced payment orders with dates beyond 31 December 1999.
My Department is also well advanced in the testing and upgrading of all computer hardware, system software and network components. Integration tests between the Department and a number of external key suppliers, who have computer links to the Department, are almost complete. My Department has been actively monitoring the year 2000 compliance progress in the three bodies under its aegis – the Combat Poverty Agency, the National Social Services Board and the Pen sions Board. It is expected full compliance will have been achieved for all three before the end of June.
The overall target date for achievement of year 2000 compliance is July 1998. Some residual testing of a small amount of marginal software will continue beyond July. Implementation and overseeing of contingency arrangements will proceed up to the end of the year. A comprehensive statement of my Department's state of readiness with regard to the year 2000 project has been published on the Department's Internet website. This statement will be updated on a regular basis to reflect continuing progress on the project.
Everyone will be glad to hear that the Department is so well prepared for the year 2000. Can the Minister give a categoric assurance that payments to people on benefit and assistance will be absolutely regular and on time in the early part of the year 2000 and that there will be no problems in regard to them? Has the Minister given any further thought to a paying a double bonus to those on assistance and long-term benefit as a way to mark this very special year to those of the Christian tradition and others?
The last question is not really relevant to this discussion. Regarding Y2K compliance, there is nobody more interested than me in ensuring that those in receipt of social welfare will get the correct payment on 1 January 2000 and not an incorrect one, either more or less. The Department is probably to the fore of all Government Departments in its Y2K compliance procedures but that is as it should be, as it is the Department with most computer systems. My Department was the first to address this matter more than one year ago and recently received a substantial award for the system it set up for Y2K compliance. The award was received in New York by staff from my Department who worked in this area.
