Vol. 510 No. 5
5 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children the health agencies, if any, which had, at 1 November 1999, failed to achieve year 2000 compliance of systems and equipment; the year 2000 compliance work which remains to be done by health agencies; the agencies concerned; and the likelihood of their achieving year 2000 compliance by 31 December 1999. [23070/99]
Since 1997 my Department has been working with health agencies to ensure year 2000 compliance in the health service. My Department has undertaken an overall role of co-ordinating, assisting and facilitating the sharing of information and monitoring progress. Each health agency has its own Y2K project structure in place and the Y2K remediation programme is now drawing to a close. My Department has authorised expenditure amounting to approximately £25 million for the repair or replacement of non-compliant systems and equipment.
Formal returns from health agencies are received on the 25th of each month reflecting the position at the end of the previous month. Accordingly, the latest formal returns reflect the Y2K status in health agencies at the end of September. My Department's assessment of these returns is that at this stage in excess of 90 per cent of the technical remediation work has been completed. When account is taken of the fact that the most critical items have generally been dealt with first, this indicates that the workload remaining was quite small and related to the less critical items.
However, Y2K is a complex issue in a health care setting. It involves making all reasonable efforts to ensure that systems and equipment will continue to function normally and having adequate contingency plans in place as an added assurance.
The main focus of activity is now on business continuity and contingency planning and this is taking place in a structured and co-ordinated way. This includes preparations for the expected increased demand for services over the millen nium changeover period. It is also necessary to continue to make staff aware of the issues and this awareness training will continue up to the millennium changeover.
My Department's objectives are to ensure that there is no risk to the health and safety of health service clients and staff arising from the Y2K problem and that demands for service are met. I am confident these objectives will be achieved.
Will the Minister detail to the House the 10 per cent of year 2000 compliance work that was outstanding as at the end of September 1999 and the health agencies which need to undertake that work?
The scope of the problem covers information technology like computers, medical equipment and devices, estates, plant and machinery in buildings, telephone and pager systems, lifts, operating theatres, air conditioners and the supply chain. It is necessary to consider the ability of the suppliers of critical or perishable goods to maintain continuity of supply over the millennium period, i.e. that their systems are year 2000 compliant. A great deal of work has been done on that and various special interest groups were set up in relation to information technology, medical devices, estates, laboratory equipment, small agencies, the supply chain, business continuity and planning.
The guidelines set out and the methodology used to approach this problem recommended the risk management approach, which involved categorising systems and items of equipment into various categories of risk, ranging from life threatening to minimal. In this way, the effort can be directed to the highest risk areas first. All those critical issues have been dealt with. We are now dealing with the question of ensuring continuity of supply over the period and contingency planning for the expected increased demand in accident and emergency services, etc. The technical issues regarding Y2K compliance of equipment have been dealt with and we are now dealing with the logistics of average coverage, etc.
Is the Minister saying that no important equipment in the health services used for patients' benefit is not year 2000 compliant, and that the 10 per cent of work that was outstanding at the end of September relates to procedural issues? What does that 10 per cent relate to? Are we talking here about health boards or other agencies? Will the Minister clarify the agencies to which he is referring and to what this outstanding 10 per cent of work specifically relates, in the context of year 2000 compliance work?
As I said, the year 2000 compliance procedures did not just relate to computers and technical issues but included ensuring that suppliers would not have problems in meeting the demands of the health services over the year. It is those sort of issues that we are dealing with. A great deal of work has been—
So there are no difficulties with medical equipment?
No. A great deal of work has been done on all that. Technical people were brought in, a central testing agency was set up in St. James's Hospital, which has tested a great deal of equipment, and suppliers were brought in. All that logistical work has been done. Any issues which were identified at the beginning of this process in early 1997, where people felt there would be a life threatening risk, have been dealt with, in so far as they can be.
