My Department has spent over £800,000 on various initiatives to increase awareness among businesses, and to encourage them to take action to ensure that their computer systems are Y2K compliant. This includes companies involved in the handling of dangerous substances. These initiatives include the Enterprise Ireland National Y2K Information Service, specifically geared to the needs of small companies. This service has been very broad based and many different avenues have been developed to get the message across. The preparation of contingency plans has been highlighted as a key element of a company's preparations throughout these promotional efforts.
Surveys undertaken as part of the campaign show that awareness of the year 2000 computer problem is very high and that many companies now have taken steps to pursue the issue. The latest survey results show that 94% of Irish companies are either very confident or fairly confident that their businesses will be unaffected by the millennium bug or associated issues.