Written Answers. - Computer Programmes.
Ruairí Quinn
Question:
58
Mr. Quinn
asked the
Minister for Finance
if he will make a statement on the millennium bug; the steps, if any, the Government has taken at national and local levels to ensure that all systems are Y2K compliant; and if he will assure the public on the matter.
[24326/99]
Ruairí Quinn
Question:
194
Mr. Quinn
asked the
Minister for Finance
if he has satisfied himself that all Government agencies have achieved full year 2000 compliance; if not, the name of the agencies which have not; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[22388/99]
Ruairí Quinn
Question:
196
Mr. Quinn
asked the
Minister for Finance
the further progress, if any, made to achieving full year 2000 compliance in the public sector since the Government website was updated on 9 September 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[22386/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 58, 194 and 196 together.
I assure the Deputy that the Government is treating the year 2000 problem with the utmost urgency and priority and has been taking steps since 1996 to ensure that information technology systems and other office equipment and plant will not be affected. In the public sector, it adopted a three-stranded approach to the year 2000 problem, i.e., remedy the problem in computer systems, infrastructures, equipment, plant and information exchanges; prepare business continuity and contingency plans for all business-critical operations; and co-ordinate emergency management arrangements.
Each Government Department and office is individually responsible for ensuring that it, and the public bodies under its aegis, achieves year 2000 compliance in good time. Based on a detailed circular and advice note issued by my Department, all Departments/offices put comprehensive year 2000 programmes in place. In addition, monitoring, and reporting processes m-ere put in place in each Department and office to ensure that these programmes were properly, managed and progressed.
In 1997, the Government established an interdepartmental year 2000 monitoring committee to oversee the achievement of year 2000 compliance for IT systems and other office equipment and plant in Civil Service Departments and offices. In that context, this committee does not have a remit to monitor the achievement of year 2000 compliance in public sector bodies. The committee is chaired by my Department and is made up of four private sector representatives and eight civil servants at principal officer level. My Department also provides a full-time secretariat to the committee. The committee reports through me to the Government. It did this on a two-monthly basis to September of this year and has been doing it monthly since then. All Departments/offices have completed all business-critical year 2000 projects. The Government's year 2000 web site has been updated to reflect this progress.
As I have already stated, Departments and offices are individually responsible for ensuring that public bodies operating under their aegis achieve year 2000 compliance in good time. Each Department/office with public bodies has individual monitoring committees overseeing this work which report regularly on progress to their senior management and Minister. Five Departments/ offices – Education and Science; Environment and Local Government; Health and Children; Justice, Equality and Law Reform; and Public Enterprise – report, through their Minister, on progress in these sectors to Government every two months. These Departments have reported that all public bodies have completed the bulk of year 2000 compliance work. The Government's year 2000 web site provides links to the year 2000 information published by many public sector bodies. All of the public bodies operating under the aegis of my Department have completed their year 2000 compliance programmes.
On the instructions of Government, all Departments, offices and public sector bodies have developed year 2000 business contingency and staff cover plans to deal with any contingencies which may arise before, during, or after the millennium changeover period. These plans were subjected to independent audits. In the remaining time, Departments, offices, and public bodies are concentrating on training, and familiarising staff, completing, preparations, and testing,/rehearsing/refining their contingency plans.
The national year 2000 emergencies coordination committee was established by the Government to oversee and co-ordinate the year 2000 contingency preparations and emergency management arrangements of the key national utility, infrastructure, health. security, financial and business sectors, so as to mitigate potential disruptions to Irish society in the event of problems arising, from year 2000 related incidents and/or millennium celebrations. The committee is representative of the business and financial sectors and Government Departments that provide the vital services necessary to our society and our economy. The committee has reviewed and is satisfied with the general state of readiness of the sectors and the information co-ordination and emergency management arrangements between them. The committee's work is still in progress with a view to ensuring that any disruptions that might arise will have minimum effects.
Private sector companies are individually responsible for ensuring that they achieve compliance in good time. To raise awareness of the problem and provide guidance on solving it to the private sector, the Department of Enterprise. Trade and Employment, set up an extensive business awareness campaign. In this regard, it established a year 2000 campaign committee, chaired by Deputy Noel Treacy, Minister of State with responsibility for Science, Technology and Commerce, and enlisted representatives from a wide range of businesses and business development agencies. This committee has issued a comprehensive guidance brochure to approximately 150,000 businesses; contributed to the production of a TV programme and video on the matter; held a number of national and regional conferences and seminars; and supported Enterprise Ireland in establishing a year 2000 information service which is provided free of charge and includes a helpline phone number, an information pack, an Internet website, a directory of year 2000 service suppliers, and training workshops.
I am, satisfied that the Government has taken all necessary-steps in relation to the year 2000 problem and that the civil and public service are prepared to deal with any issues which may arise. It is worth noting that, as a result of the efforts set out above and the work completed to date, Ireland is rated at the best state of readiness by, among others, the United Nations, European Union, the OECD, and the Global 2000 Co-ordinating Group.
