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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 29 Apr 1998

Vol. 490 No. 3

Written Answers. - Computer Programmes.

Paul Connaughton

Ceist:

58 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if his Department has a year 2000 project team; if so, the length of time it has been established; the progress, if any, made to date; the progress expected by the end of 1998; and when it is expected to have fully compliant year 2000 systems. [10212/98]

In consultation with the centre for management and organisation development of the Department of Finance, my Department completed a Year 2000 assessment and compliance plan last year. In August 1997 my Department set up a Year 2000 project board, chaired by an assistant secretary, to oversee the work on Year 2000 compliance.

Work is under way in many areas and some tasks have been completed. Computer systems that are in development or in active maintenance are being catered for by the staff assigned to those systems. Work is in progress on the mainframe system software and on the headage/premia payments systems. It is expected that this work will be completed by the end of 1998. Year 2000 work has been completed on the export refunds system and on systems dealing with REPS and structural improvement measures. The headage/premia and export refunds systems are the main payment systems accounting for approximately £1.3 billion of my Department's total annual spend. It is expected that work on the remainder of non-compliant systems will be completed by mid-1999.
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