Vol. 491 No. 3
22 Mrs. Owen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the assistance, if any, her Department has given to assist companies to prepare for the computer changeover in the year 2000 given that the necessary arrangements will have to be in place by early 1999; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12236/98]
It is a matter for each individual business and other users of computer systems, to assess the implications of the year 2000 on their systems and to determine the solution. There is no way of preventing or avoiding the costs associated with solving this serious problem. The level of cost and the economic impact in any case, will depend on the extent of the problem within each business. It is important that Irish businesses urgently address this complex issue, as the cost of ignoring this problem could ultimately be far greater than the cost of solving the problem immediately. Government can only help in raising awareness of this issue and by providing guidelines to businesses to assist them in tackling the problem.
More than 100,000 copies of an awareness leaflet on the year 2000 computer problem, prepared by our Department in June 1997 with the assistance of Forfás and IBEC, have been distributed to industry, chambers of commerce, professional bodies, State agencies and county and city enterprise boards throughout the country. This leaflet suggests initial steps to be taken to enable industry's IT systems deal with the date change.
Some recent research on the year 2000 problem, has indicated that while there is a high level of awareness of the problem, the level of action to deal with it particularly among SMEs, still falls below what is urgently required. Accordingly on 6 May last I launched a further awareness campaign with which I am constantly involved. A further and more comprehensive brochure outlining the nature and implications of the problem and giving advice on how to go about dealing with it, has been circulated to businesses, both directly and indirectly, through industrial development agencies, county and city enterprise boards, chambers of commerce and other professional bodies. I arranged to have copies of this brochure circulated to all Deputies and Senators. In addition a series of regional public meetings are being held to highlight awareness of the problem and the urgency of the need to address the issue immediately.
My Department and I have also had discussions with representatives of the financial sector, the insurance industry, the accountancy bodies and various other professionals, both national and international, including the IT sector, to seek their assistance in highlighting the need for Irish businesses to take immediate action. These interests have agreed to support the Government's campaign and I have established a national steering committee, representing a range of relevant business organisations and State agencies, to oversee the campaign and implement it at the level of their constituent membership.
I thank the Minister for his reply and for sending us his brochure. There are plenty of pictures of the Minister on everything he issues.
I thought there was only one.
One cannot ignore the fact that he is sending another statement or brochure. This is an extremely serious problem and I do not think the Minster is aware of the devastation that will be caused by the lack of preparedness in so many businesses. When did the Minister set up the national steering committee? If, as I understand, it was set up only in the past month or two, is he satisfied that is a sufficient lead-in time for people to be prepared given that, in his leaflet, he said some of the problems would be met by the end of 1998 when the timers click in to 1999? Will he consider making interest-free loans available to companies who cannot find the resources to prepare themselves for the changeover in the year 2000? Is he aware that issues such as traffic lights, lifts, refrigeration systems and anything which has an embedded chip is also likely to be affected and that his campaign appears to affect only the computer on the desk? Will he ensure specific training for specific businesses is provided?
I am pleased Deputy Owen observed the nice photograph on the brochure. Given that it contained only one photograph, I do not know where she saw the different pictures.
I suppose she photocopied it.
I am fully aware of all the matters to which Deputy Owen has referred. To say we are not taking this matter seriously is far removed from the truth. We established a national co-ordinating committee last year which has worked assiduously on the matter. That committee was revamped and converted into a national steering committee, representing all the professional bodies and many professionals in their own right and various business organisations. This is an excellent national committee doing tremendous work.
I hope the Deputy is not suffering from amnesia but she will be aware she sat at a Cabinet table which took a decision that it would be a matter purely for businesses to resolve issues pertaining to IT and the resolution of the year 2000 problem. This Government has renewed that decision. The computer systems in private sector industry are matters for that industry. Our job is to ensure on a macro basis that businesses are fully aware of the seriousness of this complex problem and that they will have to take immediate action to deal with it. We have alerted businesses throughout the country to this problem. A series of regional public meetings are taking place with the full support of the national steering committee, the constituent organisations and the professional bodies involved. These regional meetings are well supported.
We will continue to work assiduously on this problem in the coming months to ensure all businesses take the necessary action. Given the seriousness of this matter I circulated all Deputies with the brochure. We have been commended by the European Commission on the brochure and the information contained therein. We are pleased about that and it shows it has made a major impact not alone in this country but across Europe. I hope we have the full support of all the elected Members of both this House and Seanad Éireann. I commend Seanad Éireann for having a positive debate on this matter and I am confident that if everybody plays their part we will ensure that the historic opportunities that are available, not just politically but economically, will not be impeded by the latent difficulties being created by the year 2000 problem. I hope everybody, elected representatives and others, will play an individual part so that collectively we can ensure this problem is resolved to the satisfaction of our country's economic future.
I thank the Minister of State for the little lecture. Is he not aware that the distribution of 100,000 leaflets is not sufficient to make an impact on the companies that will be affected? A recent survey showed that despite a two year information campaign, 61 per cent of companies said they were not ready for the introduction of the euro in January next. Will the Minister of State review the methodology he is using to stimulate the companies to become aware of the seriousness of this problem? With no disrespect to him, that leaflet is not enough to make companies aware of this problem.
Will the Minister of State consider making an interest free loan available so that companies will have the resources to make the necessary changes? Will he consider a more specific training programme for specific sectors? Holding generalised seminars in the various hotels the Minister of State mentioned will not be enough to deal with this problem. We know from practice that it is not enough to prepare people for the euro. I ask the Minister to put his Department's enormous resources, and his own intellect, behind some different method of making companies aware of the changes needed.
Has the Minister of State had any discussions with software manufacturers in regard to making the devices they are implementing available to companies throughout the country? I understand work is ongoing in those companies to find new programmes to help deal with this problem. If they have not taken place, will the Minister agree to have discussions with these companies?
The Deputy seems to have misinterpreted what I said. We produced our first brochure in June last and circulated 100,000 of those throughout the country. We then reviewed the position and produced a new brochure recently, approximately 150,000 copies of which have been circulated. I have had discussions at the highest level, both nationally and internationally, with various computer companies and software producers as well as the Irish Software Association and others. Outstanding advice has been made available to us from some of the world's leading manufacturers of computers and software systems, both nationally and internationally. We visited some of those manufacturers for other reasons and discussed the matter with them. We talked specifically to some companies and others came to this country at our request to advise us. In addition, all of the professional organisations, including the Irish Bankers' Federation, the accountancy organisations, IBEC and others, are taking action on this matter. Dedicated organisations like the banks, the building societies and others are also taking specific action and we are deeply involved with them in those areas. This is a three-pronged approach by the individual companies, their professional bodies and representative organisations supported by the Government awareness campaign. Following each regional conference, my officials and I will review strategy and the Deputy can be absolutely certain that with the Tánaiste and my colleague, Deputy Kitt, our Department will leave no stone unturned to ensure all of the organisations as well as small, medium and large businesses will be fully aware of the seriousness of this problem. We ask them to get the message across and co-operate so that everybody will be up to speed by 9 September 1999.
Will the Minister of State have discussions with the Minister for the Environment and Local Government to ensure, for example, that all the public bodies under his remit are ready? I understand they require additional staff to get their computer, payroll and ordering systems ready. Will he have discussions also with Ministers across the board? Is the Minister's own Department ready for the change or will we have to rescue him, the Tánaiste and Minister Kitt from the lifts in the Department on 1 January 2000? Will they have to be rescued when the alarm system goes off and they are unable to get in or out of their building because everything will be locked? Will all the safes in the Department be locked or will they spring open suddenly on 1 January 2000? Is the Minister of State's Department ready for the change?
He may not be in power.
I hope the Deputy does not commit hara-kiri over this issue between now and the deadline. She can be absolutely certain that her assistance will not be required because we will be in a position to comply. We have answered a series of questions on this issue. My responsibility is in the business area. The Government has taken this matter very seriously. The Cabinet has considered it on a number of occasions. A national committee, chaired by the Minister for Finance, is working on this with all Government Departments. I have had discussions with various Departments regarding this matter but it is the role of the Minister for Finance to co-ordinate the Government campaign for the State agencies. The Deputy can be assured that all of the State agencies are responding to each departmental demand to ensure they can comply by September next. In addition, we are spending £13 million, as I informed the House on another occasion, on improving and providing new computer systems in various Departments. No stone will be left unturned by this Government in regard to this problem. Each Minister will provide a report every two months to Cabinet and to the national committee under the chairmanship of the Minister for Finance on all of the agencies under their remit.
I am grateful for the offer of the Deputy's assistance but the assistance we require is that she gets the message across that this problem is serious. We want the businesses involved in the regional conferences to take urgent action by way of audits and assurance assessments of their systems so that the professionals will be in a position to respond to them and not wait until later this year or early next year when all the professions will be tied up with the amount of work that will be involved.
The Minister of State's embedded chip seems to be working.
I am delighted to say we will be in the lift.
