Vol. 495 No. 7
61 Mr. Quinn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the plans, if any, she has to make any further speeches, particularly to small businesses, highlighting the importance of the year 2000 computer bug issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19393/98]
As the Minister with responsibility for the Year 2000 Business Awareness Campaign I have been emphasising all along that this is a matter for each individual business and other users of computer systems to assess the implications of the year 2000 on their particular systems and to determine the solution. It is important that Irish businesses address the issue as the cost of ignoring the problem could ultimately be far greater than the cost of solving the problem at this stage.
I would like to point out that the Government cannot solve the problem for businesses. Where the Government can help is in raising awareness of the issue and by providing guidelines to businesses to help them tackle the problem.
In May last, I launched a business awareness campaign with which I am personally involved. A 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 over 100,000 businesses throughout the country, both directly and indirectly through industrial development agencies, county and city enterprise boards and chambers of commerce. I arranged to have copies of this brochure circulated to all Deputies and Senators.
In addition, a series of seven regional public meetings have been held to highlight awareness of the problem. I have personally impressed on participants at these meetings the urgency of the need to address the issue. In September the Taoiseach addressed a one day National Conference on the Year 2000 Computer Problem in UCD at which this message was repeated and developed by some international speakers. This conference was attended by approximately 600 people, many of them from small businesses. The regional meetings and the conference received wide media coverage.
A broad range of relevant business organisations and State agencies have agreed to support the Government's campaign and take part in a national advisory committee to oversee the campaign and advise me on appropriate action to counter the problem. In addition we have secured commitments from groups which interact with small business on a daily basis, e.g. the banks, the accounting-auditing profession and insurance companies, that they will continue to press smaller and medium sized businesses to take action.
