Vol. 502 No. 3
254 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he is satisfied with the progress towards full year 2000 compliance within his Department and in agencies for which his Department is responsible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8225/99]
255 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of personnel in his Department working on securing year 2000 compliance within his Department and the bodies under its aegis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8240/99]
256 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he is satisfied that State agencies (details supplied) are year 2000 compliant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8265/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 254, 255 and 256 together.
In consultation with the centre for management and organisation development of the Department of Finance, my Department completed a year 2000 preliminary assessment report in 1997. In August 1997 a year 2000 project board was set up, chaired by an assistant secretary, to oversee the work on year 2000 compliance. As part of the preliminary impact assessment, some 50 departmental systems were identified as being non-compliant. Resulting from this, a year 2000 compliance plan was drafted in October 1997. The year 2000 project board meets on a monthly basis to review and monitor progress and reports regularly to the Department's management committee and IT steering committee. In addition, every two months a status report is forwarded to the interdepartmental year 2000 monitoring committee.
At present approximately 110 of the staff in my Department's computer division are working on year 2000 compliance tasks. A small number of these staff are engaged full time on the year 2000 project and the vast majority carry out year 2000 tasks alongside their normal duties. Remedial work is being carried out on all of the non-compliant systems and some tasks have been completed. It is expected that work on all non-compliant systems will be completed by end July 1999. I am satisfied that the Department is well positioned to meet the compliance deadline.
With regard to State bodies, the position is that on foot of a Government decision, a monitoring committee, chaired at assistant secretary level, was established in my Department in June 1998 to oversee year 2000 compliance in the relevant State agencies. All of the agencies have been reporting year 2000 progress every two months and no major difficulties have been encountered.
The National Milk Agency, Western Development Commission and the Irish Horse Board are Year 2000 compliant and the remaining agencies will be compliant by the third quarter of 1999.
The number of personnel working on securing Year 2000 compliance within the State agencies
is outlined below:
|
Agency |
No. of Personnel involved in Year 2000 work |
|
Irish Horse Board |
1 person |
|
Irish National Stud |
1 person |
|
Irish Horseracing Authority |
1 person |
|
An Bord Glas |
1 person |
|
National Milk Agency |
1 person |
|
Teagasc |
7 part-time, 2 consultants 3 days a week |
|
Bord Bia |
2 consultants |
|
Western DevelopmentCommission |
1 person |
|
Bord na gCon |
3 people, 1 consultant |
