John Gormley
Ceist:360 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Finance if he has satisfied himself that the Government has put in place all measures to deal with the Year 2000 problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17379/99]
Written Answers. - Computer Programmes.
The Government is taking an active leadership role in managing the Year 2000 problem. Through directives to the civil and public service and a major business awareness campaign for the private sector, the Government has ensured that the Year 2000 problem is being treated with top priority and the utmost urgency. In the public sector, it has 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.
The Civil Service has been working on the Year 2000 problem since 1996. Each Department and office has a comprehensive Year 2000 compliance programme in place which is overseen by a monitoring committee chaired by a senior manager. These committees, in turn, report to the interdepartmental Year 2000 monitoring committee, which was established by the Government in 1997 to oversee the achievement of Year 2000 compliance in IT systems and other office equipment and plant in the Civil Service. This committee is chaired by my Department and comprises both civil servants and non civil servants. The committee levies status updates on each Department/office; seeks self-assessments of Year 2000 programmes from accounting officers and chairpersons of departmental Y2K monitoring committees; and interviews Y2K programme managers on their work programmes. Based on this process, the committee reports every two months to me and the Government on the progress being achieved – these reports will be monthly from now until the end of the year. The committee has reported on ten occasions to date. At this stage 27 of the 33 Departments and offices have completed all business-critical projects.
Departments and offices are individually responsible for ensuring that public bodies operating under their aegis achieve Year 2000 compliance in good time and, on the instructions of the Government, each has set up a monitoring committee – again chaired by a senior manager – to oversee the implementation of Year 2000 compliance programmes in these bodies. These committees report to their senior management and Minister regularly on the progress being made by the public bodies. Five Departments (Education and Science; Environment and Local Government; Health and Children; Justice, Equality and Law Reform; and Public Enterprise) have been reporting, through their Minister, on progress in these sectors to Government every two months since mid-1998. Quite a number of public bodies have completed their Year 2000 compliance programmes. All others are satisfied that they will achieve full compliance in good time.
In addition to normal IT budgets, the Government made provision for the expenditure of an extra IR£12.8 million in central departments and offices over 1998 and 1999 to address the problem. In some cases, planned IT projects were deferred and the staffing resources and administrative budgets established for these projects were diverted to facilitate Year 2000 remedial work. I also announced in last year's budget a IR£40 million contingency fund to deal with problems that may arise with embedded technologies in systems and equipment in the public sector.
With the agreement of the unions, the Government introduced once-off, exceptional measures to help retain skilled IT staff on Year 2000 work until it is completed.
On the instructions of Government, all Departments, offices and public sector bodies are completing 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 are being subjected to independent audit. In the remaining time, Departments, offices, and public bodies will concentrate on training and familiarising staff, completing preparations, and testing/rehearsing/ refining their contingency plans.
The Government has made it clear that private sector companies are also individually responsible for ensuring that they achieve compliance in good time. To this end, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, on the approval of Government, conducted a comprehensive business awareness campaign to raise awareness of the problem and provide guidance on solving it to the private sector. In that 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. To date, this committee has produced a comprehensive guidance brochure (covering planning, remedial work, testing, contingency, director liability, insurance exclusion clauses, audit disclosure requirements and credit requirements) which was issued to approximately 150,000 businesses through various channels; held regional information seminars and a national conference addressed by Year 2000 experts; sponsored an ongoing data gathering project conducted by the Irish Computer Society on the state of readiness of Irish business for the Year 2000; and instructed the national enterprise development agencies – Forbairt/Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Shannon Development, Údarás na Gaeltachta – to ensure that all their clients, both indigenous and international, are Year 2000 compliant. In addition, Enterprise Ireland has established a Y2K information service, comprising a helpline, information packs, an Internet website, and training workshops, and has launched advertising campaigns on radio and television.
The Government has established the national Year 2000 emergencies co-ordination committee 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 the economy and society in the event of problems arising from Year 2000 computer-related incidents and millennium celebrations. This committee, which I chair, includes representatives from the business and financial sectors and Government Departments including those with responsibility for key utilities, transport, health and security. It will liaise with similar committees/forums in other countries and with the interdepartmental advisory committee on major emergencies.
The Government is keen to ensure that international and cross-Border issues are dealt with. In this regard, various Departments have participated fully in international surveys conducted, for example, by the United Nations, European Union, OECD, and Global 2000 Co-ordinating Group. In addition, Government officials attend meetings and seminars organised by these bodies.
I am satisfied with the progress achieved and, 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 LTN, EU, OECD, and Global 2000 Co-ordinating Group.
The Government maintains a Year 2000 Intemet website at www.irlgov.ie.ly2k which provides details on the programmes in place in the civil and public service and on the initiatives undertaken for the private sector.