Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 7 Dec 1999

Vol. 512 No. 3

Written Answers - Computer Programmes.

David Stanton

Ceist:

76 Mr. Stanton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she has satisfied herself that companies which handle dangerous chemicals and gases are Y2K compliant and that the Health and Safety Authority has sufficient resources to ensure that all of these companies have contingency plans in place in the event of a computer systems failure; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26057/99]

Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Mr. T. Kitt)

My Department has spent over £800,000 on various initiatives to increase awareness among businesses, and to encourage them to take action to ensure that their computer systems are Y2K compliant. This includes companies involved in the handling of dangerous substances. These initiatives include the Enterprise Ireland National Y2K Information Service, specifically geared to the needs of small companies. This service has been very broad based and many different avenues have been developed to get the message across. The preparation of contingency plans has been highlighted as a key element of a company's preparations throughout these promotional efforts.

Surveys undertaken as part of the campaign show that awareness of the year 2000 computer problem is very high and that many companies now have taken steps to pursue the issue. The latest survey results show that 94% of Irish companies are either very confident or fairly confident that their businesses will be unaffected by the millennium bug or associated issues.

The Health and Safety Authority, HSA, is the State body charged with responsibility for the administration, enforcement and promotion of workplace health and safety legislation.

Under the relevant legislation, it is the primary duty of every employer to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of all employees, and that persons not in his employment who may be affected thereby are not exposed to risks to their safety and health.

The authority has undertaken an information campaign to alert employers to their duty in the specific context of possible year 2000 problems impacting on key workplace systems. The authority has also participated in an awareness campaign with the Small Firms Association. This involved participating in a nationwide lecture tour with other Y2K involved parties in which the authority encouraged employers to have contingency plans in place in the event of failure.

During visits to workplaces, inspectors are bringing the Y2K issue to the attention of employers and such plans should form part of the risk assessment review which is regularly carried out by employers.

The authority has published guidelines on this issue for use by interested parties. The guidelines are available free of charge from the HSA and are given out during inspection visits as appropriate. The authority also carried out a survey on chemical process industries and found that in general identification and awareness levels are high. The information relating to Y2K is available on the HSA website.

I would also like to assure the Deputy that I am continuing to work to ensure that the Health and Safety Authority has sufficient resources to enable it to carry out its statutory functions. However, ultimate responsibility for the Y2K issue lies with the individual businesses and it is they who must ensure that their operations can continue safely and without interruption after the new year.