§ 2. Mr. Desmond Swayne (New Forest, West)What representations he has received concerning the millennium computer bug in hospitals in Wales. [50268]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Peter Hain)None, Madam Speaker.
§ Mr. SwayneHow many mission-critical systems affect life and death, and what guarantee can the Minister give that those systems will function securely after the millennium?
§ Mr. HainI welcome the hon. Gentleman's interest in the matter and thank him for raising it. We are taking the matter much more seriously than the previous Conservative Government. We have already issued four NHS circulars to trust and health authority chief executives, we are establishing an NHS steering group, and we shall be tackling the matter as best we can to ensure compliance as early as possible in 1999.
§ Mr. Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley)The Audit Commission's report on the progress of public bodies in tackling the millennium bug problem has been described as "chilling", and the Government's reaction to it as "astonishingly complacent", as evidenced by Labour Members' lack of interest in asking a supplementary question on the matter. As the cost of tackling the millennium problem in the NHS has been estimated at between £230 million and £850 million, and the average information technology spend within the NHS each year is about £100 million, from where will the extra money come to ensure that the life-saving equipment necessary to keep hospitals functioning will be working effectively after 1 January?
§ Mr. HainThe hon. Gentleman is right to identify the life-saving issues at stake in the NHS, but why, when we took office, had virtually nothing been done by the Conservative Government to tackle the problem? We have put in place a series of systematic measures, rigorously tracked through by Ministers and health officials, to ensure that there is full compliance in the health service by 2000, and earlier if possible.