§ Mr. David AtkinsonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment the European Commission and the European Monetary Institute have made of the millennium compliance of those computer systems which will be involved in the introduction of the single currency; and if he will make a statement. [20535]
§ Mrs. Angela KnightI am not aware of any specific assessment carried out by the European Commission or the European Monetary Institute of the millennium compliance of those computer systems which will be involved in the introduction of the single currency.
The European Commission is involved in discussions about the practical implications of economic and monetary union with a wide range of organisations, including those in the information technology sector. The Bank of England, which is represented in the European Monetary Institute, publishes a quarterly report entitled 789W "Practical Issues Arising from the Introduction of the Euro". The latest edition, published in December 1996, incorporates a checklist of IT implications which includes reference to the millennium problem.