HC Deb 04 November 1997 vol 300 cc150-1W
Mr. Malcolm Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which(a) Minister and (b) civil servant has overall responsibility for ensuring millennium computer compliance in his Department and its associated public bodies.[13561]

Angela Eagle

The Minister responsbile is the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Hull, East (Mr. Prescott).

Each central directorate in DETR, executive agency and individual public body is responsible for ensuring compliance for the systems under its control. The Head of DETR' s information technology services division has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the central Department's millennium computer compliance.

Mr. Malcolm Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his latest estimate of the total cost of resolving the computer millennium problem in(a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) other public bodies for which he is responsible; if he will state in each case (i) expenditure incurred to date, (ii) expenditure planned for 1997–98, (iii) expenditure planned for 1998–99 and (iv) expenditure planned for 1999–00; and if he will make a statement.[13558]

Angela Eagle

The figures are provided in the following table:

Mr. Malcolm Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when his Department, its agencies and other public bodies for which he is responsible completed the millennium computer compliance audits of systems; and if he will make a statement. [13560]

Angela Eagle

In DETR, auditing was completed in October 1997.

In the Government offices for the regions, scoping of systems is being finalised and audits will follow.

In the executive agencies, half had completed their audits in the first half of 1997. Some agencies have conducted audits in two stages with a high level audit already complete and a second more detailed investigation either under way or planned for early 1998.

In the other public bodies, auditing has been completed in a minority, is under way in others, and, in all cases, is planned to be completed by mid 1998.

Mr Malcolm Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on what funding provision has been made to accommodate the expenditure needed to resolve the computer millennium problem; and if he expects to have sufficient funding to pay for the work necessary to achieve complete millennium compliance by 1 January 2000. [13559]

Angela Eagle

The cost of preventive and remedial action on year 2000 will be met from existing PES provision.