HC Deb 22 March 1999 vol 328 c27W
Mr. Beith

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the proportion of computer systems in (i) his Department, (ii) public services for which his Department is responsible and (iii) departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible, which will be millennium compliant by December; and if he will make a statement. [77294]

Mr. Straw

All business critical Information Technology systems in the Home Department are expected to be Millennium compliant well before December 1999.

All Police Forces and Fire Brigades in England and Wales report that their business critical IT systems will be Millennium compliant by December 1999. Programmes of independent assessment of these reports are currently under way.

All the Non-Departmental Public Bodies for which the Home Department is responsible report that their business critical IT systems will be Millennium compliant by December 1999.

Mr. Beith

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the total expenditure by his Department and by each of the public services for which he is responsible on ensuring that computer systems are millennium compliant; and if he will make a statement. [77295]

Mr. Straw

The projected total expenditure on Year 2000 work up to the end of March 1999 in the Home Department is £22.584 million. In addition, total expenditure on Year 2000 work up to the end of December 1998 in Police Forces was £17.2 million and in Fire Services was £1.756 million.

A projection, undertaken in January 1999, of cumulative expenditure on Millennium compliance work up to March 2000 in the Home Department was £25.326 million; in the Police Forces, £56.233 million; and in the Fire Services, £8.605 million.