HC Deb 18 May 1999 vol 331 cc324-5W
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what has been the total (i) UK and (ii) international contribution to the World Bank's fund to assist developing countries with millennium computer compliance; and what the fund has been spent on to date. [84217]

Clare Short

The UK made a £10 million grant commitment in March 1998 to a Millennium Bug project managed by the World Bank through InfoDev. InfoDev is a multi-donor funded programme set up to promote the increased use of information and communication technologies in developing countries. To date, £6 million has been paid into the project and further sums will be released this year, as disbursements are made by the Bank.

Following the UK's lead in supporting this project, others have made substantial grant commitments, including the US ($12 million), Canada ($0.7 million), Sweden ($1.26 million), Italy ($0.3 million), and The Netherlands ($3.5 million). The total international commitment to the project presently stands at $34.2 million.

The Project has produced an information guidance document, "Year 2000 Toolkit—A National Plan for Developing Countries", which has been disseminated world-wide through 18 regional and country conferences undertaken throughout 1998, attended by some 120 developing countries. Participants consisted of senior government officials and information technology managers. The document is available on the internet.

The Project also provides grants to assist developing countries prepare national action plans and to support work on systems of critical national importance. So far, a total of 84 developing countries are included in the grant arrangements, mainly to help them prepare national action plans, for which grants of up to $100,000 have been provided. Larger grants are available to help with remediation and testing work. Grant applications presently total about $15.7 million.

The InfoDev Project is now working closely with the International Y2K Cooperation Centre (IYCC) in Washington, using US funding. The IYCC, which includes the UK's Action 2000, is coordinating international efforts to minimise the impacts of the Millennium Bug problem on the global economy.