§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department has current dealings with(a) non-governmental organisations and (b) suppliers which are not millennium compliant; and on what date his Department will cease to deal with (i) non-governmental organisations and (ii) suppliers which are not millennium compliant. [20531]
§ Mr. Spellar[holding answer 12 December 1997]: The Ministry of Defence is maintaining a dialogue with non-governmental organisations and suppliers to alert them to the risk posed by the millennium date change problem.
For all new MOD equipment procurement contracts, all suppliers are contractually bound to ensure that their goods are millennium-compliant. Where a company or organisation is contracted to supply a service beyond the end of the century, we are reminding them of the need to meet their contractual commitments.
419WMOD has in excess of 10,000 individual suppliers covering a wide range of goods and services, some operationally critical, some not. Whether to not the MOD continues to deal with organisations and suppliers will depend on the nature of the requirement and the supplier's ability to continue to meet agreed delivery dates. When assessing a tender which requires the supply of goods and services through and beyond the end of the century, MOD takes full account of the risks involved and will place contracts with only those suppliers who can provide the necessary assurances that the commitment can be met.