§ Mr. David AtkinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on his Department's timetable for dealing with the Year 2000 Computer Problem; who is in charge of the project; how many staff are working on it; what is the projected cost of resolving the problem; and whether the project is on schedule. [7134]
§ Mr. Tom ClarkeThe Department of National Heritage is currently auditing all computer systems that it uses for Year 2000 compliance. This audit should be complete by the autumn and it is intended to complete any remedial work by the summer of 1998. The project is being managed by the Department's Information Systems Branch with one member of staff co-ordinating the work which is being carried out by Sema Group, the Department's outsourced service provider. The Department is making use of the recent guidance from CCTA "Tackling the Year 2000". The cost of resolving the problem will be known by the autumn. The project is currently on schedule.