§ Mr. David AtkinsonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 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. [7130]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Ministry's Director of IT is co-ordinating a programme of millennium preparations consisting of a number of parallel projects covering different aspects of the Department's computer systems and associated technical infrastructure. Another project 507W has been established, within that management framework, to address "non-IT" equipment containing embedded microprocessor chip technology.
The current rate of progress is consistent with the targets set by the Central IT Unit (CITU) of the Cabinet Office and preparations for all business critical systems are expected to be completed by 31 December 1998, subject, where appropriate, to a final check of end-of-year financial systems by April 1999.
Headcount details are difficult to estimate precisely because the work is so diverse and involves contributions (some full-time but often involving smaller proportions of individuals' time) from staff in many parts of MAFF and its Executive Agencies, as well as external IT consultants and contractors. The overall cost of millenium preparations, however, is currently estimated to be about £7 million. Prioritised and costed plans will be provided to CITU by October 1997.