HC Deb 04 November 1997 vol 300 cc173-5W
Mr. Malcolm Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which(a) Minister and (b) civil servant has overall responsibility for ensuring millennium computer compliance in his Department and its associated public bodies. [13571]

Mr. Fatchett

Responsibility within this department for millennium compliance rests with myself and Roy Dibble, director general services.

Mr. Malcolm Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his latest estimate of the total cost of resolving the computer millennium problem in(a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) other public bodies for which he is responsible; if he will state in each case (i) expenditure incurred to date, (ii) expenditure planned for 1997–98, (iii) expenditure planned for 1998–99 and (iv) expenditure planned for 1999–2000; and if he will make a statement. [13568]

Mr. Fatchett

The cost of resolving the computer millennium problems in this Department is estimated at £4,100,000.(i) expenditure incurred already is £193,000.

Annual planned spends are: (ii) 1997–98: £750,000 (iii) 1998–99: £1,907,000 (iv) 1999–2000: £1,250,000

These figures could be reduced by up to £1,050,000 if no slippage occurs in existing strategic Information Systems infrastructure replacement plans.

Mr. Malcolm Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on what funding provision has been made to accommodate the expenditure needed to resolve the computer millennium problem; and if he expects to have sufficient funding to pay for the work necessary to achieve complete millennium compliance by 1 January 2000. [13569]

Mr. Fatchett

We expect to achieve millennium compliance by the year 2000. Provision has been made for £2,857,000 for resolution of millennium problems within this Department. There is an additional contingency provision of £1,050,000 to cover the costs of remedial action to existing systems should the planned replacement of strategic systems incur any slippage. Both these sums will be met from the existing PES provision.

Mr. Malcolm Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the action plan, due by 1 October 1997, for resolving the computer millennium problem in his Department, its agencies and other public bodies for which he is responsible; if such was fully completed on time; and if he will make a statement. [13567]

Mr. Fatchett

The costed action plans will be analysed by the Central Information Technology Unit (CITU) and the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) and the conclusions reported to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who will then inform Parliament. The plans will be exempted from disclosure under the open government code of practice on access to Government information, which permits non-disclosure prior to an announcement. However, once the announcement has been made the plans will be available to the public. Information systems department submitted this Department's plans to CCTA on 17 October 1997.

Mr. Malcolm Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department, its agencies and other public bodies for which he is responsible completed the millennium computer compliance audits of systems; and if he will make a statement. [13570]

Mr. Fatchett

We completed an initial scoping study in June 1996, followed by a detailed study of the problem and its likely impact on this Department's core IT systems in August 1996. Since then analysis and remedial work on individual systems is being carried out in priority order on those systems for which millennium-compliant replacement is not already planned.