§ Sir Brian MawhinneyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his assessment, based on the most recent information from the Association of Chief Police Officers, of(a) the cost and (b) the timetable for all police forces in England and Wales achieving millennium compliance. [32304]
§ Mr. Michael[holding answer 3 March 1998]: It is the responsibility of each police force to ensure that its information technology (IT) systems are Year 2000 compliant. In addressing the problem, forces are being assisted by the Police Information Technology 16W Organisation (PITO), which issued guidance to all forces in May last year. The guidance was augmented by PITO-sponsored conferences for police IT managers in May and November 1997.
Information about the cost to forces of achieving compliance is not held centrally by either the Home Office or the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). All forces are actively working to achieve compliance by the millennium. Progress is regularly reviewed by ACPO and by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary as part of its regular inspections.