§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what action he is taking to ensure that the computer systems of(a) schools, (b) colleges and (c) higher education centres, are millennium compliant. [71680]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe Department for Education and Employment has urged all Local Education Authorities in England to offer help and guidance to all the schools in their area, building on Local Authorities' own Year 2000 compliance programmes. We are about to write again to spread information on good practice, including on contingency planning. The Department is working with the Further Education Funding Council and Higher Education Funding Council for England to ensure that action is being taken in colleges and higher education institutions to reduce the threat to systems posed by the date change. The funding councils have conducted surveys in their respective education sectors and have issued guidance. If necessary, they are prepared to impose conditions of grant to secure an acceptable state of readiness.