§ Mr. David AtkinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment his Department has made of the results of the Business Link network's ComplY2K scheme offering computer millennium compliance tests to small businesses; and if he will make a statement. [92907]
§ Mr. WillsComplY2K is a risk assessment diagnostic tool offered by the National Computing Centre to enable businesses to address their millennium bug problems. It is one of a number of tools available for this task and some BLs are using it as part of their response to addressing Y2K issues with their client base. My Department has not made any specific assessment of the use of this particular package. However, Business Links continue to work closely with Action 2000 to ensure that they are providing appropriate Y2K support services. Action 2000 continue to monitor the national picture of the state of readiness of UK companies.
ComplY2K and other tools like it, when applied to an individual company, deliver a report which identifies areas of high risk and offers an action plan for addressing them. Some Business Links have developed their own packages and all have some structured approach or toolkit to engage their client base. These have been offered along with the DfEE's highly successful Bug Buster training programme. Business Links will assist with some action areas identified by these tools, perhaps project manage the process, and signpost to local suppliers who can address other specific items identified in the report.