Minister presses for action on Y2000 problem

While there is a high level of awareness of the Year 2000 computer problem, action to deal with it - particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises - still falls short of what is needed, according to the Minister for Science, Technology and Commerce, Mr Noel Treacy. To heighten awareness, the Minister formally initiated 2000 Business Awareness Campaign in Dublin yesterday. He said many businesses had failed to take necessary action as the issue represents not one big problem, but millions of small problems.

"The time to start fixing the problem is running out. Companies that have not yet tackled the problem will very soon run into difficulties. If your business depends heavily on key suppliers or customers who have not addressed the problem, their failure will affect your business," the Minister said.

The event was marked by the publication of a brochure prepared by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, which will be distributed to 120,000 businesses throughout the State in the next week. Highlighting the problem itself, and the way to go about tackling it, the brochure will also be distributed to other businesses by IBEC, the chambers of commerce and the city and county enterprise boards.

The Government is spending £100,000 on the special awareness campaign, the second phase of which will feature a series of regional conferences for the business sector hosted free of charge in Dundalk, Athlone, Sligo, Galway, Limerick, Cork and Waterford. They will provide forums for companies to listen to, and receive, expert advice on handling the problem. A newly-established National Year 2000 Committee, comprised of representatives from industry, commerce and government, will support the campaign, and devise follow-up strategies.

Mr Treacy pointed out that being aware of the problem was only the first step. Awareness needed to be converted into action immediately. "IT consultancy services may not be available on demand during 1998 and 1999 and the costs for consultancy, where available, may increase as the compliance deadline approaches. Your company's, your clients, your employees and your country's economic future are in your hands. The alternative is too horrible to contemplate," the Minister warned.

Mr Victor Hume, chairman of the Irish Bankers' Federation Year 2000 steering committee, recommended that companies should work together on an areaby-area basis and pool their experiences, rather than individual companies repeating the same errors over and over again. He said this networking approach had proved invaluable to the banking industry, which worked closely with the building societies to tackle the Year 2000 problem.

Companies which do not take the necessary measures to achieve Year 2000 compliance could lose contracts, when they are unable to meet just-in-time deliveries.