ISSUE 1548 Saturday 21 August 1999

Whitehall Millennium bug checks running late By Robert Shrimsley, Chief Political Correspondent THREE Government departments and agencies are behind schedule in ensuring that their computer systems are immune to the Millennium bug.

The Northern Ireland Office, Companies House and the Employment Tribunal Service are reported to be running late in completing the final checks and modifications necessary to make their "business-critical" computer systems 2000 compliant. All were identified in a progress report sent to all MPs by Paddy Tipping, the ministerial deputy to Margaret Beckett, the Leader of the House, who has been made responsible for chasing progress in Government.

His comments came days after MPs warned that some police forces and fire brigades were still unprepared for computer problems linked to the date change. Mr Tipping struck a generally optimistic note, reporting that "in nearly every department and agency, correction work has been completed. I am, however, concerned that three departments report for the first time that their business critical systems will not be ready until September or October."

This meant that they were cutting matters very fine, should last-minute glitches appear. Mr Tipping said he had written to the appropriate Secretaries of State asking them to monitor progress and ensure any "necessary remedial action" was taken.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), August 22, 1999

Answers

A bit more honest in reporting over in deare ole England, are they now eh?

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), August 23, 1999.