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Dept of the Environment Transport and the Regions

Answer

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he has taken to ensure that local government computers are millennium compliant; how much money has been allocated to this; what percentage of this has been given to Taskforce 2000; and if he will make a statement. [62409] Mr. Raynsford: We are working closely with the Local Government Association, the Local Government Management Board and the Audit Commission to ensure that all councils are properly prepared to deal with the millennium bug. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has, jointly with Sir Jeremy Beecham, Chairman of the Local Government Association, written twice this year to each council leader stressing the importance of their taking action, inviting them to sign Pledge 2000, and to nominate a senior member to take local responsibility for seeing that action on this issue is driven forward. The Local Government Finance Settlement takes into account the need for councils to deal with the Year 2000 problem. On the basis of returns submitted to DETR, English local authorities have, in aggregate, provided £64.6 million in their 1998-99 reported budgets to deal with the Year 2000 problem.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

322 c134-5W; 62409

Session

1998-99

Subjects

Computers Finance Local government Millennium compliance Taskforce 2000