News Burst: Action 2000 issues warning to companies

Jane Wakefield ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 22 Oct 1998 13:06 BST

Small to medium-sized businesses could "go under" if they do not take immediate action to deal with the millennium bug according to Don Cruickshank, chairman of Action 2000. Speaking today about the latest Action 2000 research, Cruickshank said: "For companies in the middle of the supply chain the risk of losing business is looming large."

Main findings of the Action 2000 survey are:

Optimism for larger companies with 88% on track with solutions for Year 2000
Possibility of public naming of companies failing to do enough
Need for independent assessment of the public sector bodies responsible for national infrastructure (NHS, air traffic control)
Need for local government to "move ahead and catch up" with solutions
Greater intervention from banks to persuade companies to find solutions

It was also announced that there will be a series of reports made public about preparedness from the regulators of 5 key sectors, prompting Cruickshank to comment: "There will be no room for companies that provide public services to be non-compliant." The first of these, from OfWat, is expected today.