GROUPS SPLIT OVER NAMING AND SHAMING Y2K STRATEGY

Robin Guenier, executive director of Taskforce 2000, today called for the Government group Action 2000 to 'name and fame' companies rather than 'name and shame' them.

Guenier, a millennium expert, requested that companies who have completed all work on their Y2K preparations be 'named and famed' to encourage other companies to work harder in dealing with the problem. He told i-FM that a thorough database listing of all companies who are Y2K complaint would be "more valuable" than making an example out of those who are not.

Action 2000, the Government millennium watchdog, held a press conference on Monday which threatened to 'name and shame' companies, but in the event only provided a few local authorities as an example. The report issued by Action 2000 showed that 92% of local authorities and 97% of the NHS are currently assessed as amber, that is, at some risk of disruption. However, chairman Don Cruickshank reassured the public that all work was being closely monitored.

Robin Guenier feels otherwise: "Amber is almost equivalent to red, and by September it will be," he told i-FM. "Too many preparations within companies are self-assessed. The best way of giving the public confidence would be to make all the preparations available".

According to the 'red' local authorities contacted, assessment of compliance was based on the completion of forms, and many felt they had possibly completed the forms more truthfully than those classified as amber.

Guenier believes that the traffic light system used by Action 2000 is not clearly defined in any case and does not clarify how compliant companies actually are.

Julie Crisp