Many Irish companies are not adequately informing their staff about the euro, according to the results of a pan European survey on the new currency and the year 2000 problem.

British research group, Neaman Bond Associates, said more than 50 per cent of Irish companies which responded to its survey had not put a euro communication programme for staff in place.

This compared to states like Austria, Spain and Belgium where more than 70 per cent of firms had done so.

The authors said there was a high awareness of the euro in the Republic, but a failure to initiate "concrete" plans to deal with the introduction of notes and coins in 2002.

The vast majority of respondents regarded Year 2000 as a more important issue than the euro. Reflecting this, some 27 per cent of Irish firms said they had completed their Year 2000 preparations, which was significantly higher than other states.

The survey was conducted among more than 60 Irish companies of different sizes and in various sectors. Most of the respondents were IT managers or finance directors.

Almost 50 per cent of companies surveyed said their IT manager was responsible for their euro strategy, which was higher than many other states.

The survey concluded this was because of the large number of small and medium enterprises which predominate here. "The IT department may be used in one off projects as trouble-shooters and change managers," it added.

The businesses were asked what area of their activity the euro would impact on. Almost 20 per cent said there would be a major impact on procurement and purchasing.

The Republic was in the lower half of the survey when it came to using the world wide web for information on the euro and Year 2000. Almost 50 per cent had not used the web, whereas in Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal up, to 70 per cent said they used the facility.