The Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr Noel Treacy, has said the Government will not commit public funding to tackling the Year 2000 (Y2K) problem.

Speaking to The Irish Times after officially opening a national conference on the Year 2000 computer problem in UCD, he said that, apart from £100,000 spent on a special business awareness campaign last May, the matter was primarily a business problem.

"The Irish position is clear. We feel it is our role to raise awareness, but it is a matter for each company to provide the cash. It would be impossible to put a figure on the cost of solving the problem," Mr Treacy said.

He added that any implementation of the Freedom of Information Act to make reports compiled by the interdepartmental committee monitoring national Y2K progress publicly available would be a matter for the Cabinet to decide.

"It is very important everyone is fully aware of the situation," he added. In a bid to highlight the gravity of the millennium bug problem, the keynote address was made by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern.

"In the interest of preserving the remarkable economic success which we have achieved in this country over the Nineties, I urge you all to ensure that we do not press the self-destruct button by ignoring the dangers of the Year 2000 problem," Mr Ahern said. Referring to Y2K progress through Government departments and semi-state bodies, Mr Ahern said he was "satisfied" they were in a healthy position in terms of identifying the problems.

Guest speakers at the conference included IBM's Y2K executive for western Europe, Mr Chris Moore, and chairman of the British government's Action 2000 task force, Mr Don Cruickshank.