Fittingly, on the eve of a new attempt to make computer awareness flourish in North Yorkshire, Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced a new frontal attack on the Millennium Bug.

Tomorrow sees the opening of a new computer centre at Clifton Moor for people managing smaller firms of up to 250 employees.

Funded and developed by North Yorkshire Training and Enterprise Council, it is designed to take the fear out of the use of computers in business and to help the pilots of relatively small firms get heavily-subsidised, independent advice on computers and computer training.

It is yet to be announced exactly how organisations like these will be able to claim their share of the lolly earmarked by the Premier.

He announced a raft of new proposals to tackle the problem of computer systems' clocks ending when the year 2000 begins, including: £40 million to set up a network of centres of excellence; a further £30 million to help small and medium-sized firms develop skills to assess and fix their bug problems; and increased funding for Action 2000, the awareness raising programme, with £17 million to help get other countries, particularly trading partners, up to speed.

Although organisations like the York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce have for some time been gearing up to appoint a computer supremo for the region, someone to co-ordinate efforts to set up computer-use centres in strategic places like libraries, it has so far failed to happen.

Apart from the new Technology Learning Centre opening tomorrow, little has been done.

Yes, there is a new computer grant programme just launched by the York Business Development Ltd. Little businesses employing up to three people which qualify will get half-price training plus a 30 per cent European subsidy off the discounted price of the latest Pentium 200, Microsoft Works and a colour printer with continuing back up.

And yes, the North Yorkshire Business Link information centre offers information technology advice, including Millennium Bug services should you want them by phoning 01904 686000.

But there is so far little co-ordination to instil a sense of urgency into the small business proprietors of the region. Perhaps the Government's intervention may succeed in doing this.

James Houston, a director of the 600-member York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, is not so sure.

Mr Houston, managing director of York Multimedia Ltd, Fossgate, York, welcomes Mr Blair's intervention but describes the cash amounts announced as "a drop in the ocean". And he believes that there are many small businesses which will run out of time.

But it may be up to the bigger companies, like York-based Shepherd Construction, to make its smaller suppliers understand the need to get "2000 compliant".

A spokesman for the company said that the firm was now "well down the line in terms of implementing measures to de-bug".Apart from computers, there were all sorts of vital embedded chips which needed altering, such as automatic systems for air conditioning and heating.

There were also "building management" devices which controlled heating in buildings on weekends.

Already some of the Shepherd companies, such as Portasilo's bulk handling systems division were gearing up to deal with millennium bugs for clients.

The spokesman said: "We have implemented a number of procedures not only on our own equipment but also advising suppliers and sub-contractors.

"We are going to be requiring them to confirm that they have the matter in hand. This emphasises that we are all interdependent to some degree."

The police force is another big organisation seemingly well on the way to tackling the bug.

Paul Ramsay, head of information technology at North Yorkshire Police. said that changes needed in the division's mainframe computer which logs incidents, had now been pinpointed and were being tested. Throughout April desktop computers were being tested to see whether they would be 2,000 compliant.

Suppliers were now being asked to what extent the products they furnished the police had been tested for the millennium bug.

CCTV would be tested during the course of the year as would an array of other machinery such as recording equipment and even breathalysers.

Meanwhile, the basic battle just to bring businesses into the computer age goes on.

The new centre is North Yorkshire TEC's response to regional research last year in which half of all businesses interviewed said that technology was pivotal to their future success.

It will have a wide range of self-teach computer packages which cover most of the popular computer software programmes from word processing to spreadsheets and desktop publishing.

Businesses can either book time on a computer for an individual to train or book a whole room for group training.

Glyn Owen, of North Yorkshire TEC, said: "Initial advice is free. And if a business wants detailed advice on their computer needs, this is heavily subsidised at a typical cost of around £300 for a day's computer audit and recommended action plan."

How much more subsidy will be needed to teach the novices to debug their brave new world remains to be seen.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.