Judiciary

Situation Report on the Progress of Y2K Compliance Exercise

Objective and Approach

The Judiciary Administration is committed to tackling the Y2K problem in the Judiciary and to ensuring that the operation of the Judiciary will not be adversely affected by it. To this end, task forces have been set up since 1998 to examine existing systems which might be affected by the Y2K problem and to carry out rectification where necessary. A directorate officer has been nominated as the coordinator of the Y2K projects.

Computer Systems

2. The Judiciary has the following 10 main computer systems, all of which are mission-critical :

(i) Case and Summons Management System for Magistracies (CASEMAN);

(ii) Digital Audio Recording and Transcription Services System (DARTS);

(iii) Probate Registry System;

(iv) Small Claims Tribunal System;

(v) District Court System;

(vi) Resource and Operations Management Automation System (ROMA);

(vii) Jury Management System;

(viii) Legal Reference System;

(ix) High Court Case Management System; and

(x) Family Court Case Management System.

3. A Y2K compliance study was carried out jointly with the Information Technology Services Department (ITSD) in March 1998 to determine the requirements for verifying the Y2K compliance status of individual systems, the strategy for Y2K compliance work and the implementation action-timetable. The study was endorsed by the then Computer Strategy Group and funds were allocated in September 1998 for the implementation of Y2K compliance work.

4. A working group comprising members of the Judiciary Administration and the ITSD was subsequently set up to oversee the overall progress of the Y2K rectification project. To supervise the progress of Y2K compliance work for each major computer system and to ensure that each milestone is achieved within the target completion date, working sub-groups were also formed for each major computer system. The progress of the rectification work is satisfactory: out of the 10 mission-critical systems listed in paragraph 2 above, 9 have already passed the Y2K compliance test. It is expected that the remaining one (CASEMAN) will be Y2K compliant by June 1999.

5. In addition to the 10 mission-critical major computer systems, the Judiciary had also conducted a thorough check on all the computer programs developed by end-users. These are mini-programs supporting various administrative, accounting and personnel functions and for keeping library records. 2 of these end-user developed systems are mission-critical.

Embedded Systems

6. The Judiciary has checked the Y2K compliance status of 73 mission-critical systems such as the Security and Burglar Alarm Systems, Access Control Systems, surveillance cameras and lifts, etc. 69 of them are already Y2K compliant. The rectification of the remaining 4 non-compliant systems (2 in the Wanchai Law Courts Building, 1 in the Court of Final Appeal and another in the High Court) is expected to be completed by June 1999.

Line Communication Systems

7. 17 line communication systems installed in various court buildings, including Private Automatic Branch Exchanges (PABX), Key Telephone Systems (KTS), Voice Messaging Systems (VMS) and Interactive Voice Response Systems (IVRS), are mission-critical. 14 of them are already Y2K compliant. Of the remaining 3 non-Y2K compliant systems, the new replacement PABX of the Eastern Law Courts Building is now undergoing acceptance test. The rectification work of the PABX and the VMS of the Court of Final Appeal is expected to be completed by June 1999.

Contingency Plan

8. Every effort is made to ensure that each mission-critical system in the Judiciary is Y2K compliant. In addition, contingency measures have been planned with a view to minimizing the impact on the operation of the Judiciary in the event of any unforeseen system failures. For instance, a consolidated disaster recovery drill for the major computer systems will be carried out in the second half of 1999.

Summary of Current Position

9. The following table summarizes the Y2K compliance status of the mission-critical systems in the Judiciary as at 1 April 1999 :

10. The target date for achieving Y2K compliance for all mission-critical systems in the Judiciary is 30 June 1999.

Judiciary
April 1999