Computers of technical installations in the House of Representatives date from before 1992

The technical installations of the House of Representatives are controlled by computers from before 1992. The supplier Siemens only employs two people who know how those computers work. The Central Government Real Estate Agency writes this in an explanation about the renovation of the House of Representatives.

This concerns both outdated hardware and outdated software, writes the Central Government Real Estate Agency in a report that Minister Stef Blok sent to the House of Representatives. Maintenance of the old computers is also difficult, because parts are no longer available.

It is unknown what role the computers play in the infrastructure of the House of Representatives, but the Central Government Real Estate Agency reports that the computers control part of the technical installations. This probably concerns, among other things, air conditioning systems.

Because the computers are so old, Siemens, the company that supplied and still maintains the computers, only employs two people who know how the hardware and software work and can therefore carry out maintenance. In addition to the outdated computers, the entire building is in need of a thorough renovation, which will be completed in the coming years. Due to the outdated infrastructure, more and more failures occur, which also take longer and are more difficult to solve.

The announcement is reminiscent of the failure at an airport in France recently. That would have been caused by a Windows 3.1 computer. The Central Government Real Estate Agency does not state exactly how old the computers are, only that they date from before 1992.

A 1992 Siemens computer, the PCD-3BsxA. It is unknown exactly which computers the House of Representatives uses and this image is therefore only for illustration. Source: Wikimedia.