§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) what plans he has to ask the Law Commission to investigate the impact on British law of the international information super-highway;
(2) what efforts his Department is making to liaise with (a) the Governments of the other member states of the European Union, (b) the institutions of the European Union and (c) the American Government with regard to possible law reform as a result of the impact of the international information super-highway;
291W(3) what plans he has to increase the number of his officials working on the impact on British law of the international information super-highway;
(4) how many of his officials, at which grades and in what departmental groups, are engaged in research into the impact on British law of the international information super-highway;
(5) what research his Department is doing into the impact on British law that the international information super-highway is currently having and is likely to have in the future; and what plans he has to publish this research;
(6) what plans he has to introduce legislation to make changes to British law in the light of the impact on it of the international information super-highway.
Mr. John M. TaylorI currently have no plans to ask the Law Commission to investigate the impact on British law of the international information super-highway. However, the Law Commission's business law team is taking part in examination, being conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry, as to whether formal requirements in English law would inhibit the use and effectiveness of electronic data interchange in its commercial application.
At present, my Department is not engaged in any liaison with the Governments of the other member states of the European Union, the institutions of the European Union or the American Government on the possibility of law reform as a result of the impact of the international information super-highway. No officials in my Department are currently involved in research into this issue. I have no immediate plans to change this situation, nor to introduce legislation to make changes to British law. However, any issues raised by the existence of the international information super-highway are being assessed, and discussed with other interested Departments, as the need arises.