§ 15. Ms SouthworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress is being made in assisting small businesses to increase their use of electronic communications. [61311]
§ Mrs. RocheElectronic Communication—in particular e-commerce over the Internet—allows every small business in the UK to compete on the world stage. The Government's aim is to make the UK the best environment in the world for e-commerce by 2002. And we need to help small businesses grasp the opportunities this opens up. International benchmarking studies commissioned by the department show that only 11 per cent. of UK small businesses regularly use external electronic networking technologies such as the Internet. The White Paper on competitiveness which we will be publishing shortly will set out our strategy to increase this number significantly.
§ Fiona MactaggartTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on how he intends to promote successful electronic commerce. [61324]
§ Mrs. RocheThe Government's strategy for electronic commerce will he set out in the White Paper on Competitiveness which we will be publishing shortly. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced to the House on 25 November 1998,Official Report, column 217, the Prime Minister will be appointing a Digital Envoy to drive this strategy forward.