§ Mr. TimmsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps she is taking to monitor and assess the United Kingdom's progress in the uptake of information and communication technologies in the United Kingdom compared with other countries. [41927]
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§ Mrs. RocheAn understanding of the UK's position in the global information age is essential for development of relevant and timely government policies, and is an important tool for UK companies in benchmarking their own development. This is why the Department of Trade and Industry has been carrying out a series of benchmarking studies, as part of the Information Society Initiative (ISI), to compare progress in the UK with other major economies (USA, Japan, Germany, and France). Today I published the latest report 'Moving into the Information Age—International Benchmarking Study 1998' and copies have been place in the Library of the House. Copies of the 1998 report (and last year's report) are also available by calling the ISI Business Infoline on 0345 15 2000, or by e-mailing info@isi.gov.uk, or through the ISI website at http://www.isi.gov.uk.