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[FYI] UK-HoC: Electronic Commerce Inquiry
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- Subject: [FYI] UK-HoC: Electronic Commerce Inquiry
- From: "Axel H. Horns" <axel.horns@fitug.de>
- Date: Fri, 29 Jan 1999 20:36:56 +0100
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http://jya.com/tipnt2A.htm
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29 January 1999. Thanks to DC.
Source: http://www.parliament.uk/commons/selcom/tipnt2A.htm
House of Commons
Trade and Industry Committee
Trade and Industry Committee Press Notice No. 2A of Session 1998-99
dated 15 January 1999
Electronic Commerce Inquiry: Guidelines for Witnesses
The House of Commons Select Committee on Trade and Industry announced
an inquiry into electronic commerce on 3 December 1998 (see press
notice No. 2). The committee is anxious to receive as wide a range of
submissions as possible.
1.The Trade and Industry Committee scrutinises the work of the
Department of Trade and Industry. Further
background on the select committee system is available at
http://www.parliament.uk/commons/selcom/ctteesys.htm
2.The select committee has set itself a wide remit because the
Government defines electronic commerce
issues so widely. The committee may, during the course of its
deliberations, decide to focus on some issues at the expense of
others.
3.Recent documents of relevance to the inquiry include DTI's Net
Benefit document at
http://www.dti.gov.uk/CII/netbenefit.html; the Secure Electronic
Commerce Statement at http://www.dti.gov.uk/CII/ana27p.html; Our
Information Age at http://www.number-10.gov.uk; the recent
Competitiveness White Paper at
http://www.dti.gov.uk/comp/competitive/; and the various DTI
consultation papers on trusted third parties. In addition, there
is a joint Inland Revenue/Customs and Excise paper on taxation
issues at http://www.nds.coi.gov.uk and information on the
government.direct initiative at http://www.citu.gov.uk
4.There are two useful papers published by POST (the Parliamentary
Office of Science and Technology)
POST 114 on internet commerce and POST 110 on electronic
government. These are available as downloadable PDFs from
http://www.parliament.uk/post/home.htm
5.The Government is due shortly to produce a consultation paper on
its proposed secure electronic
commerce Bill, which will be one of the foci of the committee's
inquiry. The committee would welcome submission of responses
made to the consultation.
6.Members of Parliament daily receive a mass of papers. If a
memorandum is to command their attention, it
should be brief and to the point. In particular, it should
address the matters raised by the committee's inquiry and
concentrate on the issues with which the witness has a special
interest. A typical length would be about 1,000 words. Essential
statistics or further details can be added as appendices.
7.Memoranda should be submitted on white A4 paper, single-sided,
with each page (including appendices)
numbered. Ideally, paragraphs should also be numbered. Memoranda
should be dated, with the name, address and telephone number of
the person in the organisation who is responsible for submission
given at the end. Memoranda should be submitted to the address
at the end of this press notice.
8.It is at the committee's discretion to print any evidence it
receives. Any information which a witness would
not wish to be considered for publication should be clearly
marked. The committee staff must be advised as soon as possible
of any plans by witnesses to publish memoranda submitted to the
committee.
9.The committee has asked for all written evidence to be submitted
by 15 February, although extensions to
that deadline will be considered. The committee may decide,
having read a memorandum, to invite a witness to give oral
evidence.
Some Issues of Interest
The committee indicated some of its major issues of interest in Press
Notice No. 2. This supplementary information is intended to assist
witnesses in the preparation of a memorandum, following on from that
initial guidance. Although it would be helpful if submissions could
reflect these issues, the committee would welcome other and
additional approaches to the subject. The committee wishes to
address:
1. The Impact of Electronic Commerce
on consumers
on manufacturing industry, including existing users of EDI
schemes on service industry, including retailers, the financial
services and banking sectors, legal services providers,
accountacy firms, computer services and software firms and
internet service providers. on government, particularly in
relation to various electronic government iniatives, the
University for Industry, taxation issues, consumer protection,
law enforcement and intelligence gathering.
The committee is interested in the relationship between electronic
commerce and the strategy outlined in the Government's recent
Competitiveness White Paper. It is also particularly concerned with
the exploitation of electronic commerce by SMEs.
The committee would also be interested to hear from organisations
which have dealt electronically with DTI or its associated executive
agencies, including Companies House and the Patent Office.
2. Government Regulation
which Government regulations, or proposed regulations, are
impeding the development of electronic commerce? in what areas
would it be desirable for the Governement to introduce new
regulations? in what areas could Government usefully encourage
the development of electronic commerce_eg. telecommunications
infrastructure? to what extent may Government regulation drive
electronic commerce "off-shore" to relatively deregulated
environments?
The implications of electronic commerce for intellectual property
rights are of particular interest.
3. Secure Electronic Commerce Bill
The Government's consultation paper on the secure electronic commerce
Bill will be one focus of the committee's inquiry. The committee
intends to pursue a number of issues, including:
the extent to which legislation on the admissibility of digital
signatures in UK courts is required; the propoposed special
status for digital signatures certified by a licensed authority;
and issues associated with the maintenance of authoritative
electronic documents over time. the proposed licensing regime
for certification authorities, including its benefits and costs,
regulation and interaction with overseas services. issues
associated with key escrow, including liability, privacy
concerns and technological implications.
The committee would welcome submission of responses to the
Government's consultation.
4. Global and European Policy Developments
The committee would wish to be appraised of the development of global
and European policy on aspects of electronic commerce and the likely
impact of such policy on the UK.
5. Technological Developments
what are the implications of the development of electronic
commerce delivery modes other than the internet? what are the
implications of the development of new forms of business which
exist almost entirely on-line? what are the implications of the
development of new forms of electronic payment systems? does
Government have a role in promoting the development of systems
which permit low value electronic transaction? to what extent
should Government promote research into new developments
associated with electronic commerce?
Evidence should be submitted to:
Clerk to the Trade and Industry Committee
7 Millbank
London SW1P 2JA
Direct line: 0171 219 5778
Previous reports and press notices (from Session 1996-97 onward) can
be viewed on the internet.
[...]
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