E-commerce Bill to be UK's first Act of the Millennium

The E-Commerce Bill could be the first Act of Parliament to receive Royal Assent in the 21st Century, e-commerce minister Patricia Hewitt said today. The Bill is currently going through its final stages before being set before the Queen for her Royal Assent. The Bill's PR value of -- especially in light of the Government's keenness to support all things wired -- should not be underestimated. Not only would this new Act be the first of the new millennium, it would serve as a platform for the Government's future e-commerce policy. And in what would be an even bigger PR coup, it's hoped the Queen would sign the Act digitally. A spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace confirmed that discussions to break hundreds of years of tradition were underway. "No decision has been reached yet," she said. Last month the Queen ploughed £100,000 into Millennium Mapping Company, a British Webco. ® Related Story Queen invests in Web firm