The slow take up of digital signatures and the uncoordinated development of digital smart cards are hampering the growth of the digital economy. The e-Envoy, Andrew Pinder, wants to remove these barriers and has set up policy working groups involving major stakeholders to work out a more co-ordinated and strategic approach.Digital signatures extend the concept of written signatures to the electronic world. They can be used to provide authentication, integrity and confidentiality of electronic transactions and they have an important role to play in facilitating the development of electronic commerce. Despite becoming legally admissible in the UK last year, take up has been very slow.

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Home Secretary David Blunkett has called for a public debate on proposals to reform the sentencing of criminals. The weaknesses of the current system are that it focuses on punishment of the guilty, with little emphasis on preventing reoffending and short custodial sentences are clearly ineffective.The reform proposals would put the reduction of reoffending as an aim equal to punishment. Recompense to the victim or the community would become an important consideration. Community sentences, as an alternative to prison, would play a greater role. Violent and dangerous offenders would no longer secure automatic release once half to two-thirds of the sentence has been served, but judges would order convicted criminals to serve their full sentence in prison with tough follow-on community supervision.

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