New legislation governing the conduct of e-commerce in Ireland has received priority so it can be enacted as law before Easter.

The Electronic Commerce Bill, which was developed following public consultation last year, has been identified by the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, as critical to ensuring Ireland benefits from the multibillion pound growth in Internet business.

"At the moment, e-commerce in Europe is worth about £14 billion (€17.8 billion) but this will soar to £270 billion by 2003. We have to make sure we are ready to tap into this spiralling growth," Ms O'Rourke said.

According to a spokesman for Ms O'Rourke, the bill has been put on the Government's "A-list", and the legislation is expected to be passed through the Dail and Seanad before Easter. The proposed new legislation includes provision for a fine of up to £500,000 to tackle abuse of electronic signatures and fraud.

The 38-page document provides that electronic signatures, documents and contracts be afforded the same legal status as their paper-based counterparts, and can be admissible as evidence in legal proceedings.

The far-reaching spread of the legislation gives it the power to enable it to cover electronically every piece of legislation on the statute books. This means the Government will not have to introduce special e-commerce legislation on a department-by-department basis.

There is Government consensus that early enactment of the bill will make Ireland a more attractive location for new e-commerce start-ups and will provide a framework for the electronic delivery of Government services.

According to Ms O'Rourke: "This legislation will be a first in many respects. No other country has taken such an all encompassing approach to legislation."