U.K. gets new e-minister

From...

By Laura Rohde

(IDG) -- The U.K. government on Tuesday named Douglas Alexander as its new e-minister, replacing Patricia Hewitt, who has been promoted to the position of Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

IDG.net INFOCENTER IDG.net's main page Visit an IDG site Choose a site: IDG.net CIO Computerworld Darwin Dummies.com GamePro.com The Industry Standard ITWorld.com InfoWorld.com JavaWorld LinuxWorld Macworld Online Network World Fusion PC World Publish.com UnixInsider IDG.net search

Alexander, a 34-year old Member of Parliament for Paisley South, has been officially named as minister for e-commerce and competitiveness, according to a spokeswoman at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The new position differs slightly from Hewitt's former title of "minister for small business and e-commerce," which could possibly signal a change in the e-Minister's responsibilities, the DTI spokeswoman said.

The Labour government last Thursday won its second general election in four years and Prime Minister Tony Blair has been reshuffling his cabinet, as is traditional.

The U.K. Department of Trade and Industry, in London, can be contacted online at http://www.dti.gov.uk/.