The much-talked about national plan for e-commerce could be passed by the House of Assembly before Easter, according the Minister of Telecommunications and E-commerce, Renee Webb.

Ms Webb said that a survey commissioned by the department and made public on Monday, would help the plan be developed in the next few months.

The national plan has been in the works for several years and is believed to be aimed at developing Bermuda as a global e-commerce centre.

On Monday, Ms Webb unveiled statistics from a survey called "Charting the Second Wave", which showed that 95 percent of companies have internal e-mail and 92 percent have access to the Internet.

It also showed that businesses, both local and international, expected their use of e-business to grow substantially over the next few years.

Ms Webb said: "The statistics will be used for the national plan." She said that a basic draft of the national plan was out now and in consultation with the private sector.

"We had a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, and are getting feedback and input that will be part of the document.".

And she revealed the document that it will be ready within the next month.

She said: "The national plan will be ready before the end of session, we hope before the end of Easter. We are just getting feedback at the moment and are in the consultative process."

In March 2000, The Royal Gazette said that the E-commerce Advisory Board was completing a national plan for e-commerce.

At the time, Ms Webb said that the plan would cover areas including the development of the necessary educational resources, a marketing plan and the required infrastructure.

E-commerce advisor Nigel Hickson was brought on board last year, partly to help with the development of the plan.

Island schools and Bermuda College have also been working hand-in-hand with the Ministry, which has been encouraging the development of educational programmes to make sure Bermuda has a well-trained workforce for the future.

Speaking after revealing the figures from the e-commerce survey, carried out by Research Innovations, Ms Webb said: "With this data we can now monitor the growth of e-business in key areas and ensure there is a current understanding of areas vital to its further growth.

"This is important as the Island presents itself to the world as a logical platform for e-commerce and related activities."

Over the past few years Government and the Bermuda International Business Association have been showcasing the Island as a viable e-commerce centre.

They have touted it as an attractive place to do business because of the political stability, its strong infrastructure, tax regulations and legal framework.

Two years ago Ms Webb said of Bermuda: "It is a Rolls Royce jurisdiction", because of its attractions and it ban on online gambling and pornography.