Five years ago: Government plays down e-Envoy rumours

28.06.1999: The DTI today threw cold water on reports that an e-Envoy - a special government official responsible for internet and ecommerce issues - is soon to be appointed.

Since the former Trade and Industry minister, Peter Mandelson, talked about the concept of a government-based internet guardian in his ecommerce white paper, the industry has been riddled with rumours about who will be appointed to the role.

A DTI spokesman told silicon.com there is no reason to believe that an announcement about the e-Envoy is imminent: "The aim of the envoy has been in question for sometime and I haven't heard from the officials that they are going to announce anything."

28.06.2004: In the five years since a government spokesman denied there was a name in the frame for e-Envoy, the role has already come and gone. The man eventually appointed to the role, Andrew Pinder, took over the mantle in 2002 and will shed it by the end of July.

While the e-Envoy's time may be over, the role of IT Czar hasn't been ditched. It was announced recently that the man stepping into his virtual shoes will be former Accenture UK MD Ian Watmore – the first head of e-government.

Although both are regarded as the head of respective heads of UK IT, Watmore's role will differ significantly from that of his predecessor. The new e-government boss will, among other things, oversee the government's big IT projects.

He will inherit a legacy of bungled tech rollouts, the most recent of which saw IT costs for the GCHQ spy centre rise from an estimated £41m to around £450m.