Software (Hansard, 16 January 1995)

§ Mr Illsley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the terms of the licence given by her Department to ICL to produce the software application IRC-PAS.

§ Mr. Sackville
The principal terms are:
copyright to remain with the Crown

ICL would develop and market the IRC-PAS

agreement to quality of service guarantees

limitation on charges that could be made.

§ Mr. Illsley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will own the copyright of the software application OPEN-PAS produced by ICL as a successor to IRC-PAS.

§ Mr. Sackville
The copyright will remain with the Crown.
316W

§ Mr. Illsley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what tendering procedures were carried out by her Department before the ICL PAS system was accepted.

§ Mr. Sackville
The Department does not carry out any tendering for PAS systems. It is the responsibility of health authorities and trusts to tender for PAS systems, following central procurement guidance which conforms with United Kingdom, European Union and GATT' regulations.

§ Mr. Illsley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is(a) the total cost per NHS unit of the licence to operate IRC-PAS paid to ICL, (b) the total cost to the NHS of the licence to operate IRC-PAS paid to ICL, (c) the length of contract given to ICL to provide software to the NHS, and (d) the tendering which was carried out in respect of ICL's re-written software application, OPEN-PAS.

§ Mr. Sackville
The cost per site per unit is subject to contract between the individual sites and ICL. The Department does not keep separate records of these contracts. Figures showing total moneys paid to the various PAS suppliers are not maintained centrally. The initial licence to ICL was granted for five years. This has since been extended to 25 years. There was no tendering carried out in respect of OPEN-PAS as the right to develop was encompassed within the licence to ICL.