§ Brian WhiteTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is towards using open source software; and what percentage is used in her Department. [69303]
§ Alun MichaelDEFRA's IT technical policies do not indicate the use of open source software. The vast majority of DEFRA software requirements are currently met by commercial off-the-shelf software; open source software usage is insignificant in overall percentage terms. DEFRA's use of open source software will follow the Government policy when published. The draft policy can be viewed on http://www.govtalk.gov.uk/defaultasp. It is understood that there are plans to publish the policy in summer 2002.