HL Deb 27 November 2002 vol 641 c43WA
The Earl of Northesk

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their policy towards the procurement of open-source as opposed to proprietary software; and what proportion of software procured for use by (a) central government, (b) local government and (c) the public sector is from open-source sources. [HL1]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

The Government are intent on securing the best value for money in their IT procurements by encouraging the development of a flourishing IT industry which supplies both proprietary and open-source software solutions to the public sector. Government procurement decisions will be made on a value for money basis, based on the ability of the solutions to deliver effective and economic systems and services and seeking to avoid lock-in to proprietary IT products and services.

No information is held centrally concerning the proportion of open-source software procured for use by central and local government and the public sector. Such information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.