Written question asked by Julian Lewis (Conservative) on Thursday, 5 December 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 29 January 2003. It was answered by Adam Ingram (Labour) on Wednesday, 29 January 2003 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to mandate companies tendering for the supply of future software systems for the Royal Navy to use Open Source Software for the engineered operating systems.

Answer: Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to mandate companies tendering for the supply of future software systems for the Royal Navy to use Open Source Software for the engineered operating systems. [86480] Mr. Ingram: While the Ministry of Defence is examining the benefits of using Open Source Software in some areas, it is not envisaged that its use will be mandated to Project teams. The appropriateness and benefits of Open Source Software for any given project will be assessed against a range of criteria, on a case by case basis.

Secondary information