[Fsfe-uk] brian white's parliamentary questions

[Graham Seaman]

Hi all,

MP Brian White  has been asking all the government departments  how much 
use they make of free software;  I've put all the responses which have 
come in so far (lifted from Hansard, via the excellent 
'theyworkforyou.com') together on one page:
http://open.egov.org.uk/Response_to_Brian_White

Generally depressing reading - the 'value for money' line in the policy 
document is definitely being taken the way MS intended, as a letoff for 
sticking with proprietary software, and it's clear that government 
policy is to avoid free software as far as possible while paying it 
lip-service for diplomatic reasons.  Otherwise, there's a few 
departments that are quite different, though I don't know how real it 
is:  from Health ('The Department does not use open source software 
(OSS) on any of its implemented or planned computer systems.') at one 
extreme to International Development ('It is expected that by 2007, up 
to 70 per cent. of DFID's computer systems will include some OSS 
components') at the other.

Does anyone know what connections Brian White has with free software? He 
seems to be very persistent, this isn't his first set of questions. I'm 
wondering how he could be backed up; can the AFFS  'sponsor an MP' ? :-)

Cheers
Graham