Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 227: To ask the Minister for Finance the amount his Department spent in 2002 on information technology software licences; the amount of that budget which was spent on products of a company (details supplied); if his Department uses or has considered using any Linux or similar open source software; the frequency with which software is reviewed in terms of value for money; if there is a policy position with regard to the promotion and use of such open source software; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18352/05]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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My Department spent €448,911.73 on software licensing in 2002. Of this, €239,124.76 was spent on software licences from the company referred to. The corresponding figures for 2004 are €548,903.68 and €318,076.91 respectively. My Department has been using open source software since 1995. In that regard, the Civil Service Internet access infrastructure, which my Department has managed since 1996, was operated almost exclusively using open source software for mail relays, web and caching servers, operating systems and firewalls. We also use open source software to develop web enabled applications both for use within my Department and for cross-departmental applications and we are considering the use of open source software for the management of my Department's network infrastructure.

My Department, in line with Government policy and procurement law, operates a procurement policy that facilitates open competition, best value for money and best fit to requirements. Within that approach, different products are evaluated on their merits, including openness in terms of future procurement and, where possible, avoiding a lock-in to a particular supplier. Accordingly, an open view is taken that tends in practice to follow standards emerging from the market. These open standards are critically important to facilitate interconnection of computer systems and exchange of data and information across these systems. Consequently, with respect to the costs of software, my Department considers the total cost of ownership, which includes the costs of development and customisation, deployment, maintenance, support, upgrades, training and skills development in addition to the licensing element.