[Sheflug] Microsoft Rip Heatlh Service

[Richard Ibbotson <xxxxx [at] xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear all

There was a brief announcement on Radio 4 on the evening of the 13th 
of October  which explained that the Government are backing a deal 
with the NHS for for MS licences to the tune of £70M per year.  On 
the front cover of Computing for the 18th October there is some 
misleading FUD which claims that the NHS are saving £50M.  It's very 
clear that someone doesn't want us taxpayers to know the truth.   
£70M is £70M and it's not something that I believe that the tax payer 
should be supporting.  I would have thought that £500 000 for the 
whole of the NHS was something like the kind of figure that would 
have been suitable.

Under EU law block deals of this sort have to be tendered properly 
and advertised in the EU journal.  If the Government did not do this 
they are breaking the law.  There is also the issue of 
anti-competitive practices.  If you think that there is something 
wrong here then please do send e-mail to ...

enquiries.competitionact@oft.gov.uk

This is the Office of Fair Trading.  They really would like to hear 
from you on this matter.  They have already received a lot of e-mail 
about it.  They want more as soon as you can send it in.

This is only the tip of the iceberg.  The software in schools issue 
or project is huge.  If you want to write to them about that as well 
then please do.  We find ourselves in a situation where it's more 
important to promote a monopoly and get rid of Linux and BSD and 
other free software than it is to save the tax payers money and cure 
patients of their diseases and pay for more teachers in schools.
If you believe that it should be made difficult to cement a monopoly 
between MS and the Government and that other software should be given 
a go then write to ...

markt-info@cec.eu.int

as well.  Especially if you think that the contract should have been 
tendered through the EU.  You might want to look at the EU web site 
for other departments as well.   If you think that the software deal 
with the NHS is poor value for money then you can write to the 
National Audit Office.......

James.ROBERTSON@nao.gsi.gov.uk

If no one writes to anyone then nothing will happen.  A few thousand 
e-mails of the right sort should help all of us to promote low cost 
or free software which is the kind of thing that the tax payer really 
needs just now.

Thank you



-- 
Richard
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