§ MR. PLATT-HIGGINS (Salford, N.)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the authority under which general rules made under the Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks Acts, 1883 to 1888, dated 11th June, 1889, and repealed 31st March, 1890, were amended by general rules dated 18th November, 1891; have the Board of Trade any statutory or other authority for reviving rules after they have once been repealed by simply referring to them in subsequent rules laid before Parliament, and without quoting them in extenso; and, if so, if he would state the nature of the authority; and will he state the amount of fees paid by duly registered patent 14 agents between 31st March, 1890, and 18th November, 1891; to whom was the money paid, under what authority was it received, and what has become of the money?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. C. T. RITCHIE,) CroydonThe two first paragraphs of the Question are framed under a misapprehension of the facts. As I stated on the 3rd of March, the rules of 1889, which are general rules, have never been repealed. The reference to the rules of 1891 was made in reply to the second paragraph of the Question which was then addressed to me. With regard to fees, the Registrar informs me that the amount paid by duly registered patent agents between the dates named, is £756; that the money was paid to him under authority conferred upon him by the rules; and that a sum exceeding that amount has been expended in performing the duties imposed upon the Institute by the rules.