PATENTS AND DESIGNS (EMERGENCY ORDERS) (Hansard, 24 November 1953)

§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Supply (Mr. A. R. W. Low)

I beg to move, That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty under subsection (3) of section forty-nine of the Patents Act, 1949, praying that the Patents (Extension of Period of Emergency) Order 1953, be made in the form of the draft laid before this House on 3rd November. I think that the House would like a short explanation of this Motion even though we are all accustomed to it. By extending the period of emergency under the Patents Act, 1949, this Order continues the powers in relation to inventions granted to Government Departments by Section 49 of that Act. These powers, the use of which is subject to certain safeguards, have been continued by similar Orders each year since 1950 by the House giving approval to Orders in exactly this form.

Before 1949—the date of the Patents Act—the powers were continued under the procedure of the Motion which we have just been discussing.

I told the House last year that we were seeking to find some other way of avoiding delays in, or interference with, exports, particularly exports of defence equipment and of aircraft, which there would be if these powers under Section 49 were not granted to us. We think that we have found such a way, which the House will see in due course, in the Inventions and Designs (Crown Use) Bill, which is now before another place. If those proposals in that Bill reach the Statute Book we shall be able to put an end to the period of emergency under the Patents Act.