§ 43. Mr. R. Bellasked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to remedy the hardship and discouragement caused to inventors who apply for a patent and have to wait for periods of two years before knowing whether their application can be granted.
§ Sir D. EcclesI am trying to increase the Patent Office staff. Steps taken include recruiting in the universities, improving the salary scales of examiners, and appointing older men.
§ Mr. BellWhat progress has my right hon. Friend made in increasing the staff? Are we catching up the arrears or are they increasing?
§ Sir D. EcclesI should need notice of that question, as I have not yet had time to see the progress made. I agree with my hon. Friend that it is very necessary that this should be done.
§ 44. Mr. R. Bellasked the President of the Board of Trade what is the normal interval at present between the application for a patent and grant or refusal; and how this compares with the position immediately before the war.
§ Sir D. EcclesThe interval between the filing of a complete specification describing the invention and the granting of the patent is now, on the average, about three years as compared with one year two months in 1938. The refusal of an application may occur at any point in time during the examination of an application.
§ Mr. BellWould not my right hon. Friend agree that this is a very unfortunate situation? Is the period increasing or getting less?
§ Sir D. EcclesThe situation is partly due to the shortage of scientists and engineers, about which I learned a lot in my last office. I do not know whether, at the present moment, it is getting greater or less.