THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD (LORD ST. OSWALD)My Lords, I beg 28 to introduce a Bill to provide for the granting of proprietary rights to persons who breed or discover plant varieties and for the issue of compulsory licences in respect thereof; to establish a tribunal to hear appeals and other proceedings relating to the rights, and to exclude certain agreements relating to the rights from Part I of the Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1956; to confer power to regulate, and to amend in other respects the law relating to, transactions in seeds and seed potatoes, including provision for the testing of seeds and seed potatoes, the establishment of an index of names of varieties and the imposition of restrictions as respects the introduction of new varieties; to control the import of seeds and seed potatoes; and for connected purposes. I beg to move that the Bill be now read a first time.
§ Moved, That the Bill be now read 1a.—(Lord St. Oswald.)
§ EARL ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, is this modernisation?
§ On Question, Bill read 1a, and to be printed.
§ House adjourned at sixteen minutes before four o'clock.