HC Deb 15 November 1917 vol 99 c600W
Major Sir HENRY NORMAN

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state, in the case of a technical temporary officer of one of the Services who may have made important war inventions for which he has been required to take out secret patents and assign these to the Government, what is the financial position of such an officer in respect of these patents, and in what manner and on what basis he is remunerated for his inventions?

Sir W. EVANS

Such cases are dealt with under the King's Regulations, which apply to these temporary officers as well as to permanent members of the Services, and which provide that the terms for payment for the assignment of such inventions to the Government will be decided by the Government Department concerned, subject to the approval of the Treasury. They further provide that, in deciding those terms, regard will be paid to any facilities in originating, working out, and perfecting the invention which the inventor may have enjoyed by reason of his official position.