§ Mr. Longbottomasked the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of the Patent Office Examiners have indicated their willingness, and what proportion their unwillingness, in the course of his present investigation into the question of moving the Patent Office to a new site possibly outside London, to move their homes to the neighbourhood of the new site if outside London.
§ Mr. DarlingMy right hon. Friend is investigating the possibility of moving the Patent Office to a place on the outskirts of the Greater London Council Area, or perhaps a little further, but with convenient access from Central London. The staff have expressed unwillingness to move their homes, but the extent to which this might be necessary cannot be determined until a possible location has been found.
§ Mr. Patrick Jenkinasked the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has now received either from individual users of the Patent Office or from bodies representative of such users with regard to the suggestion that the Patent Office may be moved to a place on or beyond the outskirts of Greater London.
§ Mr. DarlingMy right hon. Friend has had a number of representations from people who are reluctant to accept that the Patent Office should be anywhere but in Central London.
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§ Mr. Patrick Jenkinasked the President of the Board of Trade how many people use the Patent Office library on a normal working day; and approximately what proportion of such users are members, or employees, of firms of chartered patent agents practising in the vicinity of the library.
§ Mr. DarlingAbout 460 people use the Patent Office library on a normal working day. Between 30 and 40 per cent. of these consult material relating directly to patents but I am unable to say how many of them are connected with firms of chartered patent agents. I should add that no proposal has been made to remove the Library from Central London.
§ Mr. Patrick Jenkinasked the President of the Board of Trade what consultations he has now had with industry, the professions and others concerned as users of the Patent Office as to the desirability of keeping the Patent Office in Central London.
§ Mr. DarlingMy right hon. Friend has had no consultations since the Answer which he gave on 13th July to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Crewe (Mr. Scholefield Allen). The views of the interests concerned are quite clear but he has to consider whether they over-ride the paramount need to relieve the situation in Central London.
§ Mr. Patrick Jenkinasked the President of the Board of Trade (1) why the proposal to locate the Patent Office on the South Bank site has been abandoned;
(2) on what grounds he is considering the possibility of moving the Patent Office to a place on or beyond the outskirts of Greater London, in view of the concern aroused.
§ Mr. DarlingI cannot usefully add at this stage to the reply my right hon. Friend gave to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Crewe (Mr. Scholefield Allen) on 13th July, except that, of course, the Government are concerned, wherever practicable, to relieve congestion in Central London.