§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his policy, in the light of the letter he has received from the hon. Member for Linlithgow. towards the application of patent law (a) towards living organisms, altered through genetic manipulation techniques and (b) chemicals produced by living organisms so altered which would not otherwise be produced by such organisms and which are identical to certain biologically active compounds or chemically similar thereto, and of identical biological effect.
§ Mr. FletcherThe Patents Act 1977 allows patents to be granted for genetically altered micro-organisms and for chemicals they produce. There must be novelty and inventiveness and, unless sufficient information is given to enable the results to be repeated, the micro-organism must be deposited in a culture collection.