§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the NHS of genetic tests and treatments involving biological material patentable under the terms of the draft Directive on the Legal Protection of Biotechnological Inventions.[16154]
§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State (1) what estimate his Department has made of the cost to NHS public laboratories of providing genetic medicine services if the EU Biotech patent directive is passed;[16360]
(2) what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b)evaluated on the cost to the NHS over the next five years of the patenting of genes if the European Union Directive on the Legal Protection of Biotechnological Inventions is passed; and how much this research indicates the cost to the NHS of gene patenting will be in the next five years.[16373]
§ Ms JowellThe European Commission's proposed Directive on the Protection of Biotechnological Inventions aims to harmonise the existing body of law in this area across the European Union; as such, no significant change to the current position in the United Kingdom is anticipated.