§ Mr. AMERYasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the latest figures, for each year, showing the result of the operation of the Patents Act, 1907, including the number of factories that have been erected in this country by foreign manufacturers, the amount of capital invested therein; how many English firms are manufacturing for foreign firms on a royalty basis, and the amount received for such royalties; the number of additional workpeople to whom employment has been given as a result of the working of the Act, and the amount of their wages; what is the consequent annual increase in the rate assessment and the annual amount paid in rates; what has been the value of the additional output of production; and what are the totals of the exports and imports of the articles, whose production is affected by the Act, for the years 1905–12?
Mr. BUXTONMy right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. I presume that the reference in the first part of the question is to the operation of Section 27 of the Act, which relates to the revocation of patents in certain cases. This Section became operative on 28th August, 1908, since which date there has been eighty-two applications for revocation, one of which has not yet been decided. As a result of these applications nineteen 177W patents have been revoked. There is no official information available with regard to the extent to which the fear of revocation under this Section has led to the establishment of new works in this country or to the employment of additional capital or workpeople in manufacture. Moreover, separate statistics of the exports and imports of patented articles are not compiled.