HC Deb 19 July 1965 vol 716 cc175-6W
Mr. Ronald Bell

asked the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has for the training of recruits for the position of patent examiner.

Mr. Jay

Recruits are required to have a 2nd Class Honours Degree, or its equivalent, in Science or Engineering. They are trained in the Patent Office during their first years of service.

Mr. Ronald Bell

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many patent examiners he needs to recruit for the Patent Office during the next three years.

Mr. Jay

I hope, if possible, to recruit about 50 Examiners a year.

and which are known to have been completed.

Mr. Ronald Bell

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the present average delay at the Patent Office in issuing the first report on the examination of a patent application; and to what period of time he aims to reduce that delay by his present recruitment policy.

Mr. Jay

At present the Examiner normally issues his first report in 9½ to 10 months after the receipt of the complete specification. There has been a substantial improvement in the time taken to issue these reports during the last few years. I certainly hope to reduce this period further, but it must depend upon the rate of recruitment, how far the number of applications continues to rise, and the development of new methods of work, which are under examination.