§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the total number of specifications received at the Patent Office for the last year for which figures are available; and how this figure compares with other major European centres.
§ Mr. NobleDuring 1970 and 1971 the Patent Office received, respectively 62,101 and 61,078 patent specifications, of which 24,882 in 1970 and 24,383 in 1971 were provisional specifications. During 1970, the last year for which other countries' figures are available, 66,132 applications were filed in the German Federal Republic, 47,283 in France, 31,828 in Italy and 19,109 in the Netherlands.