§ Mr. Hirstasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Government intend to make the Patent Office a separate statutory body as proposed by the Chief Scientific Advisor, Cabinet Office, in the Green Paper, "Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation" Cmnd. 9117; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BrittanThe Green Paper, "Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation" (Cmnd. 9117) by Sir Robin Nicholson, the former chief scientific adviser at the Cabinet Office, proposed that the Patent Office should be allowed to be more responsive to the needs of innovation and that it should, therefore, be given a new look, freed from the traditional Civil Service framework and given454W broader terms of reference. The Green Paper added that the Patent Office should be self-supporting from fees and free to finance investment programmes.
The Government have decided that the Patent Office should become a statutory non-departmental public body for broadly these reasons. Legislation will be introduced in due course to give effect to this decision and work on its implementation will begin immediately.
Under the new arrangements it is intended that the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry will retain the power to appoint a management board and advisory committees and to set targets.