§ Mr. Patrick ThompsonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the future of the Patent Office.
§ Mr. McLoughlinSince its establishment as an executive agency of the DTI in 1990, and its subsequent move to trading fund status in 1991, the Patent Office has become a more commercially oriented organisation. I am now undertaking a review of its role to consider how best to build on this progress. Such reviews normally take place around three years after an agency has been established.
The review will consider whether other forms of ownership and management might offer better value for money and enable the Patent Office to offer a better service to its customers. I will be asking independent consultants to assess the market in which the office operates; and to identify and consider as wide a range of options for its future as possible, including the possibility of putting some or all of it into the private sector, and of involving the private sector in running the office in ways which fall short of full privatisation. A number of consultancy firms have been invited to submit proposals. The chosen firm will be appointed shortly and will report later this year. I will report to the House on my conclusions.