§ Dr. WrightTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what consideration he has given to the status of animals in relation to the proposed EC directive on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions.
§ Mr. LeighA revised version of the European Commission's draft directive was published in December 1992 and provides that inventions concerning living matter, including animals, shall in general be patentable. However, a number of exclusions are proposed, one of which concerns processes for genetically modifying animals. I am considering the revised draft together with the comments on it made by interested circles and expect it to be debated by an appropriate committee of the House in the near future.
In the United Kingdom, the use of animals in scientific procedures is controlled by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, which complies with the relevant EC directive 86/609/EEC. It seems reasonable that inventions resulting from research carried out in conformity with the Act and directive should have the benefit of patents.